The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1874-11-25
u AprhxrunE wIrn MEnMAIps.


tiles have laie away a small vial, which for
mefly contained q medicinal preparation, but
which now holds few drops of . clear, trans.
parent liquid, saline in its nature.
The present contents Of this vial were pre-
scented to me previous to my leaving the Is
land Of Borneo by Dyak chieftain, who as
sured me, with loud emphasis that q few
drops Of the liquid, applied to the rosy checks
4 of a young lady, would seal her love, aud
would cause. her to prove true and faithful
wife for all time.
regret to shy that have never had occa-
sion to test the experiment, and am, therefore,
unwilling to youch for the efficacy of the
same. But have been induced to believe,
4 from which have seen and heard, that the
liquid really possesses wonderful charm, not
unlike that of the amulet, which ignorant and
superstitious people were wont towear about
their necks in bygone days. t M
The liquid in question has the appearance,
Of pure water and when the vial is slightly
shaken it paitakes Of 4 hazy hue, resulting
from the convulson of.thc sediment 1t is
perfectly odorless, and is nearly tasteless land
one would scarcely suppose that it is what it
is said to be--the tears of mermaid Such,
however, is the fact.
In the hot season Of the year the mouth of
the river Rajang is nearly clogged by the sub
aqueous algp which grow there in the great
est profusion. Half way between the banks
the water averages eighteenor twenty feet in
depth. In this locality the dugong which be-
| longsto the genus Sirenio, is found in large
numbers. Popularity speaking, the Outgoing is
! the Borneo appellatiop for what many writ
ers term the " mermaid" l prefer the latter
name because Of its association with ancient
1t rhay be said that the genus Sirenia has
always proved puzzle to atatomists, who are
only half decided as to the proper position
which it holdslin the animal Kingdom. Be-
ing thick-skinned, some biologists have rank
ed them with the elephant family while 9TH
ers have placed them, owing to their fsh-like
form and habits, with the seal tribe, which
latter, though not wholly satisfactory, seems
to be the more reasonable classification. The
mermaid, in length, averages all the way from
one foot six inches to twenty feet. In 1854
one specimen was found near Brunei which
measured twenty-seven feet eight and one
half inches 1t mainly haupts Ceylon, some
of the estuaries on the east coast of Africa,
and nearly all Of the islands of the Malay Ar
chipelago.
/ When lying on shore It very nearly resem-
bes harp seal, but a careful comparison dis
closes several marked and important differ
ences. The natives declare that, with the ex-
ception Of its tail which is forked, 1t looks
like manatee. The manatee being wholly
or quite unfamiliar to most readers, any COM
parison between the two will not prove of
much consequence
In the water the mermaid makes known its
habits to perfection, and it is while IN this sit
uation that the observer must study it if he
wishes to form any accurate notion of its real
nature.
In the first place, it swims to and fro IN
most singular method. Then its head and
neck are always above the surface of the
water, and the rest Of its body is completely
hidden from view. 1t is whilst in this position
that the animal looks for all the world like u
human form and the resemblance is greatly
enhanced when the female Is discovered nurs-
ing her young, and taking the utmost care
that the head of her offspring does not fall be-
low the surface of the current. Thus we may
readily see why the writers of other days were
deceived by the spectacle, and were led to re-
gard the dugong as half fish and half human.
The terms mermaid or norman, sgnifyng a
man or woman of the sea, are therefore re-
ferred back to a very plausible derivation.
We were given to understand by the Dyaks
that the mermaid was a creature well worth
seeing and nothing would satisfy our curios-
ity save making special trip to the regions
where they aboundcd.
So one bright morning we were off en- route
for the mouth Of the Rajang, distant about
seventeen miles from the village where we
we're stopping. Our party made the voyage
in three boats, each of which was manned by
experienced Dyak fishermen. The sole means
of capture were barbed spears, shaped some
thing like those used by the whaemen, and
attached to the sides of the boats by long
ropes manufactured from split bamboo.
Upon arriving at the fishing grounds we
any trace of our victims. At length the lead
er of the party, who knew thoroughly how to
manoeuvre in an affair Of this sort, ordered
the oarsmen to steer directly through the
tangled mesh Of alge which grew on the east
ern side Of the river.
He also enjoined on the American portion OF
the company the strict necessity of remaining
firm in the boat and our interpreter added
that we were liable to be thrown overheard
without moments warning.
After entering the alge the leader began to
lash the weeds with bis spear, and this pro-
ceeding was joined in by several Of his tribe.
Soon afterward there was loud and continued
splashing just ahead Of us, and then several
tails were projected in the air.
The mermaids had taken the alarm and
were hurrying off inrapid haste to the other
side of the current. The boat Which carried
us was turned about, and the Dyaks piled
their bars in pursuit.
sLoolS look 70 shouted DR.. P, the
attending physician at the Government sta
, ton, who had been prevailed upon to join the