登陆注册
5370200000123

第123章

It was a sight to gaze at for hours, and no description can do justice to its surpassing beauty and interest. For once, the reality exceeded the most glowing accounts I had ever read of the wonders of a coral sea. There is perhaps no spot in the world richer in marine productions, corals, shells and fishes, than the harbour of Amboyna.

From the north side of the harbour, a good broad path passes through swamp clearing and forest, over hill and valley, to the farther side of the island; the coralline rock constantly protruding through the deep red earth which fills all the hollows, and is more or less spread over the plains and hill-sides. The forest vegetation is here of the most luxuriant character; ferns and palms abound, and the climbing rattans were more abundant than I had ever seen them, forming tangled festoons over almost every large forest tree. The cottage I was to occupy was situated in a large clearing of about a hundred acres, part of which was already planted with young cacao-trees and plantains to shade them, while the rest was covered with dead and half-burned forest trees; and on one side there was a tract where the trees had been recently felled and were not yet burned. The path by which I had arrived continued along one side of this clearing, and then again entering the virgin forest passed over hill and dale to the northern aide of the island.

My abode was merely a little thatched hut, consisting of an open verandah in front and a small dark sleeping room behind. It was raised about five feet from the ground, and was reached by rude steps to the centre of the verandah. The walls and floor were of bamboo, and it contained a table, two bamboo chairs, and a couch.

Here I soon made myself comfortable, and set to work hunting for insects among the more recently felled timber, which swarmed with fine Curculionidae, Longicorns, and Buprestidae, most of them remarkable for their elegant forms or brilliant colours, and almost all entirely new to me. Only the entomologist can appreciate the delight with which I hunted about for hours in the hot sunshine, among the branches and twigs and bark of the fallen trees, every few minutes securing insects which were at that time almost all rare or new to European collections.

In the shady forest paths were many fine butterflies, most conspicuous among which was the shining blue Papilio Ulysses, one of the princes of the tribe, though at that time so rare in Europe, I found it absolutely common in Amboyna, though not easy to obtain in fine condition, a large number of the specimens being found when captured to have the wings torn or broken. It flies with a rather weak undulating motion, and from its large size, its tailed wings and brilliant colour, is one of the most tropical-looking insects the naturalist can gaze upon.

There is a remarkable contrast between the beetles of Amboyna and those of Macassar, the latter generally small and obscure, the former large and brilliant. On the whole, the insects here most resemble those of the Aru islands, but they are almost always of distinct species, and when they are most nearly allied to each other, the species of Amboyna are of larger size and more brilliant colours, so that one might be led to conclude that in passing east and west into a less favourable soil and climate, they had degenerated into less striking forms.

Of an evening I generally sat reading in the verandah, ready to capture any insects that were attracted to the light. One night about nine o'clock, I heard a curious noise and rustling overhead, as if some heavy animal were crawling slowly over the thatch. The noise soon ceased, and I thought no more about it and went to bed soon afterwards. The next afternoon just before dinner, being rather tired with my day's work, I was lying on the couch with a book in my hand, when gazing upwards I saw a large mass of something overhead which I had not noticed before.

Looking more carefully I could see yellow and black marks, and thought it must be a tortoise-shell put up there out of the way between the ridge-pole and the roof Continuing to gaze, it suddenly resolved itself into a large snake, compactly coiled up in a kind of knot; and I could detect his head and his bright eyes in the very centre of the folds. The noise of the evening before was now explained. A python had climbed up one of the posts of the house, and had made his way under the thatch within a yard of my head, and taken up a comfortable position in the roof--and I had slept soundly all night directly under him.

I called to my two boys who were skinning birds below and said, "Here's a big snake in the roof;" but as soon as I had shown it to them they rushed out of the house and begged me to come out directly. Finding they were too much afraid to do anything, we called some of the labourers in the plantation, and soon had half a dozen men in consultation outside. One of these, a native of Bouru, where there are a great many snakes, said he would get him out, and proceeded to work in a businesslike manner. He made a strong noose of rattan, and with a long pole in the other hand poked at the snake, who then began slowly to uncoil itself. He then managed to slip the noose over its head, and getting it well on to the body, dragged the animal down. There was a great scuffle as the snake coiled round the chairs and posts to resist his enemy, but at length the man caught hold of its tail, rushed out of the house (running so quick that the creature seemed quite confounded), and tried to strike its head against a tree. He missed however, and let go, and the snake got under a dead trunk close by. It was again poked out, and again the Bourn man caught hold of its tail, and running away quickly dashed its head with a swing against a tree, and it was then easily killed with a hatchet. It was about twelve feet long and very thick, capable of doing much mischief and of swallowing a dog or a child.

同类推荐
  • GHOSTS

    GHOSTS

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 三国典略

    三国典略

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 浮山法句

    浮山法句

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 秘传证治要诀及类方

    秘传证治要诀及类方

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 燕石集

    燕石集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 将军威风承蒙夫人厚爱

    将军威风承蒙夫人厚爱

    〖凤吾之国,传闻有一个年纪轻轻却打败天下无敌手的少将军。可谁能想到却是个惧内夫。“景裕尘,你最好给我解释解释,这朵小白莲花是谁啊!”堂堂一国丞相之女莫名其妙成了一个破将军的正妻,还要天天照顾一朵小白莲,每天提防着那些个烂桃花,身心俱疲啊!“来来来,累了,小的给你按按!”景裕尘一脸奸笑的伸出爪子往自己老婆身上袭去。〗
  • 一婚两制:土豪老公惹不起!

    一婚两制:土豪老公惹不起!

    民政局前遭男友悔婚,沈筱桃一时脑残和陌生男人扯了证。却没想到竟然惹上了京城权势滔天的迟家继承人——迟久。一个小透明,一个大人物,突然成了金凤凰的沈筱桃表示豪门太太不好当!三十六计走为上……然而,大人物不好惹,臭不要脸的求负责。“你这么臭不要脸,吃瓜群众知道么?”“若是失去你,这脸我要来何用?”
  • 异世之界之奇幻传奇

    异世之界之奇幻传奇

    传说,六道一万年一次轮回;传说,六道轮回,毁灭万物……六道轮回,毁灭万物!轮回之门,掌管万物!寻轮回之门,挽救天下苍生……一个来自大山之中平凡的青年林云风,无意之中通过时空之门,进入了一个未知的世界,从而踏上了修真之路,开始了不平凡的一生……他最终能返回现实吗?六道最终会轮回吗?谁来挽救天下苍生?
  • 奢宠三千:腹黑战神顽皮妻

    奢宠三千:腹黑战神顽皮妻

    她,一场意外,灵魂穿越异世大陆,好巧不巧,同名还同姓! 少言少语?懦弱废物?丑女?好,很好,很快就让你们知道什么是鬼才,神兽,幻兽!她信手拈来,异世大陆又怎样?姐姐照样玩的风生水起!他,神族战神,妖孽容颜,惊为天人,高冷强势,藐视众生,伸手可得天下,覆手可灭苍生!他知她,宠她,许亘古不变诺言,“永生永世一双人!” 她唯他,惜他,应,“碧落黄泉不相负!”
  • 诗经楚辞鉴赏辞典

    诗经楚辞鉴赏辞典

    在艺术创作经验上给后世留下了宝贵的财富。《诗经》是我国最早的一部诗歌总集。它反映我国从西周初至春秋中叶五百多年间的古代生活,不仅积淀了周代人民的智慧和经验,而且是华夏文明的文学结晶。《楚辞》是战国时流行于楚国的具有浓郁楚文化色彩的一种诗歌体裁。
  • 雪球专刊第010期:老股民说2

    雪球专刊第010期:老股民说2

    股票投资最忌讳的一点就是你爱上手中的股票。最近季报出来后,我看了不少报表分析文章,但我感觉自己十分欣赏的一些价值投资者和理性分析人士,都不能摆脱这样的毛病。他们在自己手中的股票跟同行业的其他股票相比明显出现短处的情况下,还是会不自觉地为自己的股票寻找各种美化的解释,同时用负面的语言解释其他股票的长处。
  • 都市驱灵录

    都市驱灵录

    “鬼神,你看不到,不代表不存在。”在被卷入真正的恐怖之前,段雨一直以为这不过是一句用来骗人的玩笑话,直到他遇上了一个自称“候补巫女”的女孩。
  • 佛说宝雨经

    佛说宝雨经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 叱咤风云的军事家(2)(世界名人成长历程)

    叱咤风云的军事家(2)(世界名人成长历程)

    《世界名人成长历程——叱咤风云的军事家(2)》本书分为乔治·马歇尔、古德里安、切斯特·尼米兹等部分。
  • 最强特种兵之战鹰

    最强特种兵之战鹰

    鹰眼,一个过去被列入绝密档案的特种兵王,带领着蛟龙分队成为山海丛林中最凌厉的刀刃,直刺入敌人的心脏,长白山的一桩特别任务让蛟龙分队迈进了前所未有的任务中——保护国家宝藏,追讨失宝,不让外敌染指半分!为了国家尊严与荣誉,蛟龙跨越野外,在都市中与敌人短刃相见,战争不止是硝烟弥漫,人心难测更是悬头刀。前路艰险,身为军人,宁战死,挺一身傲骨!(小小青蛇读者群372855502)