the malay archipelago-1-第48章

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ked　for　sirih；　and　told　the　boys　to　sit　down　under　a　rock　and　look　down　the　mountain；　and　not　to　move　until　he　returned　to　them。　And　as　they　were　tired；　and　the　sun　was　warm　and　pleasant；　and　the　rock　sheltered　them　from　the　cold　grind；　the　boys　fell　asleep。　And　the　Rajah　went　a　little　way　on　under　another　rock；　and　as　he　was　tired；　and　the　sun　was　warm　and　pleasant；　and　he　too　fell　asleep。

And　those　who　were　waiting　for　the　Rajah　thought　him　a　long　time　on　the　top　of　the　mountain；　and　thought　the　great　spirit　must　have　much　to　say；　or　might　perhaps　want　to　keep　him　on　the　mountain　always；　or　perhaps　he　had　missed　his　way　in　conning　down　again。　And　they　were　debating　whether　they　should　go　and　search　for　him；　when　they　saw　him　coming　down　with　the　two　boys。　And　when　he　met　them　he　looked　very　grave；　but　said　nothing；　and　then　all　descended　together；　and　the　procession　returned　as　it　had　come；　and　the　Rajah　went　to　his　palace　and　the　chiefs　to　their　villages；　and　the　people　to　their　houses；　to　tell　their　wives　and　children　all　that　had　happened；　and　to　wonder　yet　again　what　would　come　of　it。

And　three　days　afterwards　the　Rajah　summoned　the　priests　and　the　princes　and　the　chief　men　of　Mataram；　to　hear　what　the　great　spirit　had　told　him　on　the　top　of　the　mountain。　And　when　they　were　all　assembled；　and　the　betel　and　sirih　had　been　handed　round；　he　told　them　what　had　happened。　On　the　top　of　the　mountain　he　had　fallen　into　a　trance；　and　the　great　spirit　had　appeared　to　him　with　a　face　like　burnished　gold；　and　had　said〃0h　Rajah！　much　plague　and　sickness　and　fevers　are　coming　upon　all　the　earth；　upon　men　and　upon　horses　and　upon　cattle；　but　as　you　and　your　people　have　obeyed　me　and　have　come　up　to　my　great　mountain；　I　will　teach　you　how　you　and　all　the　people　of　Lombock　may　escape　this　plague。〃　And　all　waited　anxiously；　to　hear　how　they　were　to　be　saved　from　so　fearful　a　calamity。　And　after　a　short　silence　the　Rajah　spoke　again　and　told　them；　that　the　great　spirit　had　commanded　that　twelve　sacred　krisses　should　be　made；　and　that　to　make　them　every　village　and　every　district　must　send　a　bundle　of　needlesa　needle　for　every　head　in　the　village。　And　when　any　grievous　disease　appeared　in　any　village；　one　of　the　sacred　krisses　should　be　sent　there；　and　if　every　house　in　that　village　had　sent　the　right　number　of　needles；　the　disease　would　immediately　cease；　but　if　the　number　of　needles　sent　had　not　been　exact；　the　kris　would　have　no　virtue。

So　the　princes　and　chiefs　sent　to　all　their　villages　and　communicated　the　wonderful　news；　and　all　made　haste　to　collect　the　needles　with　the　greatest　accuracy；　for　they　feared　that　if　but　one　were　wanting；　the　whole　village　would　suffer。　So　one　by　one　the　head　men　of　the　villages　brought　in　their　bundles　of　needles；　those　who　were　near　Mataram　came　first；　and　those　who　were　far　off　came　last；　and　the　Rajah　received　them　with　his　own　hands　and　put　them　away　carefully　in　an　inner　chamber；　in　a　camphor…wood　chest　whose　hinges　and　clasps　were　of　silver；　and　on　every　bundle　was　marked　the　name　of　the　village　and　the　district　from　whence　it　came；　so　that　it　might　be　known　that　all　had　heard　and　obeyed　the　commands　of　the　great　spirit。

And　when　it　was　quite　certain　that　every　village　had　sent　in　its　bundle；　the　Rajah　divided　the　needles　into　twelve　equal　parts；　and　ordered　the　best　steelworker　in　Mataram　to　bring　his　forge　and　his　bellows　and　his　hammers　to　the　palace；　and　to　make　the　twelve　krisses　under　the　Rajah's　eye；　and　in　the　sight　of　all　men　who　chose　to　see　it。　And　when　they　were　finished；　they　were　wrapped　up　in　new　silk　and　put　away　carefully　until　they　might　be　wanted。

Now　the　journey　to　the　mountain　was　in　the　time　of　the　east　wind　when　no　rain　falls　in　Lombock。　And　soon　after　the　krisses　were　made　it　was　the　time　of　the　rice　harvest；　and　the　chiefs　of　districts　and　of　villages　brought　their　tax　to　the　Rajah　according　to　the　number　heads　in　their　villages。　And　to　those　that　wanted　but　little　of　the　full　amount；　the　Rajah　said　nothing；　but　when　those　came　who　brought　only　half　or　a　fourth　part　of　what　was　strictly　due；　he　said　to　them　mildly；　〃The　needles　which　you　sent　from　your　village　were　many　more　than　came　from　such…a…one's　village；　yet　your　tribute　is　less　than　his；　go　back　and　see　who　it　is　that　has　not　paid　the　tax。〃　And　the　next　year　the　produce　of　the　tax　increased　greatly；　for　they　feared　that　the　Rajah　might　justly　kill　those　who　a　second　time　kept　back　the　right　tribute。　And　so　the　Rajah　became　very　rich；　and　increased　the　number　of　his　soldiers；　and　gave　golden　jewels　to　his　wives；　and　bought　fine　black　horses　from　the　white…skinned　Hollanders；　and　made　great　feasts　when　his　children　were　born　or　were　married；　and　none　of　the　Rajahs　or　Sultans　among　the　Malays　were　so　great　or　powerful　as　the　Rajah　of　Lombock。

And　the　twelve　sacred　krisses　had　great　virtue。　And；　when　any　sickness　appeared　in　a　village　one　of　them　was　sent　for；　and　sometimes　the　sickness　went　away；　and　then　the　sacred　kris　was　taken　back　again　with　great　Honour；　and　the　head　men　of　the　village　came　to　tell　the　Rajah　of　its　miraculous　power；　and　to　thank　him。　And　sometimes　the　sickness　would　not　go　away；　and　then　everybody　was　convinced　that　there　had　been　a　mistake　in　the　number　of　needles　sent　from　that　village；　and　therefore　the　sacred　kris　had　no　effect；　and　had　to　be　taken　back　again　by　the　head　men　with　heavy　hearts；　but　still；　with　all　honourfor　was　not　the　fault　their　own？

CHAPTER　XIII。

TIMOR。

（COUPANG；　1857…1869。　DELLI；　1861。）

THE　island　of　Timor　is　about　three　hundred　miles　long　and　sixty　wide；　and　seems　to　form　the　termination　of　the　great　range　of　volcanic　islands　which　begins　with　Sumatra　more　than　two　thousand　miles　to　the　west。　It　differs　however　very　remarkably　from　all　the　other　islands　of　the　chain　in　not　possessing　any　active　volcanoes；　with　the　one　exception　of　Timor　Peak　near　the　centre　of　the　island；　which　was　formerly　active；　but　was　blown　up　during　an　eruption　in　1638　and　has　since　been　quiescent。　In　no　other　part　of　Timor　do　there　appear　to　be　any　recent　igneous　rocks；　so　that　it　can　hardly　be　classed　as　a　volcanic　island。　Indeed　its　position　is　just　outside　of　the　great　volcanic　belt；　which　extends　from　Flores　through　Ombay　and　Wetter　to　Banda。

I　first　visited　Timor　in　1857；　staying　a　day　at　Coupang；　the　chief　Dutch　town　at　the　west　end　of　the　island；　and　again　in　May　1859；　when　I　stayed　a　fortnight　in　the　same　neighbourhood。　In　the　spring　of　1861　I　spent　four　months　at　Delli；　the　capital　of　the　Portuguese　possessions　in　the　eastern　part　of　the　island。

The　whole　neighbourhood　of　Coupang　appears　to　have　been　elevated　at　a　recent　epoch；　consisting　of　a　rugged　surface　of　coral　rock；　which　rises　in　a　vertical　wall　between　the　beach　and　the　town；　whose　low；　white；　red…tiled　houses　give　it　an　appearance　very　similar　to　other　Dutch　settlements　in　the　East。　The　vegetation　is　everywhere　scanty　and　scrubby。　Plants　of　the　families　Apocynaceae　and　Euphorbiacea；　abound；　but　there　is　nothing　that　can　be　called　a　forest；　and　the　whole　country　has　a　parched　and　desolate　appearance；　contrasting　strongly　with　the　lofty　forest　trees　and　perennial　verdure　of　the　Moluccas　or　of　Singapore。　The　most　conspicuous　feature　of　the　vegetation　was　the　abundance　of　fine　fanleaved　palms　（Borassus　flabelliformis）；　from　the　leaves　of　which　are　constructed　the　strong　and　durable　water…buckets　in　general　use；　and　which　are　much　superior　to　those　formed　from　any　other　species　of　palm。　From　the　same　tree；　palm…wine　and　sugar　are　made；　and　the　common　thatch　for　houses　formed　of　the　leaves　lasts　six　or　seven　years　without　removal。　Close　to　the　town　I　noticed　the　foundation　of　a　ruined　house　below　high…water　mark；　indicating　recent　subsidence。　Earthquakes　are　not　severe　here；　and　are　so　infrequent　and　harmless　that　the　chief　houses　are　built　of　stone。

The　inhabitants　of　Coupang　consist　of　Malays；　Chinese；　and　Dutch；　besides　the　natives；　so　that　there　are　many　strange　and　complicated　mixtures　among　the　population。　There　is　one　resident　English　merchant；　and　whalers　as　well　as　Australian　ships　often　come　here　for　stores　and　water。　The　native　Timorese　preponderate；　and　a　very　little　examination　serves　to　sho