SUMATRA AND ITS PECULIARITIES.--SNAKES AND ORANG-OUTANGS.
The boys had observed, as they journeyed to the southward, that the
North Star declined lower and lower in the heavens in proportion as they
receded from the Pole. At Singapore it was only a little way above the
horizon, and after they passed the equator it disappeared altogether.
From Singapore they had seen the Southern Cross, which is to the South
what the Great Bear is to the North.
Frank made a note of this fact, and the first night they were beyond the
equator they sat till a late hour on deck to study the appearance of the
heavens. When they first began their observations they could not see The
Cross, and Fred went to ask the Doctor the reason of its disappearance.
"It is not yet above the horizon," said the Doctor, "and will not be
there till after midnight."
"How is that?"
"The Southern Cross is not over the South Pole, but about ten degrees
from it. Therefore, when we are so near the equator as we are now, the
Cross goes at times below the horizon. You must wait till late at night
before you can see it."
They concluded to go to bed, and let the new constellation remain
undisturbed where it was. As they were going still farther south, they
would have abundant opportunity to see it before their return to
Singapore.
The second day of their voyage they had the coast of Sumatra still in
sight for a large part of the time, and the boys wished they could make
a landing there and see something of the country. Among the passengers
there was a gentleman who had been in Sumatra, and he kindly undertook
to tell the boys something about the island and its people.
He began by asking if either of the youths could tell him what the
geographies said about the island, and its extent and characteristics.
"Certainly," Frank replied. "We know that it is about one thousand
miles long by two hundred and fifty wide, and has about five million
inhabitants. The Dutch have a part of it in their possession, and the
rest is independent; but perhaps the Dutch will have the whole of it one
of these days."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because the Dutch have been at war for some time with the native
government of the province called Acheen. At any rate I have read so;
and I have also read that when they succeed in capturing it they will
have more than three-fourths of the island under their control."
"You are quite correct, I believe," said the gentleman; "but the Acheen
war may yet last a long time. The natives are brave, and the country is
very unhealthy for the Dutch. Fevers have killed more than the enemy's
weapons since the Dutch went there, and the conquest will be a very
costly one. But we will not trouble ourselves at present about the
Acheen war, as it is rarely heard of in America, or, for that matter, in
Europe.
[Illustration: A TRADING-STATION ON THE COAST.]
"The Dutch possessions include Padang and Bencoolen, on the west coast
of Sumatra; Lampong, on the southern end of the island; and Palembang,
on the east coast. Banca and some other islands of lesser size lie near
the coast of Sumatra; but they form separate governments, and are not to
be considered as belonging to the great island we are discussing. Banca
is famous for its mines of tin, which have been worked for a long time,
and are the source of a large revenue. There are many good harbors on
the coast, and there are two or three of them that can hardly be
surpassed anywhere. On most of these harbors there are cities, and a
considerable business is done in products of the tropics, such as rice,
pepper, ginger, turmeric, spices, and camphor and other gums.
[Illustration: A BAYOU ON THE PALEMBANG RIVER.]
"The only place in Sumatra I have visited," said the gentleman, "is
Palembang. The city is quite large, and is on a river of the same name;
to go to it you must ascend this river about a hundred miles, through a
country that is low and rather swampy. The foliage is luxuriant, and
there are numerous little bayous leading off from the river; so that you
must have a good guide, or run the risk at times of losing your way.
"I went there in the rainy season, when much of the country was flooded.
The city is built on the river, and extends three or four miles along a
bend in the stream; so many of the houses are on floating rafts, that
rise and fall with the tide, that it makes little difference to the
inhabitants whether the river is high or low. If you have been in Siam
you can form a very good picture of Palembang, as it is much like
Bangkok in the number and arrangement of its floating houses. When you
go to market, you go in a small boat, just as you do in Bangkok, and
nearly everything is transported by water.
[Illustration: ARAB HOUSES AT PALEMBANG.]
"It is a peculiarity of the Malays never to build a house on solid
ground if they can find a place to stand it on piles in the water, and
they prefer a boat to any other kind of a conveyance. At Palembang the
most of the Malay inhabitants are thus located; but there are many Arab
and Chinese residents who have their houses on the solid ground. Most of
the trading is in the hands of these foreigners, and there are very few
European inhabitants besides the officials who represent the Dutch
government. They are very glad to have strangers come there, as it is a
change from the monotony of their every-day life; and if you should
happen to visit Palembang you may be sure of a kindly reception.
"The country is quite low and swampy all around Palembang, though the
town itself is on a slight elevation that preserves it from overflowing.
You must go twenty or thirty miles farther up the river to the firm
country, and there you find the commencement of the tropical forests for
which Sumatra is famous."
Fred asked what kind of trees are to be found in these forests.
[Illustration: LOUNGING UNDER A MANGO-TREE.]
"As to that," was the reply, "the trees are not much unlike what you
have seen in Malacca and Siam. They have several varieties of the palm,
and they have rubber-trees from which they derive a good revenue. The
mango-tree, with its broad branches and dark foliage, is frequently
seen, and it is a favorite in the neighborhood of the villages. The
natives like to swing their hammocks beneath it; and, for my own part, I
do not know a better place to lounge in, in a hot afternoon, than the
shade of a mango-tree.
[Illustration: ALLIGATORS TAKING SUN AND AIR.]
"Being under the equator, Sumatra is a hot country, and one must be
cautious about exposure to the sun. During the middle of the day you
should remain at rest, and you will find great refreshment in bathing
frequently; but take care how you plunge in the rivers, as many of them
are full of alligators, and sometimes these brutes are hungry.
Occasionally you may see dozens of them lying on the banks to enjoy the
sun, and they are hunted so little that you may come quite near without
disturbing them. At a little distance they look like logs, and you might
easily mistake their black bodies for sticks of timber that have been
partially burnt. There is one island just above Palembang where they
swarm in large numbers, and are of all sizes, from very small to very
large. The island also abounds in cranes; and sometimes they approach
near enough to the alligators to come within reach of the powerful tails
of those reptiles. In such a case there is a single sweep of the great
lever, and the whole business is over.
"Since the Dutch went to Sumatra they have constructed roads, and done a
great deal for the improvement of the condition of the people. The roads
are divided into regular stages of ten or twelve miles, and if you send
on in advance you will find everything ready on your arrival, so that
you will not be delayed; but if you do not give notice beforehand, you
can only go the distance of one stage in a day, which makes your
progress very slow. At nearly every station there is a village; and if
you want to study the habits of the people, you can do so very well by
walking from one station to the next in the morning, and then strolling
about the village and neighboring regions in the afternoon. There is
always a house for strangers, and you have nothing to do but walk in and
take possession: you pay for what you have at a fixed rate. The Dutch
have been careful to adjust the prices of everything, so that there can
be no dispute.
"Away from the rivers the houses of the natives are on poles or posts,
just as they are when built in the water. The best of them are of boards
or planks, and the more common ones of bamboo, and the floors are
covered with mats, on which you may sit or lie. They have no beds,
benches, or chairs; even in the houses of the chiefs you will see hardly
a single article of furniture.
[Illustration: VIEW IN A SUMATRAN VILLAGE.]
"There is a great similarity among the Sumatran villages. A village
covers several acres, and is almost always surrounded by a high fence,
to keep out the wild animals that abound in the island. The houses are
dropped down higgledy-piggledy without the least attempt at regularity,
and there is generally quite a grove of palm, banana, and other trees
around them. The best of the dwellings have their ends ornamented with
some elaborate carving in wood, and the ends of the roof rise in a
graceful curve that terminates in a point.
"There is a curious combination of neatness and the reverse in the
habits of the people of these interior villages. The ground is hard and
clean, and the houses are frequently swept with the greatest care; but
they have no system of drainage, and the only way of disposing of refuse
of any kind is to throw it into a sink-hole under the house. The people
seem to have adhered to the custom that prevails where their houses are
built over the water, and the result is that your nose will often inform
you, before your eyes do, that you are approaching a village."
Frank asked what birds or beasts were to be found in Sumatra.
"You find pretty much the same as you do in Malacca or Siam," was the
reply. "There are plenty of elephants of the same species as on the
main-land, and there is any number of tigers. They are very large, and
proportionally fierce, and a great many of the natives are eaten by them
every year. They do not often attack white men, but I had a close escape
one evening from being eaten by one of them."
"How did that happen?"
"I had been visiting a planter of my acquaintance, and we did not
separate till about dark. I had a ride of six or eight miles before me
to reach the house where I was to stay for the night, but did not mind
it in the least, as I had been over the ground before, and had no fear
of losing my way. My friend cautioned me to look out for tigers, but I
only laughed when he said so, as I had no idea that a tiger would attack
a man on horseback.
"I was cantering gently along, when all at once my pony began to prick
his ears and sniff the air, as though all was not right. Every moment he
was more and more uneasy, and he exerted himself to the utmost to make
good time over the road. Never in my life was I carried faster by a
horse than on that occasion.
[Illustration: CHASED BY A TIGER.]
"In a few minutes I heard the growl of a tiger, who was in full pursuit,
and gaining at every stride. The road led to a creek, and it occurred
to me that my whole safety consisted in reaching that creek before the
tiger reached me. I threw my hat off to amuse the beast for a moment,
and it gave my horse just the time he needed without a second to spare.
The tiger did not try to follow through the water, and when I got to the
house where I was to stay, I resolved not to venture again on that road
after dark.
"Some of my friends were unkind enough to say that perhaps I was
mistaken in the whole matter, and that the horse took fright at a thorn
catching under the saddle-girth as we went through the jungle; so the
next morning I invited one of them to go with me to the creek, and to
the spot where I threw away my hat. The fragments of the hat were there,
where the tiger had torn it in his rage, and the tracks of the beast
were visible in the soft earth. From the extent of his foot-prints he
was evidently of the largest size, and would have made short work of a
man when once he had settled his teeth into his throat. It was the
narrowest escape I ever had in my life. I have been treed by a bear, but
the sensation was nothing compared to that of being chased by a tiger."
"Please tell us," said Fred, "how you happened to be treed by a bear."
"Certainly," said the gentleman; "but the story has nothing to do with
Sumatra or any other island of the Malay Archipelago. It was in America
that the incident happened.
"I was out hunting one afternoon, and had only a small fowling-piece
loaded with bird-shot. Suddenly I came across a black bear, and very
foolishly fired at him. The shot enraged him, and he ran for me.
[Illustration: TREED BY A BEAR.]
"I ran a few yards, and knew that every moment he was gaining on me. I
dropped my gun, and sprung for the nearest tree; I was young and active,
and went up several feet at the first bound. It was a smooth sapling,
with the lower part quite free from limbs, and I soon found that it was
no easy matter to climb after the first spurt was over. The bear
followed me, and had the advantage of claws; and he came on faster than
was agreeable. I knew that a friend of mine was not far off, and I
shouted with all the power of my lungs. He heard me, and came to my
relief; and, just as the bear had taken me by the coat-tail, I heard a
shot, and the beast tumbled to the ground. I don't like bear-hunting in
that shape."
Fred inquired if there were any snakes in Sumatra.
"Yes, snakes in abundance," was the response; "and they sometimes grow
to an enormous size. In some respects, Sumatra is the paradise of
snakes, as they have a hot climate, and can always find plenty to eat."
"What kind of snakes do they have there?" queried Fred.
"The largest is the boa-constrictor," said the gentleman; "and I do not
believe he grows to a greater size in any other part of the world."
"What is the greatest length you have ever known for one of these
snakes?" Frank asked.
"The longest I ever saw was one that I killed myself. I was out hunting,
and had three or four natives to carry my gun and other things, when
suddenly one of them shouted, and pointed to a tree.
"I looked, and saw an enormous snake coiled up there, with his head over
a limb, and evidently watching us as we approached.
"Du Chaillu and other hunters of experience say that the best thing for
shooting a snake is not a bullet, but a charge of small shot, such as we
use in duck-hunting. So I gave my rifle to one of the natives, and
called for my fowling-piece.
[Illustration: SHOOTING A BOA-CONSTRICTOR.]
"I managed to get around in order to have a good aim, and ventured so
close to the snake that the natives warned me to be careful. I watched
my chance, and just as the fellow darted his head forward I fired.
"My aim was accurate, and the snake's head was blown into a shapeless
mass. He threw himself from the tree, and writhed on the ground, while I
retired with my party to a safe distance. We watched him twisting his
body into many shapes, and tearing up the small trees and bushes as he
wound around them. In about an hour I continued my hunt, leaving one of
the natives to watch the snake, so that we could skin him when he was
done writhing.
[Illustration: A SNAKY CREEK.]
"Wishing to explore a small creek, I sent another of the men to bring a
boat; and he soon returned with it. It must have been a great day for
snakes, as we had not gone far before the water seemed to be alive with
them. They were of all the colors of the rainbow; and some of them had
shades that the rainbow never possessed. The largest I should judge to
have been eight or ten feet in length, but I had no opportunity to
measure him.
"One tried to get into the boat, and I shot him just as he raised his
head over the bow; others swum close to the boat, and seemed in no hurry
to get out of our way. There was a large boa, or python, coiled around a
tree that overhung a bank; he darted his head rather defiantly, but made
no other demonstration. I was quite willing to let him alone, provided
he would be equally polite to me; and, as he manifested no intention of
attacking us, I did not fire on him.
"We went back late in the afternoon, and found that our great boa had
ceased his twistings, and was sufficiently quiet to be skinned. He
measured thirty feet and a few inches in length, and was certainly one
of the largest of his kind. He could kill and eat an ordinary-sized cow
or bullock; and, as for a dog or monkey, he would dispose of one without
the slightest trouble. The favorite food of this snake is the monkey;
and he captures him by lying concealed among the trees, and waiting
patiently till the monkey comes within his reach."
[Illustration: MONKEY EXAMINING A TORTOISE.]
"Then there are monkeys in Sumatra?" said one of the boys.
"Certainly," was the reply, "there are monkeys in abundance. The
naturalists have found no less than eleven distinct species of the
monkey family, and it is thought there are several yet undiscovered in
the forests. There is one monkey called the _simiang_, that has
tremendously long arms; Mr. Wallace measured one that was only three
feet high, but his arms were five and a half feet when stretched out.
This monkey will swing himself from one tree to another with the utmost
ease, over distances that most of the other monkeys would hardly venture
to go."
"Do they find the variety of monkey known as the orang-outang in
Sumatra?" one of the boys asked.
"Yes," said their informer, "the animal is found only in Sumatra and
Borneo, but he is rarely seen on the first-named island. In parts of
Borneo he is quite abundant; and the most of the specimens in the
museums all over the world came from that wild region."
Frank asked how large was the largest of these beasts that had been
captured and measured.
[Illustration: FEMALE ORANG-OUTANG.
(From a Photograph.)]
"As to that," said the gentleman, "there is a considerable conflict of
testimony. Mr. Wallace says that the largest killed by him during his
stay in Borneo was four feet two inches from head to heel; and his
outstretched arms were seven feet nine inches from tip to tip of his
fingers. The face was thirteen inches wide, and the body measured
forty-three inches around. Mr. Wallace further says that he measured
seventeen freshly-killed orangs, and the skeletons of two others;
sixteen were full-grown adults--nine males and seven females. The males
varied from four feet one inch to four feet two inches in height; and
the outstretched arms from seven feet two inches to seven feet eight
inches. The measurements of other naturalists closely agree with his,
and he therefore concludes that the stories of orangs exceeding five
feet in height are extremely doubtful.
[Illustration: NATIVES OF BORNEO FIGHTING WITH AN ORANG-OUTANG.]
"The natives say the orang is king of the forest, and the only animals
that venture to attack it are the crocodile and the python. They only
do so on rare occasions, and are apt to get the worst of the battle
whenever they provoke it. One of the native chiefs says that when food
is scarce in the forest, the orang goes to the banks of the streams to
feed on the lilies, and in such cases he is sometimes attacked by the
crocodile. His arms are so strong that he has been known to pull the
crocodile's jaws open, and rip up his throat; the chief claims to have
witnessed such a fight, which occurred on the bank of a stream, and was
won in a short time by the orang.
"The same chief said that the python found his match in the orang--the
latter biting the python's throat, and tearing him with his powerful
claws. The natives have a great dread of the orang, unless they have the
advantage of fire-arms; they sometimes attack him with their spears and
hatchets, but they do so with reluctance, as some of them are apt to be
severely wounded, if not killed outright in the encounter."
Fred wanted to know if the animal they were discussing was in the habit
of walking erect like a man, as he had seen represented in pictures.
"The best authorities say he does not," was the reply; "and I think that
such pictures as you mention are far more imaginary than real. He spends
nearly all his time in the trees, and when he goes through the forest he
moves from one tree to another by following the limbs that interlace. He
feeds in the trees in the daytime, and sleeps there at night; his bed is
composed of leaves gathered together in the fork of a tree, and he never
remains long in one spot. The natives say he finds a new resting-place
and makes a new bed every night; but there is some doubt as to the
correctness of this theory. When he has been wounded, and feels faint
from loss of blood, he will gather a quantity of leaves and form a bed,
where he lies down and dies. In such a case the tree must be cut down to
get his body, as no amount of shaking will dislodge it; or the natives
must be hired to climb up and remove it. This they will not do readily,
as the animal has great vitality, and has been known to spring up
suddenly and do a great deal of damage after he was supposed to be
dead."
"There are some other curious products of this tropical region," said
the narrator, "which I will endeavor to describe briefly. There is a
frog that flies through the air, and--"
"How funny!" Fred exclaimed. "A flying-frog! He ought to be a relative
of the fish that climbs a tree, and travels on dry land."
[Illustration: A FLYING-FROG.]
"Whether he is a relative or not of that fish, I am unable to say," was
the reply, "but that he exists there is no doubt. He comes down from the
top of a high tree to the ground in a slanting direction, just as you
have seen a flying-squirrel go from one tree to another. His toes are
very long, and webbed to their extremities. The body of the frog is
about four inches long, and when spread out the webs of his feet have a
square surface of at least twelve inches. This is much more than he
needs for swimming, and we must, therefore, conclude that Nature has
thus equipped him so that he can fly through the air.
"There are many varieties of butterflies in Sumatra, and some of them
are very beautiful. All the tropical islands abound in butterflies, that
arouse the enthusiasm of the naturalist by the brilliancy of their
colors and the great size they attain. There are numerous birds,
especially of the parrot family, and sometimes you will see hundreds of
them in a walk of an hour or more through the forests where they live.
The parrot is inclined to be sociable, and likes his fellow-parrots; you
will rarely see one of these birds quite alone, and when you do, you may
conclude that the occurrence is an accidental one.
"Among the habits of birds there is none more singular than that of the
Sumatran hornbill."
"What is that?" Frank inquired.
"The hornbill, whose scientific name is _Buceros bicornis_, makes its
nest in a hole in a tree. When the female has laid an egg, the male
plasters up the entrance of the hole with mud, and keeps his mate there
until the young bird has been reared to the proper age for coming out in
the world."
"How does she manage to live all that time?" said one of the boys.
"The hole is not entirely closed," was the reply. "A small opening is
left, and through it the male bird feeds her, and he is constantly on
duty around the outside of the nest to protect her from harm. When the
young bird begins to eat, the mother takes in her beak the food which
her mate has brought, and gives the youth his proper allowance. He is a
funny-looking fellow when about half grown; his body is plump and soft,
without a single feather, and his skin is half transparent, so that you
almost expect to see through it."
"A remarkable bird," said Fred.
"And a remarkable country he lives in," Frank replied.
And with this comment the conversation about Sumatra and its products
came to an end, with a vote of thanks on the part of the boys to their
amiable informant.
[Illustration: A SUMATRAN BUTTERFLY.]