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 Macassar
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 never 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 practised 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 Macassar, which will form the subject of
the next chapter.
CHAPTER XVI.
CELEBES.
(MACASSAR. JULY TO NOVEMBER, 1857.)
I REACHED Macassar again on the 11th of July, and established
myself in my old quarters at Mamajam, to sort, arrange, clean,
and pack up my Aru collections.
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