544 
PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION E. 
hillsides, in company with the tiger and the deer. Upon the highest 
points the pine remains the last relic of the northern scenery the 
Mekong has come through, and below among the limestone hills are 
the dense dark forests known by the name of dong , which are dreaded 
for their fevers all over Siam. 
The largest timber in these is generally the Ton-takien, from 
which the long dug-outs are made, and the Ton-yang and others of the 
J) ipterocarpus family, the Ton-yang being the source of the dammar 
oil, which is much used by the jungle men. It is a magnificent tree, 
with a gradually tapering stem, showing not a branch upon it for 100 
to 150 feet from the giant buttresses which form its roots. Near a 
village it is generally disfigured, and after four or five years killed 
outright, by the cutting of pockets round its base about three feet from 
the ground for the collection of the oil. Magnificent orchids and 
heart’s tongue-like ferns cling to them far up in the gloom, and the 
long arms of rattans and innumerable creepers drape them in their 
folds. Beautiful as they are, a few hours’ march in these dong 8 y with 
no sign of sun or wind and only a chill damp in the air, soon deprives 
a party of its spirits, and makes one gasp to get out of their dismal 
depths again and into the sun, be it ever so hot. What they are in the 
rainy season I will not attempt to describe, but many a poor fellow 
has stalked in hale and hearty, and been left by his comrades dead in 
the track after a few hours’ struggle with the raging fever. 
As a rule Europeans seem to stand it better than the others, who, 
poor things, with their upbringing on a none too hearty diet of rice 
and salt fish, often collapse in a heart-breaking way. 
Rapids . — Shooting rapids is not very exciting work taken altogether 
unless you be the helmsman, as one hardly feels the pace unless a head 
wind is blowing; for it is tolerably certain that the mound of waiter 
piled against an obstructing rock will knock your boat clear provided 
she is kept properly on her course. 
Out of some thirteen rapids, which go to make the series already 
spoken of between Chieng Sen and Luang Prabang, Keng* Haow, 
Keng La, Keng Teu, and Keng Lang Luang are really dangerous owing 
to the huge eddies and whirlpools which keep breaking promiscuously in 
different places, and which, when they lay hold of a boat, spin her about 
in all directions, notwithstanding all the helmsman and bow-oar man 
can do to keep her straight. Bound with bamboos along their gunwales 
the boats are very stable ; and as long as they do not get smashed upon 
the rocks by these eddies, a ducking is as a rule the worst that befalls 
going down river. Going up, when the boats are lightened for pulling 
against stream the easier, accidents are more frequent. The rapids are 
the same in character as those below Luang Prabang; there is a 
slightly smaller volume of water, but they are uot the less awkward 
on that account. Isa rule there is a village every 10 to 20 miles, 
and as one goes down one gets new crews who know the rapids of 
their section, the others returning home. 
Pulling three or four oars, we used, in order to get over the quiet 
hot reaches, to get up races ; but the Lao are not good oarsmen for 
racing, as they get into what rowing men know as a u bucket, pull 
very short, and are soon blown. By going stroke, and making them 
Keng in Siamese = rapid. 
