scorched that drapery of ferns. The moss just above had peeled off in
flakes, taken fire mostly and dropped. So in places the rock stood bare.
Looking in that direction now, Smidt observed a yellow gleam, hidden by
smoke for a moment, then reappearing more distinctly. It was worth
investigation. He rose leisurely and crossed the little space. Ahtan was
standing on one side. As he scattered the fire with his foot, looking for
that yellow gleam the while, a tremendous blow felled him. He was dimly
conscious of another before his senses fled.
Not till sunset did Smidt feel strong enough to descend the hill; before
starting he looked for the 'yellow gleam'--it had vanished, and in place
of it was a hole. Bloodstained and tottering he regained the public path.
Diggers returning from their work laughed heartily at the spectacle, but
perhaps they meant no harm. Chinamen must not be judged by the laws that
apply to other mortals. At least they warned the chief, who sent two
stalwart members of the Kunsi to assist his guest. They also found the
situation vastly amusing, but they were kind enough.
The chief had a bottle of skimpin ready. He set a slave to wash Smidt's
head, and clothed him in a snowy bajo. No questions did he ask. Smidt told
his short story, and begged him to pursue the malefactor.
'No good, sir,' said the chief. 'I policeman here--I know. Where you think
Ahtan?'
'In the jungle, I suppose, making for Kuching with the great nugget he
picked out of the rock. Send to warn the Tuan magistrate, at least.'
'I say, sir, I Tuan magistrate here, and I know.' He unlocked a coffer,
iron-bound, using three separate keys; brought out a parcel wrapped in
cloth and slowly unfolded it, looking at Smidt the while, his narrow eyes
twinkling.
'You say nugget, hey?'
Smidt gasped. It was a lump of gold as big as his two fists.
'Is this--is this mine?'
The chief sat down to laugh and rolled about, spluttering Chinese
interjections.
'Is this mine? He-he-he-he! Mine? This gold, sir! Kunsi take gold--all
gold here! You says, mine, sir? Ha! ha! ha!'
Smidt did not feel assured of his legal rights.
'You took it from Ahtan?' he asked. 'Did you arrest him?'
The chief had another fit. Recovering, he answered, 'Ahtan down this way,'
and stamped upon the ground.
'In the cellar? Oh, that's a comfort! I'll carry him to Kuching
to-morrow.'
This caused another outburst of merriment. 'I tell, sir, I Tuan magistrate
at Bau. Ahtan he under order for kingdom come to-night.'
This was rather shocking. 'Oh, I don't ask that. He must be tried.'
'What your matter, sir?' the chief snapped out. 'I try him, and I say die!
Ahtan is Kunsi man. He play trick before--I let him go. We catch him on
river with gold. He die this time.'
Doubtless he did--not for attempted murder, but for breaking his oath to
the Kunsi. Smidt ought to have denounced this monstrous illegality to the
Rajah. But his firm did a great business with Chinamen, and their secret
societies have a very long arm. I imagine that he held his tongue.
STORY OF CYPRIPEDIUM SPICERIANUM
The annals of Cypripedium Spicerianum open in 1878, when Mrs. Spicer, a
lady residing at Wimbledon, asked Messrs. Veitch to come and see a curious
flower, very lovely, as she thought, which had made its appearance in her
green-house. Messrs. Veitch came; with no extravagant hopes perhaps, for
experience might well make them distrustful of feminine enthusiasm. But in
this instance it was more than justified, and, in short, they carried off
the marvel, leaving a cheque for seventy guineas behind. I may remark that
Cypripeds are easy to cultivate. They are also quick to increase. Messrs.
Veitch hurried their specimen along, and divided it as fast as was safe.
To say that the morsels fetched their weight in gold would be the reverse
of exaggeration--mere bathos.
Importers sat up. They were not without a hint to direct their search in
this case. The treasure had arrived amongst a quantity of Cyp. insigne.
Therefore it must be a native of the Himalayan region--Assam, Darjeeling,
or Sikkim, no doubt. There are plenty of persons along that frontier able
and willing to hunt up a new plant. A good many of them probably received
commissions to find Cypripedium Spicerianum.
At St. Albans they were more deliberate. It is not exactly usual for
ladies residing at Wimbledon to receive consignments of orchids. When such
an event happens, one may conclude that they have relatives or intimate
friends in the district where those orchids grow; it will hardly be waste
of time anyhow to inquire. A discreet investigation proved that this
lady's son was a tea-planter, with large estates on the confines of
Bhutan. With the address in his pocket Mr. Forstermann, a collector of
renown, started by next mail.
Orchids must be classed with _ferae naturae_ in which a landowner has no
property. But it is not to be supposed that a man of business will tell
the casual inquirer where to pick up, on his own estate, weeds worth
seventy guineas each. Forstermann did not expect it. Leaving his baggage
at the dak bungalow, he strolled afoot to the large and handsome mansion
indicated. Mr. Spicer was sitting in the verandah, and in the pleasant,
easy way usual with men who very rarely see a white stranger of
respectable appearance, he shouted:
'Are you looking for me, sir? Come up!'
Forstermann went up, took an arm-chair and a cheroot, accepted a
comforting glass, and sketched his experiences of the road before
declaring even his name. Then he announced himself as an aspirant
tea-planter, desirous to gain some practical knowledge of the business
before risking his very small capital. In short, could Mr. Spicer give him
a 'job'?
'I'm afraid not,' said Mr. Spicer. 'We have quite as many men in your
position as we can find work for. But anyhow you can look round and talk
to our people and see whether the life is likely to suit you. Meantime,
you're very welcome to stay here as my guest. If you've brought a gun, my
manager will show you some sport; but he's away just now. Oh, you needn't
thank me. In my opinion it's the duty of men who have succeeded to help
beginners along, and I'm sorry I can't do more for you.'
Forstermann remembers a twinge of conscience here. It may be indubitable
that orchids are _ferae naturae_. But they have a distinct money value for
all that, and to remove them from the estate of a man who gives you a
reception like this! Anyhow, he felt uncomfortable. But to find the thing
was his first duty. Possibly some arrangement might be made, though he
could not imagine how.
The invitation was accepted, of course, and a week passed very pleasantly.
But Forstermann could not bring his host to the point desired. Several
times they observed Cypripedium insigne whilst riding or driving about the
neighbourhood. Mr. Spicer even remarked, when his attention was called to
it, that he had sent a number of plants home; but nothing followed. Then
the manager returned, and the same night an appointment was made to go
after duck on the morrow.
Forstermann turned out at dawn, but his companion was not ready. He gave
the explanation as they rode along.
'We had another _chelan_ last night--you have learnt the meaning of that
word, I daresay!--a faction fight among our people. The coolies on this
estate come mostly from Chota Nagpore, and thereabouts. They're good
workers, and not so troublesome as regular Hindus when once they've
settled down. But there's generally a bother when a new gang arrives. We
tell our agents to be very careful in recruiting none but friendly clans.
Young Mice and Fig Leaves we find best among the Oraons, Stars and Wild
Geese among the Sonthals.' Forstermann was puzzled, but he did not
interrupt. 'It's no use, however. They take any fellow that comes
along--and between ourselves, you know, considering how many of those
scamps bolt with the contract-money and never enlist a soul, we haven't so
very much to complain of. It's a bad system, sir!
'Well, when they get here, a mixed lot, they find half a dozen mixed lots
established. We have, to my knowledge,' reckoning on his fingers,
'Tortoises, Tigers, Crows, Eels, Grass-spiders, Fishing-nets--ay, and a
lot more, besides Stars and Wild-geese. Of course, they quarrel at sight,
and we don't interfere unless the _chelan_ gets serious. What's the good?
But, besides that, there is a standing provocation, as you may say. Some
of our coolies have been with us many years. They don't care to go
home--for reasons good, no doubt, but it's not our business. Well, two of
these fellows have married--one, a Potato, has married the Stomach of a
pig----'
'Eh?' Forstermann could not contain himself.
'Those are their families, you know.' The manager, quite grave hitherto,
laughed out suddenly. 'Of course, it seems mighty droll to you, but we're
accustomed to it. Each clan claims to be descended from the thing after
which it is named. You mustn't ask me how the Stomach of a pig can have
children. That's beyond our understanding. The point is that certain of
these stocks may not intermarry under pain of death--that's their law. So
you may fancy the rumpus when strange Potatoes arriving here find one of
their breed----' he laughed again. 'It does sound funny, when you think of
it! Last night, however, when the usual disturbance broke out--a new gang
arrived yesterday, you know--Minjar, the Eel, who is the other fellow that
has married some girl he ought not to, declared he had made
blood-brotherhood with the chief of the Bhutias across the river, who
would come to avenge him if he were hurt. And I fancy that's not quite
such nonsense as you would think. I saw Minjar there that time I got the
orchid----'
Forstermann heard no more of the tale. The orchid! They reached the pool,
and he shot ducks conscientiously, but his thoughts were busy in devising
means to lead the conversation back to that point.
There was no need of finesse, however. At a word the manager told
everything. He it was who found the Cypripedium which had caused such a
fuss, when shooting on the other side of the river--that is, beyond
British territory. Struck with its beauty, he gathered a plant or two and
gave them to Mr. Spicer. It took him several days' journey to reach the
spot, but he was shooting by the way. Tigers abounded there--so did fever.
The mountaineers were as unfriendly as they dared to be. For these reasons
Mr. Spicer begged him not to return. The same motive, doubtless, caused
the planter to be reticent towards others.
With a clear conscience and heartiest thanks Forstermann bade his host
farewell next day. He had a long and painful search before him still, for
his informant could give no more than general directions. The plant grew
upon rocks along the bed of a stream to the north-west of Mr. Spicer's
plantation, not less than two days' journey from the river--that was about
all. The inhabitants of the country, besides tigers, were savages.
Many a stream did Forstermann explore under the most uncomfortable
circumstances, wading thigh-deep, hour after hour, day after day. I am
sorry that I have not room even to summarise the long letter in which he
detailed those adventures.
To search the upland waters would have been comparatively easy; he might
have walked along the bank. But the Cypripedium grew in a valley; and
nowhere is tropical vegetation more dense than in those steaming clefts
which fall from the mountains of Bhutan. To cut a path was out of the
question; the work would have lasted for months, putting expense aside. It
was necessary to march up the bed of the stream.
Forstermann ascended each tributary with patient hopefulness, knowing that
success was certain if he could hold out. And it came at length to one so
deserving; but the manager had wandered to a much greater distance than he
thought. After wading all the forenoon up a torrent which had not yet lost
its highland chill, Forstermann reached a glade, encircled by rocks steep
as a wall--so steep that he had to fashion rakes of bamboo wherewith to
drag down the masses of orchid which clung to them. It was Cypripedium
Spicerianum!
Then arose the difficulty of getting his plunder away. After much
journeying to and fro, Forstermann engaged thirty-two Bhutias, half of
them to carry rice for the others along those mountain tracks, where 25
lbs. is a heavy load. So they travelled until, one day, after halting at a
village, the men refused to advance. The road ahead was occupied by a
tiger--I should mention that such alarms had been incessant; in no country
are tigers so common or so dangerous as in Bhutan. Forstermann drove them
along; at the next bit of jungle eight threw down their loads and
vanished. He found himself obliged to return, but eight more were missing
when he reached the village. There was no other road. Gradually the poor
fellow perceived that he must abandon his enterprise or clear the path. At
sunset, they told him, the brute would be watching--probably in a tree,
described with precision. Forstermann spent the time in writing farewell
letters--making his will, perhaps. Towards sunset, he took a rifle and a
gun and sallied forth.
The Bhutias assured him that there was no danger--from this enemy, at
least--until he reached the neighbourhood of the tree; but we may imagine
the terrors of that lonely walk, which must be repeated in darkness, if he
lived, or if the tiger did not show. But luck did not desert a man so
worthy of favour. He recognised the tree, an old dead stump overhanging
the path, clothed in ferns and creepers. Surveying it as steadily as the
tumult of his spirits would allow, in the fading light he traced a
yellow glimmer among the leaves. Through his field-glass, at twenty yards'
distance, he scrutinised this faint shadow. The tiger grew
impatient--softly it raised its head--so softly behind that screen of
ferns that a casual wayfarer would not have noticed it. But it was the
hint Forstermann needed. With a prayer he took aim, fired--threw down his
rifle and snatched the gun. But crash--stone-dead fell the tiger, and its
skin is a hearthrug on which I stood to hear this tale.
So on March 9, 1884, 40,000 plants of Cypripedium Spicerianum were offered
at Stevens' Auction Rooms.
[Illustration: CYPRIPEDIUM x DR RYAN.]
THE COOL HOUSE
contains about three thousand plants, mostly Odontoglossums. It is a
'lean-to,' of course. Not all the most successful growers use this form of
building. Baron Schroeder's world-famous Odontoglots dwell in an oblong
structure which receives an equal quantity of light from every side. Even
the hardiest of epiphytal orchids are conscious of influences which we
cannot grasp, and those who understand them are unwilling to lay down
fixed rules. But experience shows that under ordinary conditions cool
species thrive in a 'lean-to' better than in a house of full span. It may
be because the back wall retains moisture and gives it out all day
steadily, whilst the air is saturated and dried by turns if fully exposed
to a hot sun. Or it may be because the full light of a span-roof is too
strong in most situations. A collector once told me that he often found
Odontoglossum Pescatorei so buried in Lycopodium as to be invisible until
the flower-spike appeared. Evidently such a plant does not need strong
light. Both causes operate, perhaps. At least the broad fact is so well
established that one might almost fancy Baron Schroeder's Odontoglots would
do better, if that were possible, in a 'lean-to.'
There are three glass partitions, but from either door the full length of
the house is seen; a pleasing vista even when there are no flowers--all
smoothly green on one hand, rocky bank upon the other, studded with ferns
and creepers and an orchid here and there. Why these plants dislike to
stand in a long house open from end to end is a question none the less
puzzling because every gardener is ready to explain it. Loving fresh air
so well they cannot object to the brisker circulation. But their whims
must be respected, and after building a house ninety feet long we must
divide it into compartments.
I name a few among the rarities here. Of Odontoglots:--
_Wilckeanum._--Upon internal evidence Reichenbach pronounced this a
natural hybrid of Od. crispum x Od. luteo-purpureum. It was one among
innumerable instances of his sagacity. A few years ago M. Leroy, gardener
of Baron Edmond de Rothschild at Armainvilliers, crossed those two species
and the flower appeared in 1890. It was Od. Wilckeanum; but for the sake
of convenience this garden hybrid is called Leroyanum.
_Wilckeanum pallens._--A form still rarer of this rare variety;
yellow-ivory in colour, heavily splashed with brown; lip white, with a
brown bar across the centre.
_Wilckeanum albens._--Very large, white instead of yellowish; spotted and
blotched with brown.
_Ruckerianum._--Sepals and petals white in the centre, edged with violet,
yellow lip; all spotted with reddish-brown.
_Ruckerianum splendens._--Larger and more finely coloured in all respects
than the normal form. The violet margin is broader.
_Vuylstekeanum._--Those who saw the original plant of this noble species
at the Temple Show some years since have not forgotten the spectacle
assuredly. Petals and dorsal sepal pale yellow; lip and side sepals
brightest deepest orange.
_Mulus._--A natural hybrid of Od. luteo-purpureum with Od. gloriosum no
doubt. It bears a strong spike, branched, with many large flowers, bright
yellow blotched with pale brown. But the colouring varies greatly.
_Josephinae._--Named after Miss Josephine Measures. White, with a rosy
flush; sepals and petals spotted with chocolate at the base.
_Hunnewellianum._--Small, but very pretty. Sepals and petals pale yellow,
profusely dotted with brown; lip white, with a single brown spot.
_Elegans._--Assumed to be a natural hybrid of Od. cirrhosum and Od.
Hallii. The ground colour, faintly yellow, is almost concealed by
chocolate spots and patches; lip white, with a large blotch in the centre.
_Crispum virginale._--Very large and pure white, saving the yellow crest.
_Crispum Measuresiae._--Sepals and petals broad, white, spotted and
blotted with reddish brown. Lip unusually large, with a single great brown
blotch.
_Edithae._--Rosy white of sepal and petal, bordered with yellow and barred
with chestnut; lip pale yellow, much deeper at the base, with chestnut
spots in the centre.
_Crispum Our Empress._--A remarkable variety. Very large, rose colour,
heavily blotched with reddish purple; lip paler, covered with brown spots.
_Crispum Woodlandsense._--A superb example of the 'round-flowering' type.
Sepals and petals very broad, densely spotted with cinnamon-brown; lip
short, broad, similarly spotted.
_Crispum magnificum._--Sepals pale rose; petals and lip very faintly
flushed; the whole covered with brown spots.
_Bictoniense album._--The ordinary Bictoniense is pretty enough when the
lower blooms on the densely clothed spike can be persuaded to last until
those above them open. This uncommon sport is much more effective, with
sepals and petals of a lively brown, and broad lip of purest white.
_Facetum._--A good example of this catches the eye at once. Ground colour
pale yellow, almost hidden by great brown bars upon the sepals. The petals
are sharply freckled with brown, and up the middle runs a series of dark
red dots. Lip similarly freckled above, with a large splash of brown in
front; the lip handsomely fringed.
_Cristatellum._--Rather small and not impressive, but valuable for its
scarcity. The yellow ground colour shows itself only in a few narrow
streaks upon sepal and petal, and in the base of the lip. Elsewhere it is
hidden beneath layers of chestnut.
_Hallii magnificum._--A variety finer in all respects than the common
type. Sepals brown, save the yellow tips, and a few yellow lines; petals
yellow, with two large brown blots. The fringed lip also is yellow, with
two brown blots.
_Madrense._--Named after its place of birth, the Sierra Madre, in Mexico.
The plant is not uncommon, but it does not flower willingly, as a rule.
Sepals and petals are white, with a double purple blotch at the base; lip
small, bright orange.
_Polyxanthum magnificum._--The grandest variety of a species always
treasured. In colour deepest 'old gold,' with four or five great blots of
chestnut on the sepals, and as many spots at the base of the petals. The
lip has a shallow fringe and a broad splash in the centre.
_Wallisii._--Small. Sepals and petals dusky yellow, with a long straight
bar of chocolate down the middle. Lip white at the base, with small rosy
streaks; the disc rosy, edged with white.
_Hallii leucoglossum._--One of the largest Odontoglots. Buff or greenish
yellow, lip white, fringed; all heavily blotched and spotted with dark
brown.
_Mirandum._--Among so many charming species this must be reckoned curious
rather than pretty. Narrow and rather small, dull greenish yellow, with a
longitudinal bar and spots of red-brown.
_Wilckeanum Rothschildianum._---Perhaps the handsomest form of this rare
variety. Large, very broad of sepal and petal, pale yellow, blotched and
spotted with brown.
_Pescatorei Germinyanum._--Named after the Comte de Germiny, an
enthusiastic lover of orchids, as indeed of all other flowers. This ranks
among the prettiest forms of Pescatorei. Petals white, sepals flushed;
both marked with a spot of dark rose. Lip white, with similar dots.
_Sceptrum._--A superb variety of the common luteo-purpureum. Sepals deep
reddish brown, with yellow edges; petals yellow, blotched with
reddish-brown. Lip yellow, with a single blotch in front.
_Coronarium._--One of the Odontoglots which may be termed climbing _par
excellence_, for the pseudo-bulbs thrust out a long shaft before taking
form. It makes a very large plant, and probably the example here is the
largest existing--at least there are few as big. By successive
enlargements, the basket in which it stands has reached the dimensions of
three feet by two. Coronarium is reckoned among the species slow to
flower, but here we find no difficulty at all. Last season our plant made
nine growths and threw up eight spikes--a record! Noble spikes they are
too, bearing twenty to thirty blooms; petals of the brightest red-copper,
marbled with yellow at the base; petals somewhat browner, both edged with
gold. Lip small, narrow, light red, broadening towards the tip, which is
pale primrose. I should describe coronarium as the most majestic of
Odontoglots.
_Crispum Arthurianum._--A notable variety--very large, blush-white, with
one enormous chocolate blot and two or three small spots on sepal and
petal. Spotted lip.
_Crispo-Harryanum._--This is one of the very few hybrid Odontoglots. It
was commonly assumed until a few years ago that the genus would not bear
fruitful seed in Europe. This notion proves to be ill-founded happily, but
to obtain good seed is still very difficult, and to rear the young plants
more difficult still. Crispo-Harryanum was raised by M. Chas. Vuylsteke
near Ghent. The flowers show the influence of either parent in colour and
shape; the petals, which in Harryanum refuse to expand, are almost as flat
as in crispum.
_Humeanum._--We may confidently assume that this is a natural hybrid of
Od. Rossii and Od. cordatum. The former parent is so handsome that he has
begotten a very pretty progeny, though the mother is so plain--sepals
primrose, closely spotted with brown, petals and lip white, the former
similarly spotted at the base.
_Tripudians oculatum._--A rare and beautiful variety of an interesting
species. Very much larger than the common form; sepals of a lively brown,
with yellow tips, petals yellow, mottled with brown; lip white, with
violet spots above, a large blot below.
_Platycheilum._--One of the oddest and rarest Odontoglots. Sepals and
petals white, with a few brown dots at the base; lip large and widespread,
pink, spotted with crimson.