Volume I Part 39 (1/2)

The natives describe theether in flocks, headed by one, they call the Rajah bird, whose motions they follow

(Footnote This is also o, published in 1800)

During the absence of the trading boats, the rest of the crews are e chinam of lime, froood price at Banda, where fuel is expensive

As soon as the South-East monsoon is fairly set in, the junks are hauled up on the western side of the sandy spit at high-water spring tides, a sort of dam is then built round the, banked up with sand; from this the water is bailed out by hand, so as to form a dry dock in which they clean and coat the bottoo, as it is brought in by the different trading boats, is carefully dried and stoay in the different storehouses on the point

CHARACTER OF THE NATIVES

Of the natives of the islands we had not on this occasion an opportunity of seeing ood character for honesty, and described them as a harmless race verytheir articles of barter to Dobbo, but discontinued it within the last few years, in consequence of having been ill-used by the Bughis Many of the been converted by Dutch Missionaries sent fro completed our survey of the harbour and obtained such supplies as we could, which, froh for their own consumption, did not aroup sixty e islands called the greater and lesser Ki, and a nu to the ard of the latter

The great Ki is about sixty h, and mountainous; the lesser Ki and the s an elevation of ht airs and unsettled weather attendant on the change of the monsoon, it was not till the 3rd that we arrived off the village of Ki Illi, situated on the north-east end of the great Ki, and finding no anchorage, the brig stood on and off, while we landed in the boats at the village which is built close down on the beach and surrounded by a wall, but not so strongly protected by its position as the villages in Timor Laut The houses, like those at Oliliet, were raised on piles above the ground, but were not surables which seeroup

In the centre of the village we noticed a large building, evidently a place of worshi+p, surrounded by a grass plot, on which a nued in a circle with some taller ones in the middle Ki Illi is celebrated for its manufacture of pottery, of whichreat taste, of a coarse porousby evaporation, in the manner so much used in the east

BOAT-BUILDING AT KI ILLI

We had also an opportunity of seeing the boats, which are built in great numbers froroup abound They arethe Arru Islands, and were highly spoken of for their durability and speed The boats , though they varied considerably in size, were all built on the sa a considerable beam, a clean entrance and run, a flat floor, and the steunwales They were all built of planks cut out of solid tis, as a cooper fastens the head of a cask, and the whole afterwards strengthened by timbers, lashed with split rattan to solid cleats left for the purpose in each plank, during the process of hewing it into shape

Four of the smallest of these boats were purchased for the use of the colony, for about 2 1/2 dollars each, and were found to answer very well

After leaving Ki Illi we sailed to the southward, along the eastern side of the great Ki, which is ooded to the summit of the hills, and cleared away for cultivation in e off this side of the island, which is so steep to, that on one occasion we could get no bottoths froht on the 5th we entered the strait between the greater and lesser Ki, the shores on both sides of which are lined with s the day we observed several small detached reefs, and at sunset anchored on a reef, extending from the north end of the lesser Ki, in thirteen fathoms

KI DOULAN

April 6

After breakfast, I started with soe in the lesser Ki, and sent another boat to sound towards a s we passed a luxuriant grove of coconut trees, extending along the beach, under the shade of whichseveral villages, where the natives were busily eht us to the town of Ki Doulan, situated near the beach, and surrounded by a stone wall, which had every appearance of antiquity On the sea side, where the as in its best state of preservation, there were three gates leading towards the beach, but accessible only by h, which could easily be re the sides of the central gateere ornaures on horseback; and the gate itself, forh to keep out any party not provided with artillery, was richly carved

NATIVES OF KI DOULAN

Within the walls there was a considerable space in which the houses were built without any regularity, rese those at Oliliet, with the exception of the carved horns at the gable We visited the chief's, and found it tolerably clean: it consisted of one storey only; the high-pitched roof being used as a storeroom, to the rafters of which all sorts of miscellaneous articles were suspended The chief hi his rank, was very civil, and offered us arrack and cocoa nuts The natives of this group differ considerably from those of Arru, and more resemble those of Timor Laut, but are not so much inclined to treachery The population is said to amount to 8 or 10,000

Christianity has not ress here as at Arru, and many of the natives profess the Mahometan faith, to which they have been converted by the Mahometans of Cerareat attention to cultivation, and produce considerable quantities of coconut oil of a superior quality Tortoise-shell is also found, but their chief source of trade consists in the number of boats and proas, of various sizes, they build of the timber which abounds in both islands Outside the walls we noticed several burial places; and in a sure of aa spear in his hand; and near this shed was a building rese the one at Ki Illi, but much smaller, and very much out of repair On the beach two Macassar proas were hauled up to repair, and their crews had erected houses, si on their trade The boats, of which the natives had great nuhly finished than those at Ki Illi, but of the sa on board, Mr Hill, who had been away sounding, reported a clear channel to the ard In the evening we again landed at a se near the shi+p, beautifully situated in a rove of coconut trees, and surrounded by a jungle, too dense to penetrate, except where a path had been cleared Many of the trees were very fine