House-Building. 231 



to be disliked, and who had never been accustomed to be 

 treated as an ogre. 



About the middle of Novembei', finding my health no bet- 

 ter, and insects, birds, and shells all very scarce, I determined 

 to return toMamajam and pack up my collections before the 

 heavy rains commenced. The wind had already begun to 

 blow from the west, and many signs indicated that the rainy 

 season might set in earlier than usual ; and then every thing- 

 becomes very damp, and it is almost impossible to dry col- 

 lections properly. My kind friend Mr. Mesnian again lent 

 me his pack-horses, and with the assistance of a few men to 

 carry my birds and insects, which I did not like to trust on 

 horses' backs, we got every thing home safe. Few can im- 

 agine the luxury it was to stretch myself on a sofa, and to 

 take my supper comfortably at table seated in my easy bam- 

 boo chair, after having for five weeks taken all my meals un- 

 comfortably on the floor. Such things are trifles in health, 

 but when the body is weakened by disease the habits of a 

 lifetime can not be so easily set aside. 



My house, like all bamboo structures in this country, was 

 a leaning one, the strong westerly winds of the wet season 

 having set all its posts out of the perpendicular to such a de- 

 gree as to make me think it might some day possibly go over 

 altogether. It is a remarkable thing that the natives of 

 Celebes have not discovered the iise of diagonal struts in 

 strengthening buildings. I doubt if there is a native house 

 in the country two years old and at all exposed to the wind, 

 which stands upright ; and no wonder, as they merely consist 

 of posts and joists all placed upright or horizontal, and fast- 

 ened rudely together with rattans. They may be seen in 

 every stage of the process of tumbling down, from the first 

 slight inclination, to such a dangerous slope that it becomes 

 a notice to quit to the occupiers. 



The mechanical geniuses of the country have only discov- 

 ered two ways of remedying the evil. One is, after it has 

 commenced, to tie the house to a post in the ground on the 

 windward side by a rattan or bamboo cable. The other is a 

 preventive, but how they ever found it out and did not dis- 

 cover the true way is a mystery. This plan is to build the 

 house in the usual way, but instead of having all the prin- 



