358 



DESCRIPTION OF SAVU 



CHAP. XV 



arrival of the Dutch ship which had sailed about two 

 months before we came. He is indeed distinguishable 

 from the Indians only by his colour; like them he sits 

 upon the ground and chews his betel, etc. He has been 

 for some years married to an Indian woman of the island 

 of Timor, who keeps his house in the Indian fashion, and he 

 excused himself to us for not asking us to his house, 

 telling us he was not able to entertain us in any other 

 way than the rest of the Indians whom we saw. He 

 speaks neither German, his native language, nor Dutch, 

 without frequent hesitations and mistakes ; on the other 

 hand, the Indian language seems to flow from him with the 

 utmost facility. As I forgot to mention this language in 

 its proper place, I shall take this opportunity to write 

 down the few observations I had an opportunity of making 

 during our short stay. The genius of it seems much to 

 resemble that of the South Sea Isles ; in several instances 

 the words are exactly the same, and the numbers are 

 undoubtedly derived from the same source. I give here a 

 list of words : 



