98 
AQUEOUS LIFE. 
coral, I had never formed any conception of. 
Brilliant blue and red sponges and gesthetic- 
coloured jelly-fish took the place of flowers in 
the nooks of the chasms and sides of the hillocks 
of the uneven surface of the marine gardens; 
while fishes, banded, spotted, and streaked with 
brightest hues, darted out and in from their 
hiding-places. We found that our boatman was 
a diver, and he went below for anything which 
caught our fancy, amusing us greatly as he 
swam about seeking at our direction the coral 
or fish we wanted, and came puffing with it to 
the surface. Although the native makes no 
scruple of jumping into the sea to pick up liis 
boat, and wades through a swollen river without 
a thought, all seem to shrink from rain. In the 
rainy season the elothesless children go to fetch 
water under a large leaf, which opens exactly 
as does a sheet of note-paper, and under this 
same sort of covering the grown people carry 
their wares. Some have a hat of such dimen- 
sions, that it also serves the purpose of an um- 
brella; without some such protection no one 
stirs from the door. 
To-morrow we return to Amboina, if fine. 
The roads will soon be very difficult, and our 
bouse lets in rain, so that it is most uncomfort- 
