254 
CAJEPUT-OIL. 
liave done without cajeput-oil. A lady gave 
me a small bottle on the voyage to the Moluccas, 
and that the application has saved me many an 
ulcer I am quite certain. The mosquitoes do 
not care to bite when the skin is covered with 
this oil. Borne people cannot use it, from 
aversion to the strong odour. Fortunately it 
does not affect me much, though I confess I 
don't like it just under my nose. This cajeput 
or cajuputi oil is extracted from the white 
(puti) wood (caju) tree, so named by the Malays 
from its wdiite bark, resembling somewhat that 
of a larch in colour. The oil is not at all greasy, 
the colour is a transparent green, and a strong 
mixture of. peppermint and camphor might in- 
dicate its smell. The faint odour which pervades 
an apartment some time after it has been used 
is to me most pleasant, like those subtle scents 
you imagine when you read Eastern tales. But 
I dare not again recommend it to any one. 
Mdlle. Maria Josd at the Palazzio has suffered 
greatly from distressing ulcers caused by mos- 
quito bites, so I gave her some of my cajeput, 
assuring her that it was a sure preventive of 
attacks from the insects, B y mistake in the 
night she overturned tbe vial and spilled the 
contents, from whose strong odour she spent 
