134 SUMBAJVA. [chap. 



the islands of the Sunda chain and those of the Siilu group which 

 we had left only a month or two before, could hardly be found. 

 Here the south-east winds, sweeping over the dry desert lands of 

 Australia, parch up the countries that lie in their path as far as 

 Java, and from April to July little or no rain falls. The effects 

 were obvious enough, and even from our anchorage we could see 

 the buffaloes moving in little clouds of dust. 



The village was composed of a few huts only, but over one of 

 them, very shortly after our arrival, a Dutch flag was hoisted. 

 Eowing ashore we found a half-breed, Omar by name, who spoke 

 Malay and a few words of Dutch, and appeared to be the chief 

 man of the place. From him we learnt that the town of Sumbawa, 

 the residence of the Sultan, lay a few miles inland, and we 

 accordingly despatched messengers to inform the latter that we 

 were desirous of paying him a visit on the followmg day. It was 

 just sunset, and we had but little tmie to explore our surroundings, 

 but close to the kampong^ we found a pretty little dove (Geojjelia 

 maugei) in great abundance, and also shot the Malayan Goatsucker 

 (C. macrurus), a bird of general distribution from India to New 

 Guinea. 



We were ashore early next morning, but there was some 

 difficulty in getting bearers, and we loitered about for an hour or 

 more before starting. The shores of the bay were of dark brown 

 sand, which seemed to be entirely composed of disintegrated lava 

 and scoriae. Close to the sea, and along the bank of the shallow 

 but bright little stream which debouches at this spot, the kampong 

 is built. Each hut had the roof overlapping considerably at 

 the gable, and beneath it two other little roofs protected 

 the end of the building, — an arrangement that we found almost 

 invariable throughout the island. Eecurved and carved gable 

 finials, such as, I believe, are to be seen in Sumatran houses, were 

 very general, and some of the lintels of the entrance -doors were 



^ Kampong is the Malay word for village. Its corruption " conipouud " has, iu 

 the Straits and British India, got to mean a garden or enclosure. 



