nearly flat country between Sungei Besi and Sungei Seran, as this mountain stands up as it were alone. Having seen all I wished to see in that locality, I came back to my camp at Kuala Wur, and had my boats and baggage taken below the Jeram, and there stayed the night. There was a rise of several feet in the river that night, and next day we came down to Kuala Besi at racing speed, doing in six hours, what it had taken us three days to go up.
I stayed the night at the house of an old Malay friend named Johor, and sitting chatting with him far into the night, he gave me the details of a tragedy which happened in his younger days, which, had a European been the chief actor, would have been cabled all over the world. Johor is now an old man, his wife is an old woman, and the two children who as infants took au unconscious part in the tragedy I speak of, are now a fine young man and woman, the son recently married and the daughter about to be, but both Johor and his wife still carry on their bodies the marks of the affray of which I speak. It took place some 20 odd years ago, and Johor, his wife and two young children were at that time living at Kuala Seran, i. e., where the Telom and Seran, as I before explained, divide, and go in separate directions.
It was just after the Perak war, and one day, Johor was sitting in his house preparing a quid of betel, his wife plaiting a mat, and his two children sitting on the floor playing. Simultaneously two men appeared armed with spear and kris, one at the front and one at the back door. The one at the back door remained on the ground, while the one in front, mounted the three or four ladder-like steps into the house and made a vicious stab at Johor with his spear, which he in the act of rising managed to ward off. Failing in this the stranger reversed the spear, and dealt him a smashing blow across the head, with the heavy petaling wood handle. Half blinded by the blood which poured down over his face Johor seized the spear, and a desperate struggle ensued. Finding he could not wrench it away, the stranger drew his kris and tried to stab him, but be warded off the stabs as best he could with his arms, at the same time with his feet pushing the children away out of danger.
