384 CELEBES. [chap. xvii. 



About one o'clock we reached Tomohon, the chief place 

 of a district, having a native chief now called the " Major," 

 at whose house we were to dine. Here was a fresh surprise 

 for me. The house was large, airy and very substantially 

 built of hard native timber, squared and put together in a 

 most workmanlike manner. It was furnished in European 

 style, with handsome chandelier lamps, and the chairs and 

 tables all well made by native workmen. As soon as we 

 entered, madeira and bitters were offered us. Then two 

 handsome boys neatly dressed in white and with smoothly 

 brushed jet-black hair, handed us each a basin of water 

 and a clean napkin on a salver. The dinner was excel- 

 lent. Fowls cooked in various ways, wild pig roasted 

 stewed and fried, a fricassee of bats, potatoes rice and 

 other vegetables, all served on good china, with finger 

 glasses and fine napkins, and abundance of good claret and 

 beer, seemed to me rather curious at the table of a native 

 chief on the mountains of Celebes. Our host was dressed 

 in a suit of black with patent-leather shoes, and really 

 looked comfortable and almost gentlemanly in them. He 

 sat at the head of the table and did the honours well, 

 though he did not talk much. Our conversation was en- 

 tirely in Malay, as that is the official language here, and in 

 fact the mother-tongue and only language of the control - 

 leur, who is a native-born half-breed. The Major's father, 

 who was chief before him, wore, I was informed, a strip of 



