reached home quite lame. On our way back from Makariki, as on our way there,
we had storm and rain at sea, and we arrived at Awaiya 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 hoard, set up
mast and sails after dark, and had the men ready that nigh; 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 baggage; and although two
would have done very well, the Rajah 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 was told that at the next village of Teluti there were
plenty of Alfuros, and that I could get abundance of Tories and other birds. The
Rajah declared that black and yellow Tories and black cockatoos were found
there; but I am inclined 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