The infinite variety of interests connected with the vast Malay
Archipelago, mainly dominated by European authority, can only be
inadequately mentioned in the simple record of a half-year's wandering
through scenes which stamp their unfading beauty indelibly on mind and
memory. Virgin fields of discovery still invite scientific exploration,
and the green sepulchre of Equatorial vegetation retains innumerable
secrets of Art and architecture. The geological mysteries of these
volcanic shores offer a host of unsolved problems, the surpassing
magnificence of flower and foliage makes every island a botanical
Paradise, and the varieties of race and language which moulded and
coloured the destinies of the Equatorial world, supply historian and
philologist with opportunities of unlimited research. The dim
chronicles of a distant past, inscribed in vague characters with faint
traces of the earliest Malay wanderers, link their shadowy pages with
historic records of falling dynasties and warring creeds, preceding
the eventful period of colonial enterprise, initiated by the wild
campaigns in quest of the precious spices. Although the Malay voyagers
remain veiled in the twilight which clouds the verge of authentic
history, the track of their keels may yet be followed through the
conflicting currents of that hitherto unknown ocean which they opened
to a future world. The forests and fishing grounds of every coast and
island still support the manifold divisions of the nomadic race which
forms the substratum of island life, and the star of hope which led
them onward, shone for many subsequent adventurers across those
Southern seas which aroused the energies and ambitions of later ages.
The symbolical stories of the world's infancy join the actual
experience of struggling humanity to the dreamland from whence it
emerged, as some syren song lured it into unknown regions. The
old-world legends of mankind "launching out into the deep, and letting
down the nets for a draught," repeat themselves from age to age, for
the human heart has ever sacrificed comfort and safety in order to set
sail upon some trackless ocean, on the chance of reaping that harvest
of life's sea for which man yearns with insatiable desire. The
wanderings of Odysseus, in the youth of the world, illustrate the
eternal pursuit of a visionary ideal, in those adventures which breathe
the undying romance of the sea. The resemblance between the traditions
of savage and civilised nations appears too strong to be fortuitous,
and indicates the underlying unity of feeling and purpose implanted in
the human race. Modern environment renders it impossible to calculate
the tremendous force of the mysterious impulse which swayed the onward
march of primeval tribes; even the later obstacles, overcome by bold
spirits who followed in their wake, can never be adequately realised
amid the artificial conditions of our present life. The charmed circle
of the "Equator's emerald zone," encloses a region of marvel and
mystery, where Imagination, the fairy with the magic mirror, helps to
interpret and reveal the secrets of Beauty and Truth, which transfigure
material form and colour with the halo of idealism. The tale of the
mysterious ages when "the threads of families" were first "woven into
the ropes of nations," still sways mind and fancy, but the romance of
the world continues, though the progress of Humanity varies the
pictured page. In the warm heart of the tropical Archipelago, Nature,
triumphing in eternal youth, seems to mock the transient phases of
aspiration and achievement, which vanish by turn into the misty past.
The great Mother chants her "Song of Songs" throughout the myriad
changes of Time, in terms so similar to the imagery of the Divine
Epithalamium that, from a human standpoint, it seems swept by the
spice-laden breezes of the Malayan Lotus-land, rather than by the
fainter fragrance wafted from the orchards and gardens of Palestine or
Egypt. Possibly the Syrian fleet, in search of ivory and peacocks,
touched at the enchanted shores where "all trees of frankincense"
perfumed the air, and produced those aromatic "powders of the
merchant," regarded as priceless treasures both in primitive and
mediæval days. The story might well capture the fancy of the royal
poet, and enrich the music of his verse with the luscious fragrance of
a more luxuriant land than even his own pastoral Canaan, flowing with
milk and honey. The hyperbole of Eastern thought often rests on a solid
foundation of fact, and the Hebrew love-song weaves tropical Nature's
lavish wealth of flower, fruit, and fragrance into a symbolic garland,
flung in passionate rapture at the feet of the beloved one. The
spiritual significance of the sacred lyric only transposes the mystic
melody into a higher key, and heaps the thurible of the sanctuary with
the frankincense of praise, to celebrate the typical bridal of Earth
and Heaven.
The diadem of palms on the last outlying islet of the Malay
Archipelago, stands out in dark relief against the golden haze of the
afterglow, which floods the sky, and changes the purple waters into a
sea of fire. The pageant of sunset lingers for a moment, and then
vanishes beneath of the pall of the swiftly-falling night. The
fairyland of eternal summer sinks below the horizon, and realities melt
into the shadows of that mental subconsciousness which holds the
wraiths of departed joys. Memories of the golden hours spent in
threading the flowery maze of the vast Archipelago, seem a mere handful
of shells gathered on the surf-beaten shores, but if even the empty
shell can hold the sound of the waves, this brief record of a cruise in
sunny seas may also convey faint whispers of that syren voice which
echoed through the ages of the past, and still allures the spellbound
listener to the swaying palms and spice-scented bowers of Malaya's
Island Paradise.
Transcriber's Notes:
The preference has been to retain inconsistencies and idiosyncracies in
spelling, especially of proper nouns, except in the case of obvious
typographical errors. Any corrections made are noted below.
Many Javanese names use the "oe" group of vowels. In a few cases, the
original text uses "oe" ligatures. Since such usage is inconsistent,
even for the same name, and the number of instances are few, the "oe"
ligatures have not been retained.
Inconsistencies in the hyphenation of words retained. (dream-like,
dreamlike; ear-rings, earrings; re-adjustment, readjustment;
sandal-wood, sandalwood; sub-consciousness, subconsciousness;
sub-divisions, subdivisions; thunder-clouds, thunderclouds;
waist-cloth, waistcloth; white-washed, whitewashed; wicker-work,
wickerwork)
In the original text, the entire Table of Contents was printed in
italic typeface. For the plaintext version of this ebook, in order to
reduce clutter, the standard markup for italics has not been used for
text in the Table of Contents.
Table of Contents, entry for "The Solo-Bessir Isles". The chapter
heading in the main text reads "THE SOELA-BESSIR ISLES." The original
wording has been retained in both cases.