442 The Aru Islands. 



of danger, None of the small trading-vessels now carry- 

 arms, though they did so for a year or two after the last at- 

 tack, which was just the time when there was the least occa- 

 sion for it. A week later one of the smaller pirate-boats was 

 captured in the " blakang tana." Seven men were killed, and 

 three taken prisoners. The larger vessels have been often 

 seen, but can not be caught, as they have very strong crews, 

 and can always escape by rowing out to sea in the eye of the 

 wind, returning at night. They will thus remain among the 

 innumerable islands and channels, till the change of the mon- 

 soon enables them to sail westward. 



March 9th. — For four or five days we have had a continu- 

 al gale of wind, with occasional gusts of great fury, which 

 seem as if they would send Dobbo into the sea. Rain accom- 

 panies it almost every alternate hour, so that it is not a 

 pleasant time. During such weather I can do little, but am 

 busy getting ready a boat I have i:)urchased, for an excursion 

 into the interior. There is immense difiiculty about men, but 

 I believe the orang-kaya, or head-man of Wamma will accom- 

 pany me to see that I do not run into danger. 



Havhig become quite an old inhabitant of Dobbo, I will 

 endeavor to sketch the sights and sounds that pervade it, and 

 the manners and customs of its inhabitants. The place is 

 now pretty full, and the streets present a far more cheerful 

 aspect than when we first arrived. Every house is a store, 

 where the natives barter their produce for what they are 

 most in need of. Knives, choppers, swords, guns, tobacco, 

 gambler, plates, basins, handkerchiefs, sarongs, calicoes, and 

 arrack are the principal articles wanted by the natives ; but 

 some of the stores contain also tea, coffee, sugar, wine, bis- 

 cuits, etc., for the supply of the traders ; and others are full 

 of fancy goods, china ornaments, looking-glasses, razors, um- 

 brellas, pipes, and purses, which take the fancy of the wealth- 

 ier natives. Every fine day mats are spread before the doors 

 and the tripang is put out to dry, as well as sugar, salt, bis- 

 cuit, tea, cloths, and other things that get injured by an ex- 

 cessively moist atmosphere. In the morning and evening 

 spruce Chinamen stroll about or chat at each other's doors, 

 in blue trowsers, white jacket, and a queue into which red 

 silk is plaited till it reaches almost to their heels. An old 



