“Six days' easy paddling.”
“Well, that is in your favor; but do not travel fast. Take it quietly, and be as long as you can on the voyage—lying in a canoe is as good a rest as you can take.”
“Thank you, Doctor, I will obey your instructions. You have all been very kind to me, and a Malay chief never forgets benefits. I have been hostile to the white men, but now I see I have been mistaken, and that you are good and kind. Is it true that your boat is going up the river? Soh Hay tells me that it is so.”
“Yes; one of the chiefs, Sehi Pandash, wishes to place himself under our protection, and he has sent to ask that the ship might go up and fire her big guns, that the tribes round may see that he has strong friends who can help him.”
“It is two days' rowing up the river to my place from his, and when you are there I shall come down to see you. Sehi is not a good chief; he quarrels with his neighbors, and shelters their slaves who run away to him; he is not a good man.”
“Well, we shall all be glad to see you, chief, and I hope that you will bring your daughter with you. She has won all our hearts, and we shall miss her sadly.”
“I will bring her if I can do so safely,” the chief said gravely; “but I am no friends with Sehi; he stops my trade as it comes down the river, and takes payment for all goods that pass down. It is because he knows that many of us are angered that he wishes to put himself under your protection. I think that you do not do well to aid so bad a fellow.”
“We did not know that he was a bad fellow, chief. The best plan will be for you and the other chiefs who are aggrieved2 to send down complaints against him, or to come down yourselves when we are up there and talk it over with our Captain, who will doubtless impress upon Sehi the necessity for abstaining3 from such practices, and that he cannot expect aid from us if he embroils4 himself with his neighbors by interfering5 with their trade. Is he strong?”
“He has many war prahus, which sometimes come down to the sea and return with plunder6, either collected from the cultivators near the coast or from trading ships captured and burnt.”
“I will mention what you tell me to the Captain, and it will prepare him to listen to any complaint that may be made to him. But you must remember that he is only acting8 under the orders of the Governor of the Straits Settlements, and must refer all important matters to him.”
“I will come when you are there,” Hassan said gravely. “If nothing is done, there will be war.”
There was general regret on board the Serpent when the little princess said goodby to all her friends and went down the accommodation ladder to the boat with her father. The chief had said but little to the two young midshipmen, for he saw that they preferred that the matter should not be alluded9 to, but he held their hands at parting, and said:
“I shall see you again before long; but if at any time you should want me, I will come, even if your summons reach me in the middle of a battle.”
“It is such nonsense, Doctor,” Harry10 said, as the boat pushed off, “to have so much made of such a thing as jumping into the water. If one had been alone, and had tried to save a man or a woman, in such a state of funk that there was a good chance of their throwing their arms round your neck and pulling you down with them, there might be something in it, though everyone takes his chance of that when he jumps in to save anyone from drowning; but with a little child, and two of us to do it, and the ship close at hand, it was not worth thinking of for a moment.”
“No, Parkhurst, from your point of view the thing was not, as you say, worth giving a thought to; but, you see, that is not the point of view of the chief. To him it is nothing whether your exploit was a gallant11 one or not, or whether you ran any danger; the point simply is, his child would have been drowned had you not seen her and fished her out, and that it is to you that he owes her life. I think you have reason to congratulate yourselves on having made a friend who may be very useful to you. It may be that there will be trouble up the river; and if so, he might possibly be of real service to you. But in any case he may be able to give you some good hunting and fishing, and show you things that you would never have had an opportunity of seeing without his friendship and assistance.”
“I did not think of that, Doctor; yes, that would certainly be a great thing.”
“I can assure you I look at it in that light myself, Parkhurst, and I am looking forward to paying him a visit, as, under his protection, I should get opportunities of collecting which I could never have in the ordinary way; for, unless they are greatly maligned12, one could not trust one's self among the Malays without some special protection.”
“But they are not savages13, Doctor. Hassan is a perfect gentleman in manner, and in that silk jacket of his and handsome sarong he really looks like a prince. I could not help thinking that all of us looked poor creatures by his side.”
“They certainly cannot be called savages, though from our point of view many of their customs are of a very savage14 nature. Piracy15 is very general among those living on the seacoast or on the great rivers; but it must be remembered that it is not so very many centuries ago that a toll16 was demanded of all passersby17 by the barons18 having castles on the Rhine and other navigable rivers; the crews of wrecked19 ships were plundered20 on every coast of Europe, our own included, not so very long ago; and in the days of Elizabeth, Drake and Hawkins were regarded by the Spaniards as pirates of the worst class, and I fear that there was a good deal of justice in the accusation21. But the Malays are people with a history; they believe themselves that they were the original inhabitants of the island of Sumatra; however, it is certain that in the twelfth century they had extended their rule over the whole of that island and many of its neighbors, and in the thirteenth had established themselves on this peninsula and had founded an empire extending over the greater part of the islands down to the coast of Australia. They had by this time acquired the civilization of India, and their sultans were powerful monarchs22. They carried on a great trade with China, Hindoostan, and Siam, and their maritime23 code was regulated and confirmed, as early as 1276, by Mohammed Shah.”
“How is it that they have come to such grief, Doctor?”
“Principally by the fact that they had the feudal24, or you may call it the tribal25, system. Each petty chief and his followers26 made war on his neighbors if he was strong enough; and as some tribes conquered others, the empire became split up into an indefinite number of clans27, whose chiefs paid but a very nominal28 allegiance to the sultan. So islands broke off from the empire until it had practically ceased to exist, and the Malays were a people united only by similar customs and language, but in no other respect, and were, therefore, able to offer but slight resistance on the arrival of the Dutch and Portuguese29 in these regions. Still, the upper classes preserve the memory of their former greatness. The people are intelligent, and most of the trade in this part of the world is carried on by them. They are enterprising, and ready to emigrate if they see a chance of improving their fortunes. You know we saw many of them at the Cape30 when we touched there. Nominally31 they are Mohammedans in religion; but they do not strictly32 observe the ordinances33 of the Koran, and their Mohammedanism is mixed up with traces of their original religion.”
“Ah, that explains why the chief's name was Hassan. I wondered that a Malay should have a Mohammedan name. They are not much like Arabs in figure. Of course, Hassan is a very fine looking man, and some of the other chiefs we saw at Penang were so; but most of them are shorter than we are, and very ugly.”
“Yes, in figure and some other points they much resemble the Burmese, who are probably blood relations of theirs. The chiefs are finer men, as you will always find in the case in savage or semi savage peoples, for, of course, they have the pick of the women, and naturally choose the best looking. Their food, too, is better and their work less rough than that of the people at large.
“The sons and daughters of the chiefs naturally intermarry, and the result is that in most cases you will find the upper classes taller, better formed, lighter34 in color, and of greater intelligence than the rest of the people. This would be specially35 the case in a trading people like the Malays; their ships would bring over girls purchased in India, just as the ruling classes in Turkey used to obtain their wives from Circassia; and this, no doubt, has helped to modify the original Malay type.”
“Thank you, Doctor; I think I shall like the Malays now I know something about them. Is it true that they are so treacherous36?”
“I don't know, Parkhurst; doubtless they are treacherous in their wars; that is to say that they consider any means fair to deceive an enemy; but I do not think that they are so, beyond that. The Dutch have never had any very great difficulty with them, nor have we in the portion of the peninsula where we have established our rule. Of course, I know little about them myself, as I have only been out here a few months; but I am told that as traders they can be trusted, and that the word of a Malay chief can be taken with absolute confidence. Of course, among the majority of the people of the peninsula we are regarded with jealousy37 and hostility38—they dread39 that we should extend our dominion40 over them, and it is not surprising that they should by every means in their power strive to prevent our coming far inland. The chiefs on the rivers are, as a rule, specially hostile.
“In the first place, because their towns and villages are more accessible to us, and they know more of our power than those dwelling41 in the hill country; and, secondly42, because they depend largely upon the revenue that they derive43 from taxing all goods passing up and down, and which they not unreasonably44 think they might lose if we were to become paramount45. No doubt there is much that Hassan said of Sehi that is true and is applicable to other chiefs who have placed themselves under our protection—namely, that they have so injured trade by their exactions as to incur46 the hostility of their neighbors. Of course, I am not speaking of such men as the Rajahs of Johore and Perac, who are enlightened men, and have seen the benefits to be derived47 from intercourse48 with us. Their people are agriculturists, and they are really on a par7 with the protected states in India.
“There is a great future before the country; gold is found in many of the rivers, tin is probably more abundant than in any other part of the world, and the exports are now very large; there are immense quantities of valuable timber, such as teak, sandalwood, and ebony. The climate is, except on the low land near the rivers, very healthy; nutmegs, cloves49, and other spices can be grown there, and indigo50, chocolate, pepper, opium51, the sugarcane, coffee, and cotton, are all successfully cultivated. Some day, probably, the whole peninsula will fall under our protection, and when the constant tribal feuds52 are put a stop to, the forests cleared, and the ground cultivated, as is the case in our own settlement of Malacca, it will be found one of the most valuable of our possessions. Any amount of labor53 can be obtained from China, and it is probable that the races who inhabit the mountainous districts, who are said to be industrious54 and peaceable, will also readily adapt themselves to the changed conditions. They are not Malays like the people of the lowlands, but are a black race with curly wool, like the natives of Africa, and probably inhabited the whole peninsula before the arrival of the Malays.”
“How funny that there should be niggers here,” Harry said.
“They are not exactly negroes, but one of the races known as negritos, having, of course, many negro characteristics, but differing from the African negroes in some important particulars. To them our supremacy55 would be an unmixed blessing56; their products would reach the coast untaxed, and they would obtain all European goods at vastly cheaper rates. A minor57 benefit to be obtained by our supremacy is that our sportsmen would certainly speedily diminish the number of wild beasts that at present are a scourge58 to cultivators; the tigers would be killed down, the elephants captured and utilized59, and the poor people would not see their plantations60 ravaged61, but would be able to travel through their forests without the constant danger of being carried off by tigers and panthers, and possibly be able to cross their rivers without the risk of being snapped up by alligators62; though, doubtless, it would take some time before this would be brought about.”
“And when do you think that we shall be going up the river, Doctor?”
“That I cannot say. The Captain has been expecting orders ever since we came here, six weeks ago; but possibly something may have been learned of Sehi's characteristics, and there may be doubts as to the expediency63 of taking under our protection a chief whose conduct appears to be anything but satisfactory. On the other hand, it may be considered that by so doing we may establish some sort of influence over the surrounding tribes, and so make a step towards promoting trade and putting a stop to these tribal wars, that are the curse of the country.”
“It would be an awful sell if they were to change their minds,” Harry exclaimed.
“I should be sorry myself, Parkhurst, for you know I am a collector. But I can tell you that you won't find it all sport and pleasure. You will have no cool sea breezes; there will be occasion for continual watchfulness64, and perhaps long boat expeditions up sluggish65 streams, in an atmosphere laden66 with moisture and miasma67.”
“One expects some drawbacks, Doctor.”
“You will find a good many, I can tell you, youngster. Still, I hope we shall go up; and I think that we shall do so, for it will be the Captain's report that will help the authorities to decide whether to appoint a Resident there or not.”
A fortnight later a small dispatch boat steamed in and the news soon spread through the ship that the Serpent was to ascend68 the river on the following day. All was at once bustle69 and animation70. Sailors like anything for a change, and all were impatient at the long delay that had occurred.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
exertions
|
|
| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
aggrieved
|
|
| adj.愤愤不平的，受委屈的；悲痛的；（在合法权利方面）受侵害的v.令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式)；令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式和过去分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
abstaining
|
|
| 戒（尤指酒），戒除( abstain的现在分词 )； 弃权（不投票） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
embroils
|
|
| v.使（自己或他人）卷入纠纷( embroil的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
5
interfering
|
|
| adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
plunder
|
|
| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
par
|
|
| n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
acting
|
|
| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
alluded
|
|
| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
harry
|
|
| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
gallant
|
|
| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
maligned
|
|
| vt.污蔑，诽谤（malign的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
savages
|
|
| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
savage
|
|
| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
piracy
|
|
| n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
toll
|
|
| n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
passersby
|
|
| n. 过路人(行人,经过者) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
barons
|
|
| 男爵( baron的名词复数 )； 巨头； 大王； 大亨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
wrecked
|
|
| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
plundered
|
|
| 掠夺，抢劫( plunder的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
accusation
|
|
| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
monarchs
|
|
| 君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
maritime
|
|
| adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
feudal
|
|
| adj.封建的，封地的，领地的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
tribal
|
|
| adj.部族的，种族的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
followers
|
|
| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
clans
|
|
| 宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
nominal
|
|
| adj.名义上的；(金额、租金)微不足道的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
Portuguese
|
|
| n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
cape
|
|
| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
nominally
|
|
| 在名义上，表面地； 应名儿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
strictly
|
|
| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
ordinances
|
|
| n.条例，法令( ordinance的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
lighter
|
|
| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
specially
|
|
| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
treacherous
|
|
| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
jealousy
|
|
| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
hostility
|
|
| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
dread
|
|
| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
dominion
|
|
| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
dwelling
|
|
| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
secondly
|
|
| adv.第二，其次 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
derive
|
|
| v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
unreasonably
|
|
| adv. 不合理地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
paramount
|
|
| a.最重要的，最高权力的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
incur
|
|
| vt.招致，蒙受，遭遇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
derived
|
|
| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
intercourse
|
|
| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
cloves
|
|
| n.丁香（热带树木的干花，形似小钉子，用作调味品，尤用作甜食的香料）( clove的名词复数 )；蒜瓣(a garlic ~|a ~of garlic) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
indigo
|
|
| n.靛青，靛蓝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
opium
|
|
| n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
feuds
|
|
| n.长期不和，世仇( feud的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
labor
|
|
| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
industrious
|
|
| adj.勤劳的，刻苦的，奋发的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
supremacy
|
|
| n.至上；至高权力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
blessing
|
|
| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
minor
|
|
| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
scourge
|
|
| n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
utilized
|
|
| v.利用，使用( utilize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
plantations
|
|
| n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
ravaged
|
|
| 毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
alligators
|
|
| n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
expediency
|
|
| n.适宜；方便；合算；利己 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
watchfulness
|
|
| 警惕，留心； 警觉（性） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
sluggish
|
|
| adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
laden
|
|
| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
miasma
|
|
| n.毒气；不良气氛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
ascend
|
|
| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
bustle
|
|
| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
animation
|
|
| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |