Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
them up in a small dark shed to digest their meal, whence they gave forth occasionally a
melancholy quack. Every night a watch was set, principally for the sake of the horses, the
people of Goa, only two miles off, being notorious thieves, and horses offering the easiest
and most valuable spoil. This enabled me to sleep in security, although many people in Ma-
cassar thought I was running a great risk, living alone in such a solitary place and with such
bad neighbours.
My house was surrounded by a kind of straggling hedge of roses, jessamines, and other
flowers, and every morning one of the women gathered a basketful of the blossoms for Mr.
Mesman's family. I generally took a couple for my own breakfast table, and the supply nev-
er failed during my stay, and I suppose never does. Almost every Sunday Mr. M. made a
shooting excursion with his eldest son, a lad of fifteen, and I generally accompanied him;
for though the Dutch are Protestants, they do not observe Sunday in the rigid manner prac-
tised in England and English colonies. The Governor of the place has his public reception
every Sunday evening, when card-playing is the regular amusement.
On December 13th I went on board a prau bound for the Aru Islands, a journey which
will be described in the latter part of this work.
On my return, after a seven months' absence, I visited another district to the north of Ma-
cassar, which will form the subject of the next chapter.
