Books: Among Malay Pirates

G >> G. A. Henty >> Among Malay Pirates

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15

There was now some discussion as to the proposed meeting of
chiefs; and half an hour after, a dozen small canoes started with
invitations to the various chiefs to meet the captain at Hassan's
campong, with assurances that he was ready to overlook their share
in the attack on the ship, and be on friendly terms with them,
and that the safety of each who attended was guaranteed, whether
he was willing to be on good terms with the English or not. Four
days later, the meeting took place in the newly erected hall. Ten
or twelve of the chiefs attended; others, who had taken a leading
part as Sehi's allies, did not venture to come themselves, but sent
messages with assurances of their desire to be on friendly terms.
A good deal of ceremonial was observed. The marines and bluejackets
were drawn up in line before the hall, which was decorated with
green boughs; a Union jack waved from a pole in front of it.

The chiefs were introduced by Hassan to the captain. The former
then addressed them, rehearsing the service that the English had
done to them by destroying the power of the tyrant who had long
been a scourge to his neighbors, and who intended, without doubt,
to become master of the whole district. As a proof of the good will
of the English towards the Malays, he related how the two English
officers had leaped into the water to save his child, and how
kindly he himself had been treated. Then the captain addressed them
through the interpreter. He told them that he had only been sent
up the river by the Governor in accordance with an invitation from
Sehi, of whose conduct he was ignorant, to undertake the protectorate
of his district; and that, on learning his true character, he at
once reported to the Governor that the rajah was not a proper person
to receive protection, as not only did he prevent trade and harass
his neighbors, but was the owner of a number of piratical craft,
that often descended the river and plundered the coast.

"England," he went on, "has no desire whatever to take under her
protection any who do not earnestly desire it, and who are not
willing, in return, to promote trade, and keep peace with their
neighbors; nor can she make separate arrangements with minor
chiefs. It was only because she understood that Sehi ruled over
a considerable extent of territory, and was all powerful in this
part, that his request was listened to.

"I shall shortly return down the river," he said, "and have no
thought or intention of interfering in any way with matters here.
I wish to leave on good terms with you all, and to explain to you
that it is to your interest to do all in your power to further
trade, both by sending down your products to the coast, and by
throwing no hindrance in the way of the products of the highlands
coming down the river, charging, at the utmost, a very small toll
upon each boat that passes up and down. It is the interest of all
of you, of the people of the hills, and of ourselves, that trade
should increase. Now that Sehi is dead and his people altogether
dispersed and all his piratical craft destroyed, with the exception
of the one captured by Hassan, there is no obstruction to trade,
and you are free from the fear that he would one day eat you up.

"Be assured that there is nothing to be feared from us. You all
know how greatly the States protected by us have flourished and how
wealthy their rajahs have become from the increase of cultivation
and the cessation of tribal wars. If in the future all the chiefs
of this district should desire to place themselves under English
protection, their request will be considered; but there is not
the slightest desire on the part of the Governor to assume further
responsibility, and he will be well satisfied indeed to know that
there is peace among the river tribes, security for trade, and a large
increase in the cultivation of the country and in its prosperity."

There was a general expression of satisfaction and relief upon
the face of the chiefs, as, sentence by sentence, the speech was
translated to them; and, one by one, they rose after its conclusion,
and expressed their hearty concurrence with what had been said.

"We know," one of them said, "that these wars do much harm; but if
we quarrel, or if one ill treats another, or encourages his slaves
to leave him, or ravages his plantations, what are we to do?"

"That I have thought of," the captain said. "I have spoken with the
chief Hassan, and he has agreed to remove with his people to the
spot where Sehi's town stood. There, doubtless, he will be joined
by Sehi's former subjects, who cannot but be well pleased at being
rid of a tyrant who had forcibly taken them under his rule. He
will retain the prahu that he has taken, and will use it to keep
the two rivers free of robbers, but in no other respect will he
interfere with his neighbors. His desire is to cultivate the land,
clear away the forest, and encourage his people to raise products
that he can send down the river to trade with us. He will occupy
the territory only as far as the creek that runs between the two
rivers. I propose that all of you shall come to an agreement to
submit any disputes that may arise between you to his decision,
swearing to accept his judgment, whichever way it may go. This
is the way in which the disputes are settled in our country. Both
sides go before a judge, and he hears their statements and those of
their witnesses, and then decides the case; and even the government
of the country is bound by his decision. I don't wish you to give
me any reply as to this. I make the suggestion solely for your own
good, and it is for you to talk it over among yourselves, and see
if you cannot all come to an agreement that will put a stop to the
senseless wars, and enable your people to cultivate the land in
peace, and to obtain all the comforts that arise from trade."

A boat had been sent down to the ship, and this returned with a
number of the articles that had been put on board her as presents
for Sehi and other chiefs. These were now distributed. A feast was
then held, and the next morning the chiefs started for their homes,
highly gratified with the result of the meeting. On the following
day, the British boats also took their way down the river, followed
by the prahu, with a considerable number of Hassan's men, who were
to clear away the ruins of Sehi's campong, to bury the dead still
lying among them, and to erect huts for the whole community.
The Serpent remained for a week opposite the town; a considerable
quantity of flour, sugar, and other useful stores being landed for
the use of Hassan's people. Dr. Horsley was gladdened by Hassan's
promise that his people should be instructed to search for specimens
of birds, butterflies, and other insects, and that these should
be treated according to his instructions, and should be from time
to time, as occasion offered, sent down to him in large cases to
Singapore. To the two midshipmen the chief gave krises of the finest
temper.

"I have no presents to give you worthy of your acceptance," he
said; "but you know that I shall never forget you, and always regard
you as brothers. I intend to send twelve of my young men down to
Penang, there to live for three years and learn useful trades from
your people. The doctor has advised me also to send Bahi, and has
promised to find a comfortable home for her, where she will learn
to read and write your language and many other useful things. It
is hard to part with her; but it is for her good and that of her
people. If you will write to me sometimes, she will read the letters
to me and write letters to you in return, so that, though we are
away from each other, we may know that neither of us has forgotten
the other."

Bahi and twelve young Malays were taken to Penang in the Serpent,
where the doctor found a comfortable home for her with some friends
of his, to whom payment for her board and schooling was to be paid
by Hassan in blocks of tin, which he would obtain from boats coming
down from the hills in exchange for other articles of trade. The
Malays were placed with men of their own race belonging to the
protected States, and settled as carpenters, smiths, and other
tradesmen in Penang. Three years later, they and Bahi were all
taken back in the Serpent to their home.

The river was acquiring considerable importance from the great
increase of trade. They found Hassan's town far more extensive and
flourishing than it had been in the time of its predecessor. The
forest had been cleared for a considerable distance round it, the
former inhabitants had returned, tobacco, sugar canes, cotton,
pepper, and other crops whose products were useful for trade
purposes, were largely cultivated, while orchards of fruit trees
had been extensively planted. Hassan reported that tribal wars had
almost ceased, and that disputes were in almost all cases brought
for his arbitration. Owing to the abolition of all oppressive tolls,
trade from the interior had very largely increased, a great deal
of tin, together with spices and other products, now finding its
way down by the river. Hassan was delighted with the progress Bahi
had made, and ordered that three or four boys should at once be
placed for instruction under each of the men who had learned trades
at Penang.

There was much regret on both sides when the Serpent again started
down the river; for it was known that she would not return, as in a
few months she would be sent to a Chinese station, and from there
would go direct to England. The composition of her crew was already
somewhat changed. Lieutenant Ferguson had received his promotion
for the fight with the prahus, and had been appointed to the command
of a gunboat whose captain had been invalided home. Lieutenant
Hopkins was now the Serpent's first lieutenant, and Morrison was
second. Harry Parkhurst was third lieutenant, Dick Balderson, to the
regret of both, having left the ship on his promotion, and having
been transferred as third lieutenant to Captain Ferguson's craft.
Both have since kept up a correspondence with Bahi, who has married
a neighboring chief, and who tells them that the river is prospering
greatly, and that, although he assumes no authority, her father is
everywhere regarded as the paramount chief of the district. From
time to time each receives chests filled with spices, silks, and
other Malay products, and sends back in return European articles
of utility to the rajah, for such is the rank that Hassan has now
acquired on the river.

BEARS AND DACOITS A TALE OF THE GHAUTS

CHAPTER I

A merry party were sitting in the veranda of one of the largest and
handsomest bungalows of Poonah. It belonged to Colonel Hastings,
colonel of a native regiment stationed there, and at present, in
virtue of seniority, commanding a brigade. Tiffin was on, and three
or four officers and four ladies had taken their seats in the
comfortable cane lounging chairs which form the invariable furniture
of the veranda of a well ordered bungalow. Permission had been
duly asked, and granted by Mrs. Hastings, and the cheroots had just
begun to draw, when Miss Hastings, a niece of the colonel, who had
only arrived the previous week from England, said: "Uncle, I am
quite disappointed. Mrs. Lyons showed me the bear she has got tied
up in their compound, and it is the most wretched little thing, not
bigger than Rover, papa's retriever, and it's full grown. I thought
bears were great fierce creatures, and this poor little thing seemed
so restless and unhappy that I thought it quite a shame not to let
it go."

Colonel Hastings smiled rather grimly.

"And yet, small and insignificant as that bear is, my dear, it is
a question whether he is not as dangerous an animal to meddle with
as a man eating tiger."

"What, that wretched little bear, uncle?"

"Yes, that wretched little bear. Any experienced sportsman will
tell you that hunting those little bears is as dangerous a sport
as tiger hunting on foot, to say nothing of tiger hunting from an
elephant's back, in which there is scarcely any danger whatever.
I can speak feelingly about it, for my career was pretty nearly
brought to an end by a bear, just after I entered the army, some
thirty years ago, at a spot within a few miles from here. I have
got the scars on my shoulder and arm still."

"Oh, do tell me all about it," Miss Hastings said; and the request
being seconded by the rest of the party, none of whom, with the
exception of Mrs. Hastings, had ever heard the story before--for
the colonel was somewhat chary of relating this special experience
--he waited till they had all drawn up their chairs as close as
possible, and then giving two or three vigorous puffs at his cheroot,
began as follows:

"Thirty years ago, in 1855, things were not so settled in the Deccan
as they are now. There was no idea of insurrection on a large scale,
but we were going through one of those outbreaks of Dacoity which
have several times proved so troublesome. Bands of marauders kept
the country in confusion, pouring down on a village, now carrying
off three or four of the Bombay money lenders, who were then, as
now, the curse of the country; sometimes making an onslaught upon
a body of traders; and occasionally venturing to attack small
detachments of troops or isolated parties of police. They were not
very formidable, but they were very troublesome, and most difficult
to catch, for the peasantry regarded them as patriots, and aided
and shielded them in every way. The headquarters of these gangs
of Dacoits were the Ghauts. In the thick bush and deep valleys and
gorges there they could always take refuge, while sometimes the more
daring chiefs converted these detached peaks and masses of rock,
numbers of which you can see as you come up the Ghaut by railway,
into almost impregnable fortresses. Many of these masses of rock rise
as sheer up from the hillside as walls of masonry, and look at a
short distance like ruined castles. Some are absolutely inaccessible;
others can only be scaled by experienced climbers; and, although
possible for the natives with their bare feet, are impracticable
to European troops. Many of these rock fortresses were at various
times the headquarters of famous Dacoit leaders, and unless the
summits happened to be commanded from some higher ground within
gunshot range they were all but impregnable, except by starvation.
When driven to bay, these fellows would fight well.

"Well, about the time I joined, the Dacoits were unusually troublesome;
the police had a hard time of it, and almost lived in the saddle,
and the cavalry were constantly called up to help them, while
detachments of infantry from the station were under canvas at several
places along the top of the Ghauts to cut the bands off from their
strongholds, and to aid, if necessary, in turning them out of
their rock fortresses. The natives in the valleys at the foot of
the Ghauts, who have always been a semi-independent race, ready to
rob whenever they saw a chance, were great friends with the Dacoits
and supplied them with provisions whenever the hunt on the Deccan
was too hot to make raids in that direction.

"This is a long introduction, you will say, and does not seem
to have much to do with bears; but it is really necessary, as you
will see. I had joined about six months when three companies of the
regiment were ordered to relieve a wing of the 15th, who had been
under canvas at a village some four miles to the north of the point
where the line crosses the top of the Ghauts. There were three
white officers, and little enough to do, except when a party was
sent off to assist the police. We had one or two brushes with the
Dacoits, but I was not out on either occasion. However, there was
plenty of shooting, and a good many pigs about, so we had very
good fun. Of course, as a raw hand, I was very hot for it, and as
the others had both passed the enthusiastic age, except for pig
sticking and big game, I could always get away. I was supposed not
to go far from camp, because in the first place, I might be wanted;
and, in the second, because of the Dacoits; and Norworthy, who was
in command, used to impress upon me that I ought not to go beyond
the sound of a bugle. Of course we both knew that if I intended to
get any sport I must go further afoot than this; but I merely used
to say 'All right, sir, I will keep an ear to the camp,' and he on
his part never considered it necessary to ask where the game which
appeared on the table came from. But in point of fact, I never went
very far, and my servant always had instructions which way to send
for me if I was wanted; while, as to the Dacoits, I did not believe
in their having the impudence to come in broad daylight within a
mile or two of our camp. I did not often go down the face of the
Ghauts. The shooting was good, and there were plenty of bears in
those days, but it needed a long day for such an expedition, and
in view of the Dacoits who might be scattered about, was not the
sort of thing to be undertaken except with a strong party. Norworthy
had not given any precise orders about it, but I must admit that
he said one day:

"'Of course you won't be fool enough to think of going down the
Ghauts, Hastings?' But I did not look at that as equivalent to a
direct order--whatever I should do now," the colonel put in, on
seeing a furtive smile on the faces of his male listeners.

"However, I never meant to go down, though I used to stand on the
edge and look longingly down into the bush and fancy I saw bears
moving about in scores. But I don't think I should have gone into
their country if they had not come into mine. One day the fellow
who always carried my spare gun or flask, and who was a sort of
shikaree in a small way, told me he had heard that a farmer whose
house stood near the edge of the Ghauts, some two miles away, had
been seriously annoyed by his fruit and corn being stolen by bears.

"' I'll go and have a look at the place tomorrow,' I said; 'there
is no parade, and I can start early. You may as well tell the mess
cook to put up a basket with some tiffin and a bottle of claret,
and get a boy to carry it over.'

"'The bears not come in day,' Rahman said.

"'Of course not,' I replied; 'still I may like to find out which
way they come. Just do as you are told.'

"The next morning, at seven o'clock, I was at the farmer's spoken
of, and there was no mistake as to the bears. A patch of Indian corn
had been ruined by them, and two dogs had been killed. The native
was in a terrible state of rage and alarm. He said that on moonlight
nights he had seen eight of them, and they came and sniffed around
the door of the cottage.

"'Why don't you fire through the window at them?' I asked scornfully,
for I had seen a score of tame bears in captivity, and, like you,
Mary, was inclined to despise them, though there was far less
excuse for me; for I had heard stories which should have convinced
me that, small as he is, the Indian bear is not a beast to be attacked
with impunity. Upon walking to the edge of the Ghauts there was no
difficulty in discovering the route by which the bears came up to
the farm. For a mile to the right and left the ground fell away as
if cut with a knife, leaving a precipice of over a hundred feet
sheer down; but close by where I was standing was the head of
a water course, which in time had gradually worn a sort of cleft
in the wall, up or down which it was not difficult to make one's
way. Further down this little gorge widened out and became a deep
ravine, and further still a wide valley, where it opened upon the
flats far below us. About half a mile down, where the ravine was
deepest and darkest, was a thick clump of trees and jungle.

"'That's where the bears are?' I asked Rahman. He nodded. It
seemed no distance. I could get down and back in time for tiffin,
and perhaps bag a couple of bears. For a young sportsman the
temptation was great. 'How long would it take us to go down and
have a shot or two at them?'

"'No good go down. Master come here at night, shoot bears when they
come up.'

"I had thought of that; but, in the first place, it did not seem
much sport to shoot the beasts from cover when they were quietly
eating, and, in the next place, I knew that Norworthy could not,
even if he were willing, give me leave to go out of camp at night.
I waited, hesitating for a few minutes, and then I said to myself,
'It is of no use waiting. I could go down and get a bear and be
back again while I am thinking of it;' then to Rahman, 'No, come
along; we will have a look through that wood anyhow.'

"Rahman evidently did not like it. 'Not easy to find bear, sahib.
He very cunning.'

"'Well, very likely we shan't find them,' I said, 'but we can try
anyhow. Bring that bottle with you; the tiffin basket can wait here
till we come back.' In another five minutes I had begun to climb
down the watercourse--the shikaree following me. I took the double
barreled rifle and handed him the shotgun, having first dropped a
bullet down each barrel over the charge. The ravine was steep, but
there were bushes to hold on by, and although it was hot work and
took a good deal longer than I expected, we at last got down to
the place which I had fixed upon as likely to be the bears' home.

"'Sahib, climb up top,' Rahman said; 'come down through wood; no
good fire at bear when he above.'

"I had heard that before; but I was hot, the sun was pouring down,
there was not a breath of wind, and it looked a long way up to the
top of the wood.

"'Give me the claret. It would take too long to search the wood
regularly. We will sit down here for a bit, and if we can see
anything moving up in the wood, well and good; if not, we will come
back again another day with some beaters and dogs.' So saying, I
sat down with my back against a rock, at a spot where I could look
up among the trees for a long way through a natural vista. I had a
drink of claret, and then I sat and watched till gradually I dropped
off to sleep. I don't know how long I slept, but it was some time,
and I woke up with a sudden start. Rahman, who had, I fancy, been
asleep too, also started up.

"The noise which had aroused us was made by a rolling stone striking
a rock: and looking up I saw some fifty yards away, not in the
wood, but on the rocky hillside on our side of the ravine, a bear
standing, as though unconscious of our presence, snuffing the
air. As was natural, I seized my rifle, cocked it, and took aim,
unheeding a cry of 'No, no, sahib,' from Rahman. However, I was
not going to miss such a chance as this, and I let fly. The beast
had been standing sideways to me, and as I saw him fall I felt
sure I had hit him in the heart. I gave a shout of triumph, and
was about to climb up, when, from behind the rock on which the bear
had stood, appeared another, growling fiercely; on seeing me, it
at once prepared to come down. Stupidly, being taken by surprise,
and being new at it, I fired at once at its head. The bear gave
a spring, and then--it seemed instantaneous--down it came at
me. Whether it rolled down, or slipped down, or ran down, I don't
know, but it came almost as if it had jumped straight at me.

"'My gun, Rahman,' I shouted, holding out my hand. There was no
answer. I glanced round and found that the scoundrel had bolted.
I had time, and only just time, to take a step backwards, and to
club my rifle, when the brute was upon me. I got one fair blow at
the side of its head, a blow that would have smashed the skull of
any civilized beast into pieces, and which did fortunately break the
brute's jaw; then in an instant he was upon me, and I was fighting
for life. My hunting knife was out, and with my left hand I had the
beast by the throat; while with my right I tried to drive my knife
into its ribs. My bullet had gone through his chest. The impetus
of his charge bad knocked me over, and we rolled on the ground,
he tearing with his claws at my shoulder and arm, I stabbing and
struggling; my great effort being to keep my knees up so as to
protect my body with them from his bind claws. After the first blow
with his paw which laid my shoulder open, I do not think I felt any
special pain whatever. There was a strange faint sensation, and my
whole energy seemed centered in the two ideas--to strike and to
keep my knees up. I knew that I was getting faint, but I was dimly
conscious that his efforts, too, were relaxing. His weight on me
seemed to increase enormously, and the last idea that flashed across
me was that it was a drawn fight.

"The next idea of which I was conscious was that I was being
carried. I seemed to be swinging about, and I thought I was at sea.
Then there was a little jolt and a sense of pain. 'A collision,'
I muttered, and opened my eyes. Beyond the fact that I seemed in
a yellow world--a bright orange yellow--my eyes did not help
me, and I lay vaguely wondering about it all, till the rocking
ceased. There was another bump, and then the yellow world seemed to
come to an end; and as the daylight streamed in upon me I fainted
again. This time, when I awoke to consciousness, things were clearer.
I was stretched by a little stream. A native woman was sprinkling
my face and washing the blood from my wounds; while another, who had
with my own knife cut off my coat and shirt, was tearing the latter
into strips to bandage my wounds. The yellow world was explained.
I was lying on the yellow robe of one of the women. They had tied
the ends together, placed a long stick through them, and carried
me in the bag-like hammock. They nodded to me when they saw I was
conscious, and brought water in a large leaf, and poured it into
my mouth. Then one went away for some time, and came back with some
leaves and bark. These they chewed and put on my wounds, bound them
up with strips of my shirt, and then again knotted the ends of the
cloth, and lifting me up, went on as before.

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15