We Found No Village, But
Scattered Houses And Plantations, With Hilly Country Pretty Well
Covered With Forest, And Looking Rather Promising.
A low hut with
a very rotten roof, showing the sky through in several places,
was the only one I could obtain.
Luckily it did not rain that
night, and the next day we pulled down some of the walls to
repair the roof, which was of immediate importance, especially
over our beds and table.
About half a mile from the house was a fine mountain stream,
running swiftly over a bed of rocks and pebbles, and beyond this
was a hill covered with fine forest. By carefully picking my way
I could wade across this river without getting much above my
knees, although I would sometimes slip off a rock and go into a
hole up to my waist, and about twice a week I went across it in
order to explore the forest. Unfortunately there were no paths
here of any extent, and it did not prove very productive either
in insects or birds. To add to my difficulties I had stupidly
left my only pair of strong hoots on board the steamer, and my
others were by this time all dropping to pieces, so that I was
obliged to walk about barefooted, and in constant fear of hurting
my feet, and causing a wound which might lay me up for weeks, as
had happened in Borneo, Are, and Dorey. Although there were
numerous plantations of maize and plantains, there were no new
clearings; and as without these it is almost impossible to find
many of the best kinds of insects, I determined to make one
myself, and with much difficulty engaged two men to clear a patch
of forest, from which I hoped to obtain many fine beetles before
I left.
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