"We wanted something to piece out the provisions we had brought from Buitenzorg, and so we examined the shelves of the establishment. The first thing we fell upon was a can of American oysters, with the familiar name of the firm that packed them. Then we found a can of peaches and another of pigs' feet, and we kept on with our inventory of things from our side of the world till we had a dozen or more of them on our list. With the oysters and the peaches to add to the stock from the hotel, we made a capital breakfast, and went away happy. We had some difficulty in paying our bill, as we could speak no common language. John finally set the matter right by counting out from his box the money we should pay, and spreading it on the table before us; we put down a similar amount, and he was satisfied. He ought to have been, as I am sure he cheated us; but then those who travel in a country where they do not speak the language must expect to pay for their ignorance.
"We have met people on horseback and in common wagons; and in several instances the men on horseback were followed by coolies carrying baggage. We are told that is the way the young men who wish to avoid expense travel in Java—as the cost of horse and coolies is less than a twelfth of the expense of posting. They also have palanquins for the cross-roads, though not on the great highways; but they are not suited to people who wish to get over the ground rapidly. Posting is by all odds the most rapid way of travelling, but at the same time it is terribly dear.
"We find that many of the roadside shops, near the stopping-places, are kept by Chinese; and the Chinese really seem to have a great deal to do with the business of Java. A gentleman at Buitenzorg said that the Chinese had a large amount of property in Java, and they could hold real estate like anybody else as soon as they became citizens. He said there were half a million Chinese in Java, and, as the government compelled everybody to pay nearly forty dollars on coming here to live, they had a better class of Chinese than we have in America. The Chinese have established several branches of manufacture in Java like those they have at home; and the gentleman showed us some enamel-work which he said was made in Batavia by Chinese workmen. We have certainly never seen anything finer than this, and I doubt if they produce anything in Canton or Peking that can surpass it.
"In spite of the high price of posting in Java, it is said that the business does not pay. The government is at a heavy expense to maintain the roads and stations, and to keep the service in proper order. The argument of the government is that it is of the greatest importance to keep the means of transportation and travel in the best possible condition; and though it may not pay of itself, it is of great advantage indirectly. They have certainly spent enormous amounts of money on their roads and posting system; and they are too shrewd to continue to throw away their cash on an unprofitable enterprise.
"The road rises steadily from Buitenzorg, though there are several places where we were able to gallop our horses, and go along at the best possible pace. After the second station we found ourselves in the mountains; and the way was so steep that we had seven horses instead of four for some miles. Then we came to a place where it was necessary to put oxen ahead of the horses to help them up the hills, which were so steep that we could only go at a slow walk. We perceived that the air was colder; and on some of the mountains we thought we could see snow, but were not sure. In the highest parts of the country ice forms in the coldest nights, but never to more than a slight thickness, and only a few times in the course of the year.
THE WAITER AT SINDINGLAYA.
"We reached a point which was said to be two thousand five hundred feet above the sea, and then had a descent of a few miles to Sindinglaya, where we found a very comfortable hotel. We had a good dinner here—at least good for Java. The cooks of Java are not the best in the world, if we are to judge by what we have seen on the road. The government has established inns every forty or fifty miles along its principal roads; they are in charge of Europeans, who receive a salary for keeping the place in proper condition, at a scale of prices which is posted in every room, and is not at all unreasonable. Our waiter was a little Malay boy, who moved around as gracefully as a queen, and twice as dignified.