At five the next morning we started again, and in an hour overtook four large
praus containing the "Commissie," who had come from Dobbo to make their
official tour round the islands, and had passed us in the eight. I paid a visit to the
Dutchmen, one of whom spoke a little English, but we found that we could get
on much better with Malay. They told me that they had been delayed going after
the pirates to one of the northern islands, and had seen three of their vessels but
could not catch them, because on being pursued they rowed out in the wind's
eye, which they are enabled to do by having about fifty oars to each boat.
Having had some tea with thorn, I bade them adieu, and turned up a narrow
channel which our pilot said would take us to the village of Watelai, on the west
side of Are. After going some miles we found the channel nearly blocked up
with coral, so that our boat grated along the bottom, crunching what may truly be
called the living rock. Sometimes all hands had to get out and wade, to lighten
the vessel and lift it over the shallowest places; but at length we overcame all
obstacles and reached a wide bay or estuary studded with little rocks and islets,
and opening to the western sea and the numerous islands of the "blakang-tuna." I
now found that the village we were going to was miles away; that we should
have to go out to sea, and round a rocky point. A squall seemed coming on, and
as I have a horror of small boats at sea, and from all I could learn Watelai village
was not a place to stop at (no birds of Paradise being found there), I determined
to return and go to a village I had heard of up a tributary of the Watelai river,
and situated nearly in the centre of the mainland of Aru. The people there were
said to be good, and to be accustomed to hunting and bird-catching, being too far
inland to get any part of their food from the sea. While I was deciding this point
the squall burst upon us, and soon raised a rolling sea in the shallow water,
which upset an oil bottle and a lamp, broke some of my crockery, and threw us
all into confusion. Rowing hard we managed to get back into the main river by
dusk, and looked out for a place to cook our suppers. It happened to be high
water, and a very high tide, so that every piece of sand or beach was covered,
and it was with the greatest difficulty, and after much groping in the dark, that
we discovered a little sloping piece of rock about two feet square on which to
make a fire and cook some rice. The next day we continued our way back, and
on the following day entered a stream on the south side of the Watelai river, and
ascending to where navigation ceased found the little village of Wanumbai,
consisting of two large houses surrounded by plantations, amid the virgin forests
of Aru.
As I liked the look of the place, and was desirous of staying some time, I sent
my pilot to try and make a bargain for house accommodation. The owner and