*;hap. xxr.l 



SAVAGE LIFE. 



3G7 



well in the directioti of Tccr for about an hour,, after 

 which the winil shiftod to W.8.W,, and we were driven 

 much out of our course, and at nightfall found our- 

 selves in the open sea, and full ten miles to leeward 

 of our destination. My men were now all very nim'h 

 frightened, for if we wont on we might be a week at sea 

 in our little open boat, huleu ubuost to the water's edge ; 

 or we mii^ht dril't on to the coast uf New Guincn, in which 

 case we should most likely all hi' murdered. I c<niUli not 

 deny these, probabilities, and although I showed tliein that 

 we could not get back to our startiug-poitit with the wind 

 as it was, they insisted apon returning. We accordingly 

 put about, and found that we could lay no nearer to Uta 

 than to Teov ; however, by great good luck, about ten 

 o'clock we hit upon a little coral island, and lay under 

 its lee till morning, when a tavourable cliange of wind 

 brought us back to Uta, ami by evening (April 18th) we 

 reached our first anchorage in Matabello, where I resolveil 

 to stay a few days, and then return to Gomm. It was 

 with much regret that I gave up my ti-ip to K6 and the 

 intervenlni: jshuids, which 1 had looked forward to as 

 likely to make up for my tlisappointment in Ceram, since 

 my (ihort visit on niy voyage to Aru bad produced me 

 so many rare and beautiful insects. 



The natives of Matabello are almost entirely occupied 

 in making cocoa-nut oil, which they sell to the Rugis and 

 Uoram traden?, who carry it to Banda and Amboyna. 

 The rugged com! rock seems very favoundjle to the growth 

 of the cocoa-nut palm, which abounds over the wliole island 

 to the very highest points, and produces fruit all the year 

 round. Along with it are great numbers of the areca or 

 betel-nut palm, the nuts of which arc sliced, dried, and 

 ground into a paste, which is rmich used by the betel- 

 chewing Malays and Papuans. All the little children here, 

 even such as ran just run alone, carried between their 

 lips a mass of the nasty-looking red paste, which is even 

 more disgusting than to see them at the same age smoking 

 cigars, which is verj' common even before they arc weaned. 

 Cocoa-nuts, sweet potatot:s, an occasional sago cake, and 

 the i>2fuse nut after the oil has been extracted by boiling, 

 fonn the chief Bustenance of these people ; and the elFect 



