160 TRAVELS IN THE BAST imiAN ARCHIPELAGO 



are worth moi*e than all the crockery and other glass- 

 ware on the table beside. While I was most zeal- 

 ously explaining in reply the snperiority of our cua- 

 tom, there arose a suppressed giggle behind me ; the 

 secret was out— the rajah's wives had been allowed 

 to leave their close prison and look at me, while I 

 was so placed that I could not, without the greatest 

 rudeness, turn round so as to steal a glance at them. 

 But as this noise was evidently not a part of the 

 proposed programme^ I repressed my curiosity, and 

 continued my description. One topic especially they 

 never seemed weary of hearing about, and that was 

 my experience as a soldier. There was something 

 strangely fascinating to their rude imaginations in 

 the scenes of blood through which I have had to 

 pass. At first I had some difficulty in translating 

 my stories into good Malay, but one of my servants 

 fortunately spoke a little Butch, and supplied me 

 with a word or sentence, as the case demanded. 



From Assilulu I set off, during a heavy rain- 

 storm, over a neighboring mountain for the south- 

 west shore, and after a long walk over the rocks, 

 sand, and shingle, we reached Lariki, where there 

 was once a fort with a garrison, but now the ruins 

 of the fort, and a few old, rusty guns are all that 

 remain ; and the only official stationed there is an 

 qpsiener or " overseer." In two days, at that place, I 

 so increased my collection, that I had to hire eight 

 coolies to transport it, each carrying two baskets 

 — one on either end of a pole about four feet long. 

 The baskets are made of an open framework of 

 bamboo, covered inside with palm-leaves^ and are 



