Four Young Explorers; Or, Sight-Seeing in the Tropics

by Oliver Optic

  CHAPTER XI

  STEAMBOATING THROUGH A GREAT FOREST

  Although there was a wall of green on each side of the boat, and theriver was not more than sixty feet wide, the explorers found thateverything close to the earth was under water. If the dense jungle hadnot prevented, they might have sailed inland, they knew not how manymiles. As the stream became narrower the current increased in force. Thetrees were full of monkeys, and hundreds of them appeared to be in sightall the time. They were of the most common kind to be found in Borneo,and the yacht created no excitement among them. They were so tame thatany number of them could have been brought down by the hunters.

  "The water is not so dirty as it has been everywhere below," saidCaptain Scott, as the Blanchita stemmed the current without anydifficulty, where paddling a sampan must have been a laboriousoccupation. "It is tolerably clear along here, and we might take ourmorning bath very comfortably."

  "We might if a big crocodile did not break his way through the bushes topay us a visit," replied Louis.

  "After the experience of this morning, I am not disposed to try itagain, and I shall take my bath in a wash-bowl with a sponge, though Iam very fond of swimming. But, Louis, don't you think we have had aboutenough of hunting in Borneo?"

  "Enough! Why, we have not yet been a week on the island," replied Louis,not a little astonished at the captain's question. "I have enjoyedmyself very well so far, and I certainly do not wish to leave till wehave killed at least one good-sized orang."

  "It is rather stupid hunting here, for about all the country is underwater," added Scott. "There seems to be nothing but monkeys here; andthey are very small game, even if we were disposed to shoot them."

  "But there are some lakes up the river, Mr. Eng told me; and I think weshall get out of this tangle very soon; and when we come to higherground we will go on shore, and try our luck on foot."

  The captain talked as though he had some scheme in his head which he wasnot yet prepared to unfold to his companions. But what could he do?Nothing had been said on board of the ship about coming back to Sarawakfor the hunters, and to give up hunting and exploring would be simply toreturn to Kuching, and idle away the time for the next two weeks. Louisdid not like this idea at all; and yet it seemed to be the alternativewhich Scott must have in his mind.

  "Mias!" shouted Achang, when the conversation had proceeded so far.

  "Where is your mias?" demanded Louis; for most of the party had come tocalling the orang by his Malay name.

  The Bornean pointed into the forest, the trees of which were growing inthe water, though there was an undergrowth of screw-pines, which hadbeen abundant all along the river. They were not pines as the explorersunderstood the word at home. The plant is a bush or small tree with halfa dozen or more branches angling upward from the trunk, and twisting alittle towards it, from which feature it takes its name. It has long,lanceolated leaves, and therefore is not at all like the American pine.

  "Stop her, Lane!" called the captain in a tone that "meant business.""Back her!"

  The last order was given because there was an opening through thescrew-pines which afforded a full view of the taller trees about twentyrods farther from the stream. The captain then took the wheel from Lane,rang the gong to go ahead; and, putting the helm hard-a-starboard, theboat came about, headed into the opening. Looking forward, there seemedbut very few trees or bushes compared with the number along the flowingstream.

  "Do you see the mias, Louis?" asked Scott.

  "I do; and he is in a very favorable position. He is a big one, and mustbe a male," replied Louis, who stood at the stem with a repeating-riflein his hand.

  "Do you see him, Flix?"

  "I do; and he has a green nest in the same tree with him."

  "YOU ARE NEAR ENOUGH, CAPTAIN."

  _Page 99._]

  By this time all the party had taken their rifles. The boat moved veryslowly. A seaman sounded the depth with a boathook, and reported eightfeet. As she approached the orang, the brute showed his teeth, anduttered several successive growls, as though he understood that dangerwas near; but he did not attempt to escape.

  "I wonder can the blackguard swim," said Felix, who had his rifle readyto fire.

  "I have read that he is a poor swimmer," replied Louis.

  "How does he get about here where the water is eight feet deep?"

  "He is not as agile as the gibbon; but he can make his way from one treeto another in the same manner, and his road is through the trees, andnot on the ground."

  "Here I am, and I can't go any farther," said the captain, as he rang tostop her. "I can't get the boat through this clump of bushes."

  "You are near enough, Captain; let her rest where she is," repliedLouis, as he aimed his rifle at the orang, which was sitting on a branchholding on with both hands.

  Louis fired, and the creature fell with a loud splash into the water atthe foot of the tree. But he was not dead, and was struggling to escape.He was evidently wounded very badly, and when the hunter saw hisopportunity he fired again. The orang had grasped a screw-pine, and heheld on, but he struggled no more. The captain had ordered the sampanto be brought alongside, and two men were at the paddles. Louis andFelix joined them, and they paddled towards the _game_.

  "I think he is dead though he still holds on at the bush," said Louis.

  "We shall soon find out," added Clingman, as he threw a slip-noose overhis head. "Heave ahead now!" he continued, as Clinch grasped the linewith him, and they pulled together.

  The orang did not make any movement, and it was certain that he wasdead. When they had drawn him within a few feet of the sampan, the linewas made fast, and the men paddled to the steamer. A purchase was riggedto the top of one of the stanchions, and the dead animal was hoistedinto the sampan.

  "Now, Lane, measure him," said the captain.

  The body was laid out at full length in the bottom of the boat; and thecarpenter took his length on a boathook, which he notched to indicatethe height of the animal. He was directed to take several othermeasurements; in fact, Louis kept him at work for over an hour, withanother hand to assist him in spreading out the limbs. The captainbecame quite impatient; for he was less a scientist than the youngmillionaire, though he had a taste for natural history.

  "Have you finished, Louis?" asked Scott as the former returned to theyacht.

  "All done; but Lane must sum up the results," replied Louis.

  "What good will all those measurements do you?" demanded the captainrather contemptuously.

  "They will not put any money in my pocket, but I want to know the sizeof the game I have killed," answered Louis, somewhat nettled by themanner of Scott. "When a man has caught a fish he wants to know what hisprize weighs."

  "All right; but I want to get a little farther into the woods here, andI can get around the bushes ahead of her," replied the captain, who hadbeen studying up a course by which he could go a considerable distancefarther inland.

  He backed the boat, and then went ahead very slowly, with Clingmanfeeling of the bottom with the boathook. It was novel sailing throughthe forest in a steam-launch, and all hands enjoyed it. The screw-pineswere rather scattered, and the forest of large trees was quite open.After the boat had gone about half a mile, as the captain judged,Clingman made a report.

  "By the mark, one," said he, as the depth is given with the lead, infathoms.

  "Six feet; we are shoaling," added Captain Scott. "Try it again."

  "Five feet," returned the seaman.

  The steamer continued on her course, with Scott at the wheel, for sometime longer. The dry land could be seen through the trees at no greatdistance ahead. The boat continued on her course for a quarter of anhour, when Clingman call out a depth which caused the captain to ringthe gong to stop her. The last report was three feet, and the keel wasevidently grinding through the soft mud. Then he rang to back her; andwhen she had increased her depth to four feet, he struck the gong tostop her.

  "Dinner is ready, gentlem
en," said Pitts.

  "We must attend to that before we do anything more," added the captain."Keep a sharp lookout ahead, Clingman."

  The party went into the after cabin, and the novelty of dining on boardof a steamer in the woods was sufficiently inspiring to add a biginterest to the occasion.

  "What have you got for dinner, Pitts?" asked Felix, as he entered thecabin. "Have you got any stewed crocodiles?"

  "Not a croc, Mr. McGavonty," replied the cook.

  "Any boiled orang-outang?"

  "Not an orang. The captain bought six dozens of eggs at the villagewhere we stopped yesterday, and I have ham and eggs for dinner, which Ihope will suit you," replied Pitts.

  "The best thing in the world for me. Whisper! Are they crocodiles'eggs?"

  "Not a bit of it, sir."

  The principal dish proved to be very satisfactory to the boys, whoseappetites had been sharpened by the exercise of the forenoon. Thecuisine had been very good along the rivers, for Pitts had generallybeen the caterer as well as the cook and steward. Chickens and eggs hadbeen plentiful enough, and at the town he had obtained some fish. Therewas no fresh beef or mutton. They had a barrel of excellent salt beeffrom the stores of the ship; and Pitts made a splendid hash, whichsuited all hands better than almost anything else.

  While they were at dinner the steward brought in Lane's report of themeasurements of the orang Louis had shot. It was given to the Captain atthe head of the table; and he read it off: "Height, 4 feet, 5-1/4inches; arms spread out full length, from end to end of longest fingers,7 feet, 10 inches; length of arm, 3 feet, 3 inches; length of hand,10-1/2 inches; length of foot, 12-1/4 inches; round the waist, 4 feet, 2inches. Four men estimated on the weight, and the average is 185pounds.'"

  "Big mias," said Achang.

  "Do you think you can skin and stuff him, Achang?" asked Louis.

  "Know I can; have done it with naturalist."

  "Then you may go to work on it as soon as you please, and I will giveyou five dollars for the job," added Louis. "Take your time, and do itwell."

  "Where I work? Sampan no good."

  "I can make a place in the waist," said the captain; "besides, I wantthe small boat, for we can see higher land farther in, and I wish to goashore there; we may find some shooting."

  The boxes and barrels were moved farther forward and aft, and a workshopmade for the Bornean. The sampan was cleaned out when the hands hadfinished their dinner, and the "Big Four," embarked in it. They didtheir own paddling, for there was not room enough for any more in theboat without crowding. Each of them carried a rifle. It was but a shortdistance, and the party were soon on the dry land.

  Louis had hardly put his feet on the shore when he levelled his gun andfired. A moment later Felix followed his example; and each of them hadbrought down a deer. They rushed forward to secure their game; and thenthe other two hunters discharged their rifles, and a couple of wild pigsrolled over on the ground. It was plain that they had struck a spotwhere hunters seldom came. If there was any more game near, the reportof the guns had driven it off.

  "That was pretty well for a five minutes' hunt," said Louis when he andFelix had dragged the two deer to the water. "I think we had better stayhere over night, and hunt on high ground to-morrow."

  "That wouldn't do, Louis, and I should not dare to keep the Blanchitahere over night," replied Captain Scott.

  "Why not?"

  "The water is high and low up here by turns, and I am afraid I shouldfind the yacht on the bottom in the morning," replied Scott. "Then wecould not get her out of the woods, and might have to stay here a weekor two, waiting for water to float her. No, no; I won't take the risk."

  The game was dragged to the shore, and loaded into the sampan; for theappalling picture the captain had made of low water induced them all tohurry on board of the yacht.