My Boys Shot Five Sorts Of Birds, None Of Which We Had Obtained
During A Month's Shooting In Wamma.
Two were very pretty
flycatchers, already known from New Guinea; one of them (Monarcha
chrysomela), of brilliant black and
Bright orange colours, is by
some authors considered to be the most beautiful of all
flycatchers; the other is pure white and velvety black, with a
broad fleshy ring round the eye of are azure blue colour; it is
named the "spectacled flycatcher" (Monarcha telescopthalma), and
was first found in New Guinea, along with the other, by the
French naturalists during the voyage of the discovery-ship
Coquille.
Feb. 18th. - Before leaving Macassar, I had written to the
Governor of Amboyna requesting him to assist me with the native
chiefs of Aru. I now received by a
vessel which had arrived from Amboyna a very polite answer
informing me that orders had been sent to give me every
assistance that I might require; and I was just congratulating
myself on being at length able to get a boat and men to go to the
mainland and explore the interior, when a sudden check carne in
the form of a piratical incursion. A small prau arrived which had
been attacked by pirates and had a man wounded. They were said to
have five boats, but more were expected to be behind and the
traders were all in consternation, fearing that their small
vessels sent trading to the "blakang tana" would be plundered.
The Aru natives were of course dreadfully alarmed, as these
marauders attack their villages, burn and murder, and carry away
women and children for slaves. Not a man will stir from his
village for some time, and I must remain still a prisoner in
Dobbo. The Governor of Amboyna, out of pure kindness, has told
the chiefs that they are to be responsible for my safety, so that
they have au excellent excuse for refusing to stir.
Several praus went out in search of the pirates, sentinels were
appointed, and watch-fires lighted on the beach to guard against
the possibility of a night attack, though it was hardly thought
they would be bold enough to attempt to plunder Dobbo. The next
day the praus returned, and we had positive information that
these scourges of the Eastern seas were really among us. One of
Herr Warzbergen's small praus also arrived in a sad plight. It
had been attacked six days before, just as it was returning, from
the "blakang tana." The crew escaped in their small boat and hid
in the jungle, while the pirates came up and plundered the
vessel. They took away everything but the cargo of mother-of-
pearl shell, which was too bulky for them. All the clothes and
boxes of the men, and the sails and cordage of the prau, were
cleared off. They had four large war boats, and fired a volley of
musketry as they came up, and sent off their small boats to the
attack.
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