A POST RIDE IN JAVA.—FROM BUITENZORG TO BANDONG.
As soon as they had exhausted Buitenzorg and the sights of the neighborhood, the Doctor suggested to Frank and Fred that they should make a journey into the interior. They had not time to undertake the tour of the whole island, but they wished to go beyond the line of the railway, and learn by practical experience about the system of posting for which Java was famous.
Before the introduction of railways Java was supplied with excellent roads from one end of the island to the other, which were begun by Marshal Daendels in the early part of this century, and continued by the Dutch rulers since 1816. Then there are numerous cross-roads, so that nearly all parts of the country are accessible by wagon or carriage. On the principal routes the lines are double, one being intended for carriages and horses, and the other for cattle. The cattle roads are like the ordinary country road in America; but the carriage-way is macadamized, and admits of rapid travelling. On the whole, the system is quite as good as that which prevailed in Europe before the establishment of the railway; and when it is remembered that the interior of Java is very hilly, and cut up with numerous streams, the magnitude of the work which has been accomplished under the equator will be more readily understood.
The arrangements for posting were made with the assistance of the landlord of the hotel, who told them that it might take a day or two to find a carriage that could be hired. The Dutch and other foreign inhabitants generally own the carriages in which they travel; and when a stranger wishes to traverse the island, it is customary for him to buy a carriage, and sell it on reaching the end of his journey. When you want to buy a carriage, you find the vehicles are scarce and dear; and when you want to sell, the market is glutted with them. A good carriage for posting will cost between three and four hundred dollars; and if it can be sold at a loss of one hundred dollars when the traveller is done with it, he may consider himself lucky.
The journey that our friends intended to make was to last less than a week, and they hired a carriage for which they were to pay twenty-five dollars for that time, and be responsible for any damages that might happen to it. Frank thought the owner would make a good business if he could find steady occupation for his vehicle at that rate; but the landlord informed him that the carriages were idle more than half the time, and sometimes there were weeks together when no customer appeared.
STARTING ON THE JOURNEY.
Early one morning the conveyance drew up in front of the hotel, and the three travellers entered and took their seats. The carriage was a very comfortable one, with seats for four persons inside, a dickey or servant's seat behind, and a box under the coachman where baggage could be stowed. There were four horses, harnessed in European style, with a coachman dressed in white, and wearing a hat that reminded the boys of Japan and China. There were three footmen or grooms, who ran along-side the carriage to whip the horses, and make themselves generally useful; and when everything was going well they rode on a standing place intended for them on the rear of the vehicle. Frank observed, as the journey continued, that these fellows were the most accomplished whip-crackers in the world; and Fred remarked that the best ring-master in an American circus would hide his head in shame, if he should listen to them for a few minutes. He understood the trick of the business when told that the footmen practise whip-snapping from boyhood, and at one station where they changed horses there was a man engaged in teaching a group of boys the principles of the art. He had a practical way of instructing them, as he followed each failure with a crack of the whip on the boy's shoulders.
BY THE ROADSIDE.
There was some trouble at starting, as the horses were fresh and inclined to be "balky," and one of them indulged in a private kicking-match that did not promise well for rapid progress on the journey. However, the performance did not last long; and when they were under way they rattled along in fine style.
LODGINGS OF THE STABLE-MEN.
Posting in Java is expensive, as the hire of teams and drivers is nearly a dollar a mile. Then the drivers and footmen expect gratuities at the end of their journey, and there are other fees to be paid at several places. In return for this high price, the service is excellent. Notice must be given beforehand, and the time of starting must be fixed. A courier is sent along to all the stations, and when the carriage arrives where the relay is to be taken, the new horses are found ready harnessed and waiting, so that the delay does not occupy more than two or three minutes. The stations are from five to seven or eight miles apart, and the teams go at the greatest speed. At each station there is a native official, and sometimes a European one; and there are plenty of drivers, runners, and attendants, who sleep and wait in open sheds in the rear of the stable.
At each station there is a large shed extending over the road, and connecting the stables on each side. The carriage halts under this shed, so that the traveller is protected from the heat of the sun in dry weather, or the moisture when it rains. There are the facilities for making a lunch at nearly all the stations, as the keeper can supply hot water for tea and coffee, and a liberal quantity of milk and fresh eggs. With these things, and some cold chicken or other meat from the stopping-place of the previous night, a slice or two of bread, and the fruit that abounds everywhere, the traveller must be very fastidious if he cannot satisfy the hunger which the ride through the pure air of Java is sure to give him.
The journal of the expedition was kept by the boys, with occasional suggestions from the Doctor. Every moment that they could spare from sight-seeing was devoted to the history of their journey in Java; and during their halts at the stations, some of the keepers thought the two youths were inspectors sent out by the government to report on the condition of the postal-service, as they made such vigorous use of their pens. One station-keeper was extra polite, and brought out a bottle of schnapps in their honor; their prompt refusal of the proffered courtesy confirmed his belief in their inquisitorial character, though it raised doubts as to their genuineness as Dutch officials. "But they are yet very young," he remarked, with a shake of the head, as the carriage drove away; "they will not refuse schnapps when they grow older."
We will make a few extracts from the journal, which subsequently gave much delight to the Bassett and Bronson families:
JUST IMPORTED.
"We are having a jolly ride through Java, and shall be very sorry when it comes to an end. It is hot in the middle of the day, but delicious at other times; and anybody who could not enjoy this sort of travel must be very hard to please. Some of the way we have made ten miles an hour, and the little horses come in smoking and panting when we get to a station, and are ready for a change. The horses are mostly Java ponies, but there are many from the island of Celebes, and other parts of the Dutch East Indies. They are tough little animals, about twelve or thirteen hands high, and capable of great endurance; and the consumption of horse-flesh is so great, that enough of them are not raised in Java to supply the demand.
"When we left the hotel at Buitenzorg this morning, we took with us the materials for our breakfast, so as to save the delay of having it prepared at one of the inns. We stopped at the second station on the road, and were as hungry as one could wish; and when we pointed to our basket and motioned that we wanted to eat, we were referred to a shop kept by a Chinese, close by the post-station. We went there, as the shop had better facilities for our meal than the station; John was all smiles, and showed us to a table in the middle of his front room. He was married and settled in the country, as he had a Javanese wife; and there were two or three children, with Javanese complexions and Chinese eyes, playing around the door. And what do you think we found in his shop to remind us of home?
"We wanted something to piece out the provisions we had brought from Buitenzorg, and so we examined the shelves of the establishment. The first thing we fell upon was a can of American oysters, with the familiar name of the firm that packed them. Then we found a can of peaches and another of pigs' feet, and we kept on with our inventory of things from our side of the world till we had a dozen or more of them on our list. With the oysters and the peaches to add to the stock from the hotel, we made a capital breakfast, and went away happy. We had some difficulty in paying our bill, as we could speak no common language. John finally set the matter right by counting out from his box the money we should pay, and spreading it on the table before us; we put down a similar amount, and he was satisfied. He ought to have been, as I am sure he cheated us; but then those who travel in a country where they do not speak the language must expect to pay for their ignorance.
"We have met people on horseback and in common wagons; and in several instances the men on horseback were followed by coolies carrying baggage. We are told that is the way the young men who wish to avoid expense travel in Java—as the cost of horse and coolies is less than a twelfth of the expense of posting. They also have palanquins for the cross-roads, though not on the great highways; but they are not suited to people who wish to get over the ground rapidly. Posting is by all odds the most rapid way of travelling, but at the same time it is terribly dear.
"We find that many of the roadside shops, near the stopping-places, are kept by Chinese; and the Chinese really seem to have a great deal to do with the business of Java. A gentleman at Buitenzorg said that the Chinese had a large amount of property in Java, and they could hold real estate like anybody else as soon as they became citizens. He said there were half a million Chinese in Java, and, as the government compelled everybody to pay nearly forty dollars on coming here to live, they had a better class of Chinese than we have in America. The Chinese have established several branches of manufacture in Java like those they have at home; and the gentleman showed us some enamel-work which he said was made in Batavia by Chinese workmen. We have certainly never seen anything finer than this, and I doubt if they produce anything in Canton or Peking that can surpass it.
"In spite of the high price of posting in Java, it is said that the business does not pay. The government is at a heavy expense to maintain the roads and stations, and to keep the service in proper order. The argument of the government is that it is of the greatest importance to keep the means of transportation and travel in the best possible condition; and though it may not pay of itself, it is of great advantage indirectly. They have certainly spent enormous amounts of money on their roads and posting system; and they are too shrewd to continue to throw away their cash on an unprofitable enterprise.
"The road rises steadily from Buitenzorg, though there are several places where we were able to gallop our horses, and go along at the best possible pace. After the second station we found ourselves in the mountains; and the way was so steep that we had seven horses instead of four for some miles. Then we came to a place where it was necessary to put oxen ahead of the horses to help them up the hills, which were so steep that we could only go at a slow walk. We perceived that the air was colder; and on some of the mountains we thought we could see snow, but were not sure. In the highest parts of the country ice forms in the coldest nights, but never to more than a slight thickness, and only a few times in the course of the year.
THE WAITER AT SINDINGLAYA.
"We reached a point which was said to be two thousand five hundred feet above the sea, and then had a descent of a few miles to Sindinglaya, where we found a very comfortable hotel. We had a good dinner here—at least good for Java. The cooks of Java are not the best in the world, if we are to judge by what we have seen on the road. The government has established inns every forty or fifty miles along its principal roads; they are in charge of Europeans, who receive a salary for keeping the place in proper condition, at a scale of prices which is posted in every room, and is not at all unreasonable. Our waiter was a little Malay boy, who moved around as gracefully as a queen, and twice as dignified.
SLEEPNG-ROOM IN THE SANITARIUM.
"There is a sanitarium or health resort at Sindinglaya, where the government sends its officers when they suffer from fever, and need to be restored by the cool air of the mountains. In addition to the official one, there are several unofficial hotels; and a good many Europeans living in Batavia endeavor to spend a few weeks there every year for the sake of their health. The situation is charming, as it is quite surrounded by mountains, and anybody who is fond of climbing can have abundant enjoyment and exercise during his residence in this spot.
"We rattled on over the same excellent road, and passed a goodly number of villages that presented a very pretty appearance. They are laid out in regular streets in most cases, and the houses are generally surrounded with trees that almost conceal them from view. The dwellings in these villages are always of a single story in height, and their roofs are covered with thatch or red tiles. Each house stands in a yard, or 'campong,' by itself, and is enclosed by a hedge sufficiently thick and high to keep out all intruding cows or other animals. The hedge is neatly clipped, and frequently covered with bright flowers; besides the dwelling of the owner, the enclosure generally contains several store-houses for grain, and a stable with a brick floor. In some places these villages seem to extend for miles, and tell more plainly than words that the country is thickly peopled and prosperous. When the Dutch first came here, the villages were dirty, and it was difficult to teach the natives any habits of cleanliness. Finally, the new rulers made a law requiring every native to keep his grounds clean, and his house properly swept and in order, under penalty of a fine; and they also announced that the character of a chief or regent would be rated according to the condition of his villages. It did not take long for the natives to learn the advantages of cleanliness; and now it is said that there is no occasion for the law, as they voluntarily give much time and attention to the improvement of their houses and gardens.
"We reached Bandong, about a hundred miles from Buitenzorg, without the slightest accident or delay. The road is level for a good part of the way as Bandong is approached; there is a wide plain here, about two thousand four hundred feet above the sea, and surrounded by high mountains. Java contains three of these plains—Bandong, Solo, and Kediri—and they are wonderfully fertile. There is an immense quantity of rice raised here, and some say that Bandong is the best rice-growing district in Java; at all events, we have seen nothing like it.
A MOUNTAIN CASCADE.
"We were constantly attracted by the beauty of the scenery, which cannot be described in words. At one place there was a cascade tumbling down from the mountains, and it was so pretty that we stopped the carriage to admire it, and make a sketch that would preserve its outlines. The foot of it was lost in the spray that rose like a cloud, and at one point where we stood the water seemed to be pouring from the sky. In the dry season this fall disappears altogether, but when the rains are abundant it has a full supply of water—a very necessary adjunct for a cascade.
JAVANESE BOYS.
"As we passed through the villages, groups of children stared at us, and occasionally an urchin turned a somersault, in the hope of securing a few coppers in recognition of his activity. Sometimes these children were very scantily clothed, and occasionally there was one carrying a baby, nearly as large as himself, in the fold of a shawl wound round the shoulders. Several times we threw them some money, and it was interesting to see them scramble for it. They are very active, sprightly little fellows, and when they jumped into the dusty road they made a cloud that almost hid them from view.
"Bandong, the town, is a pretty place, with wide streets finely gravelled, and kept in the best order. There are cocoa-palms and other tropical trees along each side of nearly every street, and they are so numerous, and their foliage is so thick, that when you look down a street you can hardly see a single house. The houses are like those already described; and as they spread over a large area, they give you an impression that the inhabitants of Java are unwilling to be restricted in elbow-room.
"The Regent of the district resides here, and so does the Resident, as the principal Dutch official is called. As before explained, the Resident holds a higher rank than the Regent; but he is the only person who does, and all the orders for the government of the natives come from the Regent and his officers. The Regent is appointed by the Dutch, but he always belongs to the most powerful noble family in the region where he is to serve, and he holds office for life, unless removed for improper conduct. The Regent of Bandong is the son of the prince who ruled here before the Dutch conquest, and who accepted the appointment of Regent, which he held till his death. He is very rich, as he has a share of the revenue from the rice grown in Bandong, and he lives in splendid style. He has a European house, where he entertains foreign guests; and close by it is his Malay residence, intended only for himself and family, and for Javanese visitors. Foreigners are admitted very rarely to the native palace, but those who have been there say it is luxuriously furnished in truly Javanese style. The Regent is on the best of terms with the Resident, and they often go out together to the races and on hunting excursions; the Regent frequently gives parties in his European house, and on such occasions all the foreigners in the town and vicinity are invited, and are treated with the greatest civility."