This Violent Surf Is
Probably In Some Way Dependent Upon The Swell Of The Great
Southern Ocean And The Violent Currents That Flow Through The
Straits Of Lombock.
These are so uncertain that vessels preparing
to anchor in the bay are sometimes suddenly swept away into the
straits, and are not able to get back again for a fortnight.
What seamen call the "ripples" are also very violent in the
straits, the sea appearing to boil and foam and dance like the
rapids below a cataract; vessels are swept about helplessly, and
small ones are occasionally swamped in the finest weather and
under the brightest skies.
I felt considerably relieved when all my boxes and myself had
passed in safety through the devouring surf, which the natives
look upon with some pride, saying, that "their sea is always
hungry, and eats up everything it can catch." I was kindly
received by Mr. Carter, an Englishman, who is one of the Bandars
or licensed traders of the port, who offered me hospitality and
every assistance during my stay. His house, storehouses, and
offices were in a yard surrounded by a tall bamboo fence, and
were entirely constructed of bamboo with a thatch of grass, the
only available building materials. Even these were now very
scarce, owing to the great consumption in rebuilding the place
since the great fire some months before, which in an hour or two
had destroyed every building in the town.
The next day I went to see Mr. S., another merchant to whom I had
brought letters of introduction, and who lived about seven miles
off. Mr. Carter kindly lent me a horse, and I was accompanied by
a young Dutch gentleman residing at Ampanam, who offered to be my
guide. We first passed through the town and suburbs along a
straight road bordered by mud walls and a fine avenue of lofty
trees; then through rice-fields, irrigated in the same manner as
I had seen them at Bileling; and afterwards over sandy pastures
near the sea, and occasionally along the beach itself. Mr. S.
received us kindly, and offered me a residence at his house
should I think the neighbourhood favourable for my pursuits.
After an early breakfast we went out to explore, taking guns and
insect nets. We reached some low hills which seemed to offer the
most favourable ground, passing over swamps, sandy flats
overgrown with coarse sedges, and through pastures and cultivated
grounds, finding however very little in the way of either birds
or insects. On our way we passed one or two human skeletons,
enclosed within a small bamboo fence, with the clothes, pillow,
mat, and betel-box of the unfortunate individual, who had been
either murdered or executed. Returning to the house, we found a
Balinese chief and his followers on a visit. Those of higher rank
sat on chairs, the others squatted on the floor. The chief very
coolly asked for beer and brandy, and helped himself and his
followers, apparently more out of curiosity than anything else as
regards the beer, for it seemed very distasteful to them, while
they drank the brandy in tumblers with much relish.
Returning to Ampanam, I devoted myself for some days to shooting
the birds of the neighbourhood. The fine fig-trees of the
avenues, where a market was held, were tenanted by superb orioles
(Oriolus broderpii) of a rich orange colour, and peculiar to this
island and the adjacent ones of Sumbawa and Flores. All round the
town were abundance of the curious Tropidorhynchus timoriensis,
allied to the Friar bird of Australia. They are here called
"Quaich-quaich," from their strange loud voice, which seems to
repeat these words in various and not unmelodious intonations.
Every day boys were to be seen walking along the roads and by the
hedges and ditches, catching dragonflies with birdlime. They
carry a slender stick, with a few twigs at the end well annointed,
so that the least touch captures the insect, whose wings are
pulled off before it is consigned to a small basket. The dragon-
flies are so abundant at the time of the rice flowering that
thousands are soon caught in this way. The bodies are fried in
oil with onions and preserved shrimps, or sometimes alone, and
are considered a great delicacy. In Borneo, Celebes, and many
other islands, the larvae of bees and wasps are eaten, either
alive as pulled out of the cells, or fried like the dragonflies.
In the Moluccas the grubs of the palm-beetles (Calandra) are
regularly brought to market in bamboos and sold for food; and
many of the great horned Lamellicorn beetles are slightly roasted
on the embers and eaten whenever met with. The superabundance of
insect life is therefore turned to some account by these
islanders.
Finding that birds were not very numerous, and hearing much of
Labuan Tring at the southern extremity of the bay, where there
was said to be much uncultivated country and plenty of birds as
well as deer and wild pigs, I determined to go there with my two
servants, Ali, the Malay lad from Borneo, and Manuel, a Portuguese
of Malacca accustomed to bird-skinning. I hired a native boat with
outriggers to take us with our small quantity of luggage, on a day's
rowing and tracking along the shore brought us to the place.
I had a note of introduction to an Amboynese Malay, and obtained
the use of part of his house to live and work in. His name was
"Inchi Daud" (Mr. David), and he was very civil; but his
accommodations were limited, and he could only hire me part of
his reception-room. This was the front part of a bamboo house
(reached by a ladder of about six rounds very wide apart), and
having a beautiful view over the bay. However, I soon made what
arrangements were possible, and then set to work. The country
around was pretty and novel to me, consisting of abrupt volcanic
hills enclosing flat valleys or open plains.
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