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

406 THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [chap.boat up on a patch of white sandy beach. Immediately abovewas a large newly-made plantation of yam.s and plantains, anda small hut, which the chief said we might have the use of if itwould do for me. It was quite a dwarf's house, just eight feetsquare, raised on posts so that the door was four and a halffeet above the ground, and the highest part of the_ ridge onlyfive feet above the floor. As I am six feet and an inch in mystockings, I looked at this with some dismay ; but finding tliatthe other houses were much further from water, were dreadfullydirty, and were crowded with peoi-le, I at once accepted thelittle one, and determined to make the best of it. At first Ithought of taking out the floor, which. would l^ave it highenough to walk in and out without stooping ;but then therewould not be i-oom enough, so I left it just as it was, had itMY HOUSE AT BESSIE, IN WAIGIOU.thoroughly cleaned out, and brought up my baggage. Theupper story I used for sleeping in, and for a store-room. In thelower part (which was quite open all round) I fixed up a smalltable, arranged my boxes, put up hanging-shelves, laid a maton the ground with my wicker-chair upon it, hung up anothermat on the windward side, and then found that, by bendingdouble and carefully creeping in, I could sit on my chair withmy head just clear of the ceiling. Here I lived pretty comfortablyfor six weeks, taking all my meals and doing all mywork at my little table, to and from which I had to creep in asemi-horizontal position a dozen times a day ; and, after a few