

298 THE OCEAN WORLD. 



them, the fishermen throw them, while still living, into a cauldron 

 of boiling sea water, where they are stirred about by means of a long 

 pole, which is supported upon another pole fixed in the earth, but 

 having a forked end, which acts as a lever. In this process the tre- 

 pang gives up all the water it contains, and is withdrawn at the end 

 of two minutes. A man armed with a large knife now extracts the 

 entrails, and it is thrown into a second cauldron, having only a small 

 quantity of water, seasoned with mimosa bark. The object of this 

 second operation is to smoke the animal in order to preserve it the 

 better, for the bark is consumed in the process. The trepang is now 

 placed upon hurdles and dried in the sun. When sufficiently dried, it 

 is stowed away in the hold of the proa. 



" It was about two o'clock in the afternoon when the divers ceased 

 their labours and came ashore. My tent was soon surrounded. I re- 

 cognized the captain of the proa among those who had previously 

 visited me. He approached and examined all the instruments used 

 in the Observatory with great attention, seeking to discover their use. 

 I showed him a gun with percussion cap, which astonished him 

 greatly, especially when I pointed out to him its great superiority over 

 the flint-lock. He assured me that these arms were still unknown in 

 the Celebes, his country ; but he failed to convince me of that. He 

 questioned me as to the places we had visited, and where we were 

 going. I endeavoured to sketch a map of New Holland, New Zealand, 

 and New Guinea upon a leaf. He then took my pencil, and added to 

 it the Indian Archipelago, the coasts of China and Japan, and the 

 Philippine Islands. Surprised in my turn, I asked him if he had 

 visited all these places. He replied in the negative ; but added that 

 he knew their position perfectly, and could easily take his vessel to 

 any of them. Finally, the interview terminated by his asking for a 

 glass of arrack. I do not know if this intelligent Malay professed the 

 Mahometan religion, but I do know that he drank half a bottle of 

 wine and a quarter of a pint of arrack without being at all the worse 

 for it. He then offered me some prepared trepang, inviting me to 

 taste it, which I did ; to me it appeared to resemble the lobster in 

 taste. My men liked it, and thankfully accepted the captain's offer ; 

 for my part, I felt an utter repugnance even to taste it. 



" According to the account I had from the Malay captain, the price 

 of trepang in the Chinese markets was fifteen rupees, about thirty shil- 



