ARRIVAL IN CEYLON.--CINGALESE BOATS.--PRECIOUS STONES OF THE EAST.
The steamer sped onward to the south-west, toward the shores of Ceylon;
favored by the north-east monsoon, she made good progress, and the time
passed rapidly for our friends. On the morning of the third day, after
they lost sight of the Andaman Islands, a sail was reported directly
ahead, and the boys were thrown into a state of excitement in
consequence.
Rapidly they approached the stranger, which was soon made out to be a
craft of a style that had not been seen before. As it came toward them,
Fred remarked that it was the narrowest boat he had ever seen to carry
such a sail, and Frank wondered why it did not tip over; but as it came
nearer, and swung along-side, he saw the reason why.
The boat was about thirty feet long, and hewn from a single log that had
been spread at the centre, so as to hold two men of medium size, sitting
side by side. On the gunwale, or top edge, there were planks a foot and
a half in width, and these planks extended the whole length of the boat,
and were closed at the ends by short ones that had a considerable slope
forward; the latter planks served to keep out the waves, and, as they
were somewhat narrower than the width of the log, they gave the craft
its very pinched appearance. They were fastened to the boat by means of
coarse twine, or "coir" twisted from the fibres of the cocoa-nut-tree.
The joints were daubed with pitch and oil to render them water-proof,
but they were only partially so, and when the boat leaned far over to
leeward, it was likely that a good deal of water would be shipped.
"You are quite right," said the Doctor, in response to the observation
just recorded, which was made by Frank, "but she doesn't go far over to
leeward, even in the strongest winds."
"How can that be," queried Frank, "when she's so narrow?"
"The outrigger keeps her down," was the reply; "you have been so
absorbed with looking at the boat that you haven't seen the outrigger."
[Illustration: OUTRIGGER BOAT FROM LADRONE ISLANDS.]
The youth now perceived a log of wood nearly as long as the boat, and
sharpened at the ends, lying parallel to, and about twenty feet away
from it. It was held in place by means of a couple of bamboo poles, that
were curved above the water so as to offer no resistance by dragging.
Frank had observed the poles, but had not noticed the log, as it was
almost completely submerged, and, besides, it was so near the color of
the water that it could not be readily distinguished from it.
"You see the use of the outrigger," said the Doctor; "when sailing, they
always keep it on the windward side, and before it could tip over the
boat must lift the log clean from the water, and high in air, which it
is hardly able to do. Perhaps it might in a cyclone, or in a very strong
gale, but at such times the boats seek the shelter of the land or lie to
and face the storm as best they can."
"I remember now," said Fred, "that we saw some boats with outriggers
while we were at the Philippine Islands, and there were some at Rangoon
and Singapore, but I don't think any of them were as graceful as this."
"That is so," was the reply. "The Cingalese, as the people of Ceylon
are called, are famous for the lightness and swiftness of their boats,
and their speed is something marvellous. They have been known to sail
fifteen or twenty miles an hour, and when at their best speed they
hardly seem to touch the waves, which they skim with the velocity of a
bird; they go far out to sea, and have been known to make voyages of
hundreds of miles. Their carrying capacity is not great, but the wants
of these people are so few that they can get along with a much smaller
stock of provisions than the majority of sailors."
"Why don't they put two boats together, and make a double one?" inquired
one of the boys.
[Illustration: DOUBLE CANOE, FRIENDLY ISLANDS.]
"As to that," answered Doctor Bronson, "I can only say, because they
don't. Double canoes are in use in some of the South Pacific Islands,
and have been found very successful; they sail finely, and have a great
carrying capacity, and when used in sheltered bays, or in parts of the
ocean where the waves are not likely to rack them too much, a deck or
platform is built to cover both boats. This is the case in the Society
and Friendly Islands, where the double canoe has long been used, and is
famous for its high speed; in the Ladrone Islands the outrigger is more
popular, and is made on the same principle as that of Ceylon; but the
boat is neither so sharp nor so long in proportion to its length.
[Illustration: DOUBLE CANOE, SOCIETY ISLANDS.]
"These outrigger boats sail in either direction; the sail is attached to
two poles, which are raised and lowered with it; the mast is in the
centre, and the ends of the craft are exactly alike. The change of
direction is made by raising one pole and lowering the other; when this
is done the boat immediately reverses her movements, and the outrigger
is always kept to windward. The same is the case with the double canoes
of the Friendly Islands, which sail either way, but the canoes of the
Society Islands are pointed at the bow and flat at the stern, and
consequently can only go in one direction.
[Illustration: FEEJEE ISLAND CANOE.]
"The people of the Feejee Islands make their boats on a combination of
the two systems. They have the outrigger principle in place of that of
the double canoe, but they make the outrigger hollow, and use it for
stowing cargo; and in large canoes it is the home of a part of the crew.
Then they have the platform, as in the case of the double canoe, and
sometimes they have a sort of upper deck, or pilot-house, on the
platform, where the captain stands to direct the movements of the craft.
All these forms of boats are steered by means of paddles, and not with a
rudder."
"I wonder somebody in the civilized world does not take something from
these savages in the way of boat-building," said Frank, as soon as the
Doctor paused. "Seems to me there is a good deal in these ideas of the
double canoe, and the way they manage them."
"A great many persons have wondered as you do," the Doctor answered;
"and some have ceased wondering, and tried the principles on both small
and large craft. A few years ago one of the races of the New York Yacht
Club was won by a boat on the double-canoe principle, and since then
several of these boats have been built with different degrees of
success. In England a steamer called the _Castalia_ was built for
crossing the channel between Dover and Calais, but she proved to be very
slow in spite of her enormous engines, which were intended to propel her
not less than twenty miles an hour. The chief defect in her construction
was that she was built like two complete boats placed side by side,
whereas she should have been shaped like a single boat that had been
sawed in two from one end to the other. The water is ploughed off from
the bows of a boat, as you can see at any time, and when two boats are
close to each other and parallel, the water is banked up between them
and retards their progress; but where a double boat is built as I have
suggested, and as the South Sea Islanders build them, the case is
different, and the two hulls glide as smoothly as though they were only
one.
[Illustration: AMERICAN MODIFICATION OF A SAVAGE BOAT.]
"An American, who has given much study to the subject, has devised a
form of boat for pleasure purposes along the coast, that he claims to be
a vast improvement over the boats we now have in use. He suggests a
double hull sixteen feet long, and each half of the hull eighteen inches
wide at the top, and the same in depth. He puts these hulls five feet
apart, connects them by beams, and lays down a light deck thirteen feet
long and eight feet wide at its broadest part. He places a rudder on
each hull, and attaches the two to a single tiller, and he rigs the boat
with a lateen sail, though he frankly confesses that the ordinary
boom-and-gaff sail is better for all purposes except that of
picturesqueness. As the Americans are a practical people, they are not
very likely to adopt the sail of the Mediterranean and the South Seas
because it looks well."
While this conversation concerning boats was going on the strange craft
swung into the path of the steamer, and a rope was thrown from the
latter to the former. It was caught by one of her men, and without the
speed of the steamer slacking in the least, the Cingalese boat came
along-side and was made fast. A native clambered up the rope with the
speed of a monkey, and Frank observed that he grasped it between the
first and second toes of his feet, exactly as the Malays do. Like the
Malays they go barefooted all their lives, and consequently the toes
retain far more freedom of action than they would if confined in boots
or shoes.
The occupants of the boat were fishermen, and they had a stock of
freshly-caught fish, from which the captain of the steamer made a
liberal purchase for the use of his passengers and crew. Then they had
some of the fruits of Ceylon, principally cocoa-nuts, both green and
ripe; the former were in the greatest demand, as they afforded an
agreeable relief from the warm water that had been the beverage of the
party since their departure from Rangoon. The juice of the green
cocoa-nut is one of the most delicious drinks imaginable; it is slightly
acidulous, and an excellent tonic for the stomach. The natives drink it
without the least restriction, and it is very rarely that a foreigner
finds any ill effects resulting from its use.
The Parawas, or fishermen of Ceylon, are a distinct class or caste by
themselves, and it is a curious circumstance that they are all Catholic
Christians. They are of the same race as the fishermen of Southern
India, and were among the first converts of the Portuguese missionaries
more than three hundred years ago. The fishermen of Northern Ceylon
invited St. Francis Xavier to go and teach them in the doctrines of
Christianity in 1544; they were converted through his labors, and their
descendants have remained faithful to the creed that was then
promulgated. Partly in consequence of the difference of religious belief
they have comparatively few relations with the other inhabitants of
Ceylon, and stick persistently to their occupations. They are divided
into thirteen sections, and each has its own work connected with the
fishing business. Some of them are boat-builders, others are carpenters,
others weave the nets, and others make the spears and various metal
implements that are used. Those who go out to catch the fish are divided
into various classes, such as rock-fishers, beach-fishers, net-fishers,
spear-fishers, boat-fishers, rod-fishers, etc. They are a brave and
hardy people, and though few of them get rich, they usually lead
comfortable lives, as the seas around Ceylon abound in fish, and the man
who pursues them patiently is pretty sure to be rewarded.
The boat delivered the purchases made by the steamer, and then dropped
off, and was soon left far behind. The next morning, when the boys went
on deck, the coast of Ceylon was in sight, eight or ten miles away. Near
the shore it was a mass of green, with here and there a little nook
opening into what might possibly be a harbor, and for the greater part
of the way the verdure came closely down to the water. As they drew
nearer and nearer, the boys made out the verdure to be a limitless
extent of cocoa-nut trees, and they were not at all surprised when told
that there were many millions of them on the island of Ceylon.
[Illustration: SCENE ON THE COAST OF CEYLON.]
"You observe," said the Doctor, "that all along the shore the trees hang
over the water, and apparently their roots are pushed out into the sea.
The tree is fond of the salt-water, and grows better at the edge of the
sea than away from it. It is a wonderful provision of nature that the
tree bends over the sea, as the fruit when ripe falls into the water,
and is carried away to other lands. It may furnish food for men and
animals, or it may be cast on a sandy shore, where it develops and takes
root, and grows into another tree, that follows the example of its
parent."
At this moment the captain of the steamer approached them, and pointed
out a chain of mountains that could just be designated on the horizon.
"The sharp one is the Peak of Adam," he explained; "you'll probably know
more about it by-and-by."
"Why is it called the Peak of Adam?" was the inquiry that naturally
followed this announcement.
"Because," was the reply, "it is supposed to bear the mark of Adam's
foot when he stepped from the island to the Kingdom of Siam. This is the
Mohammedan tradition, but the natives claim that the footprint was made
by Buddha, and for this reason they hold it in high veneration, and have
a temple on the summit. For sailors it is a landmark, as it is the
highest mountain in the island, with a single exception."
"Perhaps we may have an opportunity to ascend it," said the Doctor;
"and if we do, we shall see many things about it and from its summit to
remind us of our ascent of Fusiyama, in Japan."
The steamer rounded the southern extremity of the great island, and
headed for the port of Point de Galle. The scenery of the coast was not
materially changed as the miles were left behind, and our friends began
to weary a little on account of its monotony. It seemed as though the
cocoa-nut-trees were unending, and one of the boys declared that he had
seen enough of them to last him for some time. By-and-by a flag-staff
was visible on a little promontory, and the captain announced that they
were close to their destination. Several boats were cruising about in
front of the entrance to the harbor, and, as the steamer came into
sight, two or three of these boats headed for her. They were outriggers,
of the same pattern as we have already encountered, and from one of them
a pilot was taken to guide the steamer to her anchorage.
A ship arriving in front of Galle at night must anchor outside, or
cruise up and down till daylight, as the pilots never come off during
the hours of darkness, no matter what signals are made. The harbor is
not an easy one to enter, and requires great care on the part of the
pilot to bring a ship safely to anchor. There are several sunken rocks
inside, and a stranger would be almost certain to run on them, even with
the assistance of a good chart; a steamer was once lost here owing to
the delay of only a few seconds in the transmission of an order for the
stoppage of the engines, and others have received serious damage from
similar causes. Many plans have been devised for improving the harbor
by the removal of the rocks, and it is said that contracts have been
made recently with some Americans for that very desirable work.
[Illustration: RUINS OF A PORTUGUESE CHURCH.]
The steamer was brought to the place assigned her, and securely moored,
and as soon as this had been done, our friends entered one of the
curious little outrigger boats and were carried to the shore. The boys
were so pleased with the picturesque beauty of the place that they
wished to make a sketch of it, but there was no time to do so, and the
proposal was dropped. The port is a delightful nook in the coast of
Ceylon, surrounded with cocoa-nut-trees that grow down to the very edge
of the water, and have their roots washed by its spray. At one side is
the old town or fort, which dates back to the Portuguese occupation of
the place, and gives a hint of its age by its venerable appearance. Some
of the old buildings are in ruins, as the government does not care to
reconstruct them.
Point de Galle has very little local commerce, and its chief importance
comes from its geographical position. Nearly all the steamers between
Europe, on the one hand, and China and the Far East, on the other, touch
at Galle for coal, and many thousand tons of this fuel are handled
there every month. Some days there are eight or ten arrivals and
departures, and rarely is there a day without a steamer entering or
leaving. A glance at the position of the place, with reference to other
ports of the Indian Ocean and the Eastern seas in general, will show its
great importance as a coaling-station. Its name is supposed to be
derived from the great number of coral rocks--Galla--on this part of the
coast, and particularly in the vicinity of the harbor.
[Illustration: A YOUNG NATIVE AT BREAKFAST.]
Doctor Bronson and the youths had hardly set foot on land before they
were pestered with natives offering precious stones for sale. Ceylon is
famous for its real gems, and as there is rarely a good thing in this
world without a counterfeit, there are plenty of imitation gems in the
hands of the peddlers. In fact, it may be set down that nearly all that
are offered are false, for the reason that the profit on their sale is
greater than can possibly happen with real stones. The stones for which
Ceylon is famous are the sapphire, ruby, topaz, and garnet, but they are
not sufficiently abundant to yield fortunes to those who dig for them.
Some of the rivers flowing from Adam's Peak are literally paved with
garnets, but they are nearly all so small as to be worthless. The only
use for these garnet-sands is for sawing elephants' teeth into plates,
and for polishing other gems.
The annual exportation of precious stones from Ceylon is about $50,000;
this does not include the stones, nearly all false, that are sold to
passengers on the steamers touching at Galle. When there is a goodly
number of verdant travellers on a steamer, the harvest is likely to be a
rich one. The European naturally thinks there is a relation between the
asking and the selling price of an article, and when a native demands a
hundred dollars for a gem, the stranger is very apt to offer five or ten
dollars for the stone, and even then he thinks he has acted meanly. He
is astonished to find his offer accepted, and still more astonished to
find that, his purchase is not worth twenty-five cents.
A couple of natives followed our friends in their walk on shore, and
persisted in offering a select assortment of rubies, sapphires, and
other stones. One of them urged Frank to buy a fine ruby for ten pounds,
and a sapphire for fifteen, with the guarantee of his word of honor that
they were genuine. Frank thought of his sister and Miss Effie, and how
much these gems would please them, and finally asked the dealer his
lowest price.
The man meditated a moment, as if balancing in his mind the figure that
came as nearly as possible to the actual cost, and then said he would
sell the two for twenty pounds, or one hundred dollars.
Frank referred the matter to Doctor Bronson, and asked how much it would
be wise to offer. The latter looked at the stones for a moment, and
suggested that a rupee (fifty cents) would be about the thing.
Frank was rather taken aback at this difference in figures, but gravely
followed his mentor's advice. He tendered the rupee, which was refused
with indignation; but when he held the stones in one hand and the rupee
in the other, for the man to take his choice and be gone, the rupee was
accepted, and Frank was the happy owner of a sapphire and a ruby of
excellent color and "finest water," that had their origin among the
makers of false gems in Paris or London. The native makers are, however,
quite as skilful as the Europeans, and it is said that some of the best
fictions in the way of precious stones are produced in India.
[Illustration: VIEW OF THE COAST NEAR GALLE HARBOR.]