390 MY LIFE 



myself, after making the circuit of the island of Ceram, was to visit 

 him with stores and provisions and proceed to Waigiou, both returning 

 independently to meet at Ternate in the autumn. 



I had been assured by the Goram and Bugis traders that Mysol was 

 the very best country for the birds of paradise, and that they were finer 

 and more abundant there than anywhere else. For Waigiou I had, 

 besides the authority of the native traders, that of Lesson also, who 

 visited the north coast for a few days, and mentions seven species of 

 paradise birds purchased there by him. 



These two promising expeditions turned out unfortunately in every 

 respect. On reaching Goram, after much difficulty and delay, I found 

 it impossible to make the voyage I had projected without a vessel of my 

 own. I therefore purchased a small native prau of about eight tons, and 

 after spending a month in strengthening and fitting it up, and having 

 with great difficulty secured a native crew, paid them half their wages 

 in advance, and overcome all the difficulties and objections which every 

 one of them made to starting when all was ready, we at length got 

 away, and I congratulated myself on my favourable prospects. Touch- 

 ing at Ceramlaut, the rendezvous of the New Guinea traders, I invested 

 all my spare cash in goods for barter with the natives, and then pro- 

 ceeded towards Mysol. 



The very next day, however, being obliged to anchor on the east 

 coast of Ceram on account of bad weather, my crew all ran away during 

 the night, leaving myself and my two Amboyna hunters to get on as we 

 could. With great difficulty I procured other men to take us as far as 

 Wahai, on the north coast of Ceram, opposite to Mysoi, and there by a 

 great chance succeeded in picking up a make-shift crew of four men 

 willing to go with me to Mysol, Waigiou, and Ternate. I here found a 

 letter from Mr. Allen, telling me he was much in want of rice and other 

 necessaries, and was waiting my arrival to go to the north coast of 

 Mysol, where alone the Paradisese could be obtained. 



On attempting to cross the strait, seventy miles wide, between Ceram 

 and Mysol, a strong east wind blew us out of our course, so that we 

 passed to the westward of that island without any possibility of getting 

 back to it. Mr. Allen, finding it impossible to live without rice, had to 

 return to Wahai, much against his will, and there was kept two months 

 waiting a supply from Amboyna. When at length he was able to return 

 to Mysol, he had only a fortnight at the best place on the north coast, 

 when the last boat of the season left, and he was obliged to take his 

 only chance of getting back to Ternate. 



Through this unfortunate series of accidents he was only able to 

 get a single specimen of P. papuana, which is there finer than in most 

 other places, a few of the Cicinnurus regius, and of P. magnifica only a 

 native skin, though this beautiful little species is not rare in the island, 

 and during a longer stay might easily have been obtained. 





