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

;17C THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [chap.the ground became pierced here and there with blocks andpillars of limestone rock, while a few abrupt conical hills andpeaks rose like islands. Passing over an elevated tract formingthe shoulder of one of the hills, a picturesque scene lay beforeus. We looked down into a little valley almost entirelysurrounded by mountains, rising abruptly in huge precipices,and forming a succession of knolls and peaks and domes of themost varied and fantastic shapes. In the very centre of thevalley was a large bamboo house, while scattered around werea dozen cottages of the same material.I was kindly received by Mr. Jacob Mesman in an airysaloon detached from the house, and entirely built of bambooand thatched with grass. After breakfast he took me to hisforeman's house, about a hundred yards off, half of which wasgiven up to me till I should decide where to have a cottagebuilt for my own use. I soon found that this spot was toomuch exposed to the wind and dust, which rendered it verydifficult to work witli papers or insects. It was also dreadfullyhot in the afternoon, and after a few days I got a sharp attackof fever, which determined me to move. I accordingly fixed ona i^lace about a mile off, at the foot of a forest-covered hill,where in a few days Mr. M. built for me a nice little house,consisting of a good-sized enclosed verandah or open room, anda small inner sleeping-room, with a little cook-house outside.As soon as it was finished I moved into it, and found thechange most agreeable.The forest which surrounded me was open and free fromunderwood, consisting of large trees, widely scattered with agreat quantity of palm-trees (Arenga saccharifera), from whichpalm wine and sugar are made. There were also great numbersof a wild Jack-fruit tree (Artocarpus), which bore abundance oflarge reticulated fruit, serving as an excellent vegetable. Theground was as thickly covered witli dry leaves as it is in anEnglish wood in November ; the little rocky streams were alldry, and scarcely a drop of water or even a damp place wasanywhere to be seen. About fifty yards below my house, at thefoot of the hill, was a deep hole in a watercourse where goodwater was to be had, and where I went daily to bathe, byhaving buckets of water taken out and pouring it over mybody.My host Mr. M. enjoyed a thoroughly country life, dejoendingalmost entirely on his gun and dogs to supply his table. "Wildpigs of large size were very plentiful, and he generally got oneor two a week, besides deer occasionally, and abundance ofjungle-fowl, hornbills, and great fruit pigeons. His buffaloessupplied plenty of milk, from which he made his own butterhe grew his own rice and coftee, and had ducks, fowls, and theireggs in profusion. His palm-trees supplied liim all the yearround with " sagueir," which takes the place of beer ; and thesugar made from them is an excellent sweetmeat. All the fine