130 BOURU. [chap. XXVI. ■ 



a little brush and trees along the beach, and hills inland 

 covered with high grass and cajuputi trees — my dread and 

 abhorrence. On inquiiing who could give me trustworthy 

 information, I was referred to the Lieutenant of the 

 Burghers, who had travelled all round the island, and was a 

 very intelligent fellow. I asked him to tell me if he knew 

 of any part of Bouru where there was no " kusu-kusu," as 

 the coarse grass of the country is called. He assured me 

 that a good' deal of the south coast was forest land, while 

 along the north was almost entirely swamp and grassy hills. 

 After minute inquiries, I found that the forest country com- 

 menced at a place called Waypoti, only a few miles beyond 

 Pelah, but that, as the coast beyond that place was exposed 

 to the east monsoon and dangerous for praus, it was neces- 

 sary to walk. I immediately went to the Opzeiner, and 

 he called the Eajah. We had a consultation, and arranged 

 for a boat to take me the next evening but one, to 

 Pelah, whence I was to proceed on foot, the Orang-kaya 

 going the day before to call the Alfuros to carry my 

 baggage. 



The journey was made as arranged, and on May 19th 

 we arrived at Waypoti, having walked about ten miles 

 along the beach, and through stony forest bordering the 

 sea, with occasional plunges of a mile or two into the 

 interior. W^e found no village, but scattered houses and 

 plantations, with hilly country pretty well covered with 



