AN EXCURSION IN BORNEO.--STORY OF RAJAH BROOKE.
Our young friends greatly desired to visit the interior of Borneo; but
as the _Osprey_ would only remain a couple of days at Sarawak, and they
wished to continue in her to Manilla, they were obliged to abandon the
idea. The Doctor engaged a native boat to take them a short distance up
the Sarawak River, so that they could see something of the great island
away from the sea, and they gladly accepted the proposal. "Half a loaf
is better than no bread," said Frank, and his opinion was promptly
echoed by his cousin. The captain of the _Osprey_ agreed to wait for
them until the afternoon of the second day, and they promised to be back
early enough to allow the ship to get to sea before dark.
[Illustration: SCENE ON THE RIVER.]
A Dyak village about thirty miles above Sarawak was their destination;
the crew of the boat was composed of half a dozen natives with strong
arms, and as they had promise of a liberal payment on condition of
making a rapid journey, they applied all their strength to the oars.
Luckily, they were favored by the tide, and by a breeze blowing up
stream, and very soon after getting under way they spread the sail of
coarse matting and laid their oars at one side. The Dyaks along the
coast are excellent sailors, but their boats are not built after the
most approved models of naval architecture; under the best
circumstances, they rarely make more than six miles an hour, and the
most of them are satisfied with three or four. It took about seven hours
of rowing and sailing for our friends to reach the village; but the time
passed pleasantly, as there was an abundance of things of interest on
the shore, and each bend of the stream revealed something new. The
forest was dense, and contained several varieties of trees they had not
yet seen, and there was an apparent abundance of animal and insect life.
Every few minutes the boys would catch sight of a bright-winged bird or
a gaudy butterfly, and they managed to secure several specimens of the
latter.
While they were halted for a few moments under a tree that overhung the
water, Fred's attention was attracted by a butterfly that fluttered
among the leaves for a moment, and then seemed to disappear like the
harlequin in a play. While he was looking for it there came another and
then another, and each of them in turn vanished like the first. Frank
was as much excited as Fred over the strange phenomenon, and asked the
Doctor what could have become of the butterflies, as he was certain they
had not flown away, and he could not see them among the leaves.
"Look closely at the leaves," said the Doctor, "and perhaps you will
find them."
"I've looked at every leaf," Fred answered; "but there is no butterfly
to be seen."
"I've found one," said Frank, as he took what appeared to be a leaf
between his thumb and forefinger.
[Illustration: LEAF BUTTERFLY IN FLIGHT AND REPOSE.]
Sure enough, he had secured his prize, and then he pointed to another,
which Fred immediately captured. Then the Doctor explained that they had
found the famous Leaf Butterfly of Borneo, that has the peculiarity of
resembling almost to perfection a dead leaf of the tree he inhabits.
"You observe," said he, "that his two sets of wings have a dark line
running along them from point to point that exactly resembles the midrib
of a leaf, and there are lines running out from this centre that
correspond to its veins. When the wings are folded, the lower end of
them imitates the stem, and touches the twig when the butterfly is at
rest; and their upper extremity is pointed in exact imitation of the
point of the leaf. It is the habit of this butterfly to settle where
there are several dead or partly withered leaves, and you must have very
sharp eyes to distinguish him from one of them."
While the Doctor was talking the boys observed that their specimens were
not exactly alike, and they called his attention to their discovery. The
latter explained that it was difficult to find an exact resemblance in a
dozen or more specimens, and they appeared to vary about as the leaves
themselves were varied. It was a provision of nature for the protection
and preservation of the butterfly, as he was enabled to escape many of
his enemies by adapting his appearance to his retreat.
"I suppose," said one of the boys, "it is on the same principle that
rabbits in our own country are brown in summer and white in winter. Many
a bunny has saved himself from the hunters by changing from brown to
white when the snow falls."
The two butterflies were carefully preserved along with those already
captured, and as soon as the men were rested the boat moved on. Suddenly
one of the Dyaks called out, "Mias! mias!" and pointed to the top of a
tree where there was an animal of considerable size swinging from one
limb to another, and apparently enjoying himself. Our friends looked,
and the boys hardly needed the Doctor's explanation that "mias" is the
Malay name of the famous orang-outang.
"What a splendid fellow he is," said Frank, "and what a pity we cannot
capture him! He looks as though he was six feet high at least."
"The gentleman we met as we went down the coast of Sumatra told us that
none had ever been caught more than four feet and two inches high,"
responded Fred, "but this one certainly appears as large as a full-grown
man."
"Probably a measurement would tell a different story," Doctor Bronson
remarked. "You know," he added, "that the largest fishes are the ones
that are not caught, or get no farther than being hooked and lost."
By this time the mias had seen the boat and taken alarm for his safety;
with one swing he dropped from the limb where he had been exercising,
and disappeared in the forest. The boys wished to land and pursue him,
but the Doctor told them it would not be of the least use to do so, as
he could easily elude them. "He can travel faster," he continued, "among
the limbs of the trees than you could possibly go on the ground; he
swings from one tree to another, then runs to the farther side along the
horizontal limbs, and is ready for another plunge. We will stick to the
river, and lose no time in reaching our destination."
[Illustration: A FLOATING ISLAND.]
At a bend in the stream they saw some cattle grazing on a little island
a short distance from a large tree that stood with its roots in the
water. The Doctor said the island was in all probability a floating one
that was attached to the bottom of the river by the long roots of the
plants growing on it, and so flexible that it could rise and fall with
the tide, or with the floods and droughts of the river. "These floating
islands," he explained, "are by no means uncommon in tropical countries;
there are many in the Amazon and its tributaries, and some of them are
miles in extent. They are generally attached to the river-bottom, but
occasionally they become separated and float away with the current, and
instances are not unknown of cattle being swept out to sea on them."
When they reached the village, whither they were bound, the boat was run
to the bank, and the three travellers stepped on shore. The natives came
down to meet them, and stood at a respectful distance till the
orang-kaya, or head-man, made his appearance. He was dressed in
gay-colored robes, and his head was wrapped with at least half a dozen
handkerchiefs of silk and bandanna; Fred thought a dozen would not be
too large a guess for the brass rings about his arms, and Frank thought
they must be a heavy burden to wear all the time. The boys and men were
similarly adorned, and Frank thought he had found a partial solution of
the question, "What becomes of all the brass pins?" If they were used
for making Dyak ornaments, the consumption must be enormous.
The chief led the way to the "head-house," or strangers' lodging, which
is in every Dyak village, and the whole population followed to have a
look at the visitors. The boys observed that the Dyaks were generally
well formed, and had more intelligent expressions on their faces than
the majority of the natives of Java or the Malay peninsula, and there
was a playful manner among the younger portion that greatly amused them.
The Doctor said the Dyak youths had a great number of games and sports
that were quite unknown to the rest of the Malay race, and in this
particular they resembled the Chinese and Japanese. They have
spinning-tops similar to our own, and they have a game very much like
"base ball," in which they display a great deal of skill. Many of their
sports are of an athletic character, and they are constantly exhibiting
their ability to run, jump, throw the spear, toss heavy stones, and
perform other feats that require more or less muscle. In this way their
strength is developed, and they lay the foundation of the endurance for
which they are celebrated.
The head house proved to be a circular building about thirty feet in
diameter; it stood on posts, and had a platform running all around it,
where persons could sit in the daytime or sleep at night. The head house
is not only a lodging-place for strangers, but it serves as the
council-chamber for any public business, and is the dormitory of many of
the young men, especially in time of war, when they are liable to be
summoned at short notice. Sometimes it is the largest building in a
village, and the inhabitants take their turns in keeping it in order.
There was no one to act as interpreter between the strangers and the
people of the village, and the conversation was conducted by signs.
Where neither side could say anything, the talk was necessarily brief:
the Doctor made the chief understand that he had brought nothing to
sell, and did not wish to buy rice or anything else; and therefore he
had no occasion to occupy their time. Then the chief ordered the
strangers to be served with boiled rice and tea, and he also commanded
some of the young men to exhibit their skill in the various Dyak games.
An hour was spent in this sport, and then the conference came to an end;
the display on the part of the Dyak youths consisted of the games
already mentioned, together with pulling at a rope somewhat after the
manner of the well-known "tug of war." The rope was made of bamboo
shreds tightly twisted, and its rough surface furnished an excellent
hold for the hands of the contestants.
[Illustration: BRIDGE OF BAMBOO IN BORNEO.]
When the sports were over, the Doctor and the boys took a stroll among
the rice-fields in the neighborhood of the village; and by the time it
was ended the sun was setting. Near the village they crossed a bridge of
bamboo, the first of the kind the boys had ever seen, and they examined
it with a good deal of curiosity. A couple of the longest and strongest
bamboos were thrown over the stream and bound together with thongs of
bamboo-leaves twisted together, and a third bamboo served as a
hand-rail. From an overhanging tree three or four smaller bamboos were
attached to steady the bridge and keep it in place, and it was further
upheld by bamboo poles fastened into the bank. The Doctor said there
were hundreds of these bridges in Borneo, especially among the
mountains; and though they were liable to tremble under the feet of
those who crossed them, they were quite secure. The Dyaks find the
bamboo no less useful than do the inhabitants of other Eastern
countries, and it would be a serious calamity to them if they were
suddenly deprived of it.
They slept in the head house at night, and were off by dawn on their
return to meet the _Osprey_. The Doctor told the boys that if they had
had time they would have visited the diamond-fields of the upper
Sarawak, where some very fine stones are occasionally secured. The
diamond washings are mostly conducted by Chinese, but they are not said
to be very profitable; now and then a rich deposit is found, but for the
most part the fields of the Sarawak do not more than pay the expense of
working them. In other parts of Borneo they are richer, and some very
large diamonds have been discovered.
While descending the river, the Doctor called attention to a climbing
plant that completely covered a tree overhanging the water. "It
belongs," said he, "to the family of the pitcher-plants, but is not a
very good specimen."
One of the boys asked what the pitcher-plant was.
"Its name indicates its character," replied the Doctor. "It has a cup,
or pitcher, hanging down very much as a pitcher does when you hold it by
the handle; some of the plants are literally covered with these
pitchers, and they will generally be found full of water, even when
there has been no rain for weeks. The finest of them are in the
mountain regions of Borneo; there is one known as the Nepenthes Rajah
that will hold two quarts of water in its pitcher, and there is another
nearly as large. They are of great advantage to travellers, and many a
man has been saved from suffering, and perhaps death, by means of this
plant."
[Illustration: Neocerambyx æneas. Diurus furcellatus. Megacriodes
Sanudersii.
Cladoguanthus tarandus. Ectatorhinus Wallacei. Cyriopalpus Wallacei.
REMARKABLE BEETLES IN BORNEO.]
As the men wanted to rest a short time, the boat was brought to shore
near the tree that supported the wonderful plant, and thus the boys had
an opportunity to examine it. While they were looking at it they
discovered some curious beetles on the trunk of the tree, and succeeded
in capturing several of them; some of their prizes had long antennæ, or
feelers, and one had a pair of claws like a lobster, while all of them
were beautifully marked or colored. Their capture led to a talk about
the insect life of Borneo, and the boys learned that the country was
particularly rich in beetles, butterflies, and similar products: more
than two thousand varieties of beetles alone had been found there, with
a proportionate number of butterflies.
"And if you are not satisfied with such small game," said the Doctor,
"you can have the elephant--who is identical with the elephant of
India--and at least ten varieties of monkeys. Then there is a species of
panther; there are deer and wild cattle; and if you like the sport of
hunting wild pigs, you can be accommodated. Bats and squirrels abound,
and the name of the birds of Borneo is legion; there are crocodiles in
the rivers, great pythons in the forests, and a liberal variety of
smaller snakes--enough to fill the wants of the most fastidious."
"If that's the case," said Frank, "I don't believe I care to stay very
long in Borneo. I don't mind ordinary hunting; in fact, I should like
it; but when it comes to a battle with a python I would rather be left
out."
Fred was of the same opinion, and thought that anybody could have his
fill of hunting among the elephants and wild pigs. The Doctor said the
pursuit of these latter animals was much more difficult in Borneo than
in India, owing to the comparatively small part of the country that had
been cleared. He added that it was very hard to keep up with a pig in
the forest, as he can dart under the trees and keep out of the way while
the hunter is toiling on, and perhaps finds the bushes so dense that he
must cut away the vines and creeping plants before he can proceed.
Then the conversation changed, and for the rest of the way the Doctor
interested the boys with the romantic story of an Englishman who became
an Eastern prince. It was about as follows:
"Borneo has three distinct governments. First there is the Kingdom of
Borneo, ruled over by a king, or sultan; it embraces the north-western
and central part of the island, and is divided into several subordinate
principalities. Then there are the Dutch possessions on the east, south,
and west coasts, comprising three provinces under the control of the
Dutch Governor of Java; and, lastly, there is the independent State of
Sarawak, with an English ruler.
"It is concerning this State and its ruler that we are about to talk.
In the first quarter of this century there was an Englishman, named
James Brooke, in the service of the East India Company; he left it about
1830, and made a voyage to China, and on his way there he visited
Borneo. There he saw how badly the natives were treated by the Malay
pirates, who devastated the coast and carried the people away to sell as
slaves, after robbing them of all they possessed. He conceived the idea
of forming a civilized government for the people, and with this object
in view returned to England, where he spent several years in
preparations; he bought a yacht out of the royal squadron, and obtained
the same privileges for her as for a regular man-of-war. He came here
with his yacht in 1838, and attacked the pirates wherever he could find
them; their primitive boats and arms were no match for him, and in a
year or two he had freed this part of the coast from their depredations.
"In return for his assistance, the prince, or rajah of Sarawak, made
Brooke his successor, with the full approval of the Sultan of Borneo,
and gave him command of the army. English ships and men were sent out to
assist him, and while they were attending to the pirates the new rajah
went to work to teach the natives how to live like civilized people. He
framed laws for them, established a regular government with courts of
justice, built roads, developed trade, and in a good many ways made the
natives feel that he was their friend."
"How did the English Government like this?" one of the boys asked. "Did
they approve of one of their nation becoming an Eastern prince?"
"The Government was generally favorable to it, as it was in the interest
of peace," the Doctor answered, "and besides, it was extending the power
of the British Crown. But there was considerable opposition to it among
some of the English, and in 1847 Brooke was obliged to go to England to
defend himself against the attacks upon his policy. He succeeded in
establishing his claims to consideration, and received the honor of
knighthood, so that he was afterward called Sir James Brooke, though he
is better known as Rajah Brooke. A staff of officers under pay of the
British Government was sent to assist him, and the State of Sarawak was
regarded as a British dependency, though it was and is nominally
independent, and can do as it pleases.
"Under the rule of Rajah Brooke the country prospered, and has continued
to prosper. Sir James died in 1868, after establishing his nephew as his
successor, and the latter rules here now under his uncle's old title.
The nephew is quite as philanthropic as the uncle was, and has proved
himself an intelligent ruler; the trade of the country increases every
year by the development of its resources, and from all we can learn or
observe, the inhabitants have reason to be grateful to the Englishmen
who came among them and taught them the arts of peace instead of war."
"What is the trade of Sarawak?" said Fred, "and how is it carried on?"
"It is principally in the products of the forests and of the mines,"
replied the Doctor, "and the latter are especially valuable. Antimony is
abundant, and it is from Borneo that England derives her principal
supply of that metal. There are numerous deposits of coal, and large
quantities are taken out every year and sent to the markets of the
Eastern seas. Those immense piles of coal that we saw at Singapore
probably came from Borneo, and the business of that one port alone is
enough to make the fortune of a small State like Sarawak. The forests
are full of valuable timber, such as ebony, iron-wood, sandal-wood, and
teak; and there is a considerable product of gutta-percha, India-rubber,
and camphor. The export trade is said to amount to more than $3,000,000
annually; the most of it goes to Singapore, and from that point the
goods are reshipped to Europe."
Frank wished to know the extent of the State, and its population.
"The dominions of Rajah Brooke," said the Doctor, "extend about 300
miles along the coast, and inland, at the farthest point, about 100
miles. The population is said to be 300,000, and is composed of Dyaks,
Malays, and Chinese. The only hostility ever shown to the first Rajah
Brooke was by the Chinese at the time of the outbreak of the war between
England and China, in 1857. Two thousand Chinese attacked his house, and
he was compelled to swim across the river to save his life. The
insurrection lasted for some weeks, but was finally suppressed with the
assistance of English troops sent from Singapore.
"The religion of the people is principally Mohammedan, but there is
perfect religious freedom through the whole province. There are several
Protestant missionary stations in the interior, some under English, and
others under American management. One of the latter was the scene of the
labors of Rev. Mr. Thomson, an American missionary, who spent many years
in Borneo; he formed a vocabulary of the Dyak language, and did much for
the education of the people.
[Illustration: AMERICAN MISSIONARY STATION IN BORNEO.]
"An enterprising American, Mr. J. W. Torrey, of Boston, endeavored to
follow the example of Rajah Brooke and make a colony of his countrymen,
and establish an independent State in another part of Borneo; he
obtained the title of Rajah of Ambong and Maroodu, with a grant of
territory, from the Sultan of Borneo, and quite likely would have
succeeded in his plans if he had possessed the same wealth as James
Brooke, and been properly supported by his Government. The latter always
had all the capital he wished, together with the support of the British
Government, while Torrey had no fortune with which to purchase ships and
employ the needed men and officers; and, furthermore, the President and
Congress of the United States gave him no assistance. He still holds his
title and his claims to territory, and he occasionally visits Borneo to
make sure of their continuance; but up to the present time he has not
established his government, and every year makes it less and less
probable that he will succeed in his hopes of founding an American
province in the Malay Archipelago."
"There's the _Osprey_ with steam up," exclaimed Fred, as a bend in the
river brought them in sight of their ship.
"Yes, there she is," echoed Frank; "we're in time to keep our promise to
the captain, and she's ready to sail as soon as we're on board."
The men paddled vigorously, and in a few minutes our friends were
climbing the gangway-ladder. As their feet touched the deck, the captain
ordered the anchor lifted, and in a short time they were steaming down
the river, and were at sea before the setting of the sun. It happened
that the spectacle of sunset on that occasion was particularly
beautiful; the light seemed to flash in all directions from behind the
clouds, and formed a pathway of fire along the gently undulating waters.
The boys agreed that it was the most brilliant sunset they had hitherto
seen at sea, and they lingered on deck till the last ray of light had
disappeared, and the stars came out in their places in the sky.
[Illustration: SUNSET IN THE CHINA SEA.]