A NATURALIST IN CELEBES ch. i 



Bay of Tomini, These parts are, however, as nothing com- 

 pared with the wide acres of land still covered with virgin 

 forest and calling no one master but the untutored savage. 



Makassar is the first port the steamers call at in their 

 passage to the Moluccas. It is a large and busy place, 

 with a mixed population of Makassarese, Buguiese, Dutch, 

 Chinese, and Arabs. It is the centre of the trade with the 

 Moluccas and by far the most important port east of Java. 

 It has been aptly termed the ' Hong Kong ' of the Dutch 

 in the East Indies (25*). 



The country round Makassar is low and swampy, and the 

 distant range of mountains crowned by Bonthain (10,000 

 feet), famous for its coffee gardens, is frequently hidden 

 in the dense mist which rises from the surrounding plains. 



The water as we approached Makassar was of that 

 milky green colour which so often betokens shallows and 

 sandbanks, but the presence of several large ship buoys 

 indicates to the mariner the course that must be taken to 

 bring him safely to his destination. 



As the ' Generaal PeU ' cautiously picked her way through 

 the shallows to take up her position alongside the little iron 

 pier, we had ample* opportunities of observing the various 

 craft of steam and sail which lay at anchor in the roads. 

 Drawn up along the beach were several of the curious 

 sailing praus of about twenty to forty tons apiece belonging 

 to the Buginese traders, a race of wandering Malays to be 

 found in almost every port of the Eastern isles. When 

 we were safely berthed, and the crowd of Orientals and 

 Europeans who were awaiting our arrival had come aboard 

 to hear the latest news and transact their business, I took 

 the opportunity of going ashore to gain my first experience 

 of Celebes. 



[* These figures throughout text refer to Bibliography at the end of 

 work.] 



