220 



CELEBES. 



[ciiAF. XV. 



lioiise. On Leiug told the object of my visit, the Kajab at 

 once said that he would order a house to be emptied for 

 me, which would be much better tlian building one, as 

 that would take a good deal of time. Bad coffee and 

 sweetmeats were given us as before. 



Two days afte^^vard3 I called on the Eajah, to ask him 

 to send, a guide with me to show^ me the house I was to 

 occupy, lie immediately ortlered a man to bo sent for, 

 gave him instructions, and in a few miuutea we were on 

 our way. My conductor could speak no Malay, so wt? 

 walked on in silence for an hour, when we turned into a 

 pretty good house and 1 was asked to sit down. The head 

 man of the district li%^ed here, and in about half an hour 

 we started again, and another hour's walk brought us to 

 the village where I was to be lodged We went to the 

 residence of the village chief, who conversed with my con- 

 ductor for some time. Getting tired, I asked to be slmwu 

 the house that was prepared for me. but the only reply 1 

 could get was, " Wait a little," and the }»artie5 went on 

 talking as before. So I toUl them I could not wait, as I 

 wanted to see the house and then to go shooting in tlie 

 forest. This seemed to puzzle them, and at length, in 

 answer to questions, very poorly explained by one or two 

 bystanders who knew a bttle Malay, it came out that no 

 house was ready, and no one seemed to have the least idea 

 where to get one. As I did not want to trouble the Raj all 

 any more, I thought it best to try to frighleu them a little ; 

 so I told them that if tljey did not immediately lind me a 

 house ^ls the Rajah biid ordered, I should go back ami 

 complain to him, "but that if a house was found me I 

 would pay for the use of it, Tliis liad the desired eflect, 

 and one of the liead men of the village asked me to go 

 with him and look for a house. He showed me one or 

 two of the niost miserable and ruinous description, which 

 I at once rejected, saying, " I must have a good one, and 

 near to the forest" The next he showed me suited very 

 well, so I told him to see that it waa emptied the next 

 day, for that the day after I should come and occupy it. 



On the day mentioned, as I was not quite ready to go, I 

 sent my two Macassar boys with brooms to sweep out the 

 house thoroughly. They returned in the evening and told 



