night into their weirs. The wind also increased, and
the waves rose higher and began to sparkle brightly,
and occasionally a strong gust would seem to change
the whole surface of the sea into a sheet of fire. For
a time my boatmen felt strong, and encouraged each
other with a wild shouting like an Indian warwhoop,
and in this way we had made more than a mile from
the shore, when the wind became much heavier, and
occasionally an ugly wave broke over us. My men
still continued to paddle on until we found that we
were scarcely holding our own against the storm.
Then they became discouraged and proposed to go
back, but turning round such a long, narrow boat in
the midst of a rough sea was by no means an easy
matter, The man forward stopped to rest, and just
then a heavy flaw struck the front part of the boat,
whirled it round in an instant, and away we flew off
before the tempest like a race-horse. It had now
become so dark and thick that, though the natives
knew every foot of the shore, they could not tell
where to steer, and it was only by paddling with all
their might that we escaped running into a mass of
foaming breakers. Finally we once more reached the
shore; the rajah had some rice and fish cooked, and
at midnight I took my second meal that day. My
bedroom was so open that the wind whistled in on
every side and so completely chilled me that I expected
to find myself burning with fever the next
day, but the excitement counteracted the cold, and I
arrived again at Amboina safe and well. After such
an excursion several days were passed writing labels,
one of which I placed in each individual shell, a
AN EAETHQUAKE. 167
wearying and almost an endless task, but the thought
continually occurred to me that, if I should not be
permitted to return to my native land, such authentic
labels in my own handwriting would ^ enable
any one into whose hands my collection might
fall to fully accomplish the object of my long journey.
Ju ly 23d.—This morning, at a quarter-past four,
I was suddenly awaked by some cause which, for the
moment, I could not understand, but immediately
there began a low, heavy rumbling down deep in the
earth. It was not a roar, but such a rattling or
quick succession of reports as is made when a number
of heavily-laden coaches are rapidly driven down a
steep street paved with round cobble-stones. At
the next instant it seemed as if some huge giant had
seized my bed, and had pushed it from him and then
pulled it toward him with the greatest violence.
The gentleman and lady with whom I was residing
shouted out to me: “ Run out of the house! run for
your life! There is a dreadful earthquake ! ”
Back of the main house was the dining-room,
surrounded by a low wall, and covered with a light
roof. This was our place of refuge. The gentle,
man then explained to me that the shock which
had just occurred was the second, and a very severe
one, and the first, which was light, was what
had so suddenly aroused me from a deep sleep. Of
course, no one of us knew but another still heavier
might come at the next instant and lay all the
buildings near us in a mass of ruins, if indeed the
earth should not open and swallow us all alive.