and rush into the jungle; and
as to those horrid, ugly brutes, the buffaloes, they could never be
approached by me; not for fear of my own but of others' safety. They
would first stick out their necks and stare at me, and then on a
nearer view break loose from their halters or tethers, and rush away
helter-skelter as if a demon were after them, without any regard for
what might be in their way. Whenever I met buffaloes carrying packs
along a pathway, or being driven home to the village, I had to turn
aside into the jungle and hide myself until they had passed, to avoid
a catastrophe which would increase the dislike with which I was already
regarded. Everyday about noon the buffaloes were brought into the villa,
and were tethered in the shade around the houses; and then I had
to creep about like a thief by backways, for no one could tell what
mischief they might do to children and houses were I to walk among
them. If I came suddenly upon a well where women were drawing water or
children bathing, a sudden flight was the certain result; which things
occurring day after day, were very unpleasant to a person who does not
like to be disliked, and who had never been accustomed to be treated as
an ogre.

About the middle of November, finding my health no better, and insects,
birds, and shells all very scarce, I determined to return to Mamajam,
and pack up my collections before the heavy rains commenced. The wind
bad already begun to blow from the west, and many signs indicated that
the rainy season might set in earlier than usual; and then everything
becomes very damp, and it is almost impossible to dry collections
properly. My kind friend Mr. Mesman again lent me his pack-horses, and
with the assistance of a few men to carry my birds and insects, which I
did not like to trust on horses' backs, we got everything home safe. Few
can imagine the luxury it was to stretch myself on a sofa, and to take
my supper comfortably at table seated in my easy bamboo chair, after
having for five weeks taken all my meals uncomfortably on the floor.
Such things are trifles in health, but when the body is weakened by
disease the habits of a lifetime cannot be so easily set aside.

My house, like all bamboo structures in this country, was a leaning one,
the strong westerly winds of the wet season having set all its posts
out of the perpendicular to such a degree as to make me think it might
someday possibly go over altogether. It is a remarkable