the mouth of a gigantic crocodile well executed in brick and stone. The
edges of the pond were bricked, and in the centre rose a fantastic and
picturesque pavilion ornamented with grotesque statues. The pond was
well stocked with fine fish, which come every morning to be fed at the
sound of a wooden gong which is hung near for the purpose. On striking
it a number of fish immediately came out of the masses of weed with
which the pond abounds, and followed us along the margin expecting food.
At the same time some deer came out of as adjacent wood, which, from
being seldom shot at and regularly fed, are almost tame. The jungle and
woods which surrounded the park appearing to abound in birds, I went to
shoot a few, and was rewarded by getting several specimens of the fine
new kingfisher, Halcyon fulgidus, and the curious and handsome
ground thrush, Zoothera andromeda. The former belies its name by not
frequenting water or feeding on fish. It lives constantly in low damp
thickets picking up ground insects, centipedes, and small mollusca.
Altogether I was much pleased with my visit to this place, and it gave
me a higher opinion than I had before entertained of the taste of these
people, although the style of the buildings and of the sculpture is very
much inferior to those of the magnificent ruins in Java.
I must now say a few words about the character, manners, and customs of
these interesting people.
The aborigines of Lombock are termed Sassaks. They are a Malay race
hardly differing in appearance from the people of Malacca or Borneo.
They are Mahometans and form the bulk of the population. The ruling
classes, on the other hand, are natives of the adjacent island of Bali,
and are of the Brahminical religion. The government is an absolute
monarchy, but it seems to be conducted with more wisdom and moderation
than is usual in Malay countries. The father of the present Rajah
conquered the island, and the people seem now quite reconciled to their
new rulers, who do not interfere with their religion, and probably
do not tax them any heavier than did the native chiefs they have
supplanted. The laws now in force in Lombock are very severe. Theft is
punished by death. Mr. Carter informed me that a man once stole a metal
coffee-pot from his house. He was caught, the pot restored, and the
man brought to Mr. Carter to punish as he thought fit. All the natives
recommended Mr. Carter to have him "krissed" on the spot; "for if you
don't," said they, "he will rob you again." Mr. Carter, however, let him
off with a warning, that if he ever came inside his premises again he
147