the malay archipelago-2-第40章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ggered　at　this；　and　said　he；　would　talk　to　his　wife；　and　in　the　meantime　I　went　for　a　little　walk　to　see　the　neighbourhood。　When　I　carne　back；　I　again　sent　my　pilot；　saying　that　I　would　go　away　if　he　would　not　dive　me　part　of　his　house。　In　about　half　an　hour　he　returned　with　a　demand　for　about　half　the　cost　of　building　a　house；　for　the　rent　of　a　small　portion　of　it　for　a　few　weeks。　As　the　only　difficulty　now　was　a　pecuniary　one；　I　got　out　about　ten　yards　of　cloth；　an　axe；　with　a　few　beads　and　some　tobacco；　and　sent　them　as　my　final　offer　for　the　part　of　the　house　which　I　had　before　pointed　out。　This　was　accepted　after　a　little　more　talk；　and　I　immediately　proceeded　to　take　possession。

The　house　was　a　good　large　one；　raised　as　usual　about　seven　feet　on　posts；　the　walls　about　three　or　four　feet　more；　with　a　high…　pitched　roof。　The　floor　was　of　bamboo　laths；　and　in　the　sloping　roof　way　an　immense　shutter；　which　could　be　lifted　and　propped　up　to　admit　light　and　air。　At　the　end　where　this　was　situated　the　floor　was　raised　about　a　foot；　and　this　piece；　about　ten　feet　wide　by　twenty　long；　quite　open　to　the　rest　of　the　house；　was　the　portion　I　was　to　occupy。　At　one　end　of　this　piece；　separated　by　a　thatch　partition；　was　a　cooking　place；　with　a　clay　floor　and　shelves　for　crockery。　At　the　opposite　end　I　had　my　mosquito　curtain　hung；　and　round　the　walls　we　arranged　my　boxes　and　other　stores；　fated　up　a　table　and　seat；　and　with　a　little　cleaning　and　dusting　made　the　place　look　quite　comfortable。　My　boat　was　then　hauled　up　on　shore；　and　covered　with　palm…leaves；　the　sails　and　oars　brought　indoors；　a　hanging…stage　for　drying　my　specimens　erected　outside　the　house　and　another　inside；　and　my　boys　were　set　to　clean　their　gnus　and　get　ail　ready　for　beginning　work。

The　next　day　I　occupied　myself　in　exploring　the　paths　in　the　immediate　neighbourhood。　The　small　river　up　which　we　had　ascended　ceases　to　be　navigable　at　this　point；　above　which　it　is　a　little　rocky　brook；　which　quite　dries　up　in　the　hot　season。　There　was　now；　however；　a　fair　stream　of　water　in　it；　and　a　path　which　was　partly　in　and　partly　by　the　side　of　the　water；　promised　well　for　insects；　as　I　here　saw　the　magnificent　blue　butterfly；　Papilio　ulysses；　as　well　as　several　other　fine　species；　flopping　lazily　along；　sometimes　resting　high　up　on　the　foliage　which　drooped　over　the　water；　at　others　settling　down　on　the　damp　rock　or　on　the　edges　of　muddy　pools。　A　little　way　on　several　paths　branched　off　through　patches　of　second…growth　forest　to　cane…fields；　gardens；　and　scattered　houses；　beyond　which　again　the　dark　wall　of　verdure　striped　with　tree…trunks；　marked　out　the　limits　of　the　primeval　forests。　The　voices　of　many　birds　promised　good　shooting；　and　on　my　return　I　found　that　my　boy　s　had　already　obtained　two　or　three　kinds　I　had　not　seen　before；　and　in　the　evening　a　native　brought　me　a　rare　and　beautiful　species　of　ground…thrush　（Pitta　novaeguinaeae）　hitherto　only　known　from　New　Guinea。

As　I　improved　my　acquaintance　with　them　I　became　much　interested　in　these　people；　who　are　a　fair　sample　of　the　true　savage　inhabitants　of　the　Aru　Islands；　tolerably　free　from　foreign　admixture。　The　house　I　lived　in　contained　four　or　five　families；　and　there　were　generally　from　six　to　a　dozen　visitors　besides。　They　kept　up　a　continual　row　from　morning　till　nighttalking；　laughing；　shouting；　without　intermissionnot　very　pleasant；　but　interesting　as　a　study　of　national　character。　My　boy　Ali　said　to　me；　〃Banyak　quot　bitchara　Orang　Aru　〃（The　Aru　people　are　very　strong　talkers）；　never　having　been　accustomed　to　such　eloquence　either　in　his　own　or　any　other　country　he　had　hitherto　visited。　Of　an　evening　the　men；　having　got　over　their　first　shyness；　began　to　talk　to　me　a　little；　asking　about　my　country；　&c。；　and　in　return　I　questioned　them　about　any　traditions　they　had　of　their　own　origin。　I　had；　however；　very　little　success；　for　I　could　not　possibly　make　them　understand　the　simple　question　of　where　the　Aru　people　first　came　from。　I　put　it　in　every　possible　way　to　them；　but　it　was　a　subject　quite　beyond　their　speculations；　they　had　evidently　never　thought　of　anything　of　the　kind；　and　were　unable　to　conceive　a　thing　so　remote　and　so　unnecessary　to　be　thought　about；　as　their　own　origin。　Finding　this　hopeless；　I　asked　if　they　knew　when　the　trade　with　Aru　first　began；　when　the　Bugis　and　Chinese　and　Macassar　men　first　came　in　their　praus　to　buy　tripang　and　tortoise…shell；　and　birds'　nests；　arid　Paradise　birds？

This　they　comprehended；　but　replied　that　there　had　always　been　the　same　trade　as　long　as　they　or　their　fathers　recollected；　but　that　this　was　the　first　time　a　real　white　man　had　come　among　them；　and；　said　they；　〃You　see　how　the　people　come　every　day　from　all　the　villages　round　to　look　at　you。〃　This　was　very　flattering；　and　accounted　for　the　great　concourse　of　visitors　which　I　had　at　first　imagined　was　accidental。　A　few　years　before　I　had　been　one　of　the　gazers　at　the　Zoolus；　and　the　Aztecs　in　London。　Now　the　tables　were　turned　upon　me；　for　I　was　to　these　people　a　new　and　strange　variety　of　man；　and　had　the　honour　of　affording　to　them；　in　my　own　person；　an　attractive　exhibition；　gratis。

All　the　men　and　boys　of　Aru　are　expert　archers；　never　stirring　without　their　bows　and　arrows。　They　shoot　all　sorts　of　birds；　as　well　as　pigs　and　kangaroos　occasionally；　and　thus　have　a　tolerably　good　supply　of　meat　to　eat　with　their　vegetables。　The　result　of　this　better　living　is　superior　healthiness；　well…made　bodies；　and　generally　clear　skins。　They　brought　me　numbers　of　small　birds　in　exchange　for　beads　or　tobacco；　but　mauled　them　terribly；　notwithstanding　my　repeated　instructions。　When　they　got　a　bird　alive　they　would　often　tie　a　string　to　its　leg；　and　keep　it　a　day　or　two；　till　its　plumage　was　so　draggled　and　dirtied　as　to　be　almost　worthless。　One　of　the　first　things　I　got　from　there　was　a　living　specimen　of　the　curious　and　beautiful　racquet…tailed　kingfisher。　Seeing　how　much　I　admired　it；　they　afterwards　brought　me　several　more；　which　wore　all　caught　before　daybreak；　sleeping　in　cavities　of　the　rocky　banks　of　the　stream。　My　hunters　also　shot　a　few　specimens；　and　almost　all　of　them　had　the　red　bill　more　or　less　clogged　with　mud　and　earth。　This　indicates　the　habits　of　the　bird；　which；　though　popularly　a　king…fisher；　never　catches　fish；　but　lives　on　insects　and　minute　shells；　which　it　picks　up　in　the　forest；　darting　down　upon　them　from　its　perch　on　some　low　branch。　The　genus　Tanysiptera；　to　which　this　bird　belongs；　is　remarkable　for　the　enormously　lengthened　tail；　which　in　all　other　kingfishers　is　small　and　short。　Linnaeus　named　the　species　known　to　him　〃the　goddess　kingfisher〃　（Alcedo　dea）；　from　its　extreme　grace　and　beauty；　the　plumage　being　brilliant　blue　and　white；　with　the　bill　red；　like　coral。　Several　species　of　these　interesting　birds　are　now　known；　all　confined　within　the　very　limited　area　which　comprises　the　Moluccas；　New　Guinea；　and　the　extreme　North　of　Australia。　They　resemble　each　other　so　closely　that　several　of　them　can　only　be　distinguished　by　careful　comparison。　One　of　the　rarest；　however；　which　inhabits　New　Guinea；　is　very　distinct　from　the　rest；　being　bright　red　beneath　instead　of　white。　That　which　I　now　obtained　was　a　new　one；　and　has　been　named　Tanysiptera　hydrocharis；　but　in　general　form　and　coloration　it　is　exactly　similar　to　the　larger　species　found　in　Amboyna；　and　figured　at　page　468　of　my　first　volume。

New　and　interesting　birds　were　continually　brought　in；　either　by　my　own　boys　or　by　the　natives；　and　at　the　end　of　a　week　Ali　arrived　triumphant　one　afternoon　with　a　fine　specimen　of　the　Great　Bird　of　Paradise。　The　ornamental　plumes　had　not　yet　attained　their　full　growth；　but　the　richness　of　their　glossy　orange　colouring；　and　the　exquisite　delicacy　of　the　loosely　waving　feathers；　were　unsurpassable。　At　the　same　time　a　great　black　cockatoo　was　brought　in；　as　well　as　a　fine　fruit…pigeon　and　several　small　birds；　so　that　we　were　all　kept　hard　at　work　skinning　till　sunset。　Just　as　we　had　cleared　away　and　packed　up　for　the　night；　a　strange　beast　was　brought；　which　had　been　shot　by　the　natives。　It　resembled　in　size；　and　in　its　white　woolly　covering；　a　small　fat　lamb；　but　had　short　legs；　hand…like　feet　wi