43S 



THE AHU ISLANDS, 



whicli seem as if they would send Dobbo into the sea. 

 Kain accompanies it almost every alternate hour, so that 

 it is not a pleasant time™ During such weather I can do 

 little, bnt am busy getting ready a boat I have purchased, 

 for an excursion into the interior. There is immense 

 difficulty about men, but I believe the " Omug-kaya/' or 

 head man of Warn ma, will accompany me to see that I 

 don't run into dauji^pr. 



Having become quite an old inhabitant of Dobbo, I will 

 endeavour to sketch tiie sights and sounds that pervade it, 

 and the manners and customs of its inhabitants. The 

 place is now pretty full, and tJie streets present a far more 

 cheerfnl aspect than when we first arrived. Every house 

 is a store, where the natives barter tbeir produce for \\'hat 

 they are most in need of. Knives, choppers, swords, gims, 

 tobacco, gambier, plates, basins, handkerchiefs, sarongs, 

 calicoes, and arrack ^ are the principal articles wanted by 

 the natives ; but some of the stores contain also tea, coffee, 

 sugar, wine, biscuits, &c., for tlie supply of the traders; and 

 others are full of fancy goods, china ornaments, looking- 

 glasses, razors, nmbrellas, pipes, and purses, which take 

 the fancy of the wealthier natives. Every line day mats 

 are spread before the dooi^s and the tripang is put out to 

 dry, as well as sugar, salt, biscuit, tea, cloths, and other 

 things that get injured by an excessively moist atmosphere. 

 In the morning and evening, spruce Cbinamen stroll about 

 or chat at each other's doors, in blue trousers, white jacket, 

 and a queue into which red silk is plaited till it reaches 

 almost to their heels. An old Bugis hadji regularly takea 

 an evening stroll in all the dignity of flowing green silk 

 robe and gay turl>an, followed by two small boys carrying 

 Ills sirih and i>etel boxes. 



In every vacant space new houses are being built, and 

 all sorts of odd little cooking-sheds are erected against the 

 old ones, while in some out-of-the-way corners, massive log 

 pigsties are tenanted by growing porkers ; for how could 

 the Chinamen exist six months without one feast of pig ? 

 Here and there are stalls where bananas are sold, and 

 every morning two little boys go about with trays of sweet 

 rice and gi-ated cocoa-nut, fried fish, or fried plantains ; and 

 whichever it may be, they have but one cry, and that is— 



