346 MANNER OE LIFE OF THE EUROPEANS IN BANKA. 
me shortly afterwards, regretted much that I had not spared her life and 
locked her up in the godown, where she might have been of great service in 
destroying rats. However such a rat catcher appeared to me too horrible. 
It is not advisable to have pineapples and other shrubs growing close to 
the the house, since they attract vermin of the above description. The 
place close before the house ought therefore to be kept clean and stripped 
of every plant. In the fissures of old wood centipedes and scorpions fre¬ 
quently nestle, of which the large black ones are less dangerous from their 
size by which they are easily discoverdj the small yellow ones however 
cause painful bites, which I myself experienced several titn es. I was also 
bitten by a centipede when carelessly in the morning wiping myself with 
a towel, in the folds of which this loathsome animal lay hid. Clothes and 
shoes ought therefore to be carefully searched before putting them on. The 
black scorpions are of the size oflarge river crawfish. 
The lizards covering the walls of the room are also alarming to the newly 
arrived European in the beginning. The gekko especially is generally fear¬ 
ed and believed to be poisonous. It is maintained that if it accidentally 
comes in contact with the human skin, it will cling to it with such obsti¬ 
nacy as to suffer itself to be tom into pieces rather than let go its hold. 
It clings tightly to the smoothest ceiling with its humid warty toes. In 
shape it resembles the salamander. Its cry is similar to the sound of its 
name, which may be heard often all night long. 
The small lizards inhabiting the houses and rooms are held in much fa¬ 
vour, since they destroy the insects and no body ever thinks of killing them. 
Here I shall describe the manner by which the alligators arc caught by 
the Chinese. This is effected either by means of a strong iron hook to 
which the bait is affixed, or of a piece of wood one foot long, pointed at 
both ends and connected with a chaii or strong rope, tied round its mid¬ 
dle. The one end of the wood is slightly fastened to the chain, so that the 
wood itself lies in the same line with the former 5 to the other end a piece 
of flesh is stuck, and the whole is laid on the shore with the chain fastened 
to a pole driven into the ground. The alligator emerges from the water, 
swallows the wood along with the flesh, and retreats into the water. By 
swallowing the bait the end of the wood which w r as loosely fastened to the 
chain is disengaged, and assuming the form of a T across the throat, sticks 
there, so that the alligator cannot relieve himself from it, 
Baturussak was closely surrounded by the forest which was only cut down 
to the extent of 400 paces in diameter. On this spot the grass and shrubs 
had sprung up to the height of a mao. On my arrival there, I ordered them 
