the
most northerly from the middle portion of Aru. At its mouth this was
about half a mile wide, but soon narrowed, and a mile or two on it
assumed entirely the aspect of a river about the width of the Thames at
London, winding among low but undulating and often hilly country.
The scene was exactly such as might be expected in the interior of
a continent. The channel continued of a uniform average width, with
reaches and sinuous bends, one bank being often precipitous, or even
forming vertical cliffs, while the other was flat and apparently
alluvial; and it was only the pure salt-water, and the absence of any
stream but the slight flux and reflux of the tide, that would enable a
person to tell that he was navigating a strait and not a river. The
wind was fair, and carried us along, with occasional assistance from our
oars, till about three in the afternoon, when we landed where a little
brook formed two or three basins in the coral rock, and then fell in a
miniature cascade into the salt water river. Here we bathed and cooked
our dinner, and enjoyed ourselves lazily till sunset, when we pursued
our way for two hours snore, and then moored our little vessel to an
overhanging tree for the night.

At five the next morning we started again, and in an hour overtook four
large praus containing the "Commissie," who had come from Dobbo to make
their official tour round the islands, and had passed us in the eight. I
paid a visit to the Dutchmen, one of whom spoke a little English, but
we found that we could get on much better with Malay. They told me that
they had been delayed going after the pirates to one of the northern
islands, and had seen three of their vessels but could not catch them,
because on being pursued they rowed out in the wind's eye, which they
are enabled to do by having about fifty oars to each boat. Having had
some tea with thorn, I bade them adieu, and turned up a narrow channel
which our pilot said would take us to the village of Watelai, on the
west side of Are. After going some miles we found the channel nearly
blocked up with coral, so that our boat grated along the bottom,
crunching what may truly be called the living rock. Sometimes all hands
had to get out and wade, to lighten the vessel and lift it over the
shallowest places; but at length we overcame all obstacles and reached a
wide bay or estuary studded with little rocks and islets, and opening
to the western sea and the numerous islands of the "b