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Having made arrangements to stay for three weeks at a small hut on a newly cleared plantation in the interior of the northern half of the island, I with some difficulty obtained a boat and men to take me across the water for the Amboynese are dreadfully lazy.
The plumage is rather glossy, and slightly tinged with yellowish and purple, the bill and feet being entirely black. The native Amboynese who reside in the city are a strange half-civilized, half-savage lazy people, who seem to be a mixture of at least three races Portuguese, Malay, and Papuan or Ceramese, with an occasional cross of Chinese or Dutch.
As I proposed making some long voyages in this boat, I determined to fit it up conveniently, and was obliged to do all the inside work myself, assisted by my two Amboynese boys. I had plenty of visitors, surprised to see a white man at work, and much astonished at the novel arrangements I was making in one of their native vessels.
They are confined to a very limited area, comprising the Moluccas, New Guinea and Northern Australia. About ten species of these birds are now known, all much resembling each other, but yet sufficiently distinguishable in every locality. The Amboynese species, of which a very accurate representation is here given, is one of the largest and handsomest.
I hired a native boat with outriggers to take us with our small quantity of luggage, on a day's rowing and tracking along the shore brought us to the place. I had a note of introduction to an Amboynese Malay, and obtained the use of part of his house to live and work in. However, I soon made what arrangements were possible, and then set to work.
I had two Amboynese, named Petrus Rehatta, and Mesach Matahena; the latter of whom had two brothers, named respectively Shadrach and Abednego, in accordance with the usual custom among these people of giving only Scripture names to their children. During the time I resided in this place, I enjoyed a luxury I have never met with either before or since the true bread-fruit.
Allen, at Silinta, in Mysol, and then continuing my journey to Waigiou. It will be remembered that I was travelling in a small prau, which I had purchased and fitted up in Goram, and that, having been deserted by my crew on the coast of Ceram, I had obtained four men at Wahai, who, with my Amboynese hunter, constituted my crew.
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