such as grandmamma teaches--foresight, perseverance, the habit of
observation. Those virtues need no finger-post. They are illustrated by
the story of Cypripedium Curtisii, and rewarded there, as they should be
always, by a notable instance of luck. I have not heard of any special
circumstances attending the first discovery of this plant. It was found in
Sumatra by Mr. Curtis, travelling for Messrs. Veitch, in 1882--a large
green flower, margined and touched here and there with white, the pouch
vinous purple. This brief and vague description may suffice for readers
who take more interest in romance than in orchidology. Mr. Curtis did not
tell the world at large where he found the treasure. It was his intention,
doubtless, to work the mine himself. But after sending home the first
fruits, he was offered the Directorship of the Botanic Gardens at Penang,
and left Messrs. Veitch's service. He may well have hoped to revisit
Sumatra one day, but the opportunity never came. Messrs. Veitch knew the
secret, doubtless, and kept it faithfully; but they took no steps. And so,
the first consignment being scanty, no more arriving, and the plant
growing in favour, Cypripedium Curtisii rose to famine price.
The St. Albans firm took note of this. The home of the new Cypriped was
admitted. Sumatra yields a profitable harvest always, even of familiar
species, and besides, there is an excellent chance--vastly stronger
fifteen years ago--of finding novelties. An intelligent man upon the spot
should be able to trace the route of an earlier traveller. One of the St.
Albans staff was disengaged. In short, Mr. Ericsson, a Swedish collector
of great experience, was commissioned to seek Cypripedium Curtisii. He
sailed in 1884. Nearly five years did Ericsson wander up and down the
island--that is, in the Dutch territory. Working at leisure from Bencoolin
northwards, he searched the range of mountains which bounds it on the
east, and often descended the further slope--visiting peoples scarcely
known, whom the Dutch had not yet invaded. They proved to be amiable
enough. Many fine orchids did he send home, and the issue of the search
was patiently awaited at St. Albans.
It did not seem more hopeful as years went by. Mr. Curtis's footsteps were
traced easily enough here and there; but the Dutch frontier officials
rarely speak any language but their own and the Malay, nor does their
discourse generally turn upon orchids when they have a visitor. It was
just as likely as not that Ericsson had already traversed the district he
sought, without identifying it. Cypripeds, as a rule, occupy a very narrow
area, especially the fine species. They are a doomed race, belonging to
the elder world, and slowly following its inhabitants to extinction. That
fascinating theme I must not touch; readers interested may refer to
Darwin. The point is that a collector may skirt a field of Cypripeds very
closely without suspecting his good fortune.
But travel in Sumatra at that time was more limited than it had been--more
than it is now. The Achinese still held out--for that matter, while I am
writing, comes news of a skirmish wherein three officers and nineteen
soldiers lost their lives. Ten years ago that stubborn and fearless
people not only defended their own soil but also made forays into the
Dutch territory. Desperate patriots allied themselves with the Battas, a
cannibal race dwelling between their country and the province of Tapanuli;
and hatred to the white man--or rather to the Dutch--carried the Achinese
so far, though strict Moslems, that they tempted these savages to move by
a promise of surrendering all captives--to be devoured. Thus the northern
parts of Dutch Sumatra were very unsafe. When Ericsson desired to explore
there he was refused permission. At Padang, the capital, however, in 1887,
he made acquaintance with the Controleur--Magistrate, as we should say--of
Lubu Sikeping, a district which lies along the Batta country. This
gentleman spoke Swedish--an accomplishment grateful beyond expression to
Ericsson, who had not heard his native tongue for years. Promptly they
made friends.
The Controleur had been summoned to report upon the state of things in his
Residency. He presented a long list of outrages and murders. Scores, if
not hundreds, of peaceful subjects had been not only plundered and killed,
but eaten, on Dutch soil, in the last few months. He represented that
active measures must be taken forthwith. The Battas, inhabiting a high
tableland beyond the mountains, crept through the defile, ravaged, burnt,
massacred, and trooped back, carrying their prisoners away for leisurely
consumption. Before news of the inroad reached the nearest outpost they
were half-way home. Smaller parties lay in wait along the roads, stopping
all communication. They had not yet ventured to assail a post, or even a
large village, but the Achin desperadoes urged them to bolder feats, and
they grew continually more aggressive. An expedition must be sent. It need
not be large, for the cannibals are not fighting men. The Governor was
persuaded. He ordered a small force to be equipped, and meantime the
Controleur returned to his station.
It was a rare opportunity for Ericsson. He begged permission to accompany
his new friend, who good-naturedly presented him to the Governor. An
historian may be allowed to say that the hero of this narrative is fat,
and there is no offence in supposing that the most exalted functionary has
a sense of humour. His Excellency appears to have been tickled. The
cannibals would rage with disappointment in beholding this succulent
mortal--beyond their reach. He laughed and consented. I have no details of
the expedition striking enough to be set down in a brief chronicle like
this. It was a slow and toilsome march through jungle and mountain passes,
the Barizan range, where a score of determined men might have stopped an
army. The Achinese proved that; they held the force at bay for hours in a
gorge, though less than a score. But the Battas would not fight even when
their capital was reached, on Lake Toba. The Rajahs submitted, paid an
indemnity, gave hostages, yielded up the surviving victims, and undertook
to have no more dealings with the Achinese. So the matter ended. Ericsson
found some new plants in their country, and many old well worth
collecting. Doubtless the results would have been far more important could
he have wandered freely. But those demons of Achin hung upon the line of
march, joyously sacrificing their own lives to kill a Dutchman. If his
personal adventures were not so curious, however--perhaps I should rather
say so dramatic--that I could single out one of them, Ericsson gained much
information about an extraordinary people. I can only set down a few
facts.
He says that the Battas themselves do not regard their cannibalism as an
immemorial practice. They have a story, not worth repeating, to account
for it. But I may observe that if Marco Polo's 'kingdom of Mangi, called
Concha,' lay in those parts, as geographers believe, some race of the
neighbourhood was cannibal in the thirteenth century. 'They commonly eat
men's flesh, if the person die not of sickness, as better tasted than
others.' That is the motive still--the only one adduced--mere liking.
Elsewhere the practice may be due to superstition in one form or another;
among the Battas it is simply _gourmandise_. The head Rajah questioned
gave a matter-of-fact answer. 'You Dutch eat pig,' said he, 'because you
like it; we eat man because that is our fancy.' To be devoured alive is
the punishment of four offences among themselves--adultery, robbery after
nightfall, unprovoked assault, and marrying within the clan; the last an
interesting item of which Sir John Lubbock should certainly take note for
his next edition of _The Origin of Civilisation_. The instinct of
'exogamy' has no such striking illustration elsewhere. As for foreigners
and strangers there is no rule; they are devoured at sight. And it may
well be believed that people so fond of eating one another do not demand
unquestionable evidence when a man of low station is charged with one of
the four crimes which may give them a meal. I must not repeat the horrors
which Ericsson learned. Suffice it that the victim is tied up, and those
present exercise their choice of morsels. At a former time, they say, not
long ago, the flesh was cooked--a statement which confirms the theory, so
far as it goes, of a recent introduction. At this present they dip the
slice in salt and pepper and eat it on the spot.
A good many missionaries, English, Dutch, French, and American, have not
only settled on the confines of the Batta territory, but have travelled in
the interior. The earliest of these, Messrs. Ward and Burton, found the
people kindly, which again must be noted as suggesting that they were not
so ferocious in 1820. The second party, Messrs. Lyman and Munson, of
Massachusetts, were eaten. Mdme. Pfeiffer nearly crossed the tableland
unmolested, though the savages were not friendly; but, as she says, they
regarded her as a witch. Encouraged by this example, three French priests
made an attempt two years later; they were promptly devoured. Two Dutchmen
shared their fate not long afterwards, and the Government forbade more
experiments.
I have no room for detail, but one very curious point must be indicated.
These cannibals unredeemed possess an alphabet of their own, bearing no
resemblance to the Malay, which latter is a corrupt amalgamation of
Arabian, Persian, and Tamil. The Batta characters are original. They write
commonly on strips of bamboo, scratching the letters.
On the return of the expedition, a party of invalids was despatched to the
local sanitarium on Selimbang Hill, and Ericsson obtained leave to
accompany it. There was no danger now. A few huts had been built there for
troops, and a bungalow for officers--who made him welcome, of course. They
arrived at dusk. The officers went out early next morning to their duties,
and Ericsson lay waiting for his coffee. The rough timbers of the bungalow
were concealed by boards, smooth and neat. Invalids quartered there had
amused themselves by scribbling their names. Some, more ambitious, added
verses, epigrams, and caricatures; others, drawings and even paintings.
From his bed-place Ericsson scrutinised these artless memorials in the
early light. Presently he observed a flower--a Cypripedium; the shape
could not be mistaken. It was coloured, but dimly--the tints had soaked
into the wood. With professional interest his eye lingered on this sketch.
And then the first sun-ray streamed across the verandah and fell upon the
very spot. Its faded colours shone brightly for a moment, green, white
margin, vinous purple--Ericsson sprang out of bed.
No room for doubt! To make assurance doubly sure there was an
inscription--'C. C.'s contribution to the adornment of this room.'
Hurriedly he sought a pencil and wrote--'Contribution accepted.
Cypripedium collected, C. E.'
It was not such a smart _replique_ as the occasion seems to demand. But
Ericsson is perfectly well satisfied with it to this day.
We can imagine how blithely he set to work that morning. Cypripedium
Curtisii was selling in London at the moment for many guineas--a small
plant too. And he had found the goose with golden eggs innumerable,
waiting to be picked up. These orchids 'travel' well. There was no great
distance to carry them before embarkation. The good fellow's fortune was
made, and he had the pleasure of knowing it well earned.
With such cheerful thoughts, Ericsson sallied out day after day for a
while, searching the mountain. He had a following of miscellaneous
'natives' by this time, experienced in their work. The neighbourhood was
rich. Every evening they brought in a load of orchids more or less
valuable, but never Cypripedium Curtisii. He engaged men of the district
and showed them the picture. Some recognised it, and undertook to bring
specimens; but they were always mistaken. The invalids withdrew, one after
another. Ericsson found himself alone. His accumulated spoil of plants,
well worth shipping, began to be as much as he could transport. As time
went by, despair possessed him. After all, it did not follow that Mr.
Curtis had found the prize just here because he painted it on the wall. To
discover a new and fine orchid is a great achievement, and the lucky man
might very well commemorate it anywhere when choosing a device.
Finally, 'time was up.' To wait longer would be sacrificing the great heap
of treasures secured. After shipping them he might return. It was a sad
disappointment after such reasonable hopes, but things might have been
worse. So Ericsson gave orders to pack and start as soon as possible. When
all was ready, on the very evening before departure, one of the local
assistants brought him a flower. This time it was right. In three days
several thousand plants had been collected, and Ericsson went his way
rejoicing.
No reader, I hope, will fancy that these coincidences are invented. The
story would be childish as fiction. It is literal fact, and therefore only
is it worth telling.
[Illustration: CYPRIPEDIUM x ROTHWELLIANUM.]
CYPRIPEDIUMS--_Continued_
_William Lloyd_ (bellatulum x Swanianum).--The white crest of the dorsal
rises from a dull crimson blur with greenish centre, overrun with crimson
lines. The petals have a dull crimson ground, paler below, densely
speckled with maroon, the ends just tipped with white. Slipper, shining
maroon.
_A de Lairesse_ (Curtisii x Rothschildianum).--The fine dorsal is white,
with a greenish centre and faint purple edges, the lines clear purple.
Petals long and drooping, pale green, edged with white; all covered with
purple spots. Slipper, ochreous brown.
_Juno_ (Fairieanum x callosum).--The broad white dorsal, green at base,
tinged with purple, and strongly scored with purple lines, is actually the
widest part of the flower, as in Fairieanum. The narrow petals curl down
close upon the slipper, green in paler and darker shades, with bunches of
purple hair, like those on a caterpillar, at the edges, and pale purple
tips. Slipper, dusky greenish with brown lines.
_Saide Lloyd_ (venustum x Godefroyae).--Dorsal small, bright green with
darker lines. Petals purplish above, greenish below, speckled with small
dots of crimson and strong spots of maroon. Slipper, ochreous yellow,
dotted with crimson at top and netted with green.
_Cymatodes_ (Curtisii x Veitchii).--The fine dorsal is green, fading to
white, with a pretty narrow edging of pink, and boldly ribbed. The
petals, dark at base, change to green, and towards the tips have an edging
of profuse crimson specks. The slipper, very wide at the mouth, is
greenish.
_Dauthierii albino._--A wonderful sport. Up the grass-green dorsal, edged
with white above, run strong lines of darker tone. The petals, very narrow
at base, are yellowish green, suffused and lined with copper above, paler
below. The slipper shows similar colouring.
On the same plant, open at the same time, but from another stem, was a
flower of the common Dauthierii type. Still more remarkable, one year this
second stem bore a flower of which half the dorsal was pale yellow, the
other half coppery green, as is usual, thus betraying a futile inclination
to rival its albino sister. The petals were scarcely affected, however.
_Dauthierii marmoratum._--Another abnormal form. The point of the dorsal,
and the high shoulders, are white, the rest crimson-maroon. From the point
descend three or four broad lines, or long splashes, of green, with
striking effect. The petals are marbled longitudinally with purple on a
dusky ground. The lip is dull, dusky crimson.
_Lord Derby_ (Rothschildianum x superbiens).--An immense flower--the grand
dorsal rosy white, tinged with pale green in the middle, pale purple on
either hand, dark lines circling upward over all. The petals, outlined
with purple at the base, change to pale green, almost to white, below and
at the tips. Great spots of darkest crimson stud the whole. Slipper
maroon, greenish at the toe.
_Evenor_ (Argus x bellatulum).--Ground-colour throughout ochreous yellow.
The dorsal has a purplish base and maroon lines of dots. Broad round
petals, closely spotted with maroon. Slipper purplish above, ochre below.
_Excelsior_ (Rothschildianum x Harrisianum).--Dorsal long,
high-shouldered, greenish, with darkest crimson edging lines of the same
tint, and white margin. Petals depressed, of a like green, crimson along
the upper edge, covered with the heavy spots and hairs of Rothschildianum.
Slipper very long, dull crimson.
_Engelhardtiae_ (insigne Maulei x Spicerianum).--The dorsal has very broad
shoulders, narrowing to a wasp-waist, where the upper white changes
abruptly to bright green, spotted with pink. A strong crimson line runs
from base to tip. Petals so evenly curved downwards that they seem to make
a half-circle, coppery yellow in hue, handsomely gauffered on the upper
edge, and lined with copper colour. Immensely wide lip, coppery ochre with
a bright green lining.
_Edwardii_ (superbiens x Fairieanum).--Dorsal long, white-edged, stained
at the margin with purplish crimson and lined with the same. Short narrow
petals, very strongly bowed, greenish, edged throughout with purplish
crimson. Slipper green at toe, coppery above.
_Fairieanum._--No orchid is so interesting as this in the point of view
which may be called historic. In the autumn of 1857, Mr. Reid of Burnham
and Mr. Parker, nursery-man, of Holloway, sent flowers of it to Sir W.
Hooker at Kew, asking what they might be. Shortly afterwards Mr. Fairie of
Liverpool showed a plant in flower at the R.H.S. meeting, and Dr. Lindley
named it after him. It is believed that all these plants were bought at
Stevens' Sale-rooms among a number of orchids forwarded from Assam. But
none have turned up since, and attempts to find the habitat have been
totally unsuccessful.
Those who expect to see a flower big in proportion to its fame will be
disappointed; but if small, indeed very small, Cyp. Fairieanum is striking
both in form and colour. The upstanding dorsal has a crest, from which the
sides curl back. Its ground-colour is white with a greenish tinge. Broad
lines of maroon fall downwards from the crest, lessening as they go, but
multiplying towards the edges, where they form a close network. The petals
curl as sharply as a cow's horn, inverted at the tips to show a maroon
lining; they are greenish above, with three sharp little maroon bars at
the base, and slender lines of maroon; maroon also is the narrow edging.
The shield of the column, small as it is, cannot be overlooked, for it
shines like a jewel--exquisitely mottled with the brightest green,
accentuated by a tiny arch of maroon on either side. Slipper greenish,
with blurred lines of maroon.
_Gertrude_ (Chamberlainianum x insigne Chantinii).--Dorsal white above,
bright green below, heavily dotted in lines with crimson-brown. Petals
finely gauffered, dusky crimson, spotted. The slipper, crimson-purple,
looks very bright by contrast.
_Tesselatum porphyreum_ (concolor x barbatum).--The pale ochreous tone of
one parent and the purple of the other have produced a very remarkable
result in combination. The general effect distinctly red. The round dorsal
is reddish above, of a deeper shade at base, with dotted lines of red; the
petals curve down, dark red at the base, fading towards the ends, which
are clothed in a pretty network of pale red. The green slipper is clouded
and netted over with crimson.
_Telemachus_ (niveum x Lawrenceanum).--The dorsal, very broad, is tinged
with purple in the centre. Crimson lines ascend from a green base and the
margin all round is white. The petals are green, changing to purple, with
darker lines and spots. Slipper crimson.
_Tautzianum lepidum_ (niveum x barbatum Warneri).--A rosy flower, covered
throughout with lines and network of crimson. The lip darker.
_Georges Truffaut_ (ciliolare x Stonei).--Very large. The tall dorsal has
crimson edges and lines, greenish centre. The twisted petals--greenish,
with crimson lines, very large maroon spots and crimson-purple tips--hang
loosely. An enormous slipper, all crimson-brown.
_Mrs. E. G. Uihlein_ (villosum aureum x Leeanum giganteum).--The dorsal
rises to a point between shoulders perfectly square, white, with a heavy
slash of copper from base to crest; the centre greenish-coppery, with
lines and mottling of pale crimson. Petals green in the upper half,
clouded and lined with copper; paler below. Slipper similar.
_Venustum_ (Measures variety).--A remarkable sport. Small. The white
dorsal is striped with clear green lines, rising from a green cloud at the
base. The ochreous copper petals have a green base. Slipper the same,
covered with a pretty green network.
_Watsonianum_ (Harrisianum nigrum x concolor).--The white crested dorsal
shows a crimson line in the centre, green on either side, crimson towards
the edges. The petals, dark green at base, fade to a paler tint, and the
ends are crimson; all softly lined with crimson. Slipper maroon.
_Woodlandsense_ (Dayanum x Javanicum virens).--Among the rare Cypripeds in
this collection, I have noted several of which the dorsal sepal bore a
cap, elaborate as eccentric in shape. But this is most singular of all.
Between the point of the dorsal and the shoulder is a process which I can
only describe in architectural language as a volute reversed; an addition
so abnormal and inexplicable that I really find nothing to say about it.
In other respects the dorsal is striking--handsomely rounded, white with a
rosy margin, the vivid green at the base not fading softly but abrupt
almost as a splash; petals the same vivid green, with maroon spots and a
stain of copper at the ends. The rosy stamenode shows well upon this
ground. Slipper pale green, with a pleasing network of copper.
_Zeus_ (tonsum x Boxallii).--The white globular dorsal rises from a very
slender green waist, with a broad dark-crimson line up the centre. Petals
dark coppery in the upper half, pale below. Slipper dusky.
_Annie Measures_ (bellatulum x Dayanum).--Dorsal yellowish, outlined
white, covered with slender purple lines and dots. Large smooth petals,
netted over with small crimson dots in a pattern. Slipper narrow, dull
crimson above, white toe.
_Frau Ida Brandt_ (Io grande x Youngianum).--The large dorsal, white at
the edges, is suffused with green and purple; the long petals, green and
purple, are depressed. Heavy spots of crimson-brown, furnished with stiff
hairs, cover them. Handsomely reversed at the tip. Slipper
greenish-coppery.
_Adrastus_ (Leeanum x Boxallii).--Here the large white dorsal with green
base is heavily blotched with red-brown in the centre, lightly at the
sides. The closely drooping petals, yellowish green, have the upper half
splashed and mottled with a lively brown almost obscuring the
ground-colour, which reappears in the lower half. Lip green at toe,
coppery above.
_Athos_ (parentage unknown) has an odd colouring--ochreous-green sepals,
outlined with white and profusely dotted with brown; petals bright ochre,
the upper length scored with lines of raw sienna. The lip similar.
_Arthurianum pulchellum_ (Fairieanum x insigne Chantinii).--The green
dorsal is thickly dotted all over with brown; the tip falls over, showing
its white underside. Petals depressed, greenish, charmingly frilled,
clouded and lined with copper-brown above, spotted with copper below.
Slipper greenish, handsomely veined and marbled in a soft coppery tone.
_Astraea_ (laevigatum x Spicerianum).--Dorsal white, with a pale green
base, whence a heavy radius, maroon in colour, mounts to the tip; petals
narrow, loosely hanging, greenish at base, crimson-purple through most of
their length, marked with red lines. Slipper greenish, stained with
purple.
_Aurantiacum_ (venustum x insigne aureum).--Ochreous-green dorsal, its
square top broadly crowned with white, spotted below with brownish-red;
petals darker, similarly spotted. The slipper harmonises.