In the Eastern Seas

by William Henry Giles Kingston

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

  THE ARU ISLANDS VISITED.

  Leaving the coast of New Guinea, the _Dugong_ stood across to the AruIslands, which Mr Hooker was anxious to visit. I may as well say thatthe dugong is a large fish found in these waters, from ten to twelvefeet in length, of the whale species. They swim in flocks, often cominginto shallow water.

  The natives prize them for food. We speared one, and got it on board;and we all agreed, when the fish was cooked, that we had seldom tasted amore delicate dish. However, the look of the dugong is not attractive.Mr Hooker told me that the female dugong is remarkable for theaffection which she has for her young, of which she produces only one ata time. If the young dugong is speared, she will never leave it, but issure to be taken also.

  We approached the Aru Islands from the southward. The sea between themand New Guinea is very shallow, considerably under fifty fathoms in manyplaces. There are about eighty of them, mostly very low, and forming achain about a hundred miles in length, and half that distance in width.They belong to the Dutch. The inhabitants are very mixed. There is alarger number of Papuans than any other race among the population. Twoor three native Christian schoolmasters have been sent over from Amboynato teach the inhabitants. We could just see these islands in the fardistance, when we found ourselves approaching a fleet of large nativeboats at anchor. Two or three vessels were also at anchor near them.With our glasses we could see a number of figures standing up in theboats, and then suddenly disappearing overboard. Others were seenclimbing up over the sides. What they could be about I could not atfirst guess. On pointing them out to Mr Hooker, however, he said atonce that they must be pearl-divers; and as the wind was very light, andwe passed close to them, we had an opportunity of observing theirproceedings. There appeared to be about a dozen men in each boat, halfof whom were evidently, from their want of dress, the divers, while twoother men we took to be the chief and an assistant. A large sugar-loafstone was let down overboard by a thick rope. A diver stepped on thegunwale, holding on by the rope, and apparently placing his toe in aloop or hole to keep his foot in its place. On the other foot a net wasfastened. With this apparatus the diver began to descend. Before,however, his head reached the water I saw that he held his nose verytightly with his hand. This was, I understood, to prevent the watergetting into his nostrils. We calculated that about four from each boatwere down at a time, and we judged that each man remained from two tothree minutes below the water. Up he came again at the end of thattime, apparently very little exhausted, although he must have beenmaking active exertions to collect the shells. After he had come to thetop, the net containing the oysters was drawn up, and in that time hehad collected from a hundred to a hundred and fifty.

  We watched them with great interest, and were anxious to procure some ofthe oysters, but the chiefs would not sell them; indeed, they all belongto merchants who have rented the fishing for the season. Some of themen, we observed, suffered far more than others, and discharged waterfrom their mouths and ears and nostrils, and some even blood; but,notwithstanding this, the same men were ready to go down again whentheir turn came. We learned that most of them will make from forty tofifty plunges in one day, and that a few of the most experienced andstrongest remain down nearly five minutes. Their greatest danger isfrom the ground shark, which lies in wait at the bottom. However, someof these men will face even the shark, with knives in their hands, andcome off victorious. To secure themselves still further, some of theboats carry conjurers or priests on board, who, by their incantations,are supposed to preserve them from the attacks of the shark. Of course,if a diver is picked off by a shark, the conjurer asserts that he hasnot properly obeyed his directions, and thus does not lose his credit.The saw-fish is another of the diver's foes, more dangerous, becausemore difficult to attack than the shark.

  The merchants have to keep a very strict look-out on the divers on theirreturn to the shore, as frequently when the oyster is in the boat, andleft alive undisturbed for some time, it opens its shell. A pearl maythen easily be discovered, and, by means of a piece of wood, the shellbe prevented from again closing till the diver has an opportunity ofpicking out the prize. Sometimes they will even swallow the pearls toconceal them. As soon as the boats arrive on the shore the oysters areput in holes or pits dug in the ground to the depth of about two feet,fenced carefully round to guard them from depredation. Mats are firstspread below them to prevent them touching the earth. Here the oystersare left to die and rot. As soon as they have passed through a state ofputrefaction and become dry, they can be easily opened without thedanger of injuring the pearl, which might be the case if they wereopened when fresh. The shell is then carefully examined for pearls.Sometimes one is found in the body of the mollusc itself, but it isgenerally in the shell. We afterwards, on going on shore, had aspecimen of the horrid odour which arises from these pits, but thepeople who are accustomed to it do not appear to suffer; indeed, we sawpeople groping about on the sands where the oyster pits had existed, andlearned that they were seeking for stray oysters, frequently pearls ofsome value being thus discovered.

  Emily and Grace, as well as Oliver and I, took great interest inwatching the proceedings I have described. I asked Mr Hooker howpearls come to exist.

  "Oh, I have read somewhere," exclaimed Emily, "that they are produced bya kind of dew which falls from heaven into the salt water, where theoyster swallows it, when it hardens and forms the beautiful white objectwe call a pearl."

  "A very poetical notion, Miss Emily," observed Mr Hooker; "but inreality pearls are identical with the substance which we callmother-of-pearl, which lines the shell of the oyster. It is, indeed,the result of disease. When any substance intrudes into the shell theanimal puts forth a viscous liquor, which agglomerates and hardens tillthe pearl is formed. It is said, indeed, in some places, that thedivers pierce the shells of the oysters, and thus increase the number ofpearls. It has also been discovered that oysters which have beenpierced by a certain small marine worm have invariably pearls withinthem. The oyster, to defend itself from the worm, covers the hole witha substance which becomes as hard as the shell, and brilliant asmother-of-pearl."

  A breeze springing up towards evening, we proceeded on our voyage,followed by the boats, which also shaped a course for the Aru Islands.In the course of the next day we came in sight of a small rocky islandwith high cliffs, off which we espied a couple of Chinese junks atanchor. As the island was not much out of our course, we stood towardsit, keeping the lead going for fear of reefs. The water, however, wasdeep close up to the rocks. The cliffs completely overhung the sea, andwe observed within them numerous hollows and caverns. On gettingnearer, we saw that several boats belonging to the junks were lyingdirectly under the cliffs. As the wind fell, we came to an anchor, forthe sea over which we were now sailing was so shallow, that we couldanchor in calm weather in almost any part of it.

  A boat was lowered, and Mr Hooker invited us to accompany him. As wepassed near the Chinese junk the crew hailed us, and Mr Hooker, whounderstood a little Chinese, remarked that they seemed very angry withus.

  "They think, probably, that we have come to search for edible birds'nests, which they themselves are now collecting," he observed.

  "Edible birds' nests?" exclaimed Emily and Grace together. "Do you meanto say, Mr Hooker, by that, that there are birds' nests fit to eat?"

  "The Chinese not only think them fit to eat, but esteem them greatdelicacies," observed Mr Hooker. "These junks have come all the wayfrom China to collect them, and if they manage to get back without beingplundered by pirates, or sent to the bottom by storms, they will make anenormous profit by the voyage."

  Mr Hooker hailed the junk in return, and told the men that they neednot be alarmed; that we did not come to interfere with them, but onlyprompted by curiosity to see what they were about. As we got nearer wesaw the entrance to a cavern, into which we pulled. A far from pleasantodour issued from it, while ahead there was an i
nky darkness, which thekeenest eye could not penetrate. As we proceeded, however, we observeda bright light coming from the interior, which showed us a boat with acouple of Chinese in her, one of whom was holding a torch; while anotherman, by means of a ladder, was mounting up a narrow ledge of rock on theside. Overhead huge bats flitted round us, while on every side the tinychirp of innumerable birds was taken up and echoed from seemingly athousand voices throughout the cavern. Above the head of the Chineseappeared a number of nests, something in the shape of large deep spoonswithout handles, split in half longitudinally, smaller than the ordinaryswallow's nest. They were placed, without any order apparently, onevery spot where a slight projection of the rock afforded a foundation.The Chinese, like their friends on board the junk, began to abuse us forcoming to interfere with their occupation. Mr Hooker, however, soonpacified them, and offered them some money for a few of the nests, thatwe might examine them. This brought them at once into good humour, andthey very readily sold us a dozen or more of the nests, though I thoughtthe price for birds' nests a very high one. A number of birds likeswallows were flying in and out of the cavern. They had the flight ofswallows; indeed, Mr Hooker said they were a species of swallow. Theywere about the size of robins or sparrows; their breasts white, theirwings grey, and their backs and the feathers of their tails shiningblack. On examining the nests which we had purchased, we found thatthey were composed of a gelatinous substance something like isinglass.

  "This is the substance," Mr Hooker told us, "that the Chinese make intobroth. They are packed, however, just as they are cut from the rock,and carried to China. There they are cleansed from all extraneoussubstances, and are then boiled or stewed, every particle of dirt beingthus more completely removed; and then, with a mixture of spices, theymake a transparent, delicate-looking jelly, although, without thespices, they have little or no flavour."

  "But where can they obtain this jelly-like substance?" asked Emily.

  "I believe it is produced from a mollusc of some sort, on which thebirds feed. When they require to build their nests, they disgorge thegelatinous portion for the purpose; and as this substance possesses thenutritive qualities of animal matter, I have little doubt that it isproduced from these molluscs," said Mr Hooker.

  Not only within the cavern, but on all available and tolerably shelteredspots outside, we saw a number of the sea-swallows' nests. We pulledclose under one cliff, where we could distinguish clearly a bird sittingin its nest--we concluded on its eggs--and looking very much at itsease. Another little bird was standing watching its nest. We supposedtherefore that its young had been hatched; and as they were in aninaccessible part of the cliff, we hoped they would escape theChinaman's grasp.

  As we had given a good price for the first nests, the Chinese willinglysold us another dozen, with which, wishing them a successfulbird's-nesting expedition, we returned on board the _Dugong_. TheMalays assert that the bird feeds upon insects and other minutecreatures floating on the surface of the sea; and on further examiningthe nests, we perceived long filaments resembling very fine vermicelli,coiled one part over the other, without any regularity, and gluedtogether by transverse rows of the same material. Mr Hooker told usthat the trade in birds' nests employs a large amount of capital andmen. However, the loss of life arising from accidents and exposure isvery great. It has been asserted that, on an average, two out of everyfive men employed in bird's-nesting meet with a violent death. In Chinaa "_catty_" or one pound and a quarter English, of the best nests, sellsat about 9 pounds sterling. Their value depends chiefly upon theirtranslucent whiteness. Those which have not been lined or used by thebirds obtain the highest prices.

  Frau Ursula made a small dish of a few of the birds' nests, which, whenfirst put before us, were perfectly tasteless. When, however, she hadadded certain seasoning, it was pronounced as delicate as any food couldbe. The Chinese use them chiefly for thickening their soups andragouts.

  The sea-swallow is found along the northern coast of Australia, as wellas on the rocks and islands of the sea which we were now navigating. Alarge number of Chinese junks come every year to procure the nests,which are greatly prized in China.

  As we neared the Aru Islands we passed close to a number of boats atanchor, the people from which were continually jumping overboard,diving, and returning to the surface with some creatures in their hands.As on the previous day, the wind was light, and we were able toaccompany Mr Hooker, and pulled off in the boat to see what they wereabout.

  "What can they be getting?" I asked.

  "The creatures the natives are collecting are the _holothurians_, orsea-cucumbers," answered the naturalist. "There are a great manyspecies of these creatures; but, I believe, those found on banks ofcoral sand are the most valued."

  Emily and Grace, however, when they saw the creatures, could not helpexpressing exclamations of disgust at their appearance. They were likegigantic slugs, or long black bags with frills at the top. Mr Hookerpurchased a basket full of the creatures, which he wished to examinemore at his leisure.

  "But of what use can those ugly things be?" asked Emily, as we pulledback to the vessel.

  "Our omnivorous friends the Chinese would be very much surprised at yourasking the question," answered Mr Hooker. "They look upon them as oneof their most delicate articles of food, though greatly inferior to thebirds' nests we found yesterday. I see it stated that from Macassaralone these creatures are shipped to China to the value of 150,000pounds; and this is only a very small portion of those used, not only bythe Chinese, but the natives of many other parts of the shores of thoseseas. When taken on shore, their intestines are removed, and they arethen boiled in sea-water: in some places with the leaves of the papaw,and in others with the bark of the mangrove-tree, which gives them abright red colour. After they have been boiled, they are buried in theground till the next day, when they are spread out to dry in the sun.They are now considered fit for shipment to China, to which the largernumber are sent. In some places, however, they are not buried, butsmoked over the fire on a framework formed of bamboo. The Chinese makethem into soups, sometimes boiling pieces of sugar-cane with them, whichis said to neutralise their rank flavour."

  Sailing round the north end of the group, we approached its capital, orchief trading settlement, situated off the north-west end. It is calledDobbo. Just as we came off it we sighted a Dutch man-of-war brig, andstood towards her. The wind was light, and she had, apparently,fishing-lines overboard. Mr Hooker hailed her, and asked her where shewas bound for. Her commander, who spoke English, replied, "ForTernate."

  "How fortunate!" I exclaimed. "We can then write to Captain Davenport,and tell him of our safety."

  The commander at once politely offered to convey a letter. "He mighthowever," he observed, "be some little time on the passage, as he was insearch of pirates, whose vessels had lately been heard of in those seas,and had committed depredations on the islands under protection of theDutch."

  We all hurried down into the cabin to write our letters, as, of course,I was anxious to give an account of what had occurred to my kind friend.Emily wished to write to Mrs Davenport, as did also Grace to hermother. As there was not much time, we described our adventures asbriefly as possible. Mr Hooker had proposed to proceed through theJava Seas to Singapore; while Captain Davenport had arranged, should hebe able to obtain a vessel, to go there by way of the SoolooArchipelago, round the north of Borneo. On returning on deck we saw agreat commotion on board the brig--all the sailors rushing aft, andhauling away at a rope overboard. In a short time the snout of a hugefish appeared above the water, struggling violently, and it seemed verylikely he would break away. "A shark! a shark!" cried our men. I hadscarcely supposed so enormous a creature existed. He was fullytwenty-six feet long, and looked capable of swallowing not only a man'sleg, but the whole of his body at a gulp. It made me shudder at thethought of falling overboard, and I felt thankful that while strugglingin the water no such monster had found me out. "
O Walter! howterrible!" exclaimed Emily. The same idea seemed to have crossed hermind. One of the officers stood, harpoon in hand, ready to strike thecreature as he was drawn up under the vessel's counter. A "whip" wasimmediately rigged, and the crew hauling away, the shark, in spite ofhis struggles, was hoisted up on deck. Scarcely had he reached it,however, than we saw the crew scattering right and left; and it lookedas if he had taken the deck from them, so violent were the lashes hegave with his tail as he floundered up and down, and turned and twistedon every side. At length the most daring of the men returned aft, armedwith capstan bars and hatchets; but it was not till after many blows,and jumping and leaping to get out of the way of the monster's tail,that he was seen to lie quiet on the deck.

  I then went in the boat with our despatches on board the brig. Thecommander received me very politely, and undertook to deliver them. Hewarned us to keep a sharp look-out for pirates, as our brig being onlyslightly armed, they were very likely to attack us should we meet them.He kindly offered me some slices of the shark; but I laughingly declinedthe gift, saying that we were going on shore, where we might find plentyof beef and mutton. He laughed, however, at that notion, and observedthat we were more likely to find pig and kangaroo, as beef and muttonwere articles unknown in that region. I bid him and his officersfarewell, and returned to the _Dugong_, I felt greatly relieved at thethought that Captain Davenport would now hear of our safety, and hopedbefore long to meet him and his kind wife at Singapore. I told MrHooker that I had been offered some of the shark's flesh, but haddeclined receiving it.

  "Had he presented a Chinese with the fins, he would have beenoverwhelmed with gratitude, as they are considered almost as delicatemorsels as the edible birds' nests," said Mr Hooker. "The creature inmany parts is caught for the sake of his fins alone, which are sent toChina in large quantities, where they are used in the same way that thebirds' nests and tripang are employed, though they rank next to birds'nests in value. They are of the same gelatinous consistency, and aremade into soups and ragouts."

  Dobbo, being exposed, to the sea-breezes, is healthy, and a goodanchorage is found close to it. The place presented an animatedappearance, as traders from all parts of the archipelago assemble there.The buildings they inhabited were not, however, pretentious, beingcomposed of bamboo and reeds; while many of the traders consideredclothes somewhat superfluous. On the shore a number of prows werehauled up and being refitted for sea. Caulkers were at work on some;painters on others, who were covering them with a thick white limeplaster, making them look very clean and bright. Sailmakers, wholooked, however, more like mat-makers, were at work in some places. Thetripang--black ugly lumps--was being exposed to the sun to be preparedfor loading. In another spot people were busy tying up bundles ofmother-of-pearl shell. Carpenters were engaged in squaring timber forrepairing vessels; while boats from the islands of Goram and Ceram wereunloading their cargoes of sago-cake, with which the traders supplythemselves for their homeward voyage. We were amused with the vastnumber of different cockatoos, lories, and parrots, which were securedby strings on bamboo perches in front of the numerous reed huts, allchattering and talking together, as if carrying on some importantconsultation; while beautiful metallic-green or white fruit-pigeons wereuttering their pleasing coos in all directions. These people areevidently fond of tame creatures, for we saw several beautiful littlekangaroos hopping about, quite as tame and as elegant as fawns. Youngcassowaries also, striped with black and brown, ran about as tame asbarn-door fowls. This is a wingless bird, the body of which is aboutdouble the size of that of a large turkey, but its long legs make itfive or six feet in height. It is covered with long, coarse, black,hair-like feathers. The skin of the neck is bare, and is of a brightblue and red. Instead of wings it has a group of horny black spines,like porcupine quills. The species I have described is found in theneighbourhood of the island of Ceram. Mr Hooker told us that it feedschiefly on fallen fruits, and on insects or Crustacea. The female laysfrom three to five large eggs of a shagreen-green colour, upon a bed ofleaves. The male and female sit alternately for about a month uponthem. The articles we saw exposed for sale in the fair were chieflypearl shell and the tripang, known also as the _beche-de-mer_; as alsotortoise-shell, edible birds' nests, pearls, and birds of paradise, orrather their stuffed skins. The Malay traders had brought for sale, orto exchange with these articles, guns, swords, knives, choppers,tobacco, plates and basins, handkerchiefs, _sarongs_, calicoes, andarrack in bottles. Tea, coffee, sugar, and wine, were also to be seen;and even fancy goods, such as china ornaments, pipes and purses;umbrellas, razors, and looking-glasses; indeed, it is curious what anumber of articles are found in this out-of-the-way spot, and many ofthem costing no more than they did in England.

  These articles are exchanged for English calico, crockery, cutlery,fire-arms, gunpowder, gongs, and elephants' tusks. They not only buymuskets, but small brass guns, on which they set a high value. Theyalso prize tobacco for chewing. We always slept on board, and the soundof the Malays' songs came across the water to a late hour of the night.The musical instruments we heard were tom-toms, Jews'-harps, andfrequently fiddles. The Malays are a merry, vivacious people, and fondof several games. The most interesting was a game at football, whichwas generally played in the evening. The ball is small, made of ratan,hollow, elastic, and light. One of the players dances it for a shorttime on his foot, sometimes on his arm or thigh, and then striking itwith the hollow of his foot, sends it flying high into the air. Aplayer from the opposite side rushes forward, catches it on his foot inthe same way, and returns it. The rule appeared to be that the ballshould never be touched by the hand, but that the arms, shoulder, orknee may be employed. Far less satisfactory was their custom ofcock-fighting. Steel spurs are used, as they were formerly in civilisedEngland; and the spectators, who stand round in a ring, show theirsavage character by their fearful yells and leaps as they see theircocks likely to win or lose.

  We saw shells used here for every purpose. Some of the magnificentvolute shells were employed as baskets; while gigantic helmet shells,suspended by ratan handles, formed the vessels in which fresh water wasbrought from house to house.

  I was delighted to find that Mr Hooker had resolved to make anexcursion into the interior of the mainland for the sake of obtainingsome birds of paradise. As the fatigue might be too great for the youngladies, they remained on board under charge of Frau Ursula; Oliver and Ionly accompanying him, with two native hunters, a trustworthy guide, andan interpreter who spoke Dutch. The natives of these islands, I shouldsay, are Papuans, and in some parts are said to be very savage. Theyare expert archers, and are never seen without their bows and arrows.They shoot pigs and kangaroos with them, as well as all sorts of birds.We met some of the natives who came from the south islands, who wereeven more savage in appearance and manners than the rest. They wore anumber of rude ornaments--one of comb, shaped like a horse-shoe, ontheir foreheads, the ends resting on the temples. The end of thisornament is fastened into a piece of wood, plated in front with tin;above it waves a plume of feathers of a cock's tail.

  In the Aru Islands are found a number of birds of paradise, some,indeed, of the most beautiful, which I will describe shortly.