They
Are Still In Manners And Appearance Almost Pure Portuguese, Very
Similar To Those With Whom I Had Become Acquainted On The Banks
Of The Amazon.
They live very poorly as regards their house and
furniture, but preserve a semi-European dress, and have almost
all full suits of black for Sundays.
They are nominally
Protestants, but Sunday evening is their grand day for music and
dancing. The men are often good hunters; and two or three times a
week, deer or wild pigs are brought to the village, which, with
fish and fowls, enables them to live well. They are almost the
only people in the Archipelago who eat the great fruit-eating
bats called by us "flying foxes." These ugly creatures are
considered a great delicacy, and are much sought after. At about
the beginning of the year they come in large flocks to eat fruit,
and congregate during the day on some small islands in the bay,
hanging by thousands on the trees, especially on dead ones. They
can then be easily caught or knocked down with sticks, and are
brought home by basketsfull. They require to be carefully
prepared, as the skin and fur has a rank end powerful foxy odour;
but they are generally cooked with abundance of spices and
condiments, and are really very good eating, something like hare.
The Orang Sirani are good cooks, having a much greater variety of
savoury dishes than the Malays. Here, they live chiefly on sago
as bread, with a little rice occasionally, and abundance of
vegetables and fruit.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 44 of 412
Words from 11548 to 11808
of 111511
