Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-11-30


done by native sailing vessels. which come
in to buy birds nests to sell to the Chinese
for soup, and also tortoise shell and wax,
sandal wood and cinnamon.
The natives wear sarongs like the java
nese. They are taller than the Javarese
and more strongly built They are dark
er than the Malays and have frizzly hair.
which Is rather wavy than woolly. They
file their teeth to point
They are pagans, worshiping the earth.
I am told they do not cultivate the earth
because they consider 1t holy. and that they
only dig for water at times of drought,
when they make holes in the river beds.
Along the coast there are some Mohamme-
dams and few Roman Catholics. There
are two Dutch Catholic mission stations
on the island, but. as a rule, little mission
the whole Dutch East Indies. The Dutch
government does not encourage mission
aries. and I doubt whether any American
missionaries would be permitted to settle
in any of the Asiatic possessions of Hol-
land with a view to Outstanding the
people.
Land of Fire.
Sailing on westward from Flores, we
passed by volcanic islands until we saw
Sumbawa, the land of fire. This island Is
bigger than Jamaica, and it has many vol
canoes, active and dormant 1t has one
whose crater is more than seven miles
wide and SO big that you could drop the
city of Washington in 1t and lose It, Inc
crater was caused by the eruption of Mount
Tambora in 1875 when the whole apex or
the mountain, mass higher and thicker
than all Mount Washington, was blown up
into the air. Tambora was then $4,000 feet
high and 5000 feet of it was sent skyward.
The explosion was so great that 1t was
heard in Sumatra. a thousand miles away,
and also on the Island of Ternate, 800 miles
in the opposite direction. That was a
sample of old Mother Earth's fireworks in
this part of the world. She is always spit
ting forth fire and flame. I can see the
smoke arising from several peaks here at
Soerbaia, and for many months 1 have
been in sight of volcanoes, living and dead.
The eruption of Tambora was among the
greatest ever known Sea captains tell me
that the ocean for miles about was covered
ashes on the sea that the ships had trouble
in making their way through them, and
ashes so filled the air that it was pitch
dark in the daytime long after the explo-
sion away off here in Java, hundreds of
miles to the westward. The whirlwinds
were terrible. They tore up the largest
trees by the roots. Men, horses and cattle
were lifted up into the air and carried
miles. The population about the volcano
was destroyed. and altogether 10000
Of the natives lost their lives. There was
town lying at the foot Of the mountain on
the edge of the sea. When the top blew
off this town sank the sea water covered
1t to the depth of eighteen feet. and there
1t Is to this day. At present there Is no
evidence of fire about this volcano. 1t
made one big blaze and then went out. The
jungle has since grown over the streams Of
lava, and the crater is now mass Of green,
with ragged green edges.
The Island Of sumbawa is ruled by the
Dutch through the natives There are two
towns, each of which has about 5000 peo-
pie, and, in addition, about 100000 living in
villages. The people are not unlike our
tribal chiefs. They are farmers and pony
ralsers Nearly every man has his own
pony, and almost every native rides, car
rying spear with him. He keeps his
fields.
How the Rajah Took the Census.
Shortly after leaving Sumbawa we came
to the Island of .Lombok This Is one Of
the most interesting of the Dutch possess
sions. 1t has been settled for thousands Of
years, but it has been so shut off from the
rest OF the world that it's natives are about
the same as the Javanese were when the
Dutch first came. Many of them are still
H1ndoos In religion, and they are divided
pretty We'll into castles. Every now and
then widow Is burned on the funeral pyre
OF her husband, and the natives have other
old Hindoo customs.
me Dutch govern Lombok just IS they
90 Java, and the taxes are now collected
by the native officials with the assistance
of the Hollanders. At one time in the mast
according to Alfred Russell Wallace. an
jzOnlbOlS
the raJah who was then supreme IN the
country had great trouble in making the
natives pay UP. All taxes were collected in
rice, every village giving SO much. accord
ing to the number Of it's inha bitants The
tax was light, but the island was SO thick
~ populated that the rajah should have
had enough for himself and all his officials
he had, however, thousands Of mobiles
through whom the taxes passed. and after
time he found his revenues steadily fan
ing. reports were sent in from one dis
tr1ct that the people were sick and could
not pay, from another that the crops had
rallen Off, and from others that the vol
canoes had destroyed the lands. At the
same time 1t was observed that the mobiles
were better dressed than ever and that
many OF them were wearing gold and dia-
monds.
the rajah suspected something wrong.
He looked over his receipts and found, &C
cordfng to reports, that the population of
the island had fallen off. He should have
so much rice from each man, woman and
child, and 10! there were not half as MANY
on the island as during his fathers time. He
wanted to take a new census with the
nope OF increasing his revenue, but he
knew that If he asked his officers for it
that they would quickly understand that
he was after their stealings and the number
turned in would just be in proportion to fine
amount OF rice he got last year, so that If
the people knowing it.
Consulted the Great Spirit.
He thought the matter over, and at last
evolved the following plan of action: He
sent out word to all his chiefs, priests and
princes to come to his capital Upon their
arrival he told them that he had had a.
vision In which the spirit Of the fire noun
tain had come to him and directed him to
ascend the volcano, when it would again
appear to him in the flesh and give him
communication Of great Importance TO the
people He said that the chiefs must go
with him almost to the top, and that every
village must furnish men to clear the roads
and build bridges. This was done, and with
great ceremony his royal highness made
the Journey, while the people waited and
wondered. AS they neared the top of the
mountain the rajah ordered all to halt, and
he went on alone to the extinct crater.
He remained there a day and a night.
and then came back looking very grave.
He said that he had had COM
munication, but would not tell what it was.
He said nothing until he had reached his
capital, when he assembled the chiefs,
princes and priests and told them how the
great spirit had appeared to him with a
face like FURNISHED gold and said:
oh rajah, much plague and sickness
and fevers are coming upon all the earth,
upon men. upon horses and upon cattle, hut
90 o,,1 L.