THE BINUA OF J OHO HE. 
249 
the estuary of the river Pahang,) and which may be termed the Lands 
End of Asia, is the country inhabited by the tribes noticed in this paper. 
With the exception of the Luliimut mountain group, in which the 
Lingiu, Sidili, Mad<? and Kahang rise,—and which sends a less ele¬ 
vated chain towards the place where the waters of the Simrong flow 
on the one side to the east and on the other to the west,—the whole 
country of the Binua is flat, or undulating, or slightly hilly. It is eve¬ 
rywhere covered by the most luxuriant and magnificent forest, which 
nature has so abundantly provided with edible fruits and animals, that 
if the Binua were deprived of every other means of subsistence they 
would still have a sufficient supply of the necessaries of life. The 
climate is rainy; and the almost constant moisture produces towards 
morning a degree of cold wliicli renders a thick blanket indispensable 
to the European, and causes the Binua to crouch round their fires. 
The alluvial tracts, and particularly the plain of the Pau, are at this 
time enveloped in dense fogs, which are said to prevail all the year 
round. 
A fuller account of the country will be given afterwards. I have 
here only mentioned such particulars as are necessary to understand 
the condition and mode of life of the Binua. 
Personal appearance of the Binua. —In personal appearance 
the Binua bear a strong family resemblance to the Malays; and I re¬ 
marked of many of them, as I had previously done of the Besfsf, that 
the difference was scarely appreciable so long as they remained at 
rest and silent. In other words the air, manner, and expression, con¬ 
stitute the great distinction between them. In one or two rare in¬ 
stances even this was almost wanting. The Bintara of Boko in his 
bearing and manner so much resembled a quiet, shrewd, old Malay 
trader, that the Malays who accompanied me considered him to he 
such until his pronunciation betrayed him. The great majority how¬ 
ever are, at the first glance, distinguishable from Malays. The most 
constant and obvious characteristic is the eye, which, as in the Ber- 
mun tribes, is soft, mild and with a liquid brilliancy, very different 
from the dark cloudy aspect of that of the Malay at once adapted to 
veil Ins real thoughts and objects and give expression to wounded 
pride and revenge. In some of the women it is eminently soft, lus¬ 
trous and confiding. I only noticed in two or three of the men that 
habitually wild expression winch occurs more frequently among the 
Bermun tribes. The mouth varies greatly, but in all is open, and 
entirely devoid of the degree of firmness which generally characterises 
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