This Extraordinary Insect
Is Rarely Or Never Captured Except When It Comes To Drink The Sap
Of The Sugar Palms, Where It Is Found By The Natives When They Go
Early In The Morning To Take Away The Bamboos Which Have Been
Filled During The Night.
For some time one or two were brought me
every day, generally alive.
They are sluggish insects, and pull
themselves lazily along by means of their immense forelegs. A
figure of this and other Moluccan beetles is given in the 27th
chapter of this work.
I was kept at Paso by an inflammatory eruption, brought on by the
constant attacks of small acari-like harvest-bugs, for which the
forests of Ceram are famous, and also by the want of nourishing
food while in that island. At one time I was covered with severe
boils. I had them on my eye, cheek, armpits, elbows, back,
thighs, knees, and ankles, so that I was unable to sit or walk,
and had great difficulty in finding a side to lie upon without
pain. These continued for some weeks, fresh ones coming out as
fast as others got well; but good living and sea baths ultimately
cured them.
About the end of January Charles Allen, who had been my assistant
in Malacca and Borneo, again joined me on agreement for three
years; and as soon as I got tolerably well, we had plenty to do
laying in stores and making arrangements for our ensuing
campaign. Our greatest difficulty was in obtaining men, but at
last we succeeded in getting two each. An Amboyna Christian named
Theodorus Watakena, who had been some time with me and had learned
to skin birds very well, agreed to go with Allen, as well as a
very quiet and industrious lad named Cornelius, whom I had
brought from Menado. I had two Amboynese, named Petrus Rehatta,
and Mesach Matahena; the latter of whom had two brothers, named
respectively Shadrach and Abednego, in accordance with the usual
custom among these people of giving only Scripture names to their
children.
During the time I resided in this place, I enjoyed a luxury I have
never met with either before or since - the true bread-fruit. A
good deal of it has been planted about here and in the
surrounding villages, and almost everyday we had opportunities
of purchasing some, as all the boats going to Amboyna were
unloaded just opposite my door to be dragged across the isthmus.
Though it grows in several other parts of the Archipelago, it is
nowhere abundant, and the season for it only lasts a short time.
It is baked entire in the hot embers, and the inside scooped out
with a spoon. I compared it to Yorkshire pudding; Charles Allen
said it was like mashed potatoes and milk. It is generally about
the size of a melon, a little fibrous towards the centre, but
everywhere else quite smooth and puddingy, something in
consistence between yeast-dumplings and batter-pudding.
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