portion of energy on the part of the natives. The forests abound with
the tiger and the elephant. The former finds plenty of game to feed on,
and, consequently, seldom molests man. It is not an unusual occurrence
for a single tiger to attack a herd of cattle when grazing in the
neighbourhood of their owner's grounds: singling out his intended
victim, he pursues it to the last, without, in general, attempting to
injure any of the rest As soon as the cattle see or smell the
approaching tiger, they become quite wild, and run at their full speed
towards their herdsman, whom they surround apparently for their own
protection, and continue in great commotion, though without attempting
to run, till their enemy is either driven away, or has succeeded in
capturing one of their number. The elephant is here of a large size, and
is occasionally caught in snares by the natives for the sake of his
tusks, which I have seen weighing one hundred and twenty pounds each.
This huge animal is not dangerous to man, unless his path is crossed,
when, particularly if a single male one, he becomes a formidable
neighbour. He is easily tamed; but the native here is too indolent to
trouble himself with the task. The only one I ever saw made use of, was
sent by the King of Acheen to Sir Stamford Raffles, and was, in my time,
the property of my friend, Mr. Robert Bogle. Strange stories are told
of the power, sagacity, and cunning of this monarch of the woods. Among
other feats, the natives say, it is not uncommon for one elephant to lie
down, and let another stand upon his back, in order that he may reach
higher up a cocoa-nut tree, and have a better chance of pushing it down.
I tell the tale as it was told to me, not caring to vouch for its truth.

Bencoolen is occasionally visited by the hill tribes from the mountains
in its neighbourhood: they come down in bands of ten, fifteen, or twenty
men, bringing with them gold-dust to barter for opium. As neither rice
nor cocoa-nuts grow in the elevated region inhabited by them, they
usually bring also a few bags of potatoes to exchange for those
luxuries. They are a hardy race of men, strongly built, of middle
stature, and have very thick black beards; a singular feature in an
inhabitant of this island. I am sorry to add, that they sometimes visit
the coast for other and less legitimate purposes than barter; and that
their kidnapping children to make slaves of, is no uncommon occurrence.
Several instances of