ciiAP. xxvT.] THE TOWN OF CAJEiL 3 S3 



a gun was tired, the Coinmaadant of the fort came along- 

 side in a native boat to receive tlie post-packet, and took 

 ine and my baggage on shore, tlie steamer goiog off ULjain 

 without coming to an anchor. Wc went to the house of the 

 Opzeiner, or overseer, a native of Ainboyna— Bouru being 

 too poor a place to deserve even an Assistant Kesitlent ; yet 

 the appearance of the village was very far snptsrior to tliat 

 of Delli, which possesses " His Excellency the Governor," 

 and the little fort, in perfect order, surrounded by neat 

 grass-plots and straight walks, although manned by only 

 a dozen Javanese soldiers with an Adjutant for commander, 

 was a veiy Sebastopol in comparison with the miserable 

 mnd enclosure at Delli, with its numerous stalf of Lieu- 

 tenants, Captain, and ilajor. Yet this, as well as most 

 of tlie forts in the Moluccas, was originally built by the 

 Portuguese themselves, Ohl Lusitania, how art thou 

 f^illen! 



While the Opzeiner was reading his letters, I took a 

 walk round the village with a guide in search of a house. 

 The whole place was dreadfully damp and muddy, being 

 built in a swamp with not a spot of ground raised a foot 

 above it, and surrounded by swamps on every side. The 

 houses were mostly well built, of w-ooden framework filled 

 in with gaba-gaba (leaf-stems of the sago-palm), but as they 

 had no whitewash, and tlie floors were of bare black earth 

 like the roads, and generally on the same level, thtsy were 

 extremely damp and gloomy. At length I found one with 

 the floor raised about a foot, and succeeded in making a 

 bargain with the owner to turn out immediately, so that 

 by night I bad installed myself comfortably. The chairs 

 and tables were left for me and as the whole of the 

 remaining furniture in the house consisted of a little 

 crockeiy and a lew clothes-boxes, it was not much trouble 

 for the owners to move into the house of some relatives, 

 and thus obtain a few silver rupees very easily. Every 

 foot of gi'ound between the houses throughout the village 

 is crammed with fruit trees, so that the sun and air have 

 no chance of penetrating. This must be ver}' cool and 

 pleasant in the dry season, but makes it damp and un- 

 healthy at other times of the year. Unfortunately I liad 

 come two months too soon, for the rains were not yet over, 



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