rule his objections by telling him that we should do no mischief,
and would not go farther than the adjoining height.
He would listen, however, to nothing; and as we still walked
slowly on, he at last sent off a messenger for assistance, but
before this reinforcement arrived we had turned back, to
Jeeroo’s great relief. Although the object proposed had
not been accomplished, we got a better sight of the palace
than we had yet obtained. I t is so much enclosed by trees
that parts only can be seen, but it is undoubtedly a very
large building. On returning we met Hackeebodcoo, the fat
chief, coming puffing and blowing up the hill; he had set
out to overtake us on being told by Jeeroo’s messenger what
we were proposing to do. He had drank a good deal of
wine yesterday on board, and said he had been “ weetee”
(drunk), and that his head ached very much. After he
joined us we passed near a village, where we met two women
a t the turning of a ro a d : they did not see us till within a
few yards, and their alarm was g re a t; they threw down the
baskets, which they were carrying on their heads, and fled
into the wood. Gur two companions were very uneasy at
this rencontre, and would not listen to our reasoning upon
the absurdity of their apprehensions, looking quite miserable
till the subject, which seems to be an interdicted one, was
changed. We went afterwards to the high ground behind
the hospital, in order to fill up by eye the edges o f the
reefs in our charts, for which regular triangles could not
be taken in the survey. While I was thus engaged, Mr.
Clifford endeavoured to learn from Jeeroo whether or not
the King lived in the large house spoken of before; Jeeroo
as usual denied any knowledge of the King, and could not
be prevailed upon to say what the house was, or who resided
th e re ; a peasant, however, who happened to be along
with us was more communicative, and was giving all the
information desired, when Jeeroo, observing what he was
about, reprimanded him sharply. On coming down from
the height we found all the chiefs seated in a long room
erected on the outside of the garden g a te : they were very
merry on the subject of last night’s adventure.
21st of October.—While Mrs. Loy was employed a t the
well to-day washing clothes, a t a moment when every body
else was out of the way, she was visited by a Loo-choo lady,
accompanied by a numerous guard of men. She describes
her as being about eighteen years of age, well dressed, fair
in complexion, with small dark eyes, and not without
beau ty ; her hair was of a glossy je t black, made up into a
knot on one side of the head. She wore a girdle tied a t the
side, and had on sandals like the men. Mrs. Loy wished
to touch her, but she shrunk back in alarm. Whether