the malay archipelago-2-第36节

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

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

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

New　and　interesting　birds　were　continually　brought　in；　either　by　my　own　boys　or　by　the　natives；　and　at　the　end　of　a　week　Ali　arrived　triumphant　one　afternoon　with　a　fine　specimen　of　the　Great　Bird　of　Paradise。　The　ornamental　plumes　had　not　yet　attained　their　full　growth；　but　the　richness　of　their　glossy　orange　colouring；　and　the　exquisite　delicacy　of　the　loosely　waving　feathers；　were　unsurpassable。　At　the　same　time　a　great　black　cockatoo　was　brought　in；　as　well　as　a　fine　fruit…pigeon　and　several　small　birds；　so　that　we　were　all　kept　hard　at　work　skinning　till　sunset。　Just　as　we　had　cleared　away　and　packed　up　for　the　night；　a　strange　beast　was　brought；　which　had　been　shot　by　the　natives。　It　resembled　in　size；　and　in　its　white　woolly　covering；　a　small　fat　lamb；　but　had　short　legs；　hand…like　feet　with　large　claws；　and　a　long　prehensile　tail。　It　was　a　Cuscus　（C。　maculatus）；　one　of　the　curious　marsupial　animals　of　the　Papuan　region；　and　I　was　very　desirous　to　obtain　the　skin。　The　owners；　however；　said　they　wanted　to　eat　it；　and　though　I　offered　them　a　good　price；　and　promised　to　give　them　all　the　meat；　there　was　grout　hesitation。　Suspecting　the　reason；　I　offered；　though　it　was　night；　to　set　to　work　immediately　and　get　out　the　body　for　them；　to　which　they　agreed。　The　creature　was　much　hacked　about；　and　the　two　hind　feet　almost　cut　off；　but　it　was　the　largest　and　finest　specimen　of　the　kind　I　had　seen；　and　after　an　hour's　hard　work　I　handed　over　the　body　to　the　owners；　who　immediately　cut　it　up　and　roasted　it　for　supper。

As　this　was　a　very　good　place　for　birds；　I　determined　to　remain　a　month　longer；　and　took　the　opportunity　of　a　native　boat　going　to　Dobbo；　to　send　Ali　for　a　fresh　supply　of　ammunition　and　provisions。　They　started　on　the　10th　of　April；　and　the　house　was　crowded　with　about　a　hundred　men；　boys；　women；　and　girls；　bringing　their　loads　of　sugar…cane；　plantains；　sirih…leaf；　yams；　&c。；　one　lad　going　from　each　house　to　sell　the　produce　and　make　purchases。　The　noise　was　indescribable。　At　least　fifty　of　the　hundred　were　always　talking　at　once；　and　that　not　in　the　low　measured　tones　of　the　apathetically　polite　Malay；　but　with　loud　voices；　shouts；　and　screaming　laughter；　in　which　the　women　and　children　were　even　more　conspicuous　than　the　men。　It　was　only　while　gazing　at　me　that　their　tongues　were　moderately　quiet；　because　their　eyes　were　fully　occupied。　The　black　vegetable　soil　here　overlying　the　coral　rock　is　very　rich；　and　the　sugar…cane　was　finer　than　any　I　had　ever　seen。　The　canes　brought　to　the　boat　were　often　ten　and　even　twelve　feet　long；　and　thick　in　proportion；　with　short　joints　throughout；　swelling　between　the　knots　with　the；　abundance　of　the　rich　juice。　At　Dobbo　they　get　a　high　price　for　it；　1d。　to　3d。　a　stick；　and　there　is　an　insatiable　demand　among　the　crews　of　the　praus　and　the　Baba　fishermen。　Here　they　eat　it　continually。　They　half　live　on　it；　and　sometimes　feed　their　pigs　with　it。　Near　every　house　are　great　heaps　of　the　refuse　cane；　and　large　wicker…baskets　to　contain　this　refuse　as　it　is　produced　form　a　regular　part　of　the　furniture　of　a　house。　Whatever　time　of　the　day　you　enter；　you　are　sure　to　find　three　or　four　people　with　a　yard　of　cane　in　one　hand；　a　knife　in　the　other；　and　a　basket　between　their　legs；　hacking；　paring；　chewing；　and　basket…filling；　with　a　persevering　assiduity　which　reminds　one　of　a　hungry　cow　grazing；　or　of　a　caterpillar　eating　up　a　leaf。

After　five　days'　absence　the　boats　returned　from　Dobbo；　bringing　Ali　and　all　the　things　I　had　sent　for　quite　safe。　A　large　party　had　assembled　to　be　ready　to　carry　home　the　goods　brought；　among　which　were　a　good　many　cocoa…nut；　which　are　a　great　luxury　here。　It　seems　strange　that　they　should　never　plant　them；　but　the　reason　simply　is；　that　they　cannot　bring　their　hearts　to　bury　a　good　nut　for　the　prospective　advantage　of　a　crop　twelve　years　hence。　There　is　also　the　chance　of　the　fruits　being　dug　up　and　eaten　unless　watched　night　and　day。　Among　the　things　I　had　sent　for　was　a　box　of　arrack；　and　I　was　now　of　course　besieged　with　requests　for　a　little　drop。　I　gave　them　a　flask　（about　two　bottles；　which　was　very　soon　finished；　and　I　was　assured　that　there　were　many　present　who　had　not　had　a　taste。　As　I　feared　my　box　would　very　soon　be　emptied　if　I　supplied　all　their　demands；　I　told　them　I　had　given　them　one；　but　the　second　they　must　pay　for；　and　that　afterwards　I　must　have　a　Paradise　bird　for　each　flask。　They　immediately　sent　round　to　all　the　neighbouring　houses；　and　mustered　up　a　rupee　in　Dutch　copper　money；　got　their　second　flask；　and　drunk　it　as　quickly　as　the　first；　and　were　then　very　talkative；　but　less　noisy　and　importunate　than　I　had　expected。　Two　or　three　of　them　got　round　me　and　begged　me　for　the　twentieth　time　to　tell　them　the　name　of　my　country。　The