The meal of oyster-meat had restored to healthy action the long-fasting stomachs of the castaways; the durion fruit, coming like a dessert, had no doubt acted with an exceedingly beneficial effect; but not till they had partaken of the true “staff of life”—represented in one of its elementary forms, the egg—did they feel their blood running in its right channels, alike restoring their vigour8 and strength.
Murtagh was one of the first to feel revivified, and declare himself ready for anything. But they were all much invigorated, and began to think and talk of plans for the future. The question, of course, was, how they should quit the shore on which shipwreck9, and afterwards a chance wind, had cast them? So far the coast appeared to be uninhabited, and although not so very inhospitable, as their experience had proved, still it would never do for them to remain there.
The American merchant-skipper had no ambition to match the Scotchman Selkirk, and make a second Crusoe of himself. Neither would Murtagh or the Malay have cared to act as his man Friday for any very prolonged period of hermitage, so long as there was a mode of escaping from it.
During the remainder of that evening, therefore, they talked of a change of quarters, and discussed various plans for bringing this about. It was a question whether they should take to their boat and again put out to sea, or endeavour, by an overland expedition, to reach some part of the coast where they might find a European, and therefore a civilised, settlement. Captain Redwood knew there were more than one of these on the great island of Borneo. There were the Dutch residencies of Sambas and Sarabang; the English government depôt on the islet of Labuan; and the strange heterogeneous10 settlement—half colony, half kingdom—then acknowledging the authority of the bold British adventurer, Sir James Brooke, styled “Rajah of Sarawak.” If any of these places could be attained11, either coastwise or across country, our castaways might consider their sufferings at an end; and it was only a question which would be the easiest to reach, and what the best way of reaching it.
After due consideration, Labuan was the point decided12 upon. From that part of the coast Captain Redwood supposed himself to be, it was by far the nearest civilised settlement—in fact, the only one that offered a chance of being reached by travellers circumstanced as they. Of course they had no intention to start immediately. Their strength was not sufficiently13 restored, and they were only discussing the question of a journey to be undertaken before long, and the probabilities of their being able to accomplish it.
Although they were now safe on land, and need no longer dread14 the “dangers of the deep,” they did not yet believe themselves delivered from all peril15. The part of the coast on which they had landed appeared uninhabited; but it was not this that made them uneasy. On the contrary, human beings were the very things they did not desire just then to see. From the place where his ship had been struck by the typhoon, and the distance and direction in which they had since drifted, Captain Redwood conjectured—was indeed almost sure of it—that they were on some part of the north-eastern coast of Borneo, where it fronts the Celebes Sea; and he had traded long enough among the islands of the Malayan Archipelago to know that this was a most dangerous locality, not from beasts of prey16, but fierce, predatory men; from pirates, in short.
These sea-robbers, issuing from their hiding-places and strongholds among the lagoons17 of many of the Malayan islands—more especially Mindanao—are to be met with all through the Indian Archipelago; but their most favourite cruising-grounds are in the seas lying around the Sooloo isles18, and stretching between Borneo and New Guinea.
They are usually known as “Lanoons,” from Illanon, the southern peninsula of Mindanao, their principal place of refuge and residence. But they have also other haunts and ports where they make rendezvous19—many on the shores of the Celebes Sea, in the island of Celebes itself, and also along the eastern and northern coast of Borneo. In this last they are usually known as “Dyak pirates,” a name not very correct; since most of these freebooters are of pure Malayan race, while the Bornean Dyaks take but little part in their plundering20, and are themselves often its victims.
The craft in which they carry on their nefarious21 calling are large junk-like vessels22 termed “praus,” with short, stumpy masts and huge square sails of woven matting stuff. But they place more dependence24 upon their broad paddle-bladed oars25 and skilled oarsmen, each prau having from thirty to forty rowers, and some very large ones a much greater number. These, seated in double rows along each side of the vessel23, take no part in the fighting, which is done by the chiefs and warriors26 stationed above on a sort of platform or upper deck that extends nearly the whole length of the prau. The advantage derived27 from the oars is, that in the tropical seas very light winds and calms are of common occurrence, during either of which the prau can easily overtake an ordinary sailing-ship. And when a brisk wind arises, and it is desirable to avoid any vessel that may be endeavouring to come up with them, they can, by means of their strong rowing force, get to windward of the chasing craft, and so out of harm’s way.
Ships are not always the objects of their piratical cruisings, or they might at times find it but an unprofitable business. Combined with sea piracy28, they make frequent land expeditions along the coasts of the different islands, going up the inlets and rivers, and plundering the towns or other settlements situated29 on their banks. And their booty does not always consist of goods, chattels30, and money, but of men, women, and children; for they are men-robbers as well as murderers and pirates. Their captives are carried off to their places of rendezvous, and there kept until they can be sold into slavery—a market for this kind of commodity being easily found in almost every island of the Malayan Archipelago—whether it be Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese31, or under the dominion32 of its own native rulers, the sultans and rajahs.
Well aware of all these circumstances, Captain Redwood knew the danger he and his party would incur33 should they fall into the hands of the Lanoons. So long as they were out upon the open sea, and in fear of perishing by starvation, they had never had a thought about pirates. Then the sight of a prau—even with the certainty of its being a piratical craft—would have been welcome; since death by the Malay kris, or slavery to the most cruel taskmaster, would have been a relief from the sufferings they were enduring, from hunger as from thirst. Now, however, that these were things of the past, and they were not only safe delivered from the perils34 of the deep, but seemed in no farther danger of starvation, the pirates had become the subject of their gravest fears, and their eyes were habitually35 on the alert—now scanning the sea-shore on both sides, and now directed toward the forest, whenever any noise from that quarter occurred to excite suspicion.
While in this frame of mind, the boat which had brought them safely ashore36 caused them a good deal of apprehension37. They might themselves have easily found concealment38 among the trees that stood thickly on the land-side; but the large pinnace lying upon the open beach was a conspicuous39 object, and could be seen miles off by any one straying along the shore, or coming abruptly40 out of the forest. If there were any pirates’ nest near, the boat would surely betray them, and the question arose as to what should be done with it.
To have dragged it up the sand, and hidden it among the underwood, is probably what they would have done had they been possessed41 of sufficient strength. But they knew that they were not, and therefore the thing was not thought of. It was as much as they could yet do to drag their own bodies about, much less a heavy ship’s boat.
Murtagh suggested breaking it up, and letting the fragments float off upon the waves. But Captain Redwood did not approve of this mode. The craft that had so long carried them through an unknown sea, and at length set them safely ashore, deserved different treatment. Besides, they might again stand in need of it; for it was not yet certain whether they were on the coast of the Bornean mainland, or one of the numerous outlying islets to be found along its eastern side. If an island, the boat would still be required to carry them across to the main.
While they were engaged in discussing this subject on the day they had made discovery of the maleos’ eggs, Saloo’s sharp eye, wandering about, caught sight of something that promised a solution of the difficulty. It was the little stream not far off, or rather, the estuary42 formed by its current, which, flowing out through the sands, had cut a channel deep enough for the keel of a much larger craft than a ship’s pinnace.
“Why we no blingee boat up libba?” he asked.
“Saloo is right; it may be done,” assented43 the captain.
“Troth an’ that may it. It’s clivver of the nigger to be the first of us to think of that same. Then we’d betther set about it at once—hadn’t we, captin?”
“By all means,” was the reply; and the three men, rising to their feet, walked off toward the boat, leaving the young people under the tree.
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1
nutritious
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| adj.有营养的，营养价值高的 | |
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animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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embryo
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| n.胚胎，萌芽的事物 | |
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embedded
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| a.扎牢的 | |
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5
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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progeny
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| n.后代，子孙；结果 | |
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7
reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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8
vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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9
shipwreck
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| n.船舶失事，海难 | |
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heterogeneous
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| adj.庞杂的；异类的 | |
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11
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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12
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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15
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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16
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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17
lagoons
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| n.污水池( lagoon的名词复数 )；潟湖；（大湖或江河附近的）小而浅的淡水湖；温泉形成的池塘 | |
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isles
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| 岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
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rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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20
plundering
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| 掠夺，抢劫( plunder的现在分词 ) | |
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nefarious
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| adj.恶毒的，极坏的 | |
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22
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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23
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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dependence
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| n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属 | |
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oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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26
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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27
derived
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| 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 | |
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28
piracy
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| n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害 | |
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29
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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chattels
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| n.动产，奴隶( chattel的名词复数 ) | |
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31
Portuguese
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| n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语 | |
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32
dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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33
incur
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| vt.招致，蒙受，遭遇 | |
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34
perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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35
habitually
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| ad.习惯地，通常地 | |
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36
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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37
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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39
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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40
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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41
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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42
estuary
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| n.河口，江口 | |
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43
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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