storm and rain at sea, and we arrived at Awai’ya late in
the evening, with all our baggage drenched,, and ourselves
thoroughly uncomfortable. All the time I had been in
Ceram I had suffered much from the irritating bites of an
invisible acarus, which is worse than mosquitoes, ants,
and every other pest, because it is impossible to guard
against them. This last journey in the forest left me
covered from head to foot with inflamed lumps, which,
after my return to Amboyna, produced a serious disease,
confining me to the house for nearly two months,—a not
very pleasant memento of my first visit to Ceram, which
terminated with the year 1859.
It was not till the 24th of February, 1860, that I started
again, intending to pass from village to village along the
coast, staying where I found a suitable locality. I had a
letter from the Governor of the Moluccas, requesting all
the chiefs to supply me with boats and men to carry me
on my journey. The first boat took me in two days to
Amahay, on the opposite side of the bay to Awaiya. The
chief here, wonderful to relate, did not make any excuses
for delay, but immediately ordered out the boat which was
to carry me on, put my baggage on board, set up mast
and sails after dark, and had the men ready that night;
so that we were actually on our way at five the next
morning,—a display of energy and activity I scarcely ever
saw before in a native chief on such an occasion. We
touched at Cepa, and stayed for the night at Tamilan, the
[first two Mahometan villages on the south coast of Ceram.
The next day, about noon, we reached Hoya, which was as
far as my present boat and crew were going to take me.
-The anchorage is about a mile east of the village, which is
[faced by coral reefs, and we had to wait for the evening
tide to move up and unload the boat into the strange
rotten wooden pavilion kept for visitors.
There was no boat here large enough to take my
S baggage; and although two would have done very well,
: the Eajah insisted upon sending four. The reason of this I
: found was, that there were four small villages under his
rule, and by sending a boat from each he would avoid the
: difficult task of choosing two and letting off the others. I
I was told that at the next village of Teluti there wTere
plenty of Alfuros, and that I could get abundance of lories
and other birds. The Eajah declared that black and yellow
lories and black cockatoos were found there; but I am in-
i clined to think he knew very well he was telling me lies,
and that it was only a scheme to satisfy me with his plan
of taking me to that village, instead of a day’s journey
further on, as I desired. Here, as at most of the villages,
I was asked for spirits, the people being mere nominal
Mahometans, who confine their religion almost entirely to
a disgust at pork, and a few other forbidden articles of food.
The next morning, after much trouble, we got our cargoes