“A galleon of gold-dust would not have been such a windfall to the Chinese as was this cargo of nests. The news spread like wildfire through the country, that a vessel had stranded on their coast containing incalculable wealth. The timid Celestials forgot their fears, and, regardless of winds and seas, rushed through the foaming surf—trampled the strong over the weak, brother over brother—all hurrying on board the wreck, which was so effectually pillaged that she was left floating like an empty tea-chest, not a grain of cargo being left sticking to her ribs. During the scramble in the water and on the wreck—for every handful was fought for—many lives were lost; and the coast for several miles round was in anarchy and confusion, a long time after.”
At length, after a six days’ run through the Straits of Malacca—those straits so remarkable for their redundancy of fish—so terrible to the natives of Singapore from the fierce, savage tigers which are continually swimming across from the peninsula—and at the sight of Singapore, we were delighted: partly that we should again be able to stretch our legs, but chiefly that we should have some other food than fish, fish, eternally fish, for we had long since run short of rice and fruits. But the fish upon which we had been subsisting for the last few days had filled me with disgust, for to eat it gave one a notion of cannibalism; and I will tell you why. It more resembled a human being than a fish. It is the dugong (by some writers supposed to have been the original of the mermaid), of the order Cestacea, or great beasts of the ocean. Its body is very bulky, tapering to a broad horizontal tail. Instead of fins, it has two paws armed with talons, and which, but for being webbed, would resemble hands. Its head is almost of human shape, and it suckles its young in an upright position, holding it in one paw, while it supports itself in the water by means of the other. The natives of the islands are very fond of its flesh, which resembles young beef. But, bah! the animal is so human-looking, and the females have such a strong attachment to their young, that when one of the latter is destroyed, the mother, it is said, utters sharp, plaintive cries, sheds tears, and easily permits herself to be taken. Now, are you surprised at my disgust at being compelled to eat of its flesh, more revolting even than that of young roasted monkeys—a favorite dish upon the mainland? But we have done with such food, for we are entering the harbor of Singapore—that town which, under British rule of forty years, has increased its population from two hundred to thirty thousand.
It was day-dawn when we arrived; the sky was just receiving its first bright tints from the rising sun, and the morning mists yet hung about the marshes. Nevertheless, early as it was, the harbor was alive with boats, and resounding with the noisy hum of awakened crowds. The long, low canoe of the Malay, propelled by thirty paddles, each stroke accompanied by their peculiar cry; sampans carrying ashore the Chinese mariner, with his fan and umbrella; other boats, with their clean matted seats and plantain-leaf awnings, waiting for passengers, and promiscuously manned by the Hindoo, the Moor, the Malay, the Arab, or the wild natives of Borneo, Amboyna, Madura, or Bali; the unwieldy junk with painted eyes, which the Celestials believe guide them safely clear of shoals and rocks—its large masts without rigging, mast, sail; high-peaked stern, bedaubed with flying dragons, painted devils, and proverbs, and the poop entirely occupied by the indispensable Joss. Add to the foregoing—boats laden with fruit of every description, ready for the morning market; light fishing-canoes, with their patient occupants, who will sit for hours under the shade of their light grass hats; trading-vessels of several European nations; a British sloop-of-war;—and you have the scene presented to us upon our first arrival at Singapore.
CHAPTER XIII.
WE SELL OUR NESTS, ARE TAKEN PRISONERS, BUT OUTWIT OUR CAPTORS.
There could be no greater proof of the value of our cargo than the extraordinary demand we found for it at Singapore. The news of its arrival in the harbor ran through the town like wildfire—at least among the Chinese portion of the community—and the very next day our little vessel was crowded with long-tailed merchants, as eager to outbid each other as Jew brokers at an auction-mart; and so courteous were these men to our captain, that, although at other times they would have treated him with contempt, the best of them now approached him in the “attitude of respect,” and with their tails let down. But let me explain the meaning of the latter sentence.
Chinese “men of business,” for greater convenience, twist their long tails round the tops of their heads; but to omit to drop them to their full length in the presence of a superior, or, what to them is more, one from whom they expect to obtain a favor, is deemed in China as great a mark of ill-breeding as it would be in America for a person to enter a room with his hat on.
Thus, as you may imagine, from this demand Prabu realized a very large sum for his nests. Nevertheless, the whole cargo was sold to one man. But now commenced the most unpleasant part of our work, for we had to sort them into three different qualities, and pack them in boxes. This labor lasted about three weeks; and then, at least for a time, we were free to roam the island until we had taken another cargo of something—we knew not what—on board. But a few parting words about these nests.
From the fact of the nests being worth more than their weight in silver, it is evident that they are only articles of expensive luxury. They are consumed chiefly by people of rank, the greater part being sent for the consumption of the Court at Pekin. The sensual mandarins use them, in the belief that they are powerfully stimulating and tonic; but it is most likely, that their most valuable quality is their being, like porridge, neither good nor harm. The Japanese, who resemble the Chinese in many of their habits, have no taste for the edible-nest; and how the latter acquired a taste for this foreign commodity, is only less singular than their persevering in it. Among the Western nations there is nothing equal to it, unless we except the whimsical estimation in which the Romans held some articles of luxury, remarkable for their scarcity rather than for any qualities ascribed to them.
Now, for some reason or other (I suppose the large sum he had obtained by the sale of his cargo), Prabu promised extra pay and allowances to his crew, and presented my brother and me with a couple of capital American rifles—a fit of generosity that put all on board in good spirits. But, alas! suddenly a deep gloom was cast over us by two accidents, which happened within a couple of days of each other.
One of the men having been sent with a message to a merchant, whose warehouse was situated some two or three miles along the coast, and with whom Prabu was negotiating for a return cargo, his boat was attacked by an alligator, who capsized it with his tail, seized its inmate, and carried him away to a hole in the bank, there to remain for some future meal; for the alligator never devours his food, whether it be man or beast, until it has been kept for some days. Another poor fellow had been sent upon a similar errand, but upon his return was seized and carried into the jungle by a tiger.