IN THE DOMINIONS OF THE FRENCH
It was not a long voyage from Bangkok to the mouth of the Mekhong River;
and the sight of land was not as thrilling an incident as it had often
been in the experience of the voyagers, and they were not in condition
to appreciate the feelings of Captain Columbus when Watling's Island
broke on his vision four hundred years before. It had been smooth
sailing all the way; the Gulf of Siam had been as gentle and
affectionate as a maiden among the flowers, and the China Sea was
scarcely more ruffled.
Mr. Gaskette had finished up his new map of Cochin China, so that it was
as creditable to his skill and taste as his former efforts had been; and
it was displayed on the frame in Conference Hall, which was the usual
sitting apartment of the company, though some of them did a great deal
of walking on the promenade deck. The water was deeper inshore than
farther out at sea, where several spots were marked at eight fathoms;
and the passengers had a view of the land before they were within a
hundred miles of the entrance of Saigon River.
"There is a broad opening in the coast, which must be the Cambodia, or
Mekhong River," said Morris.
"That is Batac Bay, with a large island in the middle of it," replied
Captain Ringgold. "It is one of the mouths of the Mekhong; for there is
a Delta here extending about a hundred miles, the Saigon River being the
most easterly."
"Mekhong seems to me a new word, though doubtless it was the native name
of the great river; but when I went to school we never called it
anything but the Cambodia," added Uncle Moses.
"It is now called by both names, and both are usually found on the maps
and charts," said the commander.
A couple of hours later he pointed out the mouth of the great river. All
the land was very low, and much of it was sometimes under water. Felix
had become the owner of an excellent spy-glass, which he had purchased
at second-hand at Aden; and he made abundant use of it. It was too large
to be worn in a sling at his side, and he always carried it in his hand
when the ship was in sight of land. After lunch, in the middle of the
afternoon, he stationed himself in front of the pilot-house, and kept a
sharp lookout ahead.
"Saigon light!" he shouted, some time before it could be made out
without a glass.
The steamer was headed for Cape St. Jacques, near the entrance to the
river by which she was to reach the city. The light soon came into view,
and a boat was seen pulling out of the mouth. The signal for a pilot had
been displayed on the ship, and one of the men in it was believed to be
the person desired. The screw was stopped as he approached her, and the
ladder lowered for his ascent to the deck. As usual, all the passengers
wanted to see him. He was an old man, or at least well along in years.
"Good-day, sir," said Louis, who had gone to the main deck with the
third officer to receive him; and he spoke to him in French.
He was conducted to the promenade deck, and presented to the captain. He
said that he was born in France, but had been in Cochin China nearly
thirty years. He was first sent down to Monsieur Odervie for a lunch
after he had given the course, and the ship continued on her way. The
cook was very glad to meet a compatriot; and, as he was getting dinner,
he had several nice dishes, from which he treated his new friend. But
the pilot's services were soon needed in the pilot-house. He spoke a
little English, consisting mainly of nautical terms.
He took his place on the starboard side of the wheel, with Quartermaster
Bangs on the other side, steering himself; perhaps because he was not
willing to trust his English in giving orders. But the quartermaster
seconded all his movements, and they steered together in silence. The
ship was soon well in the river, and the passengers had enough to do in
observing the shores on both sides.
There were many openings in the banks of bayous and cut-offs, and the
land was as flat as it had been during the last hundred miles of the
voyage. The soil was very rich, and produced abundant crops where it
was cultivated. A very few villages were to be seen; but each of them
had its temple or pagoda, and the houses hardly differed from those they
had seen in Siam.
"I suppose this is all an alluvial soil, Brother Avoirdupois," said Dr.
Hawkes, as the ship was passing a rice-field.
"So say the books I have consulted, Brother Adipose Tissue. It is just
the right land for rice, and that is the staple product of all this
region," replied Uncle Moses.
Both of these gentlemen weighed about two hundred and twenty-six pounds
apiece, and they continued to call each other by the appropriate names
they had given each other even before the ship left New York on her
voyage all over the world.
"What is alluvial soil, Doctor?" asked Mrs. Blossom, who had read very
little besides her Bible and denominational newspaper.
"It is the soil or mud which is brought to its location by the action of
water; and here it is brought down by the mighty river which spreads
itself out into a delta where we are," replied the doctor
good-naturedly, and without a smile at the ignorance of the worthy lady;
for though her education had been greatly neglected, she was esteemed
and respected by all on board, for in sickness she had been the nurse of
the patients. "It is just the right soil for rice," he added.
"I have seen so many rice-fields out here, that I should like to know
something more about them," suggested the good lady.
"Naturalists class it as a kind of grass; but I will not vex you with
any hard words. Rice is the food of about one-third of all the people on
the globe. It requires heat and moisture for its growth, and it is
raised in considerable quantities on the low lands of Georgia and South
Carolina and elsewhere in our country. The plant grows from one to six
feet high. I don't know much about the culture of this grain in the
East; but in South Carolina they first dig trenches, in the bottom of
which the rice is sown in rows eighteen inches apart. The plantation is
prepared so that water can be let in and drawn off as desired. As soon
as the seed is sown, the water is let in till the ground is covered to
the depth of several inches. As soon as the rice comes up, the water is
drawn off, and the plant grows in the open air rapidly under the hot
sun. The field is again flooded for a couple of weeks, to kill the
weeds, and again when the grain is ripening. The rice is in a hull, like
wheat and other grains; and you have found parts of this covering in the
rice when you were cooking it. It is threshed out by hand or machinery
after it is dried, and then it is ready for market. There is a
rice-field on your right; and you can see the channels which have been
dug to convey the water to the plants, or to draw it off," said the
surgeon in conclusion.
"I see them, Dr. Hawkes; and I am very much obliged to you for taking so
much pains to instruct an ignorant body like me," replied Mrs. Blossom.
"It is quite impossible for any of us to know everything, and I often
find myself entirely ignorant in regard to some things; and I have lived
long enough to forget many things that I learned when I was younger,"
added the doctor with a softening smile.
The villages increased in number and in size as the ship approached the
city; though they were about the same thing, except that in the larger
ones the temple was a handsomer structure.
"How far is it from the sea to Saigon?" asked Bangs, speaking to the
pilot for the first time; but the Frenchman could not understand him,
and the quartermaster called Louis in, who repeated the question in
French.
"Sixty miles if you go one way; thirty-five by another," Louis
translated the reply.
"That may account for the difference in the distance given in the
books," said the captain, who was in the pilot-house. "But the
information we obtain from what are considered the authorities is so
various on the same subject that I don't know where the fault is."
"This is the largest village we have seen," said Louis to the pilot in
French.
"Yes, sir; and the next place is Saigon," replied the Frenchman; but he
was so much occupied with his duty that he would not talk much, even in
his own language.
The city was soon in sight, and the pilot began to feel about for the
bell-pull. He spoke to Louis, and the quartermaster was told to ring the
speed-bell. A little later, off the town, the gong sounded for the screw
to stop. The anchor was all ready, was let go, and the steamer swung
round to her cable. The Blanche had not so readily obtained a pilot as
her consort, and she was an hour behind her in arriving.
The Guardian-Mother was surrounded by boats as soon as she was at rest,
but the boatmen kept their distance till the port physician and the
custom-house officials came on board. Both ships passed the ordeal of
the examination, and the boats closed up. They were manned by all sorts
of people, and they were in all sorts of craft. The captain said that
most of them were Chinese sampans, and the boatmen were of the same
nation.
"There comes the Blanchita!" exclaimed Felix, who was walking about the
deck with his spy-glass under his arm.
"They got her overboard in a very short time," said the captain, who had
joined the company on the promenade. "I am glad she is coming, for I
desire to see the general."
The gangway had already been rigged out; and the launch came alongside
the platform, containing General Noury, his wife, the rajah, Captain and
Mrs. Sharp, Dr. Henderson, the surgeon of the Blanche, and the French
maid of the princess. They were warmly greeted on the platform by the
commander and Louis, and the ladies were assisted from the boat. They
mounted to the deck; and the usual hugging, kissing, and handshaking
followed in the boudoir.
"I am glad you have come, General Noury," said Captain Ringgold, after
he had shaken hands with everybody. "We have been shut up on shipboard
for some time now; and as we have come to a French city, I propose to
take my party to a hotel for a day or two. Of course you can do as you
please, General."
"I like the idea, Captain, if there is a decent hotel here," replied the
pacha. "What do you think, Zuleima?" he asked, turning to his wife.
"I like it very much; and the hotel cannot be any worse than some we
have lived in on our yacht voyages," replied the princess.
"Here is the medical officer, and he can tell us something about the
hotels," suggested the commander.
The doctor was consulted by the general in French, and he said the Hôtel
de l'Europe was very good. The entire party of both ships were invited
to go on shore, and remain at the hotel. All of them accepted, including
Captain Sharp and his wife. Those on board the Guardian-Mother went
below to prepare for the shore, and the Blanchita returned to the
Blanche for the same purpose. The gentlemen were on deck again in a few
minutes.
"A visitor to see you, Mr. Scott," said a seaman, approaching the third
officer as he came from the cabin.
"Captain Rayburn!" exclaimed Scott as soon as he caught sight of the
visitor. "I am very glad to see you, Captain;" and the young officer
grasped his hand.
"I am quite as pleased to see you, Captain Scott, though I hardly knew
you," replied the English captain.
"I am no longer captain, though I am the third officer of this ship; and
I did not wear my uniform when I met you at Kuching."
"How are the rest of your party?" inquired the captain of the Delhi.
"Very well, and here they are."
"I am delighted to see you on board of your own ship, Mr. Belgrave,"
said Captain Rayburn, rushing to the young millionaire as he came on
deck with his bag in his hand.
Felix and Morris soon appeared, and gave the captain a hearty greeting.
The commander happened to pass near them, and he was approached by
Scott.
"Captain Ringgold, allow me to introduce Captain Rayburn, of the steamer
Delhi, to whom the Borneo party are greatly indebted for his kindness;
and the Blanchita sailed in company of his ship from Kuching to forty
miles inside of Point Cambodia."
"Captain Rayburn, I am very happy to meet you; and I am glad of the
opportunity to thank you for your kindness to my young men, and
especially for standing by the Blanchita during the worst part of her
voyage to Bangkok. But we are all going ashore at once to spend a day or
two at the Hôtel de l'Europe; and I cordially invite you to be my
guest."
After some objections to the plan, he accepted the invitation. He was
well dressed, and a gentleman in every sense of the word. He ordered the
men in his boat to return to the Delhi, and to bring off certain
garments to the hotel. The Blanchita came up to the gangway again, and
the party embarked in her.