New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-05-30
M PUBLICATIONS.

Tracks IN Japan, cue. oNu, PIP NV
MANS Sons
No other modern traveller knows how TO travel
A. ~ aud IN W rite Az successfully as does this Gil
- rnohshvoman. Nothing tires her, Dothihc
- her. and her enjoyment OF everything
- o,, unusual stirs her pen to the freshest ana
,ocet descriptions She has eyes LOT the pa'hos anu
a. finn of unciyized as well as OF civiilzed Peo-
,,.s Her nerves are so stont that she can VAIN
aI,v tbrougb the agonIes of Eastern prison, and
,rhe, biften by a centipede she screams me
mo screams, forsooth but coolly cuts
the bite with penknIfe, squeezss IL, ana pours
ammonia recklessly over it. As for suiierngs OF
this kind indeed. she has a more than masculine
oo,temnt and describes with ca!mness the way III
which after few days visit with prodlgions
Malayan tiger mosquitoes she was obliged to sew
up her swollen and painful feet IN liheh STOCKINGS
being an lmpossibllity.
She has wholesome taste for statistics and polit-
cal situations and can put them neatly on paper
ma she does the poetcal pictures of tropical forests
ana streams in winch expressed thoroughly
refined sense of the beautiful In short this lady is
extraordinarily wel-ftted for the work IN when
she takes such evident delight and the readers OF
her fascinating books will hope that it may be long
before her shadow grows less.
Her adventures in Milton's " Golden Cbersonese,"
otherwise the Malay Peninsula, were well worth
recital. Her animated descriptions OF the natlves'
of their life and habits aud homes and surroundings
will give her reader such clear picture OF that
distant region AZ he can find nowhere else. Her
book is full of color, sparkle, movement ana II
she ha. to chronicle mshaps she does IT in so pleas
ant a vein that one cannot but applaud anew the
courageous ID pertihacous traveller. Her account
of her elephant ride will recall that
well-remembered jaunt upon smaller and hveller
beast undertaken in the Rocky Mountains:
The elephant at last came and was brought
below the porch. They are truly hdeous beasts.
with their gray, wrinkled HAN less hides the huge
ragged nappers" which cover their ears, and with
which they fan themselves ceaselessly the small,
mean ewes the hIdeOus probOscls which coils itself
snaklshy round everything; the formless legs, SO
like trunks of trees; the pigglsh back. with the
steep slope down to the meal, bare TALL aud the
general unlikeness to all familiar and friendly
beasts. can hardly write, for little "ah-.eah inc
most delightful of apes. Is hanging with one long,
lean arm round my throat while with ITS olsen
gagged hand II keep. taking my pen. dipping II IN
the INK and scrawling over my letter. 1t is the
most winsoIle OF creatures but if were to oppose
1t there is no knowing what 1t might DO. so Will
take another pen. The same is true oil an elephant
! am without knowledge of what 1T may he capable
Before came l dreamt of howdahs and cloth of
gold trappings put my elephant mad neither IN
fact there nothing grand about hun but his
ugIiness. HIS back was covered with a piece oil raw
hide over which were several mats. aud on eltier
side of the rldgy backbOneS shallow basket hlled
with fresh leaves aud twigs ana held in place by
rones of rattan dropped iuto one of these baskets
from the porch, young Malay lad into the other,
and my bag Ged Oh behind with rattan A
moose of the same with stIrrup served for the
driver to mount He was Malay. wearing onl " a
handkerchief aud sGrong gos s ing careless hs
to talk, and left us TO ourselves He drove with
stick with carved spike at the end OF IT. which,
when the elephant was bad. was hooked into tho
membranous fapper." always evOking the uprear-
ing aud brandshlpg of the proboscls, and sound
OF ungentle expcstulation, which could be heard
H.. Ia. aat m hD n
times cross legged and sometimes with his legs be-
hind the huge ear covers: MIR: Maxwell assured
me that he would not send me into region with
out a European unless 1T were perfectly sale.
which fully believed, any doubts as to my safety
if had any, being closely connected with my steed
This mode of riding is not comfortable. One sits
facing forward with the feet dangling over The
edge of the basket. his edge soon produces sharp
ache or cIalnp and when one tries get relief by
leaning back OH anything, the awswaid, rolling |
motion is so painful that one reverts 10 the 1Ofei
pos. tion till il again becomes intolerabe. Then
the elephant had not been loaded with brains," |
and his pack was as troublesome as the traw shoes
OF the japanese horses. 1t was always slipping for
ward back ward. aud as was heavier than the |
Malay lad, was always slipping down and trying |
TO wrlgge myself up on the great ridge which was |
the creatures backbone, aud always falling, ana |
The maLout was ALWAYS stopping and pulling the |
rattan lopes which bound the whole arrangement |
together, but never succeeding in improving it,.
Before we had elled two hours, the great bulk
of the elephant, without any warning gently sub
sided behind. and then gently in trout the huge
ugly legs being extended III front of him. and the
man slgued to me to get of, which dld by getting
on his head and letting myself down by rattan
rope upon the driver. who made step Of his back,
for even when kneelmg as this queer attitude is
called, a good ladder is needed for comfortable
getting OIL and on. While the whole arrangement
OF baskets was being re.rgged clambered INTO
Malay dwelling OF the poorer class and was cour
teOusly received an Tegaib1 with bananas and
buffalo milk. Hospitality is one of the Malay vir
tues. This house Is composed of front hut and
back hut with a communication Like all Others 1T
is raised to good height on posts. The uprlghts
of palm and the elastic, grldIron floor OF split
laths of the In valuable nibOHg palm lORcOsperma
flamentoSum). The sides are made OF neatly split
reeds and the roof in all houses, OF the dried
leaves OF the nipGh palm tRtpd JrUicdHSl stretched
over high ridge pole and steep rafeIs of bamboo.
= could not that single Dall mad been used i'll
the house. The whole of 1t is dashed together with
rattan. The furniture consists entirely Of mats.
which cover part of the floor, and are used both
for sitting on and sleeping on, and a few small,
hard, circular holsters with embroidered ends. A
musket a spear. some fishing rods, and buffalo |
woke hung against the walls of the reception room |
In the lack room. the province Of the women and
there were an iron pot, cluster OF b&-
DanaS, and two caabashes. The women wore only
sdroags. and the chi dren nothing. The men. who
were not much clothed were lounging on the mats
The Malays ait passi0nately fond of pets. and are
SAID to have much skill in tanning birds and
all inals Doubtless their low voices and gentle
supple movements shUck the ti.nid sensitive
ness of bTuteS.
had walked on for some distance and had to
walk back AGAIN before found my elephant. / |
had been pOking about in the scrub IN search of |
some acid fruits, and when got back to the road |
WAS niucn surprised 20 ma tDat my DOOls were
filled with blood, and on looking for the cause |
found five smsll brown recheS, beautifully striped
with yellow. firmly attached to my ankles. bad
not heard that these were pests i'll Perak and
feared that they were something worse but tDe
elephant driver, seeing my plight, made some to-
baccO Juice and sQur.ed il over the creatures when
they recOiled in great disgust Owing TO the eXer-
else obliged TO take the bites bled for several
hours. do not remember feeling the first pune
Iurc. | have now heard that these bloodsuckers
inie,t leaves and heritage and that when they hear
the rustng made by man or animal in passing, they
CHI themselves To their fullest length ard il
they can touch any part of his body or dress they
hold ON to it. and as quickly possible reach sone
spot where they can suck their fill
am making my narrative as slow as my journey |
huI he fhinr, of will he "A n & |