286 THE ARU ISLANDS. [chap, xxxiii. 



rivers by the traders, which puzzled me much till I passed 

 through one of them, and saw how exceedingly applicable 

 the name was. The northern channel, called the river of 

 Watelai, is about a quarter of a mile wide at its entrance, 

 but soon narrows to about the eighth of a mile, which 

 width it retains, with little variation, during its whole 

 length of nearly fifty miles, till it again widens at its 

 eastern mouth. Its course is moderately winding, and the 

 banks are generally dry and somewhat elevated. In many 

 places there are low cliffs of hard coralline limestone, more 

 or less worn by the action of water ; while sometimes level 

 spaces extend from the banks to low ranges of hills a little 

 inland. A few small streams enter it from right and left, 

 at the mouths of which are some little rocky islands. The 

 depth is very regular, being from ten to fifteen fathoms, 

 and it has thus every feature of a true river, but for the salt 

 water and the absence of a current. The other two rivers, 

 whose names are Vorkai and Maykor, are said to be very 

 similar in general character; but they are rather near 

 together, and have a number of cross channels intersecting 

 the flat tract between them. On the south side of Maykor 

 the banks are very rocky, and from thence to the southern 

 extremity of Aru is an uninterrupted extent of rather 

 elevated and very rocky country, penetrated by numerous 

 small streams, in the high limestone cliffs bordering which 

 the edible birds' nests of Aru are chiefly obtained. All 



