CHAPTER XVI. CELEBES.
(MACASSAR, JULY TO NOVEMBER, 1857.)
I REACHED Macassar again on the 11th of July, and established myself in
my old quarters at Mamajam, to sort, arrange, clean, and pack up my Aru
collections. This occupied me a month; and having shipped them off for
Singapore, had my guns repaired, and received a new one from England,
together with a stock of pins, arsenic, and other collecting requisites. I began to
feel eager for work again, and had to consider where I should spend my time
until the end of the year; I had left Macassar seven months before, a flooded
marsh being ploughed up for the rice-sowing. The rains had continued for five
months, yet now all the rice was cut, and dry and dusty stubble covered the
country just as when I had first arrived there.
After much inquiry I determined to visit the district of Maros, about thirty
miles north of Macassar, where Mr. Jacob Mesman, a brother of my friend,
resided, who had kindly offered to find me house-room and give me assistance
should I feel inclined to visit him. I accordingly obtained a pass from the
Resident, and having hired a boat set off one evening for Maros. My boy Ali was
so ill with fever that I was obliged to leave him in the hospital, under the care of
my friend the German doctor, and I had to make shift with two new servants
utterly ignorant of everything. We coasted along during the night, and at
daybreak entered the Maros river, and by three in the afternoon reached the
village. I immediately visited the Assistant Resident, and applied for ten men to
carry my baggage, and a horse for myself. These were promised to be ready that
night, so that I could start as soon as I liked in the morning. After having taken a
cup of tea I took my leave, and slept in the boat. Some of the men came at night
as promised, but others did not arrive until the next morning. It took some time
to divide my baggage fairly among them, as they all wanted to shirk the heavy
boxes, and would seize hold of some light article and march off with it, until
made to come back and wait until the whole had been fairly apportioned. At
length about eight o'clock all was arranged, and we started for our walk to Mr.
M.'s farm.
The country was at first a uniform plain of burned-up rice-grounds, but at a