Chap. LXXV. FEMALES OF THE WELA^D-MOLU'K. 145 
creeks, which renders the communication rather diffi- 
cult to people who are not well acquainted with 
the character of the country, but on this very ac- 
count they afford rich pasture-grounds after the river 
has begun to decrease. Unfortunately, even now, 
when we had finally entered upon our journey, the 
dilatory character of my host remained unaltered, 
and, after a march of seven miles, we halted near a 
small encampment of the Kel-n-nokunder, professedly 
as if we were to start again in the afternoon, but in 
reality in order to pass the night there. However, I 
was glad that we had at least gone beyond the place 
which we had reached on our former abortive start. 
The locality was adorned with some luxuriant spe- 
cimens of duwe, and the tagelalet, or agato. Under 
one of these fine trees, the dense foliage of which 
almost reached the ground, I passed the heat of 
the day in friendly conversation with some of the 
peaceable Tolba, who came to have a chat with me 
on religious topics. When the cool of the evening 
set in, I pitched my tent near the bank of the open 
branch of the river, which was girt by a fine border 
of rank grass ; but the river was here broken, and 
did not present that noble character which I was 
wont to admire in it. 
We were to start at a very early hour, but Saturday, 
the difficulty of making out the right path ^^""-^ 
among these numerous swamps and creeks, kept us 
back till all our companions were ready. We then 
had to turn round a very difficult swamp, which had 
VOL. V. L 
