EXPEDITION TO SUBDUE THE ILLYAS
The occupation of the little houses by the families of the natives gave the boys the first close view of the people in their home lives. They were exceedingly primitive. The leaf of the plantain tree was the greatest boon to these people, and the women were engaged most of the time in removing the beautiful fiber and in laboriously weaving cloth from the strands.
They were exceedingly deft in this, and it is singular how quickly they grasped the idea of the loom, as a means to make a better article. The loom used by them was a very crude affair, and an idea may be gained of its form by the accompanying illustration, which shows the fork of a tree branch (A), which serves to hold the ends of the warp threads (B). To weave the goods, the woof thread (C) is threaded back and forth, and as they had no needles for the purpose, a thorn was used.
This thorn had no eye, but its large end was split, and the end of the thread held in the cleft thus made. Every family had this primitive loom, and the whole time, outside of their other household duties, was given to the weaving process.
The size of each woven piece was about twelve by fifteen inches, and the different sections were afterwards sewn together. When they saw the[p. 137] more modern looms at work it interested them intensely, and the Professor, noticing their eagerness and natural talents in this direction, concluded that this was a good field to encourage the industry.
Most of the looms made goods thirty inches wide, and it was not long before several of the women were instructed in the art of using the looms. Like all of the low order of people, they were extremely fond of colors, and that is one of the things which attracted them to the fabrics which had been previously made and exhibited. At the end of the week they were paid for their work, the same as the others who were employed. The Professor now considered it time to make a change in the system of providing supplies. Under the direction of Will, a store was set up, which had on hand a supply of vegetables and game. As many of the warriors were away, and the others were generally employed in the workshop and fields, some systematic effort had to be made to gather food supplies and hunt.
By offering certain sums for such articles the Professor induced individual effort in that direction. The provender thus provided was placed on sale in the store, and by every art the heads of families were encouraged to purchase those things and take them home for consumption there.
Gradually, the workers were made to understand that a certain sum would be expected in return for their board, so that, in course of time, each one became accustomed to know the values of certain things all of which were measured by the coins now in circulation.
The kitchen utensils were very limited indeed. They had no metal vessels of any kind. Any article of that kind was worth a fortune, and it was only the chiefs who had such things, and they were obtained from the wrecks of vessels which had reached them from time to time.
Under the direction of the Professor, considerable time was given to the bringing in of ores, particularly iron, and the process of recovering the metals from the ores was undertaken by a considerable part of the force.
Charcoal and coke were turned out, as a preliminary to the smelting of the ores, and as fast as the metal was in shape, cooking vessels of various sizes were manufactured, and these were placed on sale at the store. It was thus possible for each family to acquire several articles of this kind, which heretofore had been considered the most valuable of all treasures.
Such a thing as a chair or a table was unknown on the island. The beds were made of the native[p. 139] grasses, strewn on the floor. It will be understood, therefore, that the manner of furnishing the houses occupied by the whites was a marvel; and when the families of the various workers moved into their new possessions, it naturally dawned on them that chairs and tables, as well as properly arranged beds, should accompany such luxury.
The Professor was at the homes of these people daily, suggesting ideas for comfort and convenience. One of the things which interested him most was the subject of cleanliness. People living in the manner to which they were accustomed, made the sanitary part of the domestic arrangement an exceedingly difficult problem.
The necessity of cleanliness was impressed on them very forcibly when, later on, he was called to administer to many of the children, who were attacked by diseases, brought on directly by carelessness in thoroughly removing all dirt and decaying matter.
To a certain degree the natives understood this, and the subject has been referred to previously, where they had the habit of anointing their bodies and those of the infants with various oils, which were obnoxious to insects and germs.
That knowledge made the task of using disinfectants much easier to instill in their minds. It was impressed on them that properly caring for the home was a daily task, and must not be neglected.
The women used combs made from the fins of fish. These were constructed in the following[p. 140] manner: The entire fin was removed, and the bony structure at the base of the teeth was bound between two strips of bamboo, and tied around by fibers, as shown. The whole was then placed in a vessel containing boiling water. The result was that when taken out the meat of the fish, being glue-like, would act as a cement to hold the teeth in place.
Such combs are anything but sanitary, as might be surmised, and the inhabitants were subject to pests arising from articles so made. Their only salvation was, in fact, the daily habit of using oil, and, from a sanitary point of view, there was nothing objectionable to this excepting the odor which naturally followed, due to the oil becoming rancid. The boys then began to make combs from a specie of bamboo, and from the ironwood tree.
During one of the fishing trips the boys brought home an immense turtle. The Professor's eyes sparkled when he saw it.
Will related their experience in capturing it. "Is it good to eat?" he asked.
"Yes; all turtles and tortoises are good to eat."
"What is the difference between the two?"
"The turtle is a sea animal, and the tortoise[p. 141] a land and water animal. You must have caught this near the sea, as it is a specie of turtle called the Testudo."
"What a beautiful mottled top it has!"
"That is why it interested me so much," replied the Professor. "You now have something that is far better than the wood for making combs and other like articles."
"Isn't that fine! Will it be difficult to make them up from this?"
"It is the simplest thing in the world. The outer shell, which is all that is used, is put into boiling water, and this softens it so that it can be worked easily."
"It seems singular that it is called a 'tortoise' shell if the land animals are called tortoises."
"When the shell first became a matter of commerce, it was supposed that the turtle and the tortoise were the same, and the name tortoise being much older than turtle, the former appellation remained in designating the shell."
The day and night of festivities of John and the warriors, at the Saboro village, was ended, and the column took up its march for the country of the Illyas.
Several of the scouts, sent out two days before, returned during the night, and reported that there was a strong force directly ahead and that the lower villages were also sending up a body of men, but that the latter were still two days away.
Calling Muro, John asked: "What is the nature of the country to the extreme south, or next to the sea?"
"I have never been there, but it is elevated, and is a fine country. One of my men has been there, and he may be able to tell you something about it. I will call him."
The warrior alluded to was tall, handsome and fully tattooed, as was the custom with the most distinguished of the Saboros.
"Can you tell me," asked John, "what the nature of the country is south of the mountains, and near the sea?"
"It is the country of the wise men of the Illyas. They will not allow others to go near there."
"Do you know why?"
"It is said there are wonderful things there."
"Do you know whether there are any big holes in the ground there?"
"Yes; and in some of them they keep their captives."
"Do they sacrifice their captives in those places?"
"No; they take them from those places to the villages."
"At what times do they make the sacrifices?"
"When the night is dark."
John understood from this that the sacrifices were during the period when there was no moon.
"Why do you suppose that they wait for that time?" asked George.
"Because the Great Spirit out of anger has hidden the light and to appease him the sacrifices are offered at that period. This is one of the tales that the wise men give out as the excuse for the ceremony."
John had another motive for these questions, as will appear later on. The main Illyas village was far to the north of the caves mentioned. Besides the main one were three others, all ranging along the western base of the mountain.
"How long will it take us," asked John, "to reach the main village?"
"Osaga knows about that, as he was near there, and was detained for several weeks before he escaped."
"I had forgotten about that." He was, however, at this time, one of the scouts, and when he returned later in the evening, said:
"We can reach there in two days, unless we should be met by the Illyas on the way. I do not think they will retreat without making a show of fight, as they will have all their warriors in the field, when they know we are marching against them."
At the rate they were going, the main force of the enemy would be reached during the day, unless they should retreat. The opinion of both Uraso and Muro was that they would not permit too close approach to the village before offering fight.
The entire route from Unity, and through the Saboro country, was one continual stretch of immense undulating plains, covered at intervals with magnificent forests, and it was evident that the soil was rich and capable of yielding any products in profusion.
The weather, too, was magnificent. Indeed, it was at a time of the year when there were few[p. 144] storms, the moisture being sufficient to support the growing vegetation and keeping it a beautiful green. What a paradise this part of the island would be made, if it could be maintained in peace!
The march was a continued and steady one, the warriors appearing happy and acted as though they were going to a festival, instead of to war. Early in the afternoon the advance scouts reported the first sight of the savages, but only detached bands, which indicated, however, that they were not far away.
Several hours before they had entered the Illyas' country. There was no strict dividing line between the different countries, but it appeared to be tacitly agreed that certain water courses, or other natural lines, marked the territorial limits of each.
These divisions were so little understood, in fact, by either, that they caused frequent disputes. A party from one tribe in hunting would, incautiously, venture too far, and if the other party happened to be near, and in sufficient force, would attack on the plea that the territory had been invaded.
This was a matter which the present campaign would settle, because the Professor saw the necessity of accurately prescribing the limits held by each tribe.
It was five o'clock in the evening before reports came in that the main body of the enemy was in sight. John went forward with Uraso and Muro, fully a mile beyond the main force, and[p. 145] on the way selected a good camping spot, leaving several there to order the main body to encamp when they arrived.
With the scouts now returning, and which were picked up, a fairly adequate idea was obtained as to the number, which was variously estimated at two hundred and fifty, which did not take into consideration the warriors from the other villages, because they now had knowledge of at least one party from the south, on the way to reinforce the Illyas.
John gave strict orders that no one should fire a gun during the night, and that a double line of guards should be maintained. The course pursued during the campaign was as follows: Thirty pickets were selected for the watch, five from each tribe. These formed fifteen posts, two warriors being at each post, and it was arranged that the two should be of different tribes, and as all were in supporting distance of each other, in case of an alarm, one of the two watchers would thus be in a position to quickly alarm the camp.
An advance set of pickets was also thrown out, under the personal command of Muro, to watch the enemies' camp. Fortunately, there was no alarm during the night. Early in the morning the forces were put in line for approaching the Illyas' camp.
When the first advance came within sight of their camp, the utmost consternation and confusion resulted, showing how carefully John had concealed their movements.
Muro's scouts had the fortune to capture one[p. 146] of the Illyas, who was evidently one of the hunters, and the captive was brought in at the time when some of his own men had advanced uncautiously too far.
He was brought before John at once, who addressed him as follows:
"Why have your people started out on the warpath against us?"
"Because you killed our warriors in the last battle."
It is singular how the natives in all their interviews of like nature, always found it convenient to refer to the last and most immediate act as a particular reason for their enmity. In this respect they were veritable children.
They might have been, as they were in this case, the original aggressors, but if an attempt is made to repay them the original cause of the strife is forgotten, and the last act only is considered. John knew it would be of no use to argue the matter with him.
"You may go back to your chief and tell him that we have come to get the captives he has. You must tell him that we have no desire to injure him or his people. Tell him that all the tribes are now united, and that if he does not give up the white people and all others, we will take him and his villages, and give his lands to the other tribes.
"You must further tell him that we must have his answer at once, and if he does not answer by the time the sun is above us (noon), we will consider him our enemy, and shall attack him."
The captive received full instructions from Uraso, who warned him that if he failed to convey this information in the manner given it would go hard with him.
John went forward with the prisoner, and he was released within sight of the Illyas' camp. The enemy was at that time in great commotion, as they were, from all indications, preparing for defense.
They occupied a naturally strong position. The camp was on the western side of a hill and at the bottom was a small stream.
Directly behind the camp was a heavy forest, which, in case of retreat, would afford them shelter. There was a bend in the river, where the camp was located, so that the position was impregnable as against the native weapons.
The Illyas were not counting on meeting a foe armed with guns like the allies possessed. They did not conceive how their enemies could possibly make a sufficient number of guns to count against their numbers and their skill.
In the talks which John had with Uraso he learned the history of this peculiar tribe. Originally the tribe had practical sway over the entire island. They were bitter and vindictive, and this intense feeling was that which acted against them in the end.
The result was that in times past a constant tribal warfare was in evidence among the heads of the leading families. The Kurabus and the Tuolos were originally Illyas, or offshoots from this great tribe. This was also shown by the[p. 148] characteristics of those three tribes, and by their dress as well as language.
John had noticed that the Berees were the whitest people on the island, and that the Osagas and Saboros were much lighter in color than the other tribes. Uraso confirmed Suros' statement to the Professor, that there was white blood in the veins of many of the people of these three tribes, brought about by castaways who had been adopted by the people in earlier times.
The Illyas kept themselves aloof from the others, excepting the Tuolos and Kurabus, and these three tribes were the only ones who still adhered to the custom of offering up captives as sacrifices.