THE ADVENTURES OF GILBERT GO-AHEAD, part 1 (from Robert Merry's Museum, January 1851, pp. 26-28)
Chapter I.
As I am about to give an account of my adventures in foreign parts, and as I am a very plain-spoken sort of a man, it seems proper that I should begin at the beginning, and tell how I came into the world, and how I got my education. This will furnish an excuse for any want of skill in the manner of telling my story.
About six miles north of the city of New Haven, on the old road to Middletown, there is a broad, straight street, running over a sandy plain. It is decorated on each side with a row of Lombardy poplar trees, most of which are dead, half way down. Some are reduced to mere stumps, but they serve to make up the row. The houses are few and far between--mostly of a brown complexion, though some half-dozen were painted white in their early days.
Now, it was in the year 1827, on the 4th day of July, that the aforesaid poplar trees were planted by the patriot and public- spirited citizens of Sandy Plain; and on that very 4th of July, a I have been credibly informed, I was born. Of course, coming into the world in the midst of much stirring events, my mother expected great things of me, as by the time I was six years old, she had put it strongly into my head that I was destined to make a figure in the world. The poplar trees grew apace; and so did I. Not to go into particulars, I may say
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that in running a race, flying kites, snaring quails, and smoking out woodchucks, I went before any of my mates.
My family name was Gilbert, and I received the baptismal title of Joseph Head, after my grandfather by the mother's side. School- boys are always full of fun, and it was not long before my companions turned Jo Head into Go-ahead--a title which stuck to me very readily, as it was supposed to suit my daring and dashing character. As I grew up, it became, in fact, my principal title, and by the time I was eighteen, my name was turned round, and the whole neighborhood called me Gilbert Go-ahead.
Thus impressed by early teaching, and by the very name I bore, with the idea that I was to do something in the world, I set forth from Sandy Plain, stocked with the arts of reading, writing, and arithmetic, and, big with expectation, commenced my adventurous career. I was first engaged as a porter in a store on Long Wharf in New Haven. My employers ran a line of packets to Charleston, South Carolina; and at the end of six months, I made a trip in one of their vessels, called Ben Beecher, having in charge 2,000 corn brooms, 100 barrels of potatoes, 160 strings of onions, 2 gross of wooden buckets, 9 pigs, and a three-year-old colt.
I managed the business greatly to the satisfaction of the several owners of these articles. I had no difficulty in getting employment of this kind, and in the course of a few months, made three similar trips to Charleston. I next went as supercargo to the West Indies, on board the brig Scraper, belonging to the well- known firm of Dig & Pinch. On this occasion, I took out, among other things, four dozen clocks, made at Bristol, Connecticut, by Messrs. Turner & Lathem. These succeeded admirably, and on my return, I had an offer from these gentlemen to go into the clock business, altogether. This I accepted, and for eighteen months was occupied in selling these articles in the Southern States. I was uniformly successful, and at last had gained about 1000 dollars. This I lent to my employers, thinking it the safest way of investing my money; but fortune now came near playing me a trick.
One day, soon after I had returned from a southern trip, when I was crossing the bridge at Bristol, one of my friends met me and said, Have you heard the news?"
"Not at all," said I; "what is it?"
"Why, they say the clock business is wound up."
"That's better than if it had ran down," said I.
"I don't know that," said my friend. "The fact is that Turner & Lathem have stopped."
I said little, but went to the establishment of these gentlemen, and found the story to be true. I plead hard for my money, but without avail. They finally offered me 200 clocks, and as I could do no better; I took them--as full payment for my loan of a thousand dollars I now began to consider what was to be done, and not having fully made up my mind, I went to New York.
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As I walked along the wharves, I saw a vessel up for China. I immediately began to think of taking my clocks to that country. I had heard of some being sold there at 15 or 20 dollars a-piece, and began to reckon up the money I should get from such a venture. "Two hundred clocks," said I, "at 15 dollars a-piece, will be 3000 dollars. I'll lay this all out in tea, and I'll got twice as much as I gave for it--that will make 6000 dollars. I'll work my passage out and back, so I'll have no expenses but freight, duties, &c.--call these 1000 dollars. That leaves 5000 net and clear. That would be a nice sum, and would set me up in Sandy Plain. How proud Father and Mother would be, and how all the people would roll up their eyes and say, 'There, I told you so! That Go-ahead Gilbert is come back with 5000 dollars; anybody could see with half an eye that he was born to good luck. But how proud he is! He seems to think himself as tall as a Lombardy poplar.'" At the end of this soliloquy, I had made up my mind. "I will go to China!" said I.
No sooner said than done. At the end of eleven days, my 200 clocks were snugly packed on board the Hong Kong, and we were out to sea. Nothing remarkable occurred on our voyage. After four months, we found ourselves at Singapore, an island at the southern extremity of a long peninsula which bears the name of Malacca. It is about 27 miles long. The climate is that of almost perpetual summer, and oranges, lemons, melons of various kinds, are abundant throughout the year. It belongs to Great Britain, which, by the way, seem to have got possession of many of the finest spots in these eastern countries.
On the south side of the island is the town of Singapore, which is divided into three parts. In the centre are the English merchants, with the public officers; to the west is the Chinese quarter, and to the east the Malay quarter. In the latter portions, the people are a strange-looking set, living in light huts or shanties, which appear as if they would be blown away by the wind. The Chinese are smooth, yellow, oily-looking fellows, just such as everybody has seen represented at Barnum's Museum. The Malays seem to be half savages. The skin is a dark brown; their hair coarse and lank; their eyes small, black, and sparkling. Their dress is slight, often leaving the shoulders and chest uncovered. Many of the children are naked. The English quarter of the place has some good houses of brick.
This town is a great stopping-place for vessels passing between India and China--and has intercourse, by means of trading vessels, with numerous ports along the Asiatic coast, as well as those in the surrounding islands. As our vessel remained here about a fortnight to refit her sails and rigging, which had been sadly damaged in a hurricane, had opportunity to make inquiries, and finally concluded to stop here, and give up the idea of going on to China. I therefore had my clocks all taken out and immediately entered on my plans for selling them.
[To be continued.]
THE ADVENTURES OF GILBERT GO-AHEAD, part 2 (from Robert Merry's Museum, February 1851, pp. 60-63)
Chapter II.
Before I proceed farther, in an account of my travels, it seems proper to give my readers a brief description of the far-off region in which my strange, curious and wonderful adventures took place.
As I have said before, the little island of Singapore is at the southern extremity of the long narrow peninsula of Malacca. To the north are several countries, such as Siam, Birmah, Assam, &c, bearing the general name of Farther India. These countries are full of people; some in a savage, and some in a barbarous state, and having many strange and barbarous customs.
South and east of these countries are a great number of islands, some large and some small. The island of Sumatra, is about 1050 miles long, and lies west of Malacca. It is separated from it by the Straits of Malacca, which are twenty-five miles wide a the narrowest part. In passing through this channel, we could see the land on both sides; the mountains of Sumatra rising up like bluish clouds and seeming to mingle with the sky.
The map on the following page will give a clear idea of the various countries in Farther India, as well as Malacca, Sumatra and Singapore. To the east of Sumatra, at a distance of about 300 miles, is the great island of Borneo. To the
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south of this, at the distance of about 150 miles, is the interesting island of Java. There are numerous other islands to the east of these. They all lie near the equator, and some of them directly under it. The climate is nearly the same as that of the West Indies.
I remained nearly a month at Singapore before I could make up my mind what course to pursue. I sold a few clocks to the English settlers, but in general they were well supplied, and I found but a poor market among them. I went among the Chinese and Malays, but most
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of them could not speak a word of English; and besides they did not understand the figures on the clocks, nor did they generally appear to care a fig for the time of day; they seemed to let the sun, moon and stars take care of themselves, while they were occupied in their own concerns, indifferent to time and tide, night and day, wind and weather.
I have found that every kind of information sometimes comes in play. One of my youthful companions at Sandy Plain was deaf and dumb, and being sent to the asylum at Hartford, learned the language of signs. Being often with him, I acquired some of these, and one day, at Singapore, I found them of great use. Having one of my clocks on my back, I travelled to the eastern part of the Malay village. I went to a little house of bamboo, and the weather being exceedingly hot, I approached the door and sat down. The proprietor, who was a short, lean, swarthy man, with no other dress than a striped cotton apron, came out, and seemed to bid me welcome.
"Speak English?" said I bowing.
"Lakkawak, lakkarak!" said he.
"Well," thought I, "I must now try the universal language of signs." I was very thirsty, and concluded I would ask for some milk. So I imitated with my two hands the drawing of milk from the teats of a cow. The man seemed to understand me immediately. He laughed heartily, and ran off to a field, where he caught a goat by the horns, and dragged it to me, as much as to say "help yourself!" I intimated by signs that he should perform the operation of milking. Instead of this, he called his wife, who seemed the exact counterpart of himself, only smaller and more fleshy. She soon drew some of the milk into a cocoa-nut shell cup, out of which I took my first draught of goat's milk. I may as well add that I found it very refreshing.
I expressed my thanks as well as I could, and soon found myself on good terms with the Malay and his wife. I then unpacked my clock, wound it up, and set it going. My new friends looked on with wonder and curiosity; but I soon perceived that they did not at all comprehend what it meant. I pointed to the sun and described a vast circle in the air with my finger, meaning to say that it was a time-piece intended to measure the progress of the sun around the earth. Both man and wife opened their eyes and exclaimed, "Jig a jig." Immediately the wife ran to a corner of the house where she pulled out a large, fat, frightful image, and set it before me.
It was easy to see that she had mistaken my clock for a god, and she was now proposing to swap her god for mine. This was a poser, and I declined the trade. Several other things were brought and offered to me in exchange; at last she brought me about a quart of nutmegs, and three or four sheets of tortoise-shell, and we concluded a bargain. I was then invited to dinner, but as I learned that it consisted of sago soup, seasoned with a rat, I affected haste and went away. I thought I had made a good bargain; but two days after, as I was in the Malay town, my customer met me with a furious flourish of his fists. A mob collected
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and I was speedily dragged to his house. It seems that the clock had run down, and the man accordingly thought his god was dead, which led him to feel that he had been grossly imposed upon. I was on the point of being torn to pieces, when a Malay sailor interfered. He knew a little English, and was acquainted with the use of a clock. He took the matter in hand and began an explanation. "Rat-it-te-tat, bang-dong-ding," said he, pointing to the clock. "Hong-kong-hak-tak-pump-pump," said he, pointing to me.
He went on, apparently in a very eloquent style. At first, the audience looked gloomy, but when the truth burst upon them, and the people understood that their neighbor had bought a time-piece instead of a god, they burst into one wild shriek of laughter. Even Mr. Malay and his wife seemed to enjoy the joke. The mob dispersed and I was allowed to depart; but from that time, I was a marked man, and every time I appeared in the Malay village, I could see the boys and girls skulking away and snickering, and imitating the vibrations of the pendulum with their fingers, saying "tick-tick, tick-tick." I suppose that my name there is Mr. Tick- tick to this day.
At the end of a month, I had sold about twenty clocks, for which I had received about fifty dollars in money, with lots of catechu, trepang, birds' nests for soup, sea-weed, tortoise-shells, pepper and nutmegs. Some of these I traded off to the Chinese merchants, and others I sold to the British traders. I sold one clock for seven ivory gods, which I exchanged with a Chinaman for a chest of tea, which I swapped for feathers of the bird of paradise, and which I exchanged with an American adventurer for a pair of Colt's revolvers. These I kept; for though I was a member of the peace society when I left home, in these wild countries, I concluded that the best way to keep peace was to be prepared for war.
Having got my business in a snug shape, I know determined to try my luck in Sumatra. I accordingly entered on board a Chinese junk, bound for Bencoolen, the capital of that island. She was loaded with pearl-sago, agricultural implements, arms, and various other articles manufactured by the Chinese at Singapore. She was a clumsy craft, but of considerable bulk, with three masts and an enormous double deck. She was manned by about thirty sailors. During the voyage, I took the greatest pains to learn to speak Chinese, and very soon acquired many important phrases. This was necessary, as I expected to travel in countries where many people understood this language. At the end of a fortnight, we passed the Straits of Sunda, which are about 70 miles wide, and separate Java from Sumatra.
We now turned northward, and at the end of another week were
at Bencoolen. This lies on the western side of Sumatra, and is a
well-built town of 12,000 inhabitants. It belongs to the Dutch,
who hold a large territory here, and exercise a controlling
influence over the whole of Sumatra. My adventures in this island
were very curious and deserve a chapter by themselves.
THE ADVENTURES OF GILBERT GO-AHEAD, part 3 (from Robert Merry's
Museum, March 1851, pp. 65-71)
Chapter III. Bencoolen lies on the south-western side of Sumatra, and
contains, as I said, about twelve thousand inhabitants. It is
smaller than Singapore, but in some respects it resembles that
place. It was established and built by the British nearly two
hundred years ago, but it was given up to the Dutch in 1825. Some
few English remained, and a considerable number of Dutch are
settled in the town. By far the greater part of the inhabitants,
however, are natives of various tribes, mingled with Chinese. The
greater part of the city is built on low ground, near the water,
where it is said to be unhealthy; but a little farther inland is
an immense fortification, called Fort Marlborough, on elevated
ground, surrounded by country seats, where the air is cool and
refreshing. I took about a day to survey the town, deliver a letter of
introduction, and got my clocks ready for distribution. "There's
nothing like industry," said I, and so I was up early the second
day, and by twelve o'clock I had sold six of them. I got my pay
mostly in cash, but I was obliged to barter in some cases. At
night, on looking over my affairs, I found I had taken about fifty
dollars in money, a good lump of copper, a bag of sulphur, a lot
of saltpetre, and about a teaspoonful of gold dust. The next day
I sold four clocks for two bags of pepper and a quantity of
camphor. The former, as I moved it about, set me a sneezing, and
then the dust got into my eyes, and -----
set me crying. A Chinese woman, who happened to see me at this
time, asked me what was the matter. I pretended I was weeping to
think of one of the girls I had left in Sandy Plain, whereupon the
said Chinese woman told me to stop crying, and, by way of
inducement, offered to marry me upon the spot! After I got over
the pepper, I began to arrange the camphor, which reminded me very
strongly of what happened in my youth; and I may as well tell it
here. One of our neighbors had a villainous sheep with an immense
pair of horns. One day, as the latter was going by our house, I
shook my fist at him, whereupon he stopped, looked me full in the
face, drew in his nose and shook his head, as much as to say, "I
stump you to a battle." I had no idea of a regular fight, but by
way of joke I got down on all fours and advanced toward the animal,
drawing in my chin and shaking my head as he had done. Quick as
thought the rascal bounded toward me, and hitting me plump in the
forehead with his pate, laid me sprawling upon the grass. I was
taken up quite stunned, nor did I recover till I had been well
rubbed with spirits of camphor. This incident now rushed upon my
remembrance, though it had occurred fifteen thousand miles off, and
a dozen years before. Thus it is that the memories of the past
pursue us over the world. In about a week I had supplied Bencoolen with clocks, and was
casting about for some other market, when it chanced that one of
the native chiefs of the island came to visit the Dutch governor
of this place. He was the Rajah of Lampong, a small state about
two hundred miles in the interior. He was a yellow little man with
a flat nose and long black braided hair. His upper teeth were
filed to a point, and colored black; his under teeth were incased
in a plate of gold. He had a long robe or jacket, made of the
inner fibre of bark, tied around the waist by a sash, in which were
stuck a pair of pistols and a long knife, the stocks and handle
being mostly of gold, and richly chased. He had a small turban
literally covered with pearls, there being one superb diamond in
front. He was attended by about a dozen men, attired something
like himself, though in a plainer fashion. I had never seen a live king before and it may be well
supposed that I looked upon this specimen with great curiosity.
I soon begin to reflect that the patronage of this potentate would
be important to my business in the clock line. It would be very
well to be able to say "that his highness Ram de Bang, the genuine,
original, and sublime rajah of Lampong had taken, purchased,
adopted and patronized one of my clocks." Who could refuse to buy
one after such an example? "And beside," thought I, "who knows but
there is a chance to open trade with Lampong which may be useful
to our country? This prince seems to have gold, and pearls, and
diamonds about him in such profusion, that one may doubtless scrape
them up in his country as easily as you can gather pebbles along
the sea-shore. I may never meet with such a chance again. 'When -----
it rains porridge, hold up your dish.' 'Faint heart never won fair
lady.' 'One thing may as well be done as another,' as Sam Patch
said when he jumped over Niagara Falls. 'Go it strong,' as David
Crockett said when he hung to the tail of a grizly bear climbing
a cottonwood tree. 'There's nothing like trying,' as the monkey
said when he used the cat's paw to pull the chestnuts out of the
fire." This reasoning was conclusive to my mind, and I was
resolved to wait upon his majesty of Lampong without delay. I dressed myself in my best black suit, put on my patent
leather pumps, hired a Malay to carry one of my best clocks, and
proceeded to the quarters of the king. He was speedily informed
that a stranger without wished to see him. In about half an hour
I was permitted to enter. His majesty was seated upon a
magnificent tiger skin, laid upon the floor. I made a low bow,
putting my hands to my forehead, as I had seen the people do here.
Ram de Bang looked mysterious. I caused the clock to be set before
him. His majesty smiled, stretched out his hand, extended his
fore-finger, and waved it back and forth like the vibrations of a
pendulum, saying at the same time, "Tick," "Tick!" "Your majesty is a philosopher, as well as a great king," said
I, in the best Malay I could muster. "Tick, tick; pully, pully; woolly, woolly!" said he. "Your majesty is perfectly right," said I, though I did not
fully understand what he said. I now proceeded in a very eloquent
style nearly as follows. "That are clock, squire Ram de Bang, is
a first-rate article, and I lay it at your majesty's feet, free
gratis for nothing, though I shouldn't refuse one of them pearls
in your excellency's cap, just by way of remembrance. This clock
is a real time piece; it'll go fifteen days in a fortnight, without
winding up, besides telling the day of the month. It comes from
the greatest country in the univarse---the country of George
Washington, Ben Franklin, and Sam Slick, who fit the Revolutionary
War, druv out the red coats, and established the Fourth of July,
as your majesty has no doubt read of in Peter Parley's Universal
History. Proud am I, sire, to be the medium of communication
between the Universal Yankee nation and the kingdom of Lampong.
Accept, sire, this tribute of respect, and hand it down to the
latest generations, that it was given to you by Gilbert Go-ahead,
of Sandy Plain, New Haven county, Connecticut, aged 21 years, 6
months, and 4 days!" It is not possible for the reader to
understand fully the beauties of my speech, which was delivered
mostly in the flowing language of the Malays, and which, on account
of its sweetness, is called the Italian of the East. At any
rate its effect upon Ram de Bang was very agreeable, for at first
he opened his eyes, and then he shut them, and fell into a most
profound snooze. Perhaps the extreme heat contributed to the
soothing effect of my eloquence. The whole audience, except myself, soon follow the example of
the rajah; and, not to be outdone in politeness, I -----
sat down, stretched out my legs, and pretended to be asleep. A
deep silence reigned over the scene far about ten minutes. The
clock, which was standing in front of his majesty, went on ticking
as if nothing had happened. Now you must know it was what is
called an alarm clock, and I foresaw that great events were
near at hand. I had taken care to set the alarm so that it would
go off in about fifteen minutes. At length the time arrived;
whur-r-r-r! went the clock, as if it were suddenly taken with a fit
of madness. The effect was electrical; up jumped his majesty, and
up jumped every one of his attendants. In a moment their blades
and pistols were brandished in the air; every one cleared out from
the clock, as if it had been a boa constrictor, or a crocodile.
Two or three pointed their pistols at it in the most ferocious
manner. His majesty seemed to divide his suspicions between me and
the time-piece. At last I waved my hand in a manner to request patience. I
wished with all my heart that the clock would hold its tongue, but
on it went in a most furious style. At last it stopped, and then
I had an opportunity to speak. I was finally able to pacify the
king and his retinue, and made them understand the purpose of the
alarm. When his majesty fully comprehended the ingenious device,
he smiled graciously, took off a superb diamond ring from his
finger, and presented it to me. With many profound bows I took my
leave, having found an opportunity before I went to invite some of
the officers present to pay me a visit. At the end of a week I laid closed my business at Bencoolen, and
shipped the remainder of my clocks for Acheen, a large town about
five hundred miles to the north-west and capital of the most
considerable state in Sumatra. I had made arrangements to sail
with them the next day, when two of Ram de Bang's officers called
upon me, and gave me an invitation on the part of the rajah, to
accompany him and his suite to his capital of Lampong. This
request was too flattering to be refused, and in two days we
departed. Our whole company consisted of about twenty persons, and
four small horses, for the use of the rajah, his two principal
officers, and myself. The rest went on foot. We travelled near the sea-coast for half a dozen miles, and then,
turning to the north-west, passed over a hilly country, covered
with small huts, and surrounded by plantations of pepper. I passed
several streams, on the borders of which were numerous villages.
The habitants appeared to be a mild and offensive race, spending
a great part of their time in dozing in the shade of palm trees,
mingled with the children: they seemed to me almost like flocks
of sheep with their lambs, letting time slip by, thinking only of
the demands of appetite. The weather was enchanting, except that
it was very hot in the middle of the day, during which period
everybody seemed to go to sleep as we do at night in Yankee land.
The moon was -----
nearly at its full, and most of our journey was performed between
sun-down and sun-rise. The scene around was strange, but
beautiful. "This is a very curious expedition," said I to myself,
fifty times. "Here is simple Gilbert Go-ahead, of Sandy Plain, in
the state of Connecticut, who has got round t'other side of the
globe, and here he goes as the friend and favorite of the king of
Lampong, to pay a visit, by special invitation to his capital."
When I looked around upon the wild, dark group at my side--when I
gazed upon the landscape, and observed trees and plants, strange
and unknown to the land of my birth--when I remembered that I was
at least fifteen thousand miles from my home and my kindred--I felt
a sadness, a sense of desolation, which drew tears to my eyes. But
these soon passed away, and my natural cheerfulness returned. After two or three days our road began to wind among hills.
As we advanced it increased in elevation, and at last we were
threading our way among mountains whose tops seemed to touch the
clouds. The land was heavily timbered in the little valleys and
gorges, but the peaks of the mountains consisted of bare and
desolate rock, dark and brown like iron ore. We soon had crossed
the mountain territory, and began to descend to a waving country
to the north and west. We now met with villages, consisting of
rather barbarous people, and at the end of ten days we reached the
city of Lampong. This consisted of several hundred slight
edifices, mostly built upon stakes, along the northern bank of a
considerable river. The rajah was received with great rejoicing
by the people. On reaching his palace, which consisted of about
fifty huts covered with palm leaves, he passed through a long file
of soldiers, who closed the ceremony with shouts and a prodigious
banging of gongs, drums, and horns. I stayed at this place about a fortnight, being kindly treated
by the king, and introduced to his principal queen. The latter was
veiled, but she permitted me to see one of her eyes, which was very
black and pretty. I thought she winked at me, and supposing it to
be the custom of the country, I winked back again. The next day
the lady privately sent me four large pearls, with her compliments.
"This is a great country," thought I, "where a man can get pearls
just for winking his eyes." I now announced that I desired to depart, but to my amazement
the king informed me that he expected me to remain at Lampong. I
assured his majesty I had no such intention, and must immediately
take leave. Upon this the king rang a small hand-bell, and four
stout fellows entered. In a moment I was bound hand and foot, and
taken to a solitary prison made of stakes set in the ground, and
covered with plank. Here I remained a whole week, without seeing
a single person; my food, consisting of melons and figs, which were
thrust into my room through an opening in the wall. One night I was awakened from a sound sleep by a noise at my
door. The bolt was drawn aside, and the door was softly opened.
I perceived in the dark- -----
ness that a slight female form entered. "Who are you?" said I. "It matters not," was the reply, "but listen. Do you desire
your liberty?" "Yes, certainly." "Well, I give it to you on one condition." "And what is that?" "That you take me with you." "And who are you?" "The Queen of Lampong." "The lady of the black eye? The lady who sent me pearls?" "Yes, the same." "Why should you go; you are a queen here--I am only a Yankee
pedler." "What is that?" "I sell clocks." "Bah! You are not a conjurer, then? You are not a prince--
not of royal blood?" "Not a bit of it, madam; I am only one of the people." "What a fool I am!" And saying this, the lady slammed the
door and departed. I now made a great effort, broke the leathern strap about my
feet, and left my prison. It was about midnight, and a general
stillness pervaded the city. I took a wide circuit, and, bending
my course to the river, soon reached the northern bank, some three
miles from the town. The stream was about a hundred yards in
width. I was a good swimmer, and seeing what I took to be a rock
about half way across, plunged in, and soon reached that point.
What was my amazement, as I sat astride of the seeming rock, to
perceive that it was in motion. Its course was, at first, down the
stream, the waters rippling and foaming -----
around me as if I had been in a boat. I concluded that I was taken
with vertigo, and that, at any rate, the safest way was to hold on.
Pretty soon I perceived that I was carried toward the southern bank
of the river. Holding fast to the mysterious object which bore me
on, I found myself carried to the shore. The wonder was now
explained; I was mounted on the back of an enormous hippopotamus! "Well," thought I, "this is a streak of luck." I knew the
creature was not vicious, and the best way was to ride as far as
he was going my way. He trotted of at a good brisk rate, taking
a southerly course, which was the direction in which I desired to
go. It was rather hard holding on, as his back was round, and his
shoulders worked up and down like a saw mill. However, I got hold
of the bristled along his neck, and we journeyed on smartly for
three quarters of an hour. I got some bad scratches from the trees
and bushes, but as I travelled gratis I could not find fault.
Suddenly my companion came to a small lake, into which he plunged,
rolling over at the same time, to make sure of getting rid of me.
This left me imbedded in the sand, and I only escaped suffocation
by a hard struggle. On the whole I can't recommend the
hippopotamus line in Lampong, though it is cheap and expeditious,
under some circumstances. Morning soon approached, and I continued
my journey. The country was covered with patches of forest, and
occasional spaces of thick matted shrubs and grasses. Among the
latter were winding paths, formed by the wild animals that frequent
it. I concluded that I had better remain here during the day, for
the sake of security against the pursuit of the Lampongers. I had
made myself a kind of bed at the foot of a tree, and was about
sinking into a sweet sleep, when I heard a rustling in the bushes
at a short distance. Looking before me I saw a young tiger
stepping softly through the grass. Suddenly a huge serpent sprang
upon him, and wound him in its terrible folds. The tiger uttered
one hideous yell, and expired. I did not dare to stir, but lay
still until the serpent had strangled his victim and partially
swallowed him. Thinking that his mouth was too full to allow him
to think of me, I retreated and got out of the jungle as fast as
my legs could carry me. For two days I pursued my journey in a
southerly direction, toward the mountains, and began to hope that
I should soon be able to reach the Dutch settlement of Pedang, on
the western coast; but the reader will see in the sequel, that this
expectation was not realized. [To be continued.]
THE ADVENTURES OF GILBERT GO-AHEAD, part 4 (from Robert Merry's
Museum, April 1851, pp. 97-101) CHAPTER IV. Having reached the top of one of the mountains, I found myself
greatly fatigued. I lay down beneath the thick shade of some
cedars, and feeling tolerably secure from immediate danger, soon
fell asleep. After a long nap, I awoke, and began to consider my
situation. This was dreary enough. I had left Lapong in such a hurry as
entirely to forget my bag of gold dust, my revolvers, my Sunday
clothes, and many other articles of value or necessity; all the
earnings of three months' labor, and the product of at least fifty
clocks, were gone forever. I had lost my hat in my ride upon the
hippopotamus, and one of my shoes had been left sticking in the
mud. In searching my pockets, I found nothing remaining but a
three-bladed knife, a small pair of pincers, a file, nine screws,
half a yard of brass wire, a paper box of friction matches, the
four pearls given me by the Queen of Lampong, three horn buttons,
two yards of twine, sixteen percussion caps, an inch of lead
pencil, and a brass locket with a braid of hair in it--the history
of which I shall not give at present. Well--was not this a sorry inventory for a man on the top of
a mountain in Sumatra? At first, I laughed outright--for you must
know that nature had given me a cheerful heart. But a man cannot
live by laughing--and soon my mind took a more serious turn. "What -----
am I to do?" said I. 'Twas a puzzling question. From my elevated
position, I could see far to the south-east the dim villages of
Lampong--skirting the river, and extending to the sea-shore. To
the northward of this, along the line of the coast, I could trace
the faint images of settlements upon the borders of the river
Moosee, at the mouth of which, some hundred miles off, lies the
Dutch city of Palembang. To the west, my view was interrupted by
mountains rising far above my head. My desire was, as I have said, to make my way to Padang, a
Dutch town on the western side of the island. From this place I
thought I might easily go to Acheen, where my clocks had been
shipped, and with these I could again try my fortune. But
difficulties beset me on every side. The interior of Sumatra is
seldom visited by white people, and is in fact wholly inhabited by
the native tribes. Some of these I knew to be very savage. I had
heard terrible stories of the Battas, who make horrid feasts of
prisoners, whom they roast and devour with great relish; of the
Rejangs, who worship wild animals, and are addicted to many
ferocious customs--and of other savage races, practising every kind
of cruelty, especially upon strangers. I knew the recesses of the
country to be infested, also, with wild animals, even more
dangerous than these savages. I spent nearly a whole day in considering what was to be done.
I almost gave myself up as without hope, and lay down upon the
ground, determined to make no effort for deliverance. But after
a time, I began to feel very hungry, and this brought me to my
senses. I resolved first to get something to eat, and then to set
out for Padang. In this extremity, I did not forget the good
lessons my mother had given me; so I knelt down under the cedar,
and prayed to God for help. It is very strange what comfort often
visits the poor and desolate wanderer, from the feeling that there
is One in Heaven, who will listen to the prayers of his children;
I felt new strength and courage, and began my journey, hoping to
find some wild fruits on my way. I descended the slope of the mountain, and soon reached a
little narrow valley filled with wild palm trees. As I was passing
along, I suddenly heard a terrible cry, as if half a dozen wild
Malays were shouting after me in the woods. I immediately skulked
in the tall grass, but before I had time to look around, I heard
a rattling among the branches of a tree above me, and instantly,
a cocoa-nut came down bang, at my side! I looked up in the tree,
and there sat a queer-looking little gentleman, gazing full in my
face, and seeming to be laughing at me. "Oh ho, Mister Monkey," said I, "It is you making all this
noise--well, well, I forgive you with all my heart, for you have sent me
a capital supper." So saying, I picked up the cocoa-nut, and
retiring to a little distance, crushed it, and made a hearty meal.
Having done this, I returned to the tree, and beckoned the
hospitable monkey to come and shake hands with me; but he set -----
up a furious yell, and I saw three or four of his neighbors
jumping, leaping, and swinging along the branches of the trees--all
fixing their grinning looks upon me. Supposing they intended a
united attack, and annoyed by their clamor, I bade them farewell,
and, after some pretty tall walking, had crossed the valley, and
began to ascend the mountain before
me. The night was dark, except that the stars shone with a
brilliancy unknown in New England. Most of them consisted of
groups I had never seen before. Several of them looked three times
as large as our Yankee stars, and in fact appeared like little
fiery moons. Aided by their partial light, I was able to continue
my journey. In the morning I had reached the top of the mountain,
and I had an unbounded view to the west. As the sun came up from
the blue mist that covered the ocean, a scene of grandeur which I
cannot describe, was presented to me. In a short time, I was able
to trace the mountain tops that rose like huge elephants along the
centre of the island, and to the west, I fancied I could discover,
among various settlements, the town of Padang. I breakfasted on
some cocoa-nut meat which I had brought with me, and after a nap
of four hours, began to descend the mountains. I had fancied that I might reach Padang in two days, but I
soon found my progress more tedious than I had expected. The ground was
exceedingly irregular; and what had seemed to be a smooth slope,
was in fact a series of rocky ridges, deep ravines, and a wild
labyrinth of woods and thickets. The farther I advanced, the more
intricate and confused was my course. At night, I was involved in
a maze of trees and shrubs, surrounded by steepling rocks and
jutting precipices. The scene was indeed terrific, but I had no choice, and cast
about for some place where I might spend the night. I soon found
an opening beneath a large rock, which seemed to be the entrance
of a cave. I explored this for a short distance, and having
gathered some branches of large-leaved trees, I made myself a bed,
and prepared for my repose. I was greatly fatigued, and soon fell
asleep, but was soon awoke by the noise of several voices. Gazing
around, I saw half a dozen wild-looking men entering the cave upon
their knees, and passing very near to me. They soon disappeared
in the recesses of the cavern, which, however, sent forth a
jingling echo of their noisy conversation. I remained silent for some time, and then concluded to steal
away; I had proceeded only a few steps, however, when I was met by
three other savages. They uttered a terrible shout, which called
the men out of the cavern, and I was immediately surrounded and
captured. I was taken into the cave, and a torch being lighted,
I was examined with great wonder and curiosity. Their language was
a wild jargon, and I could understand very little of it. It seemed, however, that they were gold-washers, and lived
among the mountains, to gather the particles of the precious metal,
which they found in the sands of the little river, which rippled -----
through the valley. They concluded to keep me for two or three
days, when they would return to their village, and make a feast of
me. I was, therefore, tied hand and foot, and laid in a remote
part of the cave. My captors now occupied themselves in tying up
their gold dust in little bags. They then ate their supper, put
out the torch and finally went to sleep. With me it was no time for repose. The horrible prospect of
being roasted and devoured by these cannibals filled my mind with
horror. What could I do to escape such a dreadful fate? To break
my bonds with a violent effort, and rush upon these men was my
first project. Such a scheme, however, seemed altogether too
desperate. I lay at least two hours, devising all sorts of plans;
at last, I thought of my friction matches. "That's a bright idea
of yours, Gilbert Go-ahead," said I; "you wasn't made a Yankee for
nothing; 'necessity is the mother of invention.' These are very
superstitious people, and I'll frighten them, if I don't give them
a singeing." The darkness was intense, yet such was my excitement, that I
could see the projecting angles of the rocks, and distinguish the
prostrate forms of the enemy upon the floor of the cavern. With
a tremendous effort, I broke the bark thongs which bound my wrists,
and easily sundered those around my ankles with my knife. I now
crept forward like a cat, and placed a lighted match at the tail
of each coat of the savages. These garments consisted of the inner
fibres of bark, and were very combustible. I then retreated to a
deep nook in the cave. Every match but one took effect. The scene
that followed beat every India fire-dance that ever was heard of.
First one jumped up, and then another, and another, till they were
all on their feet, each looking like a two-legged comet, with a
fiery train behind. Such a slapping, screaming, running and
jumping! I am very sorry to say that I could not help laughing at
the scene. Luckily, it was soon over. In the space of a few
minutes, the savages had cleared out from the cavern, leaving me
in possession of the premises. I picked up their little bags of
gold--deeming them a reward for the entertainment I had given--and
put them carefully into my pocket. Taking advantage of the darkness, I left the cavern, and
scrambling through forest and glen, found myself at a considerable
distance from the scene of action as the dawn approached. For
three whole days, I pursued my journey through the wilderness,
keeping, as I supposed, in the direction of Padang. On the third
day, I came to the open country, and saw several villages scattered
along the banks of a river. I had little doubt that these belonged
to the Dutch settlement, and that I should find myself safe among
the people, whom I expected to find partially civilised. I
therefore proceeded towards one of these places. As I approached it, I noticed a great hubbub among the people.
Everybody seemed to be racing and chasing about, men and women,
girls and boys. Pretty soon I saw a line of men issue from the
town. These suddenly commenced run- -----
ning, and I speedily found myself encircled by an army of at least
300 men. These were mostly without weapons; but a few of them had
clubs, knives and pistols. They did not approach me at first, but
kept at a distance, uttering wild cries, throwing up their arms,
and performing all sorts of antics; at last, they all knelt down,
put their hands to their foreheads, and bowed before me with an air
of reverence. "Oh ho," said I to myself, "those vagabonds of the cave have
run away, and have told their story to these people, who take me
for a fire-king. Well, there's nothing like luck--who knows but
what I shall turn out a rajah, and wear a turban sprinkled with
diamonds--'what can't be cured must be endured.'" Scarcely had I
ended this train of reflection, when a new scene was presented.
Of this, and other matters, I shall give an account in the next
chapter. [To be continued.]
THE ADVENTURES OF GILBERT GO-AHEAD, part 5 (from Robert Merry's
Museum, May 1851, pp. 138-144) CHAPTER V. It will be remembered, that I was encircled by some two or
three hundred villagers, who had greeted me with mingled shouts and
tokens of welcome. From what I had heard of the inhabitants of
this part of Sumatra, I supposed them to belong to the state of
Menankabow, which was once the most powerful in the island. This
proved to be correct, as we shall see hereafter. I conjectured from their appearance, that the people around
me were not very savage; I supposed they had heard the adventure
of the men in the cave, and took look me to be a sort of fire-
witch. This idea was strengthened, when I saw two or three persons
come out from the crowd, each having the hinder part of his coat
or jacket burnt off for about six inches. These turned round, so
as to show me what had happened--and one of them made a sign, as
if his skin had got singed as well as his garment. I was glad to
perceive that the sufferers appeared to be rather filled with
reverence than revenge. The people now began to advance, and the circle to grow
smaller; this gave me -----
some alarm, and I thought it best to establish my authority over
the people. The season was hot, and the tall grass around was dry
as tinder. I stood on a bare knoll, and was therefore safe from
a stratagem I immediately put in practice. Seizing a handful of
the herbage, I set fire to it with a match--whirled it wildly in
the air--jumped up three times--uttered an Indian war-whoop--and
scattered the blazing stubble around. It smoked for a second, and
then in fifty places the flames leaped up, red and hissing like the
tongues of so many serpents. In a short space, a wave of flame
swept over the field in every side. No sooner did the rabble see
the fire gliding toward them, than they scampered like sheep before
a wolf, in all directions. In a few minutes, I was left alone on
my hillock, complete master of the field. After a laugh, hearty and long, I began to consider what was
best to be done. "Shall I take to my heels and run away?" said I,
"or shall I put on a bold face, and march into the village?"
"Faint heart never won fair lady." "None but the brave deserve the
fair." "Courage and luck are trumps that win every game." "In
short," said I, concluding the debate with myself, "as there's
nothing else to be done, I'll march upon the village, and take it
by storm." I did not hesitate, but proceeded directly toward the river,
along which the houses, erected upon stakes some ten feet high,
were standing. Nearly the whole body of the rabble had gathered
into their dwellings, and nothing could exceed the curiosity of the
people, as they saw me approaching. As I came near one of the
huts, I could see at least a dozen pair of eyes peering at me from
the doors, and holes left for windows. There were men, women and
children, of all sorts and sizes. I waited for a time, and then
beckoned to one of the men to come down to me. He looked very shy,
and so I sat down on the ground. After a time, he came out, put
down his ladder, and with a very doubting air, approached me. I
spoke to him in Malay, and he answered in a language so
similar, that I readily understood him. We now entered into conversation. Soon after several other
men came out, and then I saw the women, and finally the children,
coming down the ladders in all directions. I was shortly
surrounded by a great number of persons, who seemed to gaze on me
as a prodigy, at once interesting and dangerous. At last, the
principal men of the village came, and invited me to a sort of
public reception. This took place beneath a long edifice,
consisting of poles set into the ground, and covered with palm
leaves. Here I was addressed in a respectful manner, and invited
to take up my residence among the people. I was christened Fire
Cloud, in their language, which I found to be a very respectable
title. After the ceremonies, I had a hut assigned to me, of which
I took immediate possession, and where I soon found myself very
comfortable. As I spent some weeks in this place, I had a good opportunity
to study the manners and customs of the people, which are very
curious, and of which I shall -----
give some account. The country, as I had conjectured, belonged to
the rajah of Menankabow. This state is less powerful than
formerly, but it still contains several hundred thousand
inhabitants. It is under the actual control of the Dutch
settlements of Padang. Here the rajah resides a great part of the
time, but he occasionally lives in his provinces, chiefly among
the hilly country, bordering on the mountains. There are numerous
villages, mostly in the low valleys, and very often along the banks
of rivers. The houses are built upon stakes, partly to avoid the
serpents, scorpions and other venomous vermin, and partly to be
secure in times of inundation. The people are generally Malays,
and are of a gentle character in the low and cultivated districts;
in the mountains are many savage and ferocious tribes. Sumatra is a wonderful island, not only for the richness and
abundance, but also for the variety of its products. It yields
gold, copper, iron, sulphur, and naptha: it produces more pepper
than all the rest of the world, 30 millions of pounds being
annually raised; camphor, India rubber, cocoa-nuts, bamboos, sugar,
rattans, rice, coffee, hemp, various gums, and a great variety of
grains are abundant. A large part of the camphor, used throughout
the world, is obtained here. The people of Menankabow may be taken as a sample of the Malay
population in general. They are small, thin, and dark yellow. The
men have a light beard, and what grows, is carefully eradicated by
quick-lime. The hair is jet black and regularly anointed with
cocoa-nut oil. Some of the higher rank are of a tolerably fair
complexion; the eyes are very black and clear. On the whole the
forms and movements of the people exhibit great ease and grace--
but the countenances are often rendered hideous, by having the
noses flattened in infancy. Sometimes the mothers make the ears
of their children grow out from their head, like those of calves. The dress, generally, was originally woven of the inner fibres
of bark, and this is still used to some extent. Cotton cloths made
in the European manner, are now common. The garments of the men
are short drawers, a close fitting vest, and a cloak or coat,
extending nearly to the knees, with a sash around the waist, in
which a kris, or dagger is worn. The head is covered with
a small turban, or an umbrella hat, somewhat in the Chinese
fashion. The women wear a bodice, long petticoat, and a cloak with
long sleeves. The ladies wear gauze veils, ornamented with figures
of filagree. Both sexes blacken their teeth, and file them to a
point. The great men sometimes set the under row in plates of
gold. The furniture of the houses is very simple, chiefly consisting
of fine mats, serving as beds, low tables, a few dishes of
earthenware, with brass waiters and iron pans. The diet is mostly
rice, sago, and fruits. The flesh of cattle and calves, goats and
fowls, is eaten, usually seasoned with curry. There were some
manufactures of earthenware, daggers, cotton, and silk. In working
gold and silver filagree, the people have great taste and -----
skill; even in the remote village where I dwelt, there were several
artisans, who produced beautiful articles. I was quite astonished to see the simplicity and rudeness of
their tools. Their instrument for wire-drawing, was a piece of an
old iron hoop; an old hammer-head stuck in a block, served for an
anvil. Two nails tied together at one end, answered for compasses.
For a bellows, they blew through a long joint of bamboo. One day,
when a considerable quantity of metal was to be melted, it was put
into an old iron pot, some fire was kindled beneath, and four men
each with a bamboo in his mouth, lay flat on the ground, and blew
away at the fire with all his might. Yet the ornaments produced
by these people were exquisite. Some are sent to Europe and
America, where they decorate the persons of fine ladies in the
parlor and ball-room. In some other things, these people are unskillful. They know
nothing of either painting or drawing. Their only mode of curing
diseases, is by charms and talismans. They have a musical taste,
but their instruments are Chinese, consisting of pipes, guitars,
drums and gongs. They have many pleasing ballads, and as their
language is very sweet and flowing, their songs are quite
agreeable. I shall here give you an imitation or translation of
a song which is as popular in Menankabow, as Yankee Doodle, Lucy
Long, or Dan Tucker, with us. The original of this song, I reserve for some cabinet of
curiosities. I have thought it best to give an account of the manners and
customs of this strange people in one continuous sketch, and have
therefore got a little before my own personal story. I spent some
time in the village of Bang-bang, which, as nearly as I could find
out, signified the double city, as it consisted of two little
promontories jutting into a broad expanse of the river. The whole
population was about seven hundred. At first, the people, as I
walked about the streets, seemed to regard me with awe. The
children would hide behind the trees, or corners of the houses, and
as they peered out, I could hear them say, "There goes Fire Cloud."
This shyness however wore off, and I was soon on easy terms with
the whole neighborhood, and engaged in most of their sports and
many of their occupations. Their rice fields, or sawahs, consist of low wet
grounds, which are trod into a kind of pudding, by turning in
buffaloes, which are her used instead of oxen. There is some
upland rice, the ground for which is turned up with a sort of
pickaxe, or rude plough. The rice plants -----
are first struck in good soil, and then transplanted to the fields,
and set out in rows; this being done in showery weather. The
product is immense--one seed sometimes producing a hundred and
forty-fold. Among the various spices of Sumatra, the most important is
that of black pepper. This grows on a kind of vine, which attaches
itself by small fibres to other bodies, like the English ivy. It
has large, heart-shaped veiny leaves, with long slender flowers,
succeeded by the berries, which we call pepper-corns. White pepper
is the same product, picked early, soaked and dried in the sun.
Two crops are produced in a year. The pepper is cultivated in
gardens, carefully cleared of weeds. Great pains are taken in
watering the plants. Another kind of spice is the betel pepper, which resembles the
black pepper, though the leaves, flowers and seeds are much larger.
It is used in various ways, and is esteemed a necessary of life,
among all the nations of Southern Asia. The leaf is chewed to
create a kind of intoxication, not unlike that produced by smoking
tobacco. The leaf, as well as the seed, mixed with lime and the
areca nut, is chewed by everybody,--men, women and children.
The people carry this ingredient constantly about with them, and
serve it to their guests on all occasions. The prince offers it in a gold stand, and the poor man in a
brass box, or matte bag. Many of the betel stands are very curious
and costly, containing various small vessels, for holding the nut,
the leaf, and the chunam, or quick-lime. Great ceremony
attends the presentation of the betel. To omit giving it, or to
reject it, when offered, would be a gross affront. It is a point
of etiquette for a poor man always to taste the betel, before he
speaks to his superior. I tried this mixture several times, but
it seemed to scald my mouth, and made me so giddy I could scarcely
stand. Yet children of half a dozen years, being used to it, took
it freely, and seemed to relish it mightily. Sugar-cane is cultivated to some extent, but only for chewing
to get the sweet juices of the plant. Hemp is grown, and made to
yield a liquor which imparts a kind of intoxication, which often
amounts to a trance. Some persons live nearly half their time
under the influence of this delirium. In the forest, there are a great many valuable kinds of trees,
among which, the most remarkable is the camphor tree. From this,
both camphor gum, and camphor oil, or pitch, are taken. I went
into the woods with the camphor hunters, several times. It is not
every tree that produces the gum, and therefore deep incisions are
often made in several trees before any gum is found. In one
instance, we cut down a tree, fully six feet in diameter, and got
out of it twenty-five pounds of gum. We found it extending through
the heart of the tree in masses as thick as a man's arm. I paid considerable attention to the various manufactures.
I was able, from my yankee ingenuity, to introduce several
improvements. I built a regular work-shop -----
for one of the goldsmiths, in which I made a bellows, according to
our fashion. It worked admirably, and made a roaring blaze. All
the people came to see it, and everybody said it was a wonderful
invention. The workmen were, however, evidently afraid of it.
They said it might do for Fire Cloud, but it was too much like
thunder and lightning for them. They therefore refused to use it,
and went on puffing through their bamboo tubes. After staying at Bang-bang about four weeks, I became very
anxious to pursue my journey to Acheen. I found, however, that the
people were very unwilling to have me leave, and Mattee, the chief
magistrate, declared that I was too useful to be permitted to quit
the place. He offered me three wives, a house, a horse, four
earthen dishes, a brass sauce-pan, an iron pot, two pigs, and a
small rice plantation as inducements to remain. My situation was
again somewhat embarrassing. The distance to Padang was at least
ninety miles through a rugged country, entirely without roads and
occupied by villages, or covered with forests, abounding with wild
animals. I determined, nevertheless, to depart as soon as I could
find a good opportunity. One day, I went with a party of about six men upon a hunting
expedition, our design being to remain several days in the
mountains. The hunters had bows, arrows, and spears, and two of
them had old rickety fowling-pieces. As I was always on the watch
for a chance to run away, I took what little property I had with
me, consisting of five ounces of gold dust, some beautiful
specimens of filagree ornaments, and my four Lampong pearls. I had
also adopted the Malay dress, even to the turban, and being pretty
well browned by exposure to the sun, I hoped to be able to make my
way as a native of the country, through any of the unsettled
districts I might have occasion to pass. I had a long keen dagger
in my belt, and was provided for the hunt with a spear, bow, and
quiver of arrows. I had also six friction matches, which I
esteemed, on account of former success, more important than all the
rest. We took our course to the north, through a long narrow valley,
and, after travelling about six or eight miles, turned toward the
mountains. These consisted of long ridges, rising one behind the
other, between which were valleys, burthened with heavy forests.
Passing two or three of these ridges, we came at last to the most
beautiful spot I ever beheld. It was a deep vale shaped like a
bowl, about five miles in diameter; the blue mountains rising aloft
in the sky, inclosing it on all sides. In the centre was a lake,
covered with a thin pale mist; as we looked down upon it from the
heights, several cataracts, appearing like ribbons of silver,
leaped into it from the shaggy sides of the mountains. The higher peaks were darkened with cedars and pines; a little
lower down were forests of camphor, mango, and durion, or
Malay apple trees, with many others, whose names I did not know.
The level bed of the valley seemed overspread with palms, and the
whole air was -----
filled with perfumes. Parrots of various forms and hues, doves of
many colors, yellow-billed cuckoos, golden pheasants, and a variety
of other gorgeous but nameless birds, sang or fluttered among the
branches of the trees; at the same time the air seemed filled with
troops of brilliant butterflies and other insects. The mingled
wildness and beauty of the spot, without human inhabitants, and the
dwelling-place only of untamed birds and animals, rendered it
exceedingly interesting. [To be continued.]
ADVENTURES OF GILBERT GO-AHEAD, part 6 (from Robert Merry's
Museum, June 1851, pp. 178-182) CHAPTER VI. We reached the beautiful valley which I described in the last
chapter, just at the break of day, and our hunting immediately
began. It was rare sport, for the animals were very numerous: my
first shot was with the bow at a golden pheasant. The bird was
standing near me, and so far from being afraid, he began to strut
and spread his tail and feathers, just like a peacock. The
creature seemed to think that I was a stranger, and must needs be
delighted with his gaudy attire. After he had gone through his
pantomime, I gave him the arrow, which passed entirely through his
body. My next shot was at a wild-cat without any tail; I brought
him down from the branch of a tree, but he was only stunned, and
as I picked him up, he gave me a scratch and ran off. In an hour, our party collected for breakfast. We had
altogether six pheasants; one wild-cat without a tail, and one with
a tail, having six knobs upon it; one small deer, and three
tupayas, resembling large weasels. My readers may imagine that
I am telling a mere fancy story; but if they will read an account
of Sumatra, they will find that many strange and peculiar animals
inhabit the island, including all the species which I describe. After our meal, we descended into the lower parts of the
valley; the scene here became still more interesting. The palm
trees grew in groups, with opening between, giving the place the
aspect of a garden. The lake lay shining and smooth before us;
small flocks of water-fowl were seen gliding upon its surface, and
long-legged birds of the heron kind, stood around its margin,
either looking into its crystal waters for fish, or perhaps
dreaming of pleasures past and to come. This general aspect of
repose was broken in the distance by three or four tapirs, which
seemed to be basking near the shore. -----
long noses, extended nearly like the trunk of an elephant, were
thrust out, sometimes sending the water in columns into the air.
When they saw us, they ran to the shore, and disappeared in the
woods. They had the general appearance of hogs, but were as large
as small cattle. This whole region seemed to be teeming with animal life. We
saw the tracks of rhinoceroses in the soil, of which there are two
species here. Not long after, we caught a glimpse of one of these
enormous creatures, but he did not permit us to approach him. We
found paths winding about among the trees, made by the wild animals
which come to the lake to drink. In one of these places, we found
the tracks of elephants. My imagination was now greatly excited.
In my native state of Connecticut, I had never seen a wild animal
larger than a woodchuck; it therefore produced in my mind very
strange emotions to be in the midst of a country, where I knew
myself to be surrounded by troops of these enormous quadrupeds. As we proceeded, we constantly met with flocks of doves of
splendid colors--the argus pheasant, elegant in form, and even
surpassing the peacock in richness of plumage, with troops of
warblers, thrushes, and fly-catchers, singing and fluttering on
every side. It really seemed as I were in fairy-land, and I
thought to myself--charming it would be to spend a whole life in
this valley! Just as my mind was filled with these thoughts, I saw
the water of a little river at my side suddenly become agitated.
Immediately after, the long head and glassy eyes of a crocodile
were poked out towards me; with its huge, open jaws, the creature
leaped to the land, and made a dash at me; I jumped quickly aside,
but his bound carried him into the midst of my companions. At the
same moment, a tiger issued from the bushes, and made a spring
towards them. This double attack was too much, and uttering a
terrible yell, they all scampered off. I was left alone, and
thinking my time for escape had come, I took to my heels, and ran
away in an opposite direction. Shortly after, I paused to take breath, when there appeared
before me the most horrible spectacle I ever beheld. An enormous
serpent stood in my path; its head elevated to the height of six
feet, while its eyes glared, and its forked tongue threatened me
like a small red flame. The scales behind its neck rose up, and
assumed the color of polished gold--it was, at once, superb and
terrible. For a moment, I thought it must be the Evil One, and it
crossed my mind, that here was the garden of Eden, which was still
inhabited by the Tempter of our first parents. But after a few moments, my panic passed away, and drawing my
bow, I sent an arrow at the serpent, which entered his throat, and
passed out just below his scales. The creature took the hint, and
immediately wound himself off through the bushes. I thought it
best to leave the beautiful regions around the lake, and made my
way toward the hills in a direction opposite to that in which I had
come. I soon approached an elevated knoll, upon the top of which
were three small palm trees. ----- It was now very hot, and being much fatigued, I determined to
pause here for rest and repose; but as I came near the place, I saw
what I conceived to be an old man sitting on a log beneath the
trees. We did not see each other, till I had come within twenty
feet of him. When he saw me, he started, and made two or three
bounds, as if to run away, but he suddenly fell to the ground, and
seemed too feeble to arise. I perceived, at once, that it was an
orang-outang and that for some cause, he appeared to be extremely
weak. At first, I prepared to pierce him with my spear, but the
creature looked it me in a kind of beseeching way, and I ventured
to go near him. He grinned at me fiercely, and threatened me with
his long, hooked fingers. His right arm hung by his side, as if
it were broken and useless. I approached the creature gently, and he soon became pacified.
He looked so much like a human being, that I could hardly think of
treating him like a beast. He had a piteous and melancholy
expression of face, and it really seemed as if he were about to
speak, and implore my assistance. After gazing at him for some
time, I went to the palm trees, and sat down. In a few moments the
creature followed, and taking a station about four yards off, sat
down also. I now gave him a piece of broiled fish which I had in
my bag; this he took in his hand and ate greedily. This seemed to
establish a good understanding between us. I now stretched myself out in the shade, and my friend Orang
did the same. After two hours, I got up, and walked away. I had
been gone about half an hour, when, as I was walking in the woods,
I heard something behind me. I turned around, when behold, my new
acquaintance was there. He grinned from ear to ear, which I
suppose was meant for a smile, and at the same time pointed to his
lame arm with a look of distress. I approached him and feeling of it, saw that one of the bones
was broken just above the wrist. I immediately prepared to perform
the surgical operation of setting it. I cut a number of small
sticks which I reduced to the form of splints--these I placed
around the fractured limb, and tore a piece of cotton from my
shirt, which I placed over them--I then secured the whole with a
cord. It was evident that I gave the creature some pain, and two
or three times he uttered a snappish growl, or grunt. But it was
plain that he placed confidence in the operation, and he only meant
his ejaculations as expressing a desire that I would hurt him as
little as possible. When the whole thing was arranged, he held up
his arm, and after examining it carefully, seemed to approve of
what I had done. It was now near sunset, and being anxious to get rid of my
patient, I made a gesture to signify that he should leave me. I
then proceeded up the hills, still involved in the forests. I
continued to travel till near midnight, for the moon was shining
with great brilliancy, and I could find my way almost as well as
during the day. I was not a little disturbed, however, to perceive a dark
figure in my rear, keep- -----
ing at the distance of about 50 paces. Sometimes, it assumed
the form of an aged man, bent with years, and sometimes, it had
more the appearance of a quadruped, ambling along upon three legs.
It was, of course, the orang-outang, who had conceived a violent
friendship for me. It is said that love begets love, and
accordingly I began to feel an affection for this poor beast. I
therefore stopped, and he soon came up. I determined to keep him
with me as long as I remained in the forest, thinking that he might
perhaps be useful. I now began to make preparations for the night, by gathering
some leaves and branches of trees. Having made myself a bed, I
prepared another for Orang. I then gave him a broiled fish, and
a piece of sago bread. When he had eaten them, I made a sign for
him to lie down, which he did, first scraping up a bunch of leaves
for a pillow. Having made my supper, I also retired, and was soon
asleep. It was not long before I was awakened by a rude shake of the
shoulder. Opening my eyes, I perceived that my companion was in
great alarm, and had consequently disturbed my repose. I turned
my eyes to the point at which he was glaring in great terror,
where, beneath the thick bushes, I saw two eye-balls glowing like
coals of fire. I could also perceive the outline of a tiger,
crouching, as if about spring upon me. Quick as thought, I lighted
one of my matches, and applied to the dry leaves of my bed. As the
blaze rose in the air, the tiger slunk away, and my friend uttering
a sound between a whistle and a scream, disappeared also. I
remained by my fire till morning, and then proceeded on my journey. My way was now over the ridges of the mountains, and of
course, my progress was slow. I journeyed for two days, when I
found myself exceedingly weary. I had also some symptoms of fever.
Fearing that I was going to be ill, I looked about for shelter,
which I soon found in one of the numerous caverns of the mountain.
I made myself a bed with some difficulty, and lay down. In a short
time, I was under the influence of a raging fever. My mind
wandered, and I became incapable of rising. Though bewildered in
mind, I became conscious that I was attended by a nurse. Somehow or other, I seemed to be at Sandy Plain, and in my
delirium I fancied my attendant to be no other than James Grinnel,
son of the gate-keeper, and one of my school companions. We used
to call him Grin, and falling into my old habits, I bestowed
that title upon my nurse, Orang. He several times brought me water
in a cocoa-nut shell, which I believe saved my life. In three
days, I began to get better, and at the end of a week, I was able
to resume my journey. I had now adopted Grin as my servant, and
felt myself to be travelling in considerable style. Keeping a northerly route, and avoiding the villages, which
I could see on the lower plains, I pursued my journey for about ten
days. I was now satisfied that I was in the Acheen country, and
was very anxious to get down to the coast, so -----
as to avoid the terrible Battas, whom I have already mentioned.
But it often happens that we plunge into the very dangers we are
seeking to escape. One day, as we were travelling through a wooded
glade, lying between two mountain ridges, we came suddenly upon an
elephant, not twenty paces from us. I turned aside; but the animal
saw me, and immediately pursued me. I soon reached an open space
with a single tree near the middle of it. I ran across this space,
and mounted the tree. The elephant came up instantly, and putting
his tusks against the trunk, shook it violently. I lost my hold,
and was suddenly jerked to the ground. I instantly gave up all hope of escape, expecting to be
trodden to death by the furious beast. To my utter amazement, the
animal stood quite still, putting out his trunk toward me in a very
respectful manner. Altogether, his look seemed to say, that he was
quite sorry for what had happened. After a short space, he
suddenly twined his proboscis around my waist, whirled me in the
air, and set me down astride of his neck. Having waited a few
moments, he started off at a tolerable pace. He kept his trunk
turned up, as if to catch me in case there was danger of my
falling. Striking into one of the paths of the forest, he proceeded
more rapidly--Grin keeping up with some difficulty behind. the
creature sometimes went on two legs, and sometimes on four, for his
arm was now quite recovered. He seemed in excellent spirits, and
I concluded, that it was all right, though I had no idea how this
droll adventure was to end. In about an hour we had descended from the mountains, and
reached a low valley; at a short distance, I saw quite a settlement
standing on the borders of a river. The elephant made straight for
this place, and just as we entered the town, Grin jumped up behind
me, and held on with both arms by my waist. The sensation produced
upon the inhabitants of the village by this curious spectacle, I
leave to the imagination of the reader. [To be continued.]
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Willows stooping--willows drooping,
Playing with the dimpling water--
Lilies waving, lilies laving,
Are not fair as Lintin's daughter--
Lintin's daughter,
Loly, laly, Lintin's daughter.
Lightning flashing--lightning dashing--
Down the mountain's rocky border--
Thunder rolling, thunder tolling,
Is not wild as Dork the robber--
Dork the robber--
Loly, laly, Dork the robber.
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