culty whatever in procuring guides from one group of
huts to the next on payment in goods, and my instructions were always
to lead me towards the coast, the nearest point of which I knew was
due west or a few points to the north.

We passed through a most fertile country the whole way. There
were no rivers of any importance, but we were well supplied with
drinking-water from the numerous springs and rivulets. The forests
are very rich in good timber, chiefly _Ipil_ (_Eperma decandria)_,
a very useful hardwood (_vide_ Woods). I estimated that many of these
trees, if felled, would have given clean logs of 70 to 80 feet long. I
presume the felling of timber was not attempted by these natives
on account of the difficulties, or rather, total want of transport
means. From a plateau, within half a day's journey of the opposite
coast, the scenery was remarkably beautiful, with the sea to the west
and an interminable grandeur of forest to the east. There were a few
fishermen on the west coast, but further than that, there was not a
sign of anything beyond the gifts of Nature. About half a mile from the
coast, on the fringe of the forest, there was a group of native huts,
two of which were vacated for our accommodation in exchange for goods.

With an abundance of fish, we were able to economize our
provisions. One of my men fell ill with fever, so that we had to
wait two days on the west coast, whilst I dosed him with Eno's fruit
salt and quinine. In the meantime, I studied the habits of these
people. Among the many things which astonished them was the use of
matches, whilst our cooking highly amused them. Such a thing as a
horse I suppose had never been seen here, although I would gladly have
bought or hired one, for I was very weary of our delay. We all went
on the march again, on foot nearly all the way, by the same passes
to the Iguajit River, where we found a canoe, which carried us back
to Puerta Princesa.

The island produces many marketable articles, such as beeswax, edible
bird's nests, fine shells, dried shell-fish, a few pearls, bush-rope
or _palasan_ (q.v.) of enormous length, wild nutmegs, ebony, logwood,
etc., which the Chinese obtain in barter for knives and other small
manufactures.

The first survey of the Palauan Island coast is said to have been
made by the British. A British map of Puerta Princesa, with a few
miles of adjoining coast, was shown to me in the Government House
of this place. It appears that