The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online

XVI.] CELEBES. 175CHAPTER XVI.CELEBES.(macassar. JULY TO NOVEMBER, 1857.)I REACHED Macassar again ou the 11th of July, and establishedmyself in my old quarters at Mamajam, to sort, arrange,clean, and pack up my Aru collections. Tliis occupied me amonth ; and having shipped them off for Singapore, had my gunsrepaired, and received a new one from England, together witha stock of i^ins, arsenic, and other collecting requisites, I beganto feel eager for work again, and had to consider where I shouldspend my time till the end of the year. I had left Macassar,seven months before, a flooded marsh, being ploughed up for therice-sowing.The rains had continued for live months, yet nowall the rice was cut, and dry and dusty stubbles covered thecountry just as when I had first arrived there.After much inquiry I determined to visit the district ofMaros, about tliirty miles north of Macassar, where Mr. JacobMesman, a brother of my friend, I'esided, who had kindly ofteredto find me house-i'oom and give me assistance should I feelinclined to visit him. I accordingly obtained a pass from theResident, and having hired a boat setoff one evening for Maros.My boy Ali was so ill with fever that I was obliged to leave himin the hospital, under the care of my friend the German doctor,and I had to make shift with two new servants utterly ignorantof everything. We coasted along during the night, and at daybreakenter the Maros river, and by three in the afternoonreached the village. I immediately visited the AssistantResident, and applied for ten men to carry my baggage, and ahorse for myself. These were promised to be ready that night,so that I could start as soon as I liked in the morning. Afterhaving taken a cup of tea I took my leave, and slept in theboat. Some of the men came at night as promised, but othersdid not arrive till the next morning. It took some time to dividemy baggage fairly among them, as they all wanted to shirk theheavy boxes, and would seize hold of some light article andmarch off with it, till made to come back and wait till thewhole had been fairly apportioned. At length about eighto'clock all was arranged, and we started for our walk to Mr.M.'s farm.The country was at first a uniform plain of burnt-up ricegrounds,but at a few miles distance precipitous hills appeared,backed by the lofty central range of the peninsula. Towardsthese our path laj^, and after having gone six or eight miles thehills began to advance into the plain right and left of us, and