This Sago Forms Almost The Whole
Subsistence Of The Inhabitants, Who Appear To Cultivate Nothing
But A Few Small Patches Of Maize And Sweet Potatoes.
Hence, as
before explained, the scarcity of insects.
The Orang-kaya has
fine clothes, handsome lamps, and other expensive European goods,
yet lives every day on sago and fish as miserably as the rest.
After three days in this barren place I left on the morning of
March 6th, in two boats of the same size as those which had
brought me to Teluti. With some difficulty I had obtained
permission to take these boats on to Tobo, where I intended to
stay a while, and therefore got on pretty quickly, changing men
at the village of Laiemu, and arriving in a heavy rain at
Ahtiago. As there was a good deal of surf here, and likely to be
more if the wind blew hard during the night, our boats were
pulled up on the beach; and after supping at the Orang-kaya's
house, and writing down a vocabulary of the language of the
Alfuros, who live in the mountains inland, I returned to sleep in
the boat. Next morning we proceeded, changing men at Warenama,
and again at Hatometen, at both of which places there was much
surf and no harbour, so that the men had to go on shore and come
on board by swimming. Arriving in the evening of March 7th at
Batuassa, the first village belonging to the Rajah of Tobo, and
under the government of Banda, the surf was very heavy, owing to
a strong westward swell. We therefore rounded the rocky point on
which the village was situated, but found it very little better
on the other side. We were obliged, however, to go on shore here;
and waiting till the people on the beach had made preparations,
by placing a row of logs from the water's edge on which to pull
up our boats, we rowed as quickly as we could straight on to
them, after watching till the heaviest surfs had passed. The
moment we touched ground our men all jumped out, and, assisted by
those on shore, attempted to haul up the boat high and dry, but
not having sufficient hands, the surf repeatedly broke into the
stern. The steepness of the beach, however, prevented any damage
being done, and the other boat having both crews to haul at it,
was got up without difficulty.
The next morning, the water being low, the breakers were at some
distance from shore, and we had to watch for a smooth moment
after bringing the boats to the water's edge, and so got safely
out to sea. At the two next villages, Tobo and Ossong, we also
took in fresh men, who came swimming through the surf; and at the
latter place the Rajah came on board and accompanied me to
Kissalaut, where he has a house which he lent me during my stay.
Here again was a heavy surf, and it was with great difficulty we
got the boats safely hauled up.
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