CHAP, xxxvn.] TO TERN ATE. 383 



small boat (purchased at Gani) was towing astern, and 

 soon got full of water, so that it broke away and we 

 saw no more of it. In about an hour the fury of the 

 wind abated a little, and in two more we were able to 

 hoist our mainsail, reefed and half-mast high. Towards 

 evening it cleared up and fell calm, and the sea, which 

 had been rather high, soon went down. Not being 

 much of a seaman myself I had been considerably 

 alarmed, and even the old steersman assured me lie had 

 never been in a worse squall all his life. He was now 

 more than ever confirmed in his opinion of the unluckiness 

 of the boat, and in the efficiency of the holy oil which all 

 Bugis praus had poured through their bottoms. As it 

 was, he imputed our safety and the quick termination of 

 the squall entirely to his own prayers, saying with a laugh, 

 " Yes, that's the way we always do on board our praus ; 

 when things are at the worst we stand up and shout out 

 our prayers as loud as we can, and then Tuwan Allah 

 helps us." 



After this it took us two days more to reach Ternate, 

 having our usual calms, squalls, and head-winds to the 

 very last ; and once having to return back to our anchorage 

 owing to violent gusts of wind just as we were close to the 

 town. Looking at my whole voyage in tliis vessel from 

 the time when I left Goram in May,- it will appear that 

 my experiences of travel in a native prau have not been 



