STORES FAILING. 
193 
had, and neglected to put it in the sun to pre- 
vent it spoiling in the tropical moisture. If we 
had been wise we should have had it in sealed 
tins ; but it is H.’s way to be absolutely indiffer- 
ent to personal comfort, and I was too inexper- 
ienced then in the housewifery of a tropical 
climate to be on the outlook. So it was almost 
all mouldy when we were warned to open the 
packages by discovering one quite white. Sorely 
grudging the necessity, we threw out all the bad 
packages, and the only consolation was that 
henceforth we had tea which could not harm- 
fully affect the nerves ! 
Our salt, sugar, and soap held out to the last, 
and there remained considerable quantities of 
each to give to the delighted natives when we 
departed. 
About the third day before we left a strange 
boat came, bringing some turtle-flesh. I believe 
they dry it in the sun and smoke it. What we 
got looked like sheets of glue, and we could not 
manage to eat it ; but our men cooked it in some 
way, and seemed to enjoy it greatly. 
Lopez and Carl, tlie hunters, went to the out- 
lying islands of Molu and Maru to collect speci- 
mens of the birds and plants there. On their 
return, after ten days, they brought us a number 
N 
raffles library 
SINGAPORE. S.S. 
