292 A NATURALIST'S WANDEBINGS 



them as they cling to the branches during the day in a semi- 

 torpid condition. 



Heavy rain fell for several hours this afternoon, and 

 suddenly set a patch of forest near the house alive with a loud 

 hoarse uproar of tree-frogs, that continued without intermis- 

 sion till long after sunset. Last night, as we were falling 

 asleep, a colony of a different species, residing in the " atap," 

 (thatch) of the rajah's house, set up an irritating, harsh 

 croupy bark like a little cur's, repeated every two or three 

 seconds till break of day, quite disturbing our rest. I loiised 

 Lopes several times to beat the thatch, but they would not be 

 persuaded to cease croaking. 



May 24th. Q'his morning at four o'clock got up and beat a 

 vigorous tatoo on the rajah's " bedug" (drum) to assemble the 

 rowers who had agreed to row us to Tengah-tengah on our way 

 to Wai, and with whom it had taken me the whole of yester- 

 day to come to terms as to a boat and its hire. On mustering 

 our crew half of them failed to put in an appearance, sending 

 word that they did not now wish to go. New men therefore had 

 to be found and terms discussed with them ; • and even with 

 them miich time was lost, as during the loading of the boat they 

 took every opportunity of slinking off to their homes, whence 

 they had to be routed out over and over again. This is an 

 exhibition of the Sirani in their true character — at least, the 

 side of it they oftenest show, lazy, untruthful, arrogant and 

 void of conscience. Having abjured the Mahomedan religion 

 for that of the Europeans — in form — and acquired some words 

 of their language, they consider themselves quite the equals 

 of the Dutch. Their change of religion has done much for 

 them, in many ways, as a community, but little for them 

 individually. They can be excessively tantalising ; and both 

 as traders or servants I find them less honest hearted and 

 reliable than their Islamite brethren. 



At length got under weigh at eight o'clock in an " orembai" 

 with six rowers, a helmsman, and a man to beat the drum. 

 We skirted the northern shore of the Baguala Bay, and landed 

 in a little bay let in its promontory, where the village of Tengah- 

 tengah lies built up in terraces from the shore. These terraces 

 are lined by thick rows of the true Bread-fruit tree (Artocarpus 

 incisa), whose produce, the rajah tells me, brings in some £400 



