 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 Dolly's crew what proved to be literally
a cock-and-bull story, about two natural prodigies, which he said were then on
the island. One was an old monster of a hermit, having a marvellous reputation
for sanctity, and reputed a famous sorcerer, who lived away off in a den among
the mountains, where he hid from the world a great pair of horns that grew out
of his temples. Notwithstanding his reputation for piety, this horrid old fellow
was the terror of all the island round, being reported to come out from his
retreat, and go a man-hunting every dark night. Some anonymous Paul Pry, too,
coming down the mountain, once got a peep at his den, and found it full of
bones. In short, he was a most unheard-of monster.
    The other prodigy Jimmy told us about was the younger son of a chief, who,
although but just turned of ten, had entered upon holy orders, because his
superstitious countrymen thought him especially intended for the priesthood,
from the fact of his having a comb on his head like a rooster. But this was not
all: for, still more wonderful to relate, the boy prided himself upon this
strange crest, being actually endowed with a cock's voice, and frequently
crowing over his peculiarity.
    But to return to Toby. The moment he saw the old rover on the beach, he ran
up to him, the natives following after, and forming a circle round them.
    After welcoming him to the shore, Jimmy went on to tell him how that he knew
all about our having run away from the ship, and being among the Typees. Indeed,
he had been urged by Mowanna to come over to the valley, and, after visiting his
friends there, to bring us back with him, his royal master being exceedingly
anxious to share with him the reward which had been held out for our capture.
He, however, assured Toby that he had indignantly spurned the offer.
    All this astonished my comrade not a little, as neither of us had
entertained the least idea that any white man ever visited the Typees sociably
