OUR MEALS. 
189 
for three knives ; a large fish, which was dinner 
for the three men and ourselves, for two knives ; 
and ten eggs for one. But we were five, and 
the post - holder’s party nine, so in time the 
supply was not equal to the demand. Kobez 
often hunted half a day for a fowl, and we had 
to give ten times as much as when we first came. 
Kobez made this an excuse for the most trying 
irregularity in serving our meals. I am sure he 
just amused himself when he went seeking food. 
Sometimes when he went over the strait, I could 
see him sitting on the beach for hours, making 
no effort to buy, and we famishing all the time 
for breakfast. We had a cup of coffee on getting 
up at 5.30, — that is, at daybreak. If you want to 
have any enjoyment out of a tropical day, you 
must get up then and go out in the morning 
coolness and freshness. In our coffee we soaked 
biscuits, made in Amboina of sago and canary 
nut : they are like stones until soaked, but then 
with considerable risk to the teeth you can man- 
age to masticate them. The taste is very sweet 
indeed ; but though we had a large stock, they 
were too difficult to eat to enjoy a satisfying 
meal from them. At 10 we were supposed to 
have breakfast, at which we had fowl or fish, 
and . nee or potatoes, with sago and cocoa-nut 
