442 A NATVBALISrS WANDERINGS 



had disappeared, the kingdom Avould have been bound to 

 rephice it in kind, or in value ! In this way I never had any 

 anxiety about the safety of my property. 



The six eggs (the two tapers included) provided for our 

 bodily sustenance by the Kajah, being anything but sufficient 

 for three men who had travelled through sun and rain for 

 eleven hours, I sent a sharp message that something more 

 substantial must be forthcoming, and at once. From a series of 

 terrible bowlings that reached our ears from the royal guard- 

 room, it was evident that my message had been passed on to 

 some unfortunate menial accompanied by an application to 

 quicken his search, which resulted in a fowl and some other 

 comestibles finallv bein^; broucrht. 



On the Mil April I was roused early by a vigorous tatoo 

 from the Rajah's guard-house. The katjeru, or royal drummer, 

 is a hereditary official of high and coveted rank in the 

 kingdoju, for they hold that when Maromak made Timor he 

 giive the people a standard-bearer to lead them to war, and a 

 katjeru to walk beside him — "like man and wife." 



As the Rajah, notwithstanding the noisy tatoo at his door, 

 seemed to be a very late riser, I set out for the crest of the hill 

 above our camp to take a round of observations. To reach the 

 most convenient place for my purpose I had to pass tlirough a 

 strong barricaded enclosure in which were several aj^parently 

 closed up and uninhabited houses. It was some minutes 

 before it struck me that I was in the presence of, to me the 

 most interesting of their buildinus and their most sacred 

 institution — which I had seen, but without learning anything 

 about, at Sauo— the Uma-Luli, a designation which I scarcely 

 know how to translate other than by Pomali House. 



I am extremely doubtful whether it is to be reckoned among 

 their really religious institutions or not. It has connection 

 with the practice of the Taboo, but whether it has been 

 introduced into this island alongr with a race that miirrated 

 from the Pacific, or has arisen de novo amon'jr themselves I am 

 unable to conjecture. It is just possible that on their own 

 customs they may have grafted an imitation of some of the 

 rites of the Komish ritual, which has now more or less been 

 known to them for 300 years. If a family cluster consists of 

 several houses, there is invariably one among them called the 



