Page:Life in Java Volume 1.djvu/93

Rh quite two entire days, and, spite of the attention and kindness of Captain H———, we could not regret we were to land for a few hours. We therefore ordered Drahman to secure a tambangan, or passenger boat, which is shaped at the prow something like a Nile boat; and with the few requisites we deemed essential for so short a stay, we entered the craft and pushed off for the shore. As at Batavia, the shallowness of the harbour does not admit of an anchorage within from two to three miles of the mouth of the canal; and besides the inconvenience of being cramped in a small boat, and exposed to a broiling sun, the unfortunate traveller stands the chance of being swamped before reaching the entrance of the canal, where he may see from afar the surf rolling in waves of foam.

We foresaw what awaited us, but we did not care much for a little drenching. The motion of the boat and the ducking in perspective only amused us, much to the astonishment and