The Watelai Channel. 455 



up, and it Avas pronounced unsafe to go further than the next 

 small river. This would not suit me, as I had determined to 

 traverse the channel called Watelai to the " blakang-tana ;" 

 but my guide was firm in his dread of pirates, of which I knew 

 there was now no danger, as several vessels had gone in search 

 of them, as well as a Dutch gun-boat which had arrived since 

 I left Dobbo. I had, fortunately, by this time heard that the 

 Dutch " commissie " had really arrived, and therefore threat- 

 ened that if my guide did not go with me immediately I would 

 appeal to the authorities, and he would certainly be obliged to 

 give back the cloth which the orang-kaya had transferred to 

 him in prepayment. This had the desired effect ; matters 

 were soon arranged, and we started the next morning. The 

 wind, however, was dead against us, and after rowing hard till 

 midday we put in to a small river, where there were a few 

 huts, to cook our dinners. The place did not look very prom- 

 ising, but as we could not reach our destination, the Watelai 

 River, owing to the contraiy wind, I thought we might as 

 well wait here a day or two. I therefore paid a chopper for- 

 the use of a small shed, and got my bed and some boxes on 

 shore. In the evening, after dark, we were suddenly alarmed 

 by the cry of " bajak ! bajak !" (pirates). The men all seized 

 their bows and spears and rushed down to the beach ; we got 

 hold of our guns and prepared for action, but in a few min- 

 utes all came back laughing and chattering, for it had proved 

 to be only a small boat and some of their own comrades re- 

 turned from fishing. When all was quiet again, one of the 

 men, who could speak a little Malay, came to me and begged 

 me not to sleep too hard. " Why ?" said I. " Perhaps the 

 pirates may really come," said he very seriously, which made 

 me laugh and assure him I should sleep as hard as I could. 



Two days were spent here, but the place was unproductive 

 of insects or birds of interest, so we made another attempt to 

 get on. As soon as we got a little away fi'om the land we had 

 a fair wind, and in six hours' sailing reached the entrance of 

 the Watelai channel, which divides the most northerly from 

 the middle portion of Aru. At its mouth this was about half 

 a mile wide, but soon narrowed, and a mile or two on it as- 

 sumed entirely the aspect of a river about the width of the 

 Thames at London, winding among low but undulating and 



