398 A NATUHALIST'S WANDHSJUGS 



comfortless night we ascended the steep side of the Woresa, 

 this time to 3000 feet, camping on its farther slope in another 

 deluge of rain, in which we were thoroughly drenched. The 

 Alefurus extemporised for themselves elegant shelters by 

 piling a thatch of extra branches on the tied-together tops 

 of neighbouring bushy shrubs. These, dotted about round 

 our larger bark-made huts, formed, when lit up by our large 

 central fire, quite a picturesque camp, which we were too wet to 

 be in a humour to enjoy much. 



We proceeded next day in a very unfit state from the chill 

 of the previous night, but we had not gone far when some 

 anxiety was caused by finding the j^round set with bamboo 

 spikes. Not knowing whether this was a sign of hostility 

 towards us or against some former enemy we kept the bacgage 

 back a little and went on ourselves ahead, with loaded arms ; 

 but finding no other traces we descended without further 

 thought of ill to the \Yai Gelan, another large river, making, 

 as all the streams we had yet crossed, to join with tributaries 

 of the tributaries of the Apu. Except at a few spots, the 

 paucity of birds, insects, and also snakes for which Buru has 

 a bad reputation but of which we had not seen a single 

 specimen, surprised me very miich. From the Wai Gelan the 

 ascent — each height exceeded the one before it all the way to 

 the coast — was very steep and slippery, which the Alefurus, 

 inciting each other with cries of Gossa, gossa (good, good), 

 required all their strength to get our baggage up. At 2400 

 feet, coming on a few houses called Wasilale in the middle of 

 a forest garden, the first signs of life we had seen since leaving 

 the river Bloi, we decided to halt for the night, and press 

 forward to the lake next day. 



We took up our quarters in a rest-house of the most abject 

 description, but quite in keeping with their own miserable 

 dwellings. Three or four men, who had shortly after our 

 arrival started off evidently to their gardens, returned carrying 

 between them a large pig which they, had killed to mark the 

 rare event of European visitors in their midst. The women and 

 girls hurried about bringing blocks of stone, Avith which they 

 formed a large paved area to serve as an oven, whereon they 

 piled a roaring fire till the stones began to burst from the heat 

 in loud reports. As soon as the stones were heated to the 



