106 
NEWS OF THE LOST ONES. 
mucli as a minute. This latter soon filled himself with 
the news, and then commenced the process of disgorging. 
“Two of the headman’s people, ho said, had met the 
men some miles farther up the beach: they were lost, 
and knew not which way to turn. Their feet were much 
swollen and bleeding, their clothes in tatters, and they 
themselves much exhausted for want of food. They had 
taken them to their village, given them food, washed 
their feet, given them a house to live in, and were now 
on their way to find the vessel to which they belonged. 
All that they had been able to understand from them 
were the words ‘American phrau’ and ‘Brikat;’ and 
from those they had concluded that an American vessel 
was somewhere near Tanjong Brikat. They did not 
know but that she might be wrecked and in want of 
assistance: they had come to see. 
“Stevens now inquired if there was water oft’ their vil- 
lage deep enough to admit of the schooner visiting it, and, 
upon being answered in the affirmative, made the head- 
man an offer if he would pilot us around. This was 
accepted, with the proviso that two of his relatives should 
1)6 allowed to accompany him, when we at once set out 
upon our return. One of the natives being sent through 
the jungle to order the boat to return to the point, the rest 
of us continued on down the beach, preferring its regu- 
lar though heavy walking, and the hot sun, to the boggy 
swamps and confined heat of the jungle. There was a 
fine breeze I^lowing outside, but none of it could enter 
those solid masses of interwoven brushwood. 
“On this return-walk we suffered greatlj^from heat and 
thirst; so much so, in fact, that Baber and several of the 
