Life in the forests of the Far East (vol. 2 of 2)

by Sir Spenser St. John

I am trying to make arrangements for a six days’ trip in the jungle, in search of new flowers, and also for a reported edible bird’s-nest cave, the latter, most probably, a myth. I am rather troubled by my feet. I have seventy-three wounds on one leg, and seventy-two on the other, all from leech bites, and some of them are festering; but a few days’ rest will probably restore them to a proper walking condition. I dislike living in these little close houses, they are very dirty, and there is little new to observe or to interest. I prefer the freedom of the woods and the freshness of the tents.

20th.—The women are hard at work preparing the tapioca for food; they cut it into slices, then dry it, and afterwards pound it to a flour. Took a walk, notwithstanding my tender feet, as I dislike remaining quiet a whole day. We went down to the stream which runs to the eastward of the village, the Manipa (its bed 2,957 feet); observed only sandstone intermixed with quartz; from thence we ascended to a village on top of the opposite hill (height 4,403 feet), Purté being the name of the rivulet that flows near it.

I might well say yesterday I was puzzled by the position of Brayong, as it turns out not to be Brayong at all. It is not thirty miles off, and the veritable Lawas range, bearing N. 10° W., about thirty miles beyond it. There is also a high mountain, part of the false Brayong, bearing N. Now I am no longer puzzled: the Orang Kaya Upit gave it that name from the marked resemblance of the two ranges. There is a curiously shaped mountain, whose eastern end is very recognizable. I must sketch it in the geographical journal, as I can easily recall it, if ever I ascend the Trusan.

We found the village nearly empty, all the people being away at their farms. We could only purchase a fowl; there were two goats, but the owner was absent. The story of the innumerable goats has indeed faded away; we were equally unsuccessful in our search for fruit, vegetables, or sugar-cane. On our return we picked a great many wild raspberries, which have not very much flavour, but they were refreshing, and in many places the shrubs grew so very thickly as to prevent any other vegetation springing up, and looked like a deserted garden. The plants have a very similar appearance to those grown in England, and are pleasant to look at as reminding one of home. The boys of the village for a few beads collected them by the peck, till we were completely surfeited by them.

I am not a good shot with the rifle, but in my life I have three times startled the natives, and this I did to-day. There were a great many men present, chiefs of the neighbouring villages, and Orang Kaya Upit told me that they had heard of the wonders of the rifle-carbine, that could be fired five times without loading, and they were all anxious that I should discharge it before them; so I looked about for a mark, that if I missed would not be looked upon as a great want of skill.

I observed a large kite perched on a branch of a tree about a hundred and twenty yards off, so I told them I would have a shot at the bird. I remembered that I had once before put a bullet from the same carbine through a hawk, so I had some confidence in the instrument. I fired, and the bird came down without the flutter of a wing, pitching headlong into the jungle below. This intensely excited their admiration. There is no doubt that skill in arms has a great effect upon wild tribes, so I shall never again attempt a difficult shot before them, for fear I should weaken the effect of this one. The carbine was an excellent one, manufactured by Wilkinson of Pall Mall, after Adams’ patent.

Many years ago I landed at Cagayan Sulu, with a large party to buy cattle. A few of the people were most insolent in their manner, and they were all fully armed; after strolling about a little in the blazing sun, we felt very thirsty, and asked the owner of the house near which we were bartering, to let us have a cocoa-nut. He pointed to them, and with an insolent laugh said, “You may have one if you can get it.” I did not wait for a second permission, but without a moment’s thought let fly at the stalk and brought a nut down. I never saw astonishment so visible on men’s countenances; we had no more insolence after that. It was a shot that one might attempt a hundred times without succeeding.

I mention this circumstance as it produced a proposal that gave me some information of which I might otherwise not have heard. I noticed in the evening that the chiefs were more quiet than usual, and that they were talking together in whispers and constantly looking my way. One of them brought me a basin of their native spirit, which is not strong, so I drank it off. Then Orang Kaya Upit unfolded their scheme: he said that formerly all their tribes were very rich in slaves, captives made in their different expeditions, before the time they were so broken up; suddenly, for some reason they did not understand, all the slaves from the neighbouring villages fled in a body and built a strong house a few miles away, from whence they constantly harassed their neighbours, their former masters. They were a bad people, thieves, and murderers, the only disturbers of their peace: it was they who came at night and shot poisoned arrows at the women and children, killing many.

After minutely recounting the evil deeds of this people, he said that the assembled chiefs had often attacked the robbers’ village, but had never succeeded in taking it. They had seen to-day the wonderful effect of fire-arms, and they were quite convinced that if I would join them with my seventeen Malays armed with muskets, we could easily capture the place; that there were not less than sixty families, so that there would be at least a couple of hundred slaves to divide, and that they were willing I should take as many as I liked for myself and men.

My followers looked very eagerly at me, ready at my desire to enter on this slave hunt. I quietly declined joining in the attack, as we had never been injured by their enemies. To this they replied that I should certainly be attacked on my journey home, as these people would have heard of my arrival, and would lie in ambush. I told the Orang Kaya that I would prefer waiting till that event took place; if it did I would turn back, and join them in driving their enemies out of the country. They were disappointed at my determination, and perhaps my men had indulged themselves with the idea of getting a slave apiece. If true, this story of the village of escaped captives is very curious; but it may have been invented to induce me to join in an attack on a tribe of their enemies.