194 



[chap. XI il 



speech had been interpreted to Mm, the Governor saw it 

 was no usCi and without sajring a word turned liis horse 

 and rode away, leaving my friends alone on the mountain. 

 They all believed there was some conspiracy — that the 

 Englishman tomld 7iot find the copper^ and that they had 

 been cruelly betrayed. 



Iklr, Geach then wrote to the Singapore merchant who 

 was his employerj and it was arranged that he should send 

 the mechanics home again, and liimself explore the country 

 for minerals. At first the Government threw obstacles in 

 his way and entirely prevented his moving ; but at length 

 he was allowed to travel about, and for more than a year 

 he and his assistant explored the eastern part of Timor, 

 crossing it in several places from sea to sea, and ascending 

 every important valley, without finding any minerals that 

 would pay the expense of working. Copper ore exists in 

 several places, ))ut always too poor in quality. The best 

 would pay well if situated in England ; but in the interior 

 of an utterly barren country, with roads to make, and all 

 skilled labour and materials to import, it would have been 

 a losing concern. Gold also occurs, but very sparingly and 

 of poor quahty. A fine spring of pure petroleum was dis- 

 covered tar in the interior, where it can never be available 

 till the country is civilized. The whole affair was a 

 dreadfid disappointment to the Portuguese Government, 

 who had considered it such a certain tiling that they had 

 contracted for the Butch mail steamers to stop at DeUi , 

 and several vessels from Austiulia were induced to come 

 with miscellaneous cargoes, Ibr wliich they expected to 

 find a ready sale among the population at the newly-opened 

 mines. Tlae lumps of native copper are still, however, a 

 mystery, llr. Geach has examined the country in every 

 direction without being able to trace their origin ; so that 

 it seems probable that they result from the d«5bris of old 

 oopper-bearing strata, and are not really more abundant 

 than gold nuggets are in Australia or California. A high 

 reward was offered to any native who should find a piece 

 and show the exact spot where he obtained it, but without 

 eflTect. 



The mountaineers of Timor are a people of Papuan type, 

 having rather slender forms, bushy fizzled hair, and the 



