English
Steppingashorehadanexhilaratingeffectonme.
NedLandtestedthesoilwithhisfoot,asifhewerelayingclaimtoit.
Yetithadbeenonlytwomonthssincewehadbecome,asCaptainNemoexpressedit,"passengersontheNautilus,"inotherwords,theliteralprisonersofitscommander.
Inafewminuteswewereagunshotawayfromthecoast.
Thesoilwasalmostentirelymadreporic,butcertaindrystreambedswerestrewnwithgraniterubble,provingthatthisislandwasofprimordialorigin.
Theentirehorizonwashiddenbehindacurtainofwonderfulforests.
Enormoustrees,sometimesashighas200feet,werelinkedtoeachotherbygarlandsoftropicalcreepers,genuinenaturalhammocksthatswayedinamildbreeze.
Thereweremimosas,banyantrees,beefwood,teakwood,hibiscus,screwpines,palmtrees,allminglinginwildprofusion;andbeneaththeshadeoftheirgreencanopies,atthefeetoftheirgigantictrunks,theregreworchids,leguminousplants,andferns.
Meanwhile,ignoringallthesefinespecimensofPapuanflora,theCanadianpassedupthedecorativeinfavorofthefunctional.
Hespottedacoconutpalm,beatdownsomeofitsfruit,brokethemopen,andwedranktheirmilkandatetheirmeatwithapleasurethatwasaprotestagainstourstandardfareontheNautilus.
"Excellent!"NedLandsaid.
"Exquisite!"Conseilreplied.
"AndIdon'tthink,"theCanadiansaid,"thatyourNemowouldobjecttousstashingacargoofcoconutsaboardhisvessel?"
"Iimaginenot,"Ireplied,"buthewon'twanttosamplethem."
"Toobadforhim!"Conseilsaid.
"Andplentygoodforus!"NedLandshotback."There'llbemoreleftover!"
"Awordofcaution,Mr.Land,"Itoldtheharpooner,whowasabouttoravageanothercoconutpalm.
"Coconutsareadmirablethings,butbeforewestufftheskiffwiththem,itwouldbewisetofindoutwhetherthisislandoffersothersubstancesjustasuseful.
SomefreshvegetableswouldbewellreceivedintheNautilus'spantry."
"Masterisright,"Conseilreplied,"andIproposethatwesetasidethreeplacesinourlongboat:oneforfruit,anotherforvegetables,andathirdforvenison,ofwhichIstillhaven'tglimpsedthetiniestspecimen."
"Don'tgiveupsoeasily,Conseil,"theCanadianreplied.
"Solet'scontinueourexcursion,"Iwenton,"butkeepasharplookout.
Thisislandseemsuninhabited,butitstillmightharborcertainindividualswhoaren'tsofinickyaboutthesortofgametheyeat!"
"Heehee!"Nedputin,withameaningfulmovementofhisjaws.
"Ned!Ohhorrors!"Conseilexclaimed.
"Yegods,"theCanadianshotback,"I'mstartingtoappreciatethecharmsofcannibalism!"
"Ned,Ned!Don'tsaythat!"Conseilanswered."Youacannibal?Why,I'llnolongerbesafenexttoyou,Iwhoshareyourcabin!DoesthismeanI'llwakeuphalfdevouredonefineday?"
"I'mawfullyfondofyou,Conseilmyfriend,butnotenoughtoeatyouwhenthere'sbetterfoodaround."
"ThenIdaren'tdelay,"Conseilreplied."Thehuntison!
Weabsolutelymustbagsomegametoplacatethisman–eater,oroneofthesemorningsmasterwon'tfindenoughpiecesofhismanservanttoservehim."
Whileexchangingthischitchat,weenteredbeneaththedarkcanopiesoftheforest,andfortwohoursweexploreditineverydirection.
Wecouldn'thavebeenluckierinoursearchforediblevegetation,andsomeofthemostusefulproduceinthetropicalzonessupplieduswithavaluablefoodstuffmissingonboard.
Imeanthebreadfruittree,whichisquiteabundantonGueboroaIsland,andthereIchieflynotedtheseedlessvarietythatinMalaysiaiscalled"rima."
Thistreeisdistinguishedfromothertreesbyastraighttrunkfortyfeethigh.
Tothenaturalist'seye,itsgracefullyroundedcrown,formedofbigmultilobedleaves,wasenoughtodenotetheartocarpusthathasbeensosuccessfullytransplantedtotheMascareneIslandseastof
Madagascar.Fromitsmassofgreenery,hugeglobularfruitstoodout,adecimeterwideandfurnishedontheoutsidewithcreasesthatassumedahexangularpattern.
It'sahandyplantthatnaturegivestoregionslackinginwheat;withoutneedingtobecultivated,itbearsfruiteightmonthsoutoftheyear.
NedLandwasonfamiliartermswiththisfruit.
Hehadalreadyeatenitonhismanyvoyagesandknewhowtocookitsediblesubstance.
Sotheverysightofitarousedhisappetite,andhecouldn'tcontrolhimself.
"Sir,"hetoldme,"I'lldieifIdon'tsamplealittlebreadfruitpasta!"
"Samplesome,Nedmyfriend,sampleallyoulike.We'reheretoconductexperiments,let'sconductthem."
"Itwon'ttakeaminute,"theCanadianreplied.
Equippedwithamagnifyingglass,helitafireofdeadwoodthatwassooncracklingmerrily.
MeanwhileConseilandIselectedthefinestartocarpusfruit.
Somestillweren'tripeenough,andtheirthickskinscoveredwhite,slightlyfibrouspulps.
Butagreatmanyotherswereyellowishandgelatinous,justbeggingtobepicked.
Thisfruitcontainednopits.ConseilbroughtadozenofthemtoNedLand,whocutthemintothickslicesandplacedthemoverafireoflivecoals,allthewhilerepeating:
"You'llsee,sir,howtastythisbreadis!"
"Especiallysincewe'vegonewithoutbakedgoodsforsolong,"Conseilsaid.
"It'smorethanjustbread,"theCanadianadded."It'sadaintypastry.You'venevereatenany,sir?"
"No,Ned."
"Allright,getreadyforsomethingdownrightdelectable!Ifyoudon'tcomebackforseconds,I'mnolongertheKingofHarpooners!"
Afterafewminutes,thepartsofthefruitexposedtothefirewerecompletelytoasted.
Ontheinsidethereappearedsomewhitepasta,asortofsoftbreadcenterwhoseflavorremindedmeofartichoke.
Thisbreadwasexcellent,Imustadmit,andIateitwithgreatpleasure.
"Unfortunately,"Isaid,"thispastawon'tstayfresh,soitseemspointlesstomakeasupplyforonboard."
"Bythunder,sir!"NedLandexclaimed."Thereyougo,talkinglikeanaturalist,butmeantimeI'llbeactinglikeabaker!Conseil,harvestsomeofthisfruittotakewithuswhenwegoback."
"Andhowwillyouprepareit?"IaskedtheCanadian.
"I'llmakeafermentedbatterfromitspulpthat'llkeepindefinitelywithoutspoiling.
WhenIwantsome,I'lljustcookitinthegalleyonboard—it'llhaveaslightlytartflavor,butyou'llfinditexcellent."
"So,Mr.Ned,Iseethatthisbreadisallweneed—"
"Notquite,professor,"theCanadianreplied."Weneedsomefruittogowithit,oratleastsomevegetables."
"Thenlet'slookforfruitandvegetables."
Whenourbreadfruitharvestingwasdone,wetooktothetrailtocompletethis"dry–landdinner."
Wedidn'tsearchinvain,andnearnoontimewehadanamplesupplyofbananas.
ThisdeliciousproducefromtheTorridZonesripensallyearround,andMalaysians,whogivethemthename"pisang,"eatthemwithoutbotheringtocookthem.
Inadditiontobananas,wegatheredsomeenormousjackfruitwithaverytangyflavor,sometastymangoes,andsomepineapplesofunbelievablesize.
Butthisforagingtookupagooddealofourtime,which,evenso,wehadnocausetoregret.
ConseilkeptNedunderobservation.Theharpoonerwalkedinthelead,andduringhisstrollthroughthisforest,hegatheredwithsurehandssomeexcellentfruitthatshouldhavecompletedhisprovisions.
"So,"Conseilasked,"youhaveeverythingyouneed,Nedmyfriend?"
"Humph!"theCanadianputin.
"What!You'recomplaining?"
"Allthisvegetationdoesn'tmakeameal,"Nedreplied."Justsidedishes,dessert.Butwhere'sthesoupcourse?Where'stheroast?"
"Right,"Isaid."Nedpromiseduscutlets,whichseemshighlyquestionabletome."
"Sir,"theCanadianreplied,"ourhuntingnotonlyisn'tover,ithasn'tevenstarted.Patience!
We'resuretoendupbumpingintosomeanimalwitheitherfeathersorfur,ifnotinthislocality,theninanother."
"Andifnottoday,thentomorrow,becausewemustn'twandertoofaroff,"Conseiladded."That'swhyIproposethatwereturntotheskiff."
"What!Already!"Nedexclaimed.
"Weoughttobebackbeforenightfall,"Isaid.
"Butwhathourisit,then?"theCanadianasked.
"Twoo'clockatleast,"Conseilreplied.
"Howtimefliesonsolidground!"exclaimedMr.NedLandwithasighofregret.
"Offwego!"Conseilreplied.
Sowereturnedthroughtheforest,andwecompletedourharvestbymakingacleansweepofsomepalmcabbagesthathadtobepickedfromthecrownsoftheirtrees,somesmallbeansthatIrecognizedasthe"abrou"oftheMalaysians,andsomehigh–qualityyams.
Wewereoverloadedwhenwearrivedattheskiff.
However,NedLandstillfoundtheseprovisionsinadequate.Butfortunesmiledonhim.
Justaswewereboarding,hespottedseveraltreestwenty–fivetothirtyfeethigh,belongingtothepalmspecies.
Asvaluableastheactocarpus,thesetreesarejustlyrankedamongthemostusefulproduceinMalaysia.
Theyweresagopalms,vegetationthatgrowswithoutbeingcultivated;likemulberrytrees,theyreproducebymeansofshootsandseeds.
NedLandknewhowtohandlethesetrees.
Takinghisaxandwieldingitwithgreatvigor,hesoonstretchedoutonthegroundtwoorthreesagopalms,whosematuritywasrevealedbythewhitedustsprinkledovertheirpalmfronds.
Iwatchedhimmoreasanaturalistthanasamaninhunger.
Hebeganbyremovingfromeachtrunkaninch–thickstripofbarkthatcoveredanetworkoflong,hopelesslytangledfibersthatwereputtiedwithasortofgummyflour.
Thisflourwasthestarch–likesago,anediblesubstancechieflyconsumedbytheMelanesianpeoples.
Forthetimebeing,NedLandwascontenttochopthesetrunksintopieces,asifheweremakingfirewood;laterhewouldextracttheflourbysiftingitthroughclothtoseparateitfromitsfibrousligaments,letitdryoutinthesun,andleaveittohardeninsidemolds.
Finally,atfiveo'clockintheafternoon,ladenwithallourtreasures,welefttheislandbeachandhalfanhourlaterpulledalongsidetheNautilus.Nobodyappearedonourarrival.
Theenormoussheet–ironcylinderseemeddeserted.
Ourprovisionsloadedonboard,Iwentbelowtomystateroom.ThereIfoundmysupperready.Iateandthenfellasleep.
Thenextday,January6:nothingnewonboard.Notasoundinside,notasignoflife.
Theskiffstayedalongsideinthesameplacewehadleftit.
WedecidedtoreturntoGueboroaIsland.
NedLandhopedforbetterluckinhishuntingthanonthedaybefore,andhewantedtovisitadifferentpartoftheforest.
Bysunrisewewereoff.Carriedbyaninboundcurrent,thelongboatreachedtheislandinamatterofmoments.
Wedisembarked,andthinkingitbesttoabidebytheCanadian'sinstincts,wefollowedNedLand,whoselonglegsthreatenedtooutpaceus.
NedLandwentwestwardupthecoast;then,fordingsomestreambeds,hereachedopenplainsthatwereborderedbywonderfulforests.
Somekingfisherslurkedalongthewatercourses,buttheydidn'tletusapproach.
Theircautiousbehaviorprovedtomethatthesewingedcreaturesknewwheretheystoodonbipedsofourspecies,andIconcludedthatifthisislandwasn'tinhabited,atleasthumanbeingspaiditfrequentvisits.
Aftercrossingaprettylushprairie,wearrivedontheoutskirtsofasmallwood,enlivenedbythesingingandsoaringofalargenumberofbirds.
"Still,they'remerelybirds,"Conseilsaid.
"Butsomeareedible,"theharpoonerreplied.
"Wrong,Nedmyfriend,"Conseilanswered,"becauseIseeonlyordinaryparrotshere."
"Conseilmyfriend,"Nedrepliedinallseriousness,"parrotsarelikepheasanttopeoplewithnothingelseontheirplates."
"AndImightadd,"Isaid,"thatwhenthesebirdsareproperlycooked,they'reatleastworthastabofthefork."
Indeed,underthedensefoliageofthiswood,awholehostofparrotsflutteredfrombranchtobranch,needingonlytheproperupbringingtospeakhumandialects.
Atpresenttheywerecacklinginchoruswithparakeetsofeverycolor,withsolemncockatoosthatseemedtobeponderingsomephilosophicalproblem,whilebrightredloriespassedbylikepiecesofbuntingborneonthebreeze,inthemidstofkalaoparrotsraucouslyonthewing,Papuanloriespaintedthesubtlestshadesofazure,andawholevarietyofdelightfulwingedcreatures,noneterriblyedible.
However,onebirduniquetotheseshores,whichneverpassesbeyondtheboundariesoftheAruandPapuanIslands,wasmissingfromthiscollection.
ButIwasgivenachancetomarvelatitsoonenough.
Aftercrossingthroughamoderatelydensethicket,weagainfoundsomeplainsobstructedbybushes.
ThereIsawsomemagnificentbirdssoaringaloft,thearrangementoftheirlongfeatherscausingthemtoheadintothewind.
Theirundulatingflight,thegraceoftheiraerialcurves,andtheplayoftheircolorsalluredanddelightedtheeye.Ihadnotroubleidentifyingthem.
"Birdsofparadise!"Iexclaimed.
"OrderPasseriforma,divisionClystomora,"Conseilreplied.
"Partridgefamily?"NedLandasked.
"Idoubtit,Mr.Land.Nevertheless,I'mcountingonyourdexteritytocatchmeoneofthesedelightfulrepresentativesoftropicalnature!"
"I'llgiveitatry,professor,thoughI'mhandierwithaharpoonthanarifle."
Malaysians,whodoaboomingbusinessinthesebirdswiththeChinese,havevariousmethodsforcatchingthemthatwecouldn'tuse.
Sometimestheysetsnaresonthetopsofthetalltreesthatthebirdofparadisepreferstoinhabit.
Atothertimestheycaptureitwithatenaciousgluethatparalyzesitsmovements.
Theywillevengosofarastopoisonthespringswherethesefowlhabituallydrink.
Butinourcase,allwecoulddowasfireatthemonthewing,whichleftuslittlechanceofgettingone.
Andintruth,weusedupagoodpartofourammunitioninvain.
Neareleveno'clockinthemorning,weclearedthelowerslopesofthemountainsthatformtheisland'scenter,andwestillhadn'tbaggedathing.Hungerspurreduson.
Thehuntershadcountedonconsumingtheproceedsoftheirhunting,andtheyhadmiscalculated.
Luckily,andmuchtohissurprise,Conseilpulledoffaright–and–leftshotandinsuredourbreakfast.
Hebroughtdownawhitepigeonandaringdove,whichwerebrisklyplucked,hungfromaspit,androastedoverablazingfireofdeadwood.
Whilethesefascinatinganimalswerecooking,Nedpreparedsomebreadfromtheartocarpus.
Thenthepigeonandringdoveweredevouredtothebonesanddeclaredexcellent.
Nutmeg,onwhichthesebirdshabituallygorgethemselves,sweetenstheirfleshandmakesitdeliciouseating.
"Theytastelikechickenstuffedwithtruffles,"Conseilsaid.
"Allright,Ned,"IaskedtheCanadian,"nowwhatdoyouneed?"
"Gamewithfourpaws,ProfessorAronnax,"NedLandreplied."Allthesepigeonsareonlyappetizers,snacks.SotillI'vebaggedananimalwithcutlets,Iwon'tbehappy!"
"NorI,Ned,untilI'vecaughtabirdofparadise."
"Thenlet'skeephunting,"Conseilreplied,"butwhileheadingbacktothesea.We'vearrivedatthefoothillsofthesemountains,andIthinkwe'lldobetterifwereturntotheforestregions."
Itwasgoodadviceandwetookit.Afteranhour'swalkwereachedagenuinesagopalmforest.Afewharmlesssnakesfledunderfoot.
Birdsofparadisestoleoffatourapproach,andIwasinrealdespairofcatchingonewhenConseil,walkinginthelead,stoopedsuddenly,gaveatriumphantshout,andcamebacktome,carryingamagnificentbirdofparadise.
"Ohbravo,Conseil!"Iexclaimed.
"Masteristookind,"Conseilreplied.
"Notatall,myboy.Thatwasastrokeofgenius,catchingoneoftheselivebirdswithyourbarehands!"
"Ifmasterwillexamineitclosely,he'llseethatIdeservenogreatpraise."
"Andwhynot,Conseil?"
"Becausethisbirdisasdrunkasalord."
"Drunk?"
"Yes,master,drunkfromthenutmegsitwasdevouringunderthatnutmegtreewhereIcaughtit.See,Nedmyfriend,seethemonstrousresultsofintemperance!"
"Damnation!"theCanadianshotback."ConsideringtheamountofginI'vehadthesepasttwomonths,you'vegotnothingtocomplainabout!"
MeanwhileIwasexaminingthisunusualbird.Conseilwasnotmistaken.
Tipsyfromthatpotentjuice,ourbirdofparadisehadbeenreducedtohelplessness.Itwasunabletofly.Itwasbarelyabletowalk.
Butthisdidn'talarmme,andIjustletitsleepoffitsnutmeg.
ThisbirdbelongedtothefinestoftheeightspeciescreditedtoPapuaanditsneighboringislands.
Itwasa"greatemerald,"oneoftherarestbirdsofparadise.Itmeasuredthreedecimeterslong.
Itsheadwascomparativelysmall,anditseyes,placedneartheopeningofitsbeak,werealsosmall.
Butitofferedawonderfulmixtureofhues:ayellowbeak,brownfeetandclaws,hazelwingswithpurpletips,paleyellowheadandscruffoftheneck,emeraldthroat,thebellyandchestmaroontobrown.
Twostrands,madeofahornsubstancecoveredwithdown,roseoveritstail,whichwaslengthenedbylong,verylightfeathersofwonderfulfineness,andtheycompletedthecostumeofthismarvelousbirdthattheislandershavepoeticallynamed"thesunbird."
HowIwishedIcouldtakethissuperbbirdofparadisebacktoParis,tomakeagiftofittothezooattheBotanicalGardens,whichdoesn'townasinglelivespecimen.
"Soitmustbeararityorsomething?"theCanadianasked,inthetoneofahunterwho,fromtheviewpointofhisart,givesthegameaprettylowrating.
"Agreatrarity,mygallantcomrade,andaboveallveryhardtocapturealive.
Andevenafterthey'redead,there'sstillamajormarketforthesebirds.
Sothenativeshavefiguredouthowtocreatefakeones,likepeoplecreatefakepearlsordiamonds."
"What!"Conseilexclaimed."Theymakecounterfeitbirdsofparadise?"
"Yes,Conseil."
"Andismasterfamiliarwithhowtheislandersgoaboutit?"
"Perfectlyfamiliar.Duringtheeasterlymonsoonseason,birdsofparadiselosethemagnificentfeathersaroundtheirtailsthatnaturalistscall'below–the–wing'feathers.
Thesefeathersaregatheredbythefowlforgersandskillfullyfittedontosomepoorpreviouslymutilatedparakeet.
Thentheypaintoverthesuture,varnishthebird,andshipthefruitsoftheiruniquelaborstomuseumsandcollectorsinEurope."
"Goodenough!"NedLandputin."Ifitisn'ttherightbird,it'sstilltherightfeathers,andsolongasthemerchandiseisn'tmeanttobeeaten,Iseenogreatharm!"
Butifmydesireswerefulfilledbythecaptureofthisbirdofparadise,thoseofourCanadianhuntsmanremainedunsatisfied.
Luckily,neartwoo'clockNedLandbroughtdownamagnificentwildpigofthetypethenativescall"bari–outang."
Thisanimalcameinthenickoftimeforustobagsomerealquadrupedmeat,anditwaswarmlywelcomed.
NedLandprovedhimselfquitegloriouslywithhisgunshot.
Hitbyanelectricbullet,thepigdroppeddeadonthespot.
TheCanadianproperlyskinnedandcleanedit,afterremovinghalfadozencutletsdestinedtoserveasthegrilledmeatcourseofoureveningmeal.
Thenthehuntwasonagain,andoncemorewouldbemarkedbytheexploitsofNedandConseil.
Inessence,beatingthebushes,thetwofriendsflushedaherdofkangaroosthatfledbyboundingawayontheirelasticpaws.
Buttheseanimalsdidn'tfleesoswiftlythatourelectriccapsulescouldn'tcatchupwiththem.
"Oh,professor!"shoutedNedLand,whosehuntingfeverhadgonetohisbrain.
"Whatexcellentgame,especiallyinastew!WhatasupplyfortheNautilus!Two,three,fivedown!
Andjustthinkhowwe'lldevourallthismeatourselves,whilethosenumbskullsonboardwon'tgetashred!"
Inhisuncontrollableglee,IthinktheCanadianmighthaveslaughteredthewholehorde,ifhehadn'tbeensobusytalking!
Buthewascontentwithadozenofthesefascinatingmarsupials,whichmakeupthefirstorderofaplacentalmammals,asConseiljusthadtotellus.
Theseanimalsweresmallinstature.Theywereaspeciesofthose"rabbitkangaroos"thatusuallydwellinthehollowsoftreesandaretremendouslyfast;butalthoughofmoderatedimensions,theyatleastfurnishameatthat'shighlyprized.
Wewerethoroughlysatisfiedwiththeresultsofourhunting.
AgleefulNedproposedthatwereturnthenextdaytothismagicisland,whichheplannedtodepopulateofitseveryediblequadruped.Buthewasreckoningwithoutevents.
Bysixo'clockintheevening,wewerebackonthebeach.Theskiffwasagroundinitsusualplace.TheNautilus,lookinglikealongreef,emergedfromthewavestwomilesoffshore.
Withoutfurtherado,NedLandgotdowntotheimportantbusinessofdinner.
Hecamewonderfullytotermswithitsentirecooking.
Grillingoverthecoals,thosecutletsfromthe"bari–outang"soongaveoffasucculentaromathatperfumedtheair.
ButIcatchmyselffollowingintheCanadian'sfootsteps.Lookatme—inecstasyoverfreshlygrilledpork!PleasegrantmeapardonasI'vealreadygrantedonetoMr.Land,andonthesamegrounds!
Inshort,dinnerwasexcellent.Tworingdovesroundedoutthisextraordinarymenu.
Sagopasta,breadfromtheartocarpus,mangoes,halfadozenpineapples,andthefermentedliquorfromcertaincoconutsheightenedourglee.
Isuspectthatmytwofinecompanionsweren'tquiteasclearheadedasonecouldwish.
"Whatifwedon'treturntotheNautilusthisevening?"Conseilsaid.
"Whatifweneverreturntoit?"NedLandadded.
Justthenastonewhizzedtowardus,landedatourfeet,andcutshorttheharpooner'sproposition.
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