Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
three or four people with a yard of cane in one hand, a knife in the other, and a basket
between their legs, hacking, paring, chewing, and, basket-filling, with a persevering as-
siduity which reminds one of a hungry cow grazing, or of a caterpillar eating up a leaf.
After five days' absence the boats returned from Dobbo, bringing Ali and all the things I
had sent for quite safe. A large party had assembled to be ready to carry home the goods
brought, among which were a good many cocoa-nuts, which are a great luxury here. It
seems strange that they should never plant them; but the reason simply is, that they cannot
bring their hearts to bury a good nut for the prospective advantage of a crop twelve years
hence. There is also the chance of the fruits being dug up and eaten unless watched night
and day. Among the things I had sent for was a box of arrack, and I was now of course be-
sieged with requests for a little drop. I gave them a flask (about two bottles), which was very
soon finished, and I was assured that there were many present who had not had a taste. As I
feared my box would very soon be emptied if I supplied all their demands, I told them I had
given them one, but the second they must pay for, and that afterwards I must have a
Paradise bird for each flask. They immediately sent round to all the neighbouring houses,
and mustered up a rupee in Dutch copper money, got their second flask, and drunk it as
quickly as the first, and were then very talkative, but less noisy and importunate than I had
expected. Two or three of them got round me and begged me for the twentieth time to tell
them the name of my country. Then, as they could not pronounce it satisfactorily, they insis-
ted that I was deceiving them, and that it was a name of my own invention. One funny old
man, who bore a ludicrous resemblance to a friend of mine at home, was almost indignant.
'Ung-lung!' said he, 'who ever heard of such a name?—ang-lang—anger-lang—that can't
be the name of your country; you are playing with us.' Then he tried to give a convincing il-
lustration. 'My country is Wanumbai—anybody can say Wanumbai. I'm an “orang-Wanum-
bai;” but, N-glung! who ever heard of such a name? Do tell us the real name of your coun-
try, and then when you are gone we shall know how to talk about you.' To this luminous ar-
gument and remonstrance I could oppose nothing but assertion, and the whole party re-
mained firmly convinced that I was for some reason or other deceiving them. They then at-
tacked me on another point—what all the animals and birds and insects and shells were pre-
served so carefully for. They had often asked me this before, and I had tried to explain to
them that they would be stuffed, and made to look as if alive, and people in my country
would go to look at them. But this was not satisfying; in my country there must be many
better things to look at, and they could not believe I would take so much trouble with their
birds and beasts just for people to look at. They did not want to look at them; and we, who
made calico and glass and knives, and all sorts of wonderful things, could not want things
