EOBBERY. 839 



guard the Government stores when the boat arrives from Ter- 

 nate. Two of them watch all night, and often take the oppor- 

 timity to roam about and commit robberies. 



The next day I received my money, and secured it well in 

 a strong box fastened under my bed. I took out five or six 

 hundred cents for daily expenses, and put them in a small 

 japanned box, which always stood upon my table. In the aft- 

 ernoon I went for a short walk, and on my return this box 

 and my keys, Avhich I had carelessly left on the table, were 

 gone. Two of my boys were in the house, but had heard 

 nothing. I immediately gave information of the two robber- 

 ies to the director at the mines and to the commandant at the 

 fort, and got for answer that if I caught the thief in the act I 

 might shoot him. By inquiry in the village, we afterward 

 found that one of the convicts who was on duty at the Gov- 

 ernment rice-store in the village had quitted his guard, was 

 seen to pass over the bridge toward my house, was seen again 

 within two hundred yards of my house, and on returning over 

 the bridge into the village carried something under his arm, 

 carefully covered with his sarong. My box was stolen be- 

 tween the hours he was seen going and returning, and it was 

 so small as to be easily carried in the way described. This 

 seemed pretty clear circumstantial evidence. I accused the 

 man, and brought the witnesses to the commandant. The man 

 Avas examined, and confessed having gone to the river close to 

 my house to bathe ; but said he had gone no further, having 

 climbed up a cocoa-nut tree and brought home two nuts, 

 which he had covered over, because he was ashamed to he seen 

 carrying them! This explanation was thought satisfactory, 

 and he was acquitted. I lost my cash and my box, a seal I 

 much valued, with other small articles, and all my keys — the 

 severest loss by far. Luckily my large cash-box was left lock- 

 ed, but so were others which I required to open immediately. 

 There was, however, a very clever blacksmith employed to do 

 iron-work for the mines, and he picked my locks for me when 

 I required them, and in a few days made me new keys, which 

 I used all the time I was abroad. 



Toward the end of November the wet season set in, and 

 we had daily and almost incessant rains, with only about one 

 or two hours' sunshine in the morning. The fiat j^arts of the 



