living in sucli style as I had always fancied a rich
Eastern prince enjoyed. His house was in the centre
of a large village, and located on the side of a steep
hill. It covered three large terraces, and, when viewed
from the landing helow, appeared like a temple. At
this place, besides many rare shells, I purchased
several large cassowary-eggs, which had been brought
over from Ceram. They are about as long as ostrich-
eggs, but somewhat less in diameter, and of a green
color. The bird itself belongs to the ostrich family,
its feathers being imperfectly developed and separate
from each other, and suitable only to aid it to run.
One species has a spine on each wing to enable it
to defend itself, but the usual mode of attack is
by striking with the beak. In size it is twice as
large as a full-grown turkey. It is not found wild
on any island west of Ceram, and those reported from
Java were all undoubtedly carried there from this
part of the archipelago. Here also I bought of the
rajah a number of superb skulls of the babirusa,
Bdbirusa alfurus, literally “ the hog-deer,” a name
well chosen, for its long tusks would at once suggest
to these natives the antlers of the deer, the only
other wild animal of any considerable size found on
these islands. These skulls came from Buru, the
eastern limit of this remarkable species of hog.
For some time one of my servants kept alluding
to several wonderful and most valuable curiosities
which this wealthy rajah was so fortunate as to possess—
curiosities indeed, according to his glowing descriptions,
compared to the shells I was continually
buying. At last I asked him to say to the rajah,
that I would be greatly obliged to him if he could
show me such rare wonders, being careful not to add,
that possibly I should like to purchase one or more;
for I had a strong suspicion that the rajah had ottered
to give him all over a certain sum that I might pay
for them, if he could induce me to purchase them.
In these Eastern lands, when you send a servant to
buy any thing, you have the unpleasant certainty
in your mind, that a large part of “ the price” will
certainly lodge in his pocket; however, if you go to
purchase yourself, such exorbitant prices will be demanded,
that you will either come away without the
article you need, or have the unpleasant reflection
afterward that you have been cheated worse than if
you had sent your servant and allowed him to levy
his black-mail.
As I had anticipated, the rajah was not loath to
show me his treasures. They were merely half a dozen
glass rings, evidently made by cutting off a piece of a
glass rod nine or ten inches long, and half an inch in
diameter. This piece, having been heated, was bent
into a ring and the two ends united by fusion. Instead
of expressing surprise and delight, as all who
were looking on seemed to expect, I coolly began explaining
to the rajah what they were and how they
were made. A look of surprise and incredulity appeared
on the faces of all, and the rajah at once, in a
most solemn manner, averred that so far from their
being the work of man, they had been taken out of
the heads of snakes and wild boars! Despite the
dignified bearing the occasion was supposed to demand,
I could not refrain from a smile as I remarked