407 
FIVE DAYS IN NANING. 
which ran down a rocky hollow on the face of Panchur, 
I happened to place my compass open on the rock on which I 
sat, and it immediately attracted the wondering regards of the 
Besisi. After looking on it for some time in silent amaze¬ 
ment till the vibrations of the card had nearly ceased, the 
question at last broke from one of them,—“Apabenatang 
ini, tuan V* what animal is this sir? I shewed them my 
watch, and nothing could exceed the wonder and delight 
with which they examined it. They asked where its bena- 
tang was, and I pointed out the box containing the mainspring 
as the place where the power was confined which kept the 
whole machine in motion, but they remained persuaded that 
some little animal was imprisoned within and compelled 
to tick and toil incessantly. 
The ascent of Panchur on the south side proved excessive¬ 
ly toilsome from its great steepness, and the want of any 
shelter from the sun the trees having all been felled and the 
bare soil and numerous large granite blocks reflecting the 
heat. The Besisi had p'anted some vegetables, and even the 
occasional slight and inconstant shade of a plantain leaf was 
grateful. One of the Besisi preceded me with little apparent 
effort, and with the aid of a stick and the use of my hands I 
managed to keep up with him till I was thoroughly exhausted 
and my head throbbed so violently that I felt as if it would split* 
Tlie line of jungle seemed at no great distance above us, and 
the heat had become so intolerable that I strained every nerve 
to reach it; but the acclivity was a bar to increased rapidity 
of ascent, and the jungle seemed to retain the same distance. 
At last we reached a little watch-shed covered with leaves, 
when I threw myself down and felt the full blessing cf shade. 
Half an hour elapsed before my Malay comrades made their 
appearance. They lay down panting and speechless, and one 
of them presently fell asleep The other, when he found the 
use of his tongue, declared that be had never climbed a moun¬ 
tain before, and would never do so again. 
When I could look around I found that we had reached an 
elevation which overlooked all Malacca, and which, at one 
glance, gave a truer impression of the character of the country 
as a whole, due allowance being made for perspective errors, 
than months of wandering through its vallies and over its 
hills could have done. 1 was first struck with the vast ex¬ 
panse of forest which enveloped almost the whole region, and 
in which the largest cultivated plains and vallies dwindled 
into mere patches. The most marked features, after this, were 
the sharp and irregular undulations or waves in which the 
