170 CELEBES. [chap. 



before reaching the village of Tomohou, where we inquired for a 

 night's lodging at the house of the "Major."^ From Mr. Wallace's 

 description of the "Major" of this identical village just a quarter of 

 a century before, we were not unprepared for the reception we ex- 

 perienced. Our host was a new one, but the house perhaps was the 

 same. It was a pretty cottage standing in a little garden bright 

 with flowers, with a deep verandahed room leading to another 

 sitting-room beyond. Behind these were four bedrooms and the 

 kitchen and offices. The sitting-room was furnished just as a 

 Swedish post-house might be : — white-painted walls and floor, 

 white muslin curtains, a duplex lamp, two sofas, a circular table 

 with books, a portrait of the King of the Netherlands, and a 

 large six-tune musical -box. We were reminded of Mr. Wallace's 

 description, and felt with him how difficult it was to believe that 

 our host's grandfather had worn "a strip of bark as his sole 

 costume, and lived in a rude hut abundantly decorated wdth human 

 heads." 



Much of the neatness and nice appearance of the house was no 

 doubt owing to our hostess, a pretty but rather shy little Dutcli 

 girl who had married the " ]\Iajor " only a few weeks jDreviously ; 

 he having settled the sum of 5000 guilders on her parents. Xeither 

 of them seemed to regret this somewhat extraordinary transaction, 

 and they were evidently a most attached couple. The Major was 

 a bit of a musician in Ms way, and favoured us after dinner with a 

 tune on the accordion when the large musical-box had exhausted 

 its repertoire. It is worthy of remark that this was almost the 

 only occasion in Netherlands India on which we were called upon 

 to speak Dutch, for our hostess was unacquainted with any language 

 but her own and Malay, and our knowledge of the latter was hardly 

 sufficient for conversational purposes. 



The high elevation of Tomohon caused us to feel the night and 



^ "Major" is tlie title given by the Dutch to the village chiefs in these districts. 

 They superintend the coffee industry in their own parishes, and receive a certain 

 percentage of the produce. 



