IN DANGER. 
157 
when the child screams she pulls the cord to 
rock it to sleep again. Sometimes the fire blazes 
up and burns out the bottom of the cradle ; sev- 
eral severe accidents which had occurred in this 
way were related to us. I never saw children 
under about four months being carried about. 
They are allowed to lie in this hard cradle, al- 
ways in the same position, flattening the back 
of their .little heads till the deformity is quite 
pronouneed and lifelong. 
30 th Sspt. f at sea. 
I was quite unable to continue writing to you 
while in Eitabel : to keep my journal taxed all 
the strength which almost constant fever left me. 
We are now on our way back to Amboina, and 
I must make an effort to have this letter ready 
to post on arrival there, some ten days hence. 
I never seemed to realise until we were really 
off what a risk of life we have run ; indeed I did 
not know if, for H. carefully concealed from 
me the reason of his nightly watches for the 
last six weeks. He professed that he slept in a 
chair to be ready to give me assistance while so 
weak, but the Kaleobar people had sent a threat 
that they were coming to attack our village, and 
it was to wait for them he sat. A small boat 
was hired and kept tied to the end of our house, 
