ADVENTURES OF GILBERT GO-AHEAD (from Robert Merry's Museum, July 1852, pp. 17-21)
Obstinacy was never my failing; and, for that matter, it was never the failing of my family. My father was a good, easy man, believing what people told him, and doing whatever they asked -- especially if they called him good Gilbert, honest Gilbert, and the like. My mother, whose maiden name was Tight, and was third cousin to one of the firm of Dig & Pinch -- I forget which -- was what you may call a smart woman, and ruled the roost -- not in the kitchen only, but in matters and things, in general. She had a sort of masculine pride, which led her to desire power, or at least to be thought to possess it. Nevertheless, my mother, like the rest of her amiable set, sometimes changed her mind.
I remember a thousand instances, like the following, which I will put in the form of a dialogue.
Gilbert. Mother, may I go a-fishing with Ben Hooker, this afternoon?
Mother. No, indeed, you shan't.
G. Why not, mother?
M. Because.
G. Because why?
M. Hold your tongue!
[G.] Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh, I've pricked my finger!
M. Well, you've done it a-purpose. There, take that! (Gives me a box with five nails.)
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G. Boo-hoo -- boo-hoo -- boo-o-o-o-o!
M. Stop that noise, or I'll send you to bed.
G. Boo--o--ou--ou--ou!
M. Go to bed!
G. Well, I'll go to bed, but do put a rag round my finger first.
M. Let me see your finger.
G. There.
M. Oh, there's blood on it! Why did you not tell me?
G. I did tell you.
M. No, you didn't.
G. I did.
M. You didn't; hold your tongue! There, I've put some rum and sugar on it.
G. Thank you, mother. I always like rum and sugar; it makes the plaguy thing smart, but it tastes good. (I begin to suck the rag, and mother begins to smile.)
M. Now go along.
G. Where's my hook and line, mother?
M. In the table-draw, there.
G. Well, mother, my finger's sore, you know; so do fix this lead on, and just slip the cork over the line. (Mother does as I request.) All's right, now. There's Ben Hooker, coming up the walk! I'm going, mother!
M. Well, go 'long!
G. I'm going a-fishing with Ben Hooker?
M. Go where you please, only don't bother me.
G. Well, jest box my ears first!
M. I will, if you don't go away--what a saucy chatterton!
G. Do send me to bed, mother!
Here mother turns away, pretending not to hear me--though I see a smile round the corner of her face, and see symptoms of a chuckle in the tremulous movement of her short-gown, just above the waist. So my mother was fairly beat--though, had I told her so, she would have gone to the stake, like John Rogers and his family, rather than have confessed it.
Now, gentle reader, such being the characteristics of my venerable parents, will you not consider it pardonable in me, also, to show a little amiable condescension? You know, or you ought to know, that some of the learned, sagacious, philosophical patrons of Merry's Museum have expressed doubts as to the accuracy of my travels, set forth in that renowned work; and that, considering these to be reflections upon my honor, I have very properly hesitated to continue the publication of my adventures. But inasmuch as I am informed, by the following letter, that some people, including at least one schoolmaster, believe me to be an honest and faithful chronicler, I have concluded to continue my account.
Messrs. Allen & Co., Publishers of Merry's Museum, N.Y.:
Gentlemen:--I understand that some people have sneered at Gilbert Go-ahead's Travels, because there are some big stories in them. For this reason the author has get offended, and won't go on with his account. I'm sorry for it. I was greatly amused with Gilbert, and do
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not hesitate to believe every word of his narration, or, at least, all that he says which is possible and probable, when we consider what a harem-scarem kind of fellow he is, and the strange countries in which he has traveled. Now, I am actually writing from the mouth of Mammoth Cave, where I have dined this day, with 17 other people. I have explored this wonderful work of nature to the distance of nine miles, and yet have not been to the end of it! I have seen what is called the Devil's Dining Room, and the haunted Chamber; I have seen the stream covered with everlasting darkness, where fishes, having no use for sight, are in fact without eyes; I have seen, in this dim solitude, chambers opening one into another, like the rooms of an eastern castle, and lighted by torches, exceeding even Aladdin's enchanted palaces, in their glittering magnificence. Now, what is there in Gilbert Go-ahead's stories so wonderful as all this?
Messrs. Publishers, I do not think it well to believe everything we hear, but it is certainly not well to reject what is merely new. Some people are very credulous in one direction, and very incredulous in others. I knew a man who believed every word of Sinbad the Sailor, Jack the Giant Killer, and Puss in Boots, and has made his children get them all by heart. They all insist upon it, that "Hei-diddle-diddle" is a historical narrative; that long, long ago--somewhere about the time of the flood--there actually was a cat in a fiddle, and a certain cow, on a certain day, did certainly jump over the moon. I'm not sure that they couldn't tell you the name of the owner, and perhaps the breed of the beast; and yet this family don't believe a word about geology. When you tell them of the bones of animals dug out of the earth, such as are not in existence now--as the mastodon, the plesiosaures, the petrodactyle, &c.--they say it is all book-gammon, or philosophical jugglery.
Thus it is with many persons; they are naturally inclined to put faith in the impossible, while they reject what is certain, provided it is contrary to their old habits of thought. And, to apply this to the matter in hand, I beg to express it as my opinion that Mr. Go-ahead's travels ought not to be suppressed on the ground of want of fidelity to the truth. At least, they give correct descriptions of the animals, the trees, the people, and the scenery of the countries through which he passes; and believing them to be instructive as well as amusing, I wish you to send him this letter, and beg him to continue the publication of his adventures.
I am, with great respect,
John Prim, Schoolmaster.
Well, this is the letter sent me by the publishers; and though I had determined never to print one word more about my travels, I herewith send a continuation of my story, and hope it will fulfil the expectations of my friends.
In my last chapter, I said that I had set out from Singapore for China. The voyage is all the way on the Pacific Ocean, or its bays and straits; its gen-
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eral direction is northeast, but our vessel, or rather our junk, in working its way over the water, went at all points of the compass.
The weather was generally hot and the winds light, so that we glided on at a snail's pace. In two weeks we had reached the China Sea, and passing near the Anamba Isles, we stopped and went ashore. Here we found a number of fishermen and bird-catchers--and a queer looking set they were. They seemed to be a kind of compound: part bird, part fish, and part man. They would dive, and swim, and float, as if they actually belonged to the sea. We got a supper of fish, and I tried to sell one of 'em a clock, offering to take birds' nests and shells in return. The man took it to be an idol, or some piece of sorcery; and had I indulged this fancy, he would have bought it; but when I explained that it was a time-piece, he turned on his heel, exclaiming, "What have I to do with time?"
We kept on our way, but in about a week we were beset by a hurricane, which is called a typhoon. Unluckily we were near the coast, and the wind being from the east, drove us toward the land. The tempest was preceded by a dead calm and a brazen look all over head, with a black and blue line around the horizon. As the evening came on, we began to roll like a barrel; yet there was not a breath of wind. Our little China captain saw that mischief was brewing, and clewed up his canvass. All the sailors and passengers chattered like a flock of parrots.
By and by we saw, to the east, that the sea was covered with foam, white as milk. In a moment we were struck by the tempest, and our junk walloped over on her beam ends. I was prepared for this, and was on the upper side as she went over. I held on to the ropes and bulwarks, as did some twenty of my companions. For a short time our ship lay still, as if struck with death; but soon she rose and fell on the waves, which were now roiling with terrible energy. Night had set in, and the darkness was intense, except so far as the phosphoric flashes of the waves gave us an occasional glimpse into the bosom of the deep, or an outline of our staggering and helpless vessel.
I had become used to situations of danger, and my nerves were pretty well braced against the ordinary mischances of the sea; but, altogether, the scene around me was so terrible--so grand, yet so fearful--that I closed my eyes involuntarily, and with a calm and humble mind, committed myself to God.
Several hours passed, during which my ears were filled by the roar of the wind lashing the billows, and the occasional thumping of the ship by the waves, sounding like discharges of artillery. Suddenly the wind lulled, the sky cleared, and the stars shone with a strange brilliancy over the sea; but our vessel still lay on her beam ends, and it was clear that she had no intention of righting. And now new dangers appeared: all around the water seemed boiling as if in a pot. It was obvious we were in the midst of reefs; and by the light of
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the dawning day, we could see at a little distance the dark, dismal forms of cliffs, seeming like giants ready to devour us. Suddenly there was a thump, and then another, and then!-- What then? Wait for the next chapter, kind reader, and oblige yours truly,
Gilbert Go-ahead.
ADVENTURES OF GILBERT GO-AHEAD (from Robert Merry's Museum, August 1852, pp. 58-62)
It is not necessary to give the details of our misfortune. Our vessel, or rather our junk, had been forced on the rocks by the waves, and no hope of her holding together seemed to be afforded. She was at one moment lifted up by the billows and then let down, as if the sea were in a rage, and sought to pound her to pieces. The poor old thing groaned and creaked, as if she had a fit of the colic, and our little Chinese captain absolutely shed tears at her agonies.
The sailors behaved pretty well, and made strenuous efforts to get the junk off. But at last they despaired, and it was curious to notice their conduct. Most of them got their clothes, trinkets, and stock of cash, each tying them up in a handkerchief and preparing to swim ashore. One or two lost all courage, and threw themselves upon the deck, wailing like children. A little Chinese merchant passenger wedged himself in between the bulwark and a water-cask, where I saw him holding an idol with his knees, and burning some gilt paper before it. Every man on board, except him, left the ship, and these all succeeded in climbing upon the rocks.
Night soon set in, and the storm began again to sweep over the sea. The coast upon which we had landed was rocky, and bore no traces of being inhabited. For myself, as soon as I got out of the reach of the spray, which came dashing along the shore, covering it at intervals with a white cloud, I sat down, and after returning thanks to Heaven for my deliverance, stretched myself out on the bare ground and fell asleep. When I awoke it was broad day, but the sky was cloudy, and the sea was covered with mist. I saw nothing of my companions, and all my endeavors to find them were fruitless. I shouted aloud, I got upon the top of a high rock, I endeavored to discover and to follow their track, but all in vain. At last, the dismal consciousness of my forlorn situation came full upon my mind. Here I was, on an unknown and wild coast, without money, and without any other clothes than those on my back. I had no other weapon than a two-bladed knife, and all my property beside consisted of a box of wet matches, three fish-hooks, about half a New-York Herald, a gimblet with a split handle, and a locket around my neck, containing a daguerreotype likeness of one or my friends at Sandy Plain.
What a stock in trade for one in my situation! After holding counsel with myself about an hour, I made up my mind not to despair. I resolved to look about and adopt that line of conduct which circumstances might dictate. I found myself very hungry, and began to look for something to satisfy my appetite. I soon found a plenty of muscles and small crabs, bedded in the sea-weed between the rocks, and made a capital meal. I then gathered a quantity of them, and tied them up in some long
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leaves, and set off toward the interior of the country.
After passing a succession of reddish-brown ridges, rising some seven or eight hundred feet above the level of the sea, I came to a wooded region, through which I travelled for a whole day. At evening I found myself in a small open plain, and at a little distance, by the twilight, I saw a building. I approached it cautiously, and discovered it to be a temple or pagoda, partly in ruins. Every thing around was silent, and I judged that the place was wholly deserted. The moon soon rose, and by the light I discovered the edifice to be still of great extent, though more than half of it was tumbled into shapeless heaps. One portion was in a good state of preservation. The floor here was beautifully chequered with stone, or marble, of black and white, and the ceiling showed elaborate sculptures, representing serpents and various grotesque images. In a deep niche of the wall was an idol, resembling a fat, smiling man, squatting down and sitting on his heels.
I walked about the place for some time, and finally concluded to adopt it as a tavern, inasmuch as nobody appeared to claim it as a church. After trying various positions, I found one to suit me pretty well, and fell asleep. Just about daylight, I was awoke by a strange noise, and looking round, I saw what I took to be an aged man come hobbling into the temple, helping himself along with his arms, like a child on all fours. It was still dark, and I could only get a faint view of this strange appearance. The personage, whoever he was, went up to the idol I have just described, and kneeling down before it, performed various signs and ceremonies. After a time, he went away. He was soon followed by a procession of about fifty similar personages, all hobbling along, now on two legs, and now on four. Having made all sorts of grimaces before the idol, they also departed. As they were passing out, one of them saw me, and he set up the most frightful howl that ever filled mortal ears. The procession was instantly thrown into all sorts of paroxysms. Some of the party, which I now discovered to consist entirely of apes and baboons, yelled aloud; some scampered up the trees; some jumped up and down; and some came grinning at me, as if to scare me out of my senses. I was pretty cool, however, for I had been in this sort of company before, and knew there was no danger. And, besides, I foresaw that I should easily get a good breakfast. It turned out as I expected. One of the monkeys climbed a cocoa-nut tree, and taking pretty good aim, he threw a large nut at my head. He missed his mark, and taking the fruit to the pagoda, I crushed it with a stone, and made a delicious meal. Thus the monkey was my servant, though he did not know it.
I had no difficulty in discovering that the country where I now was, had been thickly inhabited at no remote day. The temple had, no doubt, in former times, been frequented by the priests and devotees of the Budhist religion; and the monkeys, which are great imitators, had
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kept up their rites and ceremonies after they had deserted it.
I remained a day and night at the pagoda, for the place was charmingly situated. Near by, was a small rivulet of pure water, and along its banks were abundance of beautiful flowers. I had some thoughts, indeed, of taking possession of the place, and spending my life there, but it was too lonesome. The monkeys and parrots were very talkative among themselves, but it was impossible to have any instructive conversation with them; so I took my departure.
I concluded from what I knew of geography, and what the Chinese captain had told me, that I was in the country of Cambodia, which now forms part of the kingdom of Assam. I supposed that, by travelling in a westerly direction, I should come to some town, and be put once more in connection with my fellow men. It turned out as I expected. After six days' travel, from the time of my shipwreck, I reached Saigore, which is the chief city of this part of the country. The people greatly resemble the Chinese, and I had no difficulty in making myself understood.
Before I proceed, I must make a short digression. Cambodia was formerly a great kingdom, but, nearly fifty years ago, it was divided between the kings of Assam and Siam. Saigore, which belongs to Assam, is a sort of double city--one half lying on the west bank of the Saigore river; and the other half, three miles off, on a smaller river. The number of inhabitants is said to be 200,000, many of whom are native Chinese. The city is intersected by numerous canals, along which the houses are disposed in straight lines. They are close to each other, and are built of bamboo frames, with walls of mud plastered over. The roofs are mostly of thatch, though a few are of tiles. Nearly all are of only one story.
Some of the streets are paved with flag-stones; and quays of stone and brick extend for a mile along the river. In the stores and shops, I saw Chinese silks, paper, tea, and firearms, for sale. There were also a few broadcloths. I did not, however, observe a single article of our Yankee productions: not a copy of the New York Herald, or Merry's Museum; not an ounce of Baker's Chocolate; not a bottle of Sand's Sarsaparilla; and, more than all, not a single clock, either of brass or wood! "Oh!" thought I, "if my fifty clocks, which have gone down to the fishes, were only here, I would get, at least, twenty dollars apiece! What a misfortune! What a waste of property--to view the matter in the light of political economy! Fifty clocks--worth, at least, a thousand dollars--utterly lost to the world!"
This consideration made a great impression on my mind, and the very next night I had a dream about it. I thought I had gone down, with my fifty clocks, into the sea. To my great surprise, I was still alive, and found myself called upon, by a lobster some six feet long, to know the meaning of certain strange round-faced creatures, that had just migrated into King Lobster's dominions. Upon being shown one of
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them, I found it to be one of my clocks. Strange to say, it seemed to be alive, and, turn it up or down, it kept ticking away in a most furious manner. About every five minutes it would strike, at which the king-lobster, and all his suite, including lots of crabs, oysters, and clams, would clear out, though they immediately after returned.
After a full exhibition, the lobster asked me what this instrument was for. I told him it was to tell the time of day. "What do you mean by the time of day?" said he.
"Don't you know?" said I.
"No--nor you either."
"Bah--but you do, though."
"Not a bit of it, upon my honor!"
"Well, then, I'll explain it. You know the world, on which we live, turns round every twenty-four hours."
"I don't know any such thing."
"Well--but you know the sun goes round the world every twenty- four hours."
"What is the sun?"
"Surely your majesty is joking: you know all about it."
"This won't do"--said the lobster, growing very red--"this won't do. You are an egregious humbug, to come down here to instruct us, the most intelligent of fishes." Having said this, with great emphasis, his majesty seized my nose with his right claw, and pinched it so unmercifully, that I roared out-right. When I awoke, I was standing in the middle of the room, all covered with perspiration, and shivering like a leaf. It was some time before I could get over the horrible vision. I have never been able to relish lobster since. One good, however, has come of this dream: I never attempt to explain or argue with any body in a strange country, who don't know what the time of day means, and I commend my example, in this respect, to all my friends and acquaintances. It may save them a good deal of trouble.
But to proceed in my account of Saigore. The market is well supplied with poultry and pigs, and truth compels me to add, young alligators, lizards, frogs, rats, mice, and even worms, all of which are esteemed delicacies. Fruits are various and abundant.
The two parts of the city have different names--one being called Saigore, and the other Bengeh. The latter is fortified, and is the seat of the governor, who rules in the name of the King of Assam. There is here a naval arsenal, which was built some half century ago, under the direction of European engineers, employed by the government. It is really a splendid affair, and here many fine vessels are built. The people have a decided turn for maritime affairs, and seem to me better ship-builders than either the Chinese or Japanese.
On the whole, I may say that Saigore is a very interesting city, and, whenever lines of steamers are established between Asia and San Francisco, they ought to have a connecting line to this place. A great trade may be carried on, for the country produces beautiful woods for cabinet work, several kinds of varnish, cinnamon, cardamoms, pepper,
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indigo, ivory, silk, copper, and many other valuable articles or merchandise.
The people resemble the Chinese, though they are of a darker color. They are the proper Cambodians, and their country produces the article called gamboge, used in painting and medicines. They are, for the most part, ignorant and superstitious. I shall have more to say of them in the next chapter. S.G.G.
[To be continued.]
ADVENTURES OF GILBERT GO-AHEAD (from Robert Merry's Museum, September 1852, pp. 83-87)
I had now been about three weeks in the city of Saigon, during which period I lived partly upon the charity of an English merchant, who chanced to be there on business, and partly by working for him in writing, packing up goods, &c. As his stay was to be short, however, I became very anxious about my future prospects.
My anxiety was increased by observing the general ingenuity of the people, which seemed to leave very little chance even for Yankee art and invention. At last, having noticed that there were no wheeled vehicles in this country, I proposed to a rich person, by the name of Long-Gong, to build him a carriage. After many explanations, he engaged me to do it, agreeing to give me my living while I was occupied on the job, and to pay me about 15 dollars when it was done, if the thing suited him.
I went to work, and at the end of two months I had produced a queer kind of machine--half cart and half chaise, harness and all. The horses of this country are about half as big as ours; but they are generally used only for riding. I got one of them, and hitched him to my chariot. I then got in and took the reins, and gave the animal a very polite chirrup--thus inviting him to proceed. The little beast, however, only laid down his ears, and whisked his tail. Upon this, I laid the
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lash lightly over his back. He immediately reared, kicked up, and then dashed forward as if he was attacked by a score of hornets. He took the middle of the main street, which was none of the smoothest, and away he went at a furious gallop.
Never was there such a scene of terror and confusion. John Gilpin's race was nothing to it. It was about mid-day, and the streets were full of people. Some were passing along in palanquins; some were carrying burdens on their heads, and some on a bar across the shoulders. Many along the sides of the streets were attending their little stalls of melons, poultry, pork, and pickled fish. Straight ahead, amid this mingled multitude, went my vicious pony, upsetting, smashing, and dashing every thing that came in his way.
I had no conception that so small an animal could put forth such strength and speed. The amazement of the people knew no bounds: they had never seen a cart or carriage before, and, when I burst upon their astonished vision, a shout of horror rose around me on all sides. It was with difficulty I could keep my seat; and as my charger grew more and more furious, I began to look about for a soft place to tumble into. This was provided, however, without any exertion on my part; for, about half way between Saigon and Paigeh, he plunged into a deep slough, and leaving me and the chariot fast in the mud, he cleared out, and vanished in the distance.
I crawled forth, looking more like a crocodile than a man, for the ditch had furnished me with a jacket and pantaloons of mud, fitting as close as my skin. Several persons soon came up, and a circle was speedily formed around me. They all looked as if they could scarce restrain their rage. Two or three fellows came very close, and thrust their fists in my face. As soon, however, as I rose from the ground, and threatened to chastise them, the mob dispersed in all directions.
Taking advantage of the fear I had inspired, I left the place, and passing through a series of narrow streets, I was able to get clear of the town. I now made my way along the banks of the canal, which is about 20 miles long, and connects Saigon with the river Cambodia. I reached this about midnight, and at a small village I purchased a melon, and made a good breakfast.
I had with me about 120 sepecs, which are the small money of the country. They are made of a brittle metal much used in all the countries connected with China, called tutenague, the basis of which is zinc. This resembles silver, and is often passed off upon strangers for that metal. The sepec is of the size of a quarter of a dollar, with a hole in the middle, by which it is usually carried upon strings. Sixty of them are worth about five cents: so that my wealth did not exceed ten cents. Provisions, however, are cheap here, and for one sepec I bought the melon of which I made my morning meal.
I had taken care to wash off the mud with which I had been incrusted by my
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accident, and now that I saw one of the largest and finest rivers of Asia before me, my spirits rose, and I began to form schemes for my future career. While I was thus musing, a small craft of some sixty tons came floating down the river. I instantly made a sign to the people on board, and she was brought to the bank. I jumped upon deck, and finding she was bound to Hue, the great capital of the kingdom of Anam, I made a bargain to work my passage to that place.
The sloop on which I was now embarked was named the Boobug, which, as far as I could understand, meant the Mosquito. She had three men besides the captain, and two passengers--one a Buddhist priest from Thibet, and the other a juggler, cockfighter, and maker of idols.
I had now a good opportunity to gain information as to the countries which lie on either side of the great Cambodian river. This stream takes its rise in Thibet, and after breaking through the loftiest chain of mountains in the world, it makes its way through rich and populous countries to the ocean. Its whole length is 2000 miles, and its width, a hundred miles above the sea, is little less than a mile. A great many villages, and some towns, are situated upon this river. A large commerce with China and Japan to the north, and to the Asiatic Islands at the south, is carried upon it. Sugar, raw silks, ivory, gold dust, silver, gamboge, gum-lac, dye-woods, hides, horns, cinnamon, &c., &c., are exported in vast quantities, and porcelain, drugs, gilt paper, spices, tin, &c., are imported.
For myself, I had hardly heard of the river Cambodia before I came hither; and I was now amazed to find the immense wealth which exists along its borders. The countries through which it passes have more than fifty millions of people, and abound in rich and varied products. What a vast field is open here for American enterprise, as seen as we have established steam navigation across the Pacific!
I found much pleasure in talking with the priest. He was a fat little man, and his yellow round face always shone like a newly-varnished doll. We gradually formed an intimacy. He let me into his plans. It appeared that although he was a priest, he had also a taste for trade, and dealt pretty largely in charms, amulets, and small idols. He had belonged to the temple of Teshoo- Lomboo, in Thibet, and had once actually been to see the Grand Lama, at his temple of Portata, near Lassa. He was now the bearer of an important commission from several pious Kootocktoos, in Thibet, who had formed a society for the amelioration of the condition of crickets throughout Buddhadone. It is well known that all animals are regarded with kindness by the pious Buddhists, and insects come in for a special share of their sympathy. A famous Kootocktoo of Thibet, who was assured that in a former state of his soul he had been a cricket, observing that the Chinese had introduced cricket-fighting throughout the east, determined to de-
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liver these creatures from the cruel and debasing uses to which wicked and worldly men had subjected them. He therefore caused a society for this object to be formed, and my new acquaintance was one of the agents for carrying the new reform to the capital of the Anamese empire.
Notwithstanding his great zeal in the object of his mission, my friend the priest, who, by the way, bore the name of Poudle, allowed me, with great satisfaction, his stock in trade. Among his various articles, were thirteen images of monkeys, every one of which, he assured me, would bring 300 sepecs at Hue, inasmuch as they had been dipped in the water in which a holy Lama of Teshoo- Lomboo had washed his hands. The article which he chiefly prized was rolled up in about twenty pieces of gilt paper, and consisted of what he assured me was a piece of the Grand Lama's thumb-nail. This he intended as a present for the head Queen of Anam, and which, he said, would insure him her special favor, inasmuch as it was not only a charm against disease and misfortune, but a guarantee of perpetual beauty.
I hope that none of my readers will turn from these pages with an incredulous smile. Let them read the accounts furnished by travellers who have visited the countries of which I am speaking, and they will see that the absurdities here narrated do not by any means equal those which are common in all nations where the Buddhist religion prevails. Nor is it in vain that we become acquainted with the darkness of the heathen lands, that we may better estimate the light of that religion which we enjoy, and better comprehend the extent of that duty which calls upon the Christian world to extend the blessings they enjoy to the dark and benighted corners of the earth.
The juggler, whom I have mentioned as one of the passengers, was from Bootan, and was called Wow-wow, signifying Wizard--a title given him in consequence of his wonderful performances. He had with him two green serpents, which, although very poisonous, he would handle, let them run over his body, and hide in his bosom. He also made them dance, while he played to them on a sort of reed, which sounded like a flageolet. He had six quails, which he had taught to fight like game-cocks; besides which, he had a variety of curious instruments, which he used in his juggleries.
This man, as well as my friend Poudle, was going to the great capital of Hue, to exercise his profession. He was a very merry fellow, and told a great variety of stories: he also sung songs, which the priest said were very witty and delightful for worldly men, but not proper to be listened to by such sanctified persons as himself. Nevertheless he did listen, and the twinkle of his eye seemed to contradict his professions.
We were no less than three weeks in performing our voyage of about a thousand miles. At length, leaving the China Sea, we entered the river Hue, and
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after passing along between highly cultivated banks, studded with numerous villages and country-seats, we reached the capital.
This is really one of the most remarkable cities in Asia. It is inclosed on two sides by the river, and is encircled by walls and fortifications, fives miles in circuit. These are very finely erected on the European plan, having been built by the king under the direction of French engineers, some fifty years ago. There is a superb palace, and a strong citadel, manned by thirty or forty thousand troops. The public granaries are of enormous extent, and are kept full of grain. The neighborhood is richly cultivated, producing rice, mulberry-trees, and fruits of various kinds. The country is studded with villages, and alive with a crowded population. Such is the capital of the kingdom of Anam--the very name of which is hardly known to most American readers.
ADVENTURES OF GILBERT GO-AHEAD (from Robert Merry's Museum, October 1852, pp. 122-125)
Since I started from home with my clocks I have met with such a variety of adventures, have been so often turned from my course by unexpected events and compelled to shift the best way I could, that you, perhaps, have put me down as a hair-brained, reckless chap, driven about by the caprices of an unstable mind, with no fixed principles of conduct, and no definite plan of life to pursue. But before you censure my course, I hope you will bear in mind that I started on an adventure of discovery, that, having but little knowledge of the world which was to be the theatre of my life's labors, I resolved, before I settled down to any thing, to see the remote countries of which I had read, and to know from my own observation what is going on.
Well, I have seen something of the world--have learned that the best-laid plans will sometimes fail--that it is easier to project a fortune than it is to make it. I have also learned that if one project does not succeed the only way is to try again. If I have met my disappointments with good nature, and shown a disposition to look on the bright side of life--if I have found material for amusement, and made myself merry even in my misfortunes, you must not think that I am always volatile and thoughtless. When the fates work against me it is just as cheap to be merry as to be sad. Moping and desponding never did any good yet. But I try to keep a sharp eye open, and learn all I can from the experience through which I pass, and I think I have been able to turn it to some good account.
There are times when life presents itself to me as a great reality, and whet I feel that I have something yet to accomplish that demands my earnest effort, and that it is time for me to mark out my course and shape my plans for the future.
Last evening, as I wandered in the outskirts of this ancient town, I became weary, and sat down upon a little eminence that commands a view of the broad western landscape, which in the distance is bound by a bold chain of mountains that separates this country from Cambodia. For a while I was amused with the novelty of the view. All seemed to remind me that I was far from home, among a strange people, and in a strange land. While I sat watching with varied emotions the scenes about me, the sun sank low in the west, the thin clouds that skirted the horizon assumed a gorgeous coloring, the evening vapors rose lazily from the earth and almost hid from view the landscape. There was the same sun whose going down I had watched in my boyhood days, and the same clouds with their familiar colorings, I was carried back in my reverie to Old Connecticut, to Sandy Plain, to the dear familiar home-
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stead, to the great rock in the cow-pasture, from the top of which I had often watched the setting sun, when I believed the fleecy white cloud to be veritable wool, and the highly colored underlayers to be solid gold, and the whole the entrance-gate to glory, where all the good would be admitted.
While I mused in this mood I thought of the days of childhood, when every thing was real, and when all I saw was perfect because I knew no better--when I believed that the meeting-house, which was in the centre of the town, was also the centre of the world, and that the military training, with its accompaniments of gingerbread and lemonade, was one of the grandest events of human history.
In that calm sunset hour I seemed to live over again the brightest part of my life. I called to mind my school days, and the companions of my study and pastime. I am now but twenty-five years old, and they are in the dawn of early manhood, and yet how changed are we all in our condition! Only one or two remain at Sandy Plain. The others are distributed--some in cities, all others at the far West and South, pushing their way in life with undaunted courage. I followed them in their early career--going forth from youth to manhood--taking their positions and moving on with a slow but sure progress to stations of wealth and honor. And I involuntarily said to myself, "Gilbert Go-ahead, what are you doing? Where will your wild career end, and when will you do any thing that will do credit to Sandy Plain and to good Old Connecticut?" These are questions that are easier to ask than to answer, and yet I am resolved that Connecticut shall never have occasion to be ashamed of me. A single circumstance which occurred when I was thirteen years old aroused in me the determination to be a man in the highest and noblest sense. The purpose has never left me. In my reflecting moments it amounts to a passion. I am not ambitious for wealth or pleasure, but I desire, and am resolved, to be such that my State shall at some future day be willing to own me, and my father proud to call me son. The circumstance which gave origin to this feeling was as follows:--In the year 1840 I was sent away to a boarding-school. My father furnished me with a small sum for my pocket-money and gave me a memorandum-book with the request that I would open an account with myself, and enter every item of debt and credit. Anxious to do justice to my skill in book-keeping, and more anxious to please my father, I was scrupulously exact in my account, and balanced it at the close of the term with great satisfaction.
I took it home with me, and on the day after my arrival presented it to my father, expecting that he would examine minutely every item of the account. What was my surprise when he returned the book to me unopened, and said, "Gilbert, my son, I have no doubt it is all correct. I have never had occasion to distrust your integrity; and so long as my confidence is unshaken I shall not
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look at the book. Your character and success in life must now depend upon yourself. The world is before you. If you maintain a high character for honor and industry, as I doubt not you will, you will succeed, and I shall never be ashamed of you."
Words cannot describe my feelings at that moment, I felt ten years older than I ever did before. I felt that I was a man, that my father had confidence in me, and that I had a character. To maintain that character, and to please my father, became from that moment the ruling motive of my life. Years have rolled away since the occurrence of that event, but I have never lost the impression that it made on me. A new impulse was given to my whole being. I never call to mind my father without feeling within me the urgency of higher motives pointing me to the attainment of all that is noble in manliness. I hope I may yet be able to prove to him how deeply sensible I am of the judicious care that directed my early aspirations; and if I can impart as much pleasure to the closing years of his life as he did to the opening years of mine, I shall be doubly blessed.
You may well suppose, after what I have said, that in my present predicament I feel a little startled at the inquiry, which will, in spite of me, keep coming--"Gilbert Go-ahead, what are you doing?"
True to my Yankee origin, I usually answer the question by asking another: "Gilbert Go-ahead, what are you going to do?" This, to say the least, is, just now, a very practical matter with me. Here I am in the interior of the kingdom of Anam, thousands of miles from any friend with whom to advise, without funds, and without any earthly resource but my own courageous heart and my undaunted purpose to push my way in life, and if I can't do as I would, do the next best thing.
My clock speculation and other attempts to advance my worldly interest have not amounted to much as yet; but I have been in a good school for the "pursuit of knowledge under difficulties," and I intend to profit by my tuition.
I was aroused from such reflections as these, last evening, to the discovery that the sunset which I had admired, and which had given homeward wings to my thoughts, had faded into deepening twilight, and that the night was already gathering about me. I hastened back to the town to seek a place of shelter for the night, and to devise some plan for the future.
The people in Hue seem very hospitable and friendly. They have had some intercourse with Dutch and English merchants, but they do not seem disposed to extend their trade or to come in contact with civilized nations. They manufacture silk and cotton goods, muskets, porcelain, paper, and varnished furniture.
Buddhism is the religion of the mass, who worship idols hung in wicker-baskets upon trees. All the villages and towns in this country are surrounded by little groves. Last evening, on my return, I passed by one of these, where some devotees to idol worship were en-
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gaged in their evening devotions. Their low, murmuring jargon, mingled with their hoarse, guttural songs--their prostrations and varied bodily distortion--formed a strange contrast with all my ideas of worship, and cannot, as it seems to me, have any tendency to elevate or improve the character.
But further accounts of my observations and adventures I must defer till my next.
ADVENTURES OF GILBERT GO-AHEAD (from Robert Merry's Museum, November 1852, pp. 153-158)
I hope my readers understand and appreciate the memoirs of my laborious travels and adventures in foreign parts. I admit that I desire to make my narrative amusing, but this is not my only, nor indeed my chief, object. It is my fortune to see countries very little known, but which are, at the same time, very interesting. They are especially so at the present time, when our countrymen are founding cities along the borders of the Pacific, which must soon have fleets of steamers plying across that mighty ocean, and bringing the shores of Asia into weekly communication with our own territories. It is very desirable, therefore, to be made acquainted with the nations on the eastern coasts of Asia, which we must soon consider as the neighbors of our friends of California and Oregon.
I must ask my good and docile readers, therefore, before we proceed further, to place a map of Asia before them, having done so, to consider the following facts. At the north, lying near to the American continent, is a long, ragged peninsula, with a long, ragged name, Kamtschatka. It is a cold region, the shores of which are lashed by a tempestuous sea, never at rest. The people there are short, squat, merry fellows, wearing bear skins, and dwelling in huts covered with sods in summer, and in holes under ground during winter. In general they resemble the Greenlanders and Esquimaux of our own continent. They have abundance of furs to sell, and hereafter we may carry on a good trade with them for these articles. Perhaps Mr. Barnum may do us the favor, some day not far off, to bring to New York, and exhibit in his delightful museum, a Kamtschatkan family--hut and all--with their bear-skin wardrobe, dog, sledges, &c.
To the south of Kamtschatka are the Kourile islands, where terrible volcanoes are in constant activity. They produce copper, iron, and sulphur, but the inhabitants are chiefly engaged in fishing and hunting. Here, also, are abundance of furs. To the east, on the mainland, are the immense territories of Tartary, the regions in which most of the great races of mankind have had their origin. Here the terrible conquerors, Ghengis Khan, Tamerlane, Kablai Khan, and others, began their career, and here they raised the countless hosts of armed men by means of which they spread terror and desolation over a great part of Asia and Europe. Here are the regions where the original Turks, Hungarians, Goths, Vandals, Celts, and other founders of the present states and kingdoms of Europe, were born and nursed, and prepared for their great work in renovating the worn-out races of the earth. Here too, in some remote age, no doubt the ancestors of the Indians of America originated, probably having
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been driven by some great persecution across the Straits of Bhering, which are forty miles wide, separating Kamschatka from Russian America.
In the regions of Tartary lie buried the early history of nearly all the great families of mankind. Perhaps, at some future day, the prying Yankees will penetrate into their territories, and having supplied the natives with clocks, having established railroads, telegraphs, schools, meeting-houses, and daily newspapers, having, moreover, annexed them, Mongols, Usbecks, Bucharians, and all, to the United States, they will proceed to investigate the nursery annals of the Goths, Vandals, Huns, Turks, &c., bringing to light a vast amount of interesting matter for the use of the Abbotts, Merrys, and Parleys of future generations. It was in these regions that we are told Gog and Magog dwelt in the far-off olden time; in these regions, too, fairies and imps, and many other mystic generations had their birth, either in the fertile fancies of infant nations, or in the actual events which occurred in the morning twilight of history. What a field will be opened, alike to the story-teller, the poet, the annalist, and the historical romancer--when we have gotten possession of Tartary-- and can sit down quietly to examine its records, dig up its mounds, and put together its antiquarian fragments! If the geologists can read in sand-stone quarries the history of flying crocodiles, four-footed fishes, and grass-eating iguandons as big as Trinity church steeple, surely the rubbish of Tartarian history, coeval in its antiquity with "dim creations morn," will furnish ample materials for whole libraries of "Entertaining and Useful Knowledge." I recommend it to those prince-publishers, the Harpers, to take out a copyright at once for this forth-coming library, as it is certain to make the fortune of those who shall seize it by the forelock.
To the north of the Kourile islands, and facing Tartary and China on the mainland, are several islands contributing to the empire of Japan, said to contain thirty or forty millions of people. It is well known that these have many fine manufactures and a variety of rich and valuable products, which will, no doubt, soon become the object of a thriving commerce with our Pacific border. It is said religious people pray there by machinery, which would seem to imply a great advance in labor-saving contrivances; it also shows that the quantity and not the quality of worship is supposed to be acceptable to their gods--a thing in which the Japanese, no doubt, resemble some who profess Christianity among us.
China is the oldest empire in the world. The people even pretend that Noah was its founder. The population is about 350 millions; no wonder, therefore, that thirty thousand of them are already in California. It may be a serious question whether China will annex the United States, or the United Stales annex China. The next President--whether it be Pierce or Scott--must look out for this. It was a subject of China--a Tartar--who captured the Englishman who meant to capture him,
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and which gave rise to the proverb, "I have caught a Tartar." Let us see that while we are seeking to annex all creation, we do not, some day or other, wake up and find ourselves annexed.
To the south of China lie the populous kingdoms of Anam, Siam, and Burmah, with a great number of smaller states, scarcely known to the geographers. It is the former of those countries I am now writing about, and which, in consideration of its vast resources, its valuable products, and its great population, I am anxious to bring to the knowledge of my American readers. Among the subscribers and patrons of "Merry's Museum" are the future navigators, merchants, travellers, explorers, and adventurers of our country; and I shall certainly have done good service, if by these memoirs and sketches I can stimulate their enterprise, and contribute, by giving correct information, to their prosperity and success.
It is now time to proceed with the thread of my story. After arriving at the great city of Hué, my first inquiry was to know what to do for a living. I was allowed to remain about a week on board of the little vessel on which I arrived, but at the end of that time the captain told me, pretty plainly, that my room would be more welcome than my company.
The city of Hué I found to be about five miles in circumference; the population is from three to four hundred thousand. It is enclosed by a wall, and has fortifications in the European fashion, capable of containing fifty thousand men.
The excellent style of the public walks of Hué, as well as their vast scale, have no parallel in any other city of Asia. The great fortress is connected with the city by a broad canal, very nicely executed; several trenches, also, lead from the citadel to the palace of the king, to the public granaries--which are on an immense scale, and filled with grain--to the arsenal, abundantly supplied with guns and ammunition, and to various other state edifices. The canal is crossed by bridges of stone, with stone ballustrades and marble pavements. The palace is enclosed by a double wall; the whole fortress is surrounded by barracks. On the river, which is four hundred yards wide, are building docks, and a large fleet of galleys. Its banks are extremely beautiful, and the whole vicinity of the city is in a high state of cultivation, producing cotton, rice, mulberry, and various trees. The villages are numerous, and many of them have a pleasing appearance, on account of the light and fantastic construction of the houses, many of which are completely embowered in broad-leafed palms or other tropical trees. The roads and bridges around the city are many of them excellent.
I believe I have said before that the present kingdom of Anam--a word signifying "South Country"--is composed of three distinct portions: Cochin China, the principal country, Tonquin, and Cambodia. The latter two have been conquered and made subject to the first within the present century. A French missionary, named Adran, obtained
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great influence here, and induced the government to employ French engineers, who executed the public works found at Hué, Saigon, and other places. This remarkable man was made prime minister of the celebrated Chang Shung, who had conquered a great part of farther India about the year 1800, and in this capacity he caused the public improvements to be made which we have already noticed. He established manufacturies of gunpowder, made roads and canals, executed fortifications, offered bounties upon silks, encouraged the cultivation of sugar-cane, opened mines of iron, erected smelting furnaces, built and equipped a navy of gun-boats and galleys, established schools to which parents were compelled to send their children, introduced a good system of laws, &c., &c. Thus the great kingdom of Anam was in a fair way to pass at once from a state of barbarism to a high degree of civilization. But these fair prospects were suddenly blasted by the death of the great and enlightened Adran. His wise and energetic counsels being withdrawn, the country relapsed into its former state, leaving, almost as barren monuments, the great works he had undertaken and executed. Some of these were indeed imperishable, and I found many of them in a state of excellent preservation, but the laws, the schools, the arts, had given place to general barbarism.
When I arrived at Hué, I could not discover that there was a single European in the city, nor was there any American except myself. I was soon reduced to a state of extreme poverty, not having a farthing of money, and no article of property, except my jacket and pantaloons of thin calico, an old handkerchief for a cap, an old rusty Acheen knife or dagger, and about three yards of bark twine, which I had manufactured on my voyage to Hué. This was a small stock in trade, and I saw that I must summon all my genius if I would avoid starvation.
I ruminated a long time on my situation, and mentally discussed a variety of plans and undertakings, as means of subsistence. The mind is doubtless the nobler part of man, but the stomach takes the precedence, as any one may find out if he will go eight-and-forty hours without eating, as I had done. Let all the ameliorators of mankind consider that God has so made us that no great mental or moral improvement can be profitably undertaken till the people are provided with three good meals a day. If they doubt it, let them take a course of experimental lectures in starvation.
I have heard of some great king crying out in battle, "A horse--my kingdom for a horse!" My case was less heroic, but it was hardly less agonizing for at last, seeing a fellow going by with a roasted monkey, I beseeched him to give it to me in exchange for my dagger. This he refused with disdain, but after a deal of chaffing, he cut me off a hind quarter, which he grudgingly gave me for the instrument. When I say that I found the flesh delicious, let no one laugh, for a keen appetite and
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monkey-mutton are things that agree with one another remarkably well, at least in Cochin China.
The next day my wants returned, and as night approached, I was walking along the banks of the river, half thinking of drowning my sorrows in the stream. While gazing into the waters, which are smooth and tranquil, I heard the dip of oars beneath the dark shadow of the citadel, whose battlements here frowned high in front of me. In a moment after, a heat came into the fair light of the moon, and I could see that it contained two oarsmen, gayly dressed, with a man sitting in the stern, who had the costume of a priest. As he passed, he seemed startled at my tall, gaunt, haggard form, and performed some juggling ceremony with his hands, as if to keep off an evil spirit. A moment after, he made a sign to the oarsmen, who suddenly turned the boat towards me, and it came plump ashore. The priest then spoke to me, and told me to get into the boat. My fortunes were so desperate that I did not stop to reflect, but instantly obeyed. He pushed off, and no one saying a word, we glided along the river, till we came to a gateway in the quay; here the gate was opened, and the boat passing in, entered a canal. Proceeding along this for two or three hundred yards, we came to an archway, under which we passed, and were immediately enclosed in utter darkness; we slid along in silence, excepting only the light clapping of the water in the bottom of the boat for several minutes; we then stopped, and I was handed out, and made to ascend a winding staircase. We soon came to a vast hall, blazing with lamps. The scene was very magnificent, and I was quite bewildered in suddenly passing from complete darkness into such a scene of light and splendor
My mysterious guide beckoned me to follow, and proceeding across the hall, we entered a long gallery, and finally came to a picture hung against the wall. The man touched a string, the picture swung round, and disclosed an opening at which we entered. Here was a small cabinet--and the man taking off his high conical cap, disclosed the smooth, oily features of the Thibetian priest who had been my companion on the sloop from the Cambodia river to Hué. His eyes twinkled, and a knowing smile played at the corners of his mouth. He now remarked that he had but five minutes for explanation--as he was about to appear before Goa-gong, the emperor, and his beautiful queen, the celebrated Butta Tung. A great ceremony was to take place, and I must perform a part. No sooner were these brief words ended, than we were ushered into the presence of their imperial majesties.
They were both seated on high cushions, richly decorated. On the king's right hand were about twenty ladies, and on the queen's left were about as many boys, all gaudily dressed--these were standing. The king was of a deep yellow skin, and attired much in the China fashion, but with a kind of turban cap on his head, absolutely blazing with diamonds. His look was wild, though
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he had an air of one who had seen all the good things of the world, and had lost his interest in life. The queen was of a lighter complexion, and had blueish gray eyes, with flaxen hair. These traits, very unusual in Anam, were thought to constitute her beauty, and the name of Butta Tung, meaning cream of moonlight, was intended by the popular court poet, Shortfellow, as happily descriptive of her angelic charms. She was dressed in a yellow satin jacket, and blue Turkish pantaloons, seeming somewhat of a Bloomer. Her head was bare, except that a narrow coronet of jet, set with a few magnificent pearls, encircled it. Her hair was braided in four ample tresses, one falling forward over each shoulder, and the others sweeping down her back.
Some fifty persons stood at a respectful distance--seeming to be the nobles of the court. Another group, of which I was one, consisting of a dozen persons, occupied a sort of semi-circular recess at the right hand of the king, and between him and the nobles.
It may be well supposed that I was not a little puzzled at the scene before me, and no less curious to know the part I was to perform in it. Considering my dress--which was of a very humble character--my pantaloons, especially, which were six inches too short, giving great display to my bony ankles and large bare feet, I felt not a little abashed to see the row of twenty ladies all looking at me, and exchanging smiles and glances with the Cream of Moonlight, evidently at my expense. I stood in the background as much as possible, but as I was a third taller than any body else in the room, my modesty did not shelter me from being a very conspicuous object.
A long half hour passed, when a door at the bottom of the hall was opened, and four servants of the palace entered, bearing a table--and on that table was a ----!
* * * *
"What was on the table?"--says Jane, and John, and Laurence, and Ellen, and all the rest.
Ah, that's my secret. Come, girls and boys, guess it if you can! Send your guesses to the publishers, and I will order every one that finds out the secret, to be supplied with my portrait, gratis, when it is published. I promise you the explanation in the next chapter.
GILBERT GO-AHEAD.
[To be continued.]