322 rOTAQE TO BATCHIAN. [mxT, xxiii. 



comet, still apparently as brilliant as at first, but the tail 

 bad now risen to a higher angle. 



October 14tk — All this liuy we coasted along the Kaioa 

 Islands, wliich have much the appearance and outline of 

 Kd on a small scale, with the addition of flat sWampy 

 tracts along shore, and outlying coi-al reefs. Contraiy 

 winds and currents had prevented our taking the proper 

 course to the west of them, and we had to go by a 

 circuitous route round the southern extremity of one 

 island, often having to go far out to sea on account of 

 coral reefs. On trying to pass a channel through one of 

 these reefs we were grounded, and all had to get out into 

 the water, which in this shallow strait had been so heated 

 by the sun as to be disagreeably warm, and drag our vessel 

 a considerable distance among weeds and sponges, corals 

 and prickly corallines. It was late at night when we 

 reached the little village harbour, and we were all prett}- 

 well knocked up by hard work, and having had nothing 

 but very brackish water to diink all day — the best we 

 coiUd fijid at our last stopping-place. There was a house 

 close to the shore, built for th^ use of the Kesident of 

 Ternate when lie made his official visits, but now occupied 

 by several native tmvelling merchants, among whom I 

 found a place to sleep. 



The next morning early I went to the village to find the 

 *'Kapala," or head man. I intbrniod him that I wanted 

 to stay a few days in the house at the landing, and begged 

 him to have it made ready for me. He was very civil, 

 and came down at once to get it cleared, when we found 

 that the traders had already left, on beariug that I required 

 it There were no dooi"s to it, so I obtained the loan of 

 a couple of hurdles to keep out dogs and other animals. 

 The land here was evidently sinking rapidly, as shown by 

 the number of trees standing in salt water dead and dying. 

 After breakfast I started for a walk to the forest-covered 

 liill above the village, witli a couple of boys as guides. 

 It was exceedingly hot and dry, no rain having fallen for 

 two months. When we reached an elevation of about two 

 hundred feet, the coralline rock which fringes the shore 

 was succeeded by a hard crystalline rock, a kind of meta- 

 moipbic sandstone. This would indicate that tliere had 



