ClIAF. 



J COLD RECEPTIOK 



167 



about nine o'clock, the Panibuckle, the Eajah, aome priests, 

 aud a DuiiiVier of their ibibwers arrived and toolv their 

 seats around us- We shook liands, and for some miuutes 

 there was a dead silence. Then the Ilajah asked what we 

 wanted; to which Mr. Eoss replied by endeavouring to 

 make them understand who we were, and why we had 

 come, and that we had no sinister intentions whatever ; 

 and that we had not brought a letter from the ''Anak 

 Aj^ong," merely because we had thought it quite unne- 

 cessary, A long conversation in the Bali language then 

 took place, and questions were asked about rny guns, and 

 what powder I had, and whether I used shot or bullets ; 

 &h(} what the birds were for, and how 1 preserved them, 

 and what was done wiih tliem in England. Each of my 

 answers and explanations was followed by a low and serious 

 wmveraation whicli we could not understand, but the pur- 

 port of which we could guess. They were evidently qnite 

 ]tuzzled, aud did not believe a word we had told them, 

 'Jliey then inquired if we were really En»^4ish, and not 

 Dutch ; and altliongh we strongly asserted our nationality, 

 they did not seem to believe us. 



After about an hour, however, they brought us some 

 supper (which was the same as the breakfast, but without 

 the lish), and after it some very weak coffee and pumpkins 

 boiled with sugar. Having discussed this, a second ecui- 

 liirence took place ; questions were again asketl, aud the 

 answers again commented on. Between whiles lighter 

 topics were discussed. My spectacles (concave glasses) 

 were tried in succession by three or four old men, who 

 (jould not make out why they could not f^ee through them, 

 and the fact no doubt was anotlier item of susjiicion 

 against me. My beard, too, was the subject of some 

 admiration, and many (questions were asked about personal 

 peculiarities which it is not the custom to allude to in 

 European society. At length, about one in the morning, 

 the whole party^■ose to depart, and, after conversing some 

 time at tiie gate, all went away. We now begged the 

 interiireter, who with a few boys and men remained about 

 us, to show us a place to sleep in, at which he seemed vbtv 

 mucli surprised, saying he thought we were very well 

 ttccommodated where w ti were. It was quite chilly, aud 



