第12章

The Jesuits still do their work thoroughly as of old. In Cochin China， Tonquin， and China， where all Christian teachers are obliged to live in secret， and are liable to persecution， expulsion， and sometimes death， every province--even those farthest in the interior--has a permanent Jesuit mission establishment constantly kept up by fresh aspirants， who are taught the languages of the countries they are going to at Penang or Singapore. In China there are said to be near a million converts； in Tonquin and Cochin China， more than half a million.

One secret of the success of these missions is the rigid economy practised in the expenditure of the funds. A missionary is allowed about ā30. a year， on which he lives in whatever country he may be. This renders it possible to support a large number of missionaries with very limited means； and the natives， seeing their teachers living in poverty and with none of the luxuries of life， are convinced that they are sincere in what they teach， and have really given up home and friends and ease and safety， for the good of others. No wonder they make converts， for it must be a great blessing to the poor people among whom they labour to have a man among them to whom they can go in any trouble or distress， who will comfort and advise them， who visits them in sickness， who relieves them in want， and who they see living from day-to-day in danger of persecution and death--entirely for their sakes.

My friend at Bukit-tima was truly a father to his flock. He preached to them in Chinese every Sunday， and had evenings for discussion and conversation on religion during the week. He had a school to teach their children. His house was open to them day and night. If a man came to him and said， "I have no rice for my family to eat today，" he would give him half of what he had in the house， however little that might be. If another said， "I have no money to pay my debt，" he would give him half the contents of his purse， were it his last dollar. So， when he was himself in want， he would send to some of the wealthiest among his flock， and say， "I have no rice in the house，" or "I have given away my money， and am in want of such and such articles." The result was that his flock trusted and loved him， for they felt sure that he was their true friend， and had no ulterior designs in living among them.

The island of Singapore consists of a multitude of small hills， three or four hundred feet high， the summits of many of which are still covered with virgin forest. The mission-house at Bukit-tima was surrounded by several of these wood-topped hills， which were much frequented by woodcutters and sawyers， and offered me an excellent collecting ground for insects. Here and there， too， were tiger pits， carefully covered over with sticks and leaves， and so well concealed， that in several cases I had a narrow escape from falling into them. They are shaped like an iron furnace， wider at the bottom than the top， and are perhaps fifteen or twenty feet deep so that it would be almost impossible for a person unassisted to get out of one. Formerly a sharp stake was stuck erect in the bottom； but after an unfortunate traveller had been killed by falling on one， its use was forbidden. There are always a few tigers roaming about Singapore， and they kill on an average a Chinaman every day， principally those who work in the gambir plantations， which are always made in newly-cleared jungle. We heard a tiger roar once or twice in the evening， and it was rather nervous work hunting for insects among the fallen trunks and old sawpits when one of these savage animals might be lurking close by， awaiting an opportunity to spring upon us.

Several hours in the middle of every fine day were spent in these patches of forest， which were delightfully cool and shady by contrast with the bare open country we had to walk over to reach them. The vegetation was most luxuriant， comprising enormous forest trees， as well as a variety of ferns， caladiums， and other undergrowth， and abundance of climbing rattan palms. Insects were exceedingly abundant and very interesting， and every day furnished scores of new and curious forms.

In about two months I obtained no less than 700 species of beetles， a large proportion of which were quite new， and among them were 130 distinct kinds of the elegant Longicorns (Cerambycidae)， so much esteemed by collectors. Almost all these were collected in one patch of jungle， not more than a square mile in extent， and in all my subsequent travels in the East Irarely if ever met with so productive a spot. This exceeding productiveness was due in part no doubt to some favourable conditions in the soil， climate， and vegetation， and to the season being very bright and sunny， with sufficient showers to keep everything fresh. But it was also in a great measure dependent， I feel sure， on the labours of the Chinese wood-cutters. They had been at work here for several years， and during all that time had furnished a continual supply of dry and dead and decaying leaves and bark， together with abundance of wood and sawdust， for the nourishment of insects and their larvae. This had led to the assemblage of a great variety of species in a limited space， and I was the first naturalist who had come to reap the harvest they had prepared. In the same place， and during my walks in other directions， I obtained a fair collection of butterflies and of other orders of insects， so that on the whole I was quite satisfied with these--my first attempts to gain a knowledge of the Natural History of the Malay Archipelago.