The morning call., 1892-12-04

| on the beach at the opposite side near the
| little village of Salamat | was about to
! jump into the shallow water when l was
| grasped by the interpreter and at the dread
| full warning "boyan" obligatory stopped
! for explanation. | got il.
TimOr Is infested with alligators, and at
Salamat no one dares come near the beach
| after sunset for fear OF the cruel monsters,
which crawl out of the adjoining mangrove
swamps and lie in the warm, sun-heated
strip of sand and reedy. knee-high grass.
had had much to do with alligators, and
so lay down again to wait for daybreak.
When that CHEEKY hour arrived we went
ashore and, the village having lately been
devastated bv marauding raid of 'hill-
men," had no difficulty in securing the
use of large and empty grass house.
Here L picnieked uncomfortably for five
days waiting for natives to appear with
ponies.
Living was not Injurious. Nothing could
be procured in the desolate village but
chickens and a pot to boil them in. Vege-
tables in any shape were not procurable,
and / solemnly ate boiled chicken and rice
and boiled rice and chicken three times
day for five days. while | ionged for little
more adventure, coupled with a different
kind of food.
The men of the village had scattered into
the interior. and few women and children
eyed mo sofemnly and argued upon my
sanity among themselves. The local patois
nity to explain myself satisfactorily. AS
my interpreter probably agreed with them,
/ did not utilize his talents to any great
degree.
Finally. at his suggestion. when five days
had passed and only two ponies appeared I
bought them both for $50 in gold and
started off for Pareti, a large village twelve
miles further inland.
Our native householder agreed to bring
some more ponies to Pareti at an "eaIly
III farp n N nj Q6 in fair l,r i-h
by the interpreter who had spent six months
on an Australian "pearler." =
whats he call early?" / shouted back
over my shoulder as / trotted off from the
hurry his cattle and followed me on the
other pony.
We left Salamat amid wild shouts of
"Wassee cav lurlee." from the women
and children, who repeated the sentence
over and over again. as they rocked them
selves to and fro laughing uproariously at
the fooiishuess of the English language.
Ii was lovely ride to Pareti, galloping
along narrow path. one moment in lalang
grass, then under tamariud, damina cocoa
nut and teathery fronded trees; now dash
ing through swamp and mangroves; again
rising over hill lands where pretty views Of
the bay displayed themselves through the
trees; dashing through a village before the
dogs had time to bark at us we finally
arrived at Pareti.
fifty Malay houses. In the center was
huge stockade some 800 Yards square, used
only in times of attack from the wild hill
meD, who, however, had respected the num-
bers and proves Of Pareti for some few
years past.
The head man was the father-in-law of
my interpreter. and he. upon hearing OF
the bag OF gold and its probable dIsburse-
ment in his village, babe me every well
come.
l was comfortably housed, we'll fed and
taken every care of, aud, after spending a
pleasant evening admiring the pretty village
and eDvirons and chatting with the gay old
head man, who had been quite traveller,
turned In upon civilized couch in neat
little clubhouse of the building.
Next morning, to my intense satisfaction,
found party of natives with their ponies
assembled for sale.
All that day and the three following
natives continued to arrive from all direc-
lions in little bands of two and three wi tn
their savage but wiry and enduring little
animals. The fame OF the strange white man
who paid literally in hard gold coin in lieu
OF cheap and tawdry over-prced cloths like
the Arab mad travelled far and wide. All
day long would patiently examine and per-
sonally sample their stock.
After the owner had ridden his steed back
ward and forward and put 1t through yari-
GUS Test exercises under my inspection he
would be either ordered off the course with
uio uhucoi.eu sample OF n0rSe1eSO. or
bring it up for inspection. after which /
would carefully try its PAGES round the pad
dock myself before closing bargain.
Prices readily accepted ran from $40 to
$40 per head, the average On the final sixty
one animals selected from among 200 run
ming TO $50.
The same animals brought my friends
$40 head in Singapore, where they la
bored under the disadvantage of being an
unknown and untried breed. Within three
months of their purchase at auction and
subsequent trial by their purchasers $3.50
offers were refused for the majority of
them
At the close of each day would nav off
la cash for the purchases made, only too
glad to get rid Of some of the gold which
was constant sources of temptation to the
free and easy Timorese hill men, who set a
very light value on life as an obstacle to
any desired end or ambition.
Every night there would follow iunket.
lngs and high native revelry and feastine.
as a conclusion to the busy days doings.
AT all these gatherings l was made the
nonored guest as being the distributor of
much gold and consequent happiness-from
the natives point Of view.
On the morning Of the fifth day, with six
hired vaqueros. we rounded up our mob of
sixty-ons ponies and. with their heads