spector and I were becoming fatigued, we therefore
rested at this place for a day.
March Qth.—Started early in the carriage for
Luniut, in a westerly direction. Our road continued
to ascend until we reached the water-shed formed by
the Barizan, and were two thousand five hundred
feet above the sea. We now passed out of the great
valley of Mandeling, which is fifty-five miles long in
a right line, but only from six to ten miles broad.
The descent from the water-shed toward the sea is
gradual, but the road is execrable and exceedingly narrow
at best, and wholly covered, except a narrow footpath,
with tall grass. Besides, our horses had never
been harnessed to a carriage before, and, after many
fruitless attempts to guide them, I said to the inspector
that the only way we should be able to proceed
would be to make the wild natives, who gathered to
look on, haul us themselves. He replied that that
would be perfectly impossible, for they respect no
one but the governor. However, I noticed that they
recognized our “ American ” as the one the governor
had used in travelling that way once before—the only
time a carriage had ever been seen on the road—and
jumping out, directed our Malay attendants, who
could speak their language, to say to them the governor
wished us to take the “American | through to Si-
boga, and every man must help us obey his command.
This chanced to strike them favorably, and
their rajahs detailed some twenty to haul us as far
as the next village. I selected three of the tallest
and fleetest and placed them between the thills, and
ranged others outside to haul, by means of long rattans
fastened to the forward axle, and a suitable proportion
behind to hold back by a rattan secured to
the hind part of the carriage as we went down-hilL
All being in their places, I jumped into the carriage.
A wild yell was raised, and away we dashed down a
gradual descent, as if we were drawn by a race-horse;
the road became steeper and steeper, and we flew
faster and faster; those behind had evidently forgotten
what was expected of them. Those in front,
who were outside of the thills, dropped the rattan and
leaped aside for fear of the rattling wheels behind
them, and those in the thills shouted out all sorts of
implorings and execrations against those behind, who
seemed to enjoy the discomfiture of their fellows too
much to hold back at all. When we reached the
bottom of the long hill, the men in the thills were
the only ones near the carriage. The others were
scattered at intervals all the way down the hill,
but were coming on as fast as they could. All
seemed in the best of temper, except those in the
thills, who gave a spirited lecture to the others;
but at once all formed as before, and took us up
the succeeding hill. The inspector was in constant
apprehension of some mishap, but I thought we
might as well be drawn by wild men as wild horses.
Just before we arrived at each village, the rajah
of that place met us with men enough to take us on
to the next kampong, and sometimes we had forty or
fifty of them drawing us at a time. On the level
lands they usually took us along at a fast canter,
shouting, and screaming, and leaping, as if they were
half mad.