CHAPTER XXXI.
THE ARU ISLANDS.—JOURNEY AND RESIDENCE IN
THE INTERIOR.
(m a r c h to m a t 1857.)
boat was at length ready, and having obtained two
men besides my own servants, after an enormous
amount of talk and trouble, we left Dobbo on the morning
of March 13th, for the mainland of Aru. By noon we
reached the mouth of a small river or creek, which we
ascended, winding among mangrove swamps, with here
and there a glimpse of dry land. In two hours we reached
a house, or rather small shed, of the most miserable description,
which our steersman, the “ Orang-kaya ” of
Wamma, said was the place we were to stay at, and where
he had assured me we could get every kind of bird and
beast to be found in Aru. The shed was occupied by
about a dozen men, women, and children; two cooking
fires were burning in it, and there seemed little prospect
of my obtaining any accommodation. I however deferred
inquiry till I had seen the neighbouring forest, and immediately
started off with two men, net, and guns, along a
path at the back of the house. In an hour’s walk I saw