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difficulty soggy path through forest |
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At first the trail stays on an even level, then it goes down a slope through old clearings. Soon the forest receives us again. On one tree (98) the bark has been stripped off in a wide circle all around. This is supposed to kill it off as its small prickly fruits fall onto the path and infect the naked soles of the people. Now it goes in bends down a steep slope which is overgrown with trees and impenetrable undergrowth where the long fans of the rattan predominate. Because of the rain of the last few days the well cut trail is completely soggy and the coolies have the hardest time not to slip and fall on the slippery brown earth. Therefore we soon have caught up with them and now I go at the head of our caravan of twenty three people. This only has the disadvantage that I walk into the spiders' webs which are stretched across the path here and there. We do not have to go as far down as I had thought and the path leads only for a while through hilly jungle. |
