Our Crew Consisted Of Four Men, Whose Pole Accommodation
Was About Three Feet By Four In The Bows And Stern, With The
Sloping Thatch Roof To Stretch Themselves Upon For A Change.
We
had nearly a hundred miles to go, fully exposed to the swell of
the Banda sea, which is sometimes very considerable; but we
luckily had it calm and smooth, so that we made the voyage in
comparative comfort.
On the second day we passed the eastern extremity of Ceram,
formed of a group of hummocky limestone hills; and, sailing by
the islands of Kwammer and Keffing, both thickly inhabited, came
in sight of the little town of Kilwaru, which appears to rise out
of the sea like a rustic Venice. This place has really a most
extraordinary appearance, as not a particle of land or vegetation
can be seen, but a long way out at sea a large village seems to
float upon the water. There is of course a small island of
several acres in extent; but the houses are built so closely all
round it upon piles in the water, that it is completely hidden.
It is a place of great traffic, being the emporium for much of
the produce of these Eastern seas, and is the residence of many
Bugis and Ceramese traders, and appears to have been chosen on
account of its being close to the only deep channel between the
extensive shoals of Ceram-laut and those bordering the east end
of Ceram. We now had contrary east winds, and were obliged to
pole over the shallow coral reefs of Ceram-laut for nearly thirty
miles. The only danger of our voyage was just at its termination,
for as we were rowing towards Manowolko, the largest of the Goram
group, we were carried out so rapidly by a strong westerly
current, that I was almost certain at one time we should pass
clear of the island; in which case our situation would have been
both disagreeable and dangerous, as, with the east wind which had
just set in, we might have been unable to return for many days,
and we had not a day's water on board. At the critical moment I
served out some strong spirits to my men, which put fresh vigour
into their arms, and carried us out of the influence of the
current before it was too late.
MANOWOLKO, GORAM GROUP.
On arriving at Manowolko, we found the Rajah was at the opposite
island of Goram; but he was immediately sent for, and in the
meantime a large shed was given for our accommodation. At night
the Rajah came, and the next day I had a visit from him, and
found, as I expected, that I had already made his acquaintance
three years before at Aru. He was very friendly, and we had a
long talk; but when I begged for a boat and men to take me on to
Ke, he made a host of difficulties. There were no praus, as all
had gone to Ke or Aim; and even if one were found, there were no
men, as it was the season when all were away trading. But he
promised to see about it, and I was obliged to wait. For the next
two or three days there was more talking and more difficulties
were raised, and I had time to make an examination of the island
and the people.
Manowolko is about fifteen miles long, and is a mere; upraised
coral-reef. Two or three hundred yards inland rise cliffs of
coral rock, in many parts perpendicular, and one or two hundred
feet high; and this, I was informed, is characteristic of the
whole island, in which there is no other kind of rock, and no
stream of water. A few cracks and chasms furnish paths to the top
of these cliffs, where there is an open undulating country, in
which the chief vegetable grounds of the inhabitants are
situated.
The people here - at least the chief men - were of a much purer
Malay race than the Mahometans of the mainland of Ceram, which is
perhaps due to there having been no indigenes on these small
islands when the first settlers arrived. In Ceram, the Alfuros of
Papuan race are the predominant type, the Malay physiognomy being
seldom well marked; whereas here the reverse is the case, and a
slight infusion of Papuan on a mixture of Malay and Bugis has
produced a very good-looking set of people. The lower class of
the population consist almost entirely of the indigenes of the
adjacent island. They are a fine race, with strongly-marked
Papuan features, frizzly hair, and brown complexions. The Goram
language is spoken also at the east end of Ceram, and in the
adjacent islands. It has a general resemblance to the languages
of Ceram, but possesses a peculiar element which I have not met
with in other languages of the Archipelago.
After great delay, considering the importance of every day at
this time of year, a miserable boat and five men were found, and
with some difficulty I stowed away in it such baggage as it was
absolutely necessary for me to take, leaving scarcely sitting or
sleeping room. The sailing qualities of the boat were highly
vaunted, and I was assured that at this season a small one was
much more likely to succeed in making the journey. We first
coasted along the island, reaching its eastern extremity the
following morning (April 11th), and found a strong W. S.W. wind
blowing, which just allowed us to lay across to the Matabello
Islands, a distance little short of twenty miles. I did not much
like the look of the heavy sky and rather rough sea, and my men
were very unwilling to make the attempt; but as we could scarcely
hope for a better chance, I insisted upon trying. The pitching
and jerking of our little boat, soon reduced me to a state of
miserable helplessness, and I lay down, resigned to whatever
might happen.
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