218 A NATUBALI8T IN CELEBES ch. ix 



should be so conservative as still to construct and use 

 such obsolete canoes. It is true that even boys amongst 

 them can navigate these frail vessels with astounding skill 

 and speed, but there can be no question that a more stable 

 and secure canoe might safely be introduced to the notice of 

 the Tondanese with considerable advantage to them. As 

 an ethnological curiosity and relic of the past they are ex- 

 tremely interesting, and it is to be hoped that one of the 

 controleurs who is stationed at Tondano will take care, 

 before they are supplanted by more modern types, to pre- 

 serve a few examples of the blottos for the national and 

 colonial museums. 



It was happily unnecessary for me to think of crossing 

 the lake in one of these, for Mr. Bakker, the President of the 

 Landraad at Manado, was about to cross the lake in a well- 

 built European gig, lent to him by the Major of Tondano, 

 and he very kindly offered to take me with him. 



The only outlet to Lake Tondano is at its northern end. 

 Here a lacustrine delta is found, consisting of a number 

 of low marshy eyots and a couple of shallow channels which 

 unite together to form the swift Tondano river. The river 

 passes through the village of Tondano, where it is called the 

 Temberan (22), literally ' swift flowing,' and then plunges 

 from a height of over sixty feet into the dense jungle of the 

 ravine, forming the famous waterfall of Tonsea lama, one 

 of the many beauty spots of Minahassa. From Tonsea 

 lama the river takes a northerly course to Ajer-madidi, and 

 then bends to the west and discharges its waters in the sea 

 at Manado. 



Leaving a little landing-place on the river just opposite 

 the house of Mr. Broers at seven o'clock in the morning, 

 our boatmen rowed against the rapid stream towards the 

 lake, showing us thereby how easy it is for them to learn 

 to manage a European boat. Passing through the shal- 



