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1A FEW DAYS ON LAND I was much impressed on touching land. Ned Land tried the soil with his feet, as if to take
2possession of it. However, it was only two months before that we had become, according to Captain Nemo, "passengers on
3board the Nautilus," but, in reality, prisoners of its commander. In a few minutes we were within musket-shot of the
4coast. The whole horizon was hidden behind a beautiful curtain of forests. Enormous trees, the trunks of which attained
5a height of 200 feet, were tied to each other by garlands of bindweed, real natural hammocks, which a light breeze
6rocked. They were mimosas, figs, hibisci, and palm trees, mingled together in profusion; and under the shelter of their
7verdant vault grew orchids, leguminous plants, and ferns. But, without noticing all these beautiful specimens of Papuan
8flora, the Canadian abandoned the agreeable for the useful. He discovered a coco-tree, beat down some of the fruit,
9broke them, and we drunk the milk and ate the nut with a satisfaction that protested against the ordinary food on the
10Nautilus. "Excellent!" said Ned Land. "Exquisite!" replied Conseil. "And I do not think," said the Canadian, "that he
11would object to our introducing a cargo of coco-nuts on board." "I do not think he would, but he would not taste them."
12"So much the worse for him," said Conseil. "And so much the better for us," replied Ned Land. "There will be more for
13us." "One word only, Master Land," I said to the harpooner, who was beginning to ravage another coco-nut tree.
14"Coco-nuts are good things, but before filling the canoe with them it would be wise to reconnoitre and see if the island
15does not produce some substance not less useful. Fresh vegetables would be welcome on board the Nautilus." "Master is
16right," replied Conseil; "and I propose to reserve three places in our vessel, one for fruits, the other for vegetables,
17and the third for the venison, of which I have not yet seen the smallest specimen." "Conseil, we must not despair," said
18the Canadian. "Let us continue," I returned, "and lie in wait. Although the island seems uninhabited, it might still
19contain some individuals that would be less hard than we on the nature of game." "Ho! ho!" said Ned Land, moving his
20jaws significantly. "Well, Ned!" said Conseil. "My word!" returned the Canadian, "I begin to understand the charms of
21anthropophagy." "Ned! Ned! what are you saying? You, a man-eater? I should not feel safe with you, especially as I share
22your cabin. I might perhaps wake one day to find myself half devoured." "Friend Conseil, I like you much, but not enough
23to eat you unnecessarily." "I would not trust you," replied Conseil. "But enough. We must absolutely bring down some
24game to satisfy this cannibal, or else one of these fine mornings, master will find only pieces of his servant to serve
25him." While we were talking thus, we were penetrating the sombre arches of the forest, and for two hours we surveyed it
26in all directions. Chance rewarded our search for eatable vegetables, and one of the most useful products of the
27tropical zones furnished us with precious food that we missed on board. I would speak of the bread-fruit tree, very
28abundant in the island of Gilboa; and I remarked chiefly the variety destitute of seeds, which bears in Malaya the name
29of "rima." Ned Land knew these fruits well. He had already eaten many during his numerous voyages, and he knew how to
30prepare the eatable substance. Moreover, the sight of them excited him, and he could contain himself no longer.
31"Master," he said, "I shall die if I do not taste a little of this bread-fruit pie." "Taste it, friend Ned--taste it as
32you want. We are here to make experiments--make them." "It won't take long," said the Canadian. And, provided with a
33lentil, he lighted a fire of dead wood that crackled joyously. During this time, Conseil and I chose the best fruits of
34the bread-fruit. Some had not then attained a sufficient degree of maturity; and their thick skin covered a white but
35rather fibrous pulp. Others, the greater number yellow and gelatinous, waited only to be picked. These fruits enclosed
36no kernel. Conseil brought a dozen to Ned Land, who placed them on a coal fire, after having cut them in thick slices,
37and while doing this repeating: "You will see, master, how good this bread is. More so when one has been deprived of it
38so long. It is not even bread," added he, "but a delicate pastry. You have eaten none, master?" "No, Ned." "Very well,
39prepare yourself for a juicy thing. If you do not come for more, I am no longer the king of harpooners." After some
40minutes, the part of the fruits that was exposed to the fire was completely roasted. The interior looked like a white
41pasty, a sort of soft crumb, the flavour of which was like that of an artichoke. It must be confessed this bread was
42excellent, and I ate of it with great relish. "What time is it now?" asked the Canadian. "Two o'clock at least," replied
43Conseil. "How time flies on firm ground!" sighed Ned Land. "Let us be off," replied Conseil. We returned through the
44forest, and completed our collection by a raid upon the cabbage-palms, that we gathered from the tops of the trees,
45little beans that I recognised as the "abrou" of the Malays, and yams of a superior quality. We were loaded when we
46reached the boat. But Ned Land did not find his provisions sufficient. Fate, however, favoured us. Just as we were
47pushing off, he perceived several trees, from twenty-five to thirty feet high, a species of palm-tree. At last, at five
48o'clock in the evening, loaded with our riches, we quitted the shore, and half an hour after we hailed the Nautilus. No
49one appeared on our arrival. The enormous iron-plated cylinder seemed deserted. The provisions embarked, I descended to
50my chamber, and after supper slept soundly. The next day, 6th January, nothing new on board. Not a sound inside, not a
51sign of life. The boat rested along the edge, in the same place in which we had left it. We resolved to return to the
52island. Ned Land hoped to be more fortunate than on the day before with regard to the hunt, and wished to visit another
53part of the forest. At dawn we set off. The boat, carried on by the waves that flowed to shore, reached the island in a
54few minutes. We landed, and, thinking that it was better to give in to the Canadian, we followed Ned Land, whose long
55limbs threatened to distance us. He wound up the coast towards the west: then, fording some torrents, he gained the high
56plain that was bordered with admirable forests. Some kingfishers were rambling along the water-courses, but they would
57not let themselves be approached. Their circumspection proved to me that these birds knew what to expect from bipeds of
58our species, and I concluded that, if the island was not inhabited, at least human beings occasionally frequented it.
59After crossing a rather large prairie, we arrived at the skirts of a little wood that was enlivened by the songs and
60flight of a large number of birds. "There are only birds," said Conseil. "But they are eatable," replied the harpooner.
61"I do not agree with you, friend Ned, for I see only parrots there." "Friend Conseil," said Ned, gravely, "the parrot is
62like pheasant to those who have nothing else." "And," I added, "this bird, suitably prepared, is worth knife and fork."
63Indeed, under the thick foliage of this wood, a world of parrots were flying from branch to branch, only needing a
64careful education to speak the human language. For the moment, they were chattering with parrots of all colours, and
65grave cockatoos, who seemed to meditate upon some philosophical problem, whilst brilliant red lories passed like a piece
66of bunting carried away by the breeze, papuans, with the finest azure colours, and in all a variety of winged things
67most charming to behold, but few eatable. However, a bird peculiar to these lands, and which has never passed the limits
68of the Arrow and Papuan islands, was wanting in this collection. But fortune reserved it for me before long. After
69passing through a moderately thick copse, we found a plain obstructed with bushes. I saw then those magnificent birds,
70the disposition of whose long feathers obliges them to fly against the wind. Their undulating flight, graceful aerial
71curves, and the shading of their colours, attracted and charmed one's looks. I had no trouble in recognising them.
72"Birds of paradise!" I exclaimed.
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