A JOURNEY TO JAVA To My brother and sister-in law (Mr. and Mrs. C. C. McMillan) to whose kindness I owe my Journey to Java, I gratefully dedicate this book A JOURNEY TO f* JAVA BY M. MCMILLAN Illustrations HOLDEN & HARDINGHAM : ADELPHI, LONDON PREFACE I wish to offer my best thanks to my fellow travellers, Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm Giles, their niece, Miss Smith, and to Mrs. Shrimpton, for allowing me to use some of their photographs in this book. Also to Miss Butters, F. H. Sikes, Esq., and Professor F. Wright, of Washington, U.S.A., for their kind encouragement and criti- cism. But especially do I desire to acknowledge my indebtedness to Miss Edith Rowe for her unwearied expenditure of time and trouble in revising my manuscript and assisting me in the correction of the proofs. M. MCMILLAN. London. November, 1914. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I SYDNEY TO BRISBANE : THE GREAT BARRIER REEF - - -I II CAIRNS, SAMARAI; LANDING AT NEW GUINEA 17 III PORT MORESBY IN PAPUA - 27 IV THE NATIVE VILLAGES HANUABADA AND ELAVARA 43 V THURSDAY ISLAND AND PORT DARWIN- 53 VI JAVA LANDING AT SOURABAYA - 69 VII TOSARI AND THE BROMO - IOO VIII RETURN TO SOURABAYA THE GOVERNMENT OF JAVA THE " CULTURE SYSTEM " - 133 IX DJOKJAKARTA THE WATER CASTLE BATIK INDUSTRY - 151 X BORO BOEDOR - -172 XI GAROET; LAKE BAGENDIT ; VALLEY OF DEATH ; UPAS TREE - 2O3 XII BANDOENG AND THE TANGKOEBAN PRAHOE- 234 XIII BUITENZORG - - 250 XIV BATAVIA 263 Vli LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS BORO BOEDOR TEMPLE - - Frontispiece Facing page CHINESE STEWARDS ON BOARD THE MATARAM - 4 CHINESE STEWARDS - 4 CAPTAIN WILLIAMS AND HIS LITTLE PASSENGERS IO WITHIN THE GREAT BARRIER REEF - 1 6 PAPUAN ON LAUNCH OFF CAIRNS - - 1 6 MAIN STREET, SAMARAI 24 AVENUE OF CROTONS, SAMARAI - 24 PORT MORESBY - 30 DUG-OUT CANOE, PAPUA 30 NATIVES, PORT MORESBY - 38 NATIVE RAFT ON CANOES - 38 NATIVES, HANUABADA, PORT MORESBY - 44 HOUSES IN NATIVE VILLAGE OF HANUABADA - 44 NATIVE VILLAGE OF ELAVARA, PORT MORESBY - 48 PAW PAWS, PORT MORESBY - - 50 BOAT MANNED BY NATIVES - 50 SCOW, SEEN NEAR PORT DARWIN - 54 FIRST SIGHT OF THURSDAY ISLAND - 54 PEARLING SMACKS OFF THURSDAY ISLAND 56 ix LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Facing pa0e MAIN STREET, THURSDAY ISLAND - 56 NATIVE CARRIER, JAVA - 80 INTERIOR OF THE BROMO VOLCANO - IO2 BATOK MOUNTAIN - 124 STAIRCASE UP THE BROMO - - 128 INTERIOR OF THE BROMO - - 128 ONE OF THE STAIRCASES, BORO BOEDOR - 174 DAGOBAS, CIRCULAR TERRACE, BORO BOEDOR - 1 88 CENTRAL BUDDHA, MENDOET TEMPLE - - 2OO FISHING, LAKE BAGENDIT - - 214 RAFT, LAKE BAGENDIT 214 RICE-FIELDS NEAR GARGET - - 230 VIEW FROM HOTEL BELLEVUE, BUITENZORG 252 PASSER, (MARKET,) BUITENZORG - - 260 A JOURNEY TO JAVA CHAPTER I SYDNEY TO BRISBANE : THE GREAT BARRIER REEF WE left Sydney (N.S.W.) on March ist in the Mataram, one of the new steamers of the Burns Philp line, commanded by Captain John Williams. It was a steady boat of 3,300 tons, and far superior to the older and smaller ones of the Company in use hitherto. The state-rooms and saloons were admirably appointed with every modern convenience, and the food was very good. It was only in the matter of bathroom accom- modation for ladies, that there was some room for improvement. One bath for 28 ladies and children seemed an inadequate supply, and if you wished to use it, meant a scramble, or else getting up abnormally early. I was much amused to find that some ladies had hit on the expedient of getting up about 5 o'clock a.m., and after performing their ablutions, returning to their berths and their slumbers; not a very satisfactory proceeding in the tropics. To add to the discomfort, our bathroom was situated in one of the hottest parts of the ship, so that the hot room in the Turkish Hamman A JOURNEY TO JAVA might be called cool in comparison, and the result was the reverse of refreshing. The weather was very rough between Sydney and Brisbane, and most of the time the portholes had to be closed, which was* a* great trial in such warm weather. However, all fared alike, as there are no deck cabins on these boats, the sleeping accommodation being below the dining and smoking rooms. These latter open on the deck, and above them is a very comfortable saloon, situated on the top or promenade deck, where our chairs were arranged. These steamers leave Sydney once a month, and every alternate month they include New Guinea in the trip, taking letters, stores and cargo to that island. The Mataram was not the New Guinea boat, and for that reason had been chosen by our party, as we had no desire to leave the smooth waters inside the Barrier Reef for the stormy waves of the Coral Sea, nor did we wish to lose four days of our time in Java. However, fate was too strong for us, and to New Guinea we were obliged to go. A few days before the time fixed for sailing, we heard to our surprise and annoyance, that on account of the wreck of the Moresby (another steamer of the same line) a short time before on the dangerous New Guinea SYDNEY TO BRISBANE coast, the Mataram had to take its place, so that the white inhabitants of the land of Papua might not suffer for lack of food and other neces- saries. It was useless to protest, and there was no time for change of plans; personally, I was rather glad of the opportunity of visiting such a little known and out of the way country, and of having a chance of obtaining some interesting snapshots. I should not have been so pleased had I been able to foresee what fearful storms were to be encountered on the way. It is well the future is so mercifully hidden from us; else how could we enjoy the present? We had a full complement of passengers, about 46 in number, all first class, as the Mataram carried neither second nor steerage. I was for- tunate in getting a most comfortable double berth cabin to myself, with a promise that I should keep it all the way, provided no lady passenger turned up at Brisbane or Cairns to claim the second berth. It was my first experience of Chinese stewards; only the chief and second stewards were white men; all the others wore the pigtail and used to tuck the ends into the pocket of the white jacket worn while waiting at table, so that it might be out of the way. Clad all in white, they looked ex- A JOURNEY TO JAVA tremely clean and smart, but their faces seemed so much alike that up to the very end of the voyage I had difficulty in distinguishing one from the other. As we approached Brisbane the sea became calmer, and we could walk on deck without appearing to be learning to skate, also we were able to turn our thoughts from ourselves and take an interest in our fellow passengers. Some of the men were on their way to New Guinea or Thursday Island, either for business purposes or to take up appointments. One pas- senger for Thursday Island was connected with the pearl fishery there, and showed us some lovely pearls and curious pearl blisters. The latter owe their name to their being spread out like a blister instead of being rounded off into the orthodox pearl shape. They have their own special value, and are sold at fairly high prices, to be made into brooches, pendants, hat-pins and other ornaments. A few of the passengers were on their way home to Singapore, after an all too brief holiday in the cooler climate of Australia; others, like ourselves, were visiting Java en route for England. One young lady was going to Singapore to be married, and we had the pleasure of seeing her there after CHINESE STEWARDS CHINESE STEWARDS ON BOARD THE MATARAM SYDNEY TO BRISBANE the wedding ; another lady was always seen clasp- ing a small handbag, and she volunteered the in- formation that it contained a watertight tin box, in which reposed a piece of candle and a box of matches. Some years before she had been in a wreck off the Australian coast, and though no lives were lost, the passengers and crew had to take to the boats in the darkness of the night, and managed to row to a desolate, rocky island, where they effected a landing. Here they suffered many discomforts, not the least being the want of matches; they had with them tea, water, and plenty of food, but such matches as were in the possession of the men of the party being too wet to be of use, they were unable to light a fire or boil water for tea. This lady told us that the horror of the moment on board the ship, when all the lights went out suddenly and they were left in total darkness, and fully alive to the possibility of the ship going down immediately, was indescribable, and never to be effaced from her memory. She determined if ever she should be in another shipwreck it should not be her fault if matches were missing; hence her constant companion, the bag with the tin box containing them. Fortunately, we did not require her kind services on the Mataram, A JOURNEY TO JAVA but it seemed to me rather like " locking the door when the steed was stolen "; as it was most un- likely that exactly the same circumstances would occur again; next time the tea might be missing or the wood for the fire. However, when it made her happy to think she need not be drowned in the dark for want of a box of matches, it was not for us to criticise or find fault. There were several young people on board to whom the sunny days and calm evenings on the Mataram when it was sailing in smooth waters, gave many opportunities for that old, yet ever new and always fascinating occupation of love-making. I am glad to say from information since received that in at least two instances the wooing resulted in happy marriages. Most of the passengers were very pleasant, a few exceed- ingly so, and we made some valued friendships which are still maintained. But as there is no rule without an exception, so in one or two cases the passengers did not attain the general standard of agreeableness. One lady did her best to annoy and make mischief, and her language when put out or irritated in any way seemed more in touch with Billingsgate than Mayfair, to which latter district she claimed to belong. 6 SYDNEY TO BRISBANE Another lady had a small pet dog which was a perfect nuisance, always getting under people's feet, and too spoiled and pampered to be interest- ing. If the dog's mistress had been nice, and made herself agreeable, we should not have minded so much; but she was just the opposite, nasty and disdainful, the kind of person a friend of mine calls a " Snorter." This was bad policy on her part, as the other passengers could have insisted on the dog being relegated to the cook's care and not allowed on the upper deck. In fact, there was at one time during the voyage an agita- tion to put this into effect and banish doggie to the regions below, where I feel sure he would really have had a much happier time. Rumours of this reached her, and she was much alarmed at the prospect of such a fate for her pet; her consequent change of manner and extreme amiability were most amusing to witness. One day I came on deck and found the pampered little beast using our precious table (brought with much trouble from Brisbane) as a pedestal, on which he squatted, while his adoring mistress caressed and fondled him. This was really too much ; so greatly to the amusement of some of the passengers standing by, I politely but firmly requested his removal, at the A JOURNEY TO JAVA same time emphasizing my words by tilting the table to such an angle that the cherished darling was obliged to jump off. On the whole, however, we had a very happy time, and were a " goodly ship's company "; the Captain also was kindness itself, and did everything in his power for the com- fort and convenience of the passengers. He was always bright and cheery even in the most tem- pestuous weather, and guided his boat most skil- fully through many a dangerous channel. We reached Brisbane in two and a half days from Sydney, landing at its port (which bears the curious name of Pinkenbah) , from which half an hour's journey brings one to Brisbane proper. The trains are evidently not timed to meet the boats, or else we were very late, as we had more than an hour to wait. This further curtailed the very short time at our disposal for seeing Brisbane, our steamer being due to leave again at midnight. Brisbane has been called " The Queen City of Australia," " Beauti- ful Brisbane," etc., but in my opinion Sydney far surpasses it both in beauty of situation and also from an architectural point of view. Neverthe- less, it is a fine city, and has a special charm of its own. There are many handsome public build- SYDNEY TO BRISBANE ings, good shops, and wide streets; the atmosphere is clear, with little or no smoke from factories, and the city, taken as a whole, is certainly more tropical looking than Sydney. This is partly due to the numerous beautiful trees palm, camphor, acacia, banana, and best of all the jackaranda tree, with its wealth of blue flowers. There are many pretty villas near the town, ideal houses for hot weather, with their broad verandahs and charming gardens. Some of them had an odd appearance as they were built on piles, the better to withstand the ravages of the white ant, that terrible scourge of the tropics. Brisbane enjoys a more equable climate than either Sydney or Melbourne, and is free from the sudden and surprising changes of temperature that one has to get inured to in both of these places, more especially in Melbourne. The winter in the " Queen City " is perfectly delightful, but the summer is often unbearably hot. Brisbane has a great future before it, and when it gets a good water supply and a hygienic system of drainage, will almost have attained perfection as a dwelling place. Possibly these blessings are now in- stalled, as the Brisbanites were eagerly expecting them when we were there. A JOURNEY TO JAVA Our time was too limited for much sight seeing; a walk through the principal streets, purchases of fruit and biscuits and a small table to take back to the ship, and then darkness descended with the astonishing suddenness of the tropics (which know not the charm of the twilight hour) , and we had to seek the Gresham Hotel, dine there, and take the train back to our steamer. At the railway station, which is nearly opposite the hotel, we found the little table, of wickerwork and bamboo, with which we had to content ourselves, instead of the folding table we wanted, Brisbane not possessing such an article. We were about to have it put in the car- riage with us as there was plenty of room; but this was not allowed. A pompous-looking official in uniform insisted on regarding it as merchandise, to be put in the luggage van and paid for accord- ingly; so we had to expend a further sum amount- ing to one-third of the original cost for the privi- lege of taking it away. Such red tapism about a tiny table was most absurd; but the article in ques- tion was a great comfort to us in our subsequent journey ings, and we never regretted its cost. The Mataram left Pinkenbah at midnight, and this was a pity, as we missed the scenery of the coast immediately beyond Brisbane, so renowned 10 SYDNEY TO BRISBANE for its beauty. In the morning the rough weather recommenced, and the scenery ceased to interest us, though we caught glimpses of a charming coast line, especially when passing Smoky Point; but the steamer pitched and tossed in a most distress- ing and uncomfortable fashion when we had passed out from the shelter of the land and felt the full force of the wind. On the morning of the fifth day out from Sydney, to our great joy we steamed past Moreton Island into smooth water, and were inside the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. The delight of gliding along in a calm sea, and being able to survey and enjoy the picturesque scenery made us forget all our discomfort. There is a very narrow and dangerous channel between Moreton Island and the mainland; our Captain, who was extremely careful and rightly so, would not risk entering it till daylight. On Moreton Point there is a lighthouse for a beacon and a warning. We were now within the " Great Barrier Reef of Australia," which lies off the East coast of Queensland, and is more than a thousand miles long, not continuous, but with various gaps and channels, some wide enough to allow ships to pass through, others too narrow and dangerous even ii A JOURNEY TO JAVA for small boats. This great reef is comprised of coral and the skeletons of coral polyps. Not very long ago, it was popularly supposed that coral was the work of an insect, and stood in somewhat the same relation to it as the honeycomb to the bee, sermons were preached on the subject and analogies drawn. Now we are more enlightened, and thanks to Darwin and Dana we have learned that coral is a calcareous deposit of various kinds of polyps (of the class Anthozoa) , which assumes many and often beautiful forms. These coral producing polyps increase by budding, the young polyp buds issuing from the original polyps in various directions from the top or sides or base, not disconnecting themselves, but remaining where they have grown out, although the parent polyps may be dead. In their turn they send out more buds and so on ad infinitum. This lime- stone deposit begins when the polyp is single and has attached itself to something, it may be a rock or even part of the wreck of a ship. The coral continues to increase in the manner described, the so-called skeletons of the dead polyps helping to make a foundation on which the living coral grows. Many species are included in the common name coral, and each has its scientific appellation, 12 SYDNEY TO BRISBANE but no very sharp dividing line can be drawn be- tween one group or another. The Great Barrier Reef is mostly composed of Madrepore or lime- stone coral, which forms a solid mass, though Millepore (class Hydrozoa) and other kinds are also found. Some of these Madrepores have the whole frame covered by a living substance, not unlike gelatine, which joins all the polyps to- gether, but the living part decomposes as soon as the coral is taken out of the water. The growth of a coral reef depends on the lime- stone coral, and as these reef builders can only exist and do their work in clean, fresh sea water not deeper than 125 feet, nor colder than 68F., they must make their home in the tropics. The familiar red coral is found in the Mediterranean, sometimes at a great depth, and belongs to the Alcyonaria class of coral (sub-division Alcyon- acea) , but it is not in any sense reef coral. Some reefs grow much more rapidly than others, as much as three inches a year, others only advance one inch. Where parts of these reefs rise above the sea level they form islands on which a sparse vege- tation is found, and occasionally a palm tree; the portion of the reef under water is indicated by a line of breakers. Instead of a reef the coral some- 13 A JOURNEY TO JAVA times is formed by various agencies into an atoll or island, with a lagoon of water in the middle and a fringe of coral round, broader or narrower as the case may be. If the breaks or gaps in the coral barrier are wide enough for ships to pass through, they find safe anchorage in the lagoon. Although the coral polyps can only live in comparatively shallow water, yet the coral reefs rise from a depth of several hundred or even thousand feet. Darwin accounts for this by his theory that the sites of the reefs undergo a gradual subsidence, correspond- ing to the growth of the reef upwards, and in this way he was supported by Dana, and their explana- tion was accepted by most geologists. Later it was discovered that this theory did not always fit the condition; as in the case of some coral reefs, notable at the Pelew Islands (see foot note) , the sea floor has been raised instead of submerged. From this Sir John Murray argued that reefs can be built up without a sinking floor, or may grow on a settled foundation, such as the slope of a volcanic island. The reef grows mostly on the outer or sea side, and the action of the salt water Pelew Islands. A group of 26 small Islands in the Pacific Ocean, lying to the East of the Philipine Islands, discovered by the Spaniards in 1545, and in their possession till they were purchased by Germany in 1899, and now form part of the German New Guinea Protectorate. Only six of the Islands are inhabited. 4 SYDNEY TO BRISBANE dissolves the dead coral inside the reef or atoll, making a basin for the lagoon; only the margin of the reef is alive, the remainder is a bed of dead coral, limestone, shells, etc. As coral only thrives in clear water, it avoids the mouth of a river where the sand and debris brought down by the current makes the water muddy and turbid. At Cairns so much silt is brought down by the Barrow river that a flat has been formed extending a long way out and pre- venting ships from coming into the harbour. Wonderful corals are found off Cairns, beauti- ful both in form and colour, pink, violet, brown, etc. , as described by Agassiz in his visit to the reef, and later by Saville Kent in his most comprehen- sive and exhaustive account of c The Great Barrier Reef of Australia." These corals are much more brilliant than any found in the West Indies; but we had no chance of seeing them as our steamer gave the dangerous coral as wide a berth as possible, and kept in midchannel where the water was rather muddy owing to the silt brought down by the river. It was a great disappointment, but we consoled ourselves by looking at the coast line, which here presented a most delightful panorama of hills, '5 A JOURNEY TO JAVA covered with shrubs, tree ferns, bananas, and taller trees, such as the graceful acacias, Moreton Bay pines, araucarias, or Bunya Bunya trees, growing to a height of 100 to 150 feet, also the dark green eucalyptus tree which attains a still greater height. Close down by the shore and even growing out of the water were mangrove thickets and dense undergrowth. Half way up the heights were pretty little houses with wide verandahs, showing white against the green foliage. We also passed countless little islands, as we threaded our way in and out among them at a respectful distance; for their proximity indicated coral, and that spelt danger. The weather was perfect, the sun shining brightly in a cloudless blue sky, making everything stand out with almost startling vividness. We sat on deck and enjoyed the scenery as we passed smoothly and swiftly along, knowing full well that such bliss was too perfect to last. Had we not been going to New Guinea we should have been able to prolong this enjoyment the whole way to Thursday Island; but after Cairns we had to leave the sheltered waters inside the reef, and venture forth into the Coral Sea, to encounter the storms, certain to be met with, at that time of the year. 16 CHAPTER II CAIRNS, SAMARAI ; LANDING AT NEW GUINEA CAIRNS is a prettily situated but rather straggling town at the head of Trinity Bay, about 900 miles N.W. of Brisbane. The harbour is spoilt, as I have mentioned before, by the debris from the river, and ships must anchor a couple of miles from the shore. As we were not allowed to land this did not much matter. A high range of moun- tains rises behind Cairns, and in this range are the celebrated Barrow Falls, of which we had heard much and which we were hoping to see. All we saw, however, was a distant view of the railway line and the white smoke of a passing train on its way thither. Cairns is quite tropical, and for a great part of each year most unpleasantly hot; it is surrounded by magnificent forests where cedars are to be found, as well as those trees enumerated before. The soil is rich, and cotton, sugar cane, rice and tobacco can be cultivated, but without coloured labour it is doubtful whether they A JOURNEY TO JAVA could be made remunerative. As for fruit, the variety and abundance are both remarkable; pine- apples, bananas, custard apples, mangoes, per- simmon and the delicious passion-fruit grow freely, as well as those known to us in England, such as apples, pears, plums, grapes, oranges, apricots and peaches. These last named some- times attain a great size, nine or ten inches in cir- cumference, and have a most delicious flavour. Cairns is right in the midst of the mineral riches of Queensland, and precious stones in almost a be- wildering variety are found in its neighbourhood, especially opals and sapphires; diamonds, rubies, topazes and emeralds also abound. The whole of Queensland is rich in minerals, and there are gold, silver, copper, coal and tin mines. It is a great pity there is such a meagre population in this land of untold riches, as it badly needs people, especi- ally men who will work. f A white Australia ' is all very well in theory, but the climate is not such as to make a white man take kindly to hard labour, generally under a burning sun; yet with- out such labour the land cannot be developed. Foreign white people would be less desirable than the coloured people of our Indian Empire, or even Chinese, and might in time be far more dangerous; 18 LANDING AT NEW GUINEA yet if the latter are refused entrance, the former are bound to come. Although I was not actually in Cairns, it is in- delibly imprinted on my memory as the place where I had to share my cabin with a lady and a baby ! I had known there was a possibility of a lady coming on board, who would occupy the second berth in my cabin, but a baby as well was quite outside the scope of my imagination. No lady passenger came on at Brisbane, and when the tender put off from Cairns and came along- side, I need not describe my anxiety as I scanned the passengers for our boat, nor how rejoiced I was to find they were all of the male sex; 19 men but no woman. My joy, alas, was short- lived! No sooner were all the passengers on board than I received a message from the purser to say he was at his wits end to find accommodation for the unexpected influx of passengers (some of whom were from the shipwrecked Moresby) , and much as he regretted having to do it, he would be obliged to send a lady and her baby into my cabin and use hers for some of the men. He assured me it would only be for a short time, just till we reached Port Moresby (New Guinea) whither most of the Cairns passengers were bound. There A JOURNEY TO JAVA was no help for it, so I had to submit with as good grace as possible. The baby was a dear little girl, about 18 months old, and her mother as nice as could be, but I made up my mind to vacate the cabin in their favour at night, and sleep in the saloon. On the launch or tender were some Papuans returning to New Guinea, and we were eager to see them and get some snapshots if possible. They were fine looking, well built young fellows, and presented a very striking appearance with their great mops of dark hair standing out round their heads, something after the fashion of a bottle brush, or golliwog. One of them, with a particu- larly golliwog looking head of hair, into which he had stuck some scarlet feathers, seemed quite to enjoy the sensation he was creating, as he balanced himself in a perilous position on the side of the boat and smoked a cigar that some one had given him. I got a snapshot of him, but he was too far off for a good one. (See photo.) Then I had to leave those fascinating sights and go down to prepare my cabin for its unwelcome visitors. I was very sorry for the baby's mother; it was in- finitely worse for her than for me, as she had to turn out of her own cabin and bring all her 20 LANDING AT NEW GUINEA possessions with her as well as the baby's belong- ings. I had to vacate my lower berth too, as the baby could not be in the upper one; this did not much matter, as I used the berth only as a re- ceptacle for my goods and chattels, and went each night to sleep in the saloon. We were only outside Cairns for three hours, and very soon after leaving it our steamer passed out from the shelter of the Barrier Reef into the wind-tossed waters of the Coral Sea. " The tempest howls, the foaming surges roar, While I unhappy, quit the safer shore." might have been said by each one of us as we left Cairns, for the tempest did indeed howl its loudest and the storm was awful. The wind blew a per- fect gale, the rain fell in torrents, great black clouds covered the sky, and the Captain told us we had gone right into the N.W. Monsoon. For four days the storm raged with unabated fury, and as it increased, our interest in life and mundane affairs correspondingly declined. Our good ship gave many expressions of dislike to the situation by creaks, groans and shivers; she also performed a sort of ocean war dance that did not conduce to comfort. Great waves rolled up, looking like A JOURNEY TO JAVA mountains, and broke over the ship and swamped the deck from end to end, and the noise was terrific; you could not hear yourself speak unless you shouted at the top of your voice, and not always then. The heat was well nigh unbear- able, and as all the portholes had to be closed, the cabins were airless and suffocating. It was well we had such a careful commander as Captain John Williams, who knew the dangers of the course, and would take no risks, or we might have met with the fate of the Moresby. As it was, it taxed all his skill and seamanship to get us through safely. The cabins were so hot and stuffy that I was glad I had an excuse to sleep in the saloon, and really had the best of it, for being on the upper deck, it was comparatively cool. In fact, several of the passengers followed my example. The poor baby and her mother had a very bad time, as they were both ill in that airless cabin; they were much to be pitied. One little interlude came in the midst of the storm when we approached Samarai, a beautiful little island off the coast of New Guinea. In the shelter of its shore we did not feel the storm quite so much, though it continued as fiercely as ever. 22 LANDING AT NEW GUINEA To counter-balance this brief respite, a most terrific thunderstorm burst upon us as we drew near the island. It was a grand but terrible sight. The vivid flashes of lightning and loud peals of thunder were simultaneous, and the noise was like the roar of cannon accompanied by the sharp crack of rifles, as though the artillery of heaven were arrayed against us. At one moment the sky was a pall of inky blackness, across which arrows of lightning, like so many fiery serpents, darted and scintillated; the next moment it was one blaze of light, forming a background for zig- zags of forked flames of an even intenser bright- ness; again " a cloud of lightning " seemed to enfold the heavens. As for the rain, the only description applicable to it is Job's, where he says ' the clouds poured out water." Just as we anchored, the thunderstorm ceased as suddenly as it had begun, but the rain con- tinued in the same cataract fashion, and only a few of our more intrepid passengers went ashore. Our ship was some distance from the coast, so the land- ing had to be effected in small boats; these tossed up and down and looked as if they might be swamped at any moment, though the occupants could not have been much wetter if they had. 23 A JOURNEY TO JAVA These latter presented a sorry spectacle on their return, with the water streaming from hats and garments, and they looked like the proverbial drowned rats. But they brought back glowing accounts of the beauty of the little island, and we could see from the steamer, in spite of the rain, what a charming appearance it presented. Samarai is so small that it is possible to walk all over it in half an hour. The little township is celebrated for its beautiful avenue of many coloured crotons, bordered by cocoanut palms. Crotons are variegated shrubs with most bril- liantly coloured leaves, looking at a distance almost like flowers. One of the courageous pas- sengers who landed brought back a piece of hibiscus blossom, a lovely crimson flower, rather like a Madonna lily in shape, but with a long, red tassel hanging from the centre. It was the first of the kind we had seen, though we were to grow very familiar with it in Java where it flourishes in great abundance. Two hours sufficed to land the cargo we had brought to Samarai, and we then took our departure. Some little distance from land a beautiful kingfisher came flying over the ship, and one of the passengers caught it outside the porthole of his cabin and brought it into the 24 AVENUE OF CROTONS, SAMARAI MAIN STREET, SAMARAI. LANDING AT NEW GUINEA saloon for us to see. It was much alarmed at being held prisoner, and squawked vigorously as a protest. It had a most lovely plumage, exquisite shades of green ranging from a light to quite a dark colour. I am glad to say its captor allowed it to go free, which was very good of him, as he was a collector of birds and sorely tempted to keep it. He did say that if it returned he might not be so merciful, but I suppose it reached the shore safely, as we never saw it again. Passing out from the shelter of Samarai, we found the tempest lying in wait for us with re- doubled fury, and in addition we had the wind against us. The storm increased in proportion as we got into the open, and in a short time we felt the full force of the monsoon. It was darkly hinted that there might be even worse in store, as a hurricane was not improbable at this season. However, we were spared that. We were due in Port Moresby that night, but there seemed no pro- bability of our arriving up to time as the storm had delayed us, and the Captain dared not run the risk of trying to navigate the dangerous passage into the Bay after dark. It was difficult enough in daylight. We had therefore to endure another night of discomfort, and we heartily wished that 2 5 A JOURNEY TO JAVA New Guinea had never been discovered, or that the discoverer had kept the knowledge to himself. But for it, we should have been gliding along in a calm sea to Thursday Island, and escaped all the gale. Some of our passengers had been in worse storms, they said, but all agreed they had never known such a long one. Generally they last from 24 to 48 hours at most, but we had had practically eight days of rough weather, and on four of these a furious tempest. That last night was the worst of all, and even the best sailors were tired out with the heat and discomfort; so most thankful were we when next morning about 11.30 o'clock we steamed into Moresby Bay. So much had the storm delayed us that we arrived at New Guinea when our time-table said we should be leaving it! At Samarai we had taken on board a passenger from a shipwrecked government schooner, and now we heard that Burns Philp's cargo steamer had also been wrecked on the reef only the day before, so we had good reason to rejoice at our own safe arrival. CHAPTER III PORT MORESBY IN PAPUA THERE is no harbour at Port Moresby, only two wooden piers for small boats, so we had to anchor quite a mile and a half from the land and had a good view of the coast with a high range of mountains in the distance. It was such a relief to feast our eyes on green trees and hills and a clear, blue sky, instead of on green foam-tipped waves and tempestuous clouds. Even in the Bay it was quite rough enough on account of the high winds which still prevailed, quite unlike the smooth water inside the Barrier Reef. We longed for a steam-launch or tender to bear us to the shore and much wished Messrs. Burns Philp had provided one; so did the Cap- tain, who found it extremely difficult to get his cargo landed. In default of such a launch we had to take to small boats or canoes manned by natives, and though it was by no means easy to get into them, we were so rejoiced at the prospect 27 A JOURNEY TO JAVA of being once more on solid earth, that we never hesitated. Once we were clear of the ship our little craft rocked up and down in the most alarm- ing fashion, for the waves that looked quite small from the upper deck, assumed mountain-like pro- portions when viewed from our small barque low down in the water. When we reached the wooden pier, which extends some considerable way into the sea, we had great difficulty in effecting a land- ing, owing to the wash of the waves against the wharf. The boat bumped up and down in such a manner that only at intervals was it quite close to the pier and you had to seize that fleeting moment to jump or be pulled on shore up some very slimy, slippery steps. I tried the jump, but was not quite quick enough, and but for the presence of mind and the strong hand of a fellow passenger, who most kindly clutched me with a firm grasp, I should have had at best an im- promptu and undesired bath, the water just there being very deep indeed. Fortunately the catas- trophe was averted, and I half tumbled, and was half dragged, up the steps, and so landed in New Guinea. Once on shore and our minds at rest we were able to turn our attention to the groups of natives who had congregated at the end of the 28 PORT MORESBY IN PAPUA pier to watch our arrival. The men wore no clothing except a waist cloth, their bodies being liberally tattooed ; they were further adorned with armlets of plaited straw and earrings of tortoise- shell, as many as half-a-dozen in each ear. A few had nose rings and one man displayed a unique ornament in the shape of a large white safety pin worn as an earring, of which he seemed quite proud. The women have petticoats of loose dried grass of a reddish brown colour, woven into a band and tied round the waist. The upper part of the body was bare, but much tattooed like the men, and similar armlets and earrings were worn with the addition of necklaces of beads. The children, whose clothing consisted of bead necklaces and bracelets only, were such funny, fat, little, brown things. Natives belonging to the Mission go about clothed quite decently, the men in calico coats and trousers, the women in gaily coloured skirts and jackets. Before telling what befel us in Port Moresby, I ought perhaps to say something about New Guinea itself, as until lately, it has been rather an unknown region. Till I visited it I had but the vaguest notion where it was. situated, or to whom it belonged. 29 A JOURNEY TO JAVA New Guinea is the largest island in the world (excepting, of course, Australia) and is nearly 1,500 miles long from East to West and 200 broad from North to South. It lies to the north of Queensland and is separated from it by Torres Straits, and south of the Caroline Islands. It stretches far out into the Coral Sea, and, at its most easterly point is situated Port Moresby; therefore it takes some days to get there from Cairns. On the west it extends almost to the Molucca Islands. It was discovered as far back as 1511 by Antonio de Abrea, but was practically unknown till 1793, when it was annexed by the East India Company. This act not being con- firmed by the Home Government was of little use. It was not till almost a century later, when Australia became alarmed at the rapid way in which Holland was securing the Western half of the island, and at the rumours that Germany also wished for a share, that any action on the part of England was taken. Queensland was dis- mayed at the prospect of foreigners in possession of land so close to her shores, and with much diffi- culty, and after many appeals, persuaded Eng- land to allow British New Guinea to become a Crown Colony, subject to the Commonwealth 30 PORT MORESBY DUG-OUT CANOE, PAPUA PORT MORESBY IN PAPUA Government. But this was only arranged on con- dition that the Australian Government made itself responsible for the money required. That was in 1888, and from that time up to 1906 very little was done to develop the resources of the place. In 1905 the name was changed to Papua by Act of Parliament, and handed over to the Australian Commonwealth to be governed by it. In 1906 the Federal Government took over the possession of Papua, and since then its progress has been by leaps and bounds, so much so that it is to be regretted that the Australian Government were not allowed a free hand years before. There is a Lieutenant-Governor and a local Executive Council, also a Legislative Council consisting of the Executive Council and three nominated un- official members. The Colony is divided into seven divisions, each of which has a resident magistrate.* Port Moresby, where we landed, is the principal town and seat of government; it contains about 2,000 natives and 60 white people. Papua (to give it the proper title) is unlike any other country, not only in size, but because of its * From 1885 to 1914, German New Guinea or Kaiser Wilhelmsland had an area of over 70,000 square miles, more than a quarter of the island. This, Germany's largest colony outside of Africa, was taken by the Australian forces on September 35th, 1914, and the British flag hoisted. 31 A JOURNEY TO JAVA primitiveness. In the interior is found the stone age in full sway, while nearer the coasts it gives way to the iron age, but very gradually, so that the stone axe and steel tomahawk are used side by side. In warfare, the sling, the spear and shield, the bow and arrow are all used, and primi- tive industries, such as canoe making, pottery, cultivation of the ground, etc., are still conducted as in the earliest ages. The native canoes that we saw at Port Moresby were all merely rough trunks of trees, dug out or burnt out until hollow enough to float evenly. The climate is hot, for the greater part of the year on the coast, but higher up on the mountains it is quite cool, and the flowers of more temperate climes, such as buttercups, daisies, forget-me-nots, rhododen- drons, etc., are found in abundance. The hot season is from November to May, the hottest month being January; the cold season is generally reckoned from June to October, the coldest month being August. An immense range of mountains extends through the land, some of the peaks so high as to be covered with perpetual snow. Mount Victoria, the highest peak, towers to a height of 13,200 feet. Two large rivers water the country, the Fly and the Purari. The 32 PORT MORESBY IN PAPUA former is 620 miles long, and can be navigated for over 500 miles. No dangerous wild beasts infest the land, but there are venomous snakes, and on the coast are crocodiles and alligators. These take a large toll of natives annually, most of the deaths being due to snake bite, or dis- appearance inside a crocodile. The vegetation is most luxuriant, and trees abound; the cypress, sago palm, evergreen oak, screwpine, banana, breadfruit tree, sandal wood, and along the coast the cocoanut palm, all grow well in New Guinea, and many others also. The cocoanut palms do not flourish so well in the interior, they are best and more abundant near the sea. From the breadfruit tree the natives make a kind of cloth. Most of the products of the tropical zone can be easily cultivated, the fruits especially. New Guinea is also famous for its birds, especially the beautiful Bird of Paradise with its wonderful variety of magnificent plumes ; nearly fifty species of this bird have been found. Then there is the Cassowary, that queer bird allied to the Emu, with only vestigial wings like the New Zealand Kiwi. But as there are about 800 different species of birds it would be useless to try and enumerate them. 33 A JOURNEY TO JAVA There are very few animals, mostly the Wal- laby (or small kangaroo), wild swine, and the Echidna or ant-eating hedgehog. No hares or rabbits are found, and if the Papuan Authorities are wise they will keep them out, as they have grown to be such a pest in Australia and New Zealand. Those who wish to know more about Papua cannot do better than read Miss Beatrice Grim- shaw's delightful and comprehensive account, in her book, " The New New Guinea," and I would also refer them to " The World of Life " by Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace, in which he writes most enthusiastically of the vegetable life in New Guinea. Port Moresby is reckoned a town, but to the traveller it looks more like a village, con- sisting as it does of a number of wooden and iron one-storied houses on either side of a so-called street, on which the grass grows freely, as there are no carts, carriages or horses to keep it down. It seemed strange to be in a place and not see a vehicle of any description. The town boasted of two stores, one belonging to Burns Philp & Co., and the other to one of our fellow passengers. There is also a wooden building dignified by the name of Post Office, which stands apart from the 34 PORT MORESBY IN PAPUA others and nearer the landing stage. All these houses have broad verandahs, so necessary in a hot climate, and most of them are built on piles on account of the insects. Some of them, especi- ally those belonging to Government Officials, have very pretty gardens, the many coloured croton shrubs, and scarlet hibiscus making a gay display, while overhead the feathery palm trees provided a grateful shade from the burning heat. There were a few palm trees also on either side of the street, but too far apart to afford much shelter from the sun; many more are needed. On the heights above the town are a few resi- dences, notably Government House, a white building standing out against the dark green foliage, also the Station of the London Mis- sionary Society, which is farther along the coast and overlooks the native village of Elavara. Our first visit after landing was to the Post Office, to buy stamps and postcards, but we found it closed, not to be opened till 4 o'clock p.m., as the officials were busy sorting and distributing the mails we had brought and could not be disturbed in their arduous task. We had a suspicion that this meant they wanted time to read their own cor- respondence, and our suspicions were confirmed 35 A JOURNEY TO JAVA when we met the greater part of the white popu- lation sitting or standing in the shade of trees or houses perusing closely written sheets of foreign paper as we passed up the street. However, there was plenty of time and we were in no hurry ; they take things leisurely in Port Moresby. The monthly steamer is the only link with the outside world, and is eagerly expected and gladly welcomed, not only for letters but newspapers, news of what is going on, fresh faces to see and new people to talk to, for it is deadly dull in Port Moresby. Our next visit was to Burns Philp's Store, where I tried in vain to buy a pair of white cotton gloves, such luxuries are unknown there; the settler in Papua either brings his gloves with him or wears none. The other store where we bought postcards belonged to a fellow passenger, one of those from the shipwrecked Moresby, who came on board at Cairns. It was much the same sort of shop as Burns Philp, but more con- veniently situated in the middle of the town, both had large or small quantities as the case might be of everything likely to be needed, something after the style of a general shop in an English village or small town. The picture postcards were very good, showing the native villages and 36 PORT MORESBY IN PAPUA the Papuan in full dress with feather-mounted hair. It is from the latter they derive their name. The proprietor of the store very kindly invited us to tea at his private bungalow, a few yards higher up. He had been taking his two little girls to school in Sydney and was returning to Port Moresby when the wreck occurred. On our way to his house we met a strange and uncanny- looking bird, which approached us in a confident manner and seemed quite tame; we were told it was a Cassowary. Up to that moment I had looked upon a Cassowary as a somewhat mythical creature, only to be found on the plains of Tim- buctoo, where it occasionally dined off missionary, including his hymn-book in the repast. It was rather a shock to find one stalking about Port Moresby, much too small to swallow even half a missionary, and showing no blood-thirsty tend- encies towards us. It was either not full-grown or was a poor specimen of its kind, probably the latter, which was not surprising considering its origin. Our host told us that either he or a friend (I cannot now remember which, and fancy the point was purposely left obscure) found a rather rough-looking, large, greenish egg, and curious to see what would come out of it, kept it under 37 A JOURNEY TO JAVA his arm, day and night I presume, for some time, until one day the shell cracked, and with a triumphant squeak the Cassowary emerged. It was brought up by hand and became so attached to its foster-father that it would follow him about like a dog. We were inclined to be rather scep- tical about this wonderful hatching, but thought it wiser to follow the advice of an old Irish jaunt- ing car driver who told his fare, a lady who was questioning the genuineness of one of his remark- able tales, " Better believe me ma'am than go look for the truth of it." However, if the first part of the Cassowary story made large demands on our faith, there was no doubt of the truth of the latter part, as the bird was indeed exception- ally tame, and not only walked solemnly after its master but showed a desire for closer acquaint- ance with us, which I need hardly say was not reciprocated, the Cassowary not being at all a nice or attractive looking bird. In appearance it is something like an emu or small ostrich, of a brownish-black colour, with feathers so long and loose that they are more like hair; these feathers are longer at the back and serve the purpose of a tail. The head and upper part of the neck are bare, but on the neck are two bulbous looking 38 NATIVES, PORT MORESBY NATIVE RAFT ON CANOES PORT MORESBY IN PAPUA pendants, and in some cases the head is adorned with a many coloured (blue, purple, and red) horny crest about three inches high. Three toes grow on each foot, one toe is much shorter than the other two, but has a horrid, long, sharp claw which it uses in self defence. When attacked it fights with legs and feet and with its short, ves- tigial wings. These wings are no help even in running, but can be used with effect as a weapon. Our Cassowary was a small bird without a crest, but some attain a height of five feet. As we approached the door of Mr. B.'s bunga- low we saw under a tree, a cow ! True, it was a " lean and hungry-looking " animal, but where there was a live cow there might be fresh milk for our tea, and our hopes rose high. One of the greatest drawbacks on board ship is having to use condensed milk in tea, so that the " cup that cheers " with fresh milk would indeed have been a luxury. Alas ! when we were seated in a most charming and spacious verandah, completely shaded from the sun, and a dainty tea with nice biscuits was brought in, our host apologised for the condensed milk, and said the supply of fresh milk was so limited it had all been used up in the morning. However, the tea itself was ex- 39 A JOURNEY TO JAVA cellent and much enjoyed by us in our hot and thirsty condition. While we were being enter- tained, a squall of wind and rain came on, as the rainy season was not yet over. We were glad to be in shelter, as the rain was so heavy, but the storm ceased in a few minutes and the sun shone out once more. We were able to take a walk in the direction of the native villages, but as the sky was becoming again overcast and black clouds were travelling up showing that another and bigger squall was approaching, we thought it wiser to postpone our visit to Hanuabada to another day and return to the steamer. We had a good tossing going across to it, and quite an exciting time getting on board, but we were glad we had not remained on shore, as the rain came down in torrents for the rest of the afternoon. Now that our extra passengers had been landed, I had come into my own again, and much enjoyed having my cabin to myself; I devoutly hoped no lady would turn up at Thursday Island to share it. Next morning there was tremendous excitement over a shark that had been caught close to the ship. It was so huge that it took six shots to kill it, and was a fearsome beast with enormous jaws. We wanted it brought on board 40 PORT MORESBY IN PAPUA that we might take some snapshots, but our re- quest was not granted, as it was said the smell would be awful and last for days, so that it was towed to the shore to serve as a feast for the natives, who esteem it a delicacy. The man who shot the shark kept the huge jaws as a trophy. Its fearful teeth made one shudder at the thought of their closing on any human being. The native boats kept cruising round the steamer; some of them just dug-out canoes, others made of two or three canoes lashed together by planks, which made a kind of platform or raft (see photo) ; these were used for taking the cargo on shore. The whole made quite a pretty picture as they floated about on the blue sea, manned by natives whose mops of hair waved in the breeze. There was also a Dutch boat at anchor in the bay, with about 80 tons of cargo for Port Moresby. It was still there the second morning, but left in the afternoon taking the cargo with it, as it could not be discharged owing to the scarcity of labour, and the captain was obliged to keep to his scheduled time. Our captain was not so bound, but at the same time did not want to stay longer than was absolutely necessary. He was quite worried by the difficulty he had in persuading the 41 A JOURNEY TO JAVA natives to come and unload. The latter are very lazy and soon earn enough to buy tobacco, calico, and other things, of which they have learnt the value, but which they cannot make or find for themselves. Then they take a rest and enjoy what they have acquired, unwilling to exert them- selves afresh, until their supplies are exhausted. They are only paid one shilling per day, so as far as money is concerned they are not hard to satisfy. This laziness on their part was most in- convenient for us, as it kept us so long in Papua that our time in Java was considerably curtailed. CHAPTER IV THE NATIVE VILLAGES HANUABADA AND ELAVARA THE weather was now quite settled but very hot. There being no hotels in Port Moresby (though one was being built) we lived on board the Mataram, making expeditions to the town when the weather was propitious. I had not suc- ceeded so far in getting the snapshots I wanted of the native villages, so on the last day of our visit I set out immediately after lunch with a fellow passenger, who most kindly consented to accompany me. The captain was going ashore to try and persuade the Governor to lend him some prisoners to help in finishing the unloading of the cargo, so he took us with him in his boat. It was a glorious day, blue sky, hot sun, and a slight but refreshing breeze, which latter was fortunately blowing in our faces as we turned from the town for our two or three miles walk along the shore. The road skirted the beach, and the leaves of the graceful cocoanut palms waved 43 A JOURNEY TO JAVA and rustled over our heads, making a most grate- ful canopy that modified in some measure the scorching rays of the sun ; and it can be scorching in Papua ! As we walked along we met groups of women and children, and some very old men ; the latter were a terrible sight in their unclothed condition, but the women looked smiling and happy. Papuan women wear a grass kilt or petti- coat, which is called a ramies, the upper part of their bodies is bare, but adorned with the most intricate tattooing, neck, arms, ears, and even noses having appropriate ornaments of beads, shells or tortoiseshell, and this makes the women look decidedly picturesque. As for the little children, who were running about in their birth- day dress, occasionally with a bead necklace or bracelet in addition, they were the funniest of fat, little, brown babies, very frightened if you attempted to speak to them. The older children were not so shy and perched themselves on the rickety-looking platforms of their houses, so that we might take their photographs and give them pennies. Many of the women had brown earthenware waterpots poised on their shoulders in most grace- ful fashion, and were on their way to fetch water 44 NATIVES, HANUABADA, PORT MORESBY HOUSES IN NATIVE VILLAGE OF HANUABADA HANUABADA AND ELAVARA from a spring. I persuaded one of them to let me take a snapshot of her. She had a fat, wee child with her who strongly objected to the camera and clung roaring and crying to its mother trying to hide behind her scanty drapery. Quite a little crowd collected and I got some fairly successful snapshots, one of a woman standing on a dug-out canoe. All were quite willing, we found, to pose for a few pennies, indeed the diffi- culty was to persuade them to go away. We had now reached the broad, white, sandy path that does duty for a street in the village of Hanuabada, and the first of the native houses came in sight. There was quite a long row of them, such quaint looking dwellings, apparently in such a tumble-down condition that they might fall to pieces any moment. This was a delusion, however, as they are really quite strong, but their structure raised on high poles set in the water is of such a spidery appearance that it gives them an unsubstantial air. Imagine a brown garden summer-house built something like a Swiss cottage with gabled front and broad verandah,perched on very high stilts with a skeleton ladder, with rungs far apart, as the only means of access, and you have some idea 45 A JOURNEY TO JAVA what a Papuan house is like. The piles on which the houses are built (just rough logs or trunks of trees) are driven into the sea sand, so that the dwelling is over the water, and you look down through the extremely large spaces between the logs that form the flooring, into the blue depths of the ocean. Cool certainly, but apt to make one a little nervous at first. The crazy ladder also, by which you reach the verandah or plat- form to gain access to the interior of the house, is more suitable for natives with unclothed bodies, and bare feet, than for white folk in heavy gar- ments and high heeled shoes. But there is good reason for building after this fashion; as only one point of attack is presented to the enemy, tribes from the hills, who used to swarm down at inter- vals and attack the seabord dwellings. With deep water on three sides, the people of Hanua- bada and kindred villages could concentrate their attention on the fourth or landward side and ward off any attack. The houses have no windows, nor are they needed, as the interior is only used as a sleeping-place, and absence of light tends to cool- ness; the broad platform in front is the living place, where the natives eat and carry on such work as carving, net-making, etc., while at the 46 HANUABADA AND ELAVARA same time they can see what is going on below. The brown waterpots are hand-made, of clay pulled by the fingers of the native women into quite good and even artistic shapes, and then baked in fire. This, and the making of skirts or ramies of dried grass, are the only native indus- tries, except a little carving done by the men. We passed through the village and came to an ascent, up which we toiled under the burning sun, and reached at the top the Mission Station. From this point we could see the second native village of Elavara spread out before us. The houses there are built after the same style as those in Hanuabada, but the tout ensemble is much more picturesque, as instead of a row of dwellings along the sea shore, those in Elavara are grouped on a little island and extend right out into the open sea. (See photo). A very rickety bridge, swaying from side to side, several hundred feet long, connects the village with the mainland, and over this the natives pass to and fro in an uncon- cerned manner that wins your admiration as you expect each moment to see the daring passenger fall, not over but through the bridge, (so wide are the spaces in the flooring,) or else the whole struc- ture collapse. 47 A JOURNEY TO JAVA On the wooded eminence where we stood, the Mission premises are built. They belong to the London Missionary Society, and a splendid work among the natives is being carried on by the Rev. Mr. Laurence, the missionary in charge, and his wife. It must be no small sacrifice to live and work in such a place separated from children and friends. We were most heartily welcomed by Mrs. Laurence, who invited us into her cool verandah and regaled us with lime juice and water, a most refreshing drink when one is hot and thirsty. She then showed us the lace she is teaching the native girls to make, and said they were very apt pupils. We also inspected a num- ber of Papuan curiosities, such as spears, shields, and a very queer looking drum. The natives of the two villages belong to the Motuan and Koitapuan races; the language is called Motu or Mutu, and is not very easy to learn. The view from the verandah of the Mission House was glorious; the strange looking village below, the deep blue sea beyond dotted with all sorts of craft, rowing and sailing, the dark foliage on the opposite shore making a most effective background and intensifying the cloudless vault of sky, presented a wonderful picture not soon to 48 NATIVE VILLAGE OF ELAVARA, PORT MORESBY HANUABADA AND ELAVARA be forgotten. But time was passing and we had a long, hot walk before us, in order to reach Port Moresby wharf, and get a boat to the steamer. We were about to say good-bye when a great noise and shouting were heard outside. On rush- ing out to ascertain the cause we found that the Mission ship, the " John Williams " was just entering the bay. This was the ship built and equipped with money given or collected by Sun- day School children all over the world, and a fine looking vessel she is. Mrs. Laurence said that her husband had gone out to meet it, and was to send a boat to take her to it when it arrived. She asked if we would accompany her and we could then go on in the same boat to the Mataram when she had been left on board the " John Williams." Need I say we most gratefully accepted her offer, only too thankful to be spared the long tramp of nearly three miles on such a sultry afternoon. While waiting for the boat Mrs. Laurence gave us tea and delicious little cakes. Then a native arrived to say the boat was ready and we descended the hill to the shore. We were conducted to a miniature wharf, the private property of the Mission. At the end of it a sailing boat was moored, manned by natives 49 A JOURNEY TO JAVA from the Mission, clothed in gay, cotton jackets and trousers, which, if less picturesque, were more decorous than the native style of dress, or rather no dress. There was a favourable breeze, so our sail was set and we flew over the water ; it was perfectly delightful, most exhilarating, and a fitting climax to an exceptionally interesting day. Leaving our kind hostess on board the Mission ship we were taken to the Mataram, which lay a little farther out, and were just in time to reassure our friends, who were beginning to feel a little anxious on our account. The captain had now landed as much cargo as he possibly could, and was obliged to take the remainder away together with the cargo, consist- ing principally of copra and the Chinese delicacy beche-de-mer, from Port Moresby. Copra is the dried kernel of the cocoanut, used in India occasionally as an ingredient in curry, but chiefly valued for the oil obtained from it. Sometimes it is dried in the sun or else in a kiln, but in either case it yields 55 to 60 per cent, of cocoanut oil. Beche-de-mer is a corruption of a Portuguese word meaning sea worm or sea slug; these are 50 PAW PAWS, PORT MORES BOAT MANNED BY NATIVES HANUABADA AND ELAVARA allied to the sea urchins and are found on coral reefs. They are used by the Chinese as a favourite ingredient in their dishes, whether stews or soups, and esteemed a great delicacy. In shape the beche-de-mer is like a slug or small cucumber, and has a thick, flexible skin, instead of the horny shell of its kin, the sea urchin. The more ordinary kinds live just under the sand in shallow water, with the head projecting, bearing according to Dana's report a beautiful, feathery rosette or flower; the more valuable kinds are found in deep water, and must be dived for. To fit them for exportation they are slit open, boiled, and then dried, when they look not unlike smoked sausages. They must not be exposed to damp or they are spoiled; in a perfect condition they should be so dry as to " rattle like walnuts in a bag." We left Port Moresby that evening and passed quite close to the sunken Moresby, which was partly visible above water; not far from it was another wreck lying on a reef, unmistakable evidence of the perils and dangers we had escaped. Next day we were in the open sea, out of sight of land for some hours, then countless little 5 1 A JOURNEY TO JAVA islands began to appear, looking most inviting with white sandy beaches and clusters of palm trees. One, we were told, was Tuesday Island, another Wednesday, there was also a Friday Island and presumably a Monday, but many had no names. Evidently, whoever was responsible for their nomenclature had called each after the day of the week it was first sighted or visited. Thursday Island is the only one well known in the whole group, and this because of its pearl fishery. The sunsets each evening in these tropical regions were most gorgeous, the panorama of colour so brilliant and varied that often we neglected the summons to dinner and remained on deck to watch the kaleidoscopic effects in the sky, till darkness descended with disconcerting sud- denness, and the claims of hunger asserted them- selves. The nights also were most delightful, so calm and peaceful. After dinner most of the pas- sengers came on deck to look at the Southern Cross, as it shone out with intense brilliance against the dark background " of Heaven's ebon vault studded with stars unutterably bright." At such times one knew it was good to be alive. CHAPTER V THURSDAY ISLAND AND PORT DARWIN WE saw Thursday Island quite a long time before we reached it, as Torres Straits is so dangerous and difficult of navigation that quite a big detour must be made to keep in a safe channel. How- ever, we got alongside the wharf at last, and were able to step on shore. This island, one of the smallest in the Torres Straits, is situated N. of Cape York in Queensland, and belongs to that State. It is only three miles long by two and a half broad, and owes all its importance to being the centre of the pearl fishery carried on in those parts. The pearling business is mainly in the hands of Chinese and Japanese, which is a pity. To this island might aptly be applied the quotation " Dis- tance lends enchantment to the view," as from the steamer it looked a most charming place, just the kind of island described in boys* books 53 A JOURNEY TO JAVA of adventures in the South Seas. The little bays with sandy beaches shining with dazzling white- ness in the sunlight, the quantities of tropical foliage giving promise of coolness and shade, all served to make a fascinating picture. Not the least of the attractions was the harbour itself (called Port Kennedy) with its multitude of schooners and pearling smacks, small boats and canoes rocking on the dancing waves, together with a few larger ships that had put in for shelter from the storms so prevalent during the last fort- night. Alas for expectations! The reality was a woeful disappointment. As we entered the little town and passed up its one broad street, it was like walking into a " burning fiery furnace." On either side were plain-looking, little wooden houses, some of them shops; these latter, which are mostly kept by Chinese and Japanese, have as their sole redeeming feature broad awnings or coverings over the doorways, which extend along the front, so that a certain amount of intermittent shade is afforded as one passes down the street. The trees were few and far between, and useless as a protection from the sun; they seemed to know this, and had a listless, dispirited air, as though they would fain apologise for occupying a place 54 SCOW. SEEN NEAR PORT DARWIN FIRST SIGHT OF THURSDAY ISLAND THURSDAY ISLAND & PORT DARWIN in the landscape. Our first visit was, of course, to the Post Office to get our letters and buy post- cards and stamps; here we found most of our fellow passengers bound on the same errand. Then my brother insisted on having his hair cut, as there was no barber on board our ship. He soon discovered a smiling hairdresser in a little wooden shop, which was perfectly clean and nice, but not what you would call luxuriously appointed. He sat himself down to be operated on while my sister-in-law and I sauntered down the roadway and looked into the windows to see if there were any curios to be picked up. The curios were there, but the prices extremely high. They mostly consisted of mother-o'-pearl shells ex- quisitely carved, spoons, knives, boxes, plaques, and indeed every variety of ornament of the same material; pearls too, most lovely but very costly, and pearl blisters, with a variety of odds and ends made of shells. The mother-o'-pearl obtained at Thursday Island is sent to China and Singapore to be carved, then it comes back to the island and has to pay a heavy duty as manufactured goods, hence the long prices asked. The same things can be bought much more cheaply at home. We pur- 55 A JOURNEY TO JAVA chased some spoons and carved boxes as memen- toes of our visit, and I took some snapshots of the street and shops (see photo) . I tried to get one of the church, which was built as a thankoffering for the survivors and a memorial to those who were lost in the wreck of the Quetta twenty years before, but it was too much in the shade. That was a terrible wreck, and is still remem- bered and spoken of with bated breath. The Quetta, one of the finest ships of the British Indian and Australian Steam Navigation Com- pany, was lost on the night of February 28th, 1890, near the entrance to Torres Straits. It had apparently passed safely through all the difficulties of the dangerous channels, and was not far from Thursday Island and its harbour, when it struck on an unknown rock, not marked in any chart, the bottom of the ship was torn out, and in three minutes she sank in thirteen fathoms of water. There were about 280 people on board, and of these only 160 were saved; some of the latter had an extraordinary experience. One girl, only 16 years old, swam about for thirty- five hours before she was picked up, and another, supported by a plank, drifted for almost the same length of time, finally being washed 56 MAIN STREET, THURSDAY ISLAND PEARLING SMACKS OFF THURSDAY ISLAND THURSDAY ISLAND & PORT DARWIN ashore on Adolphus Island, from whence she was rescued. Subsequent examination of the spot where the disaster took place showed that the Quetta had struck on a pinnacle of growing coral, which ripped her open for nearly two-thirds of her length, so that she sank like a stone. Mr. W. Saville Kent, in his book on " The Great Barrier Reef of Australia," says that this seems to show that coral grows much more rapidly than is generally supposed, as this particular coral rock was not in the survey made 30 or 40 years before. In the Church on Thursday Island is a porthole of the ill-fated steamer, which was found many years after the catastrophe entirely encrusted with coral and seaweed. The Bishop of Carpentaria has his headquarters on the island, but was away visiting another part of his large and scattered diocese. It was a blisteringly hot afternoon, the heat 1 hit one in the face," to use Miss B. Grimshaw's expressive phrase, and not only in the face but in the back and on the head, and we seemed to be swallowing gallons of burning air. Walking was too great an effort, the comparative coolness of the steamer out on the water appealed to us, and 57 A JOURNEY TO JAVA not in vain, so we gave up all idea of further ex- ploration and retraced our steps to the wharf. We heard later that there were really very pretty spots further inland, with shrubs, creepers and shady trees, that we might have visited. We were quite willing, however, to take it on trust as we had seen quite enough of Thursday Island. The harbour was still alive with shipping, and the sea with sharks; one of the latter was caught and eagerly examined amid much excitement. On enquiring the reason, we were told that a Chinaman a few days before had fallen from a ship in the harbour and had been snapped up by a shark. In the pocket of the man's trousers was his whole for- tune, a large sum in gold, nearly 100 I believe, which of course accompanied him into the shark. Some time later one of these monsters was caught, and in its maw was one leg still clothed in its trouser, but not the money. Now the whole com- munity is dissecting and exploring each shark that is killed, in the hope of finding the other leg and the gold! Nothing was found in the shark just taken, but another was caught and hauled up by a rope, which one of the sailors managed to fasten round its slimy body. It was all but secured when the rope slipped, and away went our friend, 58 THURSDAY ISLAND & PORT DARWIN or rather our enemy, no doubt carrying with him the Chinaman's leg and fortune. We were only a few hours on Thursday Island, and left it without regret, though again it pre- sented a pretty picture as we sailed round the corner and could see the Governor's and other houses perched up on the heights above the town and surrounded by dark green foliage. The sun sank below the horizon that evening in a perfect blaze of colour, far too wonderful a sight for mere words to give any idea of its glory, nothing but actual vision could make one realize such splendour. We felt we were getting near home, as now the Great Bear was visible on one side of the ship, while on the other the Southern Cross held sway. The next day was St. Patrick's, and in honour of the occasion one of the passengers came down to breakfast wearing a huge green bow instead of his usual tie. It seemed a far cry from this tropical sea and unclouded atmosphere to the green land of St. Patrick and its misty skies. The weather was now perfect, and the sea as calm as the proverbial mill pond. There was a glorious moon, and we sat on deck far into the night, loth to leave such beauty and coolness for 59 A JOURNEY TO JAVA our hot and stuffy cabins. It made one recall Southey's lines: 11 How beautiful is night ! A dewy freshness fills the silent air, No mist obscures, nor cloud, nor speck, nor stain Breaks the serene of heaven ; In full orbed glory yonder moon divine Rolls through the dark blue depths. Beneath her steady ray The desert circle spreads Like the round ocean girdled with the sky. How beautiful is night ! " and the night were indeed gloriously, trans- cendently beautiful. Late in the afternoon we approached Port Darwin, which looked a most in- viting place, the thick, tropical foliage growing right down to the water's edge. The tide was full in, and the water perfectly clear, reminding me of the pellucid depths at Chateau d'lf near Mar- seilles. Appearances, however, were again deceptive. Port Darwin looks pretty enough to the casual visitor, but it is terribly hot, and the last place in which it would be desirable or pleasant to live, at least so we were told. There are very few white inhabitants, but a good many Chinese and a sprinkling of aboriginals and other coloured men. Rather a motley crowd were on the wharf to greet us, but the white 60 THURSDAY ISLAND & PORT DARWIN folk hailed us with especial joy. We were able here, as at Thursday Island, to step on shore without the intervention of a boat, and were for- tunate enough to secure the only vehicle Port Darwin seems to boast. It was a kind of small waggonette holding four. The last time my brother and his wife had been to Port Darwin they were unable to get this much sought after conveyance, so they were particularly glad of the opportunity it afforded of exploring the place; as to walk any distance in the terrific heat was impossible. There is quite a nice hotel with wonderful creepers growing all over its verandah and bal- conies, to which we drove first; as the driver of the waggonette had to get permission from the Manager (who was the owner of our horse and carriage) to take us round. From the hotel we went on to the Botanic Gardens. In a few years' time these gardens will be well worth a visit from those interested in horticulture, especially of the tropical kind, as it has many fine specimens of trees and plants. There is a magnificent avenue of cocoanut palm trees and another of crotons, also some remarkably fine hibiscus shrubs whose scarlet tasselled blossoms stood out with startling 61 A JOURNEY TO JAVA vividness against the dark tree ferns. The grasses were most beautiful, seven or eight feet in height, and of various colours, pink, yellow and brown, etc. In one part there was a splendid display of brilliantly-coloured tropical flowers, though their beauty was somewhat marred by the weeds and climbing plants that almost choked them. Want of labour is a serious drawback to hor- ticultural enterprises of this kind; if the flowers grow easily and quickly, so do the weeds, and it is a hard and constant fight to keep the latter down. Indeed, it is surprising the gardens are so well kept, and reflects great credit on those in charge of them. There were some especially fine specimens of the ' traveller's palm ' or ravenala, which I now saw for the first time. The tree looks like an enormous expanded fan of a bright green colour. The stalks of its huge leaves hold water, sometimes as much as a quart; this is obtained by piercing them, and it is quite good to drink. Often these palms have been a priceless boon to travellers when no other water was obtainable, and that is the origin of the name. The tree grows to a considerable height, and pre- sents a most graceful appearance; as it grows the lower leaves drop off, and there is often a very 62 THURSDAY ISLAND & PORT DARWIN long handle to the fan sometimes reaching thirty feet; the leaves are used by the natives to thatch their houses. Another object that attracted our attention was a huge banyan tree with its branches continually turning into roots and stems. On our way back from the gardens our driver took us to see his collection of birds. There must have been over a thousand, and their plumage was wonderfully beautiful, and so varied in colour. They were not singing birds, and most of them were very small, their chief value lay in the exquisite and rare colouring of their feathers. It is interesting to note that the plainest feathered birds, like the lark, have the sweetest song, nature thus giving compensation for the homely exterior. The man said he was going to take the birds to Europe to sell, but that it was a difficult business to get them so far alive, and many died on the way. Poor little birds, how they would miss their bright, tropical home in the dull cities of the West! When we reached the town which bears the name of Palmerston we said goodbye to our guide, as we wanted to visit Chinatown with its quaint shops, where all the Chinese population live. Here we bought postcards and other souvenirs of our 63 A JOURNEY TO JAVA visit, also some fresh fruit to take on board ship. Port Darwin boasts a hospital, and we met some of the nurses (who are also nuns) , not clothed in the dark conventual garb, but wearing the prettiest and most effective nurse's costume I have ever seen. It consisted of a white dress, and over it a pale blue apron back and front, and a long veil of the same blue colour. They looked so fresh and dainty it made one feel cooler to look at them. In Chinatown we met some of our fellow pas- sengers, Mr. and Mrs. G., their niece, and her friend, Mrs. S., who questioned us eagerly as to where we had gone when we disappeared in such a mysterious fashion. We gave them an account of our peregrinations, and expressed our sorrow that the vehicle had not been large enough to take them with us, as we should have liked to do. It was getting dark, so we went back to the ship, and there found why the white inhabitants had been so pleased to see us. A steamer in the harbour meant unlimited ice drinks for them all; Port Darwin is a place that <( raises a thirst/' and yet has no ice wherewith to quench it satisfactorily. While we were sight-seeing they had made the most of their opportunities, and remained the whole time on board, following the example of the 64 THURSDAY ISLAND & PORT DARWIN " thirsty Earth that drinks and gapes for drink again," as, till the next steamer came round, there would be no more ice-cold " plenteous draughts ' wherewith to revive their souls. In return they gave us a most charming impromptu concert; some of them had very fine voices indeed, and the part- singing sounded beautiful and melodious on the still, night air. At midnight we departed from Port Darwin, leaving the thirsty to look and long for the next steamer. Three drowsy, stifling hot days followed, the nights bringing little relief from the burn- ing heat, except that the darkness was grateful after the scorching glare of the sun all day. We were now passing a succession of little islands " lifting their fronded palms in air," the sea between Port Darwin and Java being a verit- able archipelago. None, however, were worthy of note, though all looked pretty and seemed fer- tile, until we entered Lombok Straits and passed between the islands of Lombok and Bali. Here the true East begins and the fauna and flora of Australasia ends. Instead of the playful and harmless wallaby, the fierce leopard and man-eating tiger are to be found on Bali and Lombok, as in the forests of Java. 65 A JOURNEY TO JAVA The two mighty peaks of these islands (Bali and Lombok) tower aloft into the sky, but owing to their proximity to the Equator, are never covered with snow. Our steamer passed so close to Lombok that we could look into the caves and through most wonderful arches made by the action of the water. Lombok is one of the Sunda Islands, and lies between Bali and Sumbawa; it is of volcanic origin, and its highest peak is over 12,000 feet high. Crops similar to those in Java are culti- vated, and buffaloes, cattle and horses are bred and exported. The chief town bears the same name as our ship, Mataram, and lies on the Western coast, but the chief commercial centre is Ampanam. Since 1 894 this island has been under the control of the Dutch. Bali is larger than Lombok, and also belongs to Holland. Its highest mountain, the volcano Gunong-Agung, rises to a height of 10,400 feet; the products of the island are similar to those of Java, rice, sugar, coffee, etc., etc. The natives of Bali are among the most interest- ing peoples of Malaysia. They are closely allied to the Malayan-Java type, both in physique and language, and have the same capacity for culture. 66 THURSDAY ISLAND & PORT DARWIN They also excel in handicrafts, such as metal work. But the chief interest lies in the fact that they have kept Brahmanism as their religion, and in a form much older than is found in Hindustan at the present time. Long before Hinduism was known to Java that faith was firmly rooted in Bali, so firmly so that when the surrounding islands, in- cluding Java, had been compelled to accept the Koran, Bali remained faithful to its old belief, and Brahmanism has there the same strong hold now as it had a thousand years ago. While our steamer was passing the island we looked up at the huge, extinct volcano (Mt. Agung), which stands out like Mt. Fugi in Japan, and is much the same sugarloaf shape. Just as we approached it the sun was setting in a blaze of splendour, and sharp against the crimson sky the peak stood out a mass of purple and gold, while below and beyond white, fleecy clouds floated, throwing into relief the gorgeous colouring. It was magnificent! At the foot of the mountain among the palm trees were little brown villages, the houses with thatched roofs. We came so near that we could easily distinguish the men at work in the fields and the children playing on the sandy beach. Leav- ing Bali behind, we went on our way, and though 67 A JOURNEY TO JAVA we passed other islands, it was getting too dark to see them. It was our last night on board the Mataram, and we felt quite sorry to leave it and our kind and courteous captain. 68 CHAPTER VI JAVA LANDING AT SOURABAYA JAVA derives its name from the Sanscrit word Yava, meaning rich in millet or barley, and is the important island of the Dutch East Indies, it is also the richest, most populous, and one of the most beautiful islands of the world; for this reason it has been styled " The Garden of the East/' and the Malays call it " The Pearl of the East." The Portuguese were the first to discover its value, and gained a footing there in the sixteenth century, but they were not left long in undisputed possession; the Dutch followed them, and, estab- lishing trading stations along the coast, soon sup- planted the Portuguese, and encroaching still further into the interior, annexed more and more country till the whole island was practically under their control in 1808, and absolutely so in 1825, when the last rebellious native ruler was subju- gated. Java belonged to England from 1811- 1816, the British having taken possession of the 69 A JOURNEY TO JAVA island when Holland was united to France under Napoleon. During those years, under the strong, judicious and humane rule of Sir Stam- ford Raffles, the natives were well governed and the island prosperous. It was a thousand pities that England gave up such a beautiful and valu- able possession, but it was given back to Holland when Napoleon fell. The ; Dutch returned and installed themselves, showing greater energy than ever, and the natives had a very hard time under the severe discipline known as the ' culture system/' of which I shall speak later. But those times are now over, and the natives seem con- tented and happy under Dutch rule. Java is a long, narrow island (666 miles long and varying in width from 46 to 126 miles) near Sumatra and Borneo; the clear waters of the sea of Java wash its northern coast, which is low and swampy, covered with mangrove trees and over- grown with rank vegetation down to the water's edge. In contrast to this, the south coast rises rocky and precipitous, and at the base of its high cliffs the surf of the Indian Ocean continually breaks. East and west the straits of Bali and Sunda respectively divide it from the islands of the same name. It is not so difficult to gain access 70 JAVA LANDING AT SOURABAYA to Java now as it was when Miss Scidmore visited it many years ago, but still there are a good many rules and regulations to be complied with. You cannot remain on shore at any port more than twenty-four hours without registering your name, age, religion, nationality, place of birth, occupation, and name and captain of the ship you came in, and you must state your object in visiting Java. The authori- ties being satisfied on all these points, you will receive a permit or passport called a Toelatings- Kart, and will be free of the country unless you wish to shoot big game or indulge in any other sort of sport, when an extra permit must be obtained. The money in use in Java is the same as in the Netherlands, though the design on the coins of lesser value is different. A silver guilder is the standard coin, its value being is. 8d. in English money, so that twelve guilders equal an English i sterling. The smaller coins are the half guilder = lod. ; quarter guilder = 5d. ; a silver piece worth 2d. and a stuiver worth one penny, but English sovereigns are accepted everywhere. At most of the hotels and in the bigger shops in the towns English (of a kind) is spoken, but those who know Dutch and Malay have a great advan- 7V A JOURNEY TO JAVA tage, especially those knowing the latter lan- guage. As a rule, the traveller visits Java from Singa- pore, and lands first at Batavia on the west, but as we were coming from Australia we came in at the opposite end of the island, and arrived first at Sourabaya. The only disadvantage in so doing is that you get all the more characteristic and distinctively Javanese sights at the beginning of your trip. Our ship was now about to enter the roadstead outside Sourabaya; in the distance there appeared what looked like a huge Noah's ark in the midst of a sandy waste. The captain told us it was a lighthouse, and that the sea covered the sand at high tide. What appeared like the boat part of the ark proved to be in reality a broad verandah, adorned with gaily- coloured flowers and plants in pots, the whole effect being most quaint. I rushed for my camera to get a snapshot, but when I returned with it we were already far away, and the lighthouse came out as a tiny speck in an expanse of sea and sand. The pilot's arrival on board warned us that our voyage was almost ended, and we followed the, example of our fellow passengers 72 JAVA LANDING AT SOURABAYA and hastened to get our luggage ready. The Mataram (in common with all other big ships) had to anchor a considerable distance from the landing-stage, and in the absence of a steam launch, which was not provided by the Company, our entry into Sourabaya had to be made in a sampan or native boat, not unlike a punt, but with an awning to keep off sun and rain. We were expecting a guide to meet us, as we had asked for one to be in readiness, but the moment the ship anchored such a crowd of coolies and Malays swarmed up the gangways, all shouting and jabbering in an unknown tongue, that it was a per- fect Pandemonium, and we could not make our- selves heard, much less understood. Some of the passengers managed to get sampans and de- parted. We were endeavouring to follow their example, as we had given up all hope of finding our guide, when an agent of the Burns Philp Company, who spoke English, came to our rescue and got us a sampan. Some portion of our lug- gage had been placed in this boat, and we were half-way down the gangway, intending to get in beside it, when we were arrested by the most pierc- ing shrieks and yells, and to our horror, we saw a Government launch coming swiftly round from 73 A JOURNEY TO JAVA the other side of the steamer. Without the slightest warning, it crashed into the little waiting sampans, smashing most of them, and reducing our particular one to matchwood. Imagine our consternation at seeing our precious belongings tossing about in the sea ! We gave them up for lost, but fortunately the wash from the launch carried them up against the side of our ship, and the smart, nimble-fingered coolies managed in some marvellous manner to retrieve them, and threw them into the one sampan that had miracu- lously escaped the general destruction. It was the cleverest thing I had ever seen, not excepting conjuring tricks, and the whole episode was over in a couple of minutes. But even the brief immer- sion of a few seconds had made our luggage thoroughly wet, and the contents of trunks and bags were in a deplorable condition when we un- packed them in Sourabaya. The excitement caused by this episode was immense, and many were the expressions of sympathy we received from the lookers on. Finally, with the agent's help, we got another and larger sampan, and with all our belongings, both wet and dry, we set out for land. This delay, however, had allowed the already threatening clouds to gather thickly in 74 JAVA LANDING AT SOURABAYA the sky, and half way to shore, to add to our dis- comfort, a heavy thunderstorm, accompanied by a deluge of rain, came on. Sea and sky seemed indeed to have conspired against us, and we were soon as wet as our immersed luggage, in spite of the awning of our boat, which evidently served the purpose of a sunshade better than that of an umbrella. We were profoundly thankful, when we at last reached our destination and could step on shore, to feel we had said good-bye to the sea for some weeks, at all events. We got our luggage through the Customs with- out the slightest trouble; the Customhouse Authorities at Sourabaya were most polite, and showed their discrimination by not worrying us about our belongings, whereby friction was avoided and much time saved. When we emerged from the Customhouse we found outside some strange looking vehicles, something like dog-carts, with a canopy overhead, but the seats and the bottom of the car almost on a level, so that instead of the feet hanging down as in an ordinary dog-cart, you had perforce to stretch them out before you. Two passengers can sit behind with their backs to the back of the driver, whence the 75 A JOURNEY TO JAVA name sados, a corruption of dos a dos. The whole of the front seat is occupied by the driver, and he needs it, as he flourishes his whip and gesticulates with his arms in a rather alarming fashion. There are more comfortable carriages called " Kosongs," four wheelers, and generally drawn by a pair of horses, but these had been snapped up by the passengers who had preceded us, so it was a case of Hobson's choice. My brother and the agent took one sados and drove off to the Bank to obtain the all important money and necessary passports. My sister-in-law and I were hoisted (I can use no other term) into a second, and whirled away to our hotel at a terrific pace; for the drivers in Java simply tear along as fast as possible without the slightest regard for the lives or limbs of pedestrians. These latter seemed quite accustomed to the Jehu-like propensities of Javanese coachmen, and showed considerable agility in skipping out of the way. As for us, we just held on like grim death to the sides of the vehicle, for as we knew no Malay and he no Eng- lish, we could not make our driver go more slowly. Except that we had the name of our hotel we were completely at his mercy; he could take us where he liked; it gave me the most curious feeling of 76 JAVA LANDING AT SOURABAYA helplessness I had ever experienced. This rapid rate of progress was the more annoying, as we were soon passing through most fascinating scenes of Javanese life, and we would have given anything to stop and look at them, or even pass them by more slowly. The wharf at Sourabaya is situated like most docks in a very unaristocratic part of the town, and we had to drive a long way before reaching the Dutch residential quarter, where the best hotels are to be found, as well as the finest houses. At first we skirted the canal, passing the huge build- ings belonging to the dockyards which lined one side of the road, as well as some very ugly, small ones. The boats in the canal looked most pic- turesque with their wooden roofs painted in various colours, their striped sails and brightly- decorated prows; the effect was very gay. We then turned a corner so suddenly that we were nearly jerked into the road, and found ourselves opposite a big, ancient-looking building shaded by beautiful trees; this we learnt later was the