Although A Most Beautiful Country, And With A
Very Luxuriant Vegetation.
It was a complete puzzle, which to
this day I have not been able to understand; the only thing I
obtained worth notice during my month's stay here being a few
good land shells.
At length, on April 4th, we succeeded in getting away in our
little boat of about four tons burthen, in which my numerous
boxes were with difficulty packed so as to leave sleeping and
cooling room. The craft could not boast an ounce of iron or a
foot of rope in any part of its construction, nor a morsel of
pitch or paint in its decoration. The planks were fastened
together in the usual ingenious way with pegs and rattans. The
mast was a bamboo triangle, requiring no shrouds, and carrying a
long mat sail; two rudders were hung on the quarters by rattans,
the anchor was of wood, and a long and thick rattan; served as a
cable. 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.
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