FIVE DAYS IN NANING. 
285 
and islands. One of the largest of these (Tanjong Rimau, 
Tiger Point) was covered with gomuti trees, the dark heavy 
foliage of which swelled finely above the yellow rice. Clus¬ 
ters of black specks scattered on the plain marked where the 
women were busy gathering the crop. The nearer margin of 
the plain was partially concealed by the belt of fruit trees 
which covers the base of the hill on which I stood. I o the 
S. by E. Panchur rose boldly, but it was striking to observe 
that the granitic undulations of Sabang, over which I had 
just passed, lay at a level so much below that of the partially 
metamorphosed sandstone on which I stood. While exami¬ 
ning some of the rocks a Malay sat down on the grass beside 
me and entered into conversation, I enquired for books, but 
although Sabang is the most considerable village in Naming, 
he did not think that any body but the Imam possessed one. 
At last he recollected that he himself had a manuscript, 
and invited me to go to bis house to .see it. while 1 was 
busy with my hammer an active by play between him and my 
conductor went on. After he had learned alt he could about 
me, he asked why I broke the rocks and carefully wrapped 
the chips in paper. My conductor offered various conjectu¬ 
ral explanations which however were not satisfactory, for 
every new glance at my movements irritated his cm iosity 
a-new, and produced fresh speculations. I continued my waiK 
to the extremity of Marachet where it sinks into a narrow 
fiat, one of the branches of Tam pin plain. Beyond this fiat 
the ground is sandy and undulating and probably granitic 
like that to the south of Marachet. As far as I proceeded 
it was covered with kampongs and open grassy spots where 
buffaloes were grazing. The farther I had come, Gunong 
Tampin at every fresh glimpse of it appeared more bulky and 
imposing, and it was with great regret that, at the fall ot even¬ 
ing, I turned back when l seemed to have reached its close 
vicinity, and the vallies and hills were all drawing towards it, 
and arranging themselves in obedience to some hidden law ot 
subordination to it, A little beyond the place where 1 turned., 
a dry prominence in the middle of a fiat is called pulo or 'land. 
On my way back I visited my new Malay acquaintance, whose 
kampong and cottage were close above the paddy plain and 
very neat. Unlike the Malays ot K-ida his hospitably dtd 
not extend to the offer of a cocoanut, My conductor asked 
if lie would sell one and a single nut was detached bom a 
tree, nor on its proving to D3 empty and diseased was it un¬ 
placed by a better. Meantime the book was produced, H 
was a little volume which had remained in tue family worn 
