In The Very Centre Of The Valley Was A Large
Bamboo House, While Scattered Around Were A Dozen Cottages Of
The Same Material.
I was kindly received by Mr. Jacob Mesman in an airy saloon
detached from the house, and entirely built of bamboo and
thatched with grass.
After breakfast he took me to his foreman's
house, about a hundred yards off, half of which was given up to
me until I should decide where to have a cottage built for my own
use. I soon found that this spot was too much exposed to the wind
and dust, which rendered it very difficult to work with papers or
insects. It was also dreadfully hot in the afternoon, and after a
few days I got a sharp attack of fever, which determined me to
move. I accordingly fixed on a place about a mile off, at the
foot of a forest-covered hill, where in a few days Mr. M. built
for me a nice little house, consisting of a good-sized enclosed
verandah or open room, and a small inner sleeping-room, with a
little cookhouse outside. As soon as it was finished I moved into
it, and found the change most agreeable.
The forest which surrounded me was open and free from underwood,
consisting of large trees, widely scattered with a great quantity
of palm-trees (Arenga saccharifera), from which palm wine and
sugar are made. There were also great numbers of a wild Jack-
fruit tree (Artocarpus), which bore abundance of large
reticulated fruit, serving as an excellent vegetable.
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