864 Ceram. 



by coral reefs, and we had to wait for the evening tide to 

 move up and unload the boat into the strange rotten wooden 

 pavilion kept for visitors. 



There was no boat here large enough to take my baggage ; 

 and although two would have done very well, the Rajah in- 

 sisted upon sending four. The -reason of this I found was, 

 that there were four small villages under his rule, and by 

 sending a boat from each he would avoid the difficult task of 

 choosing two and letting of£ the others. I was told that at 

 the next village of Teluti there were plenty of Alfuros, and 

 that I could get abundance of lories and other birds. The 

 Rajah declared that black and yellow lories and black cocka- 

 toos were found there ; but I am inclined to think he knew 

 very well he was telling me lies, and that it was only a scheme 

 to satisfy me with his plan of taking me to that village, in- 

 stead of a day's journey further on, as I desired. Here, as at 

 most of the villages, I was asked for spirits, the jDCople being 

 mere nominal Mohammedans, who confine their religion al- 

 most entirely to a disgust at pork, and a few other forbidden 

 articles of food. The next morning, after much trouble, we 

 got our cargoes loaded, and had a delightful row across the 

 deep bay of Teluti, with a view of the grand central OBOuntain- 

 range of Ceram. Our four boats were rowed by sixty men, 

 with flags flying and tom-toms beating, as well as very vigor- 

 ous shouting and singing to keep up their spii'its. The sea 

 was smooth, the morning bright, and the whole scene very 

 exhilarating. On landing, the orang-kaya and several of the 

 chief men, in gorgeous silk jackets, were Avaiting to receive 

 us, and conducted me to a house prepared for my reception, 

 where I determined to stay a few days, and see if the coxmtry 

 round produced any thing new. 



My first inquiries were about the lories, but I could get 

 very little satisfactory information. The only kinds known 

 were the ring-necked lory and the common red and green 

 lorikeet, both common at Amboyna. Black lories and cocka- 

 toos were quite unknown. The Alfuros resided in the mount- 

 ains five or six days' journey away, and there were only one 

 or two live birds to be found in the village, and these were 

 worthless. My hunters could get nothing but a few common 

 birds ; and notwithstanding fine mountains, luxuriant forests, 



