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Title: Typee
Author: Melville, Herman, 1819-1891
Language: English
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*** Start of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "Typee" ***
[Illustration: FAYAWAY AND I HAD A DELIGHTFUL LITTLE PARTY ON THE
LAKE]
TYPEE
HERMAN MELVILLE
ILLUSTRATIONS BY
MEAD SCHAEFFER
DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY
PUBLISHERS NEW YORK
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I A LAND-SICK SHIP 1
The sea—Longings for shore—A land-sick ship—Destination
of the voyagers
II TO THE MARQUESAS 5
Passage from the cruising ground to the Marquesas—Sleepy
times aboard ship—South Sea scenery—Land ho!—The French
squadron discovered at anchor in the bay of
Nukuheva—Strange pilot—Escort of canoes—A flotilla of
cocoa-nuts—Swimming visitors—The _Dolly_ boarded by
them—State of affairs that ensue.
III AFFAIRS ABOARD 14
State of affairs aboard the ship—Contents of her
larder—Length of South Seamen’s voyages—Account of a
flying whale-man—Determination to leave the vessel—The
bay of Nukuheva—The Typees.
IV LAST NIGHT ABOARD 21
Thoughts previous to attempting an escape—Toby, a
fellow-sailor, agrees to share the adventure—Last night
aboard the ship.
V THE ESCAPE 26
A specimen of nautical oratory—Criticisms of the
sailors—The starboard watch are given a holiday—The
escape to the mountains.
VI DISAPPOINTMENT 34
The other side of the mountain—Disappointment—Inventory
of articles brought from the ship—Division of the stock
of bread—Appearance of the interior of the island—A
discovery—A ravine and waterfalls—A sleepless
night—Further discoveries—My illness—A Marquesan
landscape.
VII A WILD-GOOSE CHASE 45
The important question, Typee or Happar?—A wild-goose
chase—My sufferings—Disheartening situation—A night in
the ravine—Morning meal—Happy idea of Toby—Journey
towards the valley.
VIII INTO THE VALLEY 54
Perilous passage of the ravine—Descent into the valley.
IX CAUTIOUS ADVANCE 63
The head of the valley—Cautious advance—A
path—Fruit—Discovery of two of the natives—Their
singular conduct—Approach towards the inhabited parts of
at the house of one of the natives.
X MORNING VISITORS 75
Midnight reflections—Morning visitors—A warrior in
costume—A savage Æsculapius—Practice of the healing
art—Body-servant—A dwelling-house of the valley
described—Portraits of its inmates.
XI ADVENTURE IN THE DARK 90
Officiousness of Kory-Kory—His devotion—A bath in the
stream—Want of refinement of the Typee damsels—Stroll
with Mehevi—A Typee highway—The Taboo groves—The hoolah
hoolah ground—The Ti—Timeworn savages—Hospitality of
Mehevi—Midnight musings—Adventure in the
dark—Distinguished honours paid to the visitors—Strange
procession, and return to the house of Marheyo.
XII ADVENTURE OF TOBY 101
Attempt to procure relief from Nukuheva—Perilous
adventure of Toby in the Happar Mountains—Eloquence of
Kory-Kory.
XIII A GREAT EVENT 109
A great event happens in the valley—The island
telegraph—Something befalls Toby—Fayaway displays a
tender heart—Melancholy reflections—Mysterious conduct
of the islanders—Devotion of Kory-Kory—A rural couch—A
luxury—Kory-Kory strikes a light _à la_ Typee.
XIV KINDNESS OF THE ISLANDERS 120
Kindness of Marheyo and the rest of the islanders—A full
description of the bread-fruit tree—Different modes of
preparing the fruit.
XV MELANCHOLY CONDITION 126
Melancholy condition—Occurrence at the Ti—Anecdote of
Marheyo—Shaving the head of a warrior.
XVI IMPROVEMENT 132
Improvement in health and spirits—Felicity of the
Typees—A skirmish in the mountain with the warriors of
Happar.
XVII A STRANGER ARRIVES 140
Swimming in company with the girls of the valley—A
canoe—Effects of the taboo—A pleasure excursion on the
pond—Beautiful freak of Fayaway—Mantua-making—A stranger
arrives in the valley—His mysterious conduct—Native
oratory—The interview—Its results—Departure of the
stranger.
XVIII BATTLE OF THE POP-GUNS 155
Reflection after Marnoo’s departure—Battle of the
pop-guns—Strange conceit of Marheyo—Process of making
tappa.
XIX DANCES 162
History of a day as usually spent in the Typee
valley—Dances of the Marquesan girls.
XX MONUMENTS 167
The spring of Arva Wai—Remarkable monumental
remains—Some ideas with regard to the history of the
pi-pis found in the valley.
XXI A FESTIVAL 171
Preparations for a grand festival in the valley—Strange
doings in the Taboo Groves—Monument of Calabashes—Gala
costume of the Typee damsels—Departure for the festival.
XXII THE FEAST OF CALABASHES 178
The Feast of Calabashes.
XXIII RELIGION OF THE TYPEES 185
Ideas suggested by the Feast of Calabashes—Effigy of a
dead warrior—A singular superstition—The priest Kolory
and the god Moa Artua—Amazing religious observance—A
dilapidated shrine—Kory-Kory and the idol—An inference.
XXIV BEAUTY OF THE TYPEES 196
General information gathered at the festival—Personal
beauty of the Typees—Their superiority over the
inhabitants of the other islands—Diversity of
complexion—A vegetable cosmetic and ointment—Testimony
of voyagers to the uncommon beauty of the Marquesans—Few
evidences of intercourse with civilized
beings—Dilapidated musket—Primitive simplicity of
government—Regal dignity of Mehevi.
XXV MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 204
King Mehevi—Conduct of Marheyo and Mehevi in certain
delicate matters—Peculiar system of marriage—Number of
population—Uniformity—Embalming—Places of
sepulture—Funeral obsequies at Nukuheva—Number of
inhabitants in Typee—Location of the dwellings—Happiness
enjoyed in the valley.
XXVI SOCIAL CONDITIONS 210
The social condition and general character of the
Typees.
XXVII FISHING PARTIES 216
Fishing parties—Mode of distributing the fish—Midnight
banquet—Timekeeping tapers—Unceremonious style of eating
the fish.
XXVIII NATURAL HISTORY 220
Natural history of the valley—Golden lizards—Tameness of
the birds—Mosquitoes—Flies—Dogs—A solitary cat—The
climate—The cocoa-nut tree—Singular modes of climbing
it—An agile young chief—Fearlessness of the
children—Too-too and the cocoa-nut tree—The birds of the
valley.
XXIX TATTOOING 228
A professor of the fine arts—His persecutions—Something
about tattooing and tabooing—Two anecdotes in
illustration of the latter—A few thoughts on the Typee
dialect.
XXX MUSIC 238
Strange custom of the islanders—Their chanting, and the
peculiarity of their voice—Rapture of the king at first
hearing a song—A new dignity conferred on the
author—Musical instruments in the valley—Admiration of
the savages at beholding a pugilistic
performance—Swimming infant—Beautiful tresses of the
girls—Ointment for the hair.
XXXI CANNIBALISM 244
Apprehensions of evil—Frightful discovery—Some remarks
on cannibalism—Second battle with the Happars—Savage
spectacle—Mysterious feast—Subsequent disclosures.
XXXII ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE 254
The stranger again arrives in the valley—Singular
interview with him—Attempt to escape—Failure—Melancholy
situation—Sympathy of Marheyo.
XXXIII THE ESCAPE 260
The escape
SEQUEL 270
NOTE.—The Author of “Typee” was more than two years in
the South Seas, after escaping from the valley, as
recounted in the last chapter. Some time after returning
home the foregoing narrative was published, though it
was little thought at the time that this would be the
means of revealing the existence of Toby, who had long
been given up for lost. But so it proved. The story of
his escape supplies a natural sequel to the adventure,
and as such it is now added to the volume. It was
related to the Author by Toby himself.
APPENDIX 285
ILLUSTRATIONS
Fayaway and I had a delightful little party on the _Frontispiece_
lake FACING PAGE
I found him ripe for the enterprise, and a very few 22
words sufficed for a mutual understanding between us
At last we gained the top of the second elevation 48
We were soon completely encircled by a dense throng 68
The body was carried into the house and laid on a mat 104
Thus arrayed, I would have matched the charming 174
Fayaway against any beauty in the world
Mehevi 200
About midnight I arose and drew the slide 256
TYPEE
TYPEE
CHAPTER I
The sea—Longings for shore—A land-sick ship—Destination of the
voyagers.
Six months at sea! Yes, reader, as I live, six months out of sight of
land; cruising after the sperm whale beneath the scorching sun of the
Line, and tossed on the billows of the wide-rolling Pacific—the sky above,
the sea around, and nothing else! Weeks and weeks ago our fresh provisions
were all exhausted. There is not a sweet potato left; not a single yam.
Those glorious bunches of bananas which once decorated our stern and
quarter-deck, have, alas, disappeared! and the delicious oranges which
hung suspended from our tops and stays—they, too, are gone! Yes, they are
all departed, and there is nothing left us but salt-horse and sea-biscuit.
Oh! for a refreshing glimpse of one blade of grass—for a snuff at the
fragrance of a handful of the loamy earth! Is there nothing fresh around
us? Is there no green thing to be seen? Yes, the inside of our bulwarks is
painted green; but what a vile and sickly hue it is, as if nothing bearing
even the semblance of verdure could flourish this weary way from land.
Even the bark that once clung to the wood we use for fuel has been gnawed
off and devoured by the captain’s pig; and so long ago, too, that the pig
himself has in turn been devoured.
There is but one solitary tenant in the chicken-coop, once a gay and
dapper young cock, bearing him so bravely among the coy hens. But look at
him now; there he stands, moping all the day long on that everlasting one
leg of his. He turns with disgust from the mouldy corn before him, and the
brackish water in his little trough. He mourns no doubt his lost
companions, literally snatched from him one by one, and never seen again.
But his days of mourning will be few; for Mungo, our black cook, told me
yesterday that the word had at last gone forth, and poor Pedro’s fate was
sealed. His attenuated body will be laid out upon the captain’s table next
Sunday, and long before night will be buried, with all the usual
ceremonies, beneath that worthy individual’s vest. Who would believe that
there could be any one so cruel as to long for the decapitation of the
luckless Pedro; yet the sailors pray every minute, selfish fellows, that
the miserable fowl may be brought to his end. They say the captain will
never point the ship for the land so long as he has in anticipation a mess
of fresh meat. This unhappy bird can alone furnish it; and when he is once
devoured, the captain will come to his senses. I wish thee no harm, Peter;
but as thou art doomed, sooner or later, to meet the fate of all thy race;
and if putting a period to thy existence is to be the signal for our
deliverance, why—truth to speak—I wish thy throat cut this very moment;
for, oh! how I wish to see the living earth again! The old ship herself
longs to look out upon the land from her hawseholes once more, as Jack
Lewis said right the other day when the captain found fault with his
steering.
“Why, d’ye see, Captain Vangs,” says bold Jack, “I’m as good a helmsman as
ever put hand to spoke; but none of us can steer the old lady now. We
can’t keep her full and bye, sir: watch her ever so close, she will fall
off; and then, sir, when I put the helm down so gently and try like to
coax her to the work, she won’t take it kindly, but will fall round off
again; and it’s all because she knows the land is under the lee, sir, and
she won’t go any more to windward.” Ay, and why should she, Jack? didn’t
every one of her stout timbers grow on shore, and hasn’t she sensibilities
as well as we?
Poor old ship! Her very looks denote her desires: how deplorable she
appears! The paint on her sides, burnt up by the scorching sun, is puffed
out and cracked. See the weeds she trails along with her, and what an
unsightly bunch of these horrid barnacles has formed about her
stern-piece; and every time she rises on a sea, she shows her copper torn
away or hanging in jagged strips.
Poor old ship! I say again: for six months she has been rolling and
pitching about, never for one moment at rest. But courage, old lass, I
hope to see thee soon within a biscuit’s toss of the merry land, riding
snugly at anchor in some green cove, and sheltered from the boisterous
winds.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Hurrah, my lads! It’s a settled thing; next week we shape our course to
the Marquesas!” The Marquesas! What strange visions of outlandish things
does the very name spirit up! Lovely houris—cannibal banquets—groves of
cocoa-nuts—coral reefs—tattooed chiefs—and bamboo temples; sunny valleys
planted with bread-fruit trees—carved canoes dancing on the flashing blue
waters—savage woodlands guarded by horrible idols—_heathenish rites and
human sacrifices_.
Such were the strangely jumbled anticipations that haunted me during our
passage from the cruising ground. I felt an irresistible curiosity to see
those islands which the olden voyagers had so glowingly described.
The group for which we were now steering (although among the earliest of
European discoveries in the South Seas, having been first visited in the
year 1595) still continues to be tenanted by beings as strange and
barbarous as ever. The missionaries, sent on a heavenly errand, had sailed
by their lovely shores, and had abandoned them to their idols of wood and
stone. How interesting the circumstances under which they were discovered!
In the watery path of Mendanna, cruising in quest of some region of gold,
these isles had sprung up like a scene of enchantment, and for a moment
the Spaniard believed his bright dream was realized. In honour of the
Marquess de Mendoza, then viceroy of Peru—under whose auspices the
navigator sailed—he bestowed upon them the name which denoted the rank of
his patron, and gave to the world, on his return, a vague and magnificent
account of their beauty. But these islands, undisturbed for years,
relapsed into their previous obscurity; and it is only recently that
anything has been known concerning them. Once in the course of a half
century, to be sure, some adventurous rover would break in upon their
peaceful repose, and, astonished at the unusual scene, would be almost
tempted to claim the merit of a new discovery.
Of this interesting group, but little account has ever been given, if we
except the slight mention made of them in the sketches of South Sea
voyages. Cook, in his repeated circumnavigations of the globe, barely
touched at their shores; and all that we know about them is from a few
general narratives.
Within the last few years, American and English vessels engaged in the
extensive whale fisheries of the Pacific have occasionally, when short of
provisions, put into the commodious harbour which there is in one of the
islands; but a fear of the natives, founded on the recollection of the
dreadful fate which many white men have received at their hands, has
deterred their crews from intermixing with the population sufficiently to
gain any insight into their peculiar customs and manners. Indeed, there is
no cluster of islands in the Pacific that has been any length of time
discovered, of which so little has hitherto been known as the Marquesas,
and it is a pleasing reflection that this narrative of mine will do
something towards withdrawing the veil from regions so romantic and
beautiful.
CHAPTER II
Passage from the cruising ground to the Marquesas—Sleepy times
aboard ship—South Sea scenery—Land ho!—The French squadron
discovered at anchor in the bay of Nukuheva—Strange pilot—Escort
of canoes—A flotilla of cocoa-nuts—Swimming visitors—The _Dolly_
boarded by them—State of affairs that ensue.
I can never forget the eighteen or twenty days during which the light
trade-winds were silently sweeping us towards the islands. In pursuit of
the sperm whale, we had been cruising on the line some twenty degrees to
the westward of the Gallipagos; and all that we had to do, when our course
was determined on, was to square in the yards and keep the vessel before
the breeze, and then the good ship and the steady gale did the rest
between them. The man at the wheel never vexed the old lady with any
superfluous steering, but comfortably adjusting his limbs at the tiller,
would doze away by the hour. True to her work, the _Dolly_ headed to her
course, and like one of those characters who always do best when let
alone, she jogged on her way like a veteran old sea-pacer as she was.
What a delightful, lazy, languid time we had whilst we were thus gliding
along! There was nothing to be done; a circumstance that happily suited
our disinclination to do anything. We abandoned the fore-peak altogether,
and spreading an awning over the forecastle, slept, ate, and lounged under
it the live-long day. Every one seemed to be under the influence of some
narcotic. Even the officers aft, whose duty required them never to be
seated while keeping a deck watch, vainly endeavoured to keep on their
pins; and were obliged invariably to compromise the matter by leaning up
against the bulwarks, and gazing abstractedly over the side. Reading was
out of the question; take a book in your hand, and you were asleep in an
instant.
Although I could not avoid yielding in a great measure to the general
languor, still at times I contrived to shake off the spell, and to
appreciate the beauty of the scene around me. The sky presented a clear
expanse of the most delicate blue, except along the skirts of the horizon,
where you might see a thin drapery of pale clouds which never varied their
form or colour. The long, measured, dirge-like swell of the Pacific came
rolling along, with its surface broken by little tiny waves, sparkling in
the sunshine. Every now and then a shoal of flying fish, scared from the
water under the bows, would leap into the air, and fall the next moment
like a shower of silver into the sea. Then you would see the superb
albicore with his glittering sides, sailing aloft, and after describing an
arc in his descent, disappear on the surface of the water. Far off, the
lofty jet of the whale might be seen, and nearer at hand the prowling
shark, that villanous footpad of the seas, would come skulking along, and,
at a wary distance, regard us with an evil eye. At times, some shapeless
monster of the deep, floating on the surface, would, as we approach, sink
slowly into the blue waters, and fade away from the sight. But the most
impressive feature of the scene was the almost unbroken silence that
reigned over sky and water. Scarcely a sound could be heard but the
occasional breathing of the grampus, and the rippling at the cut-water.
As we drew nearer the land, I hailed with delight the appearance of
innumerable sea-fowl. Screaming and whirling in spiral tracks, they would
accompany the vessel, and at times alight on our yards and stays. That
piratical-looking fellow, appropriately named the man-of-war’s-hawk, with
his blood-red bill and raven plumage, would come sweeping round us in
gradually diminishing circles, till you could distinctly mark the strange
flashings of his eye; and then, as if satisfied with his observation,
would sail up into the air and disappear from the view. Soon, other
evidences of our vicinity to the land were apparent, and it was not long
before the glad announcement of it being in sight was heard from
aloft,—given with that peculiar prolongation of sound that a sailor
loves—“Land ho!”
The captain, darting on deck from the cabin, bawled lustily for his
spy-glass; the mate in still louder accents hailed the mast-head with a
tremendous “Where-away?” The black cook thrust his woolly head from the
galley, and Boatswain, the dog, leaped up between the knight-heads, and
barked most furiously. Land ho! Ay, there it was. A hardly perceptible
blue irregular outline, indicating the bold contour of the lofty heights
of Nukuheva.
This island, although generally called one of the Marquesas, is by some
navigators considered as forming one of a distinct cluster, comprising the
islands of Roohka, Ropo, and Nukuheva; upon which three the appellation of
the Washington Group has been bestowed. They form a triangle, and lie
within the parallels of 8° 38′ and 9° 32′ south latitude, and 139° 20′ and
140° 10′ west longitude, from Greenwich. With how little propriety they
are to be regarded as forming a separate group will be at once apparent,
when it is considered that they lie in the immediate vicinity of the other
islands, that is to say, less than a degree to the north-west of them;
that their inhabitants speak the Marquesan dialect, and that their laws,
religion, and general customs are identical. The only reason why they were
ever thus arbitrarily distinguished, may be attributed to the singular
fact, that their existence was altogether unknown to the world until the
year 1791, when they were discovered by Captain Ingraham, of Boston,
Massachusetts, nearly two centuries after the discovery of the adjacent
islands by the agent of the Spanish Viceroy. Notwithstanding this, I shall
follow the example of most voyagers, and treat of them as forming part and
parcel of the Marquesas.
Nukuheva is the most important of these islands, being the only one at
which ships are much in the habit of touching, and is celebrated as being
the place where the adventurous Captain Porter refitted his ships during
the late war between England and the United States, and whence he sallied
out upon the large whaling fleet then sailing under the enemy’s flag in
the surrounding seas. This island is about twenty miles in length, and
nearly as many in breadth. It has three good harbours on its coast, the
largest and best of which is called by the people living in its vicinity,
“Tyohee,” and by Captain Porter was denominated Massachusetts Bay. Among
the adverse tribes dwelling about the shores of the other bays, and by all
voyagers, it is generally known by the name bestowed upon the island
itself—Nukuheva. Its inhabitants have become somewhat corrupted, owing to
their recent commerce with Europeans; but so far as regards their peculiar
customs, and general mode of life, they retain their original primitive
character, remaining very nearly in the same state of nature in which they
were first beheld by white men. The hostile clans, residing in the more
remote sections of the island, and very seldom holding any communication
with foreigners, are in every respect unchanged from their earliest known
condition.
In the bay of Nukuheva was the anchorage we desired to reach. We had
perceived the loom of the mountains about sunset; so that, after running
all night with a very light breeze, we found ourselves close in with the
island the next morning; but as the bay we sought lay on its farther side,
we were obliged to sail some distance along the shore, catching, as we
proceeded, short glimpses of blooming valleys, deep glens, waterfalls, and
waving groves, hidden here and there by projecting and rocky headlands,
every moment opening to the view some new and startling scene of beauty.
Those who for the first time visit the South Seas, generally are surprised
at the appearance of the islands when beheld from the sea. From the vague
accounts we sometimes have of their beauty, many people are apt to picture
to themselves enamelled and softly swelling plains, shaded over with
delicious groves, and watered by purling brooks, and the entire country
but little elevated above the surrounding ocean. The reality is very
different; bold rock-bound coasts, with the surf beating high against the
lofty cliffs, and broken here and there into deep inlets, which open to
the view thickly-wooded valleys, separated by the spurs of mountains
clothed with tufted grass, and sweeping down towards the sea from an
elevated and furrowed interior, form the principal features of these
islands.
Towards noon we drew abreast the entrance to the harbour, and at last we
slowly swept by the intervening promontory, and entered the bay of
Nukuheva. No description can do justice to its beauty; but that beauty was
lost to me then, and I saw nothing but the tri-coloured flag of France,
trailing over the stern of six vessels, whose black hulls, and bristling
broadsides, proclaimed their warlike character. There they were, floating
in that lovely bay, the green eminences of the shore looking down so
tranquilly upon them, as if rebuking the sternness of their aspect. To my
eye, nothing could be more out of keeping than the presence of these
vessels; but we soon learnt what brought them there. The whole group of
islands had just been taken possession of by Rear-Admiral Du Petit
Thouars, in the name of the invincible French nation.
This item of information was imparted to us by a most extraordinary
individual, a genuine South Sea vagabond, who came alongside of us in a
whale-boat as soon as we entered the bay, and, by the aid of some
benevolent persons at the gangway, was assisted on board, for our visitor
was in that interesting stage of intoxication when a man is amiable and
helpless. Although he was utterly unable to stand erect, or to navigate
his body across the deck, he still magnanimously proffered his services to
pilot the ship to a good and secure anchorage. Our captain, however,
rather distrusted his ability in this respect, and refused to recognise
his claim to the character he assumed; but our gentleman was determined to
play his part, for, by dint of much scrambling, he succeeded in getting
into the weather-quarter boat, where he steadied himself by holding on to
a shroud, and then commenced issuing his commands with amazing volubility
and very peculiar gestures. Of course, no one obeyed his orders; but as it
was impossible to quiet him, we swept by the ships of the squadron with
this strange fellow performing his antics in full view of all the French
officers.
We afterwards learned that our eccentric friend had been a lieutenant in
the English navy, but having disgraced his flag by some criminal conduct
in one of the principal ports on the main, he had deserted his ship, and
spent many years wandering among the islands of the Pacific, until
accidentally being at Nukuheva when the French took possession of the
place, he had been appointed pilot of the harbour by the newly constituted
authorities.
As we slowly advanced up the bay, numerous canoes pushed off from the
surrounding shores, and we were soon in the midst of quite a flotilla of
them, their savage occupants struggling to get aboard of us, and jostling
one another in their ineffectual attempts. Occasionally the projecting
out-riggers of their slight shallops, running foul of one another, would
become entangled beneath the water, threatening to capsize the canoes,
when a scene of confusion would ensue that baffles description. Such
strange outcries and passionate gesticulations I never certainly heard or
saw before. You would have thought the islanders were on the point of
flying at one another’s throats, whereas they were only amicably engaged
in disentangling their boats.
Scattered here and there among the canoes might be seen numbers of
cocoa-nuts floating closely together in circular groups, and bobbing up
and down with every wave. By some inexplicable means these cocoa-nuts were
all steadily approaching towards the ship. As I leaned curiously over the
side, endeavouring to solve their mysterious movements, one mass, far in
advance of the rest, attracted my attention. In its centre was something I
could take for nothing else than a cocoa-nut, but which I certainly
considered one of the most extraordinary specimens of the fruit I had ever
seen. It kept twirling and dancing about among the rest in the most
singular manner: and as it drew nearer, I thought it bore a remarkable
resemblance to the brown shaven skull of one of the savages. Presently it
betrayed a pair of eyes, and soon I became aware that what I had supposed
to have been one of the fruit was nothing else than the head of an
islander, who had adopted this singular method of bringing his produce to
market. The cocoa-nuts were all attached to one another by strips of the
husk, partly torn from the shell, and rudely fastened together. Their
proprietor, inserting his head into the midst of them, impelled his
necklace of cocoa-nuts through the water by striking out beneath the
surface with his feet.
I was somewhat astonished to perceive that among the number of natives
that surrounded us, not a single female was to be seen. At that time I was
ignorant of the fact that by the operation of the “taboo,” the use of
canoes in all parts of the island is rigorously prohibited to the entire
sex, for whom it is death even to be seen entering one when hauled on
shore; consequently, whenever a Marquesan lady voyages by water, she puts
in requisition the paddles of her own fair body.
We had approached within a mile and a half perhaps of the foot of the bay,
when some of the islanders, who by this time had managed to scramble
aboard of us at the risk of swamping their canoes, directed our attention
to a singular commotion in the water ahead of the vessel. At first I
imagined it to be produced by a shoal of fish sporting on the surface, but
our savage friends assured us that it was caused by a shoal of
“whinhenies” (young girls), who in this manner were coming off from the
shore to welcome us. As they drew nearer, and I watched the rising and
sinking of their forms, and beheld the uplifted right arm bearing above
the water the girdle of tappa, and their long dark hair trailing beside
them as they swam, I almost fancied they could be nothing else than so
many mermaids:—and very like mermaids they behaved too.
We were still some distance from the beach, and under slow headway, when
we sailed right into the midst of these swimming nymphs, and they boarded
us at every quarter; many seizing hold of the chainplates and springing
into the chains; others, at the peril of being run over by the vessel in
her course, catching at the bob-stays, and wreathing their slender forms
about the ropes, hung suspended in the air. All of them at length
succeeded in getting up the ship’s side, where they clung dripping with
the brine and glowing from the bath, their jet-black tresses streaming
over their shoulders, and half enveloping their otherwise naked forms.
There they hung, sparkling with savage vivacity, laughing gaily at one
another, and chattering away with infinite glee. Nor were they idle the
while, for each one performed the simple offices of the toilet for the
other. Their luxuriant locks, wound up and twisted into the smallest
possible compass, were freed from the briny element; the whole person
carefully dried, and from a little round shell that passed from hand to
hand, anointed with a fragrant oil: their adornments were completed by
passing a few loose folds of white tappa, in a modest cincture, around the
waist. Thus arrayed they no longer hesitated, but flung themselves lightly
over the bulwarks, and were quickly frolicking about the decks. Many of
them went forward, perching upon the head-rails or running out upon the
bow-sprit, while others seated themselves upon the taffrail, or reclined
at full length upon the boats.
Their appearance perfectly amazed me; their extreme youth, the light clear
brown of their complexions, their delicate features, and inexpressibly
graceful figures, their softly moulded limbs, and free unstudied action,
seemed as strange as beautiful.
The _Dolly_ was fairly captured; and never I will say was vessel carried
before by such a dashing and irresistible party of boarders. The ship
taken, we could not do otherwise than yield ourselves prisoners, and for
the whole period that she remained in the bay, the _Dolly_, as well as her
crew, were completely in the hands of the mermaids.
In the evening after we had come to an anchor, the deck was illuminated
with lanterns, and this picturesque band of sylphs, tricked out with
flowers, and dressed in robes of variegated tappa, got up a ball in great
style. These females are passionately fond of dancing, and in the wild
grace and spirit of their style excel everything that I have ever seen.
The varied dances of the Marquesan girls are beautiful in the extreme, but
there is an abandoned voluptuousness in their character which I dare not
attempt to describe.
Our ship was now wholly given up to every species of riot and debauchery.
The grossest licentiousness and the most shameful inebriety prevailed,
with occasional and but short-lived interruptions, through the whole
period of her stay. Alas for the poor savages when exposed to the
influence of these polluting examples! Unsophisticated and confiding, they
are easily led into every vice, and humanity weeps over the ruin thus
remorselessly inflicted upon them by their European civilizers. Thrice
happy are they who, inhabiting some yet undiscovered island in the midst
of the ocean, have never been brought into contaminating contact with the
white man.
CHAPTER III
State of affairs aboard the ship—Contents of her larder—Length of
South Seamen’s voyages—Account of a flying whale-man—Determination
to leave the vessel—The bay of Nukuheva—The Typees.
It was in the summer of 1842, that we arrived at the islands. Our ship had
not been many days in the harbour of Nukuheva, before I came to the
determination of leaving her. That my reasons for resolving to take this
step were numerous and weighty, may be inferred from the fact that I chose
rather to risk my fortunes among the savages of the island than to endure
another voyage on board the _Dolly_. To use the concise, point-blank
phrase of the sailors, I had made up my mind to “run away.” Now, as a
meaning is generally attached to these two words no way flattering to the
individual to whom they are applied, it behoves me, for the sake of my own
character, to offer some explanation of my conduct.
When I entered on board the _Dolly_, I signed, as a matter of course, the
ship’s articles, thereby voluntarily engaging and legally binding myself
to serve in a certain capacity for the period of the voyage; and, special
considerations apart, I was of course bound to fulfil the agreement. But
in all contracts, if one party fail to perform his share of the compact,
is not the other virtually absolved from his liability? Who is there who
will not answer in the affirmative?
Having settled the principle, then, let me apply it to the particular case
in question. In numberless instances had not only the implied but the
specified conditions of the articles been violated on the part of the ship
in which I served. The usage on board of her was tyrannical; the sick had
been inhumanly neglected; the provisions had been doled out in scanty
allowance; and her cruises were unreasonably protracted. The captain was
the author of these abuses; it was in vain to think that he would either
remedy them, or alter his conduct, which was arbitrary and violent in the
extreme. His prompt reply to all complaints and remonstrances was—the
butt-end of a hand-spike, so convincingly administered as effectually to
silence the aggrieved party.
To whom could we apply for redress? We had left both law and equity on the
other side of the Cape; and unfortunately, with a very few exceptions, our
crew was composed of a parcel of dastardly and mean-spirited wretches,
divided among themselves, and only united in enduring without resistance
the unmitigated tyranny of the captain. It would have been mere madness
for any two or three of the number, unassisted by the rest, to attempt
making a stand against his ill usage. They would only have called down
upon themselves the particular vengeance of this “Lord of the Plank,” and
subjected their shipmates to additional hardships.
But, after all, these things could have been endured awhile, had we
entertained the hope of being speedily delivered from them by the due
completion of the terms of our servitude. But what a dismal prospect
awaited us in this quarter! The longevity of Cape Horn whaling voyages is
proverbial, frequently extending over a period of four or five years.
Some long-haired, bare-necked youths, who, forced by the united influences
of a roving spirit and hard times, embark at Nantucket for a pleasure
excursion to the Pacific, and whose anxious mothers provide them with
bottled milk for the occasion, oftentimes return very respectable
middle-aged gentlemen.
The very preparations made for one of these expeditions are enough to
frighten one. As the vessel carries out no cargo, her hold is filled with
provisions for her own consumption. The owners, who officiate as caterers
for the voyage, supply the larder with an abundance of dainties. Delicate
morsels of beef and pork, cut on scientific principles from every part of
the animal, and of all conceivable shapes and sizes, are carefully packed
in salt, and stored away in barrels; affording a never-ending variety in
their different degrees of toughness, and in the peculiarities of their
saline properties. Choice old water too, decanted into stout six-barrel
casks, and two pints of which is allowed every day to each soul on board;
together with ample store of sea-bread, previously reduced to a state of
petrifaction, with a view to preserve it either from decay or consumption
in the ordinary mode, are likewise provided for the nourishment and
gastronomic enjoyment of the crew.
But not to speak of the quality of these articles of sailors’ fare, the
abundance in which they are put on board a whaling vessel is almost
incredible. Oftentimes, when we had occasion to break out in the hold, and
I beheld the successive tiers of casks and barrels, whose contents were
all destined to be consumed in due course by the ship’s company, my heart
has sunk within me.
Although, as a general case, a ship unlucky in falling in with whales
continues to cruise after them until she has barely sufficient provisions
remaining to take her home, turning round then quietly and making the best
of her way to her friends, yet there are instances when even this natural
obstacle to the further prosecution of the voyage is overcome by
headstrong captains, who, bartering the fruits of their hard-earned toils
for a new supply of provisions in some of the ports of Chili or Peru,
begin the voyage afresh with unabated zeal and perseverance. It is in vain
that the owners write urgent letters to him to sail for home, and for
their sake to bring back the ship, since it appears he can put nothing in
her. Not he. He has registered a vow: he will fill his vessel with good
sperm oil, or failing to do so, never again strike Yankee soundings.
I heard of one whaler, which after many years’ absence was given up for
lost. The last that had been heard of her was a shadowy report of her
having touched at some of those unstable islands in the far Pacific, whose
eccentric wanderings are carefully noted in each new edition of the South
Sea charts. After a long interval, however, the _Perseverance_—for that
was her name—was spoken somewhere in the vicinity of the ends of the
earth, cruising along as leisurely as ever, her sails all bepatched and
bequilted with rope-yarns, her spars fished with old pipe staves, and her
rigging knotted and spliced in every possible direction. Her crew was
composed of some twenty venerable Greenwich-pensioner-looking old salts,
who just managed to hobble about deck. The ends of all the running ropes,
with the exception of the signal halyards and poop-down-haul, were rove
through snatch-blocks, and led to the capstan or windlass, so that not a
yard was braced or a sail set without the assistance of machinery.
Her hull was encrusted with barnacles, which completely encased her. Three
pet sharks followed in her wake, and every day came alongside to regale
themselves from the contents of the cook’s bucket, which were pitched over
to them. A vast shoal of bonetas and albicores always kept her company.
Such was the account I heard of this vessel, and the remembrance of it
always haunted me; what eventually became of her I never learned; at any
rate she never reached home, and I suppose she is still regularly tacking
twice in the twenty-four hours somewhere off Buggerry Island, or the
Devil’s-Tail Peak.
Having said thus much touching the usual length of these voyages, when I
inform the reader that ours had as it were just commenced, we being only
fifteen months out, and even at that time hailed as a late arrival, and
boarded for news, he will readily perceive that there was little to
encourage one in looking forward to the future, especially as I had always
had a presentiment that we should make an unfortunate voyage, and our
experience so far had justified the expectation.
I may here state, and on my faith as an honest man, that some time after
arriving home from my adventures, I learned that this vessel was still in
the Pacific, and that she had met with very poor success in the fishery.
Very many of her crew, also, left her; and her voyage lasted about five
years.
But to return to my narrative. Placed in these circumstances, then, with
no prospect of matters mending if I remained aboard the _Dolly_, I at once
made up my mind to leave her: to be sure, it was rather an inglorious
thing to steal away privately from those at whose hands I had received
wrongs and outrages that I could not resent; but how was such a course to
be avoided when it was the only alternative left me? Having made up my
mind, I proceeded to acquire all the information I could obtain relating
to the island and its inhabitants, with a view of shaping my plans of
escape accordingly. The result of these inquiries I will now state, in
order that the ensuing narrative may be the better understood.
The bay of Nukuheva, in which we were then lying, is an expanse of water
not unlike in figure the space included within the limits of a horse-shoe.
It is, perhaps, nine miles in circumference. You approach it from the sea
by a narrow entrance, flanked on either side by two small twin islets
which soar conically to the height of some five hundred feet. From these
the shore recedes on both hands, and describes a deep semicircle.
From the verge of the water the land rises uniformly on all sides, with
green and sloping acclivities, until from gently rolling hillsides and
moderate elevations it insensibly swells into lofty and majestic heights,
whose blue outlines, ranged all around, close in the view. The beautiful
aspect of the shore is heightened by deep and romantic glens, which come
down to it at almost equal distances, all apparently radiating from a
common centre, and the upper extremities of which are lost to the eye
beneath the shadow of the mountains. Down each of these little valleys
flows a clear stream, here and there assuming the form of a slender
cascade, then stealing invisibly along until it bursts upon the sight
again in larger and more noisy waterfalls, and at last demurely wanders
along to the sea.
The houses of the natives, constructed of the yellow bamboo, tastefully
twisted together in a kind of wickerwork, and thatched with the long
tapering leaves of the palmetto, are scattered irregularly along these
valleys beneath the shady branches of the cocoa-nut trees.
Nothing can exceed the imposing scenery of this bay. Viewed from our ship
as she lay at anchor in the middle of the harbour, it presented the
appearance of a vast natural amphitheatre in decay, and overgrown with
vines, the deep glens that furrowed its sides appearing like enormous
fissures caused by the ravages of time. Very often when lost in admiration
at its beauty, I have experienced a pang of regret that a scene so
enchanting should be hidden from the world in these remote seas, and
seldom meet the eyes of devoted lovers of nature.
Besides this bay the shores of the island are indented by several other
extensive inlets, into which descend broad and verdant valleys. These are
inhabited by as many distinct tribes of savages, who, although speaking
kindred dialects of a common language, and having the same religion and
laws, have from time immemorial waged hereditary warfare against each
other. The intervening mountains, generally two or three thousand feet
above the level of the sea, geographically define the territories of each
of these hostile tribes, who never cross them, save on some expedition of
war or plunder. Immediately adjacent to Nukuheva, and only separated from
it by the mountains seen from the harbour, lies the lovely valley of
Happar, whose inmates cherish the most friendly relations with the
inhabitants of Nukuheva. On the other side of Happar, and closely
adjoining it, is the magnificent valley of the dreaded Typees, the
unappeasable enemies of both these tribes.
These celebrated warriors appear to inspire the other islanders with
unspeakable terrors. Their very name is a frightful one; for the word
“Typee” in the Marquesan dialect signifies a lover of human flesh. It is
rather singular that the title should have been bestowed upon them
exclusively, inasmuch as the natives of all this group are irreclaimable
cannibals. The name may, perhaps, have been given to denote the peculiar
ferocity of this clan, and to convey a special stigma along with it.
These same Typees enjoy a prodigious notoriety all over the islands. The
natives of Nukuheva would frequently recount in pantomime to our ship’s
company their terrible feats, and would show the marks of wounds they had
received in desperate encounters with them. When ashore they would, try to
frighten us by pointing to one of their own number, and calling him a
Typee, manifesting no little surprise that we did not take to our heels at
so terrible an announcement. It was quite amusing, too, to see with what
earnestness they disclaimed all cannibal propensities on their own part,
while they denounced their enemies—the Typees—as inveterate gormandizers
of human flesh; but this is a peculiarity to which I shall hereafter have
occasion to allude.
Although I was convinced that the inhabitants of our bay were as arrant
cannibals as any of the other tribes on the island, still I could not but
feel a particular and most unqualified repugnance to the aforesaid Typees.
Even before visiting the Marquesas, I had heard from men who had touched
at the group on former voyages some revolting stories in connection with
these savages; and fresh in my remembrance was the adventure of the master
of the _Katherine_, who only a few months previous, imprudently venturing
into this bay in an armed boat for the purpose of barter, was seized by
the natives, carried back a little distance into their valley, and was
only saved from a cruel death by the intervention of a young girl, who
facilitated his escape by night along the beach to Nukuheva.
I had heard, too, of an English vessel that many years ago, after a weary
cruise, sought to enter the bay of Nukuheva, and arriving within two or
three miles of the land, was met by a large canoe filled with natives, who
offered to lead the way to the place of their destination. The captain,
unacquainted with the localities of the island, joyfully acceded to the
proposition—the canoe paddled on and the ship followed. She was soon
conducted to a beautiful inlet, and dropped her anchor in its waters
beneath the shadows of the lofty shore. That same night the perfidious
Typees, who had thus inveigled her into their fatal bay, flocked aboard
the doomed vessel by hundreds, and at a given signal murdered every soul
on board.
CHAPTER IV
Thoughts previous to attempting an escape—Toby, a fellow-sailor,
agrees to share the adventure—Last night aboard the ship.
Having fully resolved to leave the vessel clandestinely, and having
acquired all the knowledge concerning the bay that I could obtain under
the circumstances in which I was placed, I now deliberately turned over in
my mind every plan of escape that suggested itself, being determined to
act with all possible prudence in an attempt where failure would be
attended with so many disagreeable consequences. The idea of being taken
and brought back ignominiously to the ship was so inexpressibly repulsive
to me, that I was determined by no hasty and imprudent measures to render
such an event probable.
I knew that our worthy captain, who felt such a paternal solicitude for
the welfare of his crew, would not willingly consent that one of his best
hands should encounter the perils of a sojourn among the natives of a
barbarous island; and I was certain that in the event of my disappearance
his fatherly anxiety would prompt him to offer, by way of a reward, yard
upon yard of gaily printed calico for my apprehension. He might even have
appreciated my services at the value of a musket, in which case I felt
perfectly certain that the whole population of the bay would be
immediately upon my track, incited by the prospect of so magnificent a
bounty.
Having ascertained the fact before alluded to, that the islanders, from
motives of precaution, dwelt together in the depths of the valleys, and
avoided wandering about the more elevated portions of the shore, unless
bound on some expedition of war or plunder, I concluded that if I could
effect unperceived a passage to the mountains, I might easily remain among
them, supporting myself by such fruits as came in my way until the sailing
of the ship, an event of which I could not fail to be immediately
apprized, as from my lofty position I should command a view of the entire
harbour.
The idea pleased me greatly. It seemed to combine a great deal of
practicability with no inconsiderable enjoyment in a quiet way; for how
delightful it would be to look down upon the detested old vessel from the
height of some thousand feet, and contrast the verdant scenery about me
with the recollection of her narrow decks and gloomy forecastle! Why, it
was really refreshing even to think of it; and so I straightway fell to
picturing myself seated beneath a cocoa-nut tree on the brow of the
mountain, with a cluster of plantains within easy reach, criticizing her
nautical evolutions as she was working her way out of the harbour.
To be sure there was one rather unpleasant drawback to these agreeable
anticipations—the possibility of falling in with a foraging party of these
same bloody-minded Typees, whose appetites, edged perhaps by the air of so
elevated a region, might prompt them to devour one. This, I must confess,
was the most disagreeable view of the matter.
Just to think of a party of these unnatural gourmands taking it into their
heads to make a convivial meal of a poor devil, who would have no means of
escape or defence: however, there was no help for it. I was willing to
encounter some risks in order to accomplish my object, and counted much
upon my ability to elude these prowling cannibals amongst the many coverts
which the mountains afforded. Besides, the chances were ten to one in my
favour that they would none of them quit their own fastnesses.
I had determined not to communicate my design of withdrawing from the
vessel to any of my shipmates, and least of all to solicit any one to
accompany me in my flight. But it so happened one night, that being upon
deck, revolving over in my mind various plans of escape, I perceived one
of the ship’s company leaning over the bulwarks, apparently plunged in a
profound reverie. He was a young fellow about my own age, for whom I had
all along entertained a great regard; and Toby, such was the name by which
he went among us, for his real name he would never tell us, was every way
worthy of it. He was active, ready, and obliging, of dauntless courage,
and singularly open and fearless in the expression of his feelings. I had
on more than one occasion got him out of scrapes into which this had led
him; and I know not whether it was from this cause, or a certain
congeniality of sentiment between us, that he had always shown a
partiality for my society. We had battled out many a long watch together,
beguiling the weary hours with chat, song, and story, mingled with a good
many imprecations upon the hard destiny it seemed our common fortune to
encounter.
[Illustration: I FOUND HIM RIPE FOR THE ENTERPRISE, AND A VERY FEW
WORDS SUFFICED FOR A MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN US]
Toby, like myself, had evidently moved in a different sphere of life, and
his conversation at times betrayed this, although he was anxious to
conceal it. He was one of that class of rovers you sometimes meet at sea,
who never reveal their origin, never allude to home, and go rambling over
the world as if pursued by some mysterious fate they cannot possibly
elude.
There was much even in the appearance of Toby calculated to draw me
towards him, for while the greater part of the crew were as coarse in
person as in mind, Toby was endowed with a remarkably prepossessing
exterior. Arrayed in his blue frock and duck trousers, he was as smart a
looking sailor as ever stepped upon a deck; he was singularly small and
slightly made, with great flexibility of limb. His naturally dark
complexion had been deepened by exposure to the tropical sun, and a mass
of jetty locks clustered about his temples, and threw a darker shade into
his large black eyes. He was a strange wayward being, moody, fitful, and
melancholy—at times almost morose. He had a quick and fiery temper too,
which, when thoroughly roused, transported him into a state bordering on
delirium.
It is strange the power that a mind of deep passion has over feebler
natures. I have seen a brawny fellow, with no lack of ordinary courage,
fairly quail before this slender stripling, when in one of his furious
fits. But these paroxysms seldom occurred, and in them my big-hearted
shipmate vented the bile which more calm-tempered individuals get rid of
by a continual pettishness at trivial annoyances.
No one ever saw Toby laugh—I mean in the hearty abandonment of
broad-mouthed mirth. He did smile sometimes, it is true; and there was a
good deal of dry, sarcastic humour about him, which told the more from the
imperturbable gravity of his tone and manner.
Latterly I had observed that Toby’s melancholy had greatly increased, and
I had frequently seen him since our arrival at the island gazing wistfully
upon the shore, when the remainder of the crew would be rioting below. I
was aware that he entertained a cordial detestation of the ship, and
believed that should a fair chance of escape present itself, he would
embrace it willingly. But the attempt was so perilous in the place where
we then lay, that I supposed myself the only individual on board the ship
who was sufficiently reckless to think of it. In this, however, I was
mistaken.
When I perceived Toby leaning, as I have mentioned, against the bulwarks
and buried in thought, it struck me at once that the subject of his
meditations might be the same as my own. And if it be so, thought I, is he
not the very one of all my shipmates whom I would choose for the partner
of my adventure? and why should I not have some comrade with me to divide
its dangers and alleviate its hardships? Perhaps I might be obliged to lie
concealed among the mountains for weeks. In such an event what a solace
would a companion be?
These thoughts passed rapidly through my mind, and I wondered why I had
not before considered the matter in this light. But it was not too late. A
tap upon the shoulder served to rouse Toby from his reverie; I found him
ripe for the enterprise, and a very few words sufficed for a mutual
understanding between us. In an hour’s time we had arranged all the
preliminaries, and decided upon our plan of action. We then ratified our
engagement with an affectionate wedding of palms, and to elude suspicion
repaired each to his hammock, to spend the last night on board the
_Dolly_.
The next day the starboard watch, to which we both belonged, was to be
sent ashore on liberty; and, availing ourselves of this opportunity we
determined, as soon after landing as possible, to separate ourselves from
the rest of the men without exciting their suspicions, and strike back at
once for the mountains. Seen from the ship, the summits appeared
inaccessible, but here and there sloping spurs extended from them almost
into the sea, buttressing the lofty elevations with which they were
connected, and forming those radiating valleys I have before described.
One of these ridges, which appeared more practicable than the rest, we
determined to climb, convinced that it would conduct us to the heights
beyond. Accordingly, we carefully observed its bearings and locality from
the ship, so that when ashore we should run no chance of missing it.
In all this the leading object we had in view was to seclude ourselves
from sight until the departure of the vessel; then to take our chance as
to the reception the Nukuheva natives might give us; and after remaining
upon the island as long as we found our stay agreeable, to leave it the
first favourable opportunity that offered.
CHAPTER V
A specimen of nautical oratory—Criticisms of the sailors—The
starboard watch are given a holiday—The escape to the mountains.
Early the next morning the starboard watch were mustered upon the
quarter-deck, and our worthy captain, standing in the cabin gangway,
harangued us as follows:—
“Now, men, as we are just off a six month’s cruise, and have got through
most all our work in port here, I suppose you want to go ashore. Well, I
mean to give your watch liberty to-day, so you may get ready as soon as
you please, and go; but understand this, I am going to give you liberty
because I suppose you would growl like so many old quarter gunners if I
didn’t; at the same time, if you’ll take my advice, every mother’s son of
you will stay aboard, and keep out of the way of the bloody cannibals
altogether. Ten to one, men, if you go ashore, you will get into some
infernal row, and that will be the end of you; for if these tattooed
scoundrels get you a little ways back into their valleys, they’ll nab
you—that you may be certain of. Plenty of white men have gone ashore here
and never been seen any more. There was the old _Dido_, she put in here
about two years ago, and sent one watch off on liberty; they never were
heard of again for a week—the natives swore they didn’t know where they
were—and only three of them ever got back to the ship again, and one with
his face damaged for life, for the cursed heathens tattooed a broad patch
clean across his figure head. But it will be no use talking to you, for go
you will, that I see plainly; so all I have to say is, that you need not
blame me if the islanders make a meal of you. You may stand some chance of
escaping them though, if you keep close about the French encampment, and
are back to the ship again before sunset. Keep that much in your mind, if
you forget all the rest I’ve been saying to you. There, go forward: bear a
hand and rig yourselves, and stand by for a call. At two bells the boat
will be manned to take you off, and the Lord have mercy on you!”
Various were the emotions depicted upon the countenances of the starboard
watch whilst listening to this address; but on its conclusion there was a
general move towards the forecastle, and we soon were all busily engaged
in getting ready for the holiday so auspiciously announced by the skipper.
During these preparations, his harangue was commented upon in no very
measured terms; and one of the party, after denouncing him as a lying old
son of a sea-cook who begrudged a fellow a few hours’ liberty, exclaimed
with an oath, “But you don’t bounce me out of my liberty, old chap, for
all your yarns; for I would go ashore if every pebble on the beach was a
live coal, and every stick a gridiron, and the cannibals stood ready to
broil me on landing.”
The spirit of this sentiment was responded to by all hands, and we
resolved that in spite of the captain’s croakings we would make a glorious
day of it.
But Toby and I had our own game to play, and we availed ourselves of the
confusion which always reigns among a ship’s company preparatory to going
ashore, to confer together and complete our arrangements. As our object
was to effect as rapid a flight as possible to the mountains, we
determined not to encumber ourselves with any superfluous apparel; and
accordingly, while the rest were rigging themselves out with some idea of
making a display, we were content to put on new stout duck trousers,
serviceable pumps, and heavy Havre frocks, which, with a Payta hat,
completed our equipment.
When our shipmates wondered at this, Toby exclaimed, in his odd grave way,
that the rest might do as they liked, but that he for one preserved his
go-ashore traps for the Spanish main, where the tie of a sailor’s
neckerchief might make some difference; but as for a parcel of unbreeched
heathen, he wouldn’t go to the bottom of his chest for any of them, and
was half disposed to appear among them in buff himself. The men laughed at
what they thought was one of his strange conceits, and so we escaped
suspicion.
It may appear singular that we should have been thus on our guard with our
own shipmates; but there were some among us who, had they possessed the
least inkling of our project, would, for a paltry hope of reward, have
immediately communicated it to the captain.
As soon as two bells struck, the word was passed for the liberty-men to
get into the boat. I lingered behind in the forecastle a moment, to take a
parting glance at its familiar features, and just as I was about to ascend
to the deck, my eye happened to light on the bread-barge and beef-kid,
which contained the remnants of our last hasty meal. Although I had never
before thought of providing anything in the way of food for our
expedition, as I fully relied upon the fruits of the island to sustain us
wherever we might wander, yet I could not resist the inclination I felt to
provide a luncheon from the relics before me. Accordingly I took a double
handful of those small, broken, flinty bits of biscuit which generally go
by the name of “midshipmen’s nuts,” and thrust them into the bosom of my
frock; in which same ample receptacle I had previously stowed away several
pounds of tobacco and a few yards of cotton cloth,—articles with which I
intended to purchase the good-will of the natives, as soon as we should
appear among them after the departure of our vessel.
This last addition to my stock caused a considerable protuberance in
front, which I abated in a measure by shaking the bits of bread around my
waist, and distributing the plugs of tobacco among the folds of the
garment.
Hardly had I completed these arrangements when my name was sung out by a
dozen voices, and I sprung upon the deck, where I found all the party in
the boat, and impatient to shove off. I dropped over the side, and seated
myself, with the rest of the watch, in the stern sheets, while the poor
larboarders shipped their oars, and commenced pulling us ashore.
This happened to be the rainy season at the islands, and the heavens had
nearly the whole morning betokened one of those heavy showers which,
during this period, so frequently occur. The large drops fell bubbling
into the water shortly after our leaving the ship, and by the time we had
effected a landing, it poured down in torrents. We fled for shelter under
cover of an immense canoe-house, which stood hard by the beach, and waited
for the first fury of the storm to pass.
It continued, however, without cessation; and the monotonous beating of
the rain overhead began to exert a drowsy influence upon the men, who,
throwing themselves here and there upon the large war-canoes, after
chatting awhile, all fell asleep.
This was the opportunity we desired, and Toby and I availed ourselves of
it at once, by stealing out of the canoe-house, and plunging into the
depths of an extensive grove that was in its rear. After ten minutes’
rapid progress, we gained an open space, from which we could just descry
the ridge we intended to mount looming dimly through the mists of the
tropical shower, and distant from us, as we estimated, something more than
a mile. Our direct course towards it lay through a rather populous part of
the bay; but desirous as we were of evading the natives and securing an
unmolested retreat to the mountains, we determined, by taking a circuit
through some extensive thickets, to avoid their vicinity altogether.
The heavy rain that still continued to fall without intermission, favoured
our enterprise, as it drove the islanders into their houses, and prevented
any casual meeting with them. Our heavy frocks soon became completely
saturated with water, and by their weight, and that of the articles we had
concealed beneath them, not a little impeded our progress. But it was no
time to pause, when at any moment we might be surprised by a body of the
savages, and forced at the very outset to relinquish our undertaking.
Since leaving the canoe-house we had scarcely exchanged a single syllable
with one another, but when we entered a second narrow opening in the wood,
and again caught sight of the ridge before us, I took Toby by the arm, and
pointing along its sloping outline to the lofty heights at its extremity,
said, in a low tone, “Now, Toby, not a word, nor a glance backward, till
we stand on the summit of yonder mountain; so no more lingering, but let
us shove ahead while we can, and in a few hours’ time we may laugh aloud.
You are the lightest and the nimblest, so lead on, and I will follow.”
“All right, brother,” said Toby, “quick’s our play, only let’s keep close
together, that’s all”; and so saying, with a bound like a young roe, he
cleared a brook which ran across our path, and rushed forward with a quick
step.
When we arrived within a short distance of the ridge, we were stopped by a
mass of tall yellow reeds, growing together as thickly as they could
stand, and as tough and stubborn as so many rods of steel; and we
perceived, to our chagrin, that they extended midway up the elevation we
proposed to ascend.
For a moment we gazed about us in quest of a more practicable route; it
was, however, at once apparent that there was no resource but to pierce
this thicket of canes at all hazards. We now reversed our order of march,
I, being the heaviest, taking the lead, with a view of breaking a path
through the obstruction, while Toby fell into the rear.
Two or three times I endeavoured to insinuate myself between the canes,
and, by dint of coaxing and bending them, to make some progress; but a
bull-frog might as well have tried to work a passage through the teeth of
a comb, and I gave up the attempt in despair.
Half wild with meeting an obstacle we had so little anticipated, I threw
myself desperately against it, crushing to the ground the canes with which
I came in contact, and rising to my feet again, repeated the action with
like effect. Twenty minutes of this violent exercise almost exhausted me,
but it carried us some way into the thicket; when Toby, who had been
reaping the benefit of my labours by following close at my heels, proposed
to become pioneer in turn, and accordingly passed ahead with a view of
affording me a respite from my exertions. As, however, with his slight
frame he made but bad work of it, I was soon obliged to resume my old
place again.
On we toiled, the perspiration starting from our bodies in floods, our
limbs torn and lacerated with the splintered fragments of the broken
canes, until we had proceeded perhaps as far as the middle of the brake,
when suddenly it ceased raining, and the atmosphere around us became close
and sultry beyond expression. The elasticity of the reeds quickly
recovering from the temporary pressure of our bodies, caused them to
spring back to their original position, so that they closed in upon us as
we advanced, and prevented the circulation of the little air which might
otherwise have reached us. Besides this, their great height completely
shut us out from the view of surrounding objects, and we were not certain
but that we might have been going all the time in a wrong direction.
Fatigued with my long-continued efforts, and panting for breath, I felt
myself completely incapacitated for any further exertion. I rolled up the
sleeve of my frock, and squeezed the moisture it contained into my parched
mouth. But the few drops I managed to obtain gave me little relief, and I
sank down for a moment with a sort of dogged apathy, from which I was
aroused by Toby, who had devised a plan to free us from the net in which
we had become entangled.
He was laying about him lustily with his sheath-knife, lopping the canes
right and left, like a reaper, and soon made quite a clearing around us.
This sight reanimated me; and seizing my own knife, I hacked and hewed
away without mercy. But, alas! the farther we advanced the thicker and
taller, and apparently the more interminable, the reeds became.
I began to think we were fairly snared, and had almost made up my mind
that without a pair of wings we should never be able to escape from the
toils, when all at once I discerned a peep of daylight through the canes
on my right, and, communicating the joyful tidings to Toby, we both fell
to with fresh spirit, and speedily opening a passage towards it, we found
ourselves clear of perplexities, and in the near vicinity of the ridge.
After resting for a few moments we began the ascent, and after a little
vigorous climbing found ourselves close to its summit. Instead, however,
of walking along its ridge, where we should have been in full view of the
natives in the vales beneath, and at a point where they could easily
intercept us, were they so inclined, we cautiously advanced on one side,
crawling on our hands and knees, and screened from observation by the
grass through which we glided, much in the fashion of a couple of
serpents. After an hour employed in this unpleasant kind of locomotion, we
started to our feet again, and pursued our way boldly along the crest of
the ridge.
This salient spur of the lofty elevations that encompassed the bay, rose
with sharp angle from the valleys at its base, and presented, with the
exception of a few steep acclivities, the appearance of a vast inclined
plane, sweeping down towards the sea from the heights in the distance. We
had ascended it near the place of its termination, and at its lowest
point, and now saw our route to the mountains distinctly defined along its
narrow crest, which was covered with a soft carpet of verdure, and was in
many parts only a few feet wide.
Elated with the success which had so far attended our enterprise, and
invigorated by the refreshing atmosphere we now inhaled, Toby and I, in
high spirits, were making our way rapidly along the ridge when suddenly
from the valleys below, which lay on either side of us, we heard the
distant shouts of the natives, who had just descried us, and to whom our
figures, brought in bold relief against the sky, were plainly revealed.
Glancing our eyes into these valleys, we perceived their savage
inhabitants hurrying to and fro, seemingly under the influence of some
sudden alarm, and appearing to the eye scarcely bigger than so many
pigmies, while their white thatched dwellings, dwarfed by the distance,
looked like baby-houses. As we looked down upon the islanders from our
lofty elevation, we experienced a sense of security; feeling confident
that, should they undertake a pursuit, it would, from the start we now
had, proved entirely fruitless, unless they followed us into the
mountains, where we knew they cared not to venture.
However, we thought it was well to make the most of our time; and
accordingly, where the ground would admit of it, we ran swiftly along the
summit of the ridge, until we were brought to a stand by a steep cliff,
which at first seemed to interpose an effectual barrier to our farther
advance. By dint of much hard scrambling, however, and at some risk to our
necks, we at last surmounted it, and continued our flight with unabated
celerity.
We had left the beach early in the morning, and after an uninterrupted,
though at times difficult and dangerous ascent, during which we had never
once turned our faces to the sea, we found ourselves, about three hours
before sunset, standing on the top of what seemed to be the highest land
on the island, an immense overhanging cliff composed of basaltic rocks,
hung round with parasitical plants. We must have been more than three
thousand feet above the level of the sea, and the scenery viewed from this
height was magnificent.
The lonely bay of Nukuheva, dotted here and there with the black hulls of
the vessels composing the French squadron, lay reposing at the base of a
circular range of elevations, whose verdant sides, perforated with deep
glens, or diversified with smiling valleys, formed altogether the
loveliest view I ever beheld, and were I to live a hundred years, I shall
never forget the feeling of admiration which I then experienced.
CHAPTER VI
The other side of the mountain—Disappointment—Inventory of
articles brought from the ship—Division of the stock of
bread—Appearance of the interior of the island—A discovery—A
ravine and waterfalls—A sleepless night—Further discoveries—My
illness—A Marquesan landscape.
My curiosity had been not a little raised with regard to the description
of country we should meet on the other side of the mountains; and I had
supposed, with Toby, that immediately on gaining the heights we should be
enabled to view the large bays of Happar and Typee reposing at our feet on
one side, in the same way that Nukuheva lay spread out below on the other.
But here we were disappointed. Instead of finding the mountain we had
ascended sweeping down in the opposite direction into broad and capacious
valleys, the land appeared to retain its general elevation, only broken
into a series of ridges and inter-vales, which as far as the eye could
reach stretched away from us, with their precipitous sides covered with
the brightest verdure, and waving here and there with the foliage of
clumps of woodland; among which, however, we perceived none of those trees
upon whose fruit we had relied with such certainty.
This was a most unlooked-for discovery, and one that promised to defeat
our plans altogether, for we could not think of descending the mountain on
the Nukuheva side in quest of food. Should we for this purpose be induced
to retrace our steps, we should run no small chance of encountering the
natives, who in that case, if they did nothing worse to us, would be
certain to convey us back to the ship for the sake of the reward in calico
and trinkets, which we had no doubt our skipper would hold out to them as
an inducement to our capture.
What was to be done? The _Dolly_ would not sail perhaps for ten days, and
how were we to sustain life during this period? I bitterly repented our
improvidence in not providing ourselves, as we easily might have done,
with a supply of biscuit. With a rueful visage I now bethought me of the
scanty handful of bread I had stuffed into the bosom of my frock, and felt
somewhat desirous to ascertain what part of it had weathered the rather
rough usage it had experienced in ascending the mountain. I accordingly
proposed to Toby that we should enter into a joint examination of the
various articles we had brought from the ship. With this intent we seated
ourselves upon the grass; and a little curious to see with what kind of
judgment my companion had filled his frock—which I remarked seemed about
as well lined as my own—I requested him to commence operations by
spreading out its contents.
Thrusting his hand, then, into the bosom of his capacious receptacle, he
first brought to light about a pound of tobacco, whose component parts
still adhered together, the whole outside being covered with soft
particles of sea-bread. Wet and dripping, it had the appearance of having
been just recovered from the bottom of the sea. But I paid slight
attention to a substance of so little value to us in our present
situation, as soon as I perceived the indications it gave of Toby’s
foresight in laying in a supply of food for the expedition.
I eagerly inquired what quantity he had brought with him, when rummaging
once more beneath his garment, he produced a small handful of something so
soft, pulpy, and discoloured, that for a few moments he was as much
puzzled as myself to tell by what possible instrumentality such a
villanous compound had become engendered in his bosom. I can only describe
it as a hash of soaked bread and bits of tobacco, brought to a doughy
consistency by the united agency of perspiration and rain. But repulsive
as it might otherwise have been, I now regarded it as an invaluable
treasure, and proceeded with great care to transfer this paste-like mass
to a large leaf which I had plucked from a bush beside me. Toby informed
me that in the morning he had placed two whole biscuits in his bosom, with
a view of munching them, should he feel so inclined, during our flight.
These were now reduced to the equivocal substance which I had just placed
on the leaf.
Another dive into the frock brought to view some four or five yards of
calico print, whose tasteful pattern was rather disfigured by the yellow
stains of the tobacco with which it had been brought in contact. In
drawing this calico slowly from his bosom inch by inch, Toby reminded me
of a juggler performing the feat of the endless ribbon. The next cast was
a small one, being a sailor’s little “ditty bag,” containing needles,
thread, and other sewing utensils; then came a razor-case, followed by two
or three separate plugs of negro-head, which were fished up from the
bottom of the now empty receptacle. These various matters being inspected,
I produced a few things which I had myself brought.
As might have been anticipated from the state of my companion’s edible
supplies, I found my own in a deplorable condition, and diminished to a
quantity that would not have formed half a dozen mouthfuls for a hungry
man who was partial enough to tobacco not to mind swallowing it. A few
morsels of bread, with a fathom or two of white cotton cloth, and several
pounds of choice pigtail, composed the extent of my possessions.
Our joint stock of miscellaneous articles were now made up into a compact
bundle, which it was agreed we should carry alternately. But the sorry
remains of the biscuit were not to be disposed of so summarily: the
precarious circumstances in which we were placed made us regard them as
something on which very probably depended the fate of our adventure. After
a brief discussion, in which we both of us expressed our resolution of not
descending into the bay until the ship’s departure, I suggested to my
companion that little of it as there was, we should divide the bread into
six equal portions, each of which should be a day’s allowance for both of
us. This proposition he assented to; so I took the silk kerchief from my
neck, and cutting it with my knife into half a dozen equal pieces,
proceeded to make an exact division.
At first, Toby, with a degree of fastidiousness that seemed to me
ill-timed, was for picking out the minute particles of tobacco with which
the spongy mass was mixed; but against this proceeding I protested, as by
such an operation we must have greatly diminished its quantity.
When the division was accomplished, we found that a day’s allowance for
the two was not a great deal more than what a table-spoon might hold. Each
separate portion we immediately rolled up in the bit of silk prepared for
it, and joining them all together into a small package, I committed them,
with solemn injunctions of fidelity, to the custody of Toby. For the
remainder of that day we resolved to fast, as we had been fortified by a
breakfast in the morning; and now starting again to our feet, we looked
about us for a shelter during the night, which, from the appearance of the
heavens, promised to be a dark and tempestuous one.
There was no place near us which would in any way answer our purpose; so
turning our backs upon Nukuheva, we commenced exploring the unknown
regions which lay upon the other side of the mountain.
In this direction, as far as our vision extended, not a sign of life, nor
anything that denoted even the transient residence of man could be seen.
The whole landscape seemed one unbroken solitude, the interior of the
island having apparently been untenanted since the morning of the
creation; and as we advanced through this wilderness, our voices sounded
strangely in our ears, as though human accents had never before disturbed
the fearful silence of the place, interrupted only by the low murmurings
of distant waterfalls.
Our disappointment, however, in not finding the various fruits with which
we had intended to regale ourselves during our stay in these wilds, was a
good deal lessened by the consideration that from this very circumstance
we should be much less exposed to a casual meeting with the savage tribes
about us, who we knew always dwelt beneath the shadows of those trees
which supplied them with food.
We wandered along, casting eager glances into every bush we passed, until
just as we had succeeded in mounting one of the many ridges that
intersected the ground, I saw in the grass before me something like an
indistinctly traced footpath, which appeared to lead along the top of the
ridge, and to descend with it into a deep ravine about half a mile in
advance of us.
Robinson Crusoe could not have been more startled at the footprint in the
sand than we were at this unwelcome discovery. My first impulse was to
make as rapid a retreat as possible, and bend our steps in some other
direction; but our curiosity to see whither this path might lead, prompted
us to pursue it. So on we went, the track becoming more and more visible
the farther we proceeded, until it conducted us to the verge of the
ravine, where it abruptly terminated.
“And so,” said Toby, peering down into the chasm, “every one that travels
this path takes a jump here, eh?”
“Not so,” said I, “for I think they might manage to descend without it;
what say you,—shall we attempt the feat?”
“And what, in the name of caves and coal-holes, do you expect to find at
the bottom of that gulf but a broken neck—why, it looks blacker than our
ship’s hold, and the roar of those waterfalls down there would batter
one’s brains to pieces.”
“Oh, no, Toby,” I exclaimed, laughing; “but there’s something to be seen
here, that’s plain, or there would have been no path, and I am resolved to
find out what it is.”
“I will tell you what, my pleasant fellow,” rejoined Toby, quickly, “if
you are going to pry into everything you meet with here that excites your
curiosity, you will marvellously soon get knocked on the head; to a dead
certainty you will come bang upon a party of these savages in the midst of
your discovery-makings, and I doubt whether such an event would
particularly delight you. Just take my advice for once, and let us ’bout
ship and steer in some other direction; besides, it’s getting late, and we
ought to be mooring ourselves for the night.”
“That is just the thing I have been driving at,” replied I; “and I am
thinking that this ravine will exactly answer our purpose, for it is
roomy, secluded, well watered, and may shelter us from the weather.”
“Ay, and from sleep too, and by the same token will give us sore throats,
and rheumatism into the bargain,” cried Toby, with evident dislike at the
idea.
“Oh, very well then, my lad,” said I, “since you will not accompany me,
here I go, alone. You will see me in the morning”; and advancing to the
edge of the cliff upon which we had been standing, I proceeded to lower
myself down by the tangled roots which clustered about all the crevices of
the rock. As I had anticipated, Toby, in spite of his previous
remonstrances, followed my example, and dropping himself with the activity
of a squirrel from point to point, he quickly outstripped me, and effected
a landing at the bottom before I had accomplished two-thirds of the
descent.
The sight that now greeted us was one that will ever be vividly impressed
upon my mind. Five foaming streams, rushing through as many gorges, and
swelled and turbid by the recent rains, united together in one mad plunge
of nearly eighty feet, and fell with wild uproar into a deep black pool
scooped out of the gloomy-looking rocks that lay piled around, and thence
in one collected body dashed down a narrow sloping channel which seemed to
penetrate into the very bowels of the earth. Overhead, vast roots of trees
hung down from the sides of the ravine, dripping with moisture, and
trembling with the concussions produced by the fall. It was now sunset,
and the feeble uncertain light that found its way into these caverns and
woody depths heightened their strange appearance, and reminded us that in
a short time we should find ourselves in utter darkness.
As soon as I had satisfied my curiosity by gazing at this scene, I fell to
wondering how it was that what we had taken for a path should have
conducted us to so singular a place, and began to suspect that after all I
might have been deceived in supposing it to have been a track formed by
the islanders. This was rather an agreeable reflection than otherwise, for
it diminished our dread of accidentally meeting with any of them, and I
came to the conclusion that perhaps we could not have selected a more
secure hiding-place than this very spot we had so accidentally hit upon.
Toby agreed with me in this view of the matter, and we immediately began
gathering together the limbs of trees which lay scattered about, with the
view of constructing a temporary hut for the night. This we were obliged
to build close to the foot of the cataract for the current of water
extended very nearly to the sides of the gorge. The few moments of light
that remained we employed in covering our hut with a species of
broad-bladed grass that grew in every fissure of the ravine. Our hut, if
it deserved to be called one, consisted of six or eight of the straightest
branches we could find laid obliquely against the steep wall of rock, with
their lowered ends within a foot of the stream. Into the space thus
covered over we managed to crawl, and dispose our wearied bodies as best
we could.
Shall I ever forget that horrid night! As for poor Toby, I could scarcely
get a word out of him. It would have been some consolation to have heard
his voice, but he lay shivering the live-long night like a man afflicted
with the palsy, with his knees drawn up to his head, while his back was
supported against the dripping side of the rock. During this wretched
night there seemed nothing wanting to complete the perfect misery of our
condition. The rain descended in such torrents that our poor shelter
proved a mere mockery. In vain did I try to elude the incessant streams
that poured upon me; by protecting one part I only exposed another, and
the water was continually finding some new opening through which to drench
us.
I have had many a ducking in the course of my life, and in general cared
little about it: but the accumulated horrors of that night, the death-like
coldness of the place, the appalling darkness and the dismal sense of our
forlorn condition, almost unmanned me.
It will not be doubted that the next morning we were early risers, and as
soon as I could catch the faintest glimpse of anything like daylight I
shook my companion by the arm, and told him it was sunrise. Poor Toby
lifted up his head, and after a moment’s pause said, in a husky voice,
“Then, shipmate, my toplights have gone out, for it appears darker now
with my eyes open than it did when they were shut.”
“Nonsense!” exclaimed I; “you are not awake yet.”
“Awake!” roared Toby, in a rage; “awake! You mean to insinuate I’ve been
asleep, do you? It is an insult to a man to suppose he could sleep in such
a place as this.”
By the time I had apologized to my friend for having misconstrued his
silence, it had become somewhat more light, and we crawled out of our
lair. The rain had ceased, but everything around us was dripping with
moisture. We stripped off our saturated garments, and wrung them as dry as
we could. We contrived to make the blood circulate in our benumbed limbs
by rubbing them vigorously with our hands; and after performing our
ablutions in the stream, and putting on our still wet clothes, we began to
think it advisable to break our long fast, it being now twenty-four hours
since we had tasted food.
Accordingly, our day’s ration was brought out, and seating ourselves on a
detached fragment of rock, we proceeded to discuss it. First we divided it
into equal portions, and carefully rolling one of them up for our
evening’s repast, divided the remainder again as equally as possible, and
then drew lots for the first choice. I could have placed the morsel that
fell to my share upon the tip of my finger; but notwithstanding this, I
took care that it should be full ten minutes before I had swallowed the
last crumb. What a true saying it is that “appetite furnishes the best
sauce”! There was a flavour and a relish to this small particle of food
that, under other circumstances, it would have been impossible for the
most delicate viands to have imparted. A copious draught of the pure water
which flowed at our feet served to complete the meal, and after it we rose
sensibly refreshed, and prepared for whatever might befall us.
We now carefully examined the chasm in which we had passed the night. We
crossed the stream, and gaining the farther side of the pool I have
mentioned, discovered proofs that the spot must have been visited by some
one but a short time previous to our arrival. Further observation
convinced us that it had been regularly frequented, and, as we afterwards
conjectured from particular indications, for the purpose of obtaining a
certain root, from which the natives obtained a kind of ointment.
These discoveries immediately determined us to abandon a place which had
presented no inducement for us to remain, except the promise of security;
and as we looked about us for the means of ascending again into the upper
regions, we at last found a practicable part of the rock, and
half-an-hour’s toil carried us to the summit of the same cliff from which
the preceding evening we had descended.
I now proposed to Toby that instead of rambling about the island, exposing
ourselves to discovery at every turn, we should select some place as our
fixed abode for as long a period as our food should hold out, build
ourselves a comfortable hut, and be as prudent and circumspect as
possible. To all this my companion assented, and we at once set about
carrying the plan into execution.
With this view, after exploring without success a little glen near us, we
crossed several of the ridges of which I have before spoken; and about
noon found ourselves ascending a long and gradually rising slope, but
still without having discovered any place adapted to our purpose. Low and
heavy clouds betokened an approaching storm, and we hurried on to gain a
covert in a clump of thick bushes, which appeared to terminate the long
ascent. We threw ourselves under the lee of these bushes, and pulling up
the long grass that grew around, covered ourselves completely with it, and
awaited the shower.
But it did not come as soon as we had expected, and before many minutes my
companion was fast asleep, and I was rapidly falling into the same state
of happy forgetfulness. Just at this juncture, however, down came the rain
with a violence that put all thoughts of slumber to flight. Although in
some measure sheltered, our clothes soon became as wet as ever; this,
after all the trouble we had taken to dry them, was provoking enough: but
there was no help for it; and I recommend all adventurous youths who
abandon vessels in romantic islands during the rainy season, to provide
themselves with umbrellas.
After an hour or so the shower passed away. My companion slept through it
all, or at least appeared so to do; and now that it was over I had not the
heart to awaken him. As I lay on my back completely shrouded with verdure,
the leafy branches drooping over me, and my limbs buried in grass, I could
not avoid comparing our situation with that of the interesting babes in
the wood. Poor little sufferers!—no wonder their constitutions broke down
under the hardships to which they were exposed.
During the hour or two spent under the shelter of these bushes, I began to
feel symptoms which I at once attributed to the exposure of the preceding
night. Cold shiverings and a burning fever succeeded one another at
intervals, while one of my legs was swelled to such a degree, and pained
me so acutely, that I half suspected I had been bitten by some venomous
reptile, the congenial inhabitant of the chasm from which we had lately
emerged. I may here remark by the way—what I subsequently learned—that all
the islands of Polynesia enjoy the reputation, in common with the
Hibernian isle, of being free from the presence of any vipers; though
whether Saint Patrick ever visited them, is a question I shall not attempt
to decide.
As the feverish sensation increased upon me I tossed about, still
unwilling to disturb my slumbering companion, from whose side I removed
two or three yards. I chanced to push aside a branch, and by so doing
suddenly disclosed to my view a scene which even now I can recall with all
the vividness of the first impression. Had a glimpse of the gardens of
Paradise been revealed to me, I could scarcely have been more ravished
with the sight.
From the spot where I lay tranfixed with surprise and delight, I looked
straight down into the bosom of a valley, which swept away in long wavy
undulations to the blue waters in the distance. Midway towards the sea,
and peering here and there amidst the foliage, might be seen the
palmetto-thatched houses of its inhabitants, glistening in the sun that
had bleached them to a dazzling whiteness. The vale was more than three
leagues in length, and about a mile across at its greatest width.
On either side it appeared hemmed in by steep and green acclivities,
which, uniting near the spot where I lay, formed an abrupt and
semi-circular termination of grassy cliffs and precipices hundreds of feet
in height, over which flowed numberless small cascades. But the crowning
beauty of the prospect was its universal verdure; and in this indeed
consists, I believe, the peculiar charm of every Polynesian landscape.
Everywhere below me, from the base of the precipice upon whose very verge
I had been unconsciously reposing, the surface of the vale presented a
mass of foliage, spread with such rich profusion that it was impossible to
determine of what description of trees it consisted.
But perhaps there was nothing about the scenery I beheld more impressive
than those silent cascades, whose slender threads of water, after leaping
down the steep cliffs, were lost amidst the rich herbage of the valley.
Over all the landscape there reigned the most hushed repose, which I
almost feared to break, lest, like the enchanted gardens in the fairy
tale, a single syllable might dissolve the spell. For a long time,
forgetful alike of my own situation, and the vicinity of my still
slumbering companion, I remained gazing around me, hardly able to
comprehend by what means I had thus suddenly been made a spectator of such
a scene.
CHAPTER VII
The important question, Typee or Happar?—A wild-goose chase—My
sufferings—Disheartening situation—A night in the ravine—Morning
meal—Happy idea of Toby—Journey towards the valley.
Recovering from my astonishment at the beautiful scene before me, I
quickly awakened Toby, and informed him of the discovery I had made.
Together we now repaired to the border of the precipice, and my
companion’s admiration was equal to my own. A little reflection, however,
abated our surprise at coming so unexpectedly upon this valley, since the
large vales of Happar and Typee, lying upon this side of Nukuheva, and
extending a considerable distance from the sea towards the interior, must
necessarily terminate somewhere about this point.
The question now was as to which of those two places we were looking down
upon. Toby insisted that it was the abode of the Happars, and I that it
was tenanted by their enemies, the ferocious Typees. To be sure I was not
entirely convinced by my own arguments, but Toby’s proposition to descend
at once into the valley, and partake of the hospitality of its inmates,
seemed to me to be risking so much upon the strength of a mere
supposition, that I resolved to oppose it until we had more evidence to
proceed upon.
The point was one of vital importance, as the natives of Happar were not
only at peace with Nukuheva, but cultivated with its inhabitants the most
friendly relations, and enjoyed beside a reputation for gentleness and
humanity which led us to expect from them, if not a cordial reception, at
least a shelter during the short period we should remain in their
territory.
On the other hand, the very name of Typee struck a panic into my heart
which I did not attempt to disguise. The thought of voluntarily throwing
ourselves into the hands of these cruel savages, seemed to me an act of
mere madness; and almost equally so the idea of venturing into the valley,
uncertain by which of these two tribes it was inhabited. That the vale at
our feet was tenanted by one of them, was a point that appeared to us past
all doubt, since we knew that they resided in this quarter, although our
information did not enlighten us further.
My companion, however, incapable of resisting the tempting prospect which
the place held out of an abundant supply of food and other means of
enjoyment, still clung to his own inconsiderate view of the subject, nor
could all my reasoning shake it. When I reminded him that it was
impossible for either of us to know anything with certainty, and when I
dealt upon the horrible fate we should encounter were we rashly to descend
into the valley, and discover too late the error we had committed, he
replied by detailing all the evils of our present condition, and the
sufferings we must undergo should we continue to remain where we then
were.
Anxious to draw him away from the subject, if possible—for I saw that it
would be in vain to attempt changing his mind—I directed his attention to
a long bright unwooded tract of land which, sweeping down from the
elevations in the interior, descended into the valley before us. I then
suggested to him that beyond this ridge might lie a capacious and
untenanted valley, abounding with all manner of delicious fruits; for I
had heard that there were several such upon the island, and proposed that
we should endeavour to reach it, and if we found our expectations realized
we should at once take refuge in it and remain there as long as we
pleased.
He acquiesced in the suggestion; and we immediately, therefore, began
surveying the country lying before us, with a view of determining upon the
best route for us to pursue; but it presented little choice, the whole
interval being broken into steep ridges, divided by dark ravines,
extending in parallel lines at right angles to our direct course. All
these we would be obliged to cross before we could hope to arrive at our
destination.
A weary journey! But we decided to undertake it, though, for my own part,
I felt little prepared to encounter its fatigues, shivering and burning by
turns with the ague and fever; for I know not how else to describe the
alternate sensations I experienced, and suffering not a little from the
lameness which afflicted me. Added to this was the faintness consequent on
our meagre diet—a calamity in which Toby participated to the same extent
as myself.
These circumstances, however, only augmented my anxiety to reach a place
which promised us plenty and repose, before I should be reduced to a state
which would render me altogether unable to perform the journey.
Accordingly we now commenced it by descending the almost perpendicular
side of a steep and narrow gorge, bristling with a thick growth of reeds.
Here there was but one mode for us to adopt. We seated ourselves upon the
ground, and guided our descent by catching at the canes in our path. The
velocity with which we thus slid down the side of the ravine soon brought
us to a point where we could use our feet, and in a short time we arrived
at the edge of the torrent, which rolled impetuously along the bed of the
chasm.
After taking a refreshing draught from the water of the stream, we
addressed ourselves to a much more difficult undertaking than the last.
Every foot of our late descent had to be regained in ascending the
opposite side of the gorge—an operation rendered the less agreeable from
the consideration that in these perpendicular episodes we did not progress
a hundred yards on our journey. But, ungrateful as the task was, we set
about it with exemplary patience, and after a snail-like progress of an
hour or more, had scaled perhaps one half of the distance, when the fever
which had left me for awhile returned with such violence, and accompanied
by so raging a thirst, that it required all the entreaties of Toby to
prevent me from losing all the fruits of my late exertion, by
precipitating myself madly down the cliffs we had just climbed, in quest
of the water which flowed so temptingly at their base. At the moment all
my hopes and fears appeared to be merged in this one desire, careless of
the consequences that might result from its gratification. I am aware of
no feeling, either of pleasure or of pain, that so completely deprives one
of all power to resist its impulses, as this same raging thirst.
Toby earnestly conjured me to continue the ascent, assuring me that a
little more exertion would bring us to the summit, and that then in less
than five minutes we should find ourselves at the brink of the stream,
which must necessarily flow on the other side of the ridge.
“Do not,” he exclaimed, “turn back, now that we have proceeded thus far;
for I tell you that neither of us will have the courage to repeat the
attempt, if once more we find ourselves looking up to where we now are
from the bottom of these rocks!”
I was not yet so perfectly beside myself as to be heedless of these
representations, and therefore toiled on, ineffectually endeavouring to
appease the thirst which consumed me, by thinking that in a short time I
should be able to gratify it to my heart’s content.
At last we gained the top of the second elevation, the loftiest of those I
have described as extending in parallel lines between us and the valley we
desired to reach. It commanded a view of the whole intervening distance;
and, discouraged as I was by other circumstances, this prospect plunged me
into the very depths of despair. Nothing but dark and fearful chasms,
separated by sharp crested and perpendicular ridges as far as the eye
could reach. Could we have stepped from summit to summit of these steep
but narrow elevations we could easily have accomplished the distance; but
we must penetrate to the bottom of every yawning gulf, and scale in
succession every one of the eminences before us. Even Toby, although not
suffering as I did, was not proof against the disheartening influences of
the sight.
But we did not long stand to contemplate it, impatient as I was to reach
the waters of the torrent which flowed beneath us. With an insensibility
to danger which I cannot call to mind without shuddering, we threw
ourselves down the depths of the ravine, startling its savage solitudes
with the echoes produced by the falling fragments of rock we every moment
dislodged from their places, careless of the insecurity of our footing,
and reckless whether the slight roots and twigs we clutched at sustained
us for the while, or treacherously yielded to our grasp. For my own part,
I scarcely knew whether I was helplessly falling from the heights above,
or whether the fearful rapidity with which I descended was an act of my
own volition.
[Illustration: AT LAST WE GAINED THE TOP OF THE SECOND ELEVATION]
In a few minutes we reached the foot of the gorge, and kneeling upon a
small ledge of dripping rocks, I bent over to the stream. What a delicious
sensation was I now to experience! I paused for a second to concentrate
all my capabilities of enjoyment, and then immerged my lips in the clear
element before me. Had the apples of Sodom turned to ashes in my mouth, I
could not have felt a more startling revulsion. A single drop of the cold
fluid seemed to freeze every drop of blood in my body; the fever that had
been burning in my veins gave place on the instant to death-like chills,
which shook me one after another like so many shocks of electricity, while
the perspiration produced by my late violent exertions congealed in icy
beads upon my forehead. My thirst was gone, and I fairly loathed the
water. Starting to my feet, the sight of those dank rocks, oozing forth
moisture at every crevice, and the dark stream shooting along its dismal
channel, sent fresh chills through my shivering frame, and I felt as
uncontrollable a desire to climb up towards the genial sunlight as I
before had to descend the ravine.
After two hours’ perilous exertions we stood upon the summit of another
ridge, and it was with difficulty I could bring myself to believe that we
had ever penetrated the black and yawning chasm which then gaped at our
feet. Again we gazed upon the prospect which the height commanded, but it
was just as depressing as the one which had before met our eyes. I now
felt that in our present situation it was in vain for us to think of ever
overcoming the obstacles in our way, and I gave up all thoughts of
reaching the vale which lay beyond this series of impediments; while at
the same time I could not devise any scheme to extricate ourselves from
the difficulties in which we were involved.
The remotest idea of returning to Nukuheva unless assured of our vessel’s
departure, never once entered my mind, and indeed it was questionable
whether we could have succeeded in reaching it, divided as we were from
the bay by a distance we could not compute, and perplexed too in our
remembrance of localities by our recent wanderings. Besides, it was
unendurable the thought of retracing our steps and rendering all our
painful exertions of no avail.
There is scarcely anything when a man is in difficulties that he is more
disposed to look upon with abhorrence than a right-about retrograde
movement—a systematic going over of the already trodden ground: and
especially if he has a love of adventure, such a course appears
indescribably repulsive, so long as there remains the least hope to be
derived from braving untried difficulties.
It was this feeling that prompted us to descend the opposite side of the
elevation we had just scaled, although with what definite object in view
it would have been impossible for either of us to tell.
Without exchanging a syllable upon the subject, Toby and myself
simultaneously renounced the design which had lured us thus far—perceiving
in each other’s countenances that desponding expression which speaks more
eloquently than words.
Together we stood towards the close of this weary day in the cavity of the
third gorge we had entered, wholly incapacitated for any further exertion,
until restored to some degree of strength by food and repose.
We seated ourselves upon the least uncomfortable spot we could select, and
Toby produced from the bosom of his frock the sacred package. In silence
we partook of the small morsel of refreshment that had been left from the
morning’s repast, and without once proposing to violate the sanctity of
our engagement with respect to the remainder, we rose to our feet, and
proceeded to construct some sort of shelter under which we might obtain
the sleep we so greatly needed.
Fortunately the spot was better adapted to our purpose than the one in
which we had passed the last wretched night. We cleared away the tall
reeds from a small but almost level bit of ground, and twisted them into a
low basket-like hut, which we covered with a profusion of long thick
leaves, gathered from a tree near at hand. We disposed them thickly all
around, reserving only a slight opening that barely permitted us to crawl
under the shelter we had thus obtained.
These deep recesses, though protected from the winds that assail the
summits of their lofty sides, are damp and chill to a degree that one
would hardly anticipate in such a climate; and being unprovided with
anything but our woollen frocks and thin duck trousers to resist the cold
of the place, we were the more solicitous to render our habitation for the
night as comfortable as we could. Accordingly, in addition to what we had
already done, we plucked down all the leaves within our reach and threw
them in a heap over our little hut, into which we now crept, raking after
us a reserved supply to form our couch.
That night nothing but the pain I suffered prevented me from sleeping most
refreshingly. As it was, I caught two or three naps, while Toby slept away
at my side as soundly as though he had been sandwiched between two Holland
sheets. Luckily it did not rain, and we were preserved from the misery
which a heavy shower would have occasioned us.
In the morning I was awakened by the sonorous voice of my companion
ringing in my ears and bidding me rise. I crawled out from our heap of
leaves, and was astonished at the change which a good night’s rest had
wrought in his appearance. He was as blithe and joyous as a young bird,
and was staying the keenness of his morning’s appetite by chewing the soft
bark of a delicate branch he held in his hand, and he recommended the like
to me, as an admirable antidote against the gnawings of hunger.
For my own part, though feeling materially better than I had done the
preceding evening, I could not look at the limb that had pained me so
violently at intervals during the last twenty-four hours, without
experiencing a sense of alarm that I strove in vain to shake off.
Unwilling to disturb the flow of my comrade’s spirits, I managed to stifle
the complaints to which I might otherwise have given vent, and calling
upon him good-humouredly to speed our banquet, I prepared myself for it by
washing in the stream. This operation concluded, we swallowed, or rather
absorbed, by a peculiar kind of slow sucking process, our respective
morsels of nourishment, and then entered into a discussion as to the steps
it was necessary for us to pursue.
“What’s to be done now?” inquired I, rather dolefully.
“Descend into that same valley we descried yesterday,” rejoined Toby, with
a rapidity and loudness of utterance that almost led me to suspect he had
been slyly devouring the broadside of an ox in some of the adjoining
thickets. “What else,” he continued, “remains for us to do but that, to be
sure? Why, we shall both starve, to a certainty, if we remain here; and as
to your fears of those Typees—depend upon it, it is all nonsense. It is
impossible that the inhabitants of such a lovely place as we saw can be
anything else but good fellows; and if you choose rather to perish with
hunger in one of these soppy caverns, I for one prefer to chance a bold
descent into the valley, and risk the consequences.”
“And who is to pilot us thither,” I asked, “even if we should decide upon
the measure you propose? Are we to go again up and down those precipices
that we crossed yesterday, until we reach the place we started from, and
then take a flying leap from the cliffs to the valley?”
“’Faith, I didn’t think of that,” said Toby; “sure enough, both sides of
the valley appeared to be hemmed in by precipices, didn’t they?”
“Yes,” answered I; “as steep as the sides of a line-of-battle ship, and
about a hundred times as high.” My companion sank his head upon his
breast, and remained for awhile in deep thought. Suddenly he sprang to his
feet, while his eyes lighted up with that gleam of intelligence that marks
the presence of some bright idea.
“Yes, yes,” he exclaimed; “the streams all run in the same direction, and
must necessarily flow into the valley before they reach the sea; all we
have to do is just to follow this stream, and sooner or later, it will
lead us into the vale.”
“You are right, Toby,” I exclaimed, “you are right; it must conduct us
thither, and quickly too; for, see with what a steep inclination the water
descends.”
“It does, indeed,” burst forth my companion, overjoyed at my verification
of his theory, “it does, indeed; why, it is as plain as a pike-staff. Let
us proceed at once; come, throw away all those stupid ideas about the
Typees, and hurrah for the lovely valley of the Happars!”
“You will have it to be Happar, I see, my dear fellow; pray Heaven, you
may not find yourself deceived,” observed I, with a shake of my head.
“Amen to all that, and much more,” shouted Toby, rushing forward; “but
Happar it is, for nothing else than Happar can it be. So glorious a
valley—such forests of bread-fruit trees—such groves of cocoa-nut—such
wildernesses of guava-bushes! Ah, shipmate! don’t linger behind: in the
name of all delightful fruits, I am dying to be at them. Come on, come on;
shove ahead, there’s a lively lad; never mind the rocks; kick them out of
the way, as I do; and to-morrow, old fellow, take my word for it, we shall
be in clover. Come on”; and so saying, he dashed along the ravine like a
madman, forgetting my inability to keep up with him. In a few minutes,
however, the exuberance of his spirits abated, and, pausing for awhile, he
permitted me to overtake him.
CHAPTER VIII
Perilous passage of the ravine—Descent into the valley
The fearless confidence of Toby was contagious, and I began to adopt the
Happar side of the question. I could not, however, overcome a certain
feeling of trepidation, as we made our way along these gloomy solitudes.
Our progress, at first comparatively easy, became more and more difficult.
The bed of the watercourse was covered with fragments of broken rocks,
which had fallen from above, offering so many obstructions to the course
of the rapid stream, which vexed and fretted about them,—forming at
intervals small waterfalls, pouring over into deep basins, or splashing
wildly upon heaps of stones.
From the narrowness of the gorge, and the steepness of its sides, there
was no mode of advancing but by wading through the water; stumbling every
moment over the impediments which lay hidden under its surface, or
tripping against the huge roots of trees. But the most annoying hindrance
we encountered was from a multitude of crooked boughs, which, shooting out
almost horizontally from the sides of the chasm, twisted themselves
together in fantastic masses almost to the surface of the stream,
affording us no passage except under the low arches which they formed.
Under these we were obliged to crawl on our hands and feet, sliding along
the oozy surface of the rocks, or slipping into the deep pools, and with
scarce light enough to guide us. Occasionally we would strike our heads
against some projecting limb of a tree; and while imprudently engaged in
rubbing the injured part, would fall sprawling amongst flinty fragments,
cutting and bruising ourselves, whilst the unpitying waters flowed over
our prostrate bodies. Belzoni, worming himself through the subterranean
passages of the Egyptian catacombs, could not have met with greater
impediments than those we here encountered. But we struggled against them
manfully, well knowing our only hope lay in advancing.
Towards sunset we halted at a spot where we made preparations for passing
the night. Here we constructed a hut, in much the same way as before, and
crawling into it, endeavoured to forget our sufferings. My companion, I
believe, slept pretty soundly; but at daybreak, when we rolled out of our
dwelling, I felt nearly disqualified for any further efforts. Toby
prescribed as a remedy for my illness the contents of one of our little
silk packages, to be taken at once in a single dose. To this species of
medical treatment, however, I would by no means accede, much as he
insisted upon it; and so we partook of our usual morsel, and silently
resumed our journey. It was the fourth day since we left Nukuheva, and the
gnawings of hunger became painfully acute. We were fain to pacify them by
chewing the tender bark of roots and twigs, which, if they did not afford
us nourishment, were at least sweet and pleasant to the taste.
Our progress along the steep watercourse was necessarily slow, and by noon
we had not advanced more than a mile. It was somewhere near this part of
the day that the noise of falling waters, which we had faintly caught in
the early morning, became more distinct; and it was not long before we
were arrested by a rocky precipice of nearly a hundred feet in depth, that
extended all across the channel, and over which the wild stream poured in
an unbroken leap. On either hand the walls of the ravine presented their
overhanging sides both above and below the fall, affording no means
whatever of avoiding the cataract by taking a circuit round it.
“What’s to be done now, Toby?” said I.
“Why,” rejoined he, “as we cannot retreat, I suppose we must keep shoving
along.”
“Very true, my dear Toby; but how do you purpose accomplishing that
desirable object?”
“By jumping from the top of the fall, if there be no other way,”
unhesitatingly replied my companion; “it will be much the quickest way of
descent; but as you are not quite as active as I am, we will try some
other way.”
And so saying, he crept cautiously along and peered over into the abyss,
while I remained wondering by what possible means we could overcome this
apparently insuperable obstruction. As soon as my companion had completed
his survey, I eagerly inquired the result.
“The result of my observations you wish to know, do you?” began Toby,
deliberately, with one of his odd looks: “well, my lad, the result of my
observation is very quickly imparted. It is at present uncertain which of
our two necks will have the honour to be broken first; but about a hundred
to one would be a fair bet in favour of the man who takes the first jump.”
“Then it is an impossible thing, is it?” inquired I, gloomily.
“No, shipmate; on the contrary, it is the easiest thing in life: the only
awkward point is the sort of usage which our unhappy limbs may receive
when we arrive at the bottom, and what sort of travelling trim we shall be
in afterwards. But follow me now, and I will show you the only chance we
have.”
With this he conducted me to the verge of the cataract, and pointed along
the side of the ravine to a number of curious-looking roots, some three or
four inches in thickness, and several feet long, which, after twisting
among the fissures of the rock, shot perpendicularly from it, and ran
tapering to a point in the air, hanging over the gulf like so many dark
icicles. They covered nearly the entire surface of one side of the gorge,
the lowest of them reaching even to the water. Many were moss-grown and
decayed, with their extremities snapped short off, and those in the
immediate vicinity of the fall were slippery with moisture.
Toby’s scheme, and it was a desperate one, was to entrust ourselves to
these treacherous-looking roots, and by slipping down from one to another
to gain the bottom.
“Are you ready to venture it?” asked Toby, looking at me earnestly, but
without saying a word as to the practicability of the plan.
“I am,” was my reply; for I saw it was our only resource if we wished to
advance, and as for retreating, all thoughts of that sort had been long
abandoned.
After I had signified my assent, Toby, without uttering a single word,
crawled along the dripping ledge until he gained a point from whence he
could just reach one of the largest of the pendant roots; he shook it—it
quivered in his grasp, and when he let it go, it twanged in the air like a
strong wire sharply struck. Satisfied by his scrutiny, my light-limbed
companion swung himself nimbly upon it, and twisting his legs round it in
sailor fashion, slipped down eight or ten feet, where his weight gave it a
motion not unlike that of a pendulum. He could not venture to descend any
farther; so holding on with one hand, he with the other shook one by one
all the slender roots around him, and at last, finding one which he
thought trustworthy, shifted himself to it and continued his downward
progress.
So far so well; but I could not avoid comparing my heavier frame and
disabled condition with his light figure and remarkable activity: but
there was no help for it, and in less than a minute’s time I was swinging
directly over his head. As soon as his upturned eyes caught a glimpse of
me, he exclaimed in his usual dry tone, for the danger did not seem to
daunt him in the least, “Mate, do me the kindness not to fall until I get
out of your way”; and then swinging himself more on one side, he continued
his descent. In the meantime, I cautiously transferred myself from the
limb down which I had been slipping to a couple of others that were near
it, deeming two strings to my bow better than one, and taking care to test
their strength before I trusted my weight to them.
On arriving towards the end of the second stage in this vertical journey,
and shaking the long roots which were round me, to my consternation they
snapped off one after another like so many pipe stems, and fell in
fragments against the side of the gulf, splashing at last into the waters
beneath.
As one after another the treacherous roots yielded to my grasp, and fell
into the torrent, my heart sunk within me. The branches on which I was
suspended over the yawning chasm swang to and fro in the air, and I
expected them every moment to snap in twain. Appalled at the dreadful fate
that menaced me, I clutched frantically at the only large root which
remained near me; but in vain; I could not reach it, though my fingers
were within a few inches of it. Again and again I tried to reach it, until
at length, maddened with the thought of my situation, I swayed myself
violently by striking my foot against the side of the rock, and at the
instant that I approached the large root caught desperately at it, and
transferred myself to it. It vibrated violently under the sudden weight,
but fortunately did not give way.
My brain grew dizzy with the idea of the frightful risk I had just run,
and I involuntarily closed my eyes to shut out the view of the depth
beneath me. For the instant I was safe, and I uttered a devout ejaculation
of thanksgiving for my escape.
“Pretty well done,” shouted Toby underneath me; “you are nimbler than I
thought you to be—hopping about up there from root to root like any young
squirrel. As soon as you have diverted yourself sufficiently, I would
advise you to proceed.”
“Ay, ay, Toby, all in good time: two or three more such famous roots as
this, and I shall be with you.”
The residue of my downward progress was comparatively easy; the roots were
in greater abundance, and in one or two places jutting out points of rock
assisted me greatly. In a few moments I was standing by the side of my
companion.
Substituting a stout stick for the one I had thrown aside at the top of
the precipice, we now continued our course along the bed of the ravine.
Soon we were saluted by a sound in advance, that grew by degrees louder
and louder, as the noise of the cataract we were leaving behind gradually
died on our ears.
“Another precipice for us, Toby.”
“Very good; we can descend them, you know—come on.”
Nothing indeed appeared to depress or intimidate this intrepid fellow.
Typee or Niagaras, he was as ready to engage one as the other, and I could
not avoid a thousand times congratulating myself upon having such a
companion in an enterprise like the present.
After an hour’s painful progress, we reached the verge of another fall,
still loftier than the preceding, and flanked both above and below with
the same steep masses of rock, presenting, however, here and there narrow
irregular ledges, supporting a shallow soil, on which grew a variety of
bushes and trees, whose bright verdure contrasted beautifully with the
foamy waters that flowed between them.
Toby, who invariably acted as pioneer, now proceeded to reconnoitre. On
his return, he reported that the shelves of rock on our right would enable
us to gain with little risk the bottom of the cataract. Accordingly,
leaving the bed of the stream at the very point where it thundered down,
we began crawling along one of these sloping ledges until it carried us to
within a few feet of another that inclined downward at a still sharper
angle, and upon which, by assisting each other, we managed to alight in
safety. We warily crept along this, steadying ourselves by the naked roots
of the shrubs that clung to every fissure. As we proceeded, the narrow
path became still more contracted, rendering it difficult for us to
maintain our footing, until suddenly, as we reached an angle of the wall
of rock where we had expected it to widen, we perceived to our
consternation, that a yard or two farther on it abruptly terminated at a
place we could not possibly hope to pass.
Toby, as usual, led the van, and in silence I waited to learn from him how
he proposed to extricate us from this new difficulty.
“Well, my boy,” I exclaimed, after the expiration of several minutes,
during which time my companion had not uttered a word: “what’s to be done
now?”
He replied in a tranquil tone that probably the best thing we could do in
the present strait was to get out of it as soon as possible.
“Yes, my dear Toby, but tell me _how_ we are to get out of it.”
“Something in this sort of style,” he replied; and at the same moment, to
my horror, he slipped sideways off the rock, and, as I then thought, by
good fortune merely, alighted among the spreading branches of a species of
palm tree, that shooting its hardy roots along a ledge below, curved its
trunk upwards into the air, and presented a thick mass of foliage about
twenty feet below the spot where we had thus suddenly been brought to a
stand-still. I voluntarily held my breath, expecting to see the form of my
companion, after being sustained for a moment by the branches of the tree,
sink through their frail support, and fall headlong to the bottom. To my
surprise and joy, however, he recovered himself, and disentangling his
limbs from the fractured branches, he peered out from his leafy bed, and
shouted lustily, “Come on, my hearty, there is no other alternative!” and
with this he ducked beneath the foliage, and slipping down the trunk,
stood in a moment at least fifty feet beneath me, upon the broad shelf of
rock from which sprung the tree he had descended.
What would I not have given at that moment to have been by his side? The
feat he had just accomplished seemed little less than miraculous, and I
could hardly credit the evidence of my senses when I saw the wide distance
that a single daring act had so suddenly placed between us.
Toby’s animating “come on!” again sounded in my ears, and dreading to lose
all confidence in myself if I remained meditating upon the step, I once
more gazed down to assure myself of the relative bearing of the tree and
my own position, and then closing my eyes and uttering one comprehensive
ejaculation of prayer, I inclined myself over towards the abyss, and after
one breathless instant fell with a crash into the tree, the branches
snapping and crackling with my weight, as I sunk lower and lower among
them until I was stopped by coming in contact with a sturdy limb.
In a few moments I was standing at the foot of the tree, manipulating
myself all over with a view of ascertaining the extent of the injuries I
had received. To my surprise the only effects of my feat were a few slight
contusions too trifling to care about. The rest of our descent was easily
accomplished, and in half an hour after regaining the ravine, we had
partaken of our evening morsel, built our hut as usual, and crawled under
its shelter.
The next morning, in spite of our debility and the agony of hunger under
which we were now suffering, though neither of us confessed to the fact,
we struggled along our dismal and still difficult and dangerous path,
cheered by the hope of soon catching a glimpse of the valley before us,
and towards evening the voice of a cataract which had for some time
sounded like a low deep bass to the music of the smaller waterfalls, broke
upon our ears in still louder tones, and assured us that we were
approaching its vicinity.
That evening we stood on the brink of a precipice, over which the dark
stream bounded in one final leap of full 300 feet. The sheer descent
terminated in the region we so long had sought. On either side of the
fall, two lofty and perpendicular bluffs buttressed the sides of the
enormous cliff, and projected into the sea of verdure with which the
valley waved, and a range of similar projecting eminences stood disposed
in a half circle about the head of the vale. A thick canopy of trees hung
over the very verge of the fall, leaving an arched aperture for the
passage of the waters, which imparted a strange picturesqueness to the
scene.
The valley was now before us; but instead of being conducted into its
smiling bosom by the gradual descent of the deep watercourse we had thus
far pursued, all our labours now appeared to have been rendered futile by
its abrupt termination. But, bitterly disappointed, we did not entirely
despair.
As it was now near sunset we determined to pass the night where we were
and on the morrow, refreshed by sleep, and by eating at one meal all our
stock of food, to accomplish a descent into the valley, or perish in the
attempt.
We laid ourselves down that night on a spot, the recollection of which
still makes me shudder. A small table of rock which projected over the
precipice on one side of the stream, and was drenched by the spray of the
fall, sustained a huge trunk of a tree which must have been deposited
there by some heavy freshet. It lay obliquely, with one end resting on the
rock and the other supported by the side of the ravine. Against it we
placed in a sloping direction a number of the half-decayed boughs that
were strewn about, and covering the whole with twigs and leaves, awaited
the morning’s light beneath such shelter as it afforded.
During the whole of this night the continual roaring of the cataract—the
dismal moaning of the gale through the trees—the pattering of the rain,
and the profound darkness, affected my spirits to a degree which nothing
had ever before produced. Wet, half-famished, and chilled to the heart
with the dampness of the place, and nearly wild with the pain I endured, I
fairly cowered down to the earth under this multiplication of hardships,
and abandoned myself to frightful anticipations of evil; and my companion,
whose spirit at last was a good deal broken, scarcely uttered a word
during the whole night.
At length the day dawned upon us, and rising from our miserable pallet, we
stretched our stiffened joints, and after eating all that remained of our
bread, prepared for the last stage of our journey.
I will not recount every hairbreadth escape, and every fearful difficulty
that occurred before we succeeded in reaching the bosom of the valley. As
I have already described similar scenes, it will be sufficient to say that
at length, after great toil and great dangers, we both stood with no limbs
broken at the head of that magnificent vale which five days before had so
suddenly burst upon my sight, and almost beneath the shadow of those very
cliffs from whose summits we had gazed upon the prospect.
CHAPTER IX
The head of the valley—Cautious advance—A path—Fruit—Discovery of
two of the natives—Their singular conduct—Approach towards the
inhabited parts of the vale—Sensation produced by our
appearance—Reception at the house of one of the natives.
How to obtain the fruit which we felt convinced must grow near at hand was
our first thought.
Typee or Happar? A frightful death at the hands of the fiercest of
cannibals, or a kindly reception from a gentler race of savages? Which?
But it was too late now to discuss a question which would so soon be
answered.
The part of the valley in which we found ourselves appeared to be
altogether uninhabited. An almost impenetrable thicket extended from side
to side, without presenting a single plant affording the nourishment we
had confidently calculated upon; and with this object, we followed the
course of the stream, casting quick glances as we proceeded into the thick
jungles on either hand.
My companion—to whose solicitations I had yielded in descending into the
valley—now that the step was taken, began to manifest a degree of caution
I had little expected from him. He proposed that in the event of our
finding an adequate supply of fruit, we should remain in this unfrequented
portion of the valley—where we should run little chance of being surprised
by its occupants, whoever they might be—until sufficiently recruited to
resume our journey; when laying in a store of food equal to our wants, we
might easily regain the bay of Nukuheva, after the lapse of a sufficient
interval to ensure the departure of our vessel.
I objected strongly to this proposition, plausible as it was, as the
difficulties of the route would almost be insurmountable, unacquainted as
we were with the general bearings of the country, and I reminded my
companion of the hardships which we had already encountered in our
uncertain wanderings; in a word, I said that since we had deemed it
advisable to enter the valley, we ought manfully to face the consequences,
whatever they might be; the more especially as I was convinced there was
no alternative left us but to fall in with the natives at once, and boldly
risk the reception they might give us: and that as to myself, I felt the
necessity of rest and shelter, and that until I had obtained them, I
should be wholly unable to encounter such sufferings as we had lately
passed through. To the justice of these observations Toby somewhat
reluctantly assented.
We were surprised that, after moving as far as we had along the valley, we
would still meet with the same impervious thickets; and thinking that
although the borders of the stream might be lined for some distance with
them, yet beyond there might be more open ground, I requested Toby to keep
a bright look-out upon one side, while I did the same on the other, in
order to discover some opening in the bushes, and especially to watch for
the slightest appearance of a path or anything else that might indicate
the vicinity of the islanders.
What furtive and anxious glances we cast into those dim-looking shades!
With what apprehensions we proceeded, ignorant at what moment we might be
greeted by the javelin of some ambushed savage! At last my companion
paused, and directed my attention to a narrow opening in the foliage. We
struck into it, and it soon brought us by an indistinctly traced path to a
comparatively clear space, at the farther end of which we descried a
number of the trees, the native name of which is “annuee,” and which bear
a most delicious fruit.
What a race! I hobbling over the ground like some decrepid wretch, and
Toby leaping forward like a greyhound. He quickly cleared one of the trees
on which there were two or three of the fruit, but to our chagrin they
proved to be much decayed; the rinds partly opened by the birds, and their
hearts half devoured. However, we quickly despatched them, and no ambrosia
could have been more delicious.
We looked about us uncertain whither to direct our steps, since the path
we had so far followed appeared to be lost in the open space around us. At
last we resolved to enter a grove near at hand, and had advanced a few
rods, when, just upon its skirts, I picked up a slender bread-fruit shoot
perfectly green, and with the tender bark freshly stript from it. It was
slippery with moisture, and appeared as if it had been but that moment
thrown aside. I said nothing, but merely held it up to Toby, who started
at this undeniable evidence of the vicinity of the savages.
The plot was now thickening.—A short distance farther lay a little faggot
of the same shoots bound together with a strip of bark. Could it have been
thrown down by some solitary native, who, alarmed at seeing us, had
hurried forward to carry the tidings of our approach to his
countrymen?—Typee or Happar?—But it was too late to recede, so we moved on
slowly, my companion in advance casting eager glances under the trees on
either side, until all at once I saw him recoil as if stung by an adder.
Sinking on his knee, he waved me off with one hand, while with the other
he held aside some intervening leaves, and gazed intently at some object.
Disregarding his injunction, I quickly approached him and caught a glimpse
of two figures partly hidden by the dense foliage; they were standing
close together, and were perfectly motionless. They must have previously
perceived us, and withdrawn into the depths of the wood to elude our
observation.
My mind was at once made up. Dropping my staff, and tearing open the
package of things we had brought from the ship, I unrolled the cotton
cloth, and holding it in one hand, plucked with the other a twig from the
bushes beside me, and telling Toby to follow my example, I broke through
the covert and advanced, waving the branch in token of peace towards the
shrinking forms before me.
They were a boy and a girl, slender and graceful, and completely naked,
with the exception of a slight girdle of bark, from which depended at
opposite points two of the russet leaves of the bread-fruit tree. An arm
of the boy, half screened from sight by her wild tresses, was thrown about
the neck of the girl, while with the other he held one of her hands in
his; and thus they stood together, their heads inclined forward, catching
the faint noise we made in our progress, and with one foot in advance, as
if half inclined to fly from our presence.
As we drew near, their alarm evidently increased. Apprehensive that they
might fly from us altogether, I stopped short and motioned them to advance
and receive the gift I extended towards them, but they would not; I then
uttered a few words of their language with which I was acquainted,
scarcely expecting that they would understand me, but to show that we had
not dropped from the clouds upon them. This appeared to give them a little
confidence, so I approached nearer, presenting the cloth with one hand,
and holding the bough with the other, while they slowly retreated. At last
they suffered us to approach so near to them that we were enabled to throw
the cotton cloth across their shoulders, giving them to understand that it
was theirs, and by a variety of gestures endeavouring to make them
understand that we entertained the highest possible regard for them.
The frightened pair now stood still, whilst we endeavoured to make them
comprehend the nature of our wants. In doing this Toby went through with a
complete series of pantomimic illustrations—opening his mouth from ear to
ear, and thrusting his fingers down his throat, gnashing his teeth and
rolling his eyes about, till I verily believe the poor creatures took us
for a couple of white cannibals who were about to make a meal of them.
When, however, they understood us, they showed no inclination to relieve
our wants. At this juncture it began to rain violently, and we motioned
them to lead us to some place of shelter. With this request they appeared
willing to comply, but nothing could evince more strongly the apprehension
with which they regarded us, than the way in which, whilst walking before
us, they kept their eyes constantly turned back to watch every movement we
made, and even our very looks.
“Typee or Happar, Toby?” asked I, as we walked after them.
“Of course, Happar,” he replied, with a show of confidence which was
intended to disguise his doubts.
“We shall soon know,” I exclaimed; and at the same moment I stepped
forward towards our guides, and pronouncing the two names interrogatively,
and pointing to the lowest part of the valley, endeavoured to come to the
point at once. They repeated the words after me again and again, but
without giving any peculiar emphasis to either, so that I was completely
at a loss to understand them; for a couple of wilier young things than we
afterwards found them to have been on this particular occasion never
probably fell in any traveller’s way.
More and more curious to ascertain our fate, I now threw together in the
form of a question the words “Happar” and “Mortarkee,” the latter being
equivalent to the word “good.” The two natives interchanged glances of
peculiar meaning with one another at this, and manifested no little
surprise; but on the repetition of the question, after some consultation
together, to the great joy of Toby, they answered in the affirmative. Toby
was now in ecstasies, especially as the young savages continued to
reiterate their answer with great energy, as though desirous of impressing
us with the idea that being among the Happars, we ought to consider
ourselves perfectly secure.
Although I had some lingering doubts, I feigned great delight with Toby at
this announcement, while my companion broke out into a pantomimic
abhorrence of Typee, and immeasurable love for the particular valley in
which we were; our guides all the while gazing uneasily at one another, as
if at a loss to account for our conduct.
They hurried on, and we followed them; until suddenly they set up a
strange halloo, which was answered from beyond the grove through which we
were passing, and the next moment we entered upon some open ground, at the
extremity of which we descried a long, low hut, and in front of it were
several young girls. As soon as they perceived us they fled with wild
screams into the adjoining thickets, like so many startled fawns. A few
moments after the whole valley resounded with savage outcries, and the
natives came running towards us from every direction.
Had an army of invaders made an irruption into their territory, they could
not have evinced greater excitement. We were soon completely encircled by
a dense throng, and in their eager desire to behold us, they almost
arrested our progress; an equal number surrounding our youthful guides,
who, with amazing volubility, appeared to be detailing the circumstances
which had attended their meeting with us. Every item of intelligence
appeared to redouble the astonishment of the islanders, and they gazed at
us with inquiring looks.
At last we reached a large and handsome building of bamboos, and were by
signs told to enter it, the natives opening a lane for us through which to
pass; on entering, without ceremony we threw our exhausted frames upon the
mats that covered the floor. In a moment the slight tenement was
completely full of people, whilst those who were unable to gain admittance
gazed at us through its open cane-work.
It was now evening, and by the dim light we could just discern the savage
countenances around us, gleaming with wild curiosity and wonder; the naked
forms and tattooed limbs of brawny warriors, with here and there the
slighter figures of young girls, all engaged in a perfect storm of
conversation, of which we were of course the one only theme; whilst our
recent guides were fully occupied in answering the innumerable questions
which every one put to them. Nothing can exceed the fierce gesticulation
of these people when animated in conversation, and on this occasion they
gave loose to all their natural vivacity, shouting and dancing about in a
manner that well-nigh intimidated us.
Close to where we lay, squatting upon their haunches, were some eight or
ten noble-looking chiefs—for such they subsequently proved to be—who, more
reserved than the rest, regarded us with a fixed and stern attention,
which not a little discomposed our equanimity. One of them in particular,
who appeared to be the highest in rank, placed himself directly facing me,
looking at me with a rigidity of aspect under which I absolutely quailed.
He never once opened his lips, but maintained his severe expression of
countenance, without turning his face aside for a single moment. Never
before had I been subjected to so strange and steady a glance; it revealed
nothing of the mind of the savage, but it appeared to be reading my own.
[Illustration: WE WERE SOON COMPLETELY ENCIRCLED BY A DENSE THRONG]
After undergoing this scrutiny till I grew absolutely nervous, with a view
of diverting it if possible, and conciliating the good opinion of the
warrior, I took some tobacco from the bosom of my frock, and offered it to
him. He quietly rejected the proffered gift, and, without speaking,
motioned me to return it to its place.
In my previous intercourse with the natives of Nukuheva and Tior, I had
found that the present of a small piece of tobacco would have rendered any
of them devoted to my service. Was this act of the chief a token of his
enmity? Typee or Happar? I asked within myself. I started, for at the same
moment this identical question was asked by the strange being before me. I
turned to Toby; the flickering light of a native taper showed me his
countenance pale with trepidation at this fatal question. I paused for a
second, and I know not by what impulse it was that I answered, “Typee.”
The piece of dusky statuary nodded in approval, and then murmured,
“Mortarkee?” “Mortarkee,” said I, without further hesitation—“Typee
mortarkee.”
What a transition! The dark figures around us leaped to their feet,
clapped their hands in transport, and shouted again and again the
talismanic syllables, the utterance of which appeared to have settled
everything.
When this commotion had a little subsided, the principal chief squatted
once more before me, and throwing himself into a sudden rage, poured forth
a string of philippics, which I was at no loss to understand, from the
frequent recurrence of the word Happar, as being directed against the
natives of the adjoining valley. In all these denunciations my companion
and I acquiesced, while we extolled the character of the warlike Typees.
To be sure our panegyrics were somewhat laconic, consisting in the
repetition of that name, united with the potent adjective, “Mortarkee.”
But this was sufficient, and served to conciliate the good-will of the
natives, with whom our congeniality of sentiment on this point did more
towards inspiring a friendly feeling than anything else that could have
happened.
At last the wrath of the chief evaporated, and in a few moments he was as
placid as ever. Laying his hand upon his breast, he gave me to understand
that his name was “Mehevi,” and that, in return, he wished me to
communicate my appellation. I hesitated for an instant, thinking that it
might be difficult for him to pronounce my real name, and then, with the
most praiseworthy intentions, intimated that I was known as “Tom.” But I
could not have made a worse selection; the chief could not master it:
“Tommo,” “Tomma,” “Tommee,” everything but plain “Tom.” As he persisted in
garnishing the word with an additional syllable, I compromised the matter
with him at the word “Tommo”; and by that name I went during the entire
period of my stay in the valley. The same proceeding was gone through with
Toby, whose mellifluous appellation was more easily caught.
An exchange of names is equivalent to a ratification of good-will and
amity among these simple people; and as we were aware of this fact, we
were delighted that it had taken place on the present occasion.
Reclining upon our mats, we now held a kind of levee, giving audience to
successive troops of the natives, who introduced themselves to us by
pronouncing their respective names, and retired in high good humour on
receiving ours in return. During the ceremony the greatest merriment
prevailed, nearly every announcement on the part of the islanders being
followed by a fresh sally of gaiety, which induced me to believe that some
of them at least were innocently diverting the company at our expense, by
bestowing upon themselves a string of absurd titles, of the honour of
which we were, of course, entirely ignorant.
All this occupied about an hour, when the throng having a little
diminished, I turned to Mehevi, and gave him to understand that we were in
need of food and sleep. Immediately the attentive chief addressed a few
words to one of the crowd, who disappeared, and returned in a few moments
with a calabash of “poee-poee,” and two or three young cocoa-nuts stripped
of their husks, and with their shells partly broken. We both of us
forthwith placed one of those natural goblets to our lips, and drained it
in a moment of the refreshing draught it contained. The poee-poee was then
placed before us, and even famished as I was, I paused to consider in what
manner to convey it to my mouth.
This staple article of food among the Marquese islanders is manufactured
from the produce of the bread-fruit tree. It somewhat resembles in its
plastic nature our bookbinders’ paste, is of a yellow colour, and somewhat
tart to the taste.
Such was the dish, the merits of which I was now eager to discuss. I eyed
it wistfully for a moment, and then, unable any longer to stand on
ceremony, plunged my hand into the yielding mass, and to the boisterous
mirth of the natives drew it forth laden with the poee-poee, which adhered
in lengthening strings to every finger. So stubborn was its consistency,
that in conveying my heavily-freighted hand to my mouth, the connecting
links almost raised the calabash from the mats on which it had been
placed. This display of awkwardness—in which, by the bye, Toby kept me
company—convulsed the bystanders with uncontrollable laughter.
As soon as their merriment had somewhat subsided, Mehevi, motioning us to
be attentive, dipped the fore-finger of his right hand in the dish, and
giving it a rapid and scientific twirl, drew it out coated smoothly with
the preparation. With a second peculiar flourish he prevented the
poee-poee from dropping to the ground as he raised it to his mouth, into
which the finger was inserted, and was drawn forth perfectly free of any
adhesive matter. This performance was evidently intended for our
instruction; so I again essayed the feat on the principles inculcated, but
with very ill success.
A starving man, however, little heeds conventional proprieties, especially
on a South Sea island, and accordingly Toby and I partook of the dish
after our own clumsy fashion, beplastering our faces all over with the
glutinous compound, and daubing our hands nearly to the wrist. This kind
of food is by no means disagreeable to the palate of a European, though at
first the mode of eating it may be. For my own part, after the lapse of a
few days I became accustomed to its singular flavour, and grew remarkably
fond of it.
So much for the first course; several other dishes followed it, some of
which were positively delicious. We concluded our banquet by tossing off
the contents of two more young cocoa-nuts, after which we regaled
ourselves with the soothing fumes of tobacco, inhaled from a quaintly
carved pipe which passed round the circle.
During the repast, the natives eyed us with intense curiosity, observing
our minutest motions, and appearing to discover abundant matter for
comment in the most trifling occurrence. Their surprise mounted the
highest, when we began to remove our uncomfortable garments, which were
saturated with rain. They scanned the whiteness of our limbs, and seemed
utterly unable to account for the contrast they presented to the swarthy
hue of our faces, embrowned from a six months’ exposure to the scorching
sun of the Line. They felt our skin, much in the same way that a silk
mercer would handle a remarkably fine piece of satin; and some of them
went so far in their investigation as to apply the olfactory organ.
Their singular behaviour almost led me to imagine that they never before
had beheld a white man; but a few moments’ reflection convinced me that
this could not have been the case; and a more satisfactory reason for
their conduct has since suggested itself to my mind.
Deterred by the frightful stories related of its inhabitants, ships never
enter this bay, while their hostile relations with the tribes in the
adjoining valleys prevent the Typees from visiting that section of the
island where vessels occasionally lie. At long intervals, however, some
intrepid captain will touch on the skirts of the bay, with two or three
armed boats’ crews, and accompanied by an interpreter. The natives who
live near the sea descry the strangers long before they reach their
waters, and aware of the purpose for which they come, proclaim loudly the
news of their approach. By a species of vocal telegraph the intelligence
reaches the inmost recesses of the vale in an inconceivably short space of
time, drawing nearly its whole population down to the beach laden with
every variety of fruit. The interpreter, who is invariably a “tabooed
Kannaka,”(1) leaps ashore with the goods intended for barter, while the
boats, with their oars shipped, and every man on his thwart, lie just
outside the surf, heading off from the shore, in readiness at the first
untoward event to escape to the open sea. As soon as the traffic is
concluded, one of the boats pulls in under cover of the muskets of the
others, the fruit is quickly thrown into her, and the transient visitors
precipitately retire from what they justly consider so dangerous a
vicinity.
The intercourse occurring with Europeans being so restricted, no wonder
that the inhabitants of the valley manifested so much curiosity with
regard to us, appearing as we did among them under such singular
circumstances. I have no doubt that we were the first white men who ever
penetrated thus far back into their territories, or at least the first who
had ever descended from the head of the vale. What had brought us thither
must have appeared a complete mystery to them, and from our ignorance of
the language it was impossible for us to enlighten them. In answer to
inquiries which the eloquence of their gestures enabled us to comprehend,
all that we could reply was, that we had come from Nukuheva, a place, be
it remembered, with which they were at open war. This intelligence
appeared to affect them with the most lively emotions. “Nukuheva
mortarkee?” they asked. Of course we replied most energetically in the
negative.
They then plied us with a thousand questions, of which we could understand
nothing more than that they had reference to the recent movements of the
French, against whom they seemed to cherish the most fierce hatred. So
eager were they to obtain information on this point, that they still
continued to propound their queries long after we had shown that we were
utterly unable to answer them. Occasionally we caught some indistinct idea
of their meaning, when we would endeavour by every method in our power to
communicate the desired intelligence. At such times their gratification
was boundless, and they would redouble their efforts to make us comprehend
them more perfectly. But all in vain; and in the end they looked at us
despairingly, as if we were the receptacles of invaluable information, but
how to come at it they knew not.
After awhile the group around us gradually dispersed, and we were left
about midnight (as we conjectured) with those who appeared to be permanent
residents of the house. These individuals now provided us with fresh mats
to lie upon, covered us with several folds of tappa, and then
extinguishing the tapers that had been burning, threw themselves down
beside us, and after a little desultory conversation were soon sound
asleep.
CHAPTER X
Midnight reflections—Morning visitors—A warrior in costume—A
savage Æsculapius—Practice of the healing art—Body-servant—A
dwelling-house of the valley described—Portraits of its inmates.
Various and conflicting were the thoughts which oppressed me during the
silent hours that followed the events related in the preceding chapter.
Toby, wearied with the fatigues of the day, slumbered heavily by my side;
but the pain under which I was suffering effectually prevented my
sleeping, and I remained distressingly alive to all the fearful
circumstances of our present situation. Was it possible that, after all
our vicissitudes, we were really in the terrible valley of Typee, and at
the mercy of its inmates, a fierce and unrelenting tribe of savages?
Typee or Happar? I shuddered when I reflected that there was no longer any
room for doubt; and that, beyond all hope of escape, we were now placed in
those very circumstances from the bare thought of which I had recoiled
with such abhorrence but a few days before. What might not be our fearful
destiny? To be sure, as yet, we had been treated with no violence; nay,
had been even kindly and hospitably entertained. But what dependence could
be placed upon the fickle passions which sway the bosom of a savage? His
inconstancy and treachery are proverbial. Might if not be that, beneath
these fair appearances, the islanders covered some perfidious design, and
that their friendly reception of us might only precede some horrible
catastrophe? How strongly did these forebodings spring up in my mind, as I
lay restlessly upon a couch of mats, surrounded by the dimly-revealed
forms of those whom I so greatly dreaded.
From the excitement of these fearful thoughts, I sank, towards morning,
into an uneasy slumber; and on awaking, with a start, in the midst of an
appalling dream, looked up into the eager countenances of a number of the
natives, who were bending over me.
It was broad day; and the house was nearly filled with young females,
fancifully decorated with flowers, who gazed upon me as I rose with faces
in which childish delight and curiosity were vividly portrayed. After
waking Toby, they seated themselves round us on the mats, and gave full
play to that prying inquisitiveness which, time out of mind, has been
attributed to the adorable sex.
As these unsophisticated young creatures were attended by no jealous
duennas, their proceedings were altogether informal, and void of
artificial restraint. Long and minute was the investigation with which
they honoured us, and so uproarious their mirth, that I felt infinitely
sheepish; and Toby was immeasurably outraged at their familiarity.
These lively young ladies were at the same time wonderfully polite and
humane; fanning aside the insects that occasionally lighted on our brows;
presenting us with food; and compassionately regarding me in the midst of
my afflictions. But in spite of all their blandishments, my feelings of
propriety were exceedingly shocked, for I could not but consider them as
having overstepped the due limits of female decorum.
Having diverted themselves to their hearts’ content, our young visitants
now withdrew, and gave place to successive troops of the other sex, who
continued flocking towards the house until near noon; by which time I have
no doubt that the greater part of the inhabitants of the valley had bathed
themselves in the light of our benignant countenances.
As last, when their numbers began to diminish, a superb-looking warrior
stooped the towering plumes of his head-dress beneath the low portal, and
entered the house. I saw at once that he was some distinguished personage,
the natives regarding him with the utmost deference, and making room for
him as he approached. His aspect was imposing. The splendid long drooping
tail-feathers of the tropical bird, thickly interspersed with the gaudy
plumage of the cock, were disposed in an immense upright semicircle upon
his head, their lower extremities being fixed in a crescent of
guinea-beads which spanned the forehead. Around his neck were several
enormous necklaces of boar’s tusks, polished like ivory, and disposed in
such a manner as that the longest and largest were upon his capacious
chest. Thrust forward through the large apertures in his ears were two
small and finely shaped sperm-whale teeth, presenting their cavities in
front, stuffed with freshly-plucked leaves, and curiously wrought at the
other end into strange little images and devices. These barbaric trinkets,
garnished in this manner at their open extremities, and tapering and
curving round to a point behind the ear, resembled not a little a pair of
cornucopias.
The loins of the warrior were girt about with heavy folds of a
dark-coloured tappa, hanging before and behind in clusters of braided
tassels, while anklets and bracelets of curling human hair completed his
unique costume. In his right hand he grasped a beautifully-carved
paddle-spear, nearly fifteen feet in length, made of the bright koar-wood,
one end sharply pointed, and the other flattened like an oar-blade.
Hanging obliquely from his girdle by a loop of sinnate, was a
richly-decorated pipe; the slender reed forming its stem was coloured with
a red pigment, and round it, as well as the idol-bowl, fluttered little
streamers of the thinnest tappa.
But that which was most remarkable in the appearance of this splendid
islander, was the elaborate tattooing displayed on every noble limb. All
imaginable lines and curves and figures were delineated over his whole
body, and in their grotesque variety and infinite profusion, I could only
compare them to the crowded groupings of quaint patterns we sometimes see
in costly pieces of lacework. The most simple and remarkable of all these
ornaments was that which decorated the countenance of the chief. Two broad
stripes of tattooing, diverging from the centre of his shaven crown,
obliquely crossed both eyes—staining the lids—to a little below either
ear, where they united with another stripe, which swept in a straight line
along the lips, and formed the base of the triangle. The warrior, from the
excellence of his physical proportions, might certainly have been regarded
as one of nature’s noblemen, and the lines drawn upon his face may
possibly have denoted his exalted rank.
This warlike personage, upon entering the house, seated himself at some
distance from the spot where Toby and myself reposed, while the rest of
the savages looked alternately from us to him, as if in expectation of
something they were disappointed in not perceiving. Regarding the chief
attentively, I thought his lineaments appeared familiar to me. As soon as
his full face was turned upon me, and I again beheld its extraordinary
embellishment, and met the strange gaze to which I had been subjected the
preceding night, I immediately, in spite of the alteration in his
appearance, recognised the noble Mehevi. On addressing him, he advanced at
once in the most cordial manner, and greeting me warmly, seemed to enjoy
not a little the effect his barbaric costume had produced upon me.
I forthwith determined to secure, if possible, the goodwill of this
individual, as I easily perceived he was a man of great authority in his
tribe, and one who might exert a powerful influence upon our subsequent
fate. In the endeavour I was not repulsed; for nothing could surpass the
friendliness he manifested towards both my companion and myself. He
extended his sturdy limbs by our side, and endeavoured to make us
comprehend the full extent of the kindly feelings by which he was
actuated. The almost insuperable difficulty in communicating to one
another our ideas, affected the chief with no little mortification. He
evinced a great desire to be enlightened with regard to the customs and
peculiarities of the far-off country we had left behind us, and to which,
under the name of Maneeka, he frequently alluded.
But that which more than any other subject engaged his attention, was the
late proceedings of the “Franee,” as he called the French, in the
neighbouring bay of Nukuheva. This seemed a never-ending theme with him,
and one concerning which he was never weary of interrogating us. All the
information we succeeded in imparting to him on this subject was little
more than that we had seen six men-of-war lying in the hostile bay at the
time we had left it. When he received this intelligence, Mehevi, by the
aid of his fingers, went through a long numerical calculation, as if
estimating the number of Frenchmen the squadron might contain.
It was just after employing his faculties in this way that he happened to
notice the swelling in my limb. He immediately examined it with the utmost
attention, and after doing so, despatched a boy, who happened to be
standing by, with some message.
After the lapse of a few moments the stripling re-entered the house with
an aged islander, who might have been taken for old Hippocrates himself.
His head was as bald as the polished surface of a cocoa-nut shell, which
article it precisely resembled in smoothness and colour, while a long
silvery beard swept almost to his girdle of bark. Encircling his temples
was a bandeau of the twisted leaves of the Omoo tree, pressed closely over
the brows to shield his feeble vision from the glare of the sun. His
tottering steps were supported by a long slim staff, resembling the wand
with which a theatrical magician appears on the stage, and in one hand he
carried a freshly-plaited fan of the green leaflets of the cocoa-nut tree.
A flowing robe of tappa, knotted over the shoulder, hung loosely round his
stooping form, and heightened the venerableness of his aspect.
Mehevi, saluting this old gentleman, motioned him to a seat between us,
and then uncovering my limb, desired him to examine it. The leech gazed
intently from me to Toby, and then proceeded to business. After diligently
observing the ailing member, he commenced manipulating it; and on the
supposition probably that the complaint had deprived the leg of all
sensation, began to pinch and hammer it in such a manner that I absolutely
roared with the pain. Thinking that I was as capable of making an
application of thumps and pinches to the part as any one else, I
endeavoured to resist this species of medical treatment. But it was not so
easy a matter to get out of the clutches of the old wizard; he fastened on
the unfortunate limb as if it were something for which he had been long
seeking, and muttering some kind of incantation continued his discipline,
pounding it after a fashion that set me well-nigh crazy; while Mehevi,
upon the same principle which prompts an affectionate mother to hold a
struggling child in a dentist’s chair, restrained me in his powerful
grasp, and actually encouraged the wretch in this infliction of torture.
Almost frantic with rage and pain, I yelled like a bedlamite; while Toby,
throwing himself into all the attitudes of a posture-master, vainly
endeavoured to expostulate with the natives by signs and gestures. To have
looked at my companion, as, sympathizing with my sufferings, he strove to
put an end to them, one would have thought that he was the deaf and dumb
alphabet incarnated. Whether my tormentor yielded to Toby’s entreaties, or
paused from sheer exhaustion, I do not know; but all at once he ceased his
operations, and at the same time the chief relinquishing his hold upon me,
I fell back, faint and breathless with the agony I had endured.
My unfortunate limb was now left much in the same condition as a
rump-steak after undergoing the castigating process which precedes
cooking. My physician, having recovered from the fatigues of his
exertions, as if anxious to make amends for the pain to which he had
subjected me, now took some herbs out of a little wallet that was
suspended from his waist, and moistening them in water, applied them to
the inflamed part, stooping over it at the same time, and either
whispering a spell, or having a little confidential chat with some
imaginary demon located in the calf of my leg. My limb was now swathed in
leafy bandages, and grateful to Providence for the cessation of
hostilities, I was suffered to rest.
Mehevi shortly after rose to depart; but before he went he spoke
authoritatively to one of the natives, whom he addressed as Kory-Kory; and
from the little I could understand of what took place, pointed him out to
me as a man whose peculiar business henceforth would be to attend upon my
person. I am not certain that I comprehended as much as this at the time,
but the subsequent conduct of my trusty body-servant fully assured me that
such must have been the case.
I could not but be amused at the manner in which the chief addressed me
upon this occasion, talking to me for at least fifteen or twenty minutes
as calmly as if I could understand every word that he said. I remarked
this peculiarity very often afterwards in many other of the islanders.
Mehevi having now departed, and the family physician having likewise made
his exit, we were left about sunset with the ten or twelve natives, who by
this time I had ascertained composed the household of which Toby and I
were members. As the dwelling to which we had been first introduced was
the place of my permanent abode while I remained in the valley, and as I
was necessarily placed upon the most intimate footing with its occupants,
I may as well here enter into a little description of it and its
inhabitants. This description will apply also to nearly all the other
dwelling-places in the vale, and will furnish some idea of the generality
of the natives.
Near one side of the valley, and about midway up the ascent of a rather
abrupt rise of ground waving with the richest verdure, a number of large
stones were laid in successive courses, to the height of nearly eight
feet, and disposed in such a manner that their level surface corresponded
in shape with the habitation which was perched upon it. A narrow space,
however, was reserved in front of the dwelling, upon the summit of this
pile of stones (called by the natives a “pi-pi”), which, being enclosed by
a little picket of canes, gave it somewhat the appearance of a verandah.
The frame of the house was constructed of large bamboos planted uprightly,
and secured together at intervals by transverse stalks of the light wood
of the Habiscus, lashed with thongs of bark. The rear of the
tenement—built up with successive ranges of cocoa-nut boughs bound one
upon another, with their leaflets cunningly woven together—inclined a
little from the vertical, and extended from the extreme edge of the
“pi-pi” to about twenty feet from its surface; whence the shelving
roof—thatched with the long tapering leaves of the palmetto—sloped steeply
off to within about five feet of the floor; leaving the eaves drooping
with tassel-like appendages over the front of the habitation. This was
constructed of light and elegant canes, in a kind of open screen-work,
tastefully adorned with bindings of variegated sinnate, which served to
hold together its various parts. The sides of the house were similarly
built; thus presenting three-quarters for the circulation of the air,
while the whole was impervious to the rain.
In length this picturesque building was perhaps twelve yards, while in
breadth it could not have exceeded as many feet. So much for the exterior;
which, with its wire-like reed-twisted sides, not a little reminded me of
an immense aviary.
Stooping a little, you passed through a narrow aperture in its front; and
facing you, on entering, lay two long, perfectly straight, and
well-polished trunks of the cocoa-nut tree, extending the full length of
the dwelling; one of them placed closely against the rear, and the other
lying parallel with it some two yards distant, the interval between them
being spread with a multitude of gaily-worked mats, nearly all of a
different pattern. This space formed the common couch and lounging-place
of the natives, answering the purpose of a divan in Oriental countries.
Here would they slumber through the hours of the night, and recline
luxuriously during the greater part of the day. The remainder of the floor
presented only the cool shining surfaces of the large stones of which the
“pi-pi” was composed.
From the ridge-pole of the house hung suspended a number of large packages
enveloped in coarse tappa; some of which contained festival dresses, and
various other matters of the wardrobe, held in high estimation. These were
easily accessible by means of a line, which, passing over the ridge-pole,
had one end attached to a bundle, while with the other, which led to the
side of the dwelling and was there secured, the package could be lowered
or elevated at pleasure.
Against the farther wall of the house were arranged in tasteful figures a
variety of spears and javelins, and other implements of savage warfare.
Outside of the habitation, and built upon the piazza-like area in its
front, was a little shed used as a sort of larder or pantry, and in which
were stored various articles of domestic use and convenience. A few yards
from the pi-pi was a large shed built of cocoa-nut boughs, where the
process of preparing the “poee-poee” was carried on, and all culinary
operations attended to.
Thus much for the house, and its appurtenances; and it will be readily
acknowledged that a more commodious and appropriate dwelling for the
climate and the people could not possibly be devised. It was cool, free to
admit the air, scrupulously clean, and elevated above the dampness and
impurities of the ground.
But now to sketch the inmates; and here I claim for my tried servitor and
faithful valet Kory-Kory the precedence of a first description. As his
character will be gradually unfolded in the course of my narrative, I
shall for the present content myself with delineating his personal
appearance. Kory-Kory, though the most devoted and best-natured
serving-man in the world, was, alas! a hideous object to look upon. He was
some twenty-five years of age, and about six feet in height, robust and
well made, and of the most extraordinary aspect. His head was carefully
shaven with the exception of two circular spots, about the size of a
dollar, near the top of the cranium, where the hair, permitted to grow of
an amazing length, was twisted up in two prominent knots, that gave him
the appearance of being decorated with a pair of horns. His beard, plucked
out by the root from every other part of his face, was suffered to droop
in hairy pendants, two of which garnished his upper lip, and an equal
number hung from the extremity of his chin.
Kory-Kory, with the view of improving the handiwork of nature, and perhaps
prompted by a desire to add to the engaging expression of his countenance,
had seen fit to embellish his face with three broad longitudinal stripes
of tattooing, which, like those country roads that go straight forward in
defiance of all obstacles, crossed his nasal organ, descended into the
hollow of his eyes, and even skirted the borders of his mouth. Each
completely spanned his physiognomy; one extending in a line with his eyes,
another crossing the face in the vicinity of the nose, and the third
sweeping along his lips from ear to ear. His countenance thus triply
hooped, as it were, with tattooing, always reminded me of those unhappy
wretches whom I have sometimes observed gazing out sentimentally from
behind the grated bars of a prison window; whilst the entire body of my
savage valet, covered all over with representations of birds and fishes,
and a variety of most unaccountable-looking creatures, suggested to me the
idea of a pictorial museum of natural history, or an illustrated copy of
Goldsmith’s _Animated Nature_.
But it seems really heartless in me to write thus of the poor islander,
when I owe perhaps to his unremitting attentions the very existence I now
enjoy. Kory-Kory, I mean thee no harm in what I say in regard to thy
outward adornings; but they were a little curious to my unaccustomed
sight, and therefore I dilate upon them. But to underrate or forget thy
faithful services is something I could never be guilty of, even in the
giddiest moment of my life.
The father of my attached follower was a native of gigantic frame, and had
once possessed prodigious physical powers; but the lofty form was now
yielding to the inroads of time, though the hand of disease seemed never
to have been laid upon the aged warrior. Marheyo—for such was his
name—appeared to have retired from all active participation in the affairs
of the valley, seldom or never accompanying the natives in their various
expeditions; and employing the greater part of his time in throwing up a
little shed just outside the house, upon which he was engaged to my
certain knowledge for four months, without appearing to make any sensible
advance. I suppose the old gentleman was in his dotage, for he manifested
in various ways the characteristics which mark this particular stage of
life.
I remember in particular his having a choice pair of ear-ornaments,
fabricated from the teeth of some sea-monster. These he would alternately
wear and take off at least fifty times in the course of the day, going and
coming from his little hut on each occasion with all the tranquillity
imaginable. Sometimes slipping them through the slits in his ears, he
would seize his spear—which in length and slightness resembled a
fishing-pole—and go stalking beneath the shadows of the neighbouring
groves, as if about to give a hostile meeting to some cannibal knight. But
he would soon return again, and hiding his weapon under the protecting
eaves of the house, and rolling his clumsy trinkets carefully in a piece
of tappa, would resume his more pacific operations as quietly as if he had
never interrupted them.
But despite his eccentricities, Marheyo was a most paternal and
warm-hearted old fellow, and in this particular not a little resembled his
son Kory-Kory. The mother of the latter was the mistress of the family,
and a notable housewife, and a most industrious old lady she was. If she
did not understand the art of making jellies, jams, custards, tea-cakes,
and such like trashy affairs, she was profoundly skilled in the mysteries
of preparing “amar,” “poee-poee,” and “kokoo,” with other substantial
matters. She was a genuine busy-body; bustling about the house like a
country landlady at an unexpected arrival; for ever giving the young girls
tasks to perform, which the little hussies as often neglected; poking into
every corner, and rummaging over bundles of old tappa, or making a
prodigious clatter among the calabashes. Sometimes she might have been
seen squatting upon her haunches in front of a huge wooden basin, and
kneading poee-poee with terrific vehemence, dashing the stone pestle about
as if she would shiver the vessel into fragments: on other occasions,
galloping about the valley in search of a particular kind of leaf, used in
some of her recondite operations, and returning home, toiling and
sweating, with a bundle, under which most women would have sunk.
To tell the truth, Kory-Kory’s mother was the only industrious person in
all the valley of Typee; and she could not have employed herself more
actively had she been left an exceedingly muscular and destitute widow,
with an inordinate supply of young children, in the bleakest part of the
civilized world. There was not the slightest necessity for the greater
portion of the labour performed by the old lady: but she deemed to work
from some irresistible impulse; her limbs continually swaying to and fro,
as if there were some indefatigable engine concealed within her body which
kept her in perpetual motion.
Never suppose that she was a termagant or a shrew for all this: she had
the kindliest heart in the world, and acted towards me in particular in a
truly maternal manner, occasionally putting some little morsel of choice
food into my hand, some outlandish kind of savage sweetmeat or pastry,
like a doting mother petting a sickly urchin with tarts and sugar-plums.
Warm indeed are my remembrances of the dear, good, affectionate old Tinor!
Besides the individuals I have mentioned, there belong to the household
three young men, dissipated, good-for-nothing, roystering blades of
savages, who were either employed in prosecuting love affairs with the
maidens of the tribe, or grew boozy on “arva” and tobacco in the company
of congenial spirits, the scapegraces of the valley.
Among the permanent inmates of the house were likewise several lovely
damsels, who instead of thrumming pianos and reading novels, like more
enlightened young ladies, substituted for these employments the
manufacture of a fine species of tappa; but for the greater portion of the
time were skipping from house to house, gadding and gossiping with their
acquaintances.
From the rest of these, however, I must except the beauteous nymph
Fayaway, who was my peculiar favourite. Her free pliant figure was the
very perfection of female grace and beauty. Her complexion was a rich and
mantling olive, and when watching the glow upon her cheeks I could almost
swear that beneath the transparent medium there lurked the blushes of a
faint vermilion. The face of this girl was a rounded oval, and each
feature as perfectly formed as the heart or imagination of man could
desire. Her full lips, when parted with a smile, disclosed teeth of a
dazzling whiteness; and when her rosy mouth opened with a burst of
merriment, they looked like the milk-white seeds of the “arta,” a fruit of
the valley, which, when cleft in twain, shows them reposing in rows on
either side, embedded in the red and juicy pulp. Her hair of the deepest
brown, parted irregularly in the middle, flowed in natural ringlets over
her shoulders, and whenever she chanced to stoop, fell over and hid from
view her lovely bosom. Gazing into the depths of her strange blue eyes,
when she was in a contemplative mood, they seemed most placid yet
unfathomable; but when illuminated by some lively emotion, they beamed
upon the beholder like stars. The hands of Fayaway were as soft and
delicate as those of any countess; for an entire exemption from rude
labour marks the girlhood and even prime of a Typee woman’s life. Her
feet, though wholly exposed, were as diminutive and fairly shaped as those
which peep from beneath the skirts of a Lima lady’s dress. The skin of
this young creature, from continual ablutions and the use of mollifying
ointments, was inconceivably smooth and soft.
I may succeed, perhaps, in particularizing some of the individual features
of Fayaway’s beauty, but that general loveliness of appearance which they
all contributed to produce I will not attempt to describe. The easy
unstudied graces of a child of nature like this, breathing from infancy an
atmosphere of perpetual summer, and nurtured by the simple fruits of the
earth; enjoying a perfect freedom from care and anxiety, and removed
effectually from all injurious tendencies, strike the eye in a manner
which cannot be portrayed. This picture is no fancy sketch; it is drawn
from the most vivid recollections of the person delineated.
Were I asked if the beauteous form of Fayaway was altogether free from the
hideous blemish of tattooing, I should be constrained to answer that it
was not. But the practitioners of this barbarous art, so remorseless in
their inflictions upon the brawny limbs of the warriors of the tribe, seem
to be conscious that it needs not the resources of their profession to
augment the charms of the maidens of the vale.
The females are very little embellished in this way, and Fayaway, and all
the other young girls of her age, were even less so than those of their
sex more advanced in years. The reason of this peculiarity will be alluded
to hereafter. All the tattooing that the nymph in question exhibited upon
her person may be easily described. Three minute dots, no bigger than
pinheads, decorated either lip, and at a little distance were not at all
discernible. Just upon the fall of the shoulder were drawn two parallel
lines half an inch apart, and perhaps three inches in length, the interval
being filled with delicately executed figures. These narrow bands of
tattooing, thus placed, always reminded me of those stripes of gold lace
worn by officers in undress, and which are in lieu of epaulettes to denote
their rank.
Thus much was Fayaway tattooed. The audacious hand which had gone so far
in its desecrating work stopping short, apparently wanting the heart to
proceed.
But I have neglected to describe the dress worn by this nymph of the
valley.
Fayaway—I must avow the fact—for the most part clung to the primitive and
summer garb of Eden. But how becoming the costume! It showed her fine
figure to the best possible advantage; and nothing could have been better
adapted to her peculiar style of beauty. On ordinary occasions she was
habited precisely as I have described the two youthful savages whom we had
met on first entering the valley. At other times, when rambling among the
groves, or visiting at the houses of her acquaintances, she wore a tunic
of white tappa, reaching from her waist to a little below the knees; and
when exposed for any length of time to the sun, she invariably protected
herself from its rays by a floating mantle of the same material, loosely
gathered about the person. Her gala dress will be described hereafter.
As the beauties of our own land delight in bedecking themselves with
fanciful articles of jewelry, suspending them from their ears, hanging
them about their necks, and clasping them around their wrists; so Fayaway
and her companions were in the habit of ornamenting themselves with
similar appendages.
Flora was their jeweller. Sometimes they wore necklaces of small carnation
flowers, strung like rubies upon a fibre of tappa, or displayed in their
ears a single white bud, the stem thrust backward through the aperture,
and showing in front the delicate petals folded together in a beautiful
sphere, and looking like a drop of the purest pearl. Chaplets, too,
resembling in their arrangement the strawberry coronal worn by an English
peeress, and composed of intertwined leaves and blossoms, often crowned
their temples; and bracelets and anklets of the same tasteful pattern were
frequently to be seen. Indeed, the maidens of the island were passionately
fond of flowers, and never wearied of decorating their persons with them;
a lovely trait of character, and one that ere long will be more fully
alluded to.
Though in my eyes, at least, Fayaway was indisputably the loveliest female
I saw in Typee, yet the description I have given of her will in some
measure apply to nearly all the youthful portion of her sex in the valley.
Judge ye then, reader, what beautiful creatures they must have been.
CHAPTER XI
Officiousness of Kory-Kory—His devotion—A bath in the stream—Want
of refinement of the Typee damsels—Stroll with Mehevi—A Typee
highway—The Taboo groves—The hoolah hoolah ground—The Ti—Timeworn
savages—Hospitality of Mehevi—Midnight musings—Adventure in the
dark—Distinguished honours paid to the visitors—Strange
procession, and return to the house of Marheyo.
When Mehevi had departed from the house, as related in the preceding
chapter, Kory-Kory commenced the functions of the post assigned him. He
brought us various kinds of food; and, as if I were an infant, insisted
upon feeding me with his own hands. To this procedure I, of course, most
earnestly objected, but in vain; and having laid a calabash of kokoo
before me, he washed his fingers in a vessel of water, and then putting
his hand into the dish, and rolling the food into little balls, put them
one after another into my mouth. All my remonstrances against this measure
only provoked so great a clamor on his part, that I was obliged to
acquiesce; and the operation of feeding being thus facilitated, the meal
was quickly despatched. As for Toby, he was allowed to help himself after
his own fashion.
The repast over, my attendant arranged the mats for repose, and, bidding
me lie down, covered me with a large robe of tappa, at the same time
looking approvingly upon me, and exclaiming, “Ki-Ki, muee muee, ah! moee
moee mortarkee,” (eat plenty, ah! sleep very good.) The philosophy of this
sentiment I did not pretend to question; for deprived of sleep for several
preceding nights, and the pain in my limb having much abated, I now felt
inclined to avail myself of the opportunity afforded me.
The next morning, on waking, I found Kory-Kory stretched out on one side
of me, while my companion lay upon the other. I felt sensibly refreshed
after a night of sound repose, and immediately agreed to the proposition
of my valet that I should repair to the water and wash, although dreading
the suffering that the exertion might produce. From this apprehension,
however, I was quickly relieved; for Kory-Kory, leaping from the pi-pi,
and then backing himself up against it, like a porter in readiness to
shoulder a trunk, with loud vociferations, and a superabundance of
gestures gave me to understand that I was to mount upon his back, and be
thus transported to the stream, which flowed perhaps two hundred yards
from the house.
Our appearance upon the verandah in front of the habitation drew together
quite a crowd, who stood looking on, and conversing with one another in
the most animated manner. They reminded one of a group of idlers gathered
about the door of a village tavern, when the equipage of some
distinguished traveller is brought round previous to his departure. As
soon as I clasped my arms about the neck of the devoted fellow, and he
jogged off with me, the crowd—composed chiefly of young girls and
boys—followed after, shouting and capering with infinite glee, and
accompanied us to the banks of the stream.
On gaining it, Kory-Kory, wading up to his hips in the water, carried me
half-way across, and deposited me on a smooth black stone, which rose a
few inches above the surface. The amphibious rabble at our heels plunged
in after us; and, climbing to the summit of the grass-grown rocks, with
which the bed of the brook was here and there broken, waited curiously to
witness our morning ablutions. I felt somewhat embarrassed by the presence
of the female portion of the company, but, nevertheless, removed my frock,
and washed myself down to my waist in the stream. As soon as Kory-Kory
comprehended from my motions that this was to be the extent of my
performance, he appeared perfectly aghast with astonishment, and rushing
toward me, poured out a torrent of words in eager deprecation of so
limited an operation, enjoining me by unmistakable signs to immerse my
whole body. To this I was forced to consent; and the honest fellow
regarding me as a froward, inexperienced child, whom it was his duty to
serve at the risk of offending, lifted me from, the rock, and tenderly
bathed my limbs. This over, and resuming my seat, I could not avoid
bursting into admiration of the scene around me.
From the verdant surfaces of the large stones that lay scattered about,
the natives were now sliding off into the water, diving and ducking
beneath the surface in all directions; the young girls springing buoyantly
into the air, with their long tresses dancing about their shoulders, their
eyes sparkling like drops of dew in the sun, and their gay laughter
pealing forth at every frolicsome incident.
On the afternoon of the day that I took my first bath in the valley, we
received another visit from Mehevi. The noble savage seemed to be in the
same pleasant mood, and was quite as cordial in his manner as before.
After remaining about an hour, he rose from the mats, and motioning to
leave the house, invited Toby and myself to accompany him. I pointed to my
leg; but Mehevi in his turn pointed to Kory-Kory, and removed that
objection; so, mounting upon the faithful fellow’s shoulders again—like
the old man of the sea astride of Sinbad—I followed after the chief.
The nature of the route we now pursued struck me more forcibly than
anything I had yet seen, as illustrating the indolent disposition of the
islanders. The path was obviously the most beaten one in the valley,
several others leading from either side into it, and perhaps for
successive generations it had formed the principal avenue of the place.
And yet, until I grew more familiar with its impediments, it seemed as
difficult to travel as the recesses of a wilderness. Part of it swept
around an abrupt rise of ground, the surface of which was broken by
frequent inequalities, and thickly strewn with projecting masses of rocks,
whose summits were often hidden from view by the drooping foliage of the
luxurious vegetation. Sometimes directly over, sometimes evading these
obstacles with a wide circuit, the path wound along—one moment climbing
over a sudden eminence, smooth with continued wear, then descending on the
other side into a steep glen, and crossing the flinty channel of a brook.
Here it pursued the depths of a glade, occasionally obliging you to stoop
beneath vast horizontal branches; and now you stepped over huge trunks and
boughs that lay rotting across the track.
Such was the grand thoroughfare of Typee. After proceeding a little
distance along it—Kory-Kory panting and blowing with the weight of his
burden—I dismounted from his back, and grasping the long spear of Mehevi
in my hand, assisted my steps over the numerous obstacles of the road;
preferring this mode of advance to one which, from the difficulties of the
way, was equally painful to myself and my wearied servitor.
Our journey was soon at an end; for, scaling a sudden height, we came
abruptly upon the place of our destination. I wish that it were possible
to sketch in words this spot as vividly as I recollect it.
Here were situated the Taboo groves of the valley—the scene of many a
prolonged feast, of many a horrid rite. Beneath the dark shadows of the
consecrated bread-fruit trees there reigned a solemn twilight—a
cathedral-like gloom. The frightful genius of pagan worship seemed to
brood in silence over the place, breathing its spell upon every object
around. Here and there, in the depths of these awful shades, half screened
from sight by masses of overhanging foliage, rose the idolatrous altars of
the savages, built of enormous blocks of black and polished stone, placed
one upon another, without cement, to the height of twelve or fifteen feet,
and surmounted by a rustic open temple, enclosed with a low picket of
canes, within which might be seen, in various stages of decay, offerings
of bread-fruit and cocoa-nuts, and the putrefying relics of some recent
sacrifice.
In the midst of the wood was the hallowed “hoolah hoolah” ground—set apart
for the celebration of the fantastical religious ritual of these
people—comprising an extensive oblong pi-pi, terminating at either end in
a lofty terraced altar, guarded by ranks of hideous wooden idols, and with
the two remaining sides flanked by ranges of bamboo sheds, opening towards
the interior of the quadrangle thus formed. Vast trees, standing in the
middle of this space, and throwing over it an umbrageous shade, had their
massive trunks built round with slight stages, elevated a few feet above
the ground, and railed in with canes, forming so many rustic pulpits, from
which the priests harangued their devotees.
This holiest of spots was defended from profanation by the strictest
edicts of the all-pervading “taboo,” which condemned to instant death the
sacrilegious female who should enter or touch its sacred precincts, or
even so much as press with her feet the ground made holy by the shadows
that it cast.
Access was had to the enclosure through an embowered entrance on one side,
facing a number of towering cocoa-nut trees, planted at intervals along a
level area of a hundred yards. At the farther extremity of this space was
to be seen a building of considerable size, reserved for the habitation of
the priests and religious attendants of the grove.
In its vicinity was another remarkable edifice, built as usual upon the
summit of a pi-pi, and at least two hundred feet in length, though not
more than twenty in breadth. The whole front of this latter structure was
completely open, and from one end to the other ran a narrow verandah,
fenced in on the edge of the pi-pi with a picket of canes. Its interior
presented the appearance of an immense lounging-place, the entire floor
being strewn with successive layers of mats, lying between parallel trunks
of cocoa-nut trees, selected for the purpose from the straightest and most
symmetrical the vale afforded.
To this building, denominated in the language of the natives, the “Ti,”
Mehevi now conducted us. Thus far we had been accompanied by a troop of
the natives of both sexes; but as soon as we approached its vicinity, the
females gradually separated themselves from the crowd, and standing aloof,
permitted us to pass on. The merciless prohibitions of the taboo extended
likewise to this edifice, and were enforced by the same dreadful penalty
that secured the hoolah hoolah ground from the imaginary pollution of a
woman’s presence.
On entering the house, I was surprised to see six muskets ranged against
the bamboo on one side, from the barrels of which depended as many small
canvas pouches, partly filled with powder. Disposed about these muskets,
like the cutlasses that decorate the bulkhead of a man-of-war’s cabin,
were a great variety of rude spears and paddles, javelins, and war-clubs.
This then, said I to Toby, must be the armoury of the tribe.
As we advanced farther along the building, we were struck with the aspect
of four or five hideous old wretches, on whose decrepid forms time and
tattooing seemed to have obliterated every trace of humanity. Owing to the
continued operation of this latter process, which only terminates among
the warriors of the island after all the figures stretched upon their
limbs in youth have been blended together—an effect, however, produced
only in cases of extreme longevity—the bodies of these men were of a
uniform dull green colour—the hue which the tattooing gradually assumes as
the individual advances in age. Their skin had a frightful scaly
appearance, which, united with its singular colour, made their limbs not a
little resemble dusty specimens of verde-antique. Their flesh, in parts,
hung upon them in huge folds, like the overlapping plaits on the flank of
a rhinoceros. Their heads were completely bald, whilst their faces were
puckered into a thousand wrinkles, and they presented no vestige of a
beard. But the most remarkable peculiarity about them was the appearance
of their feet; the toes, like the radiating lines of the mariner’s
compass, pointed to every quarter of the horizon. This was doubtless
attributable to the fact, that during nearly a hundred years of existence
the said toes never had been subjected to any artificial confinement, and
in their old age, being averse to close neighbourhood, bid one another
keep open order.
These repulsive-looking creatures appeared to have lost the use of their
lower limbs altogether; sitting upon the floor cross-legged, in a state of
torpor. They never heeded us in the least, scarcely looking conscious of
our presence, while Mehevi seated us upon the mats, and Kory-Kory gave
utterance to some unintelligible gibberish.
In a few moments, a boy entered with a wooden trencher of poee-poee; and
in regaling myself with its contents, I was obliged again to submit to the
officious intervention of my indefatigable servitor. Various other dishes
followed, the chief manifesting the most hospitable importunity in
pressing us to partake, and to remove all bashfulness on our part, set us
no despicable example in his own person.
The repast concluded, a pipe was lighted, which passed from mouth to
mouth, and yielding to its soporific influence, the quiet of the place,
and the deepening shadows of approaching night, my companion and I sank
into a kind of drowsy repose, while the chief and Kory-Kory seemed to be
slumbering beside us.
I awoke from an uneasy nap, about midnight, as I supposed; and, raising
myself partly from the mat, became sensible that we were enveloped in
utter darkness. Toby lay still asleep, but our late companions had
disappeared. The only sound that interrupted the silence of the place was
the asthmatic breathing of the old men I have mentioned, who reposed at a
little distance from us. Besides them, as well as I could judge, there was
no one else in the house.
Apprehensive of some evil, I roused my comrade, and we were engaged in a
whispered conference concerning the unexpected withdrawal of the natives,
when all at once, from the depths of the grove, in full view of us where
we lay, shoots of flame were seen to rise, and in a few moments
illuminated the surrounding trees, casting, by contrast, into still deeper
gloom the darkness around us.
While we continued gazing at this sight, dark figures appeared moving to
and fro before the flames; while others, dancing and capering about,
looked like so many demons.
Regarding this new phenomenon with no small degree of trepidation, I said
to my companion, “What can all this mean, Toby?”
“Oh, nothing,” replied he; “getting the fire ready, I suppose.”
“Fire!” exclaimed I, while my heart took to beating like a trip-hammer,
“what fire?”
“Why, the fire to cook us, to be sure; what else would the cannibals be
kicking up such a row about, if it were not for that?”
“Oh, Toby! have done with your jokes; this is no time for them: something
is about to happen, I feel confident.”
“Jokes, indeed!” exclaimed Toby, indignantly. “Did you ever hear me joke?
Why, for what do you suppose the devils have been feeding us up in this
kind of style for during the last three days, unless it were for something
that you are too much frightened at to talk about? Look at that Kory-Kory
there!—has he not been stuffing you with his confounded mushes, just in
the way they treat swine before they kill them? Depend upon it, we will be
eaten this blessed night, and there is the fire we shall be roasted by.”
This view of the matter was not at all calculated to allay my
apprehensions, and I shuddered when I reflected that we were indeed at the
mercy of a tribe of cannibals, and that the dreadful contingency to which
Toby had alluded was by no means removed beyond the bounds of possibility.
“There! I told you so! they are coming for us!” exclaimed my companion the
next moment, as the forms of four of the islanders were seen in bold
relief against the illuminated background, mounting the pi-pi, and
approaching us.
They came on noiselessly, nay, stealthily, and glided along through the
gloom that surrounded us, as if about to spring upon some object they were
fearful of disturbing before they should make sure of it. Gracious Heaven!
the horrible reflections which crowded upon me that moment! A cold sweat
stood upon my brow, and spell-bound with terror, I awaited my fate.
Suddenly the silence was broken by the well-remembered tones of Mehevi,
and at the kindly accents of his voice, my fears were immediately
dissipated. “Tommo, Toby, ki ki!” (eat). He had waited to address us,
until he had assured himself that we were both awake, at which he seemed
somewhat surprised.
“Ki ki! is it?” said Toby, in his gruff tones; “well, cook us first, will
you—but what’s this?” he added, as another savage appeared, bearing before
him a large trencher of wood, containing some kind of steaming meat, as
appeared from the odours it diffused, and which he deposited at the feet
of Mehevi. “A baked baby, I dare say! but I will have none of it, never
mind what it is. A pretty fool I should make of myself, indeed, waked up
here in the middle of the night, stuffing and guzzling, and all to make a
fat meal for a parcel of bloody-minded cannibals one of these mornings!
No; I see what they are at very plainly, so I am resolved to starve myself
into a bunch of bones and gristle, and then, if they serve me up, they are
welcome! But, I say, Tommo, you are not going to eat any of that mess
there, in the dark, are you? Why, how can you tell what it is?”
“By tasting it, to be sure,” said I, masticating a morsel that Kory-Kory
had just put in my mouth; “and excellently good it is, too, very much like
veal.”
“A baked baby, by the soul of Captain Cook!” burst forth Toby, with
amazing vehemence. “Veal? why, there never was a calf on the island till
you landed. I tell you, you are bolting down mouthfuls from a dead
Happar’s carcass, as sure as you live, and no mistake!”
Emetics and lukewarm water! What a sensation in the abdominal regions!
Sure enough, where could the fiends incarnate have obtained meat? But I
resolved to satisfy myself at all hazards; and turning to Mehevi, I soon
made the ready chief understand that I wished a light to be brought. When
the taper came, I gazed eagerly into the vessel, and recognized the
mutilated remains of a juvenile porker! “Puarkee!” exclaimed Kory-Kory,
looking complacently at the dish; and from that day to this I have never
forgotten that such is the designation of a pig in the Typee lingo.
The next morning, after being again abundantly feasted by the hospitable
Mehevi, Toby and myself arose to depart. But the chief requested us to
postpone our intention. “Abo, abo” (Wait, wait), he said, and accordingly
we resumed our seats, while, assisted by the zealous Kory-Kory, he
appeared to be engaged in giving directions to a number of the natives
outside, who were busily employed in making arrangements, the nature of
which we could not comprehend. But we were not left long in our ignorance,
for a few moments only had elapsed, when the chief beckoned us to
approach, and we perceived that he had been marshalling a kind of guard of
honour to escort us on our return to the house of Marheyo.
The procession was led off by two venerable-looking savages, each provided
with a spear, from the end of which streamed a pennon of milk-white tappa.
After them went several youths, bearing aloft calabashes of poee-poee; and
followed in their turn by four stalwart fellows, sustaining long bamboos,
from the tops of which hung suspended, at least twenty feet from the
ground, large baskets of green bread-fruit. Then came a troop of boys,
carrying bunches of ripe bananas, and baskets made of woven leaflets of
cocoa-nut boughs, filled with the young fruit of the tree, the naked
shells, stripped of their husks, peeping forth from the verdant
wicker-work that surrounded them. Last of all came a burly islander,
holding over his head a wooden trencher, in which lay disposed the
remnants of our midnight feast, hidden from view, however, by a covering
of bread-fruit leaves.
Astonished as I was at this exhibition, I could not avoid smiling at its
grotesque appearance, and the associations it naturally called up. Mehevi,
it seemed, was bent on replenishing old Marheyo’s larder, fearful,
perhaps, that without this precaution his guests might not fare as well as
they could desire.
As soon as I descended from the pi-pi, the procession formed anew,
enclosing us in its centre; where I remained, part of the time carried by
Kory-Kory, and occasionally relieving him from his burden by limping along
with a spear. When we moved off in this order, the natives struck up a
musical recitative, which, with various alternations, they continued until
we arrived at the place of our destination.
As we proceeded on our way, bands of young girls, darting from the
surrounding groves, hung upon our skirts, and accompanied us with shouts
of merriment and delight, which almost drowned the deep notes of the
recitative. On approaching old Marheyo’s domicile, its inmates rushed out
to receive us; and while the gifts of Mehevi were being disposed of, the
superannuated warrior did the honours of his mansion with all the warmth
of hospitality evinced by an English squire, when he regales his friends
at some fine old patrimonial mansion.
CHAPTER XII
Attempt to procure relief from Nukuheva—Perilous adventure of Toby
in the Happar Mountains—Eloquence of Kory-Kory.
Amidst these novel scenes a week passed away almost imperceptibly. The
natives, actuated by some mysterious impulse, day after day redoubled
their attention to us. Their manner towards us was unaccountable. Surely,
thought I, they would not act thus if they meant us any harm. But why this
excess of deferential kindness, or what equivalent can they imagine us
capable of rendering them for it?
We were fairly puzzled. But, despite the apprehensions I could not dispel,
the horrible character imputed to these Typees appeared to be wholly
undeserved.
“Why, they are cannibals!” said Toby, on one occasion when I eulogized the
tribe.
“Granted,” I replied, “but a more humane, gentlemanly, and amiable set of
epicures do not probably exist in the Pacific.”
But, notwithstanding the kind treatment we received, I was too familiar
with the fickle disposition of savages not to feel anxious to withdraw
from the valley, and put myself beyond the reach of that fearful death
which, under all these smiling appearances, might yet menace us. But here
there was an obstacle in the way of doing so. It was idle for me to think
of moving from the place until I should have recovered from the severe
lameness that afflicted me; indeed my malady began seriously to alarm me;
for, despite the herbal remedies of the natives, it continued to grow
worse and worse. Their mild applications, though they soothed the pain,
did not remove the disorder, and I felt convinced that, without better
aid, I might anticipate long and acute suffering.
But how was this aid to be procured? From the surgeons of the French
fleet, which probably still lay in the bay of Nukuheva, it might easily
have been obtained, could I have made my case known to them. But how could
that be effected?
At last, in the exigency to which I was reduced, I proposed to Toby that
he should endeavour to go round to Nukuheva, and if he could not succeed
in returning to the valley by water in one of the boats of the squadron,
and taking me off, he might at least procure me some proper medicines, and
effect his return overland.
My companion listened to me in silence, and at first did not appear to
relish the idea. The truth was, he felt impatient to escape from the
place, and wished to avail himself of our present high favour with the
natives to make good our retreat, before we should experience some sudden
alterations in their behaviour. As he could not think of leaving me in my
helpless condition, he implored me to be of good cheer; assured me that I
should soon be better, and enabled in a few days to return with him to
Nukuheva.
Added to this, he could not bear the idea of again returning to this
dangerous place; and as for the expectation of persuading the Frenchmen to
detach a boat’s crew for the purpose of rescuing me from the Typees, he
looked upon it as idle; and, with arguments that I could not answer, urged
the improbability of their provoking the hostilities of the clan by any
such measure; especially as, for the purpose of quieting its
apprehensions, they had as yet refrained from making any visit to the bay.
“And even should they consent,” said Toby, “they would only produce a
commotion in the valley, in which we might both be sacrificed by these
ferocious islanders.” This was unanswerable; but still I clung to the
belief that he might succeed in accomplishing the other part of my plan;
and at last I overcame his scruples, and he agreed to make the attempt.
As soon as we succeeded in making the natives understand our intention,
they broke out into the most vehement opposition to the measure, and, for
a while, I almost despaired of obtaining their consent. At the bare
thought of one of us leaving them, they manifested the most lively
concern. The grief and consternation of Kory-Kory, in particular, was
unbounded; he threw himself into a perfect paroxysm of gestures, which
were intended to convey to us, not only his abhorrence of Nukuheva and its
uncivilized inhabitants, but also his astonishment that, after becoming
acquainted with the enlightened Typees, we should evince the least desire
to withdraw, even for a time, from their agreeable society.
However, I overbore his objections by appealing to my lameness; from which
I assured the natives I should speedily recover, if Toby were permitted to
obtain the supplies I needed.
It was agreed that on the following morning my companion should depart,
accompanied by some one or two of the household, who should point out to
him an easy route, by which the bay might be reached before sunset.
At early dawn of the next day, our habitation was astir. One of the young
men mounted into an adjoining cocoa-nut tree, and threw down a number of
the young fruit, which old Marheyo quickly stripped of the green husks,
and strung together upon a short pole. These were intended to refresh Toby
on his route.
The preparations being completed, with no little emotion I bade my
companion adieu. He promised to return in three days at farthest; and,
bidding me keep up my spirits in the interval, turned around the corner of
the pi-pi, and, under the guidance of the venerable Marheyo, was soon out
of sight. His departure oppressed me with melancholy, and, re-entering the
dwelling, I threw myself almost in despair upon the matting of the floor.
In two hours’ time the old warrior returned, and gave me to understand,
that after accompanying my companion a little distance, and showing him
the route, he had left him journeying on his way.
It was about noon of this same day, a season which these people are wont
to pass in sleep, that I lay in the house, surrounded by its slumbering
inmates, and painfully affected by the strange silence which prevailed.
All at once I thought I heard a faint shout, as if proceeding from some
persons in the depth of the grove which extended in front of our
habitation.
The sounds grew louder and nearer, and gradually the whole valley rang
with wild outcries. The sleepers around me started to their feet in alarm,
and hurried outside to discover the cause of the commotion. Kory-Kory, who
had been the first to spring up, soon returned almost breathless, and
nearly frantic with the excitement under which he seemed to be labouring.
All that I could understand from him was, that some accident had happened
to Toby. Apprehensive of some dreadful calamity, I rushed out of the
house, and caught sight of a tumultuous crowd, who, with shrieks and
lamentations, were just emerging from the grove, bearing in their arms
some object, the sight of which produced all this transport of sorrow. As
they drew near, the men redoubled their cries, while the girls, tossing
their bare arms in the air, exclaimed plaintively, “Awha! awha! Toby
muckee moee!”—Alas! alas! Toby is killed!
In a moment the crowd opened, and disclosed the apparently lifeless body
of my companion borne between two men, the head hanging heavily against
the breast of the foremost. The whole face, neck, and bosom were covered
with blood, which still trickled slowly from a wound behind the temple. In
the midst of the greatest uproar and confusion, the body was carried into
the house and laid on a mat. Waving the natives off to give room and air,
I bent eagerly over Toby, and, laying my hand upon the breast, ascertained
that the heart still beat. Overjoyed at this, I seized a calabash of
water, and dashed its contents upon his face, then, wiping away the blood,
anxiously examined the wound. It was about three inches long, and, on
removing the clotted hair from about it, showed the skull laid completely
bare. Immediately with my knife I cut away the heavy locks, and bathed the
part repeatedly in water.
In a few moments Toby revived, and opening his eyes for a second, closed
them again, without speaking. Kory-Kory, who had been kneeling beside me,
now chafed his limbs gently with the palms of his hands, while a young
girl at his head kept fanning him, and I still continued to moisten his
lips and brow. Soon my poor comrade showed signs of animation, and I
succeeded in making him swallow from a cocoa-nut shell a few mouthfuls of
water.
[Illustration: THE BODY WAS CARRIED INTO THE HOUSE AND LAID ON A MAT]
Old Tinor now appeared, holding in her hand some simples she had gathered,
the juice of which she by signs besought me to squeeze into the wound.
Having done so, I thought it best to leave Toby undisturbed until he
should have had time to rally his faculties. Several times he opened his
lips, but, fearful for his safety, I enjoined silence. In the course of
two or three hours however, he sat up, and was sufficiently recovered to
tell me what had occurred.
“After leaving the house with Marheyo,” said Toby, “we struck across the
valley, and ascended the opposite heights. Just beyond them, my guide
informed me, lay the valley of Happar, while along their summits, and
skirting the head of the vale, was my route to Nukuheva. After mounting a
little way up the elevation my guide paused, and gave me to understand
that he could not accompany me any farther, and by various signs intimated
that he was afraid to approach any nearer the territories of the enemies
of his tribe. He, however, pointed out my path, which now lay clearly
before me, and, bidding me farewell, hastily descended the mountain.
“Quite elated at being so near the Happars, I pushed up the acclivity, and
soon gained its summit. It tapered up to a sharp ridge, from whence I
beheld both the hostile valleys. Here I sat down and rested for a moment,
refreshing myself with my cocoa-nuts. I was soon again pursuing my way
along the height, when suddenly I saw three of the islanders, who must
have just come out of Happar valley, standing in the path ahead of me.
They were each armed with a heavy spear, and one, from his appearance, I
took to be a chief. They sung out something, I could not understand what,
and beckoned me to come on.
“Without the least hesitation I advanced towards them, and had approached
within about a yard of the foremost, when, pointing angrily into the Typee
valley, and uttering some savage exclamation, he wheeled round his weapon
like lightning, and struck me in a moment to the ground. The blow
inflicted this wound, and took away my senses. As soon as I came to
myself, I perceived the three islanders standing a little distance off,
and apparently engaged in some violent altercation respecting me.
“My first impulse was to run for it; but, in endeavouring to rise, I fell
back, and rolled down a little grassy precipice. The shock seemed to rally
my faculties; so, starting to my feet, I fled down the path I had just
ascended. I had no need to look behind me, for, from the yells I heard, I
knew that my enemies were in full pursuit. Urged on by their fearful
outcries, and heedless of the injury I had received—though the blood
flowing from the wound trickled over into my eyes and almost blinded me—I
rushed down the mountain side with the speed of the wind. In a short time
I had descended nearly a third of the distance, and the savages had ceased
their cries, when suddenly a terrific howl burst upon my ear, and at the
same moment a heavy javelin darted past me as I fled, and stuck quivering
in a tree close to me. Another yell followed, and a second spear and a
third shot through the air within a few feet of my body, both of them
piercing the ground obliquely in advance of me. The fellows gave a roar of
rage and disappointment; but they were afraid, I suppose, of coming down
farther into the Typee valley, and so abandoned the chase. I saw them
recover their weapons and turn back; and I continued my descent as fast as
I could.
“What could have caused this ferocious attack on the part of these Happars
I could not imagine, unless it were that they had seen me ascending the
mountain with Marheyo, and that the mere fact of coming from the Typee
valley was sufficient to provoke them.
“As long as I was in danger I scarcely felt the wound I had received; but
when the chase was over I began to suffer from it. I had lost my hat in
the flight, and the sun scorched my bare head. I felt faint and giddy;
but, fearful of falling to the ground beyond the reach of assistance, I
staggered on as well as I could, and at last gained the level of the
valley, and then down I sunk; and I knew nothing more until I found myself
lying upon these mats, and you stooping over me with the calabash of
water.”
Such was Toby’s account of this sad affair. I afterwards learned that
fortunately he had fallen close to a spot where the natives go for fuel. A
party of them caught sight of him as he fell, and, sounding the alarm, had
lifted him up; and after ineffectually endeavouring to restore him at the
brook, had hurried forward with him to the house.
This incident threw a dark cloud over our prospects. It reminded us that
we were hemmed in by hostile tribes, whose territories we could not hope
to pass, on our route to Nukuheva, without encountering the effects of
their savage resentment. There appeared to be no avenue opened to our
escape but the sea, which washed the lower extremity of the vale.
Our Typee friends availed themselves of the recent disaster of Toby to
exhort us to a due appreciation of the blessings we enjoyed among them;
contrasting their own generous reception of us with the animosity of their
neighbours. They likewise dwelt upon the cannibal propensities of the
Happars, a subject which they were perfectly aware could not fail to alarm
us; while at the same time they earnestly disclaimed all participation in
so horrid a custom. Nor did they omit to call upon us to admire the
natural loveliness of their own abode, and the lavish abundance with which
it produced all manner of luxuriant fruits; exalting it in this particular
above any of the surrounding valleys.
Kory-Kory seemed to experience so heartfelt a desire to infuse into our
minds proper views on these subjects, that, assisted in his endeavours by
the little knowledge of the language we had acquired, he actually made us
comprehend a considerable part of what he said. To facilitate our correct
apprehension of his meaning, he at first condensed his ideas into the
smallest possible compass.
“Happar keekeeno nuee,” he exclaimed; “nuee, nuee, ki ki kannaka!—ah! owle
motarkee!” which signifies, “Terrible fellows those Happars!—devour an
amazing quantity of men!—ah, shocking bad!” Thus far he explained himself
by a variety of gestures, during the performance of which he would dart
out of the house, and point abhorrently towards the Happar valley; running
in to us again with the rapidity that showed he was fearful we would lose
one part of his meaning before he could complete the other; and continuing
his illustrations by seizing the fleshy part of my arm in his teeth,
intimating, by the operation, that the people who lived over in that
direction would like nothing better than to treat me in that manner.
Having assured himself that we were fully enlightened on this point, he
proceeded to another branch of the subject. “Ah! Typee me! arkee!—nuee,
nuee mioree—nuee, nuee wai nuee, nuee poee poee—nuee, nuee kokoo—ah! nuee,
nuee kiki—ah! nuee, nuee, nuee!” Which, liberally interpreted as before,
would imply, “Ah, Typee! isn’t it a fine place though!—no danger of
starving here, I tell you!—plenty of bread-fruit—plenty of water—plenty of
pudding—ah! plenty of everything, ah! heaps, heaps, heaps!” All this was
accompanied by a running commentary of signs and gestures which it was
impossible not to comprehend.
As he continued his harangue, however, Kory-Kory, in emulation of our more
polished orators, began to launch out rather diffusely into other branches
of his subject, enlarging probably upon the moral reflections it
suggested; and proceeded in such a strain of unintelligible and stunning
gibberish, that he actually gave me the headache for the rest of the day.
CHAPTER XIII
A great event happens in the valley—The island telegraph—Something
befalls Toby—Fayaway displays a tender heart—Melancholy
reflections—Mysterious conduct of the islanders—Devotion of
Kory-Kory—A rural couch—A luxury—Kory-Kory strikes a light _à la_
Typee.
In the course of a few days Toby had recovered from the effects of his
adventure with the Happar warriors; the wound on his head rapidly healing
under the vegetable treatment of the good Tinor. Less fortunate than my
companion, however, I still continued to languish under a complaint, the
origin and nature of which was still a mystery. Cut off as I was from all
intercourse with the civilized world, and feeling the inefficacy of
anything the natives could do to relieve me; knowing, too, that so long as
I remained in my present condition it would be impossible for me to leave
the valley, whatever opportunity might present itself; and apprehensive
that ere long we might be exposed to some caprice on the part of the
islanders, I now gave up all hopes of recovery, and became a prey to the
most gloomy thoughts. A deep dejection fell upon me, which neither the
friendly remonstrances of my companion, the devoted attentions of
Kory-Kory, nor all the soothing influences of Fayaway, could remove.
One morning, as I lay on the mats in the house plunged in melancholy
reverie, and regardless of everything around me, Toby, who had left me
about an hour, returned in haste, and with great glee told me to cheer up
and be of good heart, for he believed, from what was going on among the
natives, that there were boats approaching the bay.
These tidings operated upon me like magic. The hour of our deliverance was
at hand, and, starting up, I was soon convinced that something unusual was
about to occur. The word “botee! botee!” was vociferated in all
directions; and shouts were heard in the distance, at first feebly and
faintly, but growing louder and nearer at each successive repetition,
until they were caught up by a fellow in a cocoa-nut tree a few yards off,
who, sounding them in turn, they were reiterated from a neighbouring
grove, and so died away gradually from point to point, as the intelligence
penetrated into the farthest recesses of the valley. This was the vocal
telegraph of the islanders; by means of which, condensed items of
information could be carried in a very few minutes from the sea to their
remotest habitation, a distance of at least eight or nine miles. On the
present occasion it was in active operation, one piece of information
following another with inconceivable rapidity.
The greatest commotion now appeared to prevail. At every fresh item of
intelligence the natives betrayed the liveliest interest, and redoubled
the energy with which they employed themselves in collecting fruit to sell
to the expected visitors. Some were tearing off the husks from cocoa-nuts;
some, perched in the trees, were throwing down bread-fruit to their
companions, who gathered them in heaps as they fell; while others were
plying their fingers rapidly in weaving leafen baskets in which to carry
the fruit.
There were other matters, too, going on at the same time. Here you would
see a stout warrior polishing his spear with a bit of old tappa, or
adjusting the folds of the girdle about his waist; and there you might
descry a young damsel decorating herself with flowers, as if having in her
eye some maidenly conquest; while, as in all cases of hurry and confusion
in every part of the world, a number of individuals kept hurrying to and
fro with amazing vigour and perseverance, doing nothing themselves, and
hindering others.
Never before had we seen the islanders in such a state of bustle and
excitement; and the scene furnished abundant evidence of the fact—that it
was only at long intervals any such events occur.
When I thought of the length of time that might intervene before a similar
chance of escape would be presented, I bitterly lamented that I had not
the power of availing myself effectually of the present opportunity.
From all that we could gather, it appeared that the natives were fearful
of arriving too late upon the beach, unless they made extraordinary
exertions. Sick and lame as I was, I would have started with Toby at once,
had not Kory-Kory not only refused to carry me, but manifested the most
invincible repugnance to our leaving the neighbourhood of the house. The
rest of the savages were equally opposed to our wishes, and seemed grieved
and astonished at the earnestness of my solicitations. I clearly perceived
that, while my attendant avoided all appearance of constraining my
movements, he was nevertheless determined to thwart my wishes. He seemed
to me on this particular occasion, as well as often afterwards, to be
executing the orders of some other person with regard to me, though at the
same time feeling towards me the most lively affection.
Toby, who had made up his mind to accompany the islanders if possible as
soon as they were in readiness to depart, and who for that reason had
refrained from showing the same anxiety that I had done, now represented
to me that it was idle for me to entertain the hope of reaching the beach
in time to profit by any opportunity that might then be presented.
“Do you not see,” said he, “the savages themselves are fearful of being
too late, and I should hurry forward myself at once, did I not think that,
if I showed too much eagerness, I should destroy all our hopes of reaping
any benefit from this fortunate event. If you will only endeavour to
appear tranquil or unconcerned, you will quiet their suspicions, and I
have no doubt they will then let me go with them to the beach, supposing
that I merely go out of curiosity. Should I succeed in getting down to the
boats, I will make known the condition in which I have left you, and
measures may then be taken to secure our escape.”
In the expediency of this I could not but acquiesce; and as the natives
had now completed their preparations, I watched with the liveliest
interest the reception that Toby’s application might meet with. As soon as
they understood from my companion that I intended to remain, they appeared
to make no objection to this proposition, and even hailed it with
pleasure. Their singular conduct on this occasion not a little puzzled me
at the time, and imparted to subsequent events an additional mystery.
The islanders were now to be seen hurrying along the path which led to the
sea. I shook Toby warmly by the hand, and gave him my Payta hat to shield
his wounded head from the sun, as he had lost his own. He cordially
returned the pressure of my hand, and, solemnly promising to return as
soon as the boats should leave the shore, sprang from my side, and the
next minute disappeared in a turn of the grove.
In spite of the unpleasant reflections that crowded upon my mind, I could
not but be entertained by the novel and animated sight which now met my
view. One after another, the natives crowded along the narrow path, laden
with every variety of fruit. Here, you might have seen one, who, after
ineffectually endeavouring to persuade a surly porker to be conducted in
leading-strings, was obliged at last to seize the perverse animal in his
arms, and carry him struggling again his naked breast, and squealing
without intermission. There went two, who at a little distance might have
been taken for the Hebrew spies, on their return to Moses with the goodly
bunch of grapes. One trotted before the other at a distance of a couple of
yards, while between them, from a pole resting on their shoulders, was
suspended a huge cluster of bananas, which swayed to and fro with the
rocking gait at which they proceeded. Here ran another, perspiring with
his exertions, and bearing before him a quantity of cocoa-nuts, who,
fearful of being too late, heeded not the fruit that dropped from his
basket, and appeared solely intent upon reaching his destination, careless
how many of his cocoa-nuts kept company with him.
In a short time the last straggler was seen hurrying on his way, and the
faint shouts of those in advance died insensibly upon the ear. Our part of
the valley now appeared nearly deserted by its inhabitants, Kory-Kory, his
aged father, and a few decrepid old people being all that were left.
Towards sunset, the islanders in small parties began to return from the
beach, and among them, as they drew near to the house, I sought to descry
the form of my companion. But one after another they passed the dwelling,
and I caught no glimpse of him. Supposing, however, that he would soon
appear with some of the members of the household, I quieted my
apprehensions, and waited patiently to see him advancing, in company with
the beautiful Fayaway. At last I perceived Tinor coming forward, followed
by the girls and young men who usually resided in the house of Marheyo;
but with them came not my comrade, and, filled with a thousand alarms, I
eagerly sought to discover the cause of his delay.
My earnest questions appeared to embarrass the natives greatly. All their
accounts were contradictory: one giving me to understand that Toby would
be with me in a very short time; another, that he did not know where he
was; while a third, violently inveighing against him, assured me that he
had stolen away, and would never come back. It appeared to me, at the
time, that in making these various statements they endeavoured to conceal
from me some terrible disaster, lest the knowledge of it should overpower
me.
Fearful lest some fatal calamity had overtaken him, I sought out young
Fayaway, and endeavoured to learn from her, if possible, the truth.
This gentle being had early attracted my regard, not only from her
extraordinary beauty, but from the attractive cast of her countenance,
singularly expressive of intelligence and humanity. Of all the natives,
she alone seemed to appreciate the effect which the peculiarity of the
circumstances in which we were placed had produced upon the minds of my
companion and myself. In addressing me—especially when I lay reclining
upon the mats suffering from pain—there was a tenderness in her manner
which it was impossible to misunderstand or resist. Whenever she entered
the house, the expression of her face indicated the liveliest sympathy for
me; and moving towards the place where I lay, with one arm slightly
elevated in a gesture of pity, and her large glistening eyes gazing
intently into mine, she would murmur plaintively, “Awha! awha! Tommo,” and
seat herself mournfully beside me.
Her manner convinced me that she deeply compassionated my situation, as
being removed from my country and friends, and placed beyond the reach of
all relief. Indeed, at times I was almost led to believe that her mind was
swayed by gentle impulses hardly to be anticipated from one in her
condition; that she appeared to be conscious there were ties rudely
severed, which had once bound us to our homes; that there were sisters and
brothers anxiously looking forward to our return, who were perhaps never
more to behold us.
In this amiable light did Fayaway appear in my eyes; and, reposing full
confidence in her candour and intelligence, I now had recourse to her, in
the midst of my alarm with regard to my companion.
My questions evidently distressed her. She looked round from one to
another of the bystanders, as if hardly knowing what answer to give me. At
last, yielding to my importunities, she overcame her scruples, and gave me
to understand that Toby had gone away with the boats which had visited the
bay, but had promised to return at the expiration of three days. At first
I accused him of perfidiously deserting me; but as I grew more composed, I
upbraided myself for imputing so cowardly an action to him, and
tranquillized myself with the belief that he had availed himself of the
opportunity to go round to Nukuheva, in order to make some arrangement by
which I could be removed from the valley. At any rate, thought I, he will
return with the medicines I require, and then, as soon as I recover, there
will be no difficulty in the way of our departure.
Consoling myself with these reflections, I lay down that night in a
happier frame of mind than I had done for some time. The next day passed
without any allusion to Toby on the part of the natives, who seemed
desirous of avoiding all reference to the subject. This raised some
apprehensions in my breast; but, when night came, I congratulated myself
that the second day had now gone by, and that on the morrow Toby would
again be with me. But the morrow came and went, and my companion did not
appear. Ah! thought I, he reckons three days from the morning of his
departure—to-morrow he will arrive. But that weary day also closed upon me
without his return. Even yet I would not despair. I thought that something
detained him—that he was waiting for the sailing of a boat at Nukuheva,
and that in a day or two, at farthest, I should see him again. But day
after day of renewed disappointment passed by; at last hope deserted me,
and I fell a victim to despair.
Yes, thought I, gloomily, he has secured his own escape, and cares not
what calamity may befall his unfortunate comrade. Fool that I was, to
suppose that any one would willingly encounter the perils of this valley,
after having once got beyond its limits! He has gone, and has left me to
combat alone all the dangers by which I am surrounded. Thus would I
sometimes seek to derive a desperate consolation from dwelling upon the
perfidy of Toby; whilst, at other times, I sunk under the bitter remorse
which I felt at having, by my own imprudence, brought upon myself the fate
which I was sure awaited me.
At other times I thought that perhaps, after all, these treacherous
savages had made away with him, and thence the confusion into which they
were thrown by my questions, and their contradictory answers; or he might
be a captive in some other part of the valley; or, more dreadful still,
might have met with that fate at which my very soul shuddered. But all
these speculations were vain; no tidings of Toby ever reached me—he had
gone never to return.
The conduct of the islanders appeared inexplicable. All reference to my
lost comrade was carefully evaded, and if at any time they were forced to
make some reply to my frequent inquiries on the subject, they would
uniformly denounce him as an ungrateful runaway, who had deserted his
friend, and taken himself off to that vile and detestable place Nukuheva.
But whatever might have been his fate, now that he was gone the natives
multiplied their acts of kindness and attention towards myself, treating
me with a degree of deference which could hardly have been surpassed had I
been some celestial visitant. Kory-Kory never for one moment left my side,
unless it were to execute my wishes. The faithful fellow, twice every day,
in the cool of the morning and in the evening, insisted upon carrying me
to the stream, and bathing me in its refreshing water.
Frequently, in the afternoon, he would carry me to a particular part of
the stream, where the beauty of the scene produced a soothing influence
upon my mind. At this place the waters flowed between grassy banks,
planted with enormous bread-fruit trees, whose vast branches, interlacing
overhead, formed a leafy canopy; near the stream were several smooth black
rocks. One of these, projecting several feet above the surface of the
water, had upon its summit a shallow cavity, which, filled with
freshly-gathered leaves, formed a delightful couch.
Here I often laid for hours, covered with a gauze-like veil of tappa,
while Fayaway, seated beside me, and holding in her hand a fan woven from
the leaflets of a young cocoa-nut bough, brushed aside the insects that
occasionally lighted on my face, and Kory-Kory, with a view of chasing
away my melancholy, performed a thousand antics in the water before us.
As my eye wandered along this romantic stream, it would fall upon the
half-immersed figure of a beautiful girl, standing in the transparent
water, and catching in a little net a species of diminutive shell-fish, of
which these people are extravagantly fond. Sometimes a chattering group
would be seated upon the edge of a low rock in the midst of the brook,
busily engaged in thinning and polishing the shells of cocoa-nuts, by
rubbing them briskly with a small stone in the water, an operation which
soon converts them into a light and elegant drinking-vessel, somewhat
resembling goblets made of tortoise-shell.
But the tranquillizing influences of beautiful scenery, and the exhibition
of human life under so novel and charming an aspect, were not my only
sources of consolation.
Every evening the girls of the house gathered about me on the mats, and,
after chasing away Kory-Kory from my side—who, nevertheless, retired only
to a little distance, and watched their proceedings with the most jealous
attention—would anoint my body with a fragrant oil, squeezed from a yellow
root, previously pounded between a couple of stones, and which in their
language is denominated “aka.” I used to hail with delight the daily
recurrence of this luxurious operation, in which I forgot all my troubles,
and buried for the time every feeling of sorrow.
Sometimes, in the cool of the evening, my devoted servitor would lead me
out upon the pi-pi in front of the house, and, seating me near its edge,
protect my body from the annoyance of the insects which occasionally
hovered in the air, by wrapping me round with a large roll of tappa. He
then bustled about, and employed himself at least twenty minutes in
adjusting everything to secure my personal comfort.
Having perfected his arrangements, he would get my pipe, and, lighting it,
would hand it to me. Often he was obliged to strike a light for the
occasion; and as the mode he adopted was entirely different from what I
had ever seen or heard of before, I will describe it.
A straight, dry, and partly-decayed stick of the Habiscus, about six feet
in length, and half as many inches in diameter, with a smaller bit of
wood, not more than a foot long, and scarcely an inch wide, is as
invariably to be met with in every house in Typee, as a box of lucifer
matches in the corner of a kitchen-cupboard at home.
The islander, placing the larger stick obliquely against some object, with
one end elevated at an angle of forty-five degrees, mounts astride of it,
like an urchin about to gallop off upon a cane, and then, grasping the
smaller one firmly in both hands, he rubs its pointed end slowly up and
down the extent of a few inches on the principal stick, until at last he
makes a narrow groove in the wood, with an abrupt termination at the point
farthest from him, where all the dusty particles which the friction
creates are accumulated in a little heap.
At first Kory-Kory goes to work quite leisurely, but gradually quickens
his pace, and, waxing warm in the employment, drives the stick furiously
along the smoking channel, plying his hands to and fro with amazing
rapidity, the perspiration starting from every pore. As he approaches the
climax of his effort, he pants and gasps for breath, and his eyes almost
start from their sockets with the violence of his exertions. This is the
critical stage of the operation; all his previous labours are vain if he
cannot sustain the rapidity of the movement until the reluctant spark is
produced. Suddenly he stops, becomes perfectly motionless. His hands still
retain their hold of the smaller stick, which is pressed convulsively
against the farther end of the channel, among the fine powder there
accumulated, as if he had just pierced through and through some little
viper that was wriggling and struggling to escape from his clutches. The
next moment a delicate wreath of smoke curls spirally into the air, the
heap of dusty particles glows with fire, and Kory-Kory, almost breathless,
dismounts from his steed.
This operation appeared to me to be the most laborious species of work
performed in Typee; and had I possessed a sufficient intimacy with the
language to have conveyed my ideas upon the subject, I should certainly
have suggested to the most influential of the natives the expediency of
establishing in a college of vestals, to be centrally located in the
valley, for the purpose of keeping alive the indispensable article of
fire, so as to supersede the necessity of such a vast outlay of strength
and good temper as were usually squandered on these occasions. There
might, however, be special difficulties in carrying this plan into
execution.
What a striking evidence does this operation furnish of the wide
difference between the extreme of savage and civilized life! A gentleman
of Typee can bring up a numerous family of children, and give them all a
highly respectable cannibal education, with infinitely less toil and
anxiety than he expends in the simple process of striking a light; whilst
a poor European artisan, who through the instrumentality of a lucifer
performs the same operation in one second, is put to his wit’s end to
provide for his starving offspring that food, which the children of a
Polynesian father, without troubling their parents, pluck from the
branches of every tree around them.
CHAPTER XIV
Kindness of Marheyo and the rest of the islanders—A full
description of the bread-fruit tree—Different modes of preparing
the fruit.
All the inhabitants of the valley treated me with great kindness; but as
to the household of Marheyo, with whom I was now permanently domiciled,
nothing could surpass their efforts to minister to my comfort. To the
gratification of my palate they paid the most unwearied attention. They
continually invited me to partake of food, and when after eating heartily
I declined the viands they continued to offer me, they seemed to think
that my appetite stood in need of some piquant stimulant to excite its
activity.
In pursuance of this idea, old Marheyo himself would hie him away to the
sea-shore by the break of day, for the purpose of collecting various
species of rare seaweed; some of which, among these people, are considered
a great luxury. After a whole day spent in this employment, he would
return about nightfall with several cocoa-nut shells filled with different
descriptions of kelp. In preparing these for use, he manifested all the
ostentation of a professed cook, although the chief mystery of the affair
appeared to consist in pouring water in judicious quantities upon the
slimy contents of his cocoa-nut shells.
The first time he submitted one of these saline salads to my critical
attention, I naturally thought that anything collected at such pains must
possess peculiar merits; but one mouthful was a complete dose; and great
was the consternation of the old warrior at the rapidity with which I
ejected his epicurean treat.
How true it is, that the rarity of any particular article enhances its
value amazingly. In some part of the valley—I know not where, but probably
in the neighbourhood of the sea—the girls were sometimes in the habit of
procuring small quantities of salt, a thimble-full or so being the result
of the united labours of a party of five or six employed for the greater
part of the day. This precious commodity they brought to the house,
enveloped in multitudinous folds of leaves; and as a special mark of the
esteem in which they held me, would spread an immense leaf on the ground,
and dropping one by one a few minute particles of the salt upon it, invite
me to taste them.
From the extravagant value placed upon the article, I verily believe, that
with a bushel of common Liverpool salt, all the real estate in Typee might
have been purchased. With a small pinch of it in one hand, and a quarter
section of a bread-fruit in the other, the greatest chief in the valley
would have laughed at all the luxuries of a Parisian table.
The celebrity of the bread-fruit tree, and the conspicuous place it
occupies in a Typee bill of fare, induces me to give at some length a
general description of the tree, and the various modes in which the fruit
is prepared.
The bread-fruit tree, in its glorious prime, is a grand and towering
object, forming the same feature in a Marquesan landscape that the
patriarchal elm does in New England scenery. The latter tree it not a
little resembles in height, in the wide spread of its stalwart branches,
and in its venerable and imposing aspect.
The leaves of the bread-fruit are of great size, and their edges are cut
and scolloped as fantastically as those of a lady’s lace collar. As they
annually tend towards decay, they almost rival, in the brilliant variety
of their gradually changing hues, the fleeting shades of the expiring
dolphin. The autumnal tints of our American forests, glorious as they are,
sink into nothing in comparison with this tree.
The leaf, in one particular stage, when nearly all the prismatic colours
are blended on its surface, is often converted by the natives into a
superb and striking head-dress. The principal fibre traversing its length
being split open a convenient distance, and the elastic sides of the
aperture pressed apart, the head is inserted between them, the leaf
drooping on one side, with its forward half turned jauntily up on the
brows, and the remaining part spreading laterally behind the ears.
The fruit somewhat resembles in magnitude and general appearance one of
our citron melons of ordinary size; but, unlike the citron, it has no
sectional lines drawn along the outside. Its surface is dotted all over
with little conical prominences, looking not unlike the knobs on an
antiquated church door. The rind is perhaps an eighth of an inch in
thickness; and denuded of this, at the time when it is in the greatest
perfection, the fruit presents a beautiful globe of white pulp, the whole
of which may be eaten, with the exception of a slender core, which is
easily removed.
The bread-fruit, however, is never used, and is indeed altogether unfit to
be eaten, until submitted in one form or other to the action of fire.
The most simple manner in which this operation is performed, and, I think,
the best, consists in placing any number of the freshly-plucked fruit,
when in a particular state of greenness, among the embers of a fire, in
the same way that you would roast a potato. After a lapse of ten or
fifteen minutes, the green rind embrowns and cracks, showing through the
fissures in its sides the milk-white interior. As soon as it cools the
rind drops off, and you then have the soft round pulp in its purest and
most delicious state. Thus eaten, it has a mild and pleasing flavour.
Sometimes after having been roasted in the fire, the natives snatch it
briskly from the embers, and permitting it to slip out of the yielding
rind into a vessel of cold water, stir up the mixture, which they call
“bo-a-sho.” I never could endure this compound, and indeed the preparation
is not greatly in vogue among the more polite Typees.
There is one form, however, in which the fruit is occasionally served,
that renders it a dish fit for a king. As soon as it is taken from the
fire the exterior is removed, the core extracted, and the remaining part
is placed in a sort of shallow stone mortar, and briskly worked with a
pestle of the same substance. While one person is performing this
operation, another takes a ripe cocoa-nut, and breaking it in half, which
they also do very cleverly, proceeds to grate the juicy meat into fine
particles. This is done by means of a piece of mother-of-pearl shell,
lashed firmly to the extreme end of a heavy stick, with its straight side
accurately notched like a saw. The stick is sometimes a grotesquely-formed
limb of a tree, with three or four branches twisting from its body like so
many shapeless legs, and sustaining it two or three feet from the ground.
The native, first placing a calabash beneath the nose, as it were, of his
curious-looking log-steed, for the purpose of receiving the grated
fragments as they fall, mounts astride of it as if it were a hobby-horse,
and twirling the inside of one of his hemispheres of cocoa-nut around the
sharp teeth of the mother-of-pearl shell, the pure white meat falls in
snowy showers into the receptacle provided. Having obtained a quantity
sufficient for his purpose, he places it in a bag made of the net-like
fibrous substance attached to all cocoa-nut trees, and compressing it over
the bread-fruit, which being now sufficiently pounded, is put into a
wooden bowl—extracts a thick creamy milk. The delicious liquid soon
bubbles round the fruit, and leaves it at last just peeping above its
surface.
This preparation is called “kokoo,” and a most lucious preparation it is.
The hobby-horse and the pestle and mortar were in great requisition during
the time I remained in the house of Marheyo, and Kory-Kory had frequent
occasion to show his skill in their use.
But the great staple articles of food into which the bread-fruit is
converted by these natives are known respectively by the names of Amar and
Poee-Poee.
At a certain season of the year, when the fruit of the hundred groves of
the valley has reached its maturity, and hangs in golden spheres from
every branch, the islanders assemble in harvest groups, and garner in the
abundance which surrounds them. The trees are stripped of their nodding
burdens, which, easily freed from the rind and core, are gathered together
in capacious wooden vessels, where the pulpy fruit is soon worked by a
stone pestle, vigorously applied, into a blended mass of a doughy
consistency called by the natives “Tutao.” This is then divided into
separate parcels, which, after being made up into stout packages,
enveloped in successive folds of leaves, and bound round with thongs of
bark, are stored away in large receptacles hollowed in the earth, from
whence they are drawn as occasion may require.
In this condition the Tutao sometimes remains for years, and even is
thought to improve by age. Before it is fit to be eaten, however, it has
to undergo an additional process. A primitive oven is scooped in the
ground, and its bottom being loosely covered with stones, a large fire is
kindled within it. As soon as the requisite degree of heat is attained,
the embers are removed, and the surface of the stones being covered with
thick layers of leaves, one of the large packages of Tutao is deposited
upon them, and overspread with another layer of leaves. The whole is then
quickly heaped up with earth, and forms a sloping mound.
The Tutao thus baked is called “Amar”; the action of the oven having
converted it into an amber-coloured caky substance, a little tart, but not
at all disagreeable to the taste.
By another and final process the “Amar” is changed into “Poee-Poee.” This
transition is rapidly effected. The amar is placed in a vessel, and mixed
with water until it gains a proper pudding-like consistency, when, without
further preparation, it is in readiness for use. This is the form in which
the “Tutao” is generally consumed. The singular mode of eating it I have
already described.
Were it not that the bread-fruit is thus capable of being preserved for a
length of time, the natives might be reduced to a state of starvation;
for, owing to some unknown cause, the trees sometimes fail to bear fruit;
and on such occasions the islanders chiefly depend upon the supplies they
have been enabled to store away.
This stately tree, which is rarely met with upon the Sandwich Islands, and
then only of a very inferior quality, and at Tahiti does not abound to a
degree that renders its fruit the principal article of food, attains its
greatest excellence in the genial climate of the Marquesan group, where it
grows to an enormous magnitude, and flourishes in the utmost abundance.
CHAPTER XV
Melancholy condition—Occurrence at the Ti—Anecdote of
Marheyo—Shaving the head of a warrior.
In looking back to this period, and calling to remembrance the numberless
proofs of kindness and respect which I received from the natives of the
valley, I can scarcely understand how it was that, in the midst of so many
consolatory circumstances, my mind should still have been consumed by the
most dismal forebodings, and have remained a prey to the profoundest
melancholy. It is true that the suspicious circumstances which had
attended the disappearance of Toby were enough of themselves to excite
distrust with regard to the savages, in whose power I felt myself to be
entirely placed, especially when it was combined with the knowledge that
these very men, kind and respectful as they were to me, were, after all,
nothing better than a set of cannibals.
But my chief source of anxiety, and that which poisoned every temporary
enjoyment, was the mysterious disease in my leg, which still remained
unabated. All the herbal applications of Tinor, united with the severer
discipline of the old leech, and the affectionate nursing of Kory-Kory,
had failed to relieve me. I was almost a cripple, and the pain I endured
at intervals was agonizing. The unaccountable malady showed no signs of
amendment; on the contrary, its violence increased day by day, and
threatened the most fatal results, unless some powerful means were
employed to counteract it. It seemed as if I were destined to sink under
this grievous affliction, or at least that it would hinder me from
availing myself of any opportunity of escaping from the valley.
An incident which occurred as nearly as I can estimate about three weeks
after the disappearance of Toby, convinced me that the natives, from some
reason or other, would interpose every possible obstacle to my leaving
them.
One morning there was no little excitement evinced by the people near my
abode, and which I soon discovered proceeded from a vague report that
boats had been seen at a great distance approaching the bay. Immediately
all was bustle and animation. It so happened that day that the pain I
suffered having somewhat abated, and feeling in much better spirits than
usual, I had complied with Kory-Kory’s invitation to visit the chief
Mehevi at the place called the “Ti,” which I have before described as
being situated within the precincts of the Taboo groves. These sacred
recesses were at no great distance from Marheyo’s habitation, and lay
between it and the sea; the path that conducted to the beach passing
directly in front of the Ti, and thence skirting along the border of the
groves.
I was reposing upon the mats, within the sacred building, in company with
Mehevi and several other chiefs, when the announcement was first made. It
sent a thrill of joy through my whole frame;—perhaps Toby was about to
return. I rose at once to my feet, and my instinctive impulse was to hurry
down to the beach, equally regardless of the distance that separated me
from it, and of my disabled condition. As soon as Mehevi noticed the
effect the intelligence had produced upon me, and the impatience I
betrayed to reach the sea, his countenance assumed that inflexible
rigidity of expression which had so awed me on the afternoon of our
arrival at the house of Marheyo, As I was proceeding to leave the Ti, he
laid his hand upon my shoulder, and said gravely, “abo, abo” (wait, wait).
Solely intent upon the one thought that occupied my mind, and heedless of
his request, I was brushing past him, when suddenly he reassumed a tone of
authority, and told me to “moee” (sit down). Though struck by the
alteration in his demeanour, the excitement under which I laboured was too
strong to permit me to obey the unexpected command, and I was still
limping towards the edge of the pi-pi with Kory-Kory clinging to one arm
in his efforts to restrain me when the natives around me started to their
feet, ranged themselves along the open front of the building, while Mehevi
looked at me scowlingly, and reiterated his commands still more sternly.
It was at this moment, when fifty savage countenances were glaring upon
me, that I first truly experienced I was indeed a captive in the valley.
The conviction rushed upon me with staggering force, and I was overwhelmed
by this confirmation of my worst fears. I saw at once that it was useless
for me to resist, and sick at heart, I reseated myself upon the mats, and
for the moment abandoned myself to despair.
I now perceived the natives one after the other hurrying past the Ti and
pursuing the route that conducted to the sea. These savages, thought I,
will soon be holding communication with some of my own countrymen perhaps,
who with ease could restore me to liberty did they know of the situation I
was in. No language can describe the wretchedness which I felt; and in the
bitterness of my soul I imprecated a thousand curses on the perfidious
Toby, who had thus abandoned me to destruction. It was in vain that
Kory-Kory tempted me with food, or lighted my pipe, or sought to attract
my attention by performing the uncouth antics that had sometimes diverted
me. I was fairly knocked down by this last misfortune, which, much as I
had feared it, I had never before had the courage calmly to contemplate.
Regardless of everything but my own sorrow, I remained in the Ti for
several hours, until shouts proceeding at intervals from the groves beyond
the house proclaimed the return of the natives from the beach.
Whether any boats visited the bay that morning or not, I never could
ascertain. The savages assured me that there had not—but I was inclined to
believe that by deceiving me in this particular they sought to allay the
violence of my grief. However that might be, this incident showed plainly
that the Typees intended to hold me a prisoner. As they still treated me
with the same sedulous attention as before, I was utterly at a loss how to
account for their singular conduct. Had I been in a situation to instruct
them in any of the rudiments of the mechanic arts, or had I manifested a
disposition to render myself in any way useful among them, their conduct
might have been attributed to some adequate motive, but as it was, the
matter seemed to me inexplicable.
During my whole stay on the island there occurred but two or three
instances where the natives applied to me with the view of availing
themselves of my superior information; and these now appear so ludicrous
that I cannot forbear relating them.
The few things we had brought from Nukuheva had been done up into a small
bundle which we had carried with us in our descent to the valley. This
bundle, the first night of our arrival, I had used as a pillow, but on the
succeeding morning, opening it for the inspection of the natives, they
gazed upon the miscellaneous contents as though I had just revealed to
them a casket of diamonds, and they insisted that so precious a treasure
should be properly secured. A line was accordingly attached to it, and the
other end being passed over the ridge-pole of the house, it was hoisted up
to the apex of the roof, where it hung suspended directly over the mats
where I usually reclined. When I desired anything from it I merely raised
my finger to a bamboo beside me, and taking hold of the string which was
there fastened, lowered the package. This was exceedingly handy, and I
took care to let the natives understand how much I applauded the
invention. Of this package the chief contents were a razor with its case,
a supply of needles and thread, a pound or two of tobacco, and a few yards
of a bright-coloured calico.
I should have mentioned, that shortly after Toby’s disappearance,
perceiving the uncertainty of the time I might be obliged to remain in the
valley,—if, indeed, I ever should escape from it,—and considering that my
whole wardrobe consisted of a shirt and a pair of trousers, I resolved to
doff these garments at once, in order to preserve them in a suitable
condition for wear, should I again appear among civilized beings. I was
consequently obliged to assume the Typee costume, a little altered,
however, to suit my own views of propriety, and in which I have no doubt I
appeared to as much advantage as a senator of Rome enveloped in the folds
of his toga. A few folds of yellow tappa, tucked about my waist, descended
to my feet in the style of a lady’s petticoat, only I did not have
recourse to those voluminous paddings in the rear with which our gentle
dames are in the habit of augmenting the sublime rotundity of their
figures. This usually comprised my in-door dress: whenever I walked out, I
superadded to it an ample robe of the same material, which completely
enveloped my person, and screened it from the rays of the sun.
One morning I made a rent in this mantle; and to show the islanders with
what facility it could be repaired, I lowered my bundle, and taking from
it a needle and thread, proceeded to stitch up the opening. They regarded
this wonderful application of science with intense admiration; and whilst
I was stitching away, old Marheyo, who was one of the lookers-on, suddenly
clapped his hand to his forehead, and rushing to a corner of the house,
drew forth a soiled and tattered strip of faded calico—which he must have
procured some time or other in traffic on the beach—and besought me
eagerly to exercise a little of my art upon it. I willingly complied,
though certainly so stumpy a needle as mine never took such gigantic
strides over calico before. The repairs completed, old Marheyo gave me a
paternal hug; and divesting himself of his “maro” (girdle), swathed the
calico about his loins, and slipping the beloved ornaments into his ears,
grasped his spear and sallied out of the house, like a valiant Templar
arrayed in a new and costly suit of armour.
I never used my razor during my stay in the island, but, although a very
subordinate affair, it had been vastly admired by the Typees; and
Narmonee, a great hero among them, who was exceedingly precise in the
arrangements of his toilet and the general adjustment of his person, being
the most accurately tattooed and laboriously horrified individual in all
the valley, thought it would be a great advantage to have it applied to
the already shaven crown of his head.
The implement they usually employ is a shark’s tooth, which is about as
well adapted to the purpose as a one-pronged fork for pitching hay. No
wonder, then, that the acute Narmonee perceived the advantage my razor
possessed over the usual implement. Accordingly, one day, he requested as
a personal favour, that I would just run over his head with the razor. In
reply, I gave him to understand that it was too dull, and could not be
used to any purpose without being previously sharpened. To assist my
meaning, I went through an imaginary honing process on the palm of my
hand. Narmonee took my meaning in an instant, and running out of the
house, returned the next moment with a huge rough mass of rock as big as a
millstone, and indicated to me that that was exactly the thing I wanted.
Of course there was nothing left for me but to proceed to business, and I
began scraping away at a great rate. He writhed and wriggled under the
infliction, but, fully convinced of my skill, endured the pain like a
martyr.
Though I never saw Narmonee in battle, I will, from what I then observed,
stake my life upon his courage and fortitude. Before commencing
operations, his head had presented a surface of short bristling hairs, and
by the time I had concluded my unskilful operation it resembled not a
little a stubble field after being gone over with a harrow. However, as
the chief expressed the liveliest satisfaction at the result, I was too
wise to dissent from his opinion.
CHAPTER XVI
Improvement in health and spirits—Felicity of the Typees—A
skirmish in the mountain with the warriors of Happar.
Day after day wore on, and still there was no perceptible change in the
conduct of the islanders towards me. Gradually I lost all knowledge of the
regular recurrence of the days of the week, and sunk insensibly into that
kind of apathy which ensues after some violent outbreak of despair. My
limb suddenly healed, the swelling went down, the pain subsided, and I had
every reason to suppose I should soon completely recover from the
affliction that had so long tormented me.
As soon as I was enabled to ramble about the valley in company with the
natives, troops of whom followed me whenever I sallied out of the house, I
began to experience an elasticity of mind which placed me beyond the reach
of those dismal forebodings to which I had so lately been a prey. Received
wherever I went with the most deferential kindness; regaled perpetually
with the most delightful fruits; ministered to by dark-eyed nymphs; and
enjoying besides all the services of the devoted Kory-Kory, I thought
that, for a sojourn among cannibals, no man could have well made a more
agreeable one.
To be sure, there were limits set to my wanderings. Toward the sea, my
progress was barred by an express prohibition of the savages; and after
having made two or three ineffectual attempts to reach it, as much to
gratify my curiosity as anything else, I gave up the idea. It was in vain
to think of reaching it by stealth, since the natives escorted me in
numbers wherever I went, and not for one single moment that I can recall
to mind was I ever permitted to be alone.
The green and precipitous elevations that stood ranged around the head of
the vale where Marheyo’s habitation was situated, effectually precluded
all hope of escape in that quarter, even if I could have stolen away from
the thousand eyes of the savages.
But these reflections now seldom obtruded upon me; I gave myself up to the
passing hour, and if ever disagreeable thoughts arose in my mind, I drove
them away. When I looked around the verdant recess in which I was buried,
and gazed up to the summits of the lofty eminence that hemmed me in, I was
well disposed to think that I was in the “Happy Valley,” and that beyond
those heights there was nought but a world of care and anxiety.
In this frame of mind, every object that presented itself to my notice
struck me in a new light, and the opportunities I now enjoyed of observing
the manners of the natives, tended to strengthen my favourable
impressions. One peculiarity that fixed my admiration was the perpetual
hilarity reigning through the whole extent of the vale. There seemed to be
no cares, griefs, troubles, or vexations in all Typee. The hours tripped
along as gaily as the laughing couples down a country dance.
There were none of those thousand sources of irritation that the ingenuity
of civilized man has created to mar his own felicity. There were no
foreclosures of mortgages, no protested notes, no bills payable, no debts
of honour, in Typee; no unreasonable tailors and shoemakers, perversely
bent on being paid; no duns of any description; no assault and battery
attorneys, to foment discord, backing their clients up to a quarrel, and
then knocking their heads together; no poor relations everlastingly
occupying the spare bed-chamber, and diminishing the elbow-room at the
family table; no destitute widows with their children starving on the cold
charities of the world; no beggars; no debtor’s prisons; no proud and
hard-hearted nabobs in Typee; or, to sum up all in one word—no Money! That
“root of all evil” was not to be found in the valley.
In this secluded abode of happiness there were no cross old women, no
cruel step-dames, no withered spinsters, no love-sick maidens, no sour old
bachelors, no inattentive husbands, no melancholy young men, no blubbering
youngsters, and no squalling brats. All was mirth, fun, and high good
humour. Blue devils, hypochondria, and doleful dumps went and hid
themselves among the nooks and crannies of the rocks.
Here you would see a parcel of children frolicking together the live-long
day, and no quarrelling, no contention among them. The same number in our
own land could not have played together for the space of an hour without
biting or scratching one another. There you might have seen a throng of
young females, not filled with envyings of each other’s charms, nor
displaying the ridiculous affectations of gentility, nor yet moving in
whalebone corsets, like so many automatons, but free, inartificially happy
and unconstrained.
There were some spots in that sunny vale where they would frequently
resort to decorate themselves with garlands of flowers. To have seen them
reclining beneath the shadows of one of the beautiful groves, the ground
about them strewn with freshly gathered buds and blossoms, employed in
weaving chaplets and necklaces, one would have thought that all the train
of Flora had gathered together to keep a festival in honour of their
mistress.
With the young men there seemed almost always some matter of diversion or
business on hand, that afforded a constant variety of enjoyment. But
whether fishing, or carving canoes, or polishing their ornaments, never
was there exhibited the least sign of strife or contention among them.
As for the warriors, they maintained a tranquil dignity of demeanour,
journeying occasionally from house to house, where they were always sure
to be received with the attention bestowed upon distinguished guests. The
old men, of whom there were many in the vale, seldom stirred from their
mats, where they would recline for hours and hours, smoking and talking to
one another with all the garrulity of age.
But the continual happiness which, so far as I was able to judge, appeared
to prevail in the valley, sprung principally from that all-pervading
sensation which Rousseau has told us he at one time experienced, the mere
buoyant sense of a healthful physical existence. And, indeed, in this
particular the Typees had ample reason to felicitate themselves, for
sickness was almost unknown. During the whole period of my stay, I saw but
one invalid among them; and on their smooth clear skins you observed no
blemish or mark of disease.
The general repose, however, upon which I have just been descanting, was
broken in upon about this time by an event, which proved that the
islanders were not entirely exempt from those occurrences which disturb
the quiet of more civilized communities.
Having now been a considerable time in the valley, I began to feel
surprised that the violent hostility subsisting between its inhabitants
and those of the adjoining bay of Happar, should never have manifested
itself in any warlike encounter. Although the valiant Typees would often,
by gesticulations, declare their undying hatred against their enemies, and
the disgust they felt at their cannibal propensities; although they
dilated upon the manifold injuries they had received at their hands, yet,
with a forbearance truly commendable, they appeared patiently to sit down
under their grievances, and to refrain from making any reprisals. The
Happars, entrenched behind their mountains, and never even showing
themselves on their summits, did not appear to me to furnish adequate
cause for that excess of animosity evinced towards them by the heroic
tenants of our vale, and I was inclined to believe that the deeds of blood
attributed to them had been greatly exaggerated.
On the other hand, as the clamours of war had not up to this period
disturbed the serenity of the tribe, I began to distrust the truth of
those reports which ascribed so fierce and belligerent a character to the
Typee nation. Surely, thought I, all these terrible stories I have heard
about the inveteracy with which they carried on the feud, their deadly
intensity of hatred, and the diabolical malice with which they glutted
their revenge upon the inanimate forms of the slain, are nothing more than
fables, and I must confess that I experienced something like a sense of
regret at having my hideous anticipations thus disappointed. I felt in
some sort like a ’prentice boy who, going to the play in the expectation
of being delighted with a cut-and-thrust tragedy, is almost moved to tears
of disappointment at the exhibition of a genteel comedy.
I could not avoid thinking that I had fallen in with a greatly traduced
people, and I moralized not a little upon the disadvantage of having a bad
name, which in this instance had given a tribe of savages, who were as
pacific as so many lambkins, the reputation of a confederacy of
giant-killers.
But subsequent events proved that I had been a little too premature in
coming to this conclusion. One day, about noon, happening to be at the Ti,
I had lain down on the mats with several of the chiefs, and had gradually
sunk into a most luxurious siesta, when I was awakened by a tremendous
outcry, and starting up, beheld the natives, seizing their spears and
hurrying out, while the most puissant of the chiefs, grasping the six
muskets which were ranged against the bamboos, followed after, and soon
disappeared in the groves. These movements were accompanied by wild
shouts, in which “Happar, Happar,” greatly predominated. The islanders
were now to be seen running past the Ti, and striking across the valley to
the Happar side. Presently I heard the sharp report of a musket from the
adjoining hills, and then a burst of voices in the same direction. At this
the women, who had congregated in the groves, set up the most violent
clamours, as they invariably do here as elsewhere on every occasion of
excitement and alarm, with a view of tranquillizing their own minds and
disturbing other people. On this particular occasion they made such an
outrageous noise, and continued it with such perseverance, that for
awhile, had entire volleys of musketry been fired off in the neighbouring
mountains, I should not have been able to have heard them.
When this female commotion had a little subsided I listened eagerly for
further information. At last bang went another shot, and then a second
volley of yells from the hills. Again all was quiet, and continued so for
such a length of time that I began to think the contending armies had
agreed upon a suspension of hostilities; when pop went a third gun,
followed as before with a yell. After this, for nearly two hours nothing
occurred worthy of comment, save some straggling shouts from the hillside,
sounding like the halloos of a parcel of truant boys who had lost
themselves in the woods.
During this interval I had remained standing on the piazza of the “Ti,”
which directly fronted the Happar mountain, and with no one near me but
Kory-Kory and the old superannuated savages I have before described. These
latter never stirred from their mats, and seemed altogether unconscious
that anything unusual was going on.
As for Kory-Kory, he appeared to think that we were in the midst of great
events, and sought most zealously to impress me with a due sense of their
importance. Every sound that reached us conveyed some momentous item of
intelligence to him. At such times, as if he were gifted with second
sight, he would go through a variety of pantomimic illustrations, showing
me the precise manner in which the redoubtable Typees were at that very
moment chastising the insolence of the enemy. “Mehevi hanna pippee nuee
Happar,” he exclaimed every five minutes, giving me to understand that
under that distinguished captain the warriors of his nation were
performing prodigies of valour.
Having heard only four reports from the muskets, I was led to believe that
they were worked by the islanders in the same manner as the Sultan
Solyman’s ponderous artillery at the siege of Byzantium, one of them
taking an hour or two to load and train. At last, no sound whatever
proceeding from the mountains, I concluded that the contest had been
determined one way or the other. Such appeared, indeed, to be the case,
for in a little while a courier arrived at the “Ti,” almost breathless
with his exertions, and communicated the news of a great victory having
been achieved by his countrymen: “Happar poo arva!—Happar poo arva!” (the
cowards had fled). Kory-Kory was in ecstasies, and commenced a vehement
harangue, which, so far as I understood it, implied that the result
exactly agreed with his expectations, and which, moreover, was intended to
convince me that it would be a perfectly useless undertaking, even for an
army of fire-eaters, to offer battle to the irresistible heroes of our
valley. In all this I of course acquiesced, and looked forward with no
little interest to the return of the conquerors, whose victory I feared
might not have been purchased without cost to themselves.
But here I was again mistaken; for Mehevi, in conducting his warlike
operations, rather inclined to the Fabian than to the Buonapartean
tactics, husbanding his resources and exposing his troops to no
unnecessary hazards. The total loss of the victors in this obstinately
contested affair was,—in killed, wounded, and missing—one forefinger and
part of a thumb-nail (which the late proprietor brought along with him in
his hand), a severely contused arm, and a considerable effusion of blood
flowing from the thigh of a chief who had received an ugly thrust from a
Happar spear. What the enemy had suffered I could not discover, but I
presume they had succeeded in taking off with them the bodies of their
slain.
Such was the issue of the battle, as far as its results came under my
observation; and as it appeared to be considered an event of prodigious
importance, I reasonably concluded that the wars of the natives were
marked by no very sanguinary traits. I afterwards learned how the skirmish
had originated. A number of the Happars had been discovered prowling for
no good purpose on the Typee side of the mountain; the alarm sounded, and
the invaders, after a protracted resistance, had been chased over the
frontier. But why had not the intrepid Mehevi carried the war into Happar?
Why had not he made a descent into the hostile vale, and brought away some
trophy of his victory—some materials for the cannibal entertainment which
I had heard usually terminated every engagement? After all, I was much
inclined to believe that these shocking festivals must occur very rarely
among the islanders, if, indeed, they ever take place.
For two or three days the late event was the theme of general comment;
after which the excitement gradually wore away, and the valley resumed its
accustomed tranquillity.
CHAPTER XVII
Swimming in company with the girls of the valley—A canoe—Effects
of the taboo—A pleasure excursion on the pond—Beautiful freak of
Fayaway—Mantua-making—A stranger arrives in the valley—His
mysterious conduct—Native oratory—The interview—Its
results—Departure of the stranger.
Returning health and peace of mind gave a new interest to everything
around me. I sought to diversify my time by as many enjoyments as lay
within my reach. Bathing in company with troops of girls, formed one of my
chief amusements. We sometimes enjoyed the recreation in the waters of a
miniature lake, into which the central stream of the valley expanded. This
lovely sheet of water was almost circular in figure, and about three
hundred yards across. Its beauty was indescribable. All around its banks
waved luxuriant masses of tropical foliage, soaring high above which were
seen, here and there, the symmetrical shaft of the cocoa-nut tree,
surmounted by its tuft of graceful branches, drooping in the air like so
many waving ostrich plumes.
The ease and grace with which the maidens of the valley propelled
themselves through the water, and their familiarity with the element, were
truly astonishing. Sometimes they might be seen gliding along just under
the surface, without apparently moving hand or foot; then throwing
themselves on their sides, they darted through the water, revealing
glimpses of their forms, as, in the course of their rapid progress, they
shot for an instant partly into the air; at one moment they dived deep
down into the water, and the next they rose bounding to the surface.
I remember upon one occasion plunging in among a parcel of these
river-nymphs, and counting vainly on my superior strength, sought to drag
some of them under the water; but I quickly repented my temerity. The
amphibious young creatures swarmed about me like a shoal of dolphins, and
seizing hold of my devoted limbs, tumbled me about and ducked me under the
surface, until from the strange noises which rang in my ears, and the
supernatural visions dancing before my eyes, I thought I was in the land
of spirits. I stood indeed as little chance among them as a cumbrous whale
attacked on all sides by a legion of sword-fish. When at length they
relinquished their hold of me, they swam away in every direction, laughing
at my clumsy endeavours to reach them.
There was no boat on the lake; but at my solicitation, and for my special
use, some of the young men attached to Marheyo’s household, under the
direction of the indefatigable Kory-Kory, brought up a light and
tastefully carved canoe from the sea. It was launched upon the sheet of
water, and floated there as gracefully as a swan. But, melancholy to
relate, it produced an effect I had not anticipated. The sweet nymphs, who
had sported with me before in the lake, now all fled its vicinity. The
prohibited craft, guarded by the edicts of the “taboo,” extended the
prohibition to the waters in which it lay.
For a few days, Kory-Kory, with one or two other youths, accompanied me in
my excursions to the lake and, while I paddled about in my light canoe,
would swim after me shouting and gambolling in pursuit. But this was far
from contenting me. Indeed, I soon began to weary of it, and longed more
than ever for the pleasant society of the mermaids, in whose absence the
amusement was dull and insipid. One morning I expressed to my faithful
servitor my desire for the return of the nymphs. The honest fellow looked
at me, bewildered for a moment, and then shook his head solemnly, and
murmured “_taboo! taboo!_” giving me to understand that unless the canoe
was removed, I could not expect to have the young ladies back again. But
to this procedure I was averse; I not only wanted the canoe to stay where
it was, but I wanted the beauteous Fayaway to get into it, and paddle with
me about the lake. This latter proposition completely horrified
Kory-Kory’s notions of propriety. He inveighed against it, as something
too monstrous to be thought of. It not only shocked their established
notions of propriety, but was at variance with all their religious
ordinances.
However, although the “taboo” was a ticklish thing to meddle with, I
determined to test its capabilities of resisting an attack. I consulted
the chief Mehevi, who endeavoured to persuade me from my object: but I was
not to be repulsed; and accordingly increased the warmth of my
solicitations. At last he entered into a long, and I have no doubt a very
learned and eloquent exposition of the history and nature of the “taboo”
as affecting this particular case; employing a variety of most
extraordinary words, which, from their amazing length and sonorousness, I
have every reason to believe were of a theological nature. But all that he
said failed to convince me: partly perhaps, because I could not comprehend
a word that he uttered; but chiefly, that for the life of me, I could not
understand why a woman should not have as much right to enter a canoe as a
man. At last he became a little more rational, and intimated that, out of
the abundant love he bore me, he would consult with the priests and see
what could be done.
How it was that the priesthood of Typee satisfied the affair with their
consciences, I know not; but so it was, and Fayaway’s dispensation from
this portion of the taboo was at length procured. Such an event, I
believe, never before had occurred in the valley; but it was high time the
islanders should be taught a little gallantry, and I trust that the
example I set them may produce beneficial effects. Ridiculous, indeed,
that the lovely creatures should be obliged to paddle about in the water,
like so many ducks, while a parcel of great strapping fellows skimmed over
its surface in their canoes.
The first day after Fayaway’s emancipation, I had a delightful little
party on the lake—the damsel, Kory-Kory, and myself. My zealous
body-servant brought from the house a calabash of poee-poee, half a dozen
young cocoa-nuts—stripped of their husks—three pipes, as many yams, and me
on his back a part of the way. Something of a load; but Kory-Kory was a
very strong man for his size, and by no means brittle in the spine. We had
a very pleasant day; my trusty valet plied the paddle and swept us gently
along the margin of the water, beneath the shades of the overhanging
thickets. Fayaway and I reclined in the stern of the canoe, the gentle
nymph occasionally placing her pipe to her lips, and exhaling the mild
fumes of the tobacco, to which her rosy breath added a fresh perfume.
Strange as it may seem, there is nothing in which a young and beautiful
female appears to more advantage than in the act of smoking. How
captivating is a Peruvian lady, swinging in her gaily-woven hammock of
grass, extended between two orange-trees, and inhaling the fragrance of a
choice cigarro! But Fayaway, holding in her delicately-formed olive hand
the long yellow reed of her pipe, with its quaintly carved bowl, and every
few moments languishingly giving forth light wreaths of vapour from her
mouth and nostrils, looked still more engaging.
We boated about thus for several hours, when I looked up to the warm,
glowing, tropical sky, and then down into the transparent depths below;
and when my eye, wandering from the bewitching scenery around, fell upon
the grotesquely-tattooed form of Kory-Kory, and finally encountered the
pensive gaze of Fayaway, I thought I had been transported to some fairy
region, so unreal did everything appear.
This lovely piece of water was the coolest spot in all the valley, and I
now made it a place of continual resort during the hottest period of the
day. One side of it lay near the termination of a long gradually expanding
gorge, which mounted to the heights that environed the vale. The strong
trade-wind, met in its course by these elevations, circled and eddied
about their summits, and was sometimes driven down the steep ravine and
swept across the valley, ruffling in its passage the otherwise tranquil
surface of the lake.
One day, after we had been paddling about for some time, I disembarked
Kory-Kory, and paddled the canoe to the windward side of the lake. As I
turned the canoe, Fayaway, who was with me, seemed all at once to be
struck with some happy idea. With a wild exclamation of delight, she
disengaged from her person the ample robe of tappa which was knotted over
her shoulder (for the purpose of shielding her from the sun), and
spreading it out like a sail, stood erect with up-raised arms in the head
of the canoe. We American sailors pride ourselves upon our straight clean
spars, but a prettier little mast than Fayaway made was never shipped
aboard of any craft.
In a moment the tappa was distended by the breeze—the long brown tresses
of Fayaway streamed in the air—and the canoe glided rapidly through the
water, and shot towards the shore. Seated in the stern, I directed its
course with my paddle until it dashed up the soft sloping bank, and
Fayaway, with a light spring, alighted on the ground; whilst Kory-Kory,
who had watched our manœuvres with admiration, now clapped his hands in
transport, and shouted like a madman. Many a time afterwards was this feat
repeated.
If the reader has not observed ere this that I was the declared admirer of
Miss Fayaway, all I can say is, that he is little conversant with affairs
of the heart, and I certainly shall not trouble myself to enlighten him
any farther. Out of the calico I had brought from the ship a dress was
made for this lovely girl. In it she looked, I must confess, something
like an opera-dancer. The drapery of the latter damsel generally commences
a little above the elbows, but my island beauty’s began at the waist, and
terminated sufficiently far above the ground to reveal the most bewitching
ankle in the universe.
The day that Fayaway first wore this robe was rendered memorable by a new
acquaintance being introduced to me. In the afternoon I was lying in the
house, when I heard a great uproar outside; but being by this time pretty
well accustomed to the wild halloos which were almost continually ringing
through the valley, I paid little attention to it, until old Marheyo,
under the influence of some strange excitement, rushed into my presence
and communicated the astounding tidings, “Marnoo pemi!” which being
interpreted, implied that an individual by the name of Marnoo was
approaching. My worthy old friend evidently expected that this
intelligence would produce a great effect upon me, and for a time he stood
earnestly regarding me, as if curious to see how I should conduct myself,
but as I remained perfectly unmoved, the old gentleman darted out of the
house again, in as great a hurry as he had entered it.
“Marnoo, Marnoo,” cogitated I, “I have never heard that name before. Some
distinguished character, I presume, from the prodigious riot the natives
are making”; the tumultuous noise drawing nearer and nearer every moment,
while “Marnoo!—Marnoo!” was shouted by every tongue.
I made up my mind that some savage warrior of consequence, who had not yet
enjoyed the honour of an audience, was desirous of paying his respects on
the present occasion. So vain had I become by the lavish attention to
which I had been accustomed, that I felt half inclined, as a punishment
for such neglect, to give this Marnoo a cold reception, when the excited
throng came within view, convoying one of the most striking specimens of
humanity that I ever beheld.
The stranger could not have been more than twenty-five years of age, and
was a little above the ordinary height; had he been a single hair’s
breadth taller, the matchless symmetry of his form would have been
destroyed. His unclad limbs were beautifully formed; whilst the elegant
outline of his figure, together with his beardless cheeks, might have
entitled him to the distinction of standing for the statue of the
Polynesian Apollo; and indeed the oval of his countenance and the
regularity of every feature reminded me of an antique bust. But the marble
repose of art was supplied by a warmth and liveliness of expression only
to be seen in the South Sea islander under the most favourable
developments of nature. The hair of Marnoo was a rich curling brown, and
twined about his temples and neck in little close curling ringlets, which
danced up and down continually when he was animated in conversation. His
cheek was of a feminine softness, and his face was free from the least
blemish of tattooing, although the rest of his body was drawn all over
with fanciful figures, which—unlike the unconnected sketching usual among
these natives—appeared to have been executed in conformity with some
general design.
The tattooing on his back in particular attracted my attention. The artist
employed must indeed have excelled in his profession. Traced along the
course of the spine was accurately delineated the slender, tapering, and
diamond-checkered shaft of the beautiful “artu” tree. Branching from the
stem on either side, and disposed alternately, were the graceful branches
drooping with leaves all correctly drawn, and elaborately finished.
Indeed, this piece of tattooing was the best specimen of the Fine Arts I
had yet seen in Typee. A rear view of the stranger might have suggested
the idea of a spreading vine tacked against a garden wall. Upon his
breast, arms, and legs, were exhibited an infinite variety of figures;
every one of which, however, appeared to have reference to the general
effect sought to be produced. The tattooing I have described was of the
brightest blue, and when contrasted with the light olive-colour of the
skin, produced an unique and even elegant effect. A slight girdle of white
tappa, scarcely two inches in width, but hanging before and behind in
spreading tassels, composed the entire costume of the stranger.
He advanced surrounded by the islanders, carrying under one arm a small
roll of the native cloth, and grasping in his other hand a long and
richly-decorated spear. His manner was that of a traveller conscious that
he is approaching a comfortable stage in his journey. Every moment he
turned good-humouredly to the throng around him, and gave some dashing
sort of reply to their incessant queries, which appeared to convulse them
with uncontrollable mirth.
Struck by his demeanour, and the peculiarity of his appearance, so unlike
that of the shaven-crowned and face-tattooed natives in general, I
involuntarily rose as he entered the house, and proffered him a seat on
the mats beside me. But without deigning to notice the civility, or even
the more incontrovertible fact of my existence, the stranger passed on,
utterly regardless of me, and flung himself upon the farther end of the
long couch that traversed the sole apartment of Marheyo’s habitation.
Had the belle of the season, in the pride of her beauty and power, been
cut in a place of public resort by some supercilious exquisite, she could
not have felt greater indignation than I did at this unexpected slight.
I was thrown into utter astonishment. The conduct of the savages had
prepared me to anticipate from every new-comer the same extravagant
expression of curiosity and regard. The singularity of his conduct,
however, only roused my desire to discover who this remarkable personage
might be, who now engrossed the attention of every one.
Tinor placed before him a calabash of poee-poee, from which the stranger
regaled himself, alternating every mouthful with some rapid exclamation,
which was eagerly caught up and echoed by the crowd that completely filled
the house. When I observed the striking devotion of the natives to him,
and their temporary withdrawal of all attention from myself, I felt not a
little piqued. The glory of Tommo is departed, thought I, and the sooner
he removes from the valley the better. These were my feelings at the
moment, and they were prompted by that glorious principle inherent in all
heroic natures—the strong-rooted determination to have the biggest share
of the pudding or to go without any of it.
Marnoo, this all-attractive personage, having satisfied his hunger, and
inhaled a few whiffs from a pipe which was handed to him, launched out
into an harangue which completely enchained the attention of his auditors.
Little as I understood of the language, yet from his animated gestures and
the varying expression of his features—reflected as from so many mirrors
in the countenances around him—I could easily discover the nature of those
passions which he sought to arouse. From the frequent recurrence of the
words, “Nukuheva” and “Franee” (French), and some others with the meaning
of which I was acquainted, he appeared to be rehearsing to his auditors
events which had recently occurred in the neighboring bays. But how he had
gained the knowledge of these matters, I could not understand, unless it
were that he had just come from Nukuheva,—a supposition which his
travel-stained appearance not a little supported. But, if a native of that
region, I could not account for his friendly reception at the hands of the
Typees.
Never, certainly, had I beheld so powerful an exhibition of natural
eloquence as Marnoo displayed during the course of his oration. The grace
of the attitudes into which he threw his flexible figure, the striking
gestures of his naked arms, and above all, the fire which shot from his
brilliant eyes, imparted an effect to the continually-changing accents of
his voice, of which the most accomplished orator might have been proud. At
one moment reclining sideways upon the mat, and leaning calmly upon his
bended arm, he related circumstantially the aggressions of the
French—their hostile visit to the surrounding bays, enumerating each one
in succession—Happar, Puerka, Nukuheva, Tior,—and then starting to his
feet, and precipitating himself forward with clenched hands and a
countenance distorted with passion, he poured out a tide of invectives.
Falling back into an attitude of lofty command, he exhorted the Typees to
resist these encroachments; reminding them, with a fierce glance of
exultation, that as yet the terror of their name had preserved them from
attack; and with a scornful sneer, he sketched in ironical terms the
wondrous intrepidity of the French, who, with five war-canoes and hundreds
of men, had not dared to assail the naked warriors of their valley.
The effect he produced upon his audience was electric; one and all they
stood regarding him with sparkling eyes and trembling limbs, as though
they were listening to the inspired voice of a prophet.
But it soon appeared that Marnoo’s powers were as versatile as they were
extraordinary. As soon as he had finished his vehement harangue, he threw
himself again upon the mats, and, singling out individuals in the crowd,
addressed them by name, in a sort of bantering style, the humour of which,
though nearly hidden from me, filled the whole assembly with uproarious
delight.
He had a word for everybody; and, turning rapidly from one to another,
gave utterance to some hasty witticism, which was sure to be followed by
peals of laughter. To the females, as well as to the men, he addressed his
discourse. Heaven only knows what he said to them, but he caused smiles
and blushes to mantle their ingenuous faces. I am, indeed, very much
inclined to believe that Marnoo, with his handsome person and captivating
manners, was a sad deceiver among the simple maidens of the island.
During all this time, he had never for one moment deigned to regard me. He
appeared, indeed, to be altogether unconscious of my presence. I was
utterly at a loss how to account for this extraordinary conduct, I easily
perceived that he was a man of no little consequence among the islanders;
that he possessed uncommon talents; and was gifted with a higher degree of
knowledge than the inmates of the valley. For these reasons, I therefore
greatly feared lest, having, from some cause or other, unfriendly feelings
towards me, he might exert his powerful influence to do me mischief.
It seemed evident that he was not a permanent resident of the vale, and
yet, whence could he have come? On all sides the Typees were girt in by
hostile tribes, and how could he possibly, if belonging to any of these,
be received with so much cordiality?
The personal appearance of the enigmatical stranger suggested additional
perplexities. The face, free from tattooing, and the unshaven crown, were
peculiarities I had never before remarked in any part of the island, and I
had always heard that the contrary were considered the indispensable
distinctions of a Marquesan warrior. Altogether the matter was perfectly
incomprehensible to me, and I awaited its solution with no small degree of
anxiety.
At length, from certain indications, I suspected that he was making me the
subject of his remarks, although he appeared cautiously to avoid either
pronouncing my name, or looking in the direction where I lay. All at once
he rose from the mats where he had been reclining, and, still conversing,
moved towards me, his eye purposely evading mine, and seated himself
within less than a yard of me. I had hardly recovered from my surprise,
when he suddenly turned round, and with a most benignant countenance,
extended his right hand gracefully towards me. Of course I accepted the
courteous challenge, and, as soon as our palms met, he bent towards me,
and murmured in musical accents,—“How you do? How long have you been in
this bay? You like this bay?”
Had I been pierced simultaneously by three Happar spears, I could not have
started more than I did at hearing these simple questions. For a moment I
was overwhelmed with astonishment, and then answered something, I know not
what; but as soon as I regained my self-possession, the thought darted
through my mind that from this individual I might obtain that information
regarding Toby which I suspected the natives had purposely withheld from
me. Accordingly, I questioned him concerning the disappearance of my
companion, but he denied all knowledge of the matter. I then inquired from
whence he had come? He replied, from Nukuheva. When I expressed my
surprise, he looked at me for a moment, as if enjoying my perplexity, and
then, with his strange vivacity, exclaimed,—“Ah! me taboo,—me go
Nukuheva,—me go Tior,—me go Typee,—me go everywhere,—nobody harm
me,—taboo.”
This explanation would have been altogether unintelligible to me, had it
not recalled to my mind something I had previously heard concerning a
singular custom among these islanders. Though the country is possessed by
various tribes, whose mutual hostilities almost wholly preclude any
intercourse between them, yet there are instances where a person having
ratified friendly relations with some individual belonging to the valley,
whose inmates are at war with his own, may, under particular restrictions,
venture with impunity into the country of his friend, where, under other
circumstances, he would have been treated as an enemy. In this light are
personal friendships regarded among them, and the individual so protected
is said to be “taboo” and his person, to a certain extent, is held as
sacred. Thus the stranger informed me he had access to all the valleys in
the island.
Curious to know how he had acquired his knowledge of English, I questioned
him on the subject. At first, for some reason or other, he evaded the
inquiry, but afterwards told me that, when a boy, he had been carried to
sea by the captain of a trading vessel, with whom he had stayed three
years, living part of the time with him at Sydney, in Australia, and that,
at a subsequent visit to the island, the captain had, at his own request,
permitted him to remain among his countrymen. The natural quickness of the
savage had been wonderfully improved by his intercourse with the white
men, and his partial knowledge of a foreign language gave him a great
ascendancy over his less accomplished countrymen.
When I asked the now affable Marnoo why it was that he had not previously
spoken to me, he eagerly inquired what I had been led to think of him from
his conduct in that respect. I replied, that I had supposed him to be some
great chief or warrior, who had seen plenty of white men before, and did
not think it worth while to notice a poor sailor. At this declaration of
the exalted opinion I had formed of him, he appeared vastly gratified, and
gave me to understand that he had purposely behaved in that manner, in
order to increase my astonishment, as soon as he should see proper to
address me.
Marnoo now sought to learn my version of the story as to how I came to be
an inmate of the Typee valley. When I related to him the circumstances
under which Toby and I had entered it, he listened with evident interest;
but as soon as I alluded to the absence, yet unaccounted for, of my
comrade, he endeavoured to change the subject, as if it were something he
desired not to agitate. It seemed, indeed, as if everything connected with
Toby was destined to beget distrust and anxiety in my bosom.
Notwithstanding Marnoo’s denial of any knowledge of his fate, I could not
avoid suspecting that he was deceiving me; and this suspicion revived
those frightful apprehensions with regard to my own fate, which, for a
short time past, had subsided in my breast.
Influenced by these feelings, I now felt a strong desire to avail myself
of the stranger’s protection, and under his safeguard to return to
Nukuheva. But as soon as I hinted at this, he unhesitatingly pronounced it
to be entirely impracticable; assuring me that the Typees would never
consent to my leaving the valley. Although what he said merely confirmed
the impression which I had before entertained, still it increased my
anxiety to escape from a captivity, which, however endurable, nay,
delightful it might be in some respects, involved in its issues a fate
marked by the most frightful contingencies.
I could not conceal from my mind that Toby had been treated in the same
friendly manner as I had been, and yet all their kindness terminated with
his mysterious disappearance. Might not the same fate await me?—a fate too
dreadful to think of. Stimulated by these considerations, I urged anew my
request to Marnoo; but he only set forth in stronger colours the
impossibility of my escape, and repeated his previous declaration, that
the Typees would never be brought to consent to my departure.
When I endeavoured to learn from him the motives which prompted them to
hold me a prisoner, Marnoo again assumed that mysterious tone which had
tormented me with apprehensions when I had questioned him with regard to
the fate of my companion.
Thus repulsed, in a manner which only served, by arousing the most
dreadful forebodings, to excite me to renewed attempts, I conjured him to
intercede for me with the natives, and endeavour to procure their consent
to my leaving them. To this he appeared strongly averse; but, yielding at
last to my importunities, he addressed several of the chiefs, who with the
rest had been eyeing us intently during the whole of our conversation. His
petition, however, was at once met with the most violent disapprobation,
manifesting itself in angry glances and gestures, and a perfect torrent of
passionate words, directed to both him and myself. Marnoo, evidently
repenting the step he had taken, earnestly deprecated the resentment of
the crowd, and in a few moments succeeded in pacifying, to some extent,
the clamours which had broken out as soon as his proposition had been
understood.
With the most intense interest had I watched the reception his
intercession might receive; and a bitter pang shot through my heart at the
additional evidence, now furnished, of the unchangeable determination of
the islanders. Marnoo told me, with evident alarm in his countenance, that
although admitted into the bay on a friendly footing with its inhabitants,
he could not presume to meddle with their concerns, as such a procedure,
if persisted in, would at once absolve the Typees from the restraints of
the “taboo,” although so long as he refrained from any such conduct, it
screened him effectually from the consequences of the enmity they bore his
tribe.
At this moment, Mehevi, who was present, angrily interrupted him; and the
words which he uttered, in a commanding tone, evidently meant that he must
at once cease talking to me, and withdraw to the other part of the house.
Marnoo immediately started up, hurriedly enjoining me not to address him
again, and, as I valued my safety, to refrain from all further allusion to
the subject of my departure; and then, in compliance with the order of the
determined chief, but not before it had again been angrily repeated, he
withdrew to a distance.
I now perceived, with no small degree of apprehension, the same savage
expression in the countenances of the natives which had startled me during
the scene at the Ti. They glanced their eyes suspiciously from Marnoo to
me, as if distrusting the nature of an intercourse carried on, as it was,
in a language they could not understand, and they seemed to harbour the
belief that already we had concerted measures calculated to elude their
vigilance.
The lively countenances of these people are wonderfully indicative of the
emotions of the soul, and the imperfections of their oral language are
more than compensated for by the nervous eloquence of their looks and
gestures. I could plainly trace, in every varying expression of their
faces, all those passions which had been thus unexpectedly aroused in
their bosoms.
It required no reflection to convince me, from what was going on, that the
injunction of Marnoo was not to be rashly slighted; and accordingly, great
as was the effort to suppress my feelings, I accosted Mehevi in a
good-humoured tone, with a view of dissipating any ill impression he might
have received. But the ireful, angry chief was not so easily mollified. He
rejected my advances with that peculiarly stern expression I have before
described, and took care by the whole of his behaviour towards me to show
the displeasure and resentment which he felt.
Marnoo, at the other extremity of the house, apparently desirous of making
a diversion in my favour, exerted himself to amuse with his pleasantries
the crowd about him; but his lively attempts were not so successful as
they had previously been, and, foiled in his efforts, he rose gravely to
depart. No one expressed any regret at this movement, so seizing his roll
of tappa, and grasping his spear, he advanced to the front of the pi-pi,
and waving his hand in adieu to the now silent throng, cast upon me a
glance of mingled pity and reproach, and flung himself into the path which
led from the house. I watched his receding figure until it was lost in the
obscurity of the grove, and then gave myself up to the most desponding
reflections.
CHAPTER XVIII
Reflection after Marnoo’s departure—Battle of the pop-guns—Strange
conceit of Marheyo—Process of making tappa.
The knowledge I had now obtained as to the intention of the savages deeply
affected me.
Marnoo, I perceived, was a man who, by reason of his superior
acquirements, and the knowledge he possessed of the events which were
taking place in the different bays of the island, was held in no little
estimation by the inhabitants of the valley. He had been received with the
most cordial welcome and respect. The natives had hung upon the accents of
his voice, and had manifested the highest gratification at being
individually noticed by him. And yet, despite all this, a few words urged
in my behalf, with the intent of obtaining my release from captivity, had
sufficed not only to banish all harmony and good-will, but, if I could
believe what he told me, had gone nigh to endanger his own personal
safety.
How strongly rooted, then, must be the determination of the Typees with
regard to me, and how suddenly could they display the strangest passions!
The mere suggestion of my departure had estranged from me, for the time at
least, Mehevi, who was the most influential of all the chiefs, and who had
previously exhibited so many instances of his friendly sentiments. The
rest of the natives had likewise evinced their strong repugnance to my
wishes, and even Kory-Kory himself seemed to share in the general
disapprobation bestowed upon me.
In vain I racked my invention to find out some motive for the strange
desire these people manifested to retain me among them; but I could
discover none.
But however this might be, the scene which had just occurred admonished me
of the danger of trifling with the wayward and passionate spirits against
whom it was vain to struggle, and might even be fatal to do so. My only
hope was to induce the natives to believe that I was reconciled to my
detention in the valley, and by assuming a tranquil and cheerful
demeanour, to allay the suspicions which I had so unfortunately aroused.
Their confidence revived, they might in a short time remit in some degree
their watchfulness over my movements, and I should then be the better
enabled to avail myself of any opportunity which presented itself for
escape. I determined, therefore, to make the best of a bad bargain, and to
bear up manfully against whatever might betide. In this endeavour I
succeeded beyond my own expectations. At the period of Marnoo’s visit, I
had been in the valley, as nearly as I could conjecture, some two months.
Although not completely recovered from my strange illness, which still
lingered about me, I was free from pain and able to take exercise. In
short, I had every reason to anticipate a perfect recovery. Freed from
apprehensions on this point, and resolved to regard the future without
flinching, I flung myself anew into all the social pleasures of the
valley, and sought to bury all regrets, and all remembrances of my
previous existence, in the wild enjoyments it afforded.
In my various wanderings through the vale, and as I became better
acquainted with the character of its inhabitants, I was more and more
struck with the light-hearted joyousness that everywhere prevailed. The
minds of these simple savages, unoccupied by matters of graver moment,
were capable of deriving the utmost delight from circumstances which would
have passed unnoticed in more intelligent communities. All their
enjoyment, indeed, seemed to be made up of the little trifling incidents
of the passing hour; but these diminutive items swelled altogether to an
amount of happiness seldom experienced by more enlightened individuals,
whose pleasures are drawn from more elevated but rarer sources.
What community, for instance, of refined and intellectual mortals would
derive the least satisfaction from shooting pop-guns? The mere supposition
of such a thing being possible would excite their indignation, and yet the
whole population of Typee did little else for ten days but occupy
themselves with that childish amusement, fairly screaming, too, with the
delight it afforded them.
One day I was frolicking with a little spirited urchin, some six years
old, who chased me with a piece of bamboo about three feet long, with
which he occasionally belaboured me. Seizing the stick from him, the idea
happened to suggest itself, that I might make for the youngster, out of
the slender tube, one of those nursery muskets with which I had sometimes
seen children playing. Accordingly, with my knife, I made two parallel
slits in the cane several inches in length, and cutting loose at one end
the elastic strip between them, bent it back and slipped the point into a
little notch made for the purpose. Any small substance placed against this
would be projected with considerable force through the tube by merely
springing the bent strip out of the notch.
Had I possessed the remotest idea of the sensation this piece of ordnance
was destined to produce, I should certainly have taken out a patent for
the invention. The boy scampered away with it, half delirious with
ecstasy, and twenty minutes afterwards I might have been seen surrounded
by a noisy crowd—venerable old greybeards—responsible fathers of
families—valiant warriors—matrons—young men—girls and children, all
holding in their hands bits of bamboo, and each clamouring to be served
first.
For three or four hours I was engaged in manufacturing pop-guns, but at
last made over my good-will and interests in the concern to a lad of
remarkably quick parts, whom I soon initiated into the art and mystery.
Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop, now resounded all over the valley. Duels, skirmishes,
pitched battles, and general engagements were to be seen on every side.
Here, as you walked along a path which led through a thicket, you fell
into a cunningly-laid ambush, and became a target for a body of
musketeers, whose tattooed limbs you could just see peeping into view
through the foliage. There, you were assailed by the intrepid garrison of
a house, who levelled their bamboo rifles at you from between the upright
canes which composed its sides. Farther on, you were fired upon by a
detachment of sharpshooters, mounted upon the top of a pi-pi.
Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop! green guavas, seeds, and berries were flying about in
every direction, and during this dangerous state of affairs, I was half
afraid that, like the man and his brazen bull, I should fall a victim to
my own ingenuity. Like everything else, however, the excitement gradually
wore away, though ever after occasionally pop-guns might be heard at all
hours of the day.
It was towards the close of the pop-gun war, that I was infinitely
diverted with a strange freak of Marheyo’s.
I had worn, when I quitted the ship, a pair of thick pumps, which, from
the rough usage they had received in scaling precipices and sliding down
gorges, were so dilapidated as to be altogether unfit for use—so, at
least, would have thought the generality of people, and so they most
certainly were, when considered in the light of shoes. But things
unserviceable in one way, may with advantage be applied in another—that
is, if one has genius enough for the purpose. This genius Marheyo
possessed in a superlative degree, as he abundantly evinced by the use to
which he put these sorely bruised and battered old shoes.
Every article, however trivial, which belonged to me, the natives appeared
to regard as sacred; and I observed that for several days after becoming
an inmate of the house, my pumps were suffered to remain, untouched, where
I had first happened to throw them. I remembered, however, that after
awhile I had missed them from their accustomed place; but the matter gave
me no concern, supposing that Tinor—like any other tidy housewife, having
come across them in some of her domestic occupations—had pitched the
useless things out of the house. But I was soon undeceived.
One day I observed old Marheyo bustling about me with unusual activity,
and to such a degree as almost to supersede Kory-Kory in the functions of
his office. One moment he volunteered to trot off with me on his back to
the stream; and when I refused, noways daunted by the repulse, he
continued to frisk about me like a superannuated house-dog. I could not
for the life of me conjecture what possessed the old gentleman, until all
at once, availing himself of the temporary absence of the household, he
went through a variety of uncouth gestures, pointing eagerly down to my
feet, and then up to a little bundle which swung from the ridge-pole
overhead. At last I caught a faint idea of his meaning, and motioned him
to lower the package. He executed the order in the twinkling of an eye,
and unrolling a piece of tappa, displayed to my astonished gaze the
identical pumps which I thought had been destroyed long before.
I immediately comprehended his desire, and very generously gave him the
shoes, which had become quite mouldy, wondering for what earthly purpose
he could want them.
The same afternoon I descried the venerable warrior approaching the house,
with a slow, stately gait, earrings in ears, and spear in hand, with this
highly ornamental pair of shoes suspended from his neck by a strip of
bark, and swinging backwards and forwards on his capacious chest. In the
gala costume of the tasteful Marheyo, these calf-skin pendants ever after
formed the most striking feature.
But to turn to something a little more important. Although the whole
existence of the inhabitants of the valley seemed to pass away exempt from
toil, yet there were some light employments which, although amusing rather
than labourious as occupations, contributed to their comfort and luxury.
Among these, the most important was the manufacture of the native
cloth—“tappa”—so well known, under various modifications, throughout the
whole Polynesian Archipelago. As is generally understood, this useful and
sometimes elegant article is fabricated from the bark of different trees.
But, as I believe that no description of its manufacture has ever been
given, I shall state what I know regarding it.
In the manufacture of the beautiful white tappa generally worn on the
Marquesan Islands, the preliminary operation consists in gathering a
certain quantity of the young branches of the cloth-tree. The exterior
green bark being pulled off as worthless, there remains a slender fibrous
substance, which is carefully stripped from the stick, to which it closely
adheres. When a sufficient quantity of it has been collected, the various
strips are enveloped in a covering of large leaves, which the natives use
precisely as we do wrapping-paper, and which are secured by a few turns of
a line passed round them. The package is then laid in the bed of some
running stream, with a heavy stone placed over it, to prevent its being
swept away. After it has remained for two or three days in this state, it
is drawn out, and exposed for a short time to the action of the air, every
distinct piece being attentively inspected, with a view of ascertaining
whether it has yet been sufficiently affected by the operation. This is
repeated again and again, until the desired result is obtained.
When the substance is in a proper state for the next process, it betrays
evidences of incipient decomposition; the fibres are relaxed and softened,
and rendered perfectly malleable. The different strips are now extended,
one by one, in successive layers, upon some smooth surface—generally the
prostrate trunk of a cocoa-nut tree—and the heap thus formed is subjected,
at every new increase, to a moderate beating, with a sort of wooden
mallet, leisurely applied. The mallet is made of a hard heavy wood
resembling ebony, is about twelve inches in length, and perhaps two in
breadth, with a rounded handle at one end, and in shape is the exact
counterpart of one of our four-sided razor-strops. The flat surfaces of
the implement are marked with shallow parallel indentations, varying in
depth on the different sides, so as to be adapted to the several stages of
the operation. These marks produce the corduroy sort of stripes
descernible in the tappa in its finished state. After being beaten in the
manner I have described, the material soon becomes blended in one mass,
which, moistened occasionally with water, is at intervals hammered out, by
a kind of gold-beating process, to any degree of thinness required. In
this way the cloth is easily made to vary in strength and thickness, so as
to suit the numerous purposes to which it is applied.
When the operation last described has been concluded, the new-made tappa
is spread out on the grass to bleach and dry, and soon becomes of a
dazzling whiteness. Sometimes, in the first stages of the manufacture, the
substance is impregnated with a vegetable juice, which gives it a
permanent colour. A rich brown and a bright yellow are occasionally seen,
but the simple taste of the Typee people inclines them to prefer the
natural tint.
The notable wife of Kammahammaha, the renowned conqueror and king of the
Sandwich Islands, used to pride herself in the skill she displayed in
dyeing her tappa with contrasting colours disposed in regular figures;
and, in the midst of the innovations of the times, was regarded, towards
the decline of her life, as a lady of the old school, clinging as she did
to the national cloth, in preference to the frippery of the European
calicoes. But the art of printing the tappa is unknown upon the Marquesan
Islands.
In passing along the valley, I was often attracted by the noise of the
mallet, which, when employed in the manufacture of the cloth, produces at
every stroke of its hard, heavy wood, a clear, ringing, and musical sound,
capable of being heard at a great distance. When several of these
implements happen to be in operation at the same time, and near one
another, the effect upon the ear of a person, at a little distance, is
really charming.
CHAPTER XIX
History of a day as usually spent in the Typee valley—Dances of
the Marquesan girls.
Nothing can be more uniform and undiversified than the life of the Typees;
one tranquil day of ease and happiness follows another in quiet
succession; and with these unsophisticated savages the history of a day is
the history of a life. I will therefore, as briefly as I can, describe one
of our days in the valley.
To begin with the morning. We were not very early risers—the sun would be
shooting his golden spikes above the Happar mountain, ere I threw aside my
tappa robe, and girding my long tunic about my waist, sallied out with
Fayaway and Kory-Kory, and the rest of the household, and bent my steps
towards the stream. Here we found congregated all those who dwelt in our
section of the valley; and here we bathed with them. The fresh morning air
and the cool flowing waters put both soul and body in a glow, and after a
half-hour employed in this recreation, we sauntered back to the
house—Tinor and Marheyo gathering dry sticks by the way for firewood; some
of the young men laying the cocoa-nut trees under contribution as they
passed beneath them; while Kory-Kory played his outlandish pranks for my
particular diversion, and Fayaway and I, not arm in arm to be sure, but
sometimes hand in hand, strolled along, with feelings of perfect charity
for all the world, and especial good-will towards each other.
Our morning meal was soon prepared. The islanders are somewhat abstemious
at this repast; reserving the more powerful efforts of their appetite to a
later period of the day. For my own part, with the assistance of my valet,
who, as I have before stated, always officiated as spoon on these
occasions, I ate sparingly from one of Tinor’s trenchers of poee-poee;
which was devoted exclusively for my own use, being mixed with the milky
meat of ripe cocoa-nut. A section of a roasted bread-fruit, a small cake
of “Amar,” or a mess of “Kokoo,” two or three bananas, or a Mawmee apple;
an annuee, or some other agreeable and nutritious fruit, served from day
to day to diversify the meal, which was finished by tossing off the liquid
contents of a young cocoa-nut or two.
While partaking of this simple repast, the inmates of Marheyo’s house,
after the style of the ancient Romans, reclined in sociable groups upon
the divan of mats, and digestion was promoted by cheerful conversation.
After the morning meal was concluded, pipes were lighted; and among them
my own special pipe, a present from the noble Mehevi. The islanders, who
only smoke a whiff or two at a time, and at long intervals, and who keep
their pipes going from hand to hand continually, regarded my systematic
smoking of four or five pipefuls of tobacco in succession as something
quite wonderful. When two or three pipes had circulated freely, the
company gradually broke up. Marheyo went to the little hut he was for ever
building. Tinor began to inspect her rolls of tappa, or employed her busy
fingers in plaiting grass-mats. The girls anointed themselves with their
fragrant oils, dressed their hair, or looked over their curious finery,
and compared together their ivory trinkets, fashioned out of boar’s tusks
or whale’s teeth. The young men and warriors produced their spears,
paddles, canoe-gear, battle-clubs, and war-conchs, and occupied themselves
in carving all sorts of figures upon them with pointed bits of shell or
flint, and adorning them, especially the war-conchs, with tassels of
braided bark and tufts of human hair. Some, immediately after eating,
threw themselves once more upon the inviting mats, and resumed the
employment of the previous night, sleeping as soundly as if they had not
closed their eyes for a week. Others sallied out into the groves, for the
purpose of gathering fruit or fibres of bark and leaves; the last two
being in constant requisition, and applied to a hundred uses. A few,
perhaps, among the girls, would slip into the woods after flowers, or
repair to the stream with small calabashes and cocoa-nut shells, in order
to polish them by friction with a smooth stone in the water. In truth
these innocent people seemed to be at no loss for something to occupy
their time; and it would be no light task to enumerate all their
employments, or rather pleasures.
My own mornings I spent in a variety of ways. Sometimes I rambled about
from house to house, sure of receiving a cordial welcome wherever I went;
or, from grove to grove, and from one shady place to another, in company
with Kory-Kory and Fayaway, and a rabble rout of merry young idlers.
Sometimes I was too indolent for exercise, and, accepting one of the many
invitations I was continually receiving, stretched myself out on the mats
of some hospitable dwelling, and occupied myself pleasantly either in
watching the proceedings of those around me, or taking part in them
myself. Whenever I chose to do the latter, the delight of the islanders
was boundless; and there was always a throng of competitors for the honor
of instructing me in any particular craft. I soon became quite an
accomplished hand at making tappa—could braid a grass sling as well as the
best of them—and once, with my knife, carved the handle of a javelin so
exquisitely that I have no doubt, to this day, Karnoonoo, its owner,
preserves it as a surprising specimen of my skill. As noon approached, all
those who had wandered forth from our habitation began to return; and when
mid-day was fairly come, scarcely a sound was to be heard in the valley—a
deep sleep fell upon all. The luxurious siesta was hardly ever omitted,
except by old Marheyo, who was so eccentric a character, that he seemed to
be governed by no fixed principles whatever; but acting just according to
the humour of the moment, slept, eat, or tinkered away at his little hut,
without regard to the proprieties of time or place. Frequently he might
have been seen taking a nap in the sun at noon-day, or a bath in the
stream at midnight. Once I beheld him perched eighty feet from the ground,
in the tuft of a cocoa-nut tree, smoking; and often I saw him standing up
to the waist in water, engaged in plucking out the stray hairs of his
beard, using a piece of muscle-shell for tweezers.
The noontide slumber lasted generally an hour and a half, very often
longer; and after the sleepers had arisen from their mats they again had
recourse to their pipes, and then made preparations for the most important
meal of the day.
I, however, like those gentlemen of leisure who breakfast at home and dine
at their club, almost invariably, during my intervals of health, enjoyed
the afternoon repast with the bachelor chiefs of the Ti, who were always
rejoiced to see me, and lavishly spread before me all the good things
which their larder afforded. Mehevi generally produced, among other
dainties, a baked pig, an article which, I have every reason to suppose,
was provided for my sole gratification.
The Ti was a right jovial place. It did my heart, as well as my body, good
to visit it. Secure from female intrusion, there was no restraint upon the
hilarity of the warriors, who, like the gentlemen of Europe after the
cloth is drawn, and the ladies retire, freely indulged their mirth.
After spending a considerable portion of the afternoon at the Ti, I
usually found myself, as the cool of the evening came on, either sailing
on the little lake with Fayaway, or bathing in the waters of the stream
with a number of the savages, who, at this hour, always repaired thither.
As the shadows of night approached, Marheyo’s household were once more
assembled under his roof; tapers were lit, long and curious chants were
raised, interminable stories were told (for which one present was little
the wiser), and all sorts of social festivities served to while away the
time.
The young girls very often danced by moonlight in front of their
dwellings. There are a great variety of these dances, in which, however, I
never saw the men take part. They all consist of active, romping,
mischievous evolutions, in which every limb is brought into requisition.
Indeed, the Marquesan girls dance all over, as it were; not only do their
feet dance, but their arms, hands, fingers, ay, their very eyes seem to
dance in their heads.
The damsels wear nothing but flowers and their compendious gala tunics;
and when they plume themselves for the dance, one would almost think that
they were about to take wing.
Unless some particular festivity was going forward, the inmates of
Marheyo’s house retired to their mats rather early in the evening; but not
for the night, since after slumbering lightly for awhile, they rose again,
relit their tapers, partook of the third and last meal of the day, at
which poee-poee alone was eaten, and then, after inhaling a narcotic whiff
from a pipe of tobacco, disposed themselves for the great business of the
night—sleep. With the Marquesans it might almost be styled the great
business of life, for they pass a large portion of their time in the arms
of Somnus. The native strength of their constitution is no way shown more
emphatically than in the quantity of sleep they can endure. To many of
them, indeed, life is little else than an often interrupted and luxurious
nap.
CHAPTER XX
The spring of Arva Wai—Remarkable monumental remains—Some ideas
with regard to the history of the pi-pis found in the valley.
Almost every country has its medicinal springs famed for their healing
virtues. The Cheltenham of Typee is embosomed in the deepest solitude, and
but seldom receives a visitor. It is situated remote from any dwelling, a
little way up the mountain, near the head of the valley; and you approach
it by a pathway shaded by the most beautiful foliage, and adorned with a
thousand fragrant plants.
The mineral waters of Arva Wai(2) ooze forth from the crevices of a rock,
and gliding down its mossy side, fall at last, in many clustering drops,
into a natural basin of stone, fringed round with grass and dewy-looking
little violet-coloured flowers, as fresh and beautiful as the perpetual
moisture they enjoy can make them.
The water is held in high estimation by the islanders, some of whom
consider it an agreeable as well as a medicinal beverage; they bring it
from the mountain in their calabashes, and store it away beneath heaps of
leaves in some shady nook near the house. Old Marheyo had a great love for
the waters of the spring. Every now and then he lugged off to the mountain
a great round demijohn of a calabash, and, panting with his exertions,
brought it back filled with his darling fluid.
The water tasted like a solution of a dozen disagreeable things, and was
sufficiently nauseous to have made the fortune of the proprietor, had the
spa been situated in the midst of any civilized community.
As I am no chemist, I cannot give a scientific analysis of the water. All
I know about the matter is, that one day Marheyo in my presence poured out
the last drop from his huge calabash, and I observed at the bottom of the
vessel a small quantity of gravelly sediment very much resembling our
common sand. Whether this is always found in the water, and gives it its
peculiar flavour and virtues, or whether its presence was merely
incidental, I was not able to ascertain.
One day in returning from this spring by a circuitous path, I came upon a
scene which reminded me of Stonehenge and the architectural labours of the
Druid.
At the base of one of the mountains, and surrounded on all sides by dense
groves, a series of vast terraces of stone rises, step by step, for a
considerable distance up the hillside. These terraces cannot be less than
one hundred yards in length and twenty in width. Their magnitude, however,
is less striking than the immense size of the blocks composing them. Some
of the stones, of an oblong shape, are from ten to fifteen feet in length,
and five or six feet thick. Their sides are quite smooth, but though
square, and of pretty regular formation, they bear no mark of the chisel.
They are laid together without cement, and here and there show gaps
between. The topmost terrace and the lower one are somewhat peculiar in
their construction. They have both a quadrangular depression in the
centre, leaving the rest of the terrace elevated several feet above it. In
the intervals of the stones immense trees have taken root, and their broad
boughs stretching far over, and interlacing together, support a canopy
almost impenetrable to the sun. Overgrowing the greater part of them, and
climbing from one to another, is a wilderness of vines, in whose sinewy
embrace many of the stones lie half-hidden, while in some places a thick
growth of bushes entirely covers them. There is a wild pathway which
obliquely crosses two of these terraces; and so profound is the shade, so
dense the vegetation, that a stranger to the place might pass along it
without being aware of its existence.
These structures bear every indication of a very high antiquity, and
Kory-Kory, who was my authority in all matters of scientific research,
gave me to understand that they were coeval with the creation of the
world; that the great gods themselves were the builders; and that they
would endure until time shall be no more. Kory-Kory’s prompt explanation,
and his attributing the work to a divine origin, at once convinced me that
neither he nor the rest of his countrymen knew anything about them.
As I gazed upon this monument, doubtless the work of an extinct and
forgotten race, thus buried in the green nook of an island at the end of
the earth, the existence of which was yesterday unknown, a stronger
feeling of awe came over me than if I had stood musing at the mighty base
of the Pyramid of Cheops. There are no inscriptions, no sculpture, no
clue, by which to conjecture its history: nothing but the dumb stones. How
many generations of those majestic trees which overshadow them have grown
and flourished and decayed since first they were erected!
These remains naturally suggest many interesting reflections. They
establish the great age of the island, an opinion which the builders of
theories concerning the creation of the various groups in the South Seas
are not always inclined to admit. For my own part I think it just as
probable that human beings were living in the valleys of the Marquesas
three thousand years ago as that they were inhabiting the land of Egypt.
The origin of the island of Nukuheva cannot be imputed to the coral
insect: for indefatigable as that wonderful creature is, it would be
hardly muscular enough to pile rocks one upon the other more than three
thousand feet above the level of the sea. That the land may have been
thrown up by a submarine volcano is as possible as anything else. No one
can make an affidavit to the contrary, and therefore I will say nothing
against the supposition: indeed, were geologists to assert that the whole
continent of America had in like manner been formed by the simultaneous
explosion of a train of Etnas, laid under the water all the way from the
North Pole to the parallel of Cape Horn, I am the last man in the world to
contradict them.
I have already mentioned that the dwellings of the islanders were almost
invariably built upon massive stone foundations, which they call pi-pis.
The dimensions of these, however, as well as of the stones composing them,
are comparatively small: but there are other and larger erections of a
similar description comprising the “morais,” or burying-grounds, and
festival-places, in nearly all the valleys of the island. Some of these
piles are so extensive, and so great a degree of labour and skill must
have been requisite in constructing them, that I can scarcely believe they
were built by the ancestors of the present inhabitants. If indeed they
were, the race has sadly deteriorated in their knowledge of the mechanic
arts. To say nothing of their habitual indolence, by what contrivance
within the reach of so simple a people could such enormous masses have
been moved or fixed in their places? and how could they with their rude
implements have chiselled and hammered them into shape?
All of these larger pi-pis—like that of the Hoolah Hoolah ground in the
Typee valley—bore incontestable marks of great age; and I am disposed to
believe that their erection may be ascribed to the same race of men who
were the builders of the still more ancient remains I have just described.
According to Kory-Kory’s account, the pi-pi, upon which stands the Hoolah
Hoolah ground, was built a great many moons ago, under the direction of
Monoo, a great chief and warrior, and, as it would appear, master-mason
among the Typees. It was erected for the express purpose to which it is at
present devoted, in the incredibly short period of one sun; and was
dedicated to the immortal wooden idols by a grand festival, which lasted
ten days and nights.
Among the smaller pi-pis, upon which stand the dwelling-houses of the
natives, I never observed any which intimated a recent erection. There are
in every part of the valley a great many of these massive stone
foundations which have no houses upon them. This is vastly convenient, for
whenever an enterprising islander chooses to emigrate a few hundred yards
from the place where he was born, all he has to do in order to establish
himself in some new locality, is to select one of the many unappropriated
pi-pis, and without further ceremony pitch his bamboo tent upon it.
CHAPTER XXI
Preparations for a grand festival in the valley—Strange doings in
the Taboo Groves—Monument of Calabashes—Gala costume of the Typee
damsels—Departure for the festival.
From the time that my lameness had decreased I had made a daily practice
of visiting Mehevi at the Ti, who invariably gave me a most cordial
reception. I was always accompanied in these excursions by Fayaway and the
ever-present Kory-Kory. The former, as soon as we reached the vicinity of
the Ti—which was rigorously tabooed to the whole female sex—withdrew to a
neighbouring hut, as if her feminine delicacy restrained her from
approaching a habitation which might be regarded as a sort of Bachelor’s
Hall.
And in good truth it might well have been so considered. Although it was
the permanent residence of several distinguished chiefs, and of the noble
Mehevi in particular, it was still at certain seasons the favourite haunt
of all the jolly, talkative, and elderly savages of the vale, who resorted
thither in the same way that similar characters frequent a tavern in
civilized countries. There they would remain hour after hour, chatting,
smoking, eating poee-poee, or busily engaged in sleeping for the good of
their constitutions.
This building appeared to be the headquarters of the valley, where all
flying rumours concentrated; and to have seen it filled with a crowd of
the natives, all males, conversing in animated clusters, while multitudes
were continually coming and going, one would have thought it a kind of
savage exchange, where the rise and fall of Polynesian Stock was
discussed.
Mehevi acted as supreme lord over the place, spending the greater portion
of his time there: and often when, at particular hours of the day, it was
deserted by nearly every one else except the verd-antique looking
centenarians, who were fixtures in the building, the chief himself was
sure to be found enjoying his “otium cum dignitate” upon the luxurious
mats which covered the floor. Whenever I made my appearance he invariably
rose, and, like a gentleman doing the honours of his mansion, invited me
to repose myself wherever I pleased, and calling out “tammaree!” (boy), a
little fellow would appear, and then retiring for an instant, return with
some savoury mess, from which the chief would press me to regale myself.
To tell the truth, Mehevi was indebted to the excellence of his viands for
the honour of my repeated visits,—a matter which cannot appear singular,
when it is borne in mind that bachelors, all the world over, are famous
for serving up unexceptional repasts.
One day, on drawing near to the Ti, I observed that extensive preparations
were going forward, plainly betokening some approaching festival. Some of
the symptoms reminded me of the stir produced among the scullions of a
large hotel, where a grand jubilee dinner is about to be given. The
natives were hurrying about hither and thither, engaged in various duties;
some lugging off to the stream enormous hollow bamboos, for the purpose of
filling them with water; others chasing furious-looking hogs through the
bushes, in their endeavours to capture them; and numbers employed in
kneading great mountains of poee-poee heaped up in huge wooden vessels.
After observing these lively indications for awhile, I was attracted to a
neighbouring grove by a prodigious squeaking which I heard there. On
reaching the spot I found it proceeded from a large hog which a number of
natives were forcibly holding to the earth, while a muscular fellow, armed
with a bludgeon, was ineffectually aiming murderous blows at the skull of
the unfortunate porker. Again and again he missed his writhing and
struggling victim, but though puffing and panting with his exertions, he
still continued them; and after striking a sufficient number of blows to
have demolished an entire drove of oxen, with one crashing stroke he laid
him dead at his feet.
Without letting any blood from the body, it was immediately carried to a
fire which had been kindled near at hand, and four savages taking hold of
the carcass by its legs, passed it rapidly to and fro in the flames. In a
moment the smell of burning bristles betrayed the object of this
procedure. Having got thus far in the matter, the body was removed to a
little distance; and, being disembowelled, the entrails were laid aside as
choice parts, and the whole carcass thoroughly washed with water. An ample
thick green cloth, composed of the long thick leaves of a species of palm
tree, ingeniously tacked together with little pins of bamboo, was now
spread upon the ground, in which the body being carefully rolled, it was
borne to an oven previously prepared to receive it. Here it was at once
laid upon the heated stones at the bottom, and covered with thick layers
of leaves, the whole being quickly hidden from sight by a mound of earth
raised over it.
Such is the summary style in which the Typees convert perverse-minded and
rebellious hogs into the most docile and amiable pork; a morsel of which
placed on the tongue melts like a soft smile from the lips of beauty.
I commend their peculiar mode of proceeding to the consideration of all
butchers, cooks, and housewives. The hapless porker whose fate I have just
rehearsed, was not the only one who suffered on that memorable day. Many a
dismal grunt, many an imploring squeak, proclaimed what was going on
throughout the whole extent of the valley: and I verily believe the
first-born of every litter perished before the setting of that fatal sun.
The scene around the Ti was now most animated. Hogs and poee-poee were
baking in numerous ovens, which, heaped up with fresh earth into slight
elevations, looked like so many ant-hills. Scores of the savages were
vigorously plying their stone pestles in preparing masses of poee-poee,
and numbers were gathering green bread-fruit and young cocoa-nuts in the
surrounding groves; while an exceeding great multitude, with a view of
encouraging the rest in their labours, stood still, and kept shouting most
lustily without intermission.
It is a peculiarity among these people, that when engaged in any
employment they always make a prodigious fuss about it. So seldom do they
ever exert themselves, that when they do work they seem determined that so
meritorious an action shall not escape the observation of those around.
If, for example, they have occasion to remove a stone to a little
distance, which perhaps might be carried by two able-bodied men, a whole
swarm gather about it, and, after a vast deal of palavering, lift it up
among them, every one struggling to get hold of it, and bear it off
yelling and panting as if accomplishing some mighty achievement. Seeing
them on these occasions, one is reminded of an infinity of black ants
clustering about and dragging away to some hole the leg of a deceased fly.
Having for some time attentively observed these demonstrations of good
cheer, I entered the Ti, where Mehevi sat complacently looking out upon
the busy scene, and occasionally issuing his orders. The chief appeared to
be in an extraordinary flow of spirits, and gave me to understand that on
the morrow there would be grand doings in the groves generally, and at the
Ti in particular; and urged me by no means to absent himself. In
commemoration of what event, however, or in honour of what distinguished
personage, the feast was to be given, altogether passed my comprehension.
Mehevi sought to enlighten my ignorance, but he failed as signally as when
he had endeavoured to initiate me into the perplexing arcana of the taboo.
On leaving the Ti, Kory-Kory, who had, as a matter of course, accompanied
me, observing that my curiosity remained unabated, resolved to make
everything plain and satisfactory. With this intent, he escorted me
through the Taboo Groves, pointing out to my notice a variety of objects,
and endeavoured to explain them in such an indescribable jargon of words,
that it almost put me in bodily pain to listen to him. In particular, he
led me to a remarkable pyramidical structure some three yards square at
the base, and perhaps ten feet in height, which had lately been thrown up,
and occupied a very conspicuous position. It was composed principally of
large empty calabashes, with a few polished cocoa-nut shells, and looked
not unlike a cenotaph of skulls. My cicerone perceived the astonishment
with which I gazed at this monument of savage crockery, and immediately
addressed himself to the task of enlightening me: but all in vain; and to
this hour the nature of the monument remains a complete mystery to me. As,
however, it formed so prominent a feature in the approaching revels, I
bestowed upon the latter, in my own mind, the title of the “Feast of
Calabashes.”
[Illustration: THUS ARRAYED, I WOULD HAVE MATCHED THE CHARMING FAYAWAY
AGAINST ANY BEAUTY IN THE WORLD]
The following morning, awakening rather late, I perceived the whole of
Marheyo’s family busily engaged in preparing for the festival. The old
warrior himself was arranging in round balls the two grey locks of hair
that were suffered to grow from the crown of his head; his earrings and
spear, both well polished, lay beside him, while the highly decorative
pair of shoes hung suspended from a projecting cane against the side of
the house. The young men were similarly employed; and the fair damsels,
including Fayaway, were anointing themselves with “aka,” arranging their
long tresses, and performing other matters connected with the duties of
the toilet.
Having completed their preparations, the girls now exhibited themselves in
gala costume; the most conspicuous feature of which was a necklace of
beautiful white flowers, with the stems removed, and strung closely
together upon a single fibre of tappa. Corresponding ornaments were
inserted in their ears, and woven garlands upon their heads. About their
waist they wore a short tunic of spotless white tappa, and some of them
superadded to this a mantle of the same material, tied in an elaborate bow
upon the left shoulder, and falling about the figure in picturesque folds.
Thus arrayed, I would have matched the charming Fayaway against any beauty
in the world.
People may say what they will about the taste evinced by our fashionable
ladies in dress. Their jewels, their feathers, their silks and their
furbelows would have sunk into utter insignificance beside the exquisite
simplicity of attire adopted by the nymphs of the vale on this festive
occasion. I should like to have seen a gallery of coronation beauties, at
Westminster Abbey, confronted for a moment by this band of Island girls;
their stiffness, formality, and affectation contrasted with the artless
vivacity and unconcealed natural graces of these savage maidens. It would
be the Venus de Medici placed beside a milliner’s doll.
It was not long before Kory-Kory and myself were left alone in the house,
the rest of its inmates having departed for the Taboo Groves. My valet was
all impatience to follow them; and was as fidgety about my dilatory
movements as a diner out waiting hat in hand at the bottom of the stairs
for some lagging companion. At last, yielding to his importunities, I set
out for the Ti. As we passed the houses peeping out from the groves
through which our route lay, I noticed that they were entirely deserted by
their inhabitants.
When we reached the rock that abruptly terminated the path, and concealed
from us the festive scene, wild shouts and a confused blending of voices
assured me that the occasion, whatever it might be, had drawn together a
great multitude. Kory-Kory, previous to mounting the elevation, paused for
a moment, like a dandy at a ball-room door, to put a hasty finish to his
toilet. During this short interval, the thought struck me that I ought
myself perhaps to be taking some little pains with my appearance. But as I
had no holiday raiment, I was not a little puzzled to devise some means of
decorating myself. However, as I felt desirous to create a sensation, I
determined to do all that lay in my power; and knowing that I could not
delight the savages more than by conforming to their style of dress, I
removed from my person the large robe of tappa which I was accustomed to
wear over my shoulders whenever I sallied into the open air, and remained
merely girt about with a short tunic descending from my waist to my knees.
My quick-witted attendant fully appreciated the compliment I was paying to
the costume of his race, and began more sedulously to arrange the folds of
the one only garment which remained to me. Whilst he was doing this, I
caught sight of a knot of young girls, who were sitting near us on the
grass surrounded by heaps of flowers, which they were forming into
garlands. I motioned to them to bring some of their handy-work to me; and
in an instant a dozen wreaths were at my disposal. One of them I put round
the apology for a hat which I had been forced to construct for myself out
of palmetto-leaves, and some of the others I converted into a splendid
girdle. These operations finished, with a slow and dignified step of a
full-dressed beau I ascended the rock.
CHAPTER XXII
The Feast of Calabashes.
The whole population of the valley seemed to be gathered within the
precincts of the grove. In the distance could be seen the long front of
the Ti, its immense piazza swarming with men, arrayed in every variety of
fantastic costume, and all vociferating with animated gestures; while the
whole interval between it and the place where I stood was enlivened by
groups of females fancifully decorated, dancing, capering, and uttering
wild exclamations. As soon as they descried me they set up a shout of
welcome; and a band of them came dancing towards me, chanting as they
approached some wild recitative. The change in my garb seemed to transport
them with delight, and clustering about me on all sides, they accompanied
me towards the Ti. When, however, we drew near it, these joyous nymphs
paused in their career, and parting on either side, permitted me to pass
on to the now densely thronged building.
So soon as I mounted to the pi-pi I saw at a glance that the revels were
fairly under way.
What lavish plenty reigned around!—Warwick feasting his retainers with
beef and ale, was a niggard to the noble Mehevi!—All along the piazza of
the Ti were arranged elaborately-carved canoe-shaped vessels, some twenty
feet in length, filled with newly-made poee-poee, and sheltered from the
sun by the broad leaves of the banana. At intervals were heaps of green
bread-fruit, raised in pyramidical stacks, resembling the regular piles of
heavy shot to be seen in the yard of an arsenal. Inserted into the
interstices of the huge stones which formed the pi-pi were large boughs of
trees; hanging from the branches of which, and screened from the sun by
their foliage, were innumerable little packages with leafy coverings
containing the meat of the numerous hogs which had been slain, done up in
this manner to make it more accessible to the crowd. Leaning against the
railing of the piazza were an immense number of long, heavy bamboos,
plugged at the lower end, and with their projecting muzzles stuffed with a
wad of leaves. These were filled with water from the stream, and each of
them might hold from four to five gallons.
The banquet being thus spread, nought remained but for every one to help
himself at his pleasure. Accordingly, not a moment passed but the
transplanted boughs I have mentioned were rifled by the throng of the
fruit they certainly had never borne before. Calabashes of poee-poee were
continually being replenished from the extensive receptacle in which that
article was stored, and multitudes of little fires were kindled about the
Ti for the purpose of roasting the bread-fruit.
Within the building itself was presented a most extraordinary scene. The
immense lounge of mats lying between the parallel rows of the trunks of
cocoa-nut trees, and extending the entire length of the house, at least
two hundred feet, was covered by the reclining forms of a host of chiefs
and warriors, who were eating at a great rate, or soothing the cares of
Polynesian life in the sedative fumes of tobacco. The smoke was inhaled
from large pipes, the bowls of which, made out of small cocoa-nut shells,
were curiously carved in strange heathenish devices. These were passed
from mouth to mouth by the recumbent smokers, each of whom, taking two or
three prodigious whiffs, handed the pipe to his neighbour; sometimes for
that purpose stretching indolently across the body of some dozing
individual whose exertions at the dinner-table had already induced sleep.
The tobacco used among the Typees was of a very mild and pleasing flavour,
and as I always saw it in leaves, and the natives appeared pretty well
supplied with it, I was led to believe that it must have been the growth
of the valley. Indeed Kory-Kory gave me to understand that this was the
case; but I never saw a single plant growing on the island. At Nukuheva,
and I believe, in all the other valleys, the weed is very scarce, being
only obtained in small quantities from foreigners, and smoking is
consequently with the inhabitants of these places a very great luxury. How
it was that the Typees were so well furnished with it I cannot divine. I
should think them too indolent to devote any attention to its culture;
and, indeed, as far as my observation extended not a single atom of the
soil was under any other cultivation than that of shower and sunshine. The
tobacco-plant, however, like the sugar-cane, may grow wild in some remote
part of the vale.
There were many in the Ti for whom the tobacco did not furnish a
sufficient stimulus, and who accordingly had recourse to “arva,” as a more
powerful agent in producing the desired effect.
“Arva” is a root very generally dispersed over the South Seas, and from it
is extracted a juice, the effects of which upon the system are at first
stimulating in a moderate degree; but it soon relaxes the muscles, and,
exerting a narcotic influence, produces a luxurious sleep. In the valley
this beverage was universally prepared in the following way:—Some
half-dozen young boys seated themselves in a circle around an empty wooden
vessel, each one of them being supplied with a certain quantity of the
roots of the “arva,” broken into small bits and laid by his side. A
cocoa-nut goblet of water was passed around the juvenile company, who
rinsing their mouth with its contents, proceeded to the business before
them. This merely consisted in thoroughly masticating the “arva,” and
throwing it mouthful after mouthful into the receptacle provided. When a
sufficient quantity had been thus obtained, water was poured upon the
mass, and being stirred about with the forefinger of the right hand, the
preparation was soon in readiness for use. The “arva” has medicinal
qualities.
Upon the Sandwich Islands it has been employed with no small success in
the treatment of scrofulous affections, and in combating the ravages of a
disease which for so many years has been gradually depopulating those fine
and interesting islands. But the tenants of the Typee valley, as yet
exempt from these inflictions, generally employ the “arva” as a minister
to social enjoyment, and a calabash of the liquid circulates among them as
the bottle with us.
Mehevi, who was greatly delighted with the change in my costume, gave me a
cordial welcome. He had reserved for me a most delectable mess of
“cockoo,” well knowing my partiality for that dish; and had likewise
selected three or four young cocoa-nuts, several roasted bread-fruit, and
a magnificent bunch of bananas, for my especial comfort and gratification.
These various matters were at once placed before me; but Kory-Kory deemed
the banquet entirely insufficient for my wants until he had supplied me
with one of the leafy packages of pork, which, notwithstanding the
somewhat hasty manner in which it had been prepared, possessed a most
excellent flavour, and was surprisingly sweet and tender.
Pork is not a staple article of food among the people of the Marquesas,
consequently they pay little attention to the breeding of the swine. The
hogs are permitted to roam at large in the groves, where they obtain no
small portion of their nourishment from the cocoa-nuts which continually
fall from the trees. But it is only after infinite labour and difficulty,
that the hungry animal can pierce the husk and shell so as to get at the
meat. I have frequently been amused at seeing one of them, after crunching
the obstinate nut with his teeth for a long time unsuccessfully, get into
a violent passion with it. He would then root furiously under the
cocoa-nut, and, with a fling of his snout, toss it before him on the
ground. Following it up, he would crunch at it again savagely for a
moment, and the next knock it on one side, pausing immediately after, as
if wondering how it could so suddenly have disappeared. In this way the
persecuted cocoa-nuts were often chased half across the valley.
The second day of the Feast of Calabashes was ushered in by still more
uproarious noises than the first. The skins of innumerable sheep seemed to
be resounding to the blows of an army of drummers. Startled from my
slumbers by the din, I leaped up, and found the whole household engaged in
making preparations for immediate departure. Curious to discover of what
strange events these novel sounds might be the precursors, and not a
little desirous to catch a sight of the instruments which produced the
terrific noise, I accompanied the natives as soon as they were in
readiness to depart for the Taboo Groves.
The comparatively open space that extended from the Ti toward the rock, to
which I have before alluded as forming the ascent to the place, was, with
the building itself, now altogether deserted by the men; the whole
distance being filled by bands of females, shouting and dancing under the
influence of some strange excitement.
I was amused at the appearance of four or five old women, who in a state
of utter nudity, with their arms extended flatly down their side, and
holding themselves perfectly erect, were leaping stiffly into the air,
like so many sticks bobbing to the surface, after being pressed
perpendicularly into the water. They preserved the utmost gravity of
countenance, and continued their extraordinary movements without a single
moment’s cessation. They did not appear to attract the observation of the
crowd around them, but I must candidly confess that, for my own part, I
stared at them most pertinaciously.
Desirous of being enlightened in regard to the meaning of this peculiar
diversion, I turned inquiringly to Kory-Kory: that learned Typee
immediately proceeded to explain the whole matter thoroughly. But all that
I could comprehend from what he said was, that the leaping figures before
me were bereaved widows, whose partners had been slain in battle many
moons previously; and who, at every festival, gave public evidence in this
manner of their calamities. It was evident that Kory-Kory considered this
an all-sufficient reason for so indecorous a custom; but I must say that
it did not satisfy me as to its propriety.
Leaving these afflicted females, we passed on to the Hoolah Hoolah ground.
Within the spacious quadrangle, the whole population of the valley seemed
to be assembled, and the sight presented was truly remarkable. Beneath the
sheds of bamboo which opened towards the interior of the square, reclined
the principal chiefs and warriors, while a miscellaneous throng lay at
their ease under the enormous trees, which spread a majestic canopy
overhead. Upon the terraces of the gigantic altars, at either end, were
deposited green bread-fruit in baskets of cocoa-nut leaves, large rolls of
tappa, bunches of white bananas, clusters of mammee-apples, the
golden-hued fruit of the artu tree, and baked hogs, laid out in large
wooden trenchers, fancifully decorated with freshly-plucked leaves, whilst
a variety of rude implements of war were piled in confused heaps before
the ranks of hideous idols. Fruits of various kinds were likewise
suspended in leafen baskets, from the tops of poles planted uprightly, and
at regular intervals, along the lower terraces of both altars. At their
base were arranged two parallel rows of cumbersome drums, standing at
least fifteen feet in height, and formed from the hollow trunks of large
trees. Their heads were covered with shark skins, and their barrels were
elaborately carved with various quaint figures and devices. At regular
intervals, they were bound round by a species of sinnate of various
colours, and strips of native cloth flattened upon them here and there.
Behind these instruments were built slight platforms, upon which stood a
number of young men, who, beating violently with the palms of their hands
upon the drum-heads, produced those outrageous sounds which had awakened
me in the morning. Every few minutes these musical performers hopped down
from their elevation into the crowd below, and their places were
immediately supplied by fresh recruits. Thus an incessant din was kept up
that might have startled Pandemonium.
Precisely in the middle of the quadrangle were placed perpendicularly in
the ground a hundred or more slender, fresh-cut poles, stripped of their
bark, and decorated at the end with a floating pennon of white tappa, the
whole being fenced about with a little picket of canes. For what purpose
these singular ornaments were intended, I in vain endeavoured to discover.
Another most striking feature of the performance was exhibited by a score
of old men, who sat cross-legged in the little pulpits, which encircled
the trunks of the immense trees growing in the middle of the enclosure.
These venerable gentlemen, who I presume were the priests, kept up an
uninterrupted monotonous chant, which was nearly drowned in the roar of
drums. In the right hand they held a finely-woven grass fan, with a heavy
black wooden handle, curiously chased: these fans they kept in continual
motion.
But no attention whatever seemed to be paid to the drummers or to the old
priests, the individuals who composed the vast crowd present being
entirely taken up in chatting and laughing with one another, smoking,
drinking arva, and eating. For all the observation it attracted, or the
good it achieved, the whole savage orchestra might, with great advantage
to its own members and the company in general, have ceased the prodigious
uproar they were making.
In vain I questioned Kory-Kory and others of the natives, as to the
meaning of the strange things that were going on; all their explanations
were conveyed in such a mass of outlandish gibberish and gesticulation
that I gave up the attempt in despair. All that day the drums resounded,
the priests chanted, and the multitude feasted and roared till sunset,
when the throng dispersed, and the Taboo Groves were again abandoned to
quiet and repose. The next day the same scene was repeated until night,
when this singular festival terminated.
CHAPTER XXIII
Ideas suggested by the Feast of Calabashes—Effigy of a dead
warrior—A singular superstition—The priest Kolory and the god Moa
Artua—Amazing religious observance—A dilapidated shrine—Kory-Kory
and the idol—An inference.
Although I had been baffled in my attempts to learn the origin of the
Feast of Calabashes, yet it seemed very plain to me that it was
principally, if not wholly, of a religious character.
Yet, notwithstanding all I observed on this occasion, I am free to confess
my almost entire inability to gratify any curiosity that may be felt with
regard to the theology of the valley. I doubt whether the inhabitants
themselves could do so. They are either too lazy or too sensible to worry
themselves about abstract points of religious belief. While I was among
them, they never held any synods or councils to settle the principles of
their faith by agitating them. An unbounded liberty of conscience seemed
to prevail. Those who pleased to do so were allowed to repose implicit
faith in an ill-favoured god, with a large bottle-nose, and fat shapeless
arms crossed upon his breast; whilst others worshipped an image which,
having no likeness either in heaven or on earth, could hardly be called an
idol. As the islanders always maintained a discreet reserve with regard to
my own peculiar views on religion, I thought it would be excessively
ill-bred in me to pry into theirs.
But, although my knowledge of the religious faith of the Typees was
unavoidably limited, one of their superstitious observances with which I
became acquainted interested me greatly.
In one of the most secluded portions of the valley, within a stone’s cast
of Fayaway’s lake—for so I christened the scene of our island yachting—and
hard by a growth of palms, which stood ranged in order along both banks of
the stream, waving their green arms as if to do honour to its passage, was
the mausoleum of a deceased warrior-chief. Like all the other edifices of
any note, it was raised upon a small pi-pi of stones, which, being of
unusual height, was a conspicuous object from a distance. A light
thatching of bleached palmetto-leaves hung over it like a self-supported
canopy; for it was not until you came very near that you saw it was
supported by four slender columns of bamboo, rising at each corner to a
little more than the height of a man. A clear area of a few yards
surrounded the pi-pi, and was enclosed by four trunks of cocoa-nut trees,
resting at the angles on massive blocks of stone. The place was sacred.
The sign of the inscrutable Taboo was seen, in the shape of a mystic roll
of white tappa, suspended by a twisted cord of the same material from the
top of a slight pole planted within the enclosure.(3) The sanctity of the
spot appeared never to have been violated. The stillness of the grave was
there, and the calm solitude around was beautiful and touching. The soft
shadows of those lofty palm trees—I can see them now—hanging over the
little temple, as if to keep out the intrusive sun.
On all sides, as you approached this silent spot, you caught sight of the
dead chief’s effigy, seated in the stern of a canoe, which was raised on a
light frame a few inches above the level of the pi-pi. The canoe was about
seven feet in length; of a rich, dark-coloured wood, handsomely carved,
and adorned in many places with variegated bindings of stained sinnate,
into which were ingeniously wrought a number of sparkling sea-shells, and
a belt of the same shells ran all round it. The body of the figure—of
whatever material it might have been made—was effectually concealed in a
heavy robe of brown tappa, revealing only the hands and head; the latter
skilfully carved in wood, and surmounted by a superb arch of plumes. These
plumes, in the subdued and gentle gales which found access to this
sequestered spot, were never for one moment at rest, but kept nodding and
waving over the chief’s brow. The long leaves of the palmetto dropped over
the eaves, and through them you saw the warrior, holding his paddle with
both hands in the act of rowing, leaning forward and inclining his head,
as if eager to hurry on his voyage. Glaring at him for ever, and face to
face, was a polished human skull, which crowned the prow of the canoe. The
spectral figure-head, reversed in its position, glancing backwards, seemed
to mock the impatient attitude of the warrior.
When I first visited this singular place with Kory-Kory, he told me—or, at
least, I so understood him—that the chief was paddling his way to the
realms of bliss and bread-fruit—the Polynesian heaven—where every moment
the bread-fruit trees dropped their ripened spheres to the ground, and
where there was no end to the cocoa-nuts and bananas; there they reposed
through the live-long eternity upon mats much finer than those of Typee;
and every day bathed their glowing limbs in rivers of cocoa-nut oil. In
that happy land there were plenty of plumes and feathers, and boars’-tusks
and sperm-whale teeth, far preferable to all the shining trinkets and gay
tappa of the white men; and, best of all, women, far lovelier than the
daughters of earth, were there in abundance. “A very pleasant place,”
Kory-Kory said it was; “but, after all, not much pleasanter, he thought,
than Typee.” “Did he not, then,” I asked him, “wish to accompany the
warrior?” “Oh, no; he was very happy where he was; but supposed that some
time or other he would go in his own canoe.”
Thus far, I think, I clearly comprehended Kory-Kory. But there was a
singular expression he made use of at the time, enforced by as singular a
gesture, the meaning of which I would have given much to penetrate. I am
inclined to believe it must have been a proverb he uttered; for I
afterwards heard him repeat the same words several times, and in what
appeared to me to be a somewhat similar sense. Indeed, Kory-Kory had a
great variety of short, smart-sounding sentences, with which he frequently
enlivened his discourse; and he introduced them with an air which plainly
intimated, that, in his opinion, they settled the matter in question,
whatever it might be.
Could it have been, then, that when I asked him whether he desired to go
to this heaven of bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, and young ladies, which he had
been describing, he answered by saying something equivalent to our old
adage—“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush!”—if he did, Kory-Kory
was a discreet and sensible fellow, and I cannot sufficiently admire his
shrewdness.
Whenever, in the course of my rambles through the valley, I happened to be
near the chief’s mausoleum, I always turned aside to visit it. The place
had a peculiar charm for me; I hardly know why, but so it was. As I leaned
over the railing and gazed upon the strange effigy, and watched the play
of the feathery head-dress, stirred by the same breeze which in low tones
breathed amidst the lofty palm trees, I loved to yield myself up to the
fanciful superstition of the islanders, and could almost believe that the
grim warrior was bound heavenward. In this mood, when I turned to depart,
I bade him, “God speed, and a pleasant voyage.” Ay, paddle away, brave
chieftain, to the land of spirits! To the material eye thou makest but
little progress, but, with the eye of faith, I see thy canoe cleaving the
bright waves, which die away on those dimly looming shores of Paradise.
This strange superstition affords another evidence of the fact, that
however ignorant man may be, he still feels within him his immortal spirit
yearning after the unknown future.
Although the religious theories of the islands were a complete mystery to
me, their practical every-day operation could not be concealed. I
frequently passed the little temples reposing in the shadows of the Taboo
Groves, and beheld the offerings—mouldy fruit spread out upon a rude
altar, or hanging in half-decayed baskets around some uncouth,
jolly-looking images. I was present during the continuance of the
festival. I daily beheld the grinning idols marshalled rank and file in
the Hoolah Hoolah ground, and was often in the habit of meeting those whom
I supposed to be the priests. But the temples seemed to be abandoned to
solitude; the festival had been nothing more than a jovial mingling of the
tribe; the idols were quite as harmless as any other logs of wood; and the
priests were the merriest dogs in the valley.
In fact, religious affairs in Typee were at a very low ebb. All such
matters sat very lightly upon the thoughtless inhabitants; and, in the
celebration of many of their strange rites, they appeared merely to seek a
sort of childish amusement.
A curious evidence of this was given in a remarkable ceremony, in which I
frequently saw Mehevi and several other chiefs and warriors of note take
part; but never a single female.
Among those whom I looked upon as forming the priesthood of the valley,
there was one in particular who often attracted my notice, and whom I
could not help regarding as the head of the order. He was a noble-looking
man, in the prime of his life, and of a most benignant aspect. The
authority this man, whose name was Kolory, seemed to exercise over the
rest, the episcopal part he took in the Feast of Calabashes, his sleek and
complacent appearance, the mystic characters which were tattooed upon his
chest, and, above all, the mitre he frequently wore, in the shape of a
towering head-dress, consisting of part of a cocoa-nut branch, the stalk
planted uprightly on his brow, and the leaflets gathered together and
passed round the temples and behind the ears, all these pointed him out as
Lord Primate of Typee. Kolory was a sort of Knight Templar—a
soldier-priest; for he often wore the dress of a Marquesan warrior, and
always carried a long spear, which, instead of terminating in a paddle at
the lower end, after the general fashion of these weapons, was curved into
a heathenish-looking little image. This instrument, however, might perhaps
have been emblematic of his double functions. With one end, in carnal
combat he tranfixed the enemies of his tribe; and with the other, as a
pastoral crook, he kept in order his spiritual flock. But this is not all
I have to about Kolory. His martial grace very often carried about with
him what seemed to me the half of a broken war-club. It was swathed round
with ragged bits of white tappa, and the upper part, which was intended to
represent a human head, was embellished with a strip of scarlet cloth of
European manufacture. It required little observation to discover that this
strange object was revered as a god. By the side of the big and lusty
images standing sentinel over the altars of the Hoolah Hoolah ground, it
seemed a mere pigmy in tatters. But appearances all the world over are
deceptive. Little men are sometimes very potent, and rags sometimes cover
very extensive pretensions. In fact, this funny little image was the
“crack” god of the island; lording it over all the wooden lubbers who
looked so grim and dreadful; its name was Moa Artua.(4) And it was in
honour of Moa Artua, and for the entertainment of those who believe in
him, that the curious ceremony I am about to describe was observed.
Mehevi and the chieftains of the Ti have just risen from their noontide
slumbers. There are no affairs of state to dispose of; and having eaten
two or three breakfasts in the course of the morning, the magnates of the
valley feel no appetite as yet for dinner. How are their leisure moments
to be occupied? They smoke, they chat, and at last one of their number
makes a proposition to the rest, who joyfully acquiescing, he darts out of
the house, leaps from the pi-pi, and disappears in the grove. Soon you see
him returning with Kolory, who bears the god Moa Artua in his arms, and
carries in one hand a small trough, hollowed out in the likeness of a
canoe. The priest comes along dangling his charge as if it were a
lachrymose infant he was endeavouring to put into a good humour.
Presently, entering the Ti, he seats himself on the mats as composedly as
a juggler about to perform his sleight-of-hand tricks; and, with the
chiefs disposed in a circle around him, commences his ceremony.
In the first place he gives Moa Artua an affectionate hug, then
caressingly lays him to his breast, and, finally, whispers something in
his ear, the rest of the company listening eagerly for a reply. But the
baby-god is deaf or dumb,—perhaps both, for never a word does he utter. At
last Kolory speaks a little louder, and soon growing angry, comes boldly
out with what he has to say, and bawls to him. He put me in mind of a
choleric fellow, who, after trying in vain to communicate a secret to a
deaf man, all at once flies into a passion and screams it out so that
every one may hear. Still Moa Artua remains as quiet as ever, and Kolory,
seemingly losing his temper, fetches him a box over the head, strips him
of his tappa and red cloth, and, laying him in a state of nudity in a
little trough, covers him from sight. At this proceeding all present
loudly applaud, and signify their approval by uttering the adjective
“motarkee” with violent emphasis. Kolory, however, is so desirous his
conduct should meet with unqualified approbation, that he inquires of each
individual separately whether, under existing circumstances, he has not
done perfectly right in shutting up Moa Artua. The invariable response is
“Aa, Aa” (yes, yes), repeated over again and again in a manner which ought
to quiet the scruples of the most conscientious. After a few moments
Kolory brings forth his doll again, and, while arraying it very carefully
in the tappa and red cloth, alternately fondles and chides it. The toilet
being completed, he once more speaks to it aloud. The whole company
hereupon show the greatest interest; while the priest, holding Moa Artua
to his ear, interprets to them what he pretends the god is confidentially
communicating to him. Some items of intelligence appear to tickle all
present amazingly; for one claps his hands in a rapture; another shouts
with merriment; and a third leaps to his feet and capers about like a
madman.
What under the sun Moa Artua on these occasions had to say to Kolory I
never could find out; but I could not help thinking that the former showed
a sad want of spirit in being disciplined into making those disclosures,
which at first he seemed bent on withholding. Whether the priest honestly
interpreted what he believed the divinity said to him, or whether he was
not all the while guilty of a vile humbug, I shall not presume to decide.
At any rate, whatever, as coming from the god, was imparted to those
present, seemed to be generally of a complimentary nature—a fact which
illustrates the sagacity of Kolory, or else the time-serving disposition
of this hardly-used deity.
Moa Artua having nothing more to say, his bearer goes to nursing him
again, in which occupation, however, he is soon interrupted by a question
put by one of the warriors to the god. Kolory hereupon snatches it up to
his ear again, and after listening attentively, once more officiates as
the organ of communication. A multitude of questions and answers having
passed between the parties, much to the satisfaction of those who propose
them, the god is put tenderly to bed in the trough, and the whole company
unite in a long chant, led off by Kolory. This ended, the ceremony is
over; the chiefs rise to their feet in high good humour, and my Lord
Archbishop, after chatting awhile, and regaling himself with a whiff or
two from a pipe of tobacco, tucks the canoe under his arm and marches off
with it.
The whole of these proceedings were like those of a parcel of children
playing with dolls and baby-houses.
For a youngster scarcely ten inches high, and with so few early advantages
as he doubtless had had, Moa Artua was certainly a precocious little
fellow, if he really said all that was imputed to him; but for what reason
this poor devil of a deity, thus cuffed about, cajoled, and shut up in a
box, was held in greater estimation than the full-grown and dignified
personages of the Taboo Groves, I cannot divine. And yet Mehevi, and other
chiefs of unquestionable veracity—to say nothing of the Primate
himself—assured me over and over again that Moa Artua was the tutelary
deity of Typee, and was more to be held in honour than a whole battalion
of the clumsy idols in the Hoolah Hoolah grounds. Kory-Kory—who seemed to
have devoted considerable attention to the study of theology, as he knew
the names of all the graven images in the valley, and often repeated them
over to me—likewise entertained some rather enlarged ideas with regard to
the character and pretensions of Moa Artua. He once gave me to understand,
with a gesture there was no misconceiving, that if he (Moa Artua) were so
minded, he could cause a cocoa-nut tree to sprout out of his (Kory-Kory’s)
head; and that it would be the easiest thing in life for him (Moa Artua)
to take the whole island of Nukuheva in his mouth, and dive down to the
bottom of the sea with it.
But, in sober seriousness, I hardly knew what to make of the religion of
the valley. There was nothing that so much perplexed the illustrious Cook,
in his intercourse with the South Sea islanders, as their sacred rites.
Although this prince of navigators was in many instances assisted by
interpreters in the prosecution of his researches, he still frankly
acknowledges that he was at a loss to obtain anything like a clear insight
into the puzzling arcana of their faith. A similar admission has been made
by other eminent voyagers,—by Carteret, Byron, Kotzebue, and Vancouver.
For my own part, although hardly a day passed while I remained upon the
island that I did not witness some religious ceremony or other, it was
very much like seeing a parcel of “Freemasons” making secret signs to each
other: I saw everything, but could comprehend nothing.
On the whole, I am inclined to believe that the islanders in the Pacific
have no fixed and definite ideas whatever on the subject of religion. I am
persuaded that Kolory himself would be effectually posed were he called
upon to draw up the articles of his faith, and pronounce the creed by
which he hoped to be saved. In truth, the Typees, so far as their actions
evince, submitted to no laws, human or divine—always excepting the thrice
mysterious Taboo. The “independent electors” of the valley were not to be
browbeaten by chiefs, priests, idols, or devils. As for the luckless
idols, they received more hard knocks than supplications. I do not wonder
that some of them looked so grim, and stood so bolt upright, as if fearful
of looking to the right or the left, lest they should give any one
offence. The fact is, they had to carry themselves “_pretty straight_,” or
suffer the consequences. Their worshippers were such a precious set of
fickle-minded and irreverent heathens, that there was no telling when they
might topple one of them over, break it to pieces, and making a fire with
it on the very altar itself, fall to roasting the offerings of
bread-fruit, and eat them in spite of its teeth.
In how little reverence these unfortunate deities were held by the
natives, was on one occasion most convincingly proved to me. Walking with
Kory-Kory through the deepest recesses of the groves, I perceived a
curious-looking image about six feet in height, which originally had been
placed upright against a low pi-pi, surmounted by a ruinous bamboo temple,
but having become fatigued and weak in the knees, was now carelessly
leaning against it. The idol was partly concealed by the foliage of a tree
which stood near, and whose leafy boughs drooped over the pile of stones,
as if to protect the rude fane from the decay to which it was rapidly
hastening. The image itself was nothing more than a grotesquely-shaped
log, carved in the likeness of a portly naked man, with the arms clasped
over the head, the jaws thrown wide apart, and its thick shapeless legs
bowed into an arch. It was much decayed. The lower part was overgrown with
a bright silky moss. Thin spears of grass sprouted from the distended
mouth, and fringed the outline of the head and arms. His godship had
literally attained a green old age. All its prominent points were bruised
and battered or entirely rotted away. The nose had taken its departure,
and from the general appearance of the head, it might have been supposed
that the wooden divinity, in despair at the neglect of its worshippers,
had been trying to beat its own brains out against the surrounding trees.
I drew near, to inspect more closely this strange object of idolatry, but
halted reverently at the distance of two or three paces, out of regard of
the religious prejudices of my valet. As soon, however, as Kory-Kory
perceived that I was in one of my inquiring, scientific moods, to my
astonishment he sprang to the side of the idol, and pushing it away from
the stones against which it rested, endeavoured to make it stand upon its
legs. But the divinity had lost the use of them altogether; and while
Kory-Kory was trying to prop it up, by placing a stick between it and
pi-pi, the monster fell clumsily to the ground, and would infallibly have
broken its neck had not Kory-Kory providentially broken its fall, by
receiving its whole weight on his own half-crushed back. I never saw the
honest fellow in such a rage before. He leaped furiously to his feet, and,
seizing the stick, began beating the poor image, every moment or two
pausing and talking to it in the most violent manner, as if upbraiding it
for the accident. When his indignation had subsided a little, he whirled
the idol about most profanely, so as to give me an opportunity of
examining it on all sides. I am quite sure I never should have presumed to
have taken such liberties with the god myself, and I was not a little
shocked at Kory-Kory’s impiety.
CHAPTER XXIV
General information gathered at the festival—Personal beauty of
the Typees—Their superiority over the inhabitants of the other
islands—Diversity of complexion—A vegetable cosmetic and
ointment—Testimony of voyagers to the uncommon beauty of the
Marquesans—Few evidences of intercourse with civilized
beings—Dilapidated musket—Primitive simplicity of government—Regal
dignity of Mehevi.
Although I had been unable during the late festival to obtain information
on many interesting subjects which had much excited my curiosity, still
that important event had not passed by without adding materially to my
general knowledge of the islanders.
I was especially struck by the physical strength and beauty which they
displayed, by their great superiority in these respects over the
inhabitants of the neighbouring bay of Nukuheva, and by the singular
contrasts they presented among themselves in their various shades of
complexion.
In beauty of form they surpassed anything I had ever seen. Not a single
instance of natural deformity was observable in all the throng attending
the revels. Occasionally I noticed among the men the scars of wounds they
had received in battle; and sometimes, though very seldom, the loss of a
finger, an eye, or an arm, attributable to the same cause. With these
exceptions, every individual appeared free from those blemishes which
sometimes mar the effect of an otherwise perfect form. But their physical
excellence did not merely consist in an exemption from these evils; nearly
every individual of their number might have been taken for a sculptor’s
model.
When I remembered that these islanders derived no advantage from dress,
but appeared in all the naked simplicity of nature, I could not avoid
comparing them with the fine gentlemen and dandies who promenade such
unexceptional figures in our frequented thoroughfares. Stripped of the
cunning artifices of the tailor, and standing forth in the garb of
Eden,—what a sorry set of round-shouldered, spindle-shanked, crane-necked
varlets would civilized men appear! Stuffed calves, padded breasts, and
scientifically cut pantaloons would then avail them nothing, and the
effect would be truly deplorable.
Nothing in the appearance of the islanders struck me more forcibly than
the whiteness of their teeth. The novelist always compares the masticators
of his heroine to ivory; but I boldly pronounce the teeth of the Typees to
be far more beautiful than ivory itself. The jaws of the oldest greybeards
among them were much better garnished than those of the youths of
civilized countries; while the teeth of the young and middle-aged, in
their purity and whiteness, were actually dazzling to the eye. This
marvellous whiteness of the teeth is to be ascribed to the pure vegetable
diet of these people, and the uninterrupted healthfulness of their natural
mode of life.
The men, in almost every instance, are of lofty stature, scarcely ever
less than six feet in height, while the other sex are uncommonly
diminutive. The early period of life at which the human form arrives at
maturity in this generous tropical climate likewise deserves to be
mentioned. A little creature, not more than thirteen years of age, who in
other particulars might be regarded as a mere child, is often seen nursing
her own baby; whilst lads who, under less ripening skies, would be still
at school, are here responsible fathers of families.
On first entering the Typee valley, I had been struck with the marked
contrast presented by its inhabitants with those of the bay I had
previously left. In the latter place, I had not been favourably impressed
with the personal appearance of the male portion of the population;
although with the females, excepting in some truly melancholy instances, I
had been wonderfully pleased.
Apart, however, from these considerations, I am inclined to believe that
there exists a radical difference between the two tribes, if indeed they
are not distinct races of men. To those who have merely touched at
Nukuheva Bay, without visiting other portions of the island, would hardly
appear credible the diversities presented between the various small clans
inhabiting so diminutive a spot. But the hereditary hostility which has
existed between them for ages fully accounts for this.
Not so easy, however, is it to assign an adequate cause for the endless
variety of complexions to be seen in the Typee valley. During the
festival, I had noticed several young females whose skins were almost as
white as any Saxon damsel’s, a slight dash of the mantling brown being all
that marked the difference. This comparative fairness of complexion,
though in a great degree perfectly natural, is partly the result of an
artificial process, and of an entire exclusion from the sun. The juice of
the “papa” root, found in great abundance at the head of the valley, is
held in great esteem as a cosmetic, with which many of the females daily
anoint their whole person. The habitual use of it whitens and beautifies
the skin. Those of the young girls who resort to this method of
heightening their charms, never expose themselves to the rays of the sun;
an observance, however, that produces little or no inconvenience, since
there are but few of the inhabited portions of the vale which are not
shaded over with a spreading canopy of boughs, so that one may journey
from house to house, scarcely deviating from the direct course, and yet
never once see his shadow cast upon the ground.
The “papa,” when used, is suffered to remain upon the skin for several
hours; being of a light green colour, it consequently imparts for the time
a similar hue to the complexion. Nothing, therefore, can be imagined more
singular than the appearance of these nearly naked damsels immediately
after the application of the cosmetic. To look at one of them you would
almost suppose she was some vegetable in an unripe state; and that,
instead of living in the shade for ever, she ought to be placed out in the
sun to ripen.
All the islanders are more or less in the habit of anointing themselves;
the women preferring the “aker” or “papa,” and the men using the oil of
the cocoa-nut. Mehevi was remarkably fond of mollifying his entire cuticle
with this ointment. Sometimes he might be seen with his whole body fairly
reeking with the perfumed oil of the nut, looking as if he had just
emerged from a soap-boiler’s vat, or had undergone the process of dipping
in a tallow-chandlery. To this cause, perhaps, united to their frequent
bathing, and extreme cleanliness, is ascribable, in a great measure, the
marvellous purity and smoothness of skin exhibited by the natives in
general.
The prevailing tint among the women of the valley was a light olive, and
of this style of complexion Fayaway afforded the most beautiful example.
Others were still darker, while not a few were of a genuine golden colour,
and some of a swarthy hue.
As agreeing with much previously mentioned in this narrative, I may here
observe, that Mendanna, their discoverer, in his account of the Marquesas,
described the natives as wondrously beautiful to behold, and as nearly
resembling the people of Southern Europe. The first of these islands seen
by Mendanna was La Madelena, which is not far distant from Nukuheva; and
its inhabitants in every respect resemble those dwelling on that and the
other islands of the group. Figueroa, the chronicler of Mendanna’s voyage,
says, that on the morning the land was descried, when the Spaniards drew
near the shore, there sallied forth, in rude procession, about seventy
canoes, and at the same time many of the inhabitants (females, I presume)
made towards the ships by swimming. He adds, that “in complexion they were
nearly white, of good stature, and finely formed; and on their faces and
bodies were delineated representations of fishes and other devices.” The
old Don then goes on to say, “There came, among others, two lads paddling
their canoe, whose eyes were fixed on the ship; they had beautiful faces,
and the most promising animation of countenance, and were in all things so
becoming, that the pilot-mayor, Quiros, affirmed, nothing in his life ever
caused him so much regret as the leaving such fine creatures to be lost in
that country.”
Some of the natives present at the Feast of Calabashes had displayed a few
articles of European dress, disposed, however, about their persons after
their own peculiar fashion. Among these I perceived the two pieces of
cotton cloth which poor Toby and myself had bestowed upon our youthful
guides the afternoon we entered the valley. They were evidently reserved
for gala days; and during those of the festival they rendered the young
islanders who wore them very distinguished characters. The small number
who were similarly adorned, and the great value they appeared to place
upon the most common and most trivial articles, furnished ample evidence
of the very restricted intercourse they held with vessels touching at the
island. A few cotton handkerchiefs of a gay pattern, tied about the neck,
and suffered to fall over the shoulders, strips of fanciful calico,
swathed about the loins, were nearly all I saw.
Indeed, throughout the valley, there were few things of any kind to be
seen of European origin. All I ever saw, besides the articles just alluded
to, were the six muskets preserved in the Ti, and three or four similar
implements of warfare hung up in other houses, some small canvas bags,
partly filled with bullets and powder, and half a dozen old hatchet-heads,
with the edges blunted and battered to such a degree as to render them
utterly worthless. These last seemed to be regarded as nearly worthless by
the natives; and several times they held up one of them before me, and
throwing it aside with a gesture of disgust, manifested their contempt for
anything that could so soon become unserviceable.
But the muskets, the powder, and the bullets, were held in most
extravagant esteem. The former, from their great age and the peculiarities
they exhibited, were well worthy a place in any antiquarian’s armoury. I
remember, in particular, one that hung in the Ti, and which
Mehevi—supposing as a matter of course that I was able to repair it—had
put into my hands for that purpose. It was one of those clumsy,
old-fashioned English pieces known generally as Tower Hill muskets, and,
for aught I know, might have been left on the island by Wallace, Carteret,
Cook, or Vancouver. The stock was half-rotten and worm-eaten; the lock was
as rusty and about as well adapted to its ostensible purpose as an old
door-hinge; the threading of the screws about the trigger was completely
worn away; while the barrel shook in the wood. Such was the weapon the
chief desired me to restore to its original condition. As I did not
possess the accomplishments of a gunsmith, and was likewise destitute of
the necessary tools, I was reluctantly obliged to signify my inability to
perform the task. At this unexpected communication Mehevi regarded me, for
a moment, as if he half suspected I was some inferior sort of white man,
who after all did not know much more than a Typee. However, after a most
laboured explanation of the matter, I succeeded in making him understand
the extreme difficulty of the task. Scarcely satisfied with my apologies,
however, he marched off with the superannuated musket in something of a
huff, as if he would no longer expose it to the indignity of being
manipulated by such unskilful fingers.
[Illustration: MEHEVI]
During the festival, I had not failed to remark the simplicity of manner,
the freedom from all restraint, and, to a certain degree, the equality of
condition manifested by the natives in general. No one appeared to assume
any arrogant pretensions. There was little more than a slight difference
in costume to distinguish the chiefs from the other natives. All appeared
to mix together freely, and without any reserve; although I noticed that
the wishes of a chief, even when delivered in the mildest tone, received
the same immediate obedience which elsewhere would have been only accorded
to a peremptory command. What may be the extent of the authority of the
chiefs over the rest of the tribe, I will not venture to assert; but from
all I saw during my stay in the valley, I was induced to believe that in
matters concerning the general welfare it was very limited. The required
degree of deference towards them, however, was willingly and cheerfully
yielded; and as all authority is transmitted from father to son, I have no
doubt that one of the effects here, as elsewhere, of high birth, is to
induce respect and obedience.
The particular grades of rank existing among the chiefs of Typee, I could
not in all cases determine. Previous to the Feast of Calabashes, I had
been puzzled what particular station to assign to Mehevi. But the
important part he took upon that occasion convinced me that he had no
superior among the inhabitants of the valley. I had invariably noticed a
certain degree of deference paid to him by all with whom I had ever seen
him brought in contact; but when I remembered that my wanderings had been
confined to a limited portion of the valley, and that towards the sea a
number of distinguished chiefs resided, some of whom had separately
visited me at Marheyo’s house, and whom, until the festival, I had never
seen in the company of Mehevi, I felt disposed to believe that his rank,
after all, might not be particularly elevated.
The revels, however, had brought together all the warriors whom I had seen
individually and in groups at different times and places. Among them
Mehevi moved with an easy air of superiority which was not to be mistaken;
and he whom I had only looked at as the hospitable host of the Ti, and one
of the military leaders of the tribe, now assumed in my eyes the dignity
of royal station. His striking costume, no less than his naturally
commanding figure, seemed indeed to give him pre-eminence over the rest.
The towering helmet of feathers that he wore raised him in height above
all who surrounded him; and though some others were similarly adorned, the
length and luxuriance of their plumes were far inferior to his.
Mehevi was in fact the greatest of the chiefs—the head of his clan—the
sovereign of the valley; and the simplicity of the social institutions of
the people could not have been more completely proved than by the fact,
that after having been several weeks in the valley, and almost in daily
intercourse with Mehevi, I should have remained until the time of the
festival ignorant of his regal character. But a new light had now broken
in upon me. The Ti was the palace—and Mehevi the king. Both the one and
the other of a most simple and patriarchal nature it must be allowed, and
wholly unattended by the ceremonious pomp which usually surrounds the
purple.
After having made this discovery I could not avoid congratulating myself
that Mehevi had from the first taken me as it were under his royal
protection, and that he still continued to entertain for me the warmest
regard, as far at least as I was enabled to judge from appearances. For
the future I determined to pay most assiduous court to him, hoping that
eventually through his kindness I might obtain my liberty.
CHAPTER XXV
King Mehevi—Conduct of Marheyo and Mehevi in certain delicate
matters—Peculiar system of marriage—Number of
population—Uniformity—Embalming—Places of sepulture—Funeral
obsequies at Nukuheva—Number of inhabitants in Typee—Location of
the dwellings—Happiness enjoyed in the valley.
King Mehevi!—A goodly sounding title!—and why should I not bestow it upon
the foremost man in the valley? All hail, therefore, Mehevi, king over all
the Typees! and long life and prosperity to his tropical majesty! But to
be sober again after this loyal burst.
Previously to seeing the Dancing Widows I had little idea that there were
any matrimonial relations subsisting in Typee, and I should as soon have
thought of a Platonic affection being cultivated between the sexes, as of
the solemn connexion of man and wife. To be sure, there were old Marheyo
and Tinor, who seemed to live together quite sociably; but for all that, I
had sometimes observed a comical-looking old gentleman, dressed in a suit
of shabby tattooing, who appeared to be equally at home. This behaviour,
until subsequent discoveries enlightened me, puzzled me more than anything
else I witnessed in Typee.
As for Mehevi, I had supposed him a confirmed bachelor, as well as most of
the principal chiefs. At any rate, if they had wives and families, they
ought to have been ashamed of themselves; for sure I am, they never
troubled themselves about any domestic affairs. In truth, Mehevi seemed to
be the president of a club of hearty fellows who kept “Bachelor’s Hall” in
fine style at the Ti. I had no doubt but that they regarded children as
odious incumbrances; and their ideas of domestic felicity were
sufficiently shown in the fact, that they allowed no meddlesome
housekeepers to turn topsy-turvy those snug little arrangements they had
made in their comfortable dwelling. I strongly suspected, however, that
some of those jolly bachelors were carrying on love intrigues with the
maidens of the tribe, although they did not appear publicly to acknowledge
them. I happened to pop upon Mehevi three or four times when he was
romping—in a most undignified manner for a warrior king—with one of the
prettiest little witches in the valley. She lived with an old woman and a
young man, in a house near Marheyo’s; and although in appearance a mere
child herself, had a noble boy about a year old, who bore a marvellous
resemblance to Mehevi, whom I should certainly have believed to have been
the father, were it not that the little fellow had no triangle on his
face. Mehevi, however, was not the only person upon whom the damsel
Moonoony smiled—the young fellow of fifteen, who permanently resided in
the house with her, was decidedly in her good graces. This too was a
mystery which, with others of the same kind, was afterwards satisfactorily
explained.
During the second day of the Feast of Calabashes, Kory-Kory—being
determined that I should have some understanding on these matters—had, in
the course of his explanations, directed my attention to a peculiarity I
had frequently marked among many of the females,—principally those of a
mature age and rather matronly appearance. This consisted in having the
right hand and the left foot most elaborately tattooed; while the rest of
the body was wholly free from the operation of the art, with the exception
of the minutely dotted lips and slight marks on the shoulders, to which I
have previously referred as comprising the sole tattooing exhibited by
Fayaway, in common with other young girls of her age. The hand and foot
thus embellished, were, according to Kory-Kory, the distinguishing badge
of wedlock, so far as that social and highly commendable institution is
known among these people. It answers, indeed, the same purpose as the
plain gold ring worn by our fairer spouses.
After Kory-Kory’s explanation of the subject, I was for some time
studiously respectful in the presence of all females thus distinguished,
and never ventured to indulge in the slightest approach to flirtation with
any of their number.
A further insight, however, into the peculiar domestic customs of the
inmates of the valley did away in a measure with the severity of my
scruples, and convinced me that I was deceived in some at least of my
conclusions. A regular system of polygamy exists among the islanders, but
of a most extraordinary nature,—a plurality of husbands, instead of wives;
and this solitary fact speaks volumes for the gentle disposition of the
male population.
I was not able to learn what particular ceremony was observed in forming
the marriage contract, but am inclined to think that it must have been of
a very simple nature. Perhaps the mere “popping the question,” as it is
termed with us, might have been followed by an immediate nuptial alliance.
At any rate, tedious courtships are unknown in the valley of Typee.
The males considerably outnumber the females. This holds true of many of
the islands of Polynesia, although the reverse of what is the case in most
civilized countries. The girls are first wooed and won, at a very tender
age, by some stripling in the household in which they reside. This,
however, is a mere frolic of the affections, and no formal engagement is
contracted. By the time this first love has a little subsided, a second
suitor presents himself, of graver years, and carries both boy and girl
away to his own habitation. This disinterested and generous-hearted fellow
now weds the young couple—marrying damsel and lover at the same time—and
all three thenceforth live together as harmoniously as so many turtles. I
have heard of some men who in civilized countries rashly marry large
families with their wives, but had no idea that there was any place where
people married supplementary husbands with them. Infidelity on either side
is very rare. No man has more than one wife, and no wife of mature years
has less than two husbands,—sometimes she has three, but such instances
are not frequent. The marriage tie, whatever it may be, does not appear to
be indissoluble; for separations occasionally happen. These, however, when
they do take place, produce no unhappiness, and are preceded by no
bickerings: for the simple reason, that an ill-used wife or a hen-pecked
husband is not obliged to file a bill in chancery to obtain a divorce. As
nothing stands in the way of a separation, the matrimonial yoke sits
easily and lightly, and a Typee wife lives on very pleasant and sociable
terms with her husbands. On the whole, wedlock, as known among these
Typees, seems to be of a more distinct and enduring nature than is usually
the case with barbarous people.
But, notwithstanding its existence among them, the scriptural injunction
to increase and multiply seems to be but indifferently attended to. I
never saw any of those large families, in arithmetical or step-ladder
progression, which one often meets with at home. I never knew of more than
two youngsters living together in the same home, and but seldom even that
number. As for the women, it was very plain that the anxieties of the
nursery but seldom disturbed the serenity of their souls; and they were
never seen going about the valley with half a score of little ones tagging
at their apron-strings, or rather at the bread-fruit leaf they usually
wore in the rear.
I have before had occasion to remark that I never saw any of the ordinary
signs of a place of sepulture in the valley, a circumstance which I
attributed, at the time, to my living in a particular part of it, and
being forbidden to extend my ramble to any considerable distance towards
the sea. I have since thought it probable, however, that the Typees,
either desirous of removing from their sight the evidences of mortality,
or prompted by a taste for rural beauty, may have some charming cemetery
situated in the shadowy recesses along the base of the mountains. At
Nukuheva, two or three large quadrangular “pi-pis,” heavily flagged,
enclosed with regular stone walls, and shaded over and almost hidden from
view by the interlacing branches of enormous trees, were pointed out to me
as burial-places. The bodies, I understood, were deposited in rude vaults
beneath the flagging, and were suffered to remain there without being
disinterred. Although nothing could be more strange and gloomy than the
aspect of these places, where the lofty trees threw their dark shadows
over rude blocks of stone, a stranger looking at them would have discerned
none of the ordinary evidences of a place of sepulture.
During my stay in the valley, as none of its inmates were so accommodating
as to die and be buried in order to gratify my curiosity with regard to
their funeral rites, I was reluctantly obliged to remain in ignorance of
them. As I have reason to believe, however, that the observances of the
Typees in these matters are the same with those of all other tribes on the
island, I will here relate a scene I chanced to witness at Nukuheva.
A young man had died, about daybreak, in a house near the beach. I had
been sent ashore that morning, and saw a good deal of the preparations
they were making for his obsequies. The body, neatly wrapped in new white
tappa, was laid out in an open shed of cocoa-nut boughs, upon a bier
constructed of elastic bamboos ingeniously twisted together. This was
supported, about two feet from the ground, by large canes planted
uprightly in the earth. Two females, of a dejected appearance, watched by
its side, plaintively chanting, and beating the air with large grass fans
whitened with pipe-clay. In the dwelling-house adjoining a numerous
company were assembled, and various articles of food were being prepared
for consumption. Two or three individuals, distinguished by head-dresses
of beautiful tappa, and wearing a great number of ornaments, appeared to
officiate as masters of the ceremonies. By noon the entertainment had
fairly begun, and we were told that it would last during the whole of the
two following days. With the exception of those who mourned by the corpse,
every one seemed disposed to drown the sense of the late bereavement in
convivial indulgence. The girls, decked out in their savage finery,
danced; the old men chanted; the warriors smoked and chatted; and the
young and lusty, of both sexes, feasted plentifully, and seemed to enjoy
themselves as pleasantly as they could have done had it been a wedding.
The islanders understand the art of embalming, and practice it with such
success, that the bodies of their great chiefs are frequently preserved
for many years in the very houses where they died. I saw three of these in
my visit to the bay of Tior. One was enveloped in immense folds of tappa,
with only the face exposed, and hung erect against the side of the
dwelling. The others were stretched out upon biers of bamboo, in open,
elevated temples, which seemed consecrated to their memory. The heads of
enemies killed in battle are invariably preserved, and hung up as trophies
in the house of the conqueror. I am not acquainted with the process which
is in use, but believe that fumigation is the principal agency employed.
All the remains which I saw presented the appearance of a ham after being
suspended for some time in a smoky chimney.
But to return from the dead to the living. The late festival had drawn
together, as I had every reason to believe, the whole population of the
vale, and consequently I was enabled to make some estimate with regard to
its numbers. I should imagine that there were about two thousand
inhabitants in Typee; and no number could have been better adapted to the
extent of the valley. The valley is some nine miles in length, and may
average one in breadth, the houses being distributed at wide intervals
throughout its whole extent, principally, however, towards the head of the
vale. There are no villages. The houses stand here and there in the shadow
of the groves, or are scattered along the banks of the winding stream;
their golden-hued bamboo sides and gleaming white thatch, forming a
beautiful contrast to the perpetual verdure in which they are embowered.
There are no roads of any kind in the valley. Nothing but a labyrinth of
footpaths, twisting and turning among the thickets without end.
CHAPTER XXVI
The social condition and general character of the Typees.
There seemed to be no rogues of any kind in Typee. In the darkest nights
the natives slept securely, with all their worldly wealth around them, in
houses the doors of which were never fastened. The disquieting ideas of
theft or assassination never disturbed them. Each islander reposed beneath
his own palmetto-thatching, or sat under his own bread-fruit, with none to
molest or alarm him. There was not a padlock in the valley, nor anything
that answered the purpose of one: still there was no community of goods.
This long spear, so elegantly carved and highly polished, belongs to
Warmoonoo—it is far handsomer than the one which old Marheyo so greatly
prizes—it is the most valuable article belonging to its owner. And yet I
have seen it leaning against a cocoa-nut tree in the grove, and there it
was found when sought for. Here is a sperm-whale tooth, graven all over
with cunning devices—it is the property of Kurluna. It is the most
precious of the damsel’s ornaments. In her estimation, its price is far
above rubies; and yet there hangs the dental jewel, by its cord of braided
bark, in the girl’s house, which is far back in the valley; the door is
left open, and all the inmates have gone off to bathe in the stream.(5)
So much for the respect in which such matters are held in Typee. As to the
land of the valley, whether it was the joint property of its inhabitants,
or whether it was parcelled out among a certain number of landed
proprietors, who allowed everybody to roam over it as much as they
pleased, I never could ascertain. At any rate, musty parchments and
title-deeds there were none in the island; and I am half inclined to
believe that its inhabitants hold their broad valleys in fee simple from
nature herself.
Yesterday I saw Kory-Kory hie him away, armed with a long pole, with
which, standing on the ground, he knocked down the fruit from the topmost
boughs of the trees, and brought them home in his basket of cocoa-nut
leaves. To-day I see an islander, whom I know to reside in a distant part
of the valley, doing the self-same thing. On the sloping bank of the
stream were a number of banana trees. I have often seen a score or two of
young people making a merry foray on the great golden clusters, and
bearing them off, one after another, to different parts of the vale,
shouting and tramping as they went. No churlish old curmudgeon could have
been the owner of that grove of bread-fruit trees, or of these gloriously
yellow bunches of bananas.
From what I have said, it will be perceived that there is a vast
difference between “personal property” and “real estate” in the valley of
Typee. Some individuals, of course, are more wealthy than others. For
example: the ridge-pole of Marheyo’s house bends under the weight of many
a huge packet of tappa; his long couch is laid with mats placed one upon
the other seven deep. Outside, Tinor has ranged along in her bamboo
cupboard—or whatever the place may be called—a goodly array of calabashes
and wooden trenchers. Now, the house just beyond the grove, and next to
Marheyo’s, occupied by Ruaruga, is not quite so well furnished. There are
only three moderate-sized packages swinging overhead; there are only two
layers of mats beneath; and the calabashes and trenchers are not so
numerous, nor so tastefully stained and carved. But then, Ruaruga has a
house—not so pretty a one, to be sure—but just as commodious as Marheyo’s;
and, I suppose, if he wished to vie with his neighbour’s establishment, he
could do so with very little trouble. These, in short, constitute the
chief differences perceivable in the relative wealth of the people in
Typee.
They lived in great harmony with each other. I will give an instance of
their fraternal feeling.
One day, in returning with Kory-Kory from my accustomed visit to the Ti,
we passed by a little opening in the grove; on one side of which, my
attendant informed me, was that afternoon to be built a dwelling of
bamboo. At least a hundred of the natives were bringing materials to the
ground, some carrying in their hands one or two of the canes which were to
form the sides, others slender rods of the Habiscus, strung with palmetto
leaves, for the roof. Every one contributed something to the work; and by
the united, but easy, and even indolent, labours of all, the entire work
was completed before sunset. The islanders, while employed in erecting
this tenement, reminded me of a colony of beavers at work. To be sure,
they were hardly as silent and demure as those wonderful creatures, nor
were they by any means as diligent. To tell the truth, they were somewhat
inclined to be lazy, but a perfect tumult of hilarity prevailed; and they
worked together so unitedly, and seemed actuated by such an instinct of
friendliness, that it was truly beautiful to behold.
Not a single female took part in this employment: and if the degree of
consideration in which the ever-adorable sex is held by the men be—as the
philosophers affirm—a just criterion of the degree of refinement among a
people, then I may truly pronounce the Typees to be as polished a
community as ever the sun shone upon. The religious restrictions of the
taboo alone excepted, the women of the valley were allowed every possible
indulgence. Nowhere are the ladies more assiduously courted; nowhere are
they better appreciated as the contributors to our highest enjoyments; and
nowhere are they more sensible of their power. Far different from their
condition among many rude nations, where the women are made to perform all
the work, while their ungallant lords and masters lie buried in sloth, the
gentle sex in the valley of Typee were exempt from toil—if toil it might
be called—that, even in that tropical climate, never distilled one drop of
perspiration. Their light household occupations, together with the
manufacture of tappa, the platting of mats, and the polishing of
drinking-vessels, were the only employments pertaining to the women. And
even these resembled those pleasant avocations which fill up the elegant
morning leisure of our fashionable ladies at home. But in these
occupations, slight and agreeable though they were, the giddy young girls
very seldom engaged. Indeed, these wilful, care-killing damsels were
averse to all useful employment. Like so many spoiled beauties, they
ranged through the groves—bathed in the stream—danced—flirted—played all
manner of mischievous pranks, and passed their days in one merry round of
thoughtless happiness.
During my whole stay on the island I never witnessed a single quarrel, nor
anything that in the slightest degree approached even to a dispute. The
natives appeared to form one household, whose members were bound together
by the ties of strong affection. The love of kindred I did not so much
perceive, for it seemed blended in the general love; and where all were
treated as brothers and sisters, it was hard to tell who were actually
related to each other by blood.
Let it not be supposed that I have overdrawn this picture. I have not done
so. Nor let it be urged, that the hostility of this tribe to foreigners,
and the hereditary feuds they carry on against their fellow-islanders
beyond the mountains, are facts which contradict me. Not so; these
apparent discrepancies are easily reconciled. By many a legendary tale of
violence and wrong, as well as by events which have passed before their
eyes, these people have been taught to look upon white men with
abhorrence. The cruel invasion of their country by Porter has alone
furnished them with ample provocation; and I can sympathize in the spirit
which prompts the Typee warrior to guard all the passes to his valley with
the point of his levelled spear, and, standing upon the beach, with his
back turned upon his green home, to hold at bay the intruding European.
As to the origin of the enmity of this particular clan towards the
neighbouring tribes, I cannot so confidently speak. I will not say that
their foes are the aggressors, nor will I endeavour to palliate their
conduct. But surely, if our evil passions must find vent, it is far better
to expend them on strangers and aliens, than in the bosom of the community
in which we dwell. In many polished countries civil contentions, as well
as domestic enmities, are prevalent, at the same time that the most
atrocious foreign wars are waged. How much less guilty, then, are our
islanders, who of these three sins are only chargeable with one, and that
the least criminal!
The reader will, ere long, have reason to suspect that the Typees are not
free from the guilt of cannibalism; and he will then, perhaps, charge me
with admiring a people against whom so odious a crime is chargeable. But
this only enormity in their character is not half so horrible as it is
usually described. According to the popular fictions, the crews of
vessels, shipwrecked on some barbarous coast, are eaten alive like so many
dainty joints by the uncivil inhabitants; and unfortunate voyagers are
lured into smiling and treacherous bays; knocked on the head with
outlandish war-clubs; and served up without any preliminary dressing. In
truth, so horrific and improbable are these accounts, that many sensible
and well-informed people will not believe that any cannibals exist; and
place every book of voyages which purports to give any account of them, on
the same shelf with Blue Beard and Jack the Giant-killer. While others,
implicitly crediting the most extravagant fictions, firmly believe that
there are people in the world with tastes so depraved, that they would
infinitely prefer a single mouthful of material humanity to a good dinner
of roast beef and plum pudding. But here, Truth, who loves to be centrally
located, is again found between the two extremes; for cannibalism to a
certain moderate extent is practised among several of the primitive tribes
in the Pacific, but it is upon the bodies of slain enemies alone; and
horrible and fearful as the custom is, immeasurably as it is to be
abhorred and condemned, still I assert that those who indulge in it are in
other respects humane and virtuous.
CHAPTER XXVII
Fishing parties—Mode of distributing the fish—Midnight
banquet—Timekeeping tapers—Unceremonious style of eating the fish.
There was no instance in which the social and kindly dispositions of the
Typees were more forcibly evinced than in the manner they conducted their
great fishing parties. Four times during my stay in the valley the young
men assembled near the full of the moon, and went together on these
excursions. As they were generally absent about forty-eight hours, I was
led to believe that they went out towards the open sea, some distance from
the bay. The Polynesians seldom use a hook and line, almost always
employing large, well-made nets, most ingeniously fabricated from the
twisted fibres of a certain bark. I examined several of them which had
been spread to dry upon the beach at Nukuheva. They resembled very much
our own seines, and I should think they were very nearly as durable.
All the South Sea islanders are passionately fond of fish; but none of
them can be more so than the inhabitants of Typee. I could not comprehend,
therefore, why they so seldom sought it in their waters; for it was only
at stated times that the fishing parties were formed, and these occasions
were always looked forward to with no small degree of interest.
During their absence, the whole population of the place were in a ferment,
and nothing was talked of but “pehee, pehee” (fish, fish). Towards the
time when they were expected to return, the vocal telegraph was put into
operation—the inhabitants, who were scattered throughout the length of the
valley, leaped upon rocks and into trees, shouting with delight at the
thoughts of the anticipated treat. As soon as the approach of the party
was announced, there was a general rush of the men towards the beach; some
of them remaining, however, about the Ti, in order to get matters in
readiness for the reception of the fish, which were brought to the Taboo
Groves in immense packages of leaves, each one of them being suspended
from a pole carried on the shoulders of two men.
I was present at the Ti on one of these occasions, and the sight was most
interesting. After all the packages had arrived, they were laid in a row
under the verandah of the building, and opened. The fish were all quite
small, generally about the size of a herring, and of every variety of
colour. About one-eighth of the whole being reserved for the use of the Ti
itself, the remainder was divided into numerous smaller packages, which
were immediately despatched in every direction to the remotest part of the
valley. Arrived at their destination, these were in turn portioned out,
and equally distributed among the various houses of each particular
district. The fish were under a strict Taboo, until the distribution was
completed, which seemed to be effected in the most impartial manner. By
the operation of this system every man, woman, and child in the vale, were
at one and the same time partaking of this favourite article of food.
Once, I remember, the party arrived at midnight; but the unseasonableness
of the hour did not repress the impatience of the islanders. The carriers
despatched from the Ti were to be seen hurrying in all directions through
the deep groves; each individual preceded by a boy bearing a flaming torch
of dried cocoa-nut boughs, which from time to time was replenished from
the materials scattered along the path. The wild glare of these enormous
flambeaux, lighting up with a startling brilliancy the innermost recesses
of the vale, and seen moving rapidly along beneath the canopy of leaves,
the savage shout of the excited messengers sounding the news of their
approach, which was answered on all sides, and the strange appearance of
their naked bodies, seen against the gloomy background, produced
altogether an effect upon my mind that I shall long remember.
It was on this same occasion that Kory-Kory awakened me at the dead hour
of night, and in a sort of transport communicated the intelligence
contained in the words “pehee perni” (fish come). As I happened to have
been in a remarkably sound and refreshing slumber, I could not imagine why
the information had not been deferred until morning; indeed, I felt very
much inclined to fly into a passion and box my valet’s ears; but on second
thoughts I got quietly up, and on going outside the house was not a little
interested by the moving illumination which I beheld.
When old Marheyo received his share of the spoils, immediate preparations
were made for a midnight banquet; calabashes of poee-poee were filled to
the brim; green bread-fruit were roasted; and a huge cake of “amar” was
cut up with a sliver of bamboo, and laid out on an immense banana leaf.
At this supper we were lighted by several of the native tapers, held in
the hands of young girls. These tapers are most ingeniously made. There is
a nut abounding in the valley, called by the Typees “armor,” closely
resembling our common horse-chestnut. The shell is broken, and the
contents extracted whole. Any number of these are strung at pleasure upon
the long elastic fibre that traverses the branches of the cocoa-nut tree.
Some of these tapers are eight or ten feet in length; but being perfectly
flexible, one end is held in a coil, while the other is lighted. The nut
burns with a fitful bluish flame, and the oil that it contains is
exhausted in about ten minutes. As one burns down, the next becomes
ignited, and the ashes of the former are knocked into a cocoa-nut shell
kept for the purpose. This primitive candle requires continual attention,
and must be constantly held in the hand. The person so employed marks the
lapse of time by the number of nuts consumed, which is easily learned by
counting the bits of tappa distributed at regular intervals along the
string.
I grieve to state so distressing a fact, but the inhabitants of Typee were
in the habit of devouring fish much in the same way that a civilized being
would eat a radish, and without any more previous preparation. They eat it
raw; scales, bones, gills, and all the inside. The fish is held by the
tail, and the head being introduced into the mouth, the animal disappears
with a rapidity that would at first nearly lead one to imagine it had been
launched bodily down the throat.
Raw fish! Shall I ever forget my sensation when I first saw my island
beauty devour one? Oh, heavens! Fayaway, how could you ever have
contracted so vile a habit? However, after the first shock had subsided,
the custom grew less odious in my eyes, and I soon accustomed myself to
the sight. Let no one imagine, however, that the lovely Fayaway was in the
habit of swallowing great vulgar-looking fishes: oh, no; with her
beautiful small hand she would clasp a delicate, little, golden-hued love
of a fish, and eat it as elegantly and as innocently as though it were a
Naples biscuit. But, alas! it was after all a raw fish; and all I can say
is, that Fayaway ate it in a more ladylike manner than any other girl of
the valley.
When at Rome do as the Romans do, I held to be so good a proverb, that
being in Typee, I made a point of doing as the Typees did. Thus I ate
poee-poee as they did; I walked about in a garb striking for its
simplicity; and I reposed on a community of couches; besides doing many
other things in conformity with their peculiar habits; but the farthest I
ever went in the way of conformity, was on several occasions to regale
myself with raw fish. These being remarkably tender, and quite small, the
undertaking was not so disagreeable in the main, and after a few trials I
positively began to relish them: however, I subjected them to a slight
operation with my knife previously to making my repast.
CHAPTER XXVIII
Natural history of the valley—Golden lizards—Tameness of the
birds—Mosquitoes—Flies—Dogs—A solitary cat—The climate—The
cocoa-nut tree—Singular modes of climbing it—An agile young
chief—Fearlessness of the children—Too-too and the cocoa-nut
tree—The birds of the valley.
There were some curious-looking dogs in the valley. Dogs!—big, hairless
rats rather; all with smooth, shining, speckled hides—fat sides, and very
disagreeable faces. Whence could they have come? That they were not the
indigenous production of the region, I am firmly convinced. Indeed, they
seemed aware of their being interlopers, looking fairly ashamed, and
always trying to hide themselves in some dark corner. It was plain enough
they did not feel at home in the vale—that they wished themselves well out
of it, and back to the ugly country from which they must have come.
Scurvy curs! they were my abhorrence; I should have liked nothing better
than to have been the death of every one of them. In fact, on one
occasion, I intimated the propriety of a canine crusade to Mehevi but the
benevolent king would not consent to it. He heard me very patiently; but
when I had finished, shook his head, and told me in confidence, that they
were “taboo.”
As for the animal that made the fortune of my lord mayor Whittington, I
shall never forget the day that I was lying in the house about noon,
everybody else being fast asleep; and happening to raise my eyes, met
those of a big black spectral cat, which sat erect in the doorway, looking
at me with its frightful goggling green orbs, like one of those monstrous
imps that tormented some of the olden saints! I am one of those
unfortunate persons, to whom the sight of these animals is at any time an
insufferable annoyance.
Thus constitutionally averse to cats in general, the unexpected apparition
of this one in particular utterly confounded me. When I had a little
recovered from the fascination of its glance, I started up; the cat fled,
and emboldened by this, I rushed out of the house in pursuit; but it had
disappeared. It was the only time I ever saw one in the valley, and how it
got there I cannot imagine. It is just possible that it might have escaped
from one of the ships at Nukuheva. It was in vain to seek information on
the subject from the natives, since none of them had seen the animal, the
appearance of which remains a mystery to me to this day.
Among the few animals which are to be met with in Typee, there was none
which I looked upon with more interest than a beautiful golden-hued
species of lizard. It measured perhaps five inches from head to tail, and
was most gracefully proportioned. Numbers of those creatures were to be
seen basking in the sunshine upon the thatching of the houses, and
multitudes at all hours of the day showed their glittering sides as they
ran frolicking between the spears of grass, or raced in troops up and down
the tall shafts of the cocoa-nut trees. But the remarkable beauty of these
little animals and their lively ways were not their only claims upon my
admiration. They were perfectly tame and insensible to fear. Frequently,
after seating myself upon the ground in some shady place during the heat
of the day, I would be completely overrun with them. If I brushed one off
my arm, it would leap perhaps into my hair: when I tried to frighten it
away by gently pinching its leg, it would turn for protection to the very
hand that attacked it.
The birds are also remarkably tame. If you happened to see one perched
upon a branch within reach of your arm, and advanced towards it, it did
not fly away immediately, but waited quietly looking at you, until you
could almost touch it, and then took wing slowly, less alarmed at your
presence, it would seem, than desirous of removing itself from your path.
Had salt been less scarce in the valley than it was, this was the very
place to have gone birding with it.
I remember that once, on an uninhabited island of the Gallipagos, a bird
alighted on my outstretched arm, while its mate chirped from an adjoining
tree. Its tameness, far from shocking me, as a similar occurrence did
Selkirk, imparted to me the most exquisite thrill of delight I ever
experienced; and with somewhat of the same pleasure did I afterwards
behold the birds and lizards of the valley show their confidence in the
kindliness of man.
Among the numerous afflictions which the Europeans have entailed upon some
of the natives of the South Seas, is the accidental introduction among
them of that enemy of all repose and ruffler of even tempers—the mosquito.
At the Sandwich Islands, and at two or three of the Society group, there
are now thriving colonies of these insects, who promise ere long to
supplant altogether the aboriginal sand-flies. They sting, buzz, and
torment, from one end of the year to the other, and by incessantly
exasperating the natives, materially obstruct the benevolent labours of
the missionaries.
From this grievous visitation, however, the Typees are as yet wholly
exempt; but its place is unfortunately in some degree supplied by the
occasional presence of a minute species of fly, which, without stinging,
is nevertheless productive of no little annoyance. The tameness of the
birds and lizards is as nothing when compared to the fearless confidence
of this insect. He will perch upon one of your eye-lashes, and go to roost
there, if you do not disturb him, or force his way through your hair, or
along the cavity of the nostril, till you almost fancy he is resolved to
explore the very brain itself. On one occasion I was so inconsiderate as
to yawn while a number of them were hovering around me. I never repeated
the act. Some half-dozen darted into the open compartment, and began
walking about its ceiling; the sensation was dreadful. I involuntarily
closed my mouth, and the poor creatures, being enveloped in inner
darkness, must in their consternation have stumbled over my palate, and
been precipitated into the gulf beneath. At any rate, though I afterwards
charitably held my mouth open for at least five minutes, with a view of
affording egress to the stragglers, none of them ever availed themselves
of the opportunity.
There are no wild animals of any kind on the island, unless it be decided
that the natives themselves are such. The mountains and the interior
present to the eye nothing but silent solitudes, unbroken by the roar of
beasts of prey, and enlivened by few tokens even of minute animated
existence. There are no venomous reptiles, and no snakes of any
description to be found in any of the valleys.
In a company of Marquesan natives the weather affords no topic of
conversation. It can hardly be said to have any vicissitudes. The rainy
season, it is true, brings frequent showers, but they are intermitting and
refreshing. When an islander, bound on some expedition, rises from his
couch in the morning, he is never solicitous to peep out and see how the
sky looks, or ascertain from what quarter the wind blows. He is always
sure of a “fine day,” and the promise of a few genial showers he hails
with pleasure. There is never any of that “remarkable weather” on the
islands which from time immemorial has been experienced in America, and
still continues to call forth the wondering conversational exclamations of
its elderly citizens. Nor do there even occur any of those eccentric
meteorological changes which elsewhere surprise us. In the valley of Typee
ice-creams would never be rendered less acceptable by sudden frosts, nor
would picnic parties be deferred on account of inauspicious snowstorms:
for there day follows day in one unvarying round of summer and sunshine,
and the whole year is one long tropical month of June just melting into
July.
It is this genial climate which causes the cocoa-nuts to flourish as they
do. This invaluable fruit, brought to perfection by the rich soil of the
Marquesas, and borne aloft on a stately column more than a hundred feet
from the ground, would seem at first almost inaccessible to the simple
natives. Indeed, the slender, smooth, and soaring shaft, without a single
limb or protuberance of any kind to assist one in mounting it, presents an
obstacle only to be overcome by the surprising agility and ingenuity of
the islanders. It might be supposed that their indolence would lead them
patiently to await the period when the ripened nuts, slowly parting from
their stems, fall one by one to the ground. This certainly would be the
case, were it not that the young fruit, encased in a soft green husk, with
the incipient meat adhering in a jelly-like pellicle to its sides, and
containing a bumper of the most delicious nectar, is what they chiefly
prize. They have at least twenty different terms to express as many
progressive stages in the growth of the nut. Many of them reject the fruit
altogether except at a particular period of its growth, which, incredible
as it may appear, they seemed to me to be able to ascertain within an hour
or two. Others are still more capricious in their tastes; and after
gathering together a heap of the nuts of all ages, and ingeniously tapping
them, will first sip from one and then from another, as fastidiously as
some delicate wine-bibber experimenting, glass in hand, among his dusty
demijohns of different vintages.
Some of the young men, with more flexible frames than their comrades, and
perhaps with more courageous souls, had a way of walking up the trunk of
the cocoa-nut trees which to me seemed little less than miraculous; and
when looking at them in the act, I experienced that curious perplexity a
child feels when he beholds a fly moving feet uppermost along a ceiling.
I will endeavour to describe the way in which Narnee, a noble young chief,
sometimes performed this feat for my particular gratification; but his
preliminary performances must also be recorded. Upon my signifying my
desire that he should pluck me the young fruit of some particular tree,
the handsome savage, throwing himself into a sudden attitude of surprise,
feigns astonishment at the apparent absurdity of the request. Maintaining
this position for a moment, the strange emotions depicted on his
countenance soften down into one of humorous resignation to my will, and
then, looking wistfully up to the tufted top of the tree, he stands on
tip-toe, straining his neck and elevating his arms, as though endeavouring
to reach the fruit from the ground where he stands. As if defeated in this
childish attempt, he now sinks to the earth despondingly, beating his
breast in well-acted despair; and then, starting to his feet all at once,
and throwing back his head, raises both hands, like a schoolboy about to
catch a falling ball. After continuing this for a moment or two, as if in
expectation that the fruit was going to be tossed down to him by some good
spirit in the tree-top, he turns wildly round in another fit of despair,
and scampers off to the distance of thirty or forty yards. Here he remains
awhile, eyeing the tree, the very picture of misery; but the next moment,
receiving, as it were, a flash of inspiration, he rushes again towards it,
and clasping both arms about the trunk, with one elevated a little above
the other, he presses the soles of his feet close together against the
tree, extending his legs from it until they are nearly horizontal, and his
body becomes doubled into an arch; then, hand over hand and foot after
foot, he rises from the earth with steady rapidity, and almost before you
are aware of it, has gained the cradled and embowered nest of nuts, and
with boisterous glee flings the fruit to the ground.
This mode of walking the tree is only practicable where the trunk declines
considerably from the perpendicular. This, however, is almost always the
case; some of the perfectly straight shafts of the trees leaning at an
angle of thirty degrees.
The less active among the men, and many of the children of the valley,
have another method of climbing. They take a broad and stout piece of
bark, and secure either end of it to their ankles: so that when the feet
thus confined are extended apart, a space of little more than twelve
inches is left between them. This contrivance greatly facilitates the act
of climbing. The band pressed against the tree, and closely embracing it,
yields a pretty firm support; while with the arms clasped about the trunk,
and at regular intervals sustaining the body, the feet are drawn up nearly
a yard at a time, and a corresponding elevation of the hands immediately
succeeds. In this way I have seen little children, scarcely five years of
age, fearlessly climbing the slender pole of a young cocoa-nut tree, and
while hanging perhaps fifty feet from the ground, receiving the plaudits
of their parents beneath, who clapped their hands, and encouraged them to
mount still higher.
What, thought I, on first witnessing one of these exhibitions, would the
nervous mothers of America and England say to a similar display of
hardihood in any of their children? The Lacedemonian nation might have
approved of it, but most modern dames would have gone into hysterics at
the sight.
At the top of the cocoa-nut tree the numerous branches, radiating on all
sides from a common centre, form a sort of green and waving basket,
between the leaflets of which you just discern the nuts thickly clustering
together, and on the loftier trees looking no bigger from the ground than
bunches of grapes. I remember one adventurous little fellow—Too-Too was
the rascal’s name—who had built himself a sort of aërial baby-house in the
picturesque tuft of a tree adjoining Marheyo’s habitation. He used to
spend hours there,—rustling among the branches, and shouting with delight
every time the strong gusts of wind, rushing down from the mountain side,
swayed to and fro the tall and flexible column on which he was perched.
Whenever I heard Too-Too’s musical voice sounding strangely to the ear
from so great a height, and beheld him peeping down upon me from out his
leafy covert, he always recalled to my mind Dibdin’s lines—
There’s a sweet little cherub that sits up aloft,
To look out for the life of poor Jack.
Birds—bright and beautiful birds—fly over the valley of Typee. You see
them perched aloft among the immovable boughs of the majestic bread-fruit
trees, or gently swaying on the elastic branches of the Omoo; skimming
over the palmetto-thatching of the bamboo huts; passing like spirits on
the wing through the shadows of the grove, and sometimes descending into
the bosom of the valley in gleaming flights from the mountains. Their
plumage is purple and azure, crimson and white, black and gold; with bills
of every tint;—bright bloody-red, jet black, and ivory white; and their
eyes are bright and sparkling; they go sailing through the air in starry
throngs; but, alas! the spell of dumbness is upon them all—there is not a
single warbler in the valley!
I know not why it was, but the sight of these birds, generally the
ministers of gladness, always oppressed me with melancholy. As in their
dumb beauty they hovered by me whilst I was walking, or looked down upon
me with steady curious eyes from out the foliage, I was almost inclined to
fancy that they knew they were gazing upon a stranger, and that they
commiserated his fate.
CHAPTER XXIX
A professor of the fine arts—His persecutions—Something about
tattooing and tabooing—Two anecdotes in illustration of the
latter—A few thoughts on the Typee dialect.
In one of my strolls with Kory-Kory, in passing along the border of a
thick growth of bushes, my attention was arrested by a singular noise. On
entering the thicket, I witnessed for the first time the operation of
tattooing as performed by these islanders.
I beheld a man extended flat upon his back, on the ground, and, despite
the forced composure of his countenance, it was evident that he was
suffering agony. His tormentor bent over him, working away for all the
world like a stone-cutter with mallet and chisel. In one hand he held a
short slender stick, pointed with a shark’s tooth, on the upright end of
which he tapped with a small hammer-like piece of wood, thus puncturing
the skin, and charging it with the colouring matter in which the
instrument was dipped. A cocoa-nut shell containing this fluid was placed
upon the ground. It is prepared by mixing with a vegetable juice the ashes
of the “armor,” or candle-nut, always preserved for the purpose. Beside
the savage, and spread out upon a piece of soiled tappa, were a great
number of curious black-looking little implements of bone and wood, used
in the various divisions of his art. A few terminated in a single fine
point, and, like very delicate pencils, were employed in giving the
finishing touches, or in operating upon the more sensitive portions of the
body, as was the case of the present instance. Others presented several
points distributed in a line, somewhat resembling the teeth of a saw.
These were employed in the coarser parts of the work, and particularly in
pricking in straight marks. Some presented their points disposed in small
figures, and being placed upon the body, were, by a single blow of the
hammer, made to leave their indelible impression. I observed a few, the
handles of which were mysteriously curved, as if intended to be introduced
into the orifice of the ear, with a view perhaps of beating the tattoo
upon the tympanum. Altogether, the sight of these strange instruments
recalled to mind that display of cruel-looking mother-of-pearl-handled
things which one sees in their velvet-lined cases at the elbow of a
dentist.
The artist was not at this time engaged on an original sketch, his subject
being a venerable savage, whose tattooing had become somewhat faded with
age and needed a few repairs, and accordingly he was merely employed in
touching up the works of some of the old masters of the Typee school, as
delineated upon the human canvas before him. The parts operated upon were
the eyelids, where a longitudinal streak, like the one which adorned
Kory-Kory, crossed the countenance of the victim.
In spite of all the efforts of the poor old man, sundry twitchings and
screwings of the muscles of the face denoted the exquisite sensibility of
these shutters to the windows of his soul, which he was now having
repainted. But the artist, with a heart as callous as that of an army
surgeon, continued his performance, enlivening his labours with a wild
chant, tapping away the while as merrily as a woodpecker.
So deeply engaged was he in his work, that he had not observed our
approach, until, after having enjoyed an unmolested view of the operation,
I chose to attract his attention. As soon as he perceived me, supposing
that I sought him in his professional capacity, he seized hold of me in a
paroxysm of delight, and was all eagerness to begin the work. When,
however, I gave him to understand that he had altogether mistaken my
views, nothing could exceed his grief and disappointment. But recovering
from this, he seemed determined not to credit my assertion, and grasping
his implements, he flourished them about in fearful vicinity to my face,
going through an imaginary performance of his art, and every moment
bursting into some admiring exclamation at the beauty of his designs.
Horrified at the bare thought of being rendered hideous for life if the
wretch were to execute his purpose upon me, I struggled to get away from
him, while Kory-Kory, turning traitor, stood by, and besought me to comply
with the outrageous request. On my reiterated refusals the excited artist
got half beside himself, and was overwhelmed with sorrow at losing so
noble an opportunity of distinguishing himself in his profession.
The idea of engrafting his tattooing upon my white skin filled him with
all a painter’s enthusiasm: again and again he gazed into my countenance,
and every fresh glimpse seemed to add to the vehemence of his ambition.
Not knowing to what extremities he might proceed, and shuddering at the
ruin he might inflict upon my figurehead, I now endeavoured to draw off
his attention from it, and holding out my arm in a fit of desperation,
signed to him to commence operations. But he rejected the compromise
indignantly, and still continued his attack on my face, as though nothing
short of that would satisfy him. When his forefinger swept across my
features, in laying out the borders of those parallel bands which were to
encircle my countenance, the flesh fairly crawled upon my bones. At last,
half wild with terror and indignation, I succeeded in breaking away from
the three savages, and fled towards old Marheyo’s house, pursued by the
indomitable artist, who ran after me, implements in hand. Kory-Kory,
however, at last interfered, and drew him off from the chase.
This incident opened my eyes to a new danger; and I now felt convinced
that in some luckless hour I should be disfigured in such a manner as
never more to have the _face_ to return to my countrymen, even should an
opportunity offer.
These apprehensions were greatly increased by the desire which King Mehevi
and several of the inferior chiefs now manifested that I should be
tattooed. The pleasure of the king was first signified to me some three
days after my casual encounter with Karky the artist. Heavens! what
imprecations I showered upon that Karky. Doubtless he had plotted a
conspiracy against me and my countenance, and would never rest until his
diabolical purpose was accomplished. Several times I met him in various
parts of the valley, and, invariably, whenever he descried me, he came
running after me with his mallet and chisel, flourishing them about my
face as if he longed to begin. What an object he would have made of me!
When the king first expressed his wish to me, I made known to him my utter
abhorrence of the measure, and worked myself into such a state of
excitement, that he absolutely stared at me in amazement. It evidently
surpassed his majesty’s comprehension how any sober-minded and sensible
individual could entertain the least possible objection to so beautifying
an operation.
Soon afterwards he repeated his suggestion, and meeting with a like
repulse, showed some symptoms of displeasure at my obduracy. On his a
third time renewing his request, I plainly perceived that something must
be done, or my visage was ruined for ever; I therefore screwed up my
courage to the sticking point, and declared my willingness to have both
arms tattooed from just above the wrist to the shoulder. His majesty was
greatly pleased at the proposition, and I was congratulating myself with
having thus compromised the matter, when he intimated that as a thing of
course my face was first to undergo the operation. I was fairly driven to
despair; nothing but the utter ruin of my “face divine,” as the poets call
it, would, I perceived, satisfy the inexorable Mehevi and his chiefs, or
rather that infernal Karky, for he was at the bottom of it all.
The only consolation afforded me was a choice of patterns: I was at
perfect liberty to have my face spanned by three horizontal bars, after
the fashion of my serving-man’s; or to have as many oblique stripes
slanting across it: or if, like a true courtier, I chose to model my style
on that of royalty, I might wear a sort of freemason badge upon my
countenance in the shape of a mystic triangle. However, I would have none
of these, though the king most earnestly impressed upon my mind that my
choice was wholly unrestricted. At last, seeing my unconquerable
repugnance, he ceased to importune me.
But not so some other of the savages. Hardly a day passed but I was
subjected to their annoying requests, until at last my existence became a
burden to me; the pleasures I had previously enjoyed no longer afforded me
delight, and all my former desire to escape from the valley now revived
with additional force.
A fact which I soon afterwards learned augmented my apprehension. The
whole system of tattooing was, I found, connected with their religion; and
it was evident, therefore, that they were resolved to make a convert of
me.
In the decoration of the chiefs, it seems to be necessary to exercise the
most elaborate pencilling; while some of the inferior natives looked as if
they had been daubed over indiscriminately with a house-painter’s brush. I
remember one fellow who prided himself hugely upon a great oblong patch,
placed high upon his back, and who always reminded me of a man with a
blister of Spanish flies stuck between his shoulders. Another whom I
frequently met had the hollow of his eyes tattooed in two regular squares,
and his visual organs being remarkably brilliant, they gleamed forth from
out this setting like a couple of diamonds inserted in ebony.
Although convinced that tattooing was a religious observance, still the
nature of the connection between it and the superstitious idolatry of the
people was a point upon which I could never obtain any information. Like
the still more important system of the “Taboo,” it always appeared
inexplicable to me.
There is a marked similarity, almost an identity, between the religious
institutions of most of the Polynesian islands, and in all exists the
mysterious “Taboo,” restricted in its uses to a greater or less extent. So
strange and complex in its arrangements is this remarkable system, that I
have in several cases met with individuals who, after residing for years
among the islands in the Pacific, and acquiring a considerable knowledge
of the language, have nevertheless been altogether unable to give any
satisfactory account of its operations. Situated as I was in the Typee
valley, I perceived every hour the effects of this all-controlling power,
without in the least comprehending it. Those effects were, indeed,
wide-spread and universal, pervading the most important as well as the
minutest transactions of life. The savage, in short, lives in the
continual observance of its dictates, which guide and control every action
of his being.
For several days after entering the valley I had been saluted at least
fifty times in the twenty-four hours with the talismanic word “Taboo”
shrieked in my ears, at some gross violation of its provisions, of which I
had unconsciously been guilty. The day after our arrival I happened to
hand some tobacco to Toby over the head of a native who sat between us. He
started up, as if stung by an adder; while the whole company, manifesting
an equal degree of horror, simultaneously screamed out “Taboo!” I never
again perpetrated a similar piece of ill-manners, which, indeed, was
forbidden by the canons of good breeding, as well as by the mandates of
the taboo. But it was not always so easy to perceive wherein you had
contravened the spirit of this institution. I was many times called to
order, if I may use the phrase, when I could not for the life of me
conjecture what particular offence I had committed.
One day I was strolling through a secluded portion of the valley, and
hearing the musical sound of the cloth-mallet at a little distance, I
turned down a path that conducted me in a few moments to a house where
there were some half-dozen girls employed in making tappa. This was an
operation I had frequently witnessed, and had handled the bark in all the
various stages of its preparation. On the present occasion the females
were intent upon their occupation, and after looking up and talking gaily
to me for a few moments, they resumed their employment. I regarded them
for awhile in silence, and then, carelessly picking up a handful of the
material that lay around, proceeded unconsciously to pick it apart. While
thus engaged, I was suddenly startled by a scream, like that of a whole
boarding-school of young ladies just on the point of going into hysterics.
Leaping up with the idea of seeing a score of Happar warriors about to
perform anew the Sabine atrocity, I found myself confronted by the company
of girls, who, having dropped their work, stood before me with starting
eyes, swelling bosoms, and fingers pointed in horror towards me.
Thinking that some venomous reptile must be concealed in the bark which I
held in my hand, I began cautiously to separate and examine it. Whilst I
did so the horrified girls redoubled their shrieks. Their wild cries and
frightened motions actually alarmed me, and throwing down the tappa, I was
about to rush from the house, when in the same instant their clamours
ceased, and one of them, seizing me by the arm, pointed to the broken
fibres that had just fallen from my grasp, and screamed in my ears the
fatal word “Taboo!”
I subsequently found out that the fabric they were engaged in making was
of a peculiar kind, destined to be worn on the heads of the females, and
through every stage of its manufacture was guarded by a vigorous taboo,
which interdicted the whole masculine gender from even so much as touching
it.
Frequently in walking through the groves I observed bread-fruit and
cocoa-nut trees, with a wreath of leaves twined in a peculiar fashion
about their trunks. This was the mark of the taboo. The trees themselves,
their fruit, and even the shadows they cast upon the ground, were
consecrated by its presence. In the same way a pipe, which the king had
bestowed upon me, was rendered sacred in the eyes of the natives, none of
whom could I ever prevail upon to smoke from it. The bowl was encircled by
a woven band of grass, somewhat resembling those Turks’ heads occasionally
worked in the handles of our whip-stalks.
A similar badge was once braided about my wrist by the royal hand of
Mehevi himself, who, as soon as he had concluded the operation, pronounced
me “Taboo.” This occurred shortly after Toby’s disappearance; and were it
not that from the first moment I had entered the valley the natives had
treated me with uniform kindness, I should have supposed that their
conduct afterwards was to be ascribed to the fact that I received this
sacred investiture.
The capricious operations of the taboo are not its least remarkable
feature: to enumerate them all would be impossible. Black hogs—infants to
a certain age—women in an interesting situation—young men while the
operation of tattooing their faces is going on—and certain parts of the
valley during the continuance of a shower—are alike fenced about by the
operation of the taboo.
I witnessed a striking instance of its effects in the bay of Tior, my
visit to which place occurred a few days before leaving the ship. On that
occasion our worthy captain formed one of the party. He was a most
insatiable sportsman. Outward bound, and off the pitch of Cape Horn, he
used to sit on the taffrail, and keep the steward loading three or four
old fowling-pieces, with which he would bring down albatrosses, Cape
pigeons, jays, petrels, and divers other marine fowl, who followed
chattering in our wake. The sailors were struck aghast at his impiety, and
one and all attributed our forty days’ beating about that horrid headland
to his sacrilegious slaughter of these inoffensive birds.
At Tior, he evinced the same disregard for the religious prejudices of the
islanders as he had previously shown for the superstitions of the sailors.
Having heard that there were a considerable number of fowls in the
valley—the progeny of some cocks and hens accidentally left there by an
English vessel, and which, being strictly tabooed, flew about almost in a
wild state—he determined to break through all restraints, and be the death
of them. Accordingly, he provided himself with a most formidable-looking
gun, and announced his landing on the beach by shooting down a noble cock,
that was crowing what proved to be his own funeral dirge on the limb of an
adjoining tree. “Taboo,” shrieked the affrighted savages. “Oh, hang your
taboo,” says the nautical sportsman; “talk taboo to the marines”; and bang
went the piece again, and down came another victim. At this the natives
ran scampering through the groves, horror-struck at the enormity of the
act.
All that afternoon the rocky sides of the valley rang with successive
reports, and the superb plumage of many a beautiful fowl was ruffled by
the fatal bullet. Had it not been that the French admiral, with a large
party, was then in the glen, I have no doubt that the natives, although
their tribe was small and dispirited, would have inflicted summary
vengeance upon the man who thus outraged their most sacred institutions;
as it was, they contrived to annoy him not a little.
Thirsting with his exertions, the skipper directed his steps to a stream;
but the savages, who had followed at a little distance, perceiving his
object, rushed towards him and forced him away from its bank—his lips
would have polluted it. Wearied at last, he sought to enter a house that
he might rest for awhile on the mats; its inmates gathered tumultuously
about the door and denied him admittance. He coaxed and blustered by
turns, but in vain; the natives were neither to be intimidated nor
appeased, and as a final resort he was obliged to call together his boat’s
crew, and pull away from what he termed the most infernal place he ever
stepped upon.
Lucky was it for him and for us that we were not honoured on our departure
by a salute of stones from the hands of the exasperated Tiors. In this
way, on the neighbouring island of Ropo, were killed, but a few weeks
previously, and for a nearly similar offence, the master and three of the
crew of the K——.
I cannot determine, with anything approaching to certainty, what power it
is that imposes the taboo. When I consider the slight disparity of
condition among the islanders—the very limited and inconsiderable
prerogatives of the king and chiefs—and the loose and indefinite functions
of the priesthood, most of whom were hardly to be distinguished from the
rest of their countrymen, I am wholly at a loss where to look for the
authority which regulates this potent institution. It is imposed upon
something to-day, and withdrawn to-morrow; while its operations in other
cases are perpetual. Sometimes its restrictions only affect a single
individual—sometimes a particular family—sometimes a whole tribe; and, in
a few instances, they extend not merely over the various clans on a single
island, but over all the inhabitants of an entire group. In illustration
of this latter peculiarity, I may cite the law which forbids a female to
enter a canoe—a prohibition which prevails upon all the northern Marquesas
Islands.
The word itself (taboo) is used in more than one signification. It is
sometimes used by a parent to his child, when, in the exercise of parental
authority, he forbids it to perform a particular action. Anything opposed
to the ordinary customs of the islanders, although not expressly
prohibited, is said to be “taboo.”
The Typee language is one very difficult to be acquired; it bears a close
resemblance to the other Polynesian dialects, all of which show a common
origin. The duplication of words, as “lumee lumee,” “poee poee,” “muee
muee,” is one of their peculiar features. But another, and a more annoying
one, is the different sense in which one and the same word is employed;
its various meanings all have a certain connection, which only makes the
matter more puzzling. So one brisk, lively little word is obliged, like a
servant in a poor family, to perform all sorts of duties. For instance—one
particular combination of syllables expresses the ideas of sleep, rest,
reclining, sitting, leaning, and all other things anyways analogous
thereto, the particular meaning being shown chiefly by a variety of
gestures, and the eloquent expression of the countenance.
CHAPTER XXX
Strange custom of the islanders—Their chanting, and the
peculiarity of their voice—Rapture of the king at first hearing a
song—A new dignity conferred on the author—Musical instruments in
the valley—Admiration of the savages at beholding a pugilistic
performance—Swimming infant—Beautiful tresses of the
girls—Ointment for the hair.
Sadly discursive as I have already been, I must still further entreat the
reader’s patience, as I am about to string together, without any attempt
at order, a few odds and ends of things not hitherto mentioned, but which
are either curious in themselves, or peculiar to the Typees.
There was one singular custom, observed in old Marheyo’s domestic
establishment, which often excited my surprise. Every night, before
retiring, the inmates of the house gathered together on the mats, and
squatting upon their haunches, after the universal practice of these
islanders, would commence a low, dismal, and monotonous chant,
accompanying the voice with the instrumental melody produced by two small
half-rotten sticks tapped slowly together, a pair of which were held in
the hands of each person present. Thus would they employ themselves for an
hour or two, sometimes longer. Lying in the gloom which wrapped the
farther end of the house, I could not avoid looking at them, although the
spectacle suggested nothing but unpleasant reflections. The flickering
rays of the “armor” nut just served to reveal their savage lineaments,
without dispelling the darkness that hovered about them.
Sometimes when, after falling into a kind of doze, and awaking suddenly in
the midst of these doleful chantings, my eye would fall upon the
wild-looking group engaged in their strange occupation, with their naked
tattooed limbs, and shaven heads disposed in a circle, I was almost
tempted to believe that I gazed upon a set of evil beings in the act of
working a frightful incantation.
What was the meaning or purpose of this custom, whether it was practised
merely as a diversion, or whether it was a religious exercise, a sort of
family prayers, I never could discover.
The sounds produced by the natives on these occasions were of a most
singular description; and had I not actually been present, I never would
have believed that such curious noises could have been produced by human
beings.
To savages, generally, is imputed a guttural articulation. This, however,
is not always the case, especially among the inhabitants of the Polynesian
Archipelago. The labial melody with which the Typee girls carry on an
ordinary conversation, giving a musical prolongation to the final syllable
of every sentence, and chirping out some of the words with a liquid,
bird-like accent, was singularly pleasing.
The men, however, are not quite so harmonious in their utterance; and when
excited upon any subject, would work themselves up into a sort of wordy
paroxysm, during which all descriptions of rough-sided sounds were
projected from their mouths, with a force and rapidity which was
absolutely astonishing.
* * * * * * * * * *
Although these savages are remarkably fond of chanting, still they appear
to have no idea whatever of singing, at least as the art is practised
among other nations.
I never shall forget the first time I happened to roar out a stave in the
presence of the noble Mehevi. It was a stanza from the “Bavarian
Broom-seller.” His Typean majesty, with all his court, gazed upon me in
amazement, as if I had displayed some preternatural faculty which Heaven
had denied to them. The king was delighted with the verse; but the chorus
fairly transported him. At his solicitation, I sang it again and again,
and nothing could be more ludicrous than his vain attempts to catch the
air and the words. The royal savage seemed to think that by screwing all
the features of his face into the end of his nose, he might possibly
succeed in the undertaking, but it failed to answer the purpose; and in
the end he gave it up, and consoled himself by listening to my repetition
of the sounds fifty times over.
Previous to Mehevi’s making the discovery, I had never been aware that
there was anything of the nightingale about me; but I was now promoted to
the place of court minstrel, in which capacity I was afterwards
perpetually called upon to officiate.
* * * * * * * * * *
Besides the sticks and the drums, there are no other musical instruments
among the Typees, except one which might appropriately be denominated a
nasal flute. It is somewhat longer than an ordinary fife, is made of a
beautiful scarlet-coloured reed, and has four or five stops, with a large
hole near one end, which latter is held just beneath the left nostril. The
other nostril being closed by a peculiar movement of the muscles about the
nose, the breath is forced into the tube, and produces a soft dulcet
sound, which is varied by the fingers running at random over the stops.
This is a favourite recreation with the females, and one in which Fayaway
greatly excelled. Awkward as such an instrument may appear, it was, in
Fayaway’s delicate little hands, one of the most graceful I have ever
seen. A young lady in the act of tormenting a guitar, strung about her
neck by a couple of yards of blue ribbon, is not half so engaging.
* * * * * * * * * *
Singing was not the only means I possessed of diverting the royal Mehevi
and his easy-going subjects. Nothing afforded them more pleasure than to
see me go through the attitudes of a pugilistic encounter. As not one of
the natives had soul enough in him to stand up like a man, and allow me to
hammer away at him, for my own personal gratification and that of the
king, I was necessitated to fight with an imaginary enemy, whom I
invariably made to knock under to my superior prowess. Sometimes, when
this sorely battered shadow retreated precipitately towards a group of the
savages, and, following him up, I rushed among them, dealing my blows
right and left, they would disperse in all directions, much to the
enjoyment of Mehevi, the chiefs, and themselves.
The noble art of self-defence appeared to be regarded by them as the
peculiar gift of the white man; and I make little doubt but that they
supposed armies of Europeans were drawn up provided with nothing else but
bony fists and stout hearts, with which they set to in column, and
pummelled one another at the word of command.
* * * * * * * * * *
One day, in company with Kory-Kory, I had repaired to the stream for the
purpose of bathing, when I observed a woman sitting upon a rock in the
midst of the current, and watching with the liveliest interest the gambols
of something, which at first I took to be an uncommonly large species of
frog that was sporting in the water near her. Attracted by the novelty of
the sight, I waded towards the spot where she sat, and could hardly credit
the evidence of my senses when I beheld a little infant, the period of
whose birth could not have extended back many days, paddling about as if
it had just risen to the surface, after being hatched into existence at
the bottom. Occasionally the delighted parent reached out her hand towards
it, when the little thing, uttering a faint cry, and striking out its tiny
limbs, would sidle for the rock, and the next moment be clasped to its
mother’s bosom. This was repeated again and again, the baby remaining in
the stream about a minute at a time. Once or twice it made wry faces at
swallowing a mouthful of water, and choked and spluttered as if on the
point of strangling. At such times, however, the mother snatched it up,
and by a process scarcely to be mentioned obliged it to eject the fluid.
For several weeks afterward I observed the woman bringing her child down
to the stream regularly every day, in the cool of the morning and evening,
and treating it to a bath. No wonder that the South Sea islanders are so
amphibious a race, when they are thus launched into the water as soon as
they see the light. I am convinced that it is as natural for a human being
to swim as it is for a duck. And yet, in civilized communities, how many
able-bodied individuals die, like so many drowning kittens, from the
occurrence of the most trivial accidents!
* * * * * * * * * *
The long, luxuriant, and glossy tresses of the Typee damsels often
attracted my admiration. A fine head of hair is the pride and joy of every
woman’s heart! Whether, against the express will of Providence, it is
twisted up on the crown of the head and there coiled away; whether it be
built up in a great tower, with combs and pins, or is plastered over the
head in sleek, shiny folds; or whether it be permitted to flow over the
shoulders in natural ringlets, it is always the pride of the owner, and
the glory of the toilette.
The Typee girls devote much of their time to the dressing of their hair
and redundant locks. After bathing, as they sometimes do five or six times
every day, the hair is carefully dried, and if they have been in the sea,
invariably washed in fresh water, and anointed with a highly-scented oil
extracted from the meat of the cocoa-nut. This oil is obtained in great
abundance, by the following very simple process:—
A large vessel of wood, with holes perforated in the bottom, is filled
with the pounded meat, and exposed to the rays of the sun. As the
oleaginous matter exudes, it falls in drops through the apertures into a
wide-mouthed calabash placed underneath. After a sufficient quantity has
thus been collected, the oil undergoes a purifying process, and is then
poured into the small spherical shells of the nuts of the moo-tree, which
are hollowed out to receive it. These nuts are then hermetically sealed
with a resinous gum, and the vegetable fragrance of their green rind soon
imparts to the oil a delightful odour. After a lapse of a few weeks, the
exterior shell of the nuts becomes quite dry and hard, and assumes a
beautiful carnation tint; and when opened they are found to be about
two-thirds full of an ointment of a light yellow colour, and diffusing the
sweetest perfume. This elegant little odorous globe would not be out of
place even upon the toilette of a queen. Its merits as a preparation for
the hair are undeniable,—it imparts to it a superb gloss and a silky
fineness.
CHAPTER XXXI
Apprehensions of evil—Frightful discovery—Some remarks on
cannibalism—Second battle with the Happars—Savage
spectacle—Mysterious feast—Subsequent disclosures.
From the time of my casual encounter with Karky the artist, my life was
one of absolute wretchedness. Not a day passed but I was persecuted by the
solicitations of some of the natives to subject myself to the odious
operation of tattooing. Their importunities drove me half wild, for I felt
how easily they might work their will upon me regarding this, or anything
else which they took into their heads. Still, however, the behaviour of
the islanders toward me was as kind as ever. Faraway was quite as
engaging; Kory-Kory as devoted; and Mehevi the king just as gracious and
condescending as before. But I had now been three months in their valley,
as nearly as I could estimate; I had grown familiar with the narrow limits
to which my wanderings had been confined; and I began bitterly to feel the
state of captivity in which I was held. There was no one with whom I could
freely converse; no one to whom I could communicate my thoughts; no one
who could sympathize with my sufferings. A thousand times I thought how
much more endurable would have been my lot had Toby still been with me.
But I was left alone, and the thought was terrible to me. Still, despite
my griefs, I did all in my power to appear composed and cheerful, well
knowing that by manifesting any uneasiness, or any desire to escape, I
should only frustrate my object.
It was during the period I was in this unhappy frame of mind, that the
painful malady under which I had been labouring—after having almost
completely subsided—began again to show itself, and with symptoms as
violent as ever. This added calamity nearly unmanned me; the recurrence of
the complaint proved that, without powerful remedial applications, all
hope of cure was futile; and when I reflected that just beyond the
elevations which bound me in, was the medical relief I needed, and that,
although so near, it was impossible for me to avail myself of it, the
thought was misery.
In this wretched situation, every circumstance which evinced the savage
nature of the beings at whose mercy I was, augmented the fearful
apprehensions that consumed me. An occurrence which happened about this
time affected me most powerfully.
I have already mentioned, that from the ridge-pole of Marheyo’s house were
suspended a number of packages enveloped in tappa. Many of these I had
often seen in the hands of the natives, and their contents had been
examined in my presence. But there were three packages hanging very nearly
over the place where I lay, which from their remarkable appearance had
often excited my curiosity. Several times I had asked Kory-Kory to show me
their contents; but my servitor, who in almost every other particular had
acceded to my wishes, always refused to gratify me in this.
One day, returning unexpectedly from the Ti, my arrival seemed to throw
the inmates of the house into the greatest confusion. They were seated
together on the mats, and by the lines which extended from the roof to the
floor I immediately perceived that the mysterious packages were, for some
purpose or other, under inspection. The evident alarm the savages betrayed
filled me with forebodings of evil, and with an uncontrollable desire to
penetrate the secret so jealously guarded. Despite the efforts of Marheyo
and Kory-Kory to restrain me, I forced my way into the midst of the
circle, and just caught a glimpse of three human heads, which others of
the party were hurriedly enveloping in the coverings from which they had
been taken.
One of the three I distinctly saw. It was in a state of perfect
preservation, and from the slight glimpse I had of it, seemed to have been
subjected to some smoking operation which had reduced it to the dry, hard,
and mummy-like appearance it presented. The two long scalp-locks were
twisted up into balls upon the crown of the head, in the same way that the
individual had worn them during life. The sunken cheeks were rendered yet
more ghastly by the rows of glistening teeth which protruded from between
the lips, while the sockets of the eyes—filled with oval bits of
mother-of-pearl shell, with a black spot in the centre—heightened the
hideousness of its aspect.
Two of the three were heads of the islanders; but the third, to my horror,
was that of a white man. Although it had been quickly removed from my
sight, still the glimpse I had of it was enough to convince me that I
could not be mistaken.
Gracious God! what dreadful thoughts entered my mind. In solving this
mystery, perhaps I had solved another, and the fate of my lost companion
might be revealed in the shocking spectacle I had just witnessed. I longed
to have torn off the folds of cloth, and satisfied the awful doubts under
which I laboured. But before I had recovered from the consternation into
which I had been thrown, the fatal packages were hoisted aloft and once
more swung over my head. The natives now gathered round me tumultuously,
and laboured to convince me that what I had just seen were the heads of
three Happar warriors, who had been slain in battle. This glaring
falsehood added to my alarm, and it was not until I reflected that I had
observed the packages swinging from their elevation before Toby’s
disappearance, that I could at all recover my composure.
But although this horrible apprehension had been dispelled, I had
discovered enough to fill me, in my present state of mind, with the most
bitter reflections. It was plain that I had seen the last relic of some
unfortunate wretch, who must have been massacred on the beach by the
savages, in one of those perilous trading adventures which I have before
described.
It was not, however, alone the murder of the stranger that overcame me
with gloom. I shuddered at the idea of the subsequent fate his inanimate
body might have met with. Was the same doom reserved for me? Was I
destined to perish like him—like him, perhaps, to be devoured, and my head
to be preserved as a fearful memento of the event? My imagination ran riot
in these horrid speculations, and I felt certain that the worst possible
evils would befall me. But whatever were my misgivings, I studiously
concealed them from the islanders, as well as the full extent of the
discovery I had made.
Although the assurances which the Typees had often given me, that they
never ate human flesh, had not convinced me that such was the case, yet,
having been so long a time in the valley without witnessing anything which
indicated the existence of the practice, I began to hope that it was an
event of very rare occurrence, and that I should be spared the horror of
witnessing it during my stay among them: but, alas! these hopes were soon
destroyed.
It is a singular fact, that in all our accounts of cannibal tribes we have
seldom received the testimony of an eye-witness to the revolting practice.
The horrible conclusion has almost always been derived from the
second-hand evidence of Europeans, or else from the admissions of the
savages themselves, after they have in some degree become civilized. The
Polynesians are aware of the detestation in which Europeans hold this
custom, and therefore invariably deny its existence, and, with the craft
peculiar to savages, endeavour to conceal every trace of it.
But to my story.
About a week after my discovery of the contents of the mysterious
packages, I happened to be at the Ti, when another war-alarm was sounded,
and the natives, rushing to their arms, sallied out to resist a second
incursion of the Happar invaders. The same scene was again repeated, only
that on this occasion I heard at least fifteen reports of muskets from the
mountains during the time that the skirmish lasted. An hour or two after
its termination, loud pæans chanted through the valley announced the
approach of the victors. I stood with Kory-Kory leaning against the
railing of the pi-pi, awaiting their advance, when a tumultuous crowd of
islanders emerged with wild clamours from the neighbouring groves. In the
midst of them marched four men, one preceding the other at regular
intervals of eight or ten feet, with poles of a corresponding length,
extending from shoulder to shoulder, to which were lashed with thongs of
bark three long narrow bundles, carefully wrapped in ample coverings of
freshly plucked palm-leaves, tacked together with slivers of bamboo. Here
and there upon these green winding-sheets might be seen the stains of
blood, while the warriors who carried the frightful burdens displayed upon
their naked limbs similar sanguinary marks. The shaven head of the
foremost had a deep gash upon it, and the clotted gore which had flowed
from the wound remained in dry patches around it. The savage seemed to be
sinking under the weight he bore. The bright tattooing upon his body was
covered with blood and dust; his inflamed eyes rolled in their sockets,
and his whole appearance denoted extraordinary suffering and exertion;
yet, sustained by some powerful impulse, he continued to advance, while
the throng around him with wild cheers sought to encourage him. The other
three men were marked about the arms and breasts with several slight
wounds, which they somewhat ostentatiously displayed.
These four individuals, having been the most active in the late encounter,
claimed the honour of bearing the bodies of their slain enemies to the Ti.
Such was the conclusion I drew from my own observations, and, as far as I
could understand, from the explanation which Kory-Kory gave me.
The royal Mehevi walked by the side of these heroes. He carried in one
hand a musket, from the barrel of which was suspended a small canvas pouch
of powder, and in the other he grasped a short javelin, which he held
before him and regarded with fierce exultation. This javelin he had
wrested from a celebrated champion of the Happars, who had ignominiously
fled, and was pursued by his foes beyond the summit of the mountain.
When within a short distance of the Ti, the warrior with the wounded head,
who proved to be Narmonee, tottered forward two or three steps, and fell
helplessly to the ground; but not before another had caught the end of the
pole from his shoulder, and placed it upon his own.
The excited throng of islanders, who surrounded the person of the king and
the dead bodies of the enemy, approached the spot where I stood,
brandishing their rude implements of warfare, many of which were bruised
and broken, and uttering continual shouts of triumph. When the crowd drew
up opposite the Ti, I set myself to watch their proceedings most
attentively; but scarcely had they halted when my servitor, who had left
my side for an instant, touched my arm, and proposed our returning to
Marheyo’s house. To this I objected; but, to my surprise, Kory-Kory
reiterated his request, and with an unusual vehemence of manner. Still,
however, I refused to comply, and was retreating before him, as in his
importunity he pressed upon me, when I felt a heavy hand laid upon my
shoulder, and turning round, encountered the bulky form of Mow-Mow, a
one-eyed chief, who had just detached himself from the crowd below, and
had mounted the rear of the pi-pi upon which we stood. His cheek had been
pierced by the point of a spear, and the wound imparted a still more
frightful expression to his hideously tattooed face, already deformed by
the loss of an eye. The warrior, without uttering a syllable, pointed
fiercely in the direction of Marheyo’s house, while Kory-Kory, at the same
time presenting his back, desired me to mount.
I declined this offer, but intimated my willingness to withdraw, and moved
slowly along the piazza, wondering what could be the cause of this unusual
treatment. A few minutes’ consideration convinced me that the savages were
about to celebrate some hideous rite in connexion with their peculiar
customs, and at which they were determined I should not be present. I
descended from the pi-pi, and attended by Kory-Kory, who on this occasion
did not show his usual commiseration for my lameness, but seemed only
anxious to hurry me on, walked away from the place. As I passed through
the noisy throng, which by this time completely environed the Ti, I looked
with fearful curiosity at the three packages, which now were deposited
upon the ground; but although I had no doubt as to their contents, still
their thick coverings prevented my actually detecting the form of a human
body.
The next morning, shortly after sunrise, the same thundering sounds which
had awakened me from sleep on the second day of the Feast of Calabashes,
assured me that the savages were on the eve of celebrating another, and,
as I fully believed, a horrible solemnity.
All the inmates of the house, with the exception of Marheyo, his son, and
Tinor, after assuming their gala dresses, departed in the direction of the
Taboo Groves.
Although I did not anticipate a compliance with my request, still, with a
view of testing the truth of my suspicions, I proposed to Kory-Kory that,
according to our usual custom in the morning, we should take a stroll to
the Ti: he positively refused; and when I renewed the request, he evinced
his determination to prevent my going there; and, to divert my mind from
the subject, he offered to accompany me to the stream. We accordingly
went, and bathed. On our coming back to the house, I was surprised to find
that all its inmates had returned, and were lounging upon the mats as
usual, although the drums still sounded from the groves.
The rest of the day I spent with Kory-Kory and Fayaway, wandering about a
part of the valley situated in an opposite direction from the Ti, and
whenever I so much as looked towards that building, although it was hidden
from view by intervening trees, and at the distance of more than a mile,
my attendant would exclaim, “Taboo, taboo!”
At the various houses where we stopped, I found many of the inhabitants
reclining at their ease, or pursuing some light occupation, as if nothing
unusual were going forward; but amongst them all I did not perceive a
single chief or warrior. When I asked several of the people why they were
not at the “Hoolah Hoolah” (the feast), they uniformly answered the
question in a manner which implied that it was not intended for them, but
for Mehevi, Narmonee, Mow-Mow, Kolor, Womonoo, Kalow, running over, in
their desire to make me comprehend their meaning, the names of all the
principal chiefs.
Everything, in short, strengthened my suspicions with regard to the nature
of the festival they were now celebrating; and which amounted almost to a
certainty. While in Nukuheva I had frequently been informed that the whole
tribe were never present at these cannibal banquets, but the chiefs and
priests only; and everything I now observed agreed with the account.
The sound of the drums continued without intermission the whole day, and
falling continually upon my ear, caused me a sensation of horror which I
am unable to describe. On the following day, hearing none of those noisy
indications of revelry, I concluded that the inhuman feast was terminated,
and feeling a kind of morbid curiosity to discover whether the Ti might
furnish any evidence of what had taken place there, I proposed to
Kory-Kory to walk there. To this proposition he replied by pointing with
his finger to the newly-risen sun, and then up to the zenith, intimating
that our visit must be deferred until noon. Shortly after that hour we
accordingly proceeded to the Taboo Groves, and as soon as we entered their
precincts, I looked fearfully round in quest of some memorial of the scene
which had so lately been acted there; but everything appeared as usual. On
reaching the Ti, we found Mehevi and a few chiefs reclining on the mats,
who gave me as friendly a reception as ever. No allusions of any kind were
made by them to the recent events; and I refrained, for obvious reasons,
from referring to them myself.
After staying a short time, I took my leave. In passing along the piazza,
previously to descending from the pi-pi, I observed a curiously carved
vessel of wood, of considerable size, with a cover placed over it, of the
same material, and which resembled in shape a small canoe. It was
surrounded by a low railing of bamboos, the top of which was scarcely a
foot from the ground. As the vessel had been placed in its present
position since my last visit, I at once concluded that it must have some
connexion with the recent festival; and, prompted by a curiosity I could
not repress, in passing it I raised one end of the cover; at the same
moment the chiefs, perceiving my design, loudly ejaculated, “Taboo!
taboo!” But the slight glimpse sufficed; my eyes fell upon the disordered
members of a human skeleton, the bones still fresh with moisture, and with
particles of flesh clinging to them here and there!
Kory-Kory, who had been a little in advance of me, attracted by the
exclamations of the chiefs, turned round in time to witness the expression
of horror on my countenance. He now hurried towards me, pointing at the
same time to the canoe, and exclaiming, rapidly, “Puarkee! puarkee!” (Pig,
pig.) I pretended to yield to the deception, and repeated the words after
him several times, as though acquiescing in what he said. The other
savages, either deceived by my conduct, or unwilling to manifest their
displeasure at what could not now be remedied, took no further notice of
the occurrence, and I immediately left the Ti.
All that night I lay awake, revolving in my mind the fearful situation in
which I was placed. The last horrid revelation had now been made, and the
full sense of my condition rushed upon my mind with a force I had never
before experienced.
Where, thought I, desponding, is there the slightest prospect of escape?
The only person who seemed to possess the ability to assist me was the
stranger, Marnoo; but would he ever return to the valley? and if he did,
should I be permitted to hold any communication with him? It seemed as if
I were cut off from every source of hope, and that nothing remained but
passively to await whatever fate was in store for me. A thousand times I
endeavoured to account for the mysterious conduct of the natives. For what
conceivable purpose did they thus retain me a captive? What could be their
object in treating me with such apparent kindness, and did it not cover
some treacherous scheme? Or, if they had no other design than to hold me a
prisoner, how should I be able to pass away my days in this narrow valley,
deprived of all intercourse with civilized beings, and for ever separated
from friends and home?
One only hope remained to me. The French could not long defer a visit to
the bay, and if they should permanently locate any of their troops in the
valley, the savages could not for any length of time conceal my existence
from them. But what reason had I to suppose that I should be spared until
such an event occurred—an event which might be postponed by a hundred
different contingencies?
CHAPTER XXXII
The stranger again arrives in the valley—Singular interview with
him—Attempt to escape—Failure—Melancholy situation—Sympathy of
Marheyo.
“Marnoo, Marnoo pemi!” Such were the welcome sounds which fell upon my ear
some ten days after the event related in the preceding chapter. Once more
the approach of the stranger was heralded, and the intelligence operated
upon me like magic. Again I should be able to converse with him in my own
language; and I resolved, at all hazards, to concert with him some scheme,
however desperate, to rescue me from a condition that had now become
insupportable.
As he drew near, I remembered with many misgivings the inauspicious
termination of our former interview; and when he entered the house, I
watched with intense anxiety the reception he met with from its inmates.
To my joy, his appearance was hailed with the liveliest pleasure; and
accosting me kindly, he seated himself by my side, and entered into
conversation with the natives around him. It soon appeared, however, that
on this occasion he had not any intelligence of importance to communicate.
I inquired of him from whence he had last come? He replied, from Pueearka,
his native valley, and that he intended to return to it the same day.
At once it struck me that, could I but reach that valley under his
protection, I might easily from thence reach Nukuheva by water; and,
animated by the prospect which this plan held out, I disclosed it in a few
brief words to the stranger, and asked him how it could be best
accomplished. My heart sunk within me when, in his broken English, he
answered me that it could never be effected. “Kannaka no let you go
nowhere,” he said, “you taboo. Why you no like to stay? Plenty moee-moee
(sleep)—plenty ki-ki (eat)—plenty whihenee (young girls). Oh, very good
place, Typee! Suppose you no like this bay, why you come? You no hear
about Typee? All white men afraid Typee, so no white men come.”
These words distressed me beyond belief; and when I again related to him
the circumstances under which I had descended into the valley and sought
to enlist his sympathies in my behalf, by appealing to the bodily misery I
endured, he listened to me with impatience, and cut me short by
exclaiming, passionately, “Me no hear you talk any more; by by Kannaka get
mad, kill you and me too. No, you see he no want you to speak to me at
all?—you see—ah! by by you no mind—you get well, he kill you, eat you,
hang you head up there, like Happar Kannaka. Now you listen—but no talk
any more. By by I go;—you see way I go. Ah! then some night Kannaka all
moee-moee (sleep)—you run away—you come Pueearka. I speak Pueearka
Kannaka—he no harm you—ah! then I take you my canoe Nukuheva, and you no
run away ship no more.” With these words, enforced by a vehemence of
gesture I cannot describe, Marnoo started from my side, and immediately
engaged in conversation with some of the chiefs who had entered the house.
It would have been idle for me to have attempted resuming the interview so
peremptorily terminated by Marnoo, who was evidently little disposed to
compromise his own safety by any rash endeavours to ensure mine. But the
plan he had suggested struck me as one which might possibly be
accomplished, and I resolved to act upon it as speedily as possible.
Accordingly, when he arose to depart, I accompanied him, with the natives,
outside of the house, with a view of carefully noting the path he would
take in leaving the valley. Just before leaping from the pi-pi, he clasped
my hand, and, looking significantly at me, exclaimed, “Now you see you do
what I tell you—ah! then you do good;—you no do so—ah! then you die.” The
next moment he waved his spear in adieu to the islanders, and, following
the route that conducted to a defile in the mountains lying opposite the
Happar side, was soon out of sight.
A mode of escape was now presented to me; but how was I to avail myself of
it? I was continually surrounded by the savages; I could not stir from one
house to another without being attended by some of them; and even during
the hours devoted to slumber, the slightest movement which I made seemed
to attract the notice of those who shared the mats with me. In spite of
these obstacles, however, I determined forthwith to make the attempt. To
do so with any prospect of success, it was necessary that I should have at
least two hours’ start before the islanders should discover my absence;
for with such facility was any alarm spread through the valley, and so
familiar, of course, were the inhabitants with the intricacies of the
groves, that I could not hope, lame and feeble as I was, and ignorant of
the route, to secure my escape unless I had this advantage. It was also by
night alone that I could hope to accomplish my object, and then only by
adopting the utmost precaution.
The entrance to Marheyo’s habitation was through a low narrow opening in
its wicker-work front. This passage, for no conceivable reason that I
could devise, was always closed after the household had retired to rest,
by drawing a heavy slide across it, composed of a dozen or more bits of
wood, ingeniously fastened together by seizings of sinnate. When any of
the inmates chose to go outside, the noise occasioned by the removing of
this rude door awakened everybody else; and on more than one occasion I
had remarked that the islanders were nearly as irritable as more civilized
beings under similar circumstances.
The difficulty thus placed in my way I determined to obviate in the
following manner. I would get up boldly in the course of the night, and,
drawing the slide, issue from the house, and pretend that my object was
merely to procure a drink from the calabash, which always stood without
the dwelling on the corner of the pi-pi. On re-entering I would purposely
omit closing the passage after me, and trusting that the indolence of the
savages would prevent them from repairing my neglect, would return to my
mat, and waiting patiently until all were again asleep, I would then steal
forth, and at once take the route to Pueearka.
[Illustration: ABOUT MIDNIGHT I AROSE AND DREW THE SLIDE]
The very night which followed Marnoo’s departure, I proceeded to put this
project into execution. About midnight, as I imagined, I arose and drew
the slide. The natives, just as I had expected, started up, while some of
them asked, “Arware poo awa, Tommo?” (where are you going, Tommo?) “Wai,”
(water,) I laconically answered, grasping the calabash. On hearing my
reply they sank back again, and in a minute or two I returned to my mat,
anxiously awaiting the result of the experiment.
One after another the savages, turning restlessly, appeared to resume
their slumbers, and, rejoicing at the stillness which prevailed, I was
about to rise again from my couch, when I heard a slight rustling—a dark
form was intercepted between me and the doorway—the slide was drawn across
it, and the individual, whoever he was, returned to his mat. This was a
sad blow to me; but as it might have aroused the suspicions of the
islanders to have made another attempt that night, I was reluctantly
obliged to defer it until the next. Several times after I repeated the
same manœuvre, but with as little success as before. As my pretence for
withdrawing from the house was to allay my thirst, Kory-Kory, either
suspecting some design on my part, or else prompted by a desire to please
me, regularly every evening placed a calabash of water by my side.
Even under these inauspicious circumstances I again and again renewed the
attempt; but when I did so, my valet always rose with me, as if determined
I should not remove myself from his observation. For the present,
therefore, I was obliged to abandon the attempt; but I endeavoured to
console myself with the idea, that by this mode I might yet effect my
escape.
Shortly after Marnoo’s visit I was reduced to such a state, that it was
with extreme difficulty I could walk, even with the assistance of a spear,
and Kory-Kory, as formerly, was obliged to carry me daily to the stream.
For hours and hours, during the warmest part of the day, I lay upon my
mat, and while those around me were nearly all dozing away in careless
ease, I remained awake, gloomily pondering over the fate which it appeared
now idle for me to resist. When I thought of the loved friends who were
thousands and thousands of miles from the savage island in which I was
held a captive—when I reflected that my dreadful fate would for ever be
concealed from them, and that, with hope deferred, they might continue to
await my return long after my inanimate form had blended with the dust of
the valley, I could not repress a shudder of anguish.
How vividly is impressed upon my mind every minute feature of the scene
which met my view during those long days of suffering and sorrow. At my
request my mats were always spread directly facing the door, opposite
which, and at a little distance, was the hut of boughs that Marheyo was
building.
Whenever my gentle Fayaway and Kory-Kory, laying themselves down beside
me, would leave me awhile to uninterrupted repose, I took a strange
interest in the slightest movements of the eccentric old warrior. All
alone, during the stillness of the tropical mid-day, he would pursue his
quiet work, sitting in the shade and weaving together the leaflets of his
cocoa-nut branches, or rolling upon his knee the twisted fibres of bark to
form the cords with which he tied together the thatching of his tiny
house. Frequently suspending his employment, and noticing my melancholy
eye fixed upon him, he would raise his hand with a gesture expressive of
deep commiseration, and then, moving towards me slowly, would enter on
tip-toes, fearful of disturbing the slumbering natives, and, taking the
fan from my hand, would sit before me, swaying it gently to and fro, and
gazing earnestly into my face.
Just beyond the pi-pi, and disposed in a triangle before the entrance of
the house, were three magnificent bread-fruit trees. At this moment I can
recall to my mind their slender shafts, and the graceful inequalities of
their bark, on which my eye was accustomed to dwell, day after day, in the
midst of my solitary musings. It is strange how inanimate objects will
twine themselves into our affections, especially in the hour of
affliction. Even now, amidst all the bustle and stir of the proud and busy
city in which I am dwelling, the image of those three trees seems to come
as vividly before my eyes as if they were actually present, and I still
feel the soothing quiet pleasure which I then had in watching, hour after
hour, their topmost boughs waving gracefully in the breeze.
CHAPTER XXXIII
The escape.
Nearly three weeks had elapsed since the second visit of Marnoo, and it
must have been more than four months since I entered the valley, when one
day, about noon, and whilst everything was in profound silence, Mow-Mow,
the one-eyed chief, suddenly appeared at the door, and leaning forward
towards me as I lay directly facing him, said, in a low tone, “Toby pemi
ena,” (Toby has arrived here.) Gracious heaven! What a tumult of emotions
rushed upon me at this startling intelligence! Insensible to the pain that
had before distracted me, I leaped to my feet, and called wildly to
Kory-Kory, who was reposing by my side. The startled islanders sprang from
their mats; the news was quickly communicated to them; and the next moment
I was making my way to the Ti on the back of Kory-Kory, and surrounded by
the excited savages.
All that I could comprehend of the particulars which Mow-Mow rehearsed to
his auditors as we proceeded, was that my long-lost companion had arrived
in a boat which had just entered the bay. These tidings made me most
anxious to be carried at once to the sea, lest some untoward circumstance
should prevent our meeting; but to this they would not consent, and
continued their course towards the royal abode. As we approached it,
Mehevi and several chiefs showed themselves from the piazza, and called
upon us loudly to come to them.
As soon as we had approached, I endeavoured to make them understand that I
was going down to the sea to meet Toby. To this the king objected, and
motioned Kory-Kory to bring me into the house. It was in vain to resist;
and in a few moments I found myself within the Ti, surrounded by a noisy
group engaged in discussing the recent intelligence. Toby’s name was
frequently repeated, coupled with violent exclamations of astonishment. It
seemed as if they yet remained in doubt with regard to the fact of his
arrival, and at every fresh report that was brought from the shore they
betrayed the liveliest emotions.
Almost frenzied at being held in this state of suspense, I passionately
besought Mehevi to permit me to proceed. Whether my companion had arrived
or not, I felt a presentiment that my own fate was about to be decided.
Again and again I renewed my petition to Mehevi. He regarded me with a
fixed and serious eye, but at length, yielding to my importunity,
reluctantly granted my request.
Accompanied by some fifty of the natives, I now rapidly continued my
journey, every few moments being transferred from the back of one to
another, and urging my bearer forward all the while with earnest
entreaties. As I thus hurried forward, no doubt as to the truth of the
information I had received ever crossed my mind. I was alive only to the
one overwhelming idea, that a chance of deliverance was now afforded me,
if the jealous opposition of the savages could be overcome.
Having been prohibited from approaching the sea during the whole of my
stay in the valley, I had always associated with it the idea of escape.
Toby, too,—if indeed he had ever voluntarily deserted me,—must have
effected his flight by the sea; and now that I was drawing near to it
myself, I indulged in hopes which I had never felt before. It was evident
that a boat had entered the bay, and I saw little reason to doubt the
truth of the report that it had brought my companion. Every time,
therefore, that we gained an elevation, I looked eagerly around, hoping to
behold him.
In the midst of an excited throng, who by their violent gestures and wild
cries appeared to be under the influence of some excitement as strong as
my own, I was now borne along at a rapid trot, frequently stooping my head
to avoid the branches which crossed the path, and never ceasing to implore
those who carried me to accelerate their already swift pace.
In this manner we had proceeded about four or five miles, when we were met
by a party of some twenty islanders, between whom and those who
accompanied me ensued an animated conference. Impatient of the delay
occasioned by this interruption, I was beseeching the man who carried me
to proceed without his loitering companions, when Kory-Kory, running to my
side, informed me, in three fatal words, that the news had all proved
false—that Toby had not arrived—“Toby owlee permi.” Heaven only knows how,
in the state of mind and body I then was, I ever sustained the agony which
this intelligence caused me; not that the news was altogether unexpected,
but I had trusted that the fact might not have been made known until we
should have arrived upon the beach. As it was, I at once foresaw the
course the savages would pursue. They had only yielded thus far to my
entreaties, that I might give a joyful welcome to my long-lost comrade;
but now that it was known he had not arrived, they would at once oblige me
to turn back.
My anticipations were but too correct. In spite of the resistance I made,
they carried me into a house which was near the spot, and left me upon the
mats. Shortly afterwards, several of those who had accompanied me from the
Ti, detaching themselves from the others, proceeded in the direction of
the sea. Those who remained—among whom were Marheyo, Mow-Mow, Kory-Kory,
and Tinor—gathered about the dwelling, and appeared to be awaiting their
return.
This convinced me that strangers—perhaps some of my own countrymen—had for
some cause or other entered the bay. Distracted at the idea of their
vicinity, and reckless of the pain which I suffered, I heeded not the
assurances of the islanders that there were no boats at the beach, but,
starting to my feet, endeavoured to gain the door. Instantly the passage
was blocked up by several men, who commanded me to resume my seat. The
fierce looks of the irritated savages admonished me that I could gain
nothing by force, and that it was by entreaty alone that I could hope to
compass my object.
Guided by this consideration, I turned to Mow-Mow, the only chief present,
whom I had been much in the habit of seeing, and, carefully concealing my
real design, tried to make him comprehend that I still believed Toby to
have arrived on the shore, and besought him to allow me to go forward to
welcome him. To all his repeated assertions that my companion had not been
seen, I pretended to turn a deaf ear: while I urged my solicitations with
an eloquence of gesture which the one-eyed chief appeared unable to
resist. He seemed, indeed, to regard me as a froward child, to whose
wishes he had not the heart to oppose force, and whom he must consequently
humour. He spoke a few words to the natives, who at once retreated from
the door, and I immediately passed out of the house.
Here I looked earnestly round for Kory-Kory; but that hitherto faithful
servitor was nowhere to be seen. Unwilling to linger even for a single
instant when every moment might be so important, I motioned to a muscular
fellow near me to take me upon his back: to my surprise he angrily
refused. I turned to another, but with a like result. A third attempt was
as unsuccessful, and I immediately perceived what had induced Mow-Mow to
grant my request, and why the other natives conducted themselves in so
strange a manner. It was evident that the chief had only given me liberty
to continue my progress towards the sea, because he supposed that I was
deprived of the means of reaching it.
Convinced by this of their determination to retain me a captive, I became
desperate; and almost insensible to the pain which I suffered, I seized a
spear which was leaning against the projecting eaves of the house, and,
supporting myself with it, resumed the path that swept by the dwelling. To
my surprise, I was suffered to proceed alone, all the natives remaining in
front of the house, and engaging in earnest conversation, which every
moment became more loud and vehement; and, to my unspeakable delight, I
perceived that some difference of opinion had arisen between them; that
two parties, in short, were formed, and consequently that, in their
divided counsels, there was some chance of my deliverance.
Before I had proceeded a hundred yards I was again surrounded by the
savages, who were still in all the heat of argument, and appeared every
moment as if they would come to blows. In the midst of this tumult old
Marheyo came to my side, and I shall never forget the benevolent
expression of his countenance. He placed his arm upon my shoulder, and
emphatically pronounced one expressive English word I had taught
him—“Home.” I at once understood what he meant, and eagerly expressed my
thanks to him. Fayaway and Kory-Kory were by his side, both weeping
violently; and it was not until the old man had twice repeated the command
that his son could bring himself to obey him, and take me again upon his
back. The one-eyed chief opposed his doing so, but he was overruled, and,
as it seemed to me, by some of his own party.
We proceeded onwards, and never shall I forget the ecstacy I felt when I
first heard the roar of the surf breaking upon the beach. Before long, I
saw the flashing billows themselves through the opening between the trees.
Oh! glorious sight and sound of ocean! with what rapture did I hail you as
familiar friends. By this time the shouts of the crowd upon the beach were
distinctly audible, and in the blended confusion of sounds I almost
fancied I could distinguish the voices of my own countrymen.
When we reached the open space which lay between the groves and the sea,
the first object that met my view was an English whale-boat, lying with
her bow pointed from the shore, and only a few fathoms distant from it. It
was manned by five islanders, dressed in short tunics of calico. My first
impression was that they were in the very act of pulling out from the bay;
and that, after all my exertions, I had come too late. My soul sunk within
me: but a second glance convinced me that the boat was only hanging off to
keep out of the surf; and the next moment I heard my own name shouted out
by a voice from the midst of the crowd.
Looking in the direction of the sound, I perceived, to my indescribable
joy, the tall figure of Karakoee, an Oahu Kannaka, who had often been
aboard the _Dolly_ while she lay in Nukuheva. He wore the green
shooting-jacket, with gilt buttons, which had been given to him by an
officer of the _Reine Blanche_—the French flag-ship—and in which I had
always seen him dressed. I now remembered the Kannaka had frequently told
me that his person was tabooed in all the valleys of the island, and the
sight of him at such a moment as this filled my heart with a tumult of
delight.
Karakoee stood near the edge of the water with a large roll of
cotton-cloth thrown over one arm, and holding two or three canvas bags of
powder, while with the other hand he grasped a musket, which he appeared
to be proffering to several of the chiefs around him. But they turned with
disgust from his offers, and seemed to be impatient at his presence, with
vehement gestures waving him off to his boat, and commanding him to
depart.
The Kannaka, however, still maintained his ground, and I at once perceived
that he was seeking to purchase my freedom. Animated by the idea, I called
upon him loudly to come to me; but he replied, in broken English, that the
islanders had threatened to pierce him with their spears, if he stirred a
foot towards me. At this time I was still advancing, surrounded by a dense
throng of the natives, several of whom had their hands upon me, and more
than one javelin was threateningly pointed at me. Still I perceived
clearly that many of those least friendly towards me looked irresolute and
anxious.
I was still some thirty yards from Karakoee, when my farther progress was
prevented by the natives, who compelled me to sit down upon the ground,
while they still retained their hold upon my arms. The din and tumult now
became tenfold, and I perceived that several of the priests were on the
spot, all of whom were evidently urging Mow-Mow and the other chiefs to
prevent my departure; and the detestable word—“Roo-ne! Roo-ne!” which I
had heard repeated a thousand times during the day, was now shouted on
every side of me. Still I saw that the Kannaka continued his exertions in
my favour—that he was boldly debating the matter with the savages, and was
striving to entice them by displaying his cloth and powder, and snapping
the lock of his musket. But all he said or did appeared only to augment
the clamours of those around him, who seemed bent upon driving him into
the sea.
When I remembered the extravagant value placed by these people upon the
articles which were offered to them in exchange for me, and which were so
indignantly rejected, I saw a new proof of the same fixed determination of
purpose they had all along manifested with regard to me, and in despair,
and reckless of consequences, I exerted all my strength, and, shaking
myself free from the grasp of those who held me, I sprang upon my feet and
rushed towards Karakoee.
The rash attempt nearly decided my fate; for, fearful that I might slip
from them, several of the islanders now raised a simultaneous shout, and
pressing upon Karakoee, they menaced him with furious gestures, and
actually forced him into the sea. Appalled at their violence, the poor
fellow, standing nearly to the waist in the surf, endeavoured to pacify
them; but at length, fearful that they would do him some fatal violence,
he beckoned to his comrades to pull in at once, and take him into the
boat.
It was at this agonizing moment, when I thought all hope was ended, that a
new contest arose between the two parties, who had accompanied me to the
shore; blows were struck, wounds were given, and blood flowed. In the
interest excited by the fray, every one had left me except Marheyo,
Kory-Kory, and poor dear Fayaway, who clung to me, sobbing convulsively. I
saw that now or never was the moment. Clasping my hands together, I looked
imploringly at Marheyo, and moved towards the now almost deserted beach.
The tears were in the old man’s eyes, but neither he nor Kory-Kory
attempted to hold me, and I soon reached the Kannaka, who had anxiously
watched my movements; the rowers pulled in as near as they dared to the
edge of the surf; I gave one parting embrace to Fayaway, who seemed
speechless with sorrow, and the next instant I found myself safe in the
boat, and Karakoee by my side, who told the rowers at once to give way.
Marheyo and Kory-Kory, and a great many of the women, followed me into the
water, and I was determined, as the only mark of gratitude I could show,
to give them the articles which had been brought as my ransom. I handed
the musket to Kory-Kory, in doing which he would fain have taken hold of
me, threw the roll of cotton to old Marheyo, pointing as I did so to poor
Fayaway, who had retired from the edge of the water, and was sitting down
disconsolate on the beach, and tumbled the powder-bags out to the nearest
young ladies, all of whom were vastly willing to take them. This
distribution did not occupy ten seconds, and before it was over the boat
was under full way, the Kannaka all the while exclaiming loudly against
what he considered a useless throwing away of valuable property.
Although it was clear that my movements had been noticed by several of the
natives, still they had not suspended the conflict in which they were
engaged, and it was not until the boat was above fifty yards from the
shore, that Mow-Mow and some six or seven other warriors rushed into the
sea and hurled their javelins at us. Some of the weapons passed quite as
close to us as was desirable, but no one was wounded, and the men pulled
away gallantly. But although soon out of the reach of the spears, our
progress was extremely slow; it blew strong upon the shore, and the tide
was against us; and I saw Karakoee, who was steering the boat, give many a
look towards a jutting point of the bay round which we had to pass.
For a minute or two after our departure, the savages, who had formed into
different groups, remained perfectly motionless and silent. All at once
the enraged chief showed by his gestures that he had resolved what course
he would take. Shouting loudly to his companions, and pointing with his
tomahawk towards the headland, he set off at full speed in that direction,
and was followed by about thirty of the natives, among whom were several
of the priests, all yelling out, “Roo-ne! Roo-ne!” at the very top of
their voices. Their intention was evidently to swim off from the headland
and intercept us in our course. The wind was freshening every minute, and
was right in our teeth, and it was one of those chopping, angry seas, in
which it is so difficult to row. Still the chances seemed in our favour,
but when we came within a hundred yards of the point, the active savages
were already dashing into the water, and we all feared that within five
minutes’ time we should have a score of the infuriated wretches around us.
If so our doom was sealed, for these savages, unlike the feeble swimmers
of civilized countries, are, if anything, more formidable antagonists in
the water than when on the land. It was all a trial of strength; our
natives pulled till their oars bent again, and the crowd of swimmers shot
through the water, despite its roughness, with fearful rapidity.
By the time we had reached the headland, the savages were spread right
across our course. Our rowers got out their knives and held them ready
between their teeth, and I seized the boat-hook. We were all aware that if
they succeeded in intercepting us, they would practise upon us the
manœuvre which proved so fatal to many a boat’s crew in these seas. They
would grapple the oars, and, seizing hold of the gunwale, capsize the
boat, and then we should be entirely at their mercy.
After a few breathless moments I discerned Mow-Mow. The athletic islander,
with his tomahawk between his teeth, was dashing the water before him till
it foamed again. He was the nearest to us, and in another instant he would
have seized one of the oars. Even at the moment I felt horror at the act I
was about to commit; but it was no time for pity or compunction, and with
true aim, and exerting all my strength, I dashed the boat-hook at him. It
struck him just below the throat, and forced him downwards. I had no time
to repeat the blow, but I saw him rise to the surface in the wake of the
boat, and never shall I forget the ferocious expression of his
countenance.
Only one other of the savages reached the boat. He seized the gunwale, but
the knives of our rowers so mauled his wrists that he was forced to quit
his hold, and the next minute we were past them all, and in safety. The
strong excitement which had thus far kept me up, now left me, and I fell
back fainting into the arms of Karakoee.
* * * * * * * * * *
The circumstances connected with my most unexpected escape may be very
briefly stated. The captain of an Australian vessel being in distress for
men in these remote seas, had put into Nukuheva in order to recruit his
ship’s company, but not a single man was to be obtained; and the barque
was about to get under weigh, when she was boarded by Karakoee, who
informed the disappointed Englishman that an American sailor was detained
by the savages in the neighbouring bay of Typee; and he offered, if
supplied with suitable articles of traffic, to undertake his release. The
Kannaka had gained his intelligence from Marnoo, to whom, after all, I was
indebted for my escape. The proposition was acceded to; and Karakoee,
taking with him five tabooed natives of Nukuheva, again repaired aboard
the barque, which in a few hours sailed to that part of the island, and
threw her main-top-sail aback right off the entrance to the Typee bay. The
whale-boat, manned by the tabooed crew, pulled towards the head of the
inlet, while the ship lay “off and on” awaiting its return.
The events which ensued have already been detailed, and little more
remains to be related. On reaching the _Julia_, I was lifted over the
side, and my strange appearance, and remarkable adventure, occasioned the
liveliest interest. Every attention was bestowed upon me that humanity
could suggest; but to such a state was I reduced, that three months
elapsed before I recovered my health.
The mystery which hung over the fate of my friend and companion, Toby, has
never been cleared up. I still remain ignorant whether he succeeded in
leaving the valley, or perished at the hands of the islanders.
SEQUEL
CONTAINING
THE STORY OF TOBY
NOTE.—The Author of “Typee” was more than two years in the South
Seas, after escaping from the valley, as recounted in the last
chapter. Some time after returning home the foregoing narrative
was published, though it was little thought at the time that this
would be the means of revealing the existence of Toby, who had
long been given up for lost. But so it proved. The story of his
escape supplies a natural sequel to the adventure, and as such it
is now added to the volume. It was related to the Author by Toby
himself.
The morning my comrade left me, as related in the narrative, he was
accompanied by a large party of the natives, some of them carrying fruit
and hogs for the purposes of traffic, as the report had spread that boats
had touched at the bay.
As they proceeded through the settled parts of the valley, numbers joined
them from every side, running with animated cries from every pathway. So
excited were the whole party, that, eager as Toby was to gain the beach,
it was almost as much as he could do to keep up with them. Making the
valley ring with their shouts, they hurried along on a swift trot, those
in advance pausing now and then, and flourishing their weapons to urge the
rest forward.
Presently they came to a place where the path crossed a bend of the main
stream of the valley. Here a strange sound came through the grove beyond,
and the islanders halted. It was Mow-Mow, the one-eyed chief, who had gone
on before; he was striking his heavy lance against the hollow bough of a
tree.
This was a signal of alarm;—for nothing was now heard but shouts of
“Happar! Happar!”—the warriors tilting with their spears and brandishing
them in the air, and the women and boys shouting to each other, and
picking up the stones in the bed of the stream. In a moment or two Mow-Mow
and two or three other chiefs ran out from the grove, and the din
increased tenfold.
Now, thought Toby, for a fray; and being unarmed, he besought one of the
young men domiciled with Marheyo for the loan of his spear. But he was
refused; the youth roguishly telling him, that the weapon was very good
for him (the Typee), but that a white man could fight much better with his
fists.
The merry humour of this young wag seemed to be shared by the rest, for in
spite of their warlike cries and gestures, everybody was capering about
and laughing, as if it was one of the funniest things in the world to be
awaiting the flight of a score or two of Happar javelins from an ambush in
the thickets.
While my comrade was in vain trying to make out the meaning of all this, a
good number of the natives separated themselves from the rest and ran off
into the grove on one side, the others now keeping perfectly still, as if
awaiting the result. After a little while, however, Mow-Mow, who stood in
advance, motioned them to come on stealthily, which they did, scarcely
rustling a leaf. Thus they crept along for ten or fifteen minutes, every
now and then pausing to listen.
Toby by no means relished this sort of skulking; if there was going to be
a fight he wanted it to begin at once. But all in good time,—for just
then, as they went prowling into the thickest of the wood, terrific howls
burst upon them on all sides, and volleys of darts and stones flew across
the path. Not an enemy was to be seen, and what was still more surprising,
not a single man dropped, though the pebbles fell among the leaves like
hail.
There was a moment’s pause, when the Typees, with wild shrieks, flung
themselves into the covert, spear in hand; nor was Toby behind-hand.
Coming so near getting his skull broken by the stones, and animated by an
old grudge he bore the Happars, he was among the first to dash at them. As
he broke his way through the underbush, trying, as he did so, to wrest a
spear from a young chief, the shouts of battle all of a sudden ceased, and
the wood was as still as death. The next moment, the party who had left
them so mysteriously rushed out from behind every bush and tree, and
united with the rest in long and merry peals of laughter.
It was all a sham, and Toby, who was quite out of breath with excitement,
was much incensed at being made a fool of.
It afterwards turned out that the whole affair had been concerted for his
particular benefit, though with what precise view it would be hard to
tell. My comrade was the more enraged at this boy’s play, since it had
consumed so much time, every moment of which might be precious. Perhaps,
however, it was partly intended for this very purpose; and he was led to
think so, because, when the natives started again, he observed that they
did not seem to be in so great a hurry as before. At last, after they had
gone some distance, Toby, thinking all the while that they never would get
to the sea, two men came running towards them, and a regular halt ensued,
followed by a noisy discussion, during which Toby’s name was often
repeated. All this made him more and more anxious to learn what was going
on at the beach; but it was in vain that he now tried to push forward; the
natives held him back.
In a few moments the conference ended, and many of them ran down the path
in the direction of the water, the rest surrounding Toby, and entreating
him to “Moee,” or sit down and rest himself. As an additional inducement,
several calabashes of food, which had been brought along, were now placed
on the ground, and opened, and pipes also were lighted. Toby bridled his
impatience awhile, but at last sprang to his feet and dashed forward
again. He was soon overtaken nevertheless, and again surrounded, but
without further detention was then permitted to go down to the sea.
They came out on a bright green space between the groves and the water,
and close under the shadow of the Happar mountain, where a path was seen,
winding out of sight through a gorge.
No sign of a boat, however, was beheld; nothing but a tumultuous crowd of
men and women, and some one in their midst, earnestly talking to them. As
my comrade advanced, this person came forward, and proved to be no
stranger. He was an old grizzled sailor, whom Toby and myself had
frequently seen in Nukuheva, where he lived an easy, devil-may-care life,
in the household of Mowanna the king, going by the name of “Jimmy.” In
fact, he was the royal favourite, and had a good deal to say in his
master’s councils. He wore a Manilla hat, and a sort of tappa morning
gown, sufficiently loose and negligent to show the verse of a song
tattooed upon his chest, and a variety of spirited cuts by native artists
in other parts of his body. He sported a fishing-rod in his hand, and
carried a sooty old pipe slung about his neck.
This old rover having retired from active life, had resided in Nukuheva
some time—he could speak the language, and for that reason was frequently
employed by the French as an interpreter. He was an arrant old gossip,
too; for ever coming off in his canoe to the ships in the bay, and
regaling their crews with choice little morsels of court scandal—such, for
instance, as a shameful intrigue of his majesty with a Happar damsel, a
public dancer at the feasts—and otherwise relating some incredible tales
about the Marquesas generally. I remember, in particular, his telling the
_Dolly’s_ crew what proved to be literally a cock-and-bull story, about
two natural prodigies, which he said were then on the island. One was an
old monster of a hermit, having a marvellous reputation for sanctity, and
reputed a famous sorcerer, who lived away off in a den among the
mountains, where he hid from the world a great pair of horns that grew out
of his temples. Notwithstanding his reputation for piety, his horrid old
fellow was the terror of all the island round, being reported to come out
from his retreat, and go a man-hunting every dark night. Some anonymous
Paul Pry, too, coming down the mountain, once got a peep at his den, and
found it full of bones. In short, he was a most unheard-of monster.
The other prodigy Jimmy told us about, was the younger son of a chief,
who, although but just turned of ten, had entered upon holy orders,
because his superstitious countrymen thought him especially intended for
the priesthood, from the fact of his having a comb on his head like a
rooster. But this was not all: for, still more wonderful to relate, the
boy prided himself upon this strange crest, being actually endowed with a
cock’s voice, and frequently crowing over his peculiarity.
But to return to Toby. The moment he saw the old rover on the beach, he
ran up to him, the natives following after, and forming a circle round
them.
After welcoming him to the shore, Jimmy went on to tell him how that he
knew all about our having run away from the ship, and being among the
Typees, indeed, he had been urged by Mowanna to come over to the valley,
and, after visiting his friends there, to bring us back with him, his
royal master being exceedingly anxious to share with him the reward which
had been held out for our capture. He, however, assured Toby that he had
indignantly spurned the offer.
All this astonished my comrade not a little, as neither of us had
entertained the least idea that any white man ever visited the Typees
sociably. But Jimmy told him that such was the case, nevertheless,
although he seldom came into the bay, and scarcely ever went back from the
beach. One of the priests of the valley, in some way or other connected
with an old tattooed divine in Nukuheva, was a friend of his, and through
him he was “taboo.”
He said, moreover, that he was sometimes employed to come round to the
bay, and engage fruit for ships lying in Nukuheva. In fact, he was now on
that very errand, according to his own account, having just come across
the mountains by the way of Happar. By noon of the next day, the fruit
would be heaped up in stacks on the beach, in readiness for the boats,
which he then intended to bring into the bay.
Jimmy now asked Toby whether he wished to leave the island—if he did,
there was a ship in want of men, lying in the other harbour, and he would
be glad to take him over, and see him on board that very day.
“No,” said Toby; “I cannot leave the island, unless my comrade goes with
me. I left him up the valley because they would not let him come down. Let
us go now and fetch him.”
“But how is he to cross the mountain with us,” replied Jimmy, “even if we
get him down to the beach? Better let him stay till to-morrow, and I will
bring him round to Nukuheva in the boats.”
“That will never do,” said Toby; “but come along with me now, and let us
get him down here at any rate”; and yielding to the impulse of the moment,
he started to hurry back into the valley. But hardly was his back turned,
when a dozen hands were laid on him, and he learned that he could not go a
step farther.
It was in vain that he fought with them: they would not hear of his
stirring from the beach. Cut to the heart at this unexpected repulse, Toby
now conjured the sailor to go after me alone. But Jimmy replied, that in
the mood the Typees then were, they would not permit him to do so, though,
at the same time, he was not afraid of their offering him any harm.
Little did Toby then think, as he afterwards had good reason to suspect,
that this very Jimmy was a heartless villain, who, by his arts, had just
incited the natives to restrain him, as he was in the act of going after
me. Well must the old sailor have known, too, that the natives would never
consent to our leaving together; and he therefore wanted to get Toby off
alone, for a purpose which he afterwards made plain. Of all this, however,
my comrade now knew nothing.
He was still struggling with the islanders, when Jimmy again came up to
him, and warned him against irritating them, saying that he was only
making matters worse for both of us, and if they became enraged, there was
no telling what might happen. At last he made Toby sit down on a broken
canoe, by a pile of stones, upon which was a ruinous little shrine,
supported by four upright paddles, and in front partly screened by a net.
The fishing parties met there, when they came in from the sea, for their
offerings were laid before an image, upon a smooth black stone within.
This spot, Jimmy said, was strictly “taboo,” and no one would molest or
come near him while he stayed by its shadow. The old sailor then went off,
and began speaking very earnestly to Mow-Mow and some other chiefs, while
all the rest formed a circle round the taboo place, looking intently at
Toby, and talking to each other without ceasing.
Now, notwithstanding what Jimmy had just told him, there presently came up
to my comrade an old woman, who seated herself beside him on the canoe.
“Typee Mortarkee?” said she. “Mortarkee muee,” said Toby.
She then asked whether he was going to Nukuheva; he nodded yes; and with a
plaintive wail, her eyes filling with tears, she rose and left him.
This old woman, the sailor afterwards said, was the wife of an aged king
of a small inland valley, communicating by a deep pass with the country of
the Typees. The inmates of the two valleys were related to each other by
blood, and were known by the same name. The old woman had gone down into
the Typee valley the day before, and was now, with three chiefs, her sons,
on a visit to her kinsmen.
As the old king’s wife left him, Jimmy again came up to Toby, and told him
that he had just talked the whole matter over with the natives, and there
was only one course for him to follow. They would not allow him to go back
into the valley, and harm would certainly come to both him and me, if he
remained much longer on the beach. “So,” said he, “you and I had better go
to Nukuheva now overland, and to-morrow I will bring Tommo, as they call
him, by water; they have promised to carry him down to the sea for me
early in the morning, so that there will be no delay.”
“No, no,” said Toby desperately, “I will not leave him that way; we must
escape together.”
“Then there is no hope for you,” exclaimed the sailor, “for if I leave you
here on the beach, as soon as I am gone you will be carried back into the
valley, and then neither of you will ever look upon the sea again.” And
with many oaths he swore that if he would only go to Nukuheva with him
that day, he would be sure to have me there the very next morning.
“But how do you know they will bring him down to the beach to-morrow, when
they will not do so to-day?” said Toby. But the sailor had many reasons,
all of which were so mixed up with the mysterious customs of the
islanders, that he was none the wiser. Indeed, their conduct, especially
in preventing him from returning into the valley, was absolutely
unaccountable to him; and added to everything else was the bitter
reflection, that the old sailor, after all, might possibly be deceiving
him. And then again he had to think of me, left alone with the natives,
and by no means well. If he went with Jimmy, he might at least hope to
procure some relief for me. But might not the savages who had acted so
strangely, hurry me off somewhere before his return? Then, even if he
remained, perhaps they would not let him go back to the valley where I
was.
Thus perplexed was my poor comrade; he knew not what to do, and his
courageous spirit was of no use to him now. There he was, all by himself,
seated upon the broken canoe—the natives grouped around him at a distance,
and eyeing him more and more fixedly.
“It is getting late,” said Jimmy, who was standing behind the rest.
“Nukuheva is far off, and I cannot cross the Happar country by night. You
see how it is:—if you come along with me, all will be well; if you do not,
depend upon it neither of you will ever escape.”
“There is no help for it,” said Toby, at last, with a heavy heart, “I will
have to trust you”; and he came out from the shadow of the little shrine,
and cast a long look up the valley.
“Now keep close to my side,” said the sailor, “and let us be moving
quickly.” Tinor and Fayaway here appeared; the kind-hearted old woman
embracing Toby’s knees, and giving way to a flood of tears; while Fayaway,
hardly less moved, spoke some few words of English she had learned, and
held up three fingers before him—in so many days he would return.
At last Jimmy pulled Toby out of the crowd, and after calling to a young
Typee who was standing by with a young pig in his arms, all three started
for the mountains.
“I have told them that you are coming back again,” said the old fellow,
laughing, as they began the ascent, “but they’ll have to wait a long
time.” Toby turned, and saw the natives all in motion—the girls waving
their tappas in adieu, and the men their spears. As the last figure
entered the grove with one arm raised, and the three fingers spread, his
heart smote him.
As the natives had at last consented to his going, it might have been,
that some of them, at least, really counted upon his speedy return;
probably supposing, as indeed he had told them when they were coming down
the valley, that his only object in leaving them was to procure the
medicines I needed. This, Jimmy also must have told them. And as they had
done before, when my comrade, to oblige me, started on his perilous
journey to Nukuheva, they looked upon me, in his absence, as one of two
inseparable friends who was a sure guarantee for the other’s return. This
is only my own supposition, however, for as to all their strange conduct,
it is still a mystery.
“You see what sort of a taboo man I am,” said the sailor, after for some
time silently following the path which led up the mountain. “Mow-Mow made
me a present of this pig here, and the man who carries it will go right
through Happar, and down into Nukuheva with us. So long as he stays by me
he is safe, and just so it will be with you, and to-morrow with Tommo.
Cheer up, then, and rely upon me, you will see him in the morning.”
The ascent of the mountain was not very difficult, owing to its being near
to the sea, where the island ridges are comparatively low; the path, too,
was a fine one, so that in a short time all three were standing on the
summit with the two valleys at their feet. The white cascades marking the
green head of the Typee valley first caught Toby’s eye; Marheyo’s house
could easily be traced by them.
As Jimmy led the way along the ridge, Toby observed that the valley of the
Happars did not extend near so far inland as that of the Typees. This
accounted for our mistake in entering the latter valley as we had.
A path leading down from the mountain was soon seen, and, following it,
the party were in a short time fairly in the Happar valley.
“Now,” said Jimmy, as they hurried on, “we taboo men have wives in all the
bays, and I am going to show you the two I have here.”
So, when they came to the house where he said they lived—which was close
by the base of the mountain, in a shady nook among the groves,—he went in,
and was quite furious at finding it empty—the ladies had gone out.
However, they soon made their appearance, and, to tell the truth, welcomed
Jimmy quite cordially, as well as Toby, about whom they were very
inquisitive. Nevertheless, as the report of their arrival spread, and the
Happars began to assemble, it became evident that the appearance of a
white stranger among them was not by any means deemed so wonderful an
event as in the neighbouring valley.
The old sailor bade his wives prepare something to eat, as he must be in
Nukuheva before dark. A meal of fish, bread-fruit, and bananas, was
accordingly served up, the party regaling themselves on the mats, in the
midst of a numerous company.
The Happars put many questions to Jimmy about Toby; and Toby himself
looked sharply at them, anxious to recognise the fellow who gave him the
wound from which he was still suffering. But this fiery gentleman, so
handy with his spear, had the delicacy, it seemed, to keep out of view.
Certainly the sight of him would not have been any added inducement to
making him stay in the valley,—some of the afternoon loungers in Happar
having politely urged Toby to spend a few days with them,—there was a
feast coming on. He, however, declined.
All this while the young Typee stuck to Jimmy like his shadow, and though
as lively a dog as any of his tribe, he was now as meek as a lamb, never
opening his mouth except to eat. Although some of the Happars looked
queerly at him, others were more civil, and seemed desirous of taking him
abroad and showing him the valley. But the Typee was not to be cajoled in
that way. How many yards he would have to remove from Jimmy before the
taboo would be powerless, it would be hard to tell, but probably he
himself knew to a fraction.
On the promise of a red cotton handkerchief, and something else which he
kept secret, this poor fellow had undertaken a rather ticklish journey,
though, as far as Toby could ascertain, it was something that had never
happened before.
The island-punch—arva—was brought in at the conclusion of the repast, and
passed round in a shallow calabash.
Now my comrade, while seated in the Happar house, began to feel more
troubled than ever at leaving me: indeed, so sad did he feel that he
talked about going back to the valley, and wanted Jimmy to escort him as
far as the mountains. But the sailor would not listen to him, and, by way
of diverting his thoughts, pressed him to drink of the arva. Knowing its
narcotic nature, he refused; but Jimmy said he would have something mixed
with it, which would convert it into an innocent beverage that would
inspirit them for the rest of their journey. So at last he was induced to
drink of it, and its effects were just as the sailor had predicted; his
spirits rose at once, and all his gloomy thoughts left him.
The old rover now began to reveal his true character, though he was hardly
suspected at the time. “If I get you off to a ship,” said he, “you will
surely give a poor fellow something for saving you.” In short, before they
left the house, he made Toby promise that he would give him five Spanish
dollars if he succeeded in getting any part of his wages advanced from the
vessel, aboard of which they were going; Toby, moreover, engaging to
reward him still farther, as soon as my deliverance was accomplished.
A little while after this they started again, accompanied by many of the
natives, and going up the valley, took a steep path near its head, which
led to Nukuheva. Here the Happars paused, and watched them as they
ascended the mountain, one group of bandit-looking fellows shaking their
spears and casting threatening glances at the poor Typee, whose heart as
well as heels seemed much the lighter when he came to look down upon them.
On gaining the heights once more, their way led for a time along several
ridges covered with enormous ferns. At last they entered upon a wooded
tract, and here they overtook a party of Nukuheva natives, well armed, and
carrying bundles of long poles. Jimmy seemed to know them all very well,
and stopped for awhile, and had a talk about the “Wee-Wees,” as the people
of Nukuheva call the Monsieurs.
The party with the poles were King Mowanna’s men, and by his orders they
had been gathering them in the ravines for his allies, the French.
Leaving these fellows to trudge on with their loads, Toby and his
companions now pushed forward again, as the sun was already low in the
west. They came upon the valleys of Nukuheva on one side of the bay, where
the highlands slope off into the sea. The men-of-war were still lying in
the harbour, and as Toby looked down upon them, the strange events which
had happened so recently seemed all a dream.
They soon descended towards the beach, and found themselves in Jimmy’s
house before it was well dark. Here he received another welcome from his
Nukuheva wives, and after some refreshments in the shape of cocoa-nut milk
and poee-poee, they entered a canoe (the Typee, of course, going along)
and paddled off to a whale-ship which was anchored near the shore. This
was the vessel in want of men. Our own had sailed some time before. The
captain professed great pleasure at seeing Toby, but thought from his
exhausted appearance that he must be unfit for duty. However, he agreed to
ship him, as well as his comrade as soon as he should arrive.
Toby begged hard for an armed boat, in which to go round to Typee and
rescue me, notwithstanding the promise of Jimmy. But this the captain
would not hear of, and told him to have patience, for the sailor would be
faithful to his word. When, too, he demanded the five silver dollars for
Jimmy, the captain was unwilling to give them. But Toby insisted upon it,
as he now began to think that Jimmy might be a mere mercenary, who would
be sure to prove faithless if not well paid. Accordingly he not only gave
him the money, but took care to assure him, over and over again, that as
soon as he brought me aboard he would receive a still larger sum.
Before sunrise the next day, Jimmy and the Typee started in two of the
ship’s boats, which were manned by tabooed natives. Toby, of course, was
all eagerness to go along, but the sailor told him that if he did, it
would spoil all; so, hard as it was, he was obliged to remain.
Towards evening he was on the watch, and descried the boats turning the
headland and entering the bay. He strained his eyes, and thought he saw
me; but I was not there. Descending from the mast almost distracted, he
grappled Jimmy as he struck the deck, shouting in a voice that startled
him, “Where is Tommo?” The old fellow faltered, but soon recovering, did
all he could to soothe him, assuring him that it had proved to be
impossible to get me down to the shore that morning; assigning many
plausible reasons, and adding that early on the morrow he was going to
visit the bay again in a French boat, when, if he did not find me on the
beach—as this time he certainly expected to—he would march right back into
the valley, and carry me away at all hazards. He, however, again refused
to allow Toby to accompany him.
Now, situated as Toby was, his sole dependence for the present was upon
Jimmy, and therefore he was fain to comfort himself as well as he could
with what the old sailor told him.
The next morning, however, he had the satisfaction of seeing the French
boat start with Jimmy in it. To-night, then, I will see him, thought Toby;
but many a long day passed before he ever saw Tommo again. Hardly was the
boat out of sight, when the captain came forward and ordered the anchor
weighed; he was going to sea.
Vain were all Toby’s ravings,—they were disregarded; and when he came to
himself, the sails were set, and the ship fast leaving the land.
... “Oh! said he to me at our meeting, what sleepless nights were mine.
Often I started from my hammock, dreaming you were before me, and
upbraiding me for leaving you on the island.”
There is little more to be related. Toby left his vessel at New Zealand,
and after some further adventures, arrived home in less than two years
after leaving the Marquesas. He always thought of me as dead—and I had
every reason to suppose that he, too, was no more; but a strange meeting
was in store for us, which made Toby’s heart all the lighter.
APPENDIX
The author of this volume arrived at Tahiti the very day that the
iniquitous designs of the French were consummated by inducing the
subordinate chiefs, during the absence of their queen, to ratify an
artfully-drawn treaty, by which she was virtually deposed. Both menaces
and caresses were employed on this occasion, and the 32-pounders which
peeped out of the port-holes of the frigate were the principal arguments
adduced to quiet the scruples of the more conscientious islanders.
And yet this piratical seizure of Tahiti, with all the woe and desolation
which resulted from it, created not half so great a sensation, at least in
America, as was caused by the proceedings of the English at the Sandwich
Islands. No transaction has ever been more grossly misrepresented than the
events which occurred upon the arrival of Lord George Paulet at Oahu.
During a residence of four months at Honolulu, the metropolis of the
group, the author was in the confidence of an Englishman who was much
employed by his lordship; and great was the author’s astonishment on his
arrival at Boston, in the autumn of 1844, to read the distorted accounts
and fabrications which had produced in the United States so violent an
outbreak of indignation against the English. He deems it, therefore, a
mere act of justice towards a gallant officer briefly to state the leading
circumstances connected with the event in question.
It is needless to rehearse all the abuse that for some time previous to
the spring of 1843 had been heaped upon the British residents, especially
upon Captain Charlton, Her Britannic Majesty’s consul-general, by the
native authorities of the Sandwich Islands. High in the favour of the
imbecile king at this time was one Dr. Judd, a sanctimonious
apothecary-adventurer, who, with other kindred and influential spirits,
were animated by an inveterate dislike to England. The ascendancy of a
junta of ignorant and designing Methodist elders in the councils of a
half-civilised king, ruling with absolute sway over a nation just poised
between barbarism and civilisation, and exposed by the peculiarities of
its relations with foreign states to unusual difficulties, was not
precisely calculated to impart a healthy tone to the policy of the
government.
At last matters were brought to such an extremity, through the iniquitous
maladministration of affairs, that the endurance of further insults and
injuries on the part of the British consul was no longer to be borne.
Captain Charlton, insultingly forbidden to leave the islands,
clandestinely withdrew, and arriving at Valparaiso, conferred with
Rear-Admiral Thomas, the English commander-in-chief on the Pacific
station. In consequence of this communication, Lord George Paulet was
despatched by the admiral in the _Carysfort_ frigate, to inquire into and
correct the alleged abuses. On arriving at his destination, he sent his
first lieutenant ashore with a letter to the king, couched in terms of the
utmost courtesy, and soliciting the honour of an audience. The messenger
was denied access to His Majesty, and Paulet was coolly referred to Dr.
Judd, and informed that the apothecary was invested with plenary powers to
treat with him. Rejecting this insolent proposition, his lordship again
addressed the king by letter, and renewed his previous request; but he
encountered another repulse. Justly indignant at this treatment, he penned
a third epistle, enumerating the grievances to be redressed, and demanding
a compliance with his requisitions, under penalty of immediate
hostilities.
The government was now obliged to act, and an artful stroke of policy was
decided upon by the despicable councillors of the king to entrap the
sympathies and rouse the indignation of Christendom. His Majesty was made
to intimate to the British captain that he could not, as the conscientious
ruler of his beloved people, comply with the arbitrary demands of his
lordship, and in deprecation of the horrors of war, tendered to his
acceptance the _provisional cession_ of the islands, subject to the result
of the negotiations then pending in London. Paulet, a bluff and
straight-forward sailor, took the king at his word, and after some
preliminary arrangements, entered upon the administration of Hawaiian
affairs, in the same firm and benignant spirit which marked the discipline
of his frigate, and which had rendered him the idol of his ship’s company.
He soon endeared himself to nearly all orders of the islanders; but the
king and the chiefs, whose feudal sway over the common people was
laboriously sought to be perpetuated by their missionary advisers,
regarded all his proceedings with the most vigilant animosity. Jealous of
his growing popularity, and unable to counteract it, they endeavoured to
assail his reputation abroad by ostentatiously protesting against his
acts, and appealing in Oriental phrase to the _wide universe_ to witness
and compassionate their _unparalleled wrongs_.
Heedless of their idle clamours, Lord George Paulet addressed himself to
the task of reconciling the differences among the foreign residents,
remedying their grievances, promoting their mercantile interests, and
ameliorating, as far as lay in his power, the condition of the degraded
natives. The iniquities he brought to light and instantly suppressed are
too numerous to be here recorded; but one instance may be mentioned that
will give some idea of the lamentable misrule to which these poor
islanders are subjected.
It is well known that the laws at the Sandwich Islands are subject to the
most capricious alterations, which, by confounding all ideas of right and
wrong in the minds of the natives, produce the most pernicious effects. In
no case is this mischief more plainly descernible than in the continually
shifting regulations concerning licentiousness. At one time the most
innocent freedoms between the sexes are punished with fine and
imprisonment; at another the revocation of the statute is followed by the
most open and undisguised profligacy.
It so happened that at the period of Paulet’s arrival the Connecticut blue
laws had been for at least three weeks steadily enforced. In consequence
of this, the fort at Honolulu was filled with a great number of young
girls, who were confined there doing penance for their slips from virtue.
Paulet, although at first unwilling to interfere with regulations having
reference solely to the natives themselves, was eventually, by the
prevalence of certain reports, induced to institute a strict inquiry into
the internal administration of General Kekuanoa, governor of the island of
Oahu, one of the pillars of the Hawaiian Church, and captain of the fort.
He soon ascertained that numbers of the young females employed during the
day at work intended for the benefit of the king, were at night smuggled
over the ramparts of the fort—which on one side directly overhangs the
sea—and were conveyed by stealth on board such vessels as had contracted
with the General to be supplied with them. Before daybreak they returned
to their quarters, and their own silence with regard to these secret
excursions was purchased by a small portion of those wages of iniquity
which were placed in the hands of Kekuanoa.
The vigour with which the laws concerning licentiousness were at that
period enforced, enabled the General to monopolise in a great measure the
detestable trade in which he was engaged, and there consequently flowed
into his coffers—and some say into those of the government
also—considerable sums of money. It is indeed a lamentable fact that the
principal revenue of the Hawaiian government is derived from the fines
levied upon, or rather the licences taken out by Vice, the prosperity of
which is linked with that of the government. Were the people to become
virtuous the authorities would become poor; but from present indications
there is little apprehension to be entertained on that score.
Some five months after the date of the cession, the _Dublin_ frigate,
carrying the flag of Rear-Admiral Thomas, entered the harbour of Honolulu.
The excitement that her sudden appearance produced on shore was
prodigious. Three days after her arrival an English sailor hauled down the
red cross which had been flying from the heights of the fort, and the
Hawaiian colours were again displayed upon the same staff. At the same
moment the long 42-pounders upon Punchbowl Hill opened their iron throats
in triumphant reply to the thunders of the five men-of-war in the harbour;
and King Kammahammaha III, surrounded by a splendid group of British and
American officers, unfurled the royal standard to assembled thousands of
his subjects, who, attracted by the imposing military display of the
foreigners, had flocked to witness the formal restoration of the islands
to their ancient rulers.
The admiral, after sanctioning the proceedings of his subaltern, had
brought the authorities to terms; and so removed the necessity of acting
any longer under the provisional cession.
The event was made an occasion of riotous rejoicing by the king and the
principal chiefs, who easily secured a display of enthusiasm from the
inferior orders, by remitting for a time the accustomed severity of the
laws. Royal proclamations in English and Hawaiian were placarded in the
streets of Honolulu, and posted up in the more populous villages of the
group, in which His Majesty announced to his loving subjects the
re-establishment of his throne, and called upon them to celebrate it by
breaking through all moral, legal, and religious restraint for ten
consecutive days, during which time all the laws of the land were solemnly
declared to be suspended.
Who that happened to be at Honolulu during those ten memorable days will
ever forget them! The spectacle of universal broad-day debauchery, which
was then exhibited, beggars description. The natives of the surrounding
islands flocked to Honolulu by hundreds, and the crews of two frigates,
opportunely let loose like so many demons to swell the heathenish uproar,
gave the crowning flourish to the scene. It was a sort of Polynesian
saturnalia. Deeds too atrocious to be mentioned were done at noon-day in
the open street, and some of the islanders, caught in the very act of
stealing from the foreigners, were, on being taken to the fort by the
aggrieved party, suffered immediately to go at large and to retain the
stolen property—Kekuanoa informing the white men, with a sardonic grin,
that the laws were “hannapa” (tied up).
The history of these ten days reveals in their true colours the character
of the Sandwich islanders, and furnishes an eloquent commentary on the
results which have flowed from the labours of the missionaries. Freed from
the restraint of severe penal laws, the natives almost to a man had
plunged voluntarily into every species of wickedness and excess, and by
their utter disregard of all decency plainly showed that, although they
had been schooled into a seeming submission to the new order of things,
they were in reality as depraved and vicious as ever.
Such were the events which produced in America so general an outbreak of
indignation against the spirited and high-minded Paulet. He is not the
first man who, in the fearless discharge of his duty, has awakened the
senseless clamours of those whose narrow-minded suspicions blind them to a
proper appreciation of measures which unusual exigencies may have rendered
necessary.
It is almost needless to add that the British cabinet never had any idea
of appropriating the islands; and it furnishes a sufficient vindication of
the acts of Lord George Paulet, that he not only received the unqualified
approbation of his own government, but that to this hour the great body of
the Hawaiian people invoke blessings on his head, and look back with
gratitude to the time when his liberal and paternal sway diffused peace
and happiness among them.
FOOTNOTES
1 The word “kannaka” is at the present day universally used in the
South Seas by Europeans to designate the islanders. In the various
dialects of the principal groups it is simply a sexual designation
applied to the males; but it is now used by the natives in their
intercourse with foreigners in the same sense in which the latter
employ it.
A “tabooed kannaka” is an islander whose person has been made, to a
certain extent, sacred by the operation of a singular custom
hereafter to be explained.
2 I presume this might be translated into “Strong Waters.” Arva is the
name bestowed upon a root, the properties of which are both
inebriating and medicinal. “Wai” is the Marquesan word for water.
3 White appears to be the sacred colour among the Marquesans.
4 The word “Artua,” although having some other significations, is in
nearly all the Polynesian dialects used as the general designation
of the gods.
5 The strict honesty which the inhabitants of nearly all the
Polynesian Islands manifest towards each other, is in striking
contrast with the thieving propensities some of them evince in their
intercourse with foreigners. It would almost seem that, according to
their peculiar code of morals, the pilfering of a hatchet or a
wrought nail from a European is looked upon as a praiseworthy
action. Or rather, it may be presumed, that bearing in mind the
wholesale forays made upon them by their nautical visitors, they
consider the property of the latter as a fair object of reprisal.
This consideration, while it serves to reconcile an apparent
contradiction in the moral character of the islanders, should in
some measure alter that low opinion of it which the reader of South
Sea voyages is too apt to form.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
Obvious typographical errors were corrected:
page vi, “Mysterious” changed to “mysterious”
page 2, “attentuated” changed to “attenuated”
page 3, quote mark added after first “Marquesas!”
page 7, double primes changed to primes in first coordinate
page 18, “coacoa-nut” changed to “cocoa-nut”
page 23, period changed to comma after “home”
page 26, “tatooed” changed to “tattooed”
page 52, “Decend” changed to “Descend”
page 62, “hairbreath” changed to “hairbreadth”
page 66, “inceased” changed to “increased”
page 89, “interwined” changed to “intertwined”
page 112, “preverse” changed to “perverse”
page 120, “kemp” changed to “kelp”
page 123, “As” changed to “At”
page 150, period added after “enemy”
page 199, “Figneroa” changed to “Figueroa”
page 242, “as” changed to “is”
page 273, “tumultous” changed to “tumultuous”
page 281, comma added after “course”
Spelling variations were not normalized (e. g. “figure head”,
“figure-head” and “figurehead”, “forefinger” and “fore-finger”, “clamor”
and “clamour”, “verd-antique” and “verde-antique”, “incumbrances” and
“encumber”).
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