XI
AN ADVENTURE IN THE HEART OF MALAY-LAND
To the world-wanderer the confines of our little planet seem verylimited indeed, and to him there are few regions within its boundarieswhich remain long unknown. Yet to the vast majority of people Old MotherEarth abounds in many a _terra incognita_.
Away in the East, where the Indian Ocean merges into the China Sea,where the sunny waters of the Malacca Straits are being ceaselesslyfurrowed by giant steamers and merchantmen, lies a land, which thoughspoken of glibly by every schoolboy, is to-day one of the least exploredcountries of the globe. The Malay Peninsula is a familiar enough name,and so it ought to be, for it skirts the ocean highway to the FloweryKingdom and to some of our most valuable island possessions; still, itis a strange fact that this narrow neck of land is, geographicallyspeaking, one of the world's darkest areas.
Its seaboard is generally flat and overgrown with mangroves to a depthof several miles, but the interior is an extremely mountainous region,containing elevations of over eight thousand feet. An irregularbackbone connects all these great heights, and it itself is of no meandimensions, being throughout well over three thousand feet abovesea-level. Between the mountain-peaks, as may be imagined, there islittle room for fertile plateaus, and the most settled districts inconsequence are those farthest away from the towering ranges; of theseSelangor is, perhaps, the most noteworthy. Here vast forests and junglescrub extend everywhere, though the trees are being rapidly cut down bythe numerous Chinese tin-miners in the settlement; and here also is thecapital of the Federated Malay States, whose petty rulers within recentyears have united their forces under a British Protectorate.
Perak, towards the north-west, and Pahang, stretching over to the sea onthe eastern side, are the two most mountainous divisions in theConfederacy, and to the traveller they are also the most interestingbecause of the immunity of their interior fastnesses from the visits ofwhite men. Numerous rivers reach the coast on both sides of the centralwatershed, many of those rising in the highlands of Pahang and Kelantanbeing absolutely untraced and unnamed. The entire country near thecoast, on the east as on the west, may be said to be given over to rankjungles, in which the lordly tiger, the one-horned rhinoceros, the wildpig, and tapir have their homes, and monkeys of almost every species areabundant in the wooded slopes.
One-half of the world's tin is produced in the Malay States; it ismined chiefly in Selangor and Malacca, and forms the mainstay of thecountry's prosperity, though, curiously enough, little or nostanniferous deposits have been found on the eastern side of thedividing range. But though very few people know it, the most valuable ofall metals has been discovered on the upper waters of the Pahang Riverand tributaries. The Chinese swarm in their thousands on the westernslopes, and outnumber the Malays by more than three to one. They aresurely the bane of the wanderer's existence.
The Malays are not the aboriginal race of the Peninsula, though theyhave lived on the coast for centuries, and are descended from thebloodthirsty pirates who terrorised the Straits of Malacca. The realowners of the country are the Sakis, a wild race who in appearance viewith their brethren in Central Australia, and are very little differentfrom the chimpanzees which infest the forests. They hold no intercoursewith the coast-dwellers, and are rarely seen unless by the adventuroustraveller, for their retreat is among the mountains, and as far awayfrom John Chinaman's presence as it is possible to get.
The Sakis are a rude and miserably backward people. Like the Papuans ofNew Guinea, they build their huts in the branches of trees; but for thisthey have good reason--the prowling animals of the forest wouldotherwise soon obliterate the slowly dying tribe. Their only weapons arethe _sumpitan_, or blow-pipe, and a club, which is not unlike the"waddie" of the Australian aboriginal; but with these they can do quiteenough damage to deter all but the reckless from visiting their chosenhaunts.
The charm of far-off countries has ever had a great power over allBritons; the true traveller's instinct is in their blood, and the noblearray of red markings on our maps amply testify to the brilliance oftheir achievements. Knowing this, I speak with care of a country that Ihave traversed in my wanderings, so that if others who read these wordsmay feel impelled to take up the pilgrim staff, they may at least relyupon my humble observations.
A few years back, after journeying through Achin in Sumatra--anotherlittle-known "corner" jealously guarded by the Dutch--I, with my fivecompanions, found it necessary to betake ourselves to British Dominions,having given offence to the Holland Government by our peregrinationsthrough the hostile Achinese territory. So we embarked on a Malay traderbound for Klang, the port of Selangor, and commenced an expedition whichI can recall now as being one of the most interesting of all my travels.The details of our progress across the Peninsula could not be givenhere, but I will relate one of our first experiences with thetree-dwellers of Kelantan, when we were camped on the head-waters of theLebah River in that province, where, I believe, no white man had everbeen before.
We had systematically prospected the various mountain-streams in thewest for gold without result; but here we had discovered unmistakabletraces of the precious metal; and our hearts being gladdenedaccordingly, we prepared to explore still farther into the mountains insearch of the mother-lode.
"It's rather a curious thing," said Phil at this time, "that we have metnone of the Sakis so far. I should like to see a specimen of the tribebefore we leave their confounded country."
"They're like oorsel's," grunted Mac, "they canna abide the smell o'Cheeniemen; but A'm thinkin' we're near their special habitation noo."
There was considerable truth in Mac's observation. All along the PerakRiver, which we had followed for nearly a hundred miles before branchingoff across an inviting pass in the dividing ranges, we had met thealmond-eyed Celestials in great bands clearing the forest growths andprospecting for tin in the most unlikely places. Perak, I shouldmention, is the Malay word for silver, it having been supposed that vastlodes of that metal abounded in the river valley; but, as a matter offact, there has been very little silver located anywhere near itsvicinity.
We had managed to shake off the yellow-skinned Mongols immediately wediverged into the mountains, and since that time we had been crossingluxurious upland forests, and struggling through long stretches ofjungle country in turn. It was quite possible that the Sakis had seenus, though we had not seen them, for our time had been more occupied inevading reptiles and wild animals than in scanning the tree-tops fortheir imp-like denizens.
"I vote," said the Captain, who was the dead-shot of our party, "that weleave the Sakis alone. We're in their country now, you know, and there'ssuch a thing as tempting Providence."
Phil smiled; he was young and enthusiastic, and he was also an ardentethnographist. "We'll take things as we find them, Captain," said he,"but we usually manage to run across some odd specimens of humanity inour travels. Now, what did you think of the Achinese?"
"A thocht them wonderfu' bloodthirsty folk," grumbled Stewart, tenderlypatting a slowly healing scar on his cheek. "They vera near feenishedme, an' if Mac hadna come along in time A wad hae been cut intosausages----"
I interrupted his ruminations, and saved the company a harrowingdescription of what had happened in Sumatra. "We've heard that so oftennow, Stewart," I said, "that we think you might give us a rest."
Mac cackled harshly in agreement, but Skelton, the stalwart Devonian,who was doctor of our outfit, said rather grimly, "If you get a similarsmash in this country, Stewart, my boy, I'm afraid you won't live totell of it, for we don't seem to be getting into a healthier atmosphere,though we are a good few thousand feet above sea-level."
Stewart subsided gloomily, feeling his pulse the while.
"A believe ye're richt," he replied lugubriously, "what wi' malaria an'muskitties, an' Cheeniemen----"
He broke down, and sought sympathy from his compatriot, who wasleisurely chewing quinine tabloids with an air of relish.
"Dinna be nervish, ma man," che
erfully spoke that worthy, "an' aye keepin mind that A'll mak' ye a bonnie moniment when A gang hame; a ralebonnie moniment, wi' a maist splendiferous inscreeption. Hoo would thislook, for instance?" Here he struck an attitude, and recited solemnly:"Errected tae the memory o' puir auld Stewart----"
At this stage Stewart smote his Job's comforter with a force and fervourthat showed him to be possessed of considerable muscular powers; thenthere was peace.
Our hammocks were swung near the river, on the edge of a dense forest inwhich areca and apia palms raised their stately heads among ebony andcamphor trees, and a plentiful sprinkling of wiry bamboo growths. Thefoliage was so thick in places as to be almost impenetrable, and amidthe clinging underscrub the guttapercha plant and numerous others withnames unknown to us struggled for existence.
The river was here a fairly broad and oily stream, with rather adangerous current; below us it surged and roared over a series of jaggedlimestone rocks, but higher up its course led across a plateau whichextended farther than we could guess, for the mountains faded back intothe far distance and reared their gaunt peaks above a bewildering sea ofluxurious tropical vegetation. It was these mountains we were anxious toreach now, but how to do it promised to be a question not easilyanswered.
After some consideration we decided to follow the river-channel as faras possible, and cut off the curves by blazing a way through the thicketwith our axes. And so, on the morning following our discovery of gold,we packed a fortnight's stores in our kits and trudged off, first takingthe precaution to sling our remaining provisions in an odd hammock fromthe limb of a tall palm, where we hoped to find them on our return.Travelling is not an easy matter in these latitudes, and we hadsucceeded so far only with great difficulty and much perseverance. Wherethe rivers were navigable we had usually progressed by means of hastilyconstructed rafts, but the stream now flowed too swiftly to allow ofthat form of transport, and we had therefore to work our passage in thestrictest sense of the word.
For three days we forged ahead, now clambering along the banks of theswirling torrent, and again crashing through the darkened forest, usingour axes energetically. More than once, in the stiller waters betweenthe curves, huge crocodiles were seen disporting themselves cumbrously,and when we approached they fixed their baleful eyes on us, and camesteadily on until the Captain stopped their leader by a well-directedbullet. The crocodiles of this region seemed extremely ferocious, andno sooner had one of their number been rendered _hors de combat_ thanthe horrible carcass was carried off in triumph by a school of the latesaurian's neighbours.
"They appear tae have vera healthy appetites," murmured Stewartthoughtfully, as he gazed at the ravenous monsters, after an exhibitionof this sort. "A wunner," he continued, addressing Skelton, "if theybastes are affected by the climate?"
"You've got me there, Stewart," replied Skelton, with a laugh; "but theydon't seem to need quinine to aid their digestion, anyhow."
Birds of the most beautiful plumage fluttered among the branches, and Ihad the good fortune to bring down a gorgeous bird of paradise with myrifle. Mac, like the ancient mariner, insisted on carrying this birdround his neck rather than leave it for the tigers and bisons, though herepented of his resolution before he had gone far. Of the wild animalsencountered on this march I could write much. Fortunately the lordlytiger seldom met us in an aggressive mood, but we had severalexperiences with "Old Stripes," nevertheless--at long range; and we wereconstantly stumbling over squeaking pigs and venomous reptiles of manykinds. Little brown animals of the bear family were especiallyubiquitous, so that our time was kept rather fully employed on our longtrail towards the supposed land of El Dorado.
As we neared the shadowy mountains, the river-channel narrowedgradually until it formed a deep gorge, in which the swirling watersdashed like the flood of some gigantic mill-race; and we were forced tokeep the shelter of the forest rather than risk stumbling into theapparently bottomless abysses.
"I'm afraid we cannot go much farther, boys," I said, when we werestruggling through the thicket, steering by compass, and with the riverthundering noisily away to our left.
"The gold in the mountains won't help us much if we have to transportour goods over this sort of country," spoke Phil; and there was muchtruth in his words.
"I have been noticing," remarked Skelton, "that instead of reaching afiner climate we seem to be coming into a very poisonous atmosphere,judging by the odour of the vegetation."
It was certainly strange that the air should continue so dank anddepressing at our high altitude, and several times a most extraordinarystench, as of decaying carcasses, would assail our nostrils and cause usto grow faint and sickly. Soon we began to notice that these poisonousvapours were most pungent in the vicinity of certain enormouscactus-like growths which we encountered here and there; but these hugeplants looked so picturesque and beautiful that we found it hard tobelieve that they could taint the air so frightfully.
"It's rather odd," said Skelton doubtfully, "that where these giantspiky lilies grow there is always an open space clear around, as ifnothing could live in their presence."
"Ah, mon!" howled Mac at that moment, sniffing the ether in disgust."Could onybody believe---- A'll gang an' investeegate this meenit. Comeon, Stewart."
They rushed off at once, and we followed hastily, for the evilexhalations were overpowering, and we meant to trace the cause. Sureenough one of the cacti, with wide-spreading leaves which trailed on theground for several yards, proved to be the seat of the virulent fumes.None of us had ever met such a plant before. A vast bulb was suspendedon a thick stem, which rose from the heart of the leathery leaves, andthis we prepared to examine intently, though we were all but overcome bythe foul gases given off.
"It's a big an' a bonnie flooer," muttered Stewart, extending his hand,and thrusting it into the massive blossom. Then he emitted a yell thatwould have done credit to a full-grown grizzly bear. "It's living!" hebellowed, "an' it's biting me. Cut its heid aff! Quick! Ough!"
"A carnivorous plant!" cried Skelton, decapitating the stem with onestroke of his axe; and Stewart hurriedly drew back his hand with theclinging flower attached. It was indeed a carnivorous plant, and when wehad rescued our companion from its clutches, we held our nostrils andexamined the depths of the odoriferous flower.
"No wonder it smells," said Phil, as the carcasses of birds and insectsinnumerable were tumbled out.
"What a grand thing it would be for Cheeniemen!" commented Mac.
"Let's go on, boys, for mercy's sake," implored the Captain. "I'd rathermeet a tiger any day than one of these vile vegetable traps."
Stewart's wrist had been squeezed so tightly that it was some timebefore he could move it freely. "It would hae nippit ma hand clean offif you hadna beheided it sae quick," said the sufferer gratefully toSkelton as we resumed our march; and I think he was not far wrong.
Our progress now became slower and slower, and our first intention ofreaching the mountain-range beyond the forest was in a similar degreegrowing less definite. I could not see how we were to gain ourobjective, judging by the myriad obstructions in our track, and on thefourth day after leaving camp we had almost decided to retrace oursteps.
"I have given up hope of seeing the natives of this peculiar country,"said Phil, as we tied up our hammocks after breakfast, "and if we gomuch farther we will cross down the Malacca slope, where there isnothing but Chinamen."
"If we do not reach a break in the forest before the day is finished," Isaid, when we had again got on the move, "we'll turn and get down theriver to our old camp."
"What on earth is that?" suddenly cried the Captain, seizing his rifleand gazing into the gently swaying branches overhead. We looked, andsaw an ungainly creature huddled among the spreading fronds, glaring atus with eyes that were half-human, half-catlike in expression.
"A chimpanzee, most likely," I said. "Don't shoot, Captain; it is but asample of what man looked like once."
"I think it is an orang-outang," remarked Phil, "a
nd he would make shortwork of us if he came down."
Mac gazed dubiously at the animal. "A'll slauchter him," said he,raising his deadly blunderbuss; but the huge ape seemed to understandthe action, and with half a dozen bounds he had vanished, swinging fromtree to tree like a living pendulum.
Again we went on, but we had not proceeded fifty yards when a harshhowling all around caused us to halt and examine our firearms nervously.Then a shower of needle-like darts whizzed close to our ears, and arenewed commotion among the branches arrested our attention. Looking up,we saw fully a score of wild shaggy heads thrust out from the clusteringfoliage; but before we had time to collect ourselves, another fusiladeof feather-like missiles descended upon us, penetrating our thinclothing, and pricking us most painfully.
"Monkeys!" roared Mac.
"No. Sakis!" corrected Phil, as we hurriedly sought safety in retreat.
"If these arrows are poisoned, we're dead 'uns, sure," groaned theCaptain, squirming on the ground, and endeavouring to sight his rifle onthe impish creatures.
"They're not poisoned; they are merely pointed reeds blown throughbamboo tubes," said Skelton, after a hasty examination. "They won't hurtmuch; but if they get near us with their clubs----"
Another hail of the pigmy arrows rustled through the branches to rear ofus. "Give them the small shot of your gun, Mac, just to scare them," Icried.
"Sma' shot indeed!" retorted that fiery individual, and the boom of hisartillery filled my ears as he spoke.
An unearthly yell of terror and surprise broke from the aborigines atthe sound of the heavy discharge, followed by a series of piercingshrieks as a few stray pellets touched them.
"Make for the river, boys!" I shouted. "Get clear of the trees!"
The air was now filled with the tiny darts, and my thick pith helmetintercepted so many of them that, as Mac said afterwards, it looked likea miniature reed-plantation. Far on our left the deep rumble of theriver was heard, and towards it we rushed blindly, closely followed by ayelling horde who sprang like squirrels from tree to tree.
"Where is the Captain?" roared Stewart suddenly, as we ran; and then Inoticed that there were but four of us together. Without a word weturned and dashed back into the midst of the Sakis' camp; and there wesaw the Captain lying on his face, with his gun resting loosely at hisshoulder. A perfect inferno raged around as we reached his side, and mycompanions, roused to a pitch of frenzy, fired volley after volley amongthe yelping band.
"Get back, ye wretches," roared Mac; "A'll carry him masel'."
Skelton calmly picked several darts from the Captain's neck, then felthis pulse. "He has only fainted," he said. "These darts have gone prettydeep."
The Captain was a heavy man, but Mac gathered him in his strong armslike a child. "Tak' ma gun, Stewart," he directed, "and see that ye daeguid work wi' it if driven to it." Then we made a second break for theopen by the river. The whole forest seemed to be alive with Sakis now;they yelled at us from every other tree, and shot their irritatingarrows from every sheltered clump of brushwood. Luckily the range oftheir odd weapons was not extensive, and by skilful manoeuvring wemanaged to save ourselves greatly, otherwise we should have beenperforated from head to foot.
When we neared the river and could see the welcome light of day shiningthrough the trees, our pursuers, probably deterred by our guns, grewless enthusiastic in the chase; and when the edge of the forest wasreached they had apparently drawn off altogether.
"To think that we should hae to run like that, frae--frae monkeys!"snorted Stewart indignantly as we halted. "It's fair disgracefu'."
The Captain slowly opened his eyes, and looked at me reproachfully.
"That chimpanzee that we didn't shoot," said he feebly, "is one of thesame family, for the brute must have given the alarm----"
"There he is noo!" cried Mac. "Gie me ma gun, Stewart, an' A'llobleeterate him, nae matter wha's grandfaither he is."
I caught a glimpse of the huge ape swinging backwards into the thicket,then Mac's vengeful weapon spoke, and the Sakis' strange scout cametumbling to the ground. A yell of rage issued from the forest, andinstantly a number of our late pursuers appeared and dragged theorang-outang back whence they came.
"I haven't had much opportunity of studying the beggars," said Phil,"but I'm not growling. They are the most apish people I could ever haveimagined."
"Instead of gold," commented Skelton grimly, "we've all got a fair-sizeddose of malaria----"
"And various other trifles," added Mac, as he extracted the darts fromthe more fleshy portions of his anatomy.
"We'll leave the gold alone this time, boys," I climaxed; "but we'llhave another try when we can get a stronger party together. Meanwhile,we had better make tracks for the coast, and recuperate our energies."