EXPEDITION TO SUBDUE THE ILLYAS
The occupation of the little houses by the families of the natives gave
the boys the first close view of the people in their home lives. They
were exceedingly primitive. The leaf of the plantain tree was the
greatest boon to these people, and the women were engaged most of the
time in removing the beautiful fiber and in laboriously weaving cloth
from the strands.
They were exceedingly deft in this, and it is singular how quickly they
grasped the idea of the loom, as a means to make a better article. The
loom used by them was a very crude affair, and an idea may be gained of
its form by the accompanying illustration, which shows the fork of a
tree branch (A), which serves to hold the ends of the warp threads (B).
To weave the goods, the woof thread (C) is threaded back and forth, and
as they had no needles for the purpose, a thorn was used.
This thorn had no eye, but its large end was split, and the end of the
thread held in the cleft thus made. Every family had this primitive
loom, and the whole time, outside of their other household duties, was
given to the weaving process.
The size of each woven piece was about twelve by fifteen inches, and the
different sections were afterwards sewn together. When they saw the
more modern looms at work it interested them intensely, and the
Professor, noticing their eagerness and natural talents in this
direction, concluded that this was a good field to encourage the
industry.
[Illustration: _Fig. 14. Primitive Weaving Frame._]
Most of the looms made goods thirty inches wide, and it was not long
before several of the women were instructed in the art of using the
looms. Like all of the low order of people, they were extremely fond of
colors, and that is one of the things which attracted them to the
fabrics which had been previously made and exhibited. At the end of the
week they were paid for their work, the same as the others who were
employed. The Professor now considered it time to make a change in the
system of providing supplies. Under the direction of Will, a store was
set up, which had on hand a supply of vegetables and game. As many of
the warriors were away, and the others were generally employed in the
workshop and fields, some systematic effort had to be made to gather
food supplies and hunt.
By offering certain sums for such articles the Professor induced
individual effort in that direction. The provender thus provided was
placed on sale in the store, and by every art the heads of families were
encouraged to purchase those things and take them home for consumption
there.
Gradually, the workers were made to understand that a certain sum would
be expected in return for their board, so that, in course of time, each
one became accustomed to know the values of certain things all of which
were measured by the coins now in circulation.
The kitchen utensils were very limited indeed. They had no metal vessels
of any kind. Any article of that kind was worth a fortune, and it was
only the chiefs who had such things, and they were obtained from the
wrecks of vessels which had reached them from time to time.
Under the direction of the Professor, considerable time was given to the
bringing in of ores, particularly iron, and the process of recovering
the metals from the ores was undertaken by a considerable part of the
force.
Charcoal and coke were turned out, as a preliminary to the smelting of
the ores, and as fast as the metal was in shape, cooking vessels of
various sizes were manufactured, and these were placed on sale at the
store. It was thus possible for each family to acquire several articles
of this kind, which heretofore had been considered the most valuable of
all treasures.
Such a thing as a chair or a table was unknown on the island. The beds
were made of the native grasses, strewn on the floor. It will be
understood, therefore, that the manner of furnishing the houses occupied
by the whites was a marvel; and when the families of the various workers
moved into their new possessions, it naturally dawned on them that
chairs and tables, as well as properly arranged beds, should accompany
such luxury.
The Professor was at the homes of these people daily, suggesting ideas
for comfort and convenience. One of the things which interested him most
was the subject of cleanliness. People living in the manner to which
they were accustomed, made the sanitary part of the domestic arrangement
an exceedingly difficult problem.
The necessity of cleanliness was impressed on them very forcibly when,
later on, he was called to administer to many of the children, who were
attacked by diseases, brought on directly by carelessness in thoroughly
removing all dirt and decaying matter.
To a certain degree the natives understood this, and the subject has
been referred to previously, where they had the habit of anointing their
bodies and those of the infants with various oils, which were obnoxious
to insects and germs.
That knowledge made the task of using disinfectants much easier to
instill in their minds. It was impressed on them that properly caring
for the home was a daily task, and must not be neglected.
The women used combs made from the fins of fish. These were constructed
in the following manner: The entire fin was removed, and the bony
structure at the base of the teeth was bound between two strips of
bamboo, and tied around by fibers, as shown. The whole was then placed
in a vessel containing boiling water. The result was that when taken out
the meat of the fish, being glue-like, would act as a cement to hold the
teeth in place.
[Illustration: _Fig. 15. Comb from fin of Fish._]
Such combs are anything but sanitary, as might be surmised, and the
inhabitants were subject to pests arising from articles so made. Their
only salvation was, in fact, the daily habit of using oil, and, from a
sanitary point of view, there was nothing objectionable to this
excepting the odor which naturally followed, due to the oil becoming
rancid. The boys then began to make combs from a specie of bamboo, and
from the ironwood tree.
During one of the fishing trips the boys brought home an immense turtle.
The Professor's eyes sparkled when he saw it.
Will related their experience in capturing it. "Is it good to eat?" he
asked.
"Yes; all turtles and tortoises are good to eat."
"What is the difference between the two?"
"The turtle is a sea animal, and the tortoise a land and water animal.
You must have caught this near the sea, as it is a specie of turtle
called the Testudo."
"What a beautiful mottled top it has!"
"That is why it interested me so much," replied the Professor. "You now
have something that is far better than the wood for making combs and
other like articles."
"Isn't that fine! Will it be difficult to make them up from this?"
"It is the simplest thing in the world. The outer shell, which is all
that is used, is put into boiling water, and this softens it so that it
can be worked easily."
"It seems singular that it is called a 'tortoise' shell if the land
animals are called tortoises."
"When the shell first became a matter of commerce, it was supposed that
the turtle and the tortoise were the same, and the name tortoise being
much older than turtle, the former appellation remained in designating
the shell."
The day and night of festivities of John and the warriors, at the Saboro
village, was ended, and the column took up its march for the country of
the Illyas.
Several of the scouts, sent out two days before, returned during the
night, and reported that there was a strong force directly ahead and
that the lower villages were also sending up a body of men, but that the
latter were still two days away.
Calling Muro, John asked: "What is the nature of the country to the
extreme south, or next to the sea?"
"I have never been there, but it is elevated, and is a fine country. One
of my men has been there, and he may be able to tell you something about
it. I will call him."
The warrior alluded to was tall, handsome and fully tattooed, as was the
custom with the most distinguished of the Saboros.
"Can you tell me," asked John, "what the nature of the country is south
of the mountains, and near the sea?"
"It is the country of the wise men of the Illyas. They will not allow
others to go near there."
"Do you know why?"
"It is said there are wonderful things there."
"Do you know whether there are any big holes in the ground there?"
"Yes; and in some of them they keep their captives."
"Do they sacrifice their captives in those places?"
"No; they take them from those places to the villages."
"At what times do they make the sacrifices?"
"When the night is dark."
John understood from this that the sacrifices were during the period
when there was no moon.
"Why do you suppose that they wait for that time?" asked George.
"Because the Great Spirit out of anger has hidden the light and to
appease him the sacrifices are offered at that period. This is one of
the tales that the wise men give out as the excuse for the ceremony."
John had another motive for these questions, as will appear later on.
The main Illyas village was far to the north of the caves mentioned.
Besides the main one were three others, all ranging along the western
base of the mountain.
"How long will it take us," asked John, "to reach the main village?"
"Osaga knows about that, as he was near there, and was detained for
several weeks before he escaped."
"I had forgotten about that." He was, however, at this time, one of the
scouts, and when he returned later in the evening, said:
"We can reach there in two days, unless we should be met by the Illyas
on the way. I do not think they will retreat without making a show of
fight, as they will have all their warriors in the field, when they know
we are marching against them."
At the rate they were going, the main force of the enemy would be
reached during the day, unless they should retreat. The opinion of both
Uraso and Muro was that they would not permit too close approach to the
village before offering fight.
The entire route from Unity, and through the Saboro country, was one
continual stretch of immense undulating plains, covered at intervals
with magnificent forests, and it was evident that the soil was rich and
capable of yielding any products in profusion.
The weather, too, was magnificent. Indeed, it was at a time of the year
when there were few storms, the moisture being sufficient to support
the growing vegetation and keeping it a beautiful green. What a paradise
this part of the island would be made, if it could be maintained in
peace!
The march was a continued and steady one, the warriors appearing happy
and acted as though they were going to a festival, instead of to war.
Early in the afternoon the advance scouts reported the first sight of
the savages, but only detached bands, which indicated, however, that
they were not far away.
Several hours before they had entered the Illyas' country. There was no
strict dividing line between the different countries, but it appeared to
be tacitly agreed that certain water courses, or other natural lines,
marked the territorial limits of each.
These divisions were so little understood, in fact, by either, that they
caused frequent disputes. A party from one tribe in hunting would,
incautiously, venture too far, and if the other party happened to be
near, and in sufficient force, would attack on the plea that the
territory had been invaded.
This was a matter which the present campaign would settle, because the
Professor saw the necessity of accurately prescribing the limits held by
each tribe.
It was five o'clock in the evening before reports came in that the main
body of the enemy was in sight. John went forward with Uraso and Muro,
fully a mile beyond the main force, and on the way selected a good
camping spot, leaving several there to order the main body to encamp
when they arrived.
With the scouts now returning, and which were picked up, a fairly
adequate idea was obtained as to the number, which was variously
estimated at two hundred and fifty, which did not take into
consideration the warriors from the other villages, because they now had
knowledge of at least one party from the south, on the way to reinforce
the Illyas.
John gave strict orders that no one should fire a gun during the night,
and that a double line of guards should be maintained. The course
pursued during the campaign was as follows: Thirty pickets were selected
for the watch, five from each tribe. These formed fifteen posts, two
warriors being at each post, and it was arranged that the two should be
of different tribes, and as all were in supporting distance of each
other, in case of an alarm, one of the two watchers would thus be in a
position to quickly alarm the camp.
An advance set of pickets was also thrown out, under the personal
command of Muro, to watch the enemies' camp. Fortunately, there was no
alarm during the night. Early in the morning the forces were put in line
for approaching the Illyas' camp.
When the first advance came within sight of their camp, the utmost
consternation and confusion resulted, showing how carefully John had
concealed their movements.
Muro's scouts had the fortune to capture one of the Illyas, who was
evidently one of the hunters, and the captive was brought in at the time
when some of his own men had advanced uncautiously too far.
He was brought before John at once, who addressed him as follows:
"Why have your people started out on the warpath against us?"
"Because you killed our warriors in the last battle."
It is singular how the natives in all their interviews of like nature,
always found it convenient to refer to the last and most immediate act
as a particular reason for their enmity. In this respect they were
veritable children.
They might have been, as they were in this case, the original
aggressors, but if an attempt is made to repay them the original cause
of the strife is forgotten, and the last act only is considered. John
knew it would be of no use to argue the matter with him.
"You may go back to your chief and tell him that we have come to get the
captives he has. You must tell him that we have no desire to injure him
or his people. Tell him that all the tribes are now united, and that if
he does not give up the white people and all others, we will take him
and his villages, and give his lands to the other tribes.
"You must further tell him that we must have his answer at once, and if
he does not answer by the time the sun is above us (noon), we will
consider him our enemy, and shall attack him."
The captive received full instructions from Uraso, who warned him that
if he failed to convey this information in the manner given it would go
hard with him.
John went forward with the prisoner, and he was released within sight of
the Illyas' camp. The enemy was at that time in great commotion, as they
were, from all indications, preparing for defense.
They occupied a naturally strong position. The camp was on the western
side of a hill and at the bottom was a small stream.
Directly behind the camp was a heavy forest, which, in case of retreat,
would afford them shelter. There was a bend in the river, where the camp
was located, so that the position was impregnable as against the native
weapons.
The Illyas were not counting on meeting a foe armed with guns like the
allies possessed. They did not conceive how their enemies could possibly
make a sufficient number of guns to count against their numbers and
their skill.
In the talks which John had with Uraso he learned the history of this
peculiar tribe. Originally the tribe had practical sway over the entire
island. They were bitter and vindictive, and this intense feeling was
that which acted against them in the end.
The result was that in times past a constant tribal warfare was in
evidence among the heads of the leading families. The Kurabus and the
Tuolos were originally Illyas, or offshoots from this great tribe. This
was also shown by the characteristics of those three tribes, and by
their dress as well as language.
John had noticed that the Berees were the whitest people on the island,
and that the Osagas and Saboros were much lighter in color than the
other tribes. Uraso confirmed Suros' statement to the Professor, that
there was white blood in the veins of many of the people of these three
tribes, brought about by castaways who had been adopted by the people in
earlier times.
The Illyas kept themselves aloof from the others, excepting the Tuolos
and Kurabus, and these three tribes were the only ones who still adhered
to the custom of offering up captives as sacrifices.