CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.
THE APPROACH TO THE LONE MOUNTAIN.
Although from a distance the mountain had appeared of smooth outlines,now, that they gazed upward from its base, it presented quite adifferent aspect. Loose boulders of rock, strewed thickly upon theslope, covered its sides up to the very summit, giving it the appearanceof a gigantic "cairn," such as may be seen upon the tops of some of ourown mountains. These, however, are the work of men, while that uponwhich our yagers gazed looked as though giants had erected it.
Among the loose stones there was yet a trace of vegetable life. Plantsof the cactus kind, and rare euphorbias, grow in the spaces between therocks; and here and there stood a small tree, with spreading top andmyrtle-like foliage, casting its shadow over the side of the mountain.The arborescent aloe was also seen, its coral-red spike appearing abovethe sharp edge of some huge boulder, and strongly contrasting with thedull grey of the rock.
After contemplating the singular eminence for some minutes, it wasproposed that they should all ascend to its summit. It appeared but avery short way. The path was not very steep. A ten minutes' climbwould suffice. What a splendid view they should have from its top! Itcommanded a prospect of the country they were about to traverse for thenext three days' journey at least. They might lay out their course fromit, and by noting landmarks, avoid the detours of mountain-spurs andother obstacles. Should they ascend it?
Yes. All of them desired to do so--some to enjoy the view; some for thefun of climbing; and Klaas and Jan because they had seen a large birdwheeling around the summit, which might be the king of birds--an eagle;and they wished to make a nearer acquaintance with his majesty.
Hans also had an interest in going up. He wanted to examine thevegetation of the mountain--that appeared to differ essentially fromthat of the surrounding plain--and particularly the myrtle-leaved treealready mentioned.
So the voice for making the ascent was unanimous--_nemine dissentiente_.
Without further ado, they all dismounted--for it would have beenimpossible to have ridden up such a rock-strewed path--and secured theirhorses by tying their bridles together. This was their usual way whenthere was no tree to which they could make them fast. The mode answeredwell enough. The animals were well acquainted, and on friendly terms,so that they did not bite or kick one another; and with their noses allturned inward, no one of them could stray off without the consent of theother five, and this unanimity could never be obtained. Even had fiveof them agreed to wander a bit, there was one that would have opposedsuch a conspiracy, and _pulled against it_ with all his might--one thatwould have remained loyal to his master; and that was Hans's steady,sober-sided cob, that had been trained to wait wherever his rider lefthim. Upon many a botanical excursion had he carried his master, andoften had stood with no other fastening than the bridle thrown over hiswithers, while the botanist climbed the rocky steep, or dived into thethick bush, to pluck some rare plant or flower.
Leaving their horses, the party commenced the ascent. Now their pathlay between large masses of granite, and now passed over the tops of therocks. It required them to use all their strength and agility; andalthough from below they fancied they would reach the summit in aboutfive minutes time, they were sadly disappointed.
There are few things more deceptive than the ascent of a mountain. Itis usually more difficult than it appears, and a large allowance shouldbe made in the calculation, both for time and labour. The philosopherHans knew this very well, and told the others that it would take them afull half-hour to get to the top. Some of them were inclined toridicule his assertion; but they remembered their late humiliatingdefeat, and remained silent--although they _thought_ five minutes wouldbring them to the very summit.
At the end of five minutes they began to change their opinion; and whenthree times five had passed over, they found they were still buthalf-way up the slope!
Here they halted, and five minutes were spent in "puffing and blowing."
Hans had now an opportunity of examining the tree that so interestedhim, for they had stopped under the shade of one.
It was not a large tree, nor could it be called a very handsome one; butfor all that it proved to be of a most interesting character. It wasmuch branched with small leaves, of a pale green colour, and in theirgeneral effect having a resemblance to the myrtles. Its flowers, too,were small and inconspicuous. It chanced to be in flower at the time,and this enabled the botanist to determine its character. It belongedto the order _Santalaceae_, or "sandal-woods;" and was a species of_Santalum_, closely allied to the _Santalum album_ of India, whichyields the sandal-wood of commerce.
They all knew what sandal-wood was, as they had seen various"knick-knacks" manufactured out of this famous wood; but they knew notwhence it came, or what sort of tree produced it. Hans, however, takingadvantage of the halt, gave them this information:--
"The sandal-wood," he said, "is produced from a tree of the same genusas the one now above us. It grows in the mountainous parts of theMalabar country, and also in the islands of the Indian Archipelago. Itis a small tree, rarely growing to a foot in diameter. Its wood, as youknow, is highly prized on account of its agreeable fragrant smell; andbecause this fragrance not only keeps it from decaying, but alsopreserves any material, such as clothes, silk, and other articles thatmay be in contact with it, from insects or rust. In consequence of thisquality of the sandal-wood, it is in great demand for making boxes,cabinets, and such articles of furniture; and, on account of itsagreeable odour, it is also manufactured into fans and necklaces whichcommand high prices.
"The Brahmins use it in their sacrifices to the god Vishnu, to scent theoil employed in the ceremony."
"Are there not two kinds of sandal-wood?" inquired Klaas. "SisterWilhelmina has a box of it and a necklace, too. They were brought fromIndia by Uncle, but they are very different. The box is white, and thebeads of the necklace are of a beautiful yellow colour--maybe they aredyed."
"No," answered Hans, "they are not dyed. There _are_ two kinds, whitesandal-wood and the yellow sort, and it has been said that they were theproduce of different trees. This is not the case, however. Althoughthere is more than one species of _Santalum_ that produces thesandal-wood of commerce, the white and yellow kinds are taken from thesame tree. The reason of the difference is, that towards the heart ofthe tree where the wood is older, and especially down near the root, thecolour is of a deep yellow; whereas the young wood that lies outwardlyis nearly white. The yellow part is harder, more fragrant, and, ofcourse, more valuable.
"When these trees are felled for their wood, the bark is at oncestripped off and the trunk buried for nearly two months--whichstrengthens its odour, and renders it more agreeable."
While Hans was giving these interesting details, the others took outtheir knives; and each cutting a branch from the sandal-tree, applied itto his nose, and then tasted it.
But, though they could perceive its fragrant smell, they found itperfectly insipid to the taste. Hans said it was so with the _Santalumalbum_ or true sandal-wood of India--that, notwithstanding its sweetperfume, it is quite tasteless.
He further informed them that the name "sandal-wood" is not derived fromthe use to which the wood is sometimes put--that of making _sandals_.On the contrary, these derive their name from the wood itself. The truederivation of the word is from the Persian "sandul," which signifiesuseful, in relation to the valuable qualities of the timber. Thesandal-wood of the Sandwich Islands, added Hans, is procured from twospecies different from _Santalum album_.
The yagers, having now rested a sufficient time, again faced up themountain, and in fifteen minutes after stood upon its top.