William Barrington D'Almeida

“ As the road was now broader and more even, we proceeded at a much more rapid rate, passing through jungles of lofty umbrageous forest trees, their sides and branches covered with lovely parasites and creepers, under which, in some parts, were coffee plantations, with husbandmen tending and trimming them; their white flowers, something like those of the jessamine at a distance, impregnating the air with delicious perfume.
Wild boars are as common as rabbits in a warren. ”

“ We steered under the shade of leafy bowers, occasionally emerging into the broad sunlight, until we reached the head of the lake, where, on lofty trees, the bark and branches of which were completely hidden by the loveliest creepers I ever saw, monkeys, known as the Lotong, Si-a-mang, and Budang, were swinging from branch to branch. The mothers of this carious tribe we could easily discern carrying their young, whose tiny arms and legs were tightly clasping round their careful parents. ”

“ When a number of wood-cutters are walking through a jungle or forest, the post of danger is always in the rear, and they draw lots for the purpose of deciding who is to walk last in the file. It is the habit of the tiger, when he has marked his prey, to creep stealthily by and wait for the last man, on whom he rushes, suddenly bearing him off in an incredibly short time. ”

“ In no town or village of Java are the natives allowed to walk after seven in the evening without a light. Some make their nocturnal rambles with torches of small thin split bamboo, made up into bundles, and lit at one end. ”

“ These serpents are by nature shy and timid, and, unless very ravenous, seldom attack human beings. A native of Malang, fatigued with his day's work, was indulging in a nap on a plot of meadow-land adjoining that on which the serpent we saw was found. He had not slept long when he was awoke by a curious sensation in his right leg—a warm, moist, creeping feeling. Opening his eyes, and looking down, he beheld, to his horror, the whole of his foot and the calf of his leg in the mouth of a huge serpent. ”

“ The mass of human beings now made a tremendous rush for the volcano, the first who succeeded in gaining the ridge believing himself favoured by fortune, and certain of future good luck. Some of the old priests would stop every now and then, bid their followers spread the mat, and prostrate themselves in prayer for fully five or ten minutes, a proceeding which struck me as savouring strongly of sham, for no doubt they were fatigued, and made a virtue of necessity. ”

“ But should the offence be one of a serious nature, he shakes off all responsibility by placing the whole affair in the hands of the Tumungong, or Pangeran, who, in turn, if the matter proves too intricate for him, sends it up to the European magistrate, who settles it according to Dutch law.
Simple as the whole machinery seems, it is in our opinion worthy of admiration, and certainly well adapted to native society. Every orang campong, or villager, feels a kind of responsibility for the good conduct, not only of himself and family, but also of his neighbour ”

“ The valley is well irrigated by rills and rivulets. The largest river near the town, which is known as the Kali Malang, is a branch of the Kedirie. The adjoining fields are mostly meadow-land, studded here and there with trees, giving the landscape quite a European appearance, and carrying us in fancy home again.
The traveller who comes as far as Passeroewan, should certainly extend his journey to this delightful country, which, for beauty, climate, and prosperity, can well bear comparison with any of the Preanger Regencies. ”

“ After the work of the day, the traveller will find him seated on a cool stone bench under his portico, indulging in the luxury of a very loose baju, which, being unfastened, exposes to view the greater part of his chest; and should he be a fat man—the fatter he is, the more he is honoured by his countrymen—a considerable portion of his stomach, on which it is, to him, a luxury to feel the coolness of the evening air. Most probably also he will be found chewing the beetle-leaf and nut—a habit which he has contracted from the natives—or in drawing tobacco fumes through a long thick bamboo pipe. ”

“ One of the greatest luxuries of Eastern life, is the evening drive, which every one who can afford it looks forward to as an indispensable pleasure after the heat of the day; and, in our opinion, it is more conducive to promoting a good appetite, than the orange bitters and kirschwasser awaiting you on the round tripod in the hall. It was during our evening drives that we saw most of Surabaya and its environs, going each day in some new direction, till we had exhausted all the sights of the place. ”

“ On that night nearly all the conspirators had met for the last time to concert their final measures, "Be ready an hour before daybreak," were Elberfeld's parting words, as he stood by his door ready to close it when the last of his accomplices had gone forth. But already the troops sent out to secure the conspirators had surrounded the house. Before the last man had left their place of meeting, a clashing of swords, and the loud report of fire-arms, were heard. "We are betrayed!" cried Elberfeld; "escape those who can!" ”

“ Disgusted, mortified, and overwhelmed, the poor man left the room, inwardly determining, as life was now of little value to him, to risk it in his desire for vengeance on the haughty and tyrannical governor.
At that time the Dutch exacted from every native the most humiliating obeisance, compelling them, immediately on the appearance of any European, to squat on the ground, and uncover their heads. ”

“ A Dutchman may well be proud of his colony, as he gazes on the interminable fields of cultivation, extending from the hill-tops to the valleys below, where you see the hand of industry upturning the rich earth, or, when the soil is arid, irrigating it by means of their bamboo conduits. ”

“ As far as the eye could see, a fertile valley lay before us, well studded with trees, and bounded by a hilly range at some distance. Rice fields extended on all sides, in which men, women, and children were busily employed in planting the young paddy shoots.
Half an hour's drive through this vale of apparent peace and plenty, brought us to the junction of two roads, one leading to Sorondal, Oenarang, and Ambarrawa (the fortified key of the inner provinces) , the other the high road to Batavia. ”

“ Through the kindness and attention of my friends and acquaintances in Java—for which I beg, with deep gratitude, to offer my sincere thanks —I enjoyed many opportunities of witnessing the most remarkable physical phenomena of the island, and was introduced to scenes of public and domestic life in which I became familiar with the manners and customs of the peculiar people inhabiting it. ”

“ In the first court is an attap shed over a raised floor of brick. This is called the Plataharan. People come to it from distant parts as pilgrims, and remain for days and nights to invoke the spirits of the great departed to aid them in the accomplishment of any desired object, or to inspire them with some dream from which they may glean hopes of coming good fortune. In reply to the inquiries of Drahman, whom I requested to put some questions to the pilgrims we met, one old man, almost blind, said he had come from a great distance to pray for good health and a long life. ”

“ Nature has blessed Java with a healthy climate, genial temperature, and fertile soil, and the Dutch — notwithstanding their former arbitrary measures, modified of late years by a more liberal system of government—have made it what it is, a happy, contented land, yielding a splendid revenue. ”

“ There seemed to be several craft of a more bulky description, whose sides were innocent of paint; whilst the basket work and bamboo erections on deck, doubtless a feeble imitation of something in our saloons and cabins, threatened every minute to overtopple and crush the greasy-looking natives below, who, for want of better employment or amusement, were occupied, in different parts of their floating home, in examining minutely each other's flowing tresses—men as well as women—proclaiming ever and anon, by a dexterous movement of the finger and thumb, the capture made!—the victim slain! ”

“ Through the kindness of a friend, I obtained an order to visit the public hospital, which occupies a large space of ground in one of the European districts. The road before the gate is lined on each side by an avenue of flourishing young trees, and the open plot of ground within the inclosure, near the building, is planted thick with bushes and shrubs, giving a pleasant air of cheerfulness to what must ever be a dismal and painful retreat. ”

“ The Ayam Alas, or Jungle Cock, is plentiful in all the thick jungles of Java. We heard their crow very frequently, though, like all birds of a wild nature, they are so shy and difficult of approach that we seldom caught a glimpse of one. It is, however, a curious fact that, wherever huts have been erected in the vicinity of a jungle, and the inhabitants keep fowls, these Ayam Alas mingle readily with them, perhaps attracted by the food. ”

“ At the present time, the part known as Jacatra is a small village, through which passes a good macadamised road, planted on either side with pepul trees, beyond which are numbers of small cottages or bungalows—at the doors or verandahs of which the traveller will see, as he passes in the cool of the evening, the occupants—most of whom are small salaried clerks—seated in their loose bajus and baggy pejamas, enjoying the fragrant weed—to them indeed the calumet of peace, after the toil and turmoil of a city life. ”

“ Another delicious cold bath generally succeeds the smoke, after which the luxurious European retires to dress for the evening, reappearing with the usual mouth appendage, and a stick in hand—no hat, of course, for the Batavian fashion is for neither gentlemen or ladies to wear anything on their heads, except when they go to church on Sundays. Thus attired, he wends his way quietly to the Koningen's Plain, or to that of Waterloo, to gaze on the élite and fashion walking or driving about, which the ladies do in full dress—décolleté—and wearing ornaments in their hair. ”

“ On the left side of the girl sat an old, haggardlooking woman, the Waksie, or bridesmaid, on whose shoulders, according to the wedding etiquette of the Javanese, rests no small share of responsibility. Before the marriage is arranged, she acts as a go-between, to settle matters for all parties, though it does not always follow that she becomes the bridesmaid on the occasion; but as the natives have a superstitious belief that ill-luck will surely fall upon the young pair, unless everything is done with becoming propriety, a woman of this profession is very frequently selected to act as Waksie. ”

“ The duck firmly grasped between his jaws, he raised himself above the surface till half his body was visible, and placing his fore paws on the raft, swallowed the dainty morsel.
Early in the morning, or towards sunset, is considered the best time for seeing them, as they are then occupied in the search of food. The greater part of the day they generally pass in sleep under the shade of projecting stones, or beneath a clump of trees. ”

“ To a certain extent the severity of Dutch rule is beneficial to the Chinaman, for unless he is made subservient by a strong hand, he too frequently becomes so impudent and insolent as to be utterly intolerable. The Dutch must have been aware of this when they introduced their system of mulcting the Celestials, who, when they enter Java as settlers, when they become citizens, and when they leave the country, are heavily taxed by these unrelenting masters. ”

“ The traveller in his journey through Java will be struck by the means employed by the natives for the cultivation of rice. Sawahs, or rice reservoirs, are always to be seen in the valleys, or at the foot of hills, these situations being preferred on account of the greater facility they afford for keeping the fields under water. They are always so arranged as to follow one another consecutively, with embankments of mud around each. Situated on a slope, they look from a distance—before the paddy has attained to any height—like steps of shining mirrors ”

“ The fixing of the ghastly head by a spear to the top of the wall, at the spot where the gate had formerly stood, and where Elberfeld had frequently meditated on his dangerous plot, was the last act of vengeance by which their European masters hoped to transmit to future generations of natives the fearful punishment with which they had visited treason against their authority. ”

“ When we had left this fort far behind we saw the prettily situated town of Gressik, the harbour of which is very deep and safe. The town, which lies partly near the margin of the sea, and partly on the slopes of the hills, is not unlike Torquay from a distance. It carries on a large trade with Batavia in teak, which grows plentifully in the neighbourhood, several vessels being chartered by the Government, or Handel Maatschapij, for this purpose. There is also a salt factory in the town, the produce of which is a Government monopoly, and another in the village on the opposite coast of Madura. ”

“ Blitar is less than half a day's journey from Kedirie, and is a delightful excursion for those who care for beauty of scenery. The neighbourhood is lovely, and the view of Kloet and Kresi forms quite a superb panorama. From here it is but nine paals further to Panatharan, where are to be seen many tombs of old kings and chiefs, some of which are well worth a visit; and at Tologo, three paals distant from Panatharan, there is a Swisslooking village surrounded by mountains, with the ruins of an ancient temple close to the margin of a small lake. ”

“ Wild boars we saw in abundance, many intently searching for food in the field or common on each side of the way, on which the wild long grass grew to an enormous height; others scampering across the road, some ten yards before our horses, and then, as though terrified by the sight of our large vehicle, suddenly darting across the fields, and vanishing into the adjacent thickets. ”

“ Paddy, plantations of sugar-cane, and orchards with Bananas, Mangustin, Pulassan, and Rambutan, were seen here and there on all sides, with mountains in the distance, the view of which filled the gaps between the trees. There are seven posts between Surabaya and Passeroewan, each calculated to be about ten miles apart from the other. We generally took half an hour to drive from post to post, the horses going at full gallop all the way, and as they were relieved by fresh ones at every station, our ride was, as may be imagined, rapid, agreeable, and exciting. ”