es are still, however,
sometimes settled by fighting, and I one day saw about fifty men,
carrying long guns and heavy cartridge-belts, march through the village.
They had come from the other side of the island on some question
of trespass or boundary, and were prepared for war if peaceable
negotiations should fail.

While at Manowolko I had purchased for 100 florins (L9.) a small prau,
which was brought over the next day, as I was informed it was more
easy to have the necessary alterations made in Goram, where several Ke
workmen were settled.

As soon as we began getting my prau ready I was obliged to give up
collecting, as I found that unless I was constantly on the spot myself
very little work would be clone. 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. Luckily I had a few tools of my own, including a small saw and
some chisels, and these were now severely tried, cutting and fitting
heavy iron-wood planks for the flooring and the posts that support the
triangular mast. Being of the best London make, they stood the work
well, and without them it would have been impossible for me to have
finished my boat with half the neatness, or in double the time. I had
a Ke workman to put in new ribs, for which I bought nails of a Bugis
trader, at 8d. a pound. My gimlets were, however, too small; and having
no augers we were obliged to bore all the holes with hot irons, a most
tedious and unsatisfactory operation.

Five men had engaged to work at the prau till finished, and then go with
me to Mysol, Waigiou, and Ternate. Their ideas of work were, however,
very different from mine, and I had immense difficulty with them; seldom
more than two or three coming together, and a hundred excuses being
given for working only half a day when they did come. Yet they were
constantly begging advances of money, saying they had nothing to eat.
When I gave it them they were sure to stay away the next day, and when I
refused any further advances some of them declined working any more. As
the boat approached completion my difficulties with the men increased.
The uncle of one had commenced a war, or sort of faction fight, and
wanted his assistance; another's wife wa