128 TRAVELS IN THE E.VST IXDTAN ARCHIPELAGO. 



of all these islands are constantly sepai^ated by petty 

 feuds, or canying on an ojien warfare witli eacli 

 other. 



We wei*e now folly in the Banda Sea, and on the 

 28th of June the summit of the Gunong Api, or 

 ** Burning Mountain'' of that groupy appeared above 

 the hoiizon, but, as I afterward revisited these beau- 

 tiful islands, a descnption of them is deferred to a 

 future page. As we steamed away from the Bandas, 

 we passed out of the region of continuous dry weather 

 and began to enter one where the wet and dry sea- 

 sons are just opposite to what they are in all the 

 wide area extending from the middle part of Sumar 

 tra to the eastern end of Timur, including the south- 

 em half of Borneo and the southeni peninsulas of 

 Celebes. In all that region the eastern monsoon 

 brings dry weather, though oecasional showers may 

 occur ; but at Amboina, and on the south coast of 

 Ceram and Bum, this same wind bears along clouds 

 that pour down almost incessant floods. At Am- 

 boina I was assured that sometimes it rained for two 

 weeks at a time, vdthont apparently stopping for five 

 minutes, and from what I experienced myself I can 

 readily believe that such a phenomenon is not of rare 

 occurrence. 



In the northera part of Celebes, at TeraatCj and in 

 the northern part of GHlolo, and the islands between 

 it and I^ew Guinea, and also on the shores of the 

 western part of that great island, the wet and dry 

 seasons are not well defined. This exeeptionid area 

 is mostly included within the parallels of latitude two 

 degrees noiiih and two degrees south of the eqiiator. 



