cut up into thin slices and smoked, and now, in many
places on the hills around the bay of Kayeli, columns
of smoke are seen rising every day, where the
natives are busy changing venison into dmding, the
only kind of meat they have except that of wild
, boars, which are very abundant on this island, though
seldom taken. They are accustomed to come out
into the prairie-lands in great droves, and frequently
an area of a quarter of an acre is so completely rooted
UP V them that it looks as if it had been ploughed.
They even come by night to the gardens, or cultivated
places, at a little distance from the village, and
in a short time destroy almost every thing growing
in them. One time, seeing a rare bird perched high
on the top of a lone tree that stood in the tall grass, I
cautiously approached within range and fired, when
suddenly there was a rattling of hoofs on the dry
ground, caused by the stampede of a large herd
within pistol-shot of where we were, but entirely
hidden from our view by the thick grass. The natives
are usually afraid of them, and the one who was
crawling along behind me to pick up the bird fled at
the top of his speed when he heard the thundering
tread of more than a hundred hoofs, while I stood
wondering what sort of beasts had so suddenly
sprung out of the earth, and half querying whether
my shot, as they fell on the ground, had not been
changed into quadrupeds in the same miraculous way
that the dragon teeth, sown by Cadmus, were transformed
into men. The hog-deer, or babirusa, is also
found among these mountains. While I was at Kayeli
a young one was caught by some of the natives.
During this day’s hunt I came to a wide field of recently
elevated coral, about one hundred feet above
the sea. The natives, who were surprised that I
should stop to look at such common rocks, asserted
that the same kind of batm p uti, “ white stone,” was
found among the hills, and I have no doubt that recent
coral reefs will be found ip, the mountainous
parts of all the adjacent islands as high up as Governor
Arriens has already traced them on Amboina.
While these days were passing by, we all wondered
what the authorities were doing to put down
the great insurrection in Ceram. All the boats that
came brought us only the vaguest tidings, sometimes
of entire success, and sometimes of entire failure.
We had good cause to be solicitous, for at two or
three posts on that island there were only about a
dozen Dutch soldiers, and if any numbers of the headhunting
Alfuras made an attack in concert, all would
inevitably be butchered. While we were in this
state of suspense, six large praus were seen coming in
round one of the capes and entering our bay. As
the foremost hove to and waited for the others, that
all might reach: the anchorage together, they appeared
to be coming with some evil design, and immediately
there was no little bustle in our settlement of nine
Europeans, four of whom were ladies. The commandant
summoned all his troops into the fort, sergeants
were posted in the four comers by the four
cannon, the men once more put through the routine
of loading, so that if anybody was killed by the discharge
of their pieces, which, by the by, were only
six-pounders, it might be some one outside of the foit.