Preparations for a Journey. 325 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



TEENATE TO THE KAIOA ISLANDS AND BATCHIAN. 



OCTOBER, 1858. 



On returning to Ternate from Sahoe, I at once began mak- 

 ing preparations for a jo^^rney to Batchian, an island which I 

 had been constantly recommended to visit since I had arrived 

 in this part of the Moluccas. After all was ready I found that 

 I should have to hire a boat, as no opportunity of obtaining a 

 passage presented itself. I accordingly went into the native 

 town, and could only find two boats for hire, one much larger 

 than I required, and the other far smaller than I wished. I 

 chose tRe smaller one, chiefly because it would not cost me 

 one-third as much as the larger one, and also because in a coast- 

 ing-voyage a small vessel can be more easily managed, and 

 more readily got into a place of safety during violent gales, 

 than a large one. I took with me my Bornean lad Ali, who 

 was now very useful to me ; Lahagi, a native of Ternate, a 

 very good steady man, and a fair shooter, who had been with 

 me to New Guinea ; Lahi, a native of Gilolo, who could speak 

 ]Malay, as wood-cutter and general assistant, and Garo, a boy 

 who was to act as cook. As the boat was so small that we 

 had hardly room to stow ourselves away when all my stores 

 were on board,. I only took one other man named Latchi as 

 pilot. He was a Papuan slave, a tall, strong black fellow, but 

 very civil and careful. The boat I had hired from a China- 

 man named Lau Keng Tong for five guilders a month. 



We started on the morning of October 9, but had not got 

 a hundred yards from land, when a strong head-wind sprung 

 up against which we could not row, so we crept along shore to 

 below the town, and waited till the turn of the tide should 

 enable us to cross over to the coast of Tidore. About three 

 in the afternoon we got off, and found that our boat sailed 

 well and would keep pretty close to the wind. We got on a 

 good way before the wind fell, and we had to take to our oars 



