260 Celebes. 



of a large valley. Just above the fall the channel is not more 

 than ten feet wide, and here a few planks are thrown across, 

 whence, half hid by luxuriant vegetation, the mad waters may 

 be seen rushing beneath, and a few feet farther plunge into 

 the abyss. Both sight and sound are grand and impressive. 

 It was here that, four years before my visit, the Governor-gen- 

 eral of the Netherland Indies committed suicide, by leaping 

 into the torrent. This at least is the general opinion, as he 

 suffered from a painfiil disease, which was suj^posed to have 

 made him weary of his life. His body was found next day in 

 the stream below. 



Unfortunately, no good view of the fall could now be ob- 

 tained, owing to the quantity of wood and high grass that 

 lined the margins of the precipices. There are two falls, the 

 lower being the most lofty ; and it is possible, by a long cir- 

 cuit, to descend into the valley and see them from below. 

 Were the best points of view searched for and rendered ac- 

 cessible, these falls would probably be found to be the finest in 

 the Archipelago. The chasm seems to be of great depth, prob- 

 ably 600 or 600 feet. Unfortunately, I had no time to explore 

 this valley, as I was anxious to devote every fine day to in- 

 creasing my hitherto scanty collections. 



Just opposite my abode in Rurfikan was the school-house. 

 The school-master was a native, educated by the missionary at 

 Tomohon. School was held every morning for about three 

 hours, and twice a week in the evening there was catechising 

 and preaching. There was also a service on Sunday morning. 

 The children were all taught in Malay, and I often heard them 

 repeating the multiplication-table up to twenty times twenty 

 very glibly. They always wound up with singing, and it was 

 very pleasing to hear many of our old psalm-tunes in these 

 remote mountains sung with Malay words. Singing is one of 

 the real blessings which missionaries introduce among savage 

 nations, whose native chants are almost always monotonous 

 and melancholy. 



On catechising evenings the school-master was a great 

 man, preaching and teaching for three hours at a stretch much 

 in the style of an English ranter. This was pretty cold work 

 for his auditors, however warming to himself ; and I am in- 

 clined to think that these native teachers, having acquired 



