MOUHOT IN THE HILL-COUNTRY OF CHANTABOUN.
"Here I am," continues Mouhot, in his narrative, "once more installed in
the house of a good old Chinese, a pepper planter, whose hospitality I
enjoyed on my first visit to the place, two months ago. His name is
Ihié-How, but in Siamese he is called Apait, which means _uncle_. He is
a widower, with two sons, the eldest eighteen, a good young man, lively,
hard-working, brave, and persevering. He is already much attached to me,
and is desirous of accompanying me to Cambodia. Born amid the mountains,
and naturally intelligent, there are none of the quadrupeds and few of
the feathered tribes found in the district with whose habits he is not
familiar. He fears neither tiger nor elephant. All this, added to his
amiable disposition, made Phrai (that is his name) a real treasure to
me.
"Apait has also two brothers who have become Catholics, and have settled
at Chantaboun in order to be near a Christian place of worship. He
himself has never had any desire to change his religion, because he says
if he did he must forget his deceased parents, for whom he frequently
offers sacrifices. He is badly off, having incurred a debt of fifty
ticals, for which he has to pay ten as yearly interest, the rate in
Siam being always twenty or thirty per cent. Besides this he has various
taxes to pay--twelve ticals for his two sons, four for his house, one
for his furnace, one for his pig. The tax on the pepper-field is eight
ticals, one on his areca-trees, one on the betel cultivated by him, and
two _sellungs_ for a cocoa-tree; altogether thirty-nine ticals. His land
brings him in forty after all expenses are paid; what can he do with the
one remaining tical? The unlucky agriculturists of this kind, and they
are many, live on vegetables, and on the rice which they obtain from the
Siamese in exchange for areca.
"On my return from the islands, I had been detained nearly ten days at
Chantaboun, unable to walk; I had cut my heel in climbing the rocks on
the shore at Ko-Man, and, as I was constantly barefooted in the salt
water, the wound soon closed. But afterward I began to suffer from it;
my foot swelled, and I was obliged to reopen the wound to extract a
piece of shell which had remained in it. As soon as I could leave
Chantaboun I hired a carriage and two buffaloes to take me to the
mountain. I experienced much gratification in finding myself again among
these quiet scenes, at once so lovely and so full of grandeur. Here are
valleys intersected by streams of pure and limpid water; there, small
plains, over which are scattered the modest dwellings of the laborious
Chinese; while a little in the distance rises the mountain, with its
imposing rocks, its grand trees, its torrents, and waterfalls.
"We have already had some storms, for the rainy season is approaching,
vegetation is fresh, and nature animated; the song of birds and the hum
of insects are heard all around. Apait has resigned to me his bed, if
that can be so styled, which consists merely of a few laths of areca
placed upon four stakes. I have extended my mat upon this framework, and
should enjoy uninterrupted sleep all night were it not for the swarms of
ants which frequently disturb me by passing over my body, getting under
my clothes and into my beard, and, I almost fancy, would end by dragging
me out if I did not from time to time shake them off. Occasionally great
spiders and other disgusting creatures, crawling about under the roof,
would startle me by dropping suddenly on my face.
"The heat now is quite endurable, the thermometer generally marking 80°
Fahr. in the morning and 90° in the middle of the day. The water of the
streams is so cool and refreshing that a good morning and evening
ablution makes me comfortable for several hours, as well as contributing
to keep me in health.
"Last evening Phrai, having gone along with my man Fiou to Chantaboun to
buy provisions, brought back to his father some Chinese bonbons, for
which he had paid half a fuang. The poor old man was delighted with
them, and this morning at daybreak he dressed himself in his best
clothes, on which I asked him what was going to happen. He immediately
began to clean a plank which was fitted into the wall to serve as a sort
of table or altar. Above this was a drawing of a man dancing and
putting out his tongue, with claws on his feet and hands, and with the
tail of an ape, intended to represent his father. He then filled three
small cups with tea, put the bonbons in a fourth, and placed the whole
upon the simple altar; finally, lighting two pieces of odoriferous wood,
he began his devotions. It was a sacrifice to the manes of his parents,
performed with the hope that their souls would come and taste the good
things set before them.
"At the entrance of Apait's garden, in front of his house, I had made a
kind of shed with stakes and branches of trees, covered with a roof of
leaves, where I dried and prepared my large specimens, such as the
long-armed apes, kids, and hornbills, as also my collections of insects.
All this has attracted a crowd of inquisitive Siamese and Chinamen, who
came to see the "farang" and admire his curiosities. We have just passed
the Chinese New Year's-day, and, as there has been a _fête_ for three
days, all those living at any distance have profited by the opportunity
to visit us. At times Apait's house and garden have been crowded with
people in their holiday dresses, many of whom, seeing my instruments, my
naturalist's case, and different preparations, took me for a great
doctor, and begged for medicines.
"Alas! my pretensions are not so high; however, I treat them on the
'Raspail' system; and a little box of pomade or phial of sedative water
will perhaps be represented in some European museum by an insect or
shell brought to me by these worthy people in return for the good I
would gladly do them.
"It is very agreeable, after a fatiguing day's chase over hills and
amongst dense forests, through which one must cut one's way, axe in
hand, to repose in the evening on the good Chinaman's bench in front of
his house, shaded by banana, cocoanut, and other trees. For the last
four days a violent north wind, fresh in spite of the season, has been
blowing without intermission, breaking asunder and tearing up by the
roots some of the trees on the higher grounds. This is its farewell
visit, for the southeast wind will now blow for many months.
"This evening everything appeared to me more beautiful and agreeable
than usual; the stars shone brightly in the sky, the moon was clear.
Sitting by Apait while his son played to me some Chinese airs on the
bamboo flute, I thought to what a height of prosperity this province,
even now one of the most interesting and flourishing in the country,
might attain, were it wisely and intelligently governed, or if European
colonists were to settle and develop its resources. Proximity to the
sea, facility of communication, a rich soil, a healthy and propitious
climate; nothing is wanted to ensure success to an industrious and
enterprising agriculturist.
"The worthy old Apait has at last consented to allow his son to enter my
service, providing I pay him thirty ticals, half a year's wages, in
advance. This will enable him, if he can sell his house and
pepper-field, to clear off his debt and retire to another part of the
mountain. Phrai is delighted to attend me, and to run about the woods
all day, and I am not less pleased with our bargain, for his knowledge
of the country, his activity, his intelligence, and attachment to me,
are invaluable.
"The heat becomes greater and greater, the thermometer having risen to
102° Fahr. in the shade: thus hunting is now a painful, and sometimes
impossible, exertion, anywhere except in the woods. A few days ago I
took advantage of a short spell of cloudy and consequently cooler
weather to visit a waterfall I had heard of in the almost desert
district of Prion, twelve miles from Kombau. After reaching the
last-named place our course lay for about an hour and a half along a
charming valley, nearly as smooth as a lawn and as ornamental as a park.
By and by, entering a forest, we kept by the banks of a stream, which,
shut in between two mountains, and studded with blocks of granite,
increases in size as you approach its source. Before long we arrived at
the fall, which must be a fine spectacle in the rainy season. It then
pours down from immense perpendicular rocks, forming, as it were, a
circular peaked wall, nearly thirty metres in diameter and twenty metres
in height. The force of the torrent having been broken by the rocky bed
into which it descends, there is another fall of ten feet; and lower
down, after a third fall of fifteen feet, it passes into an ample basin,
which, like a mirror, reflects the trees and cliffs around. Even during
the dry season, the spring, then running from beneath enormous blocks of
granite, flows in such abundance as to feed several streams.
"I was astonished to see my two servants, heated by their long walk,
bathe in the cold water, and on my advising them to wait for a little,
they replied that the natives were always accustomed to bathe when hot.
"We all turned stone-cutters, that is to say, we set to work to detach
the impression of an unknown animal from the surface of an immense mass
of granite rising up out of one of the mountain torrents. A Chinese had
in January demanded so exorbitant a sum for this that I had abandoned
the idea, intending to content myself with an impression in wax, but
Phrai proposed to me to undertake the work, and by our joint labor it
was soon accomplished. The Siamese do not much like my meddling with
their rocks, and their superstition is also somewhat startled when I
happen to kill a white ape, although when the animal is dead and skinned
they are glad to obtain a cutlet or steak from it, for they attribute to
the flesh of this creature great medicinal virtues.
"The rainy season is drawing near; storms become more and more frequent,
and the growling of the thunder is frightful. Insects are in greater
numbers, and the ants, which are now looking out for a shelter, invade
the dwellings, and are a perfect pest to my collections, not to speak of
myself and my clothes. Several of my books and maps have been almost
devoured in one night. Fortunately there are no mosquitoes, but to make
up for this there is a small species of leech, which, when it rains,
quits the streams and infests the woods, rendering an excursion there,
if not impracticable, at all events very disagreeable. You have
constantly to be pulling them off you by dozens, but, as some always
escape observation, you are sure to return home covered with blood;
often my white trousers are dyed as red as those of a French soldier.
"The animals have now become scarcer, which in different ways is a great
disappointment to all, for Phrai and Niou feasted sumptuously on the
flesh of the apes, and made a profit by selling their gall to the
Chinese doctors in Chantaboun. Hornbills have also turned wild, so we
can find nothing to replenish our larder but an occasional kid. Large
stags feed on the mountain, but one requires to watch all night to get
within range of them. There are not many birds to be seen, neither
quail, partridges, nor pheasants; and the few wild fowl which
occasionally make their appearance are so difficult to shoot that it is
waste both of time and ammunition to make the attempt.
"In this part of the country the Siamese declare they cannot cultivate
bananas on account of the elephants, which at certain times come down
from the mountains and devour the leaves, of which they are very fond.
The royal and other tigers abound here; every night they prowl about in
the vicinity of the houses, and in the mornings we can see the print of
their large claws in the sand and in the clay near streams. By day they
retire to the mountain, where they lurk in close and inaccessible
thickets. Now and then you may get near enough to one to have a shot at
him, but generally, unless suffering from hunger, they fly at the
approach of man. A few days ago I saw a young Chinese who had nineteen
wounds on his body, made by one of these animals. He was looking out
from a tree about nine feet high when the cries of a young kid tied to
another tree at a short distance, attracted a large tiger. The young man
fired at it, but, though mortally wounded, the creature, collecting all
his strength for a final spring, leaped on his enemy, seized him and
pulled him down, tearing his flesh frightfully with teeth and claws as
they rolled on the ground. Luckily for the unfortunate Chinese, it was a
dying effort, and in a few moments more the tiger relaxed its hold and
breathed its last.
"In the mountains of Chantaboun, and not far from my present abode,
precious stones of fine water occur. There is even at the east of the
town an eminence, which they call 'the mountain of precious stones;' and
it would appear from the account of Mgr. Pallegoix that at one time they
were abundant in that locality, since in about half an hour he picked up
a handful, which is as much as now can be found in a twelvemonth, nor
can they be purchased at any price.
"It seems that I have seriously offended the poor Thai[8] of Kombau by
carrying away the footprints. I have met several natives who tell me
they have broken arms, that they can no longer work, and will always
henceforth be in poverty; and I find that I am considered to be
answerable for this because I irritated the genius of the mountain.
Henceforth they will have a good excuse for idleness.
"The Chinese have equally amused me. They imagine that some treasure
ought to be found beneath the footprints, and that the block which I
have carried away must possess great medicinal virtues; so Apait and
his friends have been rubbing the under part of the stone every morning
against another piece of granite, and, collecting carefully the dust
that fell from it, have mixed it with water and drunk it fasting, fully
persuaded that it is a remedy against all ills. Here they say that it is
faith which cures; and it is certain that pills are often enough
administered in the civilized West which have no more virtue than the
granite powder swallowed by old Apait.
"His uncle Thié-ou has disposed of his property for him for sixty
ticals, so that, after paying off his debts, he will have left,
including the sum I gave him for his son's services, forty ticals. Here
that is enough to make a man think himself rich to the end of his days;
he can at times regale the souls of his parents with tea and bonbons,
and live himself like a true country mandarin. Before leaving Kombau the
old man secured me another lodging, for which I had to pay two ticals
(six francs) a month, and I lost nothing in point of comfort by the
change. For 'furnished apartments' I think the charge not unreasonable.
The list of furniture is as follows: in the dining-room _nothing_, in
the bedroom an old mat on a camp-bed. However, this house is cleaner and
larger than the other, and better protected from the weather; in the
first the water came in in all directions. Then the camp-bed, which is a
large one, affords a pleasant lounge after my hunting expeditions.
Besides which advantages my new landlord furnishes me with bananas and
vegetables, for which I pay in game when the chase has been successful.
"The fruit here is exquisite, particularly the mango, the mangosteen,
the pineapple, so fragrant and melting in the mouth, and, what is
superior to anything I ever imagined or tasted, the famous 'durian' or
'dourion,' which justly merits the title of king of fruits. But to enjoy
it thoroughly one must have time to overcome the disgust at first
inspired by its smell, which is so strong that I could not stay in the
same place with it. On first tasting it I thought it like the flesh of
some animal in a state of putrefaction, but after four or five trials I
found the aroma exquisite. The _durian_ is about two-thirds the size of
a jacca, and like it is encased in a thick and prickly rind, which
protects it from the teeth of squirrels and other nibblers; on opening
it there are to be found ten cells, each containing a kernel larger than
a date, and surrounded by a sort of white, or sometimes yellowish,
cream, which is most delicious. By an odd freak of nature, not only is
there the first repugnance to it to overcome, but if you eat it often,
though with ever so great moderation, you find yourself next day covered
with blotches, as if attacked with measles, so heating is its nature. A
_durian_ picked is never good, for when fully ripe it falls off itself;
when cut open it must be eaten at once, as it quickly spoils, but
otherwise it will keep for three days. At Bangkok one of them costs one
_sellung_; at Chantaboun nine may be obtained for the same sum.
"I had come to the conclusion that there was little danger in traversing
the woods here, and in our search for butterflies and other insects, we
often took no other arms than a hatchet and hunting-knife, while Niou
had become so confident as to go by night with Phrai to lie in wait for
stags. Our sense of security was, however, rudely shaken when one
evening a panther rushed upon one of the dogs close to my door. The poor
animal uttered a heart-rending cry, which brought us all out, as well as
our neighbors, each torch in hand. Finding themselves face to face with
a panther, they in their turn raised their voices in loud screams; but
it was too late for me to get my gun, for in a moment the beast was out
of reach.
"In a few weeks I must say farewell to these beautiful mountains, never,
in all probability, to see them again, and I think of this with regret;
I have been so happy here, and have so much enjoyed my hunting and my
solitary walks in this comparatively temperate climate, after my
sufferings from the heat and mosquitoes in my journey northward.
"Thanks to my nearness to the sea on the one side, and to the mountain
region on the other, the period of the greatest heat passed away without
my perceiving it; and I was much surprised at receiving a few days ago a
letter from Bangkok which stated that it had been hotter weather there
than had been known for more than thirty years. Many of the European
residents had been ill; yet I do not think the climate of Bangkok more
unhealthy than that of other towns of eastern Asia within the tropics.
But no doubt the want of exercise, which is there almost impossible,
induces illness in many cases.
"A few days ago I made up my mind to penetrate into a grotto on Mount
Sabab, half-way between Chantaboun and Kombau, so deep, I am told, that
it extends to the top of the mountain. I set out, accompanied by
Phrai and Niou, furnished with all that was necessary for our excursion.
On reaching the grotto we lighted our torches, and, after scaling a
number of blocks of granite, began our march. Thousands of bats, roused
by the lights, commenced flying round and round us, flapping our faces
with their wings, and extinguishing our torches every minute. Phrai
walked first, trying the ground with a lance which he held; but we had
scarcely proceeded a hundred paces when he threw himself back upon me
with every mark of terror, crying out, 'A serpent! go back!' As he spoke
I perceived an enormous boa about fifteen feet off, with erect head and
open mouth, ready to dart upon him. My gun being loaded, one barrel with
two bullets, the other with shot, I took aim and fired off both at once.
We were immediately enveloped in a thick cloud of smoke, and could see
nothing, but prudently beat an instant retreat. We waited anxiously for
some time at the entrance of the grotto, prepared to do battle with our
enemy should he present himself; but he did not appear. My guide now
boldly lighted a torch, and, furnished with my gun reloaded and a long
rope, went in again alone. We held one end of the rope, that at the
least signal we might fly to his assistance. For some minutes, which
appeared terribly long, our anxiety was extreme, but equally great was
our relief and gratification when we saw him approach, drawing after him
the rope, to which was attached an immense boa. The head of the reptile
had been shattered by my fire, and his death had been instantaneous,
but we sought to penetrate no farther into the grotto.
[Illustration: SIAMESE ACTORS.]
"I had been told that the Siamese were about to celebrate a grand _fête_
at a pagoda about three miles off, in honor of a superior priest who
died last year, and whose remains were now to be burned according to the
custom of the country. I went to see this singular ceremony, hoping to
gain some information respecting the amusements of this people, and
arrived at the place about eight in the morning, the time for breakfast,
or 'kinkao' (rice-eating). Nearly two thousand Siamese of both sexes
from Chantaboun and the surrounding villages, some in carriages and some
on foot, were scattered over the ground in the neighborhood of the
pagoda. All wore new sashes and dresses of brilliant colors, and the
effect of the various motley groups was most striking.
"Under a vast roof of planks supported by columns, forming a kind of
shed, bordered by pieces of stuff covered with grotesque paintings
representing men and animals in the most extraordinary attitudes, was
constructed an imitation rock of colored pasteboard, on which was placed
a catafalque lavishly decorated with gilding and carved work, and
containing an urn in which were the precious remains of the priest. Here
and there were arranged pieces of paper and stuff in the form of flags.
Outside the building was prepared the funeral pile, and at some distance
off a platform was erected for the accommodation of a band of musicians,
who played upon different instruments of the country. Farther away some
women had established a market for the sale of fruit, bonbons, and
arrack, while in another quarter some Chinamen and Siamese were
performing, in a little theatre run up for the occasion, scenes
something in the style of those exhibited by our strolling actors at
fairs. This _fête_, which lasted for three days, had nothing at all in
it of a funereal character. I had gone there hoping to witness something
new and remarkable, for these peculiar rites are only celebrated in
honor of sovereigns, nobles, and other persons of high standing; but I
had omitted to take into consideration the likelihood of my being myself
an object of curiosity to the crowd. Scarcely, however, had I appeared
in the pagoda, followed by Phrai and Niou, when on all sides I heard the
exclamation, 'Farang! come and see the farang!' and immediately both
Siamese and Chinamen left their bowls of rice and pressed about me. I
hoped that, once their curiosity was gratified, they would leave me in
peace, but instead of that the crowd grew thicker and thicker, and
followed me wherever I went, so that at last it became almost
unbearable, and all the more so as most of them were already drunk,
either with opium or arrack, many indeed, with both. I quitted the
pagoda and was glad to get into the fresh air again, but the respite was
of short duration. Passing the entrance of a large hut temporarily built
of planks, I saw some chiefs of provinces sitting at breakfast. The
senior of the party advanced straight toward me, shook me by the hand,
and begged me in a cordial and polite manner to enter; and I was glad to
avail myself of his kind offer, and take refuge from the troublesome
people. My hosts overwhelmed me with attentions, and forced upon me
pastry, fruit, and bonbons; but the crowd who had followed me forced
their way into the building and hemmed us in on all sides; even the roof
was covered with gazers. All of a sudden we heard the walls crack, and
the whole of the back of the hut, yielding under the pressure, fell in,
and people, priests, and chiefs tumbling one upon another, the scene of
confusion was irresistibly comic. I profited by the opportunity to
escape, swearing--though rather late in the day--that they should not
catch me again.
"I know not to what it is to be attributed, unless it be the pure air of
the mountains and a more active life, but the mountaineers of Chantaboun
appeared a much finer race than the Siamese of the plain, more robust,
and of a darker complexion. Their features, also, are more regular, and
I should imagine that they sprang rather from the Arian than from the
Mongolian race. They remind me of the Siamese and Laotians whom I met
with in the mountains of Pakpriau.
"Will the present movement of the nations of Europe toward the East
result in good by introducing into these lands the blessings of our
civilization? or shall we, as blind instruments of boundless ambition,
come hither as a scourge to add to their present miseries? Here are
millions of unhappy creatures in great poverty in the midst of the
richest and most fertile region imaginable, bowing shamefully under a
servile yoke, made viler by despotism and the most barbarous customs,
living and dying in utter ignorance of the only true God!
"I quitted with regret these beautiful mountains, where I had passed so
many happy hours with the poor but hospitable inhabitants. On the
evening before and the morning of my departure, all the people of the
neighborhood, Chinese and Siamese, came to say adieu, and offer me
presents of fruits, dried fish, fowls, tobacco, and rice cooked in
various ways with brown sugar, all in greater quantities than I could
possibly carry away. The farewells of these good mountaineers were
touching; they kissed my hands and feet, and I confess that my eyes were
not dry. They accompanied me to a great distance, begging me not to
forget them, and to pay them another visit."
FOOTNOTES:
[8] The Siamese call themselves Thai.