326 TRAVELS IN THE EAST INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 



them cast off their fruit before it is ripe. Sucli good 

 service do the tall cwiwris render in this way, that 

 they are planted everywhere, and when the island is 

 seen from a distance, theu* to2>s quite hide the nut- 

 meg-trees from view. The roots of this emiari are 

 most remarkable. They spring off from the trunk 

 above the ground m great vertical sheets, which are 

 frequently four feet broad where they leave the tree, 

 and wind back and forth for some distance before 

 they disappear beneath the soU, so that tlie lower 

 part of one of these old trees might well be fancied 

 to be a huge bundle of enormous snakes struggling 

 to free themselves from a Titanic hand that held 

 them firmly forever. 



As we leisurely strolled along the crest of Lon- 

 tar, with a thick foliage over our heads that effect- 

 ually shut out the direct rays of the sun, we occar 

 sionally caught tlistant views under the trees of the 

 blue sea breakLug into white, sparkling snrf on the 

 black rocks far, far beneath ua 



Soon we came to the "Lookout,'' known here, 

 however, by the Malay name Orang Datwiig^ " The 

 people come," for it is a peculiarity of that language, 

 instead of naming a place like this suhjecUvelf, as we 

 do, that is from one's own action, to name it ohjectwe- 

 li/y that is, from the result of that action. The look- 

 out is placed on the edge of the interior wall, and is 

 about six hundi-ed feet above the sea. From this 

 point most of the Bandas are distinctly seen in a 

 single glance, and the view is undoubtedly one of 

 the moat charming to be enjoyed among all the isles 

 of the sea. Before us was Banda Neira, with Neira 



