n, very fashionable amongst
themselves--render it, lies at the mouth of the Perak river.

On landing we struck at once into the jungle, under tall palms, with
their great ripening fruit, and other tropic vegetation. Road, there was
none; only a sort of bridle path, very heavy with mud, and overgrown
with great hawser-like creepers, indicated a way along which we trudged.
Now and then the fallen trunk of a great tree barred our further
progress, or a chasm yawned before us, or mayhap, a great time-worn
boulder stopped the way; insignificant objects all when matelots are on
the war trail. Our object was to reach a certain house on yonder point,
in which a most dastardly murder was recently perpetrated on the British
resident, Colonel Lloyd, who, with his wife and sister, had made this
their home. The house is now quite empty, but in one of the rooms we
saw, or fancied we saw, spots of sanguine dye on the floor.

We hastened onward through a small hamlet of about a dozen miserable
huts, resting on piles. Tubs of putrid fish, in all stages of
decomposition, gave out a most horrid stench, whilst other carcasses
strewed the ground in advanced rottenness. Is it not revolting, that
amongst these people, fish in its pure state is rarely eaten, and if it
be, it is always raw. But nature is ever lovely, though the human part
of her does all it can to deface her; if she were not so what a spoiled
world ours would be!

Holding our nostrils we ran for it, doubtful if we should ever get rid
of the smell. Further on was a hut of rather larger pretensions, now
used as a barrack for the police. One of these latter, who possessed a
tolerable knowledge of English, struck up a conversation with us, and
amongst indifferent topics we asked about the prisoners recently
captured. He certainly took us by surprise, when he indicated they were
within the building, alongside of which we were standing. Would we like
to see them? We would. Yes, true enough, there on the floor were five
Chinamen, lashed and bound so tight that the flesh stood out in great
purple ridges on either side the rope.

To get back to our boat we had to repass the village of odours
delectable. On this occasion the scantily clad and polished Malays, whom
we had not seen on passing through, put in an appearance.

By 4 p.m. the anchor was aweigh, and we heading towards Penang, which
was reached on the following day in the midst of thick, dirty weather.

The town is well bui