vi Obituary . — David Thomas Gwynne- Vaughan. 
S in g or a , A pril , 1899. 
£ When we landed at Singora we arranged for some boats and a dozen 
Siamese boatmen to take us and our band of brigands up the Ta Lei Sap, 
a large inland sea here which only two Europeans have ever seen before. 
This we did, thanks to our credentials from the Siamese Government, pretty 
comfortably, and having reached a village half-way up we started our 
collections. Then the party divided. I and another one, Evans, started 
in the boat, and the other two went inland to investigate a tribe of very 
primitive savages with peculiarly repulsive and interesting methods of 
burying. I and Evans went in search of another lake to the north of Ta 
Lei Sap, called Ta Lei Nawi, found and entered it, being the first Euro- 
peans to see that fine sheet of water. That night I attained the Ultima 
Thule of a traveller’s desire, that is, I reached a spot where I was the very 
first white man to tread the soil. I should like to draw you a picture 
of our evening meal, after thirteen and a half hours’ fast too, as we sat and 
wolfed, with a ring of about seventy natives seated around at a respectful 
distance, and observing us with interest and sundry guttural remarks. My 
gun caused considerable comment next day (I do the shooting of the 
Expedition, and do it extremely well). N.B. I have had a lot of luck in 
shooting lately, and must “ blow ” a bit. I had some difficulty in doing 
much there, because the whole village insisted on accompanying me, and 
made enough noise to frighten all the game into the next continent.’ 
Biserat in Jalor (undated). 
‘ Here I have made the acquaintance of a most villainous old brigand 
in a village near a mountain just here ; he has instituted himself as my 
companion and mentor in shooting excursions and ascents of the hill, and 
he has just shown me, as a great treat, the entrance of a cave which runs 
direct into the hill. We have been yearning for caves for some time, and 
I am very pleased, because the very next day I got torches and, accom- 
panied by my hired assassin, we have explored it. He, the betel-chewing 
old assassin in question, is the only man here who dares enter, because 
there are a large number of exceptionally ferocious and horrible “ Hantus ” 
(Demons, or Devils, mixed up a good deal with ghosts). A strong wind 
comes out from the mouth of the cave, which is their breathing. The 
brigand did his utmost to dissuade me for my own good, advancing 
numerous weighty reasons, such as that the cave ended in a pit which 
dropped through to the infernal regions, and that it was not the right time 
of year. Somewhat incongruous, isn’t it ? He only screwed himself up to 
accompany me by the offer of bullion, and by assurances that I had paid 
special attention to cave-demons, and was capable of coping with any likely 
to appear ; indeed, I openly confessed to intimate acquaintance with several 
cave-devils of the higher class. Further, he besought me to bring a little 
