About one o’clock we reached Tomohon, the chief place
of a district, having a native chief now called the “ Major,”
at whose house we were to dine. Here was a fresh surprise
for me. The house was large, airy and very substantially
built of hard native timber, squared and put together in a
most workmanlike manner. It was furnished in European
style, with handsome chandelier lamps, and the chairs and
tables all well made by native workmen. As soon as we
entered, madeira and bitters were offered us. Then two
handsome boys neatly dressed in white and with smoothly
brushed jet-black hair, handed us each a basin of water
and a clean napkin on a salver. The dinner was excellent.
Fowls cooked in various ways, wild pig roasted
stewed and fried, a fricassee of bats, potatoes rice and
other vegetables, all served on good china, with finger
glasses and fine napkins, and abundance of good claret and
beer, seemed to me rather curious at the table of a native
chief on the mountains of Celebes. Our host was dressed
in a suit of black with patent-leather shoes, and really
looked comfortable and almost gentlemanly in them. He
sat at the head of the table and did the honours weil,
though he did not talk much. Our conversation was entirely
in Malay, as that is the official language here, and in
fact the mother-tongue and only language of the controlleur,
who is a native-born half-breed. The Major’s father,
who was chief before him, wore, I was informed, a strip of
bark as his sole costume, and lived in a rude hut raised on
lofty poles, and abundantly decorated with human heads.
Of course we were expected, and our dinner was prepared
in the best style, but I was assured that the chiefs all
take a pride in adopting European customs, and in being
able to receive their visitors in a handsome manner.
After dinner and coffee, the Controlleur went on to
Tondano, and I strolled about the village waiting for my
baggage, which was coming in a bullock-cart and did not
arrive till after midnight. Supper was very similar to
dinner, and on retiring I found an elegant little room
with a comfortable bed, gauze curtains with blue and red
hangings, and every convenience. Next morning at sunrise
the thermometer in the verandah stood at 69°, which
I was told, is about the usual lowest temperature at this
place, 2,500 feet above the sea. I had a good breakfast
of coffee, eggs, and fresh bread and butter, which I took in
the spacious verandah, amid the odour of roses, jessamine,
and other sweet-scented flowers, which filled the garden
in front; and about eight o’clock left Tomohon with a
dozen men carrying my baggage.
Our road lay over a mountain ridge about 4,000 feet
above the sea, and then descended about 500 feet to the
little village of Rurukan, the highest in the district of
Minahasa, and probably in all Celebes. Here I had determined
to stay for some time to see whether this eleva-
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