CHAP, xxvuh] J NATIVE PRATT, 



409 



mountain, said to be one of the highest in Celebes. In the 

 afternoon we passed the Sah^yer Straits and had a little 

 squall, which obliged us to lower our huge mast, sails, and 

 heavy yanls. The rest of the evening we had a fine west 

 wind, which carried m on at near five knots an hour, as 

 much as our hiinbermg old tub can possibly go. 



Dec, 21sL — A heavy swell froni the south-west rolling us 

 about most uncomfortably. A steady wind was blowing, 

 however, and we got on xavy well 



Of^. 22ii.— The swell had gone down. We passed 

 Boutong, a large islanih high, woody^ and populous, the 

 native place of some of our crew. A small prau returning 

 from Bali to the island of Goiam overtook us. The 

 nakoda (captain) was known to our owner. Tiiey had 

 been two years away, but were full of people, with several 

 black Papuans on board. At 6 RNf. we passed Wangi- 

 wangi, low but not flat, inhabited and subject to Koutong. 

 We had now tairly entered the Molucca JSea. After dark 

 it was a Iseautiful sight to look down on our rudders, from 

 which rushed eddying streams of phosphoric light gemmed 

 with whirling sparks of fire. It resembled (more nearly than 

 anything else to wlucli I can compare it) one of the large 

 irregular nebulous star-clusters seen through a good tele- 

 scope, with the additional attraction of ever- changing form 

 and dancing motion. 



Dec. — Fine red sunrise; the island we left last 

 evening barely visible behind us. The Goram prau about 

 a mile south of us. They have no compass, yet they have 

 kept a very true course during the night. Our owner tells 

 me they do it by the swell of the st-a, the direction of 

 which they notice at sunset, and sail by it during the night.. 

 In these seas they are never (in fine weather) more tlian 

 two days without seeing land. Of course adverse winds or 

 currents sometimes carry them away, but they soon fall 

 in with some island, and there are always some old sailors 

 on board who know it, and thence take a new course. 

 Last night a shark about five feet long was caught, and 

 tliis moniing it wa-s cut up and cooked. In the afternoon 

 they got another, and I had a little fried, atid found it tirm 

 and dry, but very palatable. In the evening the sun set 

 in a heax-y bank of clouds, wbicli, a* darknesi* came on. 



