264 LIFE IN JAVA.
and the huge animals began to move forward ; but at such a snail's pace, that it took us fully an hour to reach the gates of the town, a distance which any ordinarily good pedestrian might easily accompHsh in ten minutes. This rate of progress was anything but desirable ; but as all the talking and praying in the world could not increase it, we resigned our- selves to our fate. Long after evening had given place to night, "we reached the station on the road where we had appointed to meet the avant-coumer whom we had despatched, before leaving Tjandjor, to obtain a relay of buffaloes.
The man, whose animals had dragged us so far, was on the point of unyoking them, in order to re- turn to his home, when I interposed, and induced him, by a promise of extra pay, to leave them attached to the carriage, for I felt convinced that without their assistance the single pair of fresh ones would take an endless time to accomplish the thirteen or fourteen miles of journey that still re-
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