ired, believing that
the sound and reverberation alone would suffice to intimidate such
robbers. One was accordingly fired in the direction of the town,
which fairly shook the island, as they said, and it was not long
before we saw that the rogues were fully aroused, for the clatter of
gongs and voices that came over the water, and the motion of lights,
convinced me that the pistol would be forthcoming in the morning. In
this I was not mistaken, for at early daylight I was awakened by a
special messenger from the Datu to tell me that the pistol was found,
and would be brought off without delay; that he had been searching for
it all night, and had at last succeeded in finding it, as well as the
thief, on whom he intended to inflict the bastinado. Accordingly, in
a short time the pistol was delivered on board, and every expression
of friendship and good-will given, with the strongest assurances that
nothing of the kind should happen again.

[Marongas island.] As our naturalists could have no opportunity
of rambling over the island of Sooloo, it was thought that one
of the neighbouring islands (although not so good a field) would
afford them many of the same results, and that they could examine
it unmolested. Accordingly, at an early hour, they were despatched
in boats for that purpose, with a sufficient guard to attend them
in case of necessity. The island on which they landed, Marongas,
has two hills of volcanic conglomerate and vesicular lava, containing
angular fragments embedded. The bottom was covered with living coral,
of every variety, and of different colors; but there was nothing like
a regular coral shelf, and the beach was composed of bits of coral
intermixed with dead shells, both entire and comminuted. The center
of the island was covered with mangrove-bushes; the hills were cones,
but had no craters on them. The mangroves had grown in clusters,
giving the appearance of a number of small islets. This, with the
neighboring islands, were thought to be composed in a great part of
coral, but it was impossible for our gentlemen to determine the fact.

The day was exceedingly hot, and the island was suffering to such
a degree from drought that the leaves in many cases were curled and
appeared dry. On the face of the rocky cliff they saw many swallows
(hirundo esculenta) flying in and out of the caverns facing the sea;
but they were not fortunate enough to find any of the edible nests,
so much esteemed by Chinese