420 



A natuhaljst's wandehinqs 



even after the portion he has piirchiised has been severed it 

 mmst be measured several times over both by himself and liis 

 friends. The suspicious Timorese has wasted his (to him) 

 valueless time, and has satisfied for the moment liis fancy ; 

 the Mongolian has a profit both on the produce he barters for, 

 as well as on the commodity he disposes of, and by degrees 

 amasses riches which the other can never attain to. 



On Christmas Day, 1882, with two natives of Groa as 

 serrantSj the only men who could be persuaded to venture 

 among tlie hills with me, I removed to Fatunaba to super- 

 intend the erectioE of my bungalow, making my temporary 

 quarters in a native shed in the coffee-gardens. 



As the n>yal salute of twenty-one guns boomed from the 

 fort below mo on New Years Day, I was reminded that I ought 

 to be having a holiday ; but had I left the men, even for a few 

 hours, not one of them would have been found on my return, 

 and days would have been required to hunt them up. On the 

 3rd, A. joined me, and by the Gth the house was completed 

 — though the grass roof did not look at all rain-proof — rather 

 to the astonishment of the Timorese, who perhaps had never 

 done so continuous a piece of work in their lives before. 

 When the work was quite finished they demanded a pig to 

 celebrate the event, in accordance with custom ; but as I had 

 neither flocks nor herds they had to forage in the neighbour- 

 hood, whence one of them returned shortly with a nice fat 

 specimen on the point of his spear, which, despite our most 

 urgent protestations and threats, they cut up and divided in 

 their own savage way on our new and deliciously clean 

 verandah. By a bribe of kauipa (gin) all round we were 

 relieved of the pleasure of seeing them cook and devour it. 



By next day, all our baggage and the implements of our 

 trade and profession having been dragged op the cliff-like face 

 ui these ** Tiring-rocks," as " Fatunaba " signifies, our house 

 was set in order. Notwithstanding its want of elegance, and 

 an ominous lean that it had to one side, our pile dwelling 

 with its three rooms opening in a line on to the verandali, 

 was very comfortable and verj' convenient. An extra apart- 

 ment was fitted up t^ serve for a bath-room in bad weather, 

 when the delicious natural shower-bath in the stream below 

 our door couldn't be used. 



