After Five Days' Absence The Boats Returned From Dobbo, Bringing
Ali And All The Things I Had Sent For Quite Safe.
A large party
had assembled to be ready to carry home the goods brought, among
which were a good
Many cocoa-nut, which are a great luxury here.
It seems strange that they should never plant them; but the
reason simply is, that they cannot bring their hearts to bury a
good nut for the prospective advantage of a crop twelve years
hence. There is also the chance of the fruits being dug up and
eaten unless watched night and day. Among the things I had sent
for was a box of arrack, and I was now of course besieged with
requests for a little drop. I gave them a flask (about two
bottles, which was very soon finished, and I was assured that
there were many present who had not had a taste. As I feared my
box would very soon be emptied if I supplied all their demands, I
told them I had given them one, but the second they must pay for,
and that afterwards I must have a Paradise bird for each flask.
They immediately sent round to all the neighbouring houses, and
mustered up a rupee in Dutch copper money, got their second
flask, and drunk it as quickly as the first, and were then very
talkative, but less noisy and importunate than I had expected.
Two or three of them got round me and begged me for the twentieth
time to tell them the name of my country.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 221 of 412
Words from 59400 to 59664
of 111511
