Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
idea of its European meaning. This cleared up the difficulty. I at once understood that some
early Portuguese traders had penetrated to these islands, and mixed with the natives, influen-
cing their language, and leaving in their descendants for many generations the visible char-
acteristics of their race. If to this we add the occasional mixture of Malay, Dutch, and
Chinese with the indigenous Papuans, we have no reason to wonder at the curious varieties
of form and feature occasionally to be met with in Aru. In this very house there was a Ma-
cassar man, with an Aru wife and a family of mixed children. In Dobbo I saw a Javanese
and an Amboyna man, each with an Aru wife and family; and as this kind of mixture has
been going on for at least three hundred years, and probably much longer, it has produced a
decided effect on the physical characteristics of a considerable portion of the population of
the islands, more especially in Dobbo and the parts nearest to it.
March
28
th
.—The 'Orang-kaya' being very ill with fever had begged to go home, and
had arranged with one of the men of the house to go on with me as his substitute. Now that I
wanted to move, the bugbear of the pirates was brought up, and it was pronounced unsafe to
go further than the next small river. This would not suit me, as I had determined to traverse
the channel called Watelai to the 'blakang tana;' but my guide was firm in his dread of pir-
ates, of which I knew there was now no danger, as several vessels had gone in search of
them, as well as a Dutch gunboat which had arrived since I left Dobbo. I had, fortunately, by
this time heard that the Dutch 'Commissie' had really arrived, and therefore threatened that
if my guide did not go with me immediately, I would appeal to the authorities, and he would
certainly be obliged to give back the cloth which the 'Orang-kaya' had transferred to him in
prepayment. This had the desired effect; matters were soon arranged, and we started the next
morning. The wind, however, was dead against us, and after rowing hard till midday we put
in to a small river where there were a few huts, to cook our dinners. The place did not look
very promising, but as we could not reach our destination, the Watelai river, owing to the
contrary wind, I thought we might as well wait here a day or two. I therefore paid a chopper
for the use of a small shed, and got my bed and some boxes on shore. In the evening, after
dark, we were suddenly alarmed by the cry of 'Bajak! bajak!' (Pirates!) The men all seized
their bows and spears, and rushed down to the beach; we got hold of our guns and prepared
for action, but in a few minutes all came back laughing and chattering, for it had proved to
be only a small boat and some of their own comrades returned from fishing. When all was
quiet again, one of the men, who could speak a little Malay, came to me and begged me not
to sleep too hard. 'Why?' said I. 'Perhaps the pirates may really come,' said he very seri-
ously, which made me laugh and assure him I should sleep as hard as I could.
