254 Voyage of the Novara, 



tlie Javanese construct a thousand articles of every-day use) 

 newly erected, and containing dining-room, sleeping-apart- 

 ment, and bath-room. In order to travel with as much ce- 

 lerity as possible, our riding horses were changed three or 

 four times a-day. The fresh animals were everywhere ready 

 for us to mount. At those points where petrifactions were 

 likely to be found collected together natives would be sent 

 forward, and that not by twos and threes, but by dozens 

 and twenties, who were charged to dig and collect together 

 whatever was found, so that all we had to do was to select 

 what we required, when we found we had a splendid col- 

 lection without trouble or loss of time. Even on roads sel- 

 dom frequented, in outlying districts among the mountains, 

 we found everything arranged anew, and we do not exagger- 

 ate when we say that between forty and fifty small bridges 

 and narrow stiles made of bamboo and Avith bamboo balus- 

 trades must have been constructed solely to make this path 

 passable. But still more particularly we had occasion to 

 remark, that when it was necessary to descend into the de- 

 files, which would naturally be of special interest to a geo- 

 logist on account of their explanations of the phenomena of 

 nature, fresh paths had been made, and all obstacles pre- 

 sented by the rocky soil overcome by means of steps cut 

 in the rock or bamboo ladders ! And all this had been plan- 

 ned and executed after the Regent had been informed of 

 the day fixed for our departure from Bandong on our pro- 

 jected tour. 



