CHAPTER X.
BALI AND LOMBOCK.
(JUNE, JULY, 1856.)
HE islands of Bali and Lombock, situated at the east
end of Java, are particularly interesting. They are the
only islands of the whole Archipelago in which the Hindoo
religion still maintains itself—and they form the extreme
points of the two great zoological divisions of the Eastern
hemisphere; for although so similar in external appearance
and in all physical features, they differ greatly in their
natural productions. It was after having spent two years
in Borneo, Malacca and Singapore, that I made a somewhat
involuntary visit to these islands on my way to
Macassar. Had I been able to obtain a passage direct to
that place from Singapore, I should probably never have
gone near them, and should have missed some of the
most important discoveries of my whole expedition to
the East.
It was on the 13th of June, 1856, after a twenty days’
passage from Singapore in the “ Kembang Djepoon I (Rose
of Japan), a schooner belonging to a Chinese merchant,
manned by a Javanese crew, and commanded by an
English captain, that we cast anchor in the dangerous
roadstead of Bileling on the north side of the island of
Bali. Going on shore'with the captain and the Chinese
supercargo, I was at once introduced to a novel and interesting
scene. We went first to the house of the Chinese
Bandar, or chief merchant, where we found a number of
natives, well dressed, and all conspicuously armed with
krisses, displaying their large handles of ivory or gold, or
beautifully grained and polished wood.
The Chinamen had given up their national costume and
adopted the Malay dress, and could then hardly be distinguished
from the natives of the island—an indication of
the close affinity of the Malayan and Mongolian races.
Under the thick shade of some mango-trees dose by the
house, several women-merchants were selling cotton goods;
for here the women trade and work for the benefit of their
husbands, a custom which Mahometan Malays never adopt.
Fruit, tea, cakes, and sweetmeats were brought u s ; many
questions were asked about our business and the state of
trade in Singapore, and we then took a walk to look at the
village. It was a very dull and dreary place; a collection
of narrow lanes bounded by high mud walls, enclosing
bamboo houses, into some of which we entered and were
very kindly received.