Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: May 13, 2025
His character is notoriously bad; it was only the other day that he had one of his wives cut to pieces, for some very trifling offence. On taking my leave of the Resident, I fixed the day for our shooting excursion. We were to go to a place called Pritie, on the northern shore of Babao Bay, and distant some fifteen miles from the ship, which rendered it necessary therefore to make an early start.
Whilst I was gazing at this picture, the report of a fowling piece behind me drew my attention, and on turning I was surprised to see the old commandant out shooting likewise, and with him no less a person than Caleb Balderston, as we had christened his faithful domestic. In their company we returned to Pritie.
They formed a grand element in the landscape, especially when their huge trunks rose by the side of the limpid water of the stream that intersects the vale of Pritie.
It may be as well to mention that, looking from Coepang, the valley of Pritie is situated immediately under Timor Peak, the highest over the northern shore of Babao Bay. A small hut, on a projecting shingle point, close to the westward, marks the landing place, where several canoes are generally to be seen hauled up.
But the jungle was impenetrable; so, after rambling for an hour or two, at the expense of nearly tearing the clothes off our backs, and emulating the folly of the wise man of Thessaly, we again determined to make for Pritie, or at least to try and find it.
I was glad to hear, on my second visit to Timor, that he was still alive and well, though without any prospect of an alleviation to his condition. Wishing him farewell, we left Pritie with some regret. By dark we had crossed Babao Bay, and reached the ship at half-past eight.
Daylight on Monday morning accordingly found us on the northern shore of the bay, but we soon ascertained that our guide knew very little about the matter; and what was still worse, there was no getting near the shore, a bank of soft mud fronting it for some distance, at this time of tide, and particularly in the vague direction our guide gave us of Pritie.
Trees of enormous height shot up by the waterside, and between them, as we approached, the little sharp-roofed houses of the village of Pritie could be seen scattered here and there amidst their gardens.
Immediately to the northward some lofty peaks reared their rugged summits in an amphitheatre round the rich and picturesque vale of Pritie, which lay at the feet of their varied slopes, one mass of tropical vegetation.
The tide too now served, and after a pull of some hours, carefully examining every creek and bight, we spied at length two canoes hauled up among a patch of mangroves. Landing, we soon found some houses, and a person to show us the road to Pritie; for we had still a walk of three miles across a well watered flat piece of country.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking