CHAP. XXV.] 



THE INBJBJTAKTS. 



353 



Sinim" h& civU, obliging, and industrious as the Malaye, 

 and only ijilerior to them from their tendency to get 

 intoxicated 



Having written to the Assistant Resident of Saparua 

 (who haa jurisdiction over the opposite part of the coast of 

 Ceram) for a boat to pursue my journey, I received one 

 rather larger than necessaiy with a crew of twenty mea 

 I therefore bade adieu to my kind friend Captain Van der 

 Beck, and left on the evening after its arrival for the 

 vilhige of Elpiputi, ^vhich we reached in two days. I 

 had intended to stay here, but not liking the appearance 

 of the place, wiiicb seemed to have no virgin furest near 

 it, 1 determined to proceed about twelve miles further up 

 the bay of Ainahay, to a village recently formed, and 

 inliabited by indigenes from the interior, iiiid where some 

 extensive cacao plantations were being made by some 

 gentlemen of Amboyna. I reucbed the place (called 

 Awaiya) the same afternoon, and with the assistance of 

 Mr. Peters (the manager of the plantations) and tlie native 

 chief, obtainetl a small bouse, got all my tliiugs on shore, 

 and paid and discharged my twenty boatmen, two of 

 whom bad alnio-^t driven me to distraction by beating 

 tom-toms the \vhole voyage. 



I found the people here vzry nearly in a state of nature, 

 and going almost naked. The men wear their frizzly hair 

 gathered into a flat circular knot over the left temple, 

 which has a very knowing look, and in their ears cylinders 

 of wood as thick aa one's finger, and coloured red at the 

 ends. Armlets and anklets of woven grass or of silver, 

 with necklaces of b<;ads or of small fruits, complete their 

 attire. The women wear similar ornaments, but have theiT 

 hair loose. All are tall with a dark blown skin, and well 

 marked Tapuan pliysiognomy. There is an Amboyna 

 schoolmaster in the village, and a good number of children 

 attend school every morning, Soch of the inhabitants as 

 have become Christians may be known by their wearing 

 their hair loose, and adopting to some extent the native 

 Christian dress — trousers and a loose shirt. Very few 

 speak Malay, all these coast \dllages having been recently 

 formed by inducing natives to leave the inaccessible 

 interior. ' In all the central pail of Ceram there now 



