Herman Melville
Typee
To
Lemuel Shaw
Chief Justice of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
This Little Work is Affectionately Inscribed
by the Author
Preface
More than three years have elapsed since the occurrence of the events recorded
in this volume The interval with the exception of the last few months has
been chiefly spent by the author tossing about on the wide ocean Sailors are
the only class of men who nowadays see anything like stirring adventure and
many things which to fireside people appear strange and romantic to them seem
as commonplace as a jacket out at elbows Yet notwithstanding the familiarity
of sailors with all sorts of curious adventure the incidents recorded in the
following pages have often served when spun as a yarn not only to relieve the
weariness of many a nightwatch at sea but to excite the warmest sympathies of
the authors shipmates He has been therefore led to think that his story could
scarcely fail to interest those who are less familiar than the sailor with a
life of adventure
In his account of the singular and interesting people among whom he was
thrown it will be observed that he chiefly treats of their more obvious
peculiarities and in describing their customs refrains in most cases from
entering into explanations concerning their origin and purposes As writers of
travels among barbarous communities are generally very diffuse on these
subjects he deems it right to advert to what may be considered a culpable
omission No one can be more sensible than the author of his deficiencies in
this and many other respects but when the very peculiar circumstances in which
he was placed are understood he feels assured that all these omissions will be
excused
In very many published narratives no little degree of attention is bestowed
upon dates but as the author lost all knowledge of the days of the week during
the occurrence of the scenes herein related he hopes that the reader will
charitably pass over his shortcomings in this particular
In the Polynesian words used in this volume except in those cases where
the spelling has been previously determined by others that form of orthography
has been employed which might be supposed most easily to convey their sound to
a stranger In several works descriptive of the islands in the Pacific many of
the most beautiful combinations of vocal sounds have been altogether lost to the
ear of the reader by an overattention to the ordinary rules of spelling
There are a few passages in the ensuing chapters which may be thought to
bear rather hard upon a reverend order of men the account of whose proceedings
in different quarters of the globe transmitted to us through their own hands
very generally and often very deservedly receives high commendation Such
passages will be found however to be based upon facts admitting of no
contradiction and which have come immediately under the writers cognisance
The conclusions deduced from these facts are unavoidable and in stating them
the author has been influenced by no feeling of animosity either to the
individuals themselves or to that glorious cause which has not always been
served by the proceedings of some of its advocates
The great interest with which the important events lately occurring at the
Sandwich Marquesas and Society Islands have been regarded in America and
England and indeed throughout the world will he trusts justify a few
otherwise unwarrantable digressions
There are some things related in the narrative which will be sure to appear
strange or perhaps entirely incomprehensible to the reader but they cannot
appear more so to him than they did to the author at the time He has stated
such matters just as they occurred and leaves every one to form his own opinion
concerning them trusting that his anxious desire to speak the unvarnished truth
will gain for him the confidence of his readers
Chapter I
The Sea Longings for Shore A Landsick Ship Destination of the
Voyagers The Marquesas Adventure of a Missionarys Wife among the
Savages Characteristic Anecdote of the Queen of Nukuheva
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 widerolling 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 quarterdeck 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 salthorse
and seabiscuit Oh ye stateroom sailors who make so much ado about a
fourteendays passage across the Atlantic who so pathetically relate the
privations and hardships of the sea where after a day of breakfasting
lunching dining off five courses chatting playing whist and drinking
champagnepunch it was your hard lot to be shut up in little cabinets of
mahogany and maple and sleep for ten hours with nothing to disturb you but
those goodfornothing tars shouting and tramping overhead what would ye say
to our six months out of sight of land
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
captains pig and so long ago too that the pig himself has in turn been
devoured
There is but one solitary tenant in the chickencoop 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 Pedros fate was sealed His attenuated body will be laid out
upon the captains table next Sunday and long before night will be buried with
all the usual ceremonies beneath that worthy individuals vest Who would
believe that there could be anyone 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 and Jack Lewis said right the other day when the
captain found fault with his steering
»Why dye see Captain Vangs« says bold Jack »Im as good a helmsman as
ever put hand to spoke but none of us can steer the old lady now We cant 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 wont take it kindly but will fall round off again and its all because
she knows the land is under the lee sir and she wont go any more to
windward« Ay and why should she Jack didnt every one of her stout timbers
grow on shore and hasnt she sensibilities as well as we
Poor old ship Her very looks denote her desires how deplorably 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 sternpiece 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 biscuits toss of the merry land riding snugly at anchor in some
green cove and sheltered from the boisterous winds
»Hurrah my lads« Its 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 cocoanuts
coral reefs tattooed chiefs and bamboo temples sunny valleys planted with
breadfruit 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
realised 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 halfcentury
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 Among
these there are two that claim particular notice Porters Journal of the
Cruise of the US frigate »Essex« in the Pacific during the late War is said
to contain some interesting particulars concerning the islanders This is a
work however which I have never happened to meet with and Stewart the
chaplain of the American sloop of war Vincennes has likewise devoted a portion
of his book entitled A Visit to the South Seas to the same subject
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
The Protestant Missions appear to have despaired of reclaiming these islands
from heathenism The usage they have in every case received from the natives has
been such as to intimidate the boldest of their number Ellis in his Polynesian
Researches gives some interesting accounts of the abortive attempts made by the
Tahiti Mission to establish a branch mission upon certain islands of the group
A short time before my visit to the Marquesas a somewhat amusing incident took
place in connection with these efforts which I cannot avoid relating
An intrepid missionary undaunted by the illsuccess that had attended all
previous endeavours to conciliate the savages and believing much in the
efficacy of female influence introduced among them his young and beautiful
wife the first white woman who had ever visited their shores The islanders at
first gazed in mute admiration at so unusual a prodigy and seemed inclined to
regard it as some new divinity But after a short time becoming familiar with
its charming aspect and jealous of the folds which encircled its form they
sought to pierce the sacred veil of calico in which it was enshrined and in the
gratification of their curiosity so far overstepped the limits of good breeding
as deeply to offend the ladys sense of decorum Her sex once ascertained their
idolatry was changed into contempt and there was no end to the contumely
showered upon her by the savages who were exasperated at the deception which
they conceived had been practised upon them To the horror of her affectionate
spouse she was stripped of her garments and given to understand that she could
no longer carry on her deceits with impunity The gentle dame was not
sufficiently evangelised to endure this and fearful of further improprieties
she forced her husband to relinquish his undertaking and together they returned
to Tahiti
Not thus shy of exhibiting her charms was the Island Queen herself the
beauteous wife of Mowanna the King of Nukuheva Between two and three years
after the adventures recorded in this volume I chanced while aboard of a
manofwar to touch at these islands The French had then held possession of
the Marquesas some time and already prided themselves upon the beneficial
effects of their jurisdiction as discernible in the deportment of the natives
To be sure in one of their efforts at reform they had slaughtered about a
hundred and fifty of them at Whitihoo but let that pass At the time I
mention the French squadron was rendezvousing in the bay of Nukuheva and
during an interview between one of their captains and our worthy Commodore it
was suggested by the former that we as the flagship of the American squadron
should receive in state a visit from the royal pair The French officer
likewise represented with evident satisfaction that under their tuition the
king and queen had imbibed proper notions of their elevated station and on all
ceremonious occasions conducted themselves with suitable dignity Accordingly
preparations were made to give their majesties a reception on board in a style
corresponding with their rank
One bright afternoon a gig gaily bedizened with streamers was observed to
shove off from the side of one of the French frigates and pull directly for our
gangway In the stern sheets reclined Mowanna and his consort As they
approached we paid them all the honours due to royalty manning our yards
firing a salute and making a prodigious hubbub
They ascended the accommodation ladder were greeted by the Commodore hat
in hand and passing along the quarterdeck the marine guard presented arms
while the band struck up »The King of the Cannibal Islands« So far all went
well The French officers grimaced and smiled in exceedingly high spirits
wonderfully pleased with the discreet manner in which these distinguished
personages behaved themselves
Their appearance was certainly calculated to produce an effect His majesty
was arrayed in a magnificent military uniform stiff with gold lace and
embroidery while his shaven crown was concealed by a huge chapeaubras waving
with ostrich plumes There was one slight blemish however in his appearance A
broad patch of tattooing stretched completely across his face in a line with
his eyes making him look as if he wore a huge pair of goggles and royalty in
goggles suggested some ludicrous ideas But it was in the adornment of the fair
person of his darkcomplexioned spouse that the tailors of the fleet had evinced
the gaiety of their national taste She was habited in a gaudy tissue of scarlet
cloth trimmed with yellow silk which descending a little below the knees
exposed to view her bare legs embellished with spiral tattooing and somewhat
resembling two miniature Trajans columns Upon her head was a fanciful turban
of purple velvet figured with silver sprigs and surmounted by a tuft of
variegated feathers
The ships company crowding into the gangway to view the sight soon
arrested her majestys attention She singled out from their number an old salt
whose bare arms and feet and exposed breast were covered with as many
inscriptions in India ink as the lid of an Egyptian sarcophagus Notwithstanding
all the sly hints and remonstrances of the French officers she immediately
approached the man and pulling farther open the bosom of his duck frock and
rolling up the leg of his wide trowsers she gazed with admiration at the bright
blue and vermilion pricking thus disclosed to view She hung over the fellow
caressing him and expressing her delight in a variety of wild exclamations and
gestures The embarrassment of the polite Gauls at such an unlooked for
occurrence may be easily imagined but picture their consternation when all at
once the royal lady eager to display the hieroglyphics on her own sweet form
bent forward for a moment and turning sharply round threw up the skirts of her
mantle and revealed a sight from which the aghast Frenchmen retreated
precipitately and tumbling into their boat fled the scene of so shocking a
catastrophe
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
Cocoanuts 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 toward 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
seapacer 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 forepeak altogether and
spreading an awning over the forecastle slept ate and lounged under it the
livelong day Everyone 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 dirgelike 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 flyingfish 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
often 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 villainous footpad of the seas would come skulking along
and at a wary distance regard us with his evil eye At times some shapeless
monster of the deep floating on the surface would as we approached 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 cutwater
As we drew nearer the land I hailed with delight the appearance of
innumerable seafowl Screaming and whirling in spiral tracks they would
accompany the vessel and at times alight on our yards and stays That
piraticallooking fellow appropriately named the manofwarshawk with his
bloodred 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 its 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
spyglass the mate in still louder accents hailed the masthead with a
tremendous »Whereaway« The black cook thrust his woolly head from the galley
and Boatswain the dog leaped up between the knightheads 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 Ruhooka 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 northwest 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 enemys 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
rockbound coasts with the surf beating high against the lofty cliffs and
broken here and there into deep inlets which open to the view thicklywooded
valleys separated by the spurs of mountains clothed with tufted grass and
sweeping down toward the sea from an elevated and furrowed interior form the
principal features of these islands
Toward 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 tricoloured 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 RearAdmiral 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
whaleboat 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 weatherquarter 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 afterward 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 outriggers 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 anothers throats whereas they were only amicably
engaged in disentangling their boats
Scattered here and there among the canoes might be seen numbers of
cocoanuts floating closely together in circular groups and bobbing up and down
with every wave By some inexplicable means these cocoanuts were all steadily
approaching toward 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 cocoanut 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 cocoanuts 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 cocoanuts
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 bobstays and wreathing their slender forms about the ropes
hung suspended in the air All of them at length succeeded in getting up the
ships side where they clung dripping with the brine and glowing from the bath
their jetblack 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
headrails or running out upon the bowsprit while others seated themselves upon
the taffrail or reclined at full length upon the boats
What a sight for us bachelor sailors how avoid so dire a temptation For
who could think of tumbling these artless creatures overboard when they had
swam miles to welcome us
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
Not the feeblest barrier was interposed between the unholy passions of the crew
and their unlimited gratification The grossest licentiousness and the most
shameful inebriety prevailed with occasional and but shortlived 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 civilisers 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
Some Account of the late Operations of the French at the Marquesas Prudent
Conduct of the Admiral Sensation produced by the Arrival of the Strangers
The first Horse seen by the Islanders Reflections Miserable Subterfuge
of the French Digression concerning Tahiti Seizure of the Island by the
Admiral Spirited Conduct of an English Lady
It was in the summer of 1842 that we arrived at the islands the French had then
held possession of them for several weeks During this time they had visited
some of the principal places in the group and had disembarked at various points
about five hundred troops These were employed in constructing works of defence
and otherwise providing against the attacks of the natives who at any moment
might be expected to break out in open hostility The islanders looked upon the
people who made this cavalier appropriation of their shores with mingled
feelings of fear and detestation They cordially hated them but the impulses of
their resentment were neutralised by their dread of the floating batteries
which lay with their fatal tubes ostentatiously pointed not at fortifications
and redoubts but at a handful of bamboo sheds sheltered in a grove of
cocoanuts A valiant warrior doubtless but a prudent one too was this same
RearAdmiral Du Petit Thouars Four heavy doublebanked frigates and three
corvettes to frighten a parcel of naked heathens into subjection
Sixtyeightpounders to demolish huts of cocoanut boughs and Congreve rockets
to set on fire a few canoe sheds
At Nukuheva there were about one hundred soldiers ashore They were
encamped in tents constructed of the old sails and spare spars of the squadron
within the limits of a redoubt mounted with a few ninepounders and surrounded
with a fosse Every other day these troops were marched out in martial array
to a level piece of ground in the vicinity and there for hours went through all
sorts of military evolutions surrounded by flocks of the natives who looked on
with savage admiration at the show and as savage a hatred of the actors A
regiment of the Old Guard reviewed on a summers day in the Champs Élysées
could not have made a more critically correct appearance The officers
regimentals resplendent with gold lace and embroidery as if purposely
calculated to dazzle the islanders looked as if just unpacked from their
Parisian cases
The sensation produced by the presence of the strangers had not in the least
subsided at the period of our arrival at the islands The natives still flocked
in numbers about the encampment and watched with the liveliest curiosity
everything that was going forward A blacksmiths forge which had been set up
in the shelter of a grove near the beach attracted so great a crowd that it
required the utmost efforts of the sentries posted around to keep the
inquisitive multitude at a sufficient distance to allow the workmen to ply their
vocation But nothing gained so large a share of admiration as a horse which
had been brought from Valparaiso by the Achille one of the vessels of the
squadron The animal a remarkably fine one had been taken ashore and stabled
in a hut of cocoanut boughs within the fortified enclosure Occasionally it was
brought out and being gaily caparisoned was ridden by one of the officers at
full speed over the hard sand beach This performance was sure to be hailed with
loud plaudits and the puarkee nuee big hog was unanimously pronounced by the
islanders to be the most extraordinary specimen of zoology that had ever come
under their observation
The expedition for the occupation of the Marquesas had sailed from Brest in
the spring of 1842 and the secret of its destination was solely in the
possession of its commander No wonder that those who contemplated such a signal
infraction of the rights of humanity should have sought to veil the enormity
from the eyes of the world And yet notwithstanding their iniquitous conduct in
this and in other matters the French have ever plumed themselves upon being the
most humane and polished of nations A high degree of refinement however does
not seem to subdue our wicked propensities so much after all and were
civilisation itself to be estimated by some of its results it would seem
perhaps better for what we call the barbarous part of the world to remain
unchanged
One example of the shameless subterfuges under which the French stand
prepared to defend whatever cruelties they may hereafter commit in bringing the
Marquesan natives into subjection is well worthy of being recorded On some
flimsy pretext or other Mowanna the king of Nukuheva whom the invaders by
extravagant presents have cajoled over to their interests and move about like a
mere puppet has been set up as the rightful sovereign of the entire island
the alleged ruler by prescription of various clans who for ages perhaps have
treated with each other as separate nations To reinstate this much injured
prince in the assumed dignities of his ancestors the disinterested strangers
have come all the way from France they are determined that his title shall be
acknowledged If any tribe shall refuse to recognise the authority of the
French by bowing down to the laced chapeau of Mowanna let them abide the
consequences of their obstinacy Under cover of a similar pretence have the
outrages and massacres at Tahiti the beautiful the queen of the South Seas
been perpetrated
On this bucaniering expedition RearAdmiral Du Petit Thouars leaving the
rest of his squadron at the Marquesas which had then been occupied by his
forces about five months set sail for the doomed island in the Reine Blanche
frigate On his arrival as an indemnity for alleged insults offered to the flag
of his country he demanded some twenty or thirty thousand dollars to be placed
in his hands forthwith and in default of payment threatened to land and take
possession of the place
The frigate immediately upon coming to an anchor got springs on her
cables and with her guns cast loose and her men at their quarters lay in the
circular basin of Papeetee with her broadside bearing upon the devoted town
while her numerous cutters hauled in order alongside were ready to effect a
landing under cover of her batteries She maintained this belligerent attitude
for several days during which time a series of informal negotiations were
pending and wide alarm spread over the island Many of the Tahitians were at
first disposed to resort to arms and drive the invaders from their shores but
more pacific and feebler counsels ultimately prevailed The unfortunate queen
Pomare incapable of averting the impending calamity terrified at the arrogance
of the insolent Frenchman and driven at last to despair fled by night in a
canoe to Emio
During the continuance of the panic there occurred an instance of feminine
heroism that I cannot omit to record
In the grounds of the famous missionary consul Pritchard then absent in
London the consular flag of Britain waved as usual during the day from a lofty
staff planted within a few yards of the beach and in full view of the frigate
One morning an officer at the head of a party of men presented himself at the
verandah of Mr Pritchards house and inquired in broken English for the lady
his wife The matron soon made her appearance and the polite Frenchman making
one of his best bows and playing gracefully with the aiguillettes that danced
upon his breast proceeded in courteous accents to deliver his mission »The
admiral desired the flag to be hauled down hoped it would be perfectly
agreeable and his men stood ready to perform the duty« »Tell the pirate your
master« replied the spirited Englishwoman pointing to the staff »that if he
wishes to strike those colours he must come and perform the act himself I will
suffer no one else to do it« The lady then bowed haughtily and withdrew into
the house As the discomfited officer slowly walked away he looked up to the
flag and perceived that the cord by which it was elevated to its place led
from the top of the staff across the lawn to an open upper window of the
mansion where sat the lady from whom he had just parted tranquilly engaged in
knitting Was that flag hauled down Mrs Pritchard thinks not and RearAdmiral
Du Petit Thouars is believed to be of the same opinion
Chapter IV
State of Affairs aboard the Ship Contents of her Larder Length of South
Seamens Voyages Account of a Flying Whaleman Determination to leave
the Vessel The Bay of Nukuheva The Typees Invasion of their Valley by
Porter Reflections Glen of Tior Interview between the Old King and the
French Admiral
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 pointblank 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
ships 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 buttend of a handspike 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 meanspirited 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
illusage 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 term 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 longhaired barenecked youths who forced by the united influences
of Captain Marryat 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 middleaged 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 neverending variety in their different degrees of
toughness and in the peculiarities of their saline properties Choice old
water too decanted into stout sixbarrel casks and two pints of which is
allowed every day to each soul on board together with ample store of seabread
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 ships 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 hardearned 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 ropeyarns her
spars fished with old pipe stores and her rigging knotted and spliced in every
possible direction Her crew was composed of some twenty venerable
Greenwichpensionerlooking old salts who just managed to hobble about deck
The ends of all the running ropes with the exception of the signal halyards and
poopdownhaul were rove through snatchblocks 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 cooks bucket which were pitched over to
them A vast shoal of bonettas 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 twentyfour hours somewhere off Buggerry Island or the DevilsTail 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 though more than
three years have elapsed since I left this same identical vessel she still
continues in the Pacific and but a few days since I saw her reported in the
papers as having touched at the Sandwich Islands previous to going on the coast
of Japan
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
privily 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 horseshoe 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 cocoanut 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 ships 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 gormandisers 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
I shall never forget the observation of one of our crew as we were passing
slowly by the entrance of this bay in our way to Nukuheva As we stood gazing
over the side at the verdant headlands Ned pointing with his hand in the
direction of the treacherous valley exclaimed »There theres Typee Oh the
bloody cannibals what a meal theyd make of us if we were to take it into our
heads to land but they say they dont like sailors flesh its too salt I
say matey how should you like to be shoved ashore there eh« I little
thought as I shuddered at the question that in the space of a few weeks I
should actually be a captive in that selfsame valley
The French although they had gone through the ceremony of hoisting their
colours for a few hours at all the principal places of the group had not as yet
visited the bay of Typee anticipating a fierce resistance on the part of the
savages there which for the present at least they wished to avoid Perhaps they
were not a little influenced in the adoption of this unusual policy from a
recollection of the warlike reception given by the Typees to the forces of
Captain Porter about the year 1814 when that brave and accomplished officer
endeavoured to subjugate the clan merely to gratify the mortal hatred of his
allies the Nukuhevas and Happars
On that occasion I have been told that a considerable detachment of sailors
and marines from the frigate Essex accompanied by at least two thousand
warriors of Happar and Nukuheva landed in boats and canoes at the head of the
bay and after penetrating a little distance into the valley met with the
stoutest resistance from its inmates Valiantly although with much loss the
Typees disputed every inch of ground and after some hard fighting obliged their
assailants to retreat and abandon their design of conquest
The invaders on their march back to the sea consoled themselves for their
repulse by setting fire to every house and temple in their route and a long
line of smoking ruins defaced the oncesmiling bosom of the valley and
proclaimed to its pagan inhabitants the spirit that reigned in the breasts of
Christian soldiers Who can wonder at the deadly hatred of the Typees to all
foreigners after such unprovoked atrocities
Thus it is that they whom we denominate savages are made to deserve the
title When the inhabitants of some sequestered island first descry the big
canoe of the European rolling through the blue waters toward their shores they
rush down to the beach in crowds and with open arms stand ready to embrace the
strangers Fatal embrace They fold to their bosoms the vipers whose sting is
destined to poison all their joys and the instinctive feeling of love within
their breasts is soon converted into the bitterest hate
The enormities perpetrated in the South Seas upon some of the inoffensive
islanders wellnigh pass belief These things are seldom proclaimed at home
they happen at the very ends of the earth they are done in a corner and there
are none to reveal them But there is nevertheless many a petty trader that
has navigated the Pacific whose course from island to island might be traced by
a series of coldblooded robberies kidnappings and murders the iniquity of
which might be considered almost sufficient to sink her guilty timbers to the
bottom of the sea
Sometimes vague accounts of such things reach our firesides and we coolly
censure them as wrong impolitic needlessly severe and dangerous to the crews
of other vessels How different is our tone when we read the highly wrought
description of the massacre of the crew of the Hobomak by the Feejees how we
sympathise for the unhappy victims and with what horror do we regard the
diabolical heathens who after all have but avenged the unprovoked injuries
which they have received We breathe nothing but vengeance and equip armed
vessels to traverse thousands of miles of ocean in order to execute summary
punishment upon the offenders On arriving at their destination they burn
slaughter and destroy according to the tenor of written instructions and
sailing away from the scene of devastation call upon all Christendom to applaud
their courage and their justice
How often is the term savages incorrectly applied None really deserving of
it were ever yet discovered by voyagers or by travellers They have discovered
heathens and barbarians whom by horrible cruelties they have exasperated into
savages It may be asserted without fear of contradiction that in all the cases
of outrages committed by Polynesians Europeans have at some time or other been
the aggressors and that the cruel and bloodthirsty disposition of some of the
islanders is mainly to be ascribed to the influence of such examples
But to return Owing to the mutual hostilities of the different tribes I
have mentioned the mountainous tracts which separate their respective
territories remain altogether uninhabited the natives invariably dwelling in
the depths of the valleys with a view of securing themselves from the predatory
incursions of their enemies who often lurk along their borders ready to cut
off any imprudent straggler or make a descent upon the inmates of some
sequestered habitation I several times met with very aged men who from this
cause had never passed the confines of their native vale some of them having
never even ascended midway up the mountains in the whole course of their lives
and who accordingly had little idea of the appearance of any other part of the
island the whole of which is not perhaps more than sixty miles in circuit The
little space in which some of these clans pass away their days would seem almost
incredible
The glen of Tior will furnish a curious illustration of this The inhabited
part is not more than four miles in length and varies in breadth from half a
mile to less than a quarter The rocky vineclad cliffs on one side tower almost
perpendicularly from the base to the height of at least fifteen hundred feet
while across the vale in striking contrast to the scenery opposite
grassgrown elevations rise one above another in blooming terraces Hemmed in by
these stupendous barriers the valley would be altogether shut out from the rest
of the world were it not that it is accessible from the sea at one end and by
a narrow defile at the other
The impression produced upon my mind when I first visited this beautiful
glen will never be obliterated
I had come from Nukuheva by water in the ships boat and when we entered
the bay of Tior it was high noon The heat had been intense as we had been
floating upon the long smooth swell of the ocean for there was but little wind
The suns rays had expended all their fury upon us and to add to our
discomfort we had omitted to supply ourselves with water previous to starting
What with heat and thirst together I became so impatient to get ashore that
when at last we glided toward it I stood up in the bow of the boat ready for a
spring As she shot twothirds of her length high upon the beach propelled by
three or four strong strokes of the oars I leaped among a parcel of juvenile
savages who stood prepared to give us a kind reception and with them at my
heels yelling like so many imps I rushed forward across the open ground in the
vicinity of the sea and plunged diver fashion into the recesses of the first
grove that offered
What a delightful sensation did I experience I felt as if floating in some
new element while all sort of gurgling trickling liquid sounds fell upon my
ears People may say what they will about the refreshing influences of a
coldwater bath but commend me when in a perspiration to the shade baths of
Tior beneath the cocoanut trees and amidst the cool delightful atmosphere
which surrounds them
How shall I describe the scenery that met my eye as I looked out from this
verdant recess The narrow valley with its steep and close adjoining sides
draperied with vines and arched overhead with a fretwork of interlacing boughs
nearly hidden from view by masses of leafy verdure seemed from where I stood
like an immense arbour disclosing its vista to the eye whilst as I advanced it
insensibly widened into the loveliest vale eye ever beheld
It so happened that the very day I was in Tior the French admiral attended
by all the boats of his squadron came down in state from Nukuheva to take
formal possession of the place He remained in the valley about two hours
during which time he had a ceremonious interview with the king
The patriarch sovereign of Tior was a man far advanced in years but though
age had bowed his form and rendered him almost decrepit his gigantic frame
retained all its original magnitude and grandeur of appearance He advanced
slowly and with evident pain assisting his tottering steps with the heavy
warspear he held in his hand and attended by a group of graybearded chiefs
on one of whom he occasionally leaned for support The admiral came forward with
head uncovered and extended hand while the old king saluted him by a stately
flourish of his weapon The next moment they stood side by side these two
extremes of the social scale the polished splendid Frenchman and the poor
tattooed savage They were both tall and noblelooking men but in other
respects how strikingly contrasted Du Petit Thouars exhibited upon his person
all the paraphernalia of his naval rank He wore a richly decorated admirals
frockcoat a laced chapeaubras and upon his breast were a variety of ribbons
and orders while the simple islander with the exception of a slight cincture
about his loins appeared in all the nakedness of nature
At what an immeasurable distance thought I are these two beings removed
from each other In the one is shown the result of long centuries of progressive
civilisation and refinement which have gradually converted the mere creature
into the semblance of all that is elevated and grand while the other after the
lapse of the same period has not advanced one step in the career of
improvement »Yet after all« quoth I to myself »insensible as he is to a
thousand wants and removed from harassing cares may not the savage be the
happier man of the two« Such were the thoughts that arose in my mind as I gazed
upon the novel spectacle before me In truth it was an impressive one and
little likely to be effaced I can recall even now with vivid distinctness every
feature of the scene The umbrageous shades where the interview took place the
glorious tropical vegetation around the picturesque grouping of the mingled
throng of soldiery and natives and even the goldenhued bunch of bananas that
I held in my hand at the time and of which I occasionally partook while making
the aforesaid philosophical reflections
Chapter V
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 altogether 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 apprised 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 cocoanut tree on the brow of the mountain with a cluster of
plantains within easy reach criticising 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 bloodyminded Typees whose appetites edged perhaps by the air of so
elevated a region might prompt them to devour one This I must confess was a
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 anyone 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 ships company leaning over
the bulwarks apparently plunged in a profound revery 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
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 toward
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 trowsers 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 bighearted shipmate vented the bile
which more calmtempered individuals get rid of by a continual pettishness at
trivial annoyances
No one ever saw Toby laugh I mean in the hearty abandonment of
broadmouthed 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 Tobys 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 revery I found him ripe for the
enterprise and a very few words sufficed for a mutual understanding between us
In an hours 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 VI
A Specimen of Nautical Oratory Criticisms of the Sailors The Starboard
Watch are given a Holyday The Escape to the Mountains
Early the next morning the starboard watch were mustered upon the quarterdeck
and our worthy captain standing in the cabin gangway harangued us as follows
»Now men as we are just off a six months 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 today 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 didnt at the same time if
youll take my advice every mothers 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 those tattooed scoundrels get you a little way back into their valleys
theyll 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 didnt 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 figurehead 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 Ive 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 toward the forecastle and we soon were all busily engaged in
getting ready for the holyday 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 seacook who
begrudged a fellow a few hours liberty exclaimed with an oath »But you dont
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 captains 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 ships 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 trowsers 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
goashore traps for the Spanish main where the tie of a sailors neckerchief
might make some difference but as for a parcel of unbreeched heathen he
wouldnt 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 were struck the word was passed for the libertymen 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 breadbarge and beefkid 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 midshipmens 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 goodwill 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
canoehouse 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 warcanoes 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 canoehouse 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 toward 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 canoehouse 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 »quicks our play only let s keep close
together thats 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 bullfrog
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 longcontinued 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 sheathknife 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 toward 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
a 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
toward 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 babyhouses 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 prove entirely fruitless unless they followed us
into the mountains where we knew they cared not to venture
However we thought it as 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 should never forget the feeling of
admiration which I then experienced
Chapter VII
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
intervales 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 unlookedfor 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 this 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
seabread 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 Tobys 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 villainous 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 pastelike 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 sailors
little ditty bag containing needles thread and other sewing utensils then
came a razorcase followed by two or three separate plugs of negrohead 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 companions 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 ships 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 days 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 illtimed
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 days allowance for the
two was not a great deal more than what a tablespoon 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 »everyone 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 coalholes do you expect to find at the
bottom of that gulf but a broken neck why it looks blacker than our ships
hold and the roar of those waterfalls down there would batter ones brains to
pieces«
»Oh no Toby« I exclaimed laughing »but theres something to be seen
here thats 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 discoverymakings
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 its 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
rheumatisms 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 twothirds 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
gloomylooking 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 hidingplace 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 broadbladed 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 lower 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 livelong 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 deathlike
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 moments 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 Ive been
asleep do you It is an insult to a man to suppose he could sleep in such an
infernal place as this«
By the time I had apologised 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 twentyfour hours since we had tasted food
Accordingly our days ration was brought out and seating ourselves on a
detached fragment of rock we proceeded to discuss it First we divided it into
two equal portions and carefully rolling one of them up for our evenings
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 someone but a short
time previous to our arrival Further observation convinced us that it had been
regularly frequented and as we afterward 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 hours 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 transfixed 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 toward the sea and
peering here and there amidst the foliage might be seen the palmettothatched
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 semicircular 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 VIII
The Important Question Typee or Happar A WildGoose Chase My
Sufferings Disheartening Situation A Night in a Ravine Morning Meal
Happy Idea of Toby Journey toward 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 companions 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
toward 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 Tobys 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 besides 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 dwelt 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 realised 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
snaillike progress of an hour or more had scaled perhaps one half of the
distance when the fever which had left me for a while 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 hearts 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
sharpcrested 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
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 deathlike 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 toward 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 vessels
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 rightabout 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 others countenances that desponding expression which speaks more
eloquently than words
Together we stood toward 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 mornings
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 basketlike
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 trowsers 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 nights rest had wrought in his
appearance He was as blithe and joyous as a young bird and was staying the
keenness of his mornings 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 twentyfour hours without experiencing a sense of
alarm that I strove in vain to shake off Unwilling to disturb the flow of my
comrades spirits I managed to stifle the complaints to which I might otherwise
have given vent and calling upon him goodhumouredly 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
»Whats 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 didnt think of that« said Toby »sure enough both sides of the
valley appeared to be hemmed in by precipices didnt they«
»Yes« answered I »as steep as the sides of a lineofbattle ship and
about a hundred times as high« My companion sank his head upon his breast and
remained for a while 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 pikestaff 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 breadfruit trees such groves of cocoanut such wildernesses
of guavabushes Ah shipmate dont linger behind in the name of all
delightful fruits I am dying to be at them Come on come on shove ahead
theres a lively lad never mind the rocks kick them out of the way as I do
and tomorrow 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 a while he permitted me to overtake him
Chapter IX
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
Toward 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 now 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
»Whats 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
observations 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 afterward
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 curiouslooking 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 mossgrown and decayed with their extremities snapped
short off and those in the immediate vicinity of the fall were slippery with
moisture
Tobys scheme and it was a desperate one was to entrust ourselves to these
treacherouslooking 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 pendent 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 lightlimbed 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 minutes 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 toward 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 pipestems 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 swung 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 juttingout 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
Typees 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 hours 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 »whats to be done now«
He replied in a tranquil tone that probably the best thing we could do in
our 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 palmtree
that shooting its hardy roots along a ledge below curved its trunk upward 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 standstill I involuntarily 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
Tobys 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 toward 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 toward 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 halfcircle about the head of the vale
A thick canopy of traces 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 halfdecayed boughs that were strewn about and covering the whole with
twigs and leaves awaited the mornings 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 halffamished 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 shadows of those very cliffs from whose summits
we had gazed upon the prospect
Chapter X
The Head of the Valley Cautious Advance A Path Fruit Discovery of
Two of the Natives Their singular Conduct Approach toward 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
country 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 be almost 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
should 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 lookout 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 dimlooking 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 decrepit 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 dispatched 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 breadfruit shoot perfectly green and
with the tender bark freshly stript from it It was still 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 toward 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 breadfruit 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 toward 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
toward 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 afterward found them to have been on this
particular occasion never probably fell in any travellers 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 toward 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 obtain admittance gazed at us through
its open canework
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 everyone 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 wellnigh intimidated us
Close to where we lay squatting upon their haunches were some eight or ten
noblelooking 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
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 goodwill of the natives with whom our congeniality of sentiment
on this point did more toward 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 now 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 goodwill 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 goodhumour 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 humour 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
poeepoee and two or three young cocoanuts stripped of their husks and with
their shells partly broken We both of us forthwith placed one of these natural
goblets to our lips and drained it in a moment of the refreshing draught it
contained The poeepoee 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 breadfruit 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 poeepoee which adhered in lengthening
strings to every finger So stubborn was its consistency that in conveying my
heavilyfreighted 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 by 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 forefinger 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 poeepoee from dropping to the
ground as he raised it to his mouth into which the finger was inserted and
drawn forth perfectly free from 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 cocoanuts 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 kannaka1 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 a while 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 XI
Midnight Reflections Morning Visitors A Warrior in Costume A Savage
Æsculapius Practice of the Healing Art BodyServant A Dwellinghouse
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 it 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 dimlyrevealed forms of those whom I so greatly dreaded
From the excitement of these fearful thoughts I sank toward 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 toward 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
At last when their numbers began to diminish a superblooking warrior
stooped the towering plumes of his headdress 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 tailfeathers 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 guineabeads which spanned the forehead Around his
neck were several enormous necklaces of boars 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 finelyshaped spermwhale teeth presenting their cavities in front
stuffed with freshlyplucked 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 darkcoloured
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 paddlespear nearly fifteen feet in
length made of the bright koawood one end sharply pointed and the other
flattened like an oarblade 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 idolbowl 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 natures 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 toward 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 faroff 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 neverending 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
menofwar 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 dispatched a boy who happened to be standing by
with some message
After the lapse of a few moments the stripling reentered 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 cocoanut 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 freshlyplaited fan of the green
leaflets of the cocoanut 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
anyone 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 wellnigh crazy while Mehevi upon the
same principle which prompts an affectionate mother to hold a struggling child
in a dentists 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 posturemaster vainly endeavoured
to expostulate with the natives by signs and gestures To have looked at my
companion as sympathising 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 Tobys 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 rumpsteak
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 KoryKory and from
the little I could understand of what took place pointed him out to me as a man
whose peculiar business thenceforth 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 bodyservant 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 afterward 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 dwellingplaces 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 pipi 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 cocoanut 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 pipi 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 tassellike appendages over the
front of the habitation This was constructed of light and elegant canes in a
kind of open screenwork 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 threequarters 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 wirelike reedtwisted 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 wellpolished
trunks of the cocoanut 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
gailyworked mats nearly all of a different pattern This space formed the
common couch and loungingplace 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
pipi was composed
From the ridgepole 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 ridgepole 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 piazzalike 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 pipi was a large
shed built of cocoanut boughs where the process of preparing the poeepoee 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 KoryKory 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 KoryKory
though the most devoted and bestnatured servingman in the world was alas a
hideous object to look upon He was some twentyfive 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
KoryKory 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 unaccountablelooking creatures suggested to me
the idea of a pictorial museum of natural history or an illustrated copy of
Goldsmiths 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
KoryKory 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 earornaments
fabricated from the teeth of some seamonster 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 projecting 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 warmhearted
old fellow and in this particular not a little resembled his son KoryKory 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 teacakes and such like trashy affairs she was
profoundly skilled in the mysteries of preparing amar poeepoee and kokoo
with other substantial matters She was a genuine busybody bustling about the
house like a country landlady at an unexpected arrival forever 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 poeepoee 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 of it under which most
women would have sunk
To tell the truth KoryKorys 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 civilised world There was
not the slightest necessity for the greater portion of the labour performed by
the old lady but she seemed 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 toward 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 sugarplums Warm indeed are my
remembrances of the dear good affectionate old Tinor
Besides the individuals I have mentioned there belonged to the household
three young men dissipated goodfornothing 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 milkwhite seeds of the arta a fruit
of the valley which when cleft in twain shows them reposing in rows on either
side imbedded in the rich 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 womans life Her feet
though wholly exposed were as diminutive and fairly shaped as those which peep
from beneath the skirts of a Lima ladys 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 particularising some of the individual features
of Fayaways 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 the 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 with 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 were 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 omitted 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 jewellery 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 in their 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 XII
Officiousness of KoryKory 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 Misgivings 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
KoryKory 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 clamour on
his part that I was obliged to acquiesce and the operation of feeding being
thus facilitated the meal was quickly dispatched 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 KoryKory 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 KoryKory leaping from the pipi 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 KoryKory wading up to his hips in the water carried me
halfway 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 grassgrown rocks with which the bed of
the brook was here and there broken waited curiously to witness our morning
ablutions
Somewhat embarrassed by the presence of the female portion of the company
and feeling my cheeks burning with bashful timidity I formed a primitive basin
by joining my hands together and cooled my blushes in the water it contained
then removing my frock bent over and washed myself down to my waist in the
stream As soon as KoryKory 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
and revealing their naked forms to the waist 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 KoryKory and removed that objection so mounting upon the faithful
fellows 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 round 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 KoryKory 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 breadfruit trees there reigned a solemn twilight a cathedrallike
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 breadfruit and cocoanuts and the putrefying relics of some
recent sacrifice
In the midst of the wood was the hallowed hoolahhoolah ground set apart
for the celebration of the fantastical religious ritual of these people
comprising an extensive oblong pipi 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 toward 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 allpervading 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 cocoanut 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 groves
In its vicinity was another remarkable edifice built as usual upon the
summit of a pipi 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
pipi with a picket of canes Its interior presented the appearance of an
immense loungingplace the entire floor being strewn with successive layers of
mats lying between parallel trunks of cocoanut 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 hoolahhoolah
ground from the imaginary pollution of a womans 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 manofwars cabin were a great
variety of rude spears and paddles javelins and warclubs 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 decrepit 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 dullgreen 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 verdantique 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 mariners 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 repulsivelooking creatures appeared to have lost the use of their
lower limbs altogether sitting upon the floor crosslegged 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 KoryKory gave utterance to
some unintelligible gibberish
In a few moments a boy entered with a wooden trencher of poeepoee 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 KoryKory 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 triphammer
»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 during the last three days unless it were for something that you are too
much frightened at to talk about Look at that KoryKory 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 pipi and approaching toward
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 spellbound with terror I awaited my fate
Suddenly the silence was broken by the wellremembered 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
bloodyminded 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 KoryKory 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 Happars 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 recognised the mutilated remains of a
juvenile porker »Puarkee« exclaimed KoryKory 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 KoryKory 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 venerablelooking savages each provided
with a spear from the end of which streamed a pennon of milkwhite tappa After
them went several youths bearing aloft calabashes of poeepoee 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 breadfruit Then came a troop of boys carrying bunches of ripe bananas
and baskets made of the woven leaflets of cocoanut boughs filled with the
young fruit of the tree the naked shells stripped of their husks peeping forth
from the verdant wickerwork 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
breadfruit 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 Marheyos 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 pipi the procession formed anew enclosing
us in its centre where I remained part of the time carried by KoryKory 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 Marheyos 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 XIII
Attempt to procure Relief from Nukuheva Perilous Adventure of Toby in the
Happar Mountain Eloquence of KoryKory
Amidst these novel scenes a week passed away almost imperceptibly The natives
actuated by some mysterious impulse day after day redoubled their attentions to
us Their manner toward 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 me wholly undeserved
»Why they are cannibals« said Toby on one occasion when I eulogised 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 alteration 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 boats 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 KoryKory 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 uncivilised 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 cocoanut 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 furthest and bidding me keep up
my spirits in the interval turned round the corner of the pipi and under the
guidance of the venerable Marheyo was soon out of sight His departure
oppressed me with melancholy and reentering 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 KoryKory 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 KoryKory 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 cocoanut shell a few mouthfuls of water
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 cocoanuts 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 toward 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 my
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 Tobys account of this sad affair I afterward 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
KoryKory 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 succeeded in
making 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
mortarkee« 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 toward the Happar valley running in to us again
with a 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 his subject »Ah Typee mortarkee nuee nuee
mioree nuee nuee wai nuee nuee poeepoee nuee nuee kokoo ah nuee
nuee kiki ah nuee nuee nuee« Which literally interpreted as before would
imply »Ah Typee isnt it a fine place though no danger of starving here I
tell you plenty of breadfruit 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 KoryKory 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 XIV
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 KoryKory 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 were still a mystery Cut off as I was from all intercourse with the
civilised world and feeling the inefficiency 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
KoryKory nor all the soothing influences of Fayaway could remove
One morning as I lay on the mats in the house plunged in melancholy revery
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
cocoanut 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 cocoanuts some
perched in the trees were throwing down breadfruit to their companions who
gathered them into 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 KoryKory 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 wish He seemed to me on this particular occasion as well as often
afterward to be executing the orders of some other person with regard to me
though at the same time feeling toward 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 Tobys application might meet with As soon as they understood
from my companion that I intended to remain they appeared to make no objection
to his 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 leadingstrings was
obliged at last to seize the perverse animal in his arms and carry him
struggling against 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
cocoanuts 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 cocoanuts 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 KoryKory his aged
father and a few decrepit old people being all that were left
Toward 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 toward 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 tranquillised 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 tomorrow 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 furthest 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
anyone 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 as 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 toward myself treating me with
a degree of deference which could hardly have been surpassed had I been some
celestial visitant KoryKory 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 breadfruit 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 freshlygathered leaves formed a delightful
couch
Here I often lay for hours covered with a gauzelike veil of tappa while
Fayaway seated beside me and holding in her hand a fan woven from the leaflets
of a young cocoanut bough brushed aside the insects that occasionally lighted
on my face and KoryKory 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
halfimmersed figure of a beautiful girl standing in the transparent water and
catching in a little net a species of diminutive shellfish 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 cocoanuts by rubbing them briskly with a small stone
in the water an operation which soon converts them into a light and elegant
drinkingvessel somewhat resembling goblets made of tortoiseshell
But the tranquillising 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 KoryKory from my side who nevertheless retired only to a
little distance and watched their proceedings with the most jealous attention
would anoint my whole 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 And most refreshing and agreeable are the juices of the aka
when applied to ones limbs by the soft palms of sweet nymphs whose bright eyes
are beaming upon you with kindness and 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 pipi in front of the house and seating me near its edge protect my
body from the annoyances 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 partlydecayed 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 fortyfive 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 KoryKory 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 KoryKory 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 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 civilised 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 wits 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 XV
Kindness of Marheyo and the rest of the Islanders A full Description of
the Breadfruit 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
seashore 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 cocoanut shells filled with different descriptions of kemp 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 cocoanut 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 thimbleful 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
breadfruit in the other the greatest chief in the valley would have laughed at
all the luxuries of a Parisian table
The celebrity of the breadfruit 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 breadfruit 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 breadfruit are of great size and their edges are cut and
scolloped as fantastically as those of a ladys lace collar As they annually
tend toward 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 headdress 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 breadfruit 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 freshlyplucked 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 the lapse of ten or fifteen minutes the green
rind embrowns and cracks showing through the fissures in its sides the
milkwhite 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 boasho 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
cocoanut 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
motherofpearl 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
curiouslooking logsteed for the purpose of receiving the grated fragments as
they fall mounts astride of it as if it were a hobbyhorse and twirling the
inside of one of his hemispheres of cocoanut around the sharp teeth of the
motherofpearl 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 netlike fibrous substance attached to all
cocoanut trees and compressing it over the breadfruit 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 luscious preparation it is The
hobbyhorse and the pestle and mortar were in great requisition during the time
I remained in the house of Marheyo and KoryKory had frequent occasion to show
his skill in their use
But the great staple articles of food into which the breadfruit is
converted by these natives are known respectively by the names of amar and
poeepoee
At certain seasons 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
larger 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 ambercoloured cakey substance a little tart but not at all
disagreeable to the taste
By another and final process the amar is changed into poeepoee This
transition is rapidly effected The amar is placed in a vessel and mixed with
water until it gains a proper puddinglike 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 breadfruit 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 XVI
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 KoryKory had failed to relieve me
I was almost a cripple and the pain I endured at intervals was agonising 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
KoryKorys 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 Marheyos
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 assumed 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 toward the edge of the pipi with
KoryKory clinging to one arm in his efforts to restrain me when the natives
around 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 KoryKory 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 ridgepole 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 brightcoloured calico
I should have mentioned that shortly after Tobys 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 trowsers I resolved to doff these garments
at once in order to preserve them in a suitable condition for wear should I
again appear among civilised 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 ladys 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 indoor 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 lookerson 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 sharks tooth which is about as well
adapted to the purpose as a onepronged 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 stubblefield 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 XVII
Improvement in Health and Spirits Felicity of the Typees Their
Enjoyments compared with those of more enlightened Communities Comparative
Wickedness of civilised and unenlightened People 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 toward 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 darkeyed nymphs and enjoying besides all
the services of the devoted KoryKory 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 Marheyos 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
naught but a world of care and anxiety
As I extended my wanderings in the valley and grew more familiar with the
habits of its inmates I was fain to confess that despite the disadvantages of
his condition the Polynesian savage surrounded by all the luxurious provisions
of nature enjoyed an infinitely happier though certainly a less intellectual
existence than the selfcomplacent European
The naked wretch who shivers beneath the bleak skies and starves among the
inhospitable wilds of TierradelFuego might indeed be made happier by
civilisation for it would alleviate his physical wants But the voluptuous
Indian with every desire supplied whom Providence has bountifully provided
with all the sources of pure and natural enjoyment and from whom are removed so
many of the ills and pains of life what has he to desire at the hands of
civilisation She may cultivate his mind may elevate his thoughts these I
believe are the established phrases but will he be the happier Let the once
smiling and populous Hawaiian Islands with their now diseased starving and
dying natives answer the question The missionaries may seek to disguise the
matter as they will but the facts are incontrovertible and the devoutest
Christian who visits that group with an unbiased mind must go away mournfully
asking »Are these alas the fruits of twentyfive years of enlightening«
In a primitive state of society the enjoyments of life though few and
simple are spread over a great extent and are unalloyed but civilisation for
every advantage she imparts holds a hundred evils in reserve the
heartburnings the jealousies the social rivalries the family dissensions
and the thousand selfinflicted discomforts of refined life which make up in
units the swelling aggregate of human misery are unknown among these
unsophisticated people
But it will be urged that these shocking unprincipled wretches are
cannibals Very true and a rather bad trait in their character it must be
allowed But they are such only when they seek to gratify the passion of revenge
upon their enemies and I ask whether the mere eating of human flesh so very far
exceeds in barbarity that custom which only a few years since was practised in
enlightened England a convicted traitor perhaps a man found guilty of
honesty patriotism and suchlike heinous crimes had his head lopped off with a
huge axe his bowels dragged out and thrown into a fire while his body carved
into four quarters was with his head exposed upon pikes and permitted to rot
and fester among the public haunts of men
The fiendlike skill we display in the invention of all manner of
deathdealing engines the vindictiveness with which we carry on our wars and
the misery and desolation that follow in their train are enough of themselves
to distinguish the white civilised man as the most ferocious animal on the face
of the earth
His remorseless cruelty is seen in many of the institutions of our own
favoured land There is one in particular lately adopted in one of the States of
the Union which purports to have been dictated by the most merciful
considerations To destroy our malefactors piecemeal drying up in their veins
drop by drop the blood we are too chickenhearted to shed by a single blow
which would at once put a period to their sufferings is deemed to be infinitely
preferable to the oldfashioned punishment of gibbeting much less annoying to
the victim and more in accordance with the refined spirit of the age and yet
how feeble is all language to describe the horrors we inflict upon these
wretches whom we mason up in the cells of our prisons and condemn to perpetual
solitude in the very heart of our population
But it is needless to multiply the examples of civilised barbarity they far
exceed in the amount of misery they cause the crimes which we regard with such
abhorrence in our less enlightened fellowcreatures
The term savage is I conceive often misapplied and indeed when I consider
the vices cruelties and enormities of every kind that spring up in the tainted
atmosphere of a feverish civilisation I am inclined to think that so far as the
relative wickedness of the parties is concerned four or five Marquesan
islanders sent to the United States as missionaries might be quite as useful as
an equal number of Americans dispatched to the islands in a similar capacity
I once heard it given as an instance of the frightful depravity of a certain
tribe in the Pacific that they had no word in their language to express the
idea of virtue The assertion was unfounded but were it otherwise it might be
met by stating that their language is almost entirely destitute of terms to
express the delightful ideas conveyed by our endless catalogue of civilised
crimes
In the altered frame of mind to which I have referred every object that
presented itself to my notice in the valley struck me in a new light and the
opportunities I now enjoyed of observing the manners of its inmates 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 civilised 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 bedchamber and diminishing the
elbowroom at the family table no destitute widows with their children starving
on the cold charities of the world no beggars no debtors prisons no proud
and hardhearted 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
stepdames no withered spinsters no lovesick 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 goodhumour 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 livelong
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 others 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 allpervading 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
civilised 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 toward 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 cutandthrust
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 moralised 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 giantkillers
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 tranquillising 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 a while 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 KoryKory 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 KoryKory 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 Solymans
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 KoryKory 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 fireeaters 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 Bonapartean 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 thumbnail 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 afterward 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 was 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 he not 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 XVIII
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
Mantuamaking 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 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 cocoanut 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
rivernymphs and counting vainly upon 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
swordfish 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 Marheyos household under the direction
of the indefatigable KoryKory 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 KoryKory 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 I was ever partial to what
is termed in the Young Mens Own Book »the society of virtuous and intelligent
young ladies« and in the absense of the mermaids the amusement became 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 KoryKorys 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 Fayaways 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 Fayaways emancipation I had a delightful little party
on the lake the damsel KoryKory and myself My zealous bodyservant brought
from the house a calabash of poeepoee half a dozen young cocoanuts stripped
of their husks three pipes as many yams and me on his back a part of the
way Something of a load but KoryKory 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 on the very best terms possible with one another the gentle nymph
occasionally placing her pipe to her lip 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
gailywoven hammock of grass extended between two orange trees and inhaling
the fragrance of a choice cigarro But Fayaway holding in her delicatelyformed
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 floated 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 KoryKory 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
KoryKory 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
upraised 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 toward 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 KoryKory who had watched our manoeuvres
with admiration now clapped his hands in transport and shouted like a madman
Many a time afterward was this feat repeated
If the reader have 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 further
Out of the calico I had brought from the ship I made a dress 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 beautys 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 twentyfive years of age and was
a little above the ordinary height had he been a single hairsbreadth 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 diamondcheckered
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 richlydecorated
spear His manner was that of a traveller conscious that he is approaching a
comfortable stage in his journey Every moment he turned goodhumouredly 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 shavencrowned and facetattooed 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 Marheyos 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 newcomer the same extravagant expressions
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 everyone
Tinor placed before him a calabash of poeepoee 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 strongrooted
determination to have the biggest share of the pudding or go without any of it
Marnoo this allattractive 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 neighbouring 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 travelstained 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 visits 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 warcanoes 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 Marnoos 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 toward 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
toward 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 toward me Of course I accepted the courteous challenge and as soon
as our palms met he bent toward me and murmured in musical accents »How you
do« »How long 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 selfpossession 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 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 afterward 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 ascendency 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 Marnoos 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 strangers 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 goodhumoured
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 toward 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 pipi 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 XIX
Reflections after Marnoos Departure Battle of the Popguns 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 goodwill 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 KoryKory
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 Marnoos
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
lighthearted 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 popguns 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 in
twenty minutes afterward I might have been seen surrounded by a noisy crowd
venerable old graybeards 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 popguns but at last
made over my goodwill and interest 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
cunninglylaid 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 pipi
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 occasional popguns might be heard at all hours of the day
It was toward the close of the popgun war that I was infinitely diverted
with a strange freak of Marheyos
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 have 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 a while 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 KoryKory 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 no ways daunted by the repulse he continued to frisk about
me like a superannuated housedog 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 ridgepole 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 desires 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 backward and forward on his capacious chest In the gala costume of the
tasteful Marheyo these calfskin 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
laborious 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 clothtree 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
wrappingpaper 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 cocoanut 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 foursided
razorstrops 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 discernible 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 goldbeating 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 newmade 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 Tammahammaha 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 toward 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 XX
History of a Day as usually spent in the Typee ValleyDances 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
KoryKory and the rest of the household and bent my steps toward 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 halfhour 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 cocoanut trees under
contribution as they passed beneath them while KoryKory 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 goodwill toward 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 Tinors trenchers of poeepoee which was devoted
exclusively for my own use being mixed with the milky meat of ripe cocoanut A
section of a roasted breadfruit 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 cocoanut or two
While partaking of this simple repast the inmates of Marheyos house after
the style of the indolent 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 especial 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 grassmats 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
boars tusks or whales teeth The young men and warriors produced their spears
paddles canoegear battleclubs and warconchs and occupied themselves in
carving all sorts of figures upon them with pointed bits of shell or flint and
adorning them especially the warconchs 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 cocoanut 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 KoryKory
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 honour 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
midday 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 ate 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 noonday or a bath in the stream at midnight Once I beheld him
perched eighty feet from the ground in the tuft of a cocoanut 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 musselshell 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 Marheyos 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 In good sooth they
so sway their floating forms arch their necks toss aloft their naked arms and
glide and swim and whirl that it was almost too much for a quiet
soberminded modest young man like myself
The damsels wear nothing but flowers and their compendious gala tunics and
when they plume themselves for the dance they look like a band of
olivecoloured sylphides on the point of taking wing
Unless some particular festivity was going forward the inmates of Marheyos
house retired to their mats rather early in the evening but not for the night
since after slumbering lightly for a while they rose again relit their
tapers partook of the third and last meal of the day at which poeepoee alone
was eaten and then after inhaling a narcotic whiff from a pipe of tobacco
disposed themselves for the great business of 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
constitutions is no way shown more emphatically than in the quality of sleep
they can endure To many of them indeed life is little else than an often
interrupted and luxurious nap
Chapter XXI
The Spring of Arva Wai Remarkable Monumental Remains Some Ideas with
regard to the History of the PiPis 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 Wai2 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 dewylooking little
violetcoloured 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 civilised 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 their
existence
These structures bear every indication of a very high antiquity and
KoryKory 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 KoryKorys 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 ends 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 overshadowed 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 pipis 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 buryinggrounds and festivalplaces 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 pipis like that of the hoolahhoolah 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 KoryKorys account the pipi upon which stands the
hoolahhoolah ground was built a great many moons ago under the direction of
Monoo a great chief and warrior and as it would appear mastermason 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 pipis upon which stand the dwellinghouses 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 pipis and without
further ceremony pitch his bamboo tent upon it
Chapter XXII
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 everpresent
KoryKory 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 Bachelors 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 civilised countries There
they would remain hour after hour chatting smoking eating poeepoee 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 everyone else except the verdantique 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 unexceptionable 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 furiouslooking hogs through the bushes in their endeavours to
capture them and numbers employed in kneading great mountains of poeepoee
heaped up in huge wooden vessels
After observing these lively indications for a while 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 palmtree 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 perverseminded 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 firstborn of every
litter perished before the setting of that fatal sun
The scene around the Ti was now most animated Hogs and poeepoee were
baking in numerous ovens which heaped up with fresh earth into slight
elevations looked like so many anthills Scores of the savages were vigorously
plying their stone pestles in preparing masses of poeepoee and numbers were
gathering green breadfruit and young cocoanuts 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 ablebodied men a whole swarm gather about it and after a vast
deal of palavering lift it up among them everyone 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 myself 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 KoryKory 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 cocoanut 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«
The following morning awaking rather late I perceived the whole of
Marheyos 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 tapa 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
milliners doll
It was not long before KoryKory 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
dinerout 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 KoryKory previous to mounting the elevation paused for a moment
like a dandy at a ballroom 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 quickwitted 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 lasses 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 handiwork 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 the slow and
dignified step of a fulldressed beau I ascended the rock
Chapter XXIII
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 toward 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 toward 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 pipi 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 elaboratelycarved canoeshaped vessels some twenty feet in
length filled with newlymade poeepoee and sheltered from the sun by the
broad leaves of the banana At intervals were heaps of green breadfruit 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 pipi 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 naught remained but for everyone 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 poeepoee 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 breadfruit
Within the building itself was presented a most extraordinary scene The
immense lounge of mats lying between the parallel rows of the trunks of
cocoanut 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 cocoanut shells were curiously carved in
strange heathenish devices These were passed from mouth to mouth by the
recumbent smokers who 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 dinnertable 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 KoryKory 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 tobaccoplant however like the sugarcane 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 halfdozen 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 cocoanut goblet of water was passed around the
juvenile company who rinsing their mouths 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
for whose frightful inroads the illstarred inhabitants of that group are
indebted to their foreign benefactors 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 kokoo well
knowing my partiality for that dish and had likewise selected three or four
young cocoanuts several roasted breadfruit and a magnificent bunch of
bananas for my especial comfort and gratification These various matters were
at once placed before me but KoryKory 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 part of
their nourishment from the cocoanuts 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 cocoanut 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 cocoanuts 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 sides 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 moments 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 with regard to the meaning of this peculiar
diversion I turned inquiringly to KoryKory 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 KoryKory considered this an allsufficient
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 hoolahhoolah 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 toward 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 breadfruit in baskets
of cocoanut leaves large rolls of tappa bunches of ripe bananas clusters of
mammeeapples the goldenhued 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 drumheads 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 freshcut 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 crosslegged 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 KoryKory 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 XXIV
Ideas suggested by the Feast of Calabashes Inaccuracy of certain published
Accounts of the Islands A Reason Neglected State of Heathenism in the
Valley Effigy of a dead Warrior A singular Superstition The Priest
Kolory and the God Moa Artua Amazing Religious Observance A dilapidated
Shrine KoryKory 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 As a religious solemnity however it had not
at all corresponded with the horrible descriptions of Polynesian worship which
we have received in some published narratives and especially in those accounts
of the evangelised islands with which the missionaries have favoured us Did not
the sacred character of these persons render the purity of their intentions
unquestionable I should certainly be led to suppose that they had exaggerated
the evils of Paganism in order to enhance the merit of their own disinterested
labours
In a certain work incidentally treating of the »Washington or Northern
Marquesas Islands« I have seen the frequent immolation of human victims upon
the altars of their gods positively and repeatedly charged upon the
inhabitants The same work gives also a rather minute account of their religion
enumerates a great many of their superstitions and makes known the
particular designations of numerous orders of the priesthood One would almost
imagine from the long list that is given of cannibal primates bishops
archdeacons prebendaries and other inferior ecclesiastics that the sacerdotal
order far outnumbered the rest of the population and that the poor natives were
more severely priestridden than even the inhabitants of the papal states These
accounts are likewise calculated to leave upon the readers mind an impression
that human victims are daily cooked and served up upon the altars that
heathenish cruelties of every description are continually practised and that
these ignorant Pagans are in a state of the extremest wretchedness in
consequence of the grossness of their superstitions Be it observed however
that all this information is given by a man who according to his own statement
was only at one of the islands and remained there but two weeks sleeping every
night on board his ship and taking little kidglove excursions ashore in the
daytime attended by an armed party
Now all I can say is that in all my excursions through the valley of
Typee I never saw any of these alleged enormities If any of them are practised
upon the Marquesas Islands they must certainly have come to my knowledge while
living for months with a tribe of savages wholly unchanged from their original
primitive condition and reputed the most ferocious in the South Seas
The fact is that there is a vast deal of unintentional humbuggery in some
of the accounts we have from scientific men concerning the religious
institutions of Polynesia These learned tourists generally obtain the greater
part of their information from the retired old South Sea rovers who have
domesticated themselves among the barbarous tribes of the Pacific Jack who has
long been accustomed to the longbow and to spin tough yarns on a ships
forecastle invariably officiates as showman of the island on which he has
settled and having mastered a few dozen words of the language is supposed to
know all about the people who speak it A natural desire to make himself of
consequence in the eyes of the strangers prompts him to lay claim to a much
greater knowledge of such matters than he actually possesses In reply to
incessant queries he communicates not only all he knows but a good deal more
and if there be any information deficient still he is at no loss to supply it
The avidity with which his anecdotes are noted down tickles his vanity and his
powers of invention increase with the credulity of his auditors He knows just
the sort of information wanted and furnishes it to any extent
This is not a supposed case I have met with several individuals like the
one described and I have been present at two or three of their interviews with
strangers
Now when the scientific voyager arrives at home with his collection of
wonders he attempts perhaps to give a description of some of the strange
people he has been visiting Instead of representing them as a community of
lusty savages who are leading a merry idle innocent life he enters into a
very circumstantial and learned narrative of certain unaccountable superstitions
and practices about which he knows as little as the islanders do themselves
Having had little time and scarcely any opportunity to become acquainted with
the customs he pretends to describe he writes them down one after another in an
offhand haphazard style and were the book thus produced to be translated into
the tongue of the people of whom it purports to give the history it would
appear quite as wonderful to them as it does to the American public and much
more improbable
For my own part 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 illfavoured god with a large bottlenose 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 illbred 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 stones cast of
Fayaways 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 warriorchief Like all the other edifices of any note
it was raised upon a small pipi 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 selfsupported 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 pipi and was enclosed by four trunks of cocoanut
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 enclosure3 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
palmtrees 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 chiefs effigy seated in the stern of a canoe which was raised on a light
frame a few inches above the level of the pipi The canoe was about seven feet
in length of a rich darkcoloured wood handsomely carved and adorned in many
places with variegated bindings of stained sinnate into which were ingeniously
wrought a number of sparkling seashells 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 chiefs 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 forever and face to face was a polished
human skull which crowned the prow of the canoe The spectral figurehead
reversed in its position glancing backward seemed to mock the impatient
attitude of the warrior
When I first visited this singular place with KoryKory he told me or at
least I so understood him that the chief was paddling his way to the realms
of bliss and breadfruit the Polynesian heaven where every moment the
breadfruit trees dropped their ripened spheres to the ground and where there
was no end to the cocoanuts and bananas there they reposed through the
livelong eternity upon mats much finer than those of Typee and every day
bathed their glowing limbs in rivers of cocoanut oil In that happy land there
were plenty of plumes and feathers and boars tusks and spermwhale 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« KoryKory 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 KoryKory 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 afterward
heard him repeat the same words several times and in what appeared to me to be
a somewhat similar sense Indeed KoryKory had a great variety of short
smartsounding 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 breadfruit cocoanuts 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 KoryKory 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 chiefs 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
headdress stirred by the same breeze which in low tones breathed amidst the
lofty palmtrees 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 everyday 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
halfdecayed baskets around some uncouth jollylooking image I was present
during the continuance of the festival I daily beheld the grinning idols
marshalled rank and file in the hoolahhoolah ground and was often in the habit
of meeting those whom I supposed to be priests But the temples seemed 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 noblelooking 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 headdress consisting of part of a
cocoanut 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 soldierpriest 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
heathenishlooking little image This instrument however might perhaps have
been emblematic of his double functions With one end in carnal combat he
transfixed 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 say about
Kolory His martial grace very often carried about with him what seemed to me
the half of a broken warclub 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
hoolahhoolah 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 Artua4 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
pipi 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 sleightofhand 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 babygod 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 everyone 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 mortarkee 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 timeserving 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 goodhumour
and my Lord Archbishop after chatting a while 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 babyhouses
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 fullgrown 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 hoolahhoolah grounds
KoryKory 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 cocoanut tree to sprout out of his
KoryKorys 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 anyone offence The fact is they had to carry themselves pretty straight
or suffer the consequences Their worshippers were such a precious set of
fickleminded 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 breadfruit 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 KoryKory
through the deepest recesses of the groves I perceived a curiouslooking image
about six feet in height which originally had been placed upright against a low
pipi 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 to the
religious prejudices of my valet As soon however as KoryKory 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 KoryKory was trying to prop it up by
placing a stick between it and the pipi the monster fell clumsily to the
ground and would infallibly have broken its neck had not KoryKory
providentially broken its fall by receiving its whole weight on his own
halfcrushed 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 KoryKorys impiety
This anecdote speaks for itself When one of the inferior order of natives
could show such contempt for a venerable and decrepit God of the Groves what
the state of religion must be among the people in general is easily to be
imagined In truth I regard the Typees as a backslidden generation They are
sunk in religious sloth and require a spiritual revival A long prosperity of
breadfruit and cocoanuts has rendered them remiss in the performance of their
higher obligations The woodrot malady is spreading among the idols the fruit
upon their altars is becoming offensive the temples themselves need
rethatching the tattooed clergy are altogether too lighthearted and lazy
and their flocks are going astray
Chapter XXV
General Information gathered at the Festival Personal Beauty of the Typees
Their Superiority over the Inhabitants of the other IslandsDiversity of
Complexion A Vegetable Cosmetic and Ointment Testimony of Voyagers to
the uncommon Beauty of the Marquesans Few Evidences of Intercourse with
Civilised 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 sculptors 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 unexceptionable 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
roundshouldered spindleshanked cranenecked varlets would civilised 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 graybeards among them were
much better garnished than those of most of the youths of civilised countries
while the teeth of the young and middleaged 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 and 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 I
had observed that even the little intercourse Europeans had carried on with the
Nukuheva natives had not failed to leave its traces amongst them One of the
most dreadful curses under which humanity labours had commenced its havocs and
betrayed as it ever does among the South Sea islanders the most aggravated
symptoms From this as from all other foreign inflictions the yet
uncontaminated tenants of the Typee valley were wholly exempt and long may they
continue so Better will it be for them forever to remain the happy and innocent
heathens and barbarians that they now are than like the wretched inhabitants
of the Sandwich Islands to enjoy the mere name of Christians without
experiencing any of the vital operations of true religion whilst at the same
time they are made the victims of the worst vices and evils of civilised life
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 it 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
damsels 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 forever
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 cocoanut
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 soapboilers vat or
had undergone the process of dipping in a tallowchandlery 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 Mendannas 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 toward 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 pilotmayor Quiros affirmed nothing in
his life ever caused him so much regret as the leaving such fine creatures to be
lost in that country«5 More than two hundred years have gone by since the
passage of which the above is a translation was written and it appears to me
now as I read it as fresh and true as if written but yesterday The islanders
are still the same and I have seen boys in the Typee valley of whose beautiful
faces and promising animation of countenance no one who has not beheld them can
form any adequate idea Cook in the account of his voyages pronounces the
Marquesans as by far the most splendid islanders in the South Seas Stewart the
chaplain of the US ship Vincennes in his Scenes in the South Seas expresses
in more than one place his amazement at the surpassing loveliness of the women
and says that many of the Nukuheva damsels reminded him forcibly of the most
celebrated beauties in his own land Fanning a Yankee mariner of some
reputation likewise records his lively impressions of the physical appearance
of these people and Commodore David Porter of the US frigate Essex is said
to have been vastly smitten by the beauty of the ladies Their great superiority
over all other Polynesians cannot fail to attract the notice of those who visit
the principal groups in the Pacific The voluptuous Tahitians are the only
people who at all deserve to be compared with them while the darkhued
Hawaiians and the woollyheaded Feejees are immeasurably inferior to them The
distinguishing characteristic of the Marquesan islanders and that which at once
strikes you is the European cast of their features a peculiarity seldom
observable among other uncivilised people Many of their faces present a profile
classically beautiful and in the valley of Typee I saw several who like the
stranger Marnoo were in every respect models of beauty
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 hatchetheads with the edges blunted
and battered to such a degree as to render them utterly useless 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 antiquarians 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 oldfashioned 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 wormeaten
the lock was as rusty and about as well adapted to its ostensible purpose as an
old doorhinge 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
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 toward 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 civil institutions of the Marquesas Islands appear to be in this as in
other respects directly the reverse of those of the Tahitian and Hawaiian
groups where the original power of the king and chiefs was far more despotic
than that of any tyrant in civilised countries At Tahiti it used to be death
for one of the inferior orders to approach without permission under the shadow
of the kings house or to fail in paying the customary reverence when food
destined for the king was borne past them by his messengers At the Sandwich
Islands Kaahumanu the gigantic old dowager queen a woman of nearly four
hundred pounds weight and who is said to be still living at Mowee was
accustomed in some of her terrific gusts of temper to snatch up an
ordinarysized man who had offended her and snap his spine across her knee
Incredible as this may seem it is a fact While at Lahainaluna the residence
of this monstrous Jezebel a humpbacked wretch was pointed out to me who some
twentyfive years previously had had the vertebræ of his backbone very
seriously discomposed by his gentle mistress
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 toward the sea a number of distinguished chiefs resided
some of whom had separately visited me at Marheyos 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 preeminence 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 XXVI
King Mehevi Allusion to his Hawaiian Majesty 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
DwellingsHappiness enjoyed in the Valley A Warning Some Ideas with
regard to the Civilisation of the Islands Reference to the present state
of the Hawaiians Story of a Missionarys Wife Fashionable Equipages at
Oahu Reflections
King Mehevi A goodly sounding title and why should I not bestow it upon
the foremost man in the valley of Typee The republican missionaries of Oahu
cause to be gazetted in the Court Journal published at Honolulu the most
trivial movements of his gracious majesty King Tammahammaha III and their
highnesses the princes of the blood royal6 And who is his gracious majesty
and what the quality of this blood royal His gracious majesty is a fat lazy
negrolooking blockhead with as little character as power He has lost the
noble traits of the barbarian without acquiring the redeeming graces of a
civilised being and although a member of the Hawaiian Temperance Society is a
most inveterate dramdrinker
The blood royal is an extremely thick depraved fluid formed principally of
raw fish bad brandy and European sweetmeats and is charged with a variety of
eruptive humours which are developed in sundry blotches and pimples upon the
august face of majesty itself and the angelic countenances of the princes and
princesses of the blood royal
Now if the farcical puppet of a chief magistrate in the Sandwich Islands be
allowed the title of King why should it be withheld from the noble savage
Mehevi who is a thousand times more worthy of the appellation All hail
therefore Mehevi King of the Cannibal Valley and long life and prosperity to
his Typeean majesty May Heaven for many a year preserve him the uncompromising
foe of Nukuheva and the French if a hostile attitude will secure his lovely
domain from the remorseless inflictions of South Sea civilisation
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
connection of man and wife To be sure there were old Marheyo and Tinor who
seemed to have a sort of nuptial understanding with one another but for all
that I had sometimes observed a comicallooking old gentleman dressed in a suit
of shabby tattooing who had the audacity to take various liberties with the
lady and that too in the very presence of the old warrior her husband who
looked on as goodnaturedly as if nothing was happening 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 Bachelors Hall in fine style at the Ti I had
no doubt but that they regarded children as odious encumbrances and their ideas
of domestic felicity were sufficiently shown in the fact that they allowed no
meddlesome housekeepers to turn topsyturvy 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 Marheyos
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 but on second thoughts tattooing is not hereditary
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 I sometimes beheld both him and the chief making
love at the same time Is it possible thought I that the valiant warrior can
consent to give up a corner in the thing he loves This too was a mystery
which with others of the same kind was afterward satisfactorily explained
During the second day of the Feast of Calabashes KoryKory 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
KoryKory 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 KoryKorys 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
Married women to be sure I knew better than to offend them
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
Where else indeed could such a practice exist even for a single day
Imagine a revolution brought about in a Turkish seraglio and the harem rendered
the abode of bearded men or conceive some beautiful woman in our own country
running distracted at the sight of her numerous lovers murdering one another
before her eyes out of jealousy for the unequal distribution of her favours
Heaven defend us from such a state of things We are scarcely amiable and
forbearing enough to submit to it
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 I have
more than one reason to believe that 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 civilised
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 generoushearted 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 civilised
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 illused wife or a henpecked 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 A baneful
promiscuous intercourse of the sexes is hereby avoided and virtue without
being clamorouslys invoked is as it were unconsciously practised
The contrast exhibited between the Marquesas and other islanders of the
Pacific in this respect is worthy of being noticed At Tahiti the marriage tie
was altogether unknown and the relation of husband and wife father and son
could hardly be said to exist The Arreory Society one of the most singular
institutions that ever existed in any part of the world spread universal
licentiousness over the island It was the voluptuous character of these people
which rendered the disease introduced among them by De Bougainvilles ships in
1768 doubly destructive It visited them like a plague sweeping them off by
hundreds
Notwithstanding the existence of wedlock among the Typees 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 stepladder
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 to be seen going
about the valley with half a score of little ones tagging at their
apronstrings or rather at the breadfruit leaf they usually wore in the rear
The ratio of increase among all the Polynesian nations is very small and in
some places as yet uncorrupted by intercourse with Europeans the births would
appear but very little to outnumber the deaths the population in such instances
remaining nearly the same for several successive generations even upon those
islands seldom or never desolated by wars and among people with whom the crime
of infanticide is altogether unknown This would seem expressly ordained by
Providence to prevent the overstocking of the islands with a race too indolent
to cultivate the ground and who for that reason alone would by any
considerable increase in their numbers be exposed to the most deplorable
misery During the entire period of my stay in the village of Typee I never saw
more than ten or twelve children under the age of six months and only became
aware of two births
It is to the absence of the marriage tie that the late rapid decrease of the
population of the Sandwich Islands and of Tahiti is in part to be ascribed The
vices and diseases introduced among these unhappy people annually swell the
ordinary mortality of the islands while from the same cause the originally
small number of births is proportionally decreased Thus the progress of the
Hawaiians and Tahitians to utter extinction is accelerated in a sort of compound
ratio
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 toward 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 pipis 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 burialplaces 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 in 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 the 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 cocoanut 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 pipeclay In the dwellinghouse
adjoining a numerous company were assembled and various articles of food were
being prepared for consumption Two or three individuals distinguished by
headdresses 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
everyone 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 practise 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
toward 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 goldenhued 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
The penalty of the Fall presses very lightly upon the valley of Typee for
with the one solitary exception of striking a light I scarcely saw any piece of
work performed there which caused the sweat to stand upon a single brow As for
digging and delving for a livelihood the thing is altogether unknown Nature
had planted the breadfruit and the banana and in her own good time she brings
them to maturity when the idle savage stretches forth his hand and satisfies
his appetite
Illfated people I shudder when I think of the change a few years will
produce in their paradisiacal abode and probably when the most destructive
vices and the worst attendances on civilisation shall have driven all peace
and happiness from the valley the magnanimous French will proclaim to the world
that the Marquesas Islands have been converted to Christianity and this the
Catholic world will doubtless consider as a glorious event Heaven help the
Isles of the Sea The sympathy which Christendom feels for them has alas in
too many instances proved their bane
How little do some of these poor islanders comprehend when they look around
them that no inconsiderable part of their disasters originate in certain
teaparty excitements under the influence of which benevolentlooking gentlemen
in white cravats solicit alms and old ladies in spectacles and young ladies in
sober russet low gowns contribute sixpences toward the creation of a fund the
object of which is to ameliorate the spiritual condition of the Polynesians but
whose end has almost invariably been to accomplish their temporal destruction
Let the savages be civilised but civilise them with benefits and not with
evils and let heathenism be destroyed but not by destroying the heathen The
AngloSaxon hive have extirpated Paganism from the greater part of the North
American continent but with it they have likewise extirpated the greater
portion of the Red race Civilisation is gradually sweeping from the earth the
lingering vestiges of Paganism and at the same time the shrinking forms of its
unhappy worshippers
Among the islands of Polynesia no sooner are the images overturned the
temples demolished and the idolaters converted into nominal Christians than
disease vice and premature death make their appearance The depopulated land
is then recruited from the rapacious hordes of enlightened individuals who
settle themselves within its borders and clamorously announce the progress of
the Truth Neat villas trim gardens shaven lawns spires and cupolas arise
while the poor savage soon finds himself an interloper in the country of his
fathers and that too on the very site of the hut where he was born The
spontaneous fruits of the earth which God in His wisdom had ordained for the
support of the indolent natives remorselessly seized upon and appropriated by
the stranger are devoured before the eyes of the starving inhabitants or sent
on board the numerous vessels which now touch at their shores
When the famished wretches are cut off in this manner from their natural
supplies they are told by their benefactors to work and earn their support by
the sweat of their brows But to no fine gentleman born to hereditary opulence
does manual labour come more unkindly than to the luxurious Indian when thus
robbed of the bounty of Heaven Habituated to a life of indolence he cannot and
will not exert himself and want disease and vice all evils of foreign
growth soon terminate his miserable existence
But what matters all this Behold the glorious result The abominations of
Paganism have given way to the pure rites of the Christian worship the
ignorant savage has been supplanted by the refined European Look at Honolulu
the metropolis of the Sandwich Islands A community of disinterested
merchants and devoted selfexiled heralds of the Cross located on the very
spot that twenty years ago was defiled by the presence of idolatry What a
subject for an eloquent Biblemeeting orator Nor has such an opportunity for a
display of missionary rhetoric been allowed to pass by unimproved But when
these philanthropists send us such glowing accounts of one half of their
labours why does their modesty restrain them from publishing the other half of
the good they have wrought Nor until I visited Honolulu was I aware of the
fact that the small remnant of the natives had been civilised into draught
horses and evangelised into beasts of burden But so it is They have been
literally broken into the traces and are harnessed to the vehicles of their
spiritual instructors like so many dumb brutes
Among a multitude of similar exhibitions that I saw I shall never forget a
robust redfaced and very ladylike personage a missionarys spouse who day
after day for months together took her regular airings in a little gocart drawn
by two of the islanders one an old grayheaded man and the other a roguish
stripling both being with the exception of the figleaf as naked as when they
were born Over a level piece of ground this pair of draught bipeds would go
with a shambling unsightly trot the youngster hanging back all the time like a
knowing horse while the old hack plodded on and did all the work
Rattling along through the streets of the town in this stylish equipage the
lady looks about her as magnificently as any queen driven in state to her
coronation A sudden elevation and a sandy road however soon disturb her
serenity The small wheels become imbedded in the loose soil the old stager
stands tugging and sweating while the young one frisks about and does nothing
not an inch does the chariot budge Will the tenderhearted lady who has left
friends and home for the good of the souls of the poor heathen will she think a
little about their bodies and get out and ease the wretched old man until the
ascent is mounted Not she she could not dream of it To be sure she used to
think nothing of driving the cows to pasture on the old farm in New England but
times have changed since then So she retains the seat and bawls out »Hookee
hookee« pull pull The old gentleman frightened at the sound labours away
harder than ever and the younger one makes a great show of straining himself
but takes care to keep one eye on his mistress in order to know when to dodge
out of harms way At last the good lady loses all patience »Hookee hookee«
and rap goes the heavy handle of her huge fan over the naked skull of the old
savage while the young one shies to one side and keeps beyond its range
»Hookee hookee« again she cries »Hookee tata kannaka« pull strong men
but all in vain and she is obliged in the end to dismount and sad necessity
actually to walk to the top of the hill
At the town where this paragon of humility resides is a spacious and
elegant American chapel where divine service is regularly performed Twice
every Sabbath toward the close of the exercises may be seen a score or two of
little waggons ranged along the railing in front of the edifice with two
squalid native footmen in the livery of nakedness standing by each and waiting
for the dismission of the congregation to draw their superiors home
Lest the slightest misconception should arise from anything thrown out in
this chapter or indeed in any other part of the volume let me here observe
that against the cause of missions in the abstract no Christian can possibly be
opposed it is in truth a just and holy cause But if the great end proposed by
it be spiritual the agency employed to accomplish that end is purely earthly
and although the object in view be the achievement of much good that agency
may nevertheless be productive of evil In short missionary undertaking
however it may be blessed of Heaven is in itself but human and subject like
everything else to errors and abuses And have not errors and abuses crept into
the most sacred places and may there not be unworthy or incapable missionaries
abroad as well as ecclesiastics of a similar character at home May not the
unworthiness or incapacity of those who assume apostolic functions upon the
remote islands of the sea more easily escape detection by the world at large
than if it were displayed in the heart of a city An unwarranted confidence in
the sanctity of its apostles a proneness to regard them as incapable of guile
and an impatience of the least suspicion as to their rectitude as men or
Christians have ever been prevailing faults in the Church Nor is this to be
wondered at for subject as Christianity is to the assaults of unprincipled
foes we are naturally disposed to regard everything like an exposure of
ecclesiastical misconduct as the offspring of malevolence or irreligious
feeling Not even this last consideration however shall deter me from the
honest expression of my sentiments
There is something decidedly wrong in the practical operations of the
Sandwich Island Missions Those who from pure religious motives contribute to
the support of this enterprise should take care to ascertain that their
donations flowing through many devious channels at last effect their
legitimate object the conversion of the Hawaiians I urge this not because I
doubt the moral probity of those who disburse these funds but because I know
that they are not rightly applied To read pathetic accounts of missionary
hardships and glowing descriptions of conversions and baptisms taking place
beneath palmtrees is one thing and to go to the Sandwich Islands and see the
missionaries dwelling in picturesque and prettilyfurnished coralrock villas
whilst the miserable natives are committing all sorts of immoralities around
them is quite another
In justice to the missionaries however I will willingly admit that
whatever evils may have resulted from their collective mismanagement of the
business of the mission and from the want of vital piety evinced by some of
their number still the present deplorable condition of the Sandwich Islands is
by no means wholly chargeable against them The demoralising influence of a
dissolute foreign population and the frequent visits of all descriptions of
vessels have tended not a little to increase the evils alluded to In a word
here as in every case where civilisation has in any way been introduced among
those whom we call savages she has scattered her vices and withheld her
blessings
As wise a man as Shakespeare has said that the bearer of evil tidings hath
but a losing office and so I suppose will it prove with me in communicating to
the trusting friends of the Hawaiian Mission what has been disclosed in various
portions of this narrative I am persuaded however that as these disclosures
will by their very nature attract attention so they will lead to something
which will not be without ultimate benefit to the cause of Christianity in the
Sandwich Islands
I have but one thing more to add in connection with this subjectthose
things which I have stated as facts will remain facts in spite of whatever the
bigoted or incredulous may say or write against them My reflections however
on those facts may not be free from error If such be the case I claim no
further indulgence than should be conceded to every man whose object is to do
good
Chapter XXVII
The Social Condition and General Character of the Typees
I have already mentioned that the influence exerted over the people of the
valley by their chiefs was mild in the extreme and as to any general rule or
standard of conduct by which the commonalty were governed in their intercourse
with each other so far as my observation extended I should be almost tempted
to say that none existed on the island except indeed the mysterious taboo be
considered as such During the time I lived among the Typees no one was ever
put upon his trial for any offence against the public To all appearances there
were no courts of law or equity There was no municipal police for the purpose
of apprehending vagrants and disorderly characters In short there were no
legal provisions whatever for the wellbeing and conservation of society the
enlightened end of civilised legislation And yet everything went on in the
valley with a harmony and smoothness unparalleled I will venture to assert in
the most select refined and pious associations of mortals in Christendom How
are we to explain this enigma These islanders were heathens savages ay
cannibals and how came they without the aid of established law to exhibit in
so eminent a degree that social order which is the greatest blessing and
highest pride of the social state
It may reasonably be inquired how were these people governed how were
their passions controlled in their everyday transactions It must have been by
an inherent principle of honesty and charity toward each other They seemed to
be governed by that sort of tacit commonsense law which say what they will of
the inborn lawlessness of the human race has its precepts graven on every
breast The grand principles of virtue and honour however they may be distorted
by arbitrary codes are the same all the world over and where these principles
are concerned the right or wrong of any action appears the same to the
uncultivated as to the enlightened mind It is to this indwelling this
universally diffused perception of what is just and noble that the integrity of
the Marquesans in their intercourse with each other is to be attributed In the
darkest nights they 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 breadfruit tree 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
cocoanut tree in the grove and there it was found when sought for Here is a
spermwhale tooth graven all over with cunning devices it is the property of
Karluna It is the most precious of the damsels 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 girls house which is far back in the valley the door
is left open and all the inmates have gone off to bathe in the stream7
So much for the respect in which personal property is held in Typee how
secure an investment of real property may be I cannot take upon me to say
Whether the land of the valley was the joint property of its inhabitants or
whether it was parcelled out among a certain number of landed proprietors who
allowed everybody to squat and poach as much as he or she pleased I never could
ascertain At any rate musty parchments and title deeds there were none on the
island and I am half inclined to believe that its inhabitants hold their broad
valleys in fee simple from Nature herself to have and to hold so long as grass
grows and water runs or until their French visitors by a summary mode of
conveyancing shall appropriate them to their own benefit and behoof
Yesterday I saw KoryKory 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 cocoanut leaves Today I see an
islander whom I know to reside in a distant part of the valley doing the
selfsame 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 breadfruit 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
ridgepole of Marheyos 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 Marheyos occupied by Ruaruga is not
quite so well furnished There are only three moderatesized 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 Marheyos and I suppose if he wished to vie with his neighbours
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
Civilisation does not engross all the virtues of humanity she has not even
her full share of them They flourish in greater abundance and attain greater
strength among many barbarous people The hospitality of the wild Arab the
courage of the North American Indian and the faithful friendships of some of
the Polynesian nations far surpass anything of a similar kind among the
polished communities of Europe If truth and justice and the better principles
of our nature cannot exist unless enforced by the statutebook how are we to
account for the social condition of the Typees So pure and upright were they in
all the relations of life that entering their valley as I did under the most
erroneous impressions of their character I was soon led to exclaim in
amazement »Are these the ferocious savages the bloodthirsty cannibals of whom
I have heard such frightful tales They deal more kindly with each other and
are more humane than many who study essays on virtue and benevolence and who
repeat every night that beautiful prayer breathed first by the lips of the
divine and gentle Jesus« I will frankly declare that after passing a few weeks
in this valley of the Marquesas I formed a higher estimate of human nature than
I had ever before entertained But alas since then I have been one of the crew
of a manofwar and the pentup wickedness of five hundred men has nearly
overturned all my previous theories
There was one admirable trait in the general character of the Typees which
more than anything else secured my admiration it was the unanimity of feeling
they displayed on every occasion With them there hardly appeared to be any
difference of opinion upon any subject whatever They all thought and acted
alike I do not conceive that they could support a debating society for a single
night there would be nothing to dispute about and were they to call a
convention to take into consideration the state of the tribe its session would
be a remarkably short one They showed this spirit of unanimity in every action
of life everything was done in concert and good fellowship I will give an
instance of this fraternal feeling
One day in returning with KoryKory 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 Everyone
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 everadorable 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 carekilling 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 fellowislanders 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 sympathise 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 toward 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 warclubs and served up without any
preliminary dressing In truth so horrific and improbable are these accounts
that many sensible and wellinformed 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 GiantKiller 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 XXVIII
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 fortyeight hours I was led to believe that they went
out toward the open sea some distance from the bay The Polynesians seldom use
a hook and line almost always employing large wellmade 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 resemble very much
our own seines and I should think 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 Toward 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 toward 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
oneeighth of the whole being reserved for the use of the Ti itself the
remainder was divided into numerous smaller packages which were immediately
dispatched in every direction to the remotest parts 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
dispatched 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
cocoanut 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 KoryKory 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 valets 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 poeepoee were filled to the
brim green breadfruit 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 horsechestnut 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 cocoanut tree Some of these tapers are eight and
ten feet in length but being perfectly flexible one end is held in a coil
while the other is lighted The nut bums with a fitful bluish flame and the oil
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 cocoanut 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 civilised 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 sensations 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
vulgarlooking fishes oh no with her beautiful small hand she would clasp a
delicate little goldenhued 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 poeepoee 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 XXIX
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 TooToo and the Cocoanut Tree The Birds of the Valley
I think I must enlighten the reader a little about the natural history of the
valley
Whence in the name of Count Buffon and Baron Cuvier came those dogs that I
saw in Typee 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 the exlordmayor 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 torment some of
Teniers 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 goldenhued 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 cocoanut 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 toward 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 afterward 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 sandflies 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 eyelashes 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 halfdozen darted into the open apartment 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 afterward 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 island 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 icecreams 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 cocoanuts 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 jellylike 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 sip first from
one and then from another as fastidiously as some delicate winebibber
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
cocoanut 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 tiptoe straining his neck and elevating his arm
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 wellacted 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 treetop 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 toward 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 cocoanut tree and while hanging perhaps fifty feet from the ground
receive 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 nations might have approved of it but
most modem dames would have gone into hysterics at the sight
At the top of the cocoanut 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 TooToo was the rascals name who had
built himself a sort of aerial babyhouse in the picturesque tuft of a tree
adjoining Marheyos 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 TooToos 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 Dibdins
lines
»Theres 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 breadfruit 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 bloodyred 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 XXX
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 KoryKory 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 stonecutter
with mallet and chisel In one hand he held a short slender stick pointed with
a sharks tooth on the upright end of which he tapped with a small hammerlike
piece of wood thus puncturing the skin and charging it with the colouring
matter in which the instrument was dipped A cocoanut shell containing this
fluid was placed upon the ground It is prepared by mixing with a vegetable
juice the ashes of the armor or candlenut always preserved for the purpose
Beside the savage and spread out upon a piece of soiled tappa were a great
number of curious blacklooking 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 in 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 cruellooking motherofpearlhandled things
which one sees in their velvetlined 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 KoryKory 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 KoryKory 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 painters 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 toward old Marheyos house pursued by the
indomitable artist who ran after me implements in hand KoryKory 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
majestys comprehension how any soberminded and sensible individual could
entertain the least possible objection to so beautifying an operation
Soon afterward 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 forever 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 the choice of patterns I was at
perfect liberty to have my face spanned by three horizontal bars after the
fashion of my servingmans 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 afterward 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 housepainters 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 allcontrolling power without in the least comprehending it
Those effects were indeed widespread 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 twentyfour 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
illmanners 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 clothmallet at a little distance I turned
down a path that conducted me in a few moments to a house where there were some
halfdozen 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 a while 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 boardingschool 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 toward 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 breadfruit and
cocoanut 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
whipstalks
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 Tobys 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 afterward 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 has been alluded to in a former part of this narrative 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 fowlingpieces 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 formidablelooking 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 horrorstruck 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 toward 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
a while 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 boats 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 today and withdrawn tomorrow 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 senses
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
anywise analogous thereto the particular meaning being shown chiefly by a
variety of gestures and the eloquent expression of the countenance
The intricacy of these dialects is another peculiarity In the Missionary
College at Lahainaluna or Mowee one of the Sandwich Islands I saw a tabular
exhibition of a Hawaiian verb conjugated through all its moods and tenses It
covered the side of a considerable apartment and I doubt whether Sir William
Jones himself would not have despaired of mastering it
Chapter XXXI
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
readers 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 Marheyos 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 halfrotten 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 wildlooking
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 birdlike 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 roughsided 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 that 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 Broomseller
His Typeean 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 Mehevis 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 afterward 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
scarletcoloured 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 Fayaways 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
easygoing 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 toward 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 selfdefence 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 KoryKory 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
toward 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 hands toward 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 mothers 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 this 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 civilised communities how many ablebodied 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 womans heart
Whether against the express will of Providence it is twisted up on the crown
of the head and there coiled away like a rope on a ships deck whether it be
stuck behind the ears and hangs down like the swag of a small windowcurtain 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 toilet
The Typee girls devote much of their time to the dressing of their fair 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 cocoanut 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 widemouthed calabash
placed underneath After a sufficient quantity has been thus collected the oil
undergoes a purifying process and is then poured into the small spherical
shells of the nuts of the mootree 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
the 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 twothirds 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 toilet 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 XXXII
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 Fayaway was quite as engaging KoryKory 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 sympathise 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 ridgepole of Marheyos 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 KoryKory 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 KoryKory 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
mummylike appearance it presented The two long scalplocks 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 motherofpearl 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 Tobys 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
eat 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 eyewitness to the revolting practice The
horrible conclusion has almost always been derived either from the secondhand
evidence of Europeans or else from the admissions of the savages themselves
after they have in some degree become civilised 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
The excessive unwillingness betrayed by the Sandwich islanders even at the
present day to allude to the unhappy fate of Cook has often been remarked And
so well have they succeeded in covering that event with mystery that to this
very hour despite all that has been said and written on the subject it still
remains doubtful whether they wreaked upon his murdered body the vengeance they
sometimes inflicted upon their enemies
At Karakikova the scene of that tragedy a strip of ships copper nailed
against an upright post in the ground used to inform the traveller that beneath
reposed the remains of the great circumnavigator But I am strongly inclined to
believe not only that the corpse was refused Christian burial but that the
heart which was brought to Vancouver some time after the event and which the
Hawaiians stoutly maintained was that of Captain Cook was no such thing and
that the whole affair was a piece of imposture which was sought to be palmed off
upon the credulous Englishman
A few years since there was living on the island of Mowee one of the
Sandwich group an old chief who actuated by a morbid desire for notoriety
gave himself out among the foreign residents of the place as the living tomb of
Captain Cooks big toe affirming that at the cannibal entertainment which
ensued after the lamented Britons death that particular portion of his body
had fallen to his share His indignant countrymen actually caused him to be
prosecuted in the native courts on a charge nearly equivalent to what we term
defamation of character but the old fellow persisting in his assertion and no
invalidating proof being adduced the plaintiffs were cast in the suit and the
cannibal reputation of the defendant fully established This result was the
making of his fortune ever afterwards he was in the habit of giving very
profitable audiences to all curious travellers who were desirous of beholding
the man who had eaten the great navigators great toe
About a week after my discovery of the contents of the mysterious packages
I happened to be at the Ti when another waralarm 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
KoryKory leaning against the railing of the pipi 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 windingsheets 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 KoryKory 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 Marheyos house To this I objected but to my
surprise KoryKory 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 MowMow a oneeyed
chief who had just detached himself from the crowd below and had mounted the
rear of the pipi 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 Marheyos
house while KoryKory 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 connection with their peculiar customs and at
which they were determined I should not be present I descended from the pipi
and attended by KoryKory 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 KoryKory 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 KoryKory and Fayaway wandering about a
part of the valley situated in an opposite direction from the Ti and whenever I
so much as looked toward 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
HoolahHoolah the feast they uniformly answered the question in a manner
which implied that it was not intended for them but for Mehevi Narmonee
MowMow 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 KoryKory 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 pipi 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 connection 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
KoryKory 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 toward 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 civilised beings
and forever 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 XXXIII
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 sank
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 moeemoee sleep plenty kiki 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 moeemoee 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 pipi 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 Marheyos habitation was through a low narrow opening in its
wickerwork 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 civilised 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 pipi On reentering 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
The very night which followed Marnoos 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 manoeuvre but with as little success as
before As my pretence for withdrawing from the house was to allay my thirst
KoryKory 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 Marnoos 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
KoryKory 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 forever 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 KoryKory laying themselves down beside me
would leave me a while 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 midday he would pursue his quiet work sitting in the
shade and weaving together the leaflets of his cocoanut 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 toward me slowly
would enter on tiptoes 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 pipi and disposed in a triangle before the entrance of the
house were three magnificent breadfruit 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 XXXIV
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 MowMow the oneeyed
chief suddenly appeared at the door and leaning forward toward 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 KoryKory 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
KoryKory and surrounded by the excited savages
All that I could comprehend of the particulars which MowMow rehearsed to
his auditors as we proceeded was that my longlost 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 toward
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
KoryKory 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 Tobys 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 KoryKory 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 longabsent 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 afterward 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 MowMow KoryKory 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 MowMow 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 oneeyed 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 KoryKory 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 MowMow 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 toward 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 the only two
English words I had taught him Home and Mother I at once understood what he
meant and eagerly expressed my thanks to him Fayaway and KoryKory 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 oneeyed chief opposed his doing so but he was
overruled and as it seemed to me by some of his own party
We proceeded onward and never shall I forget the ecstasy 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 whaleboat 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 sank 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 shootingjacket with gilt
buttons which had been given to him by an officer of the Reine Blanche the
French flagship 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 cottoncloth
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 toward 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 toward 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 MowMow and the other chiefs to prevent my departure
and the detestable word Roone Roone which I had heard repeated a thousand
times during the day was now shouted out 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 toward
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 agonising 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 everyone had left me except Marheyo KoryKory and poor dear
Fayaway who clung to me sobbing indignantly I saw that now or never was the
moment Clasping my hands together I looked imploringly at Marheyo and moved
toward the now almost deserted beach The tears were in the old mans eyes but
neither he nor KoryKory attempted to hold me and I soon reached the kannaka
who had been anxiously watching 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 KoryKory 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 KoryKory
with a rapid gesture which was equivalent to a Deed of Gift 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 shingles
and tumbled the powderbags 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 about fifty yards from the shore that MowMow
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 toward 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 toward
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 Roone Roone at the very top of their voices Their intention was
evidently to swim off from the headland and interrupt 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 civilised 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 boathook We were well aware that if they
succeeded in intercepting us they would practise upon us the manoeuvre which
has proved so fatal to many a boats 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 MowMow 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 a true aim and
exerting all my strength I dashed the boathook at him It struck him just
below the throat and forced him downward I had no time to repeat my 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 ships 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 maintopsail aback right off the entrance to the
Typee bay The whaleboat manned by the tabooed crew pulled toward 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
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 32pounders which peeped out of the portholes 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 authors 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 toward 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 Majestys consulgeneral 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 apothecaryadventurer who with
other kindred and influential spirits was animated by an inveterate dislike to
England The ascendency of a junta of ignorant and designing Methodist eldera in
the councils of a halfcivilised 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 RearAdmiral Thomas the English
commanderinchief on the Pacific station In consequence of this communication
Lord George Paulet was dispatched by the admiral in the Carysfort frigate to
inquire into and correct the alleged abuses On arriving at his destination he
sent his firstlieutenant 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 straightforward 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 ships 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 discernible 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 Paulets 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 RearAdmiral 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 42pounders upon Punchbowl Hill
opened their iron throats in triumphant reply to the thunders of the five
menofwar in the harbour and King Tammahammaha 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 reestablishment 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 broadday 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 noonday 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
restraints 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 highminded Paulet He is not the first man
who in the fearless discharge of his duty has awakened the senseless clamours
of those whose narrowminded 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
The Story of Toby
A Sequel to »Typee«
By the Author of That Work
Note to the Sequel
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 not ten days since
NEW YORK July 1846
Sequel
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 MowMow the oneeyed 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 MowMow 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 MowMow 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 moments pause when the Typees with wild shrieks flung
themselves into the covert spear in hand nor was Toby behindhand 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 underbrush 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 afterward 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 boys 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 toward
them and a regular halt ensued followed by a noisy discussion during which
Tobys 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 a while
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 upon 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 someone 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 devilmaycare 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 masters 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 fishingrod 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 for
some time could speak the language and for that reason was frequently employed
by the French as an interpreter He was an arrant old gossip too forever
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 Dollys crew what proved to be literally
a cockandbull 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 this horrid old fellow
was the terror of all the island round being reported to come out from his
retreat and go a manhunting 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 unheardof 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 cocks 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 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 tomorrow 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 so to do though at the same time he was
not afraid of their offering him any harm
Little did Toby then think as he afterward 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
afterward 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 MowMow 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 nuee« said Toby
She then asked him whether he was going to Nukuheva he nodded yes and with
a plaintive wail and her eyes filling with tears she rose and left him
This old woman the sailor afterward 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 kings 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 tomorrow 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 tomorrow when
they will not do so today« 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 into 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 kindhearted old woman embracing
Tobys 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 others 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 »MowMow 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 tomorrow 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 Tobys eye Marheyos 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 now bade his wives prepare something to eat as he must be in
Nukuheva before dark A meal of fish breadfruit 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 a 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 islandpunch 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 further 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 banditlooking 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
a while and had a talk about the WeeWees as the people of Nukuheva call the
monsieurs
The party with the poles were King Mowannas 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 menofwar 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 toward the beach and found themselves in Jimmys house
before it was well dark Here he received another welcome from his Nukuheva
wives and after some refreshments in the shape of cocoanut milk and poeepoee
they entered a canoe the Typee of course going along and paddled off to a
whaleship 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 promises 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
ships 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
Toward 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 this
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 Tonight 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 to be weighed he
was going to sea
Vain were all Tobys 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 this 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
one which made Tobys heart all the lighter
Notes
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 This passage which is cited as an almost literal translation from the
original I found in a small volume entitled Circumnavigation of the Globe in
which volume are several extracts from Dalrymples Historical Collections The
lastmentioned work I have never seen but it is said to contain a very correct
English version of great part of the learned Doctor Christoval Suaverde de
Figueroas History of Mendannas Voyages published at Madrid AD 1613
6 Accounts like these are sometimes copied into English and American journals
They lead the reader to infer that the arts and customs of civilised life are
rapidly refining the natives of the Sandwich Islands But let no one be deceived
by these accounts The chiefs swagger about in gold lace and broadcloth while
the great mass of the common people are nearly as primitive in their appearance
as in the days of Cook In the progress of events at these islands the two
classes are receding from each other the chiefs are daily becoming more
luxurious and extravagant in their style of living and the common people more
and more destitute of the necessaries and decencies of life But the end to
which both will arrive at last will be the same the one are fast destroying
themselves by sensual indulgences and the other are fast being destroyed by a
complication of disorders and the want of wholesome food The resources of the
domineering chiefs are wrung from the starving serfs and every additional
bauble with which they bedeck themselves is purchased by the sufferings of their
bondsmen so that the measure of gewgaw refinement attained by the chiefs is
only an index to the actual state of degradation in which the greater portion of
the population lie grovelling
7 The strict honesty which the inhabitants of nearly all the Polynesian islands
manifest toward 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