[Illustration: FAYAWAY AND I HAD A DELIGHTFUL LITTLE PARTY ON THE LAKE]




[Illustration]

TYPEE

by HERMAN MELVILLE


ILLUSTRATIONS BY
MEAD SCHAEFFER

DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY
PUBLISHERS NEW YORK




CONTENTS

CHAPTER I. A LAND-SICK SHIP
The sea—Longings for shore—A land-sick ship—Destination of the voyagers


CHAPTER II. TO THE MARQUESAS
Passage from the cruising ground to the Marquesas—Sleepy times aboard
ship—South Sea scenery—Land ho!—The French squadron discovered at
anchor in the bay of Nukuheva—Strange pilot—Escort of canoes—A flotilla
of cocoa-nuts—Swimming visitors—The _Dolly_ boarded by them—State of
affairs that ensue.


CHAPTER III. AFFAIRS ABOARD
State of affairs aboard the ship—Contents of her larder—Length of South
Seamen’s voyages—Account of a flying whale-man—Determination to leave
the vessel—The bay of Nukuheva—The Typees.


CHAPTER IV. LAST NIGHT ABOARD
Thoughts previous to attempting an escape—Toby, a fellow-sailor, agrees
to share the adventure—Last night aboard the ship.


CHAPTER V. THE ESCAPE
A specimen of nautical oratory—Criticisms of the sailors—The starboard
watch are given a holiday—The escape to the mountains.


CHAPTER VI. DISAPPOINTMENT
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.


CHAPTER VII. A WILD-GOOSE CHASE
The important question, Typee or Happar?—A wild-goose chase—My
sufferings—Disheartening situation—A night in the ravine—Morning
meal—Happy idea of Toby—Journey towards the valley.


CHAPTER VIII. INTO THE VALLEY
Perilous passage of the ravine—Descent into the valley.


CHAPTER IX. CAUTIOUS ADVANCE
The head of the valley—Cautious advance—A path—Fruit—Discovery of two
of the natives—Their singular conduct—Approach towards the inhabited
parts of the vale—Sensation produced by our appearance—Reception at the
house of one of the natives.


CHAPTER X. MORNING VISITORS
Midnight reflections—Morning visitors—A warrior in costume—A savage
Æsculapius—Practice of the healing art—Body-servant—A dwelling-house of
the valley described—Portraits of its inmates.


CHAPTER XI. ADVENTURE IN THE DARK
Officiousness of Kory-Kory—His devotion—A bath in the stream—Want of
refinement of the Typee damsels—Stroll with Mehevi—A Typee highway—The
Taboo groves—The hoolah hoolah ground—The Ti—Timeworn
savages—Hospitality of Mehevi—Midnight musings—Adventure in the
dark—Distinguished honours paid to the visitors—Strange procession, and
return to the house of Marheyo.


CHAPTER XII. ADVENTURE OF TOBY
Attempt to procure relief from Nukuheva—Perilous adventure of Toby in
the Happar Mountains—Eloquence of Kory-Kory.


CHAPTER XIII. A GREAT EVENT
A great event happens in the valley—The island telegraph—Something
befalls Toby—Fayaway displays a tender heart—Melancholy
reflections—Mysterious conduct of the islanders—Devotion of Kory-Kory—A
rural couch—A luxury—Kory-Kory strikes a light _à la_ Typee.


CHAPTER XIV. KINDNESS OF THE ISLANDERS
Kindness of Marheyo and the rest of the islanders—A full description of
the bread-fruit tree—Different modes of preparing the fruit.


CHAPTER XV. MELANCHOLY CONDITION
Melancholy condition—Occurrence at the Ti—Anecdote of Marheyo—Shaving
the head of a warrior.


CHAPTER XVI. IMPROVEMENT
Improvement in health and spirits—Felicity of the Typees—A skirmish in
the mountain with the warriors of Happar.


CHAPTER XVII. A STRANGER ARRIVES
Swimming in company with the girls of the valley—A canoe—Effects of the
taboo—A pleasure excursion on the pond—Beautiful freak of
Fayaway—Mantua-making—A stranger arrives in the valley—His mysterious
conduct—Native oratory—The interview—Its results—Departure of the
stranger.


CHAPTER XVIII. BATTLE OF THE POP-GUNS
Reflection after Marnoo’s departure—Battle of the pop-guns—Strange
conceit of Marheyo—Process of making tappa.


CHAPTER XIX. DANCES
History of a day as usually spent in the Typee valley—Dances of the
Marquesan girls.


CHAPTER XX. MONUMENTS
The spring of Arva Wai—Remarkable monumental remains—Some ideas with
regard to the history of the pi-pis found in the valley.


CHAPTER XXI. A FESTIVAL
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.


CHAPTER XXII. THE FEAST OF CALABASHES
The Feast of Calabashes.


CHAPTER XXIII. RELIGION OF THE TYPEES
Ideas suggested by the Feast of Calabashes—Effigy of a dead warrior—A
singular superstition—The priest Kolory and the god Moa Artua—Amazing
religious observance—A dilapidated shrine—Kory-Kory and the idol—An
inference.


CHAPTER XXIV. BEAUTY OF THE TYPEES
General information gathered at the festival—Personal beauty of the
Typees—Their superiority over the inhabitants of the other
islands—Diversity of complexion—A vegetable cosmetic and
ointment—Testimony of voyagers to the uncommon beauty of the
Marquesans—Few evidences of intercourse with civilized
beings—Dilapidated musket—Primitive simplicity of government—Regal
dignity of Mehevi.


CHAPTER XXV. MARRIAGE CUSTOMS
King Mehevi—Conduct of Marheyo and Mehevi in certain delicate
matters—Peculiar system of marriage—Number of
population—Uniformity—Embalming—Places of sepulture—Funeral obsequies
at Nukuheva—Number of inhabitants in Typee—Location of the
dwellings—Happiness enjoyed in the valley.


CHAPTER XXVI. SOCIAL CONDITIONS
The social condition and general character of the Typees.


CHAPTER XXVII. FISHING PARTIES
Fishing parties—Mode of distributing the fish—Midnight
banquet—Timekeeping tapers—Unceremonious style of eating the fish.


CHAPTER XXVIII. NATURAL HISTORY
Natural history of the valley—Golden lizards—Tameness of the
birds—Mosquitoes—Flies—Dogs—A solitary cat—The climate—The cocoa-nut
tree—Singular modes of climbing it—An agile young chief—Fearlessness of
the children—Too-too and the cocoa-nut tree—The birds of the valley.


CHAPTER XXIX. TATTOOING
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.


CHAPTER XXX. MUSIC
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.


CHAPTER XXXI. CANNIBALISM
Apprehensions of evil—Frightful discovery—Some remarks on
cannibalism—Second battle with the Happars—Savage spectacle—Mysterious
feast—Subsequent disclosures.


CHAPTER XXXII. ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE
The stranger again arrives in the valley—Singular interview with
him—Attempt to escape—Failure—Melancholy situation—Sympathy of Marheyo.


CHAPTER XXXIII. THE ESCAPE
The escape


SEQUEL
NOTE.—The Author of “Typee” was more than two years in the South Seas,
after escaping from the valley, as recounted in the last chapter. Some
time after returning home the foregoing narrative was published, though
it was little thought at the time that this would be the means of
revealing the existence of Toby, who had long been given up for lost.
But so it proved. The story of his escape supplies a natural sequel to
the adventure, and as such it is now added to the volume. It was
related to the Author by Toby himself.


APPENDIX




ILLUSTRATIONS

 Fayaway and I had a delightful little party on the lake
 I found him ripe for the enterprise, and a very few words sufficed for a mutual understanding between us
 At last we gained the top of the second elevation
 We were soon completely encircled by a dense throng
 The body was carried into the house and laid on a mat
 Thus arrayed, I would have matched the charming Fayaway against any beauty in the world
 Mehevi
 About midnight I arose and drew the slide




TYPEE




CHAPTER I


The sea—Longings for shore—A land-sick ship—Destination of the
voyagers.


Six months at sea! Yes, reader, as I live, six months out of sight of
land; cruising after the sperm whale beneath the scorching sun of the
Line, and tossed on the billows of the wide-rolling Pacific—the sky
above, the sea around, and nothing else! Weeks and weeks ago our fresh
provisions were all exhausted. There is not a sweet potato left; not a
single yam. Those glorious bunches of bananas which once decorated our
stern and quarter-deck, have, alas, disappeared! and the delicious
oranges which hung suspended from our tops and stays—they, too, are
gone! Yes, they are all departed, and there is nothing left us but
salt-horse and sea-biscuit.

Oh! for a refreshing glimpse of one blade of grass—for a snuff at the
fragrance of a handful of the loamy earth! Is there nothing fresh
around us? Is there no green thing to be seen? Yes, the inside of our
bulwarks is painted green; but what a vile and sickly hue it is, as if
nothing bearing even the semblance of verdure could flourish this weary
way from land. Even the bark that once clung to the wood we use for
fuel has been gnawed off and devoured by the captain’s pig; and so long
ago, too, that the pig himself has in turn been devoured.

There is but one solitary tenant in the chicken-coop, once a gay and
dapper young cock, bearing him so bravely among the coy hens. But look
at him now; there he stands, moping all the day long on that
everlasting one leg of his. He turns with disgust from the mouldy corn
before him, and the brackish water in his little trough. He mourns no
doubt his lost companions, literally snatched from him one by one, and
never seen again. But his days of mourning will be few; for Mungo, our
black cook, told me yesterday that the word had at last gone forth, and
poor Pedro’s fate was sealed. His attenuated body will be laid out upon
the captain’s table next Sunday, and long before night will be buried,
with all the usual ceremonies, beneath that worthy individual’s vest.
Who would believe that there could be any one so cruel as to long for
the decapitation of the luckless Pedro; yet the sailors pray every
minute, selfish fellows, that the miserable fowl may be brought to his
end. They say the captain will never point the ship for the land so
long as he has in anticipation a mess of fresh meat. This unhappy bird
can alone furnish it; and when he is once devoured, the captain will
come to his senses. I wish thee no harm, Peter; but as thou art doomed,
sooner or later, to meet the fate of all thy race; and if putting a
period to thy existence is to be the signal for our deliverance,
why—truth to speak—I wish thy throat cut this very moment; for, oh! how
I wish to see the living earth again! The old ship herself longs to
look out upon the land from her hawseholes once more, as Jack Lewis
said right the other day when the captain found fault with his
steering.

“Why, d’ye see, Captain Vangs,” says bold Jack, “I’m as good a helmsman
as ever put hand to spoke; but none of us can steer the old lady now.
We can’t keep her full and bye, sir: watch her ever so close, she will
fall off; and then, sir, when I put the helm down so gently and try
like to coax her to the work, she won’t take it kindly, but will fall
round off again; and it’s all because she knows the land is under the
lee, sir, and she won’t go any more to windward.” Ay, and why should
she, Jack? didn’t every one of her stout timbers grow on shore, and
hasn’t she sensibilities as well as we?

Poor old ship! Her very looks denote her desires: how deplorable she
appears! The paint on her sides, burnt up by the scorching sun, is
puffed out and cracked. See the weeds she trails along with her, and
what an unsightly bunch of these horrid barnacles has formed about her
stern-piece; and every time she rises on a sea, she shows her copper
torn away or hanging in jagged strips.

Poor old ship! I say again: for six months she has been rolling and
pitching about, never for one moment at rest. But courage, old lass, I
hope to see thee soon within a biscuit’s toss of the merry land, riding
snugly at anchor in some green cove, and sheltered from the boisterous
winds.


“Hurrah, my lads! It’s a settled thing; next week we shape our course
to the Marquesas!” The Marquesas! What strange visions of outlandish
things does the very name spirit up! Lovely houris—cannibal
banquets—groves of cocoa-nuts—coral reefs—tattooed chiefs—and bamboo
temples; sunny valleys planted with bread-fruit trees—carved canoes
dancing on the flashing blue waters—savage woodlands guarded by
horrible idols—_heathenish rites and human sacrifices_.

Such were the strangely jumbled anticipations that haunted me during
our passage from the cruising ground. I felt an irresistible curiosity
to see those islands which the olden voyagers had so glowingly
described.

The group for which we were now steering (although among the earliest
of European discoveries in the South Seas, having been first visited in
the year 1595) still continues to be tenanted by beings as strange and
barbarous as ever. The missionaries, sent on a heavenly errand, had
sailed by their lovely shores, and had abandoned them to their idols of
wood and stone. How interesting the circumstances under which they were
discovered! In the watery path of Mendanna, cruising in quest of some
region of gold, these isles had sprung up like a scene of enchantment,
and for a moment the Spaniard believed his bright dream was realized.
In honour of the Marquess de Mendoza, then viceroy of Peru—under whose
auspices the navigator sailed—he bestowed upon them the name which
denoted the rank of his patron, and gave to the world, on his return, a
vague and magnificent account of their beauty. But these islands,
undisturbed for years, relapsed into their previous obscurity; and it
is only recently that anything has been known concerning them. Once in
the course of a half century, to be sure, some adventurous rover would
break in upon their peaceful repose, and, astonished at the unusual
scene, would be almost tempted to claim the merit of a new discovery.

Of this interesting group, but little account has ever been given, if
we except the slight mention made of them in the sketches of South Sea
voyages. Cook, in his repeated circumnavigations of the globe, barely
touched at their shores; and all that we know about them is from a few
general narratives.

Within the last few years, American and English vessels engaged in the
extensive whale fisheries of the Pacific have occasionally, when short
of provisions, put into the commodious harbour which there is in one of
the islands; but a fear of the natives, founded on the recollection of
the dreadful fate which many white men have received at their hands,
has deterred their crews from intermixing with the population
sufficiently to gain any insight into their peculiar customs and
manners. Indeed, there is no cluster of islands in the Pacific that has
been any length of time discovered, of which so little has hitherto
been known as the Marquesas, and it is a pleasing reflection that this
narrative of mine will do something towards withdrawing the veil from
regions so romantic and beautiful.




CHAPTER II


Passage from the cruising ground to the Marquesas—Sleepy times aboard
ship—South Sea scenery—Land ho!—The French squadron discovered at
anchor in the bay of Nukuheva—Strange pilot—Escort of canoes—A flotilla
of cocoa-nuts—Swimming visitors—The _Dolly_ boarded by them—State of
affairs that ensue.


I can never forget the eighteen or twenty days during which the light
trade-winds were silently sweeping us towards the islands. In pursuit
of the sperm whale, we had been cruising on the line some twenty
degrees to the westward of the Gallipagos; and all that we had to do,
when our course was determined on, was to square in the yards and keep
the vessel before the breeze, and then the good ship and the steady
gale did the rest between them. The man at the wheel never vexed the
old lady with any superfluous steering, but comfortably adjusting his
limbs at the tiller, would doze away by the hour. True to her work, the
_Dolly_ headed to her course, and like one of those characters who
always do best when let alone, she jogged on her way like a veteran old
sea-pacer as she was.

What a delightful, lazy, languid time we had whilst we were thus
gliding along! There was nothing to be done; a circumstance that
happily suited our disinclination to do anything. We abandoned the
fore-peak altogether, and spreading an awning over the forecastle,
slept, ate, and lounged under it the live-long day. Every one seemed to
be under the influence of some narcotic. Even the officers aft, whose
duty required them never to be seated while keeping a deck watch,
vainly endeavoured to keep on their pins; and were obliged invariably
to compromise the matter by leaning up against the bulwarks, and gazing
abstractedly over the side. Reading was out of the question; take a
book in your hand, and you were asleep in an instant.

Although I could not avoid yielding in a great measure to the general
languor, still at times I contrived to shake off the spell, and to
appreciate the beauty of the scene around me. The sky presented a clear
expanse of the most delicate blue, except along the skirts of the
horizon, where you might see a thin drapery of pale clouds which never
varied their form or colour. The long, measured, dirge-like swell of
the Pacific came rolling along, with its surface broken by little tiny
waves, sparkling in the sunshine. Every now and then a shoal of flying
fish, scared from the water under the bows, would leap into the air,
and fall the next moment like a shower of silver into the sea. Then you
would see the superb albicore with his glittering sides, sailing aloft,
and after describing an arc in his descent, disappear on the surface of
the water. Far off, the lofty jet of the whale might be seen, and
nearer at hand the prowling shark, that villanous footpad of the seas,
would come skulking along, and, at a wary distance, regard us with an
evil eye. At times, some shapeless monster of the deep, floating on the
surface, would, as we approach, sink slowly into the blue waters, and
fade away from the sight. But the most impressive feature of the scene
was the almost unbroken silence that reigned over sky and water.
Scarcely a sound could be heard but the occasional breathing of the
grampus, and the rippling at the cut-water.

As we drew nearer the land, I hailed with delight the appearance of
innumerable sea-fowl. Screaming and whirling in spiral tracks, they
would accompany the vessel, and at times alight on our yards and stays.
That piratical-looking fellow, appropriately named the
man-of-war’s-hawk, with his blood-red bill and raven plumage, would
come sweeping round us in gradually diminishing circles, till you could
distinctly mark the strange flashings of his eye; and then, as if
satisfied with his observation, would sail up into the air and
disappear from the view. Soon, other evidences of our vicinity to the
land were apparent, and it was not long before the glad announcement of
it being in sight was heard from aloft,—given with that peculiar
prolongation of sound that a sailor loves—“Land ho!”

The captain, darting on deck from the cabin, bawled lustily for his
spy-glass; the mate in still louder accents hailed the mast-head with a
tremendous “Where-away?” The black cook thrust his woolly head from the
galley, and Boatswain, the dog, leaped up between the knight-heads, and
barked most furiously. Land ho! Ay, there it was. A hardly perceptible
blue irregular outline, indicating the bold contour of the lofty
heights of Nukuheva.

This island, although generally called one of the Marquesas, is by some
navigators considered as forming one of a distinct cluster, comprising
the islands of Roohka, Ropo, and Nukuheva; upon which three the
appellation of the Washington Group has been bestowed. They form a
triangle, and lie within the parallels of 8° 38′ and 9° 32′ south
latitude, and 139° 20′ and 140° 10′ west longitude, from Greenwich.
With how little propriety they are to be regarded as forming a separate
group will be at once apparent, when it is considered that they lie in
the immediate vicinity of the other islands, that is to say, less than
a degree to the north-west of them; that their inhabitants speak the
Marquesan dialect, and that their laws, religion, and general customs
are identical. The only reason why they were ever thus arbitrarily
distinguished, may be attributed to the singular fact, that their
existence was altogether unknown to the world until the year 1791, when
they were discovered by Captain Ingraham, of Boston, Massachusetts,
nearly two centuries after the discovery of the adjacent islands by the
agent of the Spanish Viceroy. Notwithstanding this, I shall follow the
example of most voyagers, and treat of them as forming part and parcel
of the Marquesas.

Nukuheva is the most important of these islands, being the only one at
which ships are much in the habit of touching, and is celebrated as
being the place where the adventurous Captain Porter refitted his ships
during the late war between England and the United States, and whence
he sallied out upon the large whaling fleet then sailing under the
enemy’s flag in the surrounding seas. This island is about twenty miles
in length, and nearly as many in breadth. It has three good harbours on
its coast, the largest and best of which is called by the people living
in its vicinity, “Tyohee,” and by Captain Porter was denominated
Massachusetts Bay. Among the adverse tribes dwelling about the shores
of the other bays, and by all voyagers, it is generally known by the
name bestowed upon the island itself—Nukuheva. Its inhabitants have
become somewhat corrupted, owing to their recent commerce with
Europeans; but so far as regards their peculiar customs, and general
mode of life, they retain their original primitive character, remaining
very nearly in the same state of nature in which they were first beheld
by white men. The hostile clans, residing in the more remote sections
of the island, and very seldom holding any communication with
foreigners, are in every respect unchanged from their earliest known
condition.

In the bay of Nukuheva was the anchorage we desired to reach. We had
perceived the loom of the mountains about sunset; so that, after
running all night with a very light breeze, we found ourselves close in
with the island the next morning; but as the bay we sought lay on its
farther side, we were obliged to sail some distance along the shore,
catching, as we proceeded, short glimpses of blooming valleys, deep
glens, waterfalls, and waving groves, hidden here and there by
projecting and rocky headlands, every moment opening to the view some
new and startling scene of beauty.

Those who for the first time visit the South Seas, generally are
surprised at the appearance of the islands when beheld from the sea.
From the vague accounts we sometimes have of their beauty, many people
are apt to picture to themselves enamelled and softly swelling plains,
shaded over with delicious groves, and watered by purling brooks, and
the entire country but little elevated above the surrounding ocean. The
reality is very different; bold rock-bound coasts, with the surf
beating high against the lofty cliffs, and broken here and there into
deep inlets, which open to the view thickly-wooded valleys, separated
by the spurs of mountains clothed with tufted grass, and sweeping down
towards the sea from an elevated and furrowed interior, form the
principal features of these islands.

Towards noon we drew abreast the entrance to the harbour, and at last
we slowly swept by the intervening promontory, and entered the bay of
Nukuheva. No description can do justice to its beauty; but that beauty
was lost to me then, and I saw nothing but the tri-coloured flag of
France, trailing over the stern of six vessels, whose black hulls, and
bristling broadsides, proclaimed their warlike character. There they
were, floating in that lovely bay, the green eminences of the shore
looking down so tranquilly upon them, as if rebuking the sternness of
their aspect. To my eye, nothing could be more out of keeping than the
presence of these vessels; but we soon learnt what brought them there.
The whole group of islands had just been taken possession of by
Rear-Admiral Du Petit Thouars, in the name of the invincible French
nation.

This item of information was imparted to us by a most extraordinary
individual, a genuine South Sea vagabond, who came alongside of us in a
whale-boat as soon as we entered the bay, and, by the aid of some
benevolent persons at the gangway, was assisted on board, for our
visitor was in that interesting stage of intoxication when a man is
amiable and helpless. Although he was utterly unable to stand erect, or
to navigate his body across the deck, he still magnanimously proffered
his services to pilot the ship to a good and secure anchorage. Our
captain, however, rather distrusted his ability in this respect, and
refused to recognise his claim to the character he assumed; but our
gentleman was determined to play his part, for, by dint of much
scrambling, he succeeded in getting into the weather-quarter boat,
where he steadied himself by holding on to a shroud, and then commenced
issuing his commands with amazing volubility and very peculiar
gestures. Of course, no one obeyed his orders; but as it was impossible
to quiet him, we swept by the ships of the squadron with this strange
fellow performing his antics in full view of all the French officers.

We afterwards learned that our eccentric friend had been a lieutenant
in the English navy, but having disgraced his flag by some criminal
conduct in one of the principal ports on the main, he had deserted his
ship, and spent many years wandering among the islands of the Pacific,
until accidentally being at Nukuheva when the French took possession of
the place, he had been appointed pilot of the harbour by the newly
constituted authorities.

As we slowly advanced up the bay, numerous canoes pushed off from the
surrounding shores, and we were soon in the midst of quite a flotilla
of them, their savage occupants struggling to get aboard of us, and
jostling one another in their ineffectual attempts. Occasionally the
projecting out-riggers of their slight shallops, running foul of one
another, would become entangled beneath the water, threatening to
capsize the canoes, when a scene of confusion would ensue that baffles
description. Such strange outcries and passionate gesticulations I
never certainly heard or saw before. You would have thought the
islanders were on the point of flying at one another’s throats, whereas
they were only amicably engaged in disentangling their boats.

Scattered here and there among the canoes might be seen numbers of
cocoa-nuts floating closely together in circular groups, and bobbing up
and down with every wave. By some inexplicable means these cocoa-nuts
were all steadily approaching towards the ship. As I leaned curiously
over the side, endeavouring to solve their mysterious movements, one
mass, far in advance of the rest, attracted my attention. In its centre
was something I could take for nothing else than a cocoa-nut, but which
I certainly considered one of the most extraordinary specimens of the
fruit I had ever seen. It kept twirling and dancing about among the
rest in the most singular manner: and as it drew nearer, I thought it
bore a remarkable resemblance to the brown shaven skull of one of the
savages. Presently it betrayed a pair of eyes, and soon I became aware
that what I had supposed to have been one of the fruit was nothing else
than the head of an islander, who had adopted this singular method of
bringing his produce to market. The cocoa-nuts were all attached to one
another by strips of the husk, partly torn from the shell, and rudely
fastened together. Their proprietor, inserting his head into the midst
of them, impelled his necklace of cocoa-nuts through the water by
striking out beneath the surface with his feet.

I was somewhat astonished to perceive that among the number of natives
that surrounded us, not a single female was to be seen. At that time I
was ignorant of the fact that by the operation of the “taboo,” the use
of canoes in all parts of the island is rigorously prohibited to the
entire sex, for whom it is death even to be seen entering one when
hauled on shore; consequently, whenever a Marquesan lady voyages by
water, she puts in requisition the paddles of her own fair body.

We had approached within a mile and a half perhaps of the foot of the
bay, when some of the islanders, who by this time had managed to
scramble aboard of us at the risk of swamping their canoes, directed
our attention to a singular commotion in the water ahead of the vessel.
At first I imagined it to be produced by a shoal of fish sporting on
the surface, but our savage friends assured us that it was caused by a
shoal of “whinhenies” (young girls), who in this manner were coming off
from the shore to welcome us. As they drew nearer, and I watched the
rising and sinking of their forms, and beheld the uplifted right arm
bearing above the water the girdle of tappa, and their long dark hair
trailing beside them as they swam, I almost fancied they could be
nothing else than so many mermaids:—and very like mermaids they behaved
too.

We were still some distance from the beach, and under slow headway,
when we sailed right into the midst of these swimming nymphs, and they
boarded us at every quarter; many seizing hold of the chainplates and
springing into the chains; others, at the peril of being run over by
the vessel in her course, catching at the bob-stays, and wreathing
their slender forms about the ropes, hung suspended in the air. All of
them at length succeeded in getting up the ship’s side, where they
clung dripping with the brine and glowing from the bath, their
jet-black tresses streaming over their shoulders, and half enveloping
their otherwise naked forms. There they hung, sparkling with savage
vivacity, laughing gaily at one another, and chattering away with
infinite glee. Nor were they idle the while, for each one performed the
simple offices of the toilet for the other. Their luxuriant locks,
wound up and twisted into the smallest possible compass, were freed
from the briny element; the whole person carefully dried, and from a
little round shell that passed from hand to hand, anointed with a
fragrant oil: their adornments were completed by passing a few loose
folds of white tappa, in a modest cincture, around the waist. Thus
arrayed they no longer hesitated, but flung themselves lightly over the
bulwarks, and were quickly frolicking about the decks. Many of them
went forward, perching upon the head-rails or running out upon the
bow-sprit, while others seated themselves upon the taffrail, or
reclined at full length upon the boats.

Their appearance perfectly amazed me; their extreme youth, the light
clear brown of their complexions, their delicate features, and
inexpressibly graceful figures, their softly moulded limbs, and free
unstudied action, seemed as strange as beautiful.

The _Dolly_ was fairly captured; and never I will say was vessel
carried before by such a dashing and irresistible party of boarders.
The ship taken, we could not do otherwise than yield ourselves
prisoners, and for the whole period that she remained in the bay, the
_Dolly_, as well as her crew, were completely in the hands of the
mermaids.

In the evening after we had come to an anchor, the deck was illuminated
with lanterns, and this picturesque band of sylphs, tricked out with
flowers, and dressed in robes of variegated tappa, got up a ball in
great style. These females are passionately fond of dancing, and in the
wild grace and spirit of their style excel everything that I have ever
seen. The varied dances of the Marquesan girls are beautiful in the
extreme, but there is an abandoned voluptuousness in their character
which I dare not attempt to describe.

Our ship was now wholly given up to every species of riot and
debauchery. The grossest licentiousness and the most shameful inebriety
prevailed, with occasional and but short-lived interruptions, through
the whole period of her stay. Alas for the poor savages when exposed to
the influence of these polluting examples! Unsophisticated and
confiding, they are easily led into every vice, and humanity weeps over
the ruin thus remorselessly inflicted upon them by their European
civilizers. Thrice happy are they who, inhabiting some yet undiscovered
island in the midst of the ocean, have never been brought into
contaminating contact with the white man.




CHAPTER III


State of affairs aboard the ship—Contents of her larder—Length of South
Seamen’s voyages—Account of a flying whale-man—Determination to leave
the vessel—The bay of Nukuheva—The Typees.


It was in the summer of 1842, that we arrived at the islands. Our ship
had not been many days in the harbour of Nukuheva, before I came to the
determination of leaving her. That my reasons for resolving to take
this step were numerous and weighty, may be inferred from the fact that
I chose rather to risk my fortunes among the savages of the island than
to endure another voyage on board the _Dolly_. To use the concise,
point-blank phrase of the sailors, I had made up my mind to “run away.”
Now, as a meaning is generally attached to these two words no way
flattering to the individual to whom they are applied, it behoves me,
for the sake of my own character, to offer some explanation of my
conduct.

When I entered on board the _Dolly_, I signed, as a matter of course,
the ship’s articles, thereby voluntarily engaging and legally binding
myself to serve in a certain capacity for the period of the voyage;
and, special considerations apart, I was of course bound to fulfil the
agreement. But in all contracts, if one party fail to perform his share
of the compact, is not the other virtually absolved from his liability?
Who is there who will not answer in the affirmative?

Having settled the principle, then, let me apply it to the particular
case in question. In numberless instances had not only the implied but
the specified conditions of the articles been violated on the part of
the ship in which I served. The usage on board of her was tyrannical;
the sick had been inhumanly neglected; the provisions had been doled
out in scanty allowance; and her cruises were unreasonably protracted.
The captain was the author of these abuses; it was in vain to think
that he would either remedy them, or alter his conduct, which was
arbitrary and violent in the extreme. His prompt reply to all
complaints and remonstrances was—the butt-end of a hand-spike, so
convincingly administered as effectually to silence the aggrieved
party.

To whom could we apply for redress? We had left both law and equity on
the other side of the Cape; and unfortunately, with a very few
exceptions, our crew was composed of a parcel of dastardly and
mean-spirited wretches, divided among themselves, and only united in
enduring without resistance the unmitigated tyranny of the captain. It
would have been mere madness for any two or three of the number,
unassisted by the rest, to attempt making a stand against his ill
usage. They would only have called down upon themselves the particular
vengeance of this “Lord of the Plank,” and subjected their shipmates to
additional hardships.

But, after all, these things could have been endured awhile, had we
entertained the hope of being speedily delivered from them by the due
completion of the terms of our servitude. But what a dismal prospect
awaited us in this quarter! The longevity of Cape Horn whaling voyages
is proverbial, frequently extending over a period of four or five
years.

Some long-haired, bare-necked youths, who, forced by the united
influences of a roving spirit and hard times, embark at Nantucket for a
pleasure excursion to the Pacific, and whose anxious mothers provide
them with bottled milk for the occasion, oftentimes return very
respectable middle-aged gentlemen.

The very preparations made for one of these expeditions are enough to
frighten one. As the vessel carries out no cargo, her hold is filled
with provisions for her own consumption. The owners, who officiate as
caterers for the voyage, supply the larder with an abundance of
dainties. Delicate morsels of beef and pork, cut on scientific
principles from every part of the animal, and of all conceivable shapes
and sizes, are carefully packed in salt, and stored away in barrels;
affording a never-ending variety in their different degrees of
toughness, and in the peculiarities of their saline properties. Choice
old water too, decanted into stout six-barrel casks, and two pints of
which is allowed every day to each soul on board; together with ample
store of sea-bread, previously reduced to a state of petrifaction, with
a view to preserve it either from decay or consumption in the ordinary
mode, are likewise provided for the nourishment and gastronomic
enjoyment of the crew.

But not to speak of the quality of these articles of sailors’ fare, the
abundance in which they are put on board a whaling vessel is almost
incredible. Oftentimes, when we had occasion to break out in the hold,
and I beheld the successive tiers of casks and barrels, whose contents
were all destined to be consumed in due course by the ship’s company,
my heart has sunk within me.

Although, as a general case, a ship unlucky in falling in with whales
continues to cruise after them until she has barely sufficient
provisions remaining to take her home, turning round then quietly and
making the best of her way to her friends, yet there are instances when
even this natural obstacle to the further prosecution of the voyage is
overcome by headstrong captains, who, bartering the fruits of their
hard-earned toils for a new supply of provisions in some of the ports
of Chili or Peru, begin the voyage afresh with unabated zeal and
perseverance. It is in vain that the owners write urgent letters to him
to sail for home, and for their sake to bring back the ship, since it
appears he can put nothing in her. Not he. He has registered a vow: he
will fill his vessel with good sperm oil, or failing to do so, never
again strike Yankee soundings.

I heard of one whaler, which after many years’ absence was given up for
lost. The last that had been heard of her was a shadowy report of her
having touched at some of those unstable islands in the far Pacific,
whose eccentric wanderings are carefully noted in each new edition of
the South Sea charts. After a long interval, however, the
_Perseverance_—for that was her name—was spoken somewhere in the
vicinity of the ends of the earth, cruising along as leisurely as ever,
her sails all bepatched and bequilted with rope-yarns, her spars fished
with old pipe staves, and her rigging knotted and spliced in every
possible direction. Her crew was composed of some twenty venerable
Greenwich-pensioner-looking old salts, who just managed to hobble about
deck. The ends of all the running ropes, with the exception of the
signal halyards and poop-down-haul, were rove through snatch-blocks,
and led to the capstan or windlass, so that not a yard was braced or a
sail set without the assistance of machinery.

Her hull was encrusted with barnacles, which completely encased her.
Three pet sharks followed in her wake, and every day came alongside to
regale themselves from the contents of the cook’s bucket, which were
pitched over to them. A vast shoal of bonetas and albicores always kept
her company.

Such was the account I heard of this vessel, and the remembrance of it
always haunted me; what eventually became of her I never learned; at
any rate she never reached home, and I suppose she is still regularly
tacking twice in the twenty-four hours somewhere off Buggerry Island,
or the Devil’s-Tail Peak.

Having said thus much touching the usual length of these voyages, when
I inform the reader that ours had as it were just commenced, we being
only fifteen months out, and even at that time hailed as a late
arrival, and boarded for news, he will readily perceive that there was
little to encourage one in looking forward to the future, especially as
I had always had a presentiment that we should make an unfortunate
voyage, and our experience so far had justified the expectation.

I may here state, and on my faith as an honest man, that some time
after arriving home from my adventures, I learned that this vessel was
still in the Pacific, and that she had met with very poor success in
the fishery. Very many of her crew, also, left her; and her voyage
lasted about five years.

But to return to my narrative. Placed in these circumstances, then,
with no prospect of matters mending if I remained aboard the _Dolly_, I
at once made up my mind to leave her: to be sure, it was rather an
inglorious thing to steal away privately from those at whose hands I
had received wrongs and outrages that I could not resent; but how was
such a course to be avoided when it was the only alternative left me?
Having made up my mind, I proceeded to acquire all the information I
could obtain relating to the island and its inhabitants, with a view of
shaping my plans of escape accordingly. The result of these inquiries I
will now state, in order that the ensuing narrative may be the better
understood.

The bay of Nukuheva, in which we were then lying, is an expanse of
water not unlike in figure the space included within the limits of a
horse-shoe. It is, perhaps, nine miles in circumference. You approach
it from the sea by a narrow entrance, flanked on either side by two
small twin islets which soar conically to the height of some five
hundred feet. From these the shore recedes on both hands, and describes
a deep semicircle.

From the verge of the water the land rises uniformly on all sides, with
green and sloping acclivities, until from gently rolling hillsides and
moderate elevations it insensibly swells into lofty and majestic
heights, whose blue outlines, ranged all around, close in the view. The
beautiful aspect of the shore is heightened by deep and romantic glens,
which come down to it at almost equal distances, all apparently
radiating from a common centre, and the upper extremities of which are
lost to the eye beneath the shadow of the mountains. Down each of these
little valleys flows a clear stream, here and there assuming the form
of a slender cascade, then stealing invisibly along until it bursts
upon the sight again in larger and more noisy waterfalls, and at last
demurely wanders along to the sea.

The houses of the natives, constructed of the yellow bamboo, tastefully
twisted together in a kind of wickerwork, and thatched with the long
tapering leaves of the palmetto, are scattered irregularly along these
valleys beneath the shady branches of the cocoa-nut trees.

Nothing can exceed the imposing scenery of this bay. Viewed from our
ship as she lay at anchor in the middle of the harbour, it presented
the appearance of a vast natural amphitheatre in decay, and overgrown
with vines, the deep glens that furrowed its sides appearing like
enormous fissures caused by the ravages of time. Very often when lost
in admiration at its beauty, I have experienced a pang of regret that a
scene so enchanting should be hidden from the world in these remote
seas, and seldom meet the eyes of devoted lovers of nature.

Besides this bay the shores of the island are indented by several other
extensive inlets, into which descend broad and verdant valleys. These
are inhabited by as many distinct tribes of savages, who, although
speaking kindred dialects of a common language, and having the same
religion and laws, have from time immemorial waged hereditary warfare
against each other. The intervening mountains, generally two or three
thousand feet above the level of the sea, geographically define the
territories of each of these hostile tribes, who never cross them, save
on some expedition of war or plunder. Immediately adjacent to Nukuheva,
and only separated from it by the mountains seen from the harbour, lies
the lovely valley of Happar, whose inmates cherish the most friendly
relations with the inhabitants of Nukuheva. On the other side of
Happar, and closely adjoining it, is the magnificent valley of the
dreaded Typees, the unappeasable enemies of both these tribes.

These celebrated warriors appear to inspire the other islanders with
unspeakable terrors. Their very name is a frightful one; for the word
“Typee” in the Marquesan dialect signifies a lover of human flesh. It
is rather singular that the title should have been bestowed upon them
exclusively, inasmuch as the natives of all this group are
irreclaimable cannibals. The name may, perhaps, have been given to
denote the peculiar ferocity of this clan, and to convey a special
stigma along with it.

These same Typees enjoy a prodigious notoriety all over the islands.
The natives of Nukuheva would frequently recount in pantomime to our
ship’s company their terrible feats, and would show the marks of wounds
they had received in desperate encounters with them. When ashore they
would, try to frighten us by pointing to one of their own number, and
calling him a Typee, manifesting no little surprise that we did not
take to our heels at so terrible an announcement. It was quite amusing,
too, to see with what earnestness they disclaimed all cannibal
propensities on their own part, while they denounced their enemies—the
Typees—as inveterate gormandizers of human flesh; but this is a
peculiarity to which I shall hereafter have occasion to allude.

Although I was convinced that the inhabitants of our bay were as arrant
cannibals as any of the other tribes on the island, still I could not
but feel a particular and most unqualified repugnance to the aforesaid
Typees. Even before visiting the Marquesas, I had heard from men who
had touched at the group on former voyages some revolting stories in
connection with these savages; and fresh in my remembrance was the
adventure of the master of the _Katherine_, who only a few months
previous, imprudently venturing into this bay in an armed boat for the
purpose of barter, was seized by the natives, carried back a little
distance into their valley, and was only saved from a cruel death by
the intervention of a young girl, who facilitated his escape by night
along the beach to Nukuheva.

I had heard, too, of an English vessel that many years ago, after a
weary cruise, sought to enter the bay of Nukuheva, and arriving within
two or three miles of the land, was met by a large canoe filled with
natives, who offered to lead the way to the place of their destination.
The captain, unacquainted with the localities of the island, joyfully
acceded to the proposition—the canoe paddled on and the ship followed.
She was soon conducted to a beautiful inlet, and dropped her anchor in
its waters beneath the shadows of the lofty shore. That same night the
perfidious Typees, who had thus inveigled her into their fatal bay,
flocked aboard the doomed vessel by hundreds, and at a given signal
murdered every soul on board.




CHAPTER IV


Thoughts previous to attempting an escape—Toby, a fellow-sailor, agrees
to share the adventure—Last night aboard the ship.


Having fully resolved to leave the vessel clandestinely, and having
acquired all the knowledge concerning the bay that I could obtain under
the circumstances in which I was placed, I now deliberately turned over
in my mind every plan of escape that suggested itself, being determined
to act with all possible prudence in an attempt where failure would be
attended with so many disagreeable consequences. The idea of being
taken and brought back ignominiously to the ship was so inexpressibly
repulsive to me, that I was determined by no hasty and imprudent
measures to render such an event probable.

I knew that our worthy captain, who felt such a paternal solicitude for
the welfare of his crew, would not willingly consent that one of his
best hands should encounter the perils of a sojourn among the natives
of a barbarous island; and I was certain that in the event of my
disappearance his fatherly anxiety would prompt him to offer, by way of
a reward, yard upon yard of gaily printed calico for my apprehension.
He might even have appreciated my services at the value of a musket, in
which case I felt perfectly certain that the whole population of the
bay would be immediately upon my track, incited by the prospect of so
magnificent a bounty.

Having ascertained the fact before alluded to, that the islanders, from
motives of precaution, dwelt together in the depths of the valleys, and
avoided wandering about the more elevated portions of the shore, unless
bound on some expedition of war or plunder, I concluded that if I could
effect unperceived a passage to the mountains, I might easily remain
among them, supporting myself by such fruits as came in my way until
the sailing of the ship, an event of which I could not fail to be
immediately apprized, as from my lofty position I should command a view
of the entire harbour.

The idea pleased me greatly. It seemed to combine a great deal of
practicability with no inconsiderable enjoyment in a quiet way; for how
delightful it would be to look down upon the detested old vessel from
the height of some thousand feet, and contrast the verdant scenery
about me with the recollection of her narrow decks and gloomy
forecastle! Why, it was really refreshing even to think of it; and so I
straightway fell to picturing myself seated beneath a cocoa-nut tree on
the brow of the mountain, with a cluster of plantains within easy
reach, criticizing her nautical evolutions as she was working her way
out of the harbour.

To be sure there was one rather unpleasant drawback to these agreeable
anticipations—the possibility of falling in with a foraging party of
these same bloody-minded Typees, whose appetites, edged perhaps by the
air of so elevated a region, might prompt them to devour one. This, I
must confess, was the most disagreeable view of the matter.

Just to think of a party of these unnatural gourmands taking it into
their heads to make a convivial meal of a poor devil, who would have no
means of escape or defence: however, there was no help for it. I was
willing to encounter some risks in order to accomplish my object, and
counted much upon my ability to elude these prowling cannibals amongst
the many coverts which the mountains afforded. Besides, the chances
were ten to one in my favour that they would none of them quit their
own fastnesses.

I had determined not to communicate my design of withdrawing from the
vessel to any of my shipmates, and least of all to solicit any one to
accompany me in my flight. But it so happened one night, that being
upon deck, revolving over in my mind various plans of escape, I
perceived one of the ship’s company leaning over the bulwarks,
apparently plunged in a profound reverie. He was a young fellow about
my own age, for whom I had all along entertained a great regard; and
Toby, such was the name by which he went among us, for his real name he
would never tell us, was every way worthy of it. He was active, ready,
and obliging, of dauntless courage, and singularly open and fearless in
the expression of his feelings. I had on more than one occasion got him
out of scrapes into which this had led him; and I know not whether it
was from this cause, or a certain congeniality of sentiment between us,
that he had always shown a partiality for my society. We had battled
out many a long watch together, beguiling the weary hours with chat,
song, and story, mingled with a good many imprecations upon the hard
destiny it seemed our common fortune to encounter.


[Illustration: I FOUND HIM RIPE FOR THE ENTERPRISE, AND A VERY FEW
WORDS SUFFICED FOR A MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN US]


Toby, like myself, had evidently moved in a different sphere of life,
and his conversation at times betrayed this, although he was anxious to
conceal it. He was one of that class of rovers you sometimes meet at
sea, who never reveal their origin, never allude to home, and go
rambling over the world as if pursued by some mysterious fate they
cannot possibly elude.

There was much even in the appearance of Toby calculated to draw me
towards him, for while the greater part of the crew were as coarse in
person as in mind, Toby was endowed with a remarkably prepossessing
exterior. Arrayed in his blue frock and duck trousers, he was as smart
a looking sailor as ever stepped upon a deck; he was singularly small
and slightly made, with great flexibility of limb. His naturally dark
complexion had been deepened by exposure to the tropical sun, and a
mass of jetty locks clustered about his temples, and threw a darker
shade into his large black eyes. He was a strange wayward being, moody,
fitful, and melancholy—at times almost morose. He had a quick and fiery
temper too, which, when thoroughly roused, transported him into a state
bordering on delirium.

It is strange the power that a mind of deep passion has over feebler
natures. I have seen a brawny fellow, with no lack of ordinary courage,
fairly quail before this slender stripling, when in one of his furious
fits. But these paroxysms seldom occurred, and in them my big-hearted
shipmate vented the bile which more calm-tempered individuals get rid
of by a continual pettishness at trivial annoyances.

No one ever saw Toby laugh—I mean in the hearty abandonment of
broad-mouthed mirth. He did smile sometimes, it is true; and there was
a good deal of dry, sarcastic humour about him, which told the more
from the imperturbable gravity of his tone and manner.

Latterly I had observed that Toby’s melancholy had greatly increased,
and I had frequently seen him since our arrival at the island gazing
wistfully upon the shore, when the remainder of the crew would be
rioting below. I was aware that he entertained a cordial detestation of
the ship, and believed that should a fair chance of escape present
itself, he would embrace it willingly. But the attempt was so perilous
in the place where we then lay, that I supposed myself the only
individual on board the ship who was sufficiently reckless to think of
it. In this, however, I was mistaken.

When I perceived Toby leaning, as I have mentioned, against the
bulwarks and buried in thought, it struck me at once that the subject
of his meditations might be the same as my own. And if it be so,
thought I, is he not the very one of all my shipmates whom I would
choose for the partner of my adventure? and why should I not have some
comrade with me to divide its dangers and alleviate its hardships?
Perhaps I might be obliged to lie concealed among the mountains for
weeks. In such an event what a solace would a companion be?

These thoughts passed rapidly through my mind, and I wondered why I had
not before considered the matter in this light. But it was not too
late. A tap upon the shoulder served to rouse Toby from his reverie; I
found him ripe for the enterprise, and a very few words sufficed for a
mutual understanding between us. In an hour’s time we had arranged all
the preliminaries, and decided upon our plan of action. We then
ratified our engagement with an affectionate wedding of palms, and to
elude suspicion repaired each to his hammock, to spend the last night
on board the _Dolly_.

The next day the starboard watch, to which we both belonged, was to be
sent ashore on liberty; and, availing ourselves of this opportunity we
determined, as soon after landing as possible, to separate ourselves
from the rest of the men without exciting their suspicions, and strike
back at once for the mountains. Seen from the ship, the summits
appeared inaccessible, but here and there sloping spurs extended from
them almost into the sea, buttressing the lofty elevations with which
they were connected, and forming those radiating valleys I have before
described. One of these ridges, which appeared more practicable than
the rest, we determined to climb, convinced that it would conduct us to
the heights beyond. Accordingly, we carefully observed its bearings and
locality from the ship, so that when ashore we should run no chance of
missing it.

In all this the leading object we had in view was to seclude ourselves
from sight until the departure of the vessel; then to take our chance
as to the reception the Nukuheva natives might give us; and after
remaining upon the island as long as we found our stay agreeable, to
leave it the first favourable opportunity that offered.




CHAPTER V


A specimen of nautical oratory—Criticisms of the sailors—The starboard
watch are given a holiday—The escape to the mountains.


Early the next morning the starboard watch were mustered upon the
quarter-deck, and our worthy captain, standing in the cabin gangway,
harangued us as follows:—

“Now, men, as we are just off a six month’s cruise, and have got
through most all our work in port here, I suppose you want to go
ashore. Well, I mean to give your watch liberty to-day, so you may get
ready as soon as you please, and go; but understand this, I am going to
give you liberty because I suppose you would growl like so many old
quarter gunners if I didn’t; at the same time, if you’ll take my
advice, every mother’s son of you will stay aboard, and keep out of the
way of the bloody cannibals altogether. Ten to one, men, if you go
ashore, you will get into some infernal row, and that will be the end
of you; for if these tattooed scoundrels get you a little ways back
into their valleys, they’ll nab you—that you may be certain of. Plenty
of white men have gone ashore here and never been seen any more. There
was the old _Dido_, she put in here about two years ago, and sent one
watch off on liberty; they never were heard of again for a week—the
natives swore they didn’t know where they were—and only three of them
ever got back to the ship again, and one with his face damaged for
life, for the cursed heathens tattooed a broad patch clean across his
figure head. But it will be no use talking to you, for go you will,
that I see plainly; so all I have to say is, that you need not blame me
if the islanders make a meal of you. You may stand some chance of
escaping them though, if you keep close about the French encampment,
and are back to the ship again before sunset. Keep that much in your
mind, if you forget all the rest I’ve been saying to you. There, go
forward: bear a hand and rig yourselves, and stand by for a call. At
two bells the boat will be manned to take you off, and the Lord have
mercy on you!”

Various were the emotions depicted upon the countenances of the
starboard watch whilst listening to this address; but on its conclusion
there was a general move towards the forecastle, and we soon were all
busily engaged in getting ready for the holiday so auspiciously
announced by the skipper. During these preparations, his harangue was
commented upon in no very measured terms; and one of the party, after
denouncing him as a lying old son of a sea-cook who begrudged a fellow
a few hours’ liberty, exclaimed with an oath, “But you don’t bounce me
out of my liberty, old chap, for all your yarns; for I would go ashore
if every pebble on the beach was a live coal, and every stick a
gridiron, and the cannibals stood ready to broil me on landing.”

The spirit of this sentiment was responded to by all hands, and we
resolved that in spite of the captain’s croakings we would make a
glorious day of it.

But Toby and I had our own game to play, and we availed ourselves of
the confusion which always reigns among a ship’s company preparatory to
going ashore, to confer together and complete our arrangements. As our
object was to effect as rapid a flight as possible to the mountains, we
determined not to encumber ourselves with any superfluous apparel; and
accordingly, while the rest were rigging themselves out with some idea
of making a display, we were content to put on new stout duck trousers,
serviceable pumps, and heavy Havre frocks, which, with a Payta hat,
completed our equipment.

When our shipmates wondered at this, Toby exclaimed, in his odd grave
way, that the rest might do as they liked, but that he for one
preserved his go-ashore traps for the Spanish main, where the tie of a
sailor’s neckerchief might make some difference; but as for a parcel of
unbreeched heathen, he wouldn’t go to the bottom of his chest for any
of them, and was half disposed to appear among them in buff himself.
The men laughed at what they thought was one of his strange conceits,
and so we escaped suspicion.

It may appear singular that we should have been thus on our guard with
our own shipmates; but there were some among us who, had they possessed
the least inkling of our project, would, for a paltry hope of reward,
have immediately communicated it to the captain.

As soon as two bells struck, the word was passed for the liberty-men to
get into the boat. I lingered behind in the forecastle a moment, to
take a parting glance at its familiar features, and just as I was about
to ascend to the deck, my eye happened to light on the bread-barge and
beef-kid, which contained the remnants of our last hasty meal. Although
I had never before thought of providing anything in the way of food for
our expedition, as I fully relied upon the fruits of the island to
sustain us wherever we might wander, yet I could not resist the
inclination I felt to provide a luncheon from the relics before me.
Accordingly I took a double handful of those small, broken, flinty bits
of biscuit which generally go by the name of “midshipmen’s nuts,” and
thrust them into the bosom of my frock; in which same ample receptacle
I had previously stowed away several pounds of tobacco and a few yards
of cotton cloth,—articles with which I intended to purchase the
good-will of the natives, as soon as we should appear among them after
the departure of our vessel.

This last addition to my stock caused a considerable protuberance in
front, which I abated in a measure by shaking the bits of bread around
my waist, and distributing the plugs of tobacco among the folds of the
garment.

Hardly had I completed these arrangements when my name was sung out by
a dozen voices, and I sprung upon the deck, where I found all the party
in the boat, and impatient to shove off. I dropped over the side, and
seated myself, with the rest of the watch, in the stern sheets, while
the poor larboarders shipped their oars, and commenced pulling us
ashore.

This happened to be the rainy season at the islands, and the heavens
had nearly the whole morning betokened one of those heavy showers
which, during this period, so frequently occur. The large drops fell
bubbling into the water shortly after our leaving the ship, and by the
time we had effected a landing, it poured down in torrents. We fled for
shelter under cover of an immense canoe-house, which stood hard by the
beach, and waited for the first fury of the storm to pass.

It continued, however, without cessation; and the monotonous beating of
the rain overhead began to exert a drowsy influence upon the men, who,
throwing themselves here and there upon the large war-canoes, after
chatting awhile, all fell asleep.

This was the opportunity we desired, and Toby and I availed ourselves
of it at once, by stealing out of the canoe-house, and plunging into
the depths of an extensive grove that was in its rear. After ten
minutes’ rapid progress, we gained an open space, from which we could
just descry the ridge we intended to mount looming dimly through the
mists of the tropical shower, and distant from us, as we estimated,
something more than a mile. Our direct course towards it lay through a
rather populous part of the bay; but desirous as we were of evading the
natives and securing an unmolested retreat to the mountains, we
determined, by taking a circuit through some extensive thickets, to
avoid their vicinity altogether.

The heavy rain that still continued to fall without intermission,
favoured our enterprise, as it drove the islanders into their houses,
and prevented any casual meeting with them. Our heavy frocks soon
became completely saturated with water, and by their weight, and that
of the articles we had concealed beneath them, not a little impeded our
progress. But it was no time to pause, when at any moment we might be
surprised by a body of the savages, and forced at the very outset to
relinquish our undertaking.

Since leaving the canoe-house we had scarcely exchanged a single
syllable with one another, but when we entered a second narrow opening
in the wood, and again caught sight of the ridge before us, I took Toby
by the arm, and pointing along its sloping outline to the lofty heights
at its extremity, said, in a low tone, “Now, Toby, not a word, nor a
glance backward, till we stand on the summit of yonder mountain; so no
more lingering, but let us shove ahead while we can, and in a few
hours’ time we may laugh aloud. You are the lightest and the nimblest,
so lead on, and I will follow.”

“All right, brother,” said Toby, “quick’s our play, only let’s keep
close together, that’s all”; and so saying, with a bound like a young
roe, he cleared a brook which ran across our path, and rushed forward
with a quick step.

When we arrived within a short distance of the ridge, we were stopped
by a mass of tall yellow reeds, growing together as thickly as they
could stand, and as tough and stubborn as so many rods of steel; and we
perceived, to our chagrin, that they extended midway up the elevation
we proposed to ascend.

For a moment we gazed about us in quest of a more practicable route; it
was, however, at once apparent that there was no resource but to pierce
this thicket of canes at all hazards. We now reversed our order of
march, I, being the heaviest, taking the lead, with a view of breaking
a path through the obstruction, while Toby fell into the rear.

Two or three times I endeavoured to insinuate myself between the canes,
and, by dint of coaxing and bending them, to make some progress; but a
bull-frog might as well have tried to work a passage through the teeth
of a comb, and I gave up the attempt in despair.

Half wild with meeting an obstacle we had so little anticipated, I
threw myself desperately against it, crushing to the ground the canes
with which I came in contact, and rising to my feet again, repeated the
action with like effect. Twenty minutes of this violent exercise almost
exhausted me, but it carried us some way into the thicket; when Toby,
who had been reaping the benefit of my labours by following close at my
heels, proposed to become pioneer in turn, and accordingly passed ahead
with a view of affording me a respite from my exertions. As, however,
with his slight frame he made but bad work of it, I was soon obliged to
resume my old place again.

On we toiled, the perspiration starting from our bodies in floods, our
limbs torn and lacerated with the splintered fragments of the broken
canes, until we had proceeded perhaps as far as the middle of the
brake, when suddenly it ceased raining, and the atmosphere around us
became close and sultry beyond expression. The elasticity of the reeds
quickly recovering from the temporary pressure of our bodies, caused
them to spring back to their original position, so that they closed in
upon us as we advanced, and prevented the circulation of the little air
which might otherwise have reached us. Besides this, their great height
completely shut us out from the view of surrounding objects, and we
were not certain but that we might have been going all the time in a
wrong direction.

Fatigued with my long-continued efforts, and panting for breath, I felt
myself completely incapacitated for any further exertion. I rolled up
the sleeve of my frock, and squeezed the moisture it contained into my
parched mouth. But the few drops I managed to obtain gave me little
relief, and I sank down for a moment with a sort of dogged apathy, from
which I was aroused by Toby, who had devised a plan to free us from the
net in which we had become entangled.

He was laying about him lustily with his sheath-knife, lopping the
canes right and left, like a reaper, and soon made quite a clearing
around us. This sight reanimated me; and seizing my own knife, I hacked
and hewed away without mercy. But, alas! the farther we advanced the
thicker and taller, and apparently the more interminable, the reeds
became.

I began to think we were fairly snared, and had almost made up my mind
that without a pair of wings we should never be able to escape from the
toils, when all at once I discerned a peep of daylight through the
canes on my right, and, communicating the joyful tidings to Toby, we
both fell to with fresh spirit, and speedily opening a passage towards
it, we found ourselves clear of perplexities, and in the near vicinity
of the ridge.

After resting for a few moments we began the ascent, and after a little
vigorous climbing found ourselves close to its summit. Instead,
however, of walking along its ridge, where we should have been in full
view of the natives in the vales beneath, and at a point where they
could easily intercept us, were they so inclined, we cautiously
advanced on one side, crawling on our hands and knees, and screened
from observation by the grass through which we glided, much in the
fashion of a couple of serpents. After an hour employed in this
unpleasant kind of locomotion, we started to our feet again, and
pursued our way boldly along the crest of the ridge.

This salient spur of the lofty elevations that encompassed the bay,
rose with sharp angle from the valleys at its base, and presented, with
the exception of a few steep acclivities, the appearance of a vast
inclined plane, sweeping down towards the sea from the heights in the
distance. We had ascended it near the place of its termination, and at
its lowest point, and now saw our route to the mountains distinctly
defined along its narrow crest, which was covered with a soft carpet of
verdure, and was in many parts only a few feet wide.

Elated with the success which had so far attended our enterprise, and
invigorated by the refreshing atmosphere we now inhaled, Toby and I, in
high spirits, were making our way rapidly along the ridge when suddenly
from the valleys below, which lay on either side of us, we heard the
distant shouts of the natives, who had just descried us, and to whom
our figures, brought in bold relief against the sky, were plainly
revealed.

Glancing our eyes into these valleys, we perceived their savage
inhabitants hurrying to and fro, seemingly under the influence of some
sudden alarm, and appearing to the eye scarcely bigger than so many
pigmies, while their white thatched dwellings, dwarfed by the distance,
looked like baby-houses. As we looked down upon the islanders from our
lofty elevation, we experienced a sense of security; feeling confident
that, should they undertake a pursuit, it would, from the start we now
had, proved entirely fruitless, unless they followed us into the
mountains, where we knew they cared not to venture.

However, we thought it was well to make the most of our time; and
accordingly, where the ground would admit of it, we ran swiftly along
the summit of the ridge, until we were brought to a stand by a steep
cliff, which at first seemed to interpose an effectual barrier to our
farther advance. By dint of much hard scrambling, however, and at some
risk to our necks, we at last surmounted it, and continued our flight
with unabated celerity.

We had left the beach early in the morning, and after an uninterrupted,
though at times difficult and dangerous ascent, during which we had
never once turned our faces to the sea, we found ourselves, about three
hours before sunset, standing on the top of what seemed to be the
highest land on the island, an immense overhanging cliff composed of
basaltic rocks, hung round with parasitical plants. We must have been
more than three thousand feet above the level of the sea, and the
scenery viewed from this height was magnificent.

The lonely bay of Nukuheva, dotted here and there with the black hulls
of the vessels composing the French squadron, lay reposing at the base
of a circular range of elevations, whose verdant sides, perforated with
deep glens, or diversified with smiling valleys, formed altogether the
loveliest view I ever beheld, and were I to live a hundred years, I
shall never forget the feeling of admiration which I then experienced.




CHAPTER VI


The other side of the mountain—Disappointment—Inventory of articles
brought from the ship—Division of the stock of bread—Appearance of the
interior of the island—A discovery—A ravine and waterfalls—A sleepless
night—Further discoveries—My illness—A Marquesan landscape.


My curiosity had been not a little raised with regard to the
description of country we should meet on the other side of the
mountains; and I had supposed, with Toby, that immediately on gaining
the heights we should be enabled to view the large bays of Happar and
Typee reposing at our feet on one side, in the same way that Nukuheva
lay spread out below on the other. But here we were disappointed.
Instead of finding the mountain we had ascended sweeping down in the
opposite direction into broad and capacious valleys, the land appeared
to retain its general elevation, only broken into a series of ridges
and inter-vales, which as far as the eye could reach stretched away
from us, with their precipitous sides covered with the brightest
verdure, and waving here and there with the foliage of clumps of
woodland; among which, however, we perceived none of those trees upon
whose fruit we had relied with such certainty.

This was a most unlooked-for discovery, and one that promised to defeat
our plans altogether, for we could not think of descending the mountain
on the Nukuheva side in quest of food. Should we for this purpose be
induced to retrace our steps, we should run no small chance of
encountering the natives, who in that case, if they did nothing worse
to us, would be certain to convey us back to the ship for the sake of
the reward in calico and trinkets, which we had no doubt our skipper
would hold out to them as an inducement to our capture.

What was to be done? The _Dolly_ would not sail perhaps for ten days,
and how were we to sustain life during this period? I bitterly repented
our improvidence in not providing ourselves, as we easily might have
done, with a supply of biscuit. With a rueful visage I now bethought me
of the scanty handful of bread I had stuffed into the bosom of my
frock, and felt somewhat desirous to ascertain what part of it had
weathered the rather rough usage it had experienced in ascending the
mountain. I accordingly proposed to Toby that we should enter into a
joint examination of the various articles we had brought from the ship.
With this intent we seated ourselves upon the grass; and a little
curious to see with what kind of judgment my companion had filled his
frock—which I remarked seemed about as well lined as my own—I requested
him to commence operations by spreading out its contents.

Thrusting his hand, then, into the bosom of his capacious receptacle,
he first brought to light about a pound of tobacco, whose component
parts still adhered together, the whole outside being covered with soft
particles of sea-bread. Wet and dripping, it had the appearance of
having been just recovered from the bottom of the sea. But I paid
slight attention to a substance of so little value to us in our present
situation, as soon as I perceived the indications it gave of Toby’s
foresight in laying in a supply of food for the expedition.

I eagerly inquired what quantity he had brought with him, when
rummaging once more beneath his garment, he produced a small handful of
something so soft, pulpy, and discoloured, that for a few moments he
was as much puzzled as myself to tell by what possible instrumentality
such a villanous compound had become engendered in his bosom. I can
only describe it as a hash of soaked bread and bits of tobacco, brought
to a doughy consistency by the united agency of perspiration and rain.
But repulsive as it might otherwise have been, I now regarded it as an
invaluable treasure, and proceeded with great care to transfer this
paste-like mass to a large leaf which I had plucked from a bush beside
me. Toby informed me that in the morning he had placed two whole
biscuits in his bosom, with a view of munching them, should he feel so
inclined, during our flight. These were now reduced to the equivocal
substance which I had just placed on the leaf.

Another dive into the frock brought to view some four or five yards of
calico print, whose tasteful pattern was rather disfigured by the
yellow stains of the tobacco with which it had been brought in contact.
In drawing this calico slowly from his bosom inch by inch, Toby
reminded me of a juggler performing the feat of the endless ribbon. The
next cast was a small one, being a sailor’s little “ditty bag,”
containing needles, thread, and other sewing utensils; then came a
razor-case, followed by two or three separate plugs of negro-head,
which were fished up from the bottom of the now empty receptacle. These
various matters being inspected, I produced a few things which I had
myself brought.

As might have been anticipated from the state of my companion’s edible
supplies, I found my own in a deplorable condition, and diminished to a
quantity that would not have formed half a dozen mouthfuls for a hungry
man who was partial enough to tobacco not to mind swallowing it. A few
morsels of bread, with a fathom or two of white cotton cloth, and
several pounds of choice pigtail, composed the extent of my
possessions.

Our joint stock of miscellaneous articles were now made up into a
compact bundle, which it was agreed we should carry alternately. But
the sorry remains of the biscuit were not to be disposed of so
summarily: the precarious circumstances in which we were placed made us
regard them as something on which very probably depended the fate of
our adventure. After a brief discussion, in which we both of us
expressed our resolution of not descending into the bay until the
ship’s departure, I suggested to my companion that little of it as
there was, we should divide the bread into six equal portions, each of
which should be a day’s allowance for both of us. This proposition he
assented to; so I took the silk kerchief from my neck, and cutting it
with my knife into half a dozen equal pieces, proceeded to make an
exact division.

At first, Toby, with a degree of fastidiousness that seemed to me
ill-timed, was for picking out the minute particles of tobacco with
which the spongy mass was mixed; but against this proceeding I
protested, as by such an operation we must have greatly diminished its
quantity.

When the division was accomplished, we found that a day’s allowance for
the two was not a great deal more than what a table-spoon might hold.
Each separate portion we immediately rolled up in the bit of silk
prepared for it, and joining them all together into a small package, I
committed them, with solemn injunctions of fidelity, to the custody of
Toby. For the remainder of that day we resolved to fast, as we had been
fortified by a breakfast in the morning; and now starting again to our
feet, we looked about us for a shelter during the night, which, from
the appearance of the heavens, promised to be a dark and tempestuous
one.

There was no place near us which would in any way answer our purpose;
so turning our backs upon Nukuheva, we commenced exploring the unknown
regions which lay upon the other side of the mountain.

In this direction, as far as our vision extended, not a sign of life,
nor anything that denoted even the transient residence of man could be
seen. The whole landscape seemed one unbroken solitude, the interior of
the island having apparently been untenanted since the morning of the
creation; and as we advanced through this wilderness, our voices
sounded strangely in our ears, as though human accents had never before
disturbed the fearful silence of the place, interrupted only by the low
murmurings of distant waterfalls.

Our disappointment, however, in not finding the various fruits with
which we had intended to regale ourselves during our stay in these
wilds, was a good deal lessened by the consideration that from this
very circumstance we should be much less exposed to a casual meeting
with the savage tribes about us, who we knew always dwelt beneath the
shadows of those trees which supplied them with food.

We wandered along, casting eager glances into every bush we passed,
until just as we had succeeded in mounting one of the many ridges that
intersected the ground, I saw in the grass before me something like an
indistinctly traced footpath, which appeared to lead along the top of
the ridge, and to descend with it into a deep ravine about half a mile
in advance of us.

Robinson Crusoe could not have been more startled at the footprint in
the sand than we were at this unwelcome discovery. My first impulse was
to make as rapid a retreat as possible, and bend our steps in some
other direction; but our curiosity to see whither this path might lead,
prompted us to pursue it. So on we went, the track becoming more and
more visible the farther we proceeded, until it conducted us to the
verge of the ravine, where it abruptly terminated.

“And so,” said Toby, peering down into the chasm, “every one that
travels this path takes a jump here, eh?”

“Not so,” said I, “for I think they might manage to descend without it;
what say you,—shall we attempt the feat?”

“And what, in the name of caves and coal-holes, do you expect to find
at the bottom of that gulf but a broken neck—why, it looks blacker than
our ship’s hold, and the roar of those waterfalls down there would
batter one’s brains to pieces.”

“Oh, no, Toby,” I exclaimed, laughing; “but there’s something to be
seen here, that’s plain, or there would have been no path, and I am
resolved to find out what it is.”

“I will tell you what, my pleasant fellow,” rejoined Toby, quickly, “if
you are going to pry into everything you meet with here that excites
your curiosity, you will marvellously soon get knocked on the head; to
a dead certainty you will come bang upon a party of these savages in
the midst of your discovery-makings, and I doubt whether such an event
would particularly delight you. Just take my advice for once, and let
us ’bout ship and steer in some other direction; besides, it’s getting
late, and we ought to be mooring ourselves for the night.”

“That is just the thing I have been driving at,” replied I; “and I am
thinking that this ravine will exactly answer our purpose, for it is
roomy, secluded, well watered, and may shelter us from the weather.”

“Ay, and from sleep too, and by the same token will give us sore
throats, and rheumatism into the bargain,” cried Toby, with evident
dislike at the idea.

“Oh, very well then, my lad,” said I, “since you will not accompany me,
here I go, alone. You will see me in the morning”; and advancing to the
edge of the cliff upon which we had been standing, I proceeded to lower
myself down by the tangled roots which clustered about all the crevices
of the rock. As I had anticipated, Toby, in spite of his previous
remonstrances, followed my example, and dropping himself with the
activity of a squirrel from point to point, he quickly outstripped me,
and effected a landing at the bottom before I had accomplished
two-thirds of the descent.

The sight that now greeted us was one that will ever be vividly
impressed upon my mind. Five foaming streams, rushing through as many
gorges, and swelled and turbid by the recent rains, united together in
one mad plunge of nearly eighty feet, and fell with wild uproar into a
deep black pool scooped out of the gloomy-looking rocks that lay piled
around, and thence in one collected body dashed down a narrow sloping
channel which seemed to penetrate into the very bowels of the earth.
Overhead, vast roots of trees hung down from the sides of the ravine,
dripping with moisture, and trembling with the concussions produced by
the fall. It was now sunset, and the feeble uncertain light that found
its way into these caverns and woody depths heightened their strange
appearance, and reminded us that in a short time we should find
ourselves in utter darkness.

As soon as I had satisfied my curiosity by gazing at this scene, I fell
to wondering how it was that what we had taken for a path should have
conducted us to so singular a place, and began to suspect that after
all I might have been deceived in supposing it to have been a track
formed by the islanders. This was rather an agreeable reflection than
otherwise, for it diminished our dread of accidentally meeting with any
of them, and I came to the conclusion that perhaps we could not have
selected a more secure hiding-place than this very spot we had so
accidentally hit upon. Toby agreed with me in this view of the matter,
and we immediately began gathering together the limbs of trees which
lay scattered about, with the view of constructing a temporary hut for
the night. This we were obliged to build close to the foot of the
cataract for the current of water extended very nearly to the sides of
the gorge. The few moments of light that remained we employed in
covering our hut with a species of broad-bladed grass that grew in
every fissure of the ravine. Our hut, if it deserved to be called one,
consisted of six or eight of the straightest branches we could find
laid obliquely against the steep wall of rock, with their lowered ends
within a foot of the stream. Into the space thus covered over we
managed to crawl, and dispose our wearied bodies as best we could.

Shall I ever forget that horrid night! As for poor Toby, I could
scarcely get a word out of him. It would have been some consolation to
have heard his voice, but he lay shivering the live-long night like a
man afflicted with the palsy, with his knees drawn up to his head,
while his back was supported against the dripping side of the rock.
During this wretched night there seemed nothing wanting to complete the
perfect misery of our condition. The rain descended in such torrents
that our poor shelter proved a mere mockery. In vain did I try to elude
the incessant streams that poured upon me; by protecting one part I
only exposed another, and the water was continually finding some new
opening through which to drench us.

I have had many a ducking in the course of my life, and in general
cared little about it: but the accumulated horrors of that night, the
death-like coldness of the place, the appalling darkness and the dismal
sense of our forlorn condition, almost unmanned me.

It will not be doubted that the next morning we were early risers, and
as soon as I could catch the faintest glimpse of anything like daylight
I shook my companion by the arm, and told him it was sunrise. Poor Toby
lifted up his head, and after a moment’s pause said, in a husky voice,
“Then, shipmate, my toplights have gone out, for it appears darker now
with my eyes open than it did when they were shut.”

“Nonsense!” exclaimed I; “you are not awake yet.”

“Awake!” roared Toby, in a rage; “awake! You mean to insinuate I’ve
been asleep, do you? It is an insult to a man to suppose he could sleep
in such a place as this.”

By the time I had apologized to my friend for having misconstrued his
silence, it had become somewhat more light, and we crawled out of our
lair. The rain had ceased, but everything around us was dripping with
moisture. We stripped off our saturated garments, and wrung them as dry
as we could. We contrived to make the blood circulate in our benumbed
limbs by rubbing them vigorously with our hands; and after performing
our ablutions in the stream, and putting on our still wet clothes, we
began to think it advisable to break our long fast, it being now
twenty-four hours since we had tasted food.

Accordingly, our day’s ration was brought out, and seating ourselves on
a detached fragment of rock, we proceeded to discuss it. First we
divided it into equal portions, and carefully rolling one of them up
for our evening’s repast, divided the remainder again as equally as
possible, and then drew lots for the first choice. I could have placed
the morsel that fell to my share upon the tip of my finger; but
notwithstanding this, I took care that it should be full ten minutes
before I had swallowed the last crumb. What a true saying it is that
“appetite furnishes the best sauce”! There was a flavour and a relish
to this small particle of food that, under other circumstances, it
would have been impossible for the most delicate viands to have
imparted. A copious draught of the pure water which flowed at our feet
served to complete the meal, and after it we rose sensibly refreshed,
and prepared for whatever might befall us.

We now carefully examined the chasm in which we had passed the night.
We crossed the stream, and gaining the farther side of the pool I have
mentioned, discovered proofs that the spot must have been visited by
some one but a short time previous to our arrival. Further observation
convinced us that it had been regularly frequented, and, as we
afterwards conjectured from particular indications, for the purpose of
obtaining a certain root, from which the natives obtained a kind of
ointment.

These discoveries immediately determined us to abandon a place which
had presented no inducement for us to remain, except the promise of
security; and as we looked about us for the means of ascending again
into the upper regions, we at last found a practicable part of the
rock, and half-an-hour’s toil carried us to the summit of the same
cliff from which the preceding evening we had descended.

I now proposed to Toby that instead of rambling about the island,
exposing ourselves to discovery at every turn, we should select some
place as our fixed abode for as long a period as our food should hold
out, build ourselves a comfortable hut, and be as prudent and
circumspect as possible. To all this my companion assented, and we at
once set about carrying the plan into execution.

With this view, after exploring without success a little glen near us,
we crossed several of the ridges of which I have before spoken; and
about noon found ourselves ascending a long and gradually rising slope,
but still without having discovered any place adapted to our purpose.
Low and heavy clouds betokened an approaching storm, and we hurried on
to gain a covert in a clump of thick bushes, which appeared to
terminate the long ascent. We threw ourselves under the lee of these
bushes, and pulling up the long grass that grew around, covered
ourselves completely with it, and awaited the shower.

But it did not come as soon as we had expected, and before many minutes
my companion was fast asleep, and I was rapidly falling into the same
state of happy forgetfulness. Just at this juncture, however, down came
the rain with a violence that put all thoughts of slumber to flight.
Although in some measure sheltered, our clothes soon became as wet as
ever; this, after all the trouble we had taken to dry them, was
provoking enough: but there was no help for it; and I recommend all
adventurous youths who abandon vessels in romantic islands during the
rainy season, to provide themselves with umbrellas.

After an hour or so the shower passed away. My companion slept through
it all, or at least appeared so to do; and now that it was over I had
not the heart to awaken him. As I lay on my back completely shrouded
with verdure, the leafy branches drooping over me, and my limbs buried
in grass, I could not avoid comparing our situation with that of the
interesting babes in the wood. Poor little sufferers!—no wonder their
constitutions broke down under the hardships to which they were
exposed.

During the hour or two spent under the shelter of these bushes, I began
to feel symptoms which I at once attributed to the exposure of the
preceding night. Cold shiverings and a burning fever succeeded one
another at intervals, while one of my legs was swelled to such a
degree, and pained me so acutely, that I half suspected I had been
bitten by some venomous reptile, the congenial inhabitant of the chasm
from which we had lately emerged. I may here remark by the way—what I
subsequently learned—that all the islands of Polynesia enjoy the
reputation, in common with the Hibernian isle, of being free from the
presence of any vipers; though whether Saint Patrick ever visited them,
is a question I shall not attempt to decide.

As the feverish sensation increased upon me I tossed about, still
unwilling to disturb my slumbering companion, from whose side I removed
two or three yards. I chanced to push aside a branch, and by so doing
suddenly disclosed to my view a scene which even now I can recall with
all the vividness of the first impression. Had a glimpse of the gardens
of Paradise been revealed to me, I could scarcely have been more
ravished with the sight.

From the spot where I lay tranfixed with surprise and delight, I looked
straight down into the bosom of a valley, which swept away in long wavy
undulations to the blue waters in the distance. Midway towards the sea,
and peering here and there amidst the foliage, might be seen the
palmetto-thatched houses of its inhabitants, glistening in the sun that
had bleached them to a dazzling whiteness. The vale was more than three
leagues in length, and about a mile across at its greatest width.

On either side it appeared hemmed in by steep and green acclivities,
which, uniting near the spot where I lay, formed an abrupt and
semi-circular termination of grassy cliffs and precipices hundreds of
feet in height, over which flowed numberless small cascades. But the
crowning beauty of the prospect was its universal verdure; and in this
indeed consists, I believe, the peculiar charm of every Polynesian
landscape. Everywhere below me, from the base of the precipice upon
whose very verge I had been unconsciously reposing, the surface of the
vale presented a mass of foliage, spread with such rich profusion that
it was impossible to determine of what description of trees it
consisted.

But perhaps there was nothing about the scenery I beheld more
impressive than those silent cascades, whose slender threads of water,
after leaping down the steep cliffs, were lost amidst the rich herbage
of the valley.

Over all the landscape there reigned the most hushed repose, which I
almost feared to break, lest, like the enchanted gardens in the fairy
tale, a single syllable might dissolve the spell. For a long time,
forgetful alike of my own situation, and the vicinity of my still
slumbering companion, I remained gazing around me, hardly able to
comprehend by what means I had thus suddenly been made a spectator of
such a scene.




CHAPTER VII


The important question, Typee or Happar?—A wild-goose chase—My
sufferings—Disheartening situation—A night in the ravine—Morning
meal—Happy idea of Toby—Journey towards the valley.


Recovering from my astonishment at the beautiful scene before me, I
quickly awakened Toby, and informed him of the discovery I had made.
Together we now repaired to the border of the precipice, and my
companion’s admiration was equal to my own. A little reflection,
however, abated our surprise at coming so unexpectedly upon this
valley, since the large vales of Happar and Typee, lying upon this side
of Nukuheva, and extending a considerable distance from the sea towards
the interior, must necessarily terminate somewhere about this point.

The question now was as to which of those two places we were looking
down upon. Toby insisted that it was the abode of the Happars, and I
that it was tenanted by their enemies, the ferocious Typees. To be sure
I was not entirely convinced by my own arguments, but Toby’s
proposition to descend at once into the valley, and partake of the
hospitality of its inmates, seemed to me to be risking so much upon the
strength of a mere supposition, that I resolved to oppose it until we
had more evidence to proceed upon.

The point was one of vital importance, as the natives of Happar were
not only at peace with Nukuheva, but cultivated with its inhabitants
the most friendly relations, and enjoyed beside a reputation for
gentleness and humanity which led us to expect from them, if not a
cordial reception, at least a shelter during the short period we should
remain in their territory.

On the other hand, the very name of Typee struck a panic into my heart
which I did not attempt to disguise. The thought of voluntarily
throwing ourselves into the hands of these cruel savages, seemed to me
an act of mere madness; and almost equally so the idea of venturing
into the valley, uncertain by which of these two tribes it was
inhabited. That the vale at our feet was tenanted by one of them, was a
point that appeared to us past all doubt, since we knew that they
resided in this quarter, although our information did not enlighten us
further.

My companion, however, incapable of resisting the tempting prospect
which the place held out of an abundant supply of food and other means
of enjoyment, still clung to his own inconsiderate view of the subject,
nor could all my reasoning shake it. When I reminded him that it was
impossible for either of us to know anything with certainty, and when I
dealt upon the horrible fate we should encounter were we rashly to
descend into the valley, and discover too late the error we had
committed, he replied by detailing all the evils of our present
condition, and the sufferings we must undergo should we continue to
remain where we then were.

Anxious to draw him away from the subject, if possible—for I saw that
it would be in vain to attempt changing his mind—I directed his
attention to a long bright unwooded tract of land which, sweeping down
from the elevations in the interior, descended into the valley before
us. I then suggested to him that beyond this ridge might lie a
capacious and untenanted valley, abounding with all manner of delicious
fruits; for I had heard that there were several such upon the island,
and proposed that we should endeavour to reach it, and if we found our
expectations realized we should at once take refuge in it and remain
there as long as we pleased.

He acquiesced in the suggestion; and we immediately, therefore, began
surveying the country lying before us, with a view of determining upon
the best route for us to pursue; but it presented little choice, the
whole interval being broken into steep ridges, divided by dark ravines,
extending in parallel lines at right angles to our direct course. All
these we would be obliged to cross before we could hope to arrive at
our destination.

A weary journey! But we decided to undertake it, though, for my own
part, I felt little prepared to encounter its fatigues, shivering and
burning by turns with the ague and fever; for I know not how else to
describe the alternate sensations I experienced, and suffering not a
little from the lameness which afflicted me. Added to this was the
faintness consequent on our meagre diet—a calamity in which Toby
participated to the same extent as myself.

These circumstances, however, only augmented my anxiety to reach a
place which promised us plenty and repose, before I should be reduced
to a state which would render me altogether unable to perform the
journey. Accordingly we now commenced it by descending the almost
perpendicular side of a steep and narrow gorge, bristling with a thick
growth of reeds. Here there was but one mode for us to adopt. We seated
ourselves upon the ground, and guided our descent by catching at the
canes in our path. The velocity with which we thus slid down the side
of the ravine soon brought us to a point where we could use our feet,
and in a short time we arrived at the edge of the torrent, which rolled
impetuously along the bed of the chasm.

After taking a refreshing draught from the water of the stream, we
addressed ourselves to a much more difficult undertaking than the last.
Every foot of our late descent had to be regained in ascending the
opposite side of the gorge—an operation rendered the less agreeable
from the consideration that in these perpendicular episodes we did not
progress a hundred yards on our journey. But, ungrateful as the task
was, we set about it with exemplary patience, and after a snail-like
progress of an hour or more, had scaled perhaps one half of the
distance, when the fever which had left me for awhile returned with
such violence, and accompanied by so raging a thirst, that it required
all the entreaties of Toby to prevent me from losing all the fruits of
my late exertion, by precipitating myself madly down the cliffs we had
just climbed, in quest of the water which flowed so temptingly at their
base. At the moment all my hopes and fears appeared to be merged in
this one desire, careless of the consequences that might result from
its gratification. I am aware of no feeling, either of pleasure or of
pain, that so completely deprives one of all power to resist its
impulses, as this same raging thirst.

Toby earnestly conjured me to continue the ascent, assuring me that a
little more exertion would bring us to the summit, and that then in
less than five minutes we should find ourselves at the brink of the
stream, which must necessarily flow on the other side of the ridge.

“Do not,” he exclaimed, “turn back, now that we have proceeded thus
far; for I tell you that neither of us will have the courage to repeat
the attempt, if once more we find ourselves looking up to where we now
are from the bottom of these rocks!”

I was not yet so perfectly beside myself as to be heedless of these
representations, and therefore toiled on, ineffectually endeavouring to
appease the thirst which consumed me, by thinking that in a short time
I should be able to gratify it to my heart’s content.

At last we gained the top of the second elevation, the loftiest of
those I have described as extending in parallel lines between us and
the valley we desired to reach. It commanded a view of the whole
intervening distance; and, discouraged as I was by other circumstances,
this prospect plunged me into the very depths of despair. Nothing but
dark and fearful chasms, separated by sharp crested and perpendicular
ridges as far as the eye could reach. Could we have stepped from summit
to summit of these steep but narrow elevations we could easily have
accomplished the distance; but we must penetrate to the bottom of every
yawning gulf, and scale in succession every one of the eminences before
us. Even Toby, although not suffering as I did, was not proof against
the disheartening influences of the sight.

But we did not long stand to contemplate it, impatient as I was to
reach the waters of the torrent which flowed beneath us. With an
insensibility to danger which I cannot call to mind without shuddering,
we threw ourselves down the depths of the ravine, startling its savage
solitudes with the echoes produced by the falling fragments of rock we
every moment dislodged from their places, careless of the insecurity of
our footing, and reckless whether the slight roots and twigs we
clutched at sustained us for the while, or treacherously yielded to our
grasp. For my own part, I scarcely knew whether I was helplessly
falling from the heights above, or whether the fearful rapidity with
which I descended was an act of my own volition.


[Illustration: AT LAST WE GAINED THE TOP OF THE SECOND ELEVATION]


In a few minutes we reached the foot of the gorge, and kneeling upon a
small ledge of dripping rocks, I bent over to the stream. What a
delicious sensation was I now to experience! I paused for a second to
concentrate all my capabilities of enjoyment, and then immerged my lips
in the clear element before me. Had the apples of Sodom turned to ashes
in my mouth, I could not have felt a more startling revulsion. A single
drop of the cold fluid seemed to freeze every drop of blood in my body;
the fever that had been burning in my veins gave place on the instant
to death-like chills, which shook me one after another like so many
shocks of electricity, while the perspiration produced by my late
violent exertions congealed in icy beads upon my forehead. My thirst
was gone, and I fairly loathed the water. Starting to my feet, the
sight of those dank rocks, oozing forth moisture at every crevice, and
the dark stream shooting along its dismal channel, sent fresh chills
through my shivering frame, and I felt as uncontrollable a desire to
climb up towards the genial sunlight as I before had to descend the
ravine.

After two hours’ perilous exertions we stood upon the summit of another
ridge, and it was with difficulty I could bring myself to believe that
we had ever penetrated the black and yawning chasm which then gaped at
our feet. Again we gazed upon the prospect which the height commanded,
but it was just as depressing as the one which had before met our eyes.
I now felt that in our present situation it was in vain for us to think
of ever overcoming the obstacles in our way, and I gave up all thoughts
of reaching the vale which lay beyond this series of impediments; while
at the same time I could not devise any scheme to extricate ourselves
from the difficulties in which we were involved.

The remotest idea of returning to Nukuheva unless assured of our
vessel’s departure, never once entered my mind, and indeed it was
questionable whether we could have succeeded in reaching it, divided as
we were from the bay by a distance we could not compute, and perplexed
too in our remembrance of localities by our recent wanderings. Besides,
it was unendurable the thought of retracing our steps and rendering all
our painful exertions of no avail.

There is scarcely anything when a man is in difficulties that he is
more disposed to look upon with abhorrence than a right-about
retrograde movement—a systematic going over of the already trodden
ground: and especially if he has a love of adventure, such a course
appears indescribably repulsive, so long as there remains the least
hope to be derived from braving untried difficulties.

It was this feeling that prompted us to descend the opposite side of
the elevation we had just scaled, although with what definite object in
view it would have been impossible for either of us to tell.

Without exchanging a syllable upon the subject, Toby and myself
simultaneously renounced the design which had lured us thus
far—perceiving in each other’s countenances that desponding expression
which speaks more eloquently than words.

Together we stood towards the close of this weary day in the cavity of
the third gorge we had entered, wholly incapacitated for any further
exertion, until restored to some degree of strength by food and repose.

We seated ourselves upon the least uncomfortable spot we could select,
and Toby produced from the bosom of his frock the sacred package. In
silence we partook of the small morsel of refreshment that had been
left from the morning’s repast, and without once proposing to violate
the sanctity of our engagement with respect to the remainder, we rose
to our feet, and proceeded to construct some sort of shelter under
which we might obtain the sleep we so greatly needed.

Fortunately the spot was better adapted to our purpose than the one in
which we had passed the last wretched night. We cleared away the tall
reeds from a small but almost level bit of ground, and twisted them
into a low basket-like hut, which we covered with a profusion of long
thick leaves, gathered from a tree near at hand. We disposed them
thickly all around, reserving only a slight opening that barely
permitted us to crawl under the shelter we had thus obtained.

These deep recesses, though protected from the winds that assail the
summits of their lofty sides, are damp and chill to a degree that one
would hardly anticipate in such a climate; and being unprovided with
anything but our woollen frocks and thin duck trousers to resist the
cold of the place, we were the more solicitous to render our habitation
for the night as comfortable as we could. Accordingly, in addition to
what we had already done, we plucked down all the leaves within our
reach and threw them in a heap over our little hut, into which we now
crept, raking after us a reserved supply to form our couch.

That night nothing but the pain I suffered prevented me from sleeping
most refreshingly. As it was, I caught two or three naps, while Toby
slept away at my side as soundly as though he had been sandwiched
between two Holland sheets. Luckily it did not rain, and we were
preserved from the misery which a heavy shower would have occasioned
us.

In the morning I was awakened by the sonorous voice of my companion
ringing in my ears and bidding me rise. I crawled out from our heap of
leaves, and was astonished at the change which a good night’s rest had
wrought in his appearance. He was as blithe and joyous as a young bird,
and was staying the keenness of his morning’s appetite by chewing the
soft bark of a delicate branch he held in his hand, and he recommended
the like to me, as an admirable antidote against the gnawings of
hunger.

For my own part, though feeling materially better than I had done the
preceding evening, I could not look at the limb that had pained me so
violently at intervals during the last twenty-four hours, without
experiencing a sense of alarm that I strove in vain to shake off.
Unwilling to disturb the flow of my comrade’s spirits, I managed to
stifle the complaints to which I might otherwise have given vent, and
calling upon him good-humouredly to speed our banquet, I prepared
myself for it by washing in the stream. This operation concluded, we
swallowed, or rather absorbed, by a peculiar kind of slow sucking
process, our respective morsels of nourishment, and then entered into a
discussion as to the steps it was necessary for us to pursue.

“What’s to be done now?” inquired I, rather dolefully.

“Descend into that same valley we descried yesterday,” rejoined Toby,
with a rapidity and loudness of utterance that almost led me to suspect
he had been slyly devouring the broadside of an ox in some of the
adjoining thickets. “What else,” he continued, “remains for us to do
but that, to be sure? Why, we shall both starve, to a certainty, if we
remain here; and as to your fears of those Typees—depend upon it, it is
all nonsense. It is impossible that the inhabitants of such a lovely
place as we saw can be anything else but good fellows; and if you
choose rather to perish with hunger in one of these soppy caverns, I
for one prefer to chance a bold descent into the valley, and risk the
consequences.”

“And who is to pilot us thither,” I asked, “even if we should decide
upon the measure you propose? Are we to go again up and down those
precipices that we crossed yesterday, until we reach the place we
started from, and then take a flying leap from the cliffs to the
valley?”

“’Faith, I didn’t think of that,” said Toby; “sure enough, both sides
of the valley appeared to be hemmed in by precipices, didn’t they?”

“Yes,” answered I; “as steep as the sides of a line-of-battle ship, and
about a hundred times as high.” My companion sank his head upon his
breast, and remained for awhile in deep thought. Suddenly he sprang to
his feet, while his eyes lighted up with that gleam of intelligence
that marks the presence of some bright idea.

“Yes, yes,” he exclaimed; “the streams all run in the same direction,
and must necessarily flow into the valley before they reach the sea;
all we have to do is just to follow this stream, and sooner or later,
it will lead us into the vale.”

“You are right, Toby,” I exclaimed, “you are right; it must conduct us
thither, and quickly too; for, see with what a steep inclination the
water descends.”

“It does, indeed,” burst forth my companion, overjoyed at my
verification of his theory, “it does, indeed; why, it is as plain as a
pike-staff. Let us proceed at once; come, throw away all those stupid
ideas about the Typees, and hurrah for the lovely valley of the
Happars!”

“You will have it to be Happar, I see, my dear fellow; pray Heaven, you
may not find yourself deceived,” observed I, with a shake of my head.

“Amen to all that, and much more,” shouted Toby, rushing forward; “but
Happar it is, for nothing else than Happar can it be. So glorious a
valley—such forests of bread-fruit trees—such groves of cocoa-nut—such
wildernesses of guava-bushes! Ah, shipmate! don’t linger behind: in the
name of all delightful fruits, I am dying to be at them. Come on, come
on; shove ahead, there’s a lively lad; never mind the rocks; kick them
out of the way, as I do; and to-morrow, old fellow, take my word for
it, we shall be in clover. Come on”; and so saying, he dashed along the
ravine like a madman, forgetting my inability to keep up with him. In a
few minutes, however, the exuberance of his spirits abated, and,
pausing for awhile, he permitted me to overtake him.




CHAPTER VIII


Perilous passage of the ravine—Descent into the valley


The fearless confidence of Toby was contagious, and I began to adopt
the Happar side of the question. I could not, however, overcome a
certain feeling of trepidation, as we made our way along these gloomy
solitudes. Our progress, at first comparatively easy, became more and
more difficult. The bed of the watercourse was covered with fragments
of broken rocks, which had fallen from above, offering so many
obstructions to the course of the rapid stream, which vexed and fretted
about them,—forming at intervals small waterfalls, pouring over into
deep basins, or splashing wildly upon heaps of stones.

From the narrowness of the gorge, and the steepness of its sides, there
was no mode of advancing but by wading through the water; stumbling
every moment over the impediments which lay hidden under its surface,
or tripping against the huge roots of trees. But the most annoying
hindrance we encountered was from a multitude of crooked boughs, which,
shooting out almost horizontally from the sides of the chasm, twisted
themselves together in fantastic masses almost to the surface of the
stream, affording us no passage except under the low arches which they
formed. Under these we were obliged to crawl on our hands and feet,
sliding along the oozy surface of the rocks, or slipping into the deep
pools, and with scarce light enough to guide us. Occasionally we would
strike our heads against some projecting limb of a tree; and while
imprudently engaged in rubbing the injured part, would fall sprawling
amongst flinty fragments, cutting and bruising ourselves, whilst the
unpitying waters flowed over our prostrate bodies. Belzoni, worming
himself through the subterranean passages of the Egyptian catacombs,
could not have met with greater impediments than those we here
encountered. But we struggled against them manfully, well knowing our
only hope lay in advancing.

Towards sunset we halted at a spot where we made preparations for
passing the night. Here we constructed a hut, in much the same way as
before, and crawling into it, endeavoured to forget our sufferings. My
companion, I believe, slept pretty soundly; but at daybreak, when we
rolled out of our dwelling, I felt nearly disqualified for any further
efforts. Toby prescribed as a remedy for my illness the contents of one
of our little silk packages, to be taken at once in a single dose. To
this species of medical treatment, however, I would by no means accede,
much as he insisted upon it; and so we partook of our usual morsel, and
silently resumed our journey. It was the fourth day since we left
Nukuheva, and the gnawings of hunger became painfully acute. We were
fain to pacify them by chewing the tender bark of roots and twigs,
which, if they did not afford us nourishment, were at least sweet and
pleasant to the taste.

Our progress along the steep watercourse was necessarily slow, and by
noon we had not advanced more than a mile. It was somewhere near this
part of the day that the noise of falling waters, which we had faintly
caught in the early morning, became more distinct; and it was not long
before we were arrested by a rocky precipice of nearly a hundred feet
in depth, that extended all across the channel, and over which the wild
stream poured in an unbroken leap. On either hand the walls of the
ravine presented their overhanging sides both above and below the fall,
affording no means whatever of avoiding the cataract by taking a
circuit round it.

“What’s to be done now, Toby?” said I.

“Why,” rejoined he, “as we cannot retreat, I suppose we must keep
shoving along.”

“Very true, my dear Toby; but how do you purpose accomplishing that
desirable object?”

“By jumping from the top of the fall, if there be no other way,”
unhesitatingly replied my companion; “it will be much the quickest way
of descent; but as you are not quite as active as I am, we will try
some other way.”

And so saying, he crept cautiously along and peered over into the
abyss, while I remained wondering by what possible means we could
overcome this apparently insuperable obstruction. As soon as my
companion had completed his survey, I eagerly inquired the result.

“The result of my observations you wish to know, do you?” began Toby,
deliberately, with one of his odd looks: “well, my lad, the result of
my observation is very quickly imparted. It is at present uncertain
which of our two necks will have the honour to be broken first; but
about a hundred to one would be a fair bet in favour of the man who
takes the first jump.”

“Then it is an impossible thing, is it?” inquired I, gloomily.

“No, shipmate; on the contrary, it is the easiest thing in life: the
only awkward point is the sort of usage which our unhappy limbs may
receive when we arrive at the bottom, and what sort of travelling trim
we shall be in afterwards. But follow me now, and I will show you the
only chance we have.”

With this he conducted me to the verge of the cataract, and pointed
along the side of the ravine to a number of curious-looking roots, some
three or four inches in thickness, and several feet long, which, after
twisting among the fissures of the rock, shot perpendicularly from it,
and ran tapering to a point in the air, hanging over the gulf like so
many dark icicles. They covered nearly the entire surface of one side
of the gorge, the lowest of them reaching even to the water. Many were
moss-grown and decayed, with their extremities snapped short off, and
those in the immediate vicinity of the fall were slippery with
moisture.

Toby’s scheme, and it was a desperate one, was to entrust ourselves to
these treacherous-looking roots, and by slipping down from one to
another to gain the bottom.

“Are you ready to venture it?” asked Toby, looking at me earnestly, but
without saying a word as to the practicability of the plan.

“I am,” was my reply; for I saw it was our only resource if we wished
to advance, and as for retreating, all thoughts of that sort had been
long abandoned.

After I had signified my assent, Toby, without uttering a single word,
crawled along the dripping ledge until he gained a point from whence he
could just reach one of the largest of the pendant roots; he shook
it—it quivered in his grasp, and when he let it go, it twanged in the
air like a strong wire sharply struck. Satisfied by his scrutiny, my
light-limbed companion swung himself nimbly upon it, and twisting his
legs round it in sailor fashion, slipped down eight or ten feet, where
his weight gave it a motion not unlike that of a pendulum. He could not
venture to descend any farther; so holding on with one hand, he with
the other shook one by one all the slender roots around him, and at
last, finding one which he thought trustworthy, shifted himself to it
and continued his downward progress.

So far so well; but I could not avoid comparing my heavier frame and
disabled condition with his light figure and remarkable activity: but
there was no help for it, and in less than a minute’s time I was
swinging directly over his head. As soon as his upturned eyes caught a
glimpse of me, he exclaimed in his usual dry tone, for the danger did
not seem to daunt him in the least, “Mate, do me the kindness not to
fall until I get out of your way”; and then swinging himself more on
one side, he continued his descent. In the meantime, I cautiously
transferred myself from the limb down which I had been slipping to a
couple of others that were near it, deeming two strings to my bow
better than one, and taking care to test their strength before I
trusted my weight to them.

On arriving towards the end of the second stage in this vertical
journey, and shaking the long roots which were round me, to my
consternation they snapped off one after another like so many pipe
stems, and fell in fragments against the side of the gulf, splashing at
last into the waters beneath.

As one after another the treacherous roots yielded to my grasp, and
fell into the torrent, my heart sunk within me. The branches on which I
was suspended over the yawning chasm swang to and fro in the air, and I
expected them every moment to snap in twain. Appalled at the dreadful
fate that menaced me, I clutched frantically at the only large root
which remained near me; but in vain; I could not reach it, though my
fingers were within a few inches of it. Again and again I tried to
reach it, until at length, maddened with the thought of my situation, I
swayed myself violently by striking my foot against the side of the
rock, and at the instant that I approached the large root caught
desperately at it, and transferred myself to it. It vibrated violently
under the sudden weight, but fortunately did not give way.

My brain grew dizzy with the idea of the frightful risk I had just run,
and I involuntarily closed my eyes to shut out the view of the depth
beneath me. For the instant I was safe, and I uttered a devout
ejaculation of thanksgiving for my escape.

“Pretty well done,” shouted Toby underneath me; “you are nimbler than I
thought you to be—hopping about up there from root to root like any
young squirrel. As soon as you have diverted yourself sufficiently, I
would advise you to proceed.”

“Ay, ay, Toby, all in good time: two or three more such famous roots as
this, and I shall be with you.”

The residue of my downward progress was comparatively easy; the roots
were in greater abundance, and in one or two places jutting out points
of rock assisted me greatly. In a few moments I was standing by the
side of my companion.

Substituting a stout stick for the one I had thrown aside at the top of
the precipice, we now continued our course along the bed of the ravine.
Soon we were saluted by a sound in advance, that grew by degrees louder
and louder, as the noise of the cataract we were leaving behind
gradually died on our ears.

“Another precipice for us, Toby.”

“Very good; we can descend them, you know—come on.”

Nothing indeed appeared to depress or intimidate this intrepid fellow.
Typee or Niagaras, he was as ready to engage one as the other, and I
could not avoid a thousand times congratulating myself upon having such
a companion in an enterprise like the present.

After an hour’s painful progress, we reached the verge of another fall,
still loftier than the preceding, and flanked both above and below with
the same steep masses of rock, presenting, however, here and there
narrow irregular ledges, supporting a shallow soil, on which grew a
variety of bushes and trees, whose bright verdure contrasted
beautifully with the foamy waters that flowed between them.

Toby, who invariably acted as pioneer, now proceeded to reconnoitre. On
his return, he reported that the shelves of rock on our right would
enable us to gain with little risk the bottom of the cataract.
Accordingly, leaving the bed of the stream at the very point where it
thundered down, we began crawling along one of these sloping ledges
until it carried us to within a few feet of another that inclined
downward at a still sharper angle, and upon which, by assisting each
other, we managed to alight in safety. We warily crept along this,
steadying ourselves by the naked roots of the shrubs that clung to
every fissure. As we proceeded, the narrow path became still more
contracted, rendering it difficult for us to maintain our footing,
until suddenly, as we reached an angle of the wall of rock where we had
expected it to widen, we perceived to our consternation, that a yard or
two farther on it abruptly terminated at a place we could not possibly
hope to pass.

Toby, as usual, led the van, and in silence I waited to learn from him
how he proposed to extricate us from this new difficulty.

“Well, my boy,” I exclaimed, after the expiration of several minutes,
during which time my companion had not uttered a word: “what’s to be
done now?”

He replied in a tranquil tone that probably the best thing we could do
in the present strait was to get out of it as soon as possible.

“Yes, my dear Toby, but tell me _how_ we are to get out of it.”

“Something in this sort of style,” he replied; and at the same moment,
to my horror, he slipped sideways off the rock, and, as I then thought,
by good fortune merely, alighted among the spreading branches of a
species of palm tree, that shooting its hardy roots along a ledge
below, curved its trunk upwards into the air, and presented a thick
mass of foliage about twenty feet below the spot where we had thus
suddenly been brought to a stand-still. I voluntarily held my breath,
expecting to see the form of my companion, after being sustained for a
moment by the branches of the tree, sink through their frail support,
and fall headlong to the bottom. To my surprise and joy, however, he
recovered himself, and disentangling his limbs from the fractured
branches, he peered out from his leafy bed, and shouted lustily, “Come
on, my hearty, there is no other alternative!” and with this he ducked
beneath the foliage, and slipping down the trunk, stood in a moment at
least fifty feet beneath me, upon the broad shelf of rock from which
sprung the tree he had descended.

What would I not have given at that moment to have been by his side?
The feat he had just accomplished seemed little less than miraculous,
and I could hardly credit the evidence of my senses when I saw the wide
distance that a single daring act had so suddenly placed between us.

Toby’s animating “come on!” again sounded in my ears, and dreading to
lose all confidence in myself if I remained meditating upon the step, I
once more gazed down to assure myself of the relative bearing of the
tree and my own position, and then closing my eyes and uttering one
comprehensive ejaculation of prayer, I inclined myself over towards the
abyss, and after one breathless instant fell with a crash into the
tree, the branches snapping and crackling with my weight, as I sunk
lower and lower among them until I was stopped by coming in contact
with a sturdy limb.

In a few moments I was standing at the foot of the tree, manipulating
myself all over with a view of ascertaining the extent of the injuries
I had received. To my surprise the only effects of my feat were a few
slight contusions too trifling to care about. The rest of our descent
was easily accomplished, and in half an hour after regaining the
ravine, we had partaken of our evening morsel, built our hut as usual,
and crawled under its shelter.

The next morning, in spite of our debility and the agony of hunger
under which we were now suffering, though neither of us confessed to
the fact, we struggled along our dismal and still difficult and
dangerous path, cheered by the hope of soon catching a glimpse of the
valley before us, and towards evening the voice of a cataract which had
for some time sounded like a low deep bass to the music of the smaller
waterfalls, broke upon our ears in still louder tones, and assured us
that we were approaching its vicinity.

That evening we stood on the brink of a precipice, over which the dark
stream bounded in one final leap of full 300 feet. The sheer descent
terminated in the region we so long had sought. On either side of the
fall, two lofty and perpendicular bluffs buttressed the sides of the
enormous cliff, and projected into the sea of verdure with which the
valley waved, and a range of similar projecting eminences stood
disposed in a half circle about the head of the vale. A thick canopy of
trees hung over the very verge of the fall, leaving an arched aperture
for the passage of the waters, which imparted a strange picturesqueness
to the scene.

The valley was now before us; but instead of being conducted into its
smiling bosom by the gradual descent of the deep watercourse we had
thus far pursued, all our labours now appeared to have been rendered
futile by its abrupt termination. But, bitterly disappointed, we did
not entirely despair.

As it was now near sunset we determined to pass the night where we were
and on the morrow, refreshed by sleep, and by eating at one meal all
our stock of food, to accomplish a descent into the valley, or perish
in the attempt.

We laid ourselves down that night on a spot, the recollection of which
still makes me shudder. A small table of rock which projected over the
precipice on one side of the stream, and was drenched by the spray of
the fall, sustained a huge trunk of a tree which must have been
deposited there by some heavy freshet. It lay obliquely, with one end
resting on the rock and the other supported by the side of the ravine.
Against it we placed in a sloping direction a number of the
half-decayed boughs that were strewn about, and covering the whole with
twigs and leaves, awaited the morning’s light beneath such shelter as
it afforded.

During the whole of this night the continual roaring of the
cataract—the dismal moaning of the gale through the trees—the pattering
of the rain, and the profound darkness, affected my spirits to a degree
which nothing had ever before produced. Wet, half-famished, and chilled
to the heart with the dampness of the place, and nearly wild with the
pain I endured, I fairly cowered down to the earth under this
multiplication of hardships, and abandoned myself to frightful
anticipations of evil; and my companion, whose spirit at last was a
good deal broken, scarcely uttered a word during the whole night.

At length the day dawned upon us, and rising from our miserable pallet,
we stretched our stiffened joints, and after eating all that remained
of our bread, prepared for the last stage of our journey.

I will not recount every hairbreadth escape, and every fearful
difficulty that occurred before we succeeded in reaching the bosom of
the valley. As I have already described similar scenes, it will be
sufficient to say that at length, after great toil and great dangers,
we both stood with no limbs broken at the head of that magnificent vale
which five days before had so suddenly burst upon my sight, and almost
beneath the shadow of those very cliffs from whose summits we had gazed
upon the prospect.




CHAPTER IX


The head of the valley—Cautious advance—A path—Fruit—Discovery of two
of the natives—Their singular conduct—Approach towards the inhabited
parts of the vale—Sensation produced by our appearance—Reception at the
house of one of the natives.


How to obtain the fruit which we felt convinced must grow near at hand
was our first thought.

Typee or Happar? A frightful death at the hands of the fiercest of
cannibals, or a kindly reception from a gentler race of savages? Which?
But it was too late now to discuss a question which would so soon be
answered.

The part of the valley in which we found ourselves appeared to be
altogether uninhabited. An almost impenetrable thicket extended from
side to side, without presenting a single plant affording the
nourishment we had confidently calculated upon; and with this object,
we followed the course of the stream, casting quick glances as we
proceeded into the thick jungles on either hand.

My companion—to whose solicitations I had yielded in descending into
the valley—now that the step was taken, began to manifest a degree of
caution I had little expected from him. He proposed that in the event
of our finding an adequate supply of fruit, we should remain in this
unfrequented portion of the valley—where we should run little chance of
being surprised by its occupants, whoever they might be—until
sufficiently recruited to resume our journey; when laying in a store of
food equal to our wants, we might easily regain the bay of Nukuheva,
after the lapse of a sufficient interval to ensure the departure of our
vessel.

I objected strongly to this proposition, plausible as it was, as the
difficulties of the route would almost be insurmountable, unacquainted
as we were with the general bearings of the country, and I reminded my
companion of the hardships which we had already encountered in our
uncertain wanderings; in a word, I said that since we had deemed it
advisable to enter the valley, we ought manfully to face the
consequences, whatever they might be; the more especially as I was
convinced there was no alternative left us but to fall in with the
natives at once, and boldly risk the reception they might give us: and
that as to myself, I felt the necessity of rest and shelter, and that
until I had obtained them, I should be wholly unable to encounter such
sufferings as we had lately passed through. To the justice of these
observations Toby somewhat reluctantly assented.

We were surprised that, after moving as far as we had along the valley,
we would still meet with the same impervious thickets; and thinking
that although the borders of the stream might be lined for some
distance with them, yet beyond there might be more open ground, I
requested Toby to keep a bright look-out upon one side, while I did the
same on the other, in order to discover some opening in the bushes, and
especially to watch for the slightest appearance of a path or anything
else that might indicate the vicinity of the islanders.

What furtive and anxious glances we cast into those dim-looking shades!
With what apprehensions we proceeded, ignorant at what moment we might
be greeted by the javelin of some ambushed savage! At last my companion
paused, and directed my attention to a narrow opening in the foliage.
We struck into it, and it soon brought us by an indistinctly traced
path to a comparatively clear space, at the farther end of which we
descried a number of the trees, the native name of which is “annuee,”
and which bear a most delicious fruit.

What a race! I hobbling over the ground like some decrepid wretch, and
Toby leaping forward like a greyhound. He quickly cleared one of the
trees on which there were two or three of the fruit, but to our chagrin
they proved to be much decayed; the rinds partly opened by the birds,
and their hearts half devoured. However, we quickly despatched them,
and no ambrosia could have been more delicious.

We looked about us uncertain whither to direct our steps, since the
path we had so far followed appeared to be lost in the open space
around us. At last we resolved to enter a grove near at hand, and had
advanced a few rods, when, just upon its skirts, I picked up a slender
bread-fruit shoot perfectly green, and with the tender bark freshly
stript from it. It was slippery with moisture, and appeared as if it
had been but that moment thrown aside. I said nothing, but merely held
it up to Toby, who started at this undeniable evidence of the vicinity
of the savages.

The plot was now thickening.—A short distance farther lay a little
faggot of the same shoots bound together with a strip of bark. Could it
have been thrown down by some solitary native, who, alarmed at seeing
us, had hurried forward to carry the tidings of our approach to his
countrymen?—Typee or Happar?—But it was too late to recede, so we moved
on slowly, my companion in advance casting eager glances under the
trees on either side, until all at once I saw him recoil as if stung by
an adder. Sinking on his knee, he waved me off with one hand, while
with the other he held aside some intervening leaves, and gazed
intently at some object.

Disregarding his injunction, I quickly approached him and caught a
glimpse of two figures partly hidden by the dense foliage; they were
standing close together, and were perfectly motionless. They must have
previously perceived us, and withdrawn into the depths of the wood to
elude our observation.

My mind was at once made up. Dropping my staff, and tearing open the
package of things we had brought from the ship, I unrolled the cotton
cloth, and holding it in one hand, plucked with the other a twig from
the bushes beside me, and telling Toby to follow my example, I broke
through the covert and advanced, waving the branch in token of peace
towards the shrinking forms before me.

They were a boy and a girl, slender and graceful, and completely naked,
with the exception of a slight girdle of bark, from which depended at
opposite points two of the russet leaves of the bread-fruit tree. An
arm of the boy, half screened from sight by her wild tresses, was
thrown about the neck of the girl, while with the other he held one of
her hands in his; and thus they stood together, their heads inclined
forward, catching the faint noise we made in our progress, and with one
foot in advance, as if half inclined to fly from our presence.

As we drew near, their alarm evidently increased. Apprehensive that
they might fly from us altogether, I stopped short and motioned them to
advance and receive the gift I extended towards them, but they would
not; I then uttered a few words of their language with which I was
acquainted, scarcely expecting that they would understand me, but to
show that we had not dropped from the clouds upon them. This appeared
to give them a little confidence, so I approached nearer, presenting
the cloth with one hand, and holding the bough with the other, while
they slowly retreated. At last they suffered us to approach so near to
them that we were enabled to throw the cotton cloth across their
shoulders, giving them to understand that it was theirs, and by a
variety of gestures endeavouring to make them understand that we
entertained the highest possible regard for them.

The frightened pair now stood still, whilst we endeavoured to make them
comprehend the nature of our wants. In doing this Toby went through
with a complete series of pantomimic illustrations—opening his mouth
from ear to ear, and thrusting his fingers down his throat, gnashing
his teeth and rolling his eyes about, till I verily believe the poor
creatures took us for a couple of white cannibals who were about to
make a meal of them. When, however, they understood us, they showed no
inclination to relieve our wants. At this juncture it began to rain
violently, and we motioned them to lead us to some place of shelter.
With this request they appeared willing to comply, but nothing could
evince more strongly the apprehension with which they regarded us, than
the way in which, whilst walking before us, they kept their eyes
constantly turned back to watch every movement we made, and even our
very looks.

“Typee or Happar, Toby?” asked I, as we walked after them.

“Of course, Happar,” he replied, with a show of confidence which was
intended to disguise his doubts.

“We shall soon know,” I exclaimed; and at the same moment I stepped
forward towards our guides, and pronouncing the two names
interrogatively, and pointing to the lowest part of the valley,
endeavoured to come to the point at once. They repeated the words after
me again and again, but without giving any peculiar emphasis to either,
so that I was completely at a loss to understand them; for a couple of
wilier young things than we afterwards found them to have been on this
particular occasion never probably fell in any traveller’s way.

More and more curious to ascertain our fate, I now threw together in
the form of a question the words “Happar” and “Mortarkee,” the latter
being equivalent to the word “good.” The two natives interchanged
glances of peculiar meaning with one another at this, and manifested no
little surprise; but on the repetition of the question, after some
consultation together, to the great joy of Toby, they answered in the
affirmative. Toby was now in ecstasies, especially as the young savages
continued to reiterate their answer with great energy, as though
desirous of impressing us with the idea that being among the Happars,
we ought to consider ourselves perfectly secure.

Although I had some lingering doubts, I feigned great delight with Toby
at this announcement, while my companion broke out into a pantomimic
abhorrence of Typee, and immeasurable love for the particular valley in
which we were; our guides all the while gazing uneasily at one another,
as if at a loss to account for our conduct.

They hurried on, and we followed them; until suddenly they set up a
strange halloo, which was answered from beyond the grove through which
we were passing, and the next moment we entered upon some open ground,
at the extremity of which we descried a long, low hut, and in front of
it were several young girls. As soon as they perceived us they fled
with wild screams into the adjoining thickets, like so many startled
fawns. A few moments after the whole valley resounded with savage
outcries, and the natives came running towards us from every direction.

Had an army of invaders made an irruption into their territory, they
could not have evinced greater excitement. We were soon completely
encircled by a dense throng, and in their eager desire to behold us,
they almost arrested our progress; an equal number surrounding our
youthful guides, who, with amazing volubility, appeared to be detailing
the circumstances which had attended their meeting with us. Every item
of intelligence appeared to redouble the astonishment of the islanders,
and they gazed at us with inquiring looks.

At last we reached a large and handsome building of bamboos, and were
by signs told to enter it, the natives opening a lane for us through
which to pass; on entering, without ceremony we threw our exhausted
frames upon the mats that covered the floor. In a moment the slight
tenement was completely full of people, whilst those who were unable to
gain admittance gazed at us through its open cane-work.

It was now evening, and by the dim light we could just discern the
savage countenances around us, gleaming with wild curiosity and wonder;
the naked forms and tattooed limbs of brawny warriors, with here and
there the slighter figures of young girls, all engaged in a perfect
storm of conversation, of which we were of course the one only theme;
whilst our recent guides were fully occupied in answering the
innumerable questions which every one put to them. Nothing can exceed
the fierce gesticulation of these people when animated in conversation,
and on this occasion they gave loose to all their natural vivacity,
shouting and dancing about in a manner that well-nigh intimidated us.

Close to where we lay, squatting upon their haunches, were some eight
or ten noble-looking chiefs—for such they subsequently proved to
be—who, more reserved than the rest, regarded us with a fixed and stern
attention, which not a little discomposed our equanimity. One of them
in particular, who appeared to be the highest in rank, placed himself
directly facing me, looking at me with a rigidity of aspect under which
I absolutely quailed. He never once opened his lips, but maintained his
severe expression of countenance, without turning his face aside for a
single moment. Never before had I been subjected to so strange and
steady a glance; it revealed nothing of the mind of the savage, but it
appeared to be reading my own.


[Illustration: WE WERE SOON COMPLETELY ENCIRCLED BY A DENSE THRONG]


After undergoing this scrutiny till I grew absolutely nervous, with a
view of diverting it if possible, and conciliating the good opinion of
the warrior, I took some tobacco from the bosom of my frock, and
offered it to him. He quietly rejected the proffered gift, and, without
speaking, motioned me to return it to its place.

In my previous intercourse with the natives of Nukuheva and Tior, I had
found that the present of a small piece of tobacco would have rendered
any of them devoted to my service. Was this act of the chief a token of
his enmity? Typee or Happar? I asked within myself. I started, for at
the same moment this identical question was asked by the strange being
before me. I turned to Toby; the flickering light of a native taper
showed me his countenance pale with trepidation at this fatal question.
I paused for a second, and I know not by what impulse it was that I
answered, “Typee.” The piece of dusky statuary nodded in approval, and
then murmured, “Mortarkee?” “Mortarkee,” said I, without further
hesitation—“Typee mortarkee.”

What a transition! The dark figures around us leaped to their feet,
clapped their hands in transport, and shouted again and again the
talismanic syllables, the utterance of which appeared to have settled
everything.

When this commotion had a little subsided, the principal chief squatted
once more before me, and throwing himself into a sudden rage, poured
forth a string of philippics, which I was at no loss to understand,
from the frequent recurrence of the word Happar, as being directed
against the natives of the adjoining valley. In all these denunciations
my companion and I acquiesced, while we extolled the character of the
warlike Typees. To be sure our panegyrics were somewhat laconic,
consisting in the repetition of that name, united with the potent
adjective, “Mortarkee.” But this was sufficient, and served to
conciliate the good-will of the natives, with whom our congeniality of
sentiment on this point did more towards inspiring a friendly feeling
than anything else that could have happened.

At last the wrath of the chief evaporated, and in a few moments he was
as placid as ever. Laying his hand upon his breast, he gave me to
understand that his name was “Mehevi,” and that, in return, he wished
me to communicate my appellation. I hesitated for an instant, thinking
that it might be difficult for him to pronounce my real name, and then,
with the most praiseworthy intentions, intimated that I was known as
“Tom.” But I could not have made a worse selection; the chief could not
master it: “Tommo,” “Tomma,” “Tommee,” everything but plain “Tom.” As
he persisted in garnishing the word with an additional syllable, I
compromised the matter with him at the word “Tommo”; and by that name I
went during the entire period of my stay in the valley. The same
proceeding was gone through with Toby, whose mellifluous appellation
was more easily caught.

An exchange of names is equivalent to a ratification of good-will and
amity among these simple people; and as we were aware of this fact, we
were delighted that it had taken place on the present occasion.

Reclining upon our mats, we now held a kind of levee, giving audience
to successive troops of the natives, who introduced themselves to us by
pronouncing their respective names, and retired in high good humour on
receiving ours in return. During the ceremony the greatest merriment
prevailed, nearly every announcement on the part of the islanders being
followed by a fresh sally of gaiety, which induced me to believe that
some of them at least were innocently diverting the company at our
expense, by bestowing upon themselves a string of absurd titles, of the
honour of which we were, of course, entirely ignorant.

All this occupied about an hour, when the throng having a little
diminished, I turned to Mehevi, and gave him to understand that we were
in need of food and sleep. Immediately the attentive chief addressed a
few words to one of the crowd, who disappeared, and returned in a few
moments with a calabash of “poee-poee,” and two or three young
cocoa-nuts stripped of their husks, and with their shells partly
broken. We both of us forthwith placed one of those natural goblets to
our lips, and drained it in a moment of the refreshing draught it
contained. The poee-poee was then placed before us, and even famished
as I was, I paused to consider in what manner to convey it to my mouth.

This staple article of food among the Marquese islanders is
manufactured from the produce of the bread-fruit tree. It somewhat
resembles in its plastic nature our bookbinders’ paste, is of a yellow
colour, and somewhat tart to the taste.

Such was the dish, the merits of which I was now eager to discuss. I
eyed it wistfully for a moment, and then, unable any longer to stand on
ceremony, plunged my hand into the yielding mass, and to the boisterous
mirth of the natives drew it forth laden with the poee-poee, which
adhered in lengthening strings to every finger. So stubborn was its
consistency, that in conveying my heavily-freighted hand to my mouth,
the connecting links almost raised the calabash from the mats on which
it had been placed. This display of awkwardness—in which, by the bye,
Toby kept me company—convulsed the bystanders with uncontrollable
laughter.

As soon as their merriment had somewhat subsided, Mehevi, motioning us
to be attentive, dipped the fore-finger of his right hand in the dish,
and giving it a rapid and scientific twirl, drew it out coated smoothly
with the preparation. With a second peculiar flourish he prevented the
poee-poee from dropping to the ground as he raised it to his mouth,
into which the finger was inserted, and was drawn forth perfectly free
of any adhesive matter. This performance was evidently intended for our
instruction; so I again essayed the feat on the principles inculcated,
but with very ill success.

A starving man, however, little heeds conventional proprieties,
especially on a South Sea island, and accordingly Toby and I partook of
the dish after our own clumsy fashion, beplastering our faces all over
with the glutinous compound, and daubing our hands nearly to the wrist.
This kind of food is by no means disagreeable to the palate of a
European, though at first the mode of eating it may be. For my own
part, after the lapse of a few days I became accustomed to its singular
flavour, and grew remarkably fond of it.

So much for the first course; several other dishes followed it, some of
which were positively delicious. We concluded our banquet by tossing
off the contents of two more young cocoa-nuts, after which we regaled
ourselves with the soothing fumes of tobacco, inhaled from a quaintly
carved pipe which passed round the circle.

During the repast, the natives eyed us with intense curiosity,
observing our minutest motions, and appearing to discover abundant
matter for comment in the most trifling occurrence. Their surprise
mounted the highest, when we began to remove our uncomfortable
garments, which were saturated with rain. They scanned the whiteness of
our limbs, and seemed utterly unable to account for the contrast they
presented to the swarthy hue of our faces, embrowned from a six months’
exposure to the scorching sun of the Line. They felt our skin, much in
the same way that a silk mercer would handle a remarkably fine piece of
satin; and some of them went so far in their investigation as to apply
the olfactory organ.

Their singular behaviour almost led me to imagine that they never
before had beheld a white man; but a few moments’ reflection convinced
me that this could not have been the case; and a more satisfactory
reason for their conduct has since suggested itself to my mind.

Deterred by the frightful stories related of its inhabitants, ships
never enter this bay, while their hostile relations with the tribes in
the adjoining valleys prevent the Typees from visiting that section of
the island where vessels occasionally lie. At long intervals, however,
some intrepid captain will touch on the skirts of the bay, with two or
three armed boats’ crews, and accompanied by an interpreter. The
natives who live near the sea descry the strangers long before they
reach their waters, and aware of the purpose for which they come,
proclaim loudly the news of their approach. By a species of vocal
telegraph the intelligence reaches the inmost recesses of the vale in
an inconceivably short space of time, drawing nearly its whole
population down to the beach laden with every variety of fruit. The
interpreter, who is invariably a “tabooed Kannaka,”[1] leaps ashore
with the goods intended for barter, while the boats, with their oars
shipped, and every man on his thwart, lie just outside the surf,
heading off from the shore, in readiness at the first untoward event to
escape to the open sea. As soon as the traffic is concluded, one of the
boats pulls in under cover of the muskets of the others, the fruit is
quickly thrown into her, and the transient visitors precipitately
retire from what they justly consider so dangerous a vicinity.

The intercourse occurring with Europeans being so restricted, no wonder
that the inhabitants of the valley manifested so much curiosity with
regard to us, appearing as we did among them under such singular
circumstances. I have no doubt that we were the first white men who
ever penetrated thus far back into their territories, or at least the
first who had ever descended from the head of the vale. What had
brought us thither must have appeared a complete mystery to them, and
from our ignorance of the language it was impossible for us to
enlighten them. In answer to inquiries which the eloquence of their
gestures enabled us to comprehend, all that we could reply was, that we
had come from Nukuheva, a place, be it remembered, with which they were
at open war. This intelligence appeared to affect them with the most
lively emotions. “Nukuheva mortarkee?” they asked. Of course we replied
most energetically in the negative.

They then plied us with a thousand questions, of which we could
understand nothing more than that they had reference to the recent
movements of the French, against whom they seemed to cherish the most
fierce hatred. So eager were they to obtain information on this point,
that they still continued to propound their queries long after we had
shown that we were utterly unable to answer them. Occasionally we
caught some indistinct idea of their meaning, when we would endeavour
by every method in our power to communicate the desired intelligence.
At such times their gratification was boundless, and they would
redouble their efforts to make us comprehend them more perfectly. But
all in vain; and in the end they looked at us despairingly, as if we
were the receptacles of invaluable information, but how to come at it
they knew not.

After awhile the group around us gradually dispersed, and we were left
about midnight (as we conjectured) with those who appeared to be
permanent residents of the house. These individuals now provided us
with fresh mats to lie upon, covered us with several folds of tappa,
and then extinguishing the tapers that had been burning, threw
themselves down beside us, and after a little desultory conversation
were soon sound asleep.




CHAPTER X


Midnight reflections—Morning visitors—A warrior in costume—A savage
Æsculapius—Practice of the healing art—Body-servant—A dwelling-house of
the valley described—Portraits of its inmates.


Various and conflicting were the thoughts which oppressed me during the
silent hours that followed the events related in the preceding chapter.
Toby, wearied with the fatigues of the day, slumbered heavily by my
side; but the pain under which I was suffering effectually prevented my
sleeping, and I remained distressingly alive to all the fearful
circumstances of our present situation. Was it possible that, after all
our vicissitudes, we were really in the terrible valley of Typee, and
at the mercy of its inmates, a fierce and unrelenting tribe of savages?

Typee or Happar? I shuddered when I reflected that there was no longer
any room for doubt; and that, beyond all hope of escape, we were now
placed in those very circumstances from the bare thought of which I had
recoiled with such abhorrence but a few days before. What might not be
our fearful destiny? To be sure, as yet, we had been treated with no
violence; nay, had been even kindly and hospitably entertained. But
what dependence could be placed upon the fickle passions which sway the
bosom of a savage? His inconstancy and treachery are proverbial. Might
if not be that, beneath these fair appearances, the islanders covered
some perfidious design, and that their friendly reception of us might
only precede some horrible catastrophe? How strongly did these
forebodings spring up in my mind, as I lay restlessly upon a couch of
mats, surrounded by the dimly-revealed forms of those whom I so greatly
dreaded.

From the excitement of these fearful thoughts, I sank, towards morning,
into an uneasy slumber; and on awaking, with a start, in the midst of
an appalling dream, looked up into the eager countenances of a number
of the natives, who were bending over me.

It was broad day; and the house was nearly filled with young females,
fancifully decorated with flowers, who gazed upon me as I rose with
faces in which childish delight and curiosity were vividly portrayed.
After waking Toby, they seated themselves round us on the mats, and
gave full play to that prying inquisitiveness which, time out of mind,
has been attributed to the adorable sex.

As these unsophisticated young creatures were attended by no jealous
duennas, their proceedings were altogether informal, and void of
artificial restraint. Long and minute was the investigation with which
they honoured us, and so uproarious their mirth, that I felt infinitely
sheepish; and Toby was immeasurably outraged at their familiarity.

These lively young ladies were at the same time wonderfully polite and
humane; fanning aside the insects that occasionally lighted on our
brows; presenting us with food; and compassionately regarding me in the
midst of my afflictions. But in spite of all their blandishments, my
feelings of propriety were exceedingly shocked, for I could not but
consider them as having overstepped the due limits of female decorum.

Having diverted themselves to their hearts’ content, our young
visitants now withdrew, and gave place to successive troops of the
other sex, who continued flocking towards the house until near noon; by
which time I have no doubt that the greater part of the inhabitants of
the valley had bathed themselves in the light of our benignant
countenances.

As last, when their numbers began to diminish, a superb-looking warrior
stooped the towering plumes of his head-dress beneath the low portal,
and entered the house. I saw at once that he was some distinguished
personage, the natives regarding him with the utmost deference, and
making room for him as he approached. His aspect was imposing. The
splendid long drooping tail-feathers of the tropical bird, thickly
interspersed with the gaudy plumage of the cock, were disposed in an
immense upright semicircle upon his head, their lower extremities being
fixed in a crescent of guinea-beads which spanned the forehead. Around
his neck were several enormous necklaces of boar’s tusks, polished like
ivory, and disposed in such a manner as that the longest and largest
were upon his capacious chest. Thrust forward through the large
apertures in his ears were two small and finely shaped sperm-whale
teeth, presenting their cavities in front, stuffed with freshly-plucked
leaves, and curiously wrought at the other end into strange little
images and devices. These barbaric trinkets, garnished in this manner
at their open extremities, and tapering and curving round to a point
behind the ear, resembled not a little a pair of cornucopias.

The loins of the warrior were girt about with heavy folds of a
dark-coloured tappa, hanging before and behind in clusters of braided
tassels, while anklets and bracelets of curling human hair completed
his unique costume. In his right hand he grasped a beautifully-carved
paddle-spear, nearly fifteen feet in length, made of the bright
koar-wood, one end sharply pointed, and the other flattened like an
oar-blade. Hanging obliquely from his girdle by a loop of sinnate, was
a richly-decorated pipe; the slender reed forming its stem was coloured
with a red pigment, and round it, as well as the idol-bowl, fluttered
little streamers of the thinnest tappa.

But that which was most remarkable in the appearance of this splendid
islander, was the elaborate tattooing displayed on every noble limb.
All imaginable lines and curves and figures were delineated over his
whole body, and in their grotesque variety and infinite profusion, I
could only compare them to the crowded groupings of quaint patterns we
sometimes see in costly pieces of lacework. The most simple and
remarkable of all these ornaments was that which decorated the
countenance of the chief. Two broad stripes of tattooing, diverging
from the centre of his shaven crown, obliquely crossed both
eyes—staining the lids—to a little below either ear, where they united
with another stripe, which swept in a straight line along the lips, and
formed the base of the triangle. The warrior, from the excellence of
his physical proportions, might certainly have been regarded as one of
nature’s noblemen, and the lines drawn upon his face may possibly have
denoted his exalted rank.

This warlike personage, upon entering the house, seated himself at some
distance from the spot where Toby and myself reposed, while the rest of
the savages looked alternately from us to him, as if in expectation of
something they were disappointed in not perceiving. Regarding the chief
attentively, I thought his lineaments appeared familiar to me. As soon
as his full face was turned upon me, and I again beheld its
extraordinary embellishment, and met the strange gaze to which I had
been subjected the preceding night, I immediately, in spite of the
alteration in his appearance, recognised the noble Mehevi. On
addressing him, he advanced at once in the most cordial manner, and
greeting me warmly, seemed to enjoy not a little the effect his
barbaric costume had produced upon me.

I forthwith determined to secure, if possible, the goodwill of this
individual, as I easily perceived he was a man of great authority in
his tribe, and one who might exert a powerful influence upon our
subsequent fate. In the endeavour I was not repulsed; for nothing could
surpass the friendliness he manifested towards both my companion and
myself. He extended his sturdy limbs by our side, and endeavoured to
make us comprehend the full extent of the kindly feelings by which he
was actuated. The almost insuperable difficulty in communicating to one
another our ideas, affected the chief with no little mortification. He
evinced a great desire to be enlightened with regard to the customs and
peculiarities of the far-off country we had left behind us, and to
which, under the name of Maneeka, he frequently alluded.

But that which more than any other subject engaged his attention, was
the late proceedings of the “Franee,” as he called the French, in the
neighbouring bay of Nukuheva. This seemed a never-ending theme with
him, and one concerning which he was never weary of interrogating us.
All the information we succeeded in imparting to him on this subject
was little more than that we had seen six men-of-war lying in the
hostile bay at the time we had left it. When he received this
intelligence, Mehevi, by the aid of his fingers, went through a long
numerical calculation, as if estimating the number of Frenchmen the
squadron might contain.

It was just after employing his faculties in this way that he happened
to notice the swelling in my limb. He immediately examined it with the
utmost attention, and after doing so, despatched a boy, who happened to
be standing by, with some message.

After the lapse of a few moments the stripling re-entered the house
with an aged islander, who might have been taken for old Hippocrates
himself. His head was as bald as the polished surface of a cocoa-nut
shell, which article it precisely resembled in smoothness and colour,
while a long silvery beard swept almost to his girdle of bark.
Encircling his temples was a bandeau of the twisted leaves of the Omoo
tree, pressed closely over the brows to shield his feeble vision from
the glare of the sun. His tottering steps were supported by a long slim
staff, resembling the wand with which a theatrical magician appears on
the stage, and in one hand he carried a freshly-plaited fan of the
green leaflets of the cocoa-nut tree. A flowing robe of tappa, knotted
over the shoulder, hung loosely round his stooping form, and heightened
the venerableness of his aspect.

Mehevi, saluting this old gentleman, motioned him to a seat between us,
and then uncovering my limb, desired him to examine it. The leech gazed
intently from me to Toby, and then proceeded to business. After
diligently observing the ailing member, he commenced manipulating it;
and on the supposition probably that the complaint had deprived the leg
of all sensation, began to pinch and hammer it in such a manner that I
absolutely roared with the pain. Thinking that I was as capable of
making an application of thumps and pinches to the part as any one
else, I endeavoured to resist this species of medical treatment. But it
was not so easy a matter to get out of the clutches of the old wizard;
he fastened on the unfortunate limb as if it were something for which
he had been long seeking, and muttering some kind of incantation
continued his discipline, pounding it after a fashion that set me
well-nigh crazy; while Mehevi, upon the same principle which prompts an
affectionate mother to hold a struggling child in a dentist’s chair,
restrained me in his powerful grasp, and actually encouraged the wretch
in this infliction of torture.

Almost frantic with rage and pain, I yelled like a bedlamite; while
Toby, throwing himself into all the attitudes of a posture-master,
vainly endeavoured to expostulate with the natives by signs and
gestures. To have looked at my companion, as, sympathizing with my
sufferings, he strove to put an end to them, one would have thought
that he was the deaf and dumb alphabet incarnated. Whether my tormentor
yielded to Toby’s entreaties, or paused from sheer exhaustion, I do not
know; but all at once he ceased his operations, and at the same time
the chief relinquishing his hold upon me, I fell back, faint and
breathless with the agony I had endured.

My unfortunate limb was now left much in the same condition as a
rump-steak after undergoing the castigating process which precedes
cooking. My physician, having recovered from the fatigues of his
exertions, as if anxious to make amends for the pain to which he had
subjected me, now took some herbs out of a little wallet that was
suspended from his waist, and moistening them in water, applied them to
the inflamed part, stooping over it at the same time, and either
whispering a spell, or having a little confidential chat with some
imaginary demon located in the calf of my leg. My limb was now swathed
in leafy bandages, and grateful to Providence for the cessation of
hostilities, I was suffered to rest.

Mehevi shortly after rose to depart; but before he went he spoke
authoritatively to one of the natives, whom he addressed as Kory-Kory;
and from the little I could understand of what took place, pointed him
out to me as a man whose peculiar business henceforth would be to
attend upon my person. I am not certain that I comprehended as much as
this at the time, but the subsequent conduct of my trusty body-servant
fully assured me that such must have been the case.

I could not but be amused at the manner in which the chief addressed me
upon this occasion, talking to me for at least fifteen or twenty
minutes as calmly as if I could understand every word that he said. I
remarked this peculiarity very often afterwards in many other of the
islanders.

Mehevi having now departed, and the family physician having likewise
made his exit, we were left about sunset with the ten or twelve
natives, who by this time I had ascertained composed the household of
which Toby and I were members. As the dwelling to which we had been
first introduced was the place of my permanent abode while I remained
in the valley, and as I was necessarily placed upon the most intimate
footing with its occupants, I may as well here enter into a little
description of it and its inhabitants. This description will apply also
to nearly all the other dwelling-places in the vale, and will furnish
some idea of the generality of the natives.

Near one side of the valley, and about midway up the ascent of a rather
abrupt rise of ground waving with the richest verdure, a number of
large stones were laid in successive courses, to the height of nearly
eight feet, and disposed in such a manner that their level surface
corresponded in shape with the habitation which was perched upon it. A
narrow space, however, was reserved in front of the dwelling, upon the
summit of this pile of stones (called by the natives a “pi-pi”), which,
being enclosed by a little picket of canes, gave it somewhat the
appearance of a verandah. The frame of the house was constructed of
large bamboos planted uprightly, and secured together at intervals by
transverse stalks of the light wood of the Habiscus, lashed with thongs
of bark. The rear of the tenement—built up with successive ranges of
cocoa-nut boughs bound one upon another, with their leaflets cunningly
woven together—inclined a little from the vertical, and extended from
the extreme edge of the “pi-pi” to about twenty feet from its surface;
whence the shelving roof—thatched with the long tapering leaves of the
palmetto—sloped steeply off to within about five feet of the floor;
leaving the eaves drooping with tassel-like appendages over the front
of the habitation. This was constructed of light and elegant canes, in
a kind of open screen-work, tastefully adorned with bindings of
variegated sinnate, which served to hold together its various parts.
The sides of the house were similarly built; thus presenting
three-quarters for the circulation of the air, while the whole was
impervious to the rain.

In length this picturesque building was perhaps twelve yards, while in
breadth it could not have exceeded as many feet. So much for the
exterior; which, with its wire-like reed-twisted sides, not a little
reminded me of an immense aviary.

Stooping a little, you passed through a narrow aperture in its front;
and facing you, on entering, lay two long, perfectly straight, and
well-polished trunks of the cocoa-nut tree, extending the full length
of the dwelling; one of them placed closely against the rear, and the
other lying parallel with it some two yards distant, the interval
between them being spread with a multitude of gaily-worked mats, nearly
all of a different pattern. This space formed the common couch and
lounging-place of the natives, answering the purpose of a divan in
Oriental countries. Here would they slumber through the hours of the
night, and recline luxuriously during the greater part of the day. The
remainder of the floor presented only the cool shining surfaces of the
large stones of which the “pi-pi” was composed.

From the ridge-pole of the house hung suspended a number of large
packages enveloped in coarse tappa; some of which contained festival
dresses, and various other matters of the wardrobe, held in high
estimation. These were easily accessible by means of a line, which,
passing over the ridge-pole, had one end attached to a bundle, while
with the other, which led to the side of the dwelling and was there
secured, the package could be lowered or elevated at pleasure.

Against the farther wall of the house were arranged in tasteful figures
a variety of spears and javelins, and other implements of savage
warfare. Outside of the habitation, and built upon the piazza-like area
in its front, was a little shed used as a sort of larder or pantry, and
in which were stored various articles of domestic use and convenience.
A few yards from the pi-pi was a large shed built of cocoa-nut boughs,
where the process of preparing the “poee-poee” was carried on, and all
culinary operations attended to.

Thus much for the house, and its appurtenances; and it will be readily
acknowledged that a more commodious and appropriate dwelling for the
climate and the people could not possibly be devised. It was cool, free
to admit the air, scrupulously clean, and elevated above the dampness
and impurities of the ground.

But now to sketch the inmates; and here I claim for my tried servitor
and faithful valet Kory-Kory the precedence of a first description. As
his character will be gradually unfolded in the course of my narrative,
I shall for the present content myself with delineating his personal
appearance. Kory-Kory, though the most devoted and best-natured
serving-man in the world, was, alas! a hideous object to look upon. He
was some twenty-five years of age, and about six feet in height, robust
and well made, and of the most extraordinary aspect. His head was
carefully shaven with the exception of two circular spots, about the
size of a dollar, near the top of the cranium, where the hair,
permitted to grow of an amazing length, was twisted up in two prominent
knots, that gave him the appearance of being decorated with a pair of
horns. His beard, plucked out by the root from every other part of his
face, was suffered to droop in hairy pendants, two of which garnished
his upper lip, and an equal number hung from the extremity of his chin.

Kory-Kory, with the view of improving the handiwork of nature, and
perhaps prompted by a desire to add to the engaging expression of his
countenance, had seen fit to embellish his face with three broad
longitudinal stripes of tattooing, which, like those country roads that
go straight forward in defiance of all obstacles, crossed his nasal
organ, descended into the hollow of his eyes, and even skirted the
borders of his mouth. Each completely spanned his physiognomy; one
extending in a line with his eyes, another crossing the face in the
vicinity of the nose, and the third sweeping along his lips from ear to
ear. His countenance thus triply hooped, as it were, with tattooing,
always reminded me of those unhappy wretches whom I have sometimes
observed gazing out sentimentally from behind the grated bars of a
prison window; whilst the entire body of my savage valet, covered all
over with representations of birds and fishes, and a variety of most
unaccountable-looking creatures, suggested to me the idea of a
pictorial museum of natural history, or an illustrated copy of
Goldsmith’s _Animated Nature_.

But it seems really heartless in me to write thus of the poor islander,
when I owe perhaps to his unremitting attentions the very existence I
now enjoy. Kory-Kory, I mean thee no harm in what I say in regard to
thy outward adornings; but they were a little curious to my
unaccustomed sight, and therefore I dilate upon them. But to underrate
or forget thy faithful services is something I could never be guilty
of, even in the giddiest moment of my life.

The father of my attached follower was a native of gigantic frame, and
had once possessed prodigious physical powers; but the lofty form was
now yielding to the inroads of time, though the hand of disease seemed
never to have been laid upon the aged warrior. Marheyo—for such was his
name—appeared to have retired from all active participation in the
affairs of the valley, seldom or never accompanying the natives in
their various expeditions; and employing the greater part of his time
in throwing up a little shed just outside the house, upon which he was
engaged to my certain knowledge for four months, without appearing to
make any sensible advance. I suppose the old gentleman was in his
dotage, for he manifested in various ways the characteristics which
mark this particular stage of life.

I remember in particular his having a choice pair of ear-ornaments,
fabricated from the teeth of some sea-monster. These he would
alternately wear and take off at least fifty times in the course of the
day, going and coming from his little hut on each occasion with all the
tranquillity imaginable. Sometimes slipping them through the slits in
his ears, he would seize his spear—which in length and slightness
resembled a fishing-pole—and go stalking beneath the shadows of the
neighbouring groves, as if about to give a hostile meeting to some
cannibal knight. But he would soon return again, and hiding his weapon
under the protecting eaves of the house, and rolling his clumsy
trinkets carefully in a piece of tappa, would resume his more pacific
operations as quietly as if he had never interrupted them.

But despite his eccentricities, Marheyo was a most paternal and
warm-hearted old fellow, and in this particular not a little resembled
his son Kory-Kory. The mother of the latter was the mistress of the
family, and a notable housewife, and a most industrious old lady she
was. If she did not understand the art of making jellies, jams,
custards, tea-cakes, and such like trashy affairs, she was profoundly
skilled in the mysteries of preparing “amar,” “poee-poee,” and “kokoo,”
with other substantial matters. She was a genuine busy-body; bustling
about the house like a country landlady at an unexpected arrival; for
ever giving the young girls tasks to perform, which the little hussies
as often neglected; poking into every corner, and rummaging over
bundles of old tappa, or making a prodigious clatter among the
calabashes. Sometimes she might have been seen squatting upon her
haunches in front of a huge wooden basin, and kneading poee-poee with
terrific vehemence, dashing the stone pestle about as if she would
shiver the vessel into fragments: on other occasions, galloping about
the valley in search of a particular kind of leaf, used in some of her
recondite operations, and returning home, toiling and sweating, with a
bundle, under which most women would have sunk.

To tell the truth, Kory-Kory’s mother was the only industrious person
in all the valley of Typee; and she could not have employed herself
more actively had she been left an exceedingly muscular and destitute
widow, with an inordinate supply of young children, in the bleakest
part of the civilized world. There was not the slightest necessity for
the greater portion of the labour performed by the old lady: but she
deemed to work from some irresistible impulse; her limbs continually
swaying to and fro, as if there were some indefatigable engine
concealed within her body which kept her in perpetual motion.

Never suppose that she was a termagant or a shrew for all this: she had
the kindliest heart in the world, and acted towards me in particular in
a truly maternal manner, occasionally putting some little morsel of
choice food into my hand, some outlandish kind of savage sweetmeat or
pastry, like a doting mother petting a sickly urchin with tarts and
sugar-plums. Warm indeed are my remembrances of the dear, good,
affectionate old Tinor!

Besides the individuals I have mentioned, there belong to the household
three young men, dissipated, good-for-nothing, roystering blades of
savages, who were either employed in prosecuting love affairs with the
maidens of the tribe, or grew boozy on “arva” and tobacco in the
company of congenial spirits, the scapegraces of the valley.

Among the permanent inmates of the house were likewise several lovely
damsels, who instead of thrumming pianos and reading novels, like more
enlightened young ladies, substituted for these employments the
manufacture of a fine species of tappa; but for the greater portion of
the time were skipping from house to house, gadding and gossiping with
their acquaintances.

From the rest of these, however, I must except the beauteous nymph
Fayaway, who was my peculiar favourite. Her free pliant figure was the
very perfection of female grace and beauty. Her complexion was a rich
and mantling olive, and when watching the glow upon her cheeks I could
almost swear that beneath the transparent medium there lurked the
blushes of a faint vermilion. The face of this girl was a rounded oval,
and each feature as perfectly formed as the heart or imagination of man
could desire. Her full lips, when parted with a smile, disclosed teeth
of a dazzling whiteness; and when her rosy mouth opened with a burst of
merriment, they looked like the milk-white seeds of the “arta,” a fruit
of the valley, which, when cleft in twain, shows them reposing in rows
on either side, embedded in the red and juicy pulp. Her hair of the
deepest brown, parted irregularly in the middle, flowed in natural
ringlets over her shoulders, and whenever she chanced to stoop, fell
over and hid from view her lovely bosom. Gazing into the depths of her
strange blue eyes, when she was in a contemplative mood, they seemed
most placid yet unfathomable; but when illuminated by some lively
emotion, they beamed upon the beholder like stars. The hands of Fayaway
were as soft and delicate as those of any countess; for an entire
exemption from rude labour marks the girlhood and even prime of a Typee
woman’s life. Her feet, though wholly exposed, were as diminutive and
fairly shaped as those which peep from beneath the skirts of a Lima
lady’s dress. The skin of this young creature, from continual ablutions
and the use of mollifying ointments, was inconceivably smooth and soft.

I may succeed, perhaps, in particularizing some of the individual
features of Fayaway’s beauty, but that general loveliness of appearance
which they all contributed to produce I will not attempt to describe.
The easy unstudied graces of a child of nature like this, breathing
from infancy an atmosphere of perpetual summer, and nurtured by the
simple fruits of the earth; enjoying a perfect freedom from care and
anxiety, and removed effectually from all injurious tendencies, strike
the eye in a manner which cannot be portrayed. This picture is no fancy
sketch; it is drawn from the most vivid recollections of the person
delineated.

Were I asked if the beauteous form of Fayaway was altogether free from
the hideous blemish of tattooing, I should be constrained to answer
that it was not. But the practitioners of this barbarous art, so
remorseless in their inflictions upon the brawny limbs of the warriors
of the tribe, seem to be conscious that it needs not the resources of
their profession to augment the charms of the maidens of the vale.

The females are very little embellished in this way, and Fayaway, and
all the other young girls of her age, were even less so than those of
their sex more advanced in years. The reason of this peculiarity will
be alluded to hereafter. All the tattooing that the nymph in question
exhibited upon her person may be easily described. Three minute dots,
no bigger than pinheads, decorated either lip, and at a little distance
were not at all discernible. Just upon the fall of the shoulder were
drawn two parallel lines half an inch apart, and perhaps three inches
in length, the interval being filled with delicately executed figures.
These narrow bands of tattooing, thus placed, always reminded me of
those stripes of gold lace worn by officers in undress, and which are
in lieu of epaulettes to denote their rank.

Thus much was Fayaway tattooed. The audacious hand which had gone so
far in its desecrating work stopping short, apparently wanting the
heart to proceed.

But I have neglected to describe the dress worn by this nymph of the
valley.

Fayaway—I must avow the fact—for the most part clung to the primitive
and summer garb of Eden. But how becoming the costume! It showed her
fine figure to the best possible advantage; and nothing could have been
better adapted to her peculiar style of beauty. On ordinary occasions
she was habited precisely as I have described the two youthful savages
whom we had met on first entering the valley. At other times, when
rambling among the groves, or visiting at the houses of her
acquaintances, she wore a tunic of white tappa, reaching from her waist
to a little below the knees; and when exposed for any length of time to
the sun, she invariably protected herself from its rays by a floating
mantle of the same material, loosely gathered about the person. Her
gala dress will be described hereafter.

As the beauties of our own land delight in bedecking themselves with
fanciful articles of jewelry, suspending them from their ears, hanging
them about their necks, and clasping them around their wrists; so
Fayaway and her companions were in the habit of ornamenting themselves
with similar appendages.

Flora was their jeweller. Sometimes they wore necklaces of small
carnation flowers, strung like rubies upon a fibre of tappa, or
displayed in their ears a single white bud, the stem thrust backward
through the aperture, and showing in front the delicate petals folded
together in a beautiful sphere, and looking like a drop of the purest
pearl. Chaplets, too, resembling in their arrangement the strawberry
coronal worn by an English peeress, and composed of intertwined leaves
and blossoms, often crowned their temples; and bracelets and anklets of
the same tasteful pattern were frequently to be seen. Indeed, the
maidens of the island were passionately fond of flowers, and never
wearied of decorating their persons with them; a lovely trait of
character, and one that ere long will be more fully alluded to.

Though in my eyes, at least, Fayaway was indisputably the loveliest
female I saw in Typee, yet the description I have given of her will in
some measure apply to nearly all the youthful portion of her sex in the
valley. Judge ye then, reader, what beautiful creatures they must have
been.




CHAPTER XI


Officiousness of Kory-Kory—His devotion—A bath in the stream—Want of
refinement of the Typee damsels—Stroll with Mehevi—A Typee highway—The
Taboo groves—The hoolah hoolah ground—The Ti—Timeworn
savages—Hospitality of Mehevi—Midnight musings—Adventure in the
dark—Distinguished honours paid to the visitors—Strange procession, and
return to the house of Marheyo.


When Mehevi had departed from the house, as related in the preceding
chapter, Kory-Kory commenced the functions of the post assigned him. He
brought us various kinds of food; and, as if I were an infant, insisted
upon feeding me with his own hands. To this procedure I, of course,
most earnestly objected, but in vain; and having laid a calabash of
kokoo before me, he washed his fingers in a vessel of water, and then
putting his hand into the dish, and rolling the food into little balls,
put them one after another into my mouth. All my remonstrances against
this measure only provoked so great a clamor on his part, that I was
obliged to acquiesce; and the operation of feeding being thus
facilitated, the meal was quickly despatched. As for Toby, he was
allowed to help himself after his own fashion.

The repast over, my attendant arranged the mats for repose, and,
bidding me lie down, covered me with a large robe of tappa, at the same
time looking approvingly upon me, and exclaiming, “Ki-Ki, muee muee,
ah! moee moee mortarkee,” (eat plenty, ah! sleep very good.) The
philosophy of this sentiment I did not pretend to question; for
deprived of sleep for several preceding nights, and the pain in my limb
having much abated, I now felt inclined to avail myself of the
opportunity afforded me.

The next morning, on waking, I found Kory-Kory stretched out on one
side of me, while my companion lay upon the other. I felt sensibly
refreshed after a night of sound repose, and immediately agreed to the
proposition of my valet that I should repair to the water and wash,
although dreading the suffering that the exertion might produce. From
this apprehension, however, I was quickly relieved; for Kory-Kory,
leaping from the pi-pi, and then backing himself up against it, like a
porter in readiness to shoulder a trunk, with loud vociferations, and a
superabundance of gestures gave me to understand that I was to mount
upon his back, and be thus transported to the stream, which flowed
perhaps two hundred yards from the house.

Our appearance upon the verandah in front of the habitation drew
together quite a crowd, who stood looking on, and conversing with one
another in the most animated manner. They reminded one of a group of
idlers gathered about the door of a village tavern, when the equipage
of some distinguished traveller is brought round previous to his
departure. As soon as I clasped my arms about the neck of the devoted
fellow, and he jogged off with me, the crowd—composed chiefly of young
girls and boys—followed after, shouting and capering with infinite
glee, and accompanied us to the banks of the stream.

On gaining it, Kory-Kory, wading up to his hips in the water, carried
me half-way across, and deposited me on a smooth black stone, which
rose a few inches above the surface. The amphibious rabble at our heels
plunged in after us; and, climbing to the summit of the grass-grown
rocks, with which the bed of the brook was here and there broken,
waited curiously to witness our morning ablutions. I felt somewhat
embarrassed by the presence of the female portion of the company, but,
nevertheless, removed my frock, and washed myself down to my waist in
the stream. As soon as Kory-Kory comprehended from my motions that this
was to be the extent of my performance, he appeared perfectly aghast
with astonishment, and rushing toward me, poured out a torrent of words
in eager deprecation of so limited an operation, enjoining me by
unmistakable signs to immerse my whole body. To this I was forced to
consent; and the honest fellow regarding me as a froward, inexperienced
child, whom it was his duty to serve at the risk of offending, lifted
me from, the rock, and tenderly bathed my limbs. This over, and
resuming my seat, I could not avoid bursting into admiration of the
scene around me.

From the verdant surfaces of the large stones that lay scattered about,
the natives were now sliding off into the water, diving and ducking
beneath the surface in all directions; the young girls springing
buoyantly into the air, with their long tresses dancing about their
shoulders, their eyes sparkling like drops of dew in the sun, and their
gay laughter pealing forth at every frolicsome incident.

On the afternoon of the day that I took my first bath in the valley, we
received another visit from Mehevi. The noble savage seemed to be in
the same pleasant mood, and was quite as cordial in his manner as
before. After remaining about an hour, he rose from the mats, and
motioning to leave the house, invited Toby and myself to accompany him.
I pointed to my leg; but Mehevi in his turn pointed to Kory-Kory, and
removed that objection; so, mounting upon the faithful fellow’s
shoulders again—like the old man of the sea astride of Sinbad—I
followed after the chief.

The nature of the route we now pursued struck me more forcibly than
anything I had yet seen, as illustrating the indolent disposition of
the islanders. The path was obviously the most beaten one in the
valley, several others leading from either side into it, and perhaps
for successive generations it had formed the principal avenue of the
place. And yet, until I grew more familiar with its impediments, it
seemed as difficult to travel as the recesses of a wilderness. Part of
it swept around an abrupt rise of ground, the surface of which was
broken by frequent inequalities, and thickly strewn with projecting
masses of rocks, whose summits were often hidden from view by the
drooping foliage of the luxurious vegetation. Sometimes directly over,
sometimes evading these obstacles with a wide circuit, the path wound
along—one moment climbing over a sudden eminence, smooth with continued
wear, then descending on the other side into a steep glen, and crossing
the flinty channel of a brook. Here it pursued the depths of a glade,
occasionally obliging you to stoop beneath vast horizontal branches;
and now you stepped over huge trunks and boughs that lay rotting across
the track.

Such was the grand thoroughfare of Typee. After proceeding a little
distance along it—Kory-Kory panting and blowing with the weight of his
burden—I dismounted from his back, and grasping the long spear of
Mehevi in my hand, assisted my steps over the numerous obstacles of the
road; preferring this mode of advance to one which, from the
difficulties of the way, was equally painful to myself and my wearied
servitor.

Our journey was soon at an end; for, scaling a sudden height, we came
abruptly upon the place of our destination. I wish that it were
possible to sketch in words this spot as vividly as I recollect it.

Here were situated the Taboo groves of the valley—the scene of many a
prolonged feast, of many a horrid rite. Beneath the dark shadows of the
consecrated bread-fruit trees there reigned a solemn twilight—a
cathedral-like gloom. The frightful genius of pagan worship seemed to
brood in silence over the place, breathing its spell upon every object
around. Here and there, in the depths of these awful shades, half
screened from sight by masses of overhanging foliage, rose the
idolatrous altars of the savages, built of enormous blocks of black and
polished stone, placed one upon another, without cement, to the height
of twelve or fifteen feet, and surmounted by a rustic open temple,
enclosed with a low picket of canes, within which might be seen, in
various stages of decay, offerings of bread-fruit and cocoa-nuts, and
the putrefying relics of some recent sacrifice.

In the midst of the wood was the hallowed “hoolah hoolah” ground—set
apart for the celebration of the fantastical religious ritual of these
people—comprising an extensive oblong pi-pi, terminating at either end
in a lofty terraced altar, guarded by ranks of hideous wooden idols,
and with the two remaining sides flanked by ranges of bamboo sheds,
opening towards the interior of the quadrangle thus formed. Vast trees,
standing in the middle of this space, and throwing over it an
umbrageous shade, had their massive trunks built round with slight
stages, elevated a few feet above the ground, and railed in with canes,
forming so many rustic pulpits, from which the priests harangued their
devotees.

This holiest of spots was defended from profanation by the strictest
edicts of the all-pervading “taboo,” which condemned to instant death
the sacrilegious female who should enter or touch its sacred precincts,
or even so much as press with her feet the ground made holy by the
shadows that it cast.

Access was had to the enclosure through an embowered entrance on one
side, facing a number of towering cocoa-nut trees, planted at intervals
along a level area of a hundred yards. At the farther extremity of this
space was to be seen a building of considerable size, reserved for the
habitation of the priests and religious attendants of the grove.

In its vicinity was another remarkable edifice, built as usual upon the
summit of a pi-pi, and at least two hundred feet in length, though not
more than twenty in breadth. The whole front of this latter structure
was completely open, and from one end to the other ran a narrow
verandah, fenced in on the edge of the pi-pi with a picket of canes.
Its interior presented the appearance of an immense lounging-place, the
entire floor being strewn with successive layers of mats, lying between
parallel trunks of cocoa-nut trees, selected for the purpose from the
straightest and most symmetrical the vale afforded.

To this building, denominated in the language of the natives, the “Ti,”
Mehevi now conducted us. Thus far we had been accompanied by a troop of
the natives of both sexes; but as soon as we approached its vicinity,
the females gradually separated themselves from the crowd, and standing
aloof, permitted us to pass on. The merciless prohibitions of the taboo
extended likewise to this edifice, and were enforced by the same
dreadful penalty that secured the hoolah hoolah ground from the
imaginary pollution of a woman’s presence.

On entering the house, I was surprised to see six muskets ranged
against the bamboo on one side, from the barrels of which depended as
many small canvas pouches, partly filled with powder. Disposed about
these muskets, like the cutlasses that decorate the bulkhead of a
man-of-war’s cabin, were a great variety of rude spears and paddles,
javelins, and war-clubs. This then, said I to Toby, must be the armoury
of the tribe.

As we advanced farther along the building, we were struck with the
aspect of four or five hideous old wretches, on whose decrepid forms
time and tattooing seemed to have obliterated every trace of humanity.
Owing to the continued operation of this latter process, which only
terminates among the warriors of the island after all the figures
stretched upon their limbs in youth have been blended together—an
effect, however, produced only in cases of extreme longevity—the bodies
of these men were of a uniform dull green colour—the hue which the
tattooing gradually assumes as the individual advances in age. Their
skin had a frightful scaly appearance, which, united with its singular
colour, made their limbs not a little resemble dusty specimens of
verde-antique. Their flesh, in parts, hung upon them in huge folds,
like the overlapping plaits on the flank of a rhinoceros. Their heads
were completely bald, whilst their faces were puckered into a thousand
wrinkles, and they presented no vestige of a beard. But the most
remarkable peculiarity about them was the appearance of their feet; the
toes, like the radiating lines of the mariner’s compass, pointed to
every quarter of the horizon. This was doubtless attributable to the
fact, that during nearly a hundred years of existence the said toes
never had been subjected to any artificial confinement, and in their
old age, being averse to close neighbourhood, bid one another keep open
order.

These repulsive-looking creatures appeared to have lost the use of
their lower limbs altogether; sitting upon the floor cross-legged, in a
state of torpor. They never heeded us in the least, scarcely looking
conscious of our presence, while Mehevi seated us upon the mats, and
Kory-Kory gave utterance to some unintelligible gibberish.

In a few moments, a boy entered with a wooden trencher of poee-poee;
and in regaling myself with its contents, I was obliged again to submit
to the officious intervention of my indefatigable servitor. Various
other dishes followed, the chief manifesting the most hospitable
importunity in pressing us to partake, and to remove all bashfulness on
our part, set us no despicable example in his own person.

The repast concluded, a pipe was lighted, which passed from mouth to
mouth, and yielding to its soporific influence, the quiet of the place,
and the deepening shadows of approaching night, my companion and I sank
into a kind of drowsy repose, while the chief and Kory-Kory seemed to
be slumbering beside us.

I awoke from an uneasy nap, about midnight, as I supposed; and, raising
myself partly from the mat, became sensible that we were enveloped in
utter darkness. Toby lay still asleep, but our late companions had
disappeared. The only sound that interrupted the silence of the place
was the asthmatic breathing of the old men I have mentioned, who
reposed at a little distance from us. Besides them, as well as I could
judge, there was no one else in the house.

Apprehensive of some evil, I roused my comrade, and we were engaged in
a whispered conference concerning the unexpected withdrawal of the
natives, when all at once, from the depths of the grove, in full view
of us where we lay, shoots of flame were seen to rise, and in a few
moments illuminated the surrounding trees, casting, by contrast, into
still deeper gloom the darkness around us.

While we continued gazing at this sight, dark figures appeared moving
to and fro before the flames; while others, dancing and capering about,
looked like so many demons.

Regarding this new phenomenon with no small degree of trepidation, I
said to my companion, “What can all this mean, Toby?”

“Oh, nothing,” replied he; “getting the fire ready, I suppose.”

“Fire!” exclaimed I, while my heart took to beating like a trip-hammer,
“what fire?”

“Why, the fire to cook us, to be sure; what else would the cannibals be
kicking up such a row about, if it were not for that?”

“Oh, Toby! have done with your jokes; this is no time for them:
something is about to happen, I feel confident.”

“Jokes, indeed!” exclaimed Toby, indignantly. “Did you ever hear me
joke? Why, for what do you suppose the devils have been feeding us up
in this kind of style for during the last three days, unless it were
for something that you are too much frightened at to talk about? Look
at that Kory-Kory there!—has he not been stuffing you with his
confounded mushes, just in the way they treat swine before they kill
them? Depend upon it, we will be eaten this blessed night, and there is
the fire we shall be roasted by.”

This view of the matter was not at all calculated to allay my
apprehensions, and I shuddered when I reflected that we were indeed at
the mercy of a tribe of cannibals, and that the dreadful contingency to
which Toby had alluded was by no means removed beyond the bounds of
possibility.

“There! I told you so! they are coming for us!” exclaimed my companion
the next moment, as the forms of four of the islanders were seen in
bold relief against the illuminated background, mounting the pi-pi, and
approaching us.

They came on noiselessly, nay, stealthily, and glided along through the
gloom that surrounded us, as if about to spring upon some object they
were fearful of disturbing before they should make sure of it. Gracious
Heaven! the horrible reflections which crowded upon me that moment! A
cold sweat stood upon my brow, and spell-bound with terror, I awaited
my fate.

Suddenly the silence was broken by the well-remembered tones of Mehevi,
and at the kindly accents of his voice, my fears were immediately
dissipated. “Tommo, Toby, ki ki!” (eat). He had waited to address us,
until he had assured himself that we were both awake, at which he
seemed somewhat surprised.

“Ki ki! is it?” said Toby, in his gruff tones; “well, cook us first,
will you—but what’s this?” he added, as another savage appeared,
bearing before him a large trencher of wood, containing some kind of
steaming meat, as appeared from the odours it diffused, and which he
deposited at the feet of Mehevi. “A baked baby, I dare say! but I will
have none of it, never mind what it is. A pretty fool I should make of
myself, indeed, waked up here in the middle of the night, stuffing and
guzzling, and all to make a fat meal for a parcel of bloody-minded
cannibals one of these mornings! No; I see what they are at very
plainly, so I am resolved to starve myself into a bunch of bones and
gristle, and then, if they serve me up, they are welcome! But, I say,
Tommo, you are not going to eat any of that mess there, in the dark,
are you? Why, how can you tell what it is?”

“By tasting it, to be sure,” said I, masticating a morsel that
Kory-Kory had just put in my mouth; “and excellently good it is, too,
very much like veal.”

“A baked baby, by the soul of Captain Cook!” burst forth Toby, with
amazing vehemence. “Veal? why, there never was a calf on the island
till you landed. I tell you, you are bolting down mouthfuls from a dead
Happar’s carcass, as sure as you live, and no mistake!”

Emetics and lukewarm water! What a sensation in the abdominal regions!
Sure enough, where could the fiends incarnate have obtained meat? But I
resolved to satisfy myself at all hazards; and turning to Mehevi, I
soon made the ready chief understand that I wished a light to be
brought. When the taper came, I gazed eagerly into the vessel, and
recognized the mutilated remains of a juvenile porker! “Puarkee!”
exclaimed Kory-Kory, looking complacently at the dish; and from that
day to this I have never forgotten that such is the designation of a
pig in the Typee lingo.

The next morning, after being again abundantly feasted by the
hospitable Mehevi, Toby and myself arose to depart. But the chief
requested us to postpone our intention. “Abo, abo” (Wait, wait), he
said, and accordingly we resumed our seats, while, assisted by the
zealous Kory-Kory, he appeared to be engaged in giving directions to a
number of the natives outside, who were busily employed in making
arrangements, the nature of which we could not comprehend. But we were
not left long in our ignorance, for a few moments only had elapsed,
when the chief beckoned us to approach, and we perceived that he had
been marshalling a kind of guard of honour to escort us on our return
to the house of Marheyo.

The procession was led off by two venerable-looking savages, each
provided with a spear, from the end of which streamed a pennon of
milk-white tappa. After them went several youths, bearing aloft
calabashes of poee-poee; and followed in their turn by four stalwart
fellows, sustaining long bamboos, from the tops of which hung
suspended, at least twenty feet from the ground, large baskets of green
bread-fruit. Then came a troop of boys, carrying bunches of ripe
bananas, and baskets made of woven leaflets of cocoa-nut boughs, filled
with the young fruit of the tree, the naked shells, stripped of their
husks, peeping forth from the verdant wicker-work that surrounded them.
Last of all came a burly islander, holding over his head a wooden
trencher, in which lay disposed the remnants of our midnight feast,
hidden from view, however, by a covering of bread-fruit leaves.

Astonished as I was at this exhibition, I could not avoid smiling at
its grotesque appearance, and the associations it naturally called up.
Mehevi, it seemed, was bent on replenishing old Marheyo’s larder,
fearful, perhaps, that without this precaution his guests might not
fare as well as they could desire.

As soon as I descended from the pi-pi, the procession formed anew,
enclosing us in its centre; where I remained, part of the time carried
by Kory-Kory, and occasionally relieving him from his burden by limping
along with a spear. When we moved off in this order, the natives struck
up a musical recitative, which, with various alternations, they
continued until we arrived at the place of our destination.

As we proceeded on our way, bands of young girls, darting from the
surrounding groves, hung upon our skirts, and accompanied us with
shouts of merriment and delight, which almost drowned the deep notes of
the recitative. On approaching old Marheyo’s domicile, its inmates
rushed out to receive us; and while the gifts of Mehevi were being
disposed of, the superannuated warrior did the honours of his mansion
with all the warmth of hospitality evinced by an English squire, when
he regales his friends at some fine old patrimonial mansion.




CHAPTER XII


Attempt to procure relief from Nukuheva—Perilous adventure of Toby in
the Happar Mountains—Eloquence of Kory-Kory.


Amidst these novel scenes a week passed away almost imperceptibly. The
natives, actuated by some mysterious impulse, day after day redoubled
their attention to us. Their manner towards us was unaccountable.
Surely, thought I, they would not act thus if they meant us any harm.
But why this excess of deferential kindness, or what equivalent can
they imagine us capable of rendering them for it?

We were fairly puzzled. But, despite the apprehensions I could not
dispel, the horrible character imputed to these Typees appeared to be
wholly undeserved.

“Why, they are cannibals!” said Toby, on one occasion when I eulogized
the tribe.

“Granted,” I replied, “but a more humane, gentlemanly, and amiable set
of epicures do not probably exist in the Pacific.”

But, notwithstanding the kind treatment we received, I was too familiar
with the fickle disposition of savages not to feel anxious to withdraw
from the valley, and put myself beyond the reach of that fearful death
which, under all these smiling appearances, might yet menace us. But
here there was an obstacle in the way of doing so. It was idle for me
to think of moving from the place until I should have recovered from
the severe lameness that afflicted me; indeed my malady began seriously
to alarm me; for, despite the herbal remedies of the natives, it
continued to grow worse and worse. Their mild applications, though they
soothed the pain, did not remove the disorder, and I felt convinced
that, without better aid, I might anticipate long and acute suffering.

But how was this aid to be procured? From the surgeons of the French
fleet, which probably still lay in the bay of Nukuheva, it might easily
have been obtained, could I have made my case known to them. But how
could that be effected?

At last, in the exigency to which I was reduced, I proposed to Toby
that he should endeavour to go round to Nukuheva, and if he could not
succeed in returning to the valley by water in one of the boats of the
squadron, and taking me off, he might at least procure me some proper
medicines, and effect his return overland.

My companion listened to me in silence, and at first did not appear to
relish the idea. The truth was, he felt impatient to escape from the
place, and wished to avail himself of our present high favour with the
natives to make good our retreat, before we should experience some
sudden alterations in their behaviour. As he could not think of leaving
me in my helpless condition, he implored me to be of good cheer;
assured me that I should soon be better, and enabled in a few days to
return with him to Nukuheva.

Added to this, he could not bear the idea of again returning to this
dangerous place; and as for the expectation of persuading the Frenchmen
to detach a boat’s crew for the purpose of rescuing me from the Typees,
he looked upon it as idle; and, with arguments that I could not answer,
urged the improbability of their provoking the hostilities of the clan
by any such measure; especially as, for the purpose of quieting its
apprehensions, they had as yet refrained from making any visit to the
bay. “And even should they consent,” said Toby, “they would only
produce a commotion in the valley, in which we might both be sacrificed
by these ferocious islanders.” This was unanswerable; but still I clung
to the belief that he might succeed in accomplishing the other part of
my plan; and at last I overcame his scruples, and he agreed to make the
attempt.

As soon as we succeeded in making the natives understand our intention,
they broke out into the most vehement opposition to the measure, and,
for a while, I almost despaired of obtaining their consent. At the bare
thought of one of us leaving them, they manifested the most lively
concern. The grief and consternation of Kory-Kory, in particular, was
unbounded; he threw himself into a perfect paroxysm of gestures, which
were intended to convey to us, not only his abhorrence of Nukuheva and
its uncivilized inhabitants, but also his astonishment that, after
becoming acquainted with the enlightened Typees, we should evince the
least desire to withdraw, even for a time, from their agreeable
society.

However, I overbore his objections by appealing to my lameness; from
which I assured the natives I should speedily recover, if Toby were
permitted to obtain the supplies I needed.

It was agreed that on the following morning my companion should depart,
accompanied by some one or two of the household, who should point out
to him an easy route, by which the bay might be reached before sunset.

At early dawn of the next day, our habitation was astir. One of the
young men mounted into an adjoining cocoa-nut tree, and threw down a
number of the young fruit, which old Marheyo quickly stripped of the
green husks, and strung together upon a short pole. These were intended
to refresh Toby on his route.

The preparations being completed, with no little emotion I bade my
companion adieu. He promised to return in three days at farthest; and,
bidding me keep up my spirits in the interval, turned around the corner
of the pi-pi, and, under the guidance of the venerable Marheyo, was
soon out of sight. His departure oppressed me with melancholy, and,
re-entering the dwelling, I threw myself almost in despair upon the
matting of the floor.

In two hours’ time the old warrior returned, and gave me to understand,
that after accompanying my companion a little distance, and showing him
the route, he had left him journeying on his way.

It was about noon of this same day, a season which these people are
wont to pass in sleep, that I lay in the house, surrounded by its
slumbering inmates, and painfully affected by the strange silence which
prevailed. All at once I thought I heard a faint shout, as if
proceeding from some persons in the depth of the grove which extended
in front of our habitation.

The sounds grew louder and nearer, and gradually the whole valley rang
with wild outcries. The sleepers around me started to their feet in
alarm, and hurried outside to discover the cause of the commotion.
Kory-Kory, who had been the first to spring up, soon returned almost
breathless, and nearly frantic with the excitement under which he
seemed to be labouring. All that I could understand from him was, that
some accident had happened to Toby. Apprehensive of some dreadful
calamity, I rushed out of the house, and caught sight of a tumultuous
crowd, who, with shrieks and lamentations, were just emerging from the
grove, bearing in their arms some object, the sight of which produced
all this transport of sorrow. As they drew near, the men redoubled
their cries, while the girls, tossing their bare arms in the air,
exclaimed plaintively, “Awha! awha! Toby muckee moee!”—Alas! alas! Toby
is killed!

In a moment the crowd opened, and disclosed the apparently lifeless
body of my companion borne between two men, the head hanging heavily
against the breast of the foremost. The whole face, neck, and bosom
were covered with blood, which still trickled slowly from a wound
behind the temple. In the midst of the greatest uproar and confusion,
the body was carried into the house and laid on a mat. Waving the
natives off to give room and air, I bent eagerly over Toby, and, laying
my hand upon the breast, ascertained that the heart still beat.
Overjoyed at this, I seized a calabash of water, and dashed its
contents upon his face, then, wiping away the blood, anxiously examined
the wound. It was about three inches long, and, on removing the clotted
hair from about it, showed the skull laid completely bare. Immediately
with my knife I cut away the heavy locks, and bathed the part
repeatedly in water.

In a few moments Toby revived, and opening his eyes for a second,
closed them again, without speaking. Kory-Kory, who had been kneeling
beside me, now chafed his limbs gently with the palms of his hands,
while a young girl at his head kept fanning him, and I still continued
to moisten his lips and brow. Soon my poor comrade showed signs of
animation, and I succeeded in making him swallow from a cocoa-nut shell
a few mouthfuls of water.


[Illustration: THE BODY WAS CARRIED INTO THE HOUSE AND LAID ON A MAT]


Old Tinor now appeared, holding in her hand some simples she had
gathered, the juice of which she by signs besought me to squeeze into
the wound. Having done so, I thought it best to leave Toby undisturbed
until he should have had time to rally his faculties. Several times he
opened his lips, but, fearful for his safety, I enjoined silence. In
the course of two or three hours however, he sat up, and was
sufficiently recovered to tell me what had occurred.

“After leaving the house with Marheyo,” said Toby, “we struck across
the valley, and ascended the opposite heights. Just beyond them, my
guide informed me, lay the valley of Happar, while along their summits,
and skirting the head of the vale, was my route to Nukuheva. After
mounting a little way up the elevation my guide paused, and gave me to
understand that he could not accompany me any farther, and by various
signs intimated that he was afraid to approach any nearer the
territories of the enemies of his tribe. He, however, pointed out my
path, which now lay clearly before me, and, bidding me farewell,
hastily descended the mountain.

“Quite elated at being so near the Happars, I pushed up the acclivity,
and soon gained its summit. It tapered up to a sharp ridge, from whence
I beheld both the hostile valleys. Here I sat down and rested for a
moment, refreshing myself with my cocoa-nuts. I was soon again pursuing
my way along the height, when suddenly I saw three of the islanders,
who must have just come out of Happar valley, standing in the path
ahead of me. They were each armed with a heavy spear, and one, from his
appearance, I took to be a chief. They sung out something, I could not
understand what, and beckoned me to come on.

“Without the least hesitation I advanced towards them, and had
approached within about a yard of the foremost, when, pointing angrily
into the Typee valley, and uttering some savage exclamation, he wheeled
round his weapon like lightning, and struck me in a moment to the
ground. The blow inflicted this wound, and took away my senses. As soon
as I came to myself, I perceived the three islanders standing a little
distance off, and apparently engaged in some violent altercation
respecting me.

“My first impulse was to run for it; but, in endeavouring to rise, I
fell back, and rolled down a little grassy precipice. The shock seemed
to rally my faculties; so, starting to my feet, I fled down the path I
had just ascended. I had no need to look behind me, for, from the yells
I heard, I knew that my enemies were in full pursuit. Urged on by their
fearful outcries, and heedless of the injury I had received—though the
blood flowing from the wound trickled over into my eyes and almost
blinded me—I rushed down the mountain side with the speed of the wind.
In a short time I had descended nearly a third of the distance, and the
savages had ceased their cries, when suddenly a terrific howl burst
upon my ear, and at the same moment a heavy javelin darted past me as I
fled, and stuck quivering in a tree close to me. Another yell followed,
and a second spear and a third shot through the air within a few feet
of my body, both of them piercing the ground obliquely in advance of
me. The fellows gave a roar of rage and disappointment; but they were
afraid, I suppose, of coming down farther into the Typee valley, and so
abandoned the chase. I saw them recover their weapons and turn back;
and I continued my descent as fast as I could.

“What could have caused this ferocious attack on the part of these
Happars I could not imagine, unless it were that they had seen me
ascending the mountain with Marheyo, and that the mere fact of coming
from the Typee valley was sufficient to provoke them.

“As long as I was in danger I scarcely felt the wound I had received;
but when the chase was over I began to suffer from it. I had lost my
hat in the flight, and the sun scorched my bare head. I felt faint and
giddy; but, fearful of falling to the ground beyond the reach of
assistance, I staggered on as well as I could, and at last gained the
level of the valley, and then down I sunk; and I knew nothing more
until I found myself lying upon these mats, and you stooping over me
with the calabash of water.”

Such was Toby’s account of this sad affair. I afterwards learned that
fortunately he had fallen close to a spot where the natives go for
fuel. A party of them caught sight of him as he fell, and, sounding the
alarm, had lifted him up; and after ineffectually endeavouring to
restore him at the brook, had hurried forward with him to the house.

This incident threw a dark cloud over our prospects. It reminded us
that we were hemmed in by hostile tribes, whose territories we could
not hope to pass, on our route to Nukuheva, without encountering the
effects of their savage resentment. There appeared to be no avenue
opened to our escape but the sea, which washed the lower extremity of
the vale.

Our Typee friends availed themselves of the recent disaster of Toby to
exhort us to a due appreciation of the blessings we enjoyed among them;
contrasting their own generous reception of us with the animosity of
their neighbours. They likewise dwelt upon the cannibal propensities of
the Happars, a subject which they were perfectly aware could not fail
to alarm us; while at the same time they earnestly disclaimed all
participation in so horrid a custom. Nor did they omit to call upon us
to admire the natural loveliness of their own abode, and the lavish
abundance with which it produced all manner of luxuriant fruits;
exalting it in this particular above any of the surrounding valleys.

Kory-Kory seemed to experience so heartfelt a desire to infuse into our
minds proper views on these subjects, that, assisted in his endeavours
by the little knowledge of the language we had acquired, he actually
made us comprehend a considerable part of what he said. To facilitate
our correct apprehension of his meaning, he at first condensed his
ideas into the smallest possible compass.

“Happar keekeeno nuee,” he exclaimed; “nuee, nuee, ki ki kannaka!—ah!
owle motarkee!” which signifies, “Terrible fellows those
Happars!—devour an amazing quantity of men!—ah, shocking bad!” Thus far
he explained himself by a variety of gestures, during the performance
of which he would dart out of the house, and point abhorrently towards
the Happar valley; running in to us again with the rapidity that showed
he was fearful we would lose one part of his meaning before he could
complete the other; and continuing his illustrations by seizing the
fleshy part of my arm in his teeth, intimating, by the operation, that
the people who lived over in that direction would like nothing better
than to treat me in that manner.

Having assured himself that we were fully enlightened on this point, he
proceeded to another branch of the subject. “Ah! Typee me! arkee!—nuee,
nuee mioree—nuee, nuee wai nuee, nuee poee poee—nuee, nuee kokoo—ah!
nuee, nuee kiki—ah! nuee, nuee, nuee!” Which, liberally interpreted as
before, would imply, “Ah, Typee! isn’t it a fine place though!—no
danger of starving here, I tell you!—plenty of bread-fruit—plenty of
water—plenty of pudding—ah! plenty of everything, ah! heaps, heaps,
heaps!” All this was accompanied by a running commentary of signs and
gestures which it was impossible not to comprehend.

As he continued his harangue, however, Kory-Kory, in emulation of our
more polished orators, began to launch out rather diffusely into other
branches of his subject, enlarging probably upon the moral reflections
it suggested; and proceeded in such a strain of unintelligible and
stunning gibberish, that he actually gave me the headache for the rest
of the day.




CHAPTER XIII


A great event happens in the valley—The island telegraph—Something
befalls Toby—Fayaway displays a tender heart—Melancholy
reflections—Mysterious conduct of the islanders—Devotion of Kory-Kory—A
rural couch—A luxury—Kory-Kory strikes a light _à la_ Typee.


In the course of a few days Toby had recovered from the effects of his
adventure with the Happar warriors; the wound on his head rapidly
healing under the vegetable treatment of the good Tinor. Less fortunate
than my companion, however, I still continued to languish under a
complaint, the origin and nature of which was still a mystery. Cut off
as I was from all intercourse with the civilized world, and feeling the
inefficacy of anything the natives could do to relieve me; knowing,
too, that so long as I remained in my present condition it would be
impossible for me to leave the valley, whatever opportunity might
present itself; and apprehensive that ere long we might be exposed to
some caprice on the part of the islanders, I now gave up all hopes of
recovery, and became a prey to the most gloomy thoughts. A deep
dejection fell upon me, which neither the friendly remonstrances of my
companion, the devoted attentions of Kory-Kory, nor all the soothing
influences of Fayaway, could remove.

One morning, as I lay on the mats in the house plunged in melancholy
reverie, and regardless of everything around me, Toby, who had left me
about an hour, returned in haste, and with great glee told me to cheer
up and be of good heart, for he believed, from what was going on among
the natives, that there were boats approaching the bay.

These tidings operated upon me like magic. The hour of our deliverance
was at hand, and, starting up, I was soon convinced that something
unusual was about to occur. The word “botee! botee!” was vociferated in
all directions; and shouts were heard in the distance, at first feebly
and faintly, but growing louder and nearer at each successive
repetition, until they were caught up by a fellow in a cocoa-nut tree a
few yards off, who, sounding them in turn, they were reiterated from a
neighbouring grove, and so died away gradually from point to point, as
the intelligence penetrated into the farthest recesses of the valley.
This was the vocal telegraph of the islanders; by means of which,
condensed items of information could be carried in a very few minutes
from the sea to their remotest habitation, a distance of at least eight
or nine miles. On the present occasion it was in active operation, one
piece of information following another with inconceivable rapidity.

The greatest commotion now appeared to prevail. At every fresh item of
intelligence the natives betrayed the liveliest interest, and redoubled
the energy with which they employed themselves in collecting fruit to
sell to the expected visitors. Some were tearing off the husks from
cocoa-nuts; some, perched in the trees, were throwing down bread-fruit
to their companions, who gathered them in heaps as they fell; while
others were plying their fingers rapidly in weaving leafen baskets in
which to carry the fruit.

There were other matters, too, going on at the same time. Here you
would see a stout warrior polishing his spear with a bit of old tappa,
or adjusting the folds of the girdle about his waist; and there you
might descry a young damsel decorating herself with flowers, as if
having in her eye some maidenly conquest; while, as in all cases of
hurry and confusion in every part of the world, a number of individuals
kept hurrying to and fro with amazing vigour and perseverance, doing
nothing themselves, and hindering others.

Never before had we seen the islanders in such a state of bustle and
excitement; and the scene furnished abundant evidence of the fact—that
it was only at long intervals any such events occur.

When I thought of the length of time that might intervene before a
similar chance of escape would be presented, I bitterly lamented that I
had not the power of availing myself effectually of the present
opportunity.

From all that we could gather, it appeared that the natives were
fearful of arriving too late upon the beach, unless they made
extraordinary exertions. Sick and lame as I was, I would have started
with Toby at once, had not Kory-Kory not only refused to carry me, but
manifested the most invincible repugnance to our leaving the
neighbourhood of the house. The rest of the savages were equally
opposed to our wishes, and seemed grieved and astonished at the
earnestness of my solicitations. I clearly perceived that, while my
attendant avoided all appearance of constraining my movements, he was
nevertheless determined to thwart my wishes. He seemed to me on this
particular occasion, as well as often afterwards, to be executing the
orders of some other person with regard to me, though at the same time
feeling towards me the most lively affection.

Toby, who had made up his mind to accompany the islanders if possible
as soon as they were in readiness to depart, and who for that reason
had refrained from showing the same anxiety that I had done, now
represented to me that it was idle for me to entertain the hope of
reaching the beach in time to profit by any opportunity that might then
be presented.

“Do you not see,” said he, “the savages themselves are fearful of being
too late, and I should hurry forward myself at once, did I not think
that, if I showed too much eagerness, I should destroy all our hopes of
reaping any benefit from this fortunate event. If you will only
endeavour to appear tranquil or unconcerned, you will quiet their
suspicions, and I have no doubt they will then let me go with them to
the beach, supposing that I merely go out of curiosity. Should I
succeed in getting down to the boats, I will make known the condition
in which I have left you, and measures may then be taken to secure our
escape.”

In the expediency of this I could not but acquiesce; and as the natives
had now completed their preparations, I watched with the liveliest
interest the reception that Toby’s application might meet with. As soon
as they understood from my companion that I intended to remain, they
appeared to make no objection to this proposition, and even hailed it
with pleasure. Their singular conduct on this occasion not a little
puzzled me at the time, and imparted to subsequent events an additional
mystery.

The islanders were now to be seen hurrying along the path which led to
the sea. I shook Toby warmly by the hand, and gave him my Payta hat to
shield his wounded head from the sun, as he had lost his own. He
cordially returned the pressure of my hand, and, solemnly promising to
return as soon as the boats should leave the shore, sprang from my
side, and the next minute disappeared in a turn of the grove.

In spite of the unpleasant reflections that crowded upon my mind, I
could not but be entertained by the novel and animated sight which now
met my view. One after another, the natives crowded along the narrow
path, laden with every variety of fruit. Here, you might have seen one,
who, after ineffectually endeavouring to persuade a surly porker to be
conducted in leading-strings, was obliged at last to seize the perverse
animal in his arms, and carry him struggling again his naked breast,
and squealing without intermission. There went two, who at a little
distance might have been taken for the Hebrew spies, on their return to
Moses with the goodly bunch of grapes. One trotted before the other at
a distance of a couple of yards, while between them, from a pole
resting on their shoulders, was suspended a huge cluster of bananas,
which swayed to and fro with the rocking gait at which they proceeded.
Here ran another, perspiring with his exertions, and bearing before him
a quantity of cocoa-nuts, who, fearful of being too late, heeded not
the fruit that dropped from his basket, and appeared solely intent upon
reaching his destination, careless how many of his cocoa-nuts kept
company with him.

In a short time the last straggler was seen hurrying on his way, and
the faint shouts of those in advance died insensibly upon the ear. Our
part of the valley now appeared nearly deserted by its inhabitants,
Kory-Kory, his aged father, and a few decrepid old people being all
that were left.

Towards sunset, the islanders in small parties began to return from the
beach, and among them, as they drew near to the house, I sought to
descry the form of my companion. But one after another they passed the
dwelling, and I caught no glimpse of him. Supposing, however, that he
would soon appear with some of the members of the household, I quieted
my apprehensions, and waited patiently to see him advancing, in company
with the beautiful Fayaway. At last I perceived Tinor coming forward,
followed by the girls and young men who usually resided in the house of
Marheyo; but with them came not my comrade, and, filled with a thousand
alarms, I eagerly sought to discover the cause of his delay.

My earnest questions appeared to embarrass the natives greatly. All
their accounts were contradictory: one giving me to understand that
Toby would be with me in a very short time; another, that he did not
know where he was; while a third, violently inveighing against him,
assured me that he had stolen away, and would never come back. It
appeared to me, at the time, that in making these various statements
they endeavoured to conceal from me some terrible disaster, lest the
knowledge of it should overpower me.

Fearful lest some fatal calamity had overtaken him, I sought out young
Fayaway, and endeavoured to learn from her, if possible, the truth.

This gentle being had early attracted my regard, not only from her
extraordinary beauty, but from the attractive cast of her countenance,
singularly expressive of intelligence and humanity. Of all the natives,
she alone seemed to appreciate the effect which the peculiarity of the
circumstances in which we were placed had produced upon the minds of my
companion and myself. In addressing me—especially when I lay reclining
upon the mats suffering from pain—there was a tenderness in her manner
which it was impossible to misunderstand or resist. Whenever she
entered the house, the expression of her face indicated the liveliest
sympathy for me; and moving towards the place where I lay, with one arm
slightly elevated in a gesture of pity, and her large glistening eyes
gazing intently into mine, she would murmur plaintively, “Awha! awha!
Tommo,” and seat herself mournfully beside me.

Her manner convinced me that she deeply compassionated my situation, as
being removed from my country and friends, and placed beyond the reach
of all relief. Indeed, at times I was almost led to believe that her
mind was swayed by gentle impulses hardly to be anticipated from one in
her condition; that she appeared to be conscious there were ties rudely
severed, which had once bound us to our homes; that there were sisters
and brothers anxiously looking forward to our return, who were perhaps
never more to behold us.

In this amiable light did Fayaway appear in my eyes; and, reposing full
confidence in her candour and intelligence, I now had recourse to her,
in the midst of my alarm with regard to my companion.

My questions evidently distressed her. She looked round from one to
another of the bystanders, as if hardly knowing what answer to give me.
At last, yielding to my importunities, she overcame her scruples, and
gave me to understand that Toby had gone away with the boats which had
visited the bay, but had promised to return at the expiration of three
days. At first I accused him of perfidiously deserting me; but as I
grew more composed, I upbraided myself for imputing so cowardly an
action to him, and tranquillized myself with the belief that he had
availed himself of the opportunity to go round to Nukuheva, in order to
make some arrangement by which I could be removed from the valley. At
any rate, thought I, he will return with the medicines I require, and
then, as soon as I recover, there will be no difficulty in the way of
our departure.

Consoling myself with these reflections, I lay down that night in a
happier frame of mind than I had done for some time. The next day
passed without any allusion to Toby on the part of the natives, who
seemed desirous of avoiding all reference to the subject. This raised
some apprehensions in my breast; but, when night came, I congratulated
myself that the second day had now gone by, and that on the morrow Toby
would again be with me. But the morrow came and went, and my companion
did not appear. Ah! thought I, he reckons three days from the morning
of his departure—to-morrow he will arrive. But that weary day also
closed upon me without his return. Even yet I would not despair. I
thought that something detained him—that he was waiting for the sailing
of a boat at Nukuheva, and that in a day or two, at farthest, I should
see him again. But day after day of renewed disappointment passed by;
at last hope deserted me, and I fell a victim to despair.

Yes, thought I, gloomily, he has secured his own escape, and cares not
what calamity may befall his unfortunate comrade. Fool that I was, to
suppose that any one would willingly encounter the perils of this
valley, after having once got beyond its limits! He has gone, and has
left me to combat alone all the dangers by which I am surrounded. Thus
would I sometimes seek to derive a desperate consolation from dwelling
upon the perfidy of Toby; whilst, at other times, I sunk under the
bitter remorse which I felt at having, by my own imprudence, brought
upon myself the fate which I was sure awaited me.

At other times I thought that perhaps, after all, these treacherous
savages had made away with him, and thence the confusion into which
they were thrown by my questions, and their contradictory answers; or
he might be a captive in some other part of the valley; or, more
dreadful still, might have met with that fate at which my very soul
shuddered. But all these speculations were vain; no tidings of Toby
ever reached me—he had gone never to return.

The conduct of the islanders appeared inexplicable. All reference to my
lost comrade was carefully evaded, and if at any time they were forced
to make some reply to my frequent inquiries on the subject, they would
uniformly denounce him as an ungrateful runaway, who had deserted his
friend, and taken himself off to that vile and detestable place
Nukuheva.

But whatever might have been his fate, now that he was gone the natives
multiplied their acts of kindness and attention towards myself,
treating me with a degree of deference which could hardly have been
surpassed had I been some celestial visitant. Kory-Kory never for one
moment left my side, unless it were to execute my wishes. The faithful
fellow, twice every day, in the cool of the morning and in the evening,
insisted upon carrying me to the stream, and bathing me in its
refreshing water.

Frequently, in the afternoon, he would carry me to a particular part of
the stream, where the beauty of the scene produced a soothing influence
upon my mind. At this place the waters flowed between grassy banks,
planted with enormous bread-fruit trees, whose vast branches,
interlacing overhead, formed a leafy canopy; near the stream were
several smooth black rocks. One of these, projecting several feet above
the surface of the water, had upon its summit a shallow cavity, which,
filled with freshly-gathered leaves, formed a delightful couch.

Here I often laid for hours, covered with a gauze-like veil of tappa,
while Fayaway, seated beside me, and holding in her hand a fan woven
from the leaflets of a young cocoa-nut bough, brushed aside the insects
that occasionally lighted on my face, and Kory-Kory, with a view of
chasing away my melancholy, performed a thousand antics in the water
before us.

As my eye wandered along this romantic stream, it would fall upon the
half-immersed figure of a beautiful girl, standing in the transparent
water, and catching in a little net a species of diminutive shell-fish,
of which these people are extravagantly fond. Sometimes a chattering
group would be seated upon the edge of a low rock in the midst of the
brook, busily engaged in thinning and polishing the shells of
cocoa-nuts, by rubbing them briskly with a small stone in the water, an
operation which soon converts them into a light and elegant
drinking-vessel, somewhat resembling goblets made of tortoise-shell.

But the tranquillizing influences of beautiful scenery, and the
exhibition of human life under so novel and charming an aspect, were
not my only sources of consolation.

Every evening the girls of the house gathered about me on the mats,
and, after chasing away Kory-Kory from my side—who, nevertheless,
retired only to a little distance, and watched their proceedings with
the most jealous attention—would anoint my body with a fragrant oil,
squeezed from a yellow root, previously pounded between a couple of
stones, and which in their language is denominated “aka.” I used to
hail with delight the daily recurrence of this luxurious operation, in
which I forgot all my troubles, and buried for the time every feeling
of sorrow.

Sometimes, in the cool of the evening, my devoted servitor would lead
me out upon the pi-pi in front of the house, and, seating me near its
edge, protect my body from the annoyance of the insects which
occasionally hovered in the air, by wrapping me round with a large roll
of tappa. He then bustled about, and employed himself at least twenty
minutes in adjusting everything to secure my personal comfort.

Having perfected his arrangements, he would get my pipe, and, lighting
it, would hand it to me. Often he was obliged to strike a light for the
occasion; and as the mode he adopted was entirely different from what I
had ever seen or heard of before, I will describe it.

A straight, dry, and partly-decayed stick of the Habiscus, about six
feet in length, and half as many inches in diameter, with a smaller bit
of wood, not more than a foot long, and scarcely an inch wide, is as
invariably to be met with in every house in Typee, as a box of lucifer
matches in the corner of a kitchen-cupboard at home.

The islander, placing the larger stick obliquely against some object,
with one end elevated at an angle of forty-five degrees, mounts astride
of it, like an urchin about to gallop off upon a cane, and then,
grasping the smaller one firmly in both hands, he rubs its pointed end
slowly up and down the extent of a few inches on the principal stick,
until at last he makes a narrow groove in the wood, with an abrupt
termination at the point farthest from him, where all the dusty
particles which the friction creates are accumulated in a little heap.

At first Kory-Kory goes to work quite leisurely, but gradually quickens
his pace, and, waxing warm in the employment, drives the stick
furiously along the smoking channel, plying his hands to and fro with
amazing rapidity, the perspiration starting from every pore. As he
approaches the climax of his effort, he pants and gasps for breath, and
his eyes almost start from their sockets with the violence of his
exertions. This is the critical stage of the operation; all his
previous labours are vain if he cannot sustain the rapidity of the
movement until the reluctant spark is produced. Suddenly he stops,
becomes perfectly motionless. His hands still retain their hold of the
smaller stick, which is pressed convulsively against the farther end of
the channel, among the fine powder there accumulated, as if he had just
pierced through and through some little viper that was wriggling and
struggling to escape from his clutches. The next moment a delicate
wreath of smoke curls spirally into the air, the heap of dusty
particles glows with fire, and Kory-Kory, almost breathless, dismounts
from his steed.

This operation appeared to me to be the most laborious species of work
performed in Typee; and had I possessed a sufficient intimacy with the
language to have conveyed my ideas upon the subject, I should certainly
have suggested to the most influential of the natives the expediency of
establishing in a college of vestals, to be centrally located in the
valley, for the purpose of keeping alive the indispensable article of
fire, so as to supersede the necessity of such a vast outlay of
strength and good temper as were usually squandered on these occasions.
There might, however, be special difficulties in carrying this plan
into execution.

What a striking evidence does this operation furnish of the wide
difference between the extreme of savage and civilized life! A
gentleman of Typee can bring up a numerous family of children, and give
them all a highly respectable cannibal education, with infinitely less
toil and anxiety than he expends in the simple process of striking a
light; whilst a poor European artisan, who through the instrumentality
of a lucifer performs the same operation in one second, is put to his
wit’s end to provide for his starving offspring that food, which the
children of a Polynesian father, without troubling their parents, pluck
from the branches of every tree around them.




CHAPTER XIV


Kindness of Marheyo and the rest of the islanders—A full description of
the bread-fruit tree—Different modes of preparing the fruit.


All the inhabitants of the valley treated me with great kindness; but
as to the household of Marheyo, with whom I was now permanently
domiciled, nothing could surpass their efforts to minister to my
comfort. To the gratification of my palate they paid the most unwearied
attention. They continually invited me to partake of food, and when
after eating heartily I declined the viands they continued to offer me,
they seemed to think that my appetite stood in need of some piquant
stimulant to excite its activity.

In pursuance of this idea, old Marheyo himself would hie him away to
the sea-shore by the break of day, for the purpose of collecting
various species of rare seaweed; some of which, among these people, are
considered a great luxury. After a whole day spent in this employment,
he would return about nightfall with several cocoa-nut shells filled
with different descriptions of kelp. In preparing these for use, he
manifested all the ostentation of a professed cook, although the chief
mystery of the affair appeared to consist in pouring water in judicious
quantities upon the slimy contents of his cocoa-nut shells.

The first time he submitted one of these saline salads to my critical
attention, I naturally thought that anything collected at such pains
must possess peculiar merits; but one mouthful was a complete dose; and
great was the consternation of the old warrior at the rapidity with
which I ejected his epicurean treat.

How true it is, that the rarity of any particular article enhances its
value amazingly. In some part of the valley—I know not where, but
probably in the neighbourhood of the sea—the girls were sometimes in
the habit of procuring small quantities of salt, a thimble-full or so
being the result of the united labours of a party of five or six
employed for the greater part of the day. This precious commodity they
brought to the house, enveloped in multitudinous folds of leaves; and
as a special mark of the esteem in which they held me, would spread an
immense leaf on the ground, and dropping one by one a few minute
particles of the salt upon it, invite me to taste them.

From the extravagant value placed upon the article, I verily believe,
that with a bushel of common Liverpool salt, all the real estate in
Typee might have been purchased. With a small pinch of it in one hand,
and a quarter section of a bread-fruit in the other, the greatest chief
in the valley would have laughed at all the luxuries of a Parisian
table.

The celebrity of the bread-fruit tree, and the conspicuous place it
occupies in a Typee bill of fare, induces me to give at some length a
general description of the tree, and the various modes in which the
fruit is prepared.

The bread-fruit tree, in its glorious prime, is a grand and towering
object, forming the same feature in a Marquesan landscape that the
patriarchal elm does in New England scenery. The latter tree it not a
little resembles in height, in the wide spread of its stalwart
branches, and in its venerable and imposing aspect.

The leaves of the bread-fruit are of great size, and their edges are
cut and scolloped as fantastically as those of a lady’s lace collar. As
they annually tend towards decay, they almost rival, in the brilliant
variety of their gradually changing hues, the fleeting shades of the
expiring dolphin. The autumnal tints of our American forests, glorious
as they are, sink into nothing in comparison with this tree.

The leaf, in one particular stage, when nearly all the prismatic
colours are blended on its surface, is often converted by the natives
into a superb and striking head-dress. The principal fibre traversing
its length being split open a convenient distance, and the elastic
sides of the aperture pressed apart, the head is inserted between them,
the leaf drooping on one side, with its forward half turned jauntily up
on the brows, and the remaining part spreading laterally behind the
ears.

The fruit somewhat resembles in magnitude and general appearance one of
our citron melons of ordinary size; but, unlike the citron, it has no
sectional lines drawn along the outside. Its surface is dotted all over
with little conical prominences, looking not unlike the knobs on an
antiquated church door. The rind is perhaps an eighth of an inch in
thickness; and denuded of this, at the time when it is in the greatest
perfection, the fruit presents a beautiful globe of white pulp, the
whole of which may be eaten, with the exception of a slender core,
which is easily removed.

The bread-fruit, however, is never used, and is indeed altogether unfit
to be eaten, until submitted in one form or other to the action of
fire.

The most simple manner in which this operation is performed, and, I
think, the best, consists in placing any number of the freshly-plucked
fruit, when in a particular state of greenness, among the embers of a
fire, in the same way that you would roast a potato. After a lapse of
ten or fifteen minutes, the green rind embrowns and cracks, showing
through the fissures in its sides the milk-white interior. As soon as
it cools the rind drops off, and you then have the soft round pulp in
its purest and most delicious state. Thus eaten, it has a mild and
pleasing flavour.

Sometimes after having been roasted in the fire, the natives snatch it
briskly from the embers, and permitting it to slip out of the yielding
rind into a vessel of cold water, stir up the mixture, which they call
“bo-a-sho.” I never could endure this compound, and indeed the
preparation is not greatly in vogue among the more polite Typees.

There is one form, however, in which the fruit is occasionally served,
that renders it a dish fit for a king. As soon as it is taken from the
fire the exterior is removed, the core extracted, and the remaining
part is placed in a sort of shallow stone mortar, and briskly worked
with a pestle of the same substance. While one person is performing
this operation, another takes a ripe cocoa-nut, and breaking it in
half, which they also do very cleverly, proceeds to grate the juicy
meat into fine particles. This is done by means of a piece of
mother-of-pearl shell, lashed firmly to the extreme end of a heavy
stick, with its straight side accurately notched like a saw. The stick
is sometimes a grotesquely-formed limb of a tree, with three or four
branches twisting from its body like so many shapeless legs, and
sustaining it two or three feet from the ground.

The native, first placing a calabash beneath the nose, as it were, of
his curious-looking log-steed, for the purpose of receiving the grated
fragments as they fall, mounts astride of it as if it were a
hobby-horse, and twirling the inside of one of his hemispheres of
cocoa-nut around the sharp teeth of the mother-of-pearl shell, the pure
white meat falls in snowy showers into the receptacle provided. Having
obtained a quantity sufficient for his purpose, he places it in a bag
made of the net-like fibrous substance attached to all cocoa-nut trees,
and compressing it over the bread-fruit, which being now sufficiently
pounded, is put into a wooden bowl—extracts a thick creamy milk. The
delicious liquid soon bubbles round the fruit, and leaves it at last
just peeping above its surface.

This preparation is called “kokoo,” and a most lucious preparation it
is. The hobby-horse and the pestle and mortar were in great requisition
during the time I remained in the house of Marheyo, and Kory-Kory had
frequent occasion to show his skill in their use.

But the great staple articles of food into which the bread-fruit is
converted by these natives are known respectively by the names of Amar
and Poee-Poee.

At a certain season of the year, when the fruit of the hundred groves
of the valley has reached its maturity, and hangs in golden spheres
from every branch, the islanders assemble in harvest groups, and garner
in the abundance which surrounds them. The trees are stripped of their
nodding burdens, which, easily freed from the rind and core, are
gathered together in capacious wooden vessels, where the pulpy fruit is
soon worked by a stone pestle, vigorously applied, into a blended mass
of a doughy consistency called by the natives “Tutao.” This is then
divided into separate parcels, which, after being made up into stout
packages, enveloped in successive folds of leaves, and bound round with
thongs of bark, are stored away in large receptacles hollowed in the
earth, from whence they are drawn as occasion may require.

In this condition the Tutao sometimes remains for years, and even is
thought to improve by age. Before it is fit to be eaten, however, it
has to undergo an additional process. A primitive oven is scooped in
the ground, and its bottom being loosely covered with stones, a large
fire is kindled within it. As soon as the requisite degree of heat is
attained, the embers are removed, and the surface of the stones being
covered with thick layers of leaves, one of the large packages of Tutao
is deposited upon them, and overspread with another layer of leaves.
The whole is then quickly heaped up with earth, and forms a sloping
mound.

The Tutao thus baked is called “Amar”; the action of the oven having
converted it into an amber-coloured caky substance, a little tart, but
not at all disagreeable to the taste.

By another and final process the “Amar” is changed into “Poee-Poee.”
This transition is rapidly effected. The amar is placed in a vessel,
and mixed with water until it gains a proper pudding-like consistency,
when, without further preparation, it is in readiness for use. This is
the form in which the “Tutao” is generally consumed. The singular mode
of eating it I have already described.

Were it not that the bread-fruit is thus capable of being preserved for
a length of time, the natives might be reduced to a state of
starvation; for, owing to some unknown cause, the trees sometimes fail
to bear fruit; and on such occasions the islanders chiefly depend upon
the supplies they have been enabled to store away.

This stately tree, which is rarely met with upon the Sandwich Islands,
and then only of a very inferior quality, and at Tahiti does not abound
to a degree that renders its fruit the principal article of food,
attains its greatest excellence in the genial climate of the Marquesan
group, where it grows to an enormous magnitude, and flourishes in the
utmost abundance.




CHAPTER XV


Melancholy condition—Occurrence at the Ti—Anecdote of Marheyo—Shaving
the head of a warrior.


In looking back to this period, and calling to remembrance the
numberless proofs of kindness and respect which I received from the
natives of the valley, I can scarcely understand how it was that, in
the midst of so many consolatory circumstances, my mind should still
have been consumed by the most dismal forebodings, and have remained a
prey to the profoundest melancholy. It is true that the suspicious
circumstances which had attended the disappearance of Toby were enough
of themselves to excite distrust with regard to the savages, in whose
power I felt myself to be entirely placed, especially when it was
combined with the knowledge that these very men, kind and respectful as
they were to me, were, after all, nothing better than a set of
cannibals.

But my chief source of anxiety, and that which poisoned every temporary
enjoyment, was the mysterious disease in my leg, which still remained
unabated. All the herbal applications of Tinor, united with the severer
discipline of the old leech, and the affectionate nursing of Kory-Kory,
had failed to relieve me. I was almost a cripple, and the pain I
endured at intervals was agonizing. The unaccountable malady showed no
signs of amendment; on the contrary, its violence increased day by day,
and threatened the most fatal results, unless some powerful means were
employed to counteract it. It seemed as if I were destined to sink
under this grievous affliction, or at least that it would hinder me
from availing myself of any opportunity of escaping from the valley.

An incident which occurred as nearly as I can estimate about three
weeks after the disappearance of Toby, convinced me that the natives,
from some reason or other, would interpose every possible obstacle to
my leaving them.

One morning there was no little excitement evinced by the people near
my abode, and which I soon discovered proceeded from a vague report
that boats had been seen at a great distance approaching the bay.
Immediately all was bustle and animation. It so happened that day that
the pain I suffered having somewhat abated, and feeling in much better
spirits than usual, I had complied with Kory-Kory’s invitation to visit
the chief Mehevi at the place called the “Ti,” which I have before
described as being situated within the precincts of the Taboo groves.
These sacred recesses were at no great distance from Marheyo’s
habitation, and lay between it and the sea; the path that conducted to
the beach passing directly in front of the Ti, and thence skirting
along the border of the groves.

I was reposing upon the mats, within the sacred building, in company
with Mehevi and several other chiefs, when the announcement was first
made. It sent a thrill of joy through my whole frame;—perhaps Toby was
about to return. I rose at once to my feet, and my instinctive impulse
was to hurry down to the beach, equally regardless of the distance that
separated me from it, and of my disabled condition. As soon as Mehevi
noticed the effect the intelligence had produced upon me, and the
impatience I betrayed to reach the sea, his countenance assumed that
inflexible rigidity of expression which had so awed me on the afternoon
of our arrival at the house of Marheyo, As I was proceeding to leave
the Ti, he laid his hand upon my shoulder, and said gravely, “abo, abo”
(wait, wait). Solely intent upon the one thought that occupied my mind,
and heedless of his request, I was brushing past him, when suddenly he
reassumed a tone of authority, and told me to “moee” (sit down). Though
struck by the alteration in his demeanour, the excitement under which I
laboured was too strong to permit me to obey the unexpected command,
and I was still limping towards the edge of the pi-pi with Kory-Kory
clinging to one arm in his efforts to restrain me when the natives
around me started to their feet, ranged themselves along the open front
of the building, while Mehevi looked at me scowlingly, and reiterated
his commands still more sternly.

It was at this moment, when fifty savage countenances were glaring upon
me, that I first truly experienced I was indeed a captive in the
valley. The conviction rushed upon me with staggering force, and I was
overwhelmed by this confirmation of my worst fears. I saw at once that
it was useless for me to resist, and sick at heart, I reseated myself
upon the mats, and for the moment abandoned myself to despair.

I now perceived the natives one after the other hurrying past the Ti
and pursuing the route that conducted to the sea. These savages,
thought I, will soon be holding communication with some of my own
countrymen perhaps, who with ease could restore me to liberty did they
know of the situation I was in. No language can describe the
wretchedness which I felt; and in the bitterness of my soul I
imprecated a thousand curses on the perfidious Toby, who had thus
abandoned me to destruction. It was in vain that Kory-Kory tempted me
with food, or lighted my pipe, or sought to attract my attention by
performing the uncouth antics that had sometimes diverted me. I was
fairly knocked down by this last misfortune, which, much as I had
feared it, I had never before had the courage calmly to contemplate.

Regardless of everything but my own sorrow, I remained in the Ti for
several hours, until shouts proceeding at intervals from the groves
beyond the house proclaimed the return of the natives from the beach.

Whether any boats visited the bay that morning or not, I never could
ascertain. The savages assured me that there had not—but I was inclined
to believe that by deceiving me in this particular they sought to allay
the violence of my grief. However that might be, this incident showed
plainly that the Typees intended to hold me a prisoner. As they still
treated me with the same sedulous attention as before, I was utterly at
a loss how to account for their singular conduct. Had I been in a
situation to instruct them in any of the rudiments of the mechanic
arts, or had I manifested a disposition to render myself in any way
useful among them, their conduct might have been attributed to some
adequate motive, but as it was, the matter seemed to me inexplicable.

During my whole stay on the island there occurred but two or three
instances where the natives applied to me with the view of availing
themselves of my superior information; and these now appear so
ludicrous that I cannot forbear relating them.

The few things we had brought from Nukuheva had been done up into a
small bundle which we had carried with us in our descent to the valley.
This bundle, the first night of our arrival, I had used as a pillow,
but on the succeeding morning, opening it for the inspection of the
natives, they gazed upon the miscellaneous contents as though I had
just revealed to them a casket of diamonds, and they insisted that so
precious a treasure should be properly secured. A line was accordingly
attached to it, and the other end being passed over the ridge-pole of
the house, it was hoisted up to the apex of the roof, where it hung
suspended directly over the mats where I usually reclined. When I
desired anything from it I merely raised my finger to a bamboo beside
me, and taking hold of the string which was there fastened, lowered the
package. This was exceedingly handy, and I took care to let the natives
understand how much I applauded the invention. Of this package the
chief contents were a razor with its case, a supply of needles and
thread, a pound or two of tobacco, and a few yards of a bright-coloured
calico.

I should have mentioned, that shortly after Toby’s disappearance,
perceiving the uncertainty of the time I might be obliged to remain in
the valley,—if, indeed, I ever should escape from it,—and considering
that my whole wardrobe consisted of a shirt and a pair of trousers, I
resolved to doff these garments at once, in order to preserve them in a
suitable condition for wear, should I again appear among civilized
beings. I was consequently obliged to assume the Typee costume, a
little altered, however, to suit my own views of propriety, and in
which I have no doubt I appeared to as much advantage as a senator of
Rome enveloped in the folds of his toga. A few folds of yellow tappa,
tucked about my waist, descended to my feet in the style of a lady’s
petticoat, only I did not have recourse to those voluminous paddings in
the rear with which our gentle dames are in the habit of augmenting the
sublime rotundity of their figures. This usually comprised my in-door
dress: whenever I walked out, I superadded to it an ample robe of the
same material, which completely enveloped my person, and screened it
from the rays of the sun.

One morning I made a rent in this mantle; and to show the islanders
with what facility it could be repaired, I lowered my bundle, and
taking from it a needle and thread, proceeded to stitch up the opening.
They regarded this wonderful application of science with intense
admiration; and whilst I was stitching away, old Marheyo, who was one
of the lookers-on, suddenly clapped his hand to his forehead, and
rushing to a corner of the house, drew forth a soiled and tattered
strip of faded calico—which he must have procured some time or other in
traffic on the beach—and besought me eagerly to exercise a little of my
art upon it. I willingly complied, though certainly so stumpy a needle
as mine never took such gigantic strides over calico before. The
repairs completed, old Marheyo gave me a paternal hug; and divesting
himself of his “maro” (girdle), swathed the calico about his loins, and
slipping the beloved ornaments into his ears, grasped his spear and
sallied out of the house, like a valiant Templar arrayed in a new and
costly suit of armour.

I never used my razor during my stay in the island, but, although a
very subordinate affair, it had been vastly admired by the Typees; and
Narmonee, a great hero among them, who was exceedingly precise in the
arrangements of his toilet and the general adjustment of his person,
being the most accurately tattooed and laboriously horrified individual
in all the valley, thought it would be a great advantage to have it
applied to the already shaven crown of his head.

The implement they usually employ is a shark’s tooth, which is about as
well adapted to the purpose as a one-pronged fork for pitching hay. No
wonder, then, that the acute Narmonee perceived the advantage my razor
possessed over the usual implement. Accordingly, one day, he requested
as a personal favour, that I would just run over his head with the
razor. In reply, I gave him to understand that it was too dull, and
could not be used to any purpose without being previously sharpened. To
assist my meaning, I went through an imaginary honing process on the
palm of my hand. Narmonee took my meaning in an instant, and running
out of the house, returned the next moment with a huge rough mass of
rock as big as a millstone, and indicated to me that that was exactly
the thing I wanted. Of course there was nothing left for me but to
proceed to business, and I began scraping away at a great rate. He
writhed and wriggled under the infliction, but, fully convinced of my
skill, endured the pain like a martyr.

Though I never saw Narmonee in battle, I will, from what I then
observed, stake my life upon his courage and fortitude. Before
commencing operations, his head had presented a surface of short
bristling hairs, and by the time I had concluded my unskilful operation
it resembled not a little a stubble field after being gone over with a
harrow. However, as the chief expressed the liveliest satisfaction at
the result, I was too wise to dissent from his opinion.




CHAPTER XVI


Improvement in health and spirits—Felicity of the Typees—A skirmish in
the mountain with the warriors of Happar.


Day after day wore on, and still there was no perceptible change in the
conduct of the islanders towards me. Gradually I lost all knowledge of
the regular recurrence of the days of the week, and sunk insensibly
into that kind of apathy which ensues after some violent outbreak of
despair. My limb suddenly healed, the swelling went down, the pain
subsided, and I had every reason to suppose I should soon completely
recover from the affliction that had so long tormented me.

As soon as I was enabled to ramble about the valley in company with the
natives, troops of whom followed me whenever I sallied out of the
house, I began to experience an elasticity of mind which placed me
beyond the reach of those dismal forebodings to which I had so lately
been a prey. Received wherever I went with the most deferential
kindness; regaled perpetually with the most delightful fruits;
ministered to by dark-eyed nymphs; and enjoying besides all the
services of the devoted Kory-Kory, I thought that, for a sojourn among
cannibals, no man could have well made a more agreeable one.

To be sure, there were limits set to my wanderings. Toward the sea, my
progress was barred by an express prohibition of the savages; and after
having made two or three ineffectual attempts to reach it, as much to
gratify my curiosity as anything else, I gave up the idea. It was in
vain to think of reaching it by stealth, since the natives escorted me
in numbers wherever I went, and not for one single moment that I can
recall to mind was I ever permitted to be alone.

The green and precipitous elevations that stood ranged around the head
of the vale where Marheyo’s habitation was situated, effectually
precluded all hope of escape in that quarter, even if I could have
stolen away from the thousand eyes of the savages.

But these reflections now seldom obtruded upon me; I gave myself up to
the passing hour, and if ever disagreeable thoughts arose in my mind, I
drove them away. When I looked around the verdant recess in which I was
buried, and gazed up to the summits of the lofty eminence that hemmed
me in, I was well disposed to think that I was in the “Happy Valley,”
and that beyond those heights there was nought but a world of care and
anxiety.

In this frame of mind, every object that presented itself to my notice
struck me in a new light, and the opportunities I now enjoyed of
observing the manners of the natives, tended to strengthen my
favourable impressions. One peculiarity that fixed my admiration was
the perpetual hilarity reigning through the whole extent of the vale.
There seemed to be no cares, griefs, troubles, or vexations in all
Typee. The hours tripped along as gaily as the laughing couples down a
country dance.

There were none of those thousand sources of irritation that the
ingenuity of civilized man has created to mar his own felicity. There
were no foreclosures of mortgages, no protested notes, no bills
payable, no debts of honour, in Typee; no unreasonable tailors and
shoemakers, perversely bent on being paid; no duns of any description;
no assault and battery attorneys, to foment discord, backing their
clients up to a quarrel, and then knocking their heads together; no
poor relations everlastingly occupying the spare bed-chamber, and
diminishing the elbow-room at the family table; no destitute widows
with their children starving on the cold charities of the world; no
beggars; no debtor’s prisons; no proud and hard-hearted nabobs in
Typee; or, to sum up all in one word—no Money! That “root of all evil”
was not to be found in the valley.

In this secluded abode of happiness there were no cross old women, no
cruel step-dames, no withered spinsters, no love-sick maidens, no sour
old bachelors, no inattentive husbands, no melancholy young men, no
blubbering youngsters, and no squalling brats. All was mirth, fun, and
high good humour. Blue devils, hypochondria, and doleful dumps went and
hid themselves among the nooks and crannies of the rocks.

Here you would see a parcel of children frolicking together the
live-long day, and no quarrelling, no contention among them. The same
number in our own land could not have played together for the space of
an hour without biting or scratching one another. There you might have
seen a throng of young females, not filled with envyings of each
other’s charms, nor displaying the ridiculous affectations of
gentility, nor yet moving in whalebone corsets, like so many
automatons, but free, inartificially happy and unconstrained.

There were some spots in that sunny vale where they would frequently
resort to decorate themselves with garlands of flowers. To have seen
them reclining beneath the shadows of one of the beautiful groves, the
ground about them strewn with freshly gathered buds and blossoms,
employed in weaving chaplets and necklaces, one would have thought that
all the train of Flora had gathered together to keep a festival in
honour of their mistress.

With the young men there seemed almost always some matter of diversion
or business on hand, that afforded a constant variety of enjoyment. But
whether fishing, or carving canoes, or polishing their ornaments, never
was there exhibited the least sign of strife or contention among them.

As for the warriors, they maintained a tranquil dignity of demeanour,
journeying occasionally from house to house, where they were always
sure to be received with the attention bestowed upon distinguished
guests. The old men, of whom there were many in the vale, seldom
stirred from their mats, where they would recline for hours and hours,
smoking and talking to one another with all the garrulity of age.

But the continual happiness which, so far as I was able to judge,
appeared to prevail in the valley, sprung principally from that
all-pervading sensation which Rousseau has told us he at one time
experienced, the mere buoyant sense of a healthful physical existence.
And, indeed, in this particular the Typees had ample reason to
felicitate themselves, for sickness was almost unknown. During the
whole period of my stay, I saw but one invalid among them; and on their
smooth clear skins you observed no blemish or mark of disease.

The general repose, however, upon which I have just been descanting,
was broken in upon about this time by an event, which proved that the
islanders were not entirely exempt from those occurrences which disturb
the quiet of more civilized communities.

Having now been a considerable time in the valley, I began to feel
surprised that the violent hostility subsisting between its inhabitants
and those of the adjoining bay of Happar, should never have manifested
itself in any warlike encounter. Although the valiant Typees would
often, by gesticulations, declare their undying hatred against their
enemies, and the disgust they felt at their cannibal propensities;
although they dilated upon the manifold injuries they had received at
their hands, yet, with a forbearance truly commendable, they appeared
patiently to sit down under their grievances, and to refrain from
making any reprisals. The Happars, entrenched behind their mountains,
and never even showing themselves on their summits, did not appear to
me to furnish adequate cause for that excess of animosity evinced
towards them by the heroic tenants of our vale, and I was inclined to
believe that the deeds of blood attributed to them had been greatly
exaggerated.

On the other hand, as the clamours of war had not up to this period
disturbed the serenity of the tribe, I began to distrust the truth of
those reports which ascribed so fierce and belligerent a character to
the Typee nation. Surely, thought I, all these terrible stories I have
heard about the inveteracy with which they carried on the feud, their
deadly intensity of hatred, and the diabolical malice with which they
glutted their revenge upon the inanimate forms of the slain, are
nothing more than fables, and I must confess that I experienced
something like a sense of regret at having my hideous anticipations
thus disappointed. I felt in some sort like a ’prentice boy who, going
to the play in the expectation of being delighted with a cut-and-thrust
tragedy, is almost moved to tears of disappointment at the exhibition
of a genteel comedy.

I could not avoid thinking that I had fallen in with a greatly traduced
people, and I moralized not a little upon the disadvantage of having a
bad name, which in this instance had given a tribe of savages, who were
as pacific as so many lambkins, the reputation of a confederacy of
giant-killers.

But subsequent events proved that I had been a little too premature in
coming to this conclusion. One day, about noon, happening to be at the
Ti, I had lain down on the mats with several of the chiefs, and had
gradually sunk into a most luxurious siesta, when I was awakened by a
tremendous outcry, and starting up, beheld the natives, seizing their
spears and hurrying out, while the most puissant of the chiefs,
grasping the six muskets which were ranged against the bamboos,
followed after, and soon disappeared in the groves. These movements
were accompanied by wild shouts, in which “Happar, Happar,” greatly
predominated. The islanders were now to be seen running past the Ti,
and striking across the valley to the Happar side. Presently I heard
the sharp report of a musket from the adjoining hills, and then a burst
of voices in the same direction. At this the women, who had congregated
in the groves, set up the most violent clamours, as they invariably do
here as elsewhere on every occasion of excitement and alarm, with a
view of tranquillizing their own minds and disturbing other people. On
this particular occasion they made such an outrageous noise, and
continued it with such perseverance, that for awhile, had entire
volleys of musketry been fired off in the neighbouring mountains, I
should not have been able to have heard them.

When this female commotion had a little subsided I listened eagerly for
further information. At last bang went another shot, and then a second
volley of yells from the hills. Again all was quiet, and continued so
for such a length of time that I began to think the contending armies
had agreed upon a suspension of hostilities; when pop went a third gun,
followed as before with a yell. After this, for nearly two hours
nothing occurred worthy of comment, save some straggling shouts from
the hillside, sounding like the halloos of a parcel of truant boys who
had lost themselves in the woods.

During this interval I had remained standing on the piazza of the “Ti,”
which directly fronted the Happar mountain, and with no one near me but
Kory-Kory and the old superannuated savages I have before described.
These latter never stirred from their mats, and seemed altogether
unconscious that anything unusual was going on.

As for Kory-Kory, he appeared to think that we were in the midst of
great events, and sought most zealously to impress me with a due sense
of their importance. Every sound that reached us conveyed some
momentous item of intelligence to him. At such times, as if he were
gifted with second sight, he would go through a variety of pantomimic
illustrations, showing me the precise manner in which the redoubtable
Typees were at that very moment chastising the insolence of the enemy.
“Mehevi hanna pippee nuee Happar,” he exclaimed every five minutes,
giving me to understand that under that distinguished captain the
warriors of his nation were performing prodigies of valour.

Having heard only four reports from the muskets, I was led to believe
that they were worked by the islanders in the same manner as the Sultan
Solyman’s ponderous artillery at the siege of Byzantium, one of them
taking an hour or two to load and train. At last, no sound whatever
proceeding from the mountains, I concluded that the contest had been
determined one way or the other. Such appeared, indeed, to be the case,
for in a little while a courier arrived at the “Ti,” almost breathless
with his exertions, and communicated the news of a great victory having
been achieved by his countrymen: “Happar poo arva!—Happar poo arva!”
(the cowards had fled). Kory-Kory was in ecstasies, and commenced a
vehement harangue, which, so far as I understood it, implied that the
result exactly agreed with his expectations, and which, moreover, was
intended to convince me that it would be a perfectly useless
undertaking, even for an army of fire-eaters, to offer battle to the
irresistible heroes of our valley. In all this I of course acquiesced,
and looked forward with no little interest to the return of the
conquerors, whose victory I feared might not have been purchased
without cost to themselves.

But here I was again mistaken; for Mehevi, in conducting his warlike
operations, rather inclined to the Fabian than to the Buonapartean
tactics, husbanding his resources and exposing his troops to no
unnecessary hazards. The total loss of the victors in this obstinately
contested affair was,—in killed, wounded, and missing—one forefinger
and part of a thumb-nail (which the late proprietor brought along with
him in his hand), a severely contused arm, and a considerable effusion
of blood flowing from the thigh of a chief who had received an ugly
thrust from a Happar spear. What the enemy had suffered I could not
discover, but I presume they had succeeded in taking off with them the
bodies of their slain.

Such was the issue of the battle, as far as its results came under my
observation; and as it appeared to be considered an event of prodigious
importance, I reasonably concluded that the wars of the natives were
marked by no very sanguinary traits. I afterwards learned how the
skirmish had originated. A number of the Happars had been discovered
prowling for no good purpose on the Typee side of the mountain; the
alarm sounded, and the invaders, after a protracted resistance, had
been chased over the frontier. But why had not the intrepid Mehevi
carried the war into Happar? Why had not he made a descent into the
hostile vale, and brought away some trophy of his victory—some
materials for the cannibal entertainment which I had heard usually
terminated every engagement? After all, I was much inclined to believe
that these shocking festivals must occur very rarely among the
islanders, if, indeed, they ever take place.

For two or three days the late event was the theme of general comment;
after which the excitement gradually wore away, and the valley resumed
its accustomed tranquillity.




CHAPTER XVII


Swimming in company with the girls of the valley—A canoe—Effects of the
taboo—A pleasure excursion on the pond—Beautiful freak of
Fayaway—Mantua-making—A stranger arrives in the valley—His mysterious
conduct—Native oratory—The interview—Its results—Departure of the
stranger.


Returning health and peace of mind gave a new interest to everything
around me. I sought to diversify my time by as many enjoyments as lay
within my reach. Bathing in company with troops of girls, formed one of
my chief amusements. We sometimes enjoyed the recreation in the waters
of a miniature lake, into which the central stream of the valley
expanded. This lovely sheet of water was almost circular in figure, and
about three hundred yards across. Its beauty was indescribable. All
around its banks waved luxuriant masses of tropical foliage, soaring
high above which were seen, here and there, the symmetrical shaft of
the cocoa-nut tree, surmounted by its tuft of graceful branches,
drooping in the air like so many waving ostrich plumes.

The ease and grace with which the maidens of the valley propelled
themselves through the water, and their familiarity with the element,
were truly astonishing. Sometimes they might be seen gliding along just
under the surface, without apparently moving hand or foot; then
throwing themselves on their sides, they darted through the water,
revealing glimpses of their forms, as, in the course of their rapid
progress, they shot for an instant partly into the air; at one moment
they dived deep down into the water, and the next they rose bounding to
the surface.

I remember upon one occasion plunging in among a parcel of these
river-nymphs, and counting vainly on my superior strength, sought to
drag some of them under the water; but I quickly repented my temerity.
The amphibious young creatures swarmed about me like a shoal of
dolphins, and seizing hold of my devoted limbs, tumbled me about and
ducked me under the surface, until from the strange noises which rang
in my ears, and the supernatural visions dancing before my eyes, I
thought I was in the land of spirits. I stood indeed as little chance
among them as a cumbrous whale attacked on all sides by a legion of
sword-fish. When at length they relinquished their hold of me, they
swam away in every direction, laughing at my clumsy endeavours to reach
them.

There was no boat on the lake; but at my solicitation, and for my
special use, some of the young men attached to Marheyo’s household,
under the direction of the indefatigable Kory-Kory, brought up a light
and tastefully carved canoe from the sea. It was launched upon the
sheet of water, and floated there as gracefully as a swan. But,
melancholy to relate, it produced an effect I had not anticipated. The
sweet nymphs, who had sported with me before in the lake, now all fled
its vicinity. The prohibited craft, guarded by the edicts of the
“taboo,” extended the prohibition to the waters in which it lay.

For a few days, Kory-Kory, with one or two other youths, accompanied me
in my excursions to the lake and, while I paddled about in my light
canoe, would swim after me shouting and gambolling in pursuit. But this
was far from contenting me. Indeed, I soon began to weary of it, and
longed more than ever for the pleasant society of the mermaids, in
whose absence the amusement was dull and insipid. One morning I
expressed to my faithful servitor my desire for the return of the
nymphs. The honest fellow looked at me, bewildered for a moment, and
then shook his head solemnly, and murmured “_taboo! taboo!_” giving me
to understand that unless the canoe was removed, I could not expect to
have the young ladies back again. But to this procedure I was averse; I
not only wanted the canoe to stay where it was, but I wanted the
beauteous Fayaway to get into it, and paddle with me about the lake.
This latter proposition completely horrified Kory-Kory’s notions of
propriety. He inveighed against it, as something too monstrous to be
thought of. It not only shocked their established notions of propriety,
but was at variance with all their religious ordinances.

However, although the “taboo” was a ticklish thing to meddle with, I
determined to test its capabilities of resisting an attack. I consulted
the chief Mehevi, who endeavoured to persuade me from my object: but I
was not to be repulsed; and accordingly increased the warmth of my
solicitations. At last he entered into a long, and I have no doubt a
very learned and eloquent exposition of the history and nature of the
“taboo” as affecting this particular case; employing a variety of most
extraordinary words, which, from their amazing length and sonorousness,
I have every reason to believe were of a theological nature. But all
that he said failed to convince me: partly perhaps, because I could not
comprehend a word that he uttered; but chiefly, that for the life of
me, I could not understand why a woman should not have as much right to
enter a canoe as a man. At last he became a little more rational, and
intimated that, out of the abundant love he bore me, he would consult
with the priests and see what could be done.

How it was that the priesthood of Typee satisfied the affair with their
consciences, I know not; but so it was, and Fayaway’s dispensation from
this portion of the taboo was at length procured. Such an event, I
believe, never before had occurred in the valley; but it was high time
the islanders should be taught a little gallantry, and I trust that the
example I set them may produce beneficial effects. Ridiculous, indeed,
that the lovely creatures should be obliged to paddle about in the
water, like so many ducks, while a parcel of great strapping fellows
skimmed over its surface in their canoes.

The first day after Fayaway’s emancipation, I had a delightful little
party on the lake—the damsel, Kory-Kory, and myself. My zealous
body-servant brought from the house a calabash of poee-poee, half a
dozen young cocoa-nuts—stripped of their husks—three pipes, as many
yams, and me on his back a part of the way. Something of a load; but
Kory-Kory was a very strong man for his size, and by no means brittle
in the spine. We had a very pleasant day; my trusty valet plied the
paddle and swept us gently along the margin of the water, beneath the
shades of the overhanging thickets. Fayaway and I reclined in the stern
of the canoe, the gentle nymph occasionally placing her pipe to her
lips, and exhaling the mild fumes of the tobacco, to which her rosy
breath added a fresh perfume. Strange as it may seem, there is nothing
in which a young and beautiful female appears to more advantage than in
the act of smoking. How captivating is a Peruvian lady, swinging in her
gaily-woven hammock of grass, extended between two orange-trees, and
inhaling the fragrance of a choice cigarro! But Fayaway, holding in her
delicately-formed olive hand the long yellow reed of her pipe, with its
quaintly carved bowl, and every few moments languishingly giving forth
light wreaths of vapour from her mouth and nostrils, looked still more
engaging.

We boated about thus for several hours, when I looked up to the warm,
glowing, tropical sky, and then down into the transparent depths below;
and when my eye, wandering from the bewitching scenery around, fell
upon the grotesquely-tattooed form of Kory-Kory, and finally
encountered the pensive gaze of Fayaway, I thought I had been
transported to some fairy region, so unreal did everything appear.

This lovely piece of water was the coolest spot in all the valley, and
I now made it a place of continual resort during the hottest period of
the day. One side of it lay near the termination of a long gradually
expanding gorge, which mounted to the heights that environed the vale.
The strong trade-wind, met in its course by these elevations, circled
and eddied about their summits, and was sometimes driven down the steep
ravine and swept across the valley, ruffling in its passage the
otherwise tranquil surface of the lake.

One day, after we had been paddling about for some time, I disembarked
Kory-Kory, and paddled the canoe to the windward side of the lake. As I
turned the canoe, Fayaway, who was with me, seemed all at once to be
struck with some happy idea. With a wild exclamation of delight, she
disengaged from her person the ample robe of tappa which was knotted
over her shoulder (for the purpose of shielding her from the sun), and
spreading it out like a sail, stood erect with up-raised arms in the
head of the canoe. We American sailors pride ourselves upon our
straight clean spars, but a prettier little mast than Fayaway made was
never shipped aboard of any craft.

In a moment the tappa was distended by the breeze—the long brown
tresses of Fayaway streamed in the air—and the canoe glided rapidly
through the water, and shot towards the shore. Seated in the stern, I
directed its course with my paddle until it dashed up the soft sloping
bank, and Fayaway, with a light spring, alighted on the ground; whilst
Kory-Kory, who had watched our manœuvres with admiration, now clapped
his hands in transport, and shouted like a madman. Many a time
afterwards was this feat repeated.

If the reader has not observed ere this that I was the declared admirer
of Miss Fayaway, all I can say is, that he is little conversant with
affairs of the heart, and I certainly shall not trouble myself to
enlighten him any farther. Out of the calico I had brought from the
ship a dress was made for this lovely girl. In it she looked, I must
confess, something like an opera-dancer. The drapery of the latter
damsel generally commences a little above the elbows, but my island
beauty’s began at the waist, and terminated sufficiently far above the
ground to reveal the most bewitching ankle in the universe.

The day that Fayaway first wore this robe was rendered memorable by a
new acquaintance being introduced to me. In the afternoon I was lying
in the house, when I heard a great uproar outside; but being by this
time pretty well accustomed to the wild halloos which were almost
continually ringing through the valley, I paid little attention to it,
until old Marheyo, under the influence of some strange excitement,
rushed into my presence and communicated the astounding tidings,
“Marnoo pemi!” which being interpreted, implied that an individual by
the name of Marnoo was approaching. My worthy old friend evidently
expected that this intelligence would produce a great effect upon me,
and for a time he stood earnestly regarding me, as if curious to see
how I should conduct myself, but as I remained perfectly unmoved, the
old gentleman darted out of the house again, in as great a hurry as he
had entered it.

“Marnoo, Marnoo,” cogitated I, “I have never heard that name before.
Some distinguished character, I presume, from the prodigious riot the
natives are making”; the tumultuous noise drawing nearer and nearer
every moment, while “Marnoo!—Marnoo!” was shouted by every tongue.

I made up my mind that some savage warrior of consequence, who had not
yet enjoyed the honour of an audience, was desirous of paying his
respects on the present occasion. So vain had I become by the lavish
attention to which I had been accustomed, that I felt half inclined, as
a punishment for such neglect, to give this Marnoo a cold reception,
when the excited throng came within view, convoying one of the most
striking specimens of humanity that I ever beheld.

The stranger could not have been more than twenty-five years of age,
and was a little above the ordinary height; had he been a single hair’s
breadth taller, the matchless symmetry of his form would have been
destroyed. His unclad limbs were beautifully formed; whilst the elegant
outline of his figure, together with his beardless cheeks, might have
entitled him to the distinction of standing for the statue of the
Polynesian Apollo; and indeed the oval of his countenance and the
regularity of every feature reminded me of an antique bust. But the
marble repose of art was supplied by a warmth and liveliness of
expression only to be seen in the South Sea islander under the most
favourable developments of nature. The hair of Marnoo was a rich
curling brown, and twined about his temples and neck in little close
curling ringlets, which danced up and down continually when he was
animated in conversation. His cheek was of a feminine softness, and his
face was free from the least blemish of tattooing, although the rest of
his body was drawn all over with fanciful figures, which—unlike the
unconnected sketching usual among these natives—appeared to have been
executed in conformity with some general design.

The tattooing on his back in particular attracted my attention. The
artist employed must indeed have excelled in his profession. Traced
along the course of the spine was accurately delineated the slender,
tapering, and diamond-checkered shaft of the beautiful “artu” tree.
Branching from the stem on either side, and disposed alternately, were
the graceful branches drooping with leaves all correctly drawn, and
elaborately finished. Indeed, this piece of tattooing was the best
specimen of the Fine Arts I had yet seen in Typee. A rear view of the
stranger might have suggested the idea of a spreading vine tacked
against a garden wall. Upon his breast, arms, and legs, were exhibited
an infinite variety of figures; every one of which, however, appeared
to have reference to the general effect sought to be produced. The
tattooing I have described was of the brightest blue, and when
contrasted with the light olive-colour of the skin, produced an unique
and even elegant effect. A slight girdle of white tappa, scarcely two
inches in width, but hanging before and behind in spreading tassels,
composed the entire costume of the stranger.

He advanced surrounded by the islanders, carrying under one arm a small
roll of the native cloth, and grasping in his other hand a long and
richly-decorated spear. His manner was that of a traveller conscious
that he is approaching a comfortable stage in his journey. Every moment
he turned good-humouredly to the throng around him, and gave some
dashing sort of reply to their incessant queries, which appeared to
convulse them with uncontrollable mirth.

Struck by his demeanour, and the peculiarity of his appearance, so
unlike that of the shaven-crowned and face-tattooed natives in general,
I involuntarily rose as he entered the house, and proffered him a seat
on the mats beside me. But without deigning to notice the civility, or
even the more incontrovertible fact of my existence, the stranger
passed on, utterly regardless of me, and flung himself upon the farther
end of the long couch that traversed the sole apartment of Marheyo’s
habitation.

Had the belle of the season, in the pride of her beauty and power, been
cut in a place of public resort by some supercilious exquisite, she
could not have felt greater indignation than I did at this unexpected
slight.

I was thrown into utter astonishment. The conduct of the savages had
prepared me to anticipate from every new-comer the same extravagant
expression of curiosity and regard. The singularity of his conduct,
however, only roused my desire to discover who this remarkable
personage might be, who now engrossed the attention of every one.

Tinor placed before him a calabash of poee-poee, from which the
stranger regaled himself, alternating every mouthful with some rapid
exclamation, which was eagerly caught up and echoed by the crowd that
completely filled the house. When I observed the striking devotion of
the natives to him, and their temporary withdrawal of all attention
from myself, I felt not a little piqued. The glory of Tommo is
departed, thought I, and the sooner he removes from the valley the
better. These were my feelings at the moment, and they were prompted by
that glorious principle inherent in all heroic natures—the
strong-rooted determination to have the biggest share of the pudding or
to go without any of it.

Marnoo, this all-attractive personage, having satisfied his hunger, and
inhaled a few whiffs from a pipe which was handed to him, launched out
into an harangue which completely enchained the attention of his
auditors.

Little as I understood of the language, yet from his animated gestures
and the varying expression of his features—reflected as from so many
mirrors in the countenances around him—I could easily discover the
nature of those passions which he sought to arouse. From the frequent
recurrence of the words, “Nukuheva” and “Franee” (French), and some
others with the meaning of which I was acquainted, he appeared to be
rehearsing to his auditors events which had recently occurred in the
neighboring bays. But how he had gained the knowledge of these matters,
I could not understand, unless it were that he had just come from
Nukuheva,—a supposition which his travel-stained appearance not a
little supported. But, if a native of that region, I could not account
for his friendly reception at the hands of the Typees.

Never, certainly, had I beheld so powerful an exhibition of natural
eloquence as Marnoo displayed during the course of his oration. The
grace of the attitudes into which he threw his flexible figure, the
striking gestures of his naked arms, and above all, the fire which shot
from his brilliant eyes, imparted an effect to the continually-changing
accents of his voice, of which the most accomplished orator might have
been proud. At one moment reclining sideways upon the mat, and leaning
calmly upon his bended arm, he related circumstantially the aggressions
of the French—their hostile visit to the surrounding bays, enumerating
each one in succession—Happar, Puerka, Nukuheva, Tior,—and then
starting to his feet, and precipitating himself forward with clenched
hands and a countenance distorted with passion, he poured out a tide of
invectives. Falling back into an attitude of lofty command, he exhorted
the Typees to resist these encroachments; reminding them, with a fierce
glance of exultation, that as yet the terror of their name had
preserved them from attack; and with a scornful sneer, he sketched in
ironical terms the wondrous intrepidity of the French, who, with five
war-canoes and hundreds of men, had not dared to assail the naked
warriors of their valley.

The effect he produced upon his audience was electric; one and all they
stood regarding him with sparkling eyes and trembling limbs, as though
they were listening to the inspired voice of a prophet.

But it soon appeared that Marnoo’s powers were as versatile as they
were extraordinary. As soon as he had finished his vehement harangue,
he threw himself again upon the mats, and, singling out individuals in
the crowd, addressed them by name, in a sort of bantering style, the
humour of which, though nearly hidden from me, filled the whole
assembly with uproarious delight.

He had a word for everybody; and, turning rapidly from one to another,
gave utterance to some hasty witticism, which was sure to be followed
by peals of laughter. To the females, as well as to the men, he
addressed his discourse. Heaven only knows what he said to them, but he
caused smiles and blushes to mantle their ingenuous faces. I am,
indeed, very much inclined to believe that Marnoo, with his handsome
person and captivating manners, was a sad deceiver among the simple
maidens of the island.

During all this time, he had never for one moment deigned to regard me.
He appeared, indeed, to be altogether unconscious of my presence. I was
utterly at a loss how to account for this extraordinary conduct, I
easily perceived that he was a man of no little consequence among the
islanders; that he possessed uncommon talents; and was gifted with a
higher degree of knowledge than the inmates of the valley. For these
reasons, I therefore greatly feared lest, having, from some cause or
other, unfriendly feelings towards me, he might exert his powerful
influence to do me mischief.

It seemed evident that he was not a permanent resident of the vale, and
yet, whence could he have come? On all sides the Typees were girt in by
hostile tribes, and how could he possibly, if belonging to any of
these, be received with so much cordiality?

The personal appearance of the enigmatical stranger suggested
additional perplexities. The face, free from tattooing, and the
unshaven crown, were peculiarities I had never before remarked in any
part of the island, and I had always heard that the contrary were
considered the indispensable distinctions of a Marquesan warrior.
Altogether the matter was perfectly incomprehensible to me, and I
awaited its solution with no small degree of anxiety.

At length, from certain indications, I suspected that he was making me
the subject of his remarks, although he appeared cautiously to avoid
either pronouncing my name, or looking in the direction where I lay.
All at once he rose from the mats where he had been reclining, and,
still conversing, moved towards me, his eye purposely evading mine, and
seated himself within less than a yard of me. I had hardly recovered
from my surprise, when he suddenly turned round, and with a most
benignant countenance, extended his right hand gracefully towards me.
Of course I accepted the courteous challenge, and, as soon as our palms
met, he bent towards me, and murmured in musical accents,—“How you do?
How long have you been in this bay? You like this bay?”

Had I been pierced simultaneously by three Happar spears, I could not
have started more than I did at hearing these simple questions. For a
moment I was overwhelmed with astonishment, and then answered
something, I know not what; but as soon as I regained my
self-possession, the thought darted through my mind that from this
individual I might obtain that information regarding Toby which I
suspected the natives had purposely withheld from me. Accordingly, I
questioned him concerning the disappearance of my companion, but he
denied all knowledge of the matter. I then inquired from whence he had
come? He replied, from Nukuheva. When I expressed my surprise, he
looked at me for a moment, as if enjoying my perplexity, and then, with
his strange vivacity, exclaimed,—“Ah! me taboo,—me go Nukuheva,—me go
Tior,—me go Typee,—me go everywhere,—nobody harm me,—taboo.”

This explanation would have been altogether unintelligible to me, had
it not recalled to my mind something I had previously heard concerning
a singular custom among these islanders. Though the country is
possessed by various tribes, whose mutual hostilities almost wholly
preclude any intercourse between them, yet there are instances where a
person having ratified friendly relations with some individual
belonging to the valley, whose inmates are at war with his own, may,
under particular restrictions, venture with impunity into the country
of his friend, where, under other circumstances, he would have been
treated as an enemy. In this light are personal friendships regarded
among them, and the individual so protected is said to be “taboo” and
his person, to a certain extent, is held as sacred. Thus the stranger
informed me he had access to all the valleys in the island.

Curious to know how he had acquired his knowledge of English, I
questioned him on the subject. At first, for some reason or other, he
evaded the inquiry, but afterwards told me that, when a boy, he had
been carried to sea by the captain of a trading vessel, with whom he
had stayed three years, living part of the time with him at Sydney, in
Australia, and that, at a subsequent visit to the island, the captain
had, at his own request, permitted him to remain among his countrymen.
The natural quickness of the savage had been wonderfully improved by
his intercourse with the white men, and his partial knowledge of a
foreign language gave him a great ascendancy over his less accomplished
countrymen.

When I asked the now affable Marnoo why it was that he had not
previously spoken to me, he eagerly inquired what I had been led to
think of him from his conduct in that respect. I replied, that I had
supposed him to be some great chief or warrior, who had seen plenty of
white men before, and did not think it worth while to notice a poor
sailor. At this declaration of the exalted opinion I had formed of him,
he appeared vastly gratified, and gave me to understand that he had
purposely behaved in that manner, in order to increase my astonishment,
as soon as he should see proper to address me.

Marnoo now sought to learn my version of the story as to how I came to
be an inmate of the Typee valley. When I related to him the
circumstances under which Toby and I had entered it, he listened with
evident interest; but as soon as I alluded to the absence, yet
unaccounted for, of my comrade, he endeavoured to change the subject,
as if it were something he desired not to agitate. It seemed, indeed,
as if everything connected with Toby was destined to beget distrust and
anxiety in my bosom. Notwithstanding Marnoo’s denial of any knowledge
of his fate, I could not avoid suspecting that he was deceiving me; and
this suspicion revived those frightful apprehensions with regard to my
own fate, which, for a short time past, had subsided in my breast.

Influenced by these feelings, I now felt a strong desire to avail
myself of the stranger’s protection, and under his safeguard to return
to Nukuheva. But as soon as I hinted at this, he unhesitatingly
pronounced it to be entirely impracticable; assuring me that the Typees
would never consent to my leaving the valley. Although what he said
merely confirmed the impression which I had before entertained, still
it increased my anxiety to escape from a captivity, which, however
endurable, nay, delightful it might be in some respects, involved in
its issues a fate marked by the most frightful contingencies.

I could not conceal from my mind that Toby had been treated in the same
friendly manner as I had been, and yet all their kindness terminated
with his mysterious disappearance. Might not the same fate await me?—a
fate too dreadful to think of. Stimulated by these considerations, I
urged anew my request to Marnoo; but he only set forth in stronger
colours the impossibility of my escape, and repeated his previous
declaration, that the Typees would never be brought to consent to my
departure.

When I endeavoured to learn from him the motives which prompted them to
hold me a prisoner, Marnoo again assumed that mysterious tone which had
tormented me with apprehensions when I had questioned him with regard
to the fate of my companion.

Thus repulsed, in a manner which only served, by arousing the most
dreadful forebodings, to excite me to renewed attempts, I conjured him
to intercede for me with the natives, and endeavour to procure their
consent to my leaving them. To this he appeared strongly averse; but,
yielding at last to my importunities, he addressed several of the
chiefs, who with the rest had been eyeing us intently during the whole
of our conversation. His petition, however, was at once met with the
most violent disapprobation, manifesting itself in angry glances and
gestures, and a perfect torrent of passionate words, directed to both
him and myself. Marnoo, evidently repenting the step he had taken,
earnestly deprecated the resentment of the crowd, and in a few moments
succeeded in pacifying, to some extent, the clamours which had broken
out as soon as his proposition had been understood.

With the most intense interest had I watched the reception his
intercession might receive; and a bitter pang shot through my heart at
the additional evidence, now furnished, of the unchangeable
determination of the islanders. Marnoo told me, with evident alarm in
his countenance, that although admitted into the bay on a friendly
footing with its inhabitants, he could not presume to meddle with their
concerns, as such a procedure, if persisted in, would at once absolve
the Typees from the restraints of the “taboo,” although so long as he
refrained from any such conduct, it screened him effectually from the
consequences of the enmity they bore his tribe.

At this moment, Mehevi, who was present, angrily interrupted him; and
the words which he uttered, in a commanding tone, evidently meant that
he must at once cease talking to me, and withdraw to the other part of
the house. Marnoo immediately started up, hurriedly enjoining me not to
address him again, and, as I valued my safety, to refrain from all
further allusion to the subject of my departure; and then, in
compliance with the order of the determined chief, but not before it
had again been angrily repeated, he withdrew to a distance.

I now perceived, with no small degree of apprehension, the same savage
expression in the countenances of the natives which had startled me
during the scene at the Ti. They glanced their eyes suspiciously from
Marnoo to me, as if distrusting the nature of an intercourse carried
on, as it was, in a language they could not understand, and they seemed
to harbour the belief that already we had concerted measures calculated
to elude their vigilance.

The lively countenances of these people are wonderfully indicative of
the emotions of the soul, and the imperfections of their oral language
are more than compensated for by the nervous eloquence of their looks
and gestures. I could plainly trace, in every varying expression of
their faces, all those passions which had been thus unexpectedly
aroused in their bosoms.

It required no reflection to convince me, from what was going on, that
the injunction of Marnoo was not to be rashly slighted; and
accordingly, great as was the effort to suppress my feelings, I
accosted Mehevi in a good-humoured tone, with a view of dissipating any
ill impression he might have received. But the ireful, angry chief was
not so easily mollified. He rejected my advances with that peculiarly
stern expression I have before described, and took care by the whole of
his behaviour towards me to show the displeasure and resentment which
he felt.

Marnoo, at the other extremity of the house, apparently desirous of
making a diversion in my favour, exerted himself to amuse with his
pleasantries the crowd about him; but his lively attempts were not so
successful as they had previously been, and, foiled in his efforts, he
rose gravely to depart. No one expressed any regret at this movement,
so seizing his roll of tappa, and grasping his spear, he advanced to
the front of the pi-pi, and waving his hand in adieu to the now silent
throng, cast upon me a glance of mingled pity and reproach, and flung
himself into the path which led from the house. I watched his receding
figure until it was lost in the obscurity of the grove, and then gave
myself up to the most desponding reflections.




CHAPTER XVIII


Reflection after Marnoo’s departure—Battle of the pop-guns—Strange
conceit of Marheyo—Process of making tappa.


The knowledge I had now obtained as to the intention of the savages
deeply affected me.

Marnoo, I perceived, was a man who, by reason of his superior
acquirements, and the knowledge he possessed of the events which were
taking place in the different bays of the island, was held in no little
estimation by the inhabitants of the valley. He had been received with
the most cordial welcome and respect. The natives had hung upon the
accents of his voice, and had manifested the highest gratification at
being individually noticed by him. And yet, despite all this, a few
words urged in my behalf, with the intent of obtaining my release from
captivity, had sufficed not only to banish all harmony and good-will,
but, if I could believe what he told me, had gone nigh to endanger his
own personal safety.

How strongly rooted, then, must be the determination of the Typees with
regard to me, and how suddenly could they display the strangest
passions! The mere suggestion of my departure had estranged from me,
for the time at least, Mehevi, who was the most influential of all the
chiefs, and who had previously exhibited so many instances of his
friendly sentiments. The rest of the natives had likewise evinced their
strong repugnance to my wishes, and even Kory-Kory himself seemed to
share in the general disapprobation bestowed upon me.

In vain I racked my invention to find out some motive for the strange
desire these people manifested to retain me among them; but I could
discover none.

But however this might be, the scene which had just occurred admonished
me of the danger of trifling with the wayward and passionate spirits
against whom it was vain to struggle, and might even be fatal to do so.
My only hope was to induce the natives to believe that I was reconciled
to my detention in the valley, and by assuming a tranquil and cheerful
demeanour, to allay the suspicions which I had so unfortunately
aroused. Their confidence revived, they might in a short time remit in
some degree their watchfulness over my movements, and I should then be
the better enabled to avail myself of any opportunity which presented
itself for escape. I determined, therefore, to make the best of a bad
bargain, and to bear up manfully against whatever might betide. In this
endeavour I succeeded beyond my own expectations. At the period of
Marnoo’s visit, I had been in the valley, as nearly as I could
conjecture, some two months. Although not completely recovered from my
strange illness, which still lingered about me, I was free from pain
and able to take exercise. In short, I had every reason to anticipate a
perfect recovery. Freed from apprehensions on this point, and resolved
to regard the future without flinching, I flung myself anew into all
the social pleasures of the valley, and sought to bury all regrets, and
all remembrances of my previous existence, in the wild enjoyments it
afforded.

In my various wanderings through the vale, and as I became better
acquainted with the character of its inhabitants, I was more and more
struck with the light-hearted joyousness that everywhere prevailed. The
minds of these simple savages, unoccupied by matters of graver moment,
were capable of deriving the utmost delight from circumstances which
would have passed unnoticed in more intelligent communities. All their
enjoyment, indeed, seemed to be made up of the little trifling
incidents of the passing hour; but these diminutive items swelled
altogether to an amount of happiness seldom experienced by more
enlightened individuals, whose pleasures are drawn from more elevated
but rarer sources.

What community, for instance, of refined and intellectual mortals would
derive the least satisfaction from shooting pop-guns? The mere
supposition of such a thing being possible would excite their
indignation, and yet the whole population of Typee did little else for
ten days but occupy themselves with that childish amusement, fairly
screaming, too, with the delight it afforded them.

One day I was frolicking with a little spirited urchin, some six years
old, who chased me with a piece of bamboo about three feet long, with
which he occasionally belaboured me. Seizing the stick from him, the
idea happened to suggest itself, that I might make for the youngster,
out of the slender tube, one of those nursery muskets with which I had
sometimes seen children playing. Accordingly, with my knife, I made two
parallel slits in the cane several inches in length, and cutting loose
at one end the elastic strip between them, bent it back and slipped the
point into a little notch made for the purpose. Any small substance
placed against this would be projected with considerable force through
the tube by merely springing the bent strip out of the notch.

Had I possessed the remotest idea of the sensation this piece of
ordnance was destined to produce, I should certainly have taken out a
patent for the invention. The boy scampered away with it, half
delirious with ecstasy, and twenty minutes afterwards I might have been
seen surrounded by a noisy crowd—venerable old greybeards—responsible
fathers of families—valiant warriors—matrons—young men—girls and
children, all holding in their hands bits of bamboo, and each
clamouring to be served first.

For three or four hours I was engaged in manufacturing pop-guns, but at
last made over my good-will and interests in the concern to a lad of
remarkably quick parts, whom I soon initiated into the art and mystery.

Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop, now resounded all over the valley. Duels,
skirmishes, pitched battles, and general engagements were to be seen on
every side. Here, as you walked along a path which led through a
thicket, you fell into a cunningly-laid ambush, and became a target for
a body of musketeers, whose tattooed limbs you could just see peeping
into view through the foliage. There, you were assailed by the intrepid
garrison of a house, who levelled their bamboo rifles at you from
between the upright canes which composed its sides. Farther on, you
were fired upon by a detachment of sharpshooters, mounted upon the top
of a pi-pi.

Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop! green guavas, seeds, and berries were flying about
in every direction, and during this dangerous state of affairs, I was
half afraid that, like the man and his brazen bull, I should fall a
victim to my own ingenuity. Like everything else, however, the
excitement gradually wore away, though ever after occasionally pop-guns
might be heard at all hours of the day.

It was towards the close of the pop-gun war, that I was infinitely
diverted with a strange freak of Marheyo’s.

I had worn, when I quitted the ship, a pair of thick pumps, which, from
the rough usage they had received in scaling precipices and sliding
down gorges, were so dilapidated as to be altogether unfit for use—so,
at least, would have thought the generality of people, and so they most
certainly were, when considered in the light of shoes. But things
unserviceable in one way, may with advantage be applied in another—that
is, if one has genius enough for the purpose. This genius Marheyo
possessed in a superlative degree, as he abundantly evinced by the use
to which he put these sorely bruised and battered old shoes.

Every article, however trivial, which belonged to me, the natives
appeared to regard as sacred; and I observed that for several days
after becoming an inmate of the house, my pumps were suffered to
remain, untouched, where I had first happened to throw them. I
remembered, however, that after awhile I had missed them from their
accustomed place; but the matter gave me no concern, supposing that
Tinor—like any other tidy housewife, having come across them in some of
her domestic occupations—had pitched the useless things out of the
house. But I was soon undeceived.

One day I observed old Marheyo bustling about me with unusual activity,
and to such a degree as almost to supersede Kory-Kory in the functions
of his office. One moment he volunteered to trot off with me on his
back to the stream; and when I refused, noways daunted by the repulse,
he continued to frisk about me like a superannuated house-dog. I could
not for the life of me conjecture what possessed the old gentleman,
until all at once, availing himself of the temporary absence of the
household, he went through a variety of uncouth gestures, pointing
eagerly down to my feet, and then up to a little bundle which swung
from the ridge-pole overhead. At last I caught a faint idea of his
meaning, and motioned him to lower the package. He executed the order
in the twinkling of an eye, and unrolling a piece of tappa, displayed
to my astonished gaze the identical pumps which I thought had been
destroyed long before.

I immediately comprehended his desire, and very generously gave him the
shoes, which had become quite mouldy, wondering for what earthly
purpose he could want them.

The same afternoon I descried the venerable warrior approaching the
house, with a slow, stately gait, earrings in ears, and spear in hand,
with this highly ornamental pair of shoes suspended from his neck by a
strip of bark, and swinging backwards and forwards on his capacious
chest. In the gala costume of the tasteful Marheyo, these calf-skin
pendants ever after formed the most striking feature.

But to turn to something a little more important. Although the whole
existence of the inhabitants of the valley seemed to pass away exempt
from toil, yet there were some light employments which, although
amusing rather than labourious as occupations, contributed to their
comfort and luxury. Among these, the most important was the manufacture
of the native cloth—“tappa”—so well known, under various modifications,
throughout the whole Polynesian Archipelago. As is generally
understood, this useful and sometimes elegant article is fabricated
from the bark of different trees. But, as I believe that no description
of its manufacture has ever been given, I shall state what I know
regarding it.

In the manufacture of the beautiful white tappa generally worn on the
Marquesan Islands, the preliminary operation consists in gathering a
certain quantity of the young branches of the cloth-tree. The exterior
green bark being pulled off as worthless, there remains a slender
fibrous substance, which is carefully stripped from the stick, to which
it closely adheres. When a sufficient quantity of it has been
collected, the various strips are enveloped in a covering of large
leaves, which the natives use precisely as we do wrapping-paper, and
which are secured by a few turns of a line passed round them. The
package is then laid in the bed of some running stream, with a heavy
stone placed over it, to prevent its being swept away. After it has
remained for two or three days in this state, it is drawn out, and
exposed for a short time to the action of the air, every distinct piece
being attentively inspected, with a view of ascertaining whether it has
yet been sufficiently affected by the operation. This is repeated again
and again, until the desired result is obtained.

When the substance is in a proper state for the next process, it
betrays evidences of incipient decomposition; the fibres are relaxed
and softened, and rendered perfectly malleable. The different strips
are now extended, one by one, in successive layers, upon some smooth
surface—generally the prostrate trunk of a cocoa-nut tree—and the heap
thus formed is subjected, at every new increase, to a moderate beating,
with a sort of wooden mallet, leisurely applied. The mallet is made of
a hard heavy wood resembling ebony, is about twelve inches in length,
and perhaps two in breadth, with a rounded handle at one end, and in
shape is the exact counterpart of one of our four-sided razor-strops.
The flat surfaces of the implement are marked with shallow parallel
indentations, varying in depth on the different sides, so as to be
adapted to the several stages of the operation. These marks produce the
corduroy sort of stripes descernible in the tappa in its finished
state. After being beaten in the manner I have described, the material
soon becomes blended in one mass, which, moistened occasionally with
water, is at intervals hammered out, by a kind of gold-beating process,
to any degree of thinness required. In this way the cloth is easily
made to vary in strength and thickness, so as to suit the numerous
purposes to which it is applied.

When the operation last described has been concluded, the new-made
tappa is spread out on the grass to bleach and dry, and soon becomes of
a dazzling whiteness. Sometimes, in the first stages of the
manufacture, the substance is impregnated with a vegetable juice, which
gives it a permanent colour. A rich brown and a bright yellow are
occasionally seen, but the simple taste of the Typee people inclines
them to prefer the natural tint.

The notable wife of Kammahammaha, the renowned conqueror and king of
the Sandwich Islands, used to pride herself in the skill she displayed
in dyeing her tappa with contrasting colours disposed in regular
figures; and, in the midst of the innovations of the times, was
regarded, towards the decline of her life, as a lady of the old school,
clinging as she did to the national cloth, in preference to the
frippery of the European calicoes. But the art of printing the tappa is
unknown upon the Marquesan Islands.

In passing along the valley, I was often attracted by the noise of the
mallet, which, when employed in the manufacture of the cloth, produces
at every stroke of its hard, heavy wood, a clear, ringing, and musical
sound, capable of being heard at a great distance. When several of
these implements happen to be in operation at the same time, and near
one another, the effect upon the ear of a person, at a little distance,
is really charming.




CHAPTER XIX


History of a day as usually spent in the Typee valley—Dances of the
Marquesan girls.


Nothing can be more uniform and undiversified than the life of the
Typees; one tranquil day of ease and happiness follows another in quiet
succession; and with these unsophisticated savages the history of a day
is the history of a life. I will therefore, as briefly as I can,
describe one of our days in the valley.

To begin with the morning. We were not very early risers—the sun would
be shooting his golden spikes above the Happar mountain, ere I threw
aside my tappa robe, and girding my long tunic about my waist, sallied
out with Fayaway and Kory-Kory, and the rest of the household, and bent
my steps towards the stream. Here we found congregated all those who
dwelt in our section of the valley; and here we bathed with them. The
fresh morning air and the cool flowing waters put both soul and body in
a glow, and after a half-hour employed in this recreation, we sauntered
back to the house—Tinor and Marheyo gathering dry sticks by the way for
firewood; some of the young men laying the cocoa-nut trees under
contribution as they passed beneath them; while Kory-Kory played his
outlandish pranks for my particular diversion, and Fayaway and I, not
arm in arm to be sure, but sometimes hand in hand, strolled along, with
feelings of perfect charity for all the world, and especial good-will
towards each other.

Our morning meal was soon prepared. The islanders are somewhat
abstemious at this repast; reserving the more powerful efforts of their
appetite to a later period of the day. For my own part, with the
assistance of my valet, who, as I have before stated, always officiated
as spoon on these occasions, I ate sparingly from one of Tinor’s
trenchers of poee-poee; which was devoted exclusively for my own use,
being mixed with the milky meat of ripe cocoa-nut. A section of a
roasted bread-fruit, a small cake of “Amar,” or a mess of “Kokoo,” two
or three bananas, or a Mawmee apple; an annuee, or some other agreeable
and nutritious fruit, served from day to day to diversify the meal,
which was finished by tossing off the liquid contents of a young
cocoa-nut or two.

While partaking of this simple repast, the inmates of Marheyo’s house,
after the style of the ancient Romans, reclined in sociable groups upon
the divan of mats, and digestion was promoted by cheerful conversation.

After the morning meal was concluded, pipes were lighted; and among
them my own special pipe, a present from the noble Mehevi. The
islanders, who only smoke a whiff or two at a time, and at long
intervals, and who keep their pipes going from hand to hand
continually, regarded my systematic smoking of four or five pipefuls of
tobacco in succession as something quite wonderful. When two or three
pipes had circulated freely, the company gradually broke up. Marheyo
went to the little hut he was for ever building. Tinor began to inspect
her rolls of tappa, or employed her busy fingers in plaiting
grass-mats. The girls anointed themselves with their fragrant oils,
dressed their hair, or looked over their curious finery, and compared
together their ivory trinkets, fashioned out of boar’s tusks or whale’s
teeth. The young men and warriors produced their spears, paddles,
canoe-gear, battle-clubs, and war-conchs, and occupied themselves in
carving all sorts of figures upon them with pointed bits of shell or
flint, and adorning them, especially the war-conchs, with tassels of
braided bark and tufts of human hair. Some, immediately after eating,
threw themselves once more upon the inviting mats, and resumed the
employment of the previous night, sleeping as soundly as if they had
not closed their eyes for a week. Others sallied out into the groves,
for the purpose of gathering fruit or fibres of bark and leaves; the
last two being in constant requisition, and applied to a hundred uses.
A few, perhaps, among the girls, would slip into the woods after
flowers, or repair to the stream with small calabashes and cocoa-nut
shells, in order to polish them by friction with a smooth stone in the
water. In truth these innocent people seemed to be at no loss for
something to occupy their time; and it would be no light task to
enumerate all their employments, or rather pleasures.

My own mornings I spent in a variety of ways. Sometimes I rambled about
from house to house, sure of receiving a cordial welcome wherever I
went; or, from grove to grove, and from one shady place to another, in
company with Kory-Kory and Fayaway, and a rabble rout of merry young
idlers. Sometimes I was too indolent for exercise, and, accepting one
of the many invitations I was continually receiving, stretched myself
out on the mats of some hospitable dwelling, and occupied myself
pleasantly either in watching the proceedings of those around me, or
taking part in them myself. Whenever I chose to do the latter, the
delight of the islanders was boundless; and there was always a throng
of competitors for the honor of instructing me in any particular craft.
I soon became quite an accomplished hand at making tappa—could braid a
grass sling as well as the best of them—and once, with my knife, carved
the handle of a javelin so exquisitely that I have no doubt, to this
day, Karnoonoo, its owner, preserves it as a surprising specimen of my
skill. As noon approached, all those who had wandered forth from our
habitation began to return; and when mid-day was fairly come, scarcely
a sound was to be heard in the valley—a deep sleep fell upon all. The
luxurious siesta was hardly ever omitted, except by old Marheyo, who
was so eccentric a character, that he seemed to be governed by no fixed
principles whatever; but acting just according to the humour of the
moment, slept, eat, or tinkered away at his little hut, without regard
to the proprieties of time or place. Frequently he might have been seen
taking a nap in the sun at noon-day, or a bath in the stream at
midnight. Once I beheld him perched eighty feet from the ground, in the
tuft of a cocoa-nut tree, smoking; and often I saw him standing up to
the waist in water, engaged in plucking out the stray hairs of his
beard, using a piece of muscle-shell for tweezers.

The noontide slumber lasted generally an hour and a half, very often
longer; and after the sleepers had arisen from their mats they again
had recourse to their pipes, and then made preparations for the most
important meal of the day.

I, however, like those gentlemen of leisure who breakfast at home and
dine at their club, almost invariably, during my intervals of health,
enjoyed the afternoon repast with the bachelor chiefs of the Ti, who
were always rejoiced to see me, and lavishly spread before me all the
good things which their larder afforded. Mehevi generally produced,
among other dainties, a baked pig, an article which, I have every
reason to suppose, was provided for my sole gratification.

The Ti was a right jovial place. It did my heart, as well as my body,
good to visit it. Secure from female intrusion, there was no restraint
upon the hilarity of the warriors, who, like the gentlemen of Europe
after the cloth is drawn, and the ladies retire, freely indulged their
mirth.

After spending a considerable portion of the afternoon at the Ti, I
usually found myself, as the cool of the evening came on, either
sailing on the little lake with Fayaway, or bathing in the waters of
the stream with a number of the savages, who, at this hour, always
repaired thither. As the shadows of night approached, Marheyo’s
household were once more assembled under his roof; tapers were lit,
long and curious chants were raised, interminable stories were told
(for which one present was little the wiser), and all sorts of social
festivities served to while away the time.

The young girls very often danced by moonlight in front of their
dwellings. There are a great variety of these dances, in which,
however, I never saw the men take part. They all consist of active,
romping, mischievous evolutions, in which every limb is brought into
requisition. Indeed, the Marquesan girls dance all over, as it were;
not only do their feet dance, but their arms, hands, fingers, ay, their
very eyes seem to dance in their heads.

The damsels wear nothing but flowers and their compendious gala tunics;
and when they plume themselves for the dance, one would almost think
that they were about to take wing.

Unless some particular festivity was going forward, the inmates of
Marheyo’s house retired to their mats rather early in the evening; but
not for the night, since after slumbering lightly for awhile, they rose
again, relit their tapers, partook of the third and last meal of the
day, at which poee-poee alone was eaten, and then, after inhaling a
narcotic whiff from a pipe of tobacco, disposed themselves for the
great business of the night—sleep. With the Marquesans it might almost
be styled the great business of life, for they pass a large portion of
their time in the arms of Somnus. The native strength of their
constitution is no way shown more emphatically than in the quantity of
sleep they can endure. To many of them, indeed, life is little else
than an often interrupted and luxurious nap.




CHAPTER XX


The spring of Arva Wai—Remarkable monumental remains—Some ideas with
regard to the history of the pi-pis found in the valley.


Almost every country has its medicinal springs famed for their healing
virtues. The Cheltenham of Typee is embosomed in the deepest solitude,
and but seldom receives a visitor. It is situated remote from any
dwelling, a little way up the mountain, near the head of the valley;
and you approach it by a pathway shaded by the most beautiful foliage,
and adorned with a thousand fragrant plants.

The mineral waters of Arva Wai[2] ooze forth from the crevices of a
rock, and gliding down its mossy side, fall at last, in many clustering
drops, into a natural basin of stone, fringed round with grass and
dewy-looking little violet-coloured flowers, as fresh and beautiful as
the perpetual moisture they enjoy can make them.

The water is held in high estimation by the islanders, some of whom
consider it an agreeable as well as a medicinal beverage; they bring it
from the mountain in their calabashes, and store it away beneath heaps
of leaves in some shady nook near the house. Old Marheyo had a great
love for the waters of the spring. Every now and then he lugged off to
the mountain a great round demijohn of a calabash, and, panting with
his exertions, brought it back filled with his darling fluid.

The water tasted like a solution of a dozen disagreeable things, and
was sufficiently nauseous to have made the fortune of the proprietor,
had the spa been situated in the midst of any civilized community.

As I am no chemist, I cannot give a scientific analysis of the water.
All I know about the matter is, that one day Marheyo in my presence
poured out the last drop from his huge calabash, and I observed at the
bottom of the vessel a small quantity of gravelly sediment very much
resembling our common sand. Whether this is always found in the water,
and gives it its peculiar flavour and virtues, or whether its presence
was merely incidental, I was not able to ascertain.

One day in returning from this spring by a circuitous path, I came upon
a scene which reminded me of Stonehenge and the architectural labours
of the Druid.

At the base of one of the mountains, and surrounded on all sides by
dense groves, a series of vast terraces of stone rises, step by step,
for a considerable distance up the hillside. These terraces cannot be
less than one hundred yards in length and twenty in width. Their
magnitude, however, is less striking than the immense size of the
blocks composing them. Some of the stones, of an oblong shape, are from
ten to fifteen feet in length, and five or six feet thick. Their sides
are quite smooth, but though square, and of pretty regular formation,
they bear no mark of the chisel. They are laid together without cement,
and here and there show gaps between. The topmost terrace and the lower
one are somewhat peculiar in their construction. They have both a
quadrangular depression in the centre, leaving the rest of the terrace
elevated several feet above it. In the intervals of the stones immense
trees have taken root, and their broad boughs stretching far over, and
interlacing together, support a canopy almost impenetrable to the sun.
Overgrowing the greater part of them, and climbing from one to another,
is a wilderness of vines, in whose sinewy embrace many of the stones
lie half-hidden, while in some places a thick growth of bushes entirely
covers them. There is a wild pathway which obliquely crosses two of
these terraces; and so profound is the shade, so dense the vegetation,
that a stranger to the place might pass along it without being aware of
its existence.

These structures bear every indication of a very high antiquity, and
Kory-Kory, who was my authority in all matters of scientific research,
gave me to understand that they were coeval with the creation of the
world; that the great gods themselves were the builders; and that they
would endure until time shall be no more. Kory-Kory’s prompt
explanation, and his attributing the work to a divine origin, at once
convinced me that neither he nor the rest of his countrymen knew
anything about them.

As I gazed upon this monument, doubtless the work of an extinct and
forgotten race, thus buried in the green nook of an island at the end
of the earth, the existence of which was yesterday unknown, a stronger
feeling of awe came over me than if I had stood musing at the mighty
base of the Pyramid of Cheops. There are no inscriptions, no sculpture,
no clue, by which to conjecture its history: nothing but the dumb
stones. How many generations of those majestic trees which overshadow
them have grown and flourished and decayed since first they were
erected!

These remains naturally suggest many interesting reflections. They
establish the great age of the island, an opinion which the builders of
theories concerning the creation of the various groups in the South
Seas are not always inclined to admit. For my own part I think it just
as probable that human beings were living in the valleys of the
Marquesas three thousand years ago as that they were inhabiting the
land of Egypt. The origin of the island of Nukuheva cannot be imputed
to the coral insect: for indefatigable as that wonderful creature is,
it would be hardly muscular enough to pile rocks one upon the other
more than three thousand feet above the level of the sea. That the land
may have been thrown up by a submarine volcano is as possible as
anything else. No one can make an affidavit to the contrary, and
therefore I will say nothing against the supposition: indeed, were
geologists to assert that the whole continent of America had in like
manner been formed by the simultaneous explosion of a train of Etnas,
laid under the water all the way from the North Pole to the parallel of
Cape Horn, I am the last man in the world to contradict them.

I have already mentioned that the dwellings of the islanders were
almost invariably built upon massive stone foundations, which they call
pi-pis. The dimensions of these, however, as well as of the stones
composing them, are comparatively small: but there are other and larger
erections of a similar description comprising the “morais,” or
burying-grounds, and festival-places, in nearly all the valleys of the
island. Some of these piles are so extensive, and so great a degree of
labour and skill must have been requisite in constructing them, that I
can scarcely believe they were built by the ancestors of the present
inhabitants. If indeed they were, the race has sadly deteriorated in
their knowledge of the mechanic arts. To say nothing of their habitual
indolence, by what contrivance within the reach of so simple a people
could such enormous masses have been moved or fixed in their places?
and how could they with their rude implements have chiselled and
hammered them into shape?

All of these larger pi-pis—like that of the Hoolah Hoolah ground in the
Typee valley—bore incontestable marks of great age; and I am disposed
to believe that their erection may be ascribed to the same race of men
who were the builders of the still more ancient remains I have just
described.

According to Kory-Kory’s account, the pi-pi, upon which stands the
Hoolah Hoolah ground, was built a great many moons ago, under the
direction of Monoo, a great chief and warrior, and, as it would appear,
master-mason among the Typees. It was erected for the express purpose
to which it is at present devoted, in the incredibly short period of
one sun; and was dedicated to the immortal wooden idols by a grand
festival, which lasted ten days and nights.

Among the smaller pi-pis, upon which stand the dwelling-houses of the
natives, I never observed any which intimated a recent erection. There
are in every part of the valley a great many of these massive stone
foundations which have no houses upon them. This is vastly convenient,
for whenever an enterprising islander chooses to emigrate a few hundred
yards from the place where he was born, all he has to do in order to
establish himself in some new locality, is to select one of the many
unappropriated pi-pis, and without further ceremony pitch his bamboo
tent upon it.




CHAPTER XXI


Preparations for a grand festival in the valley—Strange doings in the
Taboo Groves—Monument of Calabashes—Gala costume of the Typee
damsels—Departure for the festival.


From the time that my lameness had decreased I had made a daily
practice of visiting Mehevi at the Ti, who invariably gave me a most
cordial reception. I was always accompanied in these excursions by
Fayaway and the ever-present Kory-Kory. The former, as soon as we
reached the vicinity of the Ti—which was rigorously tabooed to the
whole female sex—withdrew to a neighbouring hut, as if her feminine
delicacy restrained her from approaching a habitation which might be
regarded as a sort of Bachelor’s Hall.

And in good truth it might well have been so considered. Although it
was the permanent residence of several distinguished chiefs, and of the
noble Mehevi in particular, it was still at certain seasons the
favourite haunt of all the jolly, talkative, and elderly savages of the
vale, who resorted thither in the same way that similar characters
frequent a tavern in civilized countries. There they would remain hour
after hour, chatting, smoking, eating poee-poee, or busily engaged in
sleeping for the good of their constitutions.

This building appeared to be the headquarters of the valley, where all
flying rumours concentrated; and to have seen it filled with a crowd of
the natives, all males, conversing in animated clusters, while
multitudes were continually coming and going, one would have thought it
a kind of savage exchange, where the rise and fall of Polynesian Stock
was discussed.

Mehevi acted as supreme lord over the place, spending the greater
portion of his time there: and often when, at particular hours of the
day, it was deserted by nearly every one else except the verd-antique
looking centenarians, who were fixtures in the building, the chief
himself was sure to be found enjoying his “otium cum dignitate” upon
the luxurious mats which covered the floor. Whenever I made my
appearance he invariably rose, and, like a gentleman doing the honours
of his mansion, invited me to repose myself wherever I pleased, and
calling out “tammaree!” (boy), a little fellow would appear, and then
retiring for an instant, return with some savoury mess, from which the
chief would press me to regale myself. To tell the truth, Mehevi was
indebted to the excellence of his viands for the honour of my repeated
visits,—a matter which cannot appear singular, when it is borne in mind
that bachelors, all the world over, are famous for serving up
unexceptional repasts.

One day, on drawing near to the Ti, I observed that extensive
preparations were going forward, plainly betokening some approaching
festival. Some of the symptoms reminded me of the stir produced among
the scullions of a large hotel, where a grand jubilee dinner is about
to be given. The natives were hurrying about hither and thither,
engaged in various duties; some lugging off to the stream enormous
hollow bamboos, for the purpose of filling them with water; others
chasing furious-looking hogs through the bushes, in their endeavours to
capture them; and numbers employed in kneading great mountains of
poee-poee heaped up in huge wooden vessels.

After observing these lively indications for awhile, I was attracted to
a neighbouring grove by a prodigious squeaking which I heard there. On
reaching the spot I found it proceeded from a large hog which a number
of natives were forcibly holding to the earth, while a muscular fellow,
armed with a bludgeon, was ineffectually aiming murderous blows at the
skull of the unfortunate porker. Again and again he missed his writhing
and struggling victim, but though puffing and panting with his
exertions, he still continued them; and after striking a sufficient
number of blows to have demolished an entire drove of oxen, with one
crashing stroke he laid him dead at his feet.

Without letting any blood from the body, it was immediately carried to
a fire which had been kindled near at hand, and four savages taking
hold of the carcass by its legs, passed it rapidly to and fro in the
flames. In a moment the smell of burning bristles betrayed the object
of this procedure. Having got thus far in the matter, the body was
removed to a little distance; and, being disembowelled, the entrails
were laid aside as choice parts, and the whole carcass thoroughly
washed with water. An ample thick green cloth, composed of the long
thick leaves of a species of palm tree, ingeniously tacked together
with little pins of bamboo, was now spread upon the ground, in which
the body being carefully rolled, it was borne to an oven previously
prepared to receive it. Here it was at once laid upon the heated stones
at the bottom, and covered with thick layers of leaves, the whole being
quickly hidden from sight by a mound of earth raised over it.

Such is the summary style in which the Typees convert perverse-minded
and rebellious hogs into the most docile and amiable pork; a morsel of
which placed on the tongue melts like a soft smile from the lips of
beauty.

I commend their peculiar mode of proceeding to the consideration of all
butchers, cooks, and housewives. The hapless porker whose fate I have
just rehearsed, was not the only one who suffered on that memorable
day. Many a dismal grunt, many an imploring squeak, proclaimed what was
going on throughout the whole extent of the valley: and I verily
believe the first-born of every litter perished before the setting of
that fatal sun.

The scene around the Ti was now most animated. Hogs and poee-poee were
baking in numerous ovens, which, heaped up with fresh earth into slight
elevations, looked like so many ant-hills. Scores of the savages were
vigorously plying their stone pestles in preparing masses of poee-poee,
and numbers were gathering green bread-fruit and young cocoa-nuts in
the surrounding groves; while an exceeding great multitude, with a view
of encouraging the rest in their labours, stood still, and kept
shouting most lustily without intermission.

It is a peculiarity among these people, that when engaged in any
employment they always make a prodigious fuss about it. So seldom do
they ever exert themselves, that when they do work they seem determined
that so meritorious an action shall not escape the observation of those
around. If, for example, they have occasion to remove a stone to a
little distance, which perhaps might be carried by two able-bodied men,
a whole swarm gather about it, and, after a vast deal of palavering,
lift it up among them, every one struggling to get hold of it, and bear
it off yelling and panting as if accomplishing some mighty achievement.
Seeing them on these occasions, one is reminded of an infinity of black
ants clustering about and dragging away to some hole the leg of a
deceased fly.

Having for some time attentively observed these demonstrations of good
cheer, I entered the Ti, where Mehevi sat complacently looking out upon
the busy scene, and occasionally issuing his orders. The chief appeared
to be in an extraordinary flow of spirits, and gave me to understand
that on the morrow there would be grand doings in the groves generally,
and at the Ti in particular; and urged me by no means to absent
himself. In commemoration of what event, however, or in honour of what
distinguished personage, the feast was to be given, altogether passed
my comprehension. Mehevi sought to enlighten my ignorance, but he
failed as signally as when he had endeavoured to initiate me into the
perplexing arcana of the taboo.

On leaving the Ti, Kory-Kory, who had, as a matter of course,
accompanied me, observing that my curiosity remained unabated, resolved
to make everything plain and satisfactory. With this intent, he
escorted me through the Taboo Groves, pointing out to my notice a
variety of objects, and endeavoured to explain them in such an
indescribable jargon of words, that it almost put me in bodily pain to
listen to him. In particular, he led me to a remarkable pyramidical
structure some three yards square at the base, and perhaps ten feet in
height, which had lately been thrown up, and occupied a very
conspicuous position. It was composed principally of large empty
calabashes, with a few polished cocoa-nut shells, and looked not unlike
a cenotaph of skulls. My cicerone perceived the astonishment with which
I gazed at this monument of savage crockery, and immediately addressed
himself to the task of enlightening me: but all in vain; and to this
hour the nature of the monument remains a complete mystery to me. As,
however, it formed so prominent a feature in the approaching revels, I
bestowed upon the latter, in my own mind, the title of the “Feast of
Calabashes.”


[Illustration: THUS ARRAYED, I WOULD HAVE MATCHED THE CHARMING FAYAWAY
AGAINST ANY BEAUTY IN THE WORLD]


The following morning, awakening rather late, I perceived the whole of
Marheyo’s family busily engaged in preparing for the festival. The old
warrior himself was arranging in round balls the two grey locks of hair
that were suffered to grow from the crown of his head; his earrings and
spear, both well polished, lay beside him, while the highly decorative
pair of shoes hung suspended from a projecting cane against the side of
the house. The young men were similarly employed; and the fair damsels,
including Fayaway, were anointing themselves with “aka,” arranging
their long tresses, and performing other matters connected with the
duties of the toilet.

Having completed their preparations, the girls now exhibited themselves
in gala costume; the most conspicuous feature of which was a necklace
of beautiful white flowers, with the stems removed, and strung closely
together upon a single fibre of tappa. Corresponding ornaments were
inserted in their ears, and woven garlands upon their heads. About
their waist they wore a short tunic of spotless white tappa, and some
of them superadded to this a mantle of the same material, tied in an
elaborate bow upon the left shoulder, and falling about the figure in
picturesque folds.

Thus arrayed, I would have matched the charming Fayaway against any
beauty in the world.

People may say what they will about the taste evinced by our
fashionable ladies in dress. Their jewels, their feathers, their silks
and their furbelows would have sunk into utter insignificance beside
the exquisite simplicity of attire adopted by the nymphs of the vale on
this festive occasion. I should like to have seen a gallery of
coronation beauties, at Westminster Abbey, confronted for a moment by
this band of Island girls; their stiffness, formality, and affectation
contrasted with the artless vivacity and unconcealed natural graces of
these savage maidens. It would be the Venus de Medici placed beside a
milliner’s doll.

It was not long before Kory-Kory and myself were left alone in the
house, the rest of its inmates having departed for the Taboo Groves. My
valet was all impatience to follow them; and was as fidgety about my
dilatory movements as a diner out waiting hat in hand at the bottom of
the stairs for some lagging companion. At last, yielding to his
importunities, I set out for the Ti. As we passed the houses peeping
out from the groves through which our route lay, I noticed that they
were entirely deserted by their inhabitants.

When we reached the rock that abruptly terminated the path, and
concealed from us the festive scene, wild shouts and a confused
blending of voices assured me that the occasion, whatever it might be,
had drawn together a great multitude. Kory-Kory, previous to mounting
the elevation, paused for a moment, like a dandy at a ball-room door,
to put a hasty finish to his toilet. During this short interval, the
thought struck me that I ought myself perhaps to be taking some little
pains with my appearance. But as I had no holiday raiment, I was not a
little puzzled to devise some means of decorating myself. However, as I
felt desirous to create a sensation, I determined to do all that lay in
my power; and knowing that I could not delight the savages more than by
conforming to their style of dress, I removed from my person the large
robe of tappa which I was accustomed to wear over my shoulders whenever
I sallied into the open air, and remained merely girt about with a
short tunic descending from my waist to my knees.

My quick-witted attendant fully appreciated the compliment I was paying
to the costume of his race, and began more sedulously to arrange the
folds of the one only garment which remained to me. Whilst he was doing
this, I caught sight of a knot of young girls, who were sitting near us
on the grass surrounded by heaps of flowers, which they were forming
into garlands. I motioned to them to bring some of their handy-work to
me; and in an instant a dozen wreaths were at my disposal. One of them
I put round the apology for a hat which I had been forced to construct
for myself out of palmetto-leaves, and some of the others I converted
into a splendid girdle. These operations finished, with a slow and
dignified step of a full-dressed beau I ascended the rock.




CHAPTER XXII


The Feast of Calabashes.


The whole population of the valley seemed to be gathered within the
precincts of the grove. In the distance could be seen the long front of
the Ti, its immense piazza swarming with men, arrayed in every variety
of fantastic costume, and all vociferating with animated gestures;
while the whole interval between it and the place where I stood was
enlivened by groups of females fancifully decorated, dancing, capering,
and uttering wild exclamations. As soon as they descried me they set up
a shout of welcome; and a band of them came dancing towards me,
chanting as they approached some wild recitative. The change in my garb
seemed to transport them with delight, and clustering about me on all
sides, they accompanied me towards the Ti. When, however, we drew near
it, these joyous nymphs paused in their career, and parting on either
side, permitted me to pass on to the now densely thronged building.

So soon as I mounted to the pi-pi I saw at a glance that the revels
were fairly under way.

What lavish plenty reigned around!—Warwick feasting his retainers with
beef and ale, was a niggard to the noble Mehevi!—All along the piazza
of the Ti were arranged elaborately-carved canoe-shaped vessels, some
twenty feet in length, filled with newly-made poee-poee, and sheltered
from the sun by the broad leaves of the banana. At intervals were heaps
of green bread-fruit, raised in pyramidical stacks, resembling the
regular piles of heavy shot to be seen in the yard of an arsenal.
Inserted into the interstices of the huge stones which formed the pi-pi
were large boughs of trees; hanging from the branches of which, and
screened from the sun by their foliage, were innumerable little
packages with leafy coverings containing the meat of the numerous hogs
which had been slain, done up in this manner to make it more accessible
to the crowd. Leaning against the railing of the piazza were an immense
number of long, heavy bamboos, plugged at the lower end, and with their
projecting muzzles stuffed with a wad of leaves. These were filled with
water from the stream, and each of them might hold from four to five
gallons.

The banquet being thus spread, nought remained but for every one to
help himself at his pleasure. Accordingly, not a moment passed but the
transplanted boughs I have mentioned were rifled by the throng of the
fruit they certainly had never borne before. Calabashes of poee-poee
were continually being replenished from the extensive receptacle in
which that article was stored, and multitudes of little fires were
kindled about the Ti for the purpose of roasting the bread-fruit.

Within the building itself was presented a most extraordinary scene.
The immense lounge of mats lying between the parallel rows of the
trunks of cocoa-nut trees, and extending the entire length of the
house, at least two hundred feet, was covered by the reclining forms of
a host of chiefs and warriors, who were eating at a great rate, or
soothing the cares of Polynesian life in the sedative fumes of tobacco.
The smoke was inhaled from large pipes, the bowls of which, made out of
small cocoa-nut shells, were curiously carved in strange heathenish
devices. These were passed from mouth to mouth by the recumbent
smokers, each of whom, taking two or three prodigious whiffs, handed
the pipe to his neighbour; sometimes for that purpose stretching
indolently across the body of some dozing individual whose exertions at
the dinner-table had already induced sleep.

The tobacco used among the Typees was of a very mild and pleasing
flavour, and as I always saw it in leaves, and the natives appeared
pretty well supplied with it, I was led to believe that it must have
been the growth of the valley. Indeed Kory-Kory gave me to understand
that this was the case; but I never saw a single plant growing on the
island. At Nukuheva, and I believe, in all the other valleys, the weed
is very scarce, being only obtained in small quantities from
foreigners, and smoking is consequently with the inhabitants of these
places a very great luxury. How it was that the Typees were so well
furnished with it I cannot divine. I should think them too indolent to
devote any attention to its culture; and, indeed, as far as my
observation extended not a single atom of the soil was under any other
cultivation than that of shower and sunshine. The tobacco-plant,
however, like the sugar-cane, may grow wild in some remote part of the
vale.

There were many in the Ti for whom the tobacco did not furnish a
sufficient stimulus, and who accordingly had recourse to “arva,” as a
more powerful agent in producing the desired effect.

“Arva” is a root very generally dispersed over the South Seas, and from
it is extracted a juice, the effects of which upon the system are at
first stimulating in a moderate degree; but it soon relaxes the
muscles, and, exerting a narcotic influence, produces a luxurious
sleep. In the valley this beverage was universally prepared in the
following way:—Some half-dozen young boys seated themselves in a circle
around an empty wooden vessel, each one of them being supplied with a
certain quantity of the roots of the “arva,” broken into small bits and
laid by his side. A cocoa-nut goblet of water was passed around the
juvenile company, who rinsing their mouth with its contents, proceeded
to the business before them. This merely consisted in thoroughly
masticating the “arva,” and throwing it mouthful after mouthful into
the receptacle provided. When a sufficient quantity had been thus
obtained, water was poured upon the mass, and being stirred about with
the forefinger of the right hand, the preparation was soon in readiness
for use. The “arva” has medicinal qualities.

Upon the Sandwich Islands it has been employed with no small success in
the treatment of scrofulous affections, and in combating the ravages of
a disease which for so many years has been gradually depopulating those
fine and interesting islands. But the tenants of the Typee valley, as
yet exempt from these inflictions, generally employ the “arva” as a
minister to social enjoyment, and a calabash of the liquid circulates
among them as the bottle with us.

Mehevi, who was greatly delighted with the change in my costume, gave
me a cordial welcome. He had reserved for me a most delectable mess of
“cockoo,” well knowing my partiality for that dish; and had likewise
selected three or four young cocoa-nuts, several roasted bread-fruit,
and a magnificent bunch of bananas, for my especial comfort and
gratification. These various matters were at once placed before me; but
Kory-Kory deemed the banquet entirely insufficient for my wants until
he had supplied me with one of the leafy packages of pork, which,
notwithstanding the somewhat hasty manner in which it had been
prepared, possessed a most excellent flavour, and was surprisingly
sweet and tender.

Pork is not a staple article of food among the people of the Marquesas,
consequently they pay little attention to the breeding of the swine.
The hogs are permitted to roam at large in the groves, where they
obtain no small portion of their nourishment from the cocoa-nuts which
continually fall from the trees. But it is only after infinite labour
and difficulty, that the hungry animal can pierce the husk and shell so
as to get at the meat. I have frequently been amused at seeing one of
them, after crunching the obstinate nut with his teeth for a long time
unsuccessfully, get into a violent passion with it. He would then root
furiously under the cocoa-nut, and, with a fling of his snout, toss it
before him on the ground. Following it up, he would crunch at it again
savagely for a moment, and the next knock it on one side, pausing
immediately after, as if wondering how it could so suddenly have
disappeared. In this way the persecuted cocoa-nuts were often chased
half across the valley.

The second day of the Feast of Calabashes was ushered in by still more
uproarious noises than the first. The skins of innumerable sheep seemed
to be resounding to the blows of an army of drummers. Startled from my
slumbers by the din, I leaped up, and found the whole household engaged
in making preparations for immediate departure. Curious to discover of
what strange events these novel sounds might be the precursors, and not
a little desirous to catch a sight of the instruments which produced
the terrific noise, I accompanied the natives as soon as they were in
readiness to depart for the Taboo Groves.

The comparatively open space that extended from the Ti toward the rock,
to which I have before alluded as forming the ascent to the place, was,
with the building itself, now altogether deserted by the men; the whole
distance being filled by bands of females, shouting and dancing under
the influence of some strange excitement.

I was amused at the appearance of four or five old women, who in a
state of utter nudity, with their arms extended flatly down their side,
and holding themselves perfectly erect, were leaping stiffly into the
air, like so many sticks bobbing to the surface, after being pressed
perpendicularly into the water. They preserved the utmost gravity of
countenance, and continued their extraordinary movements without a
single moment’s cessation. They did not appear to attract the
observation of the crowd around them, but I must candidly confess that,
for my own part, I stared at them most pertinaciously.

Desirous of being enlightened in regard to the meaning of this peculiar
diversion, I turned inquiringly to Kory-Kory: that learned Typee
immediately proceeded to explain the whole matter thoroughly. But all
that I could comprehend from what he said was, that the leaping figures
before me were bereaved widows, whose partners had been slain in battle
many moons previously; and who, at every festival, gave public evidence
in this manner of their calamities. It was evident that Kory-Kory
considered this an all-sufficient reason for so indecorous a custom;
but I must say that it did not satisfy me as to its propriety.

Leaving these afflicted females, we passed on to the Hoolah Hoolah
ground. Within the spacious quadrangle, the whole population of the
valley seemed to be assembled, and the sight presented was truly
remarkable. Beneath the sheds of bamboo which opened towards the
interior of the square, reclined the principal chiefs and warriors,
while a miscellaneous throng lay at their ease under the enormous
trees, which spread a majestic canopy overhead. Upon the terraces of
the gigantic altars, at either end, were deposited green bread-fruit in
baskets of cocoa-nut leaves, large rolls of tappa, bunches of white
bananas, clusters of mammee-apples, the golden-hued fruit of the artu
tree, and baked hogs, laid out in large wooden trenchers, fancifully
decorated with freshly-plucked leaves, whilst a variety of rude
implements of war were piled in confused heaps before the ranks of
hideous idols. Fruits of various kinds were likewise suspended in
leafen baskets, from the tops of poles planted uprightly, and at
regular intervals, along the lower terraces of both altars. At their
base were arranged two parallel rows of cumbersome drums, standing at
least fifteen feet in height, and formed from the hollow trunks of
large trees. Their heads were covered with shark skins, and their
barrels were elaborately carved with various quaint figures and
devices. At regular intervals, they were bound round by a species of
sinnate of various colours, and strips of native cloth flattened upon
them here and there. Behind these instruments were built slight
platforms, upon which stood a number of young men, who, beating
violently with the palms of their hands upon the drum-heads, produced
those outrageous sounds which had awakened me in the morning. Every few
minutes these musical performers hopped down from their elevation into
the crowd below, and their places were immediately supplied by fresh
recruits. Thus an incessant din was kept up that might have startled
Pandemonium.

Precisely in the middle of the quadrangle were placed perpendicularly
in the ground a hundred or more slender, fresh-cut poles, stripped of
their bark, and decorated at the end with a floating pennon of white
tappa, the whole being fenced about with a little picket of canes. For
what purpose these singular ornaments were intended, I in vain
endeavoured to discover.

Another most striking feature of the performance was exhibited by a
score of old men, who sat cross-legged in the little pulpits, which
encircled the trunks of the immense trees growing in the middle of the
enclosure. These venerable gentlemen, who I presume were the priests,
kept up an uninterrupted monotonous chant, which was nearly drowned in
the roar of drums. In the right hand they held a finely-woven grass
fan, with a heavy black wooden handle, curiously chased: these fans
they kept in continual motion.

But no attention whatever seemed to be paid to the drummers or to the
old priests, the individuals who composed the vast crowd present being
entirely taken up in chatting and laughing with one another, smoking,
drinking arva, and eating. For all the observation it attracted, or the
good it achieved, the whole savage orchestra might, with great
advantage to its own members and the company in general, have ceased
the prodigious uproar they were making.

In vain I questioned Kory-Kory and others of the natives, as to the
meaning of the strange things that were going on; all their
explanations were conveyed in such a mass of outlandish gibberish and
gesticulation that I gave up the attempt in despair. All that day the
drums resounded, the priests chanted, and the multitude feasted and
roared till sunset, when the throng dispersed, and the Taboo Groves
were again abandoned to quiet and repose. The next day the same scene
was repeated until night, when this singular festival terminated.




CHAPTER XXIII


Ideas suggested by the Feast of Calabashes—Effigy of a dead warrior—A
singular superstition—The priest Kolory and the god Moa Artua—Amazing
religious observance—A dilapidated shrine—Kory-Kory and the idol—An
inference.


Although I had been baffled in my attempts to learn the origin of the
Feast of Calabashes, yet it seemed very plain to me that it was
principally, if not wholly, of a religious character.

Yet, notwithstanding all I observed on this occasion, I am free to
confess my almost entire inability to gratify any curiosity that may be
felt with regard to the theology of the valley. I doubt whether the
inhabitants themselves could do so. They are either too lazy or too
sensible to worry themselves about abstract points of religious belief.
While I was among them, they never held any synods or councils to
settle the principles of their faith by agitating them. An unbounded
liberty of conscience seemed to prevail. Those who pleased to do so
were allowed to repose implicit faith in an ill-favoured god, with a
large bottle-nose, and fat shapeless arms crossed upon his breast;
whilst others worshipped an image which, having no likeness either in
heaven or on earth, could hardly be called an idol. As the islanders
always maintained a discreet reserve with regard to my own peculiar
views on religion, I thought it would be excessively ill-bred in me to
pry into theirs.

But, although my knowledge of the religious faith of the Typees was
unavoidably limited, one of their superstitious observances with which
I became acquainted interested me greatly.

In one of the most secluded portions of the valley, within a stone’s
cast of Fayaway’s lake—for so I christened the scene of our island
yachting—and hard by a growth of palms, which stood ranged in order
along both banks of the stream, waving their green arms as if to do
honour to its passage, was the mausoleum of a deceased warrior-chief.
Like all the other edifices of any note, it was raised upon a small
pi-pi of stones, which, being of unusual height, was a conspicuous
object from a distance. A light thatching of bleached palmetto-leaves
hung over it like a self-supported canopy; for it was not until you
came very near that you saw it was supported by four slender columns of
bamboo, rising at each corner to a little more than the height of a
man. A clear area of a few yards surrounded the pi-pi, and was enclosed
by four trunks of cocoa-nut trees, resting at the angles on massive
blocks of stone. The place was sacred. The sign of the inscrutable
Taboo was seen, in the shape of a mystic roll of white tappa, suspended
by a twisted cord of the same material from the top of a slight pole
planted within the enclosure.[3] The sanctity of the spot appeared
never to have been violated. The stillness of the grave was there, and
the calm solitude around was beautiful and touching. The soft shadows
of those lofty palm trees—I can see them now—hanging over the little
temple, as if to keep out the intrusive sun.

On all sides, as you approached this silent spot, you caught sight of
the dead chief’s effigy, seated in the stern of a canoe, which was
raised on a light frame a few inches above the level of the pi-pi. The
canoe was about seven feet in length; of a rich, dark-coloured wood,
handsomely carved, and adorned in many places with variegated bindings
of stained sinnate, into which were ingeniously wrought a number of
sparkling sea-shells, and a belt of the same shells ran all round it.
The body of the figure—of whatever material it might have been made—was
effectually concealed in a heavy robe of brown tappa, revealing only
the hands and head; the latter skilfully carved in wood, and surmounted
by a superb arch of plumes. These plumes, in the subdued and gentle
gales which found access to this sequestered spot, were never for one
moment at rest, but kept nodding and waving over the chief’s brow. The
long leaves of the palmetto dropped over the eaves, and through them
you saw the warrior, holding his paddle with both hands in the act of
rowing, leaning forward and inclining his head, as if eager to hurry on
his voyage. Glaring at him for ever, and face to face, was a polished
human skull, which crowned the prow of the canoe. The spectral
figure-head, reversed in its position, glancing backwards, seemed to
mock the impatient attitude of the warrior.

When I first visited this singular place with Kory-Kory, he told me—or,
at least, I so understood him—that the chief was paddling his way to
the realms of bliss and bread-fruit—the Polynesian heaven—where every
moment the bread-fruit trees dropped their ripened spheres to the
ground, and where there was no end to the cocoa-nuts and bananas; there
they reposed through the live-long eternity upon mats much finer than
those of Typee; and every day bathed their glowing limbs in rivers of
cocoa-nut oil. In that happy land there were plenty of plumes and
feathers, and boars’-tusks and sperm-whale teeth, far preferable to all
the shining trinkets and gay tappa of the white men; and, best of all,
women, far lovelier than the daughters of earth, were there in
abundance. “A very pleasant place,” Kory-Kory said it was; “but, after
all, not much pleasanter, he thought, than Typee.” “Did he not, then,”
I asked him, “wish to accompany the warrior?” “Oh, no; he was very
happy where he was; but supposed that some time or other he would go in
his own canoe.”

Thus far, I think, I clearly comprehended Kory-Kory. But there was a
singular expression he made use of at the time, enforced by as singular
a gesture, the meaning of which I would have given much to penetrate. I
am inclined to believe it must have been a proverb he uttered; for I
afterwards heard him repeat the same words several times, and in what
appeared to me to be a somewhat similar sense. Indeed, Kory-Kory had a
great variety of short, smart-sounding sentences, with which he
frequently enlivened his discourse; and he introduced them with an air
which plainly intimated, that, in his opinion, they settled the matter
in question, whatever it might be.

Could it have been, then, that when I asked him whether he desired to
go to this heaven of bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, and young ladies, which
he had been describing, he answered by saying something equivalent to
our old adage—“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush!”—if he did,
Kory-Kory was a discreet and sensible fellow, and I cannot sufficiently
admire his shrewdness.

Whenever, in the course of my rambles through the valley, I happened to
be near the chief’s mausoleum, I always turned aside to visit it. The
place had a peculiar charm for me; I hardly know why, but so it was. As
I leaned over the railing and gazed upon the strange effigy, and
watched the play of the feathery head-dress, stirred by the same breeze
which in low tones breathed amidst the lofty palm trees, I loved to
yield myself up to the fanciful superstition of the islanders, and
could almost believe that the grim warrior was bound heavenward. In
this mood, when I turned to depart, I bade him, “God speed, and a
pleasant voyage.” Ay, paddle away, brave chieftain, to the land of
spirits! To the material eye thou makest but little progress, but, with
the eye of faith, I see thy canoe cleaving the bright waves, which die
away on those dimly looming shores of Paradise.

This strange superstition affords another evidence of the fact, that
however ignorant man may be, he still feels within him his immortal
spirit yearning after the unknown future.

Although the religious theories of the islands were a complete mystery
to me, their practical every-day operation could not be concealed. I
frequently passed the little temples reposing in the shadows of the
Taboo Groves, and beheld the offerings—mouldy fruit spread out upon a
rude altar, or hanging in half-decayed baskets around some uncouth,
jolly-looking images. I was present during the continuance of the
festival. I daily beheld the grinning idols marshalled rank and file in
the Hoolah Hoolah ground, and was often in the habit of meeting those
whom I supposed to be the priests. But the temples seemed to be
abandoned to solitude; the festival had been nothing more than a jovial
mingling of the tribe; the idols were quite as harmless as any other
logs of wood; and the priests were the merriest dogs in the valley.

In fact, religious affairs in Typee were at a very low ebb. All such
matters sat very lightly upon the thoughtless inhabitants; and, in the
celebration of many of their strange rites, they appeared merely to
seek a sort of childish amusement.

A curious evidence of this was given in a remarkable ceremony, in which
I frequently saw Mehevi and several other chiefs and warriors of note
take part; but never a single female.

Among those whom I looked upon as forming the priesthood of the valley,
there was one in particular who often attracted my notice, and whom I
could not help regarding as the head of the order. He was a
noble-looking man, in the prime of his life, and of a most benignant
aspect. The authority this man, whose name was Kolory, seemed to
exercise over the rest, the episcopal part he took in the Feast of
Calabashes, his sleek and complacent appearance, the mystic characters
which were tattooed upon his chest, and, above all, the mitre he
frequently wore, in the shape of a towering head-dress, consisting of
part of a cocoa-nut branch, the stalk planted uprightly on his brow,
and the leaflets gathered together and passed round the temples and
behind the ears, all these pointed him out as Lord Primate of Typee.
Kolory was a sort of Knight Templar—a soldier-priest; for he often wore
the dress of a Marquesan warrior, and always carried a long spear,
which, instead of terminating in a paddle at the lower end, after the
general fashion of these weapons, was curved into a heathenish-looking
little image. This instrument, however, might perhaps have been
emblematic of his double functions. With one end, in carnal combat he
tranfixed the enemies of his tribe; and with the other, as a pastoral
crook, he kept in order his spiritual flock. But this is not all I have
to about Kolory. His martial grace very often carried about with him
what seemed to me the half of a broken war-club. It was swathed round
with ragged bits of white tappa, and the upper part, which was intended
to represent a human head, was embellished with a strip of scarlet
cloth of European manufacture. It required little observation to
discover that this strange object was revered as a god. By the side of
the big and lusty images standing sentinel over the altars of the
Hoolah Hoolah ground, it seemed a mere pigmy in tatters. But
appearances all the world over are deceptive. Little men are sometimes
very potent, and rags sometimes cover very extensive pretensions. In
fact, this funny little image was the “crack” god of the island;
lording it over all the wooden lubbers who looked so grim and dreadful;
its name was Moa Artua.[4] And it was in honour of Moa Artua, and for
the entertainment of those who believe in him, that the curious
ceremony I am about to describe was observed.

Mehevi and the chieftains of the Ti have just risen from their noontide
slumbers. There are no affairs of state to dispose of; and having eaten
two or three breakfasts in the course of the morning, the magnates of
the valley feel no appetite as yet for dinner. How are their leisure
moments to be occupied? They smoke, they chat, and at last one of their
number makes a proposition to the rest, who joyfully acquiescing, he
darts out of the house, leaps from the pi-pi, and disappears in the
grove. Soon you see him returning with Kolory, who bears the god Moa
Artua in his arms, and carries in one hand a small trough, hollowed out
in the likeness of a canoe. The priest comes along dangling his charge
as if it were a lachrymose infant he was endeavouring to put into a
good humour. Presently, entering the Ti, he seats himself on the mats
as composedly as a juggler about to perform his sleight-of-hand tricks;
and, with the chiefs disposed in a circle around him, commences his
ceremony.

In the first place he gives Moa Artua an affectionate hug, then
caressingly lays him to his breast, and, finally, whispers something in
his ear, the rest of the company listening eagerly for a reply. But the
baby-god is deaf or dumb,—perhaps both, for never a word does he utter.
At last Kolory speaks a little louder, and soon growing angry, comes
boldly out with what he has to say, and bawls to him. He put me in mind
of a choleric fellow, who, after trying in vain to communicate a secret
to a deaf man, all at once flies into a passion and screams it out so
that every one may hear. Still Moa Artua remains as quiet as ever, and
Kolory, seemingly losing his temper, fetches him a box over the head,
strips him of his tappa and red cloth, and, laying him in a state of
nudity in a little trough, covers him from sight. At this proceeding
all present loudly applaud, and signify their approval by uttering the
adjective “motarkee” with violent emphasis. Kolory, however, is so
desirous his conduct should meet with unqualified approbation, that he
inquires of each individual separately whether, under existing
circumstances, he has not done perfectly right in shutting up Moa
Artua. The invariable response is “Aa, Aa” (yes, yes), repeated over
again and again in a manner which ought to quiet the scruples of the
most conscientious. After a few moments Kolory brings forth his doll
again, and, while arraying it very carefully in the tappa and red
cloth, alternately fondles and chides it. The toilet being completed,
he once more speaks to it aloud. The whole company hereupon show the
greatest interest; while the priest, holding Moa Artua to his ear,
interprets to them what he pretends the god is confidentially
communicating to him. Some items of intelligence appear to tickle all
present amazingly; for one claps his hands in a rapture; another shouts
with merriment; and a third leaps to his feet and capers about like a
madman.

What under the sun Moa Artua on these occasions had to say to Kolory I
never could find out; but I could not help thinking that the former
showed a sad want of spirit in being disciplined into making those
disclosures, which at first he seemed bent on withholding. Whether the
priest honestly interpreted what he believed the divinity said to him,
or whether he was not all the while guilty of a vile humbug, I shall
not presume to decide. At any rate, whatever, as coming from the god,
was imparted to those present, seemed to be generally of a
complimentary nature—a fact which illustrates the sagacity of Kolory,
or else the time-serving disposition of this hardly-used deity.

Moa Artua having nothing more to say, his bearer goes to nursing him
again, in which occupation, however, he is soon interrupted by a
question put by one of the warriors to the god. Kolory hereupon
snatches it up to his ear again, and after listening attentively, once
more officiates as the organ of communication. A multitude of questions
and answers having passed between the parties, much to the satisfaction
of those who propose them, the god is put tenderly to bed in the
trough, and the whole company unite in a long chant, led off by Kolory.
This ended, the ceremony is over; the chiefs rise to their feet in high
good humour, and my Lord Archbishop, after chatting awhile, and
regaling himself with a whiff or two from a pipe of tobacco, tucks the
canoe under his arm and marches off with it.

The whole of these proceedings were like those of a parcel of children
playing with dolls and baby-houses.

For a youngster scarcely ten inches high, and with so few early
advantages as he doubtless had had, Moa Artua was certainly a
precocious little fellow, if he really said all that was imputed to
him; but for what reason this poor devil of a deity, thus cuffed about,
cajoled, and shut up in a box, was held in greater estimation than the
full-grown and dignified personages of the Taboo Groves, I cannot
divine. And yet Mehevi, and other chiefs of unquestionable veracity—to
say nothing of the Primate himself—assured me over and over again that
Moa Artua was the tutelary deity of Typee, and was more to be held in
honour than a whole battalion of the clumsy idols in the Hoolah Hoolah
grounds. Kory-Kory—who seemed to have devoted considerable attention to
the study of theology, as he knew the names of all the graven images in
the valley, and often repeated them over to me—likewise entertained
some rather enlarged ideas with regard to the character and pretensions
of Moa Artua. He once gave me to understand, with a gesture there was
no misconceiving, that if he (Moa Artua) were so minded, he could cause
a cocoa-nut tree to sprout out of his (Kory-Kory’s) head; and that it
would be the easiest thing in life for him (Moa Artua) to take the
whole island of Nukuheva in his mouth, and dive down to the bottom of
the sea with it.

But, in sober seriousness, I hardly knew what to make of the religion
of the valley. There was nothing that so much perplexed the illustrious
Cook, in his intercourse with the South Sea islanders, as their sacred
rites. Although this prince of navigators was in many instances
assisted by interpreters in the prosecution of his researches, he still
frankly acknowledges that he was at a loss to obtain anything like a
clear insight into the puzzling arcana of their faith. A similar
admission has been made by other eminent voyagers,—by Carteret, Byron,
Kotzebue, and Vancouver.

For my own part, although hardly a day passed while I remained upon the
island that I did not witness some religious ceremony or other, it was
very much like seeing a parcel of “Freemasons” making secret signs to
each other: I saw everything, but could comprehend nothing.

On the whole, I am inclined to believe that the islanders in the
Pacific have no fixed and definite ideas whatever on the subject of
religion. I am persuaded that Kolory himself would be effectually posed
were he called upon to draw up the articles of his faith, and pronounce
the creed by which he hoped to be saved. In truth, the Typees, so far
as their actions evince, submitted to no laws, human or divine—always
excepting the thrice mysterious Taboo. The “independent electors” of
the valley were not to be browbeaten by chiefs, priests, idols, or
devils. As for the luckless idols, they received more hard knocks than
supplications. I do not wonder that some of them looked so grim, and
stood so bolt upright, as if fearful of looking to the right or the
left, lest they should give any one offence. The fact is, they had to
carry themselves “_pretty straight_,” or suffer the consequences. Their
worshippers were such a precious set of fickle-minded and irreverent
heathens, that there was no telling when they might topple one of them
over, break it to pieces, and making a fire with it on the very altar
itself, fall to roasting the offerings of bread-fruit, and eat them in
spite of its teeth.

In how little reverence these unfortunate deities were held by the
natives, was on one occasion most convincingly proved to me. Walking
with Kory-Kory through the deepest recesses of the groves, I perceived
a curious-looking image about six feet in height, which originally had
been placed upright against a low pi-pi, surmounted by a ruinous bamboo
temple, but having become fatigued and weak in the knees, was now
carelessly leaning against it. The idol was partly concealed by the
foliage of a tree which stood near, and whose leafy boughs drooped over
the pile of stones, as if to protect the rude fane from the decay to
which it was rapidly hastening. The image itself was nothing more than
a grotesquely-shaped log, carved in the likeness of a portly naked man,
with the arms clasped over the head, the jaws thrown wide apart, and
its thick shapeless legs bowed into an arch. It was much decayed. The
lower part was overgrown with a bright silky moss. Thin spears of grass
sprouted from the distended mouth, and fringed the outline of the head
and arms. His godship had literally attained a green old age. All its
prominent points were bruised and battered or entirely rotted away. The
nose had taken its departure, and from the general appearance of the
head, it might have been supposed that the wooden divinity, in despair
at the neglect of its worshippers, had been trying to beat its own
brains out against the surrounding trees.

I drew near, to inspect more closely this strange object of idolatry,
but halted reverently at the distance of two or three paces, out of
regard of the religious prejudices of my valet. As soon, however, as
Kory-Kory perceived that I was in one of my inquiring, scientific
moods, to my astonishment he sprang to the side of the idol, and
pushing it away from the stones against which it rested, endeavoured to
make it stand upon its legs. But the divinity had lost the use of them
altogether; and while Kory-Kory was trying to prop it up, by placing a
stick between it and pi-pi, the monster fell clumsily to the ground,
and would infallibly have broken its neck had not Kory-Kory
providentially broken its fall, by receiving its whole weight on his
own half-crushed back. I never saw the honest fellow in such a rage
before. He leaped furiously to his feet, and, seizing the stick, began
beating the poor image, every moment or two pausing and talking to it
in the most violent manner, as if upbraiding it for the accident. When
his indignation had subsided a little, he whirled the idol about most
profanely, so as to give me an opportunity of examining it on all
sides. I am quite sure I never should have presumed to have taken such
liberties with the god myself, and I was not a little shocked at
Kory-Kory’s impiety.




CHAPTER XXIV


General information gathered at the festival—Personal beauty of the
Typees—Their superiority over the inhabitants of the other
islands—Diversity of complexion—A vegetable cosmetic and
ointment—Testimony of voyagers to the uncommon beauty of the
Marquesans—Few evidences of intercourse with civilized
beings—Dilapidated musket—Primitive simplicity of government—Regal
dignity of Mehevi.


Although I had been unable during the late festival to obtain
information on many interesting subjects which had much excited my
curiosity, still that important event had not passed by without adding
materially to my general knowledge of the islanders.

I was especially struck by the physical strength and beauty which they
displayed, by their great superiority in these respects over the
inhabitants of the neighbouring bay of Nukuheva, and by the singular
contrasts they presented among themselves in their various shades of
complexion.

In beauty of form they surpassed anything I had ever seen. Not a single
instance of natural deformity was observable in all the throng
attending the revels. Occasionally I noticed among the men the scars of
wounds they had received in battle; and sometimes, though very seldom,
the loss of a finger, an eye, or an arm, attributable to the same
cause. With these exceptions, every individual appeared free from those
blemishes which sometimes mar the effect of an otherwise perfect form.
But their physical excellence did not merely consist in an exemption
from these evils; nearly every individual of their number might have
been taken for a sculptor’s model.

When I remembered that these islanders derived no advantage from dress,
but appeared in all the naked simplicity of nature, I could not avoid
comparing them with the fine gentlemen and dandies who promenade such
unexceptional figures in our frequented thoroughfares. Stripped of the
cunning artifices of the tailor, and standing forth in the garb of
Eden,—what a sorry set of round-shouldered, spindle-shanked,
crane-necked varlets would civilized men appear! Stuffed calves, padded
breasts, and scientifically cut pantaloons would then avail them
nothing, and the effect would be truly deplorable.

Nothing in the appearance of the islanders struck me more forcibly than
the whiteness of their teeth. The novelist always compares the
masticators of his heroine to ivory; but I boldly pronounce the teeth
of the Typees to be far more beautiful than ivory itself. The jaws of
the oldest greybeards among them were much better garnished than those
of the youths of civilized countries; while the teeth of the young and
middle-aged, in their purity and whiteness, were actually dazzling to
the eye. This marvellous whiteness of the teeth is to be ascribed to
the pure vegetable diet of these people, and the uninterrupted
healthfulness of their natural mode of life.

The men, in almost every instance, are of lofty stature, scarcely ever
less than six feet in height, while the other sex are uncommonly
diminutive. The early period of life at which the human form arrives at
maturity in this generous tropical climate likewise deserves to be
mentioned. A little creature, not more than thirteen years of age, who
in other particulars might be regarded as a mere child, is often seen
nursing her own baby; whilst lads who, under less ripening skies, would
be still at school, are here responsible fathers of families.

On first entering the Typee valley, I had been struck with the marked
contrast presented by its inhabitants with those of the bay I had
previously left. In the latter place, I had not been favourably
impressed with the personal appearance of the male portion of the
population; although with the females, excepting in some truly
melancholy instances, I had been wonderfully pleased.

Apart, however, from these considerations, I am inclined to believe
that there exists a radical difference between the two tribes, if
indeed they are not distinct races of men. To those who have merely
touched at Nukuheva Bay, without visiting other portions of the island,
would hardly appear credible the diversities presented between the
various small clans inhabiting so diminutive a spot. But the hereditary
hostility which has existed between them for ages fully accounts for
this.

Not so easy, however, is it to assign an adequate cause for the endless
variety of complexions to be seen in the Typee valley. During the
festival, I had noticed several young females whose skins were almost
as white as any Saxon damsel’s, a slight dash of the mantling brown
being all that marked the difference. This comparative fairness of
complexion, though in a great degree perfectly natural, is partly the
result of an artificial process, and of an entire exclusion from the
sun. The juice of the “papa” root, found in great abundance at the head
of the valley, is held in great esteem as a cosmetic, with which many
of the females daily anoint their whole person. The habitual use of it
whitens and beautifies the skin. Those of the young girls who resort to
this method of heightening their charms, never expose themselves to the
rays of the sun; an observance, however, that produces little or no
inconvenience, since there are but few of the inhabited portions of the
vale which are not shaded over with a spreading canopy of boughs, so
that one may journey from house to house, scarcely deviating from the
direct course, and yet never once see his shadow cast upon the ground.

The “papa,” when used, is suffered to remain upon the skin for several
hours; being of a light green colour, it consequently imparts for the
time a similar hue to the complexion. Nothing, therefore, can be
imagined more singular than the appearance of these nearly naked
damsels immediately after the application of the cosmetic. To look at
one of them you would almost suppose she was some vegetable in an
unripe state; and that, instead of living in the shade for ever, she
ought to be placed out in the sun to ripen.

All the islanders are more or less in the habit of anointing
themselves; the women preferring the “aker” or “papa,” and the men
using the oil of the cocoa-nut. Mehevi was remarkably fond of
mollifying his entire cuticle with this ointment. Sometimes he might be
seen with his whole body fairly reeking with the perfumed oil of the
nut, looking as if he had just emerged from a soap-boiler’s vat, or had
undergone the process of dipping in a tallow-chandlery. To this cause,
perhaps, united to their frequent bathing, and extreme cleanliness, is
ascribable, in a great measure, the marvellous purity and smoothness of
skin exhibited by the natives in general.

The prevailing tint among the women of the valley was a light olive,
and of this style of complexion Fayaway afforded the most beautiful
example. Others were still darker, while not a few were of a genuine
golden colour, and some of a swarthy hue.

As agreeing with much previously mentioned in this narrative, I may
here observe, that Mendanna, their discoverer, in his account of the
Marquesas, described the natives as wondrously beautiful to behold, and
as nearly resembling the people of Southern Europe. The first of these
islands seen by Mendanna was La Madelena, which is not far distant from
Nukuheva; and its inhabitants in every respect resemble those dwelling
on that and the other islands of the group. Figueroa, the chronicler of
Mendanna’s voyage, says, that on the morning the land was descried,
when the Spaniards drew near the shore, there sallied forth, in rude
procession, about seventy canoes, and at the same time many of the
inhabitants (females, I presume) made towards the ships by swimming. He
adds, that “in complexion they were nearly white, of good stature, and
finely formed; and on their faces and bodies were delineated
representations of fishes and other devices.” The old Don then goes on
to say, “There came, among others, two lads paddling their canoe, whose
eyes were fixed on the ship; they had beautiful faces, and the most
promising animation of countenance, and were in all things so becoming,
that the pilot-mayor, Quiros, affirmed, nothing in his life ever caused
him so much regret as the leaving such fine creatures to be lost in
that country.”

Some of the natives present at the Feast of Calabashes had displayed a
few articles of European dress, disposed, however, about their persons
after their own peculiar fashion. Among these I perceived the two
pieces of cotton cloth which poor Toby and myself had bestowed upon our
youthful guides the afternoon we entered the valley. They were
evidently reserved for gala days; and during those of the festival they
rendered the young islanders who wore them very distinguished
characters. The small number who were similarly adorned, and the great
value they appeared to place upon the most common and most trivial
articles, furnished ample evidence of the very restricted intercourse
they held with vessels touching at the island. A few cotton
handkerchiefs of a gay pattern, tied about the neck, and suffered to
fall over the shoulders, strips of fanciful calico, swathed about the
loins, were nearly all I saw.

Indeed, throughout the valley, there were few things of any kind to be
seen of European origin. All I ever saw, besides the articles just
alluded to, were the six muskets preserved in the Ti, and three or four
similar implements of warfare hung up in other houses, some small
canvas bags, partly filled with bullets and powder, and half a dozen
old hatchet-heads, with the edges blunted and battered to such a degree
as to render them utterly worthless. These last seemed to be regarded
as nearly worthless by the natives; and several times they held up one
of them before me, and throwing it aside with a gesture of disgust,
manifested their contempt for anything that could so soon become
unserviceable.

But the muskets, the powder, and the bullets, were held in most
extravagant esteem. The former, from their great age and the
peculiarities they exhibited, were well worthy a place in any
antiquarian’s armoury. I remember, in particular, one that hung in the
Ti, and which Mehevi—supposing as a matter of course that I was able to
repair it—had put into my hands for that purpose. It was one of those
clumsy, old-fashioned English pieces known generally as Tower Hill
muskets, and, for aught I know, might have been left on the island by
Wallace, Carteret, Cook, or Vancouver. The stock was half-rotten and
worm-eaten; the lock was as rusty and about as well adapted to its
ostensible purpose as an old door-hinge; the threading of the screws
about the trigger was completely worn away; while the barrel shook in
the wood. Such was the weapon the chief desired me to restore to its
original condition. As I did not possess the accomplishments of a
gunsmith, and was likewise destitute of the necessary tools, I was
reluctantly obliged to signify my inability to perform the task. At
this unexpected communication Mehevi regarded me, for a moment, as if
he half suspected I was some inferior sort of white man, who after all
did not know much more than a Typee. However, after a most laboured
explanation of the matter, I succeeded in making him understand the
extreme difficulty of the task. Scarcely satisfied with my apologies,
however, he marched off with the superannuated musket in something of a
huff, as if he would no longer expose it to the indignity of being
manipulated by such unskilful fingers.


[Illustration: MEHEVI]


During the festival, I had not failed to remark the simplicity of
manner, the freedom from all restraint, and, to a certain degree, the
equality of condition manifested by the natives in general. No one
appeared to assume any arrogant pretensions. There was little more than
a slight difference in costume to distinguish the chiefs from the other
natives. All appeared to mix together freely, and without any reserve;
although I noticed that the wishes of a chief, even when delivered in
the mildest tone, received the same immediate obedience which elsewhere
would have been only accorded to a peremptory command. What may be the
extent of the authority of the chiefs over the rest of the tribe, I
will not venture to assert; but from all I saw during my stay in the
valley, I was induced to believe that in matters concerning the general
welfare it was very limited. The required degree of deference towards
them, however, was willingly and cheerfully yielded; and as all
authority is transmitted from father to son, I have no doubt that one
of the effects here, as elsewhere, of high birth, is to induce respect
and obedience.

The particular grades of rank existing among the chiefs of Typee, I
could not in all cases determine. Previous to the Feast of Calabashes,
I had been puzzled what particular station to assign to Mehevi. But the
important part he took upon that occasion convinced me that he had no
superior among the inhabitants of the valley. I had invariably noticed
a certain degree of deference paid to him by all with whom I had ever
seen him brought in contact; but when I remembered that my wanderings
had been confined to a limited portion of the valley, and that towards
the sea a number of distinguished chiefs resided, some of whom had
separately visited me at Marheyo’s house, and whom, until the festival,
I had never seen in the company of Mehevi, I felt disposed to believe
that his rank, after all, might not be particularly elevated.

The revels, however, had brought together all the warriors whom I had
seen individually and in groups at different times and places. Among
them Mehevi moved with an easy air of superiority which was not to be
mistaken; and he whom I had only looked at as the hospitable host of
the Ti, and one of the military leaders of the tribe, now assumed in my
eyes the dignity of royal station. His striking costume, no less than
his naturally commanding figure, seemed indeed to give him pre-eminence
over the rest. The towering helmet of feathers that he wore raised him
in height above all who surrounded him; and though some others were
similarly adorned, the length and luxuriance of their plumes were far
inferior to his.

Mehevi was in fact the greatest of the chiefs—the head of his clan—the
sovereign of the valley; and the simplicity of the social institutions
of the people could not have been more completely proved than by the
fact, that after having been several weeks in the valley, and almost in
daily intercourse with Mehevi, I should have remained until the time of
the festival ignorant of his regal character. But a new light had now
broken in upon me. The Ti was the palace—and Mehevi the king. Both the
one and the other of a most simple and patriarchal nature it must be
allowed, and wholly unattended by the ceremonious pomp which usually
surrounds the purple.

After having made this discovery I could not avoid congratulating
myself that Mehevi had from the first taken me as it were under his
royal protection, and that he still continued to entertain for me the
warmest regard, as far at least as I was enabled to judge from
appearances. For the future I determined to pay most assiduous court to
him, hoping that eventually through his kindness I might obtain my
liberty.




CHAPTER XXV


King Mehevi—Conduct of Marheyo and Mehevi in certain delicate
matters—Peculiar system of marriage—Number of
population—Uniformity—Embalming—Places of sepulture—Funeral obsequies
at Nukuheva—Number of inhabitants in Typee—Location of the
dwellings—Happiness enjoyed in the valley.


King Mehevi!—A goodly sounding title!—and why should I not bestow it
upon the foremost man in the valley? All hail, therefore, Mehevi, king
over all the Typees! and long life and prosperity to his tropical
majesty! But to be sober again after this loyal burst.

Previously to seeing the Dancing Widows I had little idea that there
were any matrimonial relations subsisting in Typee, and I should as
soon have thought of a Platonic affection being cultivated between the
sexes, as of the solemn connexion of man and wife. To be sure, there
were old Marheyo and Tinor, who seemed to live together quite sociably;
but for all that, I had sometimes observed a comical-looking old
gentleman, dressed in a suit of shabby tattooing, who appeared to be
equally at home. This behaviour, until subsequent discoveries
enlightened me, puzzled me more than anything else I witnessed in
Typee.

As for Mehevi, I had supposed him a confirmed bachelor, as well as most
of the principal chiefs. At any rate, if they had wives and families,
they ought to have been ashamed of themselves; for sure I am, they
never troubled themselves about any domestic affairs. In truth, Mehevi
seemed to be the president of a club of hearty fellows who kept
“Bachelor’s Hall” in fine style at the Ti. I had no doubt but that they
regarded children as odious incumbrances; and their ideas of domestic
felicity were sufficiently shown in the fact, that they allowed no
meddlesome housekeepers to turn topsy-turvy those snug little
arrangements they had made in their comfortable dwelling. I strongly
suspected, however, that some of those jolly bachelors were carrying on
love intrigues with the maidens of the tribe, although they did not
appear publicly to acknowledge them. I happened to pop upon Mehevi
three or four times when he was romping—in a most undignified manner
for a warrior king—with one of the prettiest little witches in the
valley. She lived with an old woman and a young man, in a house near
Marheyo’s; and although in appearance a mere child herself, had a noble
boy about a year old, who bore a marvellous resemblance to Mehevi, whom
I should certainly have believed to have been the father, were it not
that the little fellow had no triangle on his face. Mehevi, however,
was not the only person upon whom the damsel Moonoony smiled—the young
fellow of fifteen, who permanently resided in the house with her, was
decidedly in her good graces. This too was a mystery which, with others
of the same kind, was afterwards satisfactorily explained.

During the second day of the Feast of Calabashes, Kory-Kory—being
determined that I should have some understanding on these matters—had,
in the course of his explanations, directed my attention to a
peculiarity I had frequently marked among many of the
females,—principally those of a mature age and rather matronly
appearance. This consisted in having the right hand and the left foot
most elaborately tattooed; while the rest of the body was wholly free
from the operation of the art, with the exception of the minutely
dotted lips and slight marks on the shoulders, to which I have
previously referred as comprising the sole tattooing exhibited by
Fayaway, in common with other young girls of her age. The hand and foot
thus embellished, were, according to Kory-Kory, the distinguishing
badge of wedlock, so far as that social and highly commendable
institution is known among these people. It answers, indeed, the same
purpose as the plain gold ring worn by our fairer spouses.

After Kory-Kory’s explanation of the subject, I was for some time
studiously respectful in the presence of all females thus
distinguished, and never ventured to indulge in the slightest approach
to flirtation with any of their number.

A further insight, however, into the peculiar domestic customs of the
inmates of the valley did away in a measure with the severity of my
scruples, and convinced me that I was deceived in some at least of my
conclusions. A regular system of polygamy exists among the islanders,
but of a most extraordinary nature,—a plurality of husbands, instead of
wives; and this solitary fact speaks volumes for the gentle disposition
of the male population.

I was not able to learn what particular ceremony was observed in
forming the marriage contract, but am inclined to think that it must
have been of a very simple nature. Perhaps the mere “popping the
question,” as it is termed with us, might have been followed by an
immediate nuptial alliance. At any rate, tedious courtships are unknown
in the valley of Typee.

The males considerably outnumber the females. This holds true of many
of the islands of Polynesia, although the reverse of what is the case
in most civilized countries. The girls are first wooed and won, at a
very tender age, by some stripling in the household in which they
reside. This, however, is a mere frolic of the affections, and no
formal engagement is contracted. By the time this first love has a
little subsided, a second suitor presents himself, of graver years, and
carries both boy and girl away to his own habitation. This
disinterested and generous-hearted fellow now weds the young
couple—marrying damsel and lover at the same time—and all three
thenceforth live together as harmoniously as so many turtles. I have
heard of some men who in civilized countries rashly marry large
families with their wives, but had no idea that there was any place
where people married supplementary husbands with them. Infidelity on
either side is very rare. No man has more than one wife, and no wife of
mature years has less than two husbands,—sometimes she has three, but
such instances are not frequent. The marriage tie, whatever it may be,
does not appear to be indissoluble; for separations occasionally
happen. These, however, when they do take place, produce no
unhappiness, and are preceded by no bickerings: for the simple reason,
that an ill-used wife or a hen-pecked husband is not obliged to file a
bill in chancery to obtain a divorce. As nothing stands in the way of a
separation, the matrimonial yoke sits easily and lightly, and a Typee
wife lives on very pleasant and sociable terms with her husbands. On
the whole, wedlock, as known among these Typees, seems to be of a more
distinct and enduring nature than is usually the case with barbarous
people.

But, notwithstanding its existence among them, the scriptural
injunction to increase and multiply seems to be but indifferently
attended to. I never saw any of those large families, in arithmetical
or step-ladder progression, which one often meets with at home. I never
knew of more than two youngsters living together in the same home, and
but seldom even that number. As for the women, it was very plain that
the anxieties of the nursery but seldom disturbed the serenity of their
souls; and they were never seen going about the valley with half a
score of little ones tagging at their apron-strings, or rather at the
bread-fruit leaf they usually wore in the rear.

I have before had occasion to remark that I never saw any of the
ordinary signs of a place of sepulture in the valley, a circumstance
which I attributed, at the time, to my living in a particular part of
it, and being forbidden to extend my ramble to any considerable
distance towards the sea. I have since thought it probable, however,
that the Typees, either desirous of removing from their sight the
evidences of mortality, or prompted by a taste for rural beauty, may
have some charming cemetery situated in the shadowy recesses along the
base of the mountains. At Nukuheva, two or three large quadrangular
“pi-pis,” heavily flagged, enclosed with regular stone walls, and
shaded over and almost hidden from view by the interlacing branches of
enormous trees, were pointed out to me as burial-places. The bodies, I
understood, were deposited in rude vaults beneath the flagging, and
were suffered to remain there without being disinterred. Although
nothing could be more strange and gloomy than the aspect of these
places, where the lofty trees threw their dark shadows over rude blocks
of stone, a stranger looking at them would have discerned none of the
ordinary evidences of a place of sepulture.

During my stay in the valley, as none of its inmates were so
accommodating as to die and be buried in order to gratify my curiosity
with regard to their funeral rites, I was reluctantly obliged to remain
in ignorance of them. As I have reason to believe, however, that the
observances of the Typees in these matters are the same with those of
all other tribes on the island, I will here relate a scene I chanced to
witness at Nukuheva.

A young man had died, about daybreak, in a house near the beach. I had
been sent ashore that morning, and saw a good deal of the preparations
they were making for his obsequies. The body, neatly wrapped in new
white tappa, was laid out in an open shed of cocoa-nut boughs, upon a
bier constructed of elastic bamboos ingeniously twisted together. This
was supported, about two feet from the ground, by large canes planted
uprightly in the earth. Two females, of a dejected appearance, watched
by its side, plaintively chanting, and beating the air with large grass
fans whitened with pipe-clay. In the dwelling-house adjoining a
numerous company were assembled, and various articles of food were
being prepared for consumption. Two or three individuals, distinguished
by head-dresses of beautiful tappa, and wearing a great number of
ornaments, appeared to officiate as masters of the ceremonies. By noon
the entertainment had fairly begun, and we were told that it would last
during the whole of the two following days. With the exception of those
who mourned by the corpse, every one seemed disposed to drown the sense
of the late bereavement in convivial indulgence. The girls, decked out
in their savage finery, danced; the old men chanted; the warriors
smoked and chatted; and the young and lusty, of both sexes, feasted
plentifully, and seemed to enjoy themselves as pleasantly as they could
have done had it been a wedding.

The islanders understand the art of embalming, and practice it with
such success, that the bodies of their great chiefs are frequently
preserved for many years in the very houses where they died. I saw
three of these in my visit to the bay of Tior. One was enveloped in
immense folds of tappa, with only the face exposed, and hung erect
against the side of the dwelling. The others were stretched out upon
biers of bamboo, in open, elevated temples, which seemed consecrated to
their memory. The heads of enemies killed in battle are invariably
preserved, and hung up as trophies in the house of the conqueror. I am
not acquainted with the process which is in use, but believe that
fumigation is the principal agency employed. All the remains which I
saw presented the appearance of a ham after being suspended for some
time in a smoky chimney.

But to return from the dead to the living. The late festival had drawn
together, as I had every reason to believe, the whole population of the
vale, and consequently I was enabled to make some estimate with regard
to its numbers. I should imagine that there were about two thousand
inhabitants in Typee; and no number could have been better adapted to
the extent of the valley. The valley is some nine miles in length, and
may average one in breadth, the houses being distributed at wide
intervals throughout its whole extent, principally, however, towards
the head of the vale. There are no villages. The houses stand here and
there in the shadow of the groves, or are scattered along the banks of
the winding stream; their golden-hued bamboo sides and gleaming white
thatch, forming a beautiful contrast to the perpetual verdure in which
they are embowered. There are no roads of any kind in the valley.
Nothing but a labyrinth of footpaths, twisting and turning among the
thickets without end.




CHAPTER XXVI


The social condition and general character of the Typees.


There seemed to be no rogues of any kind in Typee. In the darkest
nights the natives slept securely, with all their worldly wealth around
them, in houses the doors of which were never fastened. The disquieting
ideas of theft or assassination never disturbed them. Each islander
reposed beneath his own palmetto-thatching, or sat under his own
bread-fruit, with none to molest or alarm him. There was not a padlock
in the valley, nor anything that answered the purpose of one: still
there was no community of goods. This long spear, so elegantly carved
and highly polished, belongs to Warmoonoo—it is far handsomer than the
one which old Marheyo so greatly prizes—it is the most valuable article
belonging to its owner. And yet I have seen it leaning against a
cocoa-nut tree in the grove, and there it was found when sought for.
Here is a sperm-whale tooth, graven all over with cunning devices—it is
the property of Kurluna. It is the most precious of the damsel’s
ornaments. In her estimation, its price is far above rubies; and yet
there hangs the dental jewel, by its cord of braided bark, in the
girl’s house, which is far back in the valley; the door is left open,
and all the inmates have gone off to bathe in the stream.[5]

So much for the respect in which such matters are held in Typee. As to
the land of the valley, whether it was the joint property of its
inhabitants, or whether it was parcelled out among a certain number of
landed proprietors, who allowed everybody to roam over it as much as
they pleased, I never could ascertain. At any rate, musty parchments
and title-deeds there were none in the island; and I am half inclined
to believe that its inhabitants hold their broad valleys in fee simple
from nature herself.

Yesterday I saw Kory-Kory hie him away, armed with a long pole, with
which, standing on the ground, he knocked down the fruit from the
topmost boughs of the trees, and brought them home in his basket of
cocoa-nut leaves. To-day I see an islander, whom I know to reside in a
distant part of the valley, doing the self-same thing. On the sloping
bank of the stream were a number of banana trees. I have often seen a
score or two of young people making a merry foray on the great golden
clusters, and bearing them off, one after another, to different parts
of the vale, shouting and tramping as they went. No churlish old
curmudgeon could have been the owner of that grove of bread-fruit
trees, or of these gloriously yellow bunches of bananas.

From what I have said, it will be perceived that there is a vast
difference between “personal property” and “real estate” in the valley
of Typee. Some individuals, of course, are more wealthy than others.
For example: the ridge-pole of Marheyo’s house bends under the weight
of many a huge packet of tappa; his long couch is laid with mats placed
one upon the other seven deep. Outside, Tinor has ranged along in her
bamboo cupboard—or whatever the place may be called—a goodly array of
calabashes and wooden trenchers. Now, the house just beyond the grove,
and next to Marheyo’s, occupied by Ruaruga, is not quite so well
furnished. There are only three moderate-sized packages swinging
overhead; there are only two layers of mats beneath; and the calabashes
and trenchers are not so numerous, nor so tastefully stained and
carved. But then, Ruaruga has a house—not so pretty a one, to be
sure—but just as commodious as Marheyo’s; and, I suppose, if he wished
to vie with his neighbour’s establishment, he could do so with very
little trouble. These, in short, constitute the chief differences
perceivable in the relative wealth of the people in Typee.

They lived in great harmony with each other. I will give an instance of
their fraternal feeling.

One day, in returning with Kory-Kory from my accustomed visit to the
Ti, we passed by a little opening in the grove; on one side of which,
my attendant informed me, was that afternoon to be built a dwelling of
bamboo. At least a hundred of the natives were bringing materials to
the ground, some carrying in their hands one or two of the canes which
were to form the sides, others slender rods of the Habiscus, strung
with palmetto leaves, for the roof. Every one contributed something to
the work; and by the united, but easy, and even indolent, labours of
all, the entire work was completed before sunset. The islanders, while
employed in erecting this tenement, reminded me of a colony of beavers
at work. To be sure, they were hardly as silent and demure as those
wonderful creatures, nor were they by any means as diligent. To tell
the truth, they were somewhat inclined to be lazy, but a perfect tumult
of hilarity prevailed; and they worked together so unitedly, and seemed
actuated by such an instinct of friendliness, that it was truly
beautiful to behold.

Not a single female took part in this employment: and if the degree of
consideration in which the ever-adorable sex is held by the men be—as
the philosophers affirm—a just criterion of the degree of refinement
among a people, then I may truly pronounce the Typees to be as polished
a community as ever the sun shone upon. The religious restrictions of
the taboo alone excepted, the women of the valley were allowed every
possible indulgence. Nowhere are the ladies more assiduously courted;
nowhere are they better appreciated as the contributors to our highest
enjoyments; and nowhere are they more sensible of their power. Far
different from their condition among many rude nations, where the women
are made to perform all the work, while their ungallant lords and
masters lie buried in sloth, the gentle sex in the valley of Typee were
exempt from toil—if toil it might be called—that, even in that tropical
climate, never distilled one drop of perspiration. Their light
household occupations, together with the manufacture of tappa, the
platting of mats, and the polishing of drinking-vessels, were the only
employments pertaining to the women. And even these resembled those
pleasant avocations which fill up the elegant morning leisure of our
fashionable ladies at home. But in these occupations, slight and
agreeable though they were, the giddy young girls very seldom engaged.
Indeed, these wilful, care-killing damsels were averse to all useful
employment. Like so many spoiled beauties, they ranged through the
groves—bathed in the stream—danced—flirted—played all manner of
mischievous pranks, and passed their days in one merry round of
thoughtless happiness.

During my whole stay on the island I never witnessed a single quarrel,
nor anything that in the slightest degree approached even to a dispute.
The natives appeared to form one household, whose members were bound
together by the ties of strong affection. The love of kindred I did not
so much perceive, for it seemed blended in the general love; and where
all were treated as brothers and sisters, it was hard to tell who were
actually related to each other by blood.

Let it not be supposed that I have overdrawn this picture. I have not
done so. Nor let it be urged, that the hostility of this tribe to
foreigners, and the hereditary feuds they carry on against their
fellow-islanders beyond the mountains, are facts which contradict me.
Not so; these apparent discrepancies are easily reconciled. By many a
legendary tale of violence and wrong, as well as by events which have
passed before their eyes, these people have been taught to look upon
white men with abhorrence. The cruel invasion of their country by
Porter has alone furnished them with ample provocation; and I can
sympathize in the spirit which prompts the Typee warrior to guard all
the passes to his valley with the point of his levelled spear, and,
standing upon the beach, with his back turned upon his green home, to
hold at bay the intruding European.

As to the origin of the enmity of this particular clan towards the
neighbouring tribes, I cannot so confidently speak. I will not say that
their foes are the aggressors, nor will I endeavour to palliate their
conduct. But surely, if our evil passions must find vent, it is far
better to expend them on strangers and aliens, than in the bosom of the
community in which we dwell. In many polished countries civil
contentions, as well as domestic enmities, are prevalent, at the same
time that the most atrocious foreign wars are waged. How much less
guilty, then, are our islanders, who of these three sins are only
chargeable with one, and that the least criminal!

The reader will, ere long, have reason to suspect that the Typees are
not free from the guilt of cannibalism; and he will then, perhaps,
charge me with admiring a people against whom so odious a crime is
chargeable. But this only enormity in their character is not half so
horrible as it is usually described. According to the popular fictions,
the crews of vessels, shipwrecked on some barbarous coast, are eaten
alive like so many dainty joints by the uncivil inhabitants; and
unfortunate voyagers are lured into smiling and treacherous bays;
knocked on the head with outlandish war-clubs; and served up without
any preliminary dressing. In truth, so horrific and improbable are
these accounts, that many sensible and well-informed people will not
believe that any cannibals exist; and place every book of voyages which
purports to give any account of them, on the same shelf with Blue Beard
and Jack the Giant-killer. While others, implicitly crediting the most
extravagant fictions, firmly believe that there are people in the world
with tastes so depraved, that they would infinitely prefer a single
mouthful of material humanity to a good dinner of roast beef and plum
pudding. But here, Truth, who loves to be centrally located, is again
found between the two extremes; for cannibalism to a certain moderate
extent is practised among several of the primitive tribes in the
Pacific, but it is upon the bodies of slain enemies alone; and horrible
and fearful as the custom is, immeasurably as it is to be abhorred and
condemned, still I assert that those who indulge in it are in other
respects humane and virtuous.




CHAPTER XXVII


Fishing parties—Mode of distributing the fish—Midnight
banquet—Timekeeping tapers—Unceremonious style of eating the fish.


There was no instance in which the social and kindly dispositions of
the Typees were more forcibly evinced than in the manner they conducted
their great fishing parties. Four times during my stay in the valley
the young men assembled near the full of the moon, and went together on
these excursions. As they were generally absent about forty-eight
hours, I was led to believe that they went out towards the open sea,
some distance from the bay. The Polynesians seldom use a hook and line,
almost always employing large, well-made nets, most ingeniously
fabricated from the twisted fibres of a certain bark. I examined
several of them which had been spread to dry upon the beach at
Nukuheva. They resembled very much our own seines, and I should think
they were very nearly as durable.

All the South Sea islanders are passionately fond of fish; but none of
them can be more so than the inhabitants of Typee. I could not
comprehend, therefore, why they so seldom sought it in their waters;
for it was only at stated times that the fishing parties were formed,
and these occasions were always looked forward to with no small degree
of interest.

During their absence, the whole population of the place were in a
ferment, and nothing was talked of but “pehee, pehee” (fish, fish).
Towards the time when they were expected to return, the vocal telegraph
was put into operation—the inhabitants, who were scattered throughout
the length of the valley, leaped upon rocks and into trees, shouting
with delight at the thoughts of the anticipated treat. As soon as the
approach of the party was announced, there was a general rush of the
men towards the beach; some of them remaining, however, about the Ti,
in order to get matters in readiness for the reception of the fish,
which were brought to the Taboo Groves in immense packages of leaves,
each one of them being suspended from a pole carried on the shoulders
of two men.

I was present at the Ti on one of these occasions, and the sight was
most interesting. After all the packages had arrived, they were laid in
a row under the verandah of the building, and opened. The fish were all
quite small, generally about the size of a herring, and of every
variety of colour. About one-eighth of the whole being reserved for the
use of the Ti itself, the remainder was divided into numerous smaller
packages, which were immediately despatched in every direction to the
remotest part of the valley. Arrived at their destination, these were
in turn portioned out, and equally distributed among the various houses
of each particular district. The fish were under a strict Taboo, until
the distribution was completed, which seemed to be effected in the most
impartial manner. By the operation of this system every man, woman, and
child in the vale, were at one and the same time partaking of this
favourite article of food.

Once, I remember, the party arrived at midnight; but the
unseasonableness of the hour did not repress the impatience of the
islanders. The carriers despatched from the Ti were to be seen hurrying
in all directions through the deep groves; each individual preceded by
a boy bearing a flaming torch of dried cocoa-nut boughs, which from
time to time was replenished from the materials scattered along the
path. The wild glare of these enormous flambeaux, lighting up with a
startling brilliancy the innermost recesses of the vale, and seen
moving rapidly along beneath the canopy of leaves, the savage shout of
the excited messengers sounding the news of their approach, which was
answered on all sides, and the strange appearance of their naked
bodies, seen against the gloomy background, produced altogether an
effect upon my mind that I shall long remember.

It was on this same occasion that Kory-Kory awakened me at the dead
hour of night, and in a sort of transport communicated the intelligence
contained in the words “pehee perni” (fish come). As I happened to have
been in a remarkably sound and refreshing slumber, I could not imagine
why the information had not been deferred until morning; indeed, I felt
very much inclined to fly into a passion and box my valet’s ears; but
on second thoughts I got quietly up, and on going outside the house was
not a little interested by the moving illumination which I beheld.

When old Marheyo received his share of the spoils, immediate
preparations were made for a midnight banquet; calabashes of poee-poee
were filled to the brim; green bread-fruit were roasted; and a huge
cake of “amar” was cut up with a sliver of bamboo, and laid out on an
immense banana leaf.

At this supper we were lighted by several of the native tapers, held in
the hands of young girls. These tapers are most ingeniously made. There
is a nut abounding in the valley, called by the Typees “armor,” closely
resembling our common horse-chestnut. The shell is broken, and the
contents extracted whole. Any number of these are strung at pleasure
upon the long elastic fibre that traverses the branches of the
cocoa-nut tree. Some of these tapers are eight or ten feet in length;
but being perfectly flexible, one end is held in a coil, while the
other is lighted. The nut burns with a fitful bluish flame, and the oil
that it contains is exhausted in about ten minutes. As one burns down,
the next becomes ignited, and the ashes of the former are knocked into
a cocoa-nut shell kept for the purpose. This primitive candle requires
continual attention, and must be constantly held in the hand. The
person so employed marks the lapse of time by the number of nuts
consumed, which is easily learned by counting the bits of tappa
distributed at regular intervals along the string.

I grieve to state so distressing a fact, but the inhabitants of Typee
were in the habit of devouring fish much in the same way that a
civilized being would eat a radish, and without any more previous
preparation. They eat it raw; scales, bones, gills, and all the inside.
The fish is held by the tail, and the head being introduced into the
mouth, the animal disappears with a rapidity that would at first nearly
lead one to imagine it had been launched bodily down the throat.

Raw fish! Shall I ever forget my sensation when I first saw my island
beauty devour one? Oh, heavens! Fayaway, how could you ever have
contracted so vile a habit? However, after the first shock had
subsided, the custom grew less odious in my eyes, and I soon accustomed
myself to the sight. Let no one imagine, however, that the lovely
Fayaway was in the habit of swallowing great vulgar-looking fishes: oh,
no; with her beautiful small hand she would clasp a delicate, little,
golden-hued love of a fish, and eat it as elegantly and as innocently
as though it were a Naples biscuit. But, alas! it was after all a raw
fish; and all I can say is, that Fayaway ate it in a more ladylike
manner than any other girl of the valley.

When at Rome do as the Romans do, I held to be so good a proverb, that
being in Typee, I made a point of doing as the Typees did. Thus I ate
poee-poee as they did; I walked about in a garb striking for its
simplicity; and I reposed on a community of couches; besides doing many
other things in conformity with their peculiar habits; but the farthest
I ever went in the way of conformity, was on several occasions to
regale myself with raw fish. These being remarkably tender, and quite
small, the undertaking was not so disagreeable in the main, and after a
few trials I positively began to relish them: however, I subjected them
to a slight operation with my knife previously to making my repast.




CHAPTER XXVIII


Natural history of the valley—Golden lizards—Tameness of the
birds—Mosquitoes—Flies—Dogs—A solitary cat—The climate—The cocoa-nut
tree—Singular modes of climbing it—An agile young chief—Fearlessness of
the children—Too-too and the cocoa-nut tree—The birds of the valley.


There were some curious-looking dogs in the valley. Dogs!—big, hairless
rats rather; all with smooth, shining, speckled hides—fat sides, and
very disagreeable faces. Whence could they have come? That they were
not the indigenous production of the region, I am firmly convinced.
Indeed, they seemed aware of their being interlopers, looking fairly
ashamed, and always trying to hide themselves in some dark corner. It
was plain enough they did not feel at home in the vale—that they wished
themselves well out of it, and back to the ugly country from which they
must have come.

Scurvy curs! they were my abhorrence; I should have liked nothing
better than to have been the death of every one of them. In fact, on
one occasion, I intimated the propriety of a canine crusade to Mehevi
but the benevolent king would not consent to it. He heard me very
patiently; but when I had finished, shook his head, and told me in
confidence, that they were “taboo.”

As for the animal that made the fortune of my lord mayor Whittington, I
shall never forget the day that I was lying in the house about noon,
everybody else being fast asleep; and happening to raise my eyes, met
those of a big black spectral cat, which sat erect in the doorway,
looking at me with its frightful goggling green orbs, like one of those
monstrous imps that tormented some of the olden saints! I am one of
those unfortunate persons, to whom the sight of these animals is at any
time an insufferable annoyance.

Thus constitutionally averse to cats in general, the unexpected
apparition of this one in particular utterly confounded me. When I had
a little recovered from the fascination of its glance, I started up;
the cat fled, and emboldened by this, I rushed out of the house in
pursuit; but it had disappeared. It was the only time I ever saw one in
the valley, and how it got there I cannot imagine. It is just possible
that it might have escaped from one of the ships at Nukuheva. It was in
vain to seek information on the subject from the natives, since none of
them had seen the animal, the appearance of which remains a mystery to
me to this day.

Among the few animals which are to be met with in Typee, there was none
which I looked upon with more interest than a beautiful golden-hued
species of lizard. It measured perhaps five inches from head to tail,
and was most gracefully proportioned. Numbers of those creatures were
to be seen basking in the sunshine upon the thatching of the houses,
and multitudes at all hours of the day showed their glittering sides as
they ran frolicking between the spears of grass, or raced in troops up
and down the tall shafts of the cocoa-nut trees. But the remarkable
beauty of these little animals and their lively ways were not their
only claims upon my admiration. They were perfectly tame and insensible
to fear. Frequently, after seating myself upon the ground in some shady
place during the heat of the day, I would be completely overrun with
them. If I brushed one off my arm, it would leap perhaps into my hair:
when I tried to frighten it away by gently pinching its leg, it would
turn for protection to the very hand that attacked it.

The birds are also remarkably tame. If you happened to see one perched
upon a branch within reach of your arm, and advanced towards it, it did
not fly away immediately, but waited quietly looking at you, until you
could almost touch it, and then took wing slowly, less alarmed at your
presence, it would seem, than desirous of removing itself from your
path. Had salt been less scarce in the valley than it was, this was the
very place to have gone birding with it.

I remember that once, on an uninhabited island of the Gallipagos, a
bird alighted on my outstretched arm, while its mate chirped from an
adjoining tree. Its tameness, far from shocking me, as a similar
occurrence did Selkirk, imparted to me the most exquisite thrill of
delight I ever experienced; and with somewhat of the same pleasure did
I afterwards behold the birds and lizards of the valley show their
confidence in the kindliness of man.

Among the numerous afflictions which the Europeans have entailed upon
some of the natives of the South Seas, is the accidental introduction
among them of that enemy of all repose and ruffler of even tempers—the
mosquito. At the Sandwich Islands, and at two or three of the Society
group, there are now thriving colonies of these insects, who promise
ere long to supplant altogether the aboriginal sand-flies. They sting,
buzz, and torment, from one end of the year to the other, and by
incessantly exasperating the natives, materially obstruct the
benevolent labours of the missionaries.

From this grievous visitation, however, the Typees are as yet wholly
exempt; but its place is unfortunately in some degree supplied by the
occasional presence of a minute species of fly, which, without
stinging, is nevertheless productive of no little annoyance. The
tameness of the birds and lizards is as nothing when compared to the
fearless confidence of this insect. He will perch upon one of your
eye-lashes, and go to roost there, if you do not disturb him, or force
his way through your hair, or along the cavity of the nostril, till you
almost fancy he is resolved to explore the very brain itself. On one
occasion I was so inconsiderate as to yawn while a number of them were
hovering around me. I never repeated the act. Some half-dozen darted
into the open compartment, and began walking about its ceiling; the
sensation was dreadful. I involuntarily closed my mouth, and the poor
creatures, being enveloped in inner darkness, must in their
consternation have stumbled over my palate, and been precipitated into
the gulf beneath. At any rate, though I afterwards charitably held my
mouth open for at least five minutes, with a view of affording egress
to the stragglers, none of them ever availed themselves of the
opportunity.

There are no wild animals of any kind on the island, unless it be
decided that the natives themselves are such. The mountains and the
interior present to the eye nothing but silent solitudes, unbroken by
the roar of beasts of prey, and enlivened by few tokens even of minute
animated existence. There are no venomous reptiles, and no snakes of
any description to be found in any of the valleys.

In a company of Marquesan natives the weather affords no topic of
conversation. It can hardly be said to have any vicissitudes. The rainy
season, it is true, brings frequent showers, but they are intermitting
and refreshing. When an islander, bound on some expedition, rises from
his couch in the morning, he is never solicitous to peep out and see
how the sky looks, or ascertain from what quarter the wind blows. He is
always sure of a “fine day,” and the promise of a few genial showers he
hails with pleasure. There is never any of that “remarkable weather” on
the islands which from time immemorial has been experienced in America,
and still continues to call forth the wondering conversational
exclamations of its elderly citizens. Nor do there even occur any of
those eccentric meteorological changes which elsewhere surprise us. In
the valley of Typee ice-creams would never be rendered less acceptable
by sudden frosts, nor would picnic parties be deferred on account of
inauspicious snowstorms: for there day follows day in one unvarying
round of summer and sunshine, and the whole year is one long tropical
month of June just melting into July.

It is this genial climate which causes the cocoa-nuts to flourish as
they do. This invaluable fruit, brought to perfection by the rich soil
of the Marquesas, and borne aloft on a stately column more than a
hundred feet from the ground, would seem at first almost inaccessible
to the simple natives. Indeed, the slender, smooth, and soaring shaft,
without a single limb or protuberance of any kind to assist one in
mounting it, presents an obstacle only to be overcome by the surprising
agility and ingenuity of the islanders. It might be supposed that their
indolence would lead them patiently to await the period when the
ripened nuts, slowly parting from their stems, fall one by one to the
ground. This certainly would be the case, were it not that the young
fruit, encased in a soft green husk, with the incipient meat adhering
in a jelly-like pellicle to its sides, and containing a bumper of the
most delicious nectar, is what they chiefly prize. They have at least
twenty different terms to express as many progressive stages in the
growth of the nut. Many of them reject the fruit altogether except at a
particular period of its growth, which, incredible as it may appear,
they seemed to me to be able to ascertain within an hour or two. Others
are still more capricious in their tastes; and after gathering together
a heap of the nuts of all ages, and ingeniously tapping them, will
first sip from one and then from another, as fastidiously as some
delicate wine-bibber experimenting, glass in hand, among his dusty
demijohns of different vintages.

Some of the young men, with more flexible frames than their comrades,
and perhaps with more courageous souls, had a way of walking up the
trunk of the cocoa-nut trees which to me seemed little less than
miraculous; and when looking at them in the act, I experienced that
curious perplexity a child feels when he beholds a fly moving feet
uppermost along a ceiling.

I will endeavour to describe the way in which Narnee, a noble young
chief, sometimes performed this feat for my particular gratification;
but his preliminary performances must also be recorded. Upon my
signifying my desire that he should pluck me the young fruit of some
particular tree, the handsome savage, throwing himself into a sudden
attitude of surprise, feigns astonishment at the apparent absurdity of
the request. Maintaining this position for a moment, the strange
emotions depicted on his countenance soften down into one of humorous
resignation to my will, and then, looking wistfully up to the tufted
top of the tree, he stands on tip-toe, straining his neck and elevating
his arms, as though endeavouring to reach the fruit from the ground
where he stands. As if defeated in this childish attempt, he now sinks
to the earth despondingly, beating his breast in well-acted despair;
and then, starting to his feet all at once, and throwing back his head,
raises both hands, like a schoolboy about to catch a falling ball.
After continuing this for a moment or two, as if in expectation that
the fruit was going to be tossed down to him by some good spirit in the
tree-top, he turns wildly round in another fit of despair, and scampers
off to the distance of thirty or forty yards. Here he remains awhile,
eyeing the tree, the very picture of misery; but the next moment,
receiving, as it were, a flash of inspiration, he rushes again towards
it, and clasping both arms about the trunk, with one elevated a little
above the other, he presses the soles of his feet close together
against the tree, extending his legs from it until they are nearly
horizontal, and his body becomes doubled into an arch; then, hand over
hand and foot after foot, he rises from the earth with steady rapidity,
and almost before you are aware of it, has gained the cradled and
embowered nest of nuts, and with boisterous glee flings the fruit to
the ground.

This mode of walking the tree is only practicable where the trunk
declines considerably from the perpendicular. This, however, is almost
always the case; some of the perfectly straight shafts of the trees
leaning at an angle of thirty degrees.

The less active among the men, and many of the children of the valley,
have another method of climbing. They take a broad and stout piece of
bark, and secure either end of it to their ankles: so that when the
feet thus confined are extended apart, a space of little more than
twelve inches is left between them. This contrivance greatly
facilitates the act of climbing. The band pressed against the tree, and
closely embracing it, yields a pretty firm support; while with the arms
clasped about the trunk, and at regular intervals sustaining the body,
the feet are drawn up nearly a yard at a time, and a corresponding
elevation of the hands immediately succeeds. In this way I have seen
little children, scarcely five years of age, fearlessly climbing the
slender pole of a young cocoa-nut tree, and while hanging perhaps fifty
feet from the ground, receiving the plaudits of their parents beneath,
who clapped their hands, and encouraged them to mount still higher.

What, thought I, on first witnessing one of these exhibitions, would
the nervous mothers of America and England say to a similar display of
hardihood in any of their children? The Lacedemonian nation might have
approved of it, but most modern dames would have gone into hysterics at
the sight.

At the top of the cocoa-nut tree the numerous branches, radiating on
all sides from a common centre, form a sort of green and waving basket,
between the leaflets of which you just discern the nuts thickly
clustering together, and on the loftier trees looking no bigger from
the ground than bunches of grapes. I remember one adventurous little
fellow—Too-Too was the rascal’s name—who had built himself a sort of
aërial baby-house in the picturesque tuft of a tree adjoining Marheyo’s
habitation. He used to spend hours there,—rustling among the branches,
and shouting with delight every time the strong gusts of wind, rushing
down from the mountain side, swayed to and fro the tall and flexible
column on which he was perched. Whenever I heard Too-Too’s musical
voice sounding strangely to the ear from so great a height, and beheld
him peeping down upon me from out his leafy covert, he always recalled
to my mind Dibdin’s lines—

  There’s a sweet little cherub that sits up aloft, To look out for the
  life of poor Jack.

Birds—bright and beautiful birds—fly over the valley of Typee. You see
them perched aloft among the immovable boughs of the majestic
bread-fruit trees, or gently swaying on the elastic branches of the
Omoo; skimming over the palmetto-thatching of the bamboo huts; passing
like spirits on the wing through the shadows of the grove, and
sometimes descending into the bosom of the valley in gleaming flights
from the mountains. Their plumage is purple and azure, crimson and
white, black and gold; with bills of every tint;—bright bloody-red, jet
black, and ivory white; and their eyes are bright and sparkling; they
go sailing through the air in starry throngs; but, alas! the spell of
dumbness is upon them all—there is not a single warbler in the valley!

I know not why it was, but the sight of these birds, generally the
ministers of gladness, always oppressed me with melancholy. As in their
dumb beauty they hovered by me whilst I was walking, or looked down
upon me with steady curious eyes from out the foliage, I was almost
inclined to fancy that they knew they were gazing upon a stranger, and
that they commiserated his fate.




CHAPTER XXIX


A professor of the fine arts—His persecutions—Something about tattooing
and tabooing—Two anecdotes in illustration of the latter—A few thoughts
on the Typee dialect.


In one of my strolls with Kory-Kory, in passing along the border of a
thick growth of bushes, my attention was arrested by a singular noise.
On entering the thicket, I witnessed for the first time the operation
of tattooing as performed by these islanders.

I beheld a man extended flat upon his back, on the ground, and, despite
the forced composure of his countenance, it was evident that he was
suffering agony. His tormentor bent over him, working away for all the
world like a stone-cutter with mallet and chisel. In one hand he held a
short slender stick, pointed with a shark’s tooth, on the upright end
of which he tapped with a small hammer-like piece of wood, thus
puncturing the skin, and charging it with the colouring matter in which
the instrument was dipped. A cocoa-nut shell containing this fluid was
placed upon the ground. It is prepared by mixing with a vegetable juice
the ashes of the “armor,” or candle-nut, always preserved for the
purpose. Beside the savage, and spread out upon a piece of soiled
tappa, were a great number of curious black-looking little implements
of bone and wood, used in the various divisions of his art. A few
terminated in a single fine point, and, like very delicate pencils,
were employed in giving the finishing touches, or in operating upon the
more sensitive portions of the body, as was the case of the present
instance. Others presented several points distributed in a line,
somewhat resembling the teeth of a saw. These were employed in the
coarser parts of the work, and particularly in pricking in straight
marks. Some presented their points disposed in small figures, and being
placed upon the body, were, by a single blow of the hammer, made to
leave their indelible impression. I observed a few, the handles of
which were mysteriously curved, as if intended to be introduced into
the orifice of the ear, with a view perhaps of beating the tattoo upon
the tympanum. Altogether, the sight of these strange instruments
recalled to mind that display of cruel-looking mother-of-pearl-handled
things which one sees in their velvet-lined cases at the elbow of a
dentist.

The artist was not at this time engaged on an original sketch, his
subject being a venerable savage, whose tattooing had become somewhat
faded with age and needed a few repairs, and accordingly he was merely
employed in touching up the works of some of the old masters of the
Typee school, as delineated upon the human canvas before him. The parts
operated upon were the eyelids, where a longitudinal streak, like the
one which adorned Kory-Kory, crossed the countenance of the victim.

In spite of all the efforts of the poor old man, sundry twitchings and
screwings of the muscles of the face denoted the exquisite sensibility
of these shutters to the windows of his soul, which he was now having
repainted. But the artist, with a heart as callous as that of an army
surgeon, continued his performance, enlivening his labours with a wild
chant, tapping away the while as merrily as a woodpecker.

So deeply engaged was he in his work, that he had not observed our
approach, until, after having enjoyed an unmolested view of the
operation, I chose to attract his attention. As soon as he perceived
me, supposing that I sought him in his professional capacity, he seized
hold of me in a paroxysm of delight, and was all eagerness to begin the
work. When, however, I gave him to understand that he had altogether
mistaken my views, nothing could exceed his grief and disappointment.
But recovering from this, he seemed determined not to credit my
assertion, and grasping his implements, he flourished them about in
fearful vicinity to my face, going through an imaginary performance of
his art, and every moment bursting into some admiring exclamation at
the beauty of his designs.

Horrified at the bare thought of being rendered hideous for life if the
wretch were to execute his purpose upon me, I struggled to get away
from him, while Kory-Kory, turning traitor, stood by, and besought me
to comply with the outrageous request. On my reiterated refusals the
excited artist got half beside himself, and was overwhelmed with sorrow
at losing so noble an opportunity of distinguishing himself in his
profession.

The idea of engrafting his tattooing upon my white skin filled him with
all a painter’s enthusiasm: again and again he gazed into my
countenance, and every fresh glimpse seemed to add to the vehemence of
his ambition. Not knowing to what extremities he might proceed, and
shuddering at the ruin he might inflict upon my figurehead, I now
endeavoured to draw off his attention from it, and holding out my arm
in a fit of desperation, signed to him to commence operations. But he
rejected the compromise indignantly, and still continued his attack on
my face, as though nothing short of that would satisfy him. When his
forefinger swept across my features, in laying out the borders of those
parallel bands which were to encircle my countenance, the flesh fairly
crawled upon my bones. At last, half wild with terror and indignation,
I succeeded in breaking away from the three savages, and fled towards
old Marheyo’s house, pursued by the indomitable artist, who ran after
me, implements in hand. Kory-Kory, however, at last interfered, and
drew him off from the chase.

This incident opened my eyes to a new danger; and I now felt convinced
that in some luckless hour I should be disfigured in such a manner as
never more to have the _face_ to return to my countrymen, even should
an opportunity offer.

These apprehensions were greatly increased by the desire which King
Mehevi and several of the inferior chiefs now manifested that I should
be tattooed. The pleasure of the king was first signified to me some
three days after my casual encounter with Karky the artist. Heavens!
what imprecations I showered upon that Karky. Doubtless he had plotted
a conspiracy against me and my countenance, and would never rest until
his diabolical purpose was accomplished. Several times I met him in
various parts of the valley, and, invariably, whenever he descried me,
he came running after me with his mallet and chisel, flourishing them
about my face as if he longed to begin. What an object he would have
made of me!

When the king first expressed his wish to me, I made known to him my
utter abhorrence of the measure, and worked myself into such a state of
excitement, that he absolutely stared at me in amazement. It evidently
surpassed his majesty’s comprehension how any sober-minded and sensible
individual could entertain the least possible objection to so
beautifying an operation.

Soon afterwards he repeated his suggestion, and meeting with a like
repulse, showed some symptoms of displeasure at my obduracy. On his a
third time renewing his request, I plainly perceived that something
must be done, or my visage was ruined for ever; I therefore screwed up
my courage to the sticking point, and declared my willingness to have
both arms tattooed from just above the wrist to the shoulder. His
majesty was greatly pleased at the proposition, and I was
congratulating myself with having thus compromised the matter, when he
intimated that as a thing of course my face was first to undergo the
operation. I was fairly driven to despair; nothing but the utter ruin
of my “face divine,” as the poets call it, would, I perceived, satisfy
the inexorable Mehevi and his chiefs, or rather that infernal Karky,
for he was at the bottom of it all.

The only consolation afforded me was a choice of patterns: I was at
perfect liberty to have my face spanned by three horizontal bars, after
the fashion of my serving-man’s; or to have as many oblique stripes
slanting across it: or if, like a true courtier, I chose to model my
style on that of royalty, I might wear a sort of freemason badge upon
my countenance in the shape of a mystic triangle. However, I would have
none of these, though the king most earnestly impressed upon my mind
that my choice was wholly unrestricted. At last, seeing my
unconquerable repugnance, he ceased to importune me.

But not so some other of the savages. Hardly a day passed but I was
subjected to their annoying requests, until at last my existence became
a burden to me; the pleasures I had previously enjoyed no longer
afforded me delight, and all my former desire to escape from the valley
now revived with additional force.

A fact which I soon afterwards learned augmented my apprehension. The
whole system of tattooing was, I found, connected with their religion;
and it was evident, therefore, that they were resolved to make a
convert of me.

In the decoration of the chiefs, it seems to be necessary to exercise
the most elaborate pencilling; while some of the inferior natives
looked as if they had been daubed over indiscriminately with a
house-painter’s brush. I remember one fellow who prided himself hugely
upon a great oblong patch, placed high upon his back, and who always
reminded me of a man with a blister of Spanish flies stuck between his
shoulders. Another whom I frequently met had the hollow of his eyes
tattooed in two regular squares, and his visual organs being remarkably
brilliant, they gleamed forth from out this setting like a couple of
diamonds inserted in ebony.

Although convinced that tattooing was a religious observance, still the
nature of the connection between it and the superstitious idolatry of
the people was a point upon which I could never obtain any information.
Like the still more important system of the “Taboo,” it always appeared
inexplicable to me.

There is a marked similarity, almost an identity, between the religious
institutions of most of the Polynesian islands, and in all exists the
mysterious “Taboo,” restricted in its uses to a greater or less extent.
So strange and complex in its arrangements is this remarkable system,
that I have in several cases met with individuals who, after residing
for years among the islands in the Pacific, and acquiring a
considerable knowledge of the language, have nevertheless been
altogether unable to give any satisfactory account of its operations.
Situated as I was in the Typee valley, I perceived every hour the
effects of this all-controlling power, without in the least
comprehending it. Those effects were, indeed, wide-spread and
universal, pervading the most important as well as the minutest
transactions of life. The savage, in short, lives in the continual
observance of its dictates, which guide and control every action of his
being.

For several days after entering the valley I had been saluted at least
fifty times in the twenty-four hours with the talismanic word “Taboo”
shrieked in my ears, at some gross violation of its provisions, of
which I had unconsciously been guilty. The day after our arrival I
happened to hand some tobacco to Toby over the head of a native who sat
between us. He started up, as if stung by an adder; while the whole
company, manifesting an equal degree of horror, simultaneously screamed
out “Taboo!” I never again perpetrated a similar piece of ill-manners,
which, indeed, was forbidden by the canons of good breeding, as well as
by the mandates of the taboo. But it was not always so easy to perceive
wherein you had contravened the spirit of this institution. I was many
times called to order, if I may use the phrase, when I could not for
the life of me conjecture what particular offence I had committed.

One day I was strolling through a secluded portion of the valley, and
hearing the musical sound of the cloth-mallet at a little distance, I
turned down a path that conducted me in a few moments to a house where
there were some half-dozen girls employed in making tappa. This was an
operation I had frequently witnessed, and had handled the bark in all
the various stages of its preparation. On the present occasion the
females were intent upon their occupation, and after looking up and
talking gaily to me for a few moments, they resumed their employment. I
regarded them for awhile in silence, and then, carelessly picking up a
handful of the material that lay around, proceeded unconsciously to
pick it apart. While thus engaged, I was suddenly startled by a scream,
like that of a whole boarding-school of young ladies just on the point
of going into hysterics. Leaping up with the idea of seeing a score of
Happar warriors about to perform anew the Sabine atrocity, I found
myself confronted by the company of girls, who, having dropped their
work, stood before me with starting eyes, swelling bosoms, and fingers
pointed in horror towards me.

Thinking that some venomous reptile must be concealed in the bark which
I held in my hand, I began cautiously to separate and examine it.
Whilst I did so the horrified girls redoubled their shrieks. Their wild
cries and frightened motions actually alarmed me, and throwing down the
tappa, I was about to rush from the house, when in the same instant
their clamours ceased, and one of them, seizing me by the arm, pointed
to the broken fibres that had just fallen from my grasp, and screamed
in my ears the fatal word “Taboo!”

I subsequently found out that the fabric they were engaged in making
was of a peculiar kind, destined to be worn on the heads of the
females, and through every stage of its manufacture was guarded by a
vigorous taboo, which interdicted the whole masculine gender from even
so much as touching it.

Frequently in walking through the groves I observed bread-fruit and
cocoa-nut trees, with a wreath of leaves twined in a peculiar fashion
about their trunks. This was the mark of the taboo. The trees
themselves, their fruit, and even the shadows they cast upon the
ground, were consecrated by its presence. In the same way a pipe, which
the king had bestowed upon me, was rendered sacred in the eyes of the
natives, none of whom could I ever prevail upon to smoke from it. The
bowl was encircled by a woven band of grass, somewhat resembling those
Turks’ heads occasionally worked in the handles of our whip-stalks.

A similar badge was once braided about my wrist by the royal hand of
Mehevi himself, who, as soon as he had concluded the operation,
pronounced me “Taboo.” This occurred shortly after Toby’s
disappearance; and were it not that from the first moment I had entered
the valley the natives had treated me with uniform kindness, I should
have supposed that their conduct afterwards was to be ascribed to the
fact that I received this sacred investiture.

The capricious operations of the taboo are not its least remarkable
feature: to enumerate them all would be impossible. Black hogs—infants
to a certain age—women in an interesting situation—young men while the
operation of tattooing their faces is going on—and certain parts of the
valley during the continuance of a shower—are alike fenced about by the
operation of the taboo.

I witnessed a striking instance of its effects in the bay of Tior, my
visit to which place occurred a few days before leaving the ship. On
that occasion our worthy captain formed one of the party. He was a most
insatiable sportsman. Outward bound, and off the pitch of Cape Horn, he
used to sit on the taffrail, and keep the steward loading three or four
old fowling-pieces, with which he would bring down albatrosses, Cape
pigeons, jays, petrels, and divers other marine fowl, who followed
chattering in our wake. The sailors were struck aghast at his impiety,
and one and all attributed our forty days’ beating about that horrid
headland to his sacrilegious slaughter of these inoffensive birds.

At Tior, he evinced the same disregard for the religious prejudices of
the islanders as he had previously shown for the superstitions of the
sailors. Having heard that there were a considerable number of fowls in
the valley—the progeny of some cocks and hens accidentally left there
by an English vessel, and which, being strictly tabooed, flew about
almost in a wild state—he determined to break through all restraints,
and be the death of them. Accordingly, he provided himself with a most
formidable-looking gun, and announced his landing on the beach by
shooting down a noble cock, that was crowing what proved to be his own
funeral dirge on the limb of an adjoining tree. “Taboo,” shrieked the
affrighted savages. “Oh, hang your taboo,” says the nautical sportsman;
“talk taboo to the marines”; and bang went the piece again, and down
came another victim. At this the natives ran scampering through the
groves, horror-struck at the enormity of the act.

All that afternoon the rocky sides of the valley rang with successive
reports, and the superb plumage of many a beautiful fowl was ruffled by
the fatal bullet. Had it not been that the French admiral, with a large
party, was then in the glen, I have no doubt that the natives, although
their tribe was small and dispirited, would have inflicted summary
vengeance upon the man who thus outraged their most sacred
institutions; as it was, they contrived to annoy him not a little.

Thirsting with his exertions, the skipper directed his steps to a
stream; but the savages, who had followed at a little distance,
perceiving his object, rushed towards him and forced him away from its
bank—his lips would have polluted it. Wearied at last, he sought to
enter a house that he might rest for awhile on the mats; its inmates
gathered tumultuously about the door and denied him admittance. He
coaxed and blustered by turns, but in vain; the natives were neither to
be intimidated nor appeased, and as a final resort he was obliged to
call together his boat’s crew, and pull away from what he termed the
most infernal place he ever stepped upon.

Lucky was it for him and for us that we were not honoured on our
departure by a salute of stones from the hands of the exasperated
Tiors. In this way, on the neighbouring island of Ropo, were killed,
but a few weeks previously, and for a nearly similar offence, the
master and three of the crew of the K——.

I cannot determine, with anything approaching to certainty, what power
it is that imposes the taboo. When I consider the slight disparity of
condition among the islanders—the very limited and inconsiderable
prerogatives of the king and chiefs—and the loose and indefinite
functions of the priesthood, most of whom were hardly to be
distinguished from the rest of their countrymen, I am wholly at a loss
where to look for the authority which regulates this potent
institution. It is imposed upon something to-day, and withdrawn
to-morrow; while its operations in other cases are perpetual. Sometimes
its restrictions only affect a single individual—sometimes a particular
family—sometimes a whole tribe; and, in a few instances, they extend
not merely over the various clans on a single island, but over all the
inhabitants of an entire group. In illustration of this latter
peculiarity, I may cite the law which forbids a female to enter a
canoe—a prohibition which prevails upon all the northern Marquesas
Islands.

The word itself (taboo) is used in more than one signification. It is
sometimes used by a parent to his child, when, in the exercise of
parental authority, he forbids it to perform a particular action.
Anything opposed to the ordinary customs of the islanders, although not
expressly prohibited, is said to be “taboo.”

The Typee language is one very difficult to be acquired; it bears a
close resemblance to the other Polynesian dialects, all of which show a
common origin. The duplication of words, as “lumee lumee,” “poee poee,”
“muee muee,” is one of their peculiar features. But another, and a more
annoying one, is the different sense in which one and the same word is
employed; its various meanings all have a certain connection, which
only makes the matter more puzzling. So one brisk, lively little word
is obliged, like a servant in a poor family, to perform all sorts of
duties. For instance—one particular combination of syllables expresses
the ideas of sleep, rest, reclining, sitting, leaning, and all other
things anyways analogous thereto, the particular meaning being shown
chiefly by a variety of gestures, and the eloquent expression of the
countenance.




CHAPTER XXX


Strange custom of the islanders—Their chanting, and the peculiarity of
their voice—Rapture of the king at first hearing a song—A new dignity
conferred on the author—Musical instruments in the valley—Admiration of
the savages at beholding a pugilistic performance—Swimming
infant—Beautiful tresses of the girls—Ointment for the hair.


Sadly discursive as I have already been, I must still further entreat
the reader’s patience, as I am about to string together, without any
attempt at order, a few odds and ends of things not hitherto mentioned,
but which are either curious in themselves, or peculiar to the Typees.

There was one singular custom, observed in old Marheyo’s domestic
establishment, which often excited my surprise. Every night, before
retiring, the inmates of the house gathered together on the mats, and
squatting upon their haunches, after the universal practice of these
islanders, would commence a low, dismal, and monotonous chant,
accompanying the voice with the instrumental melody produced by two
small half-rotten sticks tapped slowly together, a pair of which were
held in the hands of each person present. Thus would they employ
themselves for an hour or two, sometimes longer. Lying in the gloom
which wrapped the farther end of the house, I could not avoid looking
at them, although the spectacle suggested nothing but unpleasant
reflections. The flickering rays of the “armor” nut just served to
reveal their savage lineaments, without dispelling the darkness that
hovered about them.

Sometimes when, after falling into a kind of doze, and awaking suddenly
in the midst of these doleful chantings, my eye would fall upon the
wild-looking group engaged in their strange occupation, with their
naked tattooed limbs, and shaven heads disposed in a circle, I was
almost tempted to believe that I gazed upon a set of evil beings in the
act of working a frightful incantation.

What was the meaning or purpose of this custom, whether it was
practised merely as a diversion, or whether it was a religious
exercise, a sort of family prayers, I never could discover.

The sounds produced by the natives on these occasions were of a most
singular description; and had I not actually been present, I never
would have believed that such curious noises could have been produced
by human beings.

To savages, generally, is imputed a guttural articulation. This,
however, is not always the case, especially among the inhabitants of
the Polynesian Archipelago. The labial melody with which the Typee
girls carry on an ordinary conversation, giving a musical prolongation
to the final syllable of every sentence, and chirping out some of the
words with a liquid, bird-like accent, was singularly pleasing.

The men, however, are not quite so harmonious in their utterance; and
when excited upon any subject, would work themselves up into a sort of
wordy paroxysm, during which all descriptions of rough-sided sounds
were projected from their mouths, with a force and rapidity which was
absolutely astonishing.


Although these savages are remarkably fond of chanting, still they
appear to have no idea whatever of singing, at least as the art is
practised among other nations.

I never shall forget the first time I happened to roar out a stave in
the presence of the noble Mehevi. It was a stanza from the “Bavarian
Broom-seller.” His Typean majesty, with all his court, gazed upon me in
amazement, as if I had displayed some preternatural faculty which
Heaven had denied to them. The king was delighted with the verse; but
the chorus fairly transported him. At his solicitation, I sang it again
and again, and nothing could be more ludicrous than his vain attempts
to catch the air and the words. The royal savage seemed to think that
by screwing all the features of his face into the end of his nose, he
might possibly succeed in the undertaking, but it failed to answer the
purpose; and in the end he gave it up, and consoled himself by
listening to my repetition of the sounds fifty times over.

Previous to Mehevi’s making the discovery, I had never been aware that
there was anything of the nightingale about me; but I was now promoted
to the place of court minstrel, in which capacity I was afterwards
perpetually called upon to officiate.


Besides the sticks and the drums, there are no other musical
instruments among the Typees, except one which might appropriately be
denominated a nasal flute. It is somewhat longer than an ordinary fife,
is made of a beautiful scarlet-coloured reed, and has four or five
stops, with a large hole near one end, which latter is held just
beneath the left nostril. The other nostril being closed by a peculiar
movement of the muscles about the nose, the breath is forced into the
tube, and produces a soft dulcet sound, which is varied by the fingers
running at random over the stops. This is a favourite recreation with
the females, and one in which Fayaway greatly excelled. Awkward as such
an instrument may appear, it was, in Fayaway’s delicate little hands,
one of the most graceful I have ever seen. A young lady in the act of
tormenting a guitar, strung about her neck by a couple of yards of blue
ribbon, is not half so engaging.


Singing was not the only means I possessed of diverting the royal
Mehevi and his easy-going subjects. Nothing afforded them more pleasure
than to see me go through the attitudes of a pugilistic encounter. As
not one of the natives had soul enough in him to stand up like a man,
and allow me to hammer away at him, for my own personal gratification
and that of the king, I was necessitated to fight with an imaginary
enemy, whom I invariably made to knock under to my superior prowess.
Sometimes, when this sorely battered shadow retreated precipitately
towards a group of the savages, and, following him up, I rushed among
them, dealing my blows right and left, they would disperse in all
directions, much to the enjoyment of Mehevi, the chiefs, and
themselves.

The noble art of self-defence appeared to be regarded by them as the
peculiar gift of the white man; and I make little doubt but that they
supposed armies of Europeans were drawn up provided with nothing else
but bony fists and stout hearts, with which they set to in column, and
pummelled one another at the word of command.


One day, in company with Kory-Kory, I had repaired to the stream for
the purpose of bathing, when I observed a woman sitting upon a rock in
the midst of the current, and watching with the liveliest interest the
gambols of something, which at first I took to be an uncommonly large
species of frog that was sporting in the water near her. Attracted by
the novelty of the sight, I waded towards the spot where she sat, and
could hardly credit the evidence of my senses when I beheld a little
infant, the period of whose birth could not have extended back many
days, paddling about as if it had just risen to the surface, after
being hatched into existence at the bottom. Occasionally the delighted
parent reached out her hand towards it, when the little thing, uttering
a faint cry, and striking out its tiny limbs, would sidle for the rock,
and the next moment be clasped to its mother’s bosom. This was repeated
again and again, the baby remaining in the stream about a minute at a
time. Once or twice it made wry faces at swallowing a mouthful of
water, and choked and spluttered as if on the point of strangling. At
such times, however, the mother snatched it up, and by a process
scarcely to be mentioned obliged it to eject the fluid. For several
weeks afterward I observed the woman bringing her child down to the
stream regularly every day, in the cool of the morning and evening, and
treating it to a bath. No wonder that the South Sea islanders are so
amphibious a race, when they are thus launched into the water as soon
as they see the light. I am convinced that it is as natural for a human
being to swim as it is for a duck. And yet, in civilized communities,
how many able-bodied individuals die, like so many drowning kittens,
from the occurrence of the most trivial accidents!


The long, luxuriant, and glossy tresses of the Typee damsels often
attracted my admiration. A fine head of hair is the pride and joy of
every woman’s heart! Whether, against the express will of Providence,
it is twisted up on the crown of the head and there coiled away;
whether it be built up in a great tower, with combs and pins, or is
plastered over the head in sleek, shiny folds; or whether it be
permitted to flow over the shoulders in natural ringlets, it is always
the pride of the owner, and the glory of the toilette.

The Typee girls devote much of their time to the dressing of their hair
and redundant locks. After bathing, as they sometimes do five or six
times every day, the hair is carefully dried, and if they have been in
the sea, invariably washed in fresh water, and anointed with a
highly-scented oil extracted from the meat of the cocoa-nut. This oil
is obtained in great abundance, by the following very simple process:—

A large vessel of wood, with holes perforated in the bottom, is filled
with the pounded meat, and exposed to the rays of the sun. As the
oleaginous matter exudes, it falls in drops through the apertures into
a wide-mouthed calabash placed underneath. After a sufficient quantity
has thus been collected, the oil undergoes a purifying process, and is
then poured into the small spherical shells of the nuts of the
moo-tree, which are hollowed out to receive it. These nuts are then
hermetically sealed with a resinous gum, and the vegetable fragrance of
their green rind soon imparts to the oil a delightful odour. After a
lapse of a few weeks, the exterior shell of the nuts becomes quite dry
and hard, and assumes a beautiful carnation tint; and when opened they
are found to be about two-thirds full of an ointment of a light yellow
colour, and diffusing the sweetest perfume. This elegant little odorous
globe would not be out of place even upon the toilette of a queen. Its
merits as a preparation for the hair are undeniable,—it imparts to it a
superb gloss and a silky fineness.




CHAPTER XXXI


Apprehensions of evil—Frightful discovery—Some remarks on
cannibalism—Second battle with the Happars—Savage spectacle—Mysterious
feast—Subsequent disclosures.


From the time of my casual encounter with Karky the artist, my life was
one of absolute wretchedness. Not a day passed but I was persecuted by
the solicitations of some of the natives to subject myself to the
odious operation of tattooing. Their importunities drove me half wild,
for I felt how easily they might work their will upon me regarding
this, or anything else which they took into their heads. Still,
however, the behaviour of the islanders toward me was as kind as ever.
Faraway was quite as engaging; Kory-Kory as devoted; and Mehevi the
king just as gracious and condescending as before. But I had now been
three months in their valley, as nearly as I could estimate; I had
grown familiar with the narrow limits to which my wanderings had been
confined; and I began bitterly to feel the state of captivity in which
I was held. There was no one with whom I could freely converse; no one
to whom I could communicate my thoughts; no one who could sympathize
with my sufferings. A thousand times I thought how much more endurable
would have been my lot had Toby still been with me. But I was left
alone, and the thought was terrible to me. Still, despite my griefs, I
did all in my power to appear composed and cheerful, well knowing that
by manifesting any uneasiness, or any desire to escape, I should only
frustrate my object.

It was during the period I was in this unhappy frame of mind, that the
painful malady under which I had been labouring—after having almost
completely subsided—began again to show itself, and with symptoms as
violent as ever. This added calamity nearly unmanned me; the recurrence
of the complaint proved that, without powerful remedial applications,
all hope of cure was futile; and when I reflected that just beyond the
elevations which bound me in, was the medical relief I needed, and
that, although so near, it was impossible for me to avail myself of it,
the thought was misery.

In this wretched situation, every circumstance which evinced the savage
nature of the beings at whose mercy I was, augmented the fearful
apprehensions that consumed me. An occurrence which happened about this
time affected me most powerfully.

I have already mentioned, that from the ridge-pole of Marheyo’s house
were suspended a number of packages enveloped in tappa. Many of these I
had often seen in the hands of the natives, and their contents had been
examined in my presence. But there were three packages hanging very
nearly over the place where I lay, which from their remarkable
appearance had often excited my curiosity. Several times I had asked
Kory-Kory to show me their contents; but my servitor, who in almost
every other particular had acceded to my wishes, always refused to
gratify me in this.

One day, returning unexpectedly from the Ti, my arrival seemed to throw
the inmates of the house into the greatest confusion. They were seated
together on the mats, and by the lines which extended from the roof to
the floor I immediately perceived that the mysterious packages were,
for some purpose or other, under inspection. The evident alarm the
savages betrayed filled me with forebodings of evil, and with an
uncontrollable desire to penetrate the secret so jealously guarded.
Despite the efforts of Marheyo and Kory-Kory to restrain me, I forced
my way into the midst of the circle, and just caught a glimpse of three
human heads, which others of the party were hurriedly enveloping in the
coverings from which they had been taken.

One of the three I distinctly saw. It was in a state of perfect
preservation, and from the slight glimpse I had of it, seemed to have
been subjected to some smoking operation which had reduced it to the
dry, hard, and mummy-like appearance it presented. The two long
scalp-locks were twisted up into balls upon the crown of the head, in
the same way that the individual had worn them during life. The sunken
cheeks were rendered yet more ghastly by the rows of glistening teeth
which protruded from between the lips, while the sockets of the
eyes—filled with oval bits of mother-of-pearl shell, with a black spot
in the centre—heightened the hideousness of its aspect.

Two of the three were heads of the islanders; but the third, to my
horror, was that of a white man. Although it had been quickly removed
from my sight, still the glimpse I had of it was enough to convince me
that I could not be mistaken.

Gracious God! what dreadful thoughts entered my mind. In solving this
mystery, perhaps I had solved another, and the fate of my lost
companion might be revealed in the shocking spectacle I had just
witnessed. I longed to have torn off the folds of cloth, and satisfied
the awful doubts under which I laboured. But before I had recovered
from the consternation into which I had been thrown, the fatal packages
were hoisted aloft and once more swung over my head. The natives now
gathered round me tumultuously, and laboured to convince me that what I
had just seen were the heads of three Happar warriors, who had been
slain in battle. This glaring falsehood added to my alarm, and it was
not until I reflected that I had observed the packages swinging from
their elevation before Toby’s disappearance, that I could at all
recover my composure.

But although this horrible apprehension had been dispelled, I had
discovered enough to fill me, in my present state of mind, with the
most bitter reflections. It was plain that I had seen the last relic of
some unfortunate wretch, who must have been massacred on the beach by
the savages, in one of those perilous trading adventures which I have
before described.

It was not, however, alone the murder of the stranger that overcame me
with gloom. I shuddered at the idea of the subsequent fate his
inanimate body might have met with. Was the same doom reserved for me?
Was I destined to perish like him—like him, perhaps, to be devoured,
and my head to be preserved as a fearful memento of the event? My
imagination ran riot in these horrid speculations, and I felt certain
that the worst possible evils would befall me. But whatever were my
misgivings, I studiously concealed them from the islanders, as well as
the full extent of the discovery I had made.

Although the assurances which the Typees had often given me, that they
never ate human flesh, had not convinced me that such was the case,
yet, having been so long a time in the valley without witnessing
anything which indicated the existence of the practice, I began to hope
that it was an event of very rare occurrence, and that I should be
spared the horror of witnessing it during my stay among them: but,
alas! these hopes were soon destroyed.

It is a singular fact, that in all our accounts of cannibal tribes we
have seldom received the testimony of an eye-witness to the revolting
practice. The horrible conclusion has almost always been derived from
the second-hand evidence of Europeans, or else from the admissions of
the savages themselves, after they have in some degree become
civilized. The Polynesians are aware of the detestation in which
Europeans hold this custom, and therefore invariably deny its
existence, and, with the craft peculiar to savages, endeavour to
conceal every trace of it.

But to my story.

About a week after my discovery of the contents of the mysterious
packages, I happened to be at the Ti, when another war-alarm was
sounded, and the natives, rushing to their arms, sallied out to resist
a second incursion of the Happar invaders. The same scene was again
repeated, only that on this occasion I heard at least fifteen reports
of muskets from the mountains during the time that the skirmish lasted.
An hour or two after its termination, loud pæans chanted through the
valley announced the approach of the victors. I stood with Kory-Kory
leaning against the railing of the pi-pi, awaiting their advance, when
a tumultuous crowd of islanders emerged with wild clamours from the
neighbouring groves. In the midst of them marched four men, one
preceding the other at regular intervals of eight or ten feet, with
poles of a corresponding length, extending from shoulder to shoulder,
to which were lashed with thongs of bark three long narrow bundles,
carefully wrapped in ample coverings of freshly plucked palm-leaves,
tacked together with slivers of bamboo. Here and there upon these green
winding-sheets might be seen the stains of blood, while the warriors
who carried the frightful burdens displayed upon their naked limbs
similar sanguinary marks. The shaven head of the foremost had a deep
gash upon it, and the clotted gore which had flowed from the wound
remained in dry patches around it. The savage seemed to be sinking
under the weight he bore. The bright tattooing upon his body was
covered with blood and dust; his inflamed eyes rolled in their sockets,
and his whole appearance denoted extraordinary suffering and exertion;
yet, sustained by some powerful impulse, he continued to advance, while
the throng around him with wild cheers sought to encourage him. The
other three men were marked about the arms and breasts with several
slight wounds, which they somewhat ostentatiously displayed.

These four individuals, having been the most active in the late
encounter, claimed the honour of bearing the bodies of their slain
enemies to the Ti. Such was the conclusion I drew from my own
observations, and, as far as I could understand, from the explanation
which Kory-Kory gave me.

The royal Mehevi walked by the side of these heroes. He carried in one
hand a musket, from the barrel of which was suspended a small canvas
pouch of powder, and in the other he grasped a short javelin, which he
held before him and regarded with fierce exultation. This javelin he
had wrested from a celebrated champion of the Happars, who had
ignominiously fled, and was pursued by his foes beyond the summit of
the mountain.

When within a short distance of the Ti, the warrior with the wounded
head, who proved to be Narmonee, tottered forward two or three steps,
and fell helplessly to the ground; but not before another had caught
the end of the pole from his shoulder, and placed it upon his own.

The excited throng of islanders, who surrounded the person of the king
and the dead bodies of the enemy, approached the spot where I stood,
brandishing their rude implements of warfare, many of which were
bruised and broken, and uttering continual shouts of triumph. When the
crowd drew up opposite the Ti, I set myself to watch their proceedings
most attentively; but scarcely had they halted when my servitor, who
had left my side for an instant, touched my arm, and proposed our
returning to Marheyo’s house. To this I objected; but, to my surprise,
Kory-Kory reiterated his request, and with an unusual vehemence of
manner. Still, however, I refused to comply, and was retreating before
him, as in his importunity he pressed upon me, when I felt a heavy hand
laid upon my shoulder, and turning round, encountered the bulky form of
Mow-Mow, a one-eyed chief, who had just detached himself from the crowd
below, and had mounted the rear of the pi-pi upon which we stood. His
cheek had been pierced by the point of a spear, and the wound imparted
a still more frightful expression to his hideously tattooed face,
already deformed by the loss of an eye. The warrior, without uttering a
syllable, pointed fiercely in the direction of Marheyo’s house, while
Kory-Kory, at the same time presenting his back, desired me to mount.

I declined this offer, but intimated my willingness to withdraw, and
moved slowly along the piazza, wondering what could be the cause of
this unusual treatment. A few minutes’ consideration convinced me that
the savages were about to celebrate some hideous rite in connexion with
their peculiar customs, and at which they were determined I should not
be present. I descended from the pi-pi, and attended by Kory-Kory, who
on this occasion did not show his usual commiseration for my lameness,
but seemed only anxious to hurry me on, walked away from the place. As
I passed through the noisy throng, which by this time completely
environed the Ti, I looked with fearful curiosity at the three
packages, which now were deposited upon the ground; but although I had
no doubt as to their contents, still their thick coverings prevented my
actually detecting the form of a human body.

The next morning, shortly after sunrise, the same thundering sounds
which had awakened me from sleep on the second day of the Feast of
Calabashes, assured me that the savages were on the eve of celebrating
another, and, as I fully believed, a horrible solemnity.

All the inmates of the house, with the exception of Marheyo, his son,
and Tinor, after assuming their gala dresses, departed in the direction
of the Taboo Groves.

Although I did not anticipate a compliance with my request, still, with
a view of testing the truth of my suspicions, I proposed to Kory-Kory
that, according to our usual custom in the morning, we should take a
stroll to the Ti: he positively refused; and when I renewed the
request, he evinced his determination to prevent my going there; and,
to divert my mind from the subject, he offered to accompany me to the
stream. We accordingly went, and bathed. On our coming back to the
house, I was surprised to find that all its inmates had returned, and
were lounging upon the mats as usual, although the drums still sounded
from the groves.

The rest of the day I spent with Kory-Kory and Fayaway, wandering about
a part of the valley situated in an opposite direction from the Ti, and
whenever I so much as looked towards that building, although it was
hidden from view by intervening trees, and at the distance of more than
a mile, my attendant would exclaim, “Taboo, taboo!”

At the various houses where we stopped, I found many of the inhabitants
reclining at their ease, or pursuing some light occupation, as if
nothing unusual were going forward; but amongst them all I did not
perceive a single chief or warrior. When I asked several of the people
why they were not at the “Hoolah Hoolah” (the feast), they uniformly
answered the question in a manner which implied that it was not
intended for them, but for Mehevi, Narmonee, Mow-Mow, Kolor, Womonoo,
Kalow, running over, in their desire to make me comprehend their
meaning, the names of all the principal chiefs.

Everything, in short, strengthened my suspicions with regard to the
nature of the festival they were now celebrating; and which amounted
almost to a certainty. While in Nukuheva I had frequently been informed
that the whole tribe were never present at these cannibal banquets, but
the chiefs and priests only; and everything I now observed agreed with
the account.

The sound of the drums continued without intermission the whole day,
and falling continually upon my ear, caused me a sensation of horror
which I am unable to describe. On the following day, hearing none of
those noisy indications of revelry, I concluded that the inhuman feast
was terminated, and feeling a kind of morbid curiosity to discover
whether the Ti might furnish any evidence of what had taken place
there, I proposed to Kory-Kory to walk there. To this proposition he
replied by pointing with his finger to the newly-risen sun, and then up
to the zenith, intimating that our visit must be deferred until noon.
Shortly after that hour we accordingly proceeded to the Taboo Groves,
and as soon as we entered their precincts, I looked fearfully round in
quest of some memorial of the scene which had so lately been acted
there; but everything appeared as usual. On reaching the Ti, we found
Mehevi and a few chiefs reclining on the mats, who gave me as friendly
a reception as ever. No allusions of any kind were made by them to the
recent events; and I refrained, for obvious reasons, from referring to
them myself.

After staying a short time, I took my leave. In passing along the
piazza, previously to descending from the pi-pi, I observed a curiously
carved vessel of wood, of considerable size, with a cover placed over
it, of the same material, and which resembled in shape a small canoe.
It was surrounded by a low railing of bamboos, the top of which was
scarcely a foot from the ground. As the vessel had been placed in its
present position since my last visit, I at once concluded that it must
have some connexion with the recent festival; and, prompted by a
curiosity I could not repress, in passing it I raised one end of the
cover; at the same moment the chiefs, perceiving my design, loudly
ejaculated, “Taboo! taboo!” But the slight glimpse sufficed; my eyes
fell upon the disordered members of a human skeleton, the bones still
fresh with moisture, and with particles of flesh clinging to them here
and there!

Kory-Kory, who had been a little in advance of me, attracted by the
exclamations of the chiefs, turned round in time to witness the
expression of horror on my countenance. He now hurried towards me,
pointing at the same time to the canoe, and exclaiming, rapidly,
“Puarkee! puarkee!” (Pig, pig.) I pretended to yield to the deception,
and repeated the words after him several times, as though acquiescing
in what he said. The other savages, either deceived by my conduct, or
unwilling to manifest their displeasure at what could not now be
remedied, took no further notice of the occurrence, and I immediately
left the Ti.

All that night I lay awake, revolving in my mind the fearful situation
in which I was placed. The last horrid revelation had now been made,
and the full sense of my condition rushed upon my mind with a force I
had never before experienced.

Where, thought I, desponding, is there the slightest prospect of
escape? The only person who seemed to possess the ability to assist me
was the stranger, Marnoo; but would he ever return to the valley? and
if he did, should I be permitted to hold any communication with him? It
seemed as if I were cut off from every source of hope, and that nothing
remained but passively to await whatever fate was in store for me. A
thousand times I endeavoured to account for the mysterious conduct of
the natives. For what conceivable purpose did they thus retain me a
captive? What could be their object in treating me with such apparent
kindness, and did it not cover some treacherous scheme? Or, if they had
no other design than to hold me a prisoner, how should I be able to
pass away my days in this narrow valley, deprived of all intercourse
with civilized beings, and for ever separated from friends and home?

One only hope remained to me. The French could not long defer a visit
to the bay, and if they should permanently locate any of their troops
in the valley, the savages could not for any length of time conceal my
existence from them. But what reason had I to suppose that I should be
spared until such an event occurred—an event which might be postponed
by a hundred different contingencies?




CHAPTER XXXII


The stranger again arrives in the valley—Singular interview with
him—Attempt to escape—Failure—Melancholy situation—Sympathy of Marheyo.


“Marnoo, Marnoo pemi!” Such were the welcome sounds which fell upon my
ear some ten days after the event related in the preceding chapter.
Once more the approach of the stranger was heralded, and the
intelligence operated upon me like magic. Again I should be able to
converse with him in my own language; and I resolved, at all hazards,
to concert with him some scheme, however desperate, to rescue me from a
condition that had now become insupportable.

As he drew near, I remembered with many misgivings the inauspicious
termination of our former interview; and when he entered the house, I
watched with intense anxiety the reception he met with from its
inmates. To my joy, his appearance was hailed with the liveliest
pleasure; and accosting me kindly, he seated himself by my side, and
entered into conversation with the natives around him. It soon
appeared, however, that on this occasion he had not any intelligence of
importance to communicate. I inquired of him from whence he had last
come? He replied, from Pueearka, his native valley, and that he
intended to return to it the same day.

At once it struck me that, could I but reach that valley under his
protection, I might easily from thence reach Nukuheva by water; and,
animated by the prospect which this plan held out, I disclosed it in a
few brief words to the stranger, and asked him how it could be best
accomplished. My heart sunk within me when, in his broken English, he
answered me that it could never be effected. “Kannaka no let you go
nowhere,” he said, “you taboo. Why you no like to stay? Plenty
moee-moee (sleep)—plenty ki-ki (eat)—plenty whihenee (young girls). Oh,
very good place, Typee! Suppose you no like this bay, why you come? You
no hear about Typee? All white men afraid Typee, so no white men come.”

These words distressed me beyond belief; and when I again related to
him the circumstances under which I had descended into the valley and
sought to enlist his sympathies in my behalf, by appealing to the
bodily misery I endured, he listened to me with impatience, and cut me
short by exclaiming, passionately, “Me no hear you talk any more; by by
Kannaka get mad, kill you and me too. No, you see he no want you to
speak to me at all?—you see—ah! by by you no mind—you get well, he kill
you, eat you, hang you head up there, like Happar Kannaka. Now you
listen—but no talk any more. By by I go;—you see way I go. Ah! then
some night Kannaka all moee-moee (sleep)—you run away—you come
Pueearka. I speak Pueearka Kannaka—he no harm you—ah! then I take you
my canoe Nukuheva, and you no run away ship no more.” With these words,
enforced by a vehemence of gesture I cannot describe, Marnoo started
from my side, and immediately engaged in conversation with some of the
chiefs who had entered the house.

It would have been idle for me to have attempted resuming the interview
so peremptorily terminated by Marnoo, who was evidently little disposed
to compromise his own safety by any rash endeavours to ensure mine. But
the plan he had suggested struck me as one which might possibly be
accomplished, and I resolved to act upon it as speedily as possible.

Accordingly, when he arose to depart, I accompanied him, with the
natives, outside of the house, with a view of carefully noting the path
he would take in leaving the valley. Just before leaping from the
pi-pi, he clasped my hand, and, looking significantly at me, exclaimed,
“Now you see you do what I tell you—ah! then you do good;—you no do
so—ah! then you die.” The next moment he waved his spear in adieu to
the islanders, and, following the route that conducted to a defile in
the mountains lying opposite the Happar side, was soon out of sight.

A mode of escape was now presented to me; but how was I to avail myself
of it? I was continually surrounded by the savages; I could not stir
from one house to another without being attended by some of them; and
even during the hours devoted to slumber, the slightest movement which
I made seemed to attract the notice of those who shared the mats with
me. In spite of these obstacles, however, I determined forthwith to
make the attempt. To do so with any prospect of success, it was
necessary that I should have at least two hours’ start before the
islanders should discover my absence; for with such facility was any
alarm spread through the valley, and so familiar, of course, were the
inhabitants with the intricacies of the groves, that I could not hope,
lame and feeble as I was, and ignorant of the route, to secure my
escape unless I had this advantage. It was also by night alone that I
could hope to accomplish my object, and then only by adopting the
utmost precaution.

The entrance to Marheyo’s habitation was through a low narrow opening
in its wicker-work front. This passage, for no conceivable reason that
I could devise, was always closed after the household had retired to
rest, by drawing a heavy slide across it, composed of a dozen or more
bits of wood, ingeniously fastened together by seizings of sinnate.
When any of the inmates chose to go outside, the noise occasioned by
the removing of this rude door awakened everybody else; and on more
than one occasion I had remarked that the islanders were nearly as
irritable as more civilized beings under similar circumstances.

The difficulty thus placed in my way I determined to obviate in the
following manner. I would get up boldly in the course of the night,
and, drawing the slide, issue from the house, and pretend that my
object was merely to procure a drink from the calabash, which always
stood without the dwelling on the corner of the pi-pi. On re-entering I
would purposely omit closing the passage after me, and trusting that
the indolence of the savages would prevent them from repairing my
neglect, would return to my mat, and waiting patiently until all were
again asleep, I would then steal forth, and at once take the route to
Pueearka.


[Illustration: ABOUT MIDNIGHT I AROSE AND DREW THE SLIDE]


The very night which followed Marnoo’s departure, I proceeded to put
this project into execution. About midnight, as I imagined, I arose and
drew the slide. The natives, just as I had expected, started up, while
some of them asked, “Arware poo awa, Tommo?” (where are you going,
Tommo?) “Wai,” (water,) I laconically answered, grasping the calabash.
On hearing my reply they sank back again, and in a minute or two I
returned to my mat, anxiously awaiting the result of the experiment.

One after another the savages, turning restlessly, appeared to resume
their slumbers, and, rejoicing at the stillness which prevailed, I was
about to rise again from my couch, when I heard a slight rustling—a
dark form was intercepted between me and the doorway—the slide was
drawn across it, and the individual, whoever he was, returned to his
mat. This was a sad blow to me; but as it might have aroused the
suspicions of the islanders to have made another attempt that night, I
was reluctantly obliged to defer it until the next. Several times after
I repeated the same manœuvre, but with as little success as before. As
my pretence for withdrawing from the house was to allay my thirst,
Kory-Kory, either suspecting some design on my part, or else prompted
by a desire to please me, regularly every evening placed a calabash of
water by my side.

Even under these inauspicious circumstances I again and again renewed
the attempt; but when I did so, my valet always rose with me, as if
determined I should not remove myself from his observation. For the
present, therefore, I was obliged to abandon the attempt; but I
endeavoured to console myself with the idea, that by this mode I might
yet effect my escape.

Shortly after Marnoo’s visit I was reduced to such a state, that it was
with extreme difficulty I could walk, even with the assistance of a
spear, and Kory-Kory, as formerly, was obliged to carry me daily to the
stream.

For hours and hours, during the warmest part of the day, I lay upon my
mat, and while those around me were nearly all dozing away in careless
ease, I remained awake, gloomily pondering over the fate which it
appeared now idle for me to resist. When I thought of the loved friends
who were thousands and thousands of miles from the savage island in
which I was held a captive—when I reflected that my dreadful fate would
for ever be concealed from them, and that, with hope deferred, they
might continue to await my return long after my inanimate form had
blended with the dust of the valley, I could not repress a shudder of
anguish.

How vividly is impressed upon my mind every minute feature of the scene
which met my view during those long days of suffering and sorrow. At my
request my mats were always spread directly facing the door, opposite
which, and at a little distance, was the hut of boughs that Marheyo was
building.

Whenever my gentle Fayaway and Kory-Kory, laying themselves down beside
me, would leave me awhile to uninterrupted repose, I took a strange
interest in the slightest movements of the eccentric old warrior. All
alone, during the stillness of the tropical mid-day, he would pursue
his quiet work, sitting in the shade and weaving together the leaflets
of his cocoa-nut branches, or rolling upon his knee the twisted fibres
of bark to form the cords with which he tied together the thatching of
his tiny house. Frequently suspending his employment, and noticing my
melancholy eye fixed upon him, he would raise his hand with a gesture
expressive of deep commiseration, and then, moving towards me slowly,
would enter on tip-toes, fearful of disturbing the slumbering natives,
and, taking the fan from my hand, would sit before me, swaying it
gently to and fro, and gazing earnestly into my face.

Just beyond the pi-pi, and disposed in a triangle before the entrance
of the house, were three magnificent bread-fruit trees. At this moment
I can recall to my mind their slender shafts, and the graceful
inequalities of their bark, on which my eye was accustomed to dwell,
day after day, in the midst of my solitary musings. It is strange how
inanimate objects will twine themselves into our affections, especially
in the hour of affliction. Even now, amidst all the bustle and stir of
the proud and busy city in which I am dwelling, the image of those
three trees seems to come as vividly before my eyes as if they were
actually present, and I still feel the soothing quiet pleasure which I
then had in watching, hour after hour, their topmost boughs waving
gracefully in the breeze.




CHAPTER XXXIII


The escape.


Nearly three weeks had elapsed since the second visit of Marnoo, and it
must have been more than four months since I entered the valley, when
one day, about noon, and whilst everything was in profound silence,
Mow-Mow, the one-eyed chief, suddenly appeared at the door, and leaning
forward towards me as I lay directly facing him, said, in a low tone,
“Toby pemi ena,” (Toby has arrived here.) Gracious heaven! What a
tumult of emotions rushed upon me at this startling intelligence!
Insensible to the pain that had before distracted me, I leaped to my
feet, and called wildly to Kory-Kory, who was reposing by my side. The
startled islanders sprang from their mats; the news was quickly
communicated to them; and the next moment I was making my way to the Ti
on the back of Kory-Kory, and surrounded by the excited savages.

All that I could comprehend of the particulars which Mow-Mow rehearsed
to his auditors as we proceeded, was that my long-lost companion had
arrived in a boat which had just entered the bay. These tidings made me
most anxious to be carried at once to the sea, lest some untoward
circumstance should prevent our meeting; but to this they would not
consent, and continued their course towards the royal abode. As we
approached it, Mehevi and several chiefs showed themselves from the
piazza, and called upon us loudly to come to them.

As soon as we had approached, I endeavoured to make them understand
that I was going down to the sea to meet Toby. To this the king
objected, and motioned Kory-Kory to bring me into the house. It was in
vain to resist; and in a few moments I found myself within the Ti,
surrounded by a noisy group engaged in discussing the recent
intelligence. Toby’s name was frequently repeated, coupled with violent
exclamations of astonishment. It seemed as if they yet remained in
doubt with regard to the fact of his arrival, and at every fresh report
that was brought from the shore they betrayed the liveliest emotions.

Almost frenzied at being held in this state of suspense, I passionately
besought Mehevi to permit me to proceed. Whether my companion had
arrived or not, I felt a presentiment that my own fate was about to be
decided. Again and again I renewed my petition to Mehevi. He regarded
me with a fixed and serious eye, but at length, yielding to my
importunity, reluctantly granted my request.

Accompanied by some fifty of the natives, I now rapidly continued my
journey, every few moments being transferred from the back of one to
another, and urging my bearer forward all the while with earnest
entreaties. As I thus hurried forward, no doubt as to the truth of the
information I had received ever crossed my mind. I was alive only to
the one overwhelming idea, that a chance of deliverance was now
afforded me, if the jealous opposition of the savages could be
overcome.

Having been prohibited from approaching the sea during the whole of my
stay in the valley, I had always associated with it the idea of escape.
Toby, too,—if indeed he had ever voluntarily deserted me,—must have
effected his flight by the sea; and now that I was drawing near to it
myself, I indulged in hopes which I had never felt before. It was
evident that a boat had entered the bay, and I saw little reason to
doubt the truth of the report that it had brought my companion. Every
time, therefore, that we gained an elevation, I looked eagerly around,
hoping to behold him.

In the midst of an excited throng, who by their violent gestures and
wild cries appeared to be under the influence of some excitement as
strong as my own, I was now borne along at a rapid trot, frequently
stooping my head to avoid the branches which crossed the path, and
never ceasing to implore those who carried me to accelerate their
already swift pace.

In this manner we had proceeded about four or five miles, when we were
met by a party of some twenty islanders, between whom and those who
accompanied me ensued an animated conference. Impatient of the delay
occasioned by this interruption, I was beseeching the man who carried
me to proceed without his loitering companions, when Kory-Kory, running
to my side, informed me, in three fatal words, that the news had all
proved false—that Toby had not arrived—“Toby owlee permi.” Heaven only
knows how, in the state of mind and body I then was, I ever sustained
the agony which this intelligence caused me; not that the news was
altogether unexpected, but I had trusted that the fact might not have
been made known until we should have arrived upon the beach. As it was,
I at once foresaw the course the savages would pursue. They had only
yielded thus far to my entreaties, that I might give a joyful welcome
to my long-lost comrade; but now that it was known he had not arrived,
they would at once oblige me to turn back.

My anticipations were but too correct. In spite of the resistance I
made, they carried me into a house which was near the spot, and left me
upon the mats. Shortly afterwards, several of those who had accompanied
me from the Ti, detaching themselves from the others, proceeded in the
direction of the sea. Those who remained—among whom were Marheyo,
Mow-Mow, Kory-Kory, and Tinor—gathered about the dwelling, and appeared
to be awaiting their return.

This convinced me that strangers—perhaps some of my own countrymen—had
for some cause or other entered the bay. Distracted at the idea of
their vicinity, and reckless of the pain which I suffered, I heeded not
the assurances of the islanders that there were no boats at the beach,
but, starting to my feet, endeavoured to gain the door. Instantly the
passage was blocked up by several men, who commanded me to resume my
seat. The fierce looks of the irritated savages admonished me that I
could gain nothing by force, and that it was by entreaty alone that I
could hope to compass my object.

Guided by this consideration, I turned to Mow-Mow, the only chief
present, whom I had been much in the habit of seeing, and, carefully
concealing my real design, tried to make him comprehend that I still
believed Toby to have arrived on the shore, and besought him to allow
me to go forward to welcome him. To all his repeated assertions that my
companion had not been seen, I pretended to turn a deaf ear: while I
urged my solicitations with an eloquence of gesture which the one-eyed
chief appeared unable to resist. He seemed, indeed, to regard me as a
froward child, to whose wishes he had not the heart to oppose force,
and whom he must consequently humour. He spoke a few words to the
natives, who at once retreated from the door, and I immediately passed
out of the house.

Here I looked earnestly round for Kory-Kory; but that hitherto faithful
servitor was nowhere to be seen. Unwilling to linger even for a single
instant when every moment might be so important, I motioned to a
muscular fellow near me to take me upon his back: to my surprise he
angrily refused. I turned to another, but with a like result. A third
attempt was as unsuccessful, and I immediately perceived what had
induced Mow-Mow to grant my request, and why the other natives
conducted themselves in so strange a manner. It was evident that the
chief had only given me liberty to continue my progress towards the
sea, because he supposed that I was deprived of the means of reaching
it.

Convinced by this of their determination to retain me a captive, I
became desperate; and almost insensible to the pain which I suffered, I
seized a spear which was leaning against the projecting eaves of the
house, and, supporting myself with it, resumed the path that swept by
the dwelling. To my surprise, I was suffered to proceed alone, all the
natives remaining in front of the house, and engaging in earnest
conversation, which every moment became more loud and vehement; and, to
my unspeakable delight, I perceived that some difference of opinion had
arisen between them; that two parties, in short, were formed, and
consequently that, in their divided counsels, there was some chance of
my deliverance.

Before I had proceeded a hundred yards I was again surrounded by the
savages, who were still in all the heat of argument, and appeared every
moment as if they would come to blows. In the midst of this tumult old
Marheyo came to my side, and I shall never forget the benevolent
expression of his countenance. He placed his arm upon my shoulder, and
emphatically pronounced one expressive English word I had taught
him—“Home.” I at once understood what he meant, and eagerly expressed
my thanks to him. Fayaway and Kory-Kory were by his side, both weeping
violently; and it was not until the old man had twice repeated the
command that his son could bring himself to obey him, and take me again
upon his back. The one-eyed chief opposed his doing so, but he was
overruled, and, as it seemed to me, by some of his own party.

We proceeded onwards, and never shall I forget the ecstacy I felt when
I first heard the roar of the surf breaking upon the beach. Before
long, I saw the flashing billows themselves through the opening between
the trees. Oh! glorious sight and sound of ocean! with what rapture did
I hail you as familiar friends. By this time the shouts of the crowd
upon the beach were distinctly audible, and in the blended confusion of
sounds I almost fancied I could distinguish the voices of my own
countrymen.

When we reached the open space which lay between the groves and the
sea, the first object that met my view was an English whale-boat, lying
with her bow pointed from the shore, and only a few fathoms distant
from it. It was manned by five islanders, dressed in short tunics of
calico. My first impression was that they were in the very act of
pulling out from the bay; and that, after all my exertions, I had come
too late. My soul sunk within me: but a second glance convinced me that
the boat was only hanging off to keep out of the surf; and the next
moment I heard my own name shouted out by a voice from the midst of the
crowd.

Looking in the direction of the sound, I perceived, to my indescribable
joy, the tall figure of Karakoee, an Oahu Kannaka, who had often been
aboard the _Dolly_ while she lay in Nukuheva. He wore the green
shooting-jacket, with gilt buttons, which had been given to him by an
officer of the _Reine Blanche_—the French flag-ship—and in which I had
always seen him dressed. I now remembered the Kannaka had frequently
told me that his person was tabooed in all the valleys of the island,
and the sight of him at such a moment as this filled my heart with a
tumult of delight.

Karakoee stood near the edge of the water with a large roll of
cotton-cloth thrown over one arm, and holding two or three canvas bags
of powder, while with the other hand he grasped a musket, which he
appeared to be proffering to several of the chiefs around him. But they
turned with disgust from his offers, and seemed to be impatient at his
presence, with vehement gestures waving him off to his boat, and
commanding him to depart.

The Kannaka, however, still maintained his ground, and I at once
perceived that he was seeking to purchase my freedom. Animated by the
idea, I called upon him loudly to come to me; but he replied, in broken
English, that the islanders had threatened to pierce him with their
spears, if he stirred a foot towards me. At this time I was still
advancing, surrounded by a dense throng of the natives, several of whom
had their hands upon me, and more than one javelin was threateningly
pointed at me. Still I perceived clearly that many of those least
friendly towards me looked irresolute and anxious.

I was still some thirty yards from Karakoee, when my farther progress
was prevented by the natives, who compelled me to sit down upon the
ground, while they still retained their hold upon my arms. The din and
tumult now became tenfold, and I perceived that several of the priests
were on the spot, all of whom were evidently urging Mow-Mow and the
other chiefs to prevent my departure; and the detestable word—“Roo-ne!
Roo-ne!” which I had heard repeated a thousand times during the day,
was now shouted on every side of me. Still I saw that the Kannaka
continued his exertions in my favour—that he was boldly debating the
matter with the savages, and was striving to entice them by displaying
his cloth and powder, and snapping the lock of his musket. But all he
said or did appeared only to augment the clamours of those around him,
who seemed bent upon driving him into the sea.

When I remembered the extravagant value placed by these people upon the
articles which were offered to them in exchange for me, and which were
so indignantly rejected, I saw a new proof of the same fixed
determination of purpose they had all along manifested with regard to
me, and in despair, and reckless of consequences, I exerted all my
strength, and, shaking myself free from the grasp of those who held me,
I sprang upon my feet and rushed towards Karakoee.

The rash attempt nearly decided my fate; for, fearful that I might slip
from them, several of the islanders now raised a simultaneous shout,
and pressing upon Karakoee, they menaced him with furious gestures, and
actually forced him into the sea. Appalled at their violence, the poor
fellow, standing nearly to the waist in the surf, endeavoured to pacify
them; but at length, fearful that they would do him some fatal
violence, he beckoned to his comrades to pull in at once, and take him
into the boat.

It was at this agonizing moment, when I thought all hope was ended,
that a new contest arose between the two parties, who had accompanied
me to the shore; blows were struck, wounds were given, and blood
flowed. In the interest excited by the fray, every one had left me
except Marheyo, Kory-Kory, and poor dear Fayaway, who clung to me,
sobbing convulsively. I saw that now or never was the moment. Clasping
my hands together, I looked imploringly at Marheyo, and moved towards
the now almost deserted beach. The tears were in the old man’s eyes,
but neither he nor Kory-Kory attempted to hold me, and I soon reached
the Kannaka, who had anxiously watched my movements; the rowers pulled
in as near as they dared to the edge of the surf; I gave one parting
embrace to Fayaway, who seemed speechless with sorrow, and the next
instant I found myself safe in the boat, and Karakoee by my side, who
told the rowers at once to give way. Marheyo and Kory-Kory, and a great
many of the women, followed me into the water, and I was determined, as
the only mark of gratitude I could show, to give them the articles
which had been brought as my ransom. I handed the musket to Kory-Kory,
in doing which he would fain have taken hold of me, threw the roll of
cotton to old Marheyo, pointing as I did so to poor Fayaway, who had
retired from the edge of the water, and was sitting down disconsolate
on the beach, and tumbled the powder-bags out to the nearest young
ladies, all of whom were vastly willing to take them. This distribution
did not occupy ten seconds, and before it was over the boat was under
full way, the Kannaka all the while exclaiming loudly against what he
considered a useless throwing away of valuable property.

Although it was clear that my movements had been noticed by several of
the natives, still they had not suspended the conflict in which they
were engaged, and it was not until the boat was above fifty yards from
the shore, that Mow-Mow and some six or seven other warriors rushed
into the sea and hurled their javelins at us. Some of the weapons
passed quite as close to us as was desirable, but no one was wounded,
and the men pulled away gallantly. But although soon out of the reach
of the spears, our progress was extremely slow; it blew strong upon the
shore, and the tide was against us; and I saw Karakoee, who was
steering the boat, give many a look towards a jutting point of the bay
round which we had to pass.

For a minute or two after our departure, the savages, who had formed
into different groups, remained perfectly motionless and silent. All at
once the enraged chief showed by his gestures that he had resolved what
course he would take. Shouting loudly to his companions, and pointing
with his tomahawk towards the headland, he set off at full speed in
that direction, and was followed by about thirty of the natives, among
whom were several of the priests, all yelling out, “Roo-ne! Roo-ne!” at
the very top of their voices. Their intention was evidently to swim off
from the headland and intercept us in our course. The wind was
freshening every minute, and was right in our teeth, and it was one of
those chopping, angry seas, in which it is so difficult to row. Still
the chances seemed in our favour, but when we came within a hundred
yards of the point, the active savages were already dashing into the
water, and we all feared that within five minutes’ time we should have
a score of the infuriated wretches around us. If so our doom was
sealed, for these savages, unlike the feeble swimmers of civilized
countries, are, if anything, more formidable antagonists in the water
than when on the land. It was all a trial of strength; our natives
pulled till their oars bent again, and the crowd of swimmers shot
through the water, despite its roughness, with fearful rapidity.

By the time we had reached the headland, the savages were spread right
across our course. Our rowers got out their knives and held them ready
between their teeth, and I seized the boat-hook. We were all aware that
if they succeeded in intercepting us, they would practise upon us the
manœuvre which proved so fatal to many a boat’s crew in these seas.
They would grapple the oars, and, seizing hold of the gunwale, capsize
the boat, and then we should be entirely at their mercy.

After a few breathless moments I discerned Mow-Mow. The athletic
islander, with his tomahawk between his teeth, was dashing the water
before him till it foamed again. He was the nearest to us, and in
another instant he would have seized one of the oars. Even at the
moment I felt horror at the act I was about to commit; but it was no
time for pity or compunction, and with true aim, and exerting all my
strength, I dashed the boat-hook at him. It struck him just below the
throat, and forced him downwards. I had no time to repeat the blow, but
I saw him rise to the surface in the wake of the boat, and never shall
I forget the ferocious expression of his countenance.

Only one other of the savages reached the boat. He seized the gunwale,
but the knives of our rowers so mauled his wrists that he was forced to
quit his hold, and the next minute we were past them all, and in
safety. The strong excitement which had thus far kept me up, now left
me, and I fell back fainting into the arms of Karakoee.


The circumstances connected with my most unexpected escape may be very
briefly stated. The captain of an Australian vessel being in distress
for men in these remote seas, had put into Nukuheva in order to recruit
his ship’s company, but not a single man was to be obtained; and the
barque was about to get under weigh, when she was boarded by Karakoee,
who informed the disappointed Englishman that an American sailor was
detained by the savages in the neighbouring bay of Typee; and he
offered, if supplied with suitable articles of traffic, to undertake
his release. The Kannaka had gained his intelligence from Marnoo, to
whom, after all, I was indebted for my escape. The proposition was
acceded to; and Karakoee, taking with him five tabooed natives of
Nukuheva, again repaired aboard the barque, which in a few hours sailed
to that part of the island, and threw her main-top-sail aback right off
the entrance to the Typee bay. The whale-boat, manned by the tabooed
crew, pulled towards the head of the inlet, while the ship lay “off and
on” awaiting its return.

The events which ensued have already been detailed, and little more
remains to be related. On reaching the _Julia_, I was lifted over the
side, and my strange appearance, and remarkable adventure, occasioned
the liveliest interest. Every attention was bestowed upon me that
humanity could suggest; but to such a state was I reduced, that three
months elapsed before I recovered my health.

The mystery which hung over the fate of my friend and companion, Toby,
has never been cleared up. I still remain ignorant whether he succeeded
in leaving the valley, or perished at the hands of the islanders.




SEQUEL


                                CONTAINING

                            THE STORY OF TOBY

NOTE.—The Author of “Typee” was more than two years in the South Seas,
after escaping from the valley, as recounted in the last chapter. Some
time after returning home the foregoing narrative was published, though
it was little thought at the time that this would be the means of
revealing the existence of Toby, who had long been given up for lost.
But so it proved. The story of his escape supplies a natural sequel to
the adventure, and as such it is now added to the volume. It was
related to the Author by Toby himself.


The morning my comrade left me, as related in the narrative, he was
accompanied by a large party of the natives, some of them carrying
fruit and hogs for the purposes of traffic, as the report had spread
that boats had touched at the bay.

As they proceeded through the settled parts of the valley, numbers
joined them from every side, running with animated cries from every
pathway. So excited were the whole party, that, eager as Toby was to
gain the beach, it was almost as much as he could do to keep up with
them. Making the valley ring with their shouts, they hurried along on a
swift trot, those in advance pausing now and then, and flourishing
their weapons to urge the rest forward.

Presently they came to a place where the path crossed a bend of the
main stream of the valley. Here a strange sound came through the grove
beyond, and the islanders halted. It was Mow-Mow, the one-eyed chief,
who had gone on before; he was striking his heavy lance against the
hollow bough of a tree.

This was a signal of alarm;—for nothing was now heard but shouts of
“Happar! Happar!”—the warriors tilting with their spears and
brandishing them in the air, and the women and boys shouting to each
other, and picking up the stones in the bed of the stream. In a moment
or two Mow-Mow and two or three other chiefs ran out from the grove,
and the din increased tenfold.

Now, thought Toby, for a fray; and being unarmed, he besought one of
the young men domiciled with Marheyo for the loan of his spear. But he
was refused; the youth roguishly telling him, that the weapon was very
good for him (the Typee), but that a white man could fight much better
with his fists.

The merry humour of this young wag seemed to be shared by the rest, for
in spite of their warlike cries and gestures, everybody was capering
about and laughing, as if it was one of the funniest things in the
world to be awaiting the flight of a score or two of Happar javelins
from an ambush in the thickets.

While my comrade was in vain trying to make out the meaning of all
this, a good number of the natives separated themselves from the rest
and ran off into the grove on one side, the others now keeping
perfectly still, as if awaiting the result. After a little while,
however, Mow-Mow, who stood in advance, motioned them to come on
stealthily, which they did, scarcely rustling a leaf. Thus they crept
along for ten or fifteen minutes, every now and then pausing to listen.

Toby by no means relished this sort of skulking; if there was going to
be a fight he wanted it to begin at once. But all in good time,—for
just then, as they went prowling into the thickest of the wood,
terrific howls burst upon them on all sides, and volleys of darts and
stones flew across the path. Not an enemy was to be seen, and what was
still more surprising, not a single man dropped, though the pebbles
fell among the leaves like hail.

There was a moment’s pause, when the Typees, with wild shrieks, flung
themselves into the covert, spear in hand; nor was Toby behind-hand.
Coming so near getting his skull broken by the stones, and animated by
an old grudge he bore the Happars, he was among the first to dash at
them. As he broke his way through the underbush, trying, as he did so,
to wrest a spear from a young chief, the shouts of battle all of a
sudden ceased, and the wood was as still as death. The next moment, the
party who had left them so mysteriously rushed out from behind every
bush and tree, and united with the rest in long and merry peals of
laughter.

It was all a sham, and Toby, who was quite out of breath with
excitement, was much incensed at being made a fool of.

It afterwards turned out that the whole affair had been concerted for
his particular benefit, though with what precise view it would be hard
to tell. My comrade was the more enraged at this boy’s play, since it
had consumed so much time, every moment of which might be precious.
Perhaps, however, it was partly intended for this very purpose; and he
was led to think so, because, when the natives started again, he
observed that they did not seem to be in so great a hurry as before. At
last, after they had gone some distance, Toby, thinking all the while
that they never would get to the sea, two men came running towards
them, and a regular halt ensued, followed by a noisy discussion, during
which Toby’s name was often repeated. All this made him more and more
anxious to learn what was going on at the beach; but it was in vain
that he now tried to push forward; the natives held him back.

In a few moments the conference ended, and many of them ran down the
path in the direction of the water, the rest surrounding Toby, and
entreating him to “Moee,” or sit down and rest himself. As an
additional inducement, several calabashes of food, which had been
brought along, were now placed on the ground, and opened, and pipes
also were lighted. Toby bridled his impatience awhile, but at last
sprang to his feet and dashed forward again. He was soon overtaken
nevertheless, and again surrounded, but without further detention was
then permitted to go down to the sea.

They came out on a bright green space between the groves and the water,
and close under the shadow of the Happar mountain, where a path was
seen, winding out of sight through a gorge.

No sign of a boat, however, was beheld; nothing but a tumultuous crowd
of men and women, and some one in their midst, earnestly talking to
them. As my comrade advanced, this person came forward, and proved to
be no stranger. He was an old grizzled sailor, whom Toby and myself had
frequently seen in Nukuheva, where he lived an easy, devil-may-care
life, in the household of Mowanna the king, going by the name of
“Jimmy.” In fact, he was the royal favourite, and had a good deal to
say in his master’s councils. He wore a Manilla hat, and a sort of
tappa morning gown, sufficiently loose and negligent to show the verse
of a song tattooed upon his chest, and a variety of spirited cuts by
native artists in other parts of his body. He sported a fishing-rod in
his hand, and carried a sooty old pipe slung about his neck.

This old rover having retired from active life, had resided in Nukuheva
some time—he could speak the language, and for that reason was
frequently employed by the French as an interpreter. He was an arrant
old gossip, too; for ever coming off in his canoe to the ships in the
bay, and regaling their crews with choice little morsels of court
scandal—such, for instance, as a shameful intrigue of his majesty with
a Happar damsel, a public dancer at the feasts—and otherwise relating
some incredible tales about the Marquesas generally. I remember, in
particular, his telling the _Dolly’s_ crew what proved to be literally
a cock-and-bull story, about two natural prodigies, which he said were
then on the island. One was an old monster of a hermit, having a
marvellous reputation for sanctity, and reputed a famous sorcerer, who
lived away off in a den among the mountains, where he hid from the
world a great pair of horns that grew out of his temples.
Notwithstanding his reputation for piety, his horrid old fellow was the
terror of all the island round, being reported to come out from his
retreat, and go a man-hunting every dark night. Some anonymous Paul
Pry, too, coming down the mountain, once got a peep at his den, and
found it full of bones. In short, he was a most unheard-of monster.

The other prodigy Jimmy told us about, was the younger son of a chief,
who, although but just turned of ten, had entered upon holy orders,
because his superstitious countrymen thought him especially intended
for the priesthood, from the fact of his having a comb on his head like
a rooster. But this was not all: for, still more wonderful to relate,
the boy prided himself upon this strange crest, being actually endowed
with a cock’s voice, and frequently crowing over his peculiarity.

But to return to Toby. The moment he saw the old rover on the beach, he
ran up to him, the natives following after, and forming a circle round
them.

After welcoming him to the shore, Jimmy went on to tell him how that he
knew all about our having run away from the ship, and being among the
Typees, indeed, he had been urged by Mowanna to come over to the
valley, and, after visiting his friends there, to bring us back with
him, his royal master being exceedingly anxious to share with him the
reward which had been held out for our capture. He, however, assured
Toby that he had indignantly spurned the offer.

All this astonished my comrade not a little, as neither of us had
entertained the least idea that any white man ever visited the Typees
sociably. But Jimmy told him that such was the case, nevertheless,
although he seldom came into the bay, and scarcely ever went back from
the beach. One of the priests of the valley, in some way or other
connected with an old tattooed divine in Nukuheva, was a friend of his,
and through him he was “taboo.”

He said, moreover, that he was sometimes employed to come round to the
bay, and engage fruit for ships lying in Nukuheva. In fact, he was now
on that very errand, according to his own account, having just come
across the mountains by the way of Happar. By noon of the next day, the
fruit would be heaped up in stacks on the beach, in readiness for the
boats, which he then intended to bring into the bay.

Jimmy now asked Toby whether he wished to leave the island—if he did,
there was a ship in want of men, lying in the other harbour, and he
would be glad to take him over, and see him on board that very day.

“No,” said Toby; “I cannot leave the island, unless my comrade goes
with me. I left him up the valley because they would not let him come
down. Let us go now and fetch him.”

“But how is he to cross the mountain with us,” replied Jimmy, “even if
we get him down to the beach? Better let him stay till to-morrow, and I
will bring him round to Nukuheva in the boats.”

“That will never do,” said Toby; “but come along with me now, and let
us get him down here at any rate”; and yielding to the impulse of the
moment, he started to hurry back into the valley. But hardly was his
back turned, when a dozen hands were laid on him, and he learned that
he could not go a step farther.

It was in vain that he fought with them: they would not hear of his
stirring from the beach. Cut to the heart at this unexpected repulse,
Toby now conjured the sailor to go after me alone. But Jimmy replied,
that in the mood the Typees then were, they would not permit him to do
so, though, at the same time, he was not afraid of their offering him
any harm.

Little did Toby then think, as he afterwards had good reason to
suspect, that this very Jimmy was a heartless villain, who, by his
arts, had just incited the natives to restrain him, as he was in the
act of going after me. Well must the old sailor have known, too, that
the natives would never consent to our leaving together; and he
therefore wanted to get Toby off alone, for a purpose which he
afterwards made plain. Of all this, however, my comrade now knew
nothing.

He was still struggling with the islanders, when Jimmy again came up to
him, and warned him against irritating them, saying that he was only
making matters worse for both of us, and if they became enraged, there
was no telling what might happen. At last he made Toby sit down on a
broken canoe, by a pile of stones, upon which was a ruinous little
shrine, supported by four upright paddles, and in front partly screened
by a net. The fishing parties met there, when they came in from the
sea, for their offerings were laid before an image, upon a smooth black
stone within. This spot, Jimmy said, was strictly “taboo,” and no one
would molest or come near him while he stayed by its shadow. The old
sailor then went off, and began speaking very earnestly to Mow-Mow and
some other chiefs, while all the rest formed a circle round the taboo
place, looking intently at Toby, and talking to each other without
ceasing.

Now, notwithstanding what Jimmy had just told him, there presently came
up to my comrade an old woman, who seated herself beside him on the
canoe.

“Typee Mortarkee?” said she. “Mortarkee muee,” said Toby.

She then asked whether he was going to Nukuheva; he nodded yes; and
with a plaintive wail, her eyes filling with tears, she rose and left
him.

This old woman, the sailor afterwards said, was the wife of an aged
king of a small inland valley, communicating by a deep pass with the
country of the Typees. The inmates of the two valleys were related to
each other by blood, and were known by the same name. The old woman had
gone down into the Typee valley the day before, and was now, with three
chiefs, her sons, on a visit to her kinsmen.

As the old king’s wife left him, Jimmy again came up to Toby, and told
him that he had just talked the whole matter over with the natives, and
there was only one course for him to follow. They would not allow him
to go back into the valley, and harm would certainly come to both him
and me, if he remained much longer on the beach. “So,” said he, “you
and I had better go to Nukuheva now overland, and to-morrow I will
bring Tommo, as they call him, by water; they have promised to carry
him down to the sea for me early in the morning, so that there will be
no delay.”

“No, no,” said Toby desperately, “I will not leave him that way; we
must escape together.”

“Then there is no hope for you,” exclaimed the sailor, “for if I leave
you here on the beach, as soon as I am gone you will be carried back
into the valley, and then neither of you will ever look upon the sea
again.” And with many oaths he swore that if he would only go to
Nukuheva with him that day, he would be sure to have me there the very
next morning.

“But how do you know they will bring him down to the beach to-morrow,
when they will not do so to-day?” said Toby. But the sailor had many
reasons, all of which were so mixed up with the mysterious customs of
the islanders, that he was none the wiser. Indeed, their conduct,
especially in preventing him from returning into the valley, was
absolutely unaccountable to him; and added to everything else was the
bitter reflection, that the old sailor, after all, might possibly be
deceiving him. And then again he had to think of me, left alone with
the natives, and by no means well. If he went with Jimmy, he might at
least hope to procure some relief for me. But might not the savages who
had acted so strangely, hurry me off somewhere before his return? Then,
even if he remained, perhaps they would not let him go back to the
valley where I was.

Thus perplexed was my poor comrade; he knew not what to do, and his
courageous spirit was of no use to him now. There he was, all by
himself, seated upon the broken canoe—the natives grouped around him at
a distance, and eyeing him more and more fixedly.

“It is getting late,” said Jimmy, who was standing behind the rest.
“Nukuheva is far off, and I cannot cross the Happar country by night.
You see how it is:—if you come along with me, all will be well; if you
do not, depend upon it neither of you will ever escape.”

“There is no help for it,” said Toby, at last, with a heavy heart, “I
will have to trust you”; and he came out from the shadow of the little
shrine, and cast a long look up the valley.

“Now keep close to my side,” said the sailor, “and let us be moving
quickly.” Tinor and Fayaway here appeared; the kind-hearted old woman
embracing Toby’s knees, and giving way to a flood of tears; while
Fayaway, hardly less moved, spoke some few words of English she had
learned, and held up three fingers before him—in so many days he would
return.

At last Jimmy pulled Toby out of the crowd, and after calling to a
young Typee who was standing by with a young pig in his arms, all three
started for the mountains.

“I have told them that you are coming back again,” said the old fellow,
laughing, as they began the ascent, “but they’ll have to wait a long
time.” Toby turned, and saw the natives all in motion—the girls waving
their tappas in adieu, and the men their spears. As the last figure
entered the grove with one arm raised, and the three fingers spread,
his heart smote him.

As the natives had at last consented to his going, it might have been,
that some of them, at least, really counted upon his speedy return;
probably supposing, as indeed he had told them when they were coming
down the valley, that his only object in leaving them was to procure
the medicines I needed. This, Jimmy also must have told them. And as
they had done before, when my comrade, to oblige me, started on his
perilous journey to Nukuheva, they looked upon me, in his absence, as
one of two inseparable friends who was a sure guarantee for the other’s
return. This is only my own supposition, however, for as to all their
strange conduct, it is still a mystery.

“You see what sort of a taboo man I am,” said the sailor, after for
some time silently following the path which led up the mountain.
“Mow-Mow made me a present of this pig here, and the man who carries it
will go right through Happar, and down into Nukuheva with us. So long
as he stays by me he is safe, and just so it will be with you, and
to-morrow with Tommo. Cheer up, then, and rely upon me, you will see
him in the morning.”

The ascent of the mountain was not very difficult, owing to its being
near to the sea, where the island ridges are comparatively low; the
path, too, was a fine one, so that in a short time all three were
standing on the summit with the two valleys at their feet. The white
cascades marking the green head of the Typee valley first caught Toby’s
eye; Marheyo’s house could easily be traced by them.

As Jimmy led the way along the ridge, Toby observed that the valley of
the Happars did not extend near so far inland as that of the Typees.
This accounted for our mistake in entering the latter valley as we had.

A path leading down from the mountain was soon seen, and, following it,
the party were in a short time fairly in the Happar valley.

“Now,” said Jimmy, as they hurried on, “we taboo men have wives in all
the bays, and I am going to show you the two I have here.”

So, when they came to the house where he said they lived—which was
close by the base of the mountain, in a shady nook among the groves,—he
went in, and was quite furious at finding it empty—the ladies had gone
out. However, they soon made their appearance, and, to tell the truth,
welcomed Jimmy quite cordially, as well as Toby, about whom they were
very inquisitive. Nevertheless, as the report of their arrival spread,
and the Happars began to assemble, it became evident that the
appearance of a white stranger among them was not by any means deemed
so wonderful an event as in the neighbouring valley.

The old sailor bade his wives prepare something to eat, as he must be
in Nukuheva before dark. A meal of fish, bread-fruit, and bananas, was
accordingly served up, the party regaling themselves on the mats, in
the midst of a numerous company.

The Happars put many questions to Jimmy about Toby; and Toby himself
looked sharply at them, anxious to recognise the fellow who gave him
the wound from which he was still suffering. But this fiery gentleman,
so handy with his spear, had the delicacy, it seemed, to keep out of
view. Certainly the sight of him would not have been any added
inducement to making him stay in the valley,—some of the afternoon
loungers in Happar having politely urged Toby to spend a few days with
them,—there was a feast coming on. He, however, declined.

All this while the young Typee stuck to Jimmy like his shadow, and
though as lively a dog as any of his tribe, he was now as meek as a
lamb, never opening his mouth except to eat. Although some of the
Happars looked queerly at him, others were more civil, and seemed
desirous of taking him abroad and showing him the valley. But the Typee
was not to be cajoled in that way. How many yards he would have to
remove from Jimmy before the taboo would be powerless, it would be hard
to tell, but probably he himself knew to a fraction.

On the promise of a red cotton handkerchief, and something else which
he kept secret, this poor fellow had undertaken a rather ticklish
journey, though, as far as Toby could ascertain, it was something that
had never happened before.

The island-punch—arva—was brought in at the conclusion of the repast,
and passed round in a shallow calabash.

Now my comrade, while seated in the Happar house, began to feel more
troubled than ever at leaving me: indeed, so sad did he feel that he
talked about going back to the valley, and wanted Jimmy to escort him
as far as the mountains. But the sailor would not listen to him, and,
by way of diverting his thoughts, pressed him to drink of the arva.
Knowing its narcotic nature, he refused; but Jimmy said he would have
something mixed with it, which would convert it into an innocent
beverage that would inspirit them for the rest of their journey. So at
last he was induced to drink of it, and its effects were just as the
sailor had predicted; his spirits rose at once, and all his gloomy
thoughts left him.

The old rover now began to reveal his true character, though he was
hardly suspected at the time. “If I get you off to a ship,” said he,
“you will surely give a poor fellow something for saving you.” In
short, before they left the house, he made Toby promise that he would
give him five Spanish dollars if he succeeded in getting any part of
his wages advanced from the vessel, aboard of which they were going;
Toby, moreover, engaging to reward him still farther, as soon as my
deliverance was accomplished.

A little while after this they started again, accompanied by many of
the natives, and going up the valley, took a steep path near its head,
which led to Nukuheva. Here the Happars paused, and watched them as
they ascended the mountain, one group of bandit-looking fellows shaking
their spears and casting threatening glances at the poor Typee, whose
heart as well as heels seemed much the lighter when he came to look
down upon them.

On gaining the heights once more, their way led for a time along
several ridges covered with enormous ferns. At last they entered upon a
wooded tract, and here they overtook a party of Nukuheva natives, well
armed, and carrying bundles of long poles. Jimmy seemed to know them
all very well, and stopped for awhile, and had a talk about the
“Wee-Wees,” as the people of Nukuheva call the Monsieurs.

The party with the poles were King Mowanna’s men, and by his orders
they had been gathering them in the ravines for his allies, the French.

Leaving these fellows to trudge on with their loads, Toby and his
companions now pushed forward again, as the sun was already low in the
west. They came upon the valleys of Nukuheva on one side of the bay,
where the highlands slope off into the sea. The men-of-war were still
lying in the harbour, and as Toby looked down upon them, the strange
events which had happened so recently seemed all a dream.

They soon descended towards the beach, and found themselves in Jimmy’s
house before it was well dark. Here he received another welcome from
his Nukuheva wives, and after some refreshments in the shape of
cocoa-nut milk and poee-poee, they entered a canoe (the Typee, of
course, going along) and paddled off to a whale-ship which was anchored
near the shore. This was the vessel in want of men. Our own had sailed
some time before. The captain professed great pleasure at seeing Toby,
but thought from his exhausted appearance that he must be unfit for
duty. However, he agreed to ship him, as well as his comrade as soon as
he should arrive.

Toby begged hard for an armed boat, in which to go round to Typee and
rescue me, notwithstanding the promise of Jimmy. But this the captain
would not hear of, and told him to have patience, for the sailor would
be faithful to his word. When, too, he demanded the five silver dollars
for Jimmy, the captain was unwilling to give them. But Toby insisted
upon it, as he now began to think that Jimmy might be a mere mercenary,
who would be sure to prove faithless if not well paid. Accordingly he
not only gave him the money, but took care to assure him, over and over
again, that as soon as he brought me aboard he would receive a still
larger sum.

Before sunrise the next day, Jimmy and the Typee started in two of the
ship’s boats, which were manned by tabooed natives. Toby, of course,
was all eagerness to go along, but the sailor told him that if he did,
it would spoil all; so, hard as it was, he was obliged to remain.

Towards evening he was on the watch, and descried the boats turning the
headland and entering the bay. He strained his eyes, and thought he saw
me; but I was not there. Descending from the mast almost distracted, he
grappled Jimmy as he struck the deck, shouting in a voice that startled
him, “Where is Tommo?” The old fellow faltered, but soon recovering,
did all he could to soothe him, assuring him that it had proved to be
impossible to get me down to the shore that morning; assigning many
plausible reasons, and adding that early on the morrow he was going to
visit the bay again in a French boat, when, if he did not find me on
the beach—as this time he certainly expected to—he would march right
back into the valley, and carry me away at all hazards. He, however,
again refused to allow Toby to accompany him.

Now, situated as Toby was, his sole dependence for the present was upon
Jimmy, and therefore he was fain to comfort himself as well as he could
with what the old sailor told him.

The next morning, however, he had the satisfaction of seeing the French
boat start with Jimmy in it. To-night, then, I will see him, thought
Toby; but many a long day passed before he ever saw Tommo again. Hardly
was the boat out of sight, when the captain came forward and ordered
the anchor weighed; he was going to sea.

Vain were all Toby’s ravings,—they were disregarded; and when he came
to himself, the sails were set, and the ship fast leaving the land.

... “Oh! said he to me at our meeting, what sleepless nights were mine.
Often I started from my hammock, dreaming you were before me, and
upbraiding me for leaving you on the island.”

There is little more to be related. Toby left his vessel at New
Zealand, and after some further adventures, arrived home in less than
two years after leaving the Marquesas. He always thought of me as
dead—and I had every reason to suppose that he, too, was no more; but a
strange meeting was in store for us, which made Toby’s heart all the
lighter.




APPENDIX


The author of this volume arrived at Tahiti the very day that the
iniquitous designs of the French were consummated by inducing the
subordinate chiefs, during the absence of their queen, to ratify an
artfully-drawn treaty, by which she was virtually deposed. Both menaces
and caresses were employed on this occasion, and the 32-pounders which
peeped out of the port-holes of the frigate were the principal
arguments adduced to quiet the scruples of the more conscientious
islanders.

And yet this piratical seizure of Tahiti, with all the woe and
desolation which resulted from it, created not half so great a
sensation, at least in America, as was caused by the proceedings of the
English at the Sandwich Islands. No transaction has ever been more
grossly misrepresented than the events which occurred upon the arrival
of Lord George Paulet at Oahu. During a residence of four months at
Honolulu, the metropolis of the group, the author was in the confidence
of an Englishman who was much employed by his lordship; and great was
the author’s astonishment on his arrival at Boston, in the autumn of
1844, to read the distorted accounts and fabrications which had
produced in the United States so violent an outbreak of indignation
against the English. He deems it, therefore, a mere act of justice
towards a gallant officer briefly to state the leading circumstances
connected with the event in question.

It is needless to rehearse all the abuse that for some time previous to
the spring of 1843 had been heaped upon the British residents,
especially upon Captain Charlton, Her Britannic Majesty’s
consul-general, by the native authorities of the Sandwich Islands. High
in the favour of the imbecile king at this time was one Dr. Judd, a
sanctimonious apothecary-adventurer, who, with other kindred and
influential spirits, were animated by an inveterate dislike to England.
The ascendancy of a junta of ignorant and designing Methodist elders in
the councils of a half-civilised king, ruling with absolute sway over a
nation just poised between barbarism and civilisation, and exposed by
the peculiarities of its relations with foreign states to unusual
difficulties, was not precisely calculated to impart a healthy tone to
the policy of the government.

At last matters were brought to such an extremity, through the
iniquitous maladministration of affairs, that the endurance of further
insults and injuries on the part of the British consul was no longer to
be borne. Captain Charlton, insultingly forbidden to leave the islands,
clandestinely withdrew, and arriving at Valparaiso, conferred with
Rear-Admiral Thomas, the English commander-in-chief on the Pacific
station. In consequence of this communication, Lord George Paulet was
despatched by the admiral in the _Carysfort_ frigate, to inquire into
and correct the alleged abuses. On arriving at his destination, he sent
his first lieutenant ashore with a letter to the king, couched in terms
of the utmost courtesy, and soliciting the honour of an audience. The
messenger was denied access to His Majesty, and Paulet was coolly
referred to Dr. Judd, and informed that the apothecary was invested
with plenary powers to treat with him. Rejecting this insolent
proposition, his lordship again addressed the king by letter, and
renewed his previous request; but he encountered another repulse.
Justly indignant at this treatment, he penned a third epistle,
enumerating the grievances to be redressed, and demanding a compliance
with his requisitions, under penalty of immediate hostilities.

The government was now obliged to act, and an artful stroke of policy
was decided upon by the despicable councillors of the king to entrap
the sympathies and rouse the indignation of Christendom. His Majesty
was made to intimate to the British captain that he could not, as the
conscientious ruler of his beloved people, comply with the arbitrary
demands of his lordship, and in deprecation of the horrors of war,
tendered to his acceptance the _provisional cession_ of the islands,
subject to the result of the negotiations then pending in London.
Paulet, a bluff and straight-forward sailor, took the king at his word,
and after some preliminary arrangements, entered upon the
administration of Hawaiian affairs, in the same firm and benignant
spirit which marked the discipline of his frigate, and which had
rendered him the idol of his ship’s company. He soon endeared himself
to nearly all orders of the islanders; but the king and the chiefs,
whose feudal sway over the common people was laboriously sought to be
perpetuated by their missionary advisers, regarded all his proceedings
with the most vigilant animosity. Jealous of his growing popularity,
and unable to counteract it, they endeavoured to assail his reputation
abroad by ostentatiously protesting against his acts, and appealing in
Oriental phrase to the _wide universe_ to witness and compassionate
their _unparalleled wrongs_.

Heedless of their idle clamours, Lord George Paulet addressed himself
to the task of reconciling the differences among the foreign residents,
remedying their grievances, promoting their mercantile interests, and
ameliorating, as far as lay in his power, the condition of the degraded
natives. The iniquities he brought to light and instantly suppressed
are too numerous to be here recorded; but one instance may be mentioned
that will give some idea of the lamentable misrule to which these poor
islanders are subjected.

It is well known that the laws at the Sandwich Islands are subject to
the most capricious alterations, which, by confounding all ideas of
right and wrong in the minds of the natives, produce the most
pernicious effects. In no case is this mischief more plainly
descernible than in the continually shifting regulations concerning
licentiousness. At one time the most innocent freedoms between the
sexes are punished with fine and imprisonment; at another the
revocation of the statute is followed by the most open and undisguised
profligacy.

It so happened that at the period of Paulet’s arrival the Connecticut
blue laws had been for at least three weeks steadily enforced. In
consequence of this, the fort at Honolulu was filled with a great
number of young girls, who were confined there doing penance for their
slips from virtue. Paulet, although at first unwilling to interfere
with regulations having reference solely to the natives themselves, was
eventually, by the prevalence of certain reports, induced to institute
a strict inquiry into the internal administration of General Kekuanoa,
governor of the island of Oahu, one of the pillars of the Hawaiian
Church, and captain of the fort. He soon ascertained that numbers of
the young females employed during the day at work intended for the
benefit of the king, were at night smuggled over the ramparts of the
fort—which on one side directly overhangs the sea—and were conveyed by
stealth on board such vessels as had contracted with the General to be
supplied with them. Before daybreak they returned to their quarters,
and their own silence with regard to these secret excursions was
purchased by a small portion of those wages of iniquity which were
placed in the hands of Kekuanoa.

The vigour with which the laws concerning licentiousness were at that
period enforced, enabled the General to monopolise in a great measure
the detestable trade in which he was engaged, and there consequently
flowed into his coffers—and some say into those of the government
also—considerable sums of money. It is indeed a lamentable fact that
the principal revenue of the Hawaiian government is derived from the
fines levied upon, or rather the licences taken out by Vice, the
prosperity of which is linked with that of the government. Were the
people to become virtuous the authorities would become poor; but from
present indications there is little apprehension to be entertained on
that score.

Some five months after the date of the cession, the _Dublin_ frigate,
carrying the flag of Rear-Admiral Thomas, entered the harbour of
Honolulu. The excitement that her sudden appearance produced on shore
was prodigious. Three days after her arrival an English sailor hauled
down the red cross which had been flying from the heights of the fort,
and the Hawaiian colours were again displayed upon the same staff. At
the same moment the long 42-pounders upon Punchbowl Hill opened their
iron throats in triumphant reply to the thunders of the five men-of-war
in the harbour; and King Kammahammaha III, surrounded by a splendid
group of British and American officers, unfurled the royal standard to
assembled thousands of his subjects, who, attracted by the imposing
military display of the foreigners, had flocked to witness the formal
restoration of the islands to their ancient rulers.

The admiral, after sanctioning the proceedings of his subaltern, had
brought the authorities to terms; and so removed the necessity of
acting any longer under the provisional cession.

The event was made an occasion of riotous rejoicing by the king and the
principal chiefs, who easily secured a display of enthusiasm from the
inferior orders, by remitting for a time the accustomed severity of the
laws. Royal proclamations in English and Hawaiian were placarded in the
streets of Honolulu, and posted up in the more populous villages of the
group, in which His Majesty announced to his loving subjects the
re-establishment of his throne, and called upon them to celebrate it by
breaking through all moral, legal, and religious restraint for ten
consecutive days, during which time all the laws of the land were
solemnly declared to be suspended.

Who that happened to be at Honolulu during those ten memorable days
will ever forget them! The spectacle of universal broad-day debauchery,
which was then exhibited, beggars description. The natives of the
surrounding islands flocked to Honolulu by hundreds, and the crews of
two frigates, opportunely let loose like so many demons to swell the
heathenish uproar, gave the crowning flourish to the scene. It was a
sort of Polynesian saturnalia. Deeds too atrocious to be mentioned were
done at noon-day in the open street, and some of the islanders, caught
in the very act of stealing from the foreigners, were, on being taken
to the fort by the aggrieved party, suffered immediately to go at large
and to retain the stolen property—Kekuanoa informing the white men,
with a sardonic grin, that the laws were “hannapa” (tied up).

The history of these ten days reveals in their true colours the
character of the Sandwich islanders, and furnishes an eloquent
commentary on the results which have flowed from the labours of the
missionaries. Freed from the restraint of severe penal laws, the
natives almost to a man had plunged voluntarily into every species of
wickedness and excess, and by their utter disregard of all decency
plainly showed that, although they had been schooled into a seeming
submission to the new order of things, they were in reality as depraved
and vicious as ever.

Such were the events which produced in America so general an outbreak
of indignation against the spirited and high-minded Paulet. He is not
the first man who, in the fearless discharge of his duty, has awakened
the senseless clamours of those whose narrow-minded suspicions blind
them to a proper appreciation of measures which unusual exigencies may
have rendered necessary.

It is almost needless to add that the British cabinet never had any
idea of appropriating the islands; and it furnishes a sufficient
vindication of the acts of Lord George Paulet, that he not only
received the unqualified approbation of his own government, but that to
this hour the great body of the Hawaiian people invoke blessings on his
head, and look back with gratitude to the time when his liberal and
paternal sway diffused peace and happiness among them.


[Illustration]




FOOTNOTES


 [1] The word “kannaka” is at the present day universally used in the
 South Seas by Europeans to designate the islanders. In the various
 dialects of the principal groups it is simply a sexual designation
 applied to the males; but it is now used by the natives in their
 intercourse with foreigners in the same sense in which the latter
 employ it.
    A “tabooed kannaka” is an islander whose person has been made, to a
 certain extent, sacred by the operation of a singular custom hereafter
 to be explained.

 [2] I presume this might be translated into “Strong Waters.” Arva is
 the name bestowed upon a root, the properties of which are both
 inebriating and medicinal. “Wai” is the Marquesan word for water.

 [3] White appears to be the sacred colour among the Marquesans.

 [4] The word “Artua,” although having some other significations, is in
 nearly all the Polynesian dialects used as the general designation of
 the gods.

 [5] The strict honesty which the inhabitants of nearly all the
 Polynesian Islands manifest towards each other, is in striking
 contrast with the thieving propensities some of them evince in their
 intercourse with foreigners. It would almost seem that, according to
 their peculiar code of morals, the pilfering of a hatchet or a wrought
 nail from a European is looked upon as a praiseworthy action. Or
 rather, it may be presumed, that bearing in mind the wholesale forays
 made upon them by their nautical visitors, they consider the property
 of the latter as a fair object of reprisal. This consideration, while
 it serves to reconcile an apparent contradiction in the moral
 character of the islanders, should in some measure alter that low
 opinion of it which the reader of South Sea voyages is too apt to
 form.




TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE


Obvious typographical errors were corrected:

page vi, “Mysterious” changed to “mysterious”
page 2, “attentuated” changed to “attenuated”
page 3, quote mark added after first “Marquesas!”
page 7, double primes changed to primes in first coordinate
page 18, “coacoa-nut” changed to “cocoa-nut”
page 23, period changed to comma after “home”
page 26, “tatooed” changed to “tattooed”
page 52, “Decend” changed to “Descend”
page 62, “hairbreath” changed to “hairbreadth”
page 66, “inceased” changed to “increased”
page 89, “interwined” changed to “intertwined”
page 112, “preverse” changed to “perverse”
page 120, “kemp” changed to “kelp”
page 123, “As” changed to “At”
page 150, period added after “enemy”
page 199, “Figneroa” changed to “Figueroa”
page 242, “as” changed to “is”
page 273, “tumultous” changed to “tumultuous”
page 281, comma added after “course”


Spelling variations were not normalized (e. g. “figure head”,
“figure-head” and “figurehead”, “forefinger” and “fore-finger”,
“clamor” and “clamour”, “verd-antique” and “verde-antique”,
“incumbrances” and “encumber”).