on the beach; and after supping at the Orang-kaya's house, and
writing down a vocabulary of the language of the Alfuros, who live in
the mountains inland, I returned to sleep in the boat. Next morning we
proceeded, changing men at Warenama, and again at Hatometen, at both of
which places there was much surf and no harbour, so that the men had to
go on shore and come on board by swimming. Arriving in the evening of
March 7th at Batuassa, the first village belonging to the Rajah of Tobo,
and under the government of Banda, the surf was very heavy, owing to a
strong westward swell. We therefore rounded the rocky point on which the
village was situated, but found it very little better on the other side.
We were obliged, however, to go on shore here; and waiting till the
people on the beach had made preparations, by placing a row of logs from
the water's edge on which to pull up our boats, we rowed as quickly as
we could straight on to them, after watching till the heaviest surfs
had passed. The moment we touched ground our men all jumped out, and,
assisted by those on shore, attempted to haul up the boat high and dry,
but not having sufficient hands, the surf repeatedly broke into the
stern. The steepness of the beach, however, prevented any damage being
done, and the other boat having both crews to haul at it, was got up
without difficulty.

The next morning, the water being low, the breakers were at some
distance from shore, and we had to watch for a smooth moment after
bringing the boats to the water's edge, and so got safely out to sea. At
the two next villages, Tobo and Ossong, we also took in fresh men, who
came swimming through the surf; and at the latter place the Rajah came
on board and accompanied me to Kissalaut, where he has a house which
he lent me during my stay. Here again was a heavy surf, and it was with
great difficulty we got the boats safely hauled up. At Amboyna I had
been promised at this season a calm sea and the wind off shore, but in
this case, as in every other, I had been unable to obtain any reliable
information as to the winds and seasons of places distant two or three
days' journey. It appears, however, that owing to the general direction
of the island of Ceram (E.S.E. and W.N.W.), there is a heavy surf and
scarcely any shelter on the south coast during the west monsoon, when
alone a journey to the eastward can be safely made; while during the
east monsoon, when I proposed to return along the nor