444 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Dec, 6, 1902. 
their rear guard posted in a COfflitianding position across 
the valley. A fight ensued, in which a man named Brad- 
ley was killed and the little party was forced to retreat, 
the Indians greatly outnumbering them and having all the 
advantage of defense. 
"It is a matter of history how Gen, Miles finally 
rounded up the nez Perces near the Bear Paw Moun- 
tains. That was only a few days after they made things 
so lively for us at Cow Island." 
Javanese Notes. 
While in Melbourne I made the acquaintance of a 
person recently arrived from Batavia, who informed me 
that in the zoological garden at that place there was a 
young Javan rhinoceros, which was for sale. Very nat- 
urally I was anxious to procure such a rare specimen, 
therefore pushed the collection of Australian fauna with 
all possible dispatch and took passage in the first steamer 
for Batavia. We passed up inside the Great Barrier 
Reef, making a day's stop at Somerset, Torres Sti'aits. 
As we steamed into the harbor, I noticed several small 
craft lying at anchor, and on inquiry was informed that 
they were pearl fishers, with mixed crews of Caucasians 
and South Sea Islanders. They all hailed from Sydney, 
where their owners had fitted them out, giving the crews 
a percentage of the finds, Avhich were mainly pearl shells. 
Just before we steamed out of the harbor, a rowboat 
came alongside, and as I happened to be standing near 
the gangway, I was accosted by the steersman, wishing 
to know if he could be favored with a late Sydney paper. 
Answering that I had several in my stateroom, which I 
would gladly present to him, if he would come on board. 
I piloted him down into the cabin, and slyly ordered the 
steward to bring a bottle of brandy, which was duly 
served while I was handing over the papers. As he 
seemed to enjoy his drink so much, I determined to give 
him a chance "to finish the bottle at his leisure. Pretend- 
ing to go into my stateroom in search of more papers, I 
passed into the steward's sanctum, gave him orders to roll 
the bottle up in a bit of paper, pass it down to the crew of 
South Sea Islanders, and say it was for the skipper. 
Keeping in niy quarters long enough to give the steward 
time to do as ordered, I reappeared with a second batch 
of papers, accompanied the skipper on deck, and saw 
him start for his little craft, after a profusion of thanks. 
When he reached his vessel, he sprang on board and 
started for the cabin, when he was stopped by the violent 
gesticulations of one of the boat's crew, who passed up 
the bottle of brandy. He waved it toward me, rushed 
below, instantly reappeared and gave some orders to the 
crew, who immediately pulled toward the steamer with 
all possible speed. Our screw had begun to revolve when 
they got alongside, and tossed a parcel on deck, which, on 
opening, proved to be five pounds of magnificent tortoise 
shell, some of which is yet in my possession, in the shape 
of a toilet comb and a cap brim. 
We passed into the harbor of Batavia just about dusk, 
and by the time we had passed the health officials it was 
quite dark. One other passenger accompanied the cap- 
tain and myself on shore, where we hired gharrys and 
started for the European or modern portion of the city, 
where the hotels are situated. Our route passed through 
the Chinese quarter with its streets completely illumi- 
nated and thronged with people, which the captam ex- 
plained by informing us that it was the week of Chinese 
New Year. On our arrival at the hotel the captam left 
us, in order to drive further up the city to the residence 
of his agent. I smoked a cheroot, was shown to my 
room and had just stretched out for a good nights rest 
when I heard the noise of wheels in the courtyard of the 
hotel, and immediately afterward was requested to get up 
and go to the office, where the captain wished to see me. 
On so doing, he informed me that he had learned, through 
his agent, that one of the. steamers of his line had been 
wrecked, consequently it would be necessary for him to 
reach Singapore as son as possible, in order to make an 
extra trip in place of his unfortunate consort. Therefore 
I would have to hurry on board with him, gather up my 
luggage and get back on shore as soon as possible, as it 
was his intention to get up steam immediately and head 
for Singapore. I climbed into the gharry with him, and 
on our arrival at the pier it was some time before we 
could procure a boat. With the aid of a native police- 
man we finally succeeded in getting one, and pulled out 
to the steamer. I hastened below, bundled up iny traps, 
and on returning on deck was thunderstruck to find that 
the boat had gone ashore, as the captain, m his hurry, had 
forgotten to hold it for me. He proffered to man one of 
his boats to send me ashore, but I saved lum the trou- 
ble by making out in the approaching daylight the hull 
of a vessel anchored not a great way from us. Pitching 
my luggage into the gig, which had not been hoisted on 
board two of the crew pulled me off to our neighbor. 
On drawing near I made her out to be an English steamer 
with several native boats at her gangway, evidently 
soliciting jobs. Hailing an officer, who was standing on 
the poop, I explained mv dilemma, whereupon he stepped 
to the bulwarks, spoke a few words m Malay to the 
parties in one of the boats, and directed me to make a 
transfer to it. Hastily following his directions, I found 
myself heading for the shore, while the gig returned to 
the steamer. The officer kindly shouted the amount I 
would have to pay for the service, for which i thanked 
him by a wave of my hat, and in a comparatively short 
time I found myself again landed in Batavia. Fortunately 
I ran against a policeman who spoke Enghsh, so I had no 
difficulty in securing a gharry to dron' nie at the hotel, 
from which I had hurriedly departed a lew hours pre- 
vious. Notwithstanding having lost an entire night s 
sleep as soon as I had finished my breakfast, I hurried 
out to the zoological garden, and was annoyed to ascer- 
tain that young Jamrade had purchased the rhinoceros 
and started with it for London. Returning to the hotel, i 
dropped asleep and did not awake until the time of taking 
the usual afternon bath and dressing for dinner. _ 
After dinner I took a seat on the front portico, and 
while enjoying a cheroot, my attention was attracted by 
the throngs of natives, all of whom were heading down 
to the Chinese quarter, which called to my memory the 
caotain's remarks on the previous evening, whereupon I 
determined to join the crowd and endeavor to see what- 
ever was novel and interesting in the observance of the 
New Year's festival. By simply following the groups of 
curious investigators, I soon reached the district in- 
habited exclusively by Chinese, and was astonished at 
the entire cessation of all kinds of business and the Com- 
plete yielding of the whole population to conviviality and 
eiijojrment, Every house, from the poorest to the most 
affluent, was open for the entertainment of acquaintances, 
while tiie streets were filled with symbolical floats, monte- 
banks, acrobats, tumblers, etc., and at one place I met a 
party of three, which forcibly reminded me of the English 
carol singers. Should I happen to stop in front of the 
house of one of the poorer class, the occupant would dart 
out, attach a pack of firecrackers to a bit of bamboo thrust 
into the pavement, seize me by hand and draw me inside 
to take a cup of tea, while the noise of the exploding 
crackers served as a signal for a party of merry andrews 
to give their performance in front of the house for my 
especial gratification. If I chanced to loiter in front of 
the residence of one of the wealthier class, the servants 
would instantly request me to pass in, where the pro- 
prietor insisted on my imbibing something, from beer to 
champagne. I spent several pleasant evenings wandering 
about taking in the sights, but on the last night of the 
festival underwent my most singular experience. Finding 
that nearly every one headed in the direction of the 
Chinese captain's residence, which had been pointed out 
to me on a previous evening. I followed the crowd, and 
soon found myself in its vicinity. A cordon of native 
police kept quite an open space in front of it, which, a few 
moments after my arrival, was filled by the conveyances 
of a lot of Dutcla officials, who had evidently called to 
pass the compliments of the season. After delivering 
their loads, the carriages were driven off, while the police 
still kept the space clear, and I pushed my way up close to 
them, in order to obtain a good look at the officials, who 
had ascended to the upper portion of a portico, which ex- 
tended along the entire front of the house. In my eager- 
ness, I pressed against one of the police, who, looking 
over his shoulder, detected me, and immediately beckoned 
to one of the group of servants, who stood at the en- 
trance. He answered the signal, exchanged a few words 
with the policeman, w^ent into the house and soon re- 
turned, spoke to the officer, who immediately signed for 
me to follow the servant. I did so, and on reaching the 
doorway was received by the master, who spoke excellent 
English, informing me that the party above were the 
Governor General and his statf, who were paying an 
official call, and of course he was obliged to show them 
every attention. Therefore, I would have to excuse him 
for a short time, but so soon as they took their depar- 
ture, he would endeavor to make amends for his seeming 
incivility. Turning me over to one of his head servants, 
he hurried off, while I was piloted to the far end of the 
portico, seated at a small table, and speedily served with 
a pint bottle of champagne and a bundle of cheroots. Then 
commenced a regular Mardi Gras parade. In honor of 
his guests, the Captain had hired all the floats, rare shows, 
jugglers, acrobats, etc., which had filled the neighboring 
streets, to pass in procession in front of his residence. It 
was headed by an enormous fiery dragon, about a hundred 
feet in length, and spitting a mass of flames every few 
steps. It had more legs than a centipede, and I wondered 
how many Chinamen were hidden under its flame-in- 
crusted cuticle. At the end of the parade, the officials 
bade the host a ceremonious adieu, who immediately took 
a seat opposite to myself, ordered additional refresh- 
ments and endeavored to make himself as agreeable as 
possible, and I am perfectly willing to acknowledge that 
he made a success. At the conclusion of our chat, he 
insisted on my acceptance of the use of his private gharry 
for conveyance to my hotel. 
The next morning T concluded that I had spent about 
as much time as could be spared in giving attention to 
sights which were new to me, and determined _ to busy 
myself in trying to find out if there was any possibility of 
obtaining what I had originally wished to procure- 
namely, a living specimen of the Javanese rhinoceros. 
By dint of persistent inquiry, I learned through our con- 
sular agent that the most likely person to render me as- 
sistance was the landlord of a hotel at Buitenzorg, a vil- 
lage some thirty-five or forty miles from Batavia by rail- 
way. Taking a morning train, I was surprised to find 
that it was officered entirely by native Malays. At a 
later date I visited the workshops of the road and found 
them filled with the same race, who were performing 
all the labor, mechanical and otherwise, under the super- 
vision of Hollanders. I found the landlord at Buitenzorg 
was an Italian, who had left home in his youthful days 
and wandered to New York, San Francisco, Japan, India, 
and finally to Java. He was a most enthusiastic sports- 
man, and usually made one or two trips yearly well into 
the interior, in quest of large game. He immediately 
proffered to do all in his power to assist me, and sug- 
gested the propriety of starting several runners in various 
directions to try and ascertain the whereabouts of a 
mother and calf rhinoceros, as it would be necessary to 
kill the mother in order to capture the youngster. Being 
convinced that his advice was correct, I authorized him 
to immediately engage and start the scouts, while I re- 
turned to Batavia, in order to arrange with my_ banker 
for funds to use during my expedition to the interior. 
Calling at his office immediately after my arrival in the 
city, I was sorry to learn that he was absent, and not 
expected to return for some ten days, therefore was com- 
pelled to remain quiet until his return, consequently de- 
voted myself to an investigation of Javanese life, which 
proved to be entirely different from anything I had ever 
experienced in my wanderings. 
The first novelty that struck me forcibly was the pecu- 
liar mode of hotel life. To use an Irishism, my chamber 
maid was a man, who not only performed all the duties 
about my bedroom usually discharged by a female, but 
also waited on me at the table. Every article which I 
used in taking my meals was kept on a small table in my 
room, and carried to the dining hall at luncheon and din- 
ner hours. My breakfast was served to me individually 
on the portico in front of my quarters. I afterward found 
out that every article I used was counted out to my 
servitor, and he was held personally responsible for them. 
Much to mv surprise, I discovered that the flavor of the 
coffee was unpleasant, which was a disappointment, as 
next to Mocha I had always considered Old Government 
Java a most palatable beverage. But a short time elapsed 
before I found a reason for the unpalatable taste. I was 
drinking new instead of Old Government Java, which I 
had been accustomed to imbibe. The first forenoon _ I 
was startled by seeing the lady guests passing abotit m 
thorough deshabille, being dressed in complete Malay cos* 
tume of sarong, etc, with stockingless feet thrust into 
slippers, and the hair hanging loosely about the shoulders. 
When I saw how they suffered from the heat at the din- 
ner table when dressed a la mode, I was perfectly willing 
to acknowledge the sensibility of their morning costumes. 
In passing through the bar room, my attention was at- 
tracted by a sign of "'American Cocktails," hung in a 
conspicuous place. I immediately ordered one, and was 
astounded when the barkeeper, Avho was a Chinaman, 
compounded an eggnog. Turning to the landlord, who 
was a German, I asked if that mixture was what he called 
a cocktail. On being assured that it was, I proffered to 
teach him how to concoct a genuine one. He instantly 
assented, and with the help of some Angostura bitters 
and French brandy, I brewed two, one of which he im- 
bibed, and in a trice ordered the Chinaman to use my 
recipe henceforth, as the eggs enhanced the cost of those 
previously dealt out. In wandering about the city, I 
was unable to detect a cellar, as all the buildings stand 
on brick or stone pillars, thus affording a free circulation 
of air underneath, for the purpose of cooling the floors. 
Even the Bank of Java stands on brick pillars of sufficient 
height to allow the gharrys of its customers to drive 
underneath and remain in the shade while the owner is 
transacting his business on the floor above. It struck 
me that such construction was a direct invitation to 
burglars, which I afterward discovered was checked by 
the presence of an armed posse from 3 P. M. until 10 
A. M. Strange to relate, one of my most singular ex- 
periences happened in this building. So soon as my 
banker returned, I hastened to his office, in order to make 
the financial arrangements for my proposed trip to the 
interior. On my informing him that it would be neces- 
sary for me to carry quite an amount of small change, in 
order to pay my expenses while among the natives, he 
told me that it would be impossible to get it, as it was so 
very scarce that the bank refused to supply their best cus- 
tomers, even at a high rate of premium. Somewhat crest- 
fallen on receiving this bit of unwelcome news, I de- 
termined to leave no stone unturned, in order to accom- 
plish my purpose. I begged that he would send one of 
his clerks with me to the bank, in order to be properly 
introduced to its officials. He instantly assented, and 
ordered one of them to accompany me. Handing me a 
cheque for the amount I wished, he wished me success, 
but expressed a fear that I would make a failure. Jump- 
ing into a gharry, it was but a few minutes before we 
reached the building, and on entering I was surprised to 
find that all the tellers, etc., were Chinamen. On being 
shown into the cashier's room, I found myself face to face 
with another one. After being duly introduced by my 
companion, the Celestial politely inquired my errand. 
Handing him the cheque, I explained to him how neces- 
sary it was for me to be well provided with a quantity of 
small change for my proposed trip, and would esteem it 
as a great favor if he would let me have it, and I would 
willingly pay whatever premium he might see fit_ to 
charge. He laughingly replied, "I heard of your arrival 
and proposed trip, and was sure that I would have a 
chance to bleed you financially before you could get away. 
Come out to the paying teller and we will see what can 
be done for you." 
Passing out of the office to the teller's counter, he said : 
"Give this gentleman all the small change he wishes in 
cashing this cheque, and don't charge any premium 
for it." 
Before I could recover from the amazement caused by 
his generous action, he had darted into his private office 
and closed the door, thus preventing any heart-felt 
thanks. In spite of my amazement, I could not prevent 
a smile at the startled appearance of my companion, and 
at the same time, a thought flashed across my mind of 
how I would have been served, in like circumstances, in 
my native land. Having thus fortunately gotten rid of 
my principal hindrance, I hurried off to Buitenzorg {Sans 
Souci) to confer with Ferrari about the details of my 
proposed trip, and was disappointed to learn that none of 
the runners had returned, therefore was compelled to 
tarry until they should put in an appearance. 
I found Buitenzorg well deserved its name of "without 
care," as it was beautifully situated on much higher 
ground than Batavia, and regularly frequented as a health 
resort by the inhabitants of that torrid city. One of my 
favorite resorts was the botanic gardens, said to be the 
finest in the world, and immediately adjoining which is 
the residence of the Governor General of thfc Dutch East 
Indies. Every afternoon I spent several hours wandering 
about and feasting my eyes on the wealth of tropical 
vegetation, contained in this unequalled repository, and 
one of my favorite strolls was through a magnificent 
avenue of the famous Upas trees. During my sojourn 
in Adelaide, South Australia, I had been taught by Dr. 
Schomburgk, superintendent of the Botanical Gardens, 
and brother of the discoverer of the celebrated Victoria 
regia, how to fix upon the hour of bloom of that wonder- 
ful plant, so that each afternoon I wQuld seat myself 
alongside one of the many ponds containing specimens 
of this strange flower and enjoy its delicious perfume, 
which only lasts but a few minutes after blooining. 
One evening, just after dinner, while I was sitting on 
the porch in front of my room, enjoying a genuine Ma- 
nila cheroot, Ferrari introduced a gentleman who ex- 
pressed a wish to have some private conversation with 
me. So soon as the landlord retired, he informed me 
that he was the agent for a firm in London, which made 
a specialty of dealing in orchids, and that he was m search 
of a species; only one specimen of which had ever ap- 
peared in market, which had died soon after its arrival. 
He said that he had wandered all over India; even to 
the highest portions of the Himalayas, through Ceylon, 
Malacca and Sumatra, without discovering a trace of it, 
and learning from the landlord that I was somewhat of a 
globe-trotter, he was in hopes that I could give him 
some information that would be helpful in his quest. I 
promised to take him the next day to that portion of the 
Botanic Gardens, which was devoted to them, so that he 
could quietly investigate the collection without exciting 
any suspicion of his intentions, as he did not wish from 
financial motives, that any one should divine his busi- 
ness. The next morning I proposed that we should first 
examine the different species on the trees in the grounds 
of the hotel, and had nearly finished our search when I 
pointed out one, which he had hastily passed, without at- 
tracting his attention. He gave a shout, and started to 
