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CHAPTER XI STEAMBOATING THROUGH A GREAT FOREST
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Although there was a wall of green on each side of the boat, and the river was not more than sixty feet wide, the explorers found that everything close to the earth was under water. If the dense1 jungle had not prevented, they might have sailed inland, they knew not how many miles. As the stream became narrower the current increased in force. The trees were full of monkeys, and hundreds of them appeared to be in sight all the time. They were of the most common kind to be found in Borneo, and the yacht created no excitement among them. They were so tame that any number of them could have been brought down by the hunters.

"The water is not so dirty as it has been everywhere below," said Captain Scott, as the Blanchita stemmed the current without any difficulty, where paddling a sampan must have been a laborious2 occupation. "It is tolerably clear along here, and we might take our morning bath very comfortably."

"We might if a big crocodile did not break his way through the bushes to pay us a visit," replied Louis.

"After the experience of this morning, I am not disposed to try it again, and I shall take my bath in a[97] wash-bowl with a sponge, though I am very fond of swimming. But, Louis, don't you think we have had about enough of hunting in Borneo?"

"Enough! Why, we have not yet been a week on the island," replied Louis, not a little astonished at the captain's question. "I have enjoyed myself very well so far, and I certainly do not wish to leave till we have killed at least one good-sized orang."

"It is rather stupid hunting here, for about all the country is under water," added Scott. "There seems to be nothing but monkeys here; and they are very small game, even if we were disposed to shoot them."

"But there are some lakes up the river, Mr. Eng told me; and I think we shall get out of this tangle3 very soon; and when we come to higher ground we will go on shore, and try our luck on foot."

The captain talked as though he had some scheme in his head which he was not yet prepared to unfold to his companions. But what could he do? Nothing had been said on board of the ship about coming back to Sarawak for the hunters, and to give up hunting and exploring would be simply to return to Kuching, and idle away the time for the next two weeks. Louis did not like this idea at all; and yet it seemed to be the alternative which Scott must have in his mind.

"Mias!" shouted Achang, when the conversation had proceeded so far.

"Where is your mias?" demanded Louis; for[98] most of the party had come to calling the orang by his Malay name.

The Bornean pointed4 into the forest, the trees of which were growing in the water, though there was an undergrowth of screw-pines, which had been abundant all along the river. They were not pines as the explorers understood the word at home. The plant is a bush or small tree with half a dozen or more branches angling upward from the trunk, and twisting a little towards it, from which feature it takes its name. It has long, lanceolated leaves, and therefore is not at all like the American pine.

"Stop her, Lane!" called the captain in a tone that "meant business." "Back her!"

The last order was given because there was an opening through the screw-pines which afforded a full view of the taller trees about twenty rods farther from the stream. The captain then took the wheel from Lane, rang the gong to go ahead; and, putting the helm hard-a-starboard, the boat came about, headed into the opening. Looking forward, there seemed but very few trees or bushes compared with the number along the flowing stream.

"Do you see the mias, Louis?" asked Scott.

"I do; and he is in a very favorable position. He is a big one, and must be a male," replied Louis, who stood at the stem with a repeating-rifle in his hand.

"Do you see him, Flix?"

"I do; and he has a green nest in the same tree with him."
"You are near enough, Captain." "You are near enough, Captain."
Page 99.

[99]

By this time all the party had taken their rifles. The boat moved very slowly. A seaman5 sounded the depth with a boathook, and reported eight feet. As she approached the orang, the brute6 showed his teeth, and uttered several successive growls7, as though he understood that danger was near; but he did not attempt to escape.

"I wonder can the blackguard swim," said Felix, who had his rifle ready to fire.

"I have read that he is a poor swimmer," replied Louis.

"How does he get about here where the water is eight feet deep?"

"He is not as agile8 as the gibbon; but he can make his way from one tree to another in the same manner, and his road is through the trees, and not on the ground."

"Here I am, and I can't go any farther," said the captain, as he rang to stop her. "I can't get the boat through this clump9 of bushes."

"You are near enough, Captain; let her rest where she is," replied Louis, as he aimed his rifle at the orang, which was sitting on a branch holding on with both hands.

Louis fired, and the creature fell with a loud splash into the water at the foot of the tree. But he was not dead, and was struggling to escape. He was evidently wounded very badly, and when the hunter saw his opportunity he fired again. The orang had grasped a screw-pine, and he held on, but[100] he struggled no more. The captain had ordered the sampan to be brought alongside, and two men were at the paddles. Louis and Felix joined them, and they paddled towards the game.

"I think he is dead though he still holds on at the bush," said Louis.

"We shall soon find out," added Clingman, as he threw a slip-noose over his head. "Heave ahead now!" he continued, as Clinch10 grasped the line with him, and they pulled together.

The orang did not make any movement, and it was certain that he was dead. When they had drawn11 him within a few feet of the sampan, the line was made fast, and the men paddled to the steamer. A purchase was rigged to the top of one of the stanchions, and the dead animal was hoisted12 into the sampan.

"Now, Lane, measure him," said the captain.

The body was laid out at full length in the bottom of the boat; and the carpenter took his length on a boathook, which he notched13 to indicate the height of the animal. He was directed to take several other measurements; in fact, Louis kept him at work for over an hour, with another hand to assist him in spreading out the limbs. The captain became quite impatient; for he was less a scientist than the young millionaire, though he had a taste for natural history.

"Have you finished, Louis?" asked Scott as the former returned to the yacht.[101]

"All done; but Lane must sum up the results," replied Louis.

"What good will all those measurements do you?" demanded the captain rather contemptuously.

"They will not put any money in my pocket, but I want to know the size of the game I have killed," answered Louis, somewhat nettled14 by the manner of Scott. "When a man has caught a fish he wants to know what his prize weighs."

"All right; but I want to get a little farther into the woods here, and I can get around the bushes ahead of her," replied the captain, who had been studying up a course by which he could go a considerable distance farther inland.

He backed the boat, and then went ahead very slowly, with Clingman feeling of the bottom with the boathook. It was novel sailing through the forest in a steam-launch, and all hands enjoyed it. The screw-pines were rather scattered15, and the forest of large trees was quite open. After the boat had gone about half a mile, as the captain judged, Clingman made a report.

"By the mark, one," said he, as the depth is given with the lead, in fathoms16.

"Six feet; we are shoaling," added Captain Scott. "Try it again."

"Five feet," returned the seaman.

The steamer continued on her course, with Scott at the wheel, for some time longer. The dry land could be seen through the trees at no great distance ahead.[102] The boat continued on her course for a quarter of an hour, when Clingman call out a depth which caused the captain to ring the gong to stop her. The last report was three feet, and the keel was evidently grinding through the soft mud. Then he rang to back her; and when she had increased her depth to four feet, he struck the gong to stop her.

"Dinner is ready, gentlemen," said Pitts.

"We must attend to that before we do anything more," added the captain. "Keep a sharp lookout17 ahead, Clingman."

The party went into the after cabin, and the novelty of dining on board of a steamer in the woods was sufficiently18 inspiring to add a big interest to the occasion.

"What have you got for dinner, Pitts?" asked Felix, as he entered the cabin. "Have you got any stewed19 crocodiles?"

"Not a croc, Mr. McGavonty," replied the cook.

"Any boiled orang-outang?"

"Not an orang. The captain bought six dozens of eggs at the village where we stopped yesterday, and I have ham and eggs for dinner, which I hope will suit you," replied Pitts.

"The best thing in the world for me. Whisper! Are they crocodiles' eggs?"

"Not a bit of it, sir."

The principal dish proved to be very satisfactory to the boys, whose appetites had been sharpened by the exercise of the forenoon. The cuisine20 had been[103] very good along the rivers, for Pitts had generally been the caterer21 as well as the cook and steward22. Chickens and eggs had been plentiful23 enough, and at the town he had obtained some fish. There was no fresh beef or mutton. They had a barrel of excellent salt beef from the stores of the ship; and Pitts made a splendid hash, which suited all hands better than almost anything else.

While they were at dinner the steward brought in Lane's report of the measurements of the orang Louis had shot. It was given to the Captain at the head of the table; and he read it off: "Height, 4 feet, 5¼ inches; arms spread out full length, from end to end of longest fingers, 7 feet, 10 inches; length of arm, 3 feet, 3 inches; length of hand, 10½ inches; length of foot, 12¼ inches; round the waist, 4 feet, 2 inches. Four men estimated on the weight, and the average is 185 pounds.'"

"Big mias," said Achang.

"Do you think you can skin and stuff him, Achang?" asked Louis.

"Know I can; have done it with naturalist24."

"Then you may go to work on it as soon as you please, and I will give you five dollars for the job," added Louis. "Take your time, and do it well."

"Where I work? Sampan no good."

"I can make a place in the waist," said the captain; "besides, I want the small boat, for we can see higher land farther in, and I wish to go ashore25 there; we may find some shooting."[104]

The boxes and barrels were moved farther forward and aft, and a workshop made for the Bornean. The sampan was cleaned out when the hands had finished their dinner, and the "Big Four," embarked26 in it. They did their own paddling, for there was not room enough for any more in the boat without crowding. Each of them carried a rifle. It was but a short distance, and the party were soon on the dry land.

Louis had hardly put his feet on the shore when he levelled his gun and fired. A moment later Felix followed his example; and each of them had brought down a deer. They rushed forward to secure their game; and then the other two hunters discharged their rifles, and a couple of wild pigs rolled over on the ground. It was plain that they had struck a spot where hunters seldom came. If there was any more game near, the report of the guns had driven it off.

"That was pretty well for a five minutes' hunt," said Louis when he and Felix had dragged the two deer to the water. "I think we had better stay here over night, and hunt on high ground to-morrow."

"That wouldn't do, Louis, and I should not dare to keep the Blanchita here over night," replied Captain Scott.

"Why not?"

"The water is high and low up here by turns, and I am afraid I should find the yacht on the bottom in the morning," replied Scott. "Then we could[105] not get her out of the woods, and might have to stay here a week or two, waiting for water to float her. No, no; I won't take the risk."

The game was dragged to the shore, and loaded into the sampan; for the appalling27 picture the captain had made of low water induced them all to hurry on board of the yacht.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 dense aONzX     
a.密集的,稠密的,浓密的;密度大的
参考例句:
  • The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
  • The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。
2 laborious VxoyD     
adj.吃力的,努力的,不流畅
参考例句:
  • They had the laborious task of cutting down the huge tree.他们接受了伐大树的艰苦工作。
  • Ants and bees are laborious insects.蚂蚁与蜜蜂是勤劳的昆虫。
3 tangle yIQzn     
n.纠缠;缠结;混乱;v.(使)缠绕;变乱
参考例句:
  • I shouldn't tangle with Peter.He is bigger than me.我不应该与彼特吵架。他的块头比我大。
  • If I were you, I wouldn't tangle with them.我要是你,我就不跟他们争吵。
4 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
5 seaman vDGzA     
n.海员,水手,水兵
参考例句:
  • That young man is a experienced seaman.那个年轻人是一个经验丰富的水手。
  • The Greek seaman went to the hospital five times.这位希腊海员到该医院去过五次。
6 brute GSjya     
n.野兽,兽性
参考例句:
  • The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。
  • That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲,它咬人。
7 growls 6ffc5e073aa0722568674220be53a9ea     
v.(动物)发狺狺声, (雷)作隆隆声( growl的第三人称单数 );低声咆哮着说
参考例句:
  • The dog growls at me. 狗向我狂吠。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The loudest growls have echoed around emerging markets and commodities. 熊嚎之声响彻新兴的市场与商品。 来自互联网
8 agile Ix2za     
adj.敏捷的,灵活的
参考例句:
  • She is such an agile dancer!她跳起舞来是那么灵巧!
  • An acrobat has to be agile.杂技演员必须身手敏捷。
9 clump xXfzH     
n.树丛,草丛;vi.用沉重的脚步行走
参考例句:
  • A stream meandered gently through a clump of trees.一条小溪从树丛中蜿蜒穿过。
  • It was as if he had hacked with his thick boots at a clump of bluebells.仿佛他用自己的厚靴子无情地践踏了一丛野风信子。
10 clinch 4q5zc     
v.敲弯,钉牢;确定;扭住对方 [参]clench
参考例句:
  • Clinch the boards together.用钉子把木板钉牢在一起。
  • We don't accept us dollars,please Swiss francs to clinch a deal business.我方不收美元,请最好用瑞士法郎来成交生意。
11 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
参考例句:
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
12 hoisted d1dcc88c76ae7d9811db29181a2303df     
把…吊起,升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He hoisted himself onto a high stool. 他抬身坐上了一张高凳子。
  • The sailors hoisted the cargo onto the deck. 水手们把货物吊到甲板上。
13 notched ZHKx9     
a.有凹口的,有缺口的
参考例句:
  • Torino notched up a 2-1 win at Lazio. 都灵队以2 比1 赢了拉齐奧队。
  • He notched up ten points in the first five minutes of the game. 他在比赛开始后的五分钟里得了十分。
14 nettled 1329a37399dc803e7821d52c8a298307     
v.拿荨麻打,拿荨麻刺(nettle的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • My remarks clearly nettled her. 我的话显然惹恼了她。
  • He had been growing nettled before, but now he pulled himself together. 他刚才有些来火,但现在又恢复了常态。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
15 scattered 7jgzKF     
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的
参考例句:
  • Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来,塞进文件夹里。
16 fathoms eef76eb8bfaf6d8f8c0ed4de2cf47dcc     
英寻( fathom的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The harbour is four fathoms deep. 港深为四英寻。
  • One bait was down forty fathoms. 有个鱼饵下沉到四十英寻的深处。
17 lookout w0sxT     
n.注意,前途,瞭望台
参考例句:
  • You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
  • It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来,公司的前景可就不妙了。
18 sufficiently 0htzMB     
adv.足够地,充分地
参考例句:
  • It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
  • The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。
19 stewed 285d9b8cfd4898474f7be6858f46f526     
adj.焦虑不安的,烂醉的v.炖( stew的过去式和过去分词 );煨;思考;担忧
参考例句:
  • When all birds are shot, the bow will be set aside;when all hares are killed, the hounds will be stewed and eaten -- kick out sb. after his services are no longer needed. 鸟尽弓藏,兔死狗烹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • \"How can we cook in a pan that's stewed your stinking stockings? “染臭袜子的锅,还能煮鸡子吃!还要它?” 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说
20 cuisine Yn1yX     
n.烹调,烹饪法
参考例句:
  • This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
  • This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。
21 caterer caterer     
n. 备办食物者,备办宴席者
参考例句:
  • My wife went to a lot of trouble; she called a caterer. 我太太花了很多心血,她找了专办派对的人来。
  • The wedding reception has been organized by an outside caterer. 婚宴由外界的饮食公司承办。
22 steward uUtzw     
n.乘务员,服务员;看管人;膳食管理员
参考例句:
  • He's the steward of the club.他是这家俱乐部的管理员。
  • He went around the world as a ship's steward.他当客船服务员,到过世界各地。
23 plentiful r2izH     
adj.富裕的,丰富的
参考例句:
  • Their family has a plentiful harvest this year.他们家今年又丰收了。
  • Rainfall is plentiful in the area.这个地区雨量充足。
24 naturalist QFKxZ     
n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者)
参考例句:
  • He was a printer by trade and naturalist by avocation.他从事印刷业,同时是个博物学爱好者。
  • The naturalist told us many stories about birds.博物学家给我们讲述了许多有关鸟儿的故事。
25 ashore tNQyT     
adv.在(向)岸上,上岸
参考例句:
  • The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前,孩子们就上岸了。
  • He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。
26 embarked e63154942be4f2a5c3c51f6b865db3de     
乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 ); 装载; 从事
参考例句:
  • We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
  • She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。
27 appalling iNwz9     
adj.骇人听闻的,令人震惊的,可怕的
参考例句:
  • The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions.恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
  • Nothing can extenuate such appalling behaviour.这种骇人听闻的行径罪无可恕。


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