462 The Aru Islands. 



black vegetable soil here overlying the coral rock is very rich, 

 and the sugar-cane was finer than any I had ever seen. The 

 canes brought to the boat were often ten and even twelve feet 

 long, and thick in proportion, with short joints throughout, 

 swelling between the knots with the abundance of the rich 

 juice. At Dobbo they get a high price for it, Id. to 3d. a 

 stick, and there is an insatiable demand among the crews of 

 the praus and the Baba fishermen. Here they eat it contin- 

 ually. They half live on it, and sometimes feed their pigs 

 with it. Near every house are great heaps of the refuse cane ; 

 and large wicker-baskets to contain this refuse as it is produced 

 form a regular part of the furniture of a house. Whatever 

 time of the day you enter, you are sure to find three or four 

 people with a yard of cane in one hand, a knife in the other, 

 and a basket between their legs, hacking, paring, cheAving, and 

 basket-filling, with a persevering assiduity which reminds one 

 of a hungry cow grazing, or of a caterpiller eating up a leaf. 

 After five days' absence the boats returned from Dobbo, 

 bringing Ali and all the things I had sent for quite safe. A 

 large party had assembled, to be ready to carry home the goods 

 brought, among which were a good many cocoa-nuts, which are 

 a great luxury here. It seems strange that they should never 

 plant them ; but the reason simply is that they can not bring 

 their hearts to bury a good nut for the prospective advantage 

 of a crop twelve years hence. There is also the chance of the 

 fruits being dug up and eaten, unless watched night and day. 

 Among the things I had sent for was a box of arrack, and I 

 was now of course besieged with requests for a little drop. I 

 gave them a flask (about two bottles), which was very soon 

 finished, and I was assured that there were many present who 

 had not had a taste. As I feared my box would very soon 

 be emptied if I supplied all their demands, I told them I had 

 given them one, but the second they must pay for, and that 

 afterward I must have a paradise bird for each flask. They 

 immediately sent round to aU the neighboring houses, and 

 mustered up a rupee in Dutch copper money, got their second 

 flask, and drunk it as quickly as the first, and were then very 

 talkative, but less noisy and importunate than I had expected. 

 Two or three of them got round me and begged me, for the 

 twentieth time, to tell them the name of my country. Then, 



