ARRIVAL AT PASO* 
103 
ness of the bay at noonday struck me as freshly 
as if I had for the first time looked upon that 
peculiar brilliancy of colouring which only a 
vertical sun can lend. Was ever sea so blue ? — 
did ever waves display a purer emerald in their 
graceful curl, or crown themselves with crests 
so white ?— was ever outline of hills so clear, or 
foliage so graceful as that of the shadowy palms 
we halted under? 
While the carriers rested, our men fetched 
some cocoa-nuts, and we all together enjoyed 
the cooling draught and lunched off the blanc- 
mange-like pulp* When we reached the Rajah's 
house at Paso it was exactly noon. Thus we had 
been four hours in covering fourteen miles,— not 
a bad record, since the men were heavily laden, 
and crossing rivers and descending into torrent- 
beds required cautious walking. Lopez had 
been sent on to get a boat in readiness, for w r e 
had heard that the tide was high in Amboina 
harbour at 3 p.m., and congratulated ourselves 
that we should get on after an hour or two of 
rest in a shady room. Vain expectation ! The 
Rajah was from home, and no one knew of a 
boat large enough for us and our baggage. 
After hours of fruitless effort, the Rajah returned, 
and at once peremptorily ordered out a boat, 
