IN TIMOR. 475 



itself, I could freely turn my attention to the thousands of 

 violets, geraniums and labiates that decked the ground, and 

 the profusion of ferns that loaded the banks and the trees, 

 among which I observed, in the forest that covered the upper 

 2000 feet of the peak, abundance of Pandans, Casuarinas, and 

 other Pines. To my infinite disgust and disappointment, I 

 overheard the Rajah's son tell my interpreter to warn me 

 that all the forest was rigidly ImU, boding ill for my next 

 day's prospects. By dropping behind, however, out of sight, 

 I that night made sure of all that I could possibly carry, 

 and followed quietly through little belts of vegetation of the 

 greatest interest to Funuruan, the little house-cluster on a 

 lower spur of the mountain where we had arranged to camp. 



I retired to rest with a well-laid plan of rising early and 

 slipping oif to the mountain without being seen or followed. 

 There was little inducement to lie late, for my couch was un- 

 comfortable and the night-wind cold ; I was therefore easily 

 ready for the field before daylight. After a hasty breakfast I 

 stepped quietly away for Sobale attended by my Hindoo cor- 

 poral, and thought I had succeeded in escaping unperceived, 

 especially as a dense mist enshrouded the mountain. Alas ! 

 we had not gone far when I discovered that quite a little 

 crowd, following the Dato of the place, was on our trail. 

 There was no time to be lost, so I hewed away right and left 

 on the slopes below the summit, building up a high pile on 

 the ground of the most delightful specimens. 



The unwonted operations of a white man, the first who had 

 probably ever ascended their mountain, kept them for a while 

 at a little distance watching my operations in silence. My 

 hopes began to rise that perhaps I was mistaken in what I had 

 overheard the day before. It was a vain delusion; for their 

 low murmured reproaches at last found distinct utterance in 

 complaint and remonstrance. The corporal was besought to 

 restrain me, and save myself as well as them from the retribu- 

 tion of sickness and death that certainly would follow on the 

 violation of the sacred precincts. I told my Dilly interpreter 

 to express my deep regret, and that I would at once desist ; 

 but I gave him to understand that he was not to bring me any 

 more of their messages nor heed me in whatever I did. Moving 

 oif to some distance higher up, I recommenced on a new 



