38 
F1VJS DAYS IN NANING. 
inmates calling out in a friendly and respectful tone, “ Tuan 
mau pig! ka mano,’’ “Where are you going, sir?”, or 
passed a door, without being invited to rest. Here, on 
the contrary, we were suffered to proceed in silence, and it 
was not till we had paused to make some enquiries re¬ 
specting the best route to the mountain, that some of the 
inmates of the adjoining cottages descended from their 
verandahs and entered into conversation. They expressed 
surprise on being told of the purpose of our journey, and 
presently asked Abdulrabman what I was in search of. He 
said I was going to the top of the mountain also At this 
they were or feigned to be perplexed, and said it would be 
necessary to see the Panghulu first. I said that was the 
first thing we had intended to do after resting a little to 
recover from our fatigue. We were conducted to the 
Panghulu’s house, and made to wait at the door of his fence 
until some of our new acquaintances had gone in to apprize 
him of our proposed visit. They returned after some delay 
with the message that the Panghulu had gone to a kampong 
at some distance, to be present at the burial of a man who 
had died from the bite of a snake. This was rather discour¬ 
aging, and as no invitation to enter was given although 
we were standing in the sun, we went to the margin ot the 
dry land and »at down in the shade of some trees, a number 
of the villagers gathering round us. On the opposite side of 
the paddy valley in front, Gunong Datu now stood close 
before us. A bare rock on one of the summits was pointed 
out as the kr&mat. I now endeavoured to persuade some of 
the inhabitants to guide us to it, but they said it was impos¬ 
sible until the Panghulu had given permission for my 
ascent, which they thought it would be difficult to obtain. 
They added that even he could not of his own authority 
allow me to ascend, and that he would have to hold a con¬ 
vocation of tuah tuahS) (literally “elders”,) of his district, 
and discuss the proposition. I said I considered their mode 
of receiving an Englishman somewhat uncivil, that 1 had 
heard in Naning that the sea and shipping could be seen from 
Gunong Datu—which was a wonderful thing, and hardly 
credible considering how far inland Rambau lay,—and that 
there were rocks of immense size on the mountain, that I was 
curious to see these things, and that when any of them came 
within our territories they were allowed to walk where they 
pleased without question, and make themselves as much at 
home as our own subjects. They said it was quite tiue that 
the sea, the ships, the Fort of Malacca, and all the islands 
