第 46 节
作者:
负债赌博 更新:2021-02-19 01:14 字数:9322
n…grounds and the forest。 Within twenty yards was a little stream; which furnished us with excellent water and a nice place to bathe。 There was only low underwood to clear away; while some fine forest trees stood at a short distance; and we cut down the wood for about twenty yards round to give us light and air。 The house; about twenty feet by fifteen; was built entirely of wood; with a bamboo floor; a single door of thatch; and a large window; looking over the sea; at which I fixed my table; and close beside it my bed; within a little partition。 I bought a number of very large palm…leaf mats of the natives; which made excellent walls; while the mats I had brought myself were used on the roof; and were covered over with attaps as soon as we could get them made。 Outside; and rather behind; was a little hut; used for cooking; and a bench; roofed over; where my men could sit to skin birds and animals。 When all was finished; I had my goods and stores brought up; arranged them conveniently inside; and then paid my Papuans with knives and choppers; and sent them away。 The next day our schooner left for the more eastern islands; and I found myself fairly established as the only European inhabitant of the vast island of New Guinea。
As we had some doubt about the natives; we slept at first with loaded guns beside us and a watch set; but after a few days; finding the people friendly; and feeling sure that they would not venture to attack five well…armed men; we took no further precautions。 We had still a day or two's work in finishing up the house; stopping leaks; putting up our hanging shelves for drying specimens inside and out; and making the path down to the water; and a clear dry space in front of the horse。
On the 17th; the steamer not having arrived; the coal…ship left; having lain here a month; according to her contract; and on the same day my hunters went out to shoot for the first time; and brought home a magnificent crown pigeon and a few common birds。 The next day they were more successful; and I was delighted to see them return with a Bird of Paradise in full plumage; a pair of the fine Papuan lories (Lorius domicella); four other lories and parroquets; a grackle (Gracula dumonti); a king…hunter (Dacelo gaudichaudi); a racquet…tailed kingfisher (Tanysiptera galatea); and two or three other birds of less beauty。
I went myself to visit the native village on the hill behind Dorey; and took with me a small present of cloth; knives; and beads; to secure the good…will of the chief; and get him to send some men to catch or shoot birds for me。 The houses were scattered about among rudely cultivated clearings。 Two which I visited consisted of a central passage; on each side of which opened short passages; admitting to two rooms; each of which was a house accommodating a separate family。 They were elevated at least fifteen feet above the ground; on a complete forest of poles; and were so rude and dilapidated that some of the small passages had openings in the floor of loose sticks; through which a child might fall。 The inhabitants seemed rather uglier than those at Dorey village。 They are; no doubt; the true indigenes of this part of New Guinea; living in the interior; and subsisting by cultivation and hunting。 The Dorey men; on the other hand; are shore…dwellers; fishers and traders in a small way; and have thus the character of a colony who have migrated from another district。 These hillmen or 〃Arfaks 〃differed much in physical features。 They were generally black; but some were brown like Malays。 Their hair; though always more or less frizzly; was sometimes short and matted; instead of being long; loose; and woolly; and this seemed to be a constitutional difference; not the effect of care and cultivation。 Nearly half of them were afflicted with the scurfy skin…disease。 The old chief seemed much pleased with his present; and promised (through an interpreter I brought with me) to protect my men when they came there shooting; and also to procure me some birds and animals。 While conversing; they smoked tobacco of their own growing; in pipes cut from a single piece of wood with a long upright handle。
We had arrived at Dorey about the end of the wet season; when the whole country was soaked with moisture The native paths were so neglected as to be often mere tunnels closed over with vegetation; and in such places there was always a fearful accumulation of mud。 To the naked Papuan this is no obstruction。 He wades through it; and the next watercourse makes him clean again; but to myself; wearing boots and trousers; it was a most disagreeable thing to have to go up to my knees in a mud…hole every morning。 The man I brought with me to cut wood fell ill soon after we arrived; or I would have set him to clear fresh paths in the worst places。 For the first ten days it generally rained every afternoon and all night r but by going out every hour of fine weather; I managed to get on tolerably with my collections of birds and insects; finding most of those collected by Lesson during his visit in the Coquille; as well as many new ones。 It appears; however; that Dorey is not the place for Birds of Paradise; none of the natives being accustomed to preserve them。 Those sold here are all brought from Amberbaki; about a hundred miles west; where the Doreyans go to trade。
The islands in the bay; with the low lands near the coast; seem to have been formed by recently raised coral reef's; and are much strewn with masses of coral but little altered。 The ridge behind my house; which runs out to the point; is also entirely coral rock; although there are signs of a stratified foundation in the ravines; and the rock itself is more compact and crystalline。 It is therefore; probably older; a more recent elevation having exposed the low grounds and islands。 On the other side of the bay rise the great mass of the Arfak mountains; said by the French navigators to be about ten thousand feet high; and inhabited by savage tribes。 These are held in great dread by the Dorey people; who have often been attacked and plundered by them; and have some of their skulls hanging outside their houses。 If I was seem going into the forest anywhere in the direction of the mountains; the little boys of the village would shout after me; 〃Arfaki! Arfaki?〃 just as they did after Lesson nearly forty years before。
On the 15th of May the Dutch war…steamer Etna arrived; but; as the coals had gone; it was obliged to stay till they came back。 The captain knew when the coalship was to arrive; and how long it was chartered to stay at Dorey; and could have been back in time; but supposed it would wait for him; and so did not hurry himself。 The steamer lay at anchor just opposite my house; and I had the advantage of hearing the half…hourly bells struck; which was very pleasant after the monotonous silence of the forest。 The captain; doctor; engineer; and some other of the officers paid me visits; the servants came to the brook to wash clothes; and the son of the Prince of Tidore; with one or two companions; to bathe; otherwise I saw little of them; and was not disturbed by visitors so much as I had expected to be。 About this time the weather set in pretty fine; but neither birds nor insects became much more abundant; and new birds …were very scarce。 None of the Birds of Paradise except the common one were ever met with; and we were still searching in vain for several of the fine birds which Lesson had obtained here。 Insects were tolerably abundant; but were not on the average so fine as those of Amboyna; and I reluctantly came to the conclusion that Dorey was not a good collecting locality。 Butterflies were very scarce; arid were mostly the same as those which I had obtained at Aru。
Among the insects of other orders; the most curious and novel were a group of horned flies; of which I obtained four distinct species; settling on fallen trees and decaying trunks。 These remarkable insects; which have been described by Mr。 W。 W。 Saunders as a new genus; under the name of Elaphomia or deer… flies; are about half an inch long; slender…bodied; and with very long legs; which they draw together so as to elevate their bodies high above the surface they are standing upon。 The front pair of legs are much shorter; and these are often stretched directly forwards; so as to resemble antenna。 The horns spring from beneath the eye; and seem to be a prolongation of the lower part of the orbit。 In the largest and most singular species; named Elaphomia cervicornis or the stag…horned deer…fly; these horns are nearly as long as the body; having two branches; with two small snags near their bifurcation; so as to resemble the horns of a stag。 They are black; with the tips pale; while the body and legs are yellowish brown; and the eyes (when alive) violet and green。 The next species (Elaphomia wallacei) is of a dark brown colour; banded and spotted with yellow。 The horns are about one… third the length of the insect; broad; flat; and of an elongated triangular foam。 They are of a beautiful pink colour; edged with black; and with a pale central stripe。 The front part of the head is also pink; and the eyes violet pink; with a green stripe across them; giving the insect a very elegant and singular appearance。 The third