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[Illustration: FAYAWAY AND I HAD A DELIGHTFUL LITTLE PARTY ON THE LAKE]
TYPEE
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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 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°
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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 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
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 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
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
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
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
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
pre
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
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
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.
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
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
[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
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
The next day the starboard watch, to which we both belonged,
was to be sent ashore on liberty; and, availing ourselves of this
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.
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
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
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
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
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,
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
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.
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
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
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,
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
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
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
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,
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
roman
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
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.
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
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
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
insecu
[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
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
What’s to be done now?
inquired I, rather dolefully.
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
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.
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
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,
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
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,
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 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
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
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
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 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,
As we drew near, their alarm evidently
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
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
[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
someMortarkee.
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
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
The word
A tabooed Kannaka,
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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,
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
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
fash
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
ad
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
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-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
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
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.
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
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
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.
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
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
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
hori
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
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 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-
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
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
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
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
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
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
pre
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
kneel
[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
ap
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
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
kan
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.
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
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
re
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
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,
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.
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
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,
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
termina
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
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
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
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,
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.
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
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,
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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,
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
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
ea
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!—
(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
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.
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
tem
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
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
taboo!
taboo!
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
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
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
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,
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
ex
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.
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
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-
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
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.
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 WaiStrong 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.
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
numer
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
for
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
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
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
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
en
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.
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
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
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
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
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
crack
god of the island;
lording it over all the wooden lubbers who looked so grim and
dreadful; its name was Moa Artua.Artua,
although having some other significations, is in nearly
all the Polynesian dialects used as the general designation of the gods.
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
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
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
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
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.
pretty straight,
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
origi
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
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.
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,
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
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. 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
per
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
[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
Cala
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
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.
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,
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
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,
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
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.
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.
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
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,
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
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
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,
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
intelpehee 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
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.
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
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
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
de
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
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
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
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—
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.
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 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
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.
Sev
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
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
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
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
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,
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.
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
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
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
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
is
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
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
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
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
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
nar
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
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
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 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
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
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,
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
[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,
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
re
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
off and on
awaiting its return.
The events which ensued have already been detailed, and little more
remains to be related. On reaching the
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.
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
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,
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 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
The other prodigy Jimmy told us about, was the younger son of a
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,
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
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;
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
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
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
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.
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
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,
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
Some five months after the date of the cession, the
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
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.
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