K?^^'-'^ ■■■'^'■'^-'■- ITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES EOS INSITLARIS. THE CKUISE OF THE MARCHESA TO KAMSCHATia & NEW GUINEA WITH NOTICES OF FORMOSA, LIU-KIU, AND VAEIOUS ISLANDS OF THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO By F. H. H. GUILLEMAED M.A., M.D. (CANTAB.) FELLOW OF THE LISNEAN SOCIETY ; FELLOW OF THE KOYAL OEOGKAPHICAL SOCIETY FELLOW OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, ETC. ETC. OSttf) fHaps ani nunurous 3I23ooticuts DRAWN BY J. KECLE3IASS, C. V\HY-\lP£ft^- AND OTHERS AND ENGRAVED BY EDWARD WHYMPER Ignotis errare locis, ignota \'idere Flumina gaudebat, studio minuente laboreni ' Ovid. Metam. iv. 294 IN TWO VOLUMES— VOL. IL LONDON JOHN MUERAY, ALBEMAELE STREET 1886 Printed by R. & R. Ci-ARK, Edinburgh. J)5 sol c CONTENTS. CHAPTEE I. CAGAYAN SULU. Anchor off Lamery, Island of Luzon — Taal volcano — Bancoran — Cagayan Sulu — ilalay dress — Proceedings of the Spaniards with regard to the island — Birds — The crater-lakes — Extraordinary natural phenomenon — The Pangerang's house — A Sulu cradle — Discover a third crater-lake — Particulars of the island — Curious habits of the Whimbrel — Yacht Bay — Zoological characteristics of Cagayan Sulu . . ....... Page 1 CHAPTER 11. THE SULU ISLANDS. AVe embark a Rajah — A perfect calm — Arrive at Meiinbun — Scenes on the Meimbun River — The Sultan's Istana — The Sultan of Sulu — Unsettled state of the island — Visit of the Sultan to the Marchcsa — Parangs and spears — Natural history rambles on the island — Beauty of the scenery — Sun-birds and other birds — Cinnyris jidiic — ^The Rajah's village — A Sulu cemetery — Second visit of the Sultan with his Avives — Domestic broils — The ladies of the harem — Cockatoo shooting ........ Page 21 CHAPTER III. THE SULU ISLANDS {continued). We leave for Parang — The Panglima Dammang — Parang and its surroundings — Tulian Island — Jolo, the Spanish settlement — Life in the town — Marine fireworks 479383 CONTENTS. — The watering-place — A narrow escape — Pig-hunting — Our life in Sulu — Climate — Unhealthiness of Jolo — The Spaniards and the Sulus — Jummentados — Return to Meimbun — Sulu praus — Carving — Photographing the Sultan — Meimbun market — Ancient chain armour — New species of birds — Revisit Parang — Pearl-divers — Lukut Lapas — Captain Schiick— Products of the estate — Jungle fowl — Tobacco cultivation ...... Page 42 CHAPTER IV. THE SULU ISLANDS {confAnucd). We visit the Panglima Danimang — Battle between the Panglima and ilaharajah Tahil — The Panglima shows his teeth — An unpleasant predicament — The convicts in Jolo — A serio-comic drama — Pangasinan Island — A bull-fight — Siassi Island — Cholera epidemic — Lapac — Leave for Tawi-tawi Island — The Spanish settlement at Tataan — An unpleasant companion — Tawi-tawi pirates — Fauna and flora of the Philippines and Borneo contrasted — Consideration of the Sulu fauna — The Sulu Archijielago zoographically purely Philippine — The Sibutu Passage forms the boundary line — The Sulu language — History of Sulu —Treaty of 1885 . . . . . T . Page 65 CHAPTER V. BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. The ]>ritish North Borneo Company — Its formation — Land grants from the Sultans of Brunei and Sulu — Territory acquired — Sandakan Bay — Elopura — Poorness of the soil — Silam — Ascend the Sigaliud River — Narrow escape of the Vigilant — Forest scenery — Graves of the Buludupis — Legend of the origin of the tribe — Birds of the jungle — Exports of Sandakan — Edible birds' nests — Sport in North Borneo — Proceed to Kudat — Murders at Bongon — Visit to Bongon with H.II.S. Fly—hu'A caught in spider's web — We are presented with a "while man" — Leave for Banguey Island — The German Borneo Company — Massacre of the English at Balembangan in 1775 — The Abai and Tampassuk Rivers — Gaya — Kimanis — Terrible epidemic of cholera— Floods — Advantages of Sarawak. Page 83 CONTENTS. CHAPTER VI. LABUAX AND BRUXEI. Victoria Harbour — The home of pluralism — A walk across the island — Retrogression of the Colony — A deserted town — The coal-mines — Mine at Moaro — Facts about Labuan — Histor}^ of the occupation — Visit to Brunei — The Venice of the East — John Chinaman — Native manufactures — Brunei market — The Sultan's palace — Interview with the Sultan — "Crabbed age and youth " — Departure for Sarawak. Pasce 117 CHAPTER VII. SUMBAWA. Arrive at Batavia — Cholera again — Lombok Peak — Anchor in Sumbawa Bay — Parched aspect of the country — Sumbawan huts — Trade in ponies — We start for the capital — The natives — Spears and krisses — Characteristics of the vegeta- tion— Birds — Prevalence of Australian forms — The town of Sumbawa — Bichara with the Tungku Jirewi — The Istana — The Sultan of Sumliawa — Leave Sumbawa Bay — Labuan Penakan — The Tambora volcano — Its eruption in 1815 — Arrive at Bima — Languages of the island — A six months' drought — Tombs of the Sultans of Bima — Gunong Api Island — New species of quail — Leave Sumbawa for Celebes ........ Page 131 CHAPTER VIII. CELEBE.'^. Macassar — Visits of ceremony — Dress of the Dutch ladies — "Floating the liver" — Life in Macassar — The King of Goa's house -v/arming — Bandit and butler — Cock-fighting — Visit to Maros — A beautiful valley — Sail for Northern Celebes — The Spermonde Archipelago — Menado — Stranding of the Marcliesa — Start for the mountain district — Lotta — The "Major" of Tomohon — Arrive at Tondano — The coffee industry — A doubtful delicacy — Languages of Minahasa — Tondano waterfall — Nutmegs and Vanilla —The Kanari nut — Anoa depressicornis — Birds of Celebes — Mr. Wallace on the Dutch .system . . . Page 153 CONTENTS. CHAPTEK IX. CELEBES (continued). Tarsius spectrum — Talisse Island — Extensile bill of Carjmphaga — Likoupang — Waim Bay — Forest scenes — Hornbills — The Livistonia palm — Useful property of the rattan — Characteristics of the sea-beach — The Babinisa — The Sapi-utan — ^'A (lance at Likoupang — Wallace Bay — The Celebean Mound-builder — Description of the breeding-grounds — Theory as to the enormous size of the egg — Limbe Strait and Island — Dangerous anchorage — Kema — Babirusa toWa/^ on Limbe Island — Boat accident — Result of the hunt — Leave Kema for Gorontalo — Kettlewell Bay — Gorontalo — The Limboto Lake — News of the Krakatau erup- tion— Smallpox — Pogoyania — Existence of gold — Singular burial-pit — Zoo- logical peculiarities of Celebes — We leave for the Moluccas . Page 183 CHAPTEE X. THE MOLUCCAS. Teniate — The town — The Resident's aviary- — Live Birds of Paradise — History of the island — Remains of the old forts — Climate — Moluccan birds — The trade in Paradise Birds — We enlist our hunters — Arrival of the monthly mail — Leave for Batchian — Passage of the Herberg Strait — The " Kapten Laut " — Obi Major — Tanysiptera obiensis — Birds of the Obi group — Ruins on the deserted island — We explore the west coast — Obi Latu Island — Dead mangrove swamp — Bisa Island — Return to Batchian — Dance given by the Sultan of Batchian — Fort Barneveld — Wallace's Bird of Paradise — A deer hunt — Sago -making — Visit to the "Weda Islands- -Sail for New Guinea . . . Page 216 CHAPTEE XL NEW GUIXEA. Division of New Guinea — The Rajah amixd — Land on Salwatti — An anxious night — Our first Bird of Paradise — Batanta Island — The natives — Discover Marchesa Bay — Obtain Wilson's Bird of Paradise — The Batanta Papuans — Momos, Waigiou Island — Ascend the "Waigiou Gulf — Pigeons and parrots — Alfuros of Waigiou — The Red Bird of Paradise — Night in the forest — Scenery of the Gulf — Rambles round Momos — A regal trader — Napriboi — Zoological characteristics of Batanta and Waigiou — Sail for Geelvink Bay . . . Page 248 GONTJENTS. CHAPTEE XII. NEW GUINEA (continued). Arrive at Dorei Bay — Dutch missionaries — Mansinam — The Krakatau eruption audible in Xew Guinea-^The Papuans of Dorei Bay — Amulets — The Manucn — Houses of the natives— ^oroifaar- — The idol-houses — A snake myth — The legend of ]\Iaugundi — A cosmopolitan forge — Feasts and dancing — ^Marriage customs — Government — Survival of the unfittest — Andai — The climate of the coast — Malarial fever — The Hatam Papuans — Birds of the Arfak ^Mountains — Burial customs — Height of the Arfak range — "We sail for Jobi Island — Our pilot Kawari . . . . . . . . Page 272 CHAPTEE XIII. NEW GUINEA {continuccT). Faknik — Arrive at Ansus — Signification of the native comb — Dress of the women — Paperipi — Paradisea minor — The King-bird — Development of its plumes — Canoes and their decoration — Skulls and corpses in the trees — Narvoii — Cascadu — Cooking a corpse — Koroicaar — An unpleasant adventure — Return of our hunters — AVooden pillows — Return to Waigiou — Leave for Salwatti — How the Rajah lost his nose — We secure a live Seleitcides — Method of catching them — Character of the Papuan — Leave for Misol Island — Uncertainties of navigation — ^Anchor at Efbe — Northern limit of the Eucalyptus . . Page 301 CHAPTEE XIV. AMBOINA, BANDA, AND THE AKU ISLANDS, Amboina — The toAvn — Tomb of Rumpliius — The clove trade — "Sea-gardens" — The climate — Microylossus — Banda — The harbour and volcano — View from Papenberg — Xutmegs — Banda Neira and its forts — Leave for Aru — Non-existent islands — Dobbo — The village and its trade — The pearl-fisherj^ — Paradisea apoda — Trading praus — Fruit-eating pigeons — Perils of a collector — Ornithoptera arruana — Our hunters return from Wanumbai — We begin the homeward voyage . Page 326 CONTENTS: CHAPTER XV. THE HOMEWARD VOYAGE. Our floating menagerie — The Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise — Paradisea minor — Pigeons and parrots — Cassowaries — Flying Phalanger — "Clnigs" — Tree kan- garoos— We return to Misol Island — Seurvj' — Death of the boatswain — Arrive at Batchian — Ternate — Beri-beri — Touch at North Celebes — The black Paradise birds — Sulu — A successful amok — A farewell ilalagueria — Home . Page 346 APPENDIX I. Page THE SuLu Archipelago 361 Northern Borneo 362 Cagayan Sulu 363 SUMBAWA . 364 Celebes 364 Molucca Islands . 366 New Guinea 367 APPENDIX II. List op Shells collected during the Voyage op the Marchesa 372 APPENDIX III. List of Rhopalocera collected in the Eastern Archipelago . 374 APPENDIX IV. Vocabulary op the Sulu Language 378 CONTENTS. APPENDIX V. Languages of Waigiou . . . . .383 APPENDIX VI. Page Languages op Jobi Island . . . . ,386 APPENDIX VII. Table of the Total Export of the Chief Articles of Produce FOR the whole of THE NETHERLANDS' InDIA IN 1884 . 390 Table op the Amount op the Chief Exports op North and South Celebes, Amboina, and Tern ate for the Year 1884 391 Index ........ 393 ILLUSTEATIONS. 1. Eos Insularis ..... Frontispiece PAGE 2. SuLU Parang . . .... 4 3. Jack-tree {Artocmjmsintegrifolia) .... 6 4. Cagayan Sulu ...... 8 5. Lakes Singuan and Jiwata prom the East . . .11 6. Pandanus . . . . . . .15 7. Meimbun, Sulu IsLxVND .... to face page 24 8. Mohammed Budderooddin, Sultan of Sulu . . .28 9. The Sultana's Spear . . . . . .31 10. Sarcops Calvus . . . . . .34 11. A Sulu Grave ...... 37 12. Village of Parang ...... 43 13. A Street in Jolo ...... 48 14. Carved Stone, Meimbun . . . . .54 15. The Market-place, Meimbun . . . to face page bl 16. Spanish Block-house near Jolo . . . .59 17. A Native of Sulu ...... 68 18. Scene on the Meimbun Eiver {Caryota with inflorescence, and Nipa Palms) . . . . . .73 ILLUSTRATIONS. 19. Macronus Kettlewelli .... to fare pmje 1 S 20. A SuLU Girl ....... 80 21. Elopdra, Sandakax Bat, British North Borneo . to face pa/je 87 22. BuLUDDPi Huts, Sigaliud Eiver . . . .92 23. Forest-clearing and Large Tree near Sandakan . . 98 24. "Bongon" . . . . . . .105 25. Kin A Balu from above the Tampassuk River .to face 2}(ige 111 2G. A Malay " Man-catcher " . . . . .125 27. Brunei ..... .to face page 121 28. A SuMBAWAN House . . . . . .135 29. SuMBAWAN Kris . . . . . .137 30. Kris with Worked Gold Scabbard, Suiibawa 139 31. The Tungku Jirewi . . . . . .141 32. Sujibawan Chief, Bima . . . .tofaceixuje 147 33. View in Bima . . . . . . .148 34. GcNONG Api . . . . . . .150 35. A Native Street, Macassar . . . . .157 36. A GoA Chief . . . . . . .159 37. Falls of the Maros River . . . . .161 38. On the Road to Tondano . . . . .169 39. Fruit and Flower of the Coffee-tree . . .174 40. \Yaterfall near Tondano . . . . .178 41. The Tarsier {Tarsius spectrum) . . . .184 42. The Maleo {Megacephalon maleo) . . . .195 ILLUSTRATIONS. 43. MouxT Klabat from Kema 44. Our Huxters' Camp, Limbe Islaxd, Celebes . 45. Skull of Babirusa {Sus habirusa) 46. Sapi-utan {Anoa depressicornis) 47. Pesquet's Parrot (Dasyptilus pesqueti) . 48. Portuguese Fort at the North Exd of Terxate 49. TiDOR Volcano from Terxate 50. Tahirux ..... 51. USMAX ..... 52. Prau of the Sultax of Batchiax 53. Kacquet-tailed Kixgfisher {Tanysiptera ohiensi<) 54. MOXOGRAM OF UxiTED E. I. C'OMPAXY . 55. Gate of the Sultan's House, Batchiax 56. Wilson's Bird of Paradise (Diphyllodes loilsoni) 57. Spoox used for Stirrixg Sago 58. MoMOS, Waigiou Island 59. Scene in Chabrol Bat, "Waigiou Island 60. Aerial-rooted Tree, Waigiou 61. At Xapriboi ..... 62. Mansinam Village and the Arfak Eaxge, Dorei Bay 63. Native of Ambobridoi, Dorei Bat 64. Papuan Amulets .... 65. korowaar ..... 66. korowaar ..... PAGE 200 .to face parje 202 204 211 219 224 .to face page 226 229 230 234 to face page 237 239 242 to face page 255 257 to face page 260 to face page 266 267 269 to face page 275 277 278 281 286 ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE 67. Hut near Axdai ...... 290 68. Native of Hatam . . . . . ' . 294 69. Papuan Girl, Hatam . . . . 295 70. Head of Great Black Cockatoo {Microglossus aterrimiis). Natural Size . . . . . .296 71. Bruijn's Pygmy Parrot (Nasitcrna hruijni). Natural Size . 297 72. Caxoe, Ansus Harbour ..... 302 73. Waterixg-place xear Axsus .... 303 74. Comb of Axsu.s Max ...... 305 75. Caxoe, Axsus ; with "Womax wearing Mournixg Mat . 306 76. Cypripedium Gardixeri . . . . .310 77. Fretwork Figure-heads, JoBi Island . . .311 78. korowaar . . . . . . .313 79. Native of Jobi . . . . . . 315 80. Papuan Head-rest . . . . . .316 81. BRVijy'fi Y,cniBy A {Proechidna bruijni) . . .to face fage Z\l 82. Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise {Seleucides nigricans) .to face ixige 319 83. Fruit of the Nutmeg, Splittixg and Showing Mace . 334 84. A Street in Dobbo . . . . . .339 85. BuGis Prau, Dobbo . . . . . .342 86. Belideus Breviceps ...... 350 87. Superb Bird of Paradise [Loiiihorhina supei-ha) .to face page 357 88. Six-plumed Bird of Paradise (Parotia sexpennis) .to face page 358 89. The Marchesa ...... 360 MAPS. » » — 1. Track Chart of the Marchesa's Cruise in the Malay Archipelago . . . . .to face page 1 2. Map of Cagayan Sulu ...... 8 3. Hydrographic Chart of the Sulu Archipelago . „ 21 4. Coloured Map of Borneo, to show Divisions . . „ 83 5. Map of Sumbawa . . . . . „ 131 6. Map of North Celebes . . . . „ 165 7. Map of the Moluccas . . . . . „ 216 8. Outline Map of New Guinea . . . „ 248 9. Map of Western New Guinea . . . „ 250 CKUISE OF THE YACHT MAECHESA. CHAPTER I. CAGAYAN SULU. Anchor off Lamery, Island of Luzon — Taal volcano — Bancoran — Cagayan Sulu — Malay dress — Proceedings of the Spaniards with regard to the island — Birds — The crater-lakes — Extraordinary natural phenomenon — The Pangerang's house — A Sulu cradle — Discover a third crater-lake — Particulars of the island — Curious habits of the Whimbrel — Yacht Bay — Zoological characteristics of Cagayan Sulu. On the 21st of March, 1883, the Marchesa left Hongkong for the Malay Islands and New Guinea, having spent a few weeks at Foochow and other treaty ports of China — well-trodden paths into which I will not ask my reader to accompany me. Our original intention was to visit the new English colony in North Borneo, and thence to proceed vid the Sulu Archipelago and Celebes to the Moluccas. At a later period the plan of the voyage was slightly altered, and after leaving Sulu we returned to Singapore to refit and take in stores before finally sailing on our Papuan cruise. Within two hours of leaving our anchorage in Victoria Harbour we were meeting half a gale of wind from the east, accompanied by an unpleasantly rough sea. On the following day the wind had backed to the N.E., the sea had run down, and things were more comfortable, and on Easter Sunday, March 25th, we came to anchor off" Lamery in the island of Luzon, some forty or fifty miles to the south of Manila. VOL. II. B CAGAYAN SULU. [chap. Lamery is as fertile-looking a spot as one could hope to meet with even amid these isles of perpetual summer. Sloping gradually upwards from the sea, it is backed by a conical volcano of no great size, which appears to be extinct. The ground is highly cultivated, and the sugar-cane — the principal crop — looked wonderfully well at the time of our visit, covering the country with a mantle of the richest green. From here Taal, with its extraordinary lake volcano, is barely an hour distant. From the middle of a mountain-lake fifteen miles long, surrounded by very high hills, and probably itself an extinct crater, this volcano rises to the height of two thousand feet. Eeaching the summit of the island thus curiously formed, the bottom of its crater is seen to be covered by a sheet of water nearly a mile across. The country in the neighbourhood of Lamery seemed thickly inhabited, and we learnt from a half-caste that the combined population of the Taal and Lamery districts w^as as much as 46,000. The latter village is of somewhat peculiar aspect, for though the houses are almost all of the type usually met with in the Philippine Islands — that is to say, of palm-leaf mats with high-pointed roofs — they surround a most solid -looking and in- congruous cathedral, built of stone, and nearly 100 feet in height, which is visible at sea from a distance of ten miles or more. Our stay in this beautiful district, whose only drawback seemed to be the existence of cholera, was limited to a few hours only, and on the following day we weighed anchor, and rounding Cape Calavite, ran down the western side of Mindoro into the Sulu Sea. These waters are studded with numerous shoals and small islands, the position of which, owing to the imperfect survey, is in many cases doubtful, and for the first time we had a man at the mast- head on the look-out. From this elevation shoal water is readily detected by the difference in colour, and for many months subse- quently this precaution w^as as regularly observed as the manning of the " crow's nest " in an Arctic vessel. On the 28th March we passed close to Bancoran — a lonely lagoon islet of the San Miguel group — whose lofty trees appeared literally covered with thousands I.] BANGORAN ISLAND. 3 of snow-white birds, which from their colour and flight could have been none other than the Bornean Nutmeg Pigeon {Myristicivora hicolor). The calm lagoon and the refreshing green of the trees, as well as the promise of abundant sport, tempted us sorely to try our fortune ashore, but time presses even in the Sulu Sea, and we decided on continuing our course. Shortly after midnight we dropped anchor on the south-west side of the island of Cagayan Sulu. If the reader consult a map of this part of the world he will notice that the north-eastern part of Borneo presents a more or less straight coast -line, from the eastern end of which the Sulu Archipelago rims like a chain connecting it with the Philippines, while the long island of Palawan and others of lesser note form a similar link at the western extremity. The space thus enclosed is known as the Sulu or Mindoro Sea, within which, in a nearly central position, lies Cagayan Sulu. The island is practically independent, although nominally under the authority of the Sultan of Sulu. We had been led to visit it for several reasons. To the naturalist its isolated position between two countries possessed of such a different fauna as the Philippines and Borneo, offered an interesting problem, wliile of the great beauty of its scenery we had read in Admiral Keppel's " Cruise of the Mmandcr." At the time of his visit, in company with Eajah Brooke, two curious crater- lakes had been discovered on the south coast, but since then, with the exception of a visit of H.M.S. Nassau for surveying purposes in 1871, few vessels seem to have anchored off its shores. Shortly after daybreak on the morning after our arrival the Pangerang or chief came on board — a quiet, domestic-looking old man without followers of any kind, with the exception of half a dozen men who had paddled him to the ship. He was dressed in ordinary Malay costume, which is simple and comfortable enough in climates such as these. Pound the waist is worn the sarong, a silk or cotton garment about the size and shape of a small table- cloth, which is simply wound twice round the body and the end tucked in. It falls like a petticoat nearly to the feet. A short C AG A VAX SULU. [chap. jacket, the haju, is usiiaUy the only upper garmeut, and is often left open clown the front. The head-dress differs according to the locality, but the mrong and haju are invariable, and are worn alike by rich and poor throughout I\Ialaysia. The latter garment is often of unornamented black silk, or some equally plain material, even among the most wealthy, but the sarongs of those of high rank are generally of most beautiful workmanship, ablaze with gold thread, and of great weight and value. Our visitor, however, wore nothing of this description, and was evidently a man of more intelligence than wealth, but he carried a beautiful imrang — a most murderous-looking weapon of a shape peculiar to this island and those of the Sulu Archipelago. It has the appearance of a sharp -pointed meat-chopper stri^^ng by a process of evolution to become a sword, and with its gTcat weight and razor- like edge, is capable of cutting a man's body completely through at a stroke. Fortunately these weapons are more frequently used for other purposes, and are admirably adapted for clearing a path in the thick jungle or for openmg coconuts. Some that we saw afterwards in Sulu had well-carved ivory handles, and the hilts were in many instances of silver. They appear to be all made by the native workmen in Sulu Island, and are worn by every male almost from the time when he is strong enough to carry one. The Pangerang smoked small cigarettes of Chinese tobacco rolled in the thin dried leaf of the Nipa palm, and chatted in jNIalay to one of us who was conversant with that language. He told us that the Spanish gun-boat Sirenia had visited the island in April, 1882, and had given him two docimients, of the contents of which he was ignorant. He brought them for our inspection. SULU PARAXG. I.] ACTIOX OF THE SPAXISH. 5 and we found one of them to be a certificate addressed to Spanish ships, and stating that the Pangerang was to be trusted ; while the other was a sort of passport to enable the latter to visit any of the Spanish possessions. On learning our nationality the old fellow became communicative, and confided to us his dislike of the " Castillans." It appeared that the captain of the Sircnia had given him a Spanish flag with instructions to hoist it on the arrival of a vessel, telling him at the same time that the island was a Spanish possession, and that the flag had been sent by the Sultan of Sulu himself.^ He said that for his own part he acknowledged no sovereignty but the Sultan's, but added that he would be afraid not to hoist the flag in the event of a visit of a Spanish man-of- war. Beautiful as are almost all tropical islands, I do not think I have ever seen one more captivating than Cagayan Sulu. ]\Ir. St. John calls it a "true gem of the ocean"; and as the boat glided over the coral-gardens, bright with vividly-coloured fish, and landed me, gun and collecting-box in hand, on the snowy sand, I felt as if I could cast off civilisation and European clothes alike, and cultivate my mealie patch and grove of coconuts wdth the natives for the remainder of my natural life. It is the feeling that every lover of Xature doubtless has on revisiting scenes like these, but in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred we should soon find our- selves sighing for our morning papers, and calling the place a "vvretched hole," were we to try the experiment. The sauce of life is variety, and just as the restraints and conventionalities of civilisation become after a time unbearable to those of us who have once tasted of the sweets of rough travel, so there are occasionally moments when, even in Palm-grove and Coral Land, the thoufrht of a high hat and a white shirt is actually not unpleasing. Habit is, after all, too strong for us, and however often we may succeed in breaking its bonds, there must sooner or later come a tune when ^ We learnt afterwards from the Sultan that this was a pure invention on the part of the Spaniards. C AG AY AN SULU. [chap. ^^e aie willing once more to adjust the L noose aiound oui iieck>5 with oui own hand=!, I had no wi<^h of this natuie in j^k^ Cagayan Sulu, nor indeed have I k^- Tr e\ei felt it except when ' ~ suffeimg from illne=is, and I passed through the thick coconut glo^e=;, and found ^ myself in the open bush country be} ond, w ith all the JACt. TREE. {Aitocarjnis iiiterji ifulia) I.] CHARACTERS OF THE ISLAND. 7 pleasurable feelings of a naturalist when he knows that he is on untrodden ground. The island, which is about five miles in length by four in breadth, is purely volcanic, and the soil, to all appear- ances, very rich. It is for the most part low and undulating, the highest elevation being only 1100 feet, but several extinct volcanoes of small size exist, whose sides, strewn with lumps of slag and scoriae, permit only of the growth of coarse lalang grass. In the little valleys, or along the seashore, the mat-shed houses, elevated on piles, are shaded in pleasant groves of banana, coconut, jack- fruit, and durian trees. Cultivation appears to be but little mider- taken, and though yam, sweet-potato, and tapioca are gi'own, it is not to any great extent, and the islanders seem to live chiefly upon fruit and fish. The latter are caught in great numbers, for, the island being surrounded by a fringmg reef, the natives can coast its shores in all weathers in tolerably smooth water. I found both birds and insects scarce during my ramble, so far at least as regards the number of species. A beautiful Glossy Starling (Calornis panayensis, Scop.), with a blood-red iris and the plumage metallic green shot with \'iolet, haunted the coconut groves' in some numbers. Its occurrence was interesting from the fact that it is a Philippine bu'd, which is not found in Borneo. On the beach the Blue-and-white Kingfisher {Halcyon chloris, Bodd.) was equally abundant, sitting motionless on the branches of the trees overhang- ing the sea, and from time to time uttering its loud, laughing note. One of the most generally distributed of all birds in this part of the world, it is found from the Eed Sea to the farther side of New Guinea, and the little patch of turquoise blue that reveals its presence is one of the most famihar objects to the naturalist as he skirts the man- grove-girt creeks of the islands of the ]\Ialay Archipelago. Other bu-ds were few and shy, and as it shortly afterwards came on to rain hea%dly, I returned to the ship. At this time, — the changing of the monsoons, — there is a good deal of wet weather on the island, and the temperature is comparatively low during cloudy days. In the cabins on board the thermometer registered from 78-80° Fahr. D CO z < >■ < < o I.] THE GRATER-LAKES. 9 Our first expedition to the crater - lakes, one of the most interesting natural phenomena we met with in these Eastern seas, was unsuccessful owing to bad weather, but the next day being fine, we started early in the steam launch to visit them again. They are situated on the south side of the island, about four miles distant from the south-west point off wliich we had anchored, and running 'along shore inside the coral-reef, it was not long before we found ourselves at the entrance. It was barely a couple of hundred yards across, and as we glided slowly in, the pale milky-blue of the water on the reef suddenly gave place to the deepest sapphire. We had altered our depth from three feet to between fifty and sixty fathoms, and it hardly needed a glance at the high surrounding walls and circular shape of the basin to tell us that we were in the crater of an extinct volcano into which the sea had at some later period irrupted. A little island at the entrance marks its original boundary on the side towards the sea, and from this and the almost unbroken regularity of the basin's circle it is evident that, if the land were at the same level then as now, the sea had to encroach but little to burst into the deep hollow which it fills at the present tune. The little lake and its surroundings were fairy-like in their beauty, but so peculiar in character, and so rich in the troj)ical luxuriance of foliage as to give an almost theatrical effect. Around us the dense jungle overhung the water, completely precluding any attempt to land, and clothed the steep walls of the crater to a height of two hundred feet or more. Giant creepers had sprung from tree to tree, and, choking the struggling vegetable life beneath them with an impenetrable mass of foliage, hung in long trailers towards the margin of the water below, — a wealth of green of every imagin- able shade. It has been said over and over again by travellers that the great masses of colour so often seen in the landscapes of the temperate zone are in the tropics rare in the extreme. In the dense forests of the latter the glorious orchids and other flowers which are the pride of our hothouses at home are not in reality uncommon. But they are for the most part hidden l^y the thick 10 CAGAYAN SULU. [chap. vegetation, or perched far out of sight in the forks of some gigantic tree overhead. The explorer who penetrates the true primeval forest in a country such as Borneo finds himself at the bottom of a subarboreal world, if I may be allowed the expression, with whose surface all communication is absolutely cut off. Yet it is just there that all life, whether animal or vegetable, centres. The tiny lorikeets are feeding on the figs or other fruit, and the Arachnotheras searching the corollas of some hea\dly-blossomed tree for their insect prey. But they are almost out of sight, and far beyond the range of the gun of the naturalist. Beneath, the forest seems gloomy, dank, and devoid of life. Everything is fiirhtincr for the sun and air, in which alone most flowers will come to perfection, and could we only transform ourselves into monkeys, and swing from branch to branch a couple of hundred feet from the ground, we should doubtless get a much more favourable idea of the richness of the flora of the tropics than our limited powers of locomotion permit us to obtain at the foot of the trees. The fact remains, however, that but few flowers present themselves to the eye, and those who expect to find the blaze of colour that a field of buttercups exhibits in England, or an anemone-clothed hill in Greece, will, as Mr. Wallace and other naturalists have already told us, be much disappointed. But every one who sees tropical vegetation for the first time must be struck by the great variety of tint in the foliage. At home our trees have but little range in the gamut of green. Here they run from a falsetto of vi^ad greenish- yellow to an ut de ijoitrine of a colour that is only just not black. "We steamed across to the eastern side of the crater, and made the launch fast to a huge fallen tree which jutted far out over the water. It was half buried in the rich soil at one end, and was covered with a wealth of ferns and epiphytes. Above us a large creeper with inconspicuous whitish flowers had attracted an enormous quantity of yellow butterflies, which were apparently limited to that one spot. They were far beyond our reach, and, from a collector's point of view, might just as well have been in the other !•] LAKES SINGUAN AND JITVATA. 11 hemisphere. We had brought with us a trained fishing cormorant we had got some months before in Japan. Life on board ship was LAKES SINGUAN AND JIWATA FROM THE EAST. evidently a burden to him, and it was resolved to release him here, so while we enjoyed our tifiin he was put overboard to seek his 12 C AG AY AN SULU. [chap. own. Immediately above iis a gap in the cliff revealed the probable position of the second lake, and scrambling up by an ascent so steep that, but for the jungle, it would have been im- practicable, we found ourselves on a knife edge of rock dividing the two craters. The scene was a very curious one, and we could realise at once the delight of Admiral Keppel on his discovery of such an extraordinary natural curiosity. The second lake, though of somewhat smaller size, is more perfectly circular than the western one, and though its southern wall is only a few yards distant from the beach, the sea has, as yet, left it unbroken. The level of the water, which is perfectly fresh, must be fully forty feet above the sea, and but for the lessened height of the surrounding walls the second lake is almost an exact reproduction of the first. Our only disappointment was that owing to the denseness of the vegetation we could obtain no photograph giving any idea of the extraordinary scene that lay before us. We scrambled down again in considerably less time than we had taken over the ascent, and row^ed round to the sea side with the intention of hauling our " Berthon " boat through the jungle and launching it on the second lake. But after a hard struggle we had to relinquish the idea; the heat and dense tangle of creepers proving too much for us. The view from the southern side was even more striking than that we had first obtained, though limited by the masses of foliage which, combined with the steepness of the cliffs, prevented our descent to the water's edge. Opposite to where we stood the almost perpendicular crater wall was hidden by enormous creepers, but to our left the deep gap by which we had ascended from the western lake stood out bare and rocky, the cliffs rising a hundred feet or more above the little pass. The water below us lacked the deep sapphire blue of the other basin. We watched its unruffled surface in vain for any trace of the crocodiles which are said by the natives to haunt it in abundance. Our search for shells and beetles was rather unproductive. Of the former only some common species and a single valve of a huge I.] BIGHARA WITH THE PANGEEANG. 13 Tridacna were found. I had never met with this except on the floor of a museum, and the first sight of the monstrous shell on a lonely sea -beach is one not easily forgotten. We were more fortunate with the birds, and though a good many were lost in the jungle, we shot a large fruit-eating pigeon which I had hoped might prove to be a new species {CariKypliaga 23ickeringi, Cass.) It had, however, I afterwards found, been once before obtained upon a small island off the Bornean coast by the United States Exploring Expedition. On the shore of the outer lake, close to the sea, we found some curious masses of coarse conglomerate, and several blocks of scoriaceous rock of large size. The land in the neighbourhood of the crater-lakes seemed to be but little inhabited, and the only hut we saw was a miserable tumble -down aftair, open on two sides. Near our anchorage, however, the groves of fruit-trees and coconuts hid a good number of scattered dwellings which, like almost every hut throughout Malaysia from the Nicobars to New Guinea, were built upon piles. The house of the Pangerang would have been pleasant enough even for a European to live in, for in a climate where it is "always afternoon " domestic wants are few. On our return visit to him he welcomed us with evident pleasure, and we sat down to tobacco and a long hicliara} Although not dressed in any way to dis- tinguish him from the other natives, with the exception of his turban, he was intellectually of a very different stamp. In his pilgrimage to Mecca, — for he was a Hadji, — he had seen men and things, and evidently felt his superiority to the rest of the islanders. He offered us guides for our excursions, and talked long about the Spaniards, whose reputation for cruelty still seems to linger here, adding that he wished the English would take the island instead. ^ Tlie meaning of this word the traveller in the Malay Islands is not long in learning. It corresponds to the African palaver, and, whether for business or pleasure, is met with under different names in most countries in the world. Its great art lies in saying as little as possible in the most protracted time. The information usually obtained in a bichara of ordinary length would "boil down," to use the language of the Fourth Estate, into half a dozen lines of letterpress. 14 CAGAYAN SULU. [chap. Two or three of his wives sat wdth us in the hut and spoke occasionally, for though the people of Cagayan Sulu are ]\Ioham- medans, as is the case throughout the islands of the Indian Archipelago wherever semi -civilisation and the ]\Ialay element prevail, the position of woman is very different to that which she occupies in Turkey. Here, unveiled, and free to go about wherever she pleases, she is a distinct personage in the household. We noticed at one end of the room an ingenious contrivance to produce the sam'e effect as a rocking-cradle does upon a European baby. The little basket- woven cot was suspended in the middle of a long bamboo, which rested horizontally two or three feet from the floor, supported at the two ends only. A slight downward pull produced a vertical motion, which, owing to the great elasticity of the bamboo pole, lasted for a considerable time. We afterwards saw a similar method adopted in the Sulu Archipelago. On the 31st of March we paid a third visit to the craters in company with the Pangerang. We had heard rumours of the exist- ence of a third lake resembling the other two, and were anxious to investigate the truth of them. But as it w^as said to be in close proximity to the others, we hardly thought that it could be anything of importance. Not only had Admiral Keppel visited the lakes on two occasions, but Captain Chimmo, during the visit of H.M.S. Nassau m 1871, had completed an apparently accurate survey of the island, so there was but little chance of any further discoveries. Skirting the mangrove and pandanus-lined shores, we reached the lakes in heav}^ rain, and forced our way througli the dripping jungle to the eastward, when, to our astonishment, at a distance of a few yards only from the second lake, w^e came upon yet another of an almost exactly similar nature. It was of rather smaller size than the others, being two -fifths instead of three -fifths of a mile in diameter, but the basin was perfectly circular, and filled with water to about the level of the second lake. Thick jungle clothed the precipitous sides, but the latter, instead of running sheer down into the water, left room for a small beach, on which some wild bananas I.] DISCOVER A THIRD CRATER-LAKE. 15 were growing. "We had no means of trying the depth of the water, but in the other two Admiral Keppel foimd bottom at fifty-five and thirty -nine fathoms respectively. The torrents of ram that descended prevented our attempting photography, but we returned to the sliip much pleaded at our unexpected discovery. PANDAXUS. From our friend the Pangerang and other sources we obtained some general information on the island. Colonised originally from Sulu, though at what date appears uncertain, there is still a certain amoimt of communication with that group of islands as well as with Sandakan at the north-east end of Borneo. The lan^uase is purely Sulu, but many of the people speak JNIalay, the lingua franca of the Indian Archipelago. Some years ago they suffered much from the raids of Sulu pirates, the last of which occurred in 16 CAGAYAN SULU. [chap. 1863, but these pests, who established tlieir stronghold among the labyrinth of shoals on the south of Tawi-tawi Island, have of late been held in check by the Spanish, and before long will, no doubt, have entirely disappeared. The only trade is in coconut oil, but the yam, banana, sweet-potato, cotton-tree, and tobacco are cultivated. Liberian coffee, cacao, and sugar ought all to do well, and the soil appears to be particularly adapted for gTowing the two former, but we saw none upon the island. The greater part of the agricultural work is done by the women, while the men employ themselves in fishing, managing their crank dug-out canoes with great dexterity. They also make use of rafts made of large bamboos lashed together — a species of craft that I do not remember to have seen anywhere else in tliis part of the world. There are apparently no horses, in spite of their being so abun- dant in Sulu, but cattle of a small breed are much used for riding purposes. They are never milked, but the Pangerang informed us that this was merely because no one knew^ how to perform the operation. The island is said to be very healthy, but in 1873 smallpox appeared, and almost exterminated the people. During this terrible scourge, in many villages of thirty or forty souls but one or two were left alive, and as many as 1000 are said to have perished. At the present time the population is probably under 3000. Eare as the visit of a ship of any kind must be, our appearance seemed to ■ excite but little curiosity among the natives, and we wandered about the island almost unnoticed. Our men were allowed a run ashore, and were full of yarns on their return. One, a new hand in the tropics, to whom the lex non scri2)ta which declares coconuts to be invariably private property was unknown, ascended a palm and proceeded to possess himself of the spoil. The result we afterwards overheard in a fo'c'sle conversation, " Well, mates, ye see I was just a reachin' out of my hand for to grab 'em, when. Lord save me, if there wer'n't a fox came and poked his nose out just agen mine ! I reckon I fetched down again pretty quick. Blessed if ever I see such a rummy country afore, where I.] ASCENT OF A VOLCANO. 17 the foxes runs up trees!" The dragon guarding Jack's golden apples was, I need hardly say, a Pteropus or Mymg Fox, — one of the large frugivorous bats so abundant throughout the Malay Islands. One of our excursions was to the summit of a small volcano on the west side of the island. Our path led through the coconut plantation, where, if we chose to stand and watch steadily the crowns of the palms some forty feet or more above our heads, the restless movements of numbers of brilliant little sun- birds could be noticed, their dark forms changing momentarily into a flash of metallic violet as they passed from beneath the shadow of the fronds. They were all of one species, Antliothreptes malaccensis, a common bird which, with slight variations in plumage, is found throughout the greater part of Malaysia. The hill — for being only 400 feet in height, the volcano cannot be dignified by any more imposing title — rises gently in the form of an abruptly-truncated cone, and bears evidence of tolerably recent formation, for its slopes were covered by the bright green lalang grass only, and the jungle had not as yet succeeded in obtaining a footing. In countries farther removed from the equator the traces of volcanic eruptions may remain almost unaltered for centuries, but in these lands of perpetual summer the combined action of a powerful sun and heavy rain rapidly disintegrates the lavas, and prepares a surface soil for the reception of seeds. Ere long the sea of tropical vegetation has closed over the spot, and the smaller size of the jungle trees alone reveals it to the traveller's eye. Some months later, while in the island of Sumbawa, we came across a well- marked instance of this kind on the slopes of the huge Tambora volcano, whose terrific eruption in April, 1815, caused the death of 12,000 people. The wavy course of a lava-stream, though doubtless unrecognisable on the spot itself, could be traced with the greatest ease from the ship. Nature's wound had no doubt skinned over rapidly enough, but the scar still remained. Arriving at the summit we found an evenly-shaped crater nearly 100 feet in depth, its sides clothed with trees of no great VOL. II. c ^ CAGAYAN SULU. [chaf. size. To the south, and quite close to us, lay two other hills, also evidently volcanic. Our elevation, though little enough, was sufficient to afford us a good view of the island, which in every direction appeared to he comparatively free from jungle, though scattered belts of palms and fruit-trees were abundant. Ledan^ a curiously-shaped mountain, rising like a bold hump of rock abruptly from the level country around it, was a very striking object to the east, and farther to the right a sharper peak, hollowed on its southern face, indicated the position of the tlu-ee crater-lakes. On our return we gathered large bunches of a Jessamine almost exactly resembling our own, but with slightly larger and more fragTant flowers. The Mussccnda, with its striking wliite bracts contrasting with the green foliage and orange flowers, was also very abundant. In the course of one of our conversations with the Pangerang he had mentioned the fact that diu'ing the months of April, IMay, and June there are often strong winds from the S.W., and on our inquiring for the best anchorage at this season, he told us that there was an excellent harbour on the north coast. We were provided with Captain. Chimmo's chart, but beyond a mere un- protected anchorage on this side of the island, nothing of the sort was indicated in it, and we told our friend that we thought he was prob- ably mistaken. He stuck to his point, however, and accordingly one afternoon we set off in the steam launch with him to explore. The western point of the island is apparently formed by an abrupt headland known to the natives as Tanjong Tavo-tavo, but in reality an intervening creek forms it into an islet. Entering this channel we found that it expanded into a small lagoon 'with a little island in the centre — if indeed a clump of trees growing straight from the water can be termed an island. It was crowded with '\'\liimbrels {Numenius uropygialis, Gould.), who were balancing themselves un- easily upon the branches, — a common habit in this part of the world. Xothing is more curious than the adoption by certain bu'ds of habits which, from anatomical reasons, we know must be I.] YACHT BAY. 19 extremely inconvenient to tlieni. Without power of grasping in its foot, and with its great length of leg, few birds would seem less adapted for an arboreal life than the whimbrel. But in these regions, as in others, necessity has no law^s. The dense growth of mangrove has here overrun the sandy beaches and oozy fiats which are the favourite haunts of this genus in temperate countries, and hence, in company with our Common Sandpiper and the equally wide-ranoing Turnstone, both of which were also abundant in this locality, no other choice of a resting-place is offered them.^ Beyond the lagoon the channel became so narrow as hardly to admit of the passage of the launch, and finally opened out on the north side of the island into what would have been, but for the presence of a coral-reef completely across the entrance, a most admirable harbour. We were quite prepared to have this pointed out to us as the object of our search, but the Pangerang made no sign, and turning eastwards, w^e pursued our course for about half a mile, until we suddenly came upon it. It was as good a harbour as could be desired during the south-west monsoon, well protected to the east and west by reefs, and having an average depth of fifteen fathoms, with a sandy bottom. That it had pre^dously escaped observation was no doubt due to the fact of its being formed princi- pally by the coral-reefs. Our discovery, although perhaps not so interesting as that of the third crater-lake, was a useful one, and we devoted the re- mainder of that and the whole of the following day to making a sketch survey. The shore of Yacht Bay, as we named it, was sandy — somewhat of a rarity on the coral and mangTove-gut coasts of the island — and formed an ideal place for a picnic. Beliind us the tall jungle threw a pleasant shade over the little beach, whose margin was lapped by a waveless sea, its only sign of hfe the almost inaudible swish with wliich it advanced or retired over the cool white sand. We ate our tiffin beneath a large Barringtonia, whose ^ The whimbrel has been said {" Ibis,"' 1879, p. 142) to build its nest in trees in some parts of Celebes. The statement, however, is one which requires confirmation. 20 CAGAYAN SULU. [chap. i. branches, thickly clothed with broad fleshy leaves, stretched far out over the water. The tree w^as in fruit and flower, and its bright-stamened, tassel-like blossoms and large quadrangular nuts carpeted the ground below. The latter is a " common object of the seashore " in the Malay Islands, and is much used by natives to catch flsh. The fruit is pounded and thrown into the water, and the fish, rising to the surface in a stupefied condition, are easily secured. We were too much occupied to spend our time in searching for objects of natural history, but the forest by the beach seemed silent and deserted. Animal life indeed, so far as we could judge from our short visit, appeared singularly meagre in Cagayan Sulu, a fact that is perhaps accounted for by the island being, geologically speaking, of comparatively recent formation. Crocodiles and Hydrosauri of course exist, and, according to the natives, the rat and the Kraw {Macacus cynomolgus), a common Bornean monkey. We did not, however, obtain either of the two latter. With regard to the birds, the few species we collected or identified were interesting, as showing the island to have been peopled with immigrants both from the Philippines and Borneo, though, as might be expected from its proximity, chiefly from the latter country.-^ We were fortunate enough, in spite of the comparative paucity of birds, to find one new species — a pretty thrush-breasted Mixornis — closely allied to a Bornean bird of that genus ; and on the whole, taking into consideration our two other discoveries, we felt that our visit to this little-known " gem of the ocean " had not been entirely unsuccessful. ^ Cf. Paper by the author on Cagayan Sulu : " Proceedings Zoolog. Soc. ." 1885, p. 417. ^JXf- CHAPTER II. THE SULU ISLANDS. "We embark a Rajah — A perfect calm — Arrive at Meimbun — Scenes on the ileimbun River — The Sultan's Istana — The Sultan of Sulu — Unsettled state of the island — Visit of the Sultan to the MarcJiesa — Parangs and spears — Xatural history rambles on the island — Beauty of the scenery — Sun-birds and other birds — C'innyris jiclicc — The Rajah's village — A Sulu cemetery — Second visit of the Sultan with his wives — Domestic broils — The ladies of the harem — Cockatoo shooting. "We Ijade adieu to our Mend Hadji Usman, the Pangerang, and left Cagavan Sulu on the 3rd of April. Our destination was Sandakan Bay, about fifty or sixty miles due south, where there is a settlement of the Xorth Borneo Company. Here and in the neighbourhood we spent about a fortnight, luit as we afterwards returned for a more lengthened visit, I will leave my account of the new territory and the doings of the somewhat anomalous form of government which administers it for the present, and proceed to the more attractive islands of the Sulu Archipelago. Our ship's company had increased in numbers since our northern cruise. Before lea\dng Hongkong we had been fortunate enough to obtain the ser\dces of Mr. Griffith, the well-known photographer in that city, and it is chiefly from the beautiful negatives obtained by him on our cruise in these waters that my illustrations of tropical types and scenery are engTaved. At Sandakan we made friends with a little so-called Piajah, to whom, with his suite of three Sulu attendants, we gave a passage to 22 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. Meimbun in Sulu Island. He was a lively little youngster of about fourteen, who had been a great favourite of the last Sultan of Sulu, and had apparently acquired a good many of his sovereign's despotic habits, for the way in wliich he ordered about his followers was most amusing. He smoked native rokos or cigarettes incessantly when he could not get ours, and his chief amusement seemed to be the rapt contemplation of the two or three tinsel and gold embroidered hajus that constituted his wardrobe. Our own native servants were two in number ; Ismail, a Singapore Malay, and a Sulu boy named Usman, both of whom we had taught to collect and skin bu'ds. We left the shores of Borneo behind us on the afternoon of April 19th, and set our course westward for Sulu. The northern part of this extensive archipelago is but little known, and the curi'ents are strong and uncertain, and hence it is necessary to be careful not to approach the network of shoals and islands before daylight. The following morning we found that we had been set considerably to the northward by the current, instead of to the south, as we had been informed by the Sandakan people would be the case. The mountains of the island of Sulu, among which Buat Timantangis was especially conspicuous, were \isible far away to the E.S.E., and altering course so as to pass through the Pangutarang Channel, we rapidly approached them. I have never, in the whole course of my wanderings, seen a calmer sea than that wliich lay before us. Not only was its burnished surface unbroken by a single breath of air, but no trace of a swell was visible to mar the glassy plane. Everything was aglow with the heat. The little puffs of white cloud were reflected in the oily mirror with mar- vellous distinctness, and sea and sky blended in a shade of silvery grey towards the in^dsible horizon. A mile or more away the flying-fish were visible, little dark specks that regained the sea only to leave a larger, darker speck behind them — the ripples :ihat marked their disappearance ; and far astern of us we could see our track widening almost to infinity — a series of parallel black II.] SULU ISLAND. 23 streaks on the one side, and on the other merely a trace of grey. It was a relief to turn and watch the land we were approaching ; a second and almost more beautiful edition of Cagayan Sulu. A dark mass of jungle-covered mountain, half hidden in mist and rain-cloud, dimly overtopped the lower slopes, where the bright green lalang grass was dotted here and there with trees, or varied by patches of a deep brownish-red, which marked the plots of cultivated gTOund. Farther to the south the cone-shaped peak of Mount Tulipan proclaimed itself a volcano, and as the Marchesa rounded the western point and made for the harbour of Meimbun on the south side, the thick plantations of coconuts and fruit- trees that lined the shore spoke of the fertility of the soil. The praus that lay becalmed around us had their sails of the most glowing colours, in stripes of red and blue and orange, and seen under the light of an afternoon sun with their details softened by the haze, the effect was quite as Venetian as Venice, where, alas ! these beauty-spots of the landscape are now no longer common except upon an artist's canvas. AVe anchored off the mouth of the little river on which the village of Meimbun is built, and a few canoes with bamboo outriggers on both sides came round us somewhat mistrustfully. The Spaniards are hated by the Sulus, and there has been war a outrance between them for a couple of centuries or more, with but few intervals of peace. The sight of their fellow-countrymen on board our vessel soon allayed the suspicions of the natives, and ha\ing established our nationality, we put our little Eajah and his followers into one of our boats, and rowed ashore to explore the village. Had I to introduce my reader to the most un-European scene I know of, I think I should ask him to take a seat with me in a native canoe, and paddle up the graceful windings of the Meimbun Eiver. At its mouth the huts, built on sea- weed-covered piles, form each a separate island. Their floors are raised a bare three feet above the level of the water, and one needs no better e^ddence of 24 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. the fact that here, at least, we are in stormless seas. On the pahu- stem platforms in front of the entrance the natives squat, while around are playing half a dozen naked little cupids, now plunging into the water, now paddling races in miniature canoes. A little farther and we enter the river, whose water is so clear and pure and bright that one longs to tumble in, clothes and all, and squatter about in it with the brown-skinned little urchins around us. Close to the banks lies the market-place, a picturesque jumble of ponies, ripe bananas, red sarongs, palm -leaf stalls, and flashing spears. Beyond, the sea-going praus are hauled up on shore, their unwieldy sterns a mass of quaint car\dng. Then through a tiny reach bordered by the jSTipa palm, whose graceful fronds, thirty or forty feet in length, spring directly from the stream, and we find ourselves in a sort of upper town, where the houses are built with seeming indifference either in or out of the water. The place is the absolute perfection of beauty and untidiness. Overhead the eye rests on a wealth of verdure — bamboo, banana, durian, jack- fruit, and the arrowy betel-palm with its golden egg-like nuts. In these happy climes man's needs grow at his very door. Cold and hunger, misery and want, are words without a meaning. Civilisa- tion is far off indeed, and, for the moment at least, we have no desire for it. Before us lie the houses. They are rickety enough certainly, and their walls of yellow attap gape sufhciently to show us a slumbering Sulu within, his murderous-looking kris at his hip. But there are no north -casters here, and he is doubtless quite happy. That man should live by the sweat of his brow is true here in its most literal sense. But it is not so metaphorically, and our sleeping friend will not even have to get up and feed the pigs and chickens that are routing around the piles of his hut. Bounti- ful Nature supplies food for them also, and, in domestic language, they have to " find themselves." A little bridge spans the river at this point. It is constructed of a single plank of the ISTibong palm, with a light bamboo handrail. II.] MEIMBUN. 25 and is in keeping with the quaint novehy of the scene around. Were I to land my reader here, with the not unnecessary i^recaution of informing the natives that he is an orang Ingris, and not an orang Castillan, he might wander unharmed about the village. But the river beyond is too tempting to leave unexplored. Once past the huts the vegetation closes in on either side, forming a picture-frame of tropical foliage around the cone-shaped summit of Buat Timantangis. A brilliant flash of blue shoots arrow -like across the stream. It is a kingfisher, whose close resemblance to our own well-known species is the only link in our surroundings connecting us with home. The little white cockatoos, diminutive brethren of the familiar Australian bird, fly in small parties over our heads, and here and there a golden oriole sits like some brilliant yellow blossom amid the mass of foliage. Ere my reader disem- barks with me at the Istana, and walks up to pay a visit to the Sultan, he will — or ought to — allow that as far as regards beauty of scenery, there are few places more favoured than the island of Sulu. On the occasion of our first landing we did not go far. Leaving the river we struck off to the right into an open country, where a number of young teak -trees were growing. The ground was covered with small lumps of lava and scoria?, the relics of some former eruption, and luit for the thick growth of grass above it, walking would have been far from pleasant. The views of the country inland were lovely, but the ardour of our chase after the many new objects of natural history around us was a little damped by our Sulu boy, Usman, who, after wandering aljout in a state of perturbation from one to the other of us, finally begged that we would keep together and not go far from him. The Sulus, we learnt, were apt to be unnecessarily hasty in their actions, and might not perhaps allow us sufficient time for explanations were they to meet us. We had every desire to keep our heads upon our shoulders, and it was therefore thought better to pay our respects to the Sultan, and make ourselves generally known in our 26 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. ordinaiy umiiangled condition. In Sulu every prospect pleases with the single exception of being mistaken for a Spaniard. It was not long before we found ourselves at the Istana, — the Sultan's residence, — an unmterestmg building enough from the outside. It is placed close to the river, and opposite, across a short stretch of turf, is a long, low building with latticed windows devoted to the ladies of his harem. The door of the Istana was guarded by two Sikhs, bushy-whiskered and moustached. In the Malay Archipelago one gets accustomed to rubbing against men of almost every race and language under the sun, always excepting Europeans, who are rarities. Chinese, Goa Portuguese — the curious nondescripts that are classed under the name of burghers in Ceylon, the orang sirani or Xazarenes of the Malays — Sikhs, Bombay tamhis, nay, even Swahilis, all these I have met with. One would not be astonished at the appearance of a Hottentot or a Xorth American Indian, but if the Sultan had any in his suite he did not show them. Two curiosities, howev^er, there w^ere at the palace doors which seemed more incongruous still, — a couple of carriages which had been presented to the late sultan. There are no roads in the island, and they were rotting slowly away imder the action of the weather, just as the Sulu power is rotting before that of Spain. AVe were told that the Sultan would see us, and entered to find ourselves in a large room. It was floored in the rudest manner, but the walls and ceiluig were hung wdth coloiu-ed cloth. In the centre was a large Turkish lamp, such as one sees in the bazaars at Constantinople, but it was ahnost the only ornamental article ^dsible. An old "four-poster" bedstead occupied one corner, e\'idently a production of the country, and with the footboard rather well carved ; but the greater part of the room was taken up by a gigantic divan about fourteen feet square, covered with carpet, and with seats round the tlu'ee sides. We waited a good half hour in company with about thirty natives, who probably belonged m some way to the Sultan's II.] THE SULTAN OF SULU. 27 retinue. They were armed, as indeed is almost every Sulu, with spear and ^jorrni//, and looked as if they might be unpleasant enough if called upon to use them. One or two who spoke Malay came forward and chatted, and we were amused by the intense astonishment that they expressed at our walking-stick guns, which we had brought instead of our usual 12-bores for fear of creating an alarm. Presently a stir was heard and the Sultan entered. He was dressed in a purple velvet jacket trimmed with gold lace, a gold-embroidered flat Malay fez with a turban round it, a coloui'ed silk sarong, and European trousers. His age appeared to be not more than nineteen or twenty, and his expression, though somewhat nervous, was not unpleasing. Behind him came an unprepossessing individual with a revolver in his hand, loaded and cocked, the muzzle of which he happily kept directed towards the ceiling, and a numerous retinue of hangers-on, among whom was an attendant bearing a silver betel-box, and a small case which contained Chinese tobacco and the thin Xipa leaves which, in these countries, are the substitutes for cigarette papers. The Sultan's title is Paduka Baginda yang di per Tuan Maulana Sultan Mohammed Budderooddin, but he advanced and shook hands. Doubtless he is a Lord of Elephants, Emperor of Pearls, and the like, Ijut the above is the correct designation of His Ptoyal Highness, accordmg to his \-isiting-card, — a packet of these not very necessary articles havmg been sent to him by the Spaniards as a present. He was a little suspicious of us at first, but gradually became more at ease. AVe asked him to pay a visit to the yacht, Ijvit he said that he was afraid he could not do so unless she were iDrought alongside the small jamhatan or pier at the mouth of the river. With our large draught of water this was impossible, and we told him so. AVe afterwards found out that he was mistrustful of us, fearing that we were m league with the Spaniards, and that our design was to carry him off to Manila. It was ultimately settled that two Turks who formed his bodyguard should return with us to the ship to inspect, — he having, apparently, much confidence 28 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. in them. In the meantime refreslunents had been brought for us in the shape of European biscuits and some really excellent chocolate — the latter the produce of the island. Xipa-leaf cigarettes were also handed, which, in spite of their being most beautifully rolled, would hardly commend themselves to the gilded youth of St. James's Street. There is such a marked bonfire flavour about MOHAMMED BUDDEROODDIN, SULTAX OF SULU. the palm-lea^■es that it completely masks that of the tobacco, and the presence of the latter appears entu-ely unnecessary. Regaining our boat we found that our men had got on very well with the natives. Fruit and fowls had been brought for sale and barter. The price of the latter was one dollar for eight, but at a later period of our ^dsit we got them cheaper. The young Sultan has hit upon a most simple plan of increasing his revenue. The currency consists of dollars, cents, and " cash " of the Straits Settle- ments, or Hongkong. He buys 120 cents, or its equivalent in ir.] INSECURITY OF THE ISLAND. 29 " cash," with his doUar in these countries, and has fixed the rate of exchange at 80 cents in his own dominions, thus making a clear o-ain of 40 per cent. "We noticed a few days later that a guard was placed over a small trading vessel from the North Borneo Company's territory to prevent any smuggling of cents. The authority of the Sultan of Sulu is practically limited by the four walls of his harem. Indeed, as we discovered at a later period, it does not seem absolutely undisputed even there. Formerly he ruled over all the islands of the archipelago excepting Basilan, together with Cagayan Sulu and a large extent of country at the north of Borneo, in the neighbourhood of Sandakan and Darvel Bay. Of this latter portion the Xorth Borneo Company have become the possessors, in consideration of an annual payment to the Sultan and his heirs in^erpetuo of five thousand dollars. His influence over the chiefs in the other islands is of the slightest. In Sulu itself even it is doubtful, for the people are split up into innumerable factions. The island is only thirty-three miles long by twelve in its extreme breadth, — smaller than the Isle of Wight in fact, — yet it appears always to be, and to have been, in the condition of Europe m feudal times, when every man's hand was against his neighbour. The eastern peninsula is governed — if indeed such a term can in any sense be used in connection with the Sulus — by the Maharajah of Loc, while at the extreme west lives the Panglima Dammang, a bloodthirsty old ruflian, who is constantly fighting with the Maharajah Tahil. The latter warrior has his headquarters at the foot of Buat Timantangis, barely a couple of miles from his enemy. AU are more or less at war with one another, but all join in a common hatred of the Castillan. The lovely island, with its glorious wealth of fruit and flower, with a soil as fertile as any in the world, with its shores lapped by a stormless sea, ought, one would imagine, to drive all thoughts of murder from man's breast. But the land streams with Sulu blood, shed for the most part by Sulu hands, and poison appears to be used with as much indifference as the ixtrang. The people are. 30 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. apparently, hopelessly turljulent and regardless of life, yet in our five weeks' intercourse with them, walking or riding alone in almost all parts of the island, we met with the greatest ci"sdlity everywhere, except in one instance to which I shall presently refer. The inspection of the Ifaixhesa by the two Turks must have been satisfactory, for on paying another visit to the Sultan on the following day we learnt from hmi that he would come on board in state that afternoon. "We accordingly returned to make arrange- ments, as it had been delicately hinted that His Eoyal Highness would expect a salute of twenty-one guns, and we were rather un- certam as to the efficiency of our armament. At 3 p.m. our boats were seen making for the ship, literally crammed with people, whose brilliantly-coloured sarongs and jackets gave our lifeboat, gig, and cutter the appearance of three Crystal Palace flower-beds. Before long our decks were crowded. The Sultan was in a different dress from that in which we had first seen him. He wore a flat fez of black silk hea\TLly embroidered with gold lace, a short cloth coat also much embroidered, and a white silk sarong. His dress was decidedly eft'ective and in good taste, and although we knew him to be a man of the weakest character, with no thoughts beyond his harem and his opium pipe, he comported himself with a quiet dignity and perfect good-breeding which made us all like him. It is no doubt a common enough characteristic among those of ]\Ialay race, but for all that it is none the less pleasmg, especially when accompanied, as it w^as in his case, by a smiling unreserve which is not so often met with, and an e^ddent sense of pleasure at the novel objects by which he found hunself surrounded. The crowd of Sulu warriors that thronged our decks were all armed, but the Sultan carried no weapons of any kind. He was, however, closely followed by an attendant who bore his imrang — a beautiful weapon of razor-like sharpness, gold-liilted, and with its ivory handle inlaid with eight pearls. There were other personal attendants whose Sulu titles I am not acquainted with. Anglicised II.] VISIT OF THE SULTAN. 31 they would be the " Betel Box m AVaitmg," and the " Bearer m Ordinary of the Tobacco Case." The " Gentleman Usher of the Eevolver" was happily absent, for the way in which liis forefinger had trifled with the trigger on the pre\'ious day had filled us with alarm. But the most important of all these people were two men who bore the spears of the Sultan and Sultana. These weapons, like the imrangs, are of Sulu manufacture, and even those carried by the common people are wonderfully well made. The Sultan's were, of course, of still better quality. Of \f&xj steel, rough and without any trace of pohsh, as are all the best blades of Malay make, they were very sharp, and were fitted with a hilt of embossed silver about a foot in length. The Sultana's spear was of curious shape; double -bladed, with the two blades meeting at the hilt. The shafts of these weapons appear to be usually made of the wood of the Areca palm, the toughness and density of which renders it a favourite material for this purpose throughout Malaysia and the Pacific Islands. There were perhaps forty or fifty other Sulus on board, besides the two Turks and a Sikh of gigantic stature. The former w^ere mostly of inferior rank, but almost all were dressed m embroidered jackets of different colours, with Chinese gold buttons. They wore turbans of silk or cotton, worked with gold thread. All these are made on the island, and are good, but . too gaudy, one of the favourite colours being a bright green. A tight-fittmg cotton garment, much like a pah of ridmg breeches, seemed to usurp the place of the sarong in a great number of cases, reaching to the ankle, and leaving the feet bare. The inevitable parang is stuck in a twisted cotton belt. THE SULTANA S SPEAR. THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. Our guest was much pleased with the mechanism of a Norden- felt gun we carried, and his astonishment when we showed him its rapid action with ball practice was considerable. He inquired the price, and asked if we could get him one, adding that it would be a capital thing in the case of any further row with the Spaniards ! He wandered over the ship, exhibiting considerable interest in what he saw, but his chief source of pleasure seemed to be the piano, to the music of which he insisted on dancing. I must clear the imperial character by adding that he had partaken of nothing stronger than lemonade. We sped the parting guest with a salute of twenty-one guns, and were not sorry to get our decks clear of his numerous ad- herents. As a matter of fact, four hours of a sultan is quite sufficient. We had on many subsequent occasions to entertain these small potentates, — " Eajah days " they used to be called by the sailors, — and very fatiguing and monotonous work we found it. Not only were our meals disorganised and the routine of the ship interfered with, but the decks were generally found liberally bespattered with the ineradicable stains of betel juice, greatly to the disgust both of officers and men. It speaks well for the character of our guests that we never had any article stolen. During our stay at Meimbun, and again on subsequent visits, the time passed pleasantly enough. Subjects for the camera were abundant, and collecting and preserving birds and other specimens took up a large portion of the day. Every morning, shortly after sunrise, we disembarked from our boat at the little bridge by the upper village, and were welcomed by a small crowd of stark-naked little Sulus of both sexes, who fought for the honour of carrying our game-bags and cartridge-belts. None spoke Malay, and so our conversation had to be carried on by signs, but it never flagged, at least on their part, and we had some difficulty in keeping it within bounds when, as often happened, a party of ten or a dozen accompanied each gun. The young ladies showed as much keen- ness in the sport as their companions. The Eoman fair ones ir.] SCENERY OF THE ISLAND. 33 jpoUice verso, were, we know, always willing for the death of the combatant; and a bright-eyed little maiden who, clad in the simple garb of a cartridge-bag, used generally to accompany me in my rambles, was invariably much disgusted when I refused to shoot some bird of which I already had a sufl&cient number of specimens. If the truth were known I daresay some of these merry little urchins had seen bigger game bite the dust. I recollect seeing one whose only garment was one of the razor-edged 2^cirangs, attached to his waist by a belt of twisted cotton. One of our favourite excursions was towards the foot of Buat Tulipan, to the west of Meunbun. It is a cone of rather over 2000 feet, and is cultivated in patches almost to the sununit, for it has long been extinct, and neither it nor its fellows trouble the island even with an earthquake. Such diversity of scenery as Sulu affords is seldom seen in a tropical island. The old jungle has been for the most part cleared away, but long, dark patches of it still exist in the small gullies, or cover the sides of the mountains. Nearly everywhere the eye is greeted by what an auctioneer would describe as " an extensive and park-like view." If we stand on one of the many hills which tend to make the island look far larger than it really is, we see before us a stretch of hill and dale covered with bright green grass, and dotted with little spinneys or solitary, well-grown trees, — just such a view, indeed, as one might get from a country-house in England, were it not for the suspiciously sharp cone of some volcano cropping up on the horizon. Here and there, where the soil has been freshly turned by the rude wooden ploughs employed by the natives, it seems as if some huge ruddy- coloured blanket had been spread out in the sun to dry. Few huts are to be seen. Most of them are buried in little groves of cocos, or amid the dark foliage of the durian or Artocarpus, and the " warm blue breathings of the hidden hearth " alone reveal their presence. In these open glades there is but little bird-life, but in the other localities we had for many days no difficulty in procuring specimens. Perhaps the commonest, or at least the VOL. 11. D 34 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. most conspicuous bird is the Scarlet- vented Cockatoo {Cacatua hcematuropygia), which possesses a single rose-coloured feather for its crest. This species is occasionally tamed by the Sulus, and apparently can be taught to talk, although not readily. We ourselves did not succeed with our pets, but in one instance I found a much dissipated-looking specimen in a native hut, w^ho seemed to have half forgotten some language w4iich, we were assured, was Sulu. Overhead, in the open clearings, the Wood-swallow (Artamus Sarco^js calvus. leiicorhynchus) hawks unceasingly. Square-tailed and with short, stumpy-looking wings, it has a somewhat clumsy appearance, but its beautiful silver-grey back and snowy under-surface atone for it. Its habits are curiously swallow-like, whether sitting huddled up in company with half a dozen others on a bare bough, or whirling round in wide circles with an incessant twittering cry ; but in reality it is a species of Slu'ike, and has as little affinity with the Hirundinidce as our so-called sea-swallow, the tern. The curious Sarcops — a bird the size of a thrush, with black and silver plumage, and a large fleshy wattle of a bright pink colour round the eye — is II.] CINNYBIS JULI^. 35 also an abundant species, haunting the large fruit-trees in the neighbourhood of the native huts ; and though not so conspicuous as the blue and green parrots, or the brilliantly-coloured Lorikeet (Loriculus honajpartci) — a little glowmg ball of vivid crimson, yellow, and green — its peculiar appearance is even more striking to a naturalist's eye. But of all the ornithological spoil we obtained from the archipelago, the tiny little Sun-bird {Cinnyris j'ulicc) was perhaps the most brilliant and the most beautiful. The head and tail are metallic green, the back a deep red, and on the under-surface the brilliant magenta of the throat gives place to a rich orange on the breast and abdomen. These lovely little creatures were not common, but a particular clump of low, flowering shrubs close to the village of Meimbun was a favourite spot for them. They were fearless enough of our presence, and as they flitted from flower to flower with a short, jerky flight, or hung head downwards, rifling the blossoms of their insects or nectar, their throats shone like living rubies in the blaze of sunshine. The habits of this genus are very much alike, and as I used to watch them my thoughts often went back to a well-remembered spot on the Flats of the Cape Town peninsula, whither some years ago I used to stroll every morning to see the Nectarinias (C. chalyhccus) feasting on a huge bush of Erica in full flower. In spite of their beauty of plumage, however, these birds are not the best of characters, constantly quarrelling and fighting, and driving away their weaker brethren, just as is the case among the humming-birds. Their many moral imperfections somewhat quieted my conscience whenever I transferred a fine specimen to the collecting - bag. They were, moreover, great rarities, having previously only been discovered in the island of Mindanao by the naturalists of the Challenger. South of Buat Tulipan was a picturesque little village, where our friend the young Eajah lived. It was built half in, half out of what appeared to be a lake, but was in reality a creek running up from the sea, its entrance hidden by the mangroves. These 36 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. places always have the strongest fascination for me. It is pleasant to lie at full length on a palm-leaf, taking deep draughts from a coconut and watcliing the picture of savage life and its surround- ings. Here a Sulu — -^:>a?Ym^-girded, and with liis spear stuck handy in the sand — is drying fish in the sun. They have been already smoked, and now, tied in small bundles, are being stocked away on beautifully neat bamboo frames placed one above the other. A couple of old women are dipping water with long bamboos from the well, leaning over the blocks of white coral of which its parapet is built. In these climates man is amphibious up to the age of ten, and a dozen or more little warriors and their wives in futuro are splashing and spluttering about in front of the houses, or climbing into the carved praus drawn up on the grey sandy earth which forms the beach. Over the tops of the mangroves the sea is visible to the right, in \d\dd patches of bright green, wliite, or blue, according to its depth. Everything is sunmering in the heat. Our coconut is finished, and we look longingly at a mass of the yellow fruit above our heads. The little Eajah who has come out to see us motions to a boy close by, and the young monkey, climbing like a cat by the aid of the notches cut in the tree, throws us down another to refresh us before we start once more upon our rambles. Among the big durian and jack-fruit trees at the back of the village lay the little cemetery. The carved wooden headstones were closely packed together, some flat and in the shape of a conven- tional leaf; others straight and post -like, carved to represent a series of superimposed cubes. Overhead the Michelia — the dead man's flower, as the Sulus call it — dropped its deliciously-scented blossoms, and the graves were strewn with the flowers of the Areca palm. Buddhist and Mohammedan alike plant the Champac above their dead. So should we too, I think, did our clunate permit it. Day after day throughout the year the tree blossoms. Day after day the delicately- creamy corollas fall entire upon the grave, retaining both their freshness and their fragrance, unlike any other "•] SULU GRAVES. 37 flower. For how long after they have closed over our loved ones are our graves decorated, I wonder ? Here Nature, kindlier-hearted and unforgetful, year after year lays her daily offering of Champac blossoms upon the tomb. A few days after our arrival the Sultan intimated that he would like to brincj his wives on board with him when next he A SCLU GRAVE. visited us. He was said to have six, but we could not ascertain the exact number, as it is of course contrary to the rules of etiquette to allude to them. The first wife, a Sulu woman much older than the Sultan, was, we soon found out, not the favourite. Wliat little affection he had to give was bestowed upon a rather nice-looking gui with a good figure, who had been taken but a short time before from a Datu or chief at the east end of the island. War had broken out in consequence, and both parties were shortly 38 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. to take the field. His august Majesty is not supposed to engage in warfare, so lie gets some one to do his fighting for hiin. There is usually not much difficulty about these matters in Sulu, and in this case a lean and unpleasing-looking warrior who came to ^dsit us on board was about to act as generalissimo of the forces. The causa belli apparently led a miserable life among the other members of the harem, who were intensely jealous of her. She had been chosen by the Sultan to be the bearer of his present, which so enraged the second favourite, a Chinese gui, that she slapped His Majesty's face, and altogether declined to be present on the occasion. Some little time after, before our second ^^sit to Meimbun, this favourite wife died suddenly of poison, " administered by some person or persons unknown," but there was very little doubt that the Chinese girl, if not the actual administrator of the drug, was at any rate the instigator of the crime. It had been arranged that the Sultan's party should arrive at ten o'clock in the morning, and w^e had fondly hoped to get rid of them before tiffin. But potentates and punctuality have no con- nection in the far East, and it was not till four hours later that the beauties of the harem appeared. We were then novices at these ceremonies, and had put off" our meal from time to time, expectmg our guests every moment. We were, I regret to say, both hungry and short-tempered. But later, when we got to be aware that these imperial idiosyncrasies were always to be depended upon, we took action accordingly, and received our visitors a few hours after their appointed tune with the easy smile begotten of the post-prandial cheroot. In due course of time five large boats discharged their brilliantly- coloured cargo on board, and our decks were soon so crow^ded that it was almost impossible to move. The Chinese wife had thought better of her resolution, and had condescended to be present after all, but another of them was in a fit of the tantrums, and had refused to come. Wliether in or out of the harem the Sultan appeared to be equally in a state of broil, and the fear of poison, n.] THE SULTAN'S WIVES 39 the intrusion of the Spaniards, and opium-smoking, no doubt all combined to shorten his life.^ He was also considerably in debt at Singapore, but with an elastic conscience and plenty of his warriors at hand, he was less likely to suffer from anxiety on this account than his creditors. He would be a bold dun indeed who would venture to go to Sulu in search of his money. To European eyes the Sultan's wives were not very attractive, in spite of the brilliancy of their attire. All wore gold-embroidered Turkish slippers, and silk stockings, which in some cases were covered with spangles. Their dress was a loose sacque reaching nearly to the feet, of silk or stuff of bright colour. Over this was a loose jacket buttoned a la chinoisc, and the head and shoulders were enveloped by shawls of shiny gauze with a gold fringe. One — the Chinese girl — wore hers as a yashmak, but her reason became apparent when, on removing it to drink some lemonade, she disclosed a bruised lip, which may or may not have been the result of personal chastisement administered by her lord and master. Their hands were covered with rings, for the most part set with pearls, which are the chief product of the island. It was amusing to see them looking over a photograph book, where the jewellery to be seen in the portraits was the only thing that interested them. Their opinion of English ladies was evidently lowered when they discovered that they wore so little. Although only three wives had come on board, they were ^ He died in the beginning ot 1884. The usual difficulty as to his successor arose, one party declaring for his brother, — the rightful heir, — another for an old uncle Avith whom he had been on anything but friendly terms. In May, 1886, the date of our last intelligence from the island, the late Sultan's brother appeared likely to gain the throne, but the matter was still unsettled. In spite of the disturbed condition of the country, Captain Schiick, the German planter, had been unmolested. Desultory fighting still continued. Any surplus in the population has no doubt been consider- ably lessened, and the Spaniards behind the loop-holed walls of Jolo on the north of the island are probably biding their time, and will step in when both parties are exhausted. Their project of getting the young Sultan to go to Manila, ' ' in order to be invested with his title," has failed. 40 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. accompanied by numbers of female attendants. There was also a large gathering of Sulii warriors, but on this occasion they kept to one side of the ship, leaving the other to the ladies, who ranged themselves along the bulwarks like an ornamental border in a flower-garden. Most of them were plump little damsels with bright eyes, and though not so good-looking as the Dyak women — who are, I think, the most attractive of all those of Malay race that I have seen — they had more claims to beauty than their mistresses. We regaled them with lemonade and preserved fruits, and supplied them with cigarettes, wdiich they appeared to enjoy thoroughly. Unfortunately they were themselves provided with betel, and before we could interfere, our spotless decks were covered with the juice. The Sultan left his wives to take care of themselves, and wandered about the ship inspecting our arms and machinery, returning now and again to the fascinations of a musical- box, with which he was greatly delighted. It w^as with the greatest difficulty that we induced him to come on deck to be photographed. We arranged a group of the three wives and the slave bearing their betel -box, the Sultan and his Tobacco Box in Waiting, the two Turks and other exalted personages, but although we explained the operation, nothing would induce them to remain quiet for a single instant, and the patience both of the operator and sitters was fairly exhausted before we obtained a successful negative. After the departure of our guests some of our party proceeded in the cutter to Parang to stay with the Panglima Dammang, with whom we had already made acquaintance. The distance was barely ten miles, and aided by a light breeze off' the land, it was not long before we arrived at our destination. Others of iis remained behind at Meimbun, to indulge in our favourite flight- shooting among the parrots. Every evening small flocks of green parrots {Tanygnatlmis) and the little white cockatoo fly from west to east over the village about half an hour before sundown, affording capital sport. The former, of which there are two II.] PARROT SHOOTING. 41 species/ are only of value to the naturalist, but the latter are capital eating, and are free from the bitterness that is characteristic of many of the parrots. Cockatoo pie, I can assure my readers, is really excellent. ^ One of these, Tanygnathus hurhidgei, is, as far as is known, peculiar to the Sulu Archipelago. CHAPTER III. THE SULU ISLANDS (continued). We leave for Parang — The Panglima Dammang — Parang and its surroundings — Tulian Island — Jolo, the Spanish settlement — Life in the town — Marine fire- works— The watering-place — A narrow escape — Pig-hunting — Our life in Sulu — Climate — Unhealthiness of Jolo — The Spaniards and the Sulus — Juramentados — Return to Meimbun — Sulu praus — Carving — Photographing the Sultan — Meimbun market — Ancient chain armour — New species of birds — Revisit Parang — Pearl divers — Lukut Lapas — Captain Schiick — Products of the estate — Jungle fowl — Tobacco cultivation. OiN the day following that of the visit of the Sultan and his wives the Marcliesa anchored off Parang. The village, consisting of thirty or forty houses in line, is built on piles in the sea, each house being connected with the shore by a separate bridge of palm-stems. Although this method is in use among most Malay peoples in rivers or estuaries, it is seldom that the houses are entirely exposed to the sea as they are here and in New Guinea. Their shape and mode of construction in the latter country are, however, quite different. Here they are mere huts with rather high-pitched gables, the walls made of roughly-constructed attccps or mats of palm-leaves. The Marcliesa was probably the first European ship that had visited the village, for the Spaniards afterwards told us that they had never been there. The people do not bear a very good name even among the Sulus themselves, and the Panglima was a person- age with whom few would have dared to trifle. He came on board with his chief men and attendants very soon after our arrival, as CHAP. III.] THE PANGLIMA OF PARAXG. 43 had been previously arranged, and although Meiinbun and Parang are only a few miles apart, the difference between his suite and that of the Sultan was considerable. They boarded the yacht in crowds, and though they behaved well, and we had no contretemjjs of any kind, it was evident that they were, on the whole, a very pretty set of ruffians. The Panglima Dammang had returned on the previous day from a battle with his old enemy, the Maharajah Taliil, in which nine men had fallen ; but though he had been VILLAGE OF PARANG. victorious, he did not seem by any means in a good temper. Although he could have seen nothing of the kind before, he paid not the smallest attention to the yacht or her fittings, and indeed took no interest in anything except some champagne, of which he drank two tumblers. He wore his favourite 'parang, with which, we were told, he had killed thirty men ; and as he sat scowling in a corner of the saloon, the thought how easily he might enlarge the number and add the Marchcsa to his navy if he chose passed through our minds. Possibly the same idea occurred to our guest also, but if it did he was far too wise to act upon it. There was a little sea running when the first detaclunent of his people left for the shore, and the prau, being overloaded, filled and sank about a hundred yards from the ship. There was in reality 44 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. not the smallest danger, for the men all swam like ducks, and the boat, relieved of its load, floated awash on the surface of the water. The Panglima, hearing the shouting, rushed at once on deck, and seeing what had happened, jumped into our lifeboat with half a dozen of his men, and pushed off to the rescue. It was the only pleasing trait that we ever saw him exhibit. The country round Parang, though perhaps not so pretty as the neighbourhood of Meunbun, was very pleasant under the rays of the early morning sun, when the grass was sparkling with the heavy dew. N'ot only is this time the most enjoyable of the whole day in the tropics, but it is by far the best for the collector. A few hours later, when the freshness of the morning has disappeared before the blazing heat of mid-day, animal life has also gone, and bird and beast hide themselves in the thicker jungle till evening. Parang, however, did not appear to be a good place for the naturalist, in spite of the considerable amount of cultivated ground and fruit groves. The soil was wonderfully good — a rich, dark loam of great depth — and the jack-fruit was of a larger size here than I have ever seen it elsewhere. The Papaw (Carica papaya), with its palm- like crown of large deeply-cut leaves and bright yellow melon-like fruit, was growing wild, or — more correctly — uncultivated, in the forest. It is curious how little this really excellent fruit is used. Not only is it of delicious flavour, but it is actually a digestive of considerable power. In the "West Indies alone does it seem to be properly appreciated. In the Straits Settlements it appears but rarely at table, while in Java and the Malay Islands there is an idea among the Dutch that it is absolutely harmful. "We came upon a great number of graves in the forest, some of them collected in groups and surrounded by a ditch six feet or more in depth to keep off the wild pigs, others lonely and over- grown with vegetation. Even over the latter, though long neglected, the Champac flowered and strewed its blossoms. Many of the headposts w^ere very tastefully carved, but there were no inscrip- tions of any kuid. Nearer the village were the tombs of a former III.] OUR LIFE IN SULU. 45 Datii and Ms wives, built of stones piled into a dome, and mounted on a slightly-raised platform. A square of bamboos erected above the graves was decorated with strips of white cotton. On the whole, perhaps, these tombs were the most common objects observ- able in Parang. It would have been interesting to learn what proportion of the occupants had died in their boots, or rather would have done so were such articles in general use in Sulu. The visit of the yacht on this occasion was a short one, but we returned again overland a few days later. Indeed our movements during the time of our residence among these interesting, but perhaps rather untrustworthy people were rather erratic. At one time we were the guests of the Sultan, at another engaging in a series of pig-hunts with the Panglima of Parang. Then, after a few days in Jolo among the Spaniards, we would ride out to the middle of the island, where a solitary German — a prominent iigure in Sulu history — has established himself, and still continues to live, in spite of the ceaseless fighting that goes on around him. The eastern peninsula of the island was the only part into which we did not penetrate. The Maharajah of Loc and his adherents were too un- certain for us to care to trust ourselves in their hands. From Parang to the Spanish settlement on the northern side of the island is not much more than fifteen miles by sea, and as we steamed along close to the shore we passed many canoes, whose occupants shouted at us, and held up some object in their hands that we could not make out. We stopped and found that they were pearl-divers, and the articles they wished to dispose of were the beautiful iridescent shells in which the pearls are found. The banks in and around the Sulu Archipelago are almost as well known as those of Torres Straits, and the Sulus are probably the best divers in the world. I have seen few men better proportioned or more athletic-looking — none certainly in this part of the world — and clad only in a sharp-peaked Bornean hat and a narrow waistcloth, their lithe figures showed to the best advantage. They had no pearls for sale, and the prices they asked for the shells were too high 46 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. for us to come to terms, so we resumed our course. About seven miles west of Jolo, and little more than a mile off shore, the small island of Tulian is passed on the port hand. A few years ago the Spaniards had a small detachment of soldiers here, a sort of outpost to keep a watch upon the movements of praus. It was a constant source of employment to the Sulus, who for a long time made frequent, and invariably successful attacks upon it by night, cutting down the sentries and slaughtering the cattle without the loss of a single man on their side. So silently were these raids carried out, and so demoralising was their effect, that the Spaniards eventually abandoned the post, and the island is now deserted. Jolo, as it is spelt by the Spaniards, rejoices in many names. It appears as Sulu m the English charts, but the Bornean traders speak of it as Spanish Town. To the natives it is Tiangi, — "the market-place," while Admiral Keppel and Sir Edward Belcher mention it as Soog, though this latter name, with its varied spellings of Sugh and Soung, has long disappeared. The town was in old days the capital of the island and the residence of the Sultan, and at the time of Belcher's visit was built much in the same manner as Brunei, the "Venice of the East." The buildings ran out in three Imes into the sea, the piles of the outer houses being in twenty -four feet of water, and the intervals between the rows admitting of H.M.S. Samarcmg being secured at the mouth of the main street.^ Hardly a trace of this native town now remains. The Spaniards, who permanently established themselves here in 1878, completely destroyed it, and set to work to build a fortified town, which should give them, once and for all, a secure footing on the island. "We arrived off the settlement at mid-day. It is a taking place at first sight, as indeed any place in the island must be. To the right rise the graceful slopes of Buat Timantangis, while the white houses and grassy glades give a homelike appearance to the little town, wliich is in itseK attractive. We were a little uncertain as 1 "Voyage of H.M.S. Samarang," Belcher, vol. i. III.] ARRIVAL AT JOLO. to our reception by the Spaniards, for we knew that the relations between them and the natives, with whom we were on intimate terms, were anything but cordial. But we were destined to be most agreeably disappointed, and I may here say that it would be impossible to meet with greater kindness than was shown us during our \isit by the Governor — Don Julian Parrado — and his officers. We anchored in ten fathoms not far from the shore. There is no harbour, but gales are of great rarity in the archi- pelago, and the anchorage is protected to the north by the Panga- sinan group of islands. Our anchor was hardly down before a pleasant - looking young Spanish officer boarded us, with the compliments of the Governor and offers of ser\dce, and the information that the band would play at five o'clock. We replied with such suitable Spanish politenesses as our vocabulary mustered, and rowed ashore at the hour appointed. I doubt whether any island in the world presents such curious anomalies as Sulu. At the south a semi-barbarous court, with a boy sultan of sensual habits, and an authority that is practically nil. The rest of the island in a feudal condition, parcelled out among half a dozen or more petty despots who are little better than savages, and eternally at war with one another. On the north a large prison, some acres in extent, outside of which no Spaniard dare show his nose. Here are cafes, two or three billiard-tables, a band that one would listen to in Vienna or London with pleasure, fever and dysentery, and complete and hopeless ennui. And in the middle of the island, somewhat mistrusted by the Spaniards, although a friend of the present Governor, but admired and respected by the Sulus in spite of sundry fights he has had with them, lives the German sea-captain, Schiick, leading a planter's existence among groves of cacao, coifee, and Manila hemp. We landed at an excellent wooden pier which runs out into the sea for three or four hundred yards or more, and has a light- house built at its extremity. The Governor, whom we found living in a house constructed entirely of corrugated zinc — an arrangement 48 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. which seemed admirably adapted for raising the temperature within to fever heat — received us very kindly, and showed us over the town. It is completely surrounded by a loop-holed wall about twenty feet in height, behind which sentries pace incessantly. The gates are shut at sundown, after which no one is permitted to enter. On the seaward side there is no wall, but a gun-boat is always stationed at the anchorage, and the pier and shores are A STREET !>• JOLO. patrolled by soldiers. Thus closely imprisoned, the Spaniards have wisely kept their men employed to the utmost of their power. They have recovered a great deal of ground from the sea by building dykes and filling in the ground beliind them. Hospitals and barracks have been constructed on piles over the sea, but no plantations have ever been attempted except by one man, who laid out a small sugar estate close to the walls, only to have it completely destroyed by the Sulus in the following year. In spite of the youth of the settlement, the three or four streets wliich it III.] LIFE IN JOLO. 49 possesses look not only extremely neat and clean, but even picturesque, planted as they are by rows of bananas and cotton- trees on either side. There is a market-place formed of palm-leaf sheds, beneath which the ]\Ianila men chatter and discuss the merits of then- fighting cocks, which, slung up in handkerchiefs with their legs protruding, or tied to a post of the stall, are visible in aU du'ections, for cock-fighting is as much a ruling passion here as it is in Cuba, and at any street-corner one may see a couple of natives putting their birds together for half a minute's friendly spar without spurs. The Governor, who was a colonel in the army, chatted to us in excellent French, and gave us some information about the town. Life in it must indeed be monotonous and trying to a degTce; a mere vegetative existence, with little or nothmg novel to break the dull round save the advent of cholera or a Sulu running amok. Except in parties of ten or a dozen fully armed, no one leaves the town ; and the evening promenade in the Plaza to listen to the band, the Sunday cock-fighting, and an occasional water-party appear to be the only amusements. The garrison is composed of six companies of the Manila native regmients, under a commandant and about twenty-five officers. These latter, with their wives and children and sixteen artillerymen, are the only Europeans. They number about 120. The rest of the inhabitants are made up of a very large number of con^dcts, sent from Manila and other parts of the Philippines. They seemed tolerably happy and contented, wore no chains, and were said to be very harmless. Waiting for our boat to take us off to the ship, we witnessed a marine phenomenon as pretty as it was extraordinary. The calm water around the pier, itself not phosphorescent, was full of a Pyrosoma, of some such creature, that was most strongly so. These creatures progressed slowly in a very irregular serpentine fashion, leaving behind a vi\dd phosphorescent train which lasted for some little time. There were great numbers of them, and the effect was as if the water were full of fiery snakes. "We did not VOL. II. E 50 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. succeed in catching the author of these " sea fireworks," as our sailors called them, and during our six weeks' stay in these waters we never noticed the phenomenon again. There are several wells within the town of Jolo, but the water is not particularly good, and the best is obtained from a spring on the beach about three-quarters of a mile to the eastward. Its situation is a curious one, the water bubbling up in a strong stream between high and low water mark^ into a sort of rocky basin, overhung by the gnarled branches of a large Ficus, which must be of gi-eat age. The Governor had cautioned us as to the character of the natives in the neighbourhood, and told us that several of their men had been krissed or speared while watering, which operation was as a rule undertaken with a strong guard. Apparently, however, the relations between the contending parties are of the politest character, for he added that he would send a message to the chief, informing him that we were English, and asking him not to molest us. Either this or the northern fairness of our skins was sufficient, and we landed to shoot and get water for the ship on several occasions without any contretemps. A little incident nevertheless took place on our first visit which showed us that the Governor's caution was not unnecessary. One of us, noticing a rare bird alight in a tree close by, jumped hastily out of the boat and went tow^ards it. Several natives were standing round, and apparently knew who we were, but another suddenly appearing on the scene, and probably mistaking us for Spaniards, marked his man, and feeling for his parang, went on the track of the unsuspecting sportsman. Before he had gone two steps he was stopped by the others, but, had he only been a little nearer, the number of our ship's company would probably have been reduced by one. Our stay at Jolo was varied by excursions into the interior of ^ This, though a curious, is not a very unusual phenomenon. Such a spring exists at Walvisch Bay in South-West Africa, and I have also seen them in Sunibawa and other places in the Malay Archipelago. III.] PIGSTICKING. 51 the island and several pig-hunts with the Sultan and the Panglima of Parang. The latter was as keen a sportsman as he was a for- midable warrior, and with good weather and plenty of pigs we had one or two capital days, although we did not on any occasion kill more than eight. Few sights could well be more picturesque than our " meets " on the park-like uplands of the beautiful island. The brilliant colours of the dresses ; the scowling face of the old Pang- lima gi\^ng his orders ; the advance of the line through the long grass ; the spears glittering in the blaze of sunshine ; the excitement and rush when piggy broke cover ; the ride homeward by moonlight to Meimbun, or to the stockaded house of the Pangluna; the strange- ness of our surroundings as we dropped off to sleep on the cool hard mats, — all these are among our most vivid recollections of Sulu. The natives are most fearless riders, and mounted on their sure-footed little ponies, will go at full gallop over the roughest ground. Like almost every wild tribe I have seen, the people ride with the big toe only in the stirrup, which here is usually a simple loop of rope. We were even better friends with the Spaniards than with the Sulus, and it was curious thus to alternate between two races who had been bitter enemies for nearly three centuries ; on one day in almost complete savagery, the next drinking coffee and listening to selections from Wagner rendered by a band which only a few months previously, before the advent of cholera, had been nearly 100 strong. All the performers, with the exception of the con- ductor, were of native or mixed blood, from Manila, and their instruments had been sent out from Paris. Sitting in the little creeper-covered arbour in the public gardens, with our excellent friend the Governor pouring out a string of amusing absurdities between the pieces, we could shut our eyes and fancy ourselves in Nice, or some other like haunt of fashion in far-away Europe. If we opened them the illusion vanished quickly enough. At the end of the street the sentry paced up and down behind the loop- holed walls, and between selections from the " Nozze " and " Ptobert 52 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. le Diable " the sergeant of the guard placed the heavy key of the gates in the Governor's hand. The northern side of the island is said to have a greater rainfall than the southern. The Spaniards had not taken any observations, but we gathered that it was considerable. The first three months of the year are on the whole fine and dry, but at the end of April or the beginning of May the rains come, and the monsoon changes. Part of July and September and the whole of August are again fine, but in the middle of September the second rains usually begm, and last until the end of the year. The easterly monsoon does not set in steadily before November. During our visit in April and May the thermometer on board ship stood pretty steadily at 80° or 81°. Inland the temperature was three or four degrees higher. Cholera had visited Jolo durmg the previous year, doubtless imported from Manila, for as far as we could learn only a few cases occurred on the island generally. In the town itself, however, a large number of people fell victims, and, sanitarily speaking, it was in very bad condition at the time of the 3farchesa's visit, although the streets and houses were beautifully clean. The garrison were dying at the rate of one man a day, chiefly from dysentery and fever, the latter disease being especially rife, owing no doubt to the amount of digging always gomg on within the precincts of the town. This mortality is, however, no criterion whatever of the healthiness of Sulu itself, which appears to be equal to that of any tropical island in this part of the world, and far superior to that of Xorthern Borneo. The crowding, the disturbance of the soil, and the con- dition of hopeless ennui resulting from the prison -Hfe of Jolo, — each of these is sufficient alone to make any tropical station unhealthy. When they are combined the only wonder is that the death-rate is not higher. Our friend Don Julian, always bright and cheerful in spite of his ill-health, and with a mixed vein of keen humour and kindly cynicism in his manner which rendered him a charmmg companion, seemed alone to prevent Jolo from falling into a condition of utter m.] SPANIARDS AND SULUS. 53 Stagnation. He was doing his very utmost to conciliate the natives, but his efforts had apparently been almost fruitless, for though he might succeed for a time, fresh outrages and murders would soon place the two parties on theu' old hostile footing. It is curious to note how quickly the neighboming Philippine islanders submitted to Spain's yoke, and how prosperous and contented they are at the present day in spite of earthquakes, typhoons, and tidal waves. But with the treacherous and fanatical Sulus, — possibly from their religion, — little or no progi'ess has been made. During the war of succession in 1881 — -for in Sulu the death of the Sultan is always the occasion of a general outbreak — the natives came up to the very walls of Jolo, and tried to carry it by assault, with the result that a few Spaniards and a large number of their enemies were killed and wounded. Affairs were quiet for a time, but the people of Loc — with whom the Sultan, at the period of our visit, was himself at war — ha^dng been constantly successful in lying in wait for and spearing the Spanish just outside the walls of Jolo, an expedition was organised at the end of 1882, and in the engage- ment which took place about tliirty Sulus fell. Just previous to this a Loc man, armed with his ijcirang, had succeeded in getting into Jolo unperceived.^ AValkmg to the Plaza he drew his weapon, and rushing upon the people began cutting down men, women, and cliildren indiscriminately. Although almost every one goes armed in the town, he was with some difficulty overpowered, and he had killed no less than seventeen persons before he was finally despatched ! Truly it can be said that even life in Jolo is not without its excitements. On the 1st of May we found ourselves again at Meunbun, after another day's pig-sticking with the Pangiima Dammang, m which six pigs had bit the dust. As we rowed up the little stream we noticed some of the natives busily engaged in repairing their large praus, which were hauled up on the mud close to the market-place. The Sulu boats are of two kinds only. The clapang, or smaller one ^ The Sulus are allowed to enter the town, but are searched for arms at the gates. 54 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. is usually a " dug-out," with its freeboard heightened by planks. So far it is a common enough model in Malay waters, but its peculiarity consists in both bow and stern being cigar-shaped. Above the " ram " thus formed the two top planks are l^ent sharply outwards, making a deeply-flanged bow of very characteristic shape. These boats are provided with large bamboo outriggers on both sides, and will stand tolerably heavy weather. The larger praus, which are used for voyages to North Borneo, Samboanga, and other more distant parts, are from 12 to 20 tons' burden, and >Ml/' I' CABVED STOXE, MEIMBUN. are strongly, though rather clumsily built. Their sterns are often highly ornamented with carving. We were much struck by Sulu taste and execution in this way, wdiether displayed on tombstones, praus, or house decoration. Over the door of the Sultan's harem was a very pretty bit of scroll lattice-work, but the best example of stone-carving that we saw on the island was a large slab which lay half buried in the mud and coarse vegetation of the river-bank just below the Sultan's house. The people were rather amused at my sketching it, but I could not get them to tell me what it was. Most probably it was originally intended for a gravestone, but when we were there the washerwomen of the household used III.] PHOTOGRAPHING THE SULTAN. 55 it as a slab on which to knock off the buttons of the imperial shirts. The Sultan had on several occasions expressed his desire to be photographed, and accordingly one morning, having previously made an appointment at nine o'clock, we rowed ashore, and, after two or three hours' collecting, arrived at the Istana at half-past ten. We were a good half hour too early. The Sultan, dressed in an ordinary Oxford shirt, with a short silk sarong and European trousers, made his appearance with the charming nonchalance that characterises all well-bred people who are late. We sat and drank chocolate for some time, and at length, after a few delicate hints on our part that we were quite ready, he again retired for half an hour or so, reappearing in full Sulu costume of bright yellow trousers fitting close to the skin, a magenta velvet coat covered with small gold plaques set with pearls and emeralds, and a small turban. The latter was of a kind peculiar to Sulu — of brilliant crimson silk worked alike on both sides with flowers, and not much larger than a good-sized handkerchief. We congratulated ourselves on this unusual rapidity, and were preparing our plate when we discovered that His Eoyal Highness had not the smallest intention of being photographed in this costume, but was merely waiting until another was ready. This turned out to be a quasi-European dress, of dark blue cloth jacket and trousers embroidered with gold. But as the straight gold stripes upon the trousers did not seem sufficiently decorative, he set his wives to work to make an additional looped trefoil border of the same material, and retired into the other room. The hours passed on and still the members of the harem sat stitching away, so, tired of waiting, we went to talk to them. They were evidently as much disgusted as we were, and anxious to know if the job could be done quicker, they put the imperial unmentionables into our hands, and told us that they would be delighted if we would finish them. The design, we found, had not even reached the knee, and feeling that active measures were necessary, we again interviewed His Majesty, and 56 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. represented to him that he looked more than usually charming in his Sulu dress, that he would look even better in the photograph, and finally that, in European countries, curls and twiddles of gold lace were only worn down the leg by people of low rank, such as the Betel Boxes in "Waiting and the like. Happily we succeeded in persuading him, and after he had again retired to make a few additions to his jewellery, we managed at length to form a group. Everything was going swmimingly ; the hand was on the cap waiting for the Sultan's eye to fix itself upon the spot indicated, when suddenly jimiping up, and clappmg his hands, he declared that he would be taken on horseback! " Baik sakali itu!" A capital idea ! The whole operation had to be gone through from the beginning again. In spite of the irresolution of the Sultan, it appears that he can occasionally make up his mind. A short time before our arrival a burglarious Sulu entered the house of a Chinaman, — a few of that race being permitted to live and trade at Meimbun. It is not often that Johnny is caught napping, and tliis one was no exception to the rule. But instead of takmg to flight, the Sulu cut down the unfortunate householder with his ])arang. On recovering, the Chinaman laid a complaint before the Sultan, who, on hearing the e^'idence, at once ordered the Sulu to be decapitated. At Meimbun we once more resumed our old plan of collecting, and every morning, shortly after daybreak, the little crowd of children awaited our arrival at the bamboo bridge. Our way generally took us for a short distance over a well-trodden path leading to the market, and we used to meet and exchange saluta- tions with small parties of Sulu warriors and their wives coming in laden with fruit and other produce. The gTcater number were mounted on the sturdy little ponies for which the island is famous, and at the ends of their spears dangled a couple of fowls or a bunch of bananas. The market itself would have rejoiced an artist's eye. The bright yellow of the areca and coconuts against the fresh green sireh leaf ; the picturesque groups of natives bargaining round III.] NEIF BIRDS. the stalls ; the little piles of spears leant up against the corners of the attap sheds; the Chinamen with their large Bornean hats sitting behind their shelves of " notions "; the swarms of butterflies hovering over the dSris of jack-fruit husks and the like, together formed a scene which was always novel and amusing. No descrip- tion that I could give would convey to my reader any idea of its busy life and brilliant colouring. Mr. Burbidge, who paid a short visit to Sulu a few years ago, mentions the fact of some of the natives being provided with shirts of chain armour.^ In spite of our being on the look-out for them we saw very few, but at a later period we succeeded in obtaining two. They were without the brass breastplate described by Mr. Burbidge. These articles are undoubtedly of European manu- facture, and it is extremely probable that they were taken in bygone years by the Sulus from their old enemies the Spaniards. Where spear and kris are as yet unsupplanted by the rifle, as is the case among these islands, they must, I should think, be extremely useful. Our ornitholosfical rambles during this, our second visit to Meimbun were productive of several species which we had not previously obtained; among others of two or three rare pigeons. Of all parts of the world the New Guinea region is perhaps the richest in these birds, but we found them tolerably abundant here, and obtained no less than eleven different kinds. But our greatest prizes were two birds hitherto unknown to ornithologists. The first, a bush-shrike of brilliant colouring, with the head and shoulders shining bluish-black and the rest of the plumage bright orange-yellow, I afterwards named after the yacht (Pcricrocotus niarcliescc, vide Frontispiece, vol. i.) The other bird {Macronus hettlcwdli), a babbler, with a curious tuft of white, hair-like feathers springing from the back, was an interesting sjDCcies, of which we unfortunately obtained a single specimen only.^ 1 "The Gardens of the Sun," p. 206. 2 Vide paper by the author, A Provisional List of the Birds inhabiting the Sulu Archipelago, "Proc. Zool. Soc." 1885, p. 247. 58 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. A clay or two afterwards we returned to Parang on our way to Jolo, and the ship, as on the former occasion, was visited by crowds of natives, among them being a Datu or chief who was not upon the best of terms with the Panglima Danimang. We learnt, in fact, that hostilities were frequently apt to break out between them. The most amusing of our visitors was a very fat, good- natured-looking old Sulu, who was said to have been the most renowned pearl-diver in the archipelago. He had on one occasion reached a depth of twenty-seven fathoms. The Sulus are probably the best divers in the world, and think nothing of depths of less than seventeen or eighteen fathoms. "We were anchored at the time in about fifty feet of water, and noticed that the natives went down to bring up the old tins and empty bottles we had thrown overboard. They do not use any weight, but swim straight downwards. Keturning from a shooting excursion next morning, we took refuge in the Datu's house to avoid a heavy showier of rain. He received our invasion with calm reserve, apparently not being too pleased to see us, but after a time he became more friendly. His house, like the others, was built on piles over the sea, with a rickety bridge about eighty yards in length connecting it with the shore. The floor was, as usual, constructed of split 1 jamboos, which were so far apart that I nearly broke my leg by putting it through a more than ordinarily large gap. Among a little pile of spears in the corner of the room were three guns, one of which was a magazine rifle of American make ! Our host was without cartridges for it, happily for the Panglima, and we had neither the wish nor the ability to assist hun. On the day following our arrival at Jolo we were astonished to see a large man-of-war approaching the anchorage. She proved to be- the Wolf, a German corvette, the officers of which were very anxious to get information as to the doings of the Sj)anish authorities in the archipelago. This we left them to obtain first hand, and contented ourselves with lending them a couple of charts, of which they w^ere in need. The Germans were at that time extremely III.] LUKUT LAP AS. 59 jealous of Spanish influence in these and other neighbouring- islands, and — somewhat maliciously I fear — we asked them if they recognised the sovereignty of Spain in Sulu. They told us that they were unable to answer the question. By the treaty of March 7th, 1885, they have since admitted it. We had returned to Jolo with the intention of staying a few days at Captain Schiick's plantation. The path thither leads straight SPANISH BLOCK-HOUSE NEAR JOLO. out from the back of the town towards the centre of the island, and about four hundred yards from the gates passes a small block house which the Spaniards have established as an advanced post. The country is but little cultivated in this part, owing to its disturbed condition, but after passing through a picturesque little valley, signs of agriculture become more frequent, and in less than a couple of miles the bungalow, Lukut Lapas, is reached — a large, rambling building surrounded by several outhouses and Sulu huts. The view is an extremely pretty one, with the thick plantations around the house, and a bright little rivulet dividing it from the 60 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. jungle-covered hills to the westward. Captam Schiick had been settled there for four years, and after a short period of squabbles and fights with the natives, in wliich on more than one occasion he narrowly escaped with his life, he had at length succeeded in establishing a footing, and had made himself respected and looked up to by the people in no common degi^ee. Two years later his wife and family — eight in number, and all under seventeen — had joined him. His history had been one of many vicissitudes. At one time a trader, he had visited most parts of the ]\Ialay Archi- pelago, and had been shipwrecked, captured by pirates — both Chinese and Sulu — and exposed to many other mischances. Coming to Sulu and espousing the cause of the natives against the Spaniards, he took to " gun-running," had his vessel confiscated, and was hun- self taken as prisoner to IManila. The German Government took up his case ; the Spaniards were compelled to release him, and he was ultimately fortunate enough to obtain £1000 as compensa- tion. Such is the respect in which he is held by the Sulus that during Ms absence his family live unharmed among them, in spite of their lawless nature and the many factions into which they are split. In great measure this is no doubt owing to his up- right and fearless conduct, and to his ha\'ing taken his own line boldly. As an instance I may quote the following case. Two women working on his estate having been murdered by a couple of their- fellow-countr}'men, he called a meeting of the chiefs, and obtaining their consent, rode over to the house of one of the murderers, secured him, and shot him with his own hand. For the other he searched every prau on the coast, and having at length found him, brought him to the chiefs, by whom he was immediately krissed. Captain Schiick's son, a merry boy of seventeen, we found not only a most useful, but an extremely agTeeable companion. He accompanied us everywhere, and with his knowledge of the people and their habits, and his extraordinary command of languages, was of the ga^eatest assistance to us. He spoke German, English, III.] MANILA HEMP. 61 ]\Ialay, and Sulu with perfect fluency, and was tolerably well acquainted with Bisaya and French. It was amusing to see his easy familiarity with the Sultan, and how he was called in to quiet the domestic jars among the beauties of the harem. I have rarely seen better soil than that of Lukut Lapas. The lanook, or so-called IManila hemp {Musa tcxtilis), was growing with wonderful luxuriance. It is a plant closely resembling the banana in appearance, but of a darker green, and its cultivation is almost exclusively confined to the southern islands of the Philippines. The fibre is of considerable value, being very strong and flexible, and but for the fact that the tree is said not to flourish out of the latitudes above named, it is extraordinary that it should not hitherto have been more cultivated. Like the banana, the lanook is trunkless, its spurious stem being formed by layers of the ensheathing petioles. As the older stems, wdiich are the chief source of the fibre, are cut down, new suckers spring up with great rapidity from the parent root. The fibre is separated by scraping away the pulp with a blunt knife or piece of hoop-iron, and after a certain amount of preparation, is sorted according to its fineness, the coarser quality being made into cordage, the finer spun into a substance which, in the Philippines, is woven with silk or cotton to make dress fabrics. Exported, it is chiefly used in the manufac- ture of paper. The coffee plantation was by no means so flourishing as the lanook. The trees were affected by mould, and with a leaf disease very similar to, if not actually identical with that produced by the Hemileia vastatrix in Ceylon and other countries. It is doubtful whether Sulu is adapted for coffee-growdng. It was only to be expected that the Coffea arahica — the sole kind that Captain Schlick had tried — would prove a failure, but it is possible that the Liberian variety, which has succeeded well at low elevations in Ceylon, might also do so here. Cacao and tapioca were the only other vegetable products grown. The former was doing extremely well. The tree, which was introduced into the Philippines by the Spaniards in the middle of the seventeenth century, appears 62 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. to have found a thoroughly congenial soil, and I have seldom tasted more delicious chocolate than that we drank in Sulu. Usually the trees do not begin to bear until they are four years old, but Captam Schiick informed us that at Lukut Lapas they had borne well on the third year. The young cacao always requu'ing shade, the plantations are generally made beneath the Artocarpus or other thick-foliaged trees, large clumps of wliich are so plentiful throughout the island that there should be no difficulty in getting suitable ground for planting. Wandermg about in the pleasant fruit -groves and open clearings, we were able to add considerably to our collections. In the long lalang gi'ass the large ground Cuckoo {Centrococcyx) rose before one's feet with a flapping, laboured flight. The tiny Button- quail (^irm(/'actoHa. cAmewsis) haunted the same ground in abundance, lying in twos and threes. The natives net them in great numbers, and used often to bring them to us for sale. They live well in captivity in spite of theu' pugnacity, but the top of the cage must be made of a piece of loosely-stretched linen or sacking, or the birds' constant habit of springing upwards soon causes their death. The common Jungle-fowl of the Indo- Malayan region {Gallus hankiva), identical in appearance with our " black-breasted red " game fowl, is very numerous throughout the island, but, owing to its haunting the thicker jungle and being very shy, it is rarely seen. The Sulus have a plan of catching it which seems to be very successful. They tie up a captive in the most frequented haunts of the species, and surround liim with springes. The wild bu'ds, attracted by his crowing, come down to fight, and are quickly caught. In tliis manner it is only the cock bird that is ever secured, and thus, although at one time we had as many as ten cocks tied up to the posts of the verandah, we never even saw the hen. After a few days' captivity they readily permit them- selves to be caught and carried about, and become far tamer even than domestic fowls, with which they are freely crossed by the natives. The cock bird has sickle feathers of extraordinary length. III.] TOBACCO CULTIVATION. 63 There is one crop deserving of special mention for which Sulu seems particularly suited. The tobacco used by the natives is almost entirely of Chinese manufacture, as they are apparently ignorant of the method of preparation of the leaf, but in the few places in which we found it growing, it appeared to be of remark- ably good quality. It is a fact not generally known that the outside leaves — or " wrappers," as they are technically termed — of the better qualities of Havana cigars are grown at Deli, in Sumatra, and that there are but few soils capable of producing them. In October, 1884, the managers of the German Borneo ■ Company landed in Sulu, and, struck with the appearance of the island, determined on planting tobacco. The result of the first year's work was 200 pimls, valued at £10 per jjtc?^/. This year (1886) 100 "fields" are under cultivation, which are expected to yield 800 ^j-icii/s — in other words, about 100,000 lbs. The labourers are Chinese from Singapore, where they are engaged before the Government Agency, and receive their passage and an advance, together equivalent to 860, the half of which only is charged to them. The method of cultivation is as follows. In December the felling of the forest and clearing of the land commences. In April the nurseries are prepared, and the seed, mixed with ashes, sown on the raised beds. The young plants gi'ow rapidly, and in early May — the beginning of the rainy season — they are pricked out in " fields " of 300 by 20 yards, each of which is looked after by its own coolie. The soil is banked up around the stalk of the plant, and the leaves are carefully searched for insects. At the beginning of August the tobacco is fit for cutting. This is done an inch or two below the first leaf, and the plants are hung up head downwards in the drying-sheds until the stalks become dry, when the leaves are cut off, packed in bundles, and caiTied to the fermenting-shed. Here they are formed into " staples " — pyramidal heaps in which fermentation takes place — the heat being carefully noted by thermometers. Wlien the desired temperature is reached the " staple " is rebuilt, the outer 64 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. hi. bundles being now placed in the centre. When the leaves are considered fit, they are carried to another shed, where, after being- sorted and pressed, they are made into bales ready for shipment. The stalks left after the first cutting grow again, and yield a second and a third crop, which, though inferior in weight, show no deterioration in quality. The industry thus recently established in Sulu Island has, apparently, every prospect of success. By the manager of the Deli Maatschappij the soil was pronounced superior to the best ■ Siimatran ground. The natives, though sworn enemies of the Spaniards, are tolerably friendly with the Germans and English, and it is to be hoped that, when foreign capital is employed and Spanish influence has become greater, the conversion of the jMrang into the ploughshare may be not far distant, and that Sulu, from a land of bloodshed and rapine, may in time become as peaceful and agricultural as the Philippines. CHAPTER IV. THE SULU ISLANDS (continued). We visit the Panglima Danimang — Battle between the Panglima and Maharajah Tahil — The Panglima shows his teeth — An unpleasant predicament — The convicts in Jolo — A serio-comic drama — Pangasinan Island — A buU-iight — Siassi Island — Cholera epidemic — Lapac — Leave for Tawi-tawi Island — The Spanish settlement at Tataan — An unpleasant companion — Tawi-tawi pirates — Fauna and flora of the Philippines and Borneo contrasted — Consideration of the Sulu fauna — The Sulu Archipelago zoographically purely Philippine — The Sibutu Passage forms the boundary line — The Sulu language — History of Sulu —Treaty of 1885. We rode out one afternoon from Lukut Lapas to the house of the Pangihna Dammang. There had been some talk about another day's pig-stickmg, but we were uncertain about it, as the natives brought in the news that on the previous day he had summoned all his men to proceed against the Maharajah Tahil. We learnt that he had sent a challenge to this potentate, asking him to " come down and fight," and that the Maharajah, ever ready to oblige him, had replied that he would be delighted. " I will fight," he said, " but not with guns. Let us fight man against man ; spear to speai', and kris to kris." The event, we believed, had come off that morning, but we could learn nothing certain, and when we pulled up our horses at nine o'clock at night outside the Pangiima's stockades we were not at all sure if His Excellency had returned from the battlefield. It was some little time before they removed the bamboo barricades and admitted us, and riding into the court, which was VOL. IL F 66 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. Ml of Sulu warriors, we off-saddled the horses, aud entered the house. It consisted — as do most of the houses in Sulu, even of those of high rank — of a single large room. In the centre was a raised platform suiTOunded with curtains. This was the bedroom of the Pangluna and Ms two wives, the remainder of the apartment, which was carpeted with grass mats, forming his living and reception- room. Spears and guns were arranged on one side, and against the wall a few slightly-raised platforms served as sleeping-places for his head men or guests. We took possession of two or tlu'ee of these berths, where we had often slept before, and, producing our supper, discussed the events of the day. The Panglima, we learnt, had gained a complete victory. Thirty houses had been burnt, many of the enemy killed, and a considerable quantity of loot obtained, and, concluding that our host would be in the best of tempers for a hunt on the following morning, we chatted away merrily over our chocolate and pipes. Presently the curtains opened and the Panglima appeared, and squatted down without a word upon the dais. A glance at him told us that he was not in a condition to be trifled with, for he looked as black as thunder and took no notice whatever of us. It was in vain that we made our salutations, in vain that our clever little interpreter clad our congratulations on his \'ictory in all the poetic unagery of the East. Conversation falls flat if carried on on one side with a series of giimts, and we soon saw that it would be wisest for us to retire for the night as quietly as we coidd. The next day began with an amusing incident. An old woman entered the room with such a guilty look and melodramatic step that the only one of our party who was awake immediately " played 'possum." Having satisfied herself by close inspection that we were all asleep, she made for oui' bag, abstracted a Turkish towel, and, tucking it under her sai'ong, disappeared with great rapidity. Soon after tliis little occurrence the rest of our party woke, and the Panglima also appeared. Neither sleep nor the slaughter' of his enemies had exercised any softening effect uj)on him, and he looked IV.] THE PANGLIMA SHOWS HIS TEETH. 67 in an even worse temper than that of the night before. On our last visit the relations between ns had become rather strained, but we hoped that the difficulties had passed over. We had lost several small articles while in his house, and some dollars had been stolen from our clothes during the night. But the chief bone of conten- tion was with regard to some horses and silver -hilted spears that we had bought. The money had been counted twice by us before paying it, but almost immediately afterwards the Panglima had declared that it was eight dollars short. Tliis we had at once denied, and the matter had been allowed to drop, but now our host returned again to the charge, and roughly demanded the money. We were half inclined to make a compromise by tendering four dollars, but feeling that it would show weakness, and that he might think that we gave it through fear, we decided not to do so, and told him of the morning's theft. The woman was sent for, and finding the evidence too strong for her, confessed, producing the towel amid the laughter of the Sulus standing round, who evidently regarded her with great contempt for having been found out. Among these people the Italian proverb, " Peccato celato e mezzo perdonato," is true if we leave out the arithmetic, and it was quite within the bounds of probability that the delinquent had only been acting under orders. This incident, and our firm refusal to pay the money claimed, did not tend further to improve the Panglima's temper, and he growled out that " we English were liars, and that he would have nothmg further to do with us." In polite society it is, I believe, the generally- accepted rule that the application of this term compels the insulted person to strike his opponent with violence in the eye. We were not, however, in a position to take this measure, but replied politely that we should be pleased if he would consider our intercourse at an end, inwardly hopmg most sincerely that it might be. We then saddled our horses and rode slowly out of the stockade. It was crowded with people, and we should have had little chance had they attacked us. Fortunately, however, we were not intercepted. It was an unpleasant predica- 68 THE SULC ISLANDS. [chap. ment, from which we congratulated ourselves on ha\'ing escaped with whole skins. Our friend the Panglima we never saw again. In the war of succession in 1885 he was one of the first to fall. AYliile leading his men he received a spear-wound in the left eye, and thus Sulu A NATIVE OF SULl'. was rid of one of the most unmitigated scoundrels that ever trod its soil. On rejoining the yacht at Jolo we found a Manila man on board who had escaped from the town. He spoke a few words only of Spanish, but complained of being cruelly treated by the Spaniards, and begged most piteously to be allowed to remain. It is a most difficult thing to judge of such cases. From our own observation, and from our constant intercourse with the Spanish officers, — whom we invariably found to be, as far as we could judge, gentlemen in the widest sense of the term, — we were inclined entirely to disbelieve his story. The fact, however, remains that the convicts, possibly weary of the monotony of the life or in dread of the fever and dysentery that carries off their comrades IV.] VISIT TO PAXGASINAN. 69 day by day, constantly attempt to escape, although they well know that such attempts are almost invariably fatal. Unless he can manage to secure a prau, and put to sea on the hazardous chance of reaching some one of the Philippine Islands where he may be safe, the refugee is certain to be krissed by one of the Sulus who are for ever on the watch for such chances around the walls of Jolo. A reward is offered for the recovery of these men, but the Sulus apparently do not often claim it. We ourselves, while at Lukut Lapas, were witnesses of a little drama in which three actors played a part unconscious of our presence. It may perhaps be best described as a rapid procession in Indian file, with an escaped convict leading. Behind him came a Chinaman, anxious to secure his man and the reward, and behind him again a Sulu, parang in hand, and probably indifferent which of the two he brought to bag. It was a serio-comic drama in real life, but what was its last act we never discovered. The company vanished in the bushes and we pursued our way. Don Julian Parrado was very anxious for us to visit the island of Pangasinan, four or five miles to the north of Jolo, where, he told us, there were three curious circular lakes connected by canals — a sort of second edition of the crater-lakes of Cagayan Sulu, as far as we could gather. A picnic was accordingly arranged, the Spaniards being delighted at the prospect of a day's outing without danger ; and we started one morning shortly after sunrise with our guests and about five and thirty of the band, whose instrimients were, I am afraid, somewhat stronger than our Spanish. The three lakes proved to be a complete disappointment. They were merely mangrove inlets, and though perhaps a novelty to some of our guests, were by no means so to us. Their size, however, was very unusual, and the complete concealment of the passages from one to the other showed us what a perfectly impregnable pirate haunt it would have made. We learnt that it had actually served this purpose until quite lately, but that the settlement of the Spanish at Jolo had proved too much for the occupants. After poling our THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. way through the tortuous chaunels, which, but for the aid of a native we had with us, we should nevei' have found, we arri^"ed at the farthest lake, where, in the very centre, half a dozen pile- built huts were picturesquely grouped. An incident occurred here which, trivial though it was, showed that the feeling of the Spaniards towards the natives was, in some instances at least, kindly enough. They found a " Moro " ill in one of the huts, and asked me to see him. He had fractured a rib by falling on the end of a pile, and while I was debating wdiat substitute I should use for a bandage, one of the officers standing by took oft' his cholera-belt and handed it to me. I fear this little act of kindness was lost upon the patient. The Sulu character has no doubt many good points, but, as among most other native tribes with which I have been brought in contact, kindness and weakness are regarded as being very nearly synonymous terms. It was a matter of great distress to our friends at Jolo that they could not show us any hospitality. I use the word in its restricted British sense, which implies that the only way of enter- taining a guest is to feed him. " On ne dine jamais ici ; on mange," said Don Julian, deploring his inability to bid us to a feast of any kind. In default of meats for a dinner and partners for a ball, our indefatigaljle little friend had insisted on getting up a bull- fight in our honour, in spite of all we could do to prevent it. None of us had any love for these performances, and it was with con- siderable regret that we received our in^dtation, as we could not, of course, refuse to be present. The con\icts had been at work for some days at the ring, and Jolo had been ransacked from end to end for suitable costumes, and when we arrived on the Plaza on the appointed afternoon, we were astonished to find how admmibly the aftair had been got up. Gaily-dressed caballeros pranced around the entrance as w^e made our way to the grand box. Opposite to us was the band in its full strength, and to our right the dite of Jolo were assembled in another box. Crowds of Sulus and Manila men, gay with coloured sarong and haju, occupied IV.] A BULL -FIGHT. 71 every available point of observation ; flags fluttered from the tops of a hundred bamboos, and the few ladies whose unlucky fate had condemned them to a residence in Jolo came out in the dernid7-es nouveauUs from Madrid. The boxes were beautifully decorated with flowers, the uprights being covered with palm-leaves, with a single blossom of the frangipane impaled upon each leaflet of the frond. Bull-fighting is a form of amusement to which I have never as yet succeeded in accustoming myself, and of this particular per- formance the less said the better. It was, I think, the cruellest I ever saw. The pretty little Sulu bulls are such as can safely be approached and patted, and are without a particle of fight in their whole composition. Could we only have substituted the Pangiima Dammang and half a dozen of his chief warriors for them, we might, no doubt, have had some good sport and benefited the island at large. Maddened with the pain of the darts and impelled by the sole idea of escaping from its tormentors, the first bull rushed round and round the ring seeking for some place of exit, and from this arose the only amusing incident of the performance. At the corners were erected barriers to serve for the protection of the intrepid handerilleros, — fahlas, I believe, in the phraseology of the bull-ring. It soon became evident that they were unnecessary, and crowds of natives accordingly took possession, some perched on the top and others peeping between the boards. Behind one of these the bull, in his frantic efforts to escape, succeeded in forcing his way. A scene of dire confusion followed. A heaving mass, from which legs and arms, horns and tail, protruded, was all that was to be seen by the spectators. At length some bold individual succeeded in obtaining possession of the animal's tail, and by bringing it up with a sharp turn against the corner of the Ijarrier, his further progress was temporarily checked and the people extri- cated. Finally, however, he effected his escape, and his murder happily took place out of sight. T need not describe the details of the rest of the entertainment. 72 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. Given tame bulls aud a tyro cspada, they are better left to the imagination. One thing, however, deserves to be recorded. The third and last bull was — hear it, 0 ye champions of the rmg who lounge in the Puerta — a con:/ I was pleased to find the Governor at the back of the box, whither I retired. "I do not like bull-fights," he said. I confessed myself of the same opinion. On the 16th of May we returned to Meimbun en route for Siassi and the islands to the south-west. All our Spanish friends had come oif to bid us adieu, and we were most heartily sorry to part with them. The Governor especially, with his unvarying bonhomie, his keen sense of humour, and his quaint philosophy, had endeared himself to all of us, and we should have liked to take him away from the prison where he had still many more months to serve. Life in Jolo seemed to us to be little, if at all, better than penal ser\'itude. It is certainly more unhealthy, and, as we dipped our ensign, and the farewell strains of the band gradually faded in the distance, we wondered how many of our friends would welcome us should chance lead us again to the shores of Sulu on our return voyage. Siassi, which, with the neighbouring island of Lapac, forms an excellent harbour, lies about five and twenty miles to the south- south-west of Sulu. A Spanish settlement was formed upon it in October, 1882, and we found no less than three small vessels anchored off it, engaged in transporting stores and building materials. The settlement consisted of a block-house for troops, two or three houses for the ofticials, and a dozen or so of native huts, among which that of the ineAitable Chinaman was of course to be found. It is situated on the west side of the island immedi- ately opposite Lapac, and is under the command of a " Comandante Politico y Militar," Don Jorge Gordojuela, who proved a very pleasant companion, and rendered us every assistance in his power during our two days' ^^sit, Up to that time they had had no fighting with the natives, but apparently did not put any very great confidence in them. A few months previously the cholera IV.] CHOLERA IX LAP AC AXD SIASSL had literally decimated the inhaljitants. Out of a population SCENE ON THE MEIMBUN RIVER. (Caryota with inflorescence, and Nipa Palms.) Comandante told us that in one village he had seen one hundred 74 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. and twenty-live corpses laid out side by side. It is the custom to keep the dead imburied for five or six days, and the consequences in a climate such as these islands possess is better imagined than described. The account was given us by our informant with a minuteness of detail that rendered it perfectly horrible. It would seem that liere, as elsewhere in the Malay Arcliipelago, Europeans are but rarely attacked by the disease. Both Lapac and Siassi are volcanic, and are much denuded of forest, so much so, indeed, as to be almost bare in some parts. The rainy season too had fairly set in, and heavy tropical showers fell at intervals during our stay, so that we were unable to add many specimens to our collections, and thinking that Tawi-tawi — an island thirty or forty miles to the south-west — would probably prove a more interesting locality, we weighed anchor and left on May 19th. We directed our course towards the northern shore, for one of our chief reasons for visiting the island was to see what progress had been made by a Spanish settlement that had been recently established on it. We kept a good look-out, for this part of the archipelago is entirely unsurveyed, and early in the after- noon arrived at our destination, which was revealed at some little distance by the presence of a small gun-boat anchored off the settlement. Seawards, Tataan is protected by a chain of reefs and banks which, as we steamed into the large harbour thus formed, were \'isible for an immense distance ahead, the yellow sand glaring in the hot afternoon sun. As we approached the ship, a boat put off and the captain came on board. He was in the confidential stage of intoxication, and moimting the bridge wanted to pilot us to our anchorage, intimating afterwards that he would be glad of a fee for his serAices • This we pretended not to understand, and con- gratulated ourselves shortly afterwards on having got rid of him. Tataan had been founded five months before our visit. It was the first attempt of the Spaniards to gain a footing on Tawi- tawi, an island where the natives have a bad name even for Sulus. By no stretch of the imagination could it be called a taking place. IV.] TATAAN. 75 A broad, sandy path led from the shore to the large barrack- house, which was flanked on either side by two small buildings for the Commandant and his lieutenants. A force of eighty coloured soldiers were stationed here, but how they were employed or amused it would be difficult to say, for they could not go more than a hundred and fifty yards from the barracks in any dii-ection, the dense jungle ha\'ing only been cleared for that distance round the buildings. The Sulus were supposed to haunt the bush, and the garrison had already lost one or two men, of whom no trace had been discovered. Either they had been krissed or had lost their way in the jungle. Existence here seemed, if possible, several degrees w^orse than at Jolo. The only amusement was to bathe in a pretty, creeper -covered little bath-house, through which the streamlet of clear water that supplied the settlement had been led. The Commandant was pleased enough to have the dull monotony of his life interrupted by our arrival. He spoke Portugu.ese fluently, and aided by our letter of introduction from Don Julian Parrado, we were becoming very good friends when the door opened and the captain of the gun-boat reeled in. He helped himself to the Vermouth unasked, and turning round on us, abused us in the most violent terms for not having called on him before the Commandant — he " would teach the English to be as insolent to him again," and so on, the greater part of the harangue being, in the language of the police-courts, unfit for publication. He finally concluded by spitting in the Commandant's face. We were on the eve of a row, for the brute was not sufficiently drunk to be harmless, but it happily passed over, and we left the house at once without further incident. The sight was scarcely an edifying one to the native soldiers by whom we were surrounded.^ Tawi-tawi is, and has been from time immemorial, the haunt of pirates. In these days of steam few large vessels fall into their ^ We wrote to our friend the Governor of Jolo about this individual, and on our return from New Guinea learnt that he had been dismissed his ship. From what we saw of the Spanish officers, I am bound to say that such an instance as the above must be regarded as absolutely exceptional. 76 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. liaiids, but for praiis and small sailing ships insufficiently armed the locality is a dangerous one. The chief strongholds of these people are in the mangrove-lined shores of the southern part of the island, where, guarded by a network of reefs and shoals, they can bid defiance to any gun-boat sent against them. The Spanish settlement at Tataan is but a small beginning, but now that the supremacy of Spain in these seas is recognised by the European Powers, and the establishment of the North Borneo Company close at hand has caused a considerable development of trade, the islands have ceased to be the no-man's-land that they have hitherto remained, and the days of piracy are practically numbered. Tawi- tawi is about forty miles in length, is possessed of several good harbours and an excellent soil, but as yet it has been little cultivated. The northern coast appeared everywhere covered with dense jungle, but the south side is said to abound in natural clearings and to resemble Sulu Island. In the neighbourhood pearl-fishing is carried on to a considerable extent, but the pearls are stated to be of no great size. In spite of the comparative proximity of the two countries the fauna and flora of Borneo are remarkably distinct from those of the Philippine Islands. Borneo, as we know, is almost typically Indo- Malayan in its zoological characteristics, much more so indeed than Java, in spite of the far greater extent of sea which separates it from the ]\ialay peninsula. Its flora shows an equally great similarity to that of the latter country, and, if we pass to its physical aspect, .we find that not only is the island devoid of recent volcanoes, but its geology is entirely continental. "Were we to look at a chart we should see that, like Java and Sumatra, it is connected with the mainland by a submarine bank of vast extent, on which the soundings are everywhere extremely shallow. In sliort, it can be affirmed with the most absolute certainty that at one period of the world's history — geologically speaking, a com- paratively recent one — Borneo was united with, and formed the south-eastern limit of the great Asiatic continent. IV.] FLOE A AND FAUNA OF THE PHILIPPINES. 77 The Philippine Islands, on the other hand, are in every way of a difierent character. Taking the mammalia first, we find that only one monkey inhabits the archipelago as against the numerous species of this order found m Borneo and the other Indo-Malayan Islands. There are no elephants, rhinoceros, tapirs, sun-bears or tigers, and but very few small rodents. Among the birds a large number of characteristic Malayan genera are absent. On the other hand cockatoos and Brush-turkeys {Mcgcq)odius), both of which are peculiar to the Austro-]\Ialayan sub-region, inhabit the islands, together with numerous species of pigeons, whose abundance is a characteristic feature of the same zoographic subdivision. The flora, so far as is known, shows similar peculiarities, for, in addition to the absence of many typical Malayan genera, a large Australian and Austro- Malayan element is present in the archipelago.-^ Geologically also the Philippines present very distinct features. Although the occurrence of gold in quartz veins, together with lead and copper, indicate the presence in some places of rocks of an ancient epoch, the islands are to a great extent purely volcanic and tolerably recent.- Their geographical history is a difficult one to decipher. That they were at some period more or less connected with the Indo-Malayan continent is most probable, for in no other w^ay is it easy to explain the presence of many well-marked Indian forms. Such a comiection, supposing it to have existed, may possibly have been through Formosa with the northern limit of the Indo-Malayan sub-region, which would in a measure account for the absence of many of the larger mammals. This supposition is somewhat borne out by the existence of a shallow submarine bank between Luzon and Formosa by way of the Bashee Islands, and by the presence of a very marked northern element both in the fauna and flora. A similar submarine connection, however, also exists with Borneo through Palawan, and from the little we know of the latter island it would seem as if the Bornean ^ On the Flora of the Philippine Islands and its probable Derivation, R. A. Rolfe. "Journal Linn. Soc." vol. xxi. p. 295. - Stanford's Compendium, "Australasia," Fourth Edition, p. 268. 78 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. and Philippine faunas here commingled. But at whatever point to the south and west tliis junction with the mainland may have occurred, it is most probable that it was of a more or less temporary nature, — insufficient at least to permit the immigration of any but a few species. There is a final hypothesis — perhaps more tenable than either of the preceding — that the absence of Malayan forms is due to subsidence of the islands at a period subsequent to their separation from the continent. Be this as it may, however, the fact remains that the Philippines are markedly insular in their fauna and flora, and have been peopled to a considerable extent from the Austro-Malayan region.^ Connecting then, as they do, two countries between which such considerable differences exist, the Sulu Islands offered us most interesting problems for solution. Previous to the ^dsit of the Marchesa little or nothmg was known of the zoology of the archipelago, although a few bu'ds had been brought home by Mr. Burbidge, the well-known botanist. Our own ornithological collection numbered considerably over two hundred specmiens and comprised sixty-four species. This list is of course by no means an exhaustive one, but, as will be seen, it is more than sufficient to show the main source from wliich the bird-life of the archipelago is derived. If from these sixty-four species we deduct those — for the most part of wide distribution — which are common alike to Borneo and the Philippines, we have thirty-eight species left. Of these two were entirely new, and one (Carpophaga pickeringi) appears to be confined to Sulu and a few small islands to the north of Borneo. Tln'ee others {Dicrurus piectoralis, Ptilopus formosus, and Artamid.es 'pollens) are Celebean and Moluccan birds. Of the thirty-two species remaining two only aie Bornean and /no less than thirty Pliilippine. 1 Anoa depressicornis — a most peculiar form of wild ox supposed to be confined to Celebes — (see p. 211) is reported to be found also in Mindoro, but this fact has not as yet been proved. IV.] SULU ZOOGBAPHICALLY PHILIPPINE. 79 The same evidences of absence of a former connection with, or at least t)f a long separation from, Borneo are apparent if we turn to the mammals. The pig is, in all probability, an introduced species. A monkey is said to be found on Sulu w^hich is probably Macaciis cynomolgus, but we did not shoot it, and the only species of deer existent on the island we were unfortunate enough to fail in obtaining. No other animals, except the rat and various Pteropi, came under our notice during the whole of our visit. In Borneo the naturalist might obtain twice as many species in a single day. Mr. Burbidge's researches in the botany of the archipelago tell the same tale. " In Sulu," he says, " the flora showed a marked resemblance to that of the Philippine and Celebes groups." ^ Zoographically, then, Sulu is purely Philippine, just as it is politically by the treaty of 1885. If we consult the charts of the islands we shall see the explanation of it. The Strait of Basilan shows soundings of from thirty to forty fathoms only, and from that island south-westwards to Tawi-tawi the depths are such that a ship could easily anchor at almost any point on the submarine bank connecting the group. West of Tawi-tawi, however, the level of the sea-bottom completely changes, depths of 100 fathoms or more being obtained close in-shore, while in the fairway of the Strait, which is known as the Sibutu Passage, Captain Chimnio was unable to get bottom at 500 fathoms. The distance across the Strait is about eighteen miles, and the surveys hitherto made seem to show an equally precipitous slope of the eastern shores of Sibutu Island. There is at present no exact information with regard to the soundings between Sibutu and Borneo, one point of which, Tanjong Labian, is distant only twenty miles, but since many islets, reefs, and sand -cays are known to intervene, it is almost certain that they are not of any great depth. The Sibutu Passage thus seems to be the natural delimitation of the Philippine Archi- pelago, and the traveller crossing it eastwards from Borneo experiences a change in the nature of his surroundings, which, 1 "The Gardens of the Sun," by F. AV. Burbidge, p. 343. 80 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. although perhaps not actually regional, is quite as striking as that which Mr. Wallace has shown to exist at the Lombok Strait. ]\Ir. Burl)idge, in the work already quoted, states that the Sulu language " approaches that spoken by the inland tribes of North Borneo," ^ a statement in which I venture to think that he was mistaken. It appears to be closely allied to the Tagalog, and the so-called Bisayan of the riiilippine Islands, but to abound with A SULU GIRL. Malay and Javanese words, which have doubtless been introduced with Mohammedanism. The Arabic character is, I believe, the only one in use in the archipelago, but there are probably not many of the natives who are acquainted with the art of writing. Malay is very generally spoken by the coast dwellers, especially on the western side of the island, but in the interior it is little known except by the chiefs." The history of the archipelago, were it written, would consist of ^ There are of course many settlements of the Sulus in North Borneo, especiall}- in the neighbourhood of the Kiuabatangan. Perhaps it is to these that Mv. Burbidge refers. 2 Fide Appendix lA^. on the Sulu language. IV.] HISTORY OF THE ARCHIPELAGO. 81 little else but an account of the constant civil wars which have raged on the island, and the almost equally constant struggle with the hated " Castillans," who, almost from the very date of their seizure of the Philippines, sought to establish their power in Sulu, Three centuries have passed away since that time, and it cannot be said even now that they have advanced much l)eyond " suzerainty " in the English latter-day acceptation of the term. "Wearied of con- stant feuds, the Spaniards directed large expeditions against the island in 1628 and 1637, but their efforts were fruitless, and in 1646 they concluded a treaty by which, under certain conditions, they agreed to evacuate the main island and retire to Tapul, Siassi, and Pangiitarang. In reality they were making a virtue of necessity, for at this period they were in constant dread lest their enemies should call in the Dutch to their assistance. The treaty was hardly concluded ere it was broken, but it was not until many years later that any decisive steps were again taken for the con- quest of the islands. In 1731 a fleet of thirty Spanish vessels attacked Sugh, anticipating an easy victory, but so well did the Sulus fight that they succeeded in capturing their enemies' colours, and the fleet shortly afterwards sailed away. A few years later the Spaniards were again established upon the island with a garrison of 100 men, and made renewed but fruitless attempts to subdue this warlike and untamable race. In our own time, as may be gathered from the foregoing pages, matters have been little, if at all, more settled. In 1871 an attack in force was once more directed against the chief island, and fourteen gun-boats and other vessels bombarded and destroyed the large native town where Jolo now stands, and afterwards burnt some villages on the coast. A blockade was established, and the Spaniards commenced building Jolo and its fortifications. In February, 1876, their flag was hoisted. It floats at only three other settlements in the archipelago — Siassi and Tataan, to which I have already alluded, and Ysabela in the island of Basilan. By the Agreement concluded March 7th, 1885, between England, VOL. II. G 82 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. iv. Spain, and Germany, with reference tc» the 8uhi ArchipeLago and North Borneo, the sovereignty of Spain is recognised over the entu-e archijDelago, by which is understood all the islands lying between Mindanao and the Bornean coast. Spain renounces all claims to Xorth Borneo and the islands of Banguey and Balem- bangan, together with those of the Malawall^ Channel, in favour of England, and also acknowledges British sovereignty over all the islands within three miles of the mainland of Xorth Borneo. It is stipulated that there shall be perfect freedom of commerce and navigation in the Sulu Archipelago. Xeither export nor import duties are to be levied, and the British Government undertakes similar obligations with regard to the territories of the Xorth Borneo Company. J 3 CHAPTER V. BEITISH XOKTH BORXEO. The Britisli North Borneo Company — Its formation — Land grants from the Sultans of Brunei and Sulu — Territory acquired — Sandakan Bay — Elopura — Poorness of the soil — Silam — Ascend the Sigaliud River — Narrow escape of the Vigilant — Forest scenery — Graves of the Buludupis — Legend of the origin of the tribe — Birds of the jungle — Exports of Sandakan — Edible birds' nests — Sport in North Borneo — Proceed to Kudat — Murders at Bongon — Visit to Bongon with H.M.S. Fly — Bird caught in spider's web — "We are presented Avith a "while man" — Leave for Banguey Island — The German Borneo Company — Massacre of the English at Balembangan in 1775 — The Abai and Tampassuk Rivers — Gaya — Kimanis — Terrible epidemic of cholera — Floods — Advantages of Sarawak. Some four or five years ago the British public learnt, — with some interest perhaps, and certainly with no little astonishment, — that in a remote corner of Borneo, the very coast-line of which was hardly known, a " Xew Kepublic " had suddenly sprung into existence ; a private company established by Eoyal Charter, a nineteenth century East India Company on a small scale wliich, it was said, was destined to revolutionise the East, and to open up a new and salubrious field for the superabundant agricultural talent wliich is generally believed to be the endowment of most young Englishmen, and to be evidenced by a love of out-door exercise, a tendency to smoke short pipes, and a disinclination for all except the most cheerfully-bound literature. The Executive was formed upon the most approved principles. There were residents and assistant residents, immigration commissioners, surveyors, superintendents of agTiculture and the 84 BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. [chap. like, and there was certainly no lack of room for them to exercise their proper functions. The British North Borneo Company's steamship Leila, 276 tons (Thames measurement), formed the nucleus of a future navy. Cannon were imported, and Sikh policemen to discharge them. More peaceful avocations were not discouraged. The Sabah Mutual Supply Association was formed, upon whose premises various intoxicating liquors were permitted to be consumed, and the presence of billiard-tables soon rendered civilisation altogether complete. With all these, and many other advantages, it was not to be supposed that British North Borneo, or Sabah, as it is more tersely called, would be content to remain unseen and unknown. The Company hen had laid its egg, and was wisely determined that the world at large should become fully aware of the fact. A book was produced which set forth the many advantages of the country. Various contributors to the journals of Hongkong and the treaty ports of China visited the new territory, and were astonished to discover that the soil, as well as could be judged from the samples submitted to their examination in biscuit -tins, appeared to be peculiarly adapted for the growth of every kind of tropical produce. The dangers of the return voyage over, they wrote in glowing terms of the " New Eldorado," and spoke of the great future that lay before it. Their exertions were not without result. A stream of Chinese immigration set in, wliich rapidly increased in volume. The value of land in the settlements rose enormously. At the beginning of 1883, urban lots in Sandakan which, but a couple of years before, were dense jungle where a white man had never set foot, fetched as much as £896 per acre, and in April of the same year the Chinese were pou.rmg in in shoals, and land- speculation had reached its height. Before enlarging further upon the achievements and vicissitudes of the Company, and describing our experiences of the new territory, a few words on the history of its foundation are necessary. In bygone days the whole of Borneo was, nominally at least. v.] FORMATION OF THE COMPANY. 85 under the authority of the Sultan of Brunei, — the former name being merely a corruption of the latter. At the present time his possessions have waned to almost infinitesimal proportions. Brunei is now no longer synonymous with Borneo. The Dutch own the southern three-fourths of the island, and of the remainder the larger portion to the west is under the rule of the Eajah of Sarawak, who has now extended liis dominions as far eastwards as Barram Point. The British North Borneo Company occupy the extreme north-east, and the Sultan's country is thus sandwiched between two English states, with one of which it will doubtless before long become amalgamated. In December, 1877, a Mr. Alfred Dent, in conjunction with a certain Baron von Overbeck, concluded negotiations with the Sultan of Brunei for the transfer of the latter's right of possession of the district from Papar on the north-west coast to the eastern limit of the island, together with certain islands adjacent. On the same day a similar agreement was entered into with the Pangerang Tumonggong — the Sultan's heir — for the cession of the districts of the Kimanis and Benoni Pavers, which formed his own private estate. It was not the first time that such a grant had been made. Twelve years before, in 1865, the American Consul in Brunei obtained certain land concessions from the Sultan, which, if not actually co-extensive with the territory acquired by Mr. Dent, at least comprised a very large portion of it. The result was the formation of the American Trading Company of Borneo, and a large number of Chinese having been imported, a settlement was founded on the Kimanis Eivei'. The venture was a failure ; the Chinese settlement was not long afterwards abandoned, and in 1877 the Americans formally ceded their rights to the new Company. Much of the land thus granted, however, was also claimed by the Sultan of Sulu. It would have been difficult, if not impossible, to settle the validity of the title of each claimant, and hence an agreement of a similar cliaracter to that made with the Brunei Sultan 86 BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. [chap. was entered into with the Suhi potentate, by which, for the sum of £1000 paid annually, he agreed to convey the district to the grantees in fee simple. The annual sum of £3000 was to be paid to the Sultan of Brunei and the Pangerang Tumonggong under the same conditions. A provisional clause inserted at the instance of the British Consul for Borneo stipulated that " the rights and privileges conferred by the grant should never be transferred to any other nation, or company of foreign nationality, without the sanction of our Government being first obtained." These arrangements having been settled and a provisional Company formed, a Eoyal Charter was applied for. It was granted, and on the 1st November, 1881, the British North Borneo Company, with a nominal capital of £400,000, commenced its existence. The territory thus acquired occupies the northern extremity of Borneo, and is said to have an area of about 24,000 square miles. From its position it is completely surrounded by the sea except to the south and south-west, and the coast-line, which is extremely irregular, is believed to be over 600 miles in length. There are several most excellent harbours : the Kina Eiver is navigable for a distance of 200 miles by large steam launches ; and the great mountain of Borneo, Kina Balu, the height of which is estimated at 13,700 feet, lies within the territory. The Company have five settlements. Silam lies on the east coast and is unimportant ; Sandakan, and Kudat in Marudu Bay, the two chief places, are on the north ; and Gaya, Papar, and Kimanis, all of which are of no great size, are situated on the west coast. To those who look for the low, mangrove-lined shores that are a leading characteristic of many parts of Borneo, and, indeed, of most tropical countries, the first view of the entrance of Sandakan Bay is, to a certain extent, an agreeable disappointment. Mangrove swamps, indeed, there are in abundance, but they keep pleasantly in the background, and on rounding the north-west headland the fine red sandstone bluffs of Pulo Balhalla greet the eye in their stead. They rise almost perpendicularly to a height of v.] SAND AK AX BAY. 87 six hundred feet or more, and in the far recesses of the many caves with which they are pierced the so-called " Edible Swallow " (Collocalia lincJiii) constructs the nests, winch are destined in due season to be gathered by strong-headed natives, and to serve as dainties for the table of some rich Chinese. The little township of Elopura soon comes into view, placed on the north-west shore of the bay, but long before the anchor is down one has time to realise the fact that Sandakan is a magnificent harbour, — the best, perhaps, in the whole of Borneo. With an entrance a mile in width, it has a length of sixteen and a varymg breadth of from three to ten miles. One eighth of the bay only has been fully charted, — that portion nearest the entrance, but a running survey of the remainder shows that there is an abundant depth of water to its very head. Once well wdthin it the favourable impression given by the cliffs of Balhalla Island is somewhat dissipated. The low, flat land stretches in every direction, nearly as far as the eye can reach, unbroken save by the little island of Bai and the hills which form the immediate background of the settlement, and though several rivers are said to debouch into the bay, there is no ocular evidence of any one of them. Elopura, I believe, means "the beautiful city." There is a wealth of Oriental imagery in many of these Sanskrit words ; a luxuriance of poetical idea which the unromantic Westerner oc- casionally finds a little startling. The most imaginative of travellers would hardly have hit upon the name as an appropriate one. The township, which, by the more sanguine of its inhabitants was even at tlie time of our visit regarded as the possible future capital, presents itself as an uninteresting forest-clearing about a mile in length, traversed by yellow paths whose colour is derived from the soft sandstone which appears commonly to form the soil in this neighbourhood. The tree-trunks lay where they had been felled, but where the ground had been cleared it was carpeted with bright green but coarse grass. In front, built entu-ely on piles, half over the sea and half over fetid black mud, is the native town, composed 88 BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. [chap. of Malay and L'liiuese huts. The former race comprises individuals of many nations, — Borneans, Sulus, true Malays from the Straits Settlements, and " Manila men," as the natives of the Philippines are called — but of all these the Sulus were, at the period of our visit, by far the most numerous, though compared with the Chinese they were in the minority. The huts are mere sheds built with mats or " attaps " of Nipa leaves, and the streets between, if streets they can be called, are palm-stem gangways, elevated on piles to a height of six or eight feet above the water. We disembarked — I had almost said landed — on one of these erections late in the afternoon of April 3rd, and made our way landwards with a certain sense of insecurity as the pliant palm- laths bent beneath our feet. Clattering over these somewhat rickety roads through a motley crowd of natives congregated around the little booths where vendors of dried fish, bananas, and Chinese small o-oods were drivino- a brisk trade, it seemed some tune before we reached terra jirma, for the houses are built for a considerable distance over the water, and the odours that arose from the sea of black mud beneath us were none of the pleasantest. We found some friends whom we had pre^'iously met in Singapore, and it was not long before we had exliausted all the sights of Elopura. Behind the native town the hills rise steeply to the height of a couple of hundred feet or more, and were being cleared of the jungle as fast as possible, the sound of the axe and the crash of falling timber being audible in all directions. The houses of the Europeans were placed upon the hill-side. They were built, like those of the natives, of palm-leaf mats, and were about ten or twelve in number. " Government House," which served the purpose of a dak -bungalow, or rest-house, was a more pretentious building, but the palm was borne by the store of the Sabah Mutual Supply Association, gay with tins of potted meats within, and proud in the consciousness of its corrugated zinc roof. Cliinamen were trotting about in every direction with an affair^ au\ The town was neither picturesque nor beautiful, and even for a new settlement v.] ELOPURA. 89 was as imtidy as any I have ever seen ; but it was most certainly busy.^ Thanks to the exertions of the late Sir Walter Medhurst, the Immigration Commissioner in Hongkong, Chinese from that city and Singapore reached the new country in great numbers. At the beginning of 1882 the population of Elopura was not more than 2000. In April of the following year it had reached 5000. Up to that date the passage-money of the coolies had either been paid or advanced, but this practice was afterwards discontinued. Labour, nevertheless, was extremely high. The lowest price at which it was obtainable was 33 cents (one shilling and four- pence) per diem, bvit 50 cents was more usual. Such wages were of course well-nigh proliibitive of remunerative farming, and though they have possibly decreased since, it is in the highest degree improbable that labour will ever be obtainable at as low a figure as it is in Ceylon, or even anything approaching it. Yet there is no lack of steam communication. A subsidised steamer arrives every tliree weeks from Hongkong, and the Singapore mail is due at intervals of about eight days. The rapid growth of Elopura reminds a traveller to whom " rushes " are not unfamiliar of other townships he has seen spring up, even more quickly, in a " diamondiferous " or gold-bearing locality. There the interest not unnaturally centres in the precious stone or metal which has brought them to the place. In British North Borneo the great fertility of the soil was the nominal inducement. Yet it was singiilar to note how little people seemed to trouble themselves about it, and how slow they were to profit by the advantages which, we were told, surrounded them on all sides. On our arrival little or no actual planting had been commenced, but about a mile behind the town a large forest-clearing was being made. Some sucjar-cane had been tried, but the soil was un- suited for its growth, the canes being small and scrubby, and with very short internodes. Lanook {Musa tcxtilis) was doing faudy ^ In April, 1886, almost the wliole of the lower town was destroyed by fire. 90 BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. [chap. well, but the few oranges and pummaloes that had been tried were covered with blight. The soil appeared poor, and the judicious planting (in a metaphorical sense) of a town lot must, no doubt, have been a far more profitable employment. At Silam, in Darvel Bay, the best land in Sabah is said to be met with. Thirty acres were cleared shortly after the establish- ment of the Company, and planted experimentally with tea, coffee, cinchona, cacao, sugar, and other products. Of these coffee and sugar seem to have done well, far better indeed than the four Europeans who were looking after the plantation. As we arrived in Sandakan we found the doctor starting to their assistance, intelligence having just arrived that they were all down with fever. We did not visit the settlement, and had consequently no oppor- tunity of judging of its success, but although the cultivation of tobacco was recommended, that of cinchona and blue-gum trees would also appear to be not inadvisable. We had heard a good deal of the rivers flowing into Sandakan Bay, and of the fertility of the soil that formed their banks. On the 11th of April we accordingly started for the Sigaliud in a heavy steam launch drawing nearly seven feet of water aft, pro- visioned for a four or five days' absence. The river is a large one, and debouching at the head of the bay is nearly fifteen miles distant from Elopura. With the Marchesas cutter and skiff in tow we reached the mouth in a couple of hours' steaming, passing a picturesque native "village at the entrance. There is a depth of sixteen feet on the bar at low water, and the stream is navigable for barges and such craft for about thirty miles from the mouth. There is a striking and wearisome monotony in all these Bornean rivers. At first nothing is to be seen but mangroves. The actual breadth of the river it is impossible to guess, for land and water merge imperceptibly into one another behind the thick curtain of dull, lifeless green. Four or five miles are passed thus, and then a stray Nipa palm rises here and there from the hot and muddy stream. It is just as much a water plant as the mangrove, and v.] THE SIGALIUD RIVER. 91 its huge fronds are not only among the most graceful of tropic forms, but have the additional advantage of utility. From them the attaps are made, — the large mats used in the construction of the native huts. The young and tender leaves supply the place of cigarette papers, and the heart of the palm, like that of many others in this part of the world, makes an excellent "cabbage," which, either raw or dressed, is by no means to be despised even by the most fastidious. Soon the dreary-looking mangrove swamps become almost entirely replaced by this tree, and ere long a glimpse of the bank is caught, and the huge forest-trees close in on either hand, forming walls a couple of hundred feet in height, between which the stagnant-looking river is dwarfed almost to a ditch. The heat increases, and but few signs of animal-life are evident. The inevitable whimbrel of course is to be found, and the Common Sandpiper {T. hypohiicus) flies past with its clear note of alarm. Were the traveller to confine himself to the lower portion of these rivers, he would find the exploration of one of them quite sufficient for a sample. We steamed steadily up stream for five and twenty miles or more without incident, except on one occasion, when an unusually sharp bend proved too much for the steering capabilities of the Vigilant, and we found ourselves crashing full tilt into the jungle. It was the first time I had ever attempted to navigate a forest with a steam launch, and our utter helplessness as the heavy craft was brought up all standing among the Nipas was rather laughable. However, we at length managed to disentangle ourselves, and once more proceeded on our course. No signs of human habitation or clearings were to be seen until we reached our destination — the highest point that the 7-foot draught of the Vigilant permitted her to attain. Here we found a couple of huts, wliicli were inhabited by some natives of the Buludupi tribe, and made fast our craft a short distance farther up stream. It was high water at the time, but as we were assured that there was only a rise and fall of eighteen inches, we did not regard our proximity to the bank with 92 BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. [chap. any appreliension, and left in the cutter for a cruise in search of natural history and photographic objects. On our return we found that the captain and owner of our vessel, as well as others who had accompanied hun, was fast becoming hilarious. We had hardly finished dinner before it became evident BULUDUFI HUTS, SIGALIUD KIVER. that the Vigilant had taken the ground — a proceeding that was in no way necessary, as we had carried three fathoms of water the greater part of the run up, and had still a depth of twelve or fourteen feet in mid-stream. It was soon apparent that the affair might become serious for the owner of the craft, as she careened over more and more, her list being unfortunately towards the centre of the river. If the tide only fell low enough her fate was merely a matter of time, for the banks sloped at an angle of many degrees. v.] A CONTRETEMPS. 93 and while there was six feet of water on one side of the vessel, we found six inches only on the other. Soon everything began falling over to leeward, and in a few minutes the cook's galley, live coals and all, went across the deck with a crash. The impedi- menta of our party lay in a confused pile mixed up with chairs and the debris of our dinner, and we set to work to rescue what we could with all despatch, — an affair of some difficulty, as we were no longer able to stand upon the deck. Meanwhile the gallant captain was engaged in a full-flavoured altercation with the mate and crew concerning the making fast of certain hawsers to the trees, which we had advised hmi to do some time before. From our point of view, the incident was ludicrous enough as we crawled about the deck on all fours in search of our property, but judging from the expletive richness of the captain's language, the comic element of the affair was evidently lost upon him. At length, however, the tide turned, and with the young flood all doubts were at an end. Before daylight the Vigilant was once more on an even keel, and we were all comfortably turned in. A dense, sluggish mist hung over the river in the early morning, and did not entirely clear off until nine o'clock. It reminded one unpleasantly of Africa, and was immediately suggestive of quinine. Two of our party started at once for Batang Ipil, — the farthest point to which the Sigaliud is practicable for small boats, — in the liopes of obtaining wild cattle, which were said to be numerous in the neighbourhood. As the sun got higher the heat became tremendous, and at mid-day, flnding it almost insupportable ashore, I returned from a collecting trip in the jungle, hoping to find a breath of air in mid-stream. The cabin temperature was 95° Fahr., but it was distinctly cooler. What heat of this kind is, in a damp climate like that of Borneo, can only be realised by those who have experienced it. The far higher thermometric temperatures in dry climates, such as Australia and Africa, are child's play in comparison. In the afternoon I explored a small tributary stream which joined the Sigaliud a mile or two above tlie Buludupi huts. It is 94 BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. [chaf. a mistake to suppose that all tropical rivers are alike, and, as I Heated gently up stream on a rising tide, I could not help feeling how much more to my taste were others I had seen in other parts of the world, in spite of the undoubted beauty of the jungle and the enormous height of the trees. The stream, forty or fifty feet in width, looked a mere runlet beneath the huge forest giants rising so abruptly from its banks. Towering up as clean, straight, branchless trunks, often for a hundred and fifty feet or more, their tops were merged in those of others by the dense masses of creeper which had sprung from branch to branch and overwhelmed them. The roots of these monsters of the vegetable world are strengthened in their hold by buttresses of corresponding size, smooth and fiat as though constructed by the hand of man, and supporting the stem for a distance of perhaps thirty feet from the ground. Doubt- less also the creepers which bind the trees together at their summits help in no small degree as a support, but in this region there are few high winds, and typhoons are non-existent. High up, in the forks of the branches dozens of yards above our heads, are thick dark masses which the glasses reveal as clumps of the Birds'-nest Fern {Neottopteris), or the still more curious Platyccrium or Elk's Horn, whose upper fronds, deeply dentate, cling to the trunk with their base, from which the long, seaweed-like, fertile fronds hang pendulous. Orchids, too, there are in abundance, could we only see them, but their flowers are too small, or, like the G-rammatophyllum, too dull in colour for us to distinguish them with ease. Not a breath of air stirs leaf or water, and the oily, pea- soup-coloured river with its oozy banks looks untempting enough beneath a sun whose heat seems to penetrate to one's very marrow. Few visible signs of life appear to break the monotony of the scene, save when a flash of vivid cobalt blue tells us that an Irena has crossed the stream, or a party of monkeys swing chattering from bough to bough. But if there is rest for the eye there is little oi- none for the ear. The forest is alive with sound, from the dull, hoarse cry of the hornl)ill and the slow sioish, sunsh of its powerful v.] BULUDUPIS. 95 wings, to the loud booming note of the large Fruit-eating Pigeons {Carpophaga) and the ceaseless and ear-piercing whir-r-r of thousands of cicadas. It is tropical nature indeed, but in its least pleasing aspects, and, lying sweltering between the walls of vegetation that shut him in on either hand, almost too inert to lift the gun to his shoulder, the traveller longs for a less vehement nature, — for the restfulness of an English ..." liiddeii brook In the leafy month of June That to the sleeping woods all night Singeth a quiet tune." Coolness of a comparative sort conies with the setting sun, and the nights are more pleasant with a light blanket than without, but the heat we experienced in these Bornean rivers during the day was almost as trying as that of New Guinea or West Africa. The following morning we started early upon a photographic tour. The Buludupi huts were our first object, but we tried in vain for a long time to get a photograph of one of the dug-out canoes of these people, which was manned by four little heathens in a state of nature. Some of the children had their heads completely shaved, but in others a small tuft of hair was allowed to grow over the forehead, after the manner of Chinese small boys. I do not know whether this custom is general among any of the interior tribes, but the fact seems interesting when the connection between China and Borneo in bygone times is borne in mind.^ Proceeding up stream for some distance we noticed traces of an old footpath upon the bank, and on landing and following it into the forest, we came upon a clearing which was evidently a burial- ground of the Buludupis. It contained about a dozen graves. Oblong pieces of wood with a narrow mortice cut longitudinally through them lay upon the slightly-raised mounds, and at the head was a small wooden post, roughly carved after the Malay ^ Many instances of this connection might be adduced in Bornean nomenclature, such as Kina-hahx (Chinese widow), Kina-ha,tB,nga,i\ (Chinese river), etc. etc. 96 BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. [chap. fashion. By the side of several graves was placed a sort of rude bier, vipoii which the corpse had evidently been carried to its last resting-place, and here and there a miniature bamboo flagstaff was planted, from the top of which still hung a few tattered rags of linen. The scene was beautiful as well as quaint, for the ground had been liberally planted with crotons and dracajnas, whose coloured leaves stood out in bold relief against the heavy dark green of the forest around. Close by, a few arecas and an old coco-palm revealed the age of the clearing. A few years ago, when the pirate fleets from the Sulu Islands ravaged the countries far and near, the natives lived far up the rivers, where they were safer from attack, better able to defend themselves, and more free to grow their crops. Now that security is greater, many of the clearings are deserted, and have become rapidly overgrown. The Buludupis have a curious account of their origin. An old woman — but of what nation history does not inform us — one day instructed her daughter to light a fire. Again and again the young woman tried ; again and again she failed. At length, wearied by her non-success, and by the abuse of her mamma, who, as far as it is possible to judge of historical personages, seems to have l3een a woman of violent temper, she exclaimed, " The Fire Fiend may take me, if he will only let me get this alight." No sooner had she spoken than her wish was gratified, but at the same instant she disappeared from view. Time passed by, and at length she returned from the lower regions, and interesting as must have been her adventures, of which, by the way, history gives us no account, they were not more so than her condition. In a few days she gave birth to a son, who was the progenitor of the Buludupi tribe. We continued our voyage up stream after having taken photographs of the burial-ground, and constantly passed the re- mains of old clearings. The river had become much narrower, and the forest-trees were laru'er than I ever recollect seeing; them in v.] BIRDS OF THE JUNGLE. 97 any other part of the world. The heat was perhaps slightly more bearable than on the preceding day, but a succession of tremend- ously heavy rain-showers drenched us to the skin. Such weather is always most unfavourable to the naturalist, not only as regards his health and comfort, but his work also. Beasts, birds, and beetles alike take shelter from the pitiless rain, and photography becomes an impossibility. Between the showers, however, we managed to obtain a few birds, conspicuous among which was the exquisite Irena, — the whole of its upper surface of the most vivid cobalt blue. The feathers of this bird are sent from Borneo to Canton, where the Chinese use them for making a very effective blue enamel in articles of jewellery. Hanging back downwards in all sorts of attitudes, searching the blossoms of the flowering trees for insects, the little so-called Spider-hunters (ArachnotJiera) were common enough, but difficult to shoot, owing to the great height of the trees they frequented. They are remarkable for the great size of the beak, which in some species is nearly as long as the body. This abnormal development is no doubt of the greatest assistance to them in searching the deep corollas for their insect prey. The Racquet-tailed Drongo - shrike (B. hrachyphorus), a striking, but tolerably common object in the forests of Borneo, also fell to my gun. In many of the drongos the two outer tail feathers show a greater or less amount of corkscrew twist, but in this species the shaft is prolonged to a length of twelve or fourteen inches, and is perfectly bare except at the end, which presents a small, curved spatula of a blue-black colour. The soil along the banks of the Sigaliud was, as might be expected, of far better quality than that in the neighbourhood of Elopura. As we floated back to the Vigilant its many advantages for sugar-raising were being expatiated on at length by a land- prospector who formed one of our party. The moment chosen, however, was not a very lucky one for the advocate of river-side planting. At that instant we happened to be passing beneath an overhanging tree, in the branches of which, twenty feet or more VOL. II. H 98 BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. [chap. above our heads, an irrefutable argument in the shape of a lump of grass and driftwood had stuck. The country round is for the most part low and flat, and of the effect of the floods in the rainy- season we had afterwards a good opportunity of judging during our FOREST-CLEARING AND LARGE TREE NE.VR SANDAKAN. visit to the Papar-Kunanis district. Towards evening the rest of our party returned from Batang Ipil, having been unsuccessful in the way of sport, although much spoor had been seen. The following morning we retm^ned to Elopura. The export trade of the Sandakan district at the time of our visit lay entirely in the natural products of the country. Eattan- canes, gutta, daimnar, camphor, sharks'-fin, beche de mer, and pearl- shells were the chief, and the supjaly of all these in the forests v.] THE ''BIRDS' -NEST SWALLOW." 99 and seas of the Company's territory is, with the exception perhaps of gutta, practically inexhaustible. But of all the exports the edible birds' nests are by far the most important. The Gomanton Hill, in the neighbourhood of the Sapugaya Eiver, alone produces enormous quantities, — to the annual value, indeed, of over £5000. The caves of Bodmadai in Darvel Bay are reported to be nearly as valuable, and there are eight or ten others which are for the most part either indifferently worked or as yet unexplored. The nests are di\T.ded, according to their colour and purity, into three qualities, puti, manas, and itam (white, medium, and black), which at a low estimate are severally worth about eleven hundred dollars, two hundred dollars, and ninety dollars per ])icul of one hundred and thirty -three pounds. That the value of this article of commerce is considerable may be judged from the fact that for the half-year ending June, 1882, the duties on birds' nests exported from Elopura at five per cent amounted to a sum of eleven hundred dollars. On the 1st of January, 1883, the duty was raised to ten p^ cent. The "Birds' -nest Swallow" is essentially a gregarious bird, roosting and building in huge caves which it shares with vast quantities of bats. It does not invariably breed thus, for I have seen a couple of nests built close together on the face of a small cliff barely ten feet from the sea-beach, exposed to the full glare of daylight. Such instances, however, are exceptional. In the vast majority of cases the nests are placed on the sides and roofs of caves where the light is generally dim, and often entirely absent. We were unable to visit the Gomanton Hill as we had intended, but I am indebted to my friend ]\Ir. Bampfylde — one of the few Europeans who has explored it — for the following account of the method of collecting : — " The nests being situated in sucli awkward positions, at a great height, much skill and ingenuity is employed, and only skilled collectors can collect. The rule is to have one head-collector (Tukang) for each cave, wdth three or four coolie collectors to assist him, though all the caves cannot require so 100 BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. [chap. many, and I fancy, Avitli a proper dmsion of labour, ten head-men with fifty coolies would be sufficient to collect at Gromanton. The higher the nests are situated the better they are, being drier and freer from dampness. For taking the nests situated lower do^^^l, and for getting those out of arm's-reach, a very long bamboo, spiked, and with a candle near the spiked end, is used ; with this they can see and detach the nests. Those situated higher up, and consequently the most valuable, being the majority of them situated in such dizzy heights (up to 600 feet), are taken by means of rattans or rattan-ladders lowered down between holes and small outlets, some of them too small to permit a man to pass through, of which there are many. Where a man can pass through, they employ a rattan or ladder long enough to reach do^^^l to the nests, otherwise a ladder long enough to reach the ground is let do-wn, so that the collector can ascend. By using sticks and bamboos inserted in cre\ices and holes they can, in a most extraordinary manner, work their way along the faces of these precipices to a recjuired point, and in one or two places I have seen stages fixed right on to the roof, where it would seem utterly impossible for a man to work his way. One I noted about 300 feet from the ground, with no outlet close to it, and situated equidistant from the walls, right in the middle of the roof, to get to which, by means of rigging a stage or up the walls, would seem to be impossible. " Long bamboos with steps up them, and secured by rattan stays, wdth sitting stages, are also employed to work from the ground. The caves can be worked equally as well by night as by day, without any fear of scaring the birds. " The natives collect in a slovenly manner, and not always in the proper season. Great care should always be taken after detaching the nests to sweep the various lodgments so as to remove all mess and feathers, which would otherwise adhere to the next lot of nests, and deteriorate them in value. This is invariably done by the Sarawak Land Dyaks, and owing to superior knowledge on the part of the collectors, and more careful management, the nests from the caves on the Sarawak River are very valuable, though the caves, and consequently the amovmts produced, are greatly inferior to those of Gomanton. " For some years back there appear to have been only two seasons for collecting, ^iz. the Papas and Kampala; one about March, and the other about two months later, I am, however, informed, on the authority of experienced collectors and others, that the most remimerative way is to divide the year into four seasons, as formerly done. Xo fixed date can be given for these seasons, and the gathering depends on the laying of the eggs, and when this commences the nests must be taken. The natives say that the birds will lay four times a year if four collections are made, but if there are only two v.] TRADE OF SANDAKAX. 101 collections they lay twice only. The first three seasons always produce white nests, the last only manas and itam (the medium and hlack qualities), but it must be worked to insure a good harvest for the next coming Papas season. " By these means a larger quantity and a far finer quality of nests are obtained than by dividing the year into two seasons only, when the birds are allowed to add and add on to their old nests, — as they will invariably do, — which rapidly deteriorate, becoming dirty and of low value. As the nests are taken only when the eggs are laid, a danger of over-collecting might be apprehended, but I am assured no such danger exists, as the birds carry on the breed in nooks and crannies inaccessible to the collectors." The trade of Sandakan, as well as of the other ports of British North Borneo, appears to be almost entirely in the hands of the Chinese. The following figures represent the value of the exports and imports of Elopura from 1881 to 1884 inclusive : — Imports. Exports. 1881 8160,658 $145,443 1882 269,597 133,665 1883 428,919 159,127 1884 377,885 184,173 The sport to be obtamed in Xorth Borneo is not such as would repay a visit. Elephant and rlmioceros are both to be found, as are also the tapir and the Malayan Husa, but for many reasons the sportsman's bag is not likely to be a heavy one. The elephant, as far as is known, is confined to this, the north-east promontory of the island, and is believed to have been introduced by man. It is now chiefly to be found in the Darvel Bay district. Gaur are said to exist, and there are, no doubt, great quantities of pig. But it is worthy of note that two English oflicers, both of them well- known sportsmen, who devoted four months to big-game shooting in British North Borneo in 1883, returned to Hongkong entirely unsuccessful. Game, no doubt, there is, but it is quite another thing to shoot it. The climate is by no means a healthy one, and there is considerable difficulty in obtaining transport and provisions. There are no trained shikaris, for hunting does not seem to be 102 BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. [chap. taken up as a regular pursuit by any of the natives, as is the case in India and Africa. If big -game shooting in this part of the world be contemplated, there are no advantages in Borneo which Java, Sumatra, or the Malay Peninsula could not show, while for variety of game, easy accessibility, and comfort in travel, the latter countries are to be preferred. During our visit to the new colony we made no attempt at any larger game than pig and deer, preferring the acquisition of some knowledge of the various settlements and their prospects to the shadowy possibilities of an elephant. Libarran Island, which lies some twenty miles or more to the north of Sandakan Bay, is believed to be, and no doubt really is, full of deer, but an excursion we made thither in search of them was unsuccessful, owing chiefly to inefficient beating, and we had to be content with the inspection of their numerous tracks. Ornithologically speaking, however, the visit was not unproductive, and we added several species to our collections. Among them was an exquisite little black Sun-bird (Chalcostetha insignis), its head and throat glittering with metallic emerald and ruby. It is a not uncommon species, but during the whole of our visit to North Borneo we never met with it elsewhere. We left Elopura for the second time on the 22nd of May, in company with H.M.S. Fly, and proceeded to Kudat, which at the time of our visit was the seat of Government and the headquarters of the Company. The present capital is Elopura, in which place, ever since its foundation, trade has centred. Kudat is situated in a small harbour on the western shore of Marudu Bay, and is, roughly speaking, about one hundred and fifty miles from Sandakan by sea. Between the two settlements lies the difficult Mallawall^ Channel, a network of reefs and shoals which is only navigable by day, and even then only with great care. Kudat has, therefore, the double advantage of greater proximity to Hongkong and Singapore and absence of risks in navigation. The latter can certainly be avoided by taking a more northerly passage, but only at the expense of several hours. The visitor's first impression of v.] VISIT TO BONGON. 103 the township is a favourable one. Its situation is far prettier than that of Elopura; it is neater and cleaner, and the bungalows, instead of being constructed with palm-leaf attcqjs, have here their walls of wood. There are walks and woodland roads in many directions ; there is a splendid sea-beach extending for miles, and, wonderful to relate, we actually found some attempts at gardening. Happily, too, — though doubtless unfortunately, from the colonial point of view — there is a paucity of Chinese population. In point of size Kudat is not great. It boasts of little more than a thousand inhabitants, and its trade is, or rather was, — for in speaking of a new country it is at least polite to put these facts in the past tense, — comparatively insignificant. Bad water and alleged unhealthi- ness have made the settlement an unpopular one with the Chinese, and though the former evil has been remedied, and the climate is at least no worse than that of Elopura, the latter town has remained the favourite in the eye of the Celestial, and, in consequence, much the same feeling exists between the inhabitants of the two places as that between Sydney and Melbourne, or the "Eastern" and " Western " districts in South Africa. We celebrated the Queen's birthday in the most approved colonial fashion. H.M.S. Fit/ and the yacht were gaily dressed ; the royal standard was saluted from "The Battery;" a cricket match (the Marchesans and Borneans v. the Flies) was played; a tug-of-war between the officers and crew of the two ships con- tested, and our kind host. Sir Walter Medhurst, then Acting Governor, entertained us at tiffin. Loyalty, public spirit — and the temperature — were at fever heat. The Fly's visit to Marudu Bay was on particular business. Just two months previously a Chinaman had accidentally shot a Bajau woman at Bongon, a small village at the head of the bay. He was immediately seized by the natives, and though intelligence of the disturbance was at once sent to Kudat, the wretched man was despatched with kris and spear. A small body of Sikh police was sent to the spot to arrest the murderers, but the latter refused 104 BRITISH XORTH BORNEO. [chap. to give themselves up, and attacked the Silvhs unexpectedly. In the skirmish that ensued three Bajaus and two of the police were killed, and hoth parties withdrew. Ten days later a larger force of Sikhs was sent to the village, and a fine of SI 00 miposed, which was eventually paid. It was with a view of ascertaining the state of affairs that the Fly — with Mr. Gueritz, Eesident of Kudat, on board — sailed for Bongon on the 25th of May, in company with the Marchesa. "We anchored nearly three miles from the mouth of the river on which the callage is placed, for the bay is here very shallow, and the rise and fall of tide considerable. It is, indeed, facetiously related that early one morning one of the watch of a certain gun-boat reported that the " anchor was in sight two points on the port bow on a mud-bank." We proceeded in the cutter and steam launch to the village, and were well received, the natives flymg little white flags on their huts in token of submission ; and from what we learnt there was no doubt that the disturbance had no political significance whatever. In the eyes of these natives the taking of a human life is a little thmg. When they realise the fact that each Sikh policeman brought to bag costs fifty dollars, it is to be hoped that they may relinquish the sport. The pleasant jungle walks and long stretches of beach fringed with Cycas and Casuarina proved a source of great enjoyment to us during our week's stay at Kudat, and we added considerably to our collection. In one of my morning rambles I came across a small bird {Mixornis hornensis) fast entangled in the we]) of a spider of the genus Nephila. These structures in the tropical forests of this part of the world are often of large size and gTeat strength, but I w^as astonished to find that they were sufliciently strong to capture a bird which, in this instance, was as large as a goldfinch. For the moment my feelings of humanity overpowered me, and I released the captive, but directly afterwards I regretted that I had done so, as the conclusion of the drama might have been of interest. The spider, though evidently somewhat deterred by his unusually large capture and the violent shakings of the web. v.] BIRD -EATING SPIDERS. 105 showed no intention of flight, and quietly watched the issue of events close by. I am not aware that this genus is avivorous, but the huge Mygale is supposed to be. One of these is a common species in Borneo, living in holes in banks. The entrance is perfectly circular and about two inches in diameter, and the smooth tunnel leads backwards to a small chamber eighteen inches or more from the mouth. This creature is of enormous size — the body as much •' BONGON. as three inches long, by an inch in width, and it is no doubt quite strong enough to cope, not merely with a callow nestling, but even with an adult bird of small size. A day or two after our Bongon expedition we became the fortunate possessors of the best pet that ever took up his quarters on board the Marchesa. He was a present from Mr. Gueritz, the Eesident of Kudat, who received him from an English-speaking Malay in the Company's service, accompanied by the following note announcino' his arrival : — 106 BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. [chap. "My bast Compliments to yau. I was sent yau 27 faowels and One while man. Plice Eecived By the Bearar and Plice Fed the Bord Hayar, and I was sick. A. C. Pitchy." The " while man," I need scarcely say, was an orang-utan, — a formidable-looking beast enclosed in a large wooden cage. We had at first the greatest respect for him, and he was fed through the bars with all possible precaution. One day, however, he managed to escape, and we suddenly discovered that he was of the most harmless and tractable disposition. From that moment " Bongon " became the pet of the ship, and was spoilt alike by the crew and ourselves. Indirectly this was, no doubt, the cause of his death, — a much-deplored event that took place some months later on the coast of Celebes. We left Kudat May 30th. The northern part of Borneo is by no means plentifully supplied with good water, and we tried in vain to fill our tanks in the neighbourhood of Cape Sampanmangio. We were equally unsuccessful in our search along the coast beyond, and as our supply was nearly finished we decided to return east- wards and try Banguey Island. It is the most northern possession of the Company, and but little is as yet known of it, though Balembangan — an island in close proximity to it — was in the middle of the last century an English settlement. We anchored a little to the south of Banguey Peak — a conspicuous, sharp cone of nearly 2000 feet, which is believed to be an extinct volcano — and were fortunate enough to hit off the entrance of a small river, the existence of which, though not discovered by Belcher and other ex- plorers of these seas, had been made known to us by some of the officers of the North Borneo Company. The mouth was completely hidden from tlie ship by a long strip of sand running out from the left bank, and on entering we found ourselves surrounded by pretty scenery, which was the more striking from the absence of man- groves. We were able to row up stream for nearly a mile, when we came to a sudden bend where the stream ran briskly over pebbly shallows. The water was clear and good, and we at once v.] BANGUEY ISLAND. 107 began filling the lifeboat and cutter. The knowledge of this stream would be most useful to those cruising off this part of the Bornean coast, for to the south-west there are few, if any, places where good water can be obtained. The contrast between the island and the coast we had just left —for the mainland of Borneo is only eight miles distant — was rather striking. Banguey Peak is almost certainly volcanic, although we did not examine the crater which is said by the natives to exist at its summit. N"ear the entrance of the river is a cliff of red granitic rock, and pebbles of mica -schist and quartz were abundant in the stream, with large lumps of " pudding-stone " conglomerate. Mr. Dalrymple, who had visited this spot in the preceding month and had explored some distance inland, found micaceous schist, talcose and gneiss formations, and red and blue clay slates. The vegetation also was a little unfamiliar, and I noticed two species of Pandanus which I had not seen before. AlonjT the river there were no signs of human life. The island indeed is but thinly peopled. A few Dusuns — about two or three hundred, we were told — had migrated thither from the mainland, and to the south some Bajaus, the roving sea -gipsies of Borneo, trade with them for bees' wax, which appears to be very plentiful. The season for gathering it begins in August, and, according to Mr. Dalr}TQple, each man reckons on collecting about a ^Jtcwi (133 lbs.), for which the Bajaus pay barter to the nominal value of £5. We were fortunate enough to have Mr. Gueritz with us, and guided by one of his men — a Dusun Dyak who was himself an old inhabitant of the island — we ascended the river for some distance, and striking inland, followed a narrow jungle path for a mile or more. Birds were few, and all those we noticed or that fell to our guns were species that were familiar to us in Borneo, but flowering trees and a beautiful white jessamine seemed abundant. We arrived at length at a tiny hamlet, but the male portion of the population were away, and five Dyak women were the only inhabitants. They did not appear at all afraid of us, and brought 108 BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. [chap. water to us as we ate our tiffin. Some attempts at cultivation had been made near the huts, and the soil here — as indeed elsewhere upon the island — appeared tolerably rich. Some of the sugar- cane was good and heavy, and tobacco also was doing well, but the food of these people is chiefly fish and rice obtained from the Bajaus. The only cereal grown is maize. Not many months after our visit to Banguey the " German Borneo Company " took up 10,000 acres upon the island, with the intention of growing tobacco. The manager was a German familiar with tobacco -cultivation in Smnatra, where, as I have already mentioned, the "wrappers" of many of the good Havana cigars are grown. Labour was imported, and the prospects appearing excellent, they claimed the option of selecting another 10,000 acres. Disturbances with the natives ensued, however, and in a fracas with the coolies two of the latter were shot by the whites. Wliether the venture was given up or not I do not know, but the German Borneo Company appear to have since transferred their attentions to Sulu Island, where they have obtained land grants from the Spanish, and, in September, 1885, — as stated on a former page, — they had commenced tobacco- growing with every prospect of success. We left a few little presents with our hostesses, and struck westwards through the jungle to the sea. At the edge of the beach spoor of wild pig, and of, probably, the little muntjac,- was abundant. During our walk we were attracted by dismal bowlings, and on searching in the forest came across a small puppy who had lost his way. We carried him off to add to the numljer of our pets, and " Banguey," as he was afterwards named, exchanged the precarious existence of a life among the Dyaks for the cerde of Newfoundlands and Dachshunds on the Marchesa. With his queer appearance and the absurd gravity of his manner he soon became a favourite, and would play sadly with the parrots and monkeys, with whom he seemed to have more in common than his own kind. But he was a Bohemian and vauricn by birth, and the aviari v.] ENGLISH OCCUPATION OF BALEMBANGAN. 109 aliqtdd doubtless lingered even in the flesh-pots of civilisation, for whenever he was given " shore-leave " he immediately did his best to lose himself in the jungle. From the shore the magnificent outline of Kina Balu, the great mountain of Borneo, was visible to the S.S.W., eighty miles away, but our attention and interest was directed to a nearer object — the island of Balembangan — where, a hundred years before, the inhabitants of the East India Company's settlement had been massacred almost to a man. In those days neither Singapore, Malacca, nor Penang was English, and it was considered above all things important to establish posts in the neighbourhood of China. Accordingly, when, in the middle of the last century, the Sultan of Sulu was found imprisoned in Manila on the occupa- tion of that city by the English, Admiral Drake succeeded in obtaining from him the cession of Balembangan as a reward for his release. A post was established there in 1763, which acted in some degree as a check upon the pirates with which these seas at that time swarmed. The garrison at first numbered nearly four hundred men, composed of Sepoys and Europeans, in addition to Bugis traders and others, but at the time of the massacre in 1775 the climate had told so severely on the inhabitants of the little settlement that only seventy-five infantry and twenty-eight gunners were left to defend it. The position was a tolerably strong one, but the guns all pointed seawards, and in rear the fort was but little protected. The Spanish were at this time intriguing against the English in Sulu, where opinion seems to have been divided among the Datus, some being in favour of the English while others wished to expel them. The Datu Tenteng, together with his cousin the Datu Dakula, belonged to the latter party, and as much with the hope of obtaining a heavy booty as from any political reason, determined on attacking the English. His force consisted of three hundred men, most of whom were Sulu and Illanun pirates. The sequel of the story is best given in the words of a Spanish historian, which I extract from Belcher's " Voyage of the Samarang " : — 110 BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. [chap. " Tenteng and his people knew that it wouhl he easy to attack the battery from the forest in rear, where his people could unite and hide themselves, and thus they took advantage of this want of care of the English, who had neglected to defend that side, not dreaming of an attack from a point from whence they did not expect an enemy. In the meantime those at Banguey exerted themselves, transporting the people across the sea to the woods of Balambangan, and without being discovered by the English. The natives had oidy three small boats, each of which would scarcely convey seven persons, but these boats, after many trips, succeeded in transporting all the people to Balambangan, disembarking them on the opposite side of the island, where the English were established, and in this manner they ap- proached silently, concealing themselves in the wood immediately behind the fort. " The English little dreamed of what was about to happen, and the officers slept profoundly, having enjoyed themselves at a fete given the day and night preceding in celeliration of the Governor's birthday. "At dawn on the 5th of March, 1775, they formed in three divisions, attacked and burned simultaneously the Governor's house, fort, and barracks ; shouts and shrieks on both sides were dreadfid, those who died from wounds, as well as those who conquered, seemed to unite in fearful din to celebrate this easy conquest. At that period there were in the port two brigs, two pontoons unladen, and a large bark belonging to the English ; the Governor always had a small boat in readiness at the gate of his house ; he, with six men, escaped to one of these brigs, and those that were armed with guns opened a brisk cannonade towards the land. The Chief, Dakula, who had made himself master of the fort, returned this fire, and by a chance shot cut away the only cable of one of the brigs, which was anchored nearest the land. The sea-breeze driving her on shore, the crew jumped overboard ; some were drowned, and a few gained the other brig, where they met the Governor. A flag of truce was hoisted, but he did not succeed in saving any of those remaining on shore, therefore, making sail, he quitted the smoking ruins of this position, over which he now ceased to have command. " Tenteng captured forty-five cannon, two hundred and eight cwt. of powder, two hundred and fifty muskets, twenty -two thousand shot, a great deal of iron, lead, tin, and gold in bars, more than fourteen thousand dollars (Spanish) in coined silver, a large quantity of muslins and other kinds of merchandise, the whole valued at one million Spanish dollars." The Sultan of Siilu, although nominally repudiatmg this act, received a great part of the spoil, and no reparation appears to have been exacted by the English. Some little time afterwards the settlement was re-established, but it was again abandoned in v.] VISIT TO THE TINGILAN DYAKS. Ill 1803. A few overgrown ruins and traces of the old clearings are all that now remain to mark the spot. We left Banguey behind us, and set our course westward once more for the Abai Kiver. As morning broke Kina Balu defined itself above the mists as a wall of clear dark purple. At sunset the night before it had been dyed a glorious pink. "We anchored before mid-day off the mouth of the river, and started shortly after- wards on a little expedition, intending to ascend the stream for some distance, cross the lower spurs of the mountains, and return l3y the Tampassuk Eiver. It was in reality an official trip. The Tingilan Dyaks had raided on the Tawarrans, and had succeeded in taking two heads, which the North Borneo Company's Govern- ment had ordered to be returned, but apparently w^ithout much success. Mr. Gueritz was accordingly anxious to meet the Chief of the former tribe and have a hichara upon the subject. We started in the cutter and skiff, but at the entrance of the river were told that the two heads had been brought down to the coast about eighteen miles farther to the south-west. We afterwards found that this was true, but Mr. Gueritz thought it better to push on to the Datu's house. We rowed about five or six miles up stream between the usual dreary mangrove-swamps before arri\'ing at Abai village — a place of about 200 inhabitants. Here the scenery changed suddenly, and abrupt hills and grassy slopes met our view, with many cultivated plots of land. Leaving the river here, we started at once for the Datu's house, which we reached before nightfall, drenched to the skin, for the rain had fallen in incessant sheets for some hours. The Chief was away, but we took possession of his house, and having brought some food and a change of clothes with us, we soon made ourselves pretty comfortable on mats spread on the split bamboo flooring. Next morning the rain had cleared off, and we obtained a magnificent view of Kina Balu, which stood out cloudless beyond a sea of hills and valleys to the south-east. We started on our journey without delay, and in a short time reached the summit of a range of hills 112 BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. [chap. about 1000 feet in height, whence the view was even grander. The country here was quite different from that in the neighbour- hood of Sandakan and Marudu Bay. Instead of the dense, inter- minable forest, a vast extent of park-like country lay before us, with wide stretches of clearing. On the farther side of the hill we descended into a marshy plain, intersected by sluggish, muddy streams of no great size. Here, struggling almost to our waists in mud and water, we lost our way, and our party separated, two eventually gaining the coast on buffalos and two in canoes. On comparing notes, we came to the conclusion that the former were the preferable means of conveyance. They seemed to go indiffer- ently through either mud or water. The canoes, even in a Bajau's hands, were not equally amphibious. Next morning it was blowing fresh from the south-west, and as we rolled heavily at our anchorage, we decided on shifting round into Usukan Bay, which was within a mile of us, and afforded perfect shelter. On the following afternoon the Datu came off to us here, accompanied by several very unprepossessing retainers, and the matter of the two heads was settled. In the evening we sailed for Gaya Bay, having said good-bye to Mr. Gueritz, who intended to make the return voyage to Kudat in a native prau. We afterwards heard that he had been picked up by H.M.S. Magpie, at that time engaged in a survey of the coast. It was fortunate for him, for he had encountered very bad weather and run short of food. Gaya is beautifully situated under the western side of Ivina Balu, whose height here appears increased by its presenting only its lesser diameter to the view. At the time of our visit the settle- ment had only been in existence for nine months, and consisted of a couple of rows of attap huts, a resident's house perched half way up a steep hill at the back, and a little barrack and battery of three guns. The police department numbered ten men of Dyak and Malay nationality. The settlers had not been idle; for a beautifully -made pier ran out a distance of over three hundred yards from the shore, solidly constructed of the trunks of the v.] GAY A. 113 Nibong palm. At the end of it there was a depth of four fathoms at low water. The township is placed on the little island of Gaya, which with the mainland, sundry reefs, and another island, forms a line harbour, even more protected than Sandakan. Native canoes can cross to the mainland in all weathers. The soil in the neigh- bourhood is not particularly good, and no attempts at planting had been made. What trade existed was chiefly in rattan, bees' wax, dammar, and other natural products. Since then, however, a number of Chinese have immigrated from Singapore, and a sago factory has been established. The population in 1885 had in- creased to 1000, nearly half of them being Chinese. The place was said to be tolerably healthy. It was at any rate quite as much so as could be expected, for the clearing of jungle and erection of houses must almost inevitably be followed by more or less malarial fever in the tropics. There were a few cases only during our visit, one of which proved fatal. In places such as these I cannot hope to interest the general reader, unblessed with the love of dry facts and still drier figures. The struggle between ci\dlisation and Nature in a new country, however interesting to a traveller, is rarely so when put on paper. I confess to a slight predilection in favovir of the latter of the two opposing forces, but I will take no unfair advantage by filling my pages with statistics. These can be obtained by consulting the pages of the " China Directory," or the official publications of the North Borneo Company. I should, however, say that from its admirable harbour, and for other reasons, Gaya is likely to prove the most important post on the west coast of the Company's territory. Some twenty-five and thirty miles farther to the south-west are the settlements of Papar and Kimanis, both situated on rivers of the same name. The coast here is low and flat, and subject to heavy rollers in the north-east monsoon, and, as there are no harbours, both these stations labour under considerable disad- vantages, the bars of the rivers being dangerous at that season. Between them lies the Benoni Eiver, winding through a flat plain VOL. II. I 114 BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. [chap. covered with thick forest. We were anxious to take in water, but though we searched along the coast in this neighbourhood for some miles it was without success,^ and we resolved on trying the Kimanis Eiver, off the mouth of which we accordmgly anchored late one afternoon. A strong breeze was blowing as we started in the lifeboat to row up the river, and we were prepared for a good wetting, if not something worse, in going over the bar, which is rather an awkward one. Fortune favoured us, however, and we crossed without mishap. The river runs between mangroves and Mpa palms for tlu-ee or four miles, but the scenery is saved from monotony by pretty peeps of distant blue hills. We found the Eesidency a carefully-kept and really attractive bungalow, inhabited by a solitary European. A neatly-trimmed lawn with flower-beds and sandy paths sloped down to the river, and the verandahs, hung with ferns and orchids, gave an air of comfort and homeliness to the place wliich was all the more attractive from its having been entirely unexpected. Beyond, on either side of the river, stretch the native huts, — the usual pile-supported buildings of the country. The station had barely recovered from a blow which at one time bade fair to anniliilate it altogether. In August, 1882, — some ten months before our visit, — cholera broke out, and in a short time one half of the entire ])opulation had fallen victims. Before its advent Kimanis numbered just under three hundred souls, and of these one hundred and seventy-seven were attacked, and one hundred and forty-four died. All trade ceased, and the inhabitants could scarcely be got out of their houses. Mr. Dalrymple, the then Eesident, and the sole European in the settlement, exerted liimseK with the greatest courage and devotion in aid of the sufferers, but was eventually obliged to go for assistance to the nearest station. The monsoon was blowing strong at the time, and the native boat 1 The watering-place spoken of in Findlay's "Directory" (Indian Archipelago, 1878, p. 503) is not to be relied on, for the water, like a great deal of that to be found on this part of the coast, is of a rich peaty brown, and though perfectly clear, cannot be used with safety, owing to its liability to cause fever aud to turn bad in the tanks. v.] PAPAR AXD KIMANIS. 115 capsizing upon the bar of the river, the occupants were nearly drowned. On the passage one of the crew died of cholera. Aid and medicine were at length obtained, and the epidemic shortly afterwards ceased. Hardly recovered from this calamity, however, Kimanis was visited by yet another. On the night of the 31st of December of the same year a tremendous flood canied away a nmnber of houses, and the neighbouring district of Papar suffered even more severely, over sixty natives being drowned. The crops were either entirely destroyed or greatly injured, and the course of the river so altered that it now debouches by another mouth. Such disasters as these would seem almost sufficient to prove the death-blow of a young settlement, but the station had already begmi to recover itself. The population had risen again to nearly two hundred, and trade had re-commenced. At the time of the formation of the North Borneo Company the Kimanis formed the limit of their territory to the south-west. Lately, however, they have acquired an additional tract of land which extends their boundary to the Sipitong, a small stream emptying itself into Brunei Bay. This acquisition adds about sixty miles of coast-line to the Company's territories, and includes what is supposed to be one of the richest mineral districts in Borneo. Grave accusations have, however, lately been made against the Company in the English journals, and the action by which their Government seized and condemned to penal servitude certain chiefs who resisted their annexation of the new territory was, if the facts have been accurately stated, at least high-handed.^ The experiment of permitting the foundation of a nineteenth century East India Company in such an out-of-the-way corner of the world was a somewhat risky one, for the British Government is morally responsible for its acts. That it is a good thing that ^ A check has been lately placed on any further annexation by the Company. The Rajah of Sarawak has acquired the belt of country which is drained by the Trusun and Panderuan Rivers, and intervenes between British North Borneo and the now fast-disappearing Kingdom of Brunei. 116 BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. [chap. v. this part of Borneo, rich in natural prockicts and furnished with magnificent harbours, should come under British rule none — except such as are of the " perish India " school — will deny. But whether such a 'territory is best administered by a private Company is altogether another question. Were England to take it over she would have a most excellent bargain, and I do not imagine the shareholders would contemplate the possibility of such a proceeding with any great alarm. The country, as I have already said, abounds in birds' nests, gutta, camphor, rattans, pearl-shells, coal, and a hundred other articles of export that a bountiful Nature has provided ready to hand. Worked under the wise Dutch system with native agriculturists, the land would doubtless also produce sugar, coffee, and other tropical vegetable products with advantage. But that it will ever prove a suitable field for white planters is very improbable. Close at hand, Sarawak offers easy communication with Singapore ; it is three days nearer England, and its climate is at least as good as that of North Borneo. In point of civilisation, it is nearly forty years in advance of the latter territory. It offers nearly double the extent of land to choose from, with a soil that is quite as good, and, in the opinion of some judges, better. Land, labour, and living are alike cheaper. The Kajali of Sarawak is willing to make free grants of land under certain conditions, and, if a planter has definitely resolved on choosing this part of the world as a field for his labours, it is difficult to see what possible reason he could have for preferring British North Borneo to Sarawak. CHAPTER VI. LABUAN AXD BRUXEI. Victoria Harbour — The home of phiralism — -A walk across the island — Retrogression of the Colony — A deserted town — The coal mines — Mine at Moaro — Facts about Labuan — Historj' of the occupation — Visit to Brunei — The Venice of the East — John Chinaman — Native manufactures — Brunei market — The Sultan's palace — Interview with the Sultan — " Crabbed age and youth " — Departure for Sarawak. We entered A'^ictoria Harl;)Oui" Labuan, in the swelterinfr heat of an afternoon sun on the 7 th of June, and were delighted to find our old friends of the China station — H.M.S, Champion and Magpie — at anchor. Two days later the Sheldrake arrived, and an unwonted air of business pervaded the little settlement, for it was a long time since four ships had been seen together in the port. Laljuan is a small colony and a modest ; it has but little com- munication with the outer world, and to the globe-trotter it is as yet an undiscovered country. Looking from the sea, the leading idea impressed upon the mind is one of heat. Broad stretches of white sand, rows of white huts, and a few low, white bungalows meet the eye. Everything seems flat and white and hot, and the view is rather African than Bornean. To the right a level plain of short turf, dotted with casuarina trees, stretches away from the beach for nearly a mile. Forest there is none, but below and on either side of the little church some cool-looking dark greenery, on which the eye is glad to rest, betokens the houses of the few Europeans who inhabit the island. How few of these unfortunate individuals there were 118 LABUAN AXD BRUNEI. [chap. we had no idea until our arrival. We had pictured to ourselves an English society of not more than a hundred perhaps, but still large enough for a dance, a picnic, or some such form of entertainment, and had misgivings as to the state of our ward- robe. "VVe might have spared ourselves our anxiety : to the best of my recollection there were but four Englishmen in the whole colony. Labuan is the home of pluralism. Anchoring in the harbour, one is of course boarded by the Captain of the Port, with whom the latest news is discussed before proceeding ashore to make the customary calls. At the bungalow of the Colonial Treasurer we meet him again, and discover, to our surprise, that he is the master of the house. Eeferred to the Postmaster General on a question anent the mails, we once more find our friend in a new capacity. He is like the public building in the famous story of Theodore Hook, and, were the office of Lord High Executioner existent on the island, he would doubtless fill it as efficiently as his other posts. No one, I feel sure, could object to being ushered out of the world by such a pleasant and interesting companion. The revenue having for some years fallen short of the expenditure, a considerable reduction in the staff was made. It is, in fact, a rcductio oxl absurdum. Next day we made an excursion to the farther end of the island. Here, at the extreme northern point, are the now deserted coal- mines, wliich were the chief inducement to the English occupation. Horses not being obtainable, we were reduced to walking, and though nine miles in such a clunate, with no forest to keep off the sun's rays, is somewhat of an undertaking, we were well repaid for our trouble. Labuan is so un-Bornean that that reason alone wovild make it interesting for a change. But at the same time it is decidedly attractive. Beliind the level plain by the sea-beach the road, thickly overgrown with grass, leads for nearly a mile through an avenue of shady trees to the church. In spite of Labuan having been once an Episcopal see, there is not a single VI.] DESERTED COAL-MINES. 119 clergyman in the colony, and no services are held. For a long- time the congregation consisted of two or tliree persons only. Wlien it dwindled still further the church was closed. Around, scattered over the slopes of the little hill, are the bungalows of the Europeans, many of which are now deserted. The colony, in official language, "has only partially fulfilled the expectations formed of it." An American would say that it was " played out." Yet it was here that Low, with incalculable care and trouble, formed one of the finest fruit gardens in the East. Even crime has fallen into desuetude. In the country the sole guardian of the peace is a policeman who has lost both his arms : in the town twenty-five Sikhs form the only force. The island is low and flat for the greater part of its extent, but rises slightly towards its northern end. The forest with wliich it was once covered has, for the most part, been cut down or burnt, especially on the eastern side, and a low undergrow"th, in which a small rhododendron -like plant forms a conspicuous feature, has sprung up in its stead. Here and there some wliite-stemmed trees are left standing, and the landscape bears a curious resemblance to that in many parts of Australia. The road, w^hich in the palmy days of the coal-mines was well kept, is now rapidly becoming over- grown. From time to time it leads along the beach, where the sea idly laps the blocks of white coral, and washes the roots of the trees that overhang it. Soon the low sandstone bluffs of Koubong Point come into \dew, and crossing the brow of one of the few hills of which the island boasts, one comes suddenly upon a small valley filled with huts and deserted bungalows. We found the little railway overgrown with grass, and in the sheds the engines stood rusting, jiist as they had been left when work had ceased. Close by were the workmen's "lines," where at one time over five hundred coolies lived ; and on the cliffs overlooking the sea, sur- rounded by a pretty garden and orchards, stood a charming bunga- low, formerly the residence of the manager. It was tenanted by a solitary native, the only inhabitant of the place. All around 120 LABUAN AND BRUNEI. [chap. lay the ruins of ironwork and gear of various descriptions. The place seemed a second Pompeii. The mines have proved the ruin of no less than three companies, in spite of the fact that the coal is both good and abundant. The right of mining was leased by Government at an annual rental of £1000, but the difficulty of keeping the workings clear of water has hitherto alone proved an insuperable bar to success, although other circumstances have combined to produce the failures. The seams apparently extend throughout the length and breadth of the island, and have been found as much as eleven feet in thickness. The dip is not great, and the coal obtained, though burning very fast, is extremely good. The output in 1876 was about 6000 tons, but in 1881 only 800 tons were raised. With more efficient engines and Chinese labour, there is apparently no reason why the mines should not be remunerative. Some twenty miles from Labuan, opposite the island of Moaro at the entrance of the Brunei Eiver, another coal-mine was opened in the autumn of 1882. Three seams of great thickness had been found, running north and south, and the coal was of excellent quality. Although the workings had only been in operation for nine months, a considerable quantity had been raised, and the captain of the Royalist, who had traded on the coast for some years, and was largely interested in the venture, spoke most hopefully of its success. From what we saw during our day's visit to the place, his anticipations seemed well founded. The price of the coal at the pit's mouth was $4 per ton ; at Labuan $6. The island of Labuan, which has been an English colony for forty years, is well situated on the north-west coast of Borneo, and guards the entrance to Brunei Bay. It is about ten miles in length, by five in extreme breadth, and is distant 700 miles from Singapore. Its population is under 6000, and the bulk of the inhabitants are of Malay race. Nearly all the trade, however, is carried on by Chinese, of whom there are over a thousand on the island. It taps the neighbouring coast of Borneo, the Sulu Islands, and Palawan, VI.] FACTS ABOUT L ABU AN. 121 but the establisliment of the North Borneo Company has consider- ably affected it. There is little doubt that Sandakan will prove the future market of the greater part of this district, even if it has not already done so. Victoria Harbour is an excellent one, well protected in both monsoons, but the heat of it is excessive. The climate, at the period of the first occupation by the British, was extremely unhealthy, but owing to the clearing of the jungle it has now much improved. In spite of the destruction of the forests the rainfall is still enormous. A large portion of the island is unfit for cultivation, and the soil is, on the whole, extremely poor. The low and marshy ground forming so large a proportion of the acreage is, nevertheless, well suited for growing the sago palm, and rice is largely cultivated. Coconuts are also grown, and a considerable quantity of the oil exported, and lately a plantation of the West African oil palm has been established on Daat Island off Victoria Harbour. A fine specimen of this tree grows near the beach, in front of the town battery. The value of the oil is £41 per ton, — about £8 higher than the price obtained for coconut oil. Sago factories, where the raw product as used by the natives is washed and dried into the European commercial article, have been established for many years. The flour thus obtained is sent to Singapore, and forms the principal item in the list of exports. Over £30,000 worth leaves the island annually. In 1881 the imports amounted to the value of £182,113, the exports to £194,904. In 1884 both had decreased enormously — the imports amounting only to £84,874, and the exports to £85,741. In the same year the revenue exceeded the expenditure, the former being £4589, the latter £4216. The Government is administered by a Governor appointed by the Crown and a nominated Legislative Council ; but for the present the post of Governor is unfilled, and his duties are taken by the Acting Governor, Dr. Leys. The Legislative Council is apparently permanently convened in the person — I use the singular advisedly — of the Colonial Treasurer, the Captain of the Port, and 122 LABUAN AND BRUNEI. [chap. the Postmaster General. There has been no garrison on the island since 1871. To the ornitholooist Labiian is interestino; as beinc: the western limit of the Megapodes or Mound -builders,^ a genus that is peculiarly Australian. The bird {Mcgapodius loioi) seems to be chiefly confined to the Kuraman Islands, at the south-west end of Labuan, although its nests are occasionally found on the main island. We were unable to \isit the breeding localities, but the nests were described to me as large mounds, ten or twelve feet in diameter, built at the junction of the forest with the beach, just as in the case of many other species of this genus. The eggs are hatched by the heat of the soil. The Labuan Megapode is very closely allied to the Philippine species {M. cumingi), and has also been found on Balabac and Mindanao. A further investigation would probably reveal its existence in the little-known islands at the north of Borneo. The history of the occupation of Labuan by the English is to a great extent mixed up with that of Borneo in Eajah Brooke's time, which is too lengthy for recapitulation. The main facts, however, are these. The Sultan of Brunei — Omar Ali — had been guilty of endless acts of piracy, and of an attempt to murder an English naval officer, and in consequence the town of Brunei was bombarded by the English. In a treaty subsequently signed the Sultan engaged to put an end to piracy, and to cede the island of Labuan to the British. On the 24th of December, 1846,— H.M.S. Iris and Wolf lying in Victoria Harbour, — the ceremony of annexa- tion was performed, and a stone was placed at the foot of the flagstaff on the plain to commemorate the event. It still remains, and bears the following inscription : — "Oil tlie 24tli December, 1846, this island -was taken possession of, in the name of Victoria, Qiieen, hj order of Sir Thomas Cochrane and Captain E. Mundy of H.M.S. Irisr ^ The Megapode of the Nicobar Islands is considered by Mr. Wallace to have been introduced by man. That this is not impossible must be evident to every traveller in the Malay Archipelago, for birds of this genus are often seen in captivity. VI.] BRUNEI. 123 In the following year Sir James Brooke was appointed the first Governor. Some four hundred years ago the great island of Borneo was conquered by the Malays. To be strictly accurate I ought, per- haps, to say that it was re -conquered, for the Dyaks are them- selves of Malayan stock, and have probably only supplanted a previous race, of which nothing certain is at present known. The new-comers did not penetrate very far into the interior, but established themselves at various places on the coast, and of these settlements Brunei rapidly rose to be the chief From its size and importance it was naturally the first place with which Europeans became acquainted, and hence it came about that the great water city of the East and the island on which it was situated were known by one and the same name. Its large size and the extra- ordinary manner in which it is built have astonished travellers for the past three hundred years. Pigafetta and other old voyagers have described it, and in later times it has become familiar to those who have read the works of St. John, Keppel, and Earl. Even in these days of easy steam communication, however, Brunei is but little visited, and it is remarkable as being one of the largest places in the Eastern Archipelago, and at the same time destitute of a single European inhabitant. We had, of course, determined on visiting the city, and since the Marchesa had too large a draught to permit of her entering the river, -^v^e gladly accepted the loan of a large steam launch belong- ing to the North Borneo Company, which the Governor, Mr. Treacher, kindly placed at our service. From the harbour at Labuan to Moaro at the entrance of the Brunei Eiver is a distance of about nineteen miles, and the city lies fifteen miles farther up stream. Unlike most Bornean rivers, it has no mangroves or Nipa palms along its banks, or so few that they do not attract attention. There is high land on either side, and the range of hills on the left bank is believed to be very largely carboniferous, since there are surface outcrops of coal in many places. The scenery is in no way 124 LABUAN AND BRUNEI. [chap. characteristic of the tropics. Eonndiiio; a sharp bend, we suddenly came in sight of the city, and a few minutes later we were safely at anchor in the main street. Scarcely a traveller has described Brunei without speaking of it as the " Venice of the East," and it is, on the whole, a not inapt comparison. The palaces, it is true, are of a somewhat different order, and their architecture decidedly utilitarian, but the main features of the " Queen of the Waters " are there. The Grand Canal, crowded with boats, intersects the city, and tlie vii are represented Ijy side -canals of a similarly puzzling nature. The life, indeed, is even more aquatic than in Venice, for it is generally uupossible to enter or leave a house except by canoe. As for mal-odourousness, it is perhaps one of the few points in which the resemblance between the two cities fails. Venice can hardly be called deficient in tliis respect, but even the worst vio cannot approach the horrors of low tide in the main street of the Bornean capital. The vast collection of houses, which is said to give shelter to a population of between twenty and thiity thousand people, lies in the middle of a lake -like expansion of the river, shut in on all sides by hills, which, though of insignificant height, are not un- picturesque. But the most striking \\&vf is of course obtained when looking down from them upon the city below. Hardly any- where is an inch of ground to be seen, and many of the houses are l)uilt in deep water. To the north some large patches of man- gTOves mark out the position of a shallow bank, and here and there a coco palm, which is presumably rooted in dry ground, rises above the sea of huts. MjTiads of canoes dart about in every direction, from the Pangerang's barges propelled by twenty paddles, to the little flat " dusj-out " with a bare inch of freeboard, manned by a solitary naked native. The Brunei people are practically amphibious, and the children cruise about in miniature canoes almost before they are weaned. The safety of these craft is per- fectly immaterial. At the age of five or six these little urchins VI.] AN EASTERN VENICE. 125 have done far more swimming than walking, and their chief amusement seems to be the capsizing of each other's boats. What a Brunei man does when he is desirous of " running amok " I have no idea. If practised in a canoe — which seems the only course open — his opportunities must be restricted. In any case, however, A MALAY "MAX-CATCHER." there can be no need for peaceful householders to keep the in- genious instrument used in securing individuals engaged in this pastime which we found in Macassar. This article — as will be seen from the annexed illustrations — is of most sunple construction, and, no doubt, effective enough when once applied. But I should imagine the adjustment of it a somewhat risky proceeding. We had anchored close to the wharf of the leading Chinese merchant, the agent for the Xorth Borneo Company, and our first visit was to his house. He had been made a Datu, and was a 126 LABUAX AXD BRUXEI. [chap. personage of considerable importance. Throughout the length and breadth of Malaysia the Chinaman has made his way. How he swarms in Singapore we are all aware, but that he is equally at home in the Aru Islands, and bids fau' to monopolise the trade of the Philippines is, perhaps, not so generally known. At Macassar he shares the mercantile plum with the German. In the Moluccas, the vast amount of graves around Ternate testify to the number of his race who liave lived and died there. In Xew Guinea alone he is not to be found, for neither white man nor Malay has, as yet, fairly established himself there, and the Celestial is rarely or never a pioneer. Every one who has visited Australia and California has seen what he can do where competition runs high, and money- making is the chief object, and should chance lead the traveller afterwards to the islands of the Malay Archipelago, the almost universal success of the Chinese population will cause him but little astonishment. The free-masonry existmg among their race obtains work for the new-comer from the moment of his arrival, and as soon as he is able he embarks in trade. The indolent, dreamy Malay is as a child in his hands. Little by little his money-bags gTOw. Soon he has a clerk, and ceases to pare his finger-nails. An air of commercial prosperity beams upon his countenance, and he is clad in purple and fine linen. It is not long before he is owner of a highly-ornamented house, a small, but select harem, and the best brands of Champagne. He has reached the summit of all eartlily ambition, and life has nothing further to offer. Our host had long ago acquired this furniture of a terrestrial paradise, and produced some of it in the shape of a bottle of excellent Jules Mumm, which we discussed while chatting over Brunei politics and examining his goods. The city is renowned for its sarongs and krisses, and the goldsmiths' work is also tolerably good. The latter is, however, chiefly limited to cylindrical earrings, kris hilts or sheaths — which, by the way, have a large admixture of silver in their composition — and thin gold plaques. VI.] SCENES IX THE CITY. 127 worn round the neck by the children of those of high rank, and inscribed with sentences from the Koran. Both the sarongs and krisses seemed very dear. The former w^ere in many instances liberally worked with gold thread, so liberally indeed as to make them extremely heavy, and for these as much as $40 was asked. Good krisses will cost even more, especially if the handle be much decorated with gold, but inferior weapons can be obtained for a couple of dollars or less. Brunei gongs are likewise celebrated, their tone being supposed to be peculiarly sweet, but the traveller in this part of the world has generally suffered too much from their incessant noise to be at all anxious to purchase them. We made our first acquaintance with the city in a " dug-out " procured for us by our friend the Datu. It was manned by four paddlers and a steersman, and giving ourselves up to their guidance, we threaded our way through the narrow and crowded thorough- fares with a speed and skill which would have astonished a Venetian gondolier. I have never seen anything equal to the dexterity with which our men worked their paddles. From a rapid and beautifully clean stroke of forty or more to the minute, they would drop instantaneously to a long steady swing of twenty, without any apparent signal having been given, and without a hair's breadth of deviation from the perfect time. There is but little to see in Brunei with the exception of the market ; little at least for a traveller to whom the Malay pile- built dwellings are no longer a novelty. Eickety huts with slippery steps leading to their dilapidated entrances, canoes of all shapes and sizes, stretches of fishing-stakes, Chinese stores, little brown urchins gambolling and splashing in the water, and a multiplicity of intolerable stenches, — these are the most strilving features of the city. A little round island with coconuts on it is nearly the only break m the regular monotony of the huts. Here and there a tall cross raised above the platform of one of them tells, not of the Christianity of the occupants, but of their industry in fishing. Here and there too a light bamboo bridge connects one group of 128 LABUAN AND BRUNEI. [chap. buildings with another, but for the most part all communication is by water. The market is probably one of the most extraordinary sights that the East has to show. Each stall is a canoe, and it would puzzle an onlooker to form any estimate of their numbers, for the water is covered with craft of all sizes in incessant motion. At one moment there is a dense pack around some Chinaman or other trader, and each vociferates the prices of the produce on sale. At another there is a rush in the opposite dhection, and the former buyer is deserted. Earely, except perhaps in the Bourse at Con- stantinople, have I come across such an animated scene. The occupants of the canoes are almost without exception women, and for the most part old and ugly. Each wears a palm-leaf hat of enormous^ size, which serves the purpose indeed of an umbrella also, for it is large enough to protect the whole body from either sun or rain. Our first night in Brunei was not a pleasant one. "Whether the heat, the stenches, the mosquitos, or the incessant tom-toms were the most unbearable it was hard to say, but any one of them would alone have been sufficient to banish sleep. On the following- afternoon we had an interview with the Sultan. His palace is a dilapidated old building, only to be distinguished from the sun-ound- ing houses by its decoration of a dozen or so of small flags, and by the presence of a few antiquated Malay guns upon the platform. In front of the house lay the royal barge at anchor. It is almost too large to be paddled, and when the Sultan goes yachting, it is generally towed by a steam launch. Amidships is a sort of carved cupola, but otherwise there is no attempt at decoration, unless mdeed the figure-head be excepted. This is no beauteous dame with bosom bared to the ocean breezes, no stately goddess with proudly-extended hand, such as one sees in back yards at Portsmouth or Greenwich. It is something more refined, and at the same tune more fitting, for, at the time of our visit, the poor old Sultan was far advanced in his second infancy ,■• — it is a child's rocking-horse • ^ He (lied in 1884, in his hundredth j'ear. VI.] THE SULTAN OF BRUNEI. 129 We entered the palace and were shown into the audience chamber. Happy is it for Mrs. Loftie that fate has never led her to Brunei. The room was a poor, whitewashed apartment some- what like a church, with a sloping roof and two side aisles. At the farther end was a triptych -shaped door opening into a small chamber which contained the throne — a piece of furniture composed of an arm-chair mounted on a carved and gilded sofa. We were given seats in the nave, and had time to take stock of our surroundings before the Sultan appeared. There were two rough tables covered with red tablecloths. The leg of one of them had been knocked off, and its place was supplied by a piece of rough planking. Two strips of dirty stair-carpet covered the floor, flanked by two other strips of kamptulicon. On the walls the only decorations were eight dilapidated old mirrors which had once been gilt. In a few minutes the Sultan made his appearance, and we were struck at once by his likeness to Pio Nono, which has been remarked by former travellers. He entered half pushed, half supported by his attendants, and after shaking hands with us, was hoisted on to his throne, where he sat pufiing away at his roko. He was little better than an imbecile, and was evidently unable to realise our visit or to understand what was going on, and in a short time he was shuffled off again on the plea of a bad headache. Few of us look forward to becoming a bridegroom at the age of ninety-eight, yet we were told that barely a fortnight previously he had married a girl of fifteen. Some disturbances had been anticipated upon the death of the Sultan, more especially between the Pangerang Anak Besar — a well-known character in the court at Brunei — and the Datu Tumonggong, who was the rightful heir according to Bornean law ; but happily these anticipations have since proved incorrect. We could not help pitying the poor old Sultan, who, if he had any capability for reflection left, must have sighed over the gradual absorption of his kingdom. On the one side the North Borneo VOL. II. K 130 L ABU AN AND BRUNEI. [chap. vi. Company were seeking fresh territory beyond the Kinianis Eiver ; on the other the Eajah of Sarawak had extended his dominions as far as Barram Point. He must have felt it time that he should be gathered to his fathers. We left Brunei for Labuan shortly afterwards, and on the following day sailed for Singapore vid Sarawak, at which latter place, thanks to the kindness of the Eajah and other friends, we spent a most enjoyable fortnight. So short a stay in so well- known a country reqviires no description, and I shall ask my readers to accompany me to the less frequently visited islands of the Malay Archipelago. CHAPTER VII. SUMBAWA. Arrive at Batavia — Cholera again — Lombok Peak — Anchor in Sumbawa Baj' — Parched aspect of the country — Sumbawan huts — Trade in ponies — "We start for the capital — The natives — Spears and krisses — Characteristics of the vegeta- tion— Birds — Prevalence of Australian forms — The town of Sumbawa — Bichara with the Tungku Jirewi — The Istana — The Sultan of Sumbawa — Leave Sumbawa Bay — Labuan Penakan — -The Tambora volcano — Its eruption in 1815 — Arrive at Bima — Languages of the island — A six months' drought — Tombs of the Sultans of Bima — Gunong Api Island — New species of quail — Leave Sumbawa for Celebes. We picked up our mails and took in stores at Singapore, and on the 26th of July sailed for Batavia. Passing through the Ehio and Banka Straits, and threading our way between myriads of islands of all sizes, we found ourselves at length in the Java Sea, and early on the morning of the fourth day came to anchor in Batavia roads. We were the bearers of letters of introduction to H.E. the Governor General of the Netherlands India, a post from which our Viceroy of India only differs in the lesser amount of ceremonial attending him, and our chief, if not sole reason for \dsiting Java was to present them. Our future route lay entirely in Dutch waters, and without letters from the authorities we should doubtless have found the way less smooth. The Governor General was kind enough to furnish us with a general letter, requesting any Dutch Kesidents or Kontroleurs with whom we might be brought m contact to assist us. An order to supply us with any coal we might need from the various naval coal depots was also 132 SUMBA1FA. [chap. siven us, and fortified with these and all the Dutch charts that we could obtain — for the English surveys of this part of the world are bat few — we felt prepared against all emergencies. I may here say that these recommendations were of the greatest service, and that we found the Dutch officials not only cultured and interesting companions, but also the kindest and most obliging hosts. Every facility appears to be given to naturalists \isiting the archipelago, of whatever nationality they may be, but it is of the first import- ance that they should obtain proper letters of introduction from Batavia before starting. Cholera was very prevalent in the port at the time of our arrival, and, as we heard in the following year on our return to Singapore, it developed a little later into an unusually severe epidemic, which carried off several of the Europeans. We were anchored next to one of the guard-ships, an old hulk which was no doubt in an insanitary condition, and, as eight or ten fresh cases were occurring every day, she was paid off and broken up, and we met her sailors on their way to new quarters a week later as we returned from the beautiful hill station of Buitenzorg. We called upon our Consul, and the conversation turned on the epidemic. With a gesture he indicated an unconscious Javanese who was busily engaged in uncorking a bottle of soda-water for our benefit. "Tliis man," he quietly remarked, "is the third I have had this week 1" The easterly monsoon was blowing fresh as we left Batavia, and we hugged the coast as closely as possible in order to avoid it. Passing between Raas and Sapudi Islands at the east end of Madiu-a, we lay an E.S.E. course towards Bali. The mountains on this part of the coast of Java are very fine ; the Kendang range, close to the Bali Strait, attaining 11,000 feet. At daybreak on the 9th of August we were close to Lombok. The height of the Peak of Lombok is given as 12,460 feet in the charts, and a rough sextant measurement that we took made it nearly the same, but it seemed to us hardly to look its height, and it is certainly far less VII.] SUMBAWA BAY. 133 striking than the Peak of Tenerife, with which it has been com- pared. Late in the afternoon we entered Sumbawa Bay — an unimportant indentation of the coast on the north side of the island of that name — and anchored off a little village at its head. Sumbawa, which together with the neighbouring islands of Flores and Sumba is but little known to Europeans, is of consider- able size. From our accepted English custom of representing the whole East Indian Archipelago in one map, most of us have acquired extremely erroneous notions of the extent of the Dutch possessions, and have equally under-estimated their size and value. Though insignificant enough by the side of Java or Borneo, Sumbawa is, nevertheless, over 170 miles in length, and is tolerably thickly populated, chiefly with people of Malay race. In the interior there is said to be a tribe of aborigines who are most probably of Papuan or Negrito stock, but no scientific account of them has hitherto been published. Previous to the great eruption of the Tambora volcano in 1815 there were believed to be about 170,000 inhabitants, but this number was very largely reduced by the catastrophe. That only 25,000 of them sur\dved, as stated by Mr. Van den Broek, is, however, probably an exaggeration. Some years afterwards there was a large uumigration of Bugis people from the south of Celebes. They established themselves cliiefly on the north side of the island, and the rice is once more crrowins over what, a few decades back, was a scene of desolation. There are two Sultanates — Sumbawa and Bima — the latter includinsr the almost unknown island of Komodo to the eastward and part of Flores, and over both the Dutch exercise a certain amount of authority. It is administered by a Kontroleur who resides at Bima — the sole European upon the island. Sumbawa Bay, we foimd, afforded us tolerable protection, but during the westerly monsoon it must be decidedly unsafe. The surrounding country was parched to a degree, and the greater part of the trees seemed as devoid of foliage as they would be during an English winter. A greater difference than that existing between 134 SUMBAJVA. [chap. the islands of the Sunda chain and those of the Siilu group which we had left only a month or two before, could hardly be found. Here the south-east winds, sweeping over the dry desert lands of Australia, parch up the countries that lie in their path as far as Java, and from April to July little or no rain falls. The effects were obvious enough, and even from our anchorage we could see the buffaloes moving in little clouds of dust. The village was composed of a few huts only, but over one of them, very shortly after our arrival, a Dutch flag was hoisted. Eowing ashore we found a half-breed, Omar by name, who spoke Malay and a few words of Dutch, and appeared to be the chief man of the place. From him we learnt that the town of Sumbawa, the residence of the Sultan, lay a few miles inland, and we accordingly despatched messengers to inform the latter that we were desirous of paying him a visit on the followmg day. It was just sunset, and we had but little tmie to explore our surroundings, but close to the kampong^ we found a pretty little dove (Geojjelia maugei) in great abundance, and also shot the Malayan Goatsucker (C. macrurus), a bird of general distribution from India to New Guinea. We were ashore early next morning, but there was some difficulty in getting bearers, and we loitered about for an hour or more before starting. The shores of the bay were of dark brown sand, which seemed to be entirely composed of disintegrated lava and scoriae. Close to the sea, and along the bank of the shallow but bright little stream which debouches at this spot, the kampong is built. Each hut had the roof overlapping considerably at the gable, and beneath it two other little roofs protected the end of the building, — an arrangement that we found almost invariable throughout the island. Eecurved and carved gable finials, such as, I believe, are to be seen in Sumatran houses, were very general, and some of the lintels of the entrance -doors were ^ Kampong is the Malay word for village. Its corruption " conipouud " has, iu the Straits and British India, got to mean a garden or enclosure. VII.] NATIVE HOUSES. 135 rudely painted in dull red. The houses were raised on piles, according to the invariable custom, but, owing to the space below the flooring being enclosed by bamboo fencing or mats, they had a more solid appearance than the usual style of dwellings to which the Eastern traveller is accustomed. Almost all were roofed with beautiful neatness by tiles made from split bamboo ; little slips raised from the under surface sufficing to hang them on. At a shady corner a little market was going on. There were A SUMBAWAN HOUSE. barely half a dozen vendors, and one of them, to our great astonish- ment, we found to be an old Swaliili woman, a type that, though familiar enough to us at Zanzibar, seemed incongruous in Malaysia. Many of the people were importations, and though the inevitable Chinaman was absent, there were Banjermassin men, Buginese from Celebes, and even Klings. The marketables were chiefly dried fish, bananas, and tobacco. The greater part of the latter comes from Lombok, and is excellent in quality and well cut. That grown on the island would no doubt be equally good if properly cured, but the natives apparently did not know how to prepare it. A few common Chinese and even English plates and 136 BUMBAWA. [chap. cups were also for sale, but, with the exception of the bananas, no fruit was to be had. Omar met us in brilliant attire, ornamented for the occasion with a bright silk sarong, and having a large naval sword dangling from his waist. He showed us a couple of letters signed with French names, in which it was stated that he was to be trusted. It appears, singularly enough, that a ship comes to this place every year from Mauritius to buy ponies. With the exception of the monthly steamer to Bima, it is probable that not another vessel worthy of the name visits the island. Both Sandalwood and Timor, however, export a good number of ponies. The Sumbawan animals are admirable little beasts, standing about twelve hands, and generally brown or skewbald. They are of good shape, and in spite of their small size seem to carry almost any weight. Their price ranges from twelve to fifty dollars. Buffaloes were numerous in the fields, and sheep and goats were also kept by the natives, who asked as much as four dollars each for them. Tame pigeons, very much like our English runts, were housed in pigeon -cots elevated on poles — doubtless a wise precaution, as rats were said to be very abundant. Our bearers liaving at length appeared, we at once started. Several stray natives had joined us, and we formed a large party. The road was broad enough to have admitted three carriages abreast, but we saw no wheeled vehicles on the island. It led straight southward through a plain yellow with ripe padi. Every- where great numbers of the natives were to be seen. Many were engaged in the fields, cutting rice and stacking it on the backs of the ponies. Groups of them met or overtook us, all of whom were mounted, and all, whether at work in the fields or riding, were armed with spear and kris. The latter weapons are of excellent workmanship. The steel is purposely left impolished, and is, in fact, quite rough. The blades are valued according to the " twist," which is often as well worked as in a pair of Damascus barrels by a o-ood EnsHsh {lunmaker. Most of them have a sinuous curve and VII.] ZOOLOGICAL FEATURES OF THE SUNDA ISLANDS. 137 pistol-shaped or right-angled handles ; none the beautifully-shaped grips of the Sulu parangs, which are in reality far more effective weapons, though less murderous-look- ing. The spears, even of those of the lowest rank, had hilts of worked silver reaching down the shaft for eight or ten inches from the insertion of the blade. A mile or two after leaving the sea we again struck the Sumbawa Eiver, which, in spite of the long-continued drought, was still running as a stream of clear water about a foot in depth. Many of the Sumbawan rivers, we were told, fail altogether in the dry season. Leaving the more cultivated land be- hind us, we came to a wilder part, with occasional patches of thorny thicket, and it was here that I was able to realise for the first time that we were in a totally different zoograpliical region from Java and the other great Malay Islands. How^ever well one may be acquainted with the facts of regional division, and with the zoological and other charac- teristics of the various parts of the Malay Archipelago which have been so admirably described by Mr. Wallace, the personal realisation of them gives an amount of pleasure to a naturalist which few people can imagine. Java was the last country we had visited, but here the vegetation was of quite a different type. Euphorbias of two or three species were abundant, and it was scarcely possible to enter the dry and scrubby jimgle without being brought constantly to a standstill by the thorns. In the Malayan jungle the rattan is almost the sole impediment of this SUMBAWAN KRIS. 138 SUMBAJVA. [chap. kind. The forest-trees were unfamiliar, and owing to the leafless- uess of many of them, there was a remarkable absence of colour in the landscape. Here and there only a Bombax caught the eye, its crimson flowers conspicuous at the ends of the bare branches. The prickly pear was growing everywhere, and to judge from its abundance, must have been introduced into the island many years ago. No rain had fallen for five months, and the heat and dust were intolerable. The latter lay thick upon the trees and plants, and enveloped us in a light impalpable cloud as we walked. Our surroundings were indeed different to the eternal verdure of a Bornean forest. Among the birds too there was a strong element of novelty. Two species especially obtruded themselves on our notice that were eminently of Australian type, — one, the Lemon-crested Cockatoo (C. sulphur cci), whose snowy plumage rendered it very conspicuous, the other a singularly ugly Meliphagine bird {Tropidorhynchus timoriensis), of uniformly dull brown plimiage, and with a bare neck and face, which, in small flocks of eight or ten, kept up a continuous and most discordant chatter in almost every thicket. Several specimens of a lovely golden oriole {Oriolus hroderipi) also fell to our guns, the male of which is of a brilliant orange yellow. It is a species peculiar to the islands eastwards of Bali. It was not long before we arrived at what was called the Bugis kampong, a straggling village nearly a mile long, which closely adjoins the town of Sumbawa. It is entirely occupied by these people, and we were told that there were only three Buginese in the capital itself. Every "compound" was fenced in with the greatest care, as were all the fields also, and there were many evidences of high cultivation. We saw a considerable quantity of tobacco growing. It was topped in the same manner as it is in America and other countries where it is grown for trade — from eighteen to twenty leaves only being allowed to remain. We entered the town, which was apparently without palisades or fortifications of any kind, and a large number of natives turned VII.] TOJFN OF SUMBAJFA. 139 out to stare at us as we passed. All were armed with spears, which one w^ould have imagined no little hindrance to them in their ordinary avocations, but they appeared rarely or never to KRIS WITH WORKED GOLD SCABBARD, SUMBAWA. leave their hands. One party we surprised were screaming with laughter and splashing one another with water, old and young alike, — rather contrary to the usual quiet and undemonstrative haljits of those of Malav race. We were informed that the Sultan 140 SUMBAJVA. [chap. was asleep, and were accordingly led by Omar to the house of the Tungku Jirewi, It consisted of three small rooms, in the outer one of which, adjoining the balcony on either side of the wooden steps, he received us. He was a little man, wasted ahnost to a skeleton by opium-smoking, and was dressed m the usual bright- coloured silk sarong and haju. He wore a flat cap of plain black silk, of the shape which used five and twenty years back to be termed a " pork-pie." It was decorated with a gold band, not of lace, but a thin plate of the metal itself. A large gold stomacher nearly the size of an octavo book adorned the region of his waist- coat, and a kris, with its sheath and handle covered with the same metal, hung at his side. A dozen or more old muskets, mostly with flint locks, stood in a rack at the back of the room together with some spears, one of which was beautifully hilted with worked gold. There is, of coiu'se, no ivory in the island, but both this and gold are imported, and largely used for kris and spear decoration. These weapons excited our admiration as much as our guns did theirs, but although we tried on several occasions to buy them, we were seldom able to come to terms. Many of them were hehiooms, and the prices asked were in all cases very large. Omar told us that he had known two hundred dollars offered for a spear blade only, so highly prized are some methods of working the steel. After a long hichara of the usual character, we asked the Tungku's permission to eat in his house, and he retired meanwhile into the adjoining room, whence sounds of various female voices were audible. From time to time an eye peeped through a chink in the bamboo wall, and it was evident that we were being freely inspected and criticised by the ladies of the harem, who in these islands have not the freedom permitted to those in Sulu. We had brought with us a couple of bottles of champagne, which experience had long ago taught us to have even more power than music in soothing the breast of Oriental potentates, and, disregarding the Koran, we sent some in to our host and his companions. It had the effect of bringing him out for some more, and we prevailed on VII.] THE TUNGKU JIREWI. 141 him to share our tiffin, which, however, was evidently less to his taste than the wine. We were anxious to get him to sit for his photograph, and on the operation being explained he readily consented, and retired to get himself up for the occasion. He reappeared arrayed in a large gold crown which must have been THE TUNGKU JIKEWI. nearly a foot across, and was made of the pure metal, although not much thicker than a sheet of stout brown paper. His state umbrella was held over him, his spearmen gTouped on either side, and two antiquated cannon guarding the house placed in a con- spicuous position, but, with all these martial and gilded accessories, the effect was not imposing, and Thackeray's delightful sketch of "Eex. — Ludovicus. — Ludovicus Eex" occurred at once to one's mind. 142 SUMBAWA. [chap. Our noble sitter was shrivelled to a mummy, and his one request was for " some medicine to make him fat." We adjourned to the house of the Datu Banda, where we had Chinese tea offered us, and were informed that the Sultan had gone Jca igrcja — a phrase that required no knowledge of Malay to translate, so we went out to inspect the town. In a large open square beneath trees, and adjoining a cemetery which was planted selon regie with champacs, a crowded market was going on. The vendors w^ere all women, and w^ere guarded by spearmen, who permitted none of the sterner sex to enter, and would make no exception in our favour, greatly to our disappointment. Eeaching the neighbourhood of the Sultan's Palace we were again stopped. It appears to be against etiquette, if not worse, to approach it. On the outskirts of the town we came upon a veritable Aceldama, — a small field where all the animals of the town appeared to be slaughtered. It was covered with ox-bones and dried blood, and was a gruesome sight, Eeturning to the Datu Banda's, we were told that the Sultan would see us, and at once proceeded to the Palace. It was a wooden building of considerable size, surrounded by a low stone wall and double gates. A small guard of spearmen occupied an open bamboo guardhouse near the entrance. Entering, we found a long flight of covered wooden steps, up which we were conducted to the reception-room, a large hall with its roof supported by massive wooden pillars, which, like the doors, were painted a bright pea green. The walls were of plaited bamboo, and had five or six large kites hung against them, made, as is the custom here, in the shape of birds. At the farther end of the room were evidences of European civilisation in the shape of a table and some chairs, behind which stood racks of flint lock, and percussion guns. The Sultan, who was nearly seventy-four years of age, had evidently been a good-looking man in his day, and was comically like a benevolent old English lady, the resemblance being heightened by liis wearing his grey hair in side puffs over the ears. He vii.] A VISIT TO THE SULTAN. 143 received us pleasantly, and told us that the English were a good people, and that their Queen had sent him a gun, which was brought for our inspection. As it was evidently of Belgian make, we had our doubts as to the donor, but did not, of course, un- deceive him. ^ Tea, cakes of banana meal, and a sort of wine were brought in for us, and our objects and reasons for visiting Suml^awa demanded, though in the politest manner. Such questions, as may be imagined, are extremely difficult to answer in such a manner as to be comprehended by the nati^'e intellect. The naturalist travelling alone is, perhaps, within their grasp, but that any one would sail about the w^orld in a large ship merely for the purpose of travel and natural history is too much to expect any one to believe, and our explanations were received with a politeness which only half concealed the underlying doubt. As usual on these occasions, we were the " cynosure of neighbouring eyes," which watched us unremittingly from the tiny little windows of the ladies' apartment, and behind us row after row of natives, for the most part wearing a sarong and kris only, squatted on their haunches listening to the conversation. Our interview ended by the Sultan arranging to return our visit on the following day, and we eventually left the town for our homeward ride late in the afternoon. It was long after dark when we arrived at the beach. Next day our time and energies were devoted almost exclusively to the entertainment of our guests. The Sultan, who had previously bargained for a salute of twenty-one guns, made his appearance at eight o'clock in the morning, and remained on board for some hours. After his departure the Tungku Jirewi, who also intimated by a special messenger that his rank required seven guns, came off to the ship, and it was late in the afternoon before we finally got rid of our \isitors. A shooting excursion that we had previously ^ We afterwards found out from the authorities at ]\Iacassar that the storj^ was in the main correct. The ship Invcrerne having been lost on the coast of Sumbawa, the Sultan had taken charge of the crew, and treated them kindly until they were taken off the island. The Dutch authorities had been commissioned to present him with the gun. 144 SUMBATFA. [chap. planned was consequently a failure, and we got neither deer nor pig, altliough both are said to be fairly abundant in the neighbourhood. The low jungle wliich we beat looked quite dead, but the natives told us that in the rainy season it would soon be in full leaf. It was ankle-deep in powdery dust, which iloated round us in little clovids as we walked. After sundown nightjars of two species (C. macrurus and G. affinis) hawked over the dried -up padi fields in hundreds. In no other part of the world have I ever seen birds of this genus in such extraordinary abundance. On the 12th of August we sailed at daybreak for the coast to the eastward, as it was our intention, if possible, to ascend the great Tambora volcano. We passed to the south of Majo Island, and crossed the mouth of the Salee Giilf, which divides Sumbawa almost in half. The land to the south is low, and the monsoon, crossing it, blew strong from the south-east. Majo, like the country round the town of Sumbawa, looked dried up and withered to the last degree. The gulf is even now the haunt of pirates, and its shores are more or less deserted for some distance inland, where the natives live in fear and trembhng within stockaded towns. The first sight of Tambora — one of the most tremendous volcanoes in the world, witli a crater eight miles in diameter — is not a very striking one, omng perhaps to the very breadth of its summit, but the forests on its slopes were beautifully green and fresh -looking, contrasting strongly with what we had until then seen of Sumbawan vegetation. We slowly approached the land, and passing to the south of the little island of Setonda, wdiich is what the Sicilians would call a son of Tambora, and merely a crater sticking up from the sea, we anchored to the east of a small bay, with the centre of the great volcano bearing about S.E. This place — known to the natives as Labuan Penakan — had been spoken of by the Sultan as being a possible locality for obtaining help in the ascent of the mountain. A few huts were visible on the beach, and soon after our arrival a dug-out canoe came off, manned by two men, who brought the carcase of a deer VII.] TAMBORA VOLCANO. 145 {Cervus tivioriensis), which they wished to sell for rice. We had none of this to dispose of, but we eventually bought the animal for six yards of " Turkey red " ^ and a small packet of tobacco. It was unfortunately not entire, and we were therefore unable to add its skeleton to our collection. From the natives we learnt that the ascent of Tambora from this side was impracticable, or at least attended with so many difficulties as to be nearly so. There was no track whatever, and we should have had to cut our way through the jungle, which was very dense and thorny, for three or four days. We therefore re- linquished the idea, and occupied ourselves by exploring and making a rough sketch survey of the little bay, which afforded good anchorage in the east monsoon, and had a beautiful stream of clear water at its head. We took two or three photographs of Tambora, and on the following day sailed for Bima. Slowly rounding the northern and eastern sides of the volcano, we had a good opportunity of admir- ing its vastness and solidity. Although over 9000 feet, it appears of much less height, and is devoid of the graceful pyramidal shape generally seen in volcanoes which have been slowly built up by less violent but unceasing action. Its slope is a very gradual one, more especially on the south-east side. This, I believe, is where the Dutch traveller, Dr. Zollinger, attempted the ascent, and, as far as it was possible to judge, it seemed the most practicable approach, being devoid of forest, which is the case nowhere else. On the northern side there is an enormous gap in the lip of the crater, through which a stream of lava has burst, and torn its way through the forest to the sea. It was hard to believe that only seventy years had elapsed since the occurrence of the most appalling eruption known in modern times. The rank vegetation of the tropics soon hides the scars which in Europe would remain for centuries. ^ "Turkey red" is a thin cotton cloth, largely used for trade and barter both in Africa and the East Indian Archipelago. VOL. II. L 146 SUM BA IF A. [chap. What that eruption was can best be gathered from Mr. Wallace's account : — "The great eruption began on April 5th, 1815, was most violent on the 11th and 12th, and did not entirely cease until the following July. The sound of the explosions was heard at Bencoolen in Sumatra, a distance of over 1100 miles in one direction, and at Ternate, a distance of over 900 miles in a nearly opposite direction. Violent whirlwinds carried up men, horses, cattle, and whatever else came within their influence, into the air ; tore up the largest trees by the roots, and covered the sea with floating timber. Many streams of lava issued from the crater, and flowed in different directions to the sea, destroying everything in their course. Even more destructive were the ashes, which fell in such quantities that they broke into the Resident's house at Bima, more than sixty miles to the eastward, and rendered most of the houses in that tovm. uninhabitable. On the west towards Java, and on the north towards Celebes, the ashes darkened the air to a distance of 300 miles, while fine ashes fell in Amboina and Banda, more than 800 miles distant ; and in such cj^uantity at Bruni, the capital of Borneo, more than 900 miles north, that the event is remembered and used as a date-reckoner to this day. To the west of Sumbawa the sea was covered with a floating mass of fine ashes 2 feet thick, through which ships forced their way with difficulty. The darkness caused by the ashes in the day- time was more profoimd than that of the darkest nights, and this horrid pitchy gloom extended a distance of 300 miles to the westward into Java. Along the sea-coast of Sumbawa and the neighbouring islands the sea rose suddenly to the height of from 2 to 12 feet, so that every vessel was forced from its anchorage and driven on shore. The town of Tambora sank beneath the sea, and remained permanently 18 feet deep where there had been dry land before. The noises, the tremors of the earth, and the fall of ashes from this eruption extended over a circle of more than 2000 miles in diameter, and out of a population of 12,000 persons who inhabited the province of Tambora previous to the eruption, it is said that only 26 individuals survived.^ Bima Bay, a narrow inlet running north and south, and nearly fifteen miles in length, has been a settlement of the Dutch since 1660, if indeed that term can be applied to a post where one European and a handful of coloured soldiers drag out a miserable existence. The bay forms an excellent harbour, protected from 1 "Australasia," Stanford's Compendium, p. 425. SUMBAWAN CHIEF, BIMA. Page 147 VII.] BIMA. 147 all winds, and the town, placed on its eastern shore, is of course provided with its little fort and large flagstaff — two objects that in our subsequent wanderings among these islands we found, together with low white bungalows, gin and bitters, Manila cheroots, and complete ennui, to be the leading characteristics of a Dutch settle- ment in Malaysia. The country round the entrance to the bay was as parched and dusty-looking as that in the vicinity of Sum- bawa, but as we steamed down the narrow fjord-like inlet every little cove revealed itself as an oasis of coco palms in the desert around. Two forts, each as large as a good-sized room, guard the narrowest part, which is hardly more than a quarter of a mile in breadth. They were unoccupied, but a few rusty old cannon peeped out of the embrasures. Beyond these narrows the bay expands to a considerable size ; to the west a fine range of mountains, 6000 feet in height, shuts it in, and southward, seven miles away, some dark blue, Scotch-looking. hills indicate its farthest limits. The town is placed on a flat, which in the west monsoon be- comes a swamp, and hence fever, generally of a severe type, is prevalent, more especially on the advent of the rains. We got ashore with some difficulty, — for a mud-bank with an inch or two of water on it makes landing anywhere opposite the town an impossibility, — and paid our respects to Mr. Diepenhorst, the Resident. He welcomed us with such evident pleasure that it expressed, better than any words could have, the monotony of the life he led. He talked English fluently, and had not been away from civilisation long enough to have lost his interest in the world's affairs. His house was entirely open in front, with no other security than blinds, yet he assured us that he felt perfectly secure, and had never lost any of his property. He accounted for it by the fact of there being only tliree Cliinese in Bima, but the 700 Klings who were said to be settled in the district must have been of unusually immaculate character. Mr. Diepenhorst estimated the entire population of the island at about 70,000, of which 5000 live in Bima. About the same number, the Sultan had informed 148 SUMBAJVA. [chap US, inhabited the town of Sumbawa. Crawfurd ^ speaks of three languages as existing in the island, — the Buna, the Sumbawa, and the Tambora, — all of which are written in Bugis character. Two of them, the first and last, are very distinct, and have but a slight admixture of words of foreign origin. Mr. Diepenhorst, however. VIEW IN BIMA. who was a good linguist, informed us that there is a fourth, and perfectly distinct language spoken in Dompo, a district to the south-west of Bima, and that m the country around Bima itself two widely-different dialects exist. There had been no rain in the town for six months — a period of drought unusual even in Sumbawa. The water has in all ^ "Grammar and Dictionary of the Malay Language," vol. i. p. 92. VII.] BIRDS OF THE ISLAND. 149 seasons to be brought from the hills by coolies, an affair necessitating much labour, as the spring is five miles distant. In the vicinity of the town large quantities of rice are grown, the low-lying land lending itself especially to its cultivation, and an elaborate system of irrigation exists, the water-supply being drawn from a small river, the mouth of which is close to the town. Coffee is cul- tivated in the hills, but it is of poor quality, and fetches less than half the price of that grown in Northern Celebes. Birds were numerous in the fruit gardens in and around Bima, and placed as Sumbawa is on the outskn-ts of the Austro-Malayan sub-region, it was interesting to note the mingling of the Indian and Australian forms. The Ashy Tit (Parus cinercus), which has extended as far eastward as Mores, was one of the first birds that attracted my attention ; its clear and unmistakable note almost exactly resembling that of our own Great Tit. A small wood- pecker {Yungipicus grandis, Hargitt) — another alien genus in this region — was far less common. Side by side with these Indian forms occurred other genera of Australian origin, — Pachycephala, Stigmatops, Geoffroyus, and a beautiful brush-tongued lory {Triclio- glossus forsteni), which seems to be peculiar to the island. Our bag at the end of a long day contained over sixty specimens, and we sat up skinning them until it was nearly daybreak, for in such a climate the heat admits of no delay in these matters. Among them was a Zosterojjs new to science, with a brownish head and the rest of the body a pretty golden yellow.-^ The most productive shooting-ground was in the neighbourhood of a large cemetery at the back of the town. The tombstones were for the most part smooth and club-shaped, and were placed at the head and foot of the grave, the outline of the latter being marked by pebbles. Three tombs however — those of the old Sultans of Bima — were conspicuous among the rest ; large oven-shaped erections of red brick covered with plaster. A low entrance with stone lintels deeply carved with inscriptions led into a little 1 Z. sunibavensis. Vide " Proc. Zoolog. Soc." 1885, p. 501. 150 SUMBATFA. [chap. chamber in which was a raised wooden grave of an ordinary ]\Ialay type — much like a child's cot. These tombs were said to be about 200 years old, and were much dilapidated and cracked, no doubt in great part owing to the earthquakes and eruption of 1815. At the north-east end of Sumbawa, and barely six miles from its shores, lies the island of Gunong Api^ or Sangeang. The distance at which we had sighted it had led us to doubt the accuracy of the chart, in which its height is given at 2040 feet, and on taking measurements as we approached, we found it to be slightly over 6000 feet, — a great elevation upon so small a base, for the island is less than seven miles in breadth. The coast is steep- to on the western side, and as we steamed slowly along, almost within gunshot of the beach, in search of an anchorage, we had plenty of time to admire the fine scenery it afforded. From a shore of black konstone sand the mountain rises steeply up, at first as a series of hummocky hills, covered with green and yellow lalang grass, and separated from one another by narrow gullies filled with dark-foliaged trees. Beyond, a sharp slope of dense 1 A Malay name (G^mcmg, mountain ; ajn, fire) applied to two or three different volcanic islands in tlie Eastern Archipelago. vil] GUNONG API. 151 forest reaches nearly to the summit, which is formed by two bare peaks. The diversity of colouring was wonderful, and both in this and other respects the island bore a singular resemblance to Madeira. The presence of a few white houses dotted over the hills was alone wanting to make it almost complete. Our object in visiting the island was chiefly to procure water, for that obtainable in Macassar, which was to be our next port, was, we were warned, of bad quality, and in cruising in these climates it is of the first importance that the drinking water should be pure. We tried at two or three places without success, but on despatching a boat ashore when off the W.N.W. point, the boatswain retiu'ned with the intelligence that there was a spring close to the sea, so we at once landed to inspect it. The ground was dry and dusty even in the gullies, but between high and low water mark rapid runlets of clear water streamed out for a distance of three or four hundred yards along the beach. It would, however, have taken a long time to fill our tanks, and we decided to defer that operation until we discovered a better place. We found many natives on the island, and one of those we met was able to understand Malay. They are Sumbawans who have immigrated from the adjoining coast, and speak one of the two Bima dialects. We picked up the skull of a large pig, and the natives also told us that there were numbers of deer on the island. That snakes of a very respectable size also existed we infen^ed from our finding a piece of the shed skin of one of them, which measured over seven feet in length. Among our ornithological spoil was a quail of a new species {Turnix powelli), which I have since named after my friend Lieut. E. ff. Powell, E.N., who accompanied the Marchesa in her voyages to Kamschatka and New Guinea. At our next anchorage, about two miles farther along the coast, we were more fortunate in our search for water, the proximity of which was evident from the presence of a rather large \Tllage of scattered huts. The most marked feature in the vegetation here was the large number of Palmyra palms {Borassus), — a rather coarse- 152 S UMBA WA . [chap. vii. stemmed tree crowned with a disproportionately small bvmch of fan -shaped fronds, — which, though conspicuous enough in those parts of the island that we visited, more especially from the fact that dead ones were exceedingly numerous, do not so often attract the notice of the traveller in the islands farther west. Like some other palms, it flowers but once, and dies immediately afterwards. Behind the village a tremendous gorge leads steeply upwards towards the peaks, through which in the rainy season a large body of water must find its way to the sea. The prolonged drought had reduced the stream to a mere rivulet, which flowed through a wilderness of huge boulders, but we found enough water for our purpose, and a few hours' hard work sufficed to fill our tanks. On the following day we weighed anchor and set our course N.N.E. for Macassar. Our visit to Sumbawa had been too short to get any- thing more than a passing glunpse of the country, and we had been disappointed in our plan of ascending Tambora, but we had added considerably to the number of our photographs, and by diligent collecting had succeeded in obtaining forty species of birds, two of which, as I have already mentioned, were new to science. CHAPTER VIII. CELEBES. Macassar — Visits of ceremony — Dress of the Dutch ladies — "Floating the liver" — Life in Macassar — The King of Goa's house-warming — Bandit and butler- — Cock-fighting — Visit to Maros — A beautiful valley — Sail for Northern Celebes — The Spermonde Archipelago — Menado — Stranding of the Marchesa — Start for the mountain district — Lotta — The "Major " of Tomohon — Arrive at Tondano — The coffee industry — A doubtful delicacy — Languages of Minahasa — Tondano waterfall — Nutmegs and Vanilla — The Kanari nut — Anoa depressicornis — Birds of Celebes — Mr. Wallace on the Dutch system. The southern part of Celebes is affected by the easterly monsoon quite as much as the islands lying to the south of it, and, as we neared the coast, the thick haze characteristic of the dry season rendered our position a matter of some uncertainty. We at length recognised the small island of Tana-keke, and passing through the network of shoals which here and to the north present considerable difficulties to navigation, we came to anchor in the roadstead of Macassar. We had passed the guardship on entering, and two or three vessels only lay off the town, but everywhere innumerable praus were to be seen, from the large Aru trader of forty tons or more to small dug-out canoes. The Buginese are the orang Jchalasi — the seamen — of the Eastern Archipelago, and trade as far east- ward as New Guinea. Macassar is not attractive from the sea. The land around is low and flat, and as we landed the place fairly grilled in the heat, which the whitewashed houses and the thick, greenish-white water of the anchorage helped, in appearance at all events, to increase. 154 CELEBES. [chap. But putting Java aside, it is the most important town in the whole of the Dutch East Indies, and the centre of trade of a vast extent of country. Ternate, Amboina, and Banda are the only other places worthy of the name of town ia Netherlands India, but though the former of these was settled earlier by the Portuguese,^ and the spice trade of the others has been renowned for centuries, they will always remain of inferior importance as compared with the more western town. Bata\da is the Singapore of the Dutch ; Macassar their Hongkong. It is seldom that an Englisliman is found in these regions, and, indeed, the traveller, if he be of that nationality, may safely calcidate on seeing the last of his countrymen for some time to come on leaving Bata^da for a voyage to Celebes and the Moluccas. Our sliips rarely cruise in these waters, but, just pre\dous to our arrival, H.]\I.S. Cliampion had ^dsited ]\Iacassar,^the first English man-of-war, it was said, that had entered the port for tliii'ty years. AVliether this is accurate I do not know, but the sliip was received with such kindness that the interval might w^ell have been a century, and the letters of introduction we carried from her officers ensured us a warmth of hospitality that was as pleasant as it was unexpected. Oui- first call after presenting these was upon the Governor, and though we were more or less acquainted with the etiquette to be observed on these occasions, it is probable that my reader is not, and I may as well describe it once for all. A ceremonial call is generally paid at 7 p.m., dinner being at a quarter or half-past eight, and a black coat with tails is a sine qud non. A dress-coat and waistcoat are considered dc rigueur, but a frock-coat or even a " cutaway " may be worn without a breach of decorum. Tads, howcA'^er, are absolutely essential, and a coat ^ A few Portuguese apparently settled near Slacassar in 1512, tlie year following Albuquerque's conquest of Malacca, but it does not appear tbat tbey fairly established themselves until many years later, whereas Ternate had been garrisoned by De Brito in 1521, and was held continuously for sixty years. The Dutch occupation of Celebes dates from 1660, in which year they destroyed six Portuguese ships off Macassar, captured their fort, and concluded an alliance with the King of Goa. viri.] . DRESS AND CUSTOMS IN MACASSAR. 155 destitute of these ornaments, even if black, would fail to guarantee one's respectability. The trousers should be white, and a hat, even if only carried, is indispensable. To Englishmen this latter rule may appear superfluous, but in the Dutch East Indies no head-covering of any kind is worn after sunset by either sex. The guests on arrival are seated round a table, generally in the verandah, and Port, Madeira, Hollands, and bitters are placed before them — drinks that, in defiance of the climate, no well-regulated Dutchman would dream of omitting as a prelude to dinner. Manila chei'oots are handed, for smoking is of course universal, and behind the master of the house squats a native with a firestick, ready to respond to the " kasi api " of any guest who may require a light. He must be " robur et cvs tripleo:" who would venture upon gin and such like fiery liquids in these latitudes before dinner, but the Dutch customs in Malaysia are not all so unsuitable. In the way of dress especially the ladies are far in advance of their Anglo-Indian sisters. In the morning they appear in native costume. A short lace-edged kibaya of thin white linen buttons up to the throat, and a silk sarong reaches to the feet, which are with- out stockings, and clad only in a pair of gold-embroidered Turkish slippers. The effect, although perhaps at first a little startling to European eyes, is decidedly good, especially in a young and pretty woman, and in the way of comfort and coolness there is little to be desired. English prejudices are, I fear, too strong to admit of the adoption of such sensible garments in om- own tropical settle- ments, where, alas ! corsets and black dress-coats have taken too deep a root in the fashions to be easily got rid of. The society in Macassar was very pleasant, and not less so from the fact that almost every one spoke English or French nearly as well as their own language. One of the first entertainments to which we were iuAdted was a private theatrical performance fol- lowed by a ball. It was given in a public hall, which on Sundays served the purposes of a church ! A large number of people were present, and we were astonished at the abundance of the fair sex. 156 CELEBES. [chap. if indeed the " chocolate ladies," as they are here termed, can be included in that category. There appeared to be none of that separation of colour which is so marked a feature where Briton meets Eurasian. The reason no doubt lies in the fact that, after a time, life in these regions renders a return to the gloomy skies and winter of the north a pain rather than a pleasure. The official in Netherlands India, condemned to a preposterous length of service before he can obtain furlough,^ feels that his lot must be to live and die there, and that his Fatherland is as impossible to him as to the Lotus-eaters : — " For surely now oi;r liouseliold hearths are cohl : . . . our looks are strange ; And we should come like ghosts to trouble joy." And so he marries ; not perhaps a half-caste, but some one whose dark hair and rich warm colouring betray the presence of other than European blood. Should his constitution survive the ante- prandial port and bitters, he retires to Batavia or Buitenzorg on the completion of his term of service, and spends the remainder of his life in the society of his fellows. The acting was good, but the Uijspel rather heavy. After it was over the seats were removed and dancing began. Champagne appears to be a favourite wine with the Dutch, and the supply of it was inexhaustible. It had, we learnt, a prophylactic power of which we had till then been ignorant. The advent of cholera was expected, and we were instructed how to avoid it. "Float the liver, my dear sir ; keep your liver constantly floating in champagne, and you will never catch the cholera," was the advice given us, and every one certainly seemed to act up to it to the best of his ability. The town is much as other Dutch Malayan towns. A row of white shops and merchants' offices lines the sea, and dust of a lightness and powderiness that is not excelled even in California or the Diamond Fields covers the streets to the depth of an inch ^ It is — I believe I am right in saying — as much as fifteen years. VIII.] TOWN OF MACASSAR. 157 or more. These are otherwise clean enough, and the spare time of the native servants — and they appear to have plenty of it — is occupied in perpetual watering. There is, of course, a fort, and equally of course, a jj/cm. The cemetery is significantly full. Almost all the tombs are kept whitewashed, and, as many of them are curious chapel-like erections with flying buttresses, the A NATIVE STREET MACASSAR. effect at a distance is something between an ice -palace and a clothes' drying -ground. The houses of the Dutch residents, shadowed in peepul or galela trees, stand back a little distance from the road — long, low, and cool, with thick white posts at their entrance-^ates. A Ion"' avenue of magnificent overarchino; trees leads eastward from the pier, adown which the Governor may be seen driving any afternoon in a four-in-hand with sky-blue reins. It is lighted by means of lamps hung midway between the trees, for the Hollander, even although gas may be unattainable, considers civilisation incomplete without these adjuncts. Then, too, there is 158 CELEBES. [chap. the club, with its zinc-topped tables set out cafe-fashion beneath the trees. It is called the " Harmonic," as is every Dutch club in Malaysia, and within all is dark and cool and deserted during the mid-day heat. The servants are curled up asleep behind the bar or in the corners of the rooms, and would stare in dumb astonishment at the apparition of a European, for the early business of the day over, and the rijst tafel or lunch despatched, the white residents get into their pyjamas, and take a siesta till three or four o'clock. A couple of hours or so are then devoted to business, and towards sunset the male portion of the population meet at the " Harmonic " to chat and drink 'pV^J*^^- Billiards is the most violent exercise taken ; cricket, bowls, and lawn-tennis are unknown. While we were at Macassar the King of Goa gave a house- warmincc, to which most of the Dutch and German residents were invited. This monarch, although on friendly terms with the Dutch, occasions them a considerable amount of inconvenience from the proximity of his dominions to the town, and robberies by his people are not uncommon. We drove over in company with some of our Dutch friends through mile after mile of padi field and dense clouds of dust, which the excessive heat did not render more bear- able. As we neared our destination the large number of natives proceeding in the same direction betokened a general holiday. The palace, which was built of wood, was the work of a Chinese architect, and its exterior was gay with gold and colours. We entered a large room on the first floor by means of a covered stair- way, and were duly introduced to royalty. The king and members of his family were conspicuous by wearing plain black satin sarongs without trace of ornamentation, but their hajus and caps were gold- laced, and they carried krisses with beautifully- worked gold sheaths. Several Dutch officials and their wives had preceded us, and numerous servants passed noiselessly from guest to guest handing trays of sweetmeats, tea, and coffee. Various hangers-on, naked save their caps and sarongs, squatted in the corners of the room, and the grandchildren of the king, clad in little else except VIII.] A BANDIT BUTLER. 159 bracelets and rows of gold plaques hung upon the breast, trotted about with evident delight. These latter ornaments, which are inscribed in rehef with verses from the Koran written in Bugis character, are made in Macassar, and are often of beautiful work- manship. We learnt from an initiated Dutchman that lager beer and sagucir were being dispensed to a favoured few in a corner. The A GOA CHIEF. latter is a sweet palm wine, not unlike cider, and is made from the juice of Arenga saccharifcra, — a tree which, with its thick fronds and heavy pendulous masses of globular green fruit, soon becomes a familiar object to the traveller in Celebes and the Moluccas. Our servitor had a history. Now the major-domo of the king, and a most important personage in his way, he had seen many vicissi- tudes. By birth he was apparently part Malay, part Portuguese, and part negro, but of however many nationalities he may have been, he was at one time in affluent circumstances. An unlucky speculation lost him all his money — nearly £4000 — and he took to the road, or rather to the mountains, where for eight years he 160 CELEBES. [chap. manacfed to elude the authorities and to earu his livelihood. At length, however, he had to give in, in consequence of the number of Dutch troops sent out against him. History does not relate the cause of his being pardoned, but a more respectable- looking butler than he appeared while directing the management of his cellar I never saw. Our tiffin was evidently intended to be equally suited to Malay and European tastes. Various little rissoles, coloured rice cakes, and half a hundred other indescribable comestibles were done up in neatly -plaited bamboo cases hardly bigger than one's finger, while a few joints of mutton represented the cuisine of the West, Champagne and claret, both far better than could have been expected, were handed, and after a couple of speeches from the Governor and their replies, we escaped gladly from a durian-eating neighbour into the fresh aii- outside. Our entertainment terminated, as a matter of course, with cockfighting, a sport beloved by all of Malay race. The spurs used were about three inches long, and made of the blades of razors, ground down to excessive thinness. With such weapons there is but little cruelty in the affair. We waited to see a main fought before we left. The king and other royal personages made their bets ; the combatants w^ere placed opposite to one another ; they made two feints, and in less than half a dozen seconds the vanquished buxl lay motionless on the ground. Had he met his fate legitimately at the hands of the poulterer his death could not have been more rapidly effected. The descriptions of our Dutch friends, and the account given by Mr. Wallace in his " ]\Ialay Archipelago," made us anxious to pay a visit to Maros, a district lying twenty or thirty miles north of Macassar, and early one morning a sinall party of us started in a steam launch kindly lent us for the occasion. We ran along the coast for some miles until the mouth of the JMaros Paver was reached, but owing to the shallowness of the water on the bar, we had to transliip into small native boats to convey us for the rest of our VIII.] MAEOS. 161 journey, and it was long after dark when we arrived at the village, which lies many miles up stream. A small fort, built in bygone days by the Dutch, acted as a sort of rest- house, but there were only two rooms and two beds, and with bare boards and no mosquito nets, most of us spent an uncom- fortable night. The gorge and waterfall FALLS OF THE MABUS RIVER VOL. II. M 162 CELEBES. [chap. for which Maros is famous, lie a considerable distance beyond the village, and the path thither leads over a vast plain stretching from the sea to the base of the limestone cliffs, which rise with extraordinary abruptness from the level rice-fields. A depression of a few feet only would submerge a vast area of land, and brmg the sea to the foot of these almost vertical walls, and in past ages such a condition no doubt actually existed. Curious outlying rocks — islands indeed they might be called — guard the entrance of the gorge from which the river debouches, and near one of these we were shown the site of a battlefield where the British forces encountered the natives at the beuinnino- of the present century,^ I have seldom seen quainter scenery in the tropics than that within the gorge. The perpendicular sides close in very rapidly after passing the entrance, and become in some places overhanging, with curious protuberant stalagmites of huge size. The level bottom of the valley, clothed at first with bush and small trees, soon becomes narrow and uneven, hardly admitting of a path beside the little river. It is closed in by a fall of about fifty feet in height, the water of which slides gracefully over a half dome of smooth basaltic rock, which here, as Mr. Wallace has remarked," underlies the limestone formation. Scrambling up by the side of the waterfall, an upper gorge is reached, the scenery of which is very pretty. The placid little stream of milky blue water flows between an avenue formed by perpendicular bush-covered cliffs, and half a mile beyond there is a second fall, in the basin of which we had a most refreshing bathe. Still farther the gorge contracts almost to a fissure, with walls of great height. The house in which Mr. Wallace had taken up his quarters five and twenty years before still stood at the mouth of the valley, although uninhabited and much out of repair. In these countries, ^ The Dutch colonies, like the mother country, became absorbed in the French Empire, and the French Governor-general of Java having capitulated to the British in 1811, Celebes was also occupied. It was restored to the Dutch in 1816. - " Malay Archipelago, " Seventh Edition, p. 238. VIII.] A CROCODILE FARM. 163 however, where palm-leaves are plentiful, it does not take long to make a habitation comfortable, provided the uprights are still standing, and it would be difficult for a naturalist to tind a pleasanter collecting-ground. Birds were tolerably abundant, and butterflies extraordinarily so, but among the thousands that fluttered around the pools we looked in vain for the large Swallow-tail (P. androdes), which is one of the finest of its genus. Our time was too limited for any serious collecting, and our naturalists' bag was a hght one as we paddled down the Maros Eiver on our way l^ack to Macassar. We had an opportunity of making a large addition to it in the shape of a young crocodile, which we suddenly encountered lying asleep on the bank with its mouth partially open. Our bullets failed to stop it, and it instantly disappeared. A good story with regard to these animals is told of a certain Dutch gentleman whose name is frequently mentioned in the "Malay Archipelago." The Grovernment had offered a reward of two dollars for every crocodile killed, and Mr. X not infrequently claimed it. In process of time these claims became so extraordinarily numerous as to lead to an investigation, when it was discovered that he had established a most successful breeding-ground by staking a small reach of river at some distance from civilisation, and that his stock of Saurians was nearly as profitable as an American cattle- ranche appears to be in a prospectus. On Sunday, the 26th of August, 1883 — memorable in the annals of the East Indian Archipelago as the date of the appallmg eruption of Krakatau in the Straits of Sunda — we left Macassar for the north of Celebes. For forty miles or more northwards from the roads the coast is guarded by a complex network of islands, reefs, and shoals, the navigation of which is always avoided by ships, A survey of this Spermonde Archipelago, as it is called, had just been completed by the Dutch, and we resolved to attempt the passage. We found the charts admirable, and had no difficulty whatever in getting through. The route is a great saving in point of distance, and can easily be attempted by a steamer, but day- 164 CELEBES. [chap. light is necessary. The islands were all low and sandy, and evidently supported a large population, for they were crowded with huts and coconut palms. In spite of the large size of the island, and the immense extent of seaboard it affords, the Dutch have practically no settlements in Celebes except at Macassar in the south and the district of Mina- hasa at the extreme north. The former, as I have already stated, is chiefly a port of trade, but the country in the neighbourhood of Menado and Kema included under the latter name is one of the best coffee -growing districts in the world, and it was with the intention of seeing something of the Dutch system of management, and at the same time of adding to our zoological collections, that we resolved on spending a month or so in this part of the island, of which Mr. Wallace's descriptions had led us to form the highest expectations. Eealisation in these cases is very often disappointing, but in this instance it happily was not, and I may anticipate by saying that there were few places in our IMalaysian cruise with which we were better pleased. On leaving the port of Macassar for Menado the mariner has, roughly speaking, to steer north for four hundred and twenty miles, and then east for another three hundred before arriving at his destination, and during that time he will have materially altered his climate. He will have crossed the equator and passed beyond the Australian influence of the south-east monsoon, and instead of the arid rice-flelds and their attendant powdery dust, he will find himself once more in a region which, although occasionally sul^ject to drought, is practically one of perennial verdure. In our voyage north our course led us from time to time within sight of the coast, an-d the mountains of the interior were usually shrouded in heavy mist or rain-cloud, beneath which the dense jungle loomed out a sombre green. Farther east, towards the end of the peninsula, the land is of lower elevation, and here we experienced better weather, bright sunshine alternating with heavy showers. On the morning of the fourth day we arrived off Menado. Xainl. Loiijjitu.de East 125' of GrcenM-ich Stan/ants, Geay'' l^jih'landen. VIII.] STRAXDIXG OF THE MARCHESA. 165 The entrance to the roadstead is a picturesque one. Eastward the Klabat volcano stands up boldly, its graceful cone nearly 7000 feet in height ; while to the north the little volcanic island of Tua ]\Ienado forms a shapely pp-amid which reminded us of Gunong Api. On the left bank of a small river, behind a bright sandy beach, the white houses peep out here and there between the dense foliage of fruit-trees and palms. But we had little time for ad- miring the scenery, for an event occurred on our arrival which was within an ace of bringing the cruise of the Marchesa to an abrupt termination. The anchorage off JNIenado is an exceedingly bad one, and is only available for ships during the south-east monsoon. The westerly monsoon sends a heavy sea into the bay, which is com- pletely exposed, and hence, at the latter season, any vessel A'isiting this part of Celebes is obliged to anchor at Kema, a small port on the opposite side of the peninsula, whence the goods are conveyed overland to Menado. The two towns, although only twenty miles apart as the crow flies, are really considerably more by road, owing to the moimtainous country which has to be traversed. But even during the south-east monsoon, the anchorage at Menado is ex- tremely unsafe, owing to the steepness of the bottom — the soundings decreasing within a few cables from 150 to 2 fathoms. For this reason hawsers have to be laid out astern and made fast on shore, or the first puff of the land wind drives the vessel off into deep water. We were about to take up a position which we afterwards discovered was the Ijest, when a boat rowed out to us with a half- caste on board, who professed to act as harbour-master, and offered to show us the anchorage usually taken up by the Dutch gun-boats. . It did not appear correct by our chart, but as he seemed perfectly confident, w^e dropped gently astern towards the place in com- pliance with his instructions. Directly afterwards a native lie had brought on board spoke to him, when he turned round hurriedly and said, " Niet meer achter," — no more astern. The engines were put at full speed ahead before he spoke, but it was 166 CELEBES. [chap. too late and we took the ground. The sea-breeze blowing fresh at the time the ship's head rapidly payed off, and in less than a minnte we were aground stem and stern. A small brig was lying a short distance from us, and as quickly as possible we got hawsers out to her, and, when fast, weighed our anchor — which we had vainly let go in the hope of stopping the vessel's head from smnging round — and commenced hauling off'. To our dismay, however, the hawser carried away, and our bow was in consequence driven farther on the bank by the sea, which had by this time somewhat increased. We now began to bump heavily, — a most unpleasant sensation — and as every send of the sea ground us down more and more into the bank, we feared lest the ship might become firmly fixed before we could adopt further means for getting her afloat. We sent ashore for large boats and hands to aid in getting out our bower anchor, and meanwhile laid our stream anchor out to sea and got another hawser to the brig. We hauled on both only to meet with another failure, for the anchor "came home," and for the second time the hawser gave under the strain. We had now but one chance left us, — that of getting out our bower anchor — which we had been unable to try before, owing to the lack of proper boats. By this time, however, we had obtained a small barge, to the stern of which we slung the anchor, putting in eighty fathoms of chain cable. The cutter took another thirty, and the two boats proceeding seaward let go in twenty-three fathoms, an operation attended with some difficulty, owing to the uncomfortable sea running at the time. This time we were successful, and between 2 and 3 p.m. the Marcliesa floated off into deep water, ha^dng been ashore five hours. Our troubles were nevertheless not yet over, for the cable smashed at a shackle when anchoring for the second time, and we lost our anchor. We were more fortunate on the third trial, letting go in 55 fathoms and veering to 145 fathoms. We then made fast with two hawsers to the shore, and felt that we had earned some rest. All hands w^ere fairly tired out. VIII.] MEN ADO. 167 We had been told that the wind would drop about noon, but this prognostication proved incorrect, for it increased in violence during the day, and in the evening the surf was so heavy that two of our party who had gone ashore were unable to get off to the ship. Had we failed in our final endeavour the Marclicsa w^ould have made her last voyage. The natives of the place, who had seen more than one vessel lost here, were rather surprised at our good fortune. The so-called harbour -master, who had been the sole cause of the occurrence, took good care to keep out of our way. Our only consolation was that the yacht, which was a very strongly- built vessel, appeared to be quite uninjured.^ Our misfortunes had caused us early to become acquainted with the chief Dutch residents in the place, and through their kindness we had but little difficulty in procuring horses and oxen to take us to the Tondano lake, which lies in the mountainous district in the middle of the peninsula. We started early on the morning of the 1st of September, and as we crawled slowly through the village in an ox waggon we had every opportunity of admiring its beauties. It is, I think, the prettiest settlement in the whole of the Dutch East Indies. Each little cottage is surrounded with its garden and fruit orchard, and the neatly-trimmed hedges fairly blaze with scarlet hibiscus. Pink ixoras and magnificent crotons of many varieties, some of them five and twenty feet or more in height, add to the colouring. The village is in reality a vast garden, and an exceedingly productive one to boot. The road for nearly five miles was excellent, and we walked along shooting by the way, for our bullocks went but slowly, and the gardens of fruit-trees, nutmegs, and cacao were full of birds. The latter tree has lately been a failure, owing to a - , ^ The method adopted by the captain of the brig foi* anchoring in Menado ■will amuse my nautical readers. On approaching the port — with which he was well ac- quainted— he let down his anchor with 60 fathoms of cable attached and went in under all plain sail. Directly the anchor took the ground he shortened sail, and as the ship swung to the sea-breeze, the hawsers were got out, and she was soon fast head and stern. 168 CELEBES. [chap. peculiar disease whicli causes the pod to shrivel up after it has been fully formed, and it is in consequence no longer planted. One of the commonest birds we found was a kind of starling (Scissirostrum cluhium), with a most peculiar bill, and with the feathers of the rump tipped with scarlet, in a manner somewhat resembling the wing of the Bohemian waxwing. It appeared to be very abundant, packing m small flocks and frequenting the tops of trees. This bird is peculiar to Celebes, and it was with the greatest interest that I watched it for the first time, for, as I\Ir. Wallace has long ago remarked, it has no representative in any of the surrounding islands, and is perhaps more closely allied to the tick-eating Buphaga of Southern Africa than to any other bird. Another equally interesting bird which fell to our guns was the Eacquet-tailed Parrot {Prioniturus platurus), a genus which is confined to Celebes and the Philippines. On our way we met a man carrying a small animal with thick woolly fur — a little Phalanger {Cuscus), peculiar to Celebes, which, after some dis- cussion, he consented to part with for a guilder. These animals, which are characteristic of the Austro-]Malayan svib-region, make very engaging pets, and we had two or three different species of them on board the yacht during her cruise in the archipelago. They are about the size of a rabbit, and appear to be entirely arboreal in their habits, climbing slowly about among the branches of the trees on which they feed, aided by their long claws and prehensile tail, which is completely bare for some inches at the tip. Our road led southward, and about a couple of miles before reaching Lotta, a pretty little village with about two hundred inhabitants, we commenced a steady ascent, and left the gardens of Menado behind us. Our bullocks were so poor that it soon became doubtful whether we should reach Tondano that evening, although it was only twenty -two miles from our starting-place and we were provided with relays. As we went on the road became still steeper, and our dak not having been well laid, in VIII.J THE ROAD TO TOXDAXO. 169 Anglo-Indian phraseology, the doubt soon resolved itself into a certainty. At sunset we had made little more than ten miles, the steep climb and bad road having obliged us several times to out- span and rest our bullocks. We had reached an altitude of two or three thousand feet on the shoulder of the Lokon volcano, and the road, skirting a deep ravine filled with a wild tangle of jungle, gave us a magnificent view of the country. Opposite to us, across ON THE ROAD TO TONDAXO. the gorge. Mount Klabat hid the Gunong Sodara and other volcanoes from our sight, its summit touched by the settmg sun ; and to our left lay the Bay of Menado, where we could just discern the two ships lying at anchor. Large tree-ferns were very abundant here, and formed a marked feature in the foreground of our landscape. The dampness and mossiness of the forest indicated the heavy rainfall that these elevated regions experience, and the trees were covered with a marvellously luxuriant growth of parasitic plants and creepers. For more than an hour we trudo-ed on through the darkness 170 CELEBES. [chap. before reaching the village of Tomohou, where we inquired for a night's lodging at the house of the "Major."^ From Mr. Wallace's description of the "Major" of this identical village just a quarter of a century before, we were not unprepared for the reception we ex- perienced. Our host was a new one, but the house perhaps was the same. It was a pretty cottage standing in a little garden bright with flowers, with a deep verandahed room leading to another sitting-room beyond. Behind these were four bedrooms and the kitchen and offices. The sitting-room was furnished just as a Swedish post-house might be : — white-painted walls and floor, white muslin curtains, a duplex lamp, two sofas, a circular table with books, a portrait of the King of the Netherlands, and a large six-tune musical -box. We were reminded of Mr. Wallace's description, and felt with him how difficult it was to believe that our host's grandfather had worn "a strip of bark as his sole costume, and lived in a rude hut abundantly decorated wdth human heads." Much of the neatness and nice appearance of the house was no doubt owing to our hostess, a pretty but rather shy little Dutcli girl who had married the " ]\Iajor " only a few weeks jDreviously ; he having settled the sum of 5000 guilders on her parents. Xeither of them seemed to regret this somewhat extraordinary transaction, and they were evidently a most attached couple. The Major was a bit of a musician in Ms way, and favoured us after dinner with a tune on the accordion when the large musical-box had exhausted its repertoire. It is worthy of remark that this was almost the only occasion in Netherlands India on which we were called upon to speak Dutch, for our hostess was unacquainted with any language but her own and Malay, and our knowledge of the latter was hardly sufficient for conversational purposes. The high elevation of Tomohon caused us to feel the night and ^ "Major" is tlie title given by the Dutch to the village chiefs in these districts. They superintend the coffee industry in their own parishes, and receive a certain percentage of the produce. viil] TOMOHON. 171 early morning air almost too cold to be pleasant, and though the thermometer could not have been much, if at all, below 7*0° Fahr. we were glad of a thick blanket. We bade our kind host and hostess adieu after a cup of excellent coffee, and continued our journey. Nothing can be more absolutely neat and clean than these Minahasa villages. Indeed their perfection of tidiness would be almost irritating were it not for the beauty of the flowers and the tropical vegetation. The roads are ditched on either side, and beyond are the bamboo fences of the gardens, all aligned with the greatest care and regularity. Above them, topped down with whimsical preciseness to the same level, rise the hedges of coleus or holly-hock, according to the fancy of the cottager. Here and there the hedge is of climbing roses, but these are evidently con- sidered too untidy to be adopted by the well-regulated majority. As I picked a bud, and looked over into one of the gardens, which seemed as carefully tended as that of a suburban villa, I felt it hard to realise the fact that the owner was what an Englishman, in the expressive language of his country, would term a nigger. Just beyond the village of Tomohon the ground is swampy, and is given up to tlie cultivation of the Sagueir palm. To the wine obtained by the fermentation of its juice I have alluded on a previous page, but it is also largely used for making sugar. This tree when young has a leaf- sheathed trunk of tolerable height, but when full grown the stem is straight and smooth at the base. Another palm, apparently a species of Borassus, was also growing in some abundance. About a mile farther on our road we came upon the first regular coffee-plantations we had seen in the hills. The trees were from twelve to twenty feet high, planted very closely together beneath a thin shade of tall, bare-stemmed forest- trees. There was an abundance of berries, many of which were turning red. The ground beneath was carefully cleared, but the trees themselves were in most instances covered with moss and small ferns. In other plantations we found a much better cultiva- tion, the trees well pruned and planted at wider intervals. They 172 CELEBES. [chap. were looking well, and there was no trace of disease of any kind. After a slight ascent we rounded a sudden corner and the lake of Tondano lay below us, a beautiful sheet of water about eight miles long. The mist of the morning had cleared away, and the view was lovely. Northwards a long stretch of yellow padi field bounded the lake, which on the western side was shut in Ijy steep hills clothed with thick jungle. A quick descent on a good road brought us to the little village of Tata-aran Tomohon — hardly longer than its name, and shortly before noon we drew up before a pleasant-looking house, the residence of the Kontroleur of Tondano, whose guests we were to be. Our host was a very handsome man of about five and thirty, who had been specially appointed to the district by the Dutch Government on account of his knowledge of coffee-planting. We found him reading the " Eevue des Deux Mondes," and soon dis- covered that his ideas were by no means exclusively centred in coffee. Keenly interested in European aftairs, in politics, and in art, he proved a most pleasant companion, and, by his kindness and readiness to show us the district, made our visit a most agreeable one. In addition to his own language he spoke Malay, Javanese, and Tondano, besides English, French, and German, The coffee-tree was first introduced into the Minahasa district in 1822, and thirty years later about five million trees had been planted. It has been the means of converting the country from a wilderness of jungle, peopled by head-huntmg savages, into a well-cultivated garden tilled by natives who are almost without exception Christians. Yet this result has been brought about by a system which most Englishmen would condemn untried — that of enforced labour. Any person of the peasant class not having a trade is compelled by law to plant coffee. Each must, if required, plant twenty-five trees every year, but the number depends on his last year's production, and is regulated by the Kontroleur, who can order him to plant more, or less, or none at all, according to VIII.] THE COFFEE INDUSTRY. 173 circumstances. There are Government plantations in every village, and both the land and the seedlings are supplied by the State. The tree does remarkably well, being unaffected as yet by disease of any consequence, and gives two or three heavy crops in the year. This is in great measure owing to the equable rainfall, the north of Celebes herein differing greatly from Java, which is exposed to a long-continued drought during the easterly monsoon and excessive rains in tlie wet season. The berry is of particularly good flavour, and finds its market chiefly in Eussia, fetching a far higher price than that produced in Java. All the coffee thus grown by the natives has to be sold to Government at a fixed price. It is divided into two qualities, for which fourteen and seven guilders -^ are respectively paid per ^Jt'ci// of 133 lbs. This price is, however, not all that it actually costs the Dutch Government, since presents have to be given to the head-men, and, as the money is paid for the produce on the spot, the cost of transit is very considerable. Of these two qualities the best is sold by Government at seventy guilders the ^jzc?^/. It is apparently entirely for export, as it is not to be bought in Menado, and the Government guarantee the quality, so that a European grower cannot obtain more than sixty guilders for the same article. The second quality, which is drunk throughout Minahasa, is so little inferior that it needs a connoisseur to detect the difference, yet it is obtainable for fifteen guilders. The annual produce of the j\Iinahasa district amounts to about 15,000 jj-icM^s — roughly speaking, 2,000,000 lbs. At the present time the industry is by no means so lucrative as it used to be, not from any failure in the crop, but chiefly from the fact that much money has been lately expended in opening up the country and making roads. Another reason lies in the scarcity of labour, which seems principally owing to the great mortality among the children. Thus it is not common for a woman to rear more than one or ^ The guilder is nearly equivalent to the rupee ; twelve and a lialf at that time making the English sovereign. 174 CELEBES. [chap. two children, yet they often bear eight or ten. The " Major " of Tomohon, for example, was the last of a family of thirteen. Our friend ]\Ir. Van de Ven, the Kontroleur, ascribed tliis large mfant FKCIT A^'D FLOWER OF THE COFFEE-TREE. mortality to a form of malarial fever which is said to be not un- common in the low land in the neighbourhood of the lake, but it did not seem to me that this accounted for it satisfactorily. In Mr. Wallace's time the death-rate appears to have been equally high. VIII.] VARIETY OF LANGUAGES IN MINAHASA. 175 Should a Dutchman wish to plant coffee, he is permitted to do so, the system being only a Government monopoly as far as the natives are concerned. He is allowed to take up land at a rental of one guilder per houw, and pays a head tax of a dollar on his coolies. The wages of the latter are six guilders a month, and a catty (1| lbs.) of rice per diem. Every adult male is, however, compelled to give thirty-six days in the year to the service of the Government, for road repair and work of a like nature, or else to pro\dde a substitute. Mr. Van de Yen told us a curious fact about the Minahasa coffee. There is an insect peculiar to the district — or at least not found in Java — which eats its way into the bean. The berries thus attacked are much esteemed for their flavour, and are picked separately and sold at a high price. We were unable to procure a specimen of this grub. Still more curious is a similar fact occurring in some parts of Java, for the authenticity of which the Kontroleur vouched. A " species of wild cat " (probably Vivcrra tangalunrja) is said to eat the berry for the sake of its fleshy peri- carp. The bean remains undigested, and is gathered as a great delicacy. That the languages of the ]\Ialay Archipelago are innumerable can nowhere be better realised than in the north of Celebes. Here, ill a small tract of country sixty miles by twenty, more than a dozen are spoken. Some of these may perhaps be more or less dialectic, but the majority are said to be quite distinct, and the people of the different tribes cannot make themselves understood except through the medium of INIalay, although, perhaps, their \dllages may be within three miles of one another. Lying as it does in such a central position in the archipelago, Celebes appears to have drawn its languages from several sources : from the Philippines, from the Malay Islands to the west and south, from the Papuan region, and, possibly, from some of the islands of North Polynesia.^ But whatever may have been their origin, there is no doubt that at 1 Wallace, "The Malay Archipelago," Seventh Edition, pp. 262 and 605. 176 CELEBES. [chap. one time, not veiy long ago, there were three distmct and powerful tribes living in the neighbourhood of the Tondano lake, without taking into consideration others established on the east coast. They were the Tondano, Tonbulu, and Tonsaya, — the " men of the lake," " men of the bamboo," and " strangers." The Tonsaya lived to the south of the lake, and, as their name implies, were later comers, while the Tonbulu, so called from the legend that their ancestors sprang from a bamboo — inhabited Tomohon, which word has the same meaning. Until the beginning of the present century, or even later, these tribes were always at war with each other, and even now, although they are on perfectly friendly terms, no inter- marriage ever takes place, and each man keeps to the villages of his tribe. This custom tends, of course, to preserve the type as well as the language, and Mr, Van de Ven told us that he could at a glance distinguish between individuals of the different tribes, but I was unable to do so myself. That it takes some little time to learn the alphabet of physiognomy among new peoples I knew from my own experience in other countries, but when once learnt the student probably w^onders how he could have failed to discern what he now perceives to be strongly -marked characteristics. Similarities or dissimilarities, as noticed by a passing traveller, are as a rule of little value. To us the people of all these districts appeared pleasant-looking, and some of the women were decidedly pretty. The faces were broader, but less flat than the usual Malay type. Their contented look struck us greatly. Every one saluted us smilingly, but perfectly naturally and independently, and with- out a trace of cringing. On Sunday we visited the church. It was a Ijuilding of the most severely simple style ; a large, square, whitewashed room filled with pews, and with a print of Ecce Homo where the altar would have been in an English church. There was a congregation of about 450 people, who were listening attentively to the preacher — himself a native. The centre of the church was occupied chiefly by women ; the back and sides by the men, but this arrangement VIII.] NATIONAL SCHOOLS. 177 was apparently optional. ^Ir. A'an de Yen told us that when the Dutch missionary preached there were often as many as 700 people present. The increase in attendance had necessitated the construction of a new chapel, which was then nearly finished. The service in use was that of the Dutch Eeformed Church. Schools are also established in all these villaqes, and at Tomohon we had an opportunity of inspecting one. As far as appliances were concerned, it was superior to an English national school, but it was empty at the time of our visit, and w^e saw notliing of the teaching.* The schoolmistress was a pleasant Dutch woman, who, in addition to two native languages, spoke English, French, and German. Before we left the Netherlands' India we began to feel almost aggTieved at meeting any one unable to converse with us in our own language. The waterfall in the neighbourhood of Tondano is one of the lions of Celebes, although it must be confessed that there are no tourists to visit it. A small river about fifteen yards broad and four or five feet deep fiows out of the north end of the lake, and after a rapid course of a mile through the richest vegetation, precipitates itself into a gorge — which must be six or seven hundred feet in depth — to reach the plain Ijelow, ultimately joining the sea at ]Menado. The river descends in a series of falls, of wdiich the uppermost is alone accessible. It is not more than 100 feet in height, but the scene is one of great beauty, owing to the luxuriant gTOwth of vegetation around, tree-ferns and tangled masses of giant creeper hiding tlie perpendicular clifts from view. Below, the stream dashes through a narrow, rugged gorge to another fall, which is invisible from above. The xi^w from the plain beneath must be magnificent, Ijut the descent offered such difficulties, owing to the thickness of the jungle, that we had to abandon it. We spent three or four days very pleasantly in ]\Ienado, chiefly occupied in collecting in the beautiful plantations round the ^^llage. Xutmegs and vanilla were the most important crops, and the long black pods of the latter filled the air with a delicious fragrance as VOL. II. N 178 CELEBES. [CHAl- they lay drying on large trays round the houses. The nutmeg, which is a fine shrubby tree with polished dark green leaves, bears WATERFALL NEAR TOXDAXO. a yellowish, fleshy fruit not unlike a peach. When ripe it splits longitudinally, disclosing the scarlet network of mace within, wliich in its turn overlies an inner husk enclosino- the nutmes as it is viir.] THE KAXARI NUT. 179 known to us in Europe. Both nutmegs and mace are sent to the Singapore market, and it is essential that the latter should arrive before it has lost its scarlet colour and faded to yellow, which is the condition in which it eventually reaches London. The nutmegs are sliipped to Singapore m their inner shells, which are there removed before they are despatched to Europe.^ It was in Menado that we made our lEirst acquaintance with the Kanari nut — an event to be remembered, for when eaten fresh it is, I think, incomparably superior to any nut I ever tasted. The Kanari- tree grows to a very great height, and bears a fleshy fruit enclosing a shell of extreme hardness — so hard indeed that it needs a heavy hammer to break it. Witlihi are from one to three kernels, covered with a thin skin, and on this being removed the nut falls into a number of irregular flakes, snowy white, and of delicious flavour. The flesh of the Kanari is eaten by large pigeons, but the gTeat Black Cockatoo of Xew Guinea {Microglossus aterrimus), by means of his enormously powerful beak, is able to open the nut itself. The labour is considerable, but the bird may be considered to be amply rewarded. Our collections grew apace in tliis part of Celebes, one of the most noteworthy additions being a young bull Sapi-utan (Anoa depresdcornis) which we obtained alive from a native. This animal, one of the many peculiar Celebesian forms, though considered by anatomists to be most closely allied to the buffaloes, has no gTeat resemblance to any of the wild oxen, and is rather antelopean in appearance. The horns are short and lather slender, depressed, ringed at the base, and pointing nearly straight backwards; the body small but powerful ; the limbs clean. The little creature, which appeared to be about two years old, and was very tame and tractable, was destined for the Zoological Gardens, but he never reached England, succumbing in the following year to the effects of a gale in the Bay of Biscay. Many of the birds of Celebes are of great beauty, although ' Vide illustration on p. 211. 180 CELEBES. [chap. several of the more vividly-coloured forms met with in Borneo, Java, and the Malay Peninsula are wanting. Perhaps one of the most beautiful is a tiny Pigeon (Ptilojnis melanoccphalus), with shining green body and French grey head. At the nuque is a small black velvety patch, the throat and vent are bright yellow, and the under tail-coverts crimson. New Guinea is the home of many species of this genus, which are yet more brilliantly coloured. The plantations abounded with a species of Golden Oriole, bright green Lorikeets with scarlet heads {Loriculus stigmatus), and a Brush- tongued Lory (TrkJwglossus ornatus), gay in a dress of dark blue, scarlet, yellow, and green. This last bird is the most western representative of a Papuan genus of parrots possessed of extensile tongues, with the tip formed by a bunch of fine filaments which are admirably adapted for sucking up the juices of the soft fruits on which these creatures live. Kingfishers were very numerous on the river and in the forest, and we obtained no less than ten dif- ferent kinds during our stay in the north of Celebes. Temminck's Pioller (Coracias temmincJci) also fell to our guns, — a dark sapphire- coloured bird, with the head and upper tail-coverts of pale greenish blue, — especially interesting as an instance of discontinuous dis- tribution, for no other Piollers are found in the Malayan region. We had not succeeded in obtaining any of the curious Megapodes or Mound-builders, whose method of nestmg we were very anxious to see, and accordingly we determined on visiting the islands and coast to the north with that object. But before lea\Ting Menado and the coffee districts, with their "iniquitous system " of management by the Dutch, I cannot forbear quoting Mr. Wallace's words ^ upon this subject, with which, so far as our limited visit permitted of a judgment, I confess I entirely agree : — " No clovibt the system seems open to serious objection. It is to a ceitain extent despotic, and interferes with free trade, free labour, and free communi- cation. A native cannot leave his village without a pass, and cannot engage himself to any merchant or captain without a Government permit. The 1 "Wallace, o^). cit. p. 256. viir.] MR. WALLACE ON TEE DUTCH SYSTEM. 181 coffee has all to be sold to Government at less than half the price that the local merchant would give for it, and he consequently cries out loudly against 'monopoly' and 'oppression.' He forgets, however, that the coffee -plantations were established by the Government at great outlay of capital and skill ; that it gives free education to the people, and that the monopoly is in lieu of taxation. He forgets that the product he wants to purchase and make a profit by is the creation of the Government, without whom the people would stiU be savages. He knows very well that free trade would, as its first result, lead to the importation of whole cargoes of arrack, which would be carried over the country and exchanged for coffee ; that drunkenness and poverty would spread over the land ; that the public coffee- plantations woiLld not be kept up ; that the quality and quantity of the coffee woidd soon deteriorate ; that traders and merchants would get rich, Ijut that the people would I'elapse into poverty and barbarism. That such is invariably the result of free trade with any savage tribes who possess a valuable product, native or cultivated, is well known to those who have visited such people ; but we might even anticipate from general principles that e\al results would happen. If there is one thing rather than another to which the grand law of continuity or development will apply, it is to human progress. There are certain stages through which society must pass in its onward march from barbarism to civilisation. Now one of these stages has always been some form or other of despotism, such as feudalism or serWtude or a despotic paternal Government, and we have every reason to believe that it is not possible for humanity to leap over tlris transition epoch, and pass at once from pure savagery to free civilisation. The Dutch system attemjits to supply this missing link, and to Ijring the people on by gradual steps to that higher civilisation which we (the English) try to force upon them at once. Our system has always failed. We demoralise and we extirpate, but we never really ci\dlise. Whether the Dutch system can permanently succeed is bi\t doubtful, since it may not be possible to compress the work of ten centuries into one ; but at all events it takes nature as a guide, and is therefore more deserving of success, and more likely to succeed, than ours." Wherever we went in Minahasa we found a contented, happy people, amongst whom drunkenness and crime were almost non- existent. The land was higlily cultivated, the -sTllages neater and cleaner than I have seen them in any part of the ciWKsed world. Schools were established in every district, and the natives were almost without exception Christians. Where can we, who call ourselves the greatest colonising nation in the world, point to a 182 CELEBES. [chap. viii. like result ? What is the condition of the natives in our colonies ; in Australia, in New Zealand, in "Western Africa ? Year by year hundreds of Englishmen travel round the world, just as the former generation made the " grand tour." But they follow one another like sheep in the beaten track, and hardly any turn aside into the by-paths. It is, of course, almost an absurdity to suppose that an Englishman could have anything to learn from the management of another nation's colonies, but those who have not this idea too deeply rooted may visit Northern Celebes with advantage. CHAPTER IX. CELEBES {continued). Tardus spectrum — Talisse Island — Extensile bill of C«r^q2;7irt(/a— Likoupang — Maim Bay — Forest scenes — Hornbills — The Livistonia palm — Useful property of the rattan — Characteristics of the sea-beach — The Babirusa — The Sapi-utan — A dance at Likoupang — Wallace Bay — The Celebean Mound-builder — Description of the breeding-grounds — Theory as to the enormous size of the egg — Limbe Strait and Island — Dangerous anchorage — Kema — Babirusa kcdclah on Limbe Island — Boat accident — Result of the hunt — Leave Kema for Gorontalo — Kettlewell Bay — Gorontalo — The Limboto Lake — News of the Krakatau erup- tion— Smallpox — Pogoyama — Existence of gold — Singular burial-pit — Zoo- logical peculiarities of Celebes — We leave for the Moluccas. Our collection of live birds and animals, which, at a later period of onr cruise, almost turned the Marchcsa into a floating Zoological Gardens, made its first real commencement in Northern Celebes. Here, in addition to the Cuscus — of which we had two or three specimens — and the Anoa, we became the possessors of several Fruit-eating Pigeons {Carpopliarja), to which I shall presently allude, and four of the beautiful Calocnas, a ground-loving pigeon we afterwards obtained in the Moluccas, which from its long and pointed neck-hackles has at a first glance almost the appearance of a gallinaceous bird. But the most interesting addition to our menagerie was a tiny Lemuroid animal (Tarsius spectrum) brought to us by a native, by whom it was said to have been caught upon the mainland. These little creatures, which are arboreal and of nocturnal habits, are about the size of a small rat, and are covered with remarkably thick woolly fur, which is very 184 CELEBES. [chap. soft. The tail is long, and covered with hair at the root and tip, while the middle portion of it is nearly bare. The eyes are enormous, and indeed seem, together with the equally large ears, to constitute the greater part of the face, for the jaw and nose are very small, and the latter is set on, like that of a pug dog, almost at a THE TAKSIEK. {Tursius speciraiii.) risht angle. The hind limb at once attracts attention from the great length of the tarsal bones, and the hand is equally noticeable for its length, the curious claws with which it is provided, and the extraordinary disc-shaped pulps on the palmar surface of the fingers, which probably enable the animal to retain its hold in almost any position. This weird-looking little creature we were unable to keep long in capti^ity, for we could not get it to eat the cockroaches wdiich were almost the onlv food with which we could IX.] TALISSE ISLAND. 185 supply it. It remained still by clay in its darkened cage, but at night, especially if disturbed, it would spring vertically upwards in an odd mechanical manner, not unlike the hopping of a flea. On the third day it found a grave in a pickle-bottle, and was duly con- signed to a shelf in the Marchesa's Columbarium. Our destination on leaving Menado was Talisse Island, wrongly called Salice on the English charts. It lies at the extreme north end of Celebes, and is distant some five and twenty miles N.W. from Menado. Lately some Dutclimen in the latter village have established a small plantation on it, and we were anxious to see the results of the venture, as well as to secure some of the peculiar ]\Iound- builders or Maleos {Mcgaccplmlon malco), which were reported to be found there in some abundance. We made for the southern point of the island, Ijut our charts gave no indications whatever as to the depth of water, and on approaching the little island of Tindila, wliich lies immediately to the south of it, the passage between the two appeared so narrow that we hardly liked to try it. The southern and safer route would, however, have cost us another hour or two, so, we decided in favour of the attempt. At the entrance we encountered a heavy tide race, running from six to seven knots, in which a sailing vessel would have been unmanageable, but putting the engines at full speed, we came through slowly without mishap, and shortly after anchored in about fifteen fathoms on the eastern side of the island. This anchorage is really the best in this part of Celebes, being more or less protected in both monsoons. It is without reefs, and a small stream of good water is accessible close to the beach. We went ashore and introduced ourselves to the manager of the estate, a half-caste gentleman of the name of Kijkschroeff, whom we found reading a life of Drydeu m Dutch ! He was a most pleasant fellow, had been wounded in the Atjeh war, and had seen many vicissitudes. His life upon the island must have been lonely enough, but the neatness of his house and its sur- roundings showed that this had had but little effect upon his energy. 186 CELEBES. [chap. From liiiu we soon learnt the few facts of interest connected with the plantation. Cacao, coffee, bananas, and coconuts had been tried, and the former was doing well. The island, which is neai^ly seven miles long, and rises into a central lofty ridge about twelve hundred feet in height, supports a native population of 400 people, 150 of whom are engaged on the plantation. They are almost all of the Talautse or Sanghir tribes, and speak a language distinct from any found in Celebes. Talisse was the haunt of numbers of the large Fruit-eating Pigeons, Carjjophaga radiata and C. 'paulina. The latter is a fine bird, weighing a pound and a quarter or even more, and its metallic green back shot with bronze, and a curious tawny patch upon the nuque, render it conspicuously handsome. The lower mandible of birds of this genus is capable of being expanded laterally to an enormous extent, — a special adaptation to enable them to feed on the various large fruits of the forest-trees. The size of those they manage to swallow is astonishing. I have found fruits nearly as large as a small Tangerine orange in their crops. The only other bird of interest that we met with on the island was a Glossy Starling {Ccdornis ncglecta), a genus supposed by Mr. Wallace to be absent from Celebes. Mr. EijkschroefiP told us that there were but few Maleos upon the island, so after a couple of days' stay we left for Likoupang, a village on the mainland about ten miles to the south. Our host accompanied us, together with a native who was supposed to have a good knowledge of the coast, and who, when a child of six, had been rescued from the pirates of lUanun. We found the anchorage a tolerably good one, though with many surrounding reefs and sandbanks, and lay about a mile oft' the mouth of a little river, on the banks of which the village is situated. Huts were too plentiful in the surrounding forest for us to expect to obtain either the Anoa or Babirusa, so we made arrangements to visit Maim Bay — an uninhabited part of the coast four or five miles farther east — having previously asked the chief for men to act as guides. We IX.] A FOREST GIANT. 187 embarked in the lifeboat and two native praus on the evening of September 8th, and after a rather unpleasant passage, owing to the frequent squalls from the land, arrived at our destination at midnight, and finding a ruined attap-shed, spent the remainder of the night beneath its shelter as comfortably as the unceasing attacks of sandflies and mosquitoes would permit. The Hukum Kadua — in other words, the chief — had himself accompanied us, as being one of the greatest sportsmen of Likou- paug, and we left him to settle the plan of action. It was simple enough, being merely what a Dutchman would term " be-creeping " the animals, the ground by its conformation not lending itself to beating, especially with our limited number of native followers. Accordingly each of us took the bush separately, attended by two men, one of whom went in advance, clearing a path through the creepers by means of his razor-edged kris, while the other followed, bearing our lunch of biscuit and coconuts. I have seldom seen a finer forest than that in this neighbourhood. The buttressed trees were magnificent. One especially, which seemed to be quite familiar to my guide, who had often hunted the Babirusa in these jungles, struck me as being the largest I had ever met with. The buttresses sprang from the trunk fully thirty feet from the ground. On one side two had grown at right angles to one another, and one of them turning sharply again at a right angle, a sort of walled enclosure was formed, which might with very little difficulty have been turned into a hut of respectable size. The thickness of the foliage around only permitted us to see that the tall, straight trunk rose at least a hundred feet before sending off a branch. What the entire height of the tree might have been it was impossible to estimate, for less than a dozen yards away this giant of the forest was completely invisible. The rattans, of which the natives told us there were nine or ten species here, formed the chief obstacle to our progress. This climbing palm is one of the chief characteristics of a Malayan forest, and its sharp, hooked thorns bring the traveller to a stand- 188 CELEBES. [chap. still as effectually as the ivacht-cen-bietje of Southern Africa. Starting as a trimk as thick as a man's leg, it winds erratically through the forest, now wrapping a tree in its folds like some gigantic snake, now descendiag again to earth, and trailing a sinuous course along the ground. This sub-arboreal growth, how- ever, is unnatural to it, and has probably only been produced by the fall of some tree to which it has been attached. Like every- thing else, it is striving upwards for the light and air, and, if it were possible to follow the windings of any one particular palm, its terminal spike would, in all probability be found shooting up like a miniature flagstaff a dozen feet or more above the summit of the trees. A tliick layer of dead leaves covered the gTOimd, some of them of enormous size. As these fell, striking from time to time against some bough, they made a clattering sound audible at no little distance in the airless forest, and on the ground their dry condition when newly fallen rendered noiseless walking a matter of considerable difficulty. Some were blood-red in colour, but for the most part there were few departures from the varying shades of green in which every ]\Ialayan forest is clothed. Large RapliidopliorcB and other dendrophilous plants swarmed up the tree-trunks and shrouded them with their fleshy, fenestrated leaves, and here and there, in damp localities, deep beds of various species of Selaginella covered the ground. As we were in quest of nobler game we left the birds unmolested, but numerous hornbills tempted us to add them to our collection. These birds {Cranor- rhinus cassidix) are of large size, measuring as much as three feet six inches in length, and their plumage, although not iDrilliant, is atoned for, as far as regards colour, by the orange -yellow of the gigantic bill, and the bright cobalt-blue bare throat. They confine themselves usually to the tops of the highest trees, and are con- sequently difficult to shoot. When taking to flight their wings make a noise which is really much like the starting of a locomotive — as described in the imaginary travels of " Captain Lawson " in New Guinea — a serious of loud puffs increasing in quickness as IX.] THE LIVISTONIA PALM. 189 the bird gets fairly on the wing. Their note when disturbed resembles the single bark of a dog — wov: ; v:qvj ; woio — and is audible at a gxeat distance. We saw plenty of spoor and droppings both of the Babirusa and Anoa, and before long came suddenly upon two of the latter. Theii' appearance, however, was only momentary, and I did not catch sight of them myself. Very shortly afterwards we disturbed a Babirusa much in the same way, and it was evident that, in spite of our precautions as to noiseless walking and the sharp eyes of the natives, our game had decidedly the advantage of us. The forest had occasional little muddy clearings about forty or fifty yards across, which appeared to be the favourite haunts of these animals and wild pigs, and at one of these I at length obtained a shot — the only one that offered throughout the day — and secured a nearly full-grown specimen of Sus celehciisis, a species which, like most of the Celebes mammals, is peculiar to the island. I ate my tiffin beneath a gigantic iiokok sila, as the nati^'es here call the Livistonia rotMndifolia, the most magnificent palm of the Eastern tropics. Like the aloe, it flowers only to die. The trunk of this one, nearly two feet and a quarter in diameter, rose like an arrow for at least 140 feet, bearing little at the crown but the dark inflorescence and a few dead leaves. A leaf of the same species, circular and with deeply-toothed edges, formed my seat, and as I extended myself at full length upon it to search the summits of the trees above me with my glasses, there was at least a foot to spare at my head and feet. These leaves are much used for thatching by the natives, and, I daresay, for a dozen other purposes undreamt of by the European, to whom the infinite possibilities of palms and bamboos are unknown. Were he to visit these jungles he would learn another, and far more pleasant use of the rattan than that with which, as an errmg schoolboy, he may have become acquainted. A piece of tliis, six or eight feet long, will supply a good tumblerful of pure water, and the traveller in the Malayan Archipelago, however much he may suffer from the 190 CELEBES. [chap. thorns of the tree in passmg through the forest, has the consolation of knowing that he can quench his thirst from it at any moment. We saw no further sign of game, and, making a detour, struck the sea and marched back to camp along the beach, which glared in the afternoon sun as only a tropic beach can glare. There is never any lack of life along such shores, however hot the sun may be. The little pools of water and the huge tree-trunks that have been washed ashore would prove a paradise for the marine zoologist. As we pursue our way hundreds of the little Land-crabs {Gclasimus) dart away in every direction, their single large claw uplifted. Enormous numbers of them may sometimes be seen congregated around some dead fish or other dainty morsel washed up by the tide, or gathered on the slimy ooze beneath the arching roots of the mangroves, the neighbouring banks being honey-combed with their holes. They are the most striking feature of the seashore, with the exception perhaps of a bull -headed, gudgeon -like little fish (Periojjhthahmis), which lives, apparently, as much out of the water as in it, and startles the pedestrian by hopping out beneath his feet and making for the nearest water by a series of sudden jumps. This curious method of progression is apparently effected by the action of the pectoral fins, and is so rapid that it is only with great difficulty that the fish can Ije caught. On reaching camp I found that one of our party had been fortunate enough to secure a male Babirusa.^ It was a good specimen, although not very old. From tip to tip it measured 58 inches, of which 12 had to Ije deducted for the length of the tail. The greatest girth of the chest was 39 inches, the height at the shoulder 29 inches, and the upper and lower tusks measured respectively 7f and 4| inches round the curve. The Babirusa, according to the natives, generally has one or two young at a birth; more often one, but sometimes, though ^ A JIalay name ; babi meaning pig, and ncsa deer. The animal is, of course, a true pig, and has only acquired its second name from the peculiar hornlike gi'owth of the tusks of the upper jav,-. IX.J THE ANOA OR SAPI-UTAN. 191 rarely, three. They are born in the months of November, Decem- ber, and January, and the sow makes a small underground hole for their reception, lining it with leaves — generally of the Li\dstonia. The young, however, are able to move about on the second day of their existence. We were told that they were of two colours — -nearly black and light brown — and that the female can have young of both these colours just as a sow has black and white pigs, a statement which, if true, is very curious. These colours were said to approximate with age, but the natives spoke of " white " and " black Babiru.sas " even in the adult stage, and the one I have just mentioned was certainly lighter in colour than others we afterwards killed on Lunbe Island. Our hunters also told us that, when assailed by dogs, the animal sometimes ascended the procumbent trunks of trees, and got out upon the large lower branches, — a story which, it is almost needless to say, we entirely disbelieved. A week or two later, however, we ourselves actually saw a Babirusa attempt, though only partially succeed in, this feat, as I shall have occasion presently to relate. Chatting over these subjects naturally led us to talk of the Sapi-vitan, — the only other game of any size foimd in the forests of Celebes. It has one calf only, which may be born at any time of the year. Before the teeth are grown the young are reddish yellow in colour, but in the adult the liaLr is brownish black. The horns of "s^ery old males are sometimes as much as two feet in length, and it is said to be possible to distinguish the age by the number of rings at the base. The female also has horns, ]jut they are small, and seldom more than six inches long. We spent two or three days at Maim Bay without shooting anything except wild boar, and adding a few species to our collec- tion of birds, and, as it did not appear a particularly good locality, we arranged to return to Likoupang and proceed farther along the coast to a beach where, some years before, Mr. Wallace had succeeded in obtaining many of the Brush-turkeys or Maleos, in search of which we had hitherto been entirelv unsuccessful. On arri\ing at 192 CELEBES. [chap. the village we found that a dance had been got up to welcome our return, apparently at the instigation of our friend j\Ir. Eijkschroeft". There were no Dutch in Likoupang, and the guests consisted almost entirely of half-castes, known in many parts of ]\Ialaysia as the orang sirani or Nazarenes, a term which seems to include all those descended from white parents whether Dutch or Portuguese. They correspond more or less to the " burghers " of Ceylon, but differ socially in forming, here at least, the upper stratum of society. Mr. Wallace has noticed^ the occurrence of Portuguese w^ords among the natives of Amboina and tlie Ke Islands, and I was astonished to find several traces of this language — with which a previous residence in j\Iadeira had made me tolerably familiar — in Likoupang, although I was unaware at the time, and have not since been able to discover, that the Portuguese ever had a settle- ment in this part of Celebes. The dance was held in a roomy apartment in the largest house in the village, and five and twenty or tliirty people were present. The gentlemen, dressed in black jackets and white trousers, occupied the verandah, and on the music striking up went in search of theii' partners, who, wearing Malay dress, sat inside round the ballroom. Some of tlie latter were decidedly pretty, but it was altogether a new sensation to dance with a sarong-cla,d young lady whose stockingless feet were protected only by Turkish slippers. Their upper garments were of lace- edged linen, — garment, however, I ought to say, for in most cases one only was worn. In the rare instances where there were two the kihaya was transparent, and revealed another garment bordered with " insertion " trimming. Polkas, a species of quadrille, lancers, and mazurkas formed the programme, and the dance was kept up until two or three o'clock m the morning. Mr. Eijkschroeft' was obliged to return to Talisse Island next day, but the Hukum Kadua, the pilot, and several natives went on with us to the nameless beach where, in 1859, Mr. "Wallace camped and observed the curious habits of the Maleos. It was not difficult ^ Oj). cit. pp. 300 and 425. IX.] THE MALEO. 193 to find the place, — a shallow bay some ten miles across. At the head is a steep beach of very coarse black sand, a couple of miles in length, bounded at each end hj high gi'ound and by the dry bed of a stream. We crept slowly in, but altering our depth very rapidly from 45 to 12 fathoms, we thought it best to anchor, although nearly half a mile from shore, as we had no desire to repeat our Menado experiences, and the coast was, of course, en- tirely uusurveyed. We afterwards discovered that our caution was unnecessary, and that we could have carried six fathoms almost to within stone's throw of the beach. It was at once evident that we had hit upon the right place, for numbers of the birds could be seen vigorously diggmg on the shore, and with our glasses we could distinguish their every movement. It was not long before we were in pursuit, and not long either before we discovered that the birds were by no means so easy to bring to bag as we had anticipated. Sinking above our ankles at every step in the loose gravel, and perspiring beneath the rays of a blazing sun, we ploughed wearily along, while our quarry trotted lightly into the jungle a couple of hundred yards ahead of us. The bush was too dense to admit of our taking them in flank, and it was only after some hours' hard work and manoeuvring that we succeeded in shooting two birds before we returned to the ship. We were disgusted with our failure, and feared that we had dis- turbed the birds so effectually that they would not return to theii- haunts for some time to come. Next morning, however, we could see them digging away in imdiminished numbers, and landing shortly after daybreak, we accidentally hit upon the only successful plan of shooting them, which is to approach as near as possible without being seen, then suddenly to run in upon them, shouting, waving one's arms, and firing. The birds, instead of runnmg away, take to flight, and perch almost immediately upon the trees at the edge of the beach. The perspiring sportsman can now rest himself to recover his breath and shake the gravel out of his putties, and, reloading his VOL. ir. o ■ 194 CELEBES. [chap. gun, may take matters as leisurely as he pleases ; for, once in the trees, the Maleo seems to consider itself secure from all clanger, and can be shot without even putting to flight a fellow victim on the same branch. There is, of course, no sport in the matter, but to obtain a good series of skins, and to supply our party with as much of the delicious meat as we could get, overpowered such considerations. The Maleo (Majacqjhalon maleo) is about the size of a small turkey, being twenty-four inches in length, and having an average weight of 3 lbs. 8 oz. Of a large series we obtained the lightest was 3 lbs. 1 oz., the heaviest 3 lbs. 14 oz., but the weight of the hen birds varies according as an egg has or has not been just laid, for the latter is enormous, and quite disproportionate to the size of the bird. Male and female are alike in plumage, or, at least, so closely resemble one another as to be difficult to distinguish. They are of an entire brownish black, with the exception of the breast and under parts, which are of a beautiful rosy pink or salmon colour. The head, throat, and neck are bare of feathers, and the occiput is furnished with a large casque, which in the female bird is slightly smaller than in the male. The bill is bright pea-gi'een, blood-red at the base. From our anchorage, which was immediately opposite the beach where the birds were incessantly engaged in digging, we had abundant opportunities of watching them. Their gait is slow" and stately, and the tail is kept much elevated and slightly spread, but even on the loose gravel they can run with tolerable quickness, — sufficiently fast, at all events, in spite of their weight, to outstrip a man with ease. When once on the hard ground of the jungle, they dart off" with lightning-like rapidity. Sole representative of its genus, the Maleo is peculiar to the island of Celebes. It belongs to the family of Megapodes or Mound -builders, — gallinaceous birds which are eminently charac- teristic of the Australian region, — but it differs from them in its habits by using the gravel of the sea -beach alone to hatch its eggs, instead of constructing a mound of sticks, sand, and leaves. IX.] NESTING HABITS OF THE MALEO. 195 as do most of the Australian and Papuan "brush-turkeys." At a certain season of the year^ the birds come down in large THE MALEO. {Megacephcilon maleo.) numbers from the forests of the interior to the sea, almost always ^ Mr. Wallace ("Malay Archipelago," \k 265) says "the months of August and September," but, according to the natives, the period was much more extended. 196 CELEBES. [chap. to lixed localities as clearly marked as a fur- seal's "hauling- grounds." Here they remain during the breeding period, and may be seen from dawn till sunset busily engaged in laying and covering their eggs. The breeding -grounds at Wallace Bay, as we called the hitherto nameless beach off which we were anchored, extend for a distance of two miles and a half along the shore, and, as that distinguished naturalist has remarked, define accurately the limits of an ancient lava stream, for the forest behind is deficient in large trees, and on either side the shore is of white coral sand, not, like the nesting -ground, of fine black gravel. Immediately above high -water mark is a strip of beach about forty yards in width, and on this little groups of birds, from two or three up to ten or a dozen in number, are always to be found at work. No regular mounds are made, but the beach presents a series of irregular elevations and depressions which in appearance I can compare to nothing better than the surface of a rough, confused sea. As in the case of some other of the Megapodes, the nests appear to be used in common by many of the females, or, more probably still, the bird lays its egg on any part of the beach that suits its fancy. The natives would never look for eggs at the bottom of the deepest depressions, or on the summit of a mound, but shallow trenches and the slopes of the irregular hummocks seemed to be always preferred in searching for them. Although we personally found it extremely hard to discover them, our men were adepts in the art. The method is gently to probe the gravel with a fine stick. Where the egg has just been covered this is, of course, much looser, and the stick passes in readily. The gravel is then scraped away, the stick again used to make certain of the direction, and finally the egg is disinterred, often at the depth of a yard or more below the surface. The heat of the beach, on which the sun is always shining, is considerable. To the size of the egg I have abeady alluded. It is four inches and a quarter long by two and a half in breadth, and weighs from 8| to 9h ozs. On dissecting a bird the next egg is found to be rx.] THEORY EXPLAINING SIZE OF THE EGG. 197 about as large as a cheny, and it is probable that some days elapse before it is ready for extrusion. As far as can be judged from an inspection of the ovary, about sixteen or eighteen are laid during the season. In colour they are of a pale reddish buft' resembling the eggs of the black Cochin- China fowl, and their flavour, though rich, is excellent. During the operation of covering them with the loose black sand on which they are deposited, the cock bird digs as well as the hen, and it is a most curious sight to watch them at work, the sand being thrown up in perfect fountains at each stroke of the powerful foot. The ]\Ialeo does not scratch in the same way as the common fowl, — two strokes alternately with each foot, — but, poising himself on one leg, gives several rapid digs with the other, and the large foot, broad-soled and slightly webbed at the base of the toes, is nearly as effective as a man's hand would be. That the abnormal size of the egg is closely connected with the nesting habits of the Maleo there can he, no doubt, but it seems to me that Mr. Wallace's theory — that the instincts of the bird have been made to suit its unusual ovulation — is an improbable one, and that it is more reasonable to suppose that the latter is dependent upon habits which have doubtless been adopted for the preservation of the species. In a country such as Celebes the eggs of large ground-nesting birds would be exposed to much risk. But buried beneath a layer of sand, or within a mound such as is constructed by Mcgapodius, they are safe from the attacks of depredators. As I have already mentioned, the dej)tli at which these eggs are found is often three feet or more. If the weight of a superincumbent mass of gravel of this thickness be taken into consideration, it will be seen that it must be such that no chick of ordinary size could force its way through it to the surface, and hence it appears to me far more probable that the strength and enormous size of the egg are adapted to the peculiar nesting habits of the species, rather than that the unusual nidification is due to an aberrant reproduc- tive organisation. 198 CELEBES. [chap. We spent three days at Wallace Bay, and obtained no less than forty-two Maleos, of which we preserved a large series. We also shot a rare Kingfisher (Ccycojjsis fallax) — an exqnisite little species, the head spotted with bright blue and the back a brilliant ultra- marine. The peculiar Baboon-like Monkey {Cynointhccus nigrcscens) was very common in the ibrest, swinging from bough to bough at the tops of the trees in small flocks. It is also found in the island of Batchian, but it is supposed by Mr. Wallace to have been intro- duced there by man, and to be really peculiar to Celebes, an island wliicli is remarkably rich in isolated forms. Hitherto we had not succeeded in meeting with the Anoa, and had only shot a single specimen of the Babirusa, and hearing that Limbe, an island lying close to the extreme eastern point of Celebes, abounded in these latter animals, we determined on visiting it, first calling at Kenia, a village on the mainland just beyond it, in order to pick up some natives to help us in our expedition. We weighed anchor on the 14th of September, but encountered such a strong head wind and sea on rounding the northern point of Limbe Island that we decided on anchoring in the straits formed between that island and the mainland — a narrow passage about nine miles in lencjth. The northern entrance is rather striking from the bare and desolate appearance of Verbrandte Hoek, as the Dutch have called a small crater that has opened on the eastern slope of an unnamed volcano at the north end of the strait. It is a cone of ashes of regular shape, whence a small lava stream has issued, carving its way through the forest to the sea. That it is of quite recent date is evident, for the ashes and lava are devoid of all vegetation save a few patches of coarse grass. Visiting it a few days later we found that burnt trees were in many instances still standing in the lava stream, so charred at the base of the trunk that we could easily push them down. The cone, which is entirely composed of loose ashes, is distant about a mile and a half from the sea, and its summit has an altitude of rather over 1600 feet. Beyond this desolate scene rise the Gunong IX.] LIMBE STRAIT AND KEMA. 199 Suclara, twin volcanic peaks of bold outline, and still farther to the south-west the summit of Klabat — 6700 feet in height — over- tops them. The narrowness of the strait, the high and rugged peaks of Limbe, and the luxuriance of vegetation comljine to make the view a very fine one. The Dutch charts of this place, although sufficiently good to make the passage with,^ are of little use otherwise, and we had some difficulty in anchoring. This operation among the coral reefs and islands of the Eastern Archipelago is often a very ticklish one, but before long we all got accustomed to letting go our anchors in thirty fatlioms or more, within stone's throw of the beach. Two hawsers were always aft in readiness to make the vessel fast on shore, and Jack of course was equally prepared with some time- honoured joke about " tying her up to a tree." In this instance we were even nearer the shore than usual, and might with ease have shot birds in the branches of the large trees which overhung the water. In this part of the world there would be little diffi- culty in performing Timothy Tailtackle's exploit in "Tom Cringle," and exploring the forest from the rigging ! The wind continued to blow for two days so strongly from the S.E. that, knowing the exposed nature of Kema roads, we thought it better to remain where we were. Even in the straits it blew sufficiently hard to make boat -sailing both dangerous and unpleasant. Two of our party crossed to Limbe in search of Babirusa, but were unsuccessful, and the only object of interest noticed was a small cliff said to be of chalk, curiously localised, and forming a conspicuous landmark. We anchored in Kema roads on the 16th of September. The village, spread thinly along the shores of a shallow bay, is laid out with the usual neatness of the Dutch. It is hemmed in by marshes at the back, but is said, nevertheless, to be extremely healthy. ^ The strong tides and violent and uncertain winds prevalent in Limbe Strait render the passage unsafe for sailing ships and vessels of large draught, but there is good anchorage and shelter in its southern part. •200 CELEBES. [chap. For some little distance inland the country is flat, more or less cleared, and dotted here and there with palms. Six miles north- north-east is Klabat, a noble-looking mountain of regular shape, whose steadily-rising slopes give it an appearance of more than its -MOUNT KL\B\T HIOM KEM.V. actual height. There is not much coffee cultivation in the immediate vicinity of the village. Kema is in reality merely a complemental port of Menado, according to the pre- valent monsoon. From April until November ships anchor off the latter place, which is quite protected from easterly and southerly gales, while from November to April the anchorage at Kema alone is used. Notwithstand- ing the season, however, we found two craft at anchor in the roads. One of these, a schooner, was taking cattle to Ternate ; the other, a small barque, had just brought 300 tons of coal from Sourabava. There is but little trade in Northern Celebes, IX.] A BABIRUSA " OURRAL" 201 for, despite the march of ci\alisation, the wants of the people appear to be but few. The Kontroleur of Kema, to whom we had ah-eady sent letters overland, was fully prepared with native hunters, and having collected nearly fifty, we took about half that number on board the yacht, and despatched the rest in praus to Limbe Island, whither we ourselves followed next day. Anchoring was attended by the usual difficulties, which were in no way lightened by foul and rocky ground and an absence of any chart to aid us, but we eventually found a tolerably secure berth just within the northern entrance of the straits, and landed our hunters. In a tropical country it does not take long to construct efficient shelter of some kmd or other. Before many hours had elapsed some admirably- contrived huts had been built beneath a gnarled old forest-tree, whose trunk was clothed with masses of fern and A'egetable para- sites, and, having fixed roofs constructed of the large leaves of the Livistonia, the natives departed for a certain spot known to them about two miles farther to the north, wdiich was destined to be the scene of operations. The hunt was to be carried out upon kcdda.k principles, dependent upon the fact that the island here contracts to a narrow isthmus barely a hundred and fifty yards across, instead of being, as represented in the Dutcli and English charts, about two miles in breadth. It was arranged to bar this neck of land across as far as it was possible to do so, and to l^eat towards it from the north end of the island, a distance of nearly three miles. On the third day the preparations were complete, and we started soon after daybreak in the boats to sail up the straits to the spot wdiere the Jccddah had been built. It was blowing hard from the southward, with an uncomfortable sea runnmg, and when about a mile from our destination an accident occurred wliich m any other of oui- boats would have been a serious affam We had not all shifted our places before gybing, and a little stronger puff happening to catch us just at the moment, we were swamped in an instant. 202 CELEBES. [chap. Fortunately the water-tight compartments with which the boat was fitted sufficed to keep her afloat, and getting her head to wind and throwing overboard our ballast, we managed at length to reduce the water by baling hard with our helmets, and eventually got ashore without further misadventure. Occurrences such as these are apt to interfere with accuracy in shooting, and we were not sorry to learn that we should in all probability have few oppor- tunities of using a rifle. Two of us, from exposure to the wmd in wet clothes, were afterwards attacked by malarial fever, which in one instance was of an unusually severe type. Landing on a rocky beach we scrambled up a steep cliff about eighty feet high, and a few yards inland found oiirselves on a small ridoe which formed the backbone of the isthmus. From here the ground fell away in a gradual slope to the eastern shore of the island, which w^as not much more than a hundred yards away, and the open character of the forest allowed of any passing game being seen almost at that distance. The natives told us, however, and, as it proved, quite correctly, that almost all the Babirusa would come along the ridge, and acting on this knowledge, the " curral " had been constructed on its flat summit, its V-shaped mouth embracing the ground from the steep cliff to the commencement of the slope on the eastern side. Just at this point a gigantic mahogany-tree had been felled, and on its prostrate trunk a sort of grand stand, built of rough logs and elevated six or eight feet from the ground, had been erected for our benefit. A stout, large -meshed net blocked the small gap intervening between the foot of our tree and the " curral," and adown the slope a line of netting of a somewhat finer kind stretched to within thirty yards of the eastern shore. This part was left entirely unguarded. We had plenty of time to wait before the sport began, and meanwhile the natives arranged themselves at their posts. One stood at the door of the " curral " ready to close it directly any animal rushed in, others took up their places on either side of the wide entrance, wdiile the remainder crouched in front of the long IX.] CHARGE OF BOAR BABIRUSA. 203 net at intervals of a few yards, each grasping his spear, and hidden from view by a huge Livistonia frond planted in the ground before him. We had not long been settled before a peculiar barking grunt in the distance announced the arrival of the first victim. Every one was instantly motionless, and directly afterwards a dark object dashed up at great speed and buried itself in the net a short distance down the slope. The staking had been purposely left loose, so that the animals should not be barred by, but become entangled in the net, the top of which was instantly pulled over by the nearest native. There was a short struggle, and in less than five minutes the captive — a full-grown female Babirusa — was quietly reposing on her back with her legs tied together with rattan, and we were once more in ambush for the next comer. We were hardly quiet before the same peculiar sound was heard rapidly approaching, and the next moment a magnificent old boar Babirusa rushed past within five yards of us, and plunged into the net between our tree and the entrance to the " curral." His long tusks became entangled in the meshes, and the natives ran up to spear him. Just at this moment, however, he broke loose, and turning on his antagonists, scattered them in all direc- tions. It was a most determined charge, and, as we were unable to fire for fear of hitting some of our men, it might have proved a serious affair for the native he singled out. Luckily a convenient tree was close at hand, and the man lost no time in taking ad- vantage of it. The Babirusa pulled up at the bottom, and, to our intense astonishment, proceeded to verify the statement made to us by the Hukum Kadua at Likoupang, by trying to scramble up the sloping trunk after his antagonist. How far he could have ascended we unfortunately never had the opportunity of knowing, for he had hardly got his feet off the ground before his progress was stopped by a ludicrous incident. Anxious to escape, the man had got too far out upon a branch. It gave way, and the unlucky hunter was suddenly deposited on his back within a yard or two of the formidable, needle -pointed tusks of his adversary. Fortu- 204 CELEBES. [chap. nately for him, the attention of the latter was diverted by another native, whom he immediately charged. The man stood his ground in the most plucky manner, crouching, and receiving tlie charge at the point of his razor-edged spear. It entered just in front of the shoulder, and although nearly knocked over by the shock, he SKULL OF BABiRUSA. {Sus babintstt.) contrived to keep the animal off for the few seconds necessary for his companions to run to his assistance. Even with four spears buried in his body the old boar died game, striving to the very last to stet at his antagonists. This incident was the clou of the day's proceedings, for we killed nothing of any importance afterwards. A small pig was safely "curralled," and a little later another charged the net simultaneously with a female Babirusa. The latter was secured alive, but the pig escaped, as did another Babirusa, by getting IX.] KETTLEWELL BAY. 205 through the net. The drive was ended hj the successful "curralling" of a second pig, and in half an hour's time the beaters arrived. They had speared a wild boar and a yovmg pig en route, but the breadth of the island had allowed a considerable quantity of game to break back. Counting our bag we found that we had one boar and two sow Babirusa, and a wild boar and three pigs, which, added to the game our natives had speared on the preceding day, made a total of ten head, six of which were wild pigs and four Babirusa.^ We returned to Kema on the following day, and having paid oft" our hunters, again weighed anchor, with the intention of proceeding up the Gulf of Tomini or Gorontalo to the village of the latter name, which is situated on its northern shore. When off Cape Flesko, however, we encountered a strong current setting out of the gulf, which, combined with a stiff south-westerly breeze, decided us to run in towards the coast. Closing the land in the immediate neighbourhood of the cape, we made out the entrance of two bays, unmarked in the charts, which seemed likely to afford such good shelter that we resolved to explore farther. We steamed slowly ahead, the lifeboat preceding us to take soundings, and passing between the mainland and some islands, steered north for ^ The large male Babirusa we killed was a dirty fleshy grey in colour ; the whole body devoid of hair, excepting at the very tip of the tail, where there were twenty or thirty stiff' bristles about two inches in length. The surface of the body was covered — thickly on the back, but scantily elsewhere — with very fine yellowish down, about an eighth of an inch in length, which was peculiarly soft and velvety to the touch. The measurements (in inches) of this animal and a full-grown female were as follows : — Tip of snout to eye . Eye to meatus of ear Tip of snout to root of tail Length of tail Girth at shoulder Height at shoulder . Lower tusk . Upper tusk . Weight Male. Female. 9 7i H 3i 47 40 13i 12 39 33 27i 2.54 7 144 128 lbs. 85 1b 206 CELEBES. [chap. the entrance of the easternmost inlet. We were not disappointed in onr expectations, for on entering we found ourselves in a beautiful little bay affording perfect shelter from every wind. East and west two secondary inlets stretched back, apparently free from shoals, and choosing the latter of these we anchored in twenty- five fathoms about four hundred yards from shore, the water of the bay being as smooth as glass. It was by far the best anchorage we had met with on the coast of Celebes. Around the bay steep hills rose picturesquely, from a thousand to fifteen hundred feet in height, clothed in thick vegetation to their summits. A belt of yellow sand bordered the forest, and opposite our anchorage a httle patch of Nipa palms revealed the presence of a stream of fresh water. Tracing this up w^e found a narrow ravine down which the little rivulet leapt clear and sparkling from rock to rock, half buried here and there in a wealth of greenery. No trace of human habitation, past or present, was to be seen. Seldom, even in these nature-favoured islands, have I seen a more pleasant spot, and if any of us had a desire for a Eobinson Crusoe life, it might doubtless have been passed as comfortably here as on Juan Fernandez. There is some- thing wonderfully fascinating about these places. London with her crowds and misery ; the squalor and teeming population of the vast cities of China, seem almost to belong to another planet. Yet one thinks more about them under such circumstances perhaps than one would elsewhere. Surely, so long as the world has places such as these, where the foot of man has rarely trod, rich in soil and natural products, waiting only for the cultivator to give birth to a harvest, the want and misery that meet us at every step in the crowded cities of Europe should not occur. Surely, if we wish to relieve that want and misery, we can do so only by adjusting our population. England has land enough and to spare in every quarter of the globe waiting for willing hands to work it, yet it seems as if we were ready to attempt any solution of the difficulty rather than the only and most obvious one. IX.] GORONTALO. 207 We left our bay — of which we made a sketch survey ^ — by the same track, and proceeded for Gorontalo. The coast in the neigh- bourhood is bare and rather lofty, and the Gorontalo Pdver has cut its way through it so abruptly that from seawards the entrance looks like a deep ditch. ISTearing it, this appearance becomes still more marked, and the place reminds one strongly of Jamestown in St, Helena, though the little river here usurps the place of the valley thickly dotted with white houses. The anchorage, which is just within the river's mouth and entirely unprotected to the south, is, as usual, a bad one, and the soundings drop suddenly from twenty or thirty fathoms to as many inches. A small Dutch brigantine that we found loading with copra had fourteen fathoms of water at her bow, and thirteen feet over the taffrail, and we had to anchor with the usual hawsers made fast astern. The Dutch have had a settlement in Gorontalo for nearly as long a period as they have held Menado, but it has been left pretty much to itself, and, excepting copra, little besides natural products — gum copal, tripang, wax, and tortoiseshell — are shipped. The town lies a mile and a half above the anchoraae, and though possessing the ever fresh beauty common to all Dutch Malayan settlements, — its houses buried amid luxuriant fruit-trees, its path- ways neatly bordered with bamboo hedges, — it has little else to show, with the exception of some ruinous and moss-grown walls, which are said to have been built in bygone days by the Portuguese. There are a bare half dozen of Europeans in this far away sleepy hollow, and among them, as a matter of course, is the inevitable German. He is to be found wherever "dark continents" have been penetrated by the white man, and is as invariable a sign of advancing civilisation as an empty sardine tin, a missionary, or a broken Bass bottle. Most of us know that he bids fair to take the ^ Admiralty chart. No. 930. The Dutch charts— as also the English, which are copied from them — are quite unreliable for the coast line in this neighbourhood. Kalapa Island, marked in the chart as off Cape Flesko, does not exist, and the islands and coast beyond appear to have been laid down at haphazard. Bv our sights we also made Gorontalo eight miles east of its assigned position. 208 CELEBES. [chap. trade out of our hands in the Chinese ports and in man}' of oui- colonies, but he does not confine himself to the British flag. After leaving Batavia not an Englishman is to be found in the whole of the Netherlands India, but there are Germans at almost every settlement. Although personally often the best of friends with the Dutch, the latter have, nationally, the strongest feeling against them, and the subject is one upon which every Hollander is ready to dilate ad libitum. The Gorontalo Eiver drains the Limboto Lake, and has a course of barely a dozen miles before reaching the sea. We had a gTeat wish to see the lake, and accordingly started early one morning for that purpose. Leaving the harbour, the road leads northward through the curious ditch-like vaUey to the town, and then emerges on to a level plam of considerable extent, which is surrounded on all sides by mountains. Looking back, the deep gully appears to be almost equally well marked from this side, and it is evident that in past times the whole plain was a vast lake, of which it formed the outlet. "VVe crossed a small affluent of the Gorontalo, and in another mile or two reached the east end of the lake. It is a fine sheet of water about seven miles long, but apparently of no great depth. The water is muddy and of a peculiar pinkish colour, and the shores are bordered by reeds in which there was an abundance of wild-fowl. Our time, unfortunately, was too Imiited to permit us to pay much attention to these, or to ^-isit some hot springs which are said to exist at the north end of the lake, but we obtained a few characteristic birds at our embarking and landing places. The most conspicuous was a Stilt {Himantopus leucocephcdus), which occurred in some abundance, stalking about in the sandy ooze far more gracefully than, from its gigantic length of leg, would be thought possible. A beautiful Jacana {Hydrcdedor gallinaceus) with a reddish-yellow comb — also an native of Australia — fell to our guns, and we found the handsome purple Coot {Porplujrio indicus) common in the reeds. Had we been able to stay in the neighbourhood we might, no doubt, have added IX.] ERUPTION OF KEAKATAU. 209 largely to oiu- collectious, for the lake appeared to swarm with water-bu-ds and waders. From the little hamlet of Limboto on the northern shore a track leads over the mountains to Kwandang, a \dllage on the other side of the peninsula, and by this means, and the help of native praus, communication is kept up with Menado during the prevalence of the south-east monsoon. Of its use we had evidence while we were at G-orontalo, for from a letter sent overland in this manner we got our first intelligence of the appalling eruption of Krakatau. The inhabitants of Macassar had heard it plainly, and, as we had sailed on the same morning with the intention of passing tlu'ough the intricate Spermonde Archipelago, it was surmised that the JIarchcsa had gone ashore and was firing guns for assistance, and a prau was accordingly sent to discover oiu' whereabouts. We learnt that the eruption had also been heard at sea off the island of Bouton. At a later period of the voyage we found that the sound of the explosions had actually reached Xew Guinea. The coast in the immediate neighbourhood of the Gorontalo Eiver is utterly imtropical in appearance, and as different from every other part of Celebes that we had seen as could well be imagined. Bold, rocky promontories, and headlands on which there is but little vegetation, replace the usual sandy beaches where the dense jungle hangs over the water, and the wavelets break in short, crisp plashes. Here the formation is granitic, and enormous blocks of that rock, often twenty or thirty feet in height, line the shore, which at this season is washed by a sea sufficiently rough to make landing in a small boat diflficiilt, if not impossible. It is only some distance inland, or in the deeper gullies, that any patches of woodland occur. Pandani of a species we had not seen before grew here — large, and with thick ringed trunks, and at a distance looking like the Candelabra Euphorbia. Xor are the inhabitants less different. Instead of the short, broad-faced natives of the Tondano district, we found a taller and darker people of mixed blood, many of whom had the piercing look of a VOL. II. P 210 CELEBES. [chap. Kling. The language prevailing is quite distinct from any in Minahasa. The people of the ^dllage of Liatto, a short distance eastwards of the mouth of the Gorontalo, are Mohammedans, as indeed are all the natives in this district who are not Pagans, and, in con- sequence, we found wild boars abundant and unmolested in their plantations, and were able to shoot several of them. Here and in Gorontalo small-pox was very prevalent, and at one village of no sreat size the chief told us that there were over a hundred cases. The Dutch have not introduced vaccination here as they have in Minahasa, and the disease was consequently very fatal. In Gorontalo itself, where the population is more mixed, and includes Bugis, Klings, and other races, in addition to over a hundred Chinese, the death-rate was not nearly so high. Thanks to the kindness of one of our German friends, we made an addition to tlie Marchesas menagerie in the shape of another Sapi-utan. It was a young bull only a few months old, and scarcely more than twenty-four inches high, its body covered with a light yellowish-brown woolly hair, and the horns three inches in length. It remained with us until we reached Ternate, when we despatched it to England, but, like the other we had obtained at Menado, it unfortunately did not live to reach its destination. The Kontroleur of Gorontalo was anxious to visit Pogoyama, a village lying at the mouth of a river five and twenty miles farther up the gulf, his principal object being to secure a man who had recently committed a murder, or at least to put such pressure upon the chiefs as would ensure his being eventually delivered up to justice. We therefore arranged to proceed to the place in the yacht, and the party — which consisted of the Kontroleur and half a dozen coloured police — having been got aboard at an early hour, we sailed before daybreak for our destination. Native authority also was to be represented, and we carried the son of the late Sultan of Gorontalo and his attendants — a title, by the way, which has been abolished by the Dutch. We arrived off the entrance of IX.] POGOYAMA. 211 the river after four hours' pleasant steaming, for the sea-breeze had not sprung up, and tlie surface of the water was almost SAPI-UTAN. (Anoa dejjressicornis.) Froiji a Photograph of a Seven-year-old Male in the Rotterdam Gardens. unruffled.^ As we crept cautiously in, for we had no charts to aid 1 At Gorontalo the sea-breeze at this season sets in from the S.S.E. about 9.30 A.M. and blows strong until 3 p.m. or even later. The land-breeze begins regularly at 6 P.M. It blows steadily through the night, and is very cool. Although Gorontalo is almost on the equator, the thermometer between decks during our visit invariably sank to 78°. 212 CELEBES. [chap. us, we eucouiitered a strong stream of the colour of pea -soup, which led us to conclude that a considerable body of water was debouchmg here. On reversing the engines, however, the screw suddenly revealed deep water of a clear sapphire blue, having washed aside wliat proved to be merely a shallow surface layer of the muddy river. Anchoring was even more anxious work than usual, owing to the depth of water and its sudden shoaling, and the strong eddies we experienced, but we eventually found ourselves in a fairly secure, although somewhat extraordinary berth. We had seven fathoms of water at our bow, and six at the stern, whilst amidships our keel must have been almost touching. Astern of us the trees were less than twenty yards off, and within thirty feet, on our starboard side, the water was only ankle deep ! Truly, one be- comes acquainted with strange anchorages in this part of the world. Landing the Kontroleur and his policemen for their interview with the chief, we continued our way up the river in the boats. The scenery w^as extremely pretty. The bareness of the country round Gorontalo had disappeared, and we found ourselves once more in the midst of tropical vegetation of the usual type. The river flowed between abrupt, forest-clad hills of considerable height, but at a distance of about four or five miles from the mouth became beset with rapids and shallows, the passage of wliich was difficult even in a native canoe. There was no distinct \illage, the houses being scattered at intervals along the banks. They were built on land, but each was pro%ided with a little stage or pier erected over the stream, where the natives could be seen embarking and dis- embarking in their canoes, or dipping up water from the river b}' means of a long bamboo. The Pogoyama people speak a dialect of the Gorontalo language, and, though probably free from any admixture of Papuan blood, seemed to us taller and darker than is usual among those of Malayan race. Those whom we saw were not of particularly prepossessing appearance, and offered a marked con- trast to the mild-eyed Minahasans we had left only three or four weeks before. IX.] ANCIEXT BURIAL-PIT. 213 AVe found a nimiber of quartz pebbles in the bed of the stream, and on our return rejoined the Kontroleur, who had with him a small nut half full of gold dust, which had been obtained by panning out the river sand. The natives here and at l*agowat — a \illage thirty miles farther up the gulf — pay their tax to the Dutch Govermnent in gold, and are allowed twelve guilders for as much as will balance a one guilder piece. All this gold is alhuial, the natives being unacquainted with the art of quartz-crushing, but, if their statements were to be believed, they knew of gold-bearing rock at a place some miles distant inland ; " a face of rock," to use the words of my informant, " where the gold could be seen like the veins on a man's hand." The Government appears to take little or no interest in the subject, and some time before our ^^sit had readily granted a concession to a Dutchman to work the district. He died shortly afterwards in the island of Batchian, and no steps have been taken, either before or since, to explore the locality. We heard a curious story of a deep pit which exists at the west point of the bay, about four miles from the mouth of the river. This pit is said to contain a great number of huuian bones, and the legend ran that, in ancient times, some great chief suspected the presence of gold at the bottom of it, and sent a number of men down to obtain it for him. The Spirit protecting the treasure, indignant at its possession being thus rudely attempted without some propitiatory offering, revenged herself by slaughtering the intruders, and their bones remain as a warning to the present day. As our time was limited to a single day, and we wished to explore the river, we had to be content with despatching some men to the place with instructions to bring us perfect crania, or, failing these, the best specimens that they could obtain. They returned in the evening with several femora and other bones, but only fragments of skulls. All were of adults, and some of women. The men told us that there was no pit, and that they had found them near the shore, but a native at once said that they had not discovered the right place, and that the pit, which was a very deep one, was in the forest, 214 CELEBES. [chap. It was unfortunate that we could not visit tlie place ourselves. The tlieory that the story was in the main correct, and the ^dctims had met their death from the presence of carbonic acid gas at the bottom of the cave, of course presented itself, but it seems more probable that it was merely some ancient burying-place. Although I am not aware that cave sepulture exists in Celebes, it is know^n to do so in Luzon and other islands of the Phihppines. The peculiarities of the Celebesian fauna and their interpreta- tion have been most alily expounded by ]\Ir. "Wallace in his " i\Ialay Archipelago," and are known to every zoologist. To my non- naturalist readers, however, I may perhaps be permitted Iniefly to mention them. Celebes is singularly poor in mammals, but putting aside those that have most prol)ably been introduced l3y man, an extraordinarily large proportion of them are found to be peculiar to the island, and many — such as the Anoa, the Babirusa, and the black, baboon-like ape^ — are without near allies in any of the neighbouring islands. The birds, too, are remarkable for the same reason. Scissirostncm, the peculiar starling to wdiich I have alluded (p. 168), and another with a curious, laterally-compressed crest of steely blue feathers {Basilornis) ; two black and white magpie-like birds {Streptocitta) — known to the nati^•es as the hurong pajidita or missionary birds, from their sober plumage and white collar ; the beautiful blue EoUer, and still more lovely Kingfisher, Ceyco2)sis fallax ; the Maleo, and many others, are forms characteristic of Celebes alone.^ Like peculiarities are found among the butterflies and other insects, and for these and other reasons there is but little doubt that Celebes, in spite of the proximity of the surrounding ^ Mr. "Wallace ("Geographical Distiibution of Animals," vol. i., p. 427) says, " there is some doubt about the allied species or variety {Cijno2nt1iecii,s nigcr) of the Philippines being really indigenous there." -' The Maleo, the Babirusa, and other peculiar Celebesian forms were remarked upon by the old Spanish voj-agers. Purehas says of the island of Batchian, which seems to have been confused with Celebes, that " tliere be here small Hennes which lay their egges vnder the ground aboue a Fathome and a halfe, and the egges are bigger than Duck's egges. . . . There are Hogs also with homes and parats which prattle much. " IX.] ANTIQUITY OF CELEBES. 215 lands, became isolated at an exceedingly remote geological epoch. " It probably dates," says Mr. Wallace, " from a period not only anterior to that when Borneo, Java, and Sumatra were separated from the continent, but from that still more remote epoch when the land that now constitutes these islands had not risen above the ocean." We left Pogoyama early on the day following our arrival, and dropping our friend the Kontroleur and his policemen and our other passengers at Gorontalo, sailed the same evening for Ternate. AVe had been very fortunate in our collections, and had added two birds {Astur trivirgatvs and Alccdo lengalensis) to the list of the Celebesian a\'ifauna ; we had had excellent weather and good sport, and had met with many kind acquaintances and friends. But foremost among our pleasant memories of the tune we spent in Celebes were those of smiling faces and rose-bedecked cottages in the mountains of ]\Iinahasa. CHAPTER X. THE MOLUCCAS. Ternate — The town — The Resident's aviaiy — Live Birds of Paradise — History of the island — Remains of the old forts — Climate — Moluccan birds — The trade in Paradise Birds — We enlist our huntei-s — Arrival of the monthly mail — Leave for Batchian — Passage of the Herberg Strait — The "Kapten Laut " — Obi Major — Tanysiptcra dbierms — Birds of the Obi group — Ruins on the deserted island — "We explore the west coast — Obi Latu Island — Dead mangrove swamp — Bisa Island — Retiu'n to Batchian — Dance given by the Sultan of Batchian — Fort Barneveld — Wallace's Bird of Paradise — A deer hunt— Sago-making — Visit to the Weda Islands — Sail for New Guinea. East of Northern Celebes, and separated from it by a hundred miles or more of deep sea, lie the Spice Islands. I had nearly said the Moluccas, but this name, restricted in former days to the little chain of volcanic islets lying off the western coast of Gilolo, of which Ternate is the chief, now includes all the islands between Celebes and the Papuan group. Our passage over tliis strip of blue water, which the soundings tell us to have existed for countless ages, was pleasant enough despite the S.E. monsoon, for here the latter, becoming diverted from its course, blows from the south or even the south-west, and what little wind we experienced was in our favour. Approaching from the west we rounded the small island of Mitara, and early on the mornmg of tlie 28th of September dropped anchor off Ternate. As far as regards magnificence of scenery, Ternate is perhaps the finest harbour in the Dutch Indies, for it boasts of two volcanic peaks — both of them about six thousand feet in height — wliich are St3jiford:s GtoQ^ Estah^, Lo CHAP. X.] TERN ATE. 217 of wonderfully graceful outline. That of the island of Tidor, which shelters the anchorage to the south, rises majestically from a mass of wild and gloomy-looking hills, but Ternate consists of the volcano alone, which leaves little room for the town to nestle at its foot. Eastward, across a wide strait, are the rugged blue mountains of the island of Gilolo, or Halmaheira as the Dutch call it, whose quaint and spidery shape is almost a replica of Celebes upon a small scale. The view is a very beautiful one, and it was none the less appreciated by us from the fact that, for once in our lives, we were not obliged to lay out anchors all round the ship, or to " tie her up to a tree." Were a traveller placed at haphazard in any one of these Dutch Malaysian villages — for one can hardly dignify even Ternate by the name of town — he would, I am sure, have no little difficulty in discovering his whereabouts for a moment or two, even if a native of the place. If he were to catch sight of the volcano — for there is always one close at hand — he would, of course, soon get his bearings, as he would too if he were to come across the white- washed " Harmonic " where the Dutchmen are drinking their pijtjes. But the streets themselves present an iteration of tropical vegetation and native huts, of bamboo-fenced compounds and low, verandahed houses that would baffle even a resident. Ternate has its avenue — a magnificent row of yellow-leaved, scarlet-blossomed Galdas — winding along close to the edge of the sea, so close indeed that the waves lap the roots of the outer trees, beneath whose shade are pulled up praus of all sizes, from the smallest " dug-out " to the large Ceram or Banda trader. Opposite, facing seaward, are the houses of the Europeans, with coloured glass balls, and yet more atrocious red and white striped tlower-pots, in their front gardens. Walking inland, past the dark, cool fruit-orchards where mangoes, durians, citrons, and a dozen other tropical fruits are growing, we come to a vast collection of old tombs — Dutch, Chinese, Portuguese, even Spanish perliaps, for they too are among the alien races who spilt their blood in the struggle for wealth 218 THE MOLUCCAS. [chap. which devastated this pleasant Eden three centuries ago. Over- grown with grass and rank vegetation, they lie unheeded, waiting for entire obhteration at the hands of Xature. Even of the large Chinese tombs little remains in many cases but the merest traces of tlieir horseshoe-shaped walls. From these memorials of now happily bygone times a slightly- rising stretch of smooth turf, dotted with fruit-trees of every descrip- tion, leads up to jom the lower slopes of the momitain, which is clothed with vegetation almost to its simamit, and scarred with deep furrows. The actual apex of the volcano, from which floats a light stream of smoke, appears blunt and iiTCgular from the town, but seen from Sidangoli on the coast of Gilolo, we found it even shai^per than the peak of Tidor. Eor all its seeming peacefulness, however, Ternate has been the scene of many eruptions— of no less than fourteen since the beginning of the seventeenth century, we are told ; and earthquakes, slight though they may be, still keep its presence constantly in mind. The Ternatians have a quamt legend about it, — that whenever the number of the inhabitants of the island exceeds the height of the volcano an eruption is not long in coming. Such a condition existed at the time of our visit, but we were not fortunate enough to be witnesses of what the Dutch expressively term an uitlarsting. One of our first visits was to the Eesident, Mr. Van Bruijn Morris. He had just returned from a voyage to New Guinea, in the course of which he had been as far east as Humboldt Bay, the extreme Imiit of the Dutch claim on the northern coast. The Challenger, it will be remembered, touched at this spot on her way to the Philippines, and, like the officers of that ship, the Eesident had not met with a very pleasant reception, although no actual fighting with the natives had ensued. "VYe obtamed from him, and from the captain of his yacht — the Sing-Tjin — some useful information on the localities we intended to visit, together with some Dutch charts and hydrogi-aphical notes, which we after- wards found of great assistance. Fonnal calls having been ex- X.J THE RESIDE NT'S AVIARY. 219 changed, we soon Ijeeame intimate ; with the more readiness, perhaps, on finding that Mr. Morris took great interest in birds, of which he had made a large collection on his travels. His aviary, a large and well-lighted room, kept with great care, contained a great variety of the rarest and most beautifnl of the parrots of the Papuan region — the gigantic - beaked Microglossus, sombre ^ of ' //' HEAD OF 1'ESQUEt's I'AKUOT. {DasyptUus pesqiieti.)\ plumage and slow of movement; the long -tailed Aprosmidus dorsalis, of wonderfully vivid hues; numbers of brush -tougued lories of every shade of colour ; the jetty-plumaged Chalcopsittacus atcr ; and lastly, most singular of all its kind, the rare Pesquet's I'arrot (Dasyptilus 2)i'squcfi), half vulturine in appearance, and with the face and throat bare — a native of the mainland of New Guinea. But the gems of the collection were two superb specimens — both full-plumaged males — of the Twelve -wired Bird of Paradise {Seleucidcs). The native-prepared skins seen in European museums give no idea of the glorious beauty of the living bird. The sub- alar plumes, wdiose prolonged and wire-like shafts have given the 220 THE MOLUCCAS. [chap bird its English name, are of a rich golden yellow, and tlie pectoral shield, when spread, shows to advantage its tipping of metallic emerald. These exquisite creatures were fed on the fruit of the Pandanus, with an occasional cockroach as a honne houchc. In devouring the insects, which they did by throwing them in the air and catching them again, they displayed the wonderful grass-green colouring of the inside of the mouth and throat. The feelings of admiration with which I watched these birds, which are among the most exquisitely beautiful of all li\'ing beings, I need not attempt to descril^e. My reader, if a naturalist, will divine them ; if not, no description of mme w^ould ever make him realise the intense pleasure of the first sight of such masterpieces of colouring. As we were anxious to overhaul gear and get some small repairs and alterations done on board, w^e endeavoured to find some Icind of cottage or house in the town in which we might instal ourselves until we were ready to put to sea. Only one was available, and, as it was actually unfinished, as well as unfurnished and very damp, we found ourselves in a difficulty, from which, however, we were at once relieved by one of our kind Dutch friends — Mr. de Bruijn Prince — who took us bag and baggage to his house, and made us his guests until our departure. I mention this as only one of the many acts of kindness we experienced at the hands of the Dutch merchants and officials in the Malay Archipelago, — kindness to which our very pleasant recollections of civilisation in these parts are in no small degree due. In this instance it was of the greatest service to us, enabling us to dry and arrange the specimens we had already collected, and to clear the ship of useless lumber in order to make room for the "trade" it was necessary to lay in before starting for the New Guinea region.^ The house stood at ^ The following is a list of the articles with which we were provided : — 30 pieces Turkey red 50 ,, prints 20 ,, dark blue cotton 30 cotton shirts 10,000 needles Reels of cotton 2 gross packets of pins 6 doz. axes 12 bottles of sweets Beads, assorted X.] HISTORY OF TERN ATE. 221 the back of the town iu a little compound, with the usual large whitewashed pillars at the entrance-gates. Here in the Moluccas the Nipa-leaf attaps, which in Borneo and Sulu form the sides and partitions of the native huts, or even the residences of the Europeans, are replaced by the gala-gaba — the leaf-stalk of the sago palm. In section these stalks or midribs are V-shaped, and hence, when placed upright and one against the other, they form an imbricated wall of considerable strength, which, when smoothed and painted white, looks fairly neat. The gardens and woods surrounding us, though doubtless a paradise for the botanist, were singularly devoid of bird-life, and even our rambles farther afield to the coffee and other plantations on the slopes of the volcano were equally unproductive. But walks in Ternate were nevertheless enjoyable from the history associated with the island, and the moss-grown ruins of old walls which ever and anon crop up to remind one of the bygone struggles of the Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch for its possession. Xow an air of placid somnolence pervades the place, and will remain, probably, for all time, except it be for the mighty forces which lie dormant within the huge volcanic cone. At this distance of time we catch ourselves wondering how it could Coloured scarves and handkerchiefs Vl\ doz. clasp-knives 500 round gold Chinese buttons 6 gross Chinese buttons 220 Chinese looking-glasses 6 small musical-boxes 150 lbs. Chinese tobacco 50 lbs. American ,, 12 bars of iron Brass-wire Fish-hooks Malay sarongs Besides these Ave carried muskets and gunpowder, not for bartering vnXh. the untrust- worthy natives of the mainland, which would have been contrary to Dutch law as well as our own principles, but for exchange Avith the half Malay hunters of the Puijah ampat, as the district over Avhich the Sultan of Tidor claims authority is named. Perhaps the most marketable of all the above articles were the Chinese gold buttons, of which the natives made eamngs, but the axes and iron were also a good deal run after. The "Turkej- red" and cottons were almost useless, for the Papuan is — from a medical point of view — a wise man, and does not set his affections on clothing. Curiously enough, the natives did not seem to care for the fish-liooks, although their own, which are generally cut out of the clam or some other shell, are very clumsy. 222 THE MOLUCCAS. [chap. possibly have come about that the trade in such insignificant objects as cloves and nutmegs should have been considered as of almost equal importance with the riches of the Xew World. Yet Ternate for nearly two centuries was the scene of as much bloodshed and cruelty as any spot on the surface of the globe. So long ago as the end of the fifteenth century the spices of the Moluccas were made known to the civilised world by the Bugis and other native traders, but it was not until 1511 that Antonio d'Abreu sailed into these unknown waters and returned with his laden galleon from Amboina. His accounts excited the cupidity of the Portuguese, liut the constant fighting that their conquests in Malacca and Sumatra entailed obliged them to postpone their designs on these still more distant regions. Ten years later — the year of the discovery of the Philippines by ]\Iagellan on his memorable voyage round the world — an expedition was fitted out under Antonio de Brito. It reached Ternate, and finding the Trinitie — one of the ships of Magellan's squadi-on — in the port, seized her and sent her crew as prisoners to JMalacca. De Brito and his people were received with the greatest kindness by the Ternatians, and before the year was out had built a fort upon the island. Once fairly established there was no longer need for the conceahnent of their designs, and they commenced the hateful policy which, in those days, characterised the Dutch and Portu- guese alike. For more than sixty years the history of the islands is little else than a record of the most atrocious cruelties and the vilest acts of treachery. At the end of that time their power, which had been gradually waning, was practically crushed by a rising of the islanders and the capture of their forts. ]\Ieanwhile the Spaniards, in spite of having agreed in 1529 to renounce their claim to the Moluccas for the sum of 350,000 ducats, had not only intrigued against the authority of the Portuguese in the islands, but had even fitted out expeditions against them, although without success. In 1606, however, a squadron from Manila succeeded in taking both Tidor and Ternate, but, strangely enough, no garrison X.] RUINED PORTUGUESE FORTS. 223 appears to have been established. The unhappy natives were nevertheless not destined to be left long undisturbed. The intrigues of the Dutch, whose vessels had for years hamited Moluccan waters, were at length successful, and in 1613 they contrived to conclude a treaty with the Sultan of Ternate, by which the latter agreed that the trade in cloves should be the exclusive pri^dlege of Holland. It was the beginning of the end, — a jump from the Portuguese fr}-ing-pan into the Dutch fire, — for once furnished with a handle so convenient as the treaty atibrded, the latter nation did not scruple to use it. It is needless to say that a strict adherence to the terms of the agi'eement was practically impossible for the natives, and under the pretext of their infraction the various islands were reduced with short ceremony. Thus, bit by bit, the Moluccas passed into Dutch hands, and their miserable inhabitants were not long in discovering that Dutch treachery and Dutch cruelties were even worse than those of the Portuguese rule. lievolt after revolt occurred, the intervals between each becoming longer as the grip of HoUand tightened, Ijut in 1681 the last expiring effort was made, and thenceforward the Spice Islands sank gradually into the condition of dreamy laisscr aller which characterises them at the present day. Signs of these ceaseless struggles, in the shape of ruined walls and gateways, are visible, as I have mentioned, at almost every step on the outskirts of the town, but in most cases little enough can be made out of them, so tumble-down is their condition. Three forts, however, still remain. The largest, which is placed in the middle of the town, about a couple of hundred yards from the sea, and is said to have been partly built by the Portuguese, is still garrisoned by the Dutch, and bears its name — " Fort Oranje " — over the gateway. At the extreme north of the town, perched on a little promontory just above the beach, is a small blockhouse which probably dates back to the middle of the sixteenth century. It is now in a half-ruined condition, in spite of attempts having been made in later times to repair it, and vegetation sprouts from 224 THE MOLUCCAS. [chap. the fissures iu its walls. The view from it is magnificent. A beach of dark sand and pebbles, lined with picturesque huts half- hidden in masses of banana and fruit-trees, stretches away to the south, and leads the eye up to the rugged hills and great peak of Tidor, which with its sister cone of Ternate dominates the calm blue waters of the harbour. From this point the last of the three forts must be four or five miles distant, situated as it is beyond PORTUGUESE FORT AT THE NORTH END OF TERXATE. the outskirts of the town on the south side. We came upon it quite unexpectedly during one of our ornithological rambles, for though we had asked our Dutch friends if there were any ruins in the neighbourhood, it had not been thought worthy of mention. Although considerably larger than the northern fort, it is of no great size, but it appears to have been built with gTeat care and skill, to judge from the perfect laying of the heavy masonry of the embrasures, and in those days must have been well-nigh im- pregnable. It is no doubt contemporaneous with the Portuguese occupation; possibly indeed the first fort they built on landing x] PALACE OF THE SULTAN. 225 here in 1521. Now the jungle has left it nothing but a picturesque ruin, almost invisible at a little distance amid the confused mass of greenery. Trees grow within the walls, and, with the rank tropical undergrowth, have almost choked the old chambers. It was a snake-suggesting place, and its exploration did not appear to us particularly tempting. Nor were we repaid for our trouble, for neither date nor inscription nor anythmg else of interest was to be found. In the blockhouse, of which I give an illustra- tion, two coats of arms were cut in the masonry just within the doorway. The Sultan's palace, a dilapidated-looking house in the European style, is the most conspicuous building in Ternate. It is perched on the summit of a small hill, and overlooks an expanse of thoroughly English -looking grassy common reaching to the sea, on whose shore, hauled up beneath a large open shed, lay the imperial prau. This boat, which was canoe -like in form with a cabin amidships, and about sixty feet in length, was a most shapely craft. It was provided with double -banked outriggers on either side, thus permitting the paddlers to be seated out- board. This form of prau is common enough in various parts of the arcliipelago, but we had never seen one of finer lines. Just below the palace is a guard-house, where, hanging up on the walls, we found some quaint old hats which had belonged, no doubt, to the Dutch troops in bygone days. They were of two kinds ; one of much the same shape as the hat worn by some of our own soldiers at the beginning of this century — like our own " stove- pipe " shorn of its brim, provided with a peak, and of considerably larger diameter at the top than at the bottom. The other may perhaps be best described as a flat-topped "pot -hat," brimless at the side, but cocked back and front. Both of these head-coverings, leaving the nape of the neck entirely unprotected, must have ex- posed their wearers to every chance of sunstroke. We were told that they were still worn on grand occasions by the Sultan's guard. Although eight years' meteorological observations taken by the VOL. II. Q 226 THE MOLUCCAS. [chap. Dutch at Ternate show that rain falls on the average on 216 days in the year, and that the mean annual temperature is 80° Fahr., the climate is on the whole said to be a very pleasant one, for, except in the montlis of December and January, the rain for the most part occurs in heavy showers which alternate with liright sunshine. Those who spend their lives under England's gloomy skies can hardly realise the fact that a high rainfall does not necessarily mean an unpleasant climate, and that the British half-inch of rain is attended with more gloom and discomfort than half a foot would be in most tropical climates. "We had several extremely heavy showers during our visit, but no day that was not sunny and bright, and with the constant light sea-breeze the temperature seemed delightful. "VVe made l)ut two excursions worthy of the name ; one to Sidangoli on the coast of Gilolo, where, in company with some of our Dutch friends, we went in pursuit of deer, of which, in spite of their abundance, we failed to shoot a single one ; the other to Tenoto, half-way up the volcano, whence, after an uncomfortable struggle up a steep slope of plantations, we obtained a superb view : — a wonderful panorama of island, strait, and volcano as beautiful in its outline as in the richness of its ever -varying colour. "We added but few birds and still fewer insects to our collec- tions, partly owing to our time being occupied in other ways, partly because Ternate is not apparently rich in either. Perhajts one of the most beautiful birds on the island — one at least which would be most likely to catch the traveller's eye — is a Sun-bird (Cinnyris cmrice2:)s) of velvety black plumage, the head metallic emerald, the back and throat of equally brilliant steely blue. This lovely little species haunts flowering shrubs and the crowns of the coco palms, and is inconspicuous enough till its emerald head flashes back a ray of sunlight. A Ijrilliant blue Kingfisher {Halcyon diops) inhabits the island in abundance, the female dift'ering from the male in having a pectoral band of dull cobalt ; but a still more strikingly-coloured Ceyx {G. lepida) — coral-billed, the under surface X.] THE BIRDS OF PARADISE. 227 reddish orange, and the rump bright ultramarine, we found mucli rarer. Gilolo produced us two of the rarer Pigmy Doves {Ptilopus monachus and ionogaster), their grass -green phimage varied with shades of lavender, yellow, and magenta, and the magnificent Ground-thrush {Pitta maxima), the giant of its genus. This Ijird is, like all the Pittas, of the brightest plumage, but, as it runs along the ground, these colours are invisible, the whole of the upper surftice being a deep velvety black. Beneath, the abdomen is crimson, and the breast snowy white faintly shot with blue in some lights, while the shoulders are of pale metalHc blue of extra- ordinary brilliancy. The true Birds of Paradise are, as my reader is perhaps aware, entirely confined to New Guinea and its islands. A solitary ex- ception exists to prove the rule in Wallace's Standard- wing, which, as far as is yet known, occurs only in the two Moluccan Islands — Gilolo and Batchian.-^ But though we could look for no li^'in^■ Paradiseidie in the forests and plantations of Ternate, we found an abundance of their skins in the cabinets of Mr. Bruijn, a collector who nearly every year sends hunters to the little-known regions of New Guinea. Some of them had only recently returned, and as the expedition had Ijeen a fortunate one, we had the ad- vantage of examining several of the rarer species with which we were destined later to become better acquainted. The skins were beautifully prepared — no easy matter in damp climates such as these, ^ From the earliest writers up to those of the present day the erroneous state- ment is constantly made that the Birds of Paradise are found in the Malay Islands. Camoens may be allowed a poet's licence when he sings — " Olha ca pelos mares do Orieute As iutinitas illias espalhadas ; Ve Tidor, e Ternate . . . Aqui ha as aureus aves, que uao decem Nunca a terra, e so mortas apparecem." {Cant. X. cxxxii.) but Miss Bird, in her "Golden Chersonese," brings them another thousand miles farther west, and tells us of their existence in the Malay Peninsula ! 228 THE MOLUCCAS. [chap. where they often remain limp for weeks after they have been removed from the birds' bodies. This difficulty is obviated by the universal custom in vogue among Malay hunters of fixing a small stick in the base of the skull, the other end of which is allowed to protrude at the vent, thus keeping the head and neck in good position. The skins of Birds of Paradise, as an article of trade, are prepared in quite a different manner, and ahnost always by Papuan natives, not by Malays. Stripped off with little or no care, the legs cut away and the skull removed, the skin is pressed fiat between two strips of bamboo, and smoke-dried ; and, when finished, it bears as little resemblance to a bird as can well be imagined. These specimens are, of course, useless for the cabinets of a naturalist, even if they are not largely moth-eaten, as is usually the case, but great quantities of them are sent to Europe for dress and hat decoration. The trade, which has existed for more than a hundred years, is almost entirely in the hands of Chinamen, and the largest markets in the East are Macassar and Ternate ; Am- Ijoina sendmg a few only to Batavia, Through the kind assistance of Mr. Bruijn, we were able to engage hunters for our approaching visit, to New Guinea. We had already three Malays on board, one an English-speaking Singa- pore " boy " who skinned fairly well, the others two hunters we had brought from Malacca — JVIomin and Achi by name, the latter of whom was an excellent fellow and a good observer. We now added nine others, in two lots of five and four, the one headed by Usman, a native of Ternate, the other by Tahirun, a Gilolo man, and one of the most unmitigated scoundrels in appearance I ever came across. Never did any one's face belie their character more. He was an untiring hunter and a good naturalist, spoke two New Guinea languages, and skinned well, and after a little instruction I found that I could depend upon his measurements, accounts of the habits of the birds, and other details as well as if I had made the observations myself. Of the remainder of the men two had visited New Guinea before, and were fairly good shots and skinners. X.] OUR HUNTERS. 229 two were perfectly useless, and the other three neither good nor bad. A youth of about sixteen, some relation of one of our hunters, asked permission to accompany us, which we gave him. He was of assistance in carrying the birds while shooting in the forests, and before long became an adept in the use of the butterfly-net and a good beetle-hunter. Our natives, of whom there were thus thirteen, had a separate part of the ship's deck assigned to them, where they managed to live and do their work pretty comfortably. By our sailors this was always known as " Queer Street," or the " Malay quarter." In Ternate people take life easily. A " dreamful ease " lulls one in these islands which renders exertion an impertinence, and I remember that I was five days in getting together the ingredients for some arsenic soap. Nearly every article belonged to a different owner, and though careful to avoid siesta-time for my calls, the usual answer given me by the Malay servant, in reply to my inquiry if his master was at home, was, " Trada, tuan : dia tidor " — " He is asleep, sir." Sleep, indeed, appears to be the chief occupa- 230 THE MOLUCCAS. [chap. tion in the IMoluccas, until it is cool enough in the evening to walk down to the " Harmonie " and drink pijtjes. The Malays are more energetic than their masters, and pass their time in kite-flying, an amusement which is of absorbing interest to almost every one of that race. It is a decorous sport, demanding no great exertion, and as such, I suppose, commends itself to tlie imjDassive Malay character. The kites are of many shapes, but in Ternate birds did not appear to be in fashion as in Sumbawa. One very pretty one I noticed was a butterfly, whose wings quivered and fluttered in a very lifelike manner. Most simj)le of all was that patronised by the little fisher- boys — a single leaf of large size, with a tail of bunches of bamboo-leaves. On the 7th of October the monthly mail came in, and Ternate leapt suddenly into life. Coolies hurried to and fro with bales of copal, bundles of deers' horns, tortoise-shell, and other products ; the merchants, foregoing tlieir siesta, checked the number of the packages that left their stores, and the avenue was crowded with carts and natives passing and repassing. At the pier a sort X.] SAIL FOR BATCHIAN. 231 of fair in miniature was held, and Malays squatted in all directions selling food and cigarettes for the coolies, cockatoos and lories of every hue and size. Bird of Paradise skins, and the huge Crowned Pigeons of New Guinea. Cockatoos screamed, officers shouted their orders, the donkey engine rattled, and an endless stream of l)ales and packages clattered over the rickety pier. By and by the steamer gave its final whistle, and the gangway w^as cast off; the crowd waited to see her slowly disappear, and half an hour later the town was once more plunged in its wonted condition of somnolence. The monthly transformation scene was over. ]Mr. Van Bruijn ]Morris having to pay an official visit to the island of Batchian, and the Kontroleur — ]Mr. Monod de Froideville — bein