SCENES IN AMBOINA. 
109 
among their fellows at the hath, and hurry with 
a hop, skip, and jump to join their fellow- wor- 
shippers in the holy place, adjusting by the way 
the clean sarong or pushing the arms into the 
jacket. How we have enjoyed gazing into the 
lamplit churches, into shops and dwellings, and, 
most of all, loitering in the market-place. This 
spot is exceedingly picturesque. The booths 
form a square, in whose centre a great tree 
spreads its giant arms, A lamp flares at every 
stall ; and standing back in the shade— the only 
Europeans in the jostling crowd — we have found 
it an unfailing source of interest to listen to the 
bargaining that goes on, and to read the native 
mind from the expression on the faces of buyer 
and seller. In the dark street, lit by the bright 
stoves of street-vendors roasting Indian corn and 
other favourite food of the natives, we hear from 
an open window the monotonous drawl of many 
voices repeating simultaneously the Koran; while 
from another proceeds the excited merriment of 
gamblers. The Chinese have an elegant joss- 
house, which has recently been constantly illum- 
inated to celebrate the birthday of one of their 
gods. He is a funny-looking little image, who 
dwells among a number of lady and baby gods 
in the middle case of three which fill one end of 
