the malay archipelago-1-第30节

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


or　a　very　long　waymore　than　a　week's　journey；　and　they　seemed　hardly　to　have　any　conception　of　an　elevated　forest…clad　country；　so　that　I　began　to　think　it　would　be　useless　going　on；　as　the　time　at　my　disposal　was　too　short　to　make　it　worth　my　while　to　spend　much　more　of　it　in　moving　about。　At　length；　however；　I　found　a　man　who　knew　the　country；　and　was　more　intelligent；　and　he　at　once　told　me　that　if　I　wanted　forest　I　must　go　to　the　district　of　Rembang；　which　I　found　on　inquiry　was　about　twenty…five　or　thirty　miles　off。

The　road　is　divided　into　regular　stages　of　ten　or　twelve　miles　each；　and；　without　sending　on　in　advance　to　have　coolies　ready；　only　this　distance　can　be　travelled　in　a　day。　At　each　station　there　are　houses　for　the　accommodation　of　passengers；　with　cooking…house　and　stables；　and　six　or　eight　men　always　on　guard。　There　is　an　established　system　for　coolies　at　fixed　rates；　the　inhabitants　of　the　surrounding　villages　all　taking　their　turn　to　be　subject　to　coolie　service；　as　well　as　that　of　guards　at　the　station　for　five　days　at　a　time。　This　arrangement　makes　travelling　very　easy；　and　was　a　great　convenience　for　me。　I　had　a　pleasant　walk　of　ten　or　twelve　miles　in　the　morning；　and　the　rest　of　the　day　could　stroll　about　and　explore　the　village　and　neighbourhood；　having　a　house　ready　to　occupy　without　any　formalities　whatever。　In　three　days　I　reached　Moera…dua；　the　first　village　in　Rembang；　and　finding　the　country　dry　and　undulating；　with　a　good　sprinkling　of　forest；　I　determined　to　remain　a　short　time　and　try　the　neighbourhood。　Just　opposite　the　station　was　a　small　but　deep　river；　and　a　good　bathing…place；　and　beyond　the　village　was　a　fine　patch　of　forest；　through　which　the　road　passed；　overshadowed　by　magnificent　trees；　which　partly　tempted　me　to　stay；　but　after　a　fortnight　I　could　find　no　good　place　for　insects；　and　very　few　birds　different　from　the　common　species　of　Malacca。　I　therefore　moved　on　another　stage　to　Lobo　Raman；　where　the　guard…house　is　situated　quite　by　itself　in　the　forest；　nearly　a　mile　from　each　of　three　villages。　This　was　very　agreeable　to　me；　as　I　could　move　about　without　having　every　motion　watched　by　crowds　of　men；　women　and　children；　and　I　had　also　a　much　greater　variety　of　walks　to　each　of　the　villages　and　the　plantations　around　them。

The　villages　of　the　Sumatran　Malays　are　somewhat　peculiar　and　very　picturesque。　A　space　of　some　acres　is　surrounded　with　a　high　fence；　and　over　this　area　the　houses　are　thickly　strewn　without　the　least　attempt　at　regularity。　Tall　cocoa…nut　trees　grow　abundantly　between　them；　and　the　ground　is　bare　and　smooth　with　the　trampling　of　many　feet。　The　houses　are　raised　about　six　feet　on　posts；　the　best　being　entirely　built　of　planks；　others　of　bamboo。　The　former　are　always　more　or　less　ornamented　with　carving　and　have　high…pitched　roofs　and　overhanging　eaves。　The　gable　ends　and　all　the　chief　posts　and　beams　are　sometimes　covered　with　exceedingly　tasteful　carved　work；　and　this　is　still　more　the　case　in　the　district　of　Menangkabo；　further　west。　The　floor　is　made　of　split　bamboo；　and　is　rather　shaky；　and　there　is　no　sign　of　anything　we　should　call　furniture。　There　are　no　benches　or　chairs　or　stools；　but　merely　the　level　floor　covered　with　mats；　on　which　the　inmates　sit　or　lie。　The　aspect　of　the　village　itself　is　very　neat；　the　ground　being　often　swept　before　the　chief　houses；　but　very　bad　odours　abound；　owing　to　there　being　under　every　house　a　stinking　mud…hole；　formed　by　all　waste　liquids　and　refuse　matter；　poured　down　through　the　floor　above。　In　most　other　things　Malays　are　tolerably　cleanin　some　scrupulously　so；　and　this　peculiar　and　nasty　custom；　which　is　almost　universal；　arises；　I　have　little　doubt；　from　their　having　been　originally　a　maritime　and　water…loving　people；　who　built　their　houses　on　posts　in　the　water；　and　only　migrated　gradually　inland；　first　up　the　rivers　and　streams；　and　then　into　the　dry　interior。　Habits　which　were　at　once　so　convenient　and　so　cleanly；　and　which　had　been　so　long　practised　as　to　become　a　portion　of　the　domestic　life　of　the　nation；　were　of　course　continued　when　the　first　settlers　built　their　houses　inland；　and　without　a　regular　system　of　drainage；　the　arrangement　of　the　villages　is　such　that　any　other　system　would　be　very　inconvenient。

In　all　these　Sumatran　villages　I　found　considerable　difficulty　in　getting　anything　to　eat。　It　was　not　the　season　for　vegetables；　and　when；　after　much　trouble；　I　managed　to　procure　some　yams　of　a　curious　variety；　I　found　them　hard　and　scarcely　eatable。　Fowls　were　very　scarce；　and　fruit　was　reduced　to　one　of　the　poorest　kinds　of　banana。　The　natives　（during　the　wet　season　at　least）　live　exclusively　on　rice；　as　the　poorer　Irish　do　on　potatoes。　A　pot　of　rice　cooked　very　dry　and　eaten　with　salt　and　red　peppers；　twice　a　day；　forms　their　entire　food　during　a　large　part　of　the　year。　This　is　no　sign　of　poverty；　but　is　simply　custom；　for　their　wives　and　children　are　loaded　with　silver　armlets　from　wrist　to　elbow；　and　carry　dozens　of　silver　coins　strung　round　their　necks　or　suspended　from　their　ears。

As　I　had　moved　away　from　Palembang；　I　had　found　the　Malay　spoken　by　the　common　people　less　and　less　pure；　until　at　length　it　became　quite　unintelligible；　although　the　continual　recurrence　of　many　well…known　words　assured　me　it　was　a　form　of　Malay；　and　enabled　me　to　guess　at　the　main　subject　of　conversation。　This　district　had　a　very　bad　reputation　a　few　years　ago；　and　travellers　were　frequently　robbed　and　murdered。　Fights　between　village　and　village　were　also　of　frequent　occurrence；　and　many　lives　were　lost；　owing　to　disputes　about　boundaries　or　intrigues　with　women。　Now；　however；　since　the　country　has　been　divided　into　districts　under　〃Controlleurs；〃　who　visit　every　village　in　turn　to　hear　complaints　and　settle　disputes；　such　things　are　heard　of　no　more。　This　is　one　of　the　numerous　examples　I　have　met　with　of　the　good　effects　of　the　Dutch　Government。　It　exercises　a　strict　surveillance　over　its　most　distant　possessions；　establishes　a　form　of　government　well　adapted　to　the　character　of　the　people；　reforms　abuses；　punishes　crimes；　and　makes　itself　everywhere　respected　by　the　native　population。

Lobo　Raman　is　a　central　point　of　the　east　end　of　Sumatra；　being　about　a　hundred　and　twenty　miles　from　the　sea　to　the　east；　north；　and　west。　The　surface　is　undulating；　with　no　mountains　or　even　hills；　and　there　is　no　rock；　the　soil　being　generally　a　red　pliable　clay。　Numbers　of　small　streams　and　rivers　intersect　the　country；　and　it　is　pretty　equally　divided　between　open　clearings　and　patches　of　forest；　both　virgin　and　second　growth；　with　abundance　of　fruit　trees；　and　there　is　no　lack　of　paths　to　get　about　in　any　direction。　Altogether　it　is　the　very　country　that　would　promise　most　for　a　naturalist；　and　I　feel　sure　that　at　a　more　favourable　time　of　year　it　would　prove　exceedingly　rich；　but　it　was　now　the　rainy　season；　when；　in　the　very　best　of　localities；　insects　are　always　scarce；　and　there　being　no　fruit　on　the　trees；　there　was　also　a　scarcity　of　birds。　During　a　month's　collecting；　I　added　only　three　or　four　new　species　to　my　list　of　birds；　although　I　obtained　very　fine　specimens　of　many　which　were　rare　and　interesting。　In　butterflies　I　was　rather　more　successful；　obtaining　several　fine　species　quite　new　to　me；　and　a　considerable　number　of　very　rare　and　beautiful　insects。　I　will　give　here　some　account　of　two　species　of　butterflies；　which；　though　very　common　in　collections；　present　us　with　peculiarities　of　the　highest　interest。

The　first　is　the　handsome　Papilio　memnon；　a　splendid　butterfly　of　a　deep　black　colour；　dotted　over　with　lines　and　groups　of　scales　of　a　clear　ashy　blue。　Its　wings　are　five　inches　in　expanse；　and　the　hind　wings　are　rounded；　with　scalloped　edges。　This　applies　to　the　males；　but　the　females　are　very　different；　and　vary　so　much　that　they　were　once　supposed　to　form　several　distinct　species。　They　may　be　divided　into　two　groupsthose　which　resemble　the　male　in　shape；　and；　those　which　differ　entirely　from　him　in　the　outline　of　the　wings。　The　first　vary　much　in　colour；　being　often　nearly　white　with　dusky　yellow　and　red　markings；　but　such　differences　often　occur　in　butterflies。　The　second　group　are　much　more　extraordinary；　and　would　never　be　supposed　to　be　the　same　insect；　since　the　hind　wings　are　lengthened　out　into　large　spoon…　shaped　tails；　no　rudiment　of　which　is　ever　to　be　perceived　in　the　males　or　in　the　ordinary　form　of　females。　These　tailed　females　are　never　of　the　dark　and　blue…glossed　tints　which　prevail　in　the　male　and　often　occur　in　the　females　of　the　same　form；　but　are　invariably　ornamented　with　stripes　and　patches　of　white　or　buff；　occupying　the　larger　part　of　the　surface　of　the　hind　wings。　This　peculiarity　of　colouring　led　me　to　discover　that　this　extraordinary　female　closely　resembles　（when　flying）　another　butterfly　of　the　same　genus　but　of　a　different　group　（Papilio　co？n）；　and　that　we　have　here　a　case　of　mimicry　similar　to　those　so　well　illustrated　and　explained　by　Mr。　Bates。＇　Trans。　Linn。　Soc。　vol。　xviii。　p。　495；　〃Naturalist　on　the　Amazons；〃　vol。　i。　p。　290。＇

That　the　resemblance　is　not　accidental　is　sufficiently　proved　by　the　fact；　that　in　the　North　of　India；　where　Papilio　co？n　is　replaced　by　all　al