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

280 THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [chap,Ceram, the Alfuros of Papuan race are the predominant type,the Malay physiognomy being seldom well marked ; whereashere the reverse is the case, and a slight infusion of Papuan ona mixture of Malay and Bugis has produced a very good-lookingset of people. The lower class of the population consists almostentirely of the indigenes of the adjacent islands. They are aline race, witli strongly-marked Papuan features, frizzly hair,and brown complexions. The Goram language is spoken alsoat the east end of Ceram, and in the adjacent islands. It has ageneral resemblance to the languages of Ceram, but possesses apeculiar element which I have not met with in other languagesof the ArchiiDelago.After great delay, considering the importance of every day atthis time of year, a miserable boat and live men were found, andwith some difficulty I stowed away in it such baggage as it wasabsolutely necessary for me to take, leaving scarcely sitting orsleeping room. The sailing qualities of the boat were highlyvaunted, and I was assured that at this season a small one wasmuch more likely to succeed in making the journej''. We firstcoasted along the island, reaching its eastern extremity thefollowing morning (April lltli), and found a strong W.S.W. windblo^ving, which just allowed us to lay across to the MatabelloIslands, a distance little short of twenty miles. I did not muchlike the look of the heavy sky and rather rough sea, and mymen were very unwilling to make the attempt ; but as we couldscarcely hope for a better chance, I insisted upon trying. Thepitching and jerking of our little boat soon reduced me to a stateof miserable helplessness, and I lay down, resigned to whatevermight happen. After three or four hours, I was told we werenearly over ; but when I got up, two hours later, just as the sunwas setting, I found we were still a good distance from thepoint, owing to a strong current which had been for some timeagainst us. Xight closed in, and the wind drew more ahead, sowe had to take in sail. Then came a calm, and we rowed andsailed as occasion offered ; and it was four in the morning whenwe reached the village of Kissiwoi, not having made more thanthree miles in the last twelve hours.MATABELLO ISLANDS.At daylight I found we were in a beautiful little harbour,formed Ijy a coral reef about two hundred yards from shore, andperfectly secure in every wind. Ha\'ing eaten nothing since theprevious morning, we cooked our breakfast comfortably on shore,and left about noon, coasting along the two islands of this group,wliich lie in the same line, and are separated by a narrowchannel. Both seem entirely formed of raised coral rock ; butthere has been a subsequent subsidence, as shown by tlie barrierreef which extends all along them at varying distances from theshore. This reef is sometimes only marked by a line of breakers