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The Golden Chersonese and the Way Thither by Isabella L. (Isabella Lucy) Bird
page 164 of 382 (42%)
the great beverage of the country, a Malay bounded up the ladder and
passed through us, with the most rapid and feline movements I have ever
seen in a man. His large prominent eyes were fixed, tiger-like, on a
rifle which hung on the wall, at which he darted, clutched it, and,
with a feline leap, sprang through us again. I have heard much of amok
running lately, and have even seen the two-pronged fork which was used
for pinning a desperate amok runner to the wall, so that for a second I
thought that this Malay was "running amuck;" but he ran down toward Mr.
Hayward, our escort, and I ran after him, just in time to see a large
alligator plunge from the bank into the water. Mr. Hayward took a
steady aim at the remaining one, and hit him, when he sprang partly up
as if badly wounded, and then plunged into the river after his
companion, staining the muddy water with his blood for some distance.


Police Station, Permatang Pasir, Sungei Ujong, 5 P.M.--We are now in a
native State, in the Territory of the friendly Datu Klana, Syed
Abdulrahman, and the policemen wear on their caps not an imperial
crown, but a crescent, with a star between its horns.

This is a far more adventurous expedition than we expected. Things are
not going altogether as straight as could be desired, considering that
we have the Governor's daughters with us, who, besides being very
precious, are utterly unseasoned and inexperienced travelers, quite
unfit for "roughing it." For one thing, it turns out to be an absolute
necessity for us to be out all night, which I am very sorry for, as one
of the girls is suffering from the effects of exposure to the intense
heat of the sun.

We left Sempang at two, the Misses Shaw reeling rather than walking to
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