e to mount farther. A scheme had been formed
to lead us round about, and take us gradually down, until too late
to mount again. A long parley ensued; both parties seemed resolute;
and it finished by our unloading the baggage-horse, and making a
small parcel of necessaries to carry on foot. Our guide, however,
never intended matters to go so far, and we finished at last by taking
half the horses, and allowing him (the rajah's son-in-law) to descend
with the rest. This being done, we had to retrace our road nearly to
Senua; and a little before sunset our party crossed an awkward stream,
and struck into the path up the mountains.

"A short walk brought us to Lengan Lengang about dusk, where we put
up for the night. For the first time, this day I saw the cockatoo
in his wild state; I was within easy shot of two of them, but the
stream lay between us, and I felt some compunction at shooting these
favorite birds.

"Lourikeets were in great plenty, and many varieties of pigeons
and doves, beside other birds. Near Lengan Lengang we encountered a
community of dusky baboons, many of them very large and powerful:
after a hard scramble I got within shot of them; on my firing the
first barrel, the young ones and females made off, but the leaders
of the band disdained to retreat, and, with threatening gestures and
grimaces, covered the retreat of their party. The consequence was,
I sacrificed one of these heroes, of a large size: he fell from
the branch on which he was seated into a deep valley, and his fall
completed the rout of the rest. Spence, in the mean time, having
arrived, I dispatched him to secure the prize; but at the bottom
of the valley the baboons again showed themselves, and manifested
every inclination to fall on him; another barrel put them to flight,
and between us we dragged the fallen hero to the horses.

"The village of Lengan Lengang consists of about a dozen houses, is
situated in a nook of the hills, and surrounded by cocoanut-trees. We
were accommodated in the principal house, and treated with every
hospitality. The people of the hills are poor, though their land is
fertile, and produces abundance of rice and Indian corn. Theft is
said to be common, especially of horses, and the care of the horses
belonging to travelers devolves on the villagers; for, in case a
horse is stolen, a fine is imposed on the population in general. To
prevent this misfortune, our hosts kept playing, as long as we could
bear it,