CHAPTER XLIII

_MÆANDER_

[Sidenote: 1849. Nov. 30.]

Completed embarkation of the party composing the late settlement, consisting of the Commandant, Captain M‘Arthur, Captain Lambrick, Lieutenant Dunbar, three sergeants, three corporals, twenty-seven privates, four women, and one kid; also Mr. M‘Arthur, a commissioned agent, and son to the Commandant.

We also brought away, besides stores, stock of all kinds--bullocks, sheep, and goats--guns left by _Pelorus_.

Starting with only fifty tons of not the best water, we decided on going to Sydney by the route north of New Guinea, and watering at either Banda or Amboyna.

Proceeding to the northward and again crossing the chain of islands between the Serwatty and Tenimber groups, we were carried by a few days’ pleasant sailing to the Banda Islands.

[Sidenote: Banda, Dec.]

The principal of the group are three in number: Banda-Neura--on which the town is built--and Gunong Api, a volcanic island close to, and in a line with it; they have a narrow but deep channel between them.

Opposite, and to the southward of these two, in a semicircular form, is the larger island of Banda, having a rather narrow passage at either end. The space thus enclosed forms the very charming harbour of Banda.

We were becalmed in the western entrance, and while the current swept us up mid-channel to the anchorage, we furled sails and hoisted our boom-boats out; and when we came to, close off the capital, we were in proper harbour costume.

The view of the islands from the ship would form a beautiful panorama.

The picturesque town, which is built on a flat, ought, from the appearance of Fort Belgica, above and in the rear of it, to be well protected.

Gunong Api, a striking feature in the scene, is high and conical in shape. Smoke issued from the top, but an eruption had not taken place in the memory of residents.

From the crater downwards, one-third of the distance, it appeared a mass of cinders; from that point vegetation commences, increasing towards its base, where stand many cottages and fishing huts.

The opposite and more mountainous island surpasses the other two in beauty of appearance.

Little rivulets of cool, delicious water run from the high land to the harbour, from which we watered the ship. The jungle abounds in a variety of beautiful birds, especially of the pigeon sort. Deer are to be obtained with a little trouble. Some of the merchants and most of the proprietors of the hunting plantation have houses on this side.

We were most hospitably received by the Dutch authorities; nothing that the island produced, which could be considered a novelty to us, that we were not presented with.

It would be difficult to describe the endless variety as well as beauty of the parrots and lowries that were sent on board; also the magnificent crown pigeon of Papua, nearly as large as a turkey. We had as many as eighteen at one time, three pairs of which were twenty months on board, and some of them are now in the gardens of the Zoological Society.

One very pretty compliment was paid to us, which I must not omit to record.

A ball was given by the Governor in honour of our visit; and in the course of the evening, shortly before midnight, the dance suddenly stopped, glasses were put into our hands, champagne flowed into them, and the health of Queen Victoria was proposed by His Excellency in an appropriate speech.

We swallowed our wine as the clock struck twelve, the band playing our National Anthem, while a royal salute was firing over our heads from the fort, during which we were expected to be continually refilling glasses.

The following evening we were invited to a dance given on the opposite shore.

Our boats were in requisition, and as they passed under the stern of the frigate at eight o’clock, we took advantage of the opportunity to return the compliment by saluting the Netherlands flag, which we hoisted at the yard-arms, giving His Excellency and family three British cheers.

A fine bull, named “John,” from Port Essington was much admired. I presented him to His Excellency, and hope he has not taken possession of the island.

Leaving Banda, _en route_ to Pitt’s Straits, we touched at the Ceram Islands, and under the pilotage of Mr. James M‘Arthur came to, in certainly not the most secure-looking anchorage.

[Sidenote: Ceram, Dec. 17.]

The island of Ceram is the second in size of the Moluccas, having an estimated area of about 10,000 square miles, but owing to the jealousy of my friends, the Dutch, it is but imperfectly known. Their object, until of late years, has been the extirpation of the clove and nutmeg trees, so as to confine the monopoly to the islands on which they have established governments.

The mountains are from six to eight thousand feet in height, sending down innumerable streams to the sea. The vegetation is luxuriant; the trees gigantic.

I have now in my possession a circular slab of wood from the island, three and a half inches thick, eight and a half feet in diameter.

The sago palm in particular is more abundant and productive than on any of the adjoining islands. Cloves and nutmegs grow wild.

The Malays are cunning and enterprising traffickers, and carry on a great trade with the Chinese in Bêche-de-Mer. They hoist the Dutch flag, and while one end of the island claims the protection of Banda, the other has that of Amboyna.

Our conchologists added considerably to their collection here.

We did not remain long at Ceram, and sailed December 18.

[Sidenote: Dec. 18.]

There is always more excitement in navigating imperfectly-known seas than in passing over the more frequented tracks; and on the present occasion our charts were of little use.

By anchoring in the evenings, and by keeping a good look-out from aloft, and leads constantly over the side, we were enabled to thread our way through strange places. Occasionally canoes came off, as the tide swept us along.

The jungle was too dense for us to make out habitations, but their locality was indicated by the appearance of the cocoanut. I obtained two fine specimens of the black Bird of Paradise in exchange for an old musket.

The rest of their cargoes were composed of fruits, bows and arrows, parrots, shells, spears and tortoise-shell.

The natives are well-proportioned, but ugly-looking savages, with a profusion of hair, frizzed out in an extraordinary manner, which I have no doubt they thought handsome, but which impressed us with the idea of a harbour for filth and vermin.

As there is no anchorage, it is desirable that a ship should get through Pitt’s Straits in one tide, which feat we just succeeded in accomplishing by sunset.

On emerging from the Straits we found the wind still blowing fresh from the westward with a following swell, and a strong easterly set; and as our course now lay in that direction, before the following morning we were many miles on our voyage, and thereby missed seeing a large portion of the northern coast of New Guinea, a country about which there appears to be more interesting mystery than any we had visited.

[Sidenote: New Guinea.]

The interior of this beautiful island, 900 miles in length, is little known, and it is supposed not only to abound in minerals, but to possess fertility of soil. No country is richer in beautiful rare birds and beasts.

The little we saw of the natives confirmed what we had heard: that they are a finer race than any of the islanders. On the southern side, which is protected by a coral reef, the people appear to live as much on the water as in their jungle.

[Sidenote: Dec. 30.]

Observed a succession of islands; and steered for one that appeared the easternmost of the Admiralty group.

On nearing the land just after midnight, and obtaining no soundings with the deep-sea lead, we sent boats ahead to sound.

This being observed by the natives, whom we supposed to be fishing, they started yelling.

Wind having died away, the tide carried us into about fifty fathoms’ depth of water, where we held on with the kedge-anchor until daylight.

If our boats had created a sensation among the savages, great indeed was their surprise at the appearance of the ship.

The noise produced by blowing into a shell of the Triton species was everywhere heard; and having, I doubt not, buried or otherwise concealed a vast quantity of rubbish, they disappeared themselves; so that shortly after daylight there was not the vestige of a habitation nor a human being to be seen.

It was curious to watch, when they found we took no steps to draw them out, how carefully and cautiously the savages came from their hiding-places.

One emerged from the bush, naked as he was born; we thought at first that this was his way of proving to us how little we might expect to get from him, but they were all in the same undress.

Then another would come forth, spear in hand; soon after, the snout of a small canoe was seen to protrude from under the bush.

It would be tedious to enumerate the cunning and cautious “dodges,” the number of times they retreated and again hid themselves, on the slightest movement on our parts, before any of them ventured to approach; before ten o’clock, however, the water, for a cable’s length round the ship, was covered with grotesque canoes, and still more odd-looking people.

A general barter soon commenced, accompanied by a noise and screeching that was deafening; and reciprocal confidence was soon established.

These natives are fine-looking men of a dark olive colour, with long black hair, which they confine in a lump at the back of their head by a small hoop or band.

There was one old lady with gray hair, seated under a canopy in her canoe, who was paddled round the ship several times, and appeared much interested in what was going on; but she did not venture very near. Several dialects were attempted between us, but none succeeded.

Their canoes were of various sizes; a few must have measured seventy or eighty feet in length, carrying about twenty men each.