by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER IV
A SPECULATION IN CROCODILES
The Blanchita continued on her course up the river with Clingman at thewheel. There was no table in the fore cabin; and the dinner of the sixmen, including the engineer, was served astern after the "Big Four" hadtaken the meal. Louis attended to the engine while Felipe was at hismeals and occasionally at other times. A table is not a necessity forthe crew of a ship, and one is not used on board a merchant vessel; butLouis insisted that all hands should fare equally well on board of thelittle steamer.
The dinner was disposed of, and Wales was at the wheel. The men hadnothing to do, and a couple of them had assisted Pitts in washing thedishes and putting the after cabin in order. It was an idle time, andthe "Big Four" were anxious to have something more exciting than merelysailing along the river, the novelty of which had worn off; and they hadnot long to wait for it.
"A crocodile ahead, Captain, on the port bow, sir!" exclaimed Wales, thewheelman, whose duty required him to keep a sharp lookout for anyobstructions in the stream.
All of the party had their weapons within reach, including the threeseamen who were disengaged; but the latter were not expected to use therifles till they were ordered to do so by the captain or any one of thehunters. The occupants of the fore cabin, the principal personages onboard, had the exclusive use of the forward part of the boat, though thehands were at liberty to use the seats when they were not required byany of the "Big Four." No order to this effect had been given; but themen, under the influence of the discipline on board of the ship, hadinvoluntarily adopted the system.
"Slow her down, Wales," said Scott, after he had observed the situationof the saurian.
The wheelman rang the jingle-bell, and the boat soon came down tohalf-speed. The five hunters, including Achang, had their rifles readyfor use, though they still retained their seats. The reptile was notasleep; and he appeared to have some notions of his own, for he was notdisposed to wait for the coming of the boat. He settled down in the darkwater so that he could not be seen, but the surface was disturbed by hismovements.
"Port the helm, Wales," said the captain quietly. "He is going acrossthe river."
Presently he came to the surface again, and was swimming towards theopposite shore. He kept his head and a small portion of his back next toit above the surface of the water, as the young hunters had seen inSumatra before.
"Full speed; give her a spurt, Wales," said the captain.
The wheelman rang the speed-bell, and then spoke through the tube to theengineer. The boat suddenly darted ahead under this instruction, and wassoon abreast of the reptile, who was not at first disposed to change histactics. He evidently realized that he was pursued, and it seemed tomake him angry.
"The rascal has put his helm to port," said Wales.
"Look out there, in the waist!" shouted Scott to the seamen, a couple ofwhom were seated on the rail, with their legs dangling over the side ofthe boat. "Never sit in that way, men, unless you want to be carried tothe hospital with a leg bitten off."
"Will they bite, Captain?" asked Clinch.
"Bite? They are regular man-eaters on these rivers."
"I used to go in swimming with the alligators on the Alabama River; butthey all kept their distance," added the seaman.
The two men drew in their legs and moved inboard. Alligators, which aregenerally considered harmless in the rivers of the Southern States, willbite at anything hanging in the water. As Wales had suggested, thecrocodile had changed his course, and was now headed directly for theBlanchita. He seemed to have concluded that there was no safety for himin flight, and he had decided to fight.
"Your first shot, Louis," said Scott, who had not even taken up hisrifle, as if he thought there would be no chance for him after themillionaire had fired.
Louis waited a minute or more till he could distinctly see the eye ofthe crocodile, and then he fired. As has so often been said before, hehad been thoroughly trained in a shooting-gallery, and was a dead shot,as he had often proved during the voyage. The bullet had evidently goneto his brain, for the reptile floundered about for an instant, and thenmoved no more. As Felix put it, he was "very dead," though the wordhardly admits of an intensifier.
"What are you going to do with him now?" asked the Milesian.
"I don't think we want anything more of him; but, like a poison snake,he is a nuisance that ought to be abated," replied the captain. "I daresay the rajah will be much obliged to us for making the number of themeven one less."
"How long is he?" Achang inquired, as he returned his rifle to itsresting-place.
"About ten feet," replied Louis.
"More than that," the captain thought. "I should say twelve feet."
"Then he is worth eighteen shillings to you," added the native.
"What is he good for, Achang?" asked Morris.
"He is good for nothing," replied the Bornean. "The crocodile here eatsmen and women. Some are killed every year, and the government pays oneand sixpence apiece for the heads."
"That looks like a war of extermination upon them," said Morris.
"I don't know what that is; but they want to kill them all off," repliedAchang, who had improved his language so that his tutor seldom had tocorrect it.
"That is the same thing. They pay by the foot for crocodiles here."
"The bigger they are, the more dangerous," suggested Louis. "Let us haulhim alongside, and see how long he is."
The boat had stopped her screw before Louis fired; and the captaindirected Wales to lay her alongside the saurian, which was done in a fewminutes. Ropes were passed under his head and tail; and with a couple ofpurchases made fast to the horizontal rods over the rail, close to thestanchions, the carcass was hoisted partly out of the water. The measurewas taken with a line first, to which Lane, who was a carpenter'sassistant, applied his rule, which gave twelve feet and two inches asthe length of the crocodile.
"That makes him worth eighteen shillings," said Achang.
"About four dollars and a half," added Morris. "We could make somethinghunting crocodiles. If we could kill ten of them like that fellow itwould give us forty-five dollars."
Louis and Scott laughed heartily at this calculation, and thought theidea was derogatory to the character of true sport, though they did notobject to turning their victims of this kind into money.
"Must we carry the carcass of this beast down to Kuching in order to getthe reward, Achang?" asked Morris.
"The head will be enough; and they can tell how long he is by the sizeof it."
"How shall we saw the head off? Can you do it, Lane?"
"I can do that," interposed the Bornean, as he went to a bundle ofimplements he had procured in the town and from the natives.
He drew from it a very heavy sword, from which he took off the coveringof dry leaves, and applied his thumb to the edge of the weapon. Then hepicked out a straw from some packing, and dropped it off in pieces, asone tries his razor on a hair. It appeared to be as sharp as theshaving-tool, and he was satisfied. All hands watched his movements withdeep interest. He secured a position with one foot on the side of theboat, and the other on the back of the crocodile. With two or threeblows of his sword, he severed the head from the body, and a seamansecured it with a boathook.
All hands applauded when the deed was done, as the Bornean washed hiskeen blade. The operation excited the admiration of all the lookers-on,it was so quickly and skilfully done. Louis wished to examine theweapon, and it was handed to him. It was heavy enough to require astrong arm to handle it; and it was sharp enough for a giant's razor, ifgiants ever shave, for most of them are pictured with full beards.
"I suppose this is a native's sword," said Louis, as he passed it to thecaptain.
"Dyak _parong latok_; _parong_ same thing, not so long," Achangexplained.
"I suppose that is what the Dyaks used when they went head-hunting,"said Felix.
"No head-hunting now; used to use it, the Hill Dyaks. Used in battletoo; sp
lit head open with it, or cut head off."
"What other weapons did the fighting men use?" asked Louis.
"They carried a shield, and used a spear with the parong latok; no otherweapons. Two kinds of Dyaks, the Sea and the Hill."
While the native was talking, the seamen, by order of the captain, hadhoisted the head of the saurian into the sampan towing astern, placingit on a piece of tarpaulin. The carcass was cast loose, and probably wassoon devoured by others of its own kind.
"We might find some eggs in the crocodile," said Achang, as the bodyfloated past the boat.
"We don't want the eggs," replied the captain, turning up his nose.
"Good to eat, Captain. My naturalist used to eat them. Very nice, liketurtles' eggs, which Englishmen always put in the soup."
"None in my soup!" exclaimed Scott, with a wry face, to express hisdisgust.
"I suppose they would be all right if we only got used to them,"suggested Louis.
"As the man's horse did when he fed him on shavings," sneered Scott.
"I did not take very kindly to turtles' eggs when we were in the WestIndies; but I got used to them, and then liked them," added Louis. "InAfrica the natives eat boa-constrictors, and think they are a choicemorsel. Some of our Indians eat clay, and I suppose they like it."
"Something up in the trees yonder, Captain," said Wales, as the boatapproached some higher ground, which was not overflown with water, asmost of the shore below had been.
"Monkeys," added Achang, not at all excited.
"I don't think I care to shoot monkeys unless it is for the purpose ofexamining them," said Louis. "They are too small game, and they areharmless creatures."
"Strange monkeys in here," continued Achang. "Not these," he added whenhe had obtained a sight of one of them. "These no good."
All eyes were directed to the tree; and at least a dozen common monkeyswere there, such as they had seen in the museums at home. The steamercontinued on her course, and a couple of miles farther on the forest wasinundated. Some of the trees appeared to be inhabited.
"Plenty of elephant monkeys in here," said Achang.
"Elephant monkeys!" exclaimed Louis. "I never heard of any such animals.Are they called so because they are so large?"
"No, sir," said Achang; "because they have such long noses."
"There are a dozen monkeys in that tree, and they look very queer," saidLouis, as he elevated his double-barrelled fowling-piece, loaded withlarge shot, and fired.
One of them dropped, and another when he discharged the second barrel.The boat was run in the direction of the tree till it grounded in themud. The captain proposed to go for them in the sampan, when Clingmanvolunteered to wade to the tree for the game, and soon returned with thetwo victims of the millionaire's unerring aim. They were placed in thewaist, and all were curious to see them. The rest of the tribe scamperedaway over the tops of the trees, crying, "honk, honk, kehonk!"
"They are proboscis monkeys, and old males at that; for they have verylong noses, which is the reason for the name, and why Achang calls themelephant monkeys," said Louis, as he turned the creatures over. "Thenoses of these two reach down below the chin. They stand about threefeet high, but are rather lank, like the tall pigs."
While the party were examining them, the captain gave the order to backthe boat, and then to go ahead. She was moored for the night soonafter. The next morning, by the advice of Achang, the Blanchita washeaded down the river, for the native declared that they would find nodifferent game on the banks of the Sarawak.