Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
claim his protection, and permission to travel in his territories whenever I might wish to do
so. This was immediately granted, and a special messenger was sent with me to carry the
letter.
My friend Mr. Mesman kindly lent me a horse, and accompanied me on my visit to the
Rajah, with whom he was great friends. We found his Majesty seated out of doors, watching
the erection of a new house. He was naked from the waist up, wearing only the usual short
trousers and sarong. Two chairs were brought out for us, but all the chiefs and other natives
were seated on the ground. The messenger, squatting down at the Rajah's feet, produced the
letter, which was sewn up in a covering of yellow silk. It was handed to one of the chief of-
ficers, who ripped it open and returned it to the Rajah, who read it, and then showed it to
Mr. M., who both speaks and reads the Macassar language fluently, and who explained fully
what I required. Permission was immediately granted me to go where I liked in the territor-
ies of Goa, but the Rajah desired, that should I wish to stay any time at a place I would first
give him notice, in order that he might send some one to see that no injury was done me.
Some wine was then brought us, and afterwards some detestable coffee and wretched sweet-
meats, for it is a fact that I have never tasted good coffee where people grow it themselves.
Although this was the height of the dry season, and there was a fine wind all day, it was
by no means a healthy time of year. My boy Ali had hardly been a day on shore when he
was attacked by fever, which put me to great inconvenience, as at the house where I was
staying nothing could be obtained but at meal-times. After having cured Ali, and with much
difficulty got another servant to cook for me, I was no sooner settled at my country abode
than the latter was attacked with the same disease; and, having a wife in the town, left me.
Hardly was he gone than I fell ill myself, with strong intermittent fever every other day. In
about a week I got over it, by a liberal use of quinine, when scarcely was I on my legs than
Ali again became worse than ever. His fever attacked him daily, but early in the morning he
was pretty well, and then managed to cook me enough for the day. In a week I cured him,
and also succeeded in getting another boy who could cook and shoot, and had no objection
to go into the interior. His name was Baderoon, and as he was unmarried and had been used
to a roving life, having been several voyages to North Australia to catch trepang or 'bêche
de mer,' I was in hopes of being able to keep him. I also got hold of a little impudent rascal
of twelve or fourteen, who could speak some Malay, to carry my gun or insect-net and make
himself generally useful. Ali had by this time become a pretty good bird-skinner, so that I
was fairly supplied with servants.
I made many excursions into the country, in search of a good station for collecting birds
and insects. Some of the villages a few miles inland are scattered about in woody ground
