388 BouRU. 



whitewash, and the floors were of bare black earth like the 

 I'oads, and generally on the same level, they were extremely 

 damp and gloomy. At length I found one with the floor 

 raised about a foot, and succeeded in making a bargain with 

 the owner to turn out immediately, so that by night I had 

 installed myself comfortably. The chairs and tables were 

 left for me ; and as the whole of the remaining furniture in 

 the house consisted of a little crockery and a few clothes- 

 boxes, it was not much trouble for the owners to move into 

 the house of some relatives, and thus obtain a few silver ru- 

 pees very easily. Every foot of ground between the houses 

 throughout the village is crammed with fruit-trees, so that 

 the sun and air have no chance of penetrating. This must 

 be very cool and pleasant in the dry seasoji, but makes it damp 

 and unhealthy at other times of the year. Untortunately, I 

 had come two months too soon; for the rains were not yet 

 over, and m\id and water were the prominent features of the 

 country. 



About a mile behind and to the east of the village the 

 hills commence ; but they are very barren, being covered 

 with scanty coarse grass and scattered trees of the Melaleuca 

 cajuputi, from the leaves of which the celebrated cajeput oil is 

 made. Such districts are absolutely destitute of interest for 

 the zoologist. A few miles farther on rose higher mountains, 

 apparently well covered with forest, but they were entirely 

 uninhabited and trackless, and practically inaccessible to a 

 traveller with limited time and means. It became evident, 

 therefore, that I must leave Cajeli for some better collecting- 

 ground ; and finding a man who was going a few miles east- 

 ward to a village on the coast Avhere he said there were hills 

 and forest, I sent my boy Ali with him to explore and report 

 on the capabilities of the district. At the same time I ar- 

 ranged to go myself on a little excursion up a river which 

 flows into the bay about five miles north of the town, to a 

 village of the Alfuros, or indigenes, where I thought I might 

 perhaps find a good collecting-ground. 



The Rajah of Cajeli, a good-tempered old man, ofiered to 

 accompany me, as the village was under his government; 

 and we started one morning early, in a long narrow boat 

 with eight rowers. In about two hours we entered the river, 



