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

184 THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [chap.accumulated on some rocks by the side of a forest stream, Ifound abundance of Carabidse, a family generally scarce in thetropics. The butterflies however disappeared. Two of myservants were attacked with fever, dysentery, and swelled feet,just at the time that the third had left me, and for some daysthey both lay groaning in the house. When they got a littlebetter I was attacked ^myself, and as my stores were nearlyfinished and everything was getting very damp, I was obligedto prepare for my return to Macassar, especially as the strongwesterly winds would render the passage in a small open boatdisagreeable if not dangerous.Since the rains began, numbers of huge millipedes, as thickas one's finger and eight or ten inches long, crawled about everywhere,in the paths, on trees, about the house,—and one morningwhen I got up I even found one in my bed ! They weregenerally of a dull lead colour or of a deep brick red, and werevery nasty-looking things to be coming everywhere in one's way,although quite harmless. Snakes too began to show themselves.I killed two of a very abundant species, big-headed and of abright green colour, which lie coiled up on leaves and shrubs andcan scarcely be seen till one is close upon them. Brown snakesgot into my net while beating among dead leaves for insects,and made me rather cautious about inserting my hand till Iknew what kind of game I had captured. The fields andmeadows which had been parched and sterile now becamesuddenly covered with fine long grass ; the river-bed where Ihad so many times walked over burning rocks, was now a deepand rapid stream ; and numbers of herbaceous plants andshrubs were everywhere springing up and bursting into flower.I found plenty of new insects, and if I had had a good, roomy,water-and-wind-proof house, I should perhaps have stayedduring the wet season, as I feel sure many things can then beobtained which are to be found at no other time. With mysummer hut, however, this was impossible. During the heavyrains a fine drizzly mist penetrated into every part of it, and Ibegan to have the greatest difliculty in keeping my specimensdry.Early in November I returned to Macassar, and having packedup my collections, started in the Dutch mail steamer forAmboyna and Ternate. Leaving this part of my journey forthe present, I will in the next chapter conclude my account ofCelebes by describing the extreme northern part of the islandwhich 1 visited two years later.