he ferns and oil-palms of
the tall undergrowth, the glossy sword-like leaves, often ten feet
long, being woven into the _cocoyas_, or sleeping mats, peculiar to
Boeroe. The whistle of the steamer proves a welcome summons from this
melancholy island, a solitary exception to the divine beauty and
irresistible witchery of the Molucca group.

AMBON.

The fiord-like Bay of Ambon flows into the heart of the fragrant Clove
Island, between the peninsulas of Heitor and Leitemor, which gradually
ascend from the harbour's mouth until their heights of glowing green
merge into wooded mountains, behind the white town of Amboyna. This old
European settlement ranks as the tiny capital of the Molucca group.
_Praus_ and fishing smacks dot the blue inlet with tawny sails and
curving masts, the local craft varied by a fantastic barque from the
barbarous Ke isles, with pointed yellow beak and plume of crimson
feathers at the prow, suggesting some tropical bird afloat upon the
tide. The glossy darkness of the clove plantations enhances the paler
tints of the prevailing foliage, and the virginal tints of the sylvan
scenery indicate a climate of perpetual spring. Thatched roofs, and
walls of plaited palm-leaf, stand among white-washed cottages of coral
concrete, for low houses, or slight material, afford comparative
security against collapse by earthquake. The brown population throngs
the pier, and a little fleet of _dug-outs_ escorts the steamer through
the bay with gay songs and merry laughter, for the lively Ambonese
value every link that binds them to the outside world, and this is
their gala day. Bold, eager, craving for foreign intercourse, and
possessing the quickened intelligence due to the mixture of Dutch and
Portuguese blood with the native strain, a roving spirit of adventure
counteracts the lazy independence of a life where daily needs are
supplied without exertion. The sea swarms with fish, the woods teem
with sago, and cultivation of the clove procures extra wages when any
special purpose requires them. The Portuguese who colonised Ambon, in
the zenith of their maritime power, were of vigorous stock, and the
mental heritage of the island was permanently enriched by elements
derived from a foreign source.

The Ambonese soldiers of the Netherlands India manifest a courageous
and warlike character; their rate of payment equals that of their
European brothers-in-arms, and in the raids or skirmishes frequent
throughout th