In The Evening The
Chief Traders Of The Place, Bugis And Chinese, Assembled, The
Offender Was Tried And Found Guilty, And Sentenced
To Receive Twenty Lashes On The Spot.
They were given with a
small rattan in the middle of the street, not very severely, the
executioner appeared to sympathise a little with the culprit.
The
disgrace seemed to be thought as much of as the pain; for though
any amount of clever cheating is thought rather meritorious than
otherwise, open robbery and housebreaking meet with universal
reprobation.
CHAPTER XXXI.
THE ARU ISLANDS. - JOURNEY AND RESIDENCE IN THE INTERIOR.
(MARCH TO MAY 1857.)
MY 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.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 195 of 412
Words from 52539 to 52788
of 111511
