The San Francisco call., 1907-02-03

- y
+ sumatra from Palembang to
Lshstr passing by Moesra Eaim.
Paiembang is a town OF about $4,000
Inhabitants. composed Of Malays. Chi
nese Arabs. Europeans and natives.
Besides IT'S exotic position, and customs
81 IS interesting to European traveller
even OF limited culture for the reason
that IN Palembang was buried that as
Sontshing youth. Alexander. the Great.
from whom the family OF chiefs OF that
town claims it's illustrbo1s descent In
the center OF the city the Mohammedan
mosque raises Ste tall minaret high
above the roofs OF the town. Not far
from 81 are the palace OF the Sultan
and the barracks. the residence OF the
Dutch Governor and by the water side
the Chinese 3osshouse. Here the
j usually staid natives. the boatmen,
rival the London omnibus conductors
81 their noise an they cry out the
prices they ask for the hire OF their
craft and In the tsunts and 3ests with
which they load the successful bar
GEiners
The day OF starting was very
satiguing 10 the two travellers, for they
were bound TO make very minute
examination OF the visible and hidden
organism OF their three and a half
horsepower voiturette. AS many are
not familiar yet with a cars anatomy.
81 would be tiresone TO speak about
the different knobs, cooling pipes and
al other things.
-. Only late in the afternoon the tools
y haf Nh
tanned different spare pieces, for it was
obvious that In case OF an accident in
the heart OF the jungle the travellers
would be very much embarrassed in
country OF 10000 square miles so
gparsely populated. especially in the
there are twelve Inhabitants to every
square mile Of territory. where there
tG almost no communication with the
mites and where there is danger
from the rowing bandits. who are still
60 be found. Notwithstanding ali the
Efforts of. the Dutch Government for
their determination.
: In the back OF the car, usually occu-
pied by. a servant, were placed two va
iIsee. containing that which was
thought to be necessary for the eight
days. run across country. over the
~siises were strapped two large square
2 in cans, containing about forty litres
the reservoir, made the total OF fifty
3 I've litres OF that liquid so precious in
the circumstances A few boxes Of pre-
serves biscuits. etc, completed the
cargo OF the car.
M Knoops. expecting to meet some
tigers or wild bears. IN which the
country abounds, took a rife. while Mr.
Kapferer was armed only with a pair
OF motor glasses, as protection
against the large mosquitoes. whose
E<ings cause bad swellinss and are
! very painful.
:: AT o'clock in the evening the
:. travellers left Palembang. with all the
boys and dogs OF the town at their
heels. The distance between Palembeng
and Moesra Enim is about 1S5 miles
and there is q kind OF road, but In the
space OF forty miles from Palembang
that road does not exist-it is dead"
as the natives put II. The vast
s-vs1nps that surround the town have
swallowed up the road IN most places,
in others the piles on which 1t was
buf1t have rotted away. and this kind
OF q highway. so dificult TO be con-
-structed. has not been repaired.
Automobile in a Dugout
To reach the road the travellers were
obliged to go by water to Leorog.
where the road begins. this town being
the first OF the stations where petrol
Vas pumped from the springs. One
goes there by a little, narrow, low
banked and shallow river, navigable
only TO the native '.praus," which are
big canoes. or pirogues. made OF the
es11nx o9 one tree. These craft, COM
mon to all the eastern islands, draw so
little water that they seem to skim
along the surface.
II was on one of these 'praus" that
the motor car was loaded with great
difficulty. and the boat heeled SO that
for moment the owners thought that
they would sink. But no; the boat
righted itself and SKINNED over the
surface or the water. the pushing OF
being helped by the rising tide and
waves that curled round the bow
The bosfnen 1T the lamps that hung