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TERSATK 



country, 1 saw at once that it was no place for nie. Foi- 

 many miles extends a plain covered with coarse high grass, 

 thickly dotted hero and thert^ with trees, the forest country 

 cnly connTienciiig at the hills a good way in the interior, 

 l^uch a place would produce few birds and no insects, and 

 we tlierefore arranged to stay only two days, and then go 

 on to Dodinga, at the narrow central isthmus of Gilolo, 

 whence my friends would return to Ternate. We amused 

 ourselves shooting parrots, lories, and pigeons, and trying to 

 siioot doer, of which we saw plenty, but could not get one ; 

 and our crew went out fishing with a net, so we did not 

 want for provisions. Wlien tho time came for us to con- 

 tinue our journey, a fresh d i Hi culty presented itself, for our 

 gentlemen slave^j refused in a hody to go with us. saying 

 very determine<lly that they would return to Tcrnate. Sc 

 their masters were obliged to submit, and 1 was left 

 liohind to get to Dodinga as I could. Luckily I succeeded 

 in hiring a small boat, which took me there the same night, 

 with my two men and my baggage. 



Two or tliree years after this, and about the same length 

 f»f time before 1 left the East, the Dutch emancipated all 

 their slaves, paying their owners a small compensation. 

 No ill results followed. Owing to the amicable relations 

 which had always existed between them and their 

 masters, due no doubt in part to the Government having 

 loug accorded them legal rights and protection against 

 cruelty and ilhusage, many continued in the same semee, 

 and after a little temporary diflicnlty in some cases, ahnost 

 all returned to work either for their old or for new 

 masters. The Government took the veiy proper step of 

 placing every emancipated slave nnder tlie surveillance of 

 the police-magistrate. They wei^ obliged to show that 

 tliey were working for a living, and had some honestly- 

 acquired meaius of existence. All who could lutt do so 

 ■were placed upon public works at low wages, and thus 

 were kept fi-om the temptation to peculation or other 

 ci-imes, which the excitement of newly-acquired freedom, 

 and disinclination to labour, might have led them into. 



