888681-The-Malay-Archipelago-by-Alfred-Russell-Wallace

admitting me. I had a long talk with him myself, and tried to
explain what I was doing, and how many things I would buy of
them, and showed him my stock of heads, and knives, and cloth,
and tobacco, all of which I would spend with his family and
friends if he would give me house-room. He seemed a little
staggered at this, and said he, would talk to his wife, and in
the meantime I went for a little walk to see the neighbourhood.
When I carne back, I again sent my pilot, saying that I would go
away if he would not dive me part of his house. In about half an
hour he returned with a demand for about half the cost of
building a house, for the rent of a small portion of it for a few
weeks. As the only difficulty now was a pecuniary one, I got out
about ten yards of cloth, an axe, with a few beads and some
tobacco, and sent them as my final offer for the part of the
house which I had before pointed out. This was accepted after a
little more talk, and I immediately proceeded to take possession.
The house was a good large one, raised as usual about seven feet
on posts, the walls about three or four feet more, with a high-
pitched roof. The floor was of bamboo laths, and in the sloping
roof way an immense shutter, which could be lifted and propped up
to admit light and air. At the end where this was situated the
floor was raised about a foot, and this piece, about ten feet
wide by twenty long, quite open to the rest of the house, was the
portion I was to occupy. At one end of this piece, separated by a
thatch partition, was a cooking place, with a clay floor and
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