The
Effect Of This Cheapness Of Food Is Decidedly Prejudicial, For
The Inhabitants Of The Sago Countries Are Never So Well Off As
Those Where Rice Is Cultivated.
Many of the people here have
neither vegetables nor fruit, but live almost entirely on sago
and a little fish.
Having few occupations at home, they wander
about on petty trading or fishing expeditions to the neighbouring
islands; and as far as the comforts of life are concerned, are
much inferior to the wild hill-Dyaks of Borneo, or to many of the
more barbarous tribes of the Archipelago.
The country round Warus-warus is low and swampy, and owing to the
absence of cultivation there were scarcely any paths leading into
the forest. I was therefore unable to collect much during my
enforced stay, and found no rare birds or insects to improve my
opinion of Ceram as a collecting ground. Finding it quite
impossible to get men here to accompany me on the whole voyage, I
was obliged to be content with a crew to take me as far as Wahai,
on the middle of the north coast of Ceram, and the chief Dutch
station in the island. The journey took us five days, owing to
calms and light winds, and no incident of any interest occurred
on it, nor did I obtain at our stopping places a single addition
to my collections worth naming. At Wahai, which I reached on the
15th of June, I was hospitably received by the Commandant and my
old friend Herr Rosenberg, who was now on an official visit here.
He lent me some money to pay my men, and I was lucky enough to
obtain three others willing to make the voyage with me to
Ternate, and one more who was to return from Mysol.
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