., 
 
 
 
 m 
 

 WILEY & PUTNAM'S 
 
 LIBRARY OF 
 
 AMERICAN BOOKS. 
 
 **"' < TYPE E 3 - 
 
 A PEEP AT POLYNESIAN LIFE. 
 
 PART I. 
 
RECENTLY PUBLISHED 
 
 BY 
 
 WILEY & PUTNAM. 
 
 BOOKS OF TRAVELS. 
 
 EOTHEN ; or, TRACES OF TRAVEL BROUGHT HOME FROM THE 
 
 EAST. 
 
 THE FRENCH IN ALGIERS. By Lady DUFF GORDON. 
 THE CRESCENT AND THE CROSS. 2 vols. By WARBURTON. 
 SIR FRANCIS HEAD'S BUBBLES FROM THE BRUNNEN. 
 THE RHINE. By VICTOR HUGO. 
 FATHER RIPA'S RESIDENCE IN CHINA. 
 NOTES OF A JOURNEY FROM CORNHILL TO CAIRO. By MICHAEL 
 
 ANGELO TITMARSH (W. M. THACKERAY.) 
 TRAVELLING LETTERS WRITTEN ON THE ROAD. By CHARLES 
 
 DICKENS. 
 JOURNAL OF AN AFRICAN CRUISER. Edited by NATHANIEL HAW. 
 
 THORNE. 
 
 LETTERS FROM ITALY, THE ALPS AND THE RHINE. By J. T. 
 
 HEADLEY. 
 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM UNDER THE SHADOW OF MONT 
 
 BLANC AND THE JUNGFRAU. By Rev. GEORGE B. CHEEVER, 
 
 D. D. 
 BECKFORD'S ITALY, SPAIN, PORTUGAL, AND VISIT TO THE 
 
 MONASTERIES OF ALCOBACA AND BATALHA In Press. 
 
 These will be followed by SIR FRANCIS HEAD'S JVotes of a Journey 
 across the Pampas ; WATERTON'S IVanderings in South Jlmerica ; Miss 
 RIGBY'S Letters from the Baltic ; HENRY NELSON COLERIDGE'S Six 
 Months in the West Indies ; Notes of a Journey through France and 
 Italy, by HAZLITT ; and others forming altogether one of the most origi 
 nal and select collections of books of travel ever published. 
 
o Coral L 
 <ff Fetoti hnuhoii, orChanal I. 1380ft; 
 
 PACIFIC OCEAN. 
 
 MARQUESAS 
 ISLANDS. 
 
 c. Martin. 
 
 Danger Pt. 
 
 D. ij$> Houa-houna, or 
 
 /*\eS Washington I. 
 *"*? 2>43o ,- u 
 
 Roa Poua, or Adam* I 
 3,900 ft. 
 
 Hiva-oa, or Dominica. 
 
 4,130 ft. 
 
 Taouata, or Sta. Christina, 
 3.2SO ft. 
 
 Hood Lor 
 o Feta hougo 
 1,180 ft 
 
 CapeBal 
 
 Mon'ane, or 
 
 3,070 ft 
 
 Fatou-Hiva, or 
 Magdult-na. 3,670 ft 
 
 140 Long. West of Greenwich. 
 

 T YP E E: 
 
 A PEEP AT POLYNESIAN LIFE. 
 
 DURING A 
 
 FOUR MONTHS' RESIDENCE 
 
 A VALLEY OF THE MARQUESAS 
 
 WITH NOTICES OF THE FRENCH OCCUPATION OF TAHITI AND 
 
 THE PROVISIONAL CESSION OF THE SANDWICH 
 
 ISLANDS TO LORD PAULET. 
 
 BY HERMAN MELVILLE. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 WILEY AND PUTNAM. 
 
 LONDON: 
 JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET 
 
 ifc^^:/: 1846. 
 
ENTERED according to Act of Congress, in the year 1846, by 
 
 WILEY & PUTNAM, 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York. 
 
 CKAIOHBAD'S Power Press, T. B. SMITH, Stereotyper. 
 
 112 Fulton Street 216 William Street 
 
LEMUEL SHAW, 
 
 CHIEF JUSTICE OF TILE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, 
 THIS LITTLE WORK IS GRATEFULLY INSCRIBED BY 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 MORE than three years have elapsed since the occurrence 
 of the events recorded in this volume. The interval, with 
 the exception of the last few months, has been chiefly spent 
 by the author tossing about on the wide ocean. Sailors are 
 the only class of men who now-a-days see anything like 
 stirring adventure ; and many things which to fire-side 
 people appear strange and romantic, to them seem as com 
 mon-place as a jacket out at elbows. Yet, notwithstanding 
 the familiarity of sailors with all sorts of curious adventure, 
 the incidents recorded in the following pages have often 
 served, when " spun as a yarn," not only to relieve the 
 weariness of many a night-watch at sea, but to excite the 
 warmest sympathies of the author's shipmates. He has 
 been therefore led to think that his story could scarcely 
 fail to interest those who are less familiar than the sailor 
 with a life of adventure. 
 
 In his account of the singular and interesting people 
 among whom he was thrown, it will be observed that he 
 chiefly treats of their more obvious peculiarities ; and, in 
 describing their customs, refrains in most cases from enter 
 ing into explanations concerning their origin and purposes. 
 As writers of travels among barbarous communities are 
 generally very diffuse on these subjects, he deems it right 
 to advert to what may be considered a culpable omission. 
 
viii PREFACE 
 
 No one can be more sensible than the author of his defi 
 ciencies in this and many other respects ; but when the very 
 peculiar circumstances in which he was placed are under 
 stood, he feels assured that all these omissions will be ex 
 cused. 
 
 In very many published narratives no little degree of 
 attention is bestowed upon dates ; but as the author lost 
 all knowledge of the days of the week, during the occur 
 rence of the scenes herein related, he hopes that the reader 
 will charitably pass over his shortcomings in this particular. 
 In the Polynesian words used in this volume except in 
 those cases where the spelling has been previously deter 
 mined by others that form of orthography has been em 
 ployed, which might be supposed most easily to convey 
 their sound to a stranger. In several works descriptive of 
 the islands in the Pacific, many of the most beautiful com 
 binations of vocal sounds have been altogether lost to the 
 ear of the reader by an over-attention to the ordinary rules 
 of spelling. 
 
 There are a few passages in the ensuing chapters, which 
 may be thought to bear rather hard upon a reverend order 
 of men, the account of whose proceedings in difie rent quar 
 ters of the globe transmitted to us through their own 
 hands very generally, arid often very deservedly, receives 
 high commendation. Such passages will be found, how 
 ever, to be based upon facts admitting of no contradiction, 
 and which have come immediately under the writer's cog 
 nisance. The conclusions deduced from these facts are 
 unavoidable, and in stating them the author has been influ 
 enced by no feeling of animosity, either to the indivi 
 duals themselves or to that glorious cause which has not 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 always been served by the proceedings of some of its ad 
 vocates. 
 
 The great interest with which the important events 
 lately occurring at the Sandwich, Marquesas, and Society 
 Islands, has been regarded in America and England, and 
 indeed throughout the world, will, he trusts, justify a few 
 otherwise unwarrantable digressions. 
 
 There are some things related in the narrative which 
 will be sure to appear strange, or perhaps entirely incom 
 prehensible, to the reader ; but they cannot appear more 
 so to him than they did to the author at the time. He has 
 stated such matters just as they occurred, and leaves every 
 one to form his own opinion concerning them ; trusting 
 that his anxious desire to speak the unvarnished truth will 
 gain for him the confidence of his readers. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Sea Longings for Shore A Land-sick Ship Destination of the 
 Voyagers The Marquesas Adventures of a Missionary's Wife 
 among the Savages Characteristic anecdote of the Queen of Nuku- 
 heva 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Passage from the Cruising Ground to the Marquesas Sleepy times 
 aboard Ship South Sea Scenery Land ho ! The French Squad 
 ron discovered at anchor in the Bay of Nukuheva Strange Pilot 
 Escort of Canoes A Flotilla of Cocoa-nuts Swimming Visitors 
 The Dolly boarded by them^-State of affairs that ensue 9 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Some account of the late operations of the French at the Marquesas 
 Prudent conduct of the Admiral Sensation produced by the arri 
 val of the Strangers The first horse seen by the Islanders Reflec 
 tions Miserable subterfuge of the French Digression concerning 
 Tahiti Seizure of the island by the Admiral Spirited conduct of 
 an English Lady 18 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 State of affairs aboard the Ship Contents of her Larder Length of 
 South Seaman's Voyages Account of a Flying Whale-man Deter 
 mination to leave the Vessel The Bay of Nukuheva The Typees 
 Invasion of their Valley by Porter Reflections Glen of Tior 
 Interview between the old King and the French Admiral 23 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Thoughts previous to attempting an Escape Toby, a Fellow Sailor, 
 agrees to share the Adventure Last Night aboard the Ship 36 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 A Specimen of Nautical Oratory Criticisms of the Sailors The Star 
 board Watch are given a Holiday The Escape to the Mountains. . 41 
 
xii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The other side of the Mountain Disappointment Inventory of Arti 
 cles brought from the Ship Division of the Stock of Bread Ap 
 pearance of the Interior of the Island A Discovery A Ravine and 
 Waterfalls A sleepless Night Further Discoveries My Illness 
 A Marquesan Landscape 50 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The Important Question, Typee or Happar ? A Wild Goose Chase 
 My Sufferings Disheartening Situation A Night in a Ravine 
 Morning Meal Happy Idea of Toby Journey towards the Valley. . 62 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 Perilous Passage of the Ravine Descent into the Valley 72 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Head of the Valley Cautious Advance A Path Fruit Disco 
 very 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. ... 82 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Midnight Reflections Morning Visitors A Warrior in Costume A 
 Savage yEsculapius Practice of the Healing Art Body Servant 
 A Dwelling-house of the Valley described Portraits of its Inmates. 95 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 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 Time-worn Savages Hospitality of Mehevi 
 
 Midnight Misgivings Adventure in the Dark Distinguished Honors 
 paid to the Visitors Strange Procession and Return to the House 
 of Marheyo HI 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Attempt to procure relief from Nukuheva Perilous Adventure of 
 Toby in the Happar Mountains Eloquence of Kory-Kory 123 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 A great Event happens in the Valley The Island Telegraph Some 
 thing 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 
 a la Typee 132 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 Kindness of Marheyo and the rest of the Islanders A full Descrip 
 tion of the Bread-fruit Tree Different Modes of preparing the 
 Fruit 143 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Melancholy condition Occurrence at the Ti Anecdote of Marheyo 
 Shaving the Head of a Warrior 149 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Improvement in Health and Spirits Felicity of the Typees Their 
 enjoyments compared with those of more enlightened Communities 
 Comparative Wickedness of civilized and unenlightened People A 
 Skirmish in the Mountain with the Warriors of Happar 156 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Swimming in company with the Girls of the Valley A Canoe Effects 
 of the Taboo A pleasure Excursion on the Pond Beautiful freak 
 of Fayaway Mantua-making A Stranger arrives in the Valley His 
 mysterious conduct Native Oratory The Interview Its Results 
 Departure of the Stranger 167 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Reflections after Marnoo's Departure Battle of the Pop-guns Strange 
 conceit of Marheyo Process of making Tappa 183 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 History of a day as usually spent in the Typee Valley Dances of the 
 Marquesan Girls 191 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 The Spring of Arva Wai Remarkable Monumental Remains Some 
 ideas with regard to the History of the Pi-Pis found in the Valley... 19G 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Preparation for a Grand Festival in the Valley Strange doings in the 
 Taboo Groves Monument of Calabashes Gala costume of the Ty 
 pee damsels Departure for the Festival 201 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 The Feast of Calabashes 208 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Ideas suggested by the Feast of Calabashes Inaccuracy of certain pub 
 lished Accounts of the Islands A Reason Neglected State of Hea 
 thenism in the Valley Effigy of a Dead Warrior A singular Super- 
 
xiv CONTENTS. 
 
 stition The Priest Kolory and the God Moa Artua Amazing Reli 
 gious Observance A dilapidated Shrine Kory-Kory and the Idol 
 An Inference 216 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 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 Marquesas 
 Few Evidences of Intercourse with Civilized Beings Dilapidated 
 Musket Primitive Simplicity of Government Regal Dignity of Me- 
 hevi 230 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 King Mehevi Allusion to his Hawiian Majesty Conduct of Marheyo 
 and Mehevi in certain delicate matters Peculiar system of Mar 
 riage 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 A Warning Some ideas with regard to the Civilisation of 
 the Islands Reference to the present state of the Hawiians Story 
 of a Missionary's Wife Fashionable Equipages at Oahu Reflec 
 tions 240 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 The Social Condition and General Character of the Typees 255 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 Fishing Parties Mode of distributing the Fish Midnight Banquet 
 Time-keeping Tapers Unceremonious style of eating the Fish. . 263 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 Natural History of the Valley Golden Lizards Tameness of the Birds 
 Mosquitos Flies Dogs A solitary Cat The Climate The Co 
 coa-nut Tree Singular mode of climbing it An agile young Chief 
 Fearlessness of the Children Too-Too and the Cocoa-nut Tree 
 The Birds of the Valley 268 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 A Professor of the Fine Arts His Persecutions Something about 
 Tattooing and Tabooing Two Anecdotes in illustration of the lat 
 terA few thoughts on the Typee Dialect 276 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 Strange custom of the Islanders Their Chanting, and the peculiarity 
 of their Voice Rapture of the King at first hearing a Song A 
 
CONTENTS. xv 
 
 new Dignity conferred on the Author Musical Instruments in the 
 Valley Admiration of the Savages at beholding a Pugilistic Per 
 formance Swimming Infant Beautiful Tresses of the Girls Oint 
 ment for the Hair 287 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 Apprehensions of Evil Frightful Discovery Some remarks on Can 
 nibalism Second Battle with the Happars Savage Spectacle 
 Mysterious Feast Subsequent Disclosures 293 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 The Stranger again arrives in the Valley Singular Interview with 
 him Attempt to Escape Failure Melancholy Situation Sympa 
 thy of Marheyo 304 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 The Escape 310 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 Provisional cession of the Sandwich Islands to Lord Geo. Paulet. 321 
 
RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Sea Longings for Shore A Land-sick Ship Destination of the 
 Voyagers The Marquesas Adventure of a Missionary's Wife among 
 the Savages Characteristic Anecdote of the Queen of Nukuheva. 
 
 Six months at sea ! Yes, reader, as I live, six months out of 
 sight of land ; cruising after the sperm-whale beneath the scorch 
 ing 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 glo 
 rious 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 ! ye state-room sailors, who 
 make so much ado about a fourteen days' passage across the 
 Atlantic ; who so pathetically relate the privations and hardships 
 of the sea, where, after a day of breakfasting, lunching, dining 
 off five courses, chatting, playing whist, and drinking champaign- 
 punch, it was your hard lot to be shut up in little cabinets of ma 
 hogany and maple, and sleep for ten hours, with nothing to disturb 
 2 
 
2 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. i. 
 
 you but " those good-for-nothing tars, shouting and tramping over 
 head,' 3 what would ye say to our six months out of sight of land ? 
 
 Oh ! for a refreshing glimpse of one blade of grass for a snuff 
 at the fragrance of a handful of the loamy earth ! Is there 
 nothing fresh around us ? Is there no green thing to be seen ? 
 Yes, the inside of our bulwarks is painted green ; but what a 
 vile and sickly hue it is, as if nothing bearing even the semblance 
 of verdure could flourish this weary way from land. Even the 
 bark that once clung to the wood we use for fuel has been gnawed 
 off and devoured by the captain's pig ; and so long ago, too, that 
 the pig himself has in turn been devoured. 
 
 There is but one solitary tenant in the chicken-coop, once a 
 gay and dapper young cock, bearing him so bravely among the 
 coy hens. But look at him now ; there he stands, moping all 
 the day long on that everlasting one leg of his. He turns with 
 disgust from the mouldy corn before him, and the brackish water 
 in his little trough. He mourns no doubt his lost companions, 
 literally snatched from him one by one, and never seen again. 
 But his days of mourning will be few ; for Mungo, our black 
 cook, told me yesterday that the word had at last gone forth, and 
 poor Pedro's fate was sealed. His attenuated body will be laid 
 out upon the captain's table next Sunday, and long before night 
 will be buried with all the usual ceremonies beneath that worthy 
 individual's vest. Who would believe that there could be any 
 one so cruel as to long for the decapitation of the luckless 
 Pedro ; yet the sailors pray every minute, selfish fellows, that the 
 miserable fowl may be brought to his end. They say the cap 
 tain will never point the ship for the land so long as he has in 
 anticipation a mess of fresh meat. This unhappy bird can alone 
 furnish it ; and when he is once devoured, the captain will come 
 to his senses. I wish thee no harm, Peter; but as thou art 
 doomed, sooner or later, to meet the fate of all thy race ; and if 
 putting a period to thy existence is to be the signal for our deli- 
 
CHAP, i.] A LAND-SICK SHIP ANTICIPATIONS. 3 
 
 verance, why truth to speak I wish thy throat cut this very 
 moment ; for, oh ! how I wish to see the living earth again ! 
 The old ship herself longs to look out ; upon the land from her 
 hawse-holes once more, and Jack Lewis said right the other day 
 when the captain found fault with his steering. 
 
 " Why, d'ye see, Captain Vangs," says bold Jack, " Pm 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 wont 
 go any more to windward." Aye, 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 de 
 plorably 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 those horrid 
 barnacles has formed about her stern-piece ; and every time she 
 rises on a sea, she shows her copper torn away, or hanging in 
 jagged strips. 
 
 Poor old ship ! I say again : for six months she has been roll 
 ing and pitching about, never for one moment at rest. But cou 
 rage, 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. 
 
 ***** 
 
 " Hurra, my lads ! It 's a settled thing ; next week we shape 
 our course to the Marquesas !" The Marquesas ! What strange 
 visions of outlandish things does the very name spirit up ! 
 Naked houris cannibal banquets groves of cocoa-nutcoral 
 reefs tatooed chiefs and bamboo temples ; sunny valleys planted 
 
4 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. i. 
 
 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 irre 
 sistible 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 in 
 teresting the circumstances under which they were discovered ! 
 In the watery path of Mend anna, cruising in quest of some re 
 gion of gold, these isles had sprung up like a scene of enchant 
 ment, and for a moment the Spaniard believed his bright dream 
 was realized. In honor of the Marquess de Mendoza, then vice 
 roy 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 magni 
 ficent account of their beauty. But these islands, undisturbed 
 for years, relapsed into their previous obscurity ; and it is only 
 recently that anything has been known concerning them. Once 
 in the course of a half century, to be sure, some adventurous 
 rover would break in upon their peaceful repose, and, astonished 
 at the unusual scene, would be almost tempted to claim the merit 
 of a new discovery. 
 
 Of this interesting group, but little account has ever been given, 
 if we except the slight mention made of them in the sketches of 
 South-Sea voyages. Cook, in his repeated circumnavigations of 
 the globe, barely touched at their shores ; and all that we know 
 about them is from a few general narratives. Among these, 
 
CHAP, i.] A MISSIONARY'S WIFE AMONG SAVAGES. 5 
 
 there are tvo that claim particular notice. Porter's "Journal of 
 the Cruise of the U. S. frigate Essex, in the Pacific, during the 
 late War," is said to contain some interesting particulars con 
 cerning the islanders. This is a work, however, which I have 
 never happened to meet with ; and Stewart, the chaplain of the 
 American sloop of war Vincennes, has likewise devoted a portion 
 of his book, entitled " A Visit to the South Seas," to the same 
 subject. 
 
 Within the last few years American and English vessels en 
 gaged in the extensive whale fisheries of the Pacific have occa 
 sionally, when short of provisions, put into the commodious harbor 
 which there is in one of the islands ; but a fear of the natives, 
 founded on the recollection of the dreadful fate which many white 
 men have received at their hands, has deterred their crews from 
 intermixing with the population sufficiently to gain any insight 
 into their peculiar customs and manners. 
 
 The Protestant Missions appear to have despaired of reclaim 
 ing these islands from heathenism. The usage they have in every 
 case received from the natives has been such as to intimidate 
 the boldest of their number. Ellis, in his " Polynesian Re 
 searches," gives some interesting accounts of the abortive at 
 tempts made by the Tahiti Mission to establish a branch Mission 
 upon certain islands of the group. A short time before my 
 visit to the Marquesas, a somewhat amusing incident took 
 place in connection with these efforts, which I cannot avoid re 
 lating. 
 
 An intrepid missionary, undaunted by the ill-success that had 
 attended all previous endeavors to conciliate the savages, and 
 believing much in the efficacy of female influence, introduced 
 among them his young and beautiful wife, the first white woman 
 who had ever visited their shores. The islanders at first gazed 
 in mute admiration at so unusual a prodigy, and seemed inclined 
 to regard it as some new divinity. But after a short time, be- 
 
6 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. i. 
 
 coming familiar with its charming aspect, and jealous of the 
 folds which encircled its form, they sought to pierce the sacred 
 veil of calico in which it was enshrined, and in the gratification 
 of their curiosity so far overstepped the limits of good breeding, 
 as deeply to offend the lady's sense of decorum. Her sex once 
 ascertained, their idolatry was changed into contempt ; and there 
 was no end to the contumely showered upon her by the savages, 
 who were exasperated at the deception which they conceived 
 had been practised upon them. To the horror of her affec 
 tionate spouse, she was stripped of her garments, and given to 
 understand that she could no longer carry on her deceits with 
 impunity. The gentle dame could not endure this, and, fearful 
 of further improprieties, she forced her husband to relinquish his 
 undertaking, and together they returned to Tahiti. 
 
 Not thus shy of exhibiting her' charms was the Island Queen 
 herself, the beauteous wife of Mowanna, the king of Nukuheva. 
 Between two and three years after the adventures recorded in 
 this volume, I chanced, while aboard of a man of war, to touch 
 at these islands. The French had then held possession of the 
 Marquesas some time, and already prided themselves upon the 
 beneficial effects of their jurisdiction, as discernible in the de 
 portment of the natives. To be sure, in one of their efforts at 
 reform they had slaughtered about a hundred and fifty of them 
 at Whitihoo but let that pass. At the time I mention, the 
 French squadron was rendezvousing in the bay of Nukuheva, 
 and during an interview between one of their captains and our 
 worthy Commodore, it was suggested by the former, that we, as 
 the flag-ship of the American squadron, should receive, in state, 
 a visit from the royal pair. The French officer likewise repre 
 sented, with evident satisfaction, that under their tuition the 
 king and queen had imbibed proper notions of their elevated 
 station, and on all ceremonious occasions conducted themselves 
 
CHAP. T.] VISIT FROM THE QUEEN. 
 
 with suitable dignity. Accordingly, preparations were made to 
 give their majesties a reception on board in a style corresponding 
 with their rank. 
 
 One bright afternoon, a gig, gaily bedizened with streamers, 
 was observed to shove off from the side of one of the French 
 frigates, and pull directly for our gangway. In the stern sheets 
 reclined Mowanna and his consort. As they approached, we paid 
 them all the honors due to royalty ; manning our yards, firing a 
 salute, and making a prodigious hubbub. 
 
 They ascended the accommodation ladder, were greeted by the 
 Commodore, hat in hand, and passing along the quarter-deck, the 
 marine guard presented arms, while the band struck up " The 
 king of the Cannibal Islands." So far all went well. The French 
 officers grimaced and smiled in exceedingly high spirits, wonder 
 fully pleased with the discreet manner in which these distinguished 
 personages behaved themselves. 
 
 Their appearance was certainly calculated to produce an effect. 
 His majesty was arrayed in a magnificent military uniform, stiff 
 with gold lace and embroidery, while his shaven crown was con 
 cealed by a huge chapeau bras, waving with ostrich plumes. 
 There was one slight blemish, however, in his appearance. A broad 
 patch of tatooing stretched completely across his face, in a line 
 with his eyes, making him look as if he wore a huge pair of 
 goggles ; and royalty in goggles suggested some ludicrous ideas. 
 But it was in the adornment of the fair person of his dark-com 
 plexioned spouse that the tailors of the fleet had evinced the gaiety 
 of their national taste. She was habited in a gaudy tissue of 
 scarlet cloth, trimmed with yellow silk, which, descending a little 
 below the knees, exposed to view her bare legs, embellished with 
 spiral tatooing, and somewhat resembling two miniature Trajan's 
 columns. Upon her head was a fanciful turban of purple velvet, 
 figured with silver sprigs, and surmounted by a tuft of variegated 
 feathers. 
 
8 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. i. 
 
 The ship's company crowding into the gangway to view the 
 sight, soon arrested her majesty's attention. She singled out 
 from their number an old salt, whose bare arms and feet, and 
 exposed breast, were covered with as many inscriptions in India 
 ink, as the lid of an Egyptian sarcophagus. Notwithstanding all 
 the sly hints and remonstrances of the French officers, she im 
 mediately approached the man, and pulling further open the bosom 
 of his duck frock, and rolling up the leg of his wide trowsers, she 
 gazed with admiration at the bright blue and vermillion pricking 
 thus disclosed to view. She hung over the fellow, caressing him, 
 and expressing her delight in a variety of wild exclamations and 
 gestures. The embarrassment of the polite Gauls at such an un 
 looked-for occurrence may be easily imagined ; but picture their 
 consternation, when all at once the royal lady bent eagerly for 
 ward to display the hieroglyphics on her own sweet form, and 
 the aghast Frenchmen retreated precipitately, and tumbling into 
 their boat, fled the scene of so shocking a catastrophe. 
 
CHAP, ii.] THE PASSAGE. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Passage from the Cruising Ground to the Marquesas Sleepy times aboard 
 Ship South Sea Scenery Land ho ! The French Squadron discovered 
 at Anchor in the Bay of Nukuheva Strange Pilot Escort of Canoes 
 A Flotilla of Cocoa-nuts Swimming Visitors The Dolly boarded by 
 them State of affairs that ensue. 
 
 I CAN never forget the eighteen or twenty days during which the 
 light trade-winds were silently sweeping us towards the islands. 
 In pursuit of the sperm whale, we had been cruising on the line 
 some twenty degrees to the Westward of the Gallipagos ; and 
 all that we had to do, when our course was determined on, was 
 to square in the yards and keep the vessel before the breeze, and 
 then the good ship and the steady gale did the rest between them. 
 The man at the wheel never vexed the old lady with any super 
 fluous steering, but comfortably adjusting his limbs at the tiller, 
 would doze awayjpy the hour. True to her work, the Dolly 
 headed to her course, and like one of those characters who 
 always do best when let alone, she jogged on her way like a 
 veteran old sea-pacer as she was. 
 
 What a delightful, lazy, languid time we had whilst we were 
 thus gliding along ! There was nothing to be done ; a circum 
 stance 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 nar 
 cotic. Even the officers aft, whose duty required them never to 
 be seated while keeping a deck watch, vainly endeavored to keep 
 2* 
 
10 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xi. 
 
 on their pins ; and were obliged invariably to compromise the 
 matter by leaning up against the bulwarks, and gazing abstract 
 edly over the side. Reading was out of the question ; take a book 
 in your hand, and you were asleep in an instant. 
 
 Although I could not avoid yielding in a great measure to the 
 general languor, still at times I contrived to shake off the spell, 
 and to appreciate the beauty of the scene around me. The sky 
 presented a clear expanse of the most delicate blue, except along 
 the skirts of the horizon, where you might see a thin drapery of 
 pale clouds which never varied their form or color. 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 
 often describing an arc in his descent, disappear on the surface 
 of the water. Far off, the lofty jet of the whale might be seen, 
 and nearer at hand the prowling shark, that villainous footpad of 
 the seas, would come skulking along, and, at a wary distance, 
 regard us with an evil eye. At times, some shapeless mon 
 ster of the deep, floating on the surface, would, as we approached, 
 sink slowly into the blue waters, and fade away from the sight. 
 But the most impressive feature of the scene was the almost un 
 broken silence that reigned over sky and water. Scarcely a 
 sound could be heard but the occasional breathing of the gram 
 pus, and the rippling at the cut-water. 
 
 As we drew nearer the land, I hailed with delight the appear 
 ance of innumerable sea-fowl. Screaming and whirling in spi 
 ral tracks, they would accompany the vessel, and at times alight 
 on our yards and stays. That piratical-looking fellow, appropri 
 ately named the man-of-war's-hawk, with his blood-red bill and 
 raven plumage, would come sweeping round us in gradually di- 
 
CHAP, ii.] ISLAND OF NUKUHEVA. 11 
 
 minishing circles, till you could distinctly mark the strange 
 flashings of his eye ; and then, as if satisfied with his observation, 
 would sail up into the air and disappear from the view. Soon, 
 other evidences of our vicinity to the land were apparent, and it 
 was not long before the glad announcement of its being in sight 
 was heard from aloft, given with that peculiar prolongation of 
 sound that a sailor loves " Land ho !" 
 
 The captain, darting on deck from the cabin, bawled lustily for 
 his 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 ! Aye, there it was. A hardly perceptible blue irregular 
 outline, indicating the bold contour of the lofty heights of Nuku- 
 heva. 
 
 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 paral 
 lels of 8 38" and 9 32" South latitude, and 139 20' and 140 
 10' West longitude from Greenwich. With how little propriety 
 they are to be regarded as forming a separate group will be at 
 once apparent, when it is considered that they lie in the immedi 
 ate vicinity of the other islands, that is to say, less than a degree 
 to the north-west of them ; that their inhabitants speak the Mar- 
 quesan dialect, and that their laws, religion, and general customs 
 are identical. The only reason why they were ever thus arbi 
 trarily distinguished, may be attributed to the singular fact, that 
 their existence was altogether unknown to the world until the 
 year 1791, when they were discovered by Captain Ingraham, of 
 Boston, Massachusetts, nearly two centuries after the discovery 
 of the adjacent islands by the agent of the Spanish Viceroy. 
 
12 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. n. 
 
 Notwithstanding this, I shall follow the example of most voyagers, 
 and treat of them as forming part and parcel of the Marquesas. 
 
 Nukuheva is the most important of these islands, being the 
 only one at which ships are much in the habit of touching, and 
 is celebrated as being the place where the adventurous Captain 
 Porter refitted his ships during the late war between England and 
 the Um'ted States, and whence he sallied out upon the large 
 whaling fleet then sailing under the enemy's flag in the sur 
 rounding seas. This island is about twenty miles in length and 
 nearly as many in breadth. It has three good harbors on its 
 coast ; the largest and best of which is called by the people living 
 in its vicinity, " Tyohee," and by Captain Porter was denominated 
 Massachusetts Bay. Among the adverse tribes dwelling about 
 the shores of the other bays, and by all voyagers, it is generally 
 known by the name bestowed upon the island itself Nukuheva. 
 Its inhabitants have become somewhat corrupted, owing to their 
 recent commerce with Europeans ; but so far as regards their 
 peculiar customs, and general mode of life, they retain their 
 original primitive character, remaining very nearly in the same 
 state of nature in which they were first beheld by white men. 
 The hostile clans, residing in the more remote sections of the 
 island, and very seldom holding any communication with foreign 
 ers, 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 sun 
 set ; 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. 
 
CHAP, ii.] BAY" OF NUKUHEVA. 13 
 
 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 dif 
 ferent ; bold rock-bound coasts, with the surf beating high against 
 the lofty cliffs, and broken here and there into deep inlets, which 
 open to the view thickly-wooded valleys, separated by the spurs 
 of mountains .clothed with tufted grass, and sweeping down 
 towards the sea from an elevated and furrowed interior, form the 
 principal features of these islands. 
 
 Towards noon we drew abreast the entrance to the harbor, 
 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-colored flag of France trailing over the stern 
 of six vessels, whose black hulls and bristling broadsides pro 
 claimed 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 pre 
 sence 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 invin 
 cible French nation. 
 
 This item of information was imparted to us by a most extraor 
 dinary 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 
 
14 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. n. 
 
 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 recog 
 nize 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 im 
 possible to quiet him, we swept by the ships of the squadron with 
 this strange fellow performing his antics in full view of all the 
 French officers. 
 
 We afterwards learned that our eccentric friend had been a 
 lieutenant in the English navy ; but having disgraced his flag by 
 some criminal conduct in one of the principal ports on the main, 
 he had deserted his ship, and spent many years wandering among 
 the islands of the Pacific, until accidentally being at Nukuheva 
 when the French took possession of the place, he had been ap 
 pointed pilot of the harbor 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 be 
 neath 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 num. 
 
CHAP, ii.] NATIVES AND COCOA-NUT FLOTILLA. 15 
 
 bers 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, endeavoring to solve 
 their mysterious movements, one mass far in advance of the rest 
 attracted my attention. In its centre was something I could take 
 for nothing else than a cocoa-nut, but which I certainly considered 
 one of the most extraordinary specimens of the fruit I had ever 
 seen. It kept twirling and dancing about among the rest in the 
 most singular manner, and as it drew nearer I thought it bore a 
 remarkable resemblance to the brown shaven skull of one of the 
 savages. Presently it betrayed a pair of eyes, and soon I became 
 aware that what I had supposed to have been one of the fruit was 
 nothing else than the head of an islander, who had adopted this 
 singular method of bringing his produce to market. The cocoa- 
 nuts were all attached to one another by strips of the husk, partly 
 torn from the shell and rudely fastened together. Their propri 
 etor inserting his head into the midst of them, impelled his neck 
 lace of cocoa-nuts through the water by striking out beneath the 
 surface with his feet. 
 
 I was somewhat astonished to perceive that among the number 
 of natives that surrounded us, not a single female was to be seen. 
 At that time I was ignorant of the fact that by the operation of the 
 " taboo," the use of canoes in all parts of the island is rigorously 
 prohibited to the entire sex, for whom it is death even to be seen 
 entering one when hauled on shore ; consequently, whenever a 
 Marquesan lady voyages by water, she puts in requisition the 
 paddles of her own fair body. 
 
 We had approached within a mile and a half perhaps of the 
 foot of the bay, when some of the islanders, who by this time had 
 managed to scramble aboard of us at the risk of swamping their 
 canoes, directed our attention to a singular commotion in the water 
 ahead of the vessel. At first I imagined it to be produced by a 
 
16 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. n. 
 
 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 trail 
 ing 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 chain-plates and springing into the chains ; others, at 
 the peril of being run over by the vessel in her course, catching 
 at the bob-stays, and wreathing their slender forms about the 
 ropes, hung suspended in the air. All of them at length succeeded 
 in getting up the ship's side, where they clung dripping with the 
 brine and glowing from the bath, their jet-black tresses streaming 
 over their shoulders, and half enveloping their otherwise naked 
 forms. There they hung, sparkling with savage vivacity, laugh 
 ing gaily at one another, and chattering away with infinite glee. 
 Nor were they idle the while, for each one performed the simple 
 offices of the toilet for the other. Their luxuriant locks, wound 
 up and twisted into the smallest possible compass, were freed from 
 the briny element ; the whole person carefully dried, and from a 
 little round shell that passed from hand to hand, anointed with a 
 fragrant oil : their adornments were completed by passing a few 
 loose folds of white tappa, in a modest cincture, around the waist. 
 Thus arrayed they no longer hesitated, but flung themselves 
 lightly over the bulwarks, and were quickly frolicking about the 
 decks. Many of them went forward, perching upon the head- 
 rails or running out upon the bowsprit, while others seated them 
 selves upon the taffrail, or reclined at full length upon the boats. 
 
CHAP, ii.] NATIVE DANCE ITS SEQUENCE. 17 
 
 Their appearance perfectly amazed me ; their extreme youth, 
 the light clear brown of their complexions, their delicate features, 
 and inexpressibly graceful figures, their softly moulded limbs, and 
 free unstudied action, seemed as strange as beautiful. 
 
 The " Dolly " was fairly captured ; and never I will say was 
 vessel carried before by such a dashing and irresistible party of 
 boarders ? The ship taken, we could not do otherwise than yield 
 ourselves prisoners, and for the whole period that she remained 
 in the bay, the " Dolly," as well as her crew, were completely m 
 the hands of the mermaids. 
 
 In the evening after we had come to an anchor the deck was 
 illuminated with lanterns, and this picturesque band of sylphs, 
 tricked out with flowers, and dressed in robes of variegated tappa, 
 got up a ball in great style. These females are passionately fond 
 of dancing, and in the wild grace and spirit of their style excel 
 everything that I have ever seen. The varied dances of the Mar- 
 quesan girls are "beautiful in the extreme, but there is an aban 
 doned voluptuousness in their character which I dare not attempt 
 to describe. 
 
 Our ship was now wholly given up to every species of riot and 
 debauchery. The grossest licentiousness and the most shameful 
 inebriety prevailed, with occasional and but short-lived interrup 
 tions, 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. 
 
18 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. m. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Some Account of the late operations of the French at the Marquesas 
 Prudent Conduct of the Admiral Sensation produced by the Arrival of 
 the Strangers The first Horse seen by the Islanders Reflections 
 Miserable Subterfuge of the French Digression concerning Tahiti 
 Seizure of the Island by the Admiral Spirited Conduct of an English 
 Lady. 
 
 IT was in the summer of 1842 that we arrived at the islands ; the 
 French had then held possession of them for several weeks. Du 
 ring this time they had visited some of the principal places in the 
 group, and had disembarked at various points about five hundred 
 troops. These were employed in constructing works of defence, 
 and otherwise providing against the attacks of the natives, who at 
 any moment might be expected to break out in open hostility. 
 The islanders looked upon the people who made this cavalier ap 
 propriation of their shores with mingled feelings of fear and detes 
 tation. They cordially hated them; but the impulses of their 
 resentment were neutralized by their dread of the floating batteries, 
 which lay with their fatal tubes ostentatiously pointed, not at forti 
 fications and redoubts, but at a handful of bamboo sheds, shel 
 tered in a grove of cocoa-nuts ! A valiant warrior doubtless, but 
 a prudent one too, was this same Rear- Admiral Du Petit Thouars. 
 Four heavy, double-banked frigates and three corvettes to frighten 
 a parcel of naked heathen into subjection ! Sixty-eight pounders 
 to demolish huts of cocoa-nut boughs, and Congreve rockets to 
 set on fire a few canoe-sheds ! 
 
 At Nukuheva, there were about one hundred soldiers ashore. 
 They were encamped in tents, constructed of the old sails and 
 spare spars of the squadron, within the limits of a redoubt 
 
CHAP, in.] NATIVES' ADMIRATION OF THE HORSE. 19 
 
 mounted with a few nine-pounders, and surrounded with a fosse. 
 Every other day, these troops were marched out in martial array, 
 to a level piece of ground in the vicinity, and there for hours went 
 through all sorts of military evolutions, surrounded by flocks of 
 the natives, who looked on with savage admiration at the show, 
 and as savage a hatred of the actors. A regiment of the Old 
 Guard, reviewed on a summer's day in the Champs Elysees, 
 could not have made a more critically correct appearance. The 
 officers' regimentals, resplendent with gold lace and embroidery, 
 as if purposely calculated to dazzle the islanders, looked as if 
 just unpacked from their Parisian cases. 
 
 The sensation produced by the presence of the strangers had 
 not in the least subsided at the period of our arrival at the islands. 
 The natives still flocked in numbers about the encampment, and 
 watched with the liveliest curiosity everything that was going 
 forward. A blacksmith's forge, which had been set up in the 
 shelter of a grove near the beach, attracted so great a crowd, that 
 it required the utmost efforts of the sentries posted around to keep 
 the inquisitive multitude at a sufficient distance to allow the 
 workmen to ply their vocation. But nothing gained so large 
 a share of admiration as a horse, which had been brought from 
 Valparaiso by the Achille, one of the vessels of the squadron. 
 The animal, a remarkably fine one, had been taken ashore and 
 stabled in a hut of cocoa-nut boughs within the fortified enclo 
 sure. t Occasionally it was brought out, and, being gaily capari 
 soned, was ridden by one of the officers at full speed over the 
 hard sand beach. This performance was sure to be hailed 
 with loud plaudits, and the " puarkee nuee" (big hog) was una 
 nimously pronounced by the islanders to be the most extraordi 
 nary specimen of zoology that had ever come under their obser 
 vation. 
 
 The expedition for the occupation of the Marquesas had sailed 
 from Brest in the spring of 1842, and the secret of its destina- 
 
20 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. in. 
 
 tion was solely in the possession of its commander. No wonder 
 that those who contemplated such a signal infraction of the rights 
 of humanity should have sought to veil the enormity from the 
 eyes of the world. And yet, notwithstanding their iniquitous 
 conduct in this and in other matters, the French have ever plumed 
 themselves upon being the most humane and polished of nations. 
 A high degree of refinement, however, does not seem to subdue 
 our wicked propensities so much after all ; and were civilisation 
 itself to be estimated by some of its results, it would seem per 
 haps better for what we call the barbarous part of the world to 
 remain unchanged. 
 
 One example of the shameless subterfuges under which the 
 French stand prepared to defend whatever cruelties they may 
 hereafter think fit to commit in bringing the Marquesan natives 
 into subjection is well worthy of being recorded. On some 
 flimsy pretext or other Mowanna, the king of Nukuheva, whom 
 the invaders by extravagant presents have cajoled over to their 
 interests, and move about like a mere puppet, has been set up 
 as the rightful sovereign of the entire island, the alleged ruler 
 by prescription of various clans who for ages perhaps have treated 
 with each other as separate nations. To reinstate this much-in 
 jured prince in the assumed dignities of his ancestors, the disin 
 terested strangers have come all the way from France : they are 
 determined that his title shall be acknowledged. If any tribe 
 shall refuse to recognize the authority of the French, by bowing 
 down to the laced chapeau of Mowanna, let them abide the con 
 sequences of their obstinacy. Under cover of a similar pretence, 
 have the outrages and massacres at Tahiti the beautiful, the queen 
 of the South Seas, been perpetrated. 
 
 On this buccaneering expedition, Rear- Admiral Du Petit Thou- 
 ars, leaving the rest of his squadron at the Marquesas which 
 had then been occupied by his forces about five months set sail 
 for the doomed island in the Reine Blanche frigate. On his arri- 
 
CHAP, in.] SPIRITED CONDUCT OF MRS. PRITCHARD. 21 
 
 val, as an indemnity for alleged insults offered to the flag of his 
 country, he demanded some twenty or thirty thousand dollars to 
 be placed in his hands forthwith, and in default of payment, 
 threatened to land and take possession of the place. 
 
 The frigate, immediately upon coming to an anchor, got springs 
 on her cables, and with her guns cast loose and her men at their 
 quarters, lay in the circular basin of Papeete, with her broadside 
 bearing upon the devoted town ; while her numerous cutters, 
 hauled in order alongside, were ready to effect a landing, under 
 cover of her batteries. She maintained this belligerent attitude 
 for several days, during which time a series of informal negotia 
 tions were pending, and wide alarm spread over the island. Many 
 of the Tahitians were at first disposed to resort to arms, and drive 
 the invaders from their shores ; but more pacific and feebler coun 
 sels ultimately prevailed. The unfortunate queen, Pomare, inca 
 pable of averting the impending calamity, terrified at the arro 
 gance of the insolent Frenchman, and driven at last to despair, 
 fled by night in a canoe to Emio. 
 
 During the continuance of the panic there occurred an instance 
 of feminine heroism that I cannot omit to record. 
 
 In the grounds of the famous missionary consul, Pritchard, then 
 absent in London, the consular flag of Britain waved as usual 
 during the day, from a lofty staff planted within a few yards of 
 the beach, and in full view of the frigate. One morning an offi 
 cer, at the head of a party of men, presented himself at the ve 
 randah of Mr. Pritchard's house, and inquired in broken English 
 for the lady his wife. The matron soon made her appearance ; 
 and the polite Frenchman, making one of his best bows, and play 
 ing gracefully with the aiguilettes that danced upon his breast, 
 proceeded in courteous accents to deliver his mission. " The 
 admiral desired the flag to be hauled down hoped it would be 
 perfectly agreeable and his men stood ready to perform the 
 duty." " Tell the pirate, your master," replied the spirited Eng- 
 
* ' 
 
 22 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. in. 
 
 lish woman, pointing to the staff, " that if he wishes to strike those 
 colors, he must come and perform the act himself; I will suffer 
 no one else to do it." The lady then howed haughtily and with 
 drew into the house. As the discomfited officer slowly walked 
 away, he looked up to the flag, and perceived that the cord by 
 which it was elevated to its place, led from the top of the staff, 
 across the lawn, to an open upper window of the mansion, where 
 sat the lady from whom he had just parted, tranquilly engaged in 
 " knitting. Was that flag hauled down ? Mrs. Pritchard thinks 
 riot ; and Rear Admiral Du Petit Thouars is believed to be of the 
 same opinion. 
 
CHAP, iv.] AFFAIRS ABOARD THE SHIP. 23 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 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 Invasion of 
 their Valley by Porter Reflections- Glen of Tior Interview between 
 the Old King and the French Admiral. 
 
 OUR ship had not been many days in the harbor of Nukuheva 
 before I came to the determination of leaving her. That my rea 
 sons for resolving to take this step were numerous and weighty, 
 may be inferred from the fact that I chose rather to risk my for 
 tunes among the savages of the island than to endure another 
 voyage on board the Dolly. To use the concise, point-blank 
 phrase of the sailors, I had made up my mind to " run away." 
 Now as a meaning is generally attached to these two words no 
 way flattering to the individual to whom they are applied, it be 
 hoves me, for the sake of my own character, to offer some expla 
 nation of my conduct. 
 
 When I entered on board the Dolly, I signed as a matter of 
 course the ship's articles, thereby voluntarily engaging and legally 
 binding myself to serve in a certain capacity for the period of the 
 voyage ; and, special considerations apart, I was of course bound 
 to fulfil the agreement. But in all contracts, if one party fail to 
 perform his share of the compact, is not the other virtually ab 
 solved from his liability ? Who is there who will not answer in 
 the affirmative ? 
 
 Having settled the principle, then, let me apply it to the par- 
 ticular case in question. In numberless instances had not only 
 the implied but the specified conditions of the articles been vio- 
 
24 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. iv. 
 
 lated on the part of the ship in which I served. The usage on 
 board of her was tyrannical ; the sick had been inhumanly neg 
 lected ; the provisions had been doled out in scanty allowance ; 
 and her cruizes were unreasonably protracted. The captain was 
 the author of these abuses ; it was in vain to think that he would 
 either remedy them, or alter his conduct, which was arbitrary and 
 violent in the extreme. His prompt reply to all complaints and 
 remonstrances was the butt-end of a hand-spike, so convincingly 
 administered as effectually to silence the aggrieved party. 
 
 To whom could we apply for redress ? We had left both law 
 and equity on the other side of the Cape ; and unfortunately, with 
 a very few exceptions, our crew was composed of a parcel of das 
 tardly 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 term of our servitude. But 
 what a dismal prospect awaited us in this quarter ! The longevity 
 of Cape Horn whaling voyages is proverbial, frequently extending 
 over a period of four or five years. 
 
 Some long-haired, bare-necked youths, who, forced by the 
 united influences of Captain Marryatt 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 
 
CHAP, iv.] LENGTH OF VOYAGES. 25 
 
 hold is filled with provisions for her own consumption. The 
 owners, who officiate as caterers for the voyage, supply the larder 
 with an abundance of dainties. Delicate morsels of beef and 
 pork, cut on scientific principles from every part of the animal, 
 and of all conceivable shapes and sizes, are carefully packed in 
 salt, and stored away in barrels ; affording a never-ending variety 
 in their different degrees of toughness, and in the peculiarities of 
 their saline properties. Choice old water too, decanted into stout 
 six-barrel-casks, and two pints of which is allowed every day to 
 each soul on board ; together with ample store of sea-bread, pre 
 viously reduced to a state of petrifaction, with a view to preserve 
 it either from decay or consumption in the ordinary mode, are 
 likewise provided for the nourishment and gastronomic enjoyment 
 of the crew. 
 
 But not to speak of the quality of these articles of sailors' fare, 
 the abundance in which they are put on board a whaling vessel 
 is almost incredible. Oftentimes, when we had occasion to break 
 out in the hold, and I beheld the successive tiers of casks and 
 barrels, whose contents were all destined to be consumed in due 
 course by the ship's company, my heart has sunk within me. 
 
 Although, as a general case, a ship unlucky in falling in with 
 whales continues to cruize after them until she has barely suffi 
 cient 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 pro 
 secution 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 
 
26 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. iv. 
 
 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 care 
 fully noted in each new edition of the South-Sea charts. After 
 a long interval, however, " The Perseverance" for that was her 
 name was spoken somewhere in the vicinity of the ends of the 
 earth, cruizing along as leisurely as ever, her sails all bepatched 
 and bequilted with rope-yarns, her spars fished, with old pipe 
 stores, and her rigging knotted and spliced in every possible 
 direction. Her crew was composed of some twenty venerable 
 Greenwich-pensioner-looking old salts, who just managed to 
 hobble about deck. The ends of all the running ropes, with the 
 exception of the signal halyards and poop-down-haul, were rove 
 through snatch-blocks, and led to the capstan or windlass, so 
 that not a yard was braced or a sail set without the assistance of 
 machinery. 
 
 Her hull was incrusted 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 remem 
 brance of it always haunted me ; what eventually became of her 
 I never learned ; at any rate she never reached home, and I sup 
 pose she is still regularly tacking twice in the twenty- four hours 
 somewhere ofFBuggerry 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 
 
CHAP, iv.] BAY OF NUKUHEVA. 27 
 
 perceive that there was little to encourage one in looking forward 
 to the future, especially as I had always had a presentiment that 
 we should make an unfortunate voyage, and our experience so far 
 had justified the expectation. 
 
 I may here state, and on my faith as an honest man, that though 
 more than three years have elapsed since I left this same identical 
 vessel, she still continues in the Pacific, and but a few days since 
 I saw her reported in the papers as having touched at the Sandwich 
 Islands previous to going on the* coast of Japan. 
 
 But to return to my narrative. Placed in these circumstances 
 then, with no prospect of matters mending if I remained aboard 
 the Dolly, I at once made up my mind to leave her : to be sure 
 it was rather an inglorious thing to steal away privately from 
 those at whose hands I had received wrongs and outrages that I 
 could not resent ; but how was such a course to be avoided when 
 it was the only alternative left me ? Having made up my mind, 
 I proceeded to acquire all the information I could obtain relating 
 to the island and its inhabitants, with a view of shaping my plans 
 of escape accordingly. The result of these inquiries I will now 
 state, in order that the ensuing narrative may be the better 
 understood. 
 
 The bay of Nukuheva in which we were then lying is an ex 
 panse 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 
 hill-sides 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 
 
28 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. iv. 
 
 by deep and romantic glens, which come down to it at almost 
 equal distances, all apparently radiating from a common centre, 
 and the upf)er 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 slen 
 der 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 wicker-work, and thatched 
 with the long tapering leaves of the palmetto, are scattered irre 
 gularly along these valleys beneath the shady branches of the 
 cocoa-nut trees. 
 
 Nothing can exceed the imposing scenery of this bay. . Viewed 
 from our ship as she lay at anchor in the middle of the harbor, 
 it presented the appearance of a vast natural amphitheatre in 
 decay, and overgrown with vines, the deep glens that furrowed 
 its sides appearing like enormous fissures caused by the ravages 
 of time. Very often when lost in admiration at its beauty, I have 
 experienced a pang of regret that a scene so enchanting should 
 be hidden from the world in these remote seas, and seldom meet 
 the eyes of devoted lovers of nature. 
 
 Besides this bay the shores of the island are indented by several 
 other extensive inlets, into which descend broad and verdant 
 valleys. These are inhabited by as many distinct tribes of 
 savages, who, although speaking kindred dialects of a common 
 language, and having the same religion and laws, have from time 
 immemorial waged hereditary warfare against each other. The 
 intervening mountains, generally two or three thousand feet above 
 the level of the sea, geographically define the territories of each 
 of these hostile tribes, who never cross them, save on some ex 
 pedition of war or plunder. Immediately adjacent to Nukuheva, 
 and only separated from it by the mountains seen from the harbor, 
 
CHAP, iv.] THE TYPEES," A CLASS OF CANNIBALS. 29 
 
 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, per 
 haps, have been given to denote the peculiar ferocity of this clan, 
 and to convey a special stigma along with it. 
 
 These same Typees enjoy a prodigious notoriety all over the 
 islands. The natives of Nukuheva would frequently recount in 
 pantomime to our ship's company their terrible feats, and would 
 show the marks of wounds they had received in desperate encoun 
 ters with them. When ashore they would try to frighten us by 
 pointing to one of their own number, and calling him a Typee, 
 manifesting no little surprise that we did not take to our heels at 
 so terrible an announcement. It was quite amusing, too, to see 
 with what earnestness they disclaimed all cannibal propensities 
 on their own part, while they denounced their enemies the 
 Typees as inveterate gormandizers of human flesh ; but this is 
 a peculiarity to which I shall hereafter have occasion to allude. 
 
 Although I was convinced that the inhabitants of our bay 
 were as arrant cannibals as any of the other tribes on the island, 
 still I could not but feel a particular and most unqualified re 
 pugnance to the aforesaid Typees. Even before visiting the 
 Marquesas, I had heard from men who had touched at the group 
 on former voyages some revolting stories in connection with these 
 savages ; and fresh in my remembrance was the adventure of the 
 master of the Katherine, who only a few months previous, impru- 
 
30 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. TV. 
 
 dently venturing into this bay in an armed boat for the purpose 
 of barter, was seized by the natives, carried back a little distance 
 into their valley, and was only saved from a cruel death by the 
 intervention of a young girl, who facilitated his escape by night 
 ulong the beach to Nukuheva. 
 
 I had heard too of an English vessel that many years ago, after 
 a weary cruize, sought to enter the bay of Nukuheva, and arriv 
 ing 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 
 s>f their destination. The captain, unacquainted with the locali 
 ties of the island, joyfully acceded to the proposition the canoe 
 paddled on and the ship followed. She was soon conducted to a 
 beautiful inlet, and dropped her anchor in its waters beneath the 
 shadows of the lofty shore. That same night the perfidious 
 Typees, who had thus inveigled her into their fatal bay, flocked 
 aboard the doomed vessel by hundreds, and at a given signal 
 murdered every soul on board. 
 
 I shall never forget the observation of one of our crew as we 
 were passing slowly by the entrance of the bay in our way to 
 Nukuheva. As we stood gazing over the side at the verdant 
 headlands, Ned, pointing with his hand in the direction of the 
 treacherous valley, exclaimed, " There there's Typee. Oh, the 
 bloody cannibals, what a meal they'd make of us if we were to 
 take it into our heads to land ! but they say they don't like sailor's 
 flesh, it's too salt. I say, maty, how should you like to be shoved 
 ashore there, eh ?" I little thought, as I shuddered at the question, 
 that in the space of a few weeks I should actually be a captive in 
 that self-same valley. 
 
 The French, although they had gone through the ceremony 
 of hoisting their colors for a few hours at all the principal places 
 of the group, had not as yet visited the bay of Typee, anticipate 
 ing a fierce resistance on the part of the savages there, which 
 for the present at least they wished to avoid. Perhaps they were 
 
CHAP, iv.] EUROPEANS' CRUELTIES. 31 
 
 not a little influenced in the adoption of this unusual policy from 
 a recollection of the warlike reception given by the Typees to the 
 forces of Captain Porter, about the year 1814, when that brave 
 and accomplished officer endeavored to subjugate the clan merely 
 to gratify the mortal hatred of his allies the Nukuhevas and 
 Happars. 
 
 On that occasion I have been told that a considerable detach - 
 ment of sailors and marines from the frigate Essex, accompanied 
 by at least two thousand warriors of Happar and Nukuheva, 
 landed in boats and canoes at the head of the bay, and after 
 penetrating a little distance into the valley, met with the stoutest 
 resistance from its inmates. Valiantly, although with much loss, 
 the Typees disputed every inch of ground, and after some hard 
 fighting obliged their assailants to retreat and abandon their 
 design of conquest. 
 
 The invaders, on their march back to the sea, consoled them 
 selves for their repulse by setting fire to every house and temple 
 in their route ; and a long line of smoking ruins defaced the 
 once-smiling bosom of the valley, and proclaimed to its pagan 
 inhabitants the spirit that reigned in the breasts of Christian soldiers. 
 Who can wonder at the deadly hatred of the Typees to all for 
 eigners after such unprovoked atrocities ? 
 
 Thus it is that they whom we denominate " savages " are made 
 to deserve the title. When the inhabitants of some sequestered 
 island first descry the " big canoe " of the European rolling 
 through the blue waters towards their shores, they rush down to 
 the beach in crowds, and with open arms stand ready to embrace 
 the strangers. Fatal embrace ! They fold to their bosom the 
 vipers whose sting is destined to poison all their joys ; and the 
 instinctive feeling of love within their breast is soon converted 
 into the bitterest hate. 
 
 The enormities perpetrated in the South Seas upon some of the 
 inoffensive islanders wellnigh pass belief. These things are 
 
32 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. iv. 
 
 seldom proclaimed at home ; they happen at the very ends of the 
 earth j they are done in a corner, and there are none to reveal 
 them. But there is, nevertheless, many a petty trader that has 
 navigated the Pacific whose course from island to island might 
 be traced by a series of cold-blooded robberies, kidnappings, and 
 murders, the iniquity of which might be considered almost suffi 
 cient to sink her guilty timbers to the bottom of the sea. 
 
 Sometimes vague accounts of such things reach our firesides, 
 and we coolly censure them as wrong, impolitic, needlessly severe, 
 and dangerous to the crews of other vessels. How different is 
 our tone when we read the highly-wrought description of the 
 massacre of the crew of the Hobomak by the Feejees ; how we 
 sympathize for the unhappy victims, and with what horror do we 
 regard the diabolical heathens, who, after all, have but avenged 
 the unprovoked injuries which they have received. We breathe 
 nothing but vengeance, and equip armed vessels to traverse thou 
 sands of miles of ocean in order to execute summary punishment 
 upon the offenders. On arriving at their destination, they burn, 
 slaughter, and destroy, according to the tenor of written instruc 
 tions, and sailing away from the scene of devastation, call upon 
 all Christendom to applaud their courage and their justice. 
 
 How often is the term " savages " incorrectly applied ! None 
 really deserving of it were ever yet discovered by voyagers or by 
 travellers. They have discovered heathens and barbarians, whom 
 by horrible cruelties they have exasperated into savages. It 
 may be asserted without fear of contradiction, that in all the cases 
 of outrages committed by Polynesians, Europeans have at some 
 time or other been the aggressors, and that the cruel and blood 
 thirsty disposition of some of the islanders is mainly to be ascribed 
 to the influence of such examples. 
 
 But to return. Owing to the mutual hostilities of the different 
 tribes I have mentioned, the mountainous tracts which separate 
 their respective territories remain altogether uninhabited ; the 
 
 
CHAP, iv.] THE VALLEY OF TIOR. 33 
 
 natives invariably dwelling in the depths of the valleys, with a 
 view of securing themselves from the predatory incursions of their 
 enemies, who often lurk along their borders, ready to cut off any 
 imprudent straggler, or make a descent upon the inmates of some 
 sequestered habitation. I several times met with very aged men, 
 who from this cause had never passed the confines of their native 
 vale, some of them having never even ascended midway up the 
 mountains in the whole course of their lives, and who, accordingly, 
 had little idea of the appearance of any other part of the island, 
 the whole of which is not perhaps more than sixty miles in circuit. 
 The little space in which some of these clans pass away their 
 days would seem almost incredible. 
 
 The glen of Tior will furnish a curious illustration of this. 
 The inhabited part is not more than four miles in length, and 
 varies in breadth from half a mile to less than a quarter. The 
 rocky vine-clad cliffs on one side tower almost perpendicularly 
 from their base to the height of at least fifteen hundred feet ; while 
 across the vale in striking contrast to the scenery opposite 
 grass-grown elevations rise one above another in blooming ter 
 races. Hemmed in by these stupendous barriers, the valley would 
 be altogether shut out from the rest of the world, were it not that 
 it is accessible from the sea at one end, and by a narrow defile at 
 the other. 
 
 The impression produced upon the mind, when I first visited 
 this beautiful glen, will never be obliterated. 
 
 I had come from Nukuheva by water in the ship's boat, and 
 when we entered the bay of Tior it was high noon. The heat 
 had been intense, as we had been floating upon the long smooth 
 swell, of the ocean, for there was but little wind. The sun's rays 
 had expended all their fury upon us ; and to add to our discomfort, 
 we had omitted to supply ourselves with water previous to start 
 ing. What with heat and thirst together, I became so impatient 
 to get ashore, that when at last we glided towards it, I stood up 
 
 3* 
 
34 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP iv. 
 
 in the bow of the boat ready for a spring. As she shot two-thirds 
 of her length high upon the beach, propelled by three or four 
 strong strokes of the oars, I leaped among a parcel of juvenile 
 savages, who stood prepared to give us a kind reception ; and 
 with them at my heels, yelling like so many imps, I rushed for 
 ward across the open ground in the vicinity of the sea, and 
 plunged, diver fashion, into the recesses of the first grove that 
 offered. 
 
 What a delightful sensation did I experience ! I felt as if 
 floating in some new element, while all sort of gurgling, trickling, 
 liquid sounds fell upon my ear. People may say what they will 
 about the refreshing influences of a cold-water bath, but commend 
 me when in a perspiration to the shade baths of Tior, beneath the 
 cocoa-nut trees, and amidst the cool delightful atmosphere which 
 surrounds them. 
 
 How shall I describe the scenery that met my eye, as I looked 
 out from this verdant recess ! The narrow valley, with its steep 
 and close adjoining sides draperied with vines, and arched over 
 head with a fret-work of interlacing boughs, nearly hidden from 
 view by masses of leafy verdure, seemed from where I stood like 
 an immense arbor disclosing its vista to the eye, whilst as I 
 advanced it insensibly widened into the loveliest vale eye ever 
 beheld. 
 
 It so happened that the very day I was in Tior the French 
 admiral, attended by all the boats of his squadron, came down in 
 state from Nukuheva to take formal possession of the place. He 
 remained in the valley about two hours, during which time he had 
 a ceremonious interview with the king. 
 
 The patriarch-sovereign of Tior was a man very far advanced 
 in years ; but though age had bowed his form and rendered him 
 almost decrepid, his gigantic frame retained all its original mag 
 nitude and grandeur of appearance. He advanced slowly and 
 with evident pain, assisting his tottering steps with the heavy 
 
CHAP, iv.] THE KING AND THE ADMIRAL. 35 
 
 war-spear he held in his hand, and attended by a group of grey- 
 bearded chiefs, on one of whom he occasionally leaned for support. 
 The admiral came forward with head uncovered and extended 
 hand, while the old king saluted him by a stately flourish of his 
 weapon. The next moment they stood side by side, these two 
 extremes of the social scale, the polished, splendid Frenchman, 
 and the poor tattooed savage. They were both tall and noble- 
 looking men ; but in other respects how strikingly contrasted ! 
 Du Petit Thouars exhibited upon his person all the paraphernalia 
 of his naval rank. He wore a richly decorated admiral's frock- 
 coat, a laced chapeau bras, and upon his breast were a variety 
 of ribbons and orders ; while the simple islander, with the excep 
 tion of a slight cincture about his loins, appeared in all the naked 
 ness of nature. 
 
 At what an immeasurable distance, thought I, are these two 
 beings removed from each other ! In the one is shown the result 
 of long centuries of progressive civilisation and refinement, which 
 have gradually converted the mere creature into the semblance 
 of all that is elevated and grand ; while the other, after the lapse 
 of the same period, has not advanced one step in the career of 
 improvement. " Yet, after all," quoth I to myself, " insensible 
 as he is to a thousand wants, and removed from harassing cares, 
 may not the savage be the happier man of the two ?" Such 
 were the thoughts that arose in my mind as I gazed upon the 
 novel spectacle before me. In truth it was an impressive one, 
 and little likely to be effaced. I can recall even now with vivid 
 distinctness every feature of the scene. The umbrageous 
 shades where the interview took place the glorious tropical 
 vegetation around the picturesque grouping of the mingled 
 throng of soldiery and natives and even the golden-hued bunch 
 of bananas that I held in my hand at the time, and of which I 
 occasionally partook while making the aforesaid philosophical 
 reflections. 
 
36 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. v. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Thoughts previous to attempting an Escape Toby, a fellow sailor, agrees 
 to share the Adventure Last Night aboard the Ship. 
 
 HAVING fully resolved to leave the vessel clandestinely, and 
 having acquired all the knowledge concerning the bay that I 
 could obtain under the circumstances in which I was placed, I 
 now deliberately turned over in my mind every plan of escape 
 that suggested itself, being determined to act with all possible 
 prudence in an attempt where failure would be attended with so 
 many disagreeable consequences. The idea of being taken and 
 brought back ignominiously to the ship was so inexpressibly re 
 pulsive 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 soli 
 citude 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 appre 
 ciated 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 magni 
 ficent 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 
 
CHAP. v.J PROJECT OF ESCAPE. 37 
 
 of the shore, unless bound on some expedition of war or plunder, 
 I concluded that if I could effect unperceived a passage to the 
 mountains, I might easily remain among them, supporting myself 
 by such fruits as came in my way until the sailing of the ship, 
 an event of which I could not fail to be immediately apprised, as 
 from my lofty position I should command a view of the entire 
 harbor. 
 
 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 de 
 tested old vessel from the height of some thousand feet, and con 
 trast the verdant scenery about me with the recollection of her 
 narrow decks and gloomy forecastle ! Why, it was really refresh 
 ing even to think of it ; and so I straightway fell to picturing 
 myself seated beneath a cocoa-nut tree on the brow of the moun 
 tain, with a cluster of plantains within easy reach, criticising 
 her nautical evolutions as she was working her way out of the 
 harbor. 
 
 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 appe 
 tites, edged perhaps by the air of so elevated a region, might 
 prompt them to devour one. This, I must confess, was a most 
 disagreeable view of the matter. 
 
 Just to think of a party of these unnatural gourmands taking it 
 into their heads to make a convivial meal of a poor devil, who 
 would have no means of escape or defence : however, there was 
 no help for it. I was willing to encounter some risks in order to 
 accomplish my object, and counted much upon my ability to 
 elude these prowling cannibals amongst the many coverts which 
 the mountains afforded. Besides, the chances were ten to one 
 in my favor that they would none of them quit their own fast 
 nesses. 
 
38 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. v. 
 
 I had determined not to communicate my design of withdraw 
 ing 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 hap 
 pened one night, that being upon deck, revolving over in my 
 mind various plans of escape, I perceived one of the ship's com 
 pany leaning over the bulwarks, apparently plunged in a pro 
 found reverie. He was a young fellow about my own age, for 
 whom I had all along entertained a great regard ; and Toby, such 
 was the name by which he went among us, for his real name 
 he would never tell us, was every way worthy of it. He was 
 active, ready, and obliging, of dauntless courage, and singularly 
 open and fearless in the expression of his feelings. 1 had on 
 more than one occasion got him out of scrapes into which this 
 had led him ; and I know not whether it was from this cause, or 
 a certain congeniality of sentiment between us, that he had 
 always shown a partiality for my society. We had battled out 
 many a long watch together, beguiling the weary hours with 
 chat, song, and story, mingled with a good many imprecations 
 upon the hard destiny it seemed our common fortune to en 
 counter. 
 
 Toby, like myself, had evidently moved in a different sphere 
 of life, and his conversation at times betrayed this, although he 
 was anxious to conceal it. He was one of that class of rovers 
 you sometimes meet at sea, who never reveal their origin, never 
 allude to home, and go rambling over the world as if pursued by 
 .some mysterious fate they cannot possibly elude. 
 
 There was much even in the appearance of Toby calculated to 
 draw me towards him, for while the greater part of the crew were 
 as coarse in person as in mind, Toby was endowed with a re 
 markably prepossessing exterior. Arrayed in his blue frock and 
 duck trowsers, he was as smart a looking sailor as ever stepped 
 upon a deck ; he was singularly small and slightly made, with 
 great flexibility of limb. His naturally dark complexion had 
 
CHAP, v.] CHARACTERISTICS OF TOBY. 39 
 
 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 abandon 
 ment of broad-mouthed mirth. He did smile sometimes, it is true ; 
 and there was a good deal of dry, sarcastic humor 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 u 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 
 
40 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. v. 
 
 should I not have some comrade with me to divide its dangers and 
 alleviate its hardships ? Perhaps I might be obliged to lie con 
 cealed 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 won 
 dered 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 engage 
 ment with an affectionate wedding of palms, and to elude suspi 
 cion repaired each to his hammock, to spend the last night on 
 board the Dolly. 
 
 The next day the starboard watch, to which we both belonged, 
 was to be sent ashore on liberty ; and, availing ourselves of this 
 opportunity, we determined, as soon after landing as possible, to 
 separate ourselves from the rest of the men without exciting their 
 suspicions, and strike back at once for the mountains. Seen from 
 the ship, the summits appeared inaccessible, but here and there 
 sloping spurs extended from them almost into the sea, buttressing 
 the lofty elevations with which they were connected, and forming 
 those radiating valleys I have before described. One of these 
 ridges, which appeared more practicable than the rest, we de 
 termined to climb, convinced that it would conduct us to the 
 heights beyond. Accordingly, we carefully observed its bearings 
 and locality from the ship, so that when ashore we should run no 
 chance of missing it. 
 
 In all this the leading object we had in view was to seclude 
 ourselves from sight until the departure of the vessel ; then to 
 take our chance as to the reception the Nukuheva natives might 
 give us ; and after remaining upon the island as long as we found 
 our stay agreeable, to leave it the first favorable opportunity that 
 offered. 
 
CHAP, vi.] SPECIMEN OF NAUTICAL ORATORY. 41 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 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 months' cruise, and have 
 got through most all our work in port here, I suppose you want 
 to go ashore. Well, I mean to give your watch liberty to-day, 
 so you may get ready as soon as you please, and go ; but under 
 stand 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 can 
 nibals altogether. Ten to one, men, if you go ashore, you will 
 get into some infernal row, and that will be the end of you ; for 
 if those tattooed scoundrels get you a little ways back into their 
 valleys, they'll nab you that you may be certain of. Plenty of 
 white men have gone ashore here and never been seen any more. 
 There was the old Dido, she put in here about two years ago, and 
 sent one watch off on liberty ; they never were heard of again for 
 a week the natives swore they didn't know where they were 
 and only three of them ever got back to the ship again, and. one 
 with his face damaged for life, for the cursed heathens tattooed 
 a broad patch clean across his figure-head. But it will be no 
 use talking to you, for go you will, that I see plainly ; so all I 
 have to say is, that you need not blame me if the islanders make 
 a meal of you. You may stand some chance of escaping .them 
 
42 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. vi. 
 
 though, if you keep close about the French encampment, and are 
 back to the ship again before sunset. Keep that much in your 
 mind, if you forget all the rest I've been saying to you. There, 
 go forward : bear a hand and rig yourselves, and stand by for a 
 call. At two bells the boat will be manned to take you off, and 
 the Lord have mercy on you !" 
 
 Various were the emotions depicted upon the countenances of 
 the starboard watch whilst listening to this address ; but on its 
 conclusion there was a general move towards the forecastle, and 
 we soon were all busily engaged in getting ready for the holiday 
 so auspiciously announced by the skipper. During these pre 
 parations his harangue was commented upon in no very mea 
 sured 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 en 
 cumber 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 
 
CHAP, vi.] GOING ASHORE. 43 
 
 odd grave way that the rest might do as they liked, but that he 
 for one preserved his go-ashore traps for the Spanish main, where 
 the tie of a sailor's neckerchief might make some difference ; 
 but as for a parcel of unbreeched heathen, he wouldn't go to 
 the bottom of his chest for any of them, and was half disposed to 
 appear among them in buff himself. The men laughed at what 
 they thought was one of his strange conceits, and so we escaped 
 suspicion. 
 
 It may appear singular that we should have been thus on our 
 guard with our own shipmates ; but there were some among us 
 who, had they possessed the least inkling of our project, would, 
 for a paltry hope of reward, have immediately communicated it 
 to the captain. 
 
 As soon as two bells were struck, the word was passed for the 
 liberty-men to get into the boat. I lingered behind in the fore 
 castle 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 expedi 
 tion, 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 luncheon from the relics before me. Accord 
 ingly 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 pro 
 tuberance in front, which I abated in a measure by shaking the 
 
44 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. vi. 
 
 bits of bread around my waist, and distributing the plugs of to 
 bacco 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 over head 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 popu 
 lous part of the bay ; but desirous as we were of evading the na 
 tives, 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 
 
CHAP, vi.] DIFFICULTIES IN A CANE-BRAKE. 45 
 
 favored 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 under 
 taking. 
 
 Since leaving the canoe-house we had scarcely exchanged a 
 single syllable with one another ; but when we entered a second 
 narrow opening in the wood, and again caught sight of the ridge 
 before us, I took Toby by the arm, and pointing along its sloping 
 outline to the lofty heights at its extremity, said in a low tone, 
 " Now, Toby, not a word, nor a glance backward, till we stand 
 on the summit of yonder mountain so no more lingering, but 
 let us shove ahead while we can, and in a few hours' time we 
 may laugh aloud. You are the lightest and the nimblest, so lead 
 on, and I will follow." 
 
 "All right, brother," said Toby, "quick's our play; only 
 let 's keep close together, that 's all ;" and so saying, with a 
 bound like a young roe, he cleared a brook which ran across our 
 path, and rushed forward with a quick step. 
 
 When we arrived within a short distance of the ridge, we were 
 stopped by a mass of tall yellow reeds, growing together as 
 thickly as they could stand, and as tough and stubborn as so 
 many rods of steel ; and we perceived, to our chagrin, that they 
 extended midway up the elevation we proposed to ascend. 
 
 For a moment we gazed about us in quest of a more practica 
 ble 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. 
 
46 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. vi. 
 
 Two or three times I endeavored 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 anticipat 
 ed, 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 labors by following close at my heels, proposed 
 to become pioneer in turn, and accordingly passed ahead with 
 a view of affording me a respite from my exertions. As how 
 ever with his slight frame he made but bad work of it, I was 
 soon obliged to resume my old place again. 
 
 On we toiled, the perspiration starting from our bodies in 
 floods, our limbs torn and lacerated with the splintered frag 
 ments 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 ob 
 jects, 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 
 
CHAP, vi.] THEIR EXTRICATION. 47 
 
 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, communi 
 cating the joyful tidings to Toby, we both fell to with fresh spirit, 
 and speedily opening a passage towards it we found ourselves 
 clear of perplexities, and in the near vicinity of the ridge. 
 
 After resting for a few moments we began the ascent, and 
 after a little vigorous climbing found ourselves close to its sum 
 mit. 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 ser 
 pents. After an hour employed in this unpleasant kind of loco 
 motion, we started to our feet again and pursued our way boldly 
 along the crest of the ridge. 
 
 This salient spur of the lofty elevations that encompassed the 
 bay rose with a sharp angle from the valleys at its base, and pre 
 sented, with the exception of a few steep acclivities, the appear 
 ance of a vast inclined plane, sweeping down towards the sea 
 from the heights in the distance. We had ascended it near the 
 
43 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. vi. 
 
 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 enter 
 prise, and invigorated by the refreshing atmosphere we now in 
 haled, 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 in 
 fluence of some sudden alarm, and appearing to the eye scarcely 
 bigger than so many pigmies ; while their white thatched dwel 
 lings, dwarfed by the distance, looked like baby-houses. As we 
 looked down upon the islanders from our lofty elevation, we expe 
 rienced a sense of security ; feeling confident that, should they 
 undertake a pursuit, it would, from the start we now had, prove 
 entirely fruitless, unless they followed us into the mountains, 
 where we knew they cared not to venture. 
 
 However, we thought it as well to make the most of our time ; 
 and accordingly, where the ground would admit of it, we ran 
 swiftly along the summit of the ridge, until we were brought to 
 a stand by a steep cliff, which at first seemed to interpose an 
 effectual barrier to our farther advance. By dint of much hard 
 scrambling however, and at some risk to our necks, we at last sur 
 mounted it, and continued our flight with unabated celerity. 
 
 We had left the beach early in the morning, and after an un. 
 interrupted, 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 
 
. vi.] SCENERY AROUND NUKUHEVA. 49 
 
 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 ver 
 dant 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. 
 
50 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. vn. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The other side of the Mountain Disappointment Inventory of Articles 
 brought from the Ship Division of the Stock of Bread Appearance of 
 the Interior of the Island A Discovery A Ravine and Waterfalls A 
 Sleepless Night Further Discoveries My Illness A Marquesan Land 
 scape. 
 
 MY curiosity had been not a little raised with regard to the de 
 scription of country we should meet on the other side of the moun 
 tains ; and I had supposed, with Toby, that immediately on gain 
 ing 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 eleva 
 tion, only broken into a series of ridges and intervals, 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 descend 
 ing 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 
 
CHAP, vn.] TOBY'S STORE PRODUCED. 51 
 
 we had no doubt our skipper would hold out to them as an induce- 
 ment to our capture. 
 
 What was to be done ? The Dolly would not sail perhaps for 
 ten days, and how were we to sustain life during this period ? I 
 bitterly repented our improvidence in not providing ourselves, as 
 we easily might have done, with a supply of biscuit. With a 
 rueful visage I now bethought me of the scanty handful of bread 
 I had stuffed into the bosom of my frock, and felt somewhat de 
 sirous to ascertain what part of it had weathered the rather rough 
 usage it had experienced in ascending the mountain. I accord 
 ingly proposed to Toby that we should enter into a joint exami 
 nation of the various articles we had brought from the ship. With 
 this intent we seated ourselves upon the grass ; and a little curi 
 ous to see with what kind of judgment my companion had filled 
 his frock which I remarked seemed about as well lined as my 
 own I requested him to commence operations by spreading out 
 its contents. 
 
 Thrusting his hand, then, into the bosom of this capacious re 
 ceptacle, 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 discolored, that 
 for a few moments he was as much puzzled as myself to tell by 
 what possible instrumentality such a villainous compound had 
 become engendered in his bosom. I can only describe iKas a 
 hash of soaked bread and bits of tobacco, brought to a d 
 
52 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. vn. 
 
 consistency by the united agency of perspiration and rain. But 
 repulsive as it might otherwise have been, I now regarded it as 
 an invaluable treasure, and proceeded with great care to transfer 
 this paste-like mass to a large leaf which I had plucked from a 
 bush beside me. Toby informed me that in the morning he had 
 placed two whole biscuits in his bosom, with a view of munching 
 them, should he feel so inclined, during our flight. These were 
 now reduced to the equivocal substance which I had just placed 
 on the leaf. 
 
 Another dive into the frock brought to view some four or five 
 yards of calico print, whose tasteful pattern was rather disfigured 
 by the yellow stains of the tobacco with which it had been 
 brought in contact. In drawing this calico slowly from his 
 bosom inch by inch, Toby reminded me of a juggler performing 
 the feat of the endless ribbon. The next cast was a small one, 
 being a sailor's little " ditty bag," containing needles, thread, and 
 other sewing utensils ; then came a razor-case, followed by two 
 or three separate plugs of negro-head, which were fished up from 
 the bottom of the now empty receptacle. These various matters 
 being inspected, I produced the few things which I had myself 
 brought. 
 
 As might have been anticipated from the state of my com 
 panion's edible supplies, I found my own in a deplorable condi 
 tion, 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 
 alternate y. But the sorry remains of the biscuit were not to be 
 disposed t f so summarily : the precarious circumstances in which 
 we were placed made us regard them as something on which very 
 
CHAP, vii.] TOBY'S FASTIDIOUSNESS. 53 
 
 probably depended the fate of our adventure. After a brief dis 
 cussion, 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 pro 
 ceeding 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 remain 
 der 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 tempestu 
 ous one. 
 
 There was no place near us which would in any way answer 
 our purpose; so turning our backs upon Nukuheva, we com 
 menced 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 un- 
 
54 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP, vn 
 
 tenanted since the morning of the creation ; and as we advanced 
 through this wilderness, our voices sounded strangely in our ears, 
 as though human accents had never before disturbed the fearful 
 silence of the place, interrupted only by the low murmurings of 
 distant waterfalls. 
 
 Our disappointment, however, in not finding the various fruits 
 with which we had intended to regale ourselves during our stay 
 in these wilds, was a good deal lessened by the consideration that 
 from this very circumstance we should be much less exposed to 
 a casual meeting with the savage tribes about us, who we knew 
 always dwelt beneath the shadows of those trees which supplied 
 them with food. 
 
 We wandered along, casting eager glances into every bush we 
 passed, until just as we had succeeded in mounting one of the 
 many ridges that intersected the ground, I saw in the grass before 
 me something like an indistinctly traced footpath, which appeared 
 to lead along the top of the ridge, and to descend with it into a 
 deep ravine about half a mile in advance of us. 
 
 Robinson Crusoe could not have been more startled at the foot 
 print 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, u 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 ex 
 pect to find at the bottom of that gulf but a broken neck why it 
 
CHAP, vii.] A COLLOQUY. 55 
 
 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 some- 
 thing 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 pur 
 pose, for it is roomy, secluded, well watered, and may shelter us 
 from the weather." 
 
 " Aye, and from sleep too, and by the same token will give us 
 sore throats, and rheumatisms into the bargain," cried Toby, 
 with evident dislike at the idea. 
 
 " Oh, very well then, my lad," said I, " since you will not 
 accompany me, here I go alone. You will see me in the morn 
 ing;" 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, fol 
 lowed 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 
 
56 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. vn. 
 
 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 con 
 clusion that perhaps we could not have selected a more secure 
 hiding-place than this very spot we had so accidentally hit upon. 
 Toby agreed with me in this view of the matter, and we immedi 
 ately began gathering together the limbs of trees which lay scat 
 tered about, with the view of constructing a temporary hut for 
 the night. This we were obliged to build close to the foot of the 
 cataract, for the current of water extended very nearly to the 
 sides of the gorge. The few moments of light that remained we 
 employed in covering our hut with a species of broad-bladed grass 
 that grew in every fissure of the ravine. Our hut, if it deserved 
 to be called one, consisted of six or eight of the straightest branches 
 we could find laid obliquely against the steep wall of rock, with 
 their lower ends within a foot of the stream. Into the space thus 
 
CHAP, vii.] TOBY'S RAGE. 57 
 
 covered over we managed to crawl, and dispose our wearied bo 
 dies as best we could. 
 
 Shall I ever forget that horrid night ! As for poor Toby, I 
 could scarcely get a word out of him. It would have been some 
 consolation to have heard his voice, but he lay shivering the live 
 long night like a man afflicted with the palsy, with his knees 
 drawn up to his head, while his back was supported against the 
 dripping side of the rock. During this wretched night there 
 seemed nothing wanting to complete the perfect misery of our 
 condition. The rain descended in such torrents that our poor 
 shelter proved a mere mockery. In vain did I try to elude the 
 incessant streams that poured upon me ; by protecting one part I 
 only exposed another, and the water was continually finding some 
 new opening through which to drench us. 
 
 I have had many a ducking in the course of my life, and in 
 general cared little about it ; but the accumulated horrors of that 
 night, the deathlike coldness of the place, the appalling dark 
 ness and the dismal sense of our forlorn condition, almost un 
 manned me. 
 
 It will not be doubted that the next morning we were early 
 risers, and as soon as I could catch the faintest glimpse of anything 
 like daylight I shook my companion by the arm, and told him it 
 was sunrise. Poor Toby lifted up his head, and after a moment's 
 pause said, in a husky voice, " Then, shipmate, my toplights 
 have gone out, for it appears darker now with my eyes open than 
 it did when they were shut." 
 
 " Nonsense !" exclaimed I ; " you are not awake yet." 
 
 " Awake !" roared Toby in a rage, " awake ! You mean to 
 insinuate I 've been asleep, do you ? It is an insult to a man to 
 suppose he could sleep in such an infernal place as this." 
 
 By the time I had apologized to my friend for having miscon 
 strued his silence, it had become somewhat more light, and we 
 crawled out of our lair. The rain had ceased, but everything 
 
58 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. vn. 
 
 around us was dripping with moisture. We stripped off our satu 
 rated garments, and wrung them as dry as we could. We con 
 trived to make the blood circulate in our benumbed limbs by rub 
 bing 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 our 
 selves on a detached fragment of rock, we proceeded to discuss it. 
 First w.e divided it into two 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 flavor 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 further 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 regu 
 larly frequented, and, as we afterwards conjectured from particu 
 lar indications, for the purpose of obtaining a certain root, from 
 which the natives obtained a kind of ointment. 
 
 These discoveries immediately determined us to abandon a 
 place which had presented no inducement for us to remain, except 
 the promise of security ; and as we looked about us for the means 
 
CHAP, vii.] SEARCH FOR A BETTER HIDING-PLACE. 59 
 
 of ascending again into the upper regions, we at last found a prac 
 ticable 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 com 
 panion 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 approach 
 ing storm, and we hurried on to gain a covert in a clump of thick 
 bushes, which appeared to terminate the long ascent. We threw 
 ourselves under the lee of these bushes, and pulling up the long 
 grass that grew around, covered ourselves completely with it, and 
 awaited the shower. 
 
 But it did not come as soon as we had expected, and before 
 many minutes my companion was fast asleep, and I was rapidly 
 falling into the same state of happy forgetfulness. Just at this 
 juncture, however, down came the rain with a violence that put 
 all thoughts of slumber to flight. Although in some measure 
 sheltered, our clothes soon became as wet as ever ; this, after all 
 the trouble we had taken to dry them, was provoking enough : 
 but there was no help for it ; and I recommend all adventurous 
 youths who abandon vessels in romantic islands during the rainy 
 season to provide themselves with umbrellas. 
 
 After an hour or so the shower passed away. My companion 
 slept through it all, or at least appeared so to do ; and now that it 
 

 60 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. vn. 
 
 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 expo 
 sure 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 con 
 genial 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 ques 
 tion 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 impres 
 sion. Had a glimpse of the gardens of Paradise been revealed 
 to me, I could scarcely have been more ravished with the sight. 
 
 From the spot where I lay transfixed with surprise and delight, 
 I looked straight down into the bosom of a valley, which swept 
 away in long wavy undulations to the blue waters in the distance. 
 Midway towards the sea, and peering here and there amidst the 
 foliage, might be seen the palmetto-thatched houses of its inhabit 
 ants glistening in the sun that had bleached them to a dazzling 
 whiteness. The vale was more than three leagues in length, and 
 about a mile across at its greatest width. 
 
CHAP, vii.] VARIED SCENERY. 61 
 
 On either side it appeared hemmed in by steep and green ac 
 clivities, which, uniting near the spot where I lay, formed an 
 abrupt and semicircular termination of grassy cliffs and precipices 
 hundreds of feet in height, over which flowed numberless small 
 cascades. But the crowning beauty of the prospect was its uni 
 versal 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. 
 
62 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. vm. 
 
 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The Important Question, Typee or Happar ? A Wild Goose Chase My 
 Sufferings Disheartening Situation A Night in a 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 un 
 expectedly upon this valley, since the large vales of Happar and 
 Typee, lying upon this ride of Nukuheva, and extending a con 
 siderable distance from the sea towards the interior, must neces 
 sarily 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 fero 
 cious 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 pro 
 ceed upon. 
 
 The point was one of vital importance, as the natives of Hap 
 par 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. 
 
CHAP, viii.] IN SEARCH OF FOOD. 63 
 
 On the other hand, the very name of Typee struck a panic into 
 my heart which I did not attempt to disguise. The thought of 
 voluntarily throwing ourselves into the hands of these cruel 
 savages, seemed to me an act of mere madness; and almost 
 equally so the idea of venturing into the valley, uncertain by 
 which of these two tribes it was inhabited. That the vale at our 
 feet was tenanted by one of them, was a point that appeared to us 
 past all doubt, since we knew that they resided in this quarter, 
 although our information did not enlighten us further. 
 
 My companion, however, incapable of resisting the tempting 
 prospect which the place held out of an abundant supply of food 
 and other means of enjoyment, still clung to his own inconsi 
 derate view of the subject, nor could all my reasoning shake it. 
 When I reminded him that it was impossible for either of us to 
 know anything with certainty, and when I dwelt upon the hor 
 rible fate we should encounter were we rashly to descend into the 
 valley, and discover too late the error we had committed, he re 
 plied 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, de 
 scended 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 endeavor 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 vre immediately, there 
 fore,, began surveying the country lying before us, with a view 
 
64 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. vm. 
 
 of determining upon the best route for us to pursue ; but it pre 
 sented 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 experi 
 enced, 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 nar 
 row 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 under 
 taking than the last. Every foot of our late descent had to be 
 regained in ascending the opposite side of the gorge an opera 
 tion 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 
 

 CHAP, viii.] DISHEARTENING PROSPECT. 65 
 
 of an hour or more, had scaled perhaps one half of the distance, 
 when the fever which had left me for awhile returned with such 
 violence, and accompanied by so raging a thirst, that it required 
 all the entreaties of Toby to prevent me from losing all the 
 fruits of my late exertion, by precipitating myself madly down 
 the cliffs we had just climbed, in quest of the water which flowed 
 so temptingly at their base. At the moment all my hopes and 
 fears appeared to be merged in this one desire, careless of the 
 consequences that might result from its gratification. I am aware 
 of no feeling, either of pleasure or of pain, that so completely 
 deprives one of all power to resist its impulses, as this same 
 raging thirst. 
 
 Toby earnestly conjured me to continue the ascent, assuring 
 me that a little more exertion would bring us to the summit., and 
 that then in less than five minutes we should find ourselves at the 
 brink of the stream, which must necessarily flow on the other side 
 of the ridge. 
 
 " Do not," he exclaimed, " turn back, now that we have pro 
 ceeded 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 ! J> 
 
 I was not yet so perfectly beside myself as to be heedless of 
 these representations, and therefore toiled on, ineffectually en 
 deavoring 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, sepa 
 rated by sharp crested and perpendicular ridges as far as the eye 
 
66 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. vra. 
 
 could reach. Could we have stepped from summit to summit of 
 these steep but narrow elevations we could easily have accom 
 plished 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 1 
 was to reach the waters of the torrent which flowed beneath us. 
 With an insensibility to danger which I cannot call to mind with 
 out shuddering, we threw ourselves down the depths of the ravine, 
 startling its savage solitudes with the echoes produced by the 
 falling fragments of rock we every moment dislodged from their 
 places, careless of the insecurity of our footing, and reckless 
 whether the slight roots and twigs we clutched at sustained us for 
 the while, or treacherously yielded to our grasp. For my own 
 part, I scarcely knew whether I was helplessly falling from the 
 heights above, or whether the fearful rapidity with which 1 
 descended was an act of my own volition. 
 
 In a few minutes we reached the foot of the gorge, and kneel 
 ing 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 j 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 
 
CHAP, vm.] MORE DIFFICULTIES. 67 
 
 crevice, and the dark stream shooting along its dismal channel, 
 sent fresh chills through my shivering frame, and I felt as uncon 
 trollable a desire to climb up towards the genial sunlight as 1 be 
 fore 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 adven 
 ture, 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. 
 
68 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. vin. 
 
 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 w 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 with 
 out once proposing to violate the sanctity of our engagement with 
 respect to the remainder, we rose to our feet, and proceeded to 
 construct some sort of shelter under which we might obtain the 
 sleep we so greatly needed. 
 
 Fortunately the spot was better adapted to our purpose than 
 the one in which we had passed the last wretched night. We 
 cleared away the tall reeds from a small but almost level bit of 
 ground, and twisted them into a low basket-like hut, which we 
 covered with a profusion of long thick leaves, gathered from a 
 tree near at hand. We disposed them thickly all around, reserv 
 ing only a slight opening that barely permitted us to crawl under 
 the shelter we had thus obtained. 
 
 These deep recesses, though protected from the winds that 
 assail the summits of their lofty sides, are damp and chill to a 
 degree that one would hardly anticipate in such a climate ; and 
 being unprovided with anything but our woollen frocks and thin 
 duck trowsers to resist the cold of the place, we were the more 
 solicitous to render our habitation for the night as comfortable 
 as we could. Accordingly, in addition to what we had already 
 done, we plucked down all the leaves within our reach and threw 
 
CHAP, vni.] SECOND MORNING. 69 
 
 them in a heap over our little hut, into which we now crept, 
 raking after us a reserved supply to form our couch. 
 
 That night nothing but the pain I suffered prevented me from 
 sleeping most refreshingly. As it was, I caught two or three 
 naps, while Toby slept away at my side as soundly as though he 
 had been sandwiched between two Holland sheets. Luckily it 
 did not rain, and we were preserved from the misery which a 
 heavy shower would have occasioned us. 
 
 In the morning I was awakened by the sonorous voice of my 
 companion ringing in my ears and bidding me rise. I crawled 
 out from our heap of leaves, and was astonished at the change 
 which a good night's rest had wrought in his appearance. He 
 was as blithe and joyous as a young bird, and was staying the 
 keenness of his morning's appetite <by chewing the soft bark of a 
 delicate branch he held in his hand, and he recommended the 
 like to me as an admirable antidote against the gnawings of 
 hunger. 
 
 For my own part, though feeling materially better than I had 
 done the preceding evening, I could not look at the limb that had 
 pained me so violently at intervals during the last twenty-four 
 hours, without experiencing a sense of alarm that I strove in vain 
 to shake off. Unwilling to disturb the flow of my comrade's 
 spirits, I managed to stifle the complaints to which I might other 
 wise have given vent, and calling upon him good-humoredly to 
 speed our banquet, I prepared myself for it by washing in the 
 stream. This operation concluded, we swallowed, or rather ab 
 sorbed, by a peculiar kind of slow sucking process, our respective 
 morsels of nourishment, and then entered into a discussion as to 
 the steps it was necessary for us to pursue. 
 
 " What's to be done now ?" inquired I, rather dolefully. 
 
 " Descend into that same valley we descried yesterday," 
 rejoined Toby, with a rapidity and loudness of utterance that 
 almost led me to suspect he had been slyly devouring the broad- 
 
70 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. vm. 
 
 side 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 a while in deep 
 thought. Suddenly he sprang to his feet, while his eyes lighted 
 up with that gleam of intelligence that marks the presence of some 
 bright idea. 
 
 " Yes, yes," he exclaimed ; " the streams all run in the same 
 direction, and must necessarily flow into the valley before they 
 reach the sea ; all we have to do is just to follow this stream, and 
 sooner or later it will lead us into the vale." 
 
 " You are right, Toby," I exclaimed, " you are right ; it must 
 conduct us thither, and quickly too ; for, see with what a steep 
 inclination the water descends." 
 
 " It does, indeed," burst forth my companion, overjoyed at my 
 verification of his theory, " it does indeed ; why, it is as plain as 
 a pike-staff. Let us proceed at once ; come, throw away all those 
 
CHAP, viii.] THEIR DESCENT TO THE VALLEY. 71 
 
 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 alt 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 a while, he permitted me to 
 overtake him. 
 
72 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. ix. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Perilous Passage of the Ravine Descent into the Valley. 
 
 THE fearless confidence of Toby was contagious, and I began to 
 adopt the Happar side of the question. I could not, however, 
 overcome a certain feeling of trepidation as we made our way 
 along these gloomy solitudes. Our progress, at first compara 
 tively 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 
 
CHAP, ix.] A WATER-FALL. 73 
 
 injured part, would fall sprawling amongst filthy 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 encoun 
 tered. But we struggled against them manfully, well knowing 
 our only hope lay in advancing. 
 
 Towards sunset we halted at a spot where we made prepara 
 tions 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 pre 
 scribed as a remedy for my illness the contents of one of our 
 little silk packages, to be taken at once in a single dose. To 
 this species of medical treatment, however, I would by no means 
 accede, much as he insisted upon it ; and so we partook of our 
 usual morsel, and silently resumed our journey. It was now the 
 fourth day since we left Nukuheva, and the gnawings of hunger 
 became painfully acute. We were fain to pacify them by chew 
 ing 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, be 
 came 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. 
 5 
 
74 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. ix. 
 
 " 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 accom 
 plishing that desirable object ?" 
 
 " By jumping from the top of the fall, if there be no other 
 way," unhesitatingly replied my companion : " it will be much 
 the quickest way of descent ; but as you are not quite as active 
 as I am, we will try some other way." 
 
 And, so saying, he crept cautiously along and peered over 
 into the abyss, while I remained wondering by what possible 
 means we could overcome this apparently insuperable obstruction. 
 As soon as my companion had completed his survey, I eagerly 
 inquired the result. 
 
 " The result of my observations you wish to know, do you ?" 
 began Toby, deliberately, with one of his odd looks : " well, my 
 lad, the result of my observations is very quickly imparted. It 
 is at present uncertain which of our two necks will have the 
 honor to be broken first ; but about a hundred to one would be a 
 fair bet in favor 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 
 
CHAP, ix.] DANGEROUS RAVINE. 75 
 
 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 our 
 selves to these treacherous-looking roots, and by slipping down 
 from one to another to gain the bottom. 
 
 " Are you ready to venture it ?" asked Toby, looking at me 
 earnestly, but without saying a word as to the practicability of 
 the plan. 
 
 " I am," was my reply ; for I saw it was our only resource if 
 we wished to advance, and as for retreating, all thoughts of that 
 sort had been long abandoned. 
 
 After I had signified my assent, Toby, without uttering a 
 single word, crawled along the dripping ledge until he gained a 
 point from whence he could just reach one of the largest of the 
 pendant roots ; he shook it it quivered in his grasp, and when 
 he let it go it twanged in the air like a strong wire sharply struck. 
 Satisfied by his scrutiny, my light-limbed companion swung him 
 self 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 further ; 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 up 
 turned 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 
 
76 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. ix. 
 
 way ;" and then swinging himself more on one side, he continued 
 his descent. In the mean time I cautiously transferred myself 
 from the limb down which I had been slipping to a couple of 
 others that were near it, deeming two strings to my bow better 
 than one, and taking care to test their strength before I trusted 
 my weight to them. 
 
 On arriving towards the end of the second stage in this vertical 
 journey, and shaking the long roots which were round me, to 
 my consternation they snapped off one after another like so many 
 pipe stems, and fell in fragments against the side of the gulf, 
 splashing at last into the waters beneath. 
 
 As one after another the treacherous roots yielded to my grasp, 
 and fell into the torrent, my heart sunk within me. The 
 branches on which I was suspended over the yawning chasm 
 swang to and fro in the air, and I expected them every moment to 
 snap in twain. Appalled at the dreadful fate that menaced me, 
 I clutched frantically at the only large root which remained near 
 me, but in vain ; I could not reach it, though my fingers were 
 within a few inches of it. Again and again I tried to reach it, 
 until at length, maddened with the thought of my situation, I 
 swayed myself violently by striking my foot against the side 
 of the rock, and at the instant that I approached the large root 
 caught desperately at it, and transferred myself to it. It vibrated 
 violently under the sudden weight, but fortunately did not give way. 
 
 My brain grew dizzy with the idea of the frightful risk I had 
 just run, and I involuntarily closed my eyes to shut out the view 
 of the depth beneath me. For the instant I was safe, and I uttered 
 a devout ejaculation of thanksgiving for my escape. 
 
 " Pretty well done," shouted Toby underneath me ; " you 
 are nimbler than I thought you to be hopping about up 
 there from root to root like any young squirrel. As soon as 
 you have diverted yourself sufficiently, I would advise you to 
 proceed." 
 

 CHAP, ix.] ANOTHER DESCENT. 77 
 
 " Aye, aye, Toby, all in good time : two or three more such 
 famous roots as this, and I shall be with you." 
 
 The residue of my downward progress was comparatively easy ; 
 the roots were in greater abundance, and in one or two places 
 jutting out points of rock assisted me greatly. In a few moments 
 I was standing by the side of my companion. 
 
 Substituting a stout stick for the one I had thrown aside 
 at the top of the precipice, we now continued our course along 
 the bed of the ravine. Soon we were saluted by a sound 
 in advance, that grew by degrees louder and louder, as the 
 noise of the cataract we were leaving behind gradually died on 
 our ears. 
 
 " Another precipice for us, Toby." 
 
 " Very good ; we can descend them, you know come on." 
 
 Nothing indeed appeared to depress or intimidate this intrepid 
 fellow. Typees or Niagaras, he was as ready to engage one as 
 the other, and I could not avoid a thousand times congratulating 
 myself upon having such a companion in an enterprise like the 
 present. 
 
 After an hour's painful progress, we reached the verge of an 
 other fall, still loftier than the preceding, and flanked both above 
 and below with the same steep masses of rock, presenting, how 
 ever, 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 re 
 connoitre. 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 
 
78 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. ix. 
 
 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 diffi 
 cult 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 further on 
 it abruptly terminated at a place we could not possibly hope to 
 
 Toby as usual led the van, and in silence I waited to learn from 
 him how he proposed to extricate us from this new difficulty. 
 
 " Well, my boy," I exclaimed, after the expiration of several 
 minutes, during which time my companion had not uttered a 
 word : " What 's to be done now ?" 
 
 He replied in a tranquil tone, that probably the best thing we 
 could do in the present strait was to get out of it as soon as 
 possible. 
 
 " Yes, my dear Toby, but tell me how we are to get out of it." 
 
 " Something in this sort of style," he replied ; and at the same 
 moment to my horror he slipped sideways off the rock, and, as I 
 then thought, by good fortune merely alighted among the spreading 
 branches of a species of palm tree, that shooting its hardy roots 
 along a ledge below, curved its trunk upwards into the air, and 
 presented a thick mass of foliage about twenty feet below the spot 
 where we had thus suddenly been brought to a stand-still. I in 
 voluntarily held my breath, expecting to see the form of my 
 companion, after being sustained for a moment by the branches 
 of the tree, sink through their frail support, and fall headlong to 
 the bottom. To my surprise and joy, however, he recovered him 
 self, and disentangling his limbs from the fractured branches, he 
 peered out from his leafy bed, and shouted lustily, " Come on, my 
 hearty, there is no other alternative !" and with this he ducked 
 beneath the foliage, and slipping down the trunk, stood in a moment 
 
CHAP, ix.] DARING LEAP. 79 
 
 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, mani 
 pulating myself all over with a view of ascertaining the extent of 
 the injuries I had received. To my surprise the only effects of my 
 feat were a few slight contusions too trifling to care about. The 
 rest of our descent was easily accomplished, and in half an hour 
 after regaining the ravine we had partaken of our evening morsel, 
 built our hut as usual, and crawled under its shelter. 
 
 The next morning, in spite of our debility and the agony of 
 hunger under which we were now suffering, though neither of us 
 confessed to the fact, we struggled along our dismal and still diffi 
 cult 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. 
 
80 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. ix. 
 
 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 water 
 course we had thus far pursued, all our labors now appeared to 
 have been rendered futile by its abrupt termination. But, bitterly 
 disappointed, we did not entirely despair. 
 
 As it was now near sunset we determined to pass the night where 
 we were, and on the morrow, refreshed by sleep, and by eating at 
 one meal all our stock of food, to accomplish a descent into the 
 valley, or perish in the attempt. 
 
 We laid ourselves down that night on a spot, the recollection of 
 which still makes me shudder. A small table of rock which 
 projected over the precipice on one side of the stream, and was 
 drenched by the spray of the fall, sustained a huge trunk of a 
 tree which must have been deposited there by some heavy freshet. 
 It lay obliquely, with one end resting on the rock and the other 
 supported by the side of the ravine. Against it we placed in a 
 sloping direction a number of the half-decayed boughs that were 
 strewn about, and covering the whole with twigs and leaves, 
 awaited the morning's light beneath such shelter as it afforded. 
 
 During the whole of this night the continual roaring of the 
 cataract the dismal moaning of the gale through the trees the 
 pattering of the rain, and the profound darkness, affected my 
 spirits to a degree which nothing had ever before produced. Wet, 
 
CHAP, re.] THEY REACH THE VALE. 81 
 
 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 com 
 panion, 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 mi 
 serable 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 hair-breadth escape, and every fearful 
 difficulty that occurred before we succeeded in reaching the 
 bosom of the valley. As I have already described similar scenes, 
 it will be sufficient to say that at length, after great toil and great 
 dangers, we both stood with no limbs broken at the head of that 
 magnificent vale which five days before had so suddenly burst 
 upon my sight, and almost beneath the shadow of those very 
 cliffs from whose summits we had gazed upon the prospect. 
 5* 
 
82 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. x. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 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 ques 
 tion 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 ex 
 tended from side to side, without presenting a single plant afford 
 ing 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 descend 
 ing into the valley now that the step was taken, began to mani 
 fest a degree of caution I had little expected from him. He pro 
 posed that in the event of our finding an adequate supply of fruit, 
 we should remain in this unfrequented portion of the country 
 where we should run little chance of being surprised by its occu 
 pants, whoever they might be until sufficiently recruited to re 
 sume 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. 
 
CHAP, x.] . FINDING FRUIT. 83 
 
 I objected strongly to this proposition, plausible as it was, as the 
 difficulties of the route would be almost insurmountable, unac 
 quainted as we were with the general bearings of the country, 
 and I reminded my companion of the hardships which we had 
 already encountered in our uncertain wanderings ; in a word, I 
 said that since we had deemed it advisable to enter the valley, we 
 ought manfully to face the consequences, whatever they might 
 be ; the more especially as. I was convinced there was no alter 
 native left us but to fall in with the natives at once, and boldly 
 risk the reception they might give us : and that as to myself, I 
 felt the necessity of rest and shelter, and that until I had obtained 
 them, I should be wholly unable to encounter such sufferings as 
 we had lately passed through. To the justice of these observations 
 Toby somewhat reluctantly assented. 
 
 We were surprised that, after moving as far as we had along 
 the valley, we should still meet with the same impervious thick 
 ets ; 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-look 
 ing shades ! With what apprehensions we proceeded, ignorant at 
 what moment we might be greeted by the javelin of some am 
 bushed 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 compa 
 ratively clear space, at the further 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 
 
84 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. x. 
 
 wretch, and Toby leaping forward like a greyhound. He quickly 
 cleared one of the trees on which there were two or three of the 
 fruit, but to our chagrin they proved to be much decayed ; the 
 rinds partly opened by the birds, and their hearts half devoured. 
 However, we quickly despatched them, and no ambrosia could 
 have been more delicious. 
 
 We looked about us uncertain whither to direct our steps, since 
 the path we had so far followed appeared to be lost in the open 
 space around us. At last we resolved to enter a grove near at 
 hand, and had advanced a few rods, when, just upon its skirts, I 
 picked up a slender bread-fruit shoot perfectly green, and with the 
 tender bark freshly stript from it. It was slippery with moisture, 
 and appeared as if it had been but that moment thrown aside. I 
 said nothing, but merely held it up to Toby, who started at this 
 undeniable evidence of the vicinity of the savages. 
 
 The plot was now thickening. A short distance further 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 tear 
 ing open the package of things we had brought from the ship, I 
 
CHAP, x.] THEIR MEETING WITH NATIVES. 85 
 
 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 com 
 pletely naked, with the exception of a slight girdle of bark, from 
 which depended at opposite points two of the russet leaves of the 
 bread-fruit tree. An arm of the boy, half screened from sight 
 by her wild tresses, was thrown about the neck of the girl, while 
 with the other he held one of her hands in his ; and thus they 
 stood together, their heads inclined forward, catching the faint 
 noise we made in our progress, and with one foot in advance, as 
 if half inclined to fly from our presence. 
 
 As we drew near, their alarm evidently increased. Apprehen 
 sive that they might fly from us altogether, I stopped short and 
 motioned them to advance and receive the gift I extended towards 
 them, but they would not ; I then uttered a few words of their 
 language with which I was acquainted, scarcely expecting that 
 they would understand me, but to show that we had not dropped 
 from the clouds upon them. This appeared to give them a little 
 confidence, so I approached nearer, presenting the cloth with one 
 hand, and holding the bough with the other, while they slowly 
 retreated. At last they suffered us to approach so near to them 
 that we were enabled to throw the cotton cloth across their shoul 
 ders, giving them to understand that it was theirs, and by a variety 
 of gestures endeavoring to make them understand that we enter 
 tained the highest possible regard for them. 
 
 The frightened pair now stood still, whilst we endeavored to 
 make them comprehend the nature of our wants. In doing this 
 Toby went through with a complete series of pantomimic illus 
 trations opening his mouth from ear to ear, and thrusting his 
 fingers down his throat, gnashing his teeth and rolling his eyes 
 
86 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. x. 
 
 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. Wit'h 
 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 val 
 ley, endeavored 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 under- 
 stand them for a couple of wilier young things than we after 
 wards 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. 
 
CHAP, x.] INTERIOR OF THE CHIEF'S HUT. 87 
 
 Although I had some lingering doubts, I feigned great delight 
 with Toby at this announcement, while my companion broke out 
 into a pantomimic abhorrence of Typee, and immeasurable love 
 for the particular valley in which we were ; our guides all the 
 while gazing uneasily at one another as if at a loss to account 
 for our conduct. 
 
 They hurried on, and we followed them ; until suddenly they 
 set up a strange halloo, which was answered from beyond the 
 grove through which we were passing, and the next moment we 
 entered upon some open ground, at the extremity of which we 
 descried a long, low hut, and in front of it were several young 
 girls. As soon as they perceived us they fled with wild screams 
 into the adjoining thickets, like so many startled fawns. A few 
 moments after the whole valley resounded with savage outcries, 
 and the natives came running towards us from every direction. 
 
 Had an army of invaders made an irruption into their territory 
 they could not have evinced greater excitement. We were soon 
 completely encircled by a dense throng, and in their eager desire 
 to behold us they almost arrested our progress ; an equal num 
 ber surrounding our youthful guides, who with amazing volubi 
 lity appeared to be detailing the circumstances which had attend 
 ed their meeting with us. Every item of intelligence appeared 
 to redouble the astonishment of the islanders, and they gazed at 
 us with inquiring looks. 
 
 At last we reached a large and handsome building of bamboos, 
 and were, by signs told to enter it, the natives opening a lane for 
 us through which to pass ; on entering without ceremony, we 
 threw our exhausted frames upon the mats that covered the floor. 
 In a moment the slight tenement was completely full of people, 
 whilst those who were unable to obtain admittance gazed at us 
 through its open cane- work. 
 
 It was now evening, and by the dim light we could just dis 
 cern the savage countenances around us, gleaming with wild 
 
88 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. x. 
 
 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 ques 
 tions which every one put to them. Nothing can exceed the 
 fierce gesticulation of these people when animated in conversa 
 tion, 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 subse 
 quently proved to be who, more reserved than the rest, regarded 
 us with a fixed and stern attention, which not a little discomposed 
 our equanimity. One of them in particular, who appeared to be 
 the highest in rank, placed himself directly facing me ; looking 
 at me with a rigidity of aspect under which I absolutely quailed. 
 He never once opened his lips, but maintained his severe expres 
 sion of countenance, without turning his face aside for a single 
 moment. Never before had I been subjected to so strange and 
 steady a glance ; it revealed nothing of the mind of the savage, 
 but it appeared to be reading my own. 
 
 After undergoing this scrutiny till I grew absolutely nervous, 
 with a view of diverting it if possible, and conciliating the good 
 opinion of the warrior, I took some tobacco from the bosom of 
 my frock and offered it to him. He quietly rejected the proffered 
 gift, and, without speaking, motioned me to return it to its place. 
 
 In my previous intercourse with the natives of Nukuheva and 
 Tior, I had found that the present of a small piece of tobacco 
 would have rendered any of them devoted to my service. Was 
 this act of the chief a token of his enmity ? Typee or Happar ? 
 I asked within myself. I started, for at the same moment this 
 identical question was asked by the strange being before me. I 
 
CHAP, x.] CHIEF MAKES A SPEECH. 89 
 
 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 ap 
 peared to have settled everything. 
 
 When this commotion had a little subsided, the principal chief 
 squatted once more before me, and throwing himself into a sud 
 den 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 acqui 
 esced, while we extolled the character of the warlike Typees. 
 To be sure our panegyrics were somewhat laconic, consisting in 
 the repetition of that name, united with the potent adjective 
 " mortarkee." But this was sufficient, and served to conciliate 
 the good will of the natives, with whom our congeniality of sen 
 timent 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 addi- 
 
90 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. x. 
 
 tional 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 them 
 selves to us by pronouncing their respective names, and retired 
 in high good humor on receiving ours in return. During this 
 ceremony the greatest merriment prevailed, nearly every an 
 nouncement 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 hu 
 mor of which we were of course entirely ignorant. 
 
 All this occupied about an hour, when the throng having a little 
 diminished, I turned to Mehevi and gave him to understand that 
 we were in need of food and sleep. Immediately the attentive 
 chief addressed a few words to one of the crowd, who disappeared, 
 and returned in a few moments with a calabash of " poee-poee," 
 and two or three young cocoa-nuts stripped of their husks, and 
 with their shells partly broken. We both of us forthwith placed 
 one of these natural goblets to our lips, and drained it in a mo 
 ment of the refreshing draught it contained. The poee-poee was 
 then placed before us, and even famished as I was, I paused to con 
 sider 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 some 
 what resembles in its plastic nature our bookbinders' paste, is of a 
 yellow color, and somewhat tart to the taste. 
 
CHAP, x.] FRIENDLY BEHAVIOR OF THE NATIVES. 91 
 
 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 lengthy strings to every 
 finger. So stubborn was its consistency, that in conveying my 
 heavily-freighted han$ 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 pe 
 culiar 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 drawn forth perfectly free from any adhesive matter. 
 This performance was evidently intended for our instruction ; so 
 I again essayed the feat on the principles inculcated, but with 
 very ill success. 
 
 A starving man, however, little heeds conventional proprieties, 
 especially on a South-Sea Island, and accordingly Toby and I 
 partook of the dish after our own clumsy fashion, beplastering 
 our faces all over with the glutinous compound, and daubing our 
 hands nearly to the wrist. This kind of food is by no means 
 disagreeable to the palate of a European, though at first the mode 
 of eating it may be. For my own part, after the lapse of a few 
 days I became accustomed to its singular flavor, and grew remark 
 ably fond of it. 
 
 So much for the first course ; several other dishes followed it, 
 some of which were positively delicious. We concluded our ban 
 quet by tossing off the contents of two more young cocoa-nuts, 
 
92 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP, x 
 
 after which we regaled ourselves with the soothing fumes of to 
 bacco, 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 abun 
 dant matter for comment in the most trifling occurrence. Their 
 surprise mounted the highest, when we began to remove our un 
 comfortable 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 behavior almost led me to imagine that they 
 never before had beheld a white man ; but a few moments' re 
 flection convinced me that this could not have been the case ; 
 and a more satisfactory reason for their conduct has since sug 
 gested itself to my mind. 
 
 Deterred by the frightful stories related of its inhabitants, 
 ships never enter this bay, while their hostile relations with the 
 tribes in the adjoining valleys prevent the Typees from visiting 
 that section of the island where vessels occasionally lie. At long 
 intervals, however, some intrepid captain will touch on the skirts 
 of the bay, with two or three armed boats' crews, and accompa 
 nied by an interpreter. The natives who live near the sea des 
 cry the strangers long before they reach their waters, and aware 
 of the purpose for which they come, proclaim loudly the news of 
 their approach. By a species of vocal telegraph the intelligence 
 reaches the inmost recesses of the vale in an inconceivably short 
 space of time, drawing nearly its whole population down to the 
 beach laden with every variety of fruit. The interpreter, who 
 
CHAP, x.] SLIGHT INTERCOURSE WITH EUROPEANS. 93 
 
 is invariably a " tabooed Kannaka,"* leaps ashore with the 
 goods intended for barter, while the boats, with their oars shipped, 
 and every man on his thwart, lie just outside the surf, heading 
 off from the shore, in readiness at the first untoward event to es 
 cape to the open sea. As soon as the traffic is concluded, one of 
 the boats pulls in under cover of the muskets of the others, the 
 fruit is quickly thrown into her, and the transient visitors preci 
 pitately retire from what they justly consider so dangerous a 
 vicinity. 
 
 The intercourse occurring with Europeans being so restricted, 
 no wonder that the inhabitants of the valley manifested so much 
 curiosity with regard to us, appearing as we did among them un 
 der 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 ap 
 peared a complete mystery to them, and from our ignorance of 
 the language it was impossible for us to enlighten them. In an 
 swer to inquiries which the eloquence of their gestures enabled us 
 to comprehend, all that we could reply was, that we had come 
 from Nukuheva, a place, be it remembered, with which they 
 were at open war. This intelligence appeared to affect them with 
 the most lively emotions. " Nukuheva mortarkee ?" they asked. 
 Of course we replied most energetically in the negative. 
 
 They then plied us with a thousand questions, of which we 
 could understand nothing more than that they had reference to 
 
 * The word " Kannaka" is at the present day universally used in the 
 South Seas by Europeans to designate the Islanders. In the various dia 
 lects 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 fo 
 reigners in the same sense in which the latter employ it. 
 
 A " Tabooed Kannaka" is an islander whose person has been made to a 
 certain extent sacred by the operation of a singular custom hereafter to be 
 explained. 
 
94 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. x. 
 
 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 endeavor by every method in our 
 power to communicate the desired intelligence. At such times 
 their gratification was boundless, and they would redouble their 
 efforts to make us comprehend them more perfectly. But all in 
 vain ; and in the end they looked at us despairingly, as if we 
 were the receptacles of invaluable information, but how to come 
 at it they knew not. 
 
 After a while the group around us gradually dispersed, and we 
 were left about midnight (as we conjectured) with those who ap 
 peared to be permanent residents of the house. These individu 
 als 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. 
 
CHAP, xi.] MIDNIGHT REFLECTIONS. 95 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Midnight Reflections Morning Visitors A Warrior in Costume A Sa 
 vage ^Esculapius 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 dis 
 tressingly 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 pro 
 verbial. Might it not be that beneath these fair appearances the 
 islanders covered some perfidious design, and that their friendly 
 reception of us might only precede some horrible catastrophe ? 
 How strongly did these forebodings spring up in my mind as I 
 lay restlessly upon a couch of mats, surrounded by the dimly 
 revealed forms of those whom I so greatly dreaded. 
 
96 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xi. 
 
 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 inquisi- 
 tiveness which time out of mind has been attributed to the adora 
 ble 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 investiga 
 tion with which they honored us, and so uproarious their mirth, 
 that I felt infinitely sheepish ; and Toby was immeasurably out 
 raged 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 compassion 
 ately regarding me in the midst of my afflictions. But in spite 
 of all their blandishments, my feelings of propriety were exceed 
 ingly shocked, for I could not but consider them as having over 
 stepped 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. 
 
 At last, when their, numbers began to diminish, a superb, 
 looking warrior stooped the towe"ring plumes of his head-dress 
 
CHAP, xi.] WARRIOR IN HIS COSTUME. 97 
 
 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 im 
 mense upright semicircle upon his head, their lower extremities 
 being fixed in a crescent of guinea-beads which spanned the fore 
 head. Around his neck were several enormous necklaces of 
 boar's tusks, polished like ivory, and disposed in such a manner 
 as that the longest and largest, were upon his capacious chest. 
 Thrust forward through the large apertures in his ears were two 
 small and finely-shaped sperm whale teeth, presenting their cavi 
 ties in front, stuffed with freshly-plucked leaves, and curiously 
 wrought at the other end into strange little images and devices. 
 These barbaric trinkets, garnished in this manner at their open 
 extremities, and tapering and curving round to a point behind 
 the ear, resembled not a little a pair of cornucopias. 
 
 The loins of the warrior were girt about with heavy folds of a 
 dark-colored 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 sinuate, was a richly decorated pipe ; the slen 
 der reed forming its stem was colored 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 
 
 6 
 
98 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS, [CHAP, xi 
 
 and infinite profusion I could only compare them to the crowded 
 groupings of quaint patterns we sometimes see in costly pieces of 
 lace work. The most simple and remarkable of all these orna 
 ments 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 Na 
 ture's noblemen, and the lines drawn upon his face may possibly 
 have denoted his exalted rank. 
 
 This warlike personage, upon entering the house, seated him 
 self 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 embel 
 lishment, and met the strange gaze to which I had been subjected 
 the preceding night, I immediately, in spite of the alteration in 
 his appearance, recognized 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 good will of 
 this individual, as I easily perceived he was a man of great 
 authority in his tribe, and one who might exert a powerful in- 
 fluence upon our subsequent fate. In the endeavor 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 endeavored to make us comprehend the 
 full extent of the kindly feelings by which he was actuated. The 
 
CHAP, xi.] A NATIVE ^SCULAPIUS. 90 
 
 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 atten 
 tion was the late proceedings of the " France," as he called the 
 French, in the neighboring 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 suc 
 ceeded in imparting to him on this subject was little more than 
 that we had seen six men-of-war lying in the hostile bay at the 
 time we had left it. When he received this intelligence, Mehevi, 
 by the aid of his fingers, went through a long numerical calcula 
 tion, as if estimating the number of Frenchmen the squadron 
 might contain. 
 
 It was just after employing his faculties in this way that he 
 happened to notice the swelling in my limb. He immediately 
 examined it with the utmost attention, and after doing so, de 
 spatched a boy who happened to be standing by with some mes 
 sage. 
 
 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 sur 
 face of a cocoa-nut shell, which article it precisely resembled in 
 smoothness and color, 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 
 
100 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xi. 
 
 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 pro 
 ceeded 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 
 endeavored 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 some 
 thing for which he had been long seeking, and muttering some 
 kind of incantation continued his discipline, pounding it after a 
 fashion that set me well nigh crazy ; while Mehevi, upon the 
 same principle which prompts an affectionate mother to hold a 
 struggling child in a dentist's chair, restrained me in his powerful 
 grasp, and actually encouraged the wretch in this infliction of 
 torture. 
 
 Almost frantic with rage and pain, I yelled like a bedlamite ; 
 while Toby, throwing himself into all the attitudes of a posture- 
 master, vainly endeavored to expostulate with the natives by signs 
 and gestures. To have looked at my companion, as, sympa 
 thizing 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 relinquish 
 ing 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 
 
CHAP, xi.] IS PROVIDED WITH A SERVANT. 101 
 
 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 
 thenceforth would be to attend upon my person. I am not certain 
 that I comprehended as much as this at the time, but the subse 
 quent conduct of my trusty body-servant fully assured me that 
 such must have been the case. 
 
 I could not but be amused at the manner in which the chief 
 addressed me upon this occasion, talking to me for at least fifteen 
 or twenty minutes as calmly as if I could understand every word 
 that he said. I remarked this peculiarity very often afterwards 
 in many other of the islanders. 
 
 Mehevi having now departed, and the family physician having 
 likewise made his exit, we were left about sunset with the ten or 
 twelve natives, who by this time I had ascertained composed the 
 household of which Toby and I were members. As the dwelling 
 to which we had been first introduced was the place of my perma 
 nent abode while I remained in the valley, and as I was necessa 
 rily 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 
 
102 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xi. 
 
 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 suc 
 cessive 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 habita 
 tion. This was constructed of light and elegant canes, in a kind 
 of open screen- work, tastefully adorned with bindings of variegated 
 sinnate, which served to hold together its various parts. The 
 sides of the house were similarly built ; thus presenting three 
 quarters for the circulation of the air, while the whole was imper 
 vious to the rain. 
 
 In length this picturesque building was perhaps twelve yards, 
 while in breadth it could not have exceeded as many feet. So 
 much for the exterior ; which, with its wire-like reed-twisted sides, 
 not a little reminded me of an immense aviary. 
 
 Stooping a little, you passed through a narrow aperture in its 
 
CHAP, xi.] A DWELLING-HOUSE DESCRIBED. 103 
 
 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 dis 
 tant, 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 con 
 tained festival dresses, and various other matters of the wardrobe, 
 held in high estimation. These were easily accessible by means 
 of a line, which, passing over the ridge-pole, had one end attached 
 to a bundle, while with the other, which led to the side of the 
 dwelling and was there secured, the package could be lowered or 
 elevated at pleasure. 
 
 Against the farther wall of the house were arranged in tasteful 
 figures a variety of spears and javelins, and other implements of 
 savage warfare. Outside of the habitation, and built upon the 
 piazza-like area in its front, was a little shed used as a sort of 
 larder or pantry, and in which were stored various articles of 
 domestic use and convenience. A few yards from the pi-pi was 
 a large shed built of cocoa-nut boughs, where the process of pre 
 paring the " poee-poee " was carried on, and all culinary opera 
 tions attended to. 
 
 Thus much for the house, and its appurtenances ; and it will 
 be readily acknowledged that a more commodious and appro 
 priate dwelling for the climate and the people could not possibly 
 be devised. It was cool, free to admit the air, scrupulously 
 
104 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP, xi 
 
 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 under lip, and an equal number hung from 
 the extremity of his chin. 
 
 Kory-Kory, with a view of improving the handiwork of nature, 
 and perhaps prompted by a desire to add to the engaging expres 
 sion of his countenance, had seen fit to embellish his face with 
 three broad longitudinal stripes of tattooing, which, like those 
 country roads that go straight forward in defiance of all obstacles, 
 crossed his nasal organ, descended into the hollow of his eyes, 
 and even skirted the borders of his mouth. Each completely 
 spanned his physiognomy ; one extending in a line with his eyes, 
 another crossing the face in the vicinity of the nose, and the third 
 sweeping along his lips from ear to ear. His countenance thus 
 triply hooped, as it were, with tattooing, always reminded me of 
 those unhappy wretches whom I have sometimes observed gazing 
 out sentimentally from behind the grated bars of a prison window; 
 whilst the entire body of my savage valet, covered all over with 
 
CHAP, xi.] THE FATHER OF KORY-KORY. 105 
 
 representations of birds and fishes, and a variety of most unac 
 countable-looking creatures, suggested to me the idea of a pic 
 torial museum of natural history, or an illustrated copy of " Gold 
 smith's Animated Nature." 
 
 But it seems really heartless in me to write thus of the poor 
 islander, when I owe perhaps to his unremitting attentions the 
 very existence I now enjoy. Kory-Kory, I mean thee no harm 
 in what I say in regard to thy outward adornings ; but they were a 
 little curious to my unaccustomed sight, and therefore I dilate upon 
 them. But to underrate or forget thy faithful services is something 
 I could never be guilty of, even in the giddiest moment of my life. 
 
 The father of my attached follower was a native of gigantic 
 frame, and had once possessed prodigious physical powers ; but 
 the lofty form was now yielding to the inroads of time, though the 
 hand of disease seemed never to have been laid upon the aged 
 warrior. Marheyo for such was his name appeared to have 
 retired from all active participation in the affairs of the valley, 
 seldom or never accompanying the natives in their various expe 
 ditions ; 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 characteris 
 tics which mark this particular stage of life. 
 
 I remember in particular his having a choice pair of ear-orna 
 ments, fabricated from the teeth of some sea-monster. These he 
 would alternately wear and take off at least fifty times in the 
 course of the day, going and coming from his little hut on each 
 occasion with all the tranquillity imaginable. Sometimes slipping 
 them through the slits in his ears, he would seize his spear 
 which in length and slightness resembled a fishing-pole and go 
 stalking beneath the shadows of the neighboring groves, as if 
 about to give a hostile meeting to some cannibal knight. But he 
 6* 
 
106 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xi. 
 
 would soon return again, and hiding his weapon under the pro 
 jecting eaves of the house, and rolling his clumsy trinkets care 
 fully in a piece of tappa, would resume his more pacific opera 
 tions as quietly as if he had never interrupted them. 
 
 But despite his eccentricities, Marheyo was a most paternal 
 and warm-hearted old fellow, and in this particular not a little 
 resembled his son Kory-Kory. The mother of the latter was the 
 mistress of the family, and a notable housewife, and a most in 
 dustrious 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 mat 
 ters. 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 bun 
 dles of old tappa, or making a prodigious clatter among the cala 
 bashes. 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 occa 
 sions, galloping about the valley in search of a particular kind 
 of leaf, used in some of her recondite operations, and returning 
 home, toiling and sweating, with a bundle of it, under which 
 most women would have sunk. 
 
 To tell the truth, Kory-Kory's mother was the only industrious 
 person in all the valley of Typee ; and she could not have em 
 ployed 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 labor per 
 formed by the old lady : but she seemed to work from some irre 
 sistible impulse ; her limbs continually swaying to and fro, as if 
 
CHAP, xi.] NATIVES DESCRIBED. 107 
 
 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 belonged 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 favorite. 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 daz 
 zling 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 
 
108 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xi. 
 
 them reposing in rows on either side, imbedded in the rich and 
 juicy pulp. Her hair of the deepest brown, parted irregularly 
 in the middle, flowed in natural ringlets over her shoulders, and 
 whenever she chanced to stoop, fell over and hid from view her 
 lovely bosom. Gazing into the depths of her strange blue eyes, 
 when she was in a contemplative mood, they seemed most placid 
 yet unfathomable ; but when illuminated by some lively emotion, 
 they beamed upon the beholder like stars. The hands of Fay- 
 away were as soft and delicate as those of any countess j for an 
 entire exemption from rude labor marks the girlhood and even 
 prime of a Typee woman's life. Her feet, though wholly ex 
 posed, were as diminutive and fairly shaped as those which peep 
 from beneath the skirts of a Lima lady's dress. The skin of this 
 young creature, from continual ablutions and the use of mollify 
 ing ointments, was inconceivably smooth and soft. 
 
 I may succeed, perhaps, in particularising some of the indi 
 vidual 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 per- 
 pa|ual 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 man 
 ner which cannot be portrayed. This picture is no fancy 
 sketch ; it is drawn from the most vivid recollections of the person 
 delineated. 
 
 Were I asked if the beauteous form of Fayaway was altogether 
 free from the hideous blemish of tattooing, I should be constrained 
 to answer that it was not. But the practitioners of the barbarous 
 art, so remorseless in their inflictions upon the brawny limbs of 
 the warriors of the tribe, seem to be conscious that it needs not 
 the resources of their profession to augment the charms of the 
 maidens of the vale. 
 
 I 
 
CHAP, xi.] THE BEAUTIFUL FAYAWAY. 109 
 
 The females are very little embellished in this way, and Fay- 
 away, 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 pin-heads, 
 decorated either lip, and at a little distance were not at all dis 
 cernible. Just upon the fall of the shoulder were drawn two 
 parallel lines half an inch apart, and perhaps three inches in 
 length, the interval being rilled with delicately executed figures. 
 These narrow bands of tattooing, thus placed, always reminded 
 me of those stripes of gold lace worn by officers in undress, and 
 which are in lieu of epaulettes to denote their rank. 
 
 Thus much was Fayaway tattooed. The audacious hand 
 which had gone so far in its desecrating work stopping short, ap 
 parently wanting the heart to proceed. 
 
 But I have omitted to describe the dress worn by this nymph 
 of the valley. 
 
 Fayaway I must avow the fact for the most part clung to 
 the primitive and summer garb of Eden. But how becoming 
 the costume ! It showed her fine figure to the best possible ad 
 vantage ; 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 ram 
 bling among the groves, or visiting at the houses of her ac 
 quaintances, 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 
 
110 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xi. 
 
 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 ar 
 rangement the strawberry coronal worn by an English peeress, and 
 composed of intertwined leaves and blossoms, often crowned their 
 temples ; and bracelets and anklets of the same tasteful pattern 
 were frequently to be seen. Indeed, the maidens of the island 
 were passionately fond of flowers, and never wearied of decorating 
 their persons with them ; a lovely trait in their character, and one 
 that ere long will be more fully alluded to. 
 
 Though in my eyes, at least, Fayaway was indisputably the 
 loveliest female I saw in Typee, yet the description I have given 
 of her will in some measure apply to nearly all the youthful por 
 tion of her sex in the valley. Judge ye then, reader, what beauti 
 ful creatures they must have been. 
 
CHAP, xii.] OFFICIOUSNESS OF KORY-KORY. Ill 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Officiousnesg of Kory-Kory His Devotion A Bath in the Stream Wanl 
 of Refinement of the Typee Damsels Stroll with Mehevi A Typee 
 HighwayThe Taboo Groves The Hoolah Hoolah Ground The Ti 
 Time-worn Savages Hospitality of Mehevi Midnight Musings Ad 
 venture in the Dark Distinguished Honors 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 fa 
 cilitated, 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 
 
112 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xn. 
 
 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 imme 
 diately agreed to the proposition of my valet that I should repair 
 to the water and wash, although dreading the suffering that the 
 exertion might produce. From this apprehension, however, I 
 was quickly relieved ; for Kory-Kory, leaping from the pi-pi, and 
 then backing himself up against it, like a porter in readiness to 
 shoulder a trunk, with loud vociferations and a superabundance 
 of gestures, gave me to understand that I was to mount upon his 
 back and be thus transported to the stream, which flowed perhaps 
 two hundred yards from the house. 
 
 Our appearance upon the verandah in front of the habitation 
 drew together quite a crowd, who stood looking on and conversing 
 with one another in the most animated manner. They reminded 
 one of a group of idlers gathered about the door of a village 
 tavern when the equipage of some distinguished traveller is brought 
 round previous to his departure. As soon as I clasped my arms 
 about the neck of the devoted fellow, and he jogged off with me, 
 the crowd composed chiefly of young girls and boys followed 
 after, shouting and capering with infinite glee, and accompanied 
 us to the banks of the stream. 
 
 On gaining it, Kory-Kory, wading up to his hips in the water, 
 carried me half way across, and deposited me on a smooth black 
 stone which rose a few inches above the surface. The amphibi 
 ous 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 morn 
 ing ablutions. 
 
 Somewhat embarrassed by the presence of the female portion 
 of the company, and feeling my cheeks burning with bashful 
 
CHAP, xii.] A BATH IN THE STREAM. 113 
 
 timidity, I formed a primitive basin by joining my hands together, 
 and cooled my blushes in the water it contained ; then removing 
 my frock, bent over and washed myself down to my waist in the 
 stream. As soon as Kory-Kory comprehended from my motions 
 that this was to be the extent of my performance, he appeared 
 perfectly aghast with astonishment, and rushing towards me, 
 poured out a torrent of words in eager deprecation of so limited 
 an operation, enjoining me by unmistakeable signs to immerse my 
 whole body. To this I was forced to consent ; and the honest 
 fellow regarding me as a froward, inexperienced child, whom it 
 was his duty to serve at the risk of offending, lifted me from the 
 rock, and tenderly bathed my limbs. This over, and resuming 
 my seat, I could not avoid bursting into admiration of the scene 
 around me. 
 
 From the verdant surfaces of the large stones that lay scattered 
 about, the natives were now sliding off into the water, diving and 
 ducking beneath the surface in all directions ; the young girls 
 springing buoyantly into the air, and revealing their naked forms 
 to the waist, with their long tresses dancing about their shoulders, 
 their eyes sparkling like drops of dew in the sun, and their gay 
 laughter pealing forth at every frolicsome incident. 
 
 On the afternoon of the day that I took my first bath in the 
 valley, we received another visit from Mehevi. The noble savage 
 seemed to be in the same pleasant mood, and was quite as cordial 
 in his manner as before. After remaining about an hour, he rose 
 from the mats, and motioning to leave the house, invited Toby 
 and myself to accompany him. I pointed to my leg ; but Mehevi 
 in his turn pointed to Kory-Kory, and removed that objection ; so, 
 mounting upon the faithful fellow's shoulders again like the old 
 man of the sea astride of Sindbad 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 
 
114 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xii. 
 
 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 fami 
 liar 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 inequa 
 lities, and thickly strewn with projecting masses of rocks, whose 
 summits were often hidden from view by the drooping foliage of 
 the luxurious vegetation. Sometimes directly over, sometimes 
 evading these obstacles with a wide circuit, the path wound 
 along ; one moment climbing over a sudden eminence smooth 
 with continued wear, then descending on the other side into a 
 steep glen, and crossing the flinty channel of a brook. Here it 
 pursued the depths of a glade, occasionally obliging you to stoop 
 beneath vast horizontal branches ; and now you stepped over 
 huge trunks and boughs that lay rotting across the track. 
 
 Such was the grand thoroughfare of Typee. After proceeding 
 a little distance along it Kory-Kory panting and blowing with 
 the weight of his burden I dismounted from his back, and 
 grasping the long spear of Mehevi in my hand, assisted my steps 
 over the numerous obstacles of the road ; preferring this mode of 
 advance to one which, from the difficulties of the way, was equally 
 painful to myself and my wearied servitor. 
 
 Our journey was soon at an end ; for, scaling a sudden height, 
 we came abruptly upon the place of our destination. I wish that 
 it were possible to sketch in words this spot as vividly as I recol 
 lect 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, 
 
CHAP, xn] THE "HOOLAH HOOLAH." 115 
 
 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 fantasfroal religious 
 ritual of these people comprising an extensive oblong pi-pi, 
 terminating at either end in a lofty terraced altar, guarded by 
 ranks of hideous wooden idols, and with the two remaining sides 
 flanked by ranges of bamboo sheds, opening towards the interior 
 of the quadrangle thus formed. Vast trees, standing in the middle 
 of this space, and throwing over it an umbrageous shade, had 
 their massive trunks built round with slight stages, elevated a 
 few feet above the ground, and railed in with canes, forming so 
 many rustic pulpits, from which the priests harangued their 
 devotees. 
 
 This holiest of spots was defended from profanation by the 
 strictest edicts of the all-pervading " taboo," which condemned to 
 instant death the sacrilegious female who should enter or touch 
 its sacred precincts, or even so much as press with her feet the 
 ground made holy by the shadows that it cast. 
 
 Access was had to the enclosure through an embowered en 
 trance on one side, facing a number of towering cocoa-nut trees, 
 planted at intervals along a level area of a hundred yards. At 
 the further extremity of this space was to be seen a building of 
 considerable size, reserved for the habitation of the priests and 
 religious attendants of the groves. 
 
 In its vicinity was another remarkable edifice, built as usual 
 upon the summit of a pi-pi, and at least two hundred feet in 
 
116 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xn. 
 
 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 ap 
 pearance 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 like 
 wise to this edifice, and were enforced by the same dreadful 
 penalty that secured the Hoolah Hoolah ground from the imagi 
 nary pollution of a woman's presence. 
 
 On entering the house, 1 was surprised to see six muskets 
 ranged against the bamboo on one side, from the barrels of which 
 depended as many small canvas pouches, partly filled with powder. 
 Disposed about these muskets, like the cutlasses that decorate the 
 bulkhead of a man-of-war's cabin, were a great variety of rude 
 spears and paddles, javelins, and war-clubs. This then, said I to 
 Toby, must be the armory of the tribe. 
 
 As we advanced further 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 color the hue which the tattooing 
 
CHAP, xii.] TIME-WORN SAVAGES. 117 
 
 gradually assumes as the individual advances in age. Their skin 
 had a frightful scaly appearance, which, united with its singular 
 color, 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 neighborhood, 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 unin 
 telligible gibberish. 
 
 In a few moments a boy entered with a wooden trencher of 
 poee-poee ; and in regaling myself with its contents I was obliged 
 again to submit to the officious intervention of my indefatigable 
 servitor. Various other dishes followed, the chief manifesting 
 the most hospitable importunity in pressing us to partake, and to 
 remove all bashfulness on our part, set us no despicable example 
 in his own person. 
 
 The repast concluded, a pipe was lighted, which passed from 
 mouth to mouth, and yielding to its soporific influence, the quiet of the 
 place, and the deepening shadows of approaching night, my com 
 panion 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 ; 
 
118 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xii. 
 
 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 inter 
 rupted 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 ga.zing 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 tre 
 pidation, 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 ?" 
 
 11 Oh, Toby ! have done with your jokes ; this is no time for 
 them ; something is about to happen, I feel confident." 
 
 " Jokes, indeed !" exclaimed Toby indignantly. " Did you 
 ever hear me joke ? Why, for what do you suppose the devils 
 have been feeding us up in this kind of style during the last three 
 days, unless it were for something that you are too much fright 
 ened at to talk about ? Look at that Kory-Kory there ! has he 
 not been stuffing you with his confounded mushes, just in the way 
 
CHAP, xii.] EXAGGERATED FEARS. 119 
 
 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 back 
 ground, mounting the pi-pi and approaching towards 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, contain 
 ing some kind of steaming meat, as appeared from the odors it 
 diffused, and which he deposited at the feet of Mehevi. " A baked 
 baby, I dare say ! but I will have none of it, never mind what it 
 is. A pretty fool I should make of myself, indeed, waked up 
 here in the middle of the night, stuffing and guzzling, and all to 
 make a fat meal for a parcel of booby-minded cannibals one of 
 these mornings ! No, I see what they are at very plainly, so I 
 
1*20 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xn. 
 
 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 abdo 
 minal 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 un 
 derstand that I wished a light to be brought. When the taper 
 came, I gazed eagerly into the vessel, and recognized the muti 
 lated remains of a juvenile porker ! " Puarkee !" exclaimed 
 Kory-Kory, looking complacently at the dish ; and from that day 
 to this I have never forgotten that such is the designation of a pig 
 in the Typee lingo. 
 
 The next morning, after being again abundantly feasted by the 
 hospitable Mehevi, Toby and myself arose to depart. But the 
 chief requested us to postpone our intention. " Abo, abo" (Wait, 
 wait), he said, and accordingly we resumed our seats, while, 
 assisted by the zealous Kory-Kory, he appeared to be engaged in 
 giving directions to a number of the natives outside, who were 
 busily employed in making arrangements, the nature of which 
 we could not comprehend. But we were not left long in our igno 
 rance, for a few moments only had elapsed, when the chief 
 beckoned us to approach, and we perceived that he had been mi 
 
CHAP, xii.] GUARD OF HONOR. 121 
 
 shalling a kind of guard of honor to escort us on our return to the 
 house of Marheyo. 
 
 The procession was led off by two venerable-looking savages, 
 each provided with a spear, from the end of which streamed a 
 pennon of milk-white tappa. After them went several youths, 
 bearing aloft calabashes of poee-poee ; and followed in their turn 
 by four stalwart fellows, sustaining long bamboos, from the tops 
 of which hung suspended, at least twenty feet from the ground, 
 large baskets of green bread-fruit. Then came a troop of boys, 
 carrying bunches of ripe bananas, and baskets made of the 
 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 feasts, 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 Mar- 
 heyo'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, ancl 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 accom 
 panied us with shouts of merriment and delight, which almost 
 drowned the deep notes of the recitative. On approaching old 
 Marheyo's domicile, its inmates rushed out to receive us; and 
 
 7 
 
122 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xn. 
 
 while the gifts of Mehevi were being disposed of, the superan 
 nuated warrior did the honors of his mansion with all the warmth 
 of hospitality evinced by an English squire when he regales his 
 friends at some fine old patrimonial mansion. 
 
CHAP, xin.] SURGICAL RELIEF WANTED. 123 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 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 impercep 
 tibly. The natives, actuated by some "mysterious impulse, day 
 after day redoubled their attentions 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 defe 
 rential 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 ap 
 peared to be wholly undeserved. 
 
 " Why, they are cannibals !" said Toby on one occasion when 
 I eulogised the tribe. " Granted," 1 replied, " but a more hu 
 mane, 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 con- 
 
124 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xm. 
 
 vinced 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 Nuku- 
 heva, it might easily have been obtained, could I have made my 
 case known to them. But how could that be effected ? 
 
 At last, in the exigency to which I was reduced, I proposed to 
 Toby that he should endeavor 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 favor with the natives to make good our retreat, before 
 we should experience some sudden alteration in their behavior. 
 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 Nu 
 kuheva. 
 
 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 argu 
 ments that I could not answer, urged the improbability of their 
 provoking the hostilities of the clan by any such measure ; espe 
 cially, 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 
 
CHAP. XIIL] THE DEPARTURE OF TOBY. 125 
 
 other part of my plan ; and at last I overcame his scruples, and 
 he agreed to make the attempt. 
 
 As soon as we succeeded in making the natives understand our 
 intention, they broke out into the most vehement opposition to the 
 measure, and for a while I almost despaired of obtaining their 
 consent. At the bare thought of one of us leaving them, they 
 manifested the most lively concern. The grief and consternation 
 of Kory-Kory, in particular, was unbounded ; he threw himself 
 into a perfect paroxysm of gestures, which were intended to con 
 vey to us not only his abhorrence of -Nukuheva and its uncivil 
 ized inhabitants, but also his astonishment that after becoming 
 acquainted with the enlightened Typees, we should evince the 
 least desire to withdraw, even for a time, from their agreeable 
 society. 
 
 However, I overbore his objections by appealing to my lame 
 ness ; 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 rouad 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. 
 
126 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xm. 
 
 In two hours' time the old warrior returned, and gave me to 
 understand that after accompanying my companion a little dis 
 tance, and showing him the route, he had left him journeying on 
 his way. 
 
 It was about noon of this same day, a season which these people 
 are wont to pass in sleep, that I lay in the house, surrounded by 
 its slumbering inmates, and painfully affected by the strange 
 silence which prevailed. All at once I thought I heard a faint 
 shout, as if proceeding from some persons in the depth of the 
 grove which extended in front of our habitation. 
 
 The sounds grew louder and nearer, and gradually the whole 
 valley rang with wild outcries. The sleepers around me started 
 to their feet in alarm, and hurried outside to discover the cause 
 of the commotion. Kory-Kory, who had been the first to spring 
 up, soon returned almost breathless, and nearly frantic with the 
 excitement under which he seemed to be laboring. 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 bear- 
 ing 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 arid air, 
 I bent eagerly over Toby, and, laying my hand upon the breast, 
 
 
CHAP, xm.] TOBY ATTACKED BY HAPPARS. 127 
 
 
 
 ascertained that the heart still beat. Overjoyed at this, I seized 
 a calabash of water, and dashed its contents upon his face, then 
 wiping away the blood, anxiously examined the wound. It was 
 about three inches long, and on removing the clotted hair from 
 about it, showed the skull laid completely bare. Immediately 
 with my knife I cut away the heavy locks, and bathed the part 
 repeatedly in water. 
 
 In a few moments Toby revived, and opening his eyes for a 
 second, closed them again without speaking. Kory-Kory, who 
 had been kneeling beside me, now chafed his limbs gently with 
 the palms of his hands, while a young girl at his head kept fanning 
 him,- and I still continued to moisten his lips and brow. Soon my 
 poor comrade showed signs of animation, and I succeeded in making 
 him swallow from a cocoa-nut shell a few mouthfuls of water. 
 
 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 Hap- 
 par, 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 inti 
 mated 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. 
 

 128 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS, [CHAP, xm 
 
 " 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 appear 
 ance I took to be a chief. They sung out something, I could not 
 understand what, and beckoned me to come on. 
 
 " Without the least hesitation I advanced towards them, and 
 had approached within about a yard of the foremost, when, point 
 ing angrily into the Typee valley, and uttering some savage 
 exclamation, he wheeled round his weapon like lightning, and 
 struck me in a moment to the ground. The blow inflicted this 
 wound, and took away my senses. As soon as I came to myself, 
 I perceived the three islanders standing a little distance off, and 
 apparently engaged in some violent altercation respecting me. 
 
 " My first impulse was to run for it ; but, in endeavoring 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 
 
CHAP, xiii.] TOBY'S ACCOUNT OF THE ATTACK. 129 
 
 obliquely in advance of me. The fellows gave a roar of rage 
 and disappointment ; but they were afraid, I suppose, of coming 
 down further into the Typee valley, and so abandoned the chase. 
 I saw them recover their weapons and turn back ; and I continued 
 my descent as fast as I could. 
 
 " What could have caused this ferocious attack on the part of 
 these Happars I could not imagine, unless it were that they had 
 seen me ascending the mountain with Marheyo, and that the mere 
 fact of coming from the Typee valley was sufficient to provoke 
 them. 
 
 " As long as I was in danger I scarcely felt the wound I had 
 received ; but when the chase was over I began to suffer from it. 
 I had lost my hat in the flight, and the sun scorched my bare 
 head. I felt faint and giddy ; but, fearful of falling to the 
 ground beyond the reach of assistance, I staggered on as well as 
 I could, and at last gained the level of the valley, and then down 
 I sunk ; and I knew nothing more until I found myself lying 
 upon these mats, and you stooping over me with the calabash of 
 water." 
 
 Such was Toby's account of this sad affair. I afterwards 
 learned that fortunately he had fallen close to a spot where the 
 natives go for fuel. A party of them caught sight of him as he 
 fell, and sounding the alarm, had lifted him up ; and after inef 
 fectually endeavoring to restore him at the brook, had hurried for 
 ward with him to the house. 
 
 This incident threw a dark cloud over our prospects. It re 
 minded us that we were hemmed in by hostile tribes, whose terri 
 tories we could not hope to pass, on our route to Nukuheva, with 
 out encountering the effects of their savage resentment. There ap 
 peared 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 
 7* 
 
130 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xm. 
 
 among them; contrasting their own generous reception of us 
 with the animosity of their neighbors. 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 natu 
 ral 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 en 
 deavors by the little knowledge of the language we had acquired, 
 he actually made us comprehend a considerable part of what he 
 said. To facilitate our correct -apprehension of his meaning, he 
 at first condensed his ideas into the smallest possible compass. 
 
 " Happar keekeeno nuee," he exclaimed ; " nuee, nuee, ki ki 
 kannaka ! ah ! owle motarkee !" which signifies, " Terrible fel 
 lows 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 a rapidity that showed he was fearful we 
 would lose one part of his meaning before he could complete the 
 other ; and continuing his illustrations by seizing the fleshy part 
 of my arm in his teeth, intimating by the operation that the peo 
 ple who lived over in that direction would like nothing better than 
 to treat me in that manner. 
 
 Having assured himself that we were fully enlightened on this 
 point, he proceeded to another branch of his subject. " Ah ! 
 Typee motarkee ! nuee, nuee mioree nuee, nuee wai nuee, 
 nuee poee-poee^-nuee, nuee kokoo ah ! nuee, nuee kik! ah ! 
 nuee, nuee, nuee !" Which, literally interpreted as before, would 
 imply, Ah, Typee ! isn't it a fine place though ! no danger of 
 
CHAP, xi.] KORY-KORY'S ELOQUENCE. 131 
 
 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 com 
 mentary of signs and gestures which it was impossible not to 
 comprehend. 
 
 As he continued his harangue, however, Kory-Kory, in emu 
 lation 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. 
 
 I 
 
132 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP, xiv 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 A great Event happens in the Valley The Island Telegraph Some 
 thing 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 a la 
 Typee. 
 
 IN the course of a few days Toby had recovered from the effects 
 of his adventure with the Happar warriors ; the wound on his 
 head rapidly healing under the vegetable treatment of the good 
 Tinor. Less fortunate than my companion, however, I still 
 continued to languish under a complaint the origin and nature of 
 which were still a mystery. Cut off as I was from all inter 
 course 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 im 
 possible for me to leave the valley, whatever opportunity might 
 present itself; and apprehensive that ere long we might be ex 
 posed 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 be 
 lieved, from what was going on among the natives, that there were 
 boats approaching the bay. 
 
CHAP, xiv.] THE ISLAND TELEGRAPH. 133 
 
 These tidings operated upon me like magic. The hour of our 
 deliverance was at hand, and starting up, I was soon convinced 
 that something unusual was about to occur. The word " botee ! 
 botee !" was vociferated in all directions : and shouts were heard 
 in the distance, at first feebly and faintly ; but growing louder 
 and nearer at each successive repetition, until they were caught 
 up by a fellow in a cocoa-nut tree a few yards off, who sounding 
 them in turn, they were reiterated from a neighboring grove, and 
 so died away gradually from point to point, as the intelligence 
 penetrated into the farthest recesses of the valley. This was the 
 vocal telegraph of the islanders ; by means of which condensed 
 items of information could be carried in a very few minutes from the 
 sea to their remotest habitation, a distance of at least eight or nine 
 miles. On the present occasion it was in active operation ; one 
 piece of information following another with inconceivable rapidity. 
 
 The greatest commotion now appeared to prevail. At every 
 fresh item of intelligence the natives betrayed the liveliest in 
 terest, 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 into heaps as they fell ; while others were 
 plying their fingers rapidly in weaving leafen baskets in which to 
 carry the fruit. 
 
 There were other matters too going on at the same time. 
 Here you would see a stout warrior polishing his spear with a bit 
 of old tappa, or adjusting the folds of the girdle about his waist ; 
 and there you might descry a young damsel decorating herself 
 with flowers, as if having in her eye some maidenly conquest ; 
 while, as in all cases of hurry and confusion in every part of tho 
 world, a number of individuals kept hurrying to and fro, with 
 amazing vigor and perseverance, doing nothing themselves, and 
 hindering others. 
 
134 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxr. 
 
 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 be 
 fore 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 ex 
 traordinary 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 neighborhood of the house. The rest of the savages 
 were equally opposed to our wishes, and seemed grieved and asto 
 nished 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 endeavor to appear tranquil or unconcerned, you 
 
CHAP, xiv.] REVIVED HOPES. 135 
 
 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 com 
 panion that I intended to remain, they appeared to make no 
 objection to his proposition, and even hailed it with pleasure. 
 Their singular conduct on this occasion not a little puzzled me 
 at the time, and imparted to subsequent events an additional 
 mystery. 
 
 The islanders were now to be seen hurrying along the path which 
 led to the sea. I shook Toby warmly by the hand, and gave him 
 my Payta hat to shield his wounded head from the sun, as he had 
 lost his own. He cordially returned the pressure of my hand, 
 and solemnly promising to return as soon as the boats should leave 
 the shore, sprang from my side, and the next minute disappeared 
 in a turn of the grove. 
 
 In spite of the unpleasant reflections that crowded upon my 
 mind, I could not but be entertained by the novel and animated 
 sight which now met my view. One after another the natives 
 crowded along the narrow path, laden with every variety of fruit. 
 Here, you might have seen one, who, after ineffectually endeavor 
 ing to persuade a surly porker to be conducted in leading strings, 
 was obliged at last to seize the perverse animal in his arms, and 
 carry him struggling against his naked breast, and squealing 
 without intermission. There went two, who at a little distance 
 might have been taken for the Hebrew spies, on their return to 
 Moses with the goodly bunch of grapes. One trotted before the 
 other at a distance of a couple of yards, while between them, 
 
136 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xiv. 
 
 from a pole resting on their shoulders, was suspended a huge 
 cluster of bananas, which swayed to and fro with the rocking 
 gait at which they proceeded. Here ran another, perspiring 
 with his exertions, and bearing before him a quantity of cocoa- 
 nuts, who, fearful of being too late, heeded not the fruit that 
 dropped from his basket, and appeared solely intent upon reaching 
 his destination, careless how many of his cocoa-nuts kept com 
 pany with him. 
 
 In a short time the last straggler was seen hurrying on his way, 
 and the faint shouts of those in advance died insensibly upon the 
 ear. Our part of the valley now appeared nearly deserted by its 
 inhabitants, Kory-Kory, his aged father, and a few decrepid old 
 people, being all that were left. 
 
 Towards sunset the islanders in small parties began to return 
 from the beach, and among them, as they drew near to the house, 
 I sought to descry the form of my companion. But one after 
 another they passed the dwelling, and I caught no glimpse of him. 
 Supposing, however, that he would soon appear with some of the 
 members of the household, I quieted my apprehensions, and waited 
 patiently to see him advancing in company with the beautiful 
 Fayaway. At last, I perceived Tinor coming forward, followed 
 by the girls and young men who usually resided in the house of 
 Marheyo ; but with them came not my comrade, and, filled with a 
 thousand alarms, I eagerly sought to discover the cause of his delay. 
 
 My earnest questions appeared to embarrass the natives greatly. 
 All their accounts were contradictory : one giving me to under 
 stand that Toby would be with me in a very short time ; another 
 that he did not know where he was ; while a third, violently in 
 veighing 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 endeavored to conceal from 
 me some terrible disaster, lest the knowledge of it should over 
 power me. 
 
CHAP, xiv.] FA YA WAY'S SYMPATHY. 137 
 
 Fearful lest some fatal calamity had overtaken him, I sought 
 out young Fayaway, and endeavored to learn from her, if possible, 
 the truth. 
 
 This gentle being had early attracted my regard, not only from 
 her extraordinary beauty, but from the attractive cast of her 
 countenance, singularly expressive of intelligence and humanity. 
 Of all the natives she alone seemed to appreciate the effect which 
 the peculiarity of the circumstances in which we were placed 
 had produced upon the minds of my companion and myself. In 
 addressing me especially when I lay reclining upon the mats 
 suffering from pain there was a tenderness in her manner which 
 it was impossible to misunderstand or resist. Whenever she en 
 tered the house, the expression of her face indicated the liveliest 
 sympathy for me ; and moving towards the place where I lay, 
 with one arm slightly elevated in a gesture of pity, and her large 
 glistening eyes gazing intently into mine, she would murmur 
 plaintively, " Awha ! awha ! Tommo," and seat herself mourn 
 fully 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 im 
 pulses 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, per 
 haps, never more to behold us. 
 
 In this amiable light did Fayaway appear in my eyes ; and 
 reposing full confidence in her candor 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 an- 
 
138 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xiy. 
 
 swer to give me. At last, yielding to my importunities, she over 
 came 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 re 
 quire, and then, as soon as I recover, there will be no difficulty 
 in the way of our departure. 
 
 Consoling myself with these reflections, I lay down that night 
 in a happier frame of mind than I had done for some time. The 
 next day passed without any allusion to Toby on the part of the 
 natives, who seemed desirous of avoiding all reference to the sub 
 ject. This raised some apprehensions in my breast ; but when 
 night came, I congratulated myself that the second day had now 
 gone by, and that on the morrow Toby would again be with me. 
 But the morrow came and went, and my companion did not ap 
 pear. Ah ! thought I, he reckons three days from the morning 
 of his departure, to-morrow he will arrive. But that weary day 
 also closed upon me, without his return. Even yet I would not 
 despair ; I thought that something detained him that he was 
 waiting for the sailing of a boat, at Nukuheva, and that in a day 
 or two at farthest I should see him again. But day after day of 
 renewed disappointment passed by ; at last hope deserted me, and 
 I fell a victim to despair. 
 
 Yes, thought I, gloomily, he has secured his own escape, and 
 cares not what calamity may befall his unfortunate comrade. 
 Fool that I was, to suppose that any one would willingly encoun 
 ter the perils of this valley, after having once got beyond its 
 limits ! He has gone, and has left me to combat alone all the 
 
CHAP, xiv.] CONDUCT OF THE ISLANDERS. 139 
 
 dangers by which I am surrounded. Thus would I sometimes 
 seek to derive a desperate consolation from dwelling upon the per 
 fidy of Toby : whilst at other times I sunk under the bitter remorse 
 which I felt as having by my own imprudence brought upon my 
 self 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 shudder-ed. 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 re 
 ference 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 un 
 grateful runaway, who had deserted his friend, and taken him 
 self off to that vile and detestable place Nukuheva. 
 
 But whatever might have been his fate, now that he was gone, 
 the natives multiplied their acts of kindness and attention towards 
 myself, treating me with a degree of deference which could hardly 
 have been surpassed had I been some celestial visitant. Kory- 
 Kory never for one moment left my side, unless it were to exe 
 cute 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 sooth 
 ing 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 
 
140 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xiv. 
 
 its summit a shallow cavity, which, filled with freshly-gathered 
 leaves, formed a delightful couch. 
 
 Here I often lay 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 dimi 
 nutive 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 resem 
 bling 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 
 whole body with a fragrant oil, squeezed from a yellow root, pre 
 viously pounded between a couple of stones, and which in their 
 language is denominated " aka." And most refreshing and agree 
 able are the juices of the " aka," when applied to one's limbs 
 by the soft palms of sweet nymphs, whose bright eyes are beam 
 ing upon you with kindness ; and I used to hail with delight the 
 daily recurrence of this luxurious operation, in which I forgot all 
 my troubles, and buried for the time every feeling of sorrow. 
 
CHAP, xiv.] PRODUCING LIGHT A LA TYPEE. 141 
 
 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 cup 
 board at home. 
 
 The islander, placing the larger stick obliquely against some 
 object, with one end elevated at an angle of forty-five degrees, 
 mounts astride of it like an urchin about to gallop off upon a 
 cane, and then grasping the smaller one firmly in both hands, he 
 rubs its pointed end slowly up and down the extent of a few 
 inches on the principal stick, until at last he makes a narrow 
 groove in the wood, with an abrupt termination at the point 
 furthest from him, where all the dusty particles which the friction 
 creates are accumulated in a little heap. 
 
 At first Kory-Kory goes to work quite leisurely, but gradually 
 quickens his pace, and waxing warm in the employment, drives 
 the stick furiously along the smoking channel, plying his hands 
 to and fro with amazing rapidity, the perspiration starting from 
 every pore. As he approaches the climax of his effort, he pants 
 and gasps for breath, and his eyes almost start from their sockets 
 
142 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xiv. 
 
 with the violence of his exertions. This is the critical stage of 
 the operation ; all his previous labors are vain if he cannot sus 
 tain 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 further 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 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, how 
 ever, 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 chil 
 dren and give them all a highly respectable cannibal education, 
 with infinitely less toil and anxiety than he expends in the simple 
 process of striking a light ; whilst a poor European artisan, who 
 through the instrumentality of a lucifer performs the same ope 
 ration in one second, is put to his wit's end to provide for his 
 starving offspring that food which the children of a Polynesian 
 father, without troubling their parents, pluck from the branches 
 of every tree around them. 
 
CHAP, xv.] KINDNESS OF THE ISLANDERS. 143 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 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 kind 
 ness ; 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 sea- weed; 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 rilled with different de 
 scriptions of kemp. In preparing these for use he manifested all 
 the ostentation of a professed cook, although the chief mystery 
 of the affair appeared to consist in pouring water in judicious 
 quantities upon the slimy contents of his cocoa-nut shells. 
 
 The first time he submitted one of these saline salads to my 
 critical attention I naturally thought that anything collected at 
 such pains must possess peculiar merits ; but one mouthful was a 
 complete dose ; and great was the consternation of the old war 
 rior at the rapidity with which I ejected his epicurean treat. 
 
 How true it is, that the rarity of any particular article en- 
 
144 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xv. 
 
 hances its value amazingly. In some part of the valley I know 
 not where, but probably in the neighborhood 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 labors 
 of a party of five or six employed for the greater part of the 
 day. This precious commodity they brought to the house, en 
 veloped in multitudinous folds of leaves ; and as a special mark 
 of the esteem in which they held me, would spread an immense 
 leaf on the ground, and dropping one by one a few minute par 
 ticles of the salt upon it, invite me to taste them. 
 
 From the extravagant value placed upon the article, I verily 
 believe, that with a bushel of common Liverpool salt all the real 
 estate in Typee might have been purchased. With a small pinch 
 of it in one hand, arid 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 land 
 scape 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 com- 
 parison with this tree. 
 
CHAP, xv.] DESCRIPTION OF THE BREAD-FRUIT. 145 
 
 The leaf, in one particular stage, when nearly all the prismatic 
 colors 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 ap 
 pearance 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 pre 
 sents 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 alto 
 gether 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 the 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 
 flavor. 
 
 Sometimes after having been roasted in the fire, the natives 
 snatch it briskly from the embers, and permitting it to slip out of 
 
 8 
 
146 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xv. 
 
 the yielding rind into a vessel of cold water, stir up the mixture, 
 which they call " bo-a-sho." I never could endure this com 
 pound, 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 mor 
 tar, and briskly worked with a pestle of the same substance. 
 While one person is performing this operation, another takes a 
 ripe cocoa-nut, and breaking it in half, which they also do very 
 cleverly, proceeds to grate the juicy meat into fine particles. 
 This is done by means of a piece of mother-of-pearl shell, lashed 
 firmly to the extreme end of a heavy stick, with its straight side 
 accurately notched like a saw. The stick is sometimes a gro 
 tesquely-formed limb of a tree, with three or four branches twist 
 ing from its body like so many shapeless legs, and sustaining it 
 two or three feet from the ground. 
 
 The native, first placing a calabash beneath the nose, as it 
 were, of his curious-looking log-steed, for the purpose of receiv 
 ing 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 hemi 
 spheres of cocoa-nut around the sharp teeth of the mother-of-pearl 
 shell, the pure white meat falls in snowy showers into the recep 
 tacle provided. Having obtained a quantity sufficient for his 
 purpose, he places it in a bag made of the neUike fibrous sub- 
 stance 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 peep 
 ing above its surface. 
 
 This preparation is called " kokoo," and a most luscious pre 
 paration it is. The hobby-horse and the pestle and mortar were 
 
CHAP, xv.] MODES OF PREPARING BREAD-FRUIT. 147 
 
 in great requisition during the time I remained in the house of 
 Marheyo, and Kory-Kory had frequent occasion to show his skill 
 in their use. 
 
 But the great staple articles of food into which the bread-fruit is 
 converted by these natives are known respectively by the names 
 of Amar and Poee-Poee. 
 
 At a certain season of the year, when the fruit of the hundred 
 groves of the valley has reached its maturity, and hangs in 
 golden spheres from every branch, the islanders assemble in 
 harvest groups, and garner in the abundance which surrounds 
 them. The trees are stripped of their nodding burdens, which, 
 easily freed from the rind and core, are gathered together in ca 
 pacious wooden vessels, where the pulpy fruit is soon worked by 
 a stone pestle, vigorously applied, into a blended mass of a doughy 
 consistency, called by the natives " Tutao." This is then divid 
 ed 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-colored caky^substance, 
 a little tart, but not at all disagreeable to the taste. 
 
148 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP, xv, 
 
 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 prepara 
 tion, 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 pre 
 served 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 Sand 
 wich Islands, and then only of a very inferior quality, and at 
 Tahiti does not abound to a degree that renders its fruit the 
 principal article of frood, attains its greatest excellence in the 
 genial climate of the Marquesan group, where it grows to an 
 enormous magnitude, and flourishes in the utmost abundance. 
 
CHAP, xvi.] MELANCHOLY CONDITION. 149 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 __ Melancholy condition Occurrence at the Ti Anecdote of Marheyo 
 Shaving the head of a warrior 
 
 IN looking back to this period, and calling to remembrance the 
 numberless proofs of kindness and respect which I received from 
 the natives of the valley, I can scarcely understand how it was 
 that, in the midst of so many consolatory circumstances, *ny 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 dis 
 trust 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, 
 4*%4iich 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 
 
160 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. *vt. 
 
 hinder me from availing myself of any opportunity of escaping 
 from the valley. 
 
 An incident which occurred as nearly as I can estimate about 
 three weeks after the disappearance of Toby, convinced me that 
 the natives, from some reason or other, would interpose every 
 possible obstacle to my leaving them. 
 
 One morning there was no little excitement evinced by the 
 people near my abode, and which I soon discovered proceeded 
 from a vague report that boats had been seen at a great distance 
 approaching the bay. Immediately all was bustle and anima 
 tion. 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 de 
 scribed 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 an 
 nouncement 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 N 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 heed- 
 
 
CHAP, xvi.] OCCURRENCE AT THE TI. 151 
 
 less of his request, I was brushing past him, when suddenly he 
 assumed a tone of authority, and told me to " moee " (sit down). 
 Though struck by the alteration in his demeanor, the excitement 
 under which I labored 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 re 
 strain me, when the natives around started to their feet, ranged them 
 selves along the open front of the building, while Mehevi looked at 
 me scowlingly, and reiterated his commands still more sternly. 
 
 It was at this moment, when fifty savage countenances were 
 glaring upon me, that I first truly experienced I was indeed a 
 captive in the valley. The conviction rushed upon me with 
 staggering force, and I was overwhelmed by this confirmation of 
 my worst fears. I saw at once that it was useless for me to 
 resist, and sick at heart, I reseated myself upon the mats, and for 
 the moment abandoned myself to despair. 
 
 I now perceived the natives one after the other hurrying past 
 the Ti and pursuing the route that conducted to the sea. These 
 savages, thought I, will soon be holding communication with 
 some of my own countrymen perhaps, who with ease could 
 restore me to liberty did they know of the situation I was in. No 
 language can describe the wretchedness which I felt ; and in the 
 bitterness of my soul I imprecated a thousand curses on the perfi 
 dious 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. 
 
152 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xvi. 
 
 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 parti 
 cular they sought to allay the violence of my grief. However 
 that might be, this incident showed plainly that the Typees 
 intended to hold me a prisoner. As they still treated me -with 
 the same sedulous attention as before, I was utterly at a loss how 
 to account for their singular conduct. Had I been in a situation 
 to instruct them in any of the rudiments of the mechanic arts, 
 or had I manifested a disposition to render myself in any way 
 useful among them, their conduct might have been attributed to 
 some adequate motive, but as it was, the matter seemed to me 
 inexplicable. 
 
 During my whole stay on the island there occurred but two 
 or three instances where the natives applied to me with the view 
 of availing themselves of my superior information ; and these 
 now appear so ludicrous that I cannot forbear relating them. 
 
 The few things we had brought from Nukuheva had been done 
 up into a small bundle which we had carried with us in our 
 descent to the valley. This bundle, the first night of our arrival, 
 I had used as a pillow, but on the succeeding morning, opening it 
 for the inspection of the natives, they gazed upon the miscellane 
 ous 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 any 
 thing 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 
 
CHAP, xvi.] DRESSES .IN NATIVE STYLE. 153 
 
 supply of needles and thread, a pound or two of tobacco, and a 
 few yards of a bright-colored calico. 
 
 I should have mentioned that shortly after Toby's disappear 
 ance, perceiving the uncertainty of the time I might be obliged to 
 remain in the valley if, indeed, I ever should escape from it 
 and considering that my whole wardrobe consisted of a shirt and 
 a pair of trousers, I resolved to doff these garments at once, in 
 order to preserve them in a suitable condition for wear should I 
 again appear among civilized beings. I was consequently obliged 
 to assume the Typee costume, a little altered, however, to suit 
 my own views of propriety, and in which I have no doubt I 
 appeared to as much advantage as a senator of Rome enveloped 
 in the folds of his toga. A few folds of yellow tappa tucked about 
 my waist, descended to my feet in the style of a lady's petticoat, 
 only I did not have recourse to those voluminous paddings in the 
 rear with which our gentle dames are in the habit of augmenting 
 the sublime rotundity of their figures. This usually comprised 
 my in-door dress : whenever I walked out, I superadded to it an 
 ample robe of the same material, which completely enveloped my 
 person, and screened it from the rays of the sun. 
 
 One morning I made a rent in this mantle ; and to show the 
 islanders with what facility it could be repaired, I lowered my 
 bundle, and taking from it a needle and thread, proceeded to stitch 
 up the opening. They regarded this \vonderful 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 beacK 1 
 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 
 
 8* 
 
154 RESIDENCE IN THE IV1A.RQUESAS. [CHAP. xvi. 
 
 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 armor. 
 
 I never used my razor duiing 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 per- 
 ceived the advantage my razor possessed over the usual imple 
 ment. Accordingly, one day he requested as a personal favor 
 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 no 
 thing 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 
 
CHAP, xvi.] SHAVING A CHIEF'S HEAD. 155 
 
 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. 
 
156 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xvn. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Improvement in health and spirits Felicity of the Typees Their enjoy 
 ments compared with those of more enlightened communities Compara 
 tive wickedness of civilized and unenlightened people A skirmish in 
 the mountain with the warriors of Happar. 
 
 DAY after day wore on, and still there was no perceptible change 
 in the conduct of the Islanders 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 com- 
 pany 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, 1 
 gave up the idea. It was in vain to think of reaching it by 
 
CHAP, xvii.] CIVILIZED AND SAVAGE LIFE CONTRASTED. 157 
 
 stealth, since the natives escorted me in numbers wherever I 
 went, and not for one single moment that I can recall to mind 
 was I ever permitted to be alone. 
 
 The green and precipitous elevations that stood ranged around 
 the head of the vale where Marheyo's habitation was situated 
 effectually precluded all hope of escape in that quarter, even if I 
 could have stolen away from the thousand eyes of the savages. 
 
 But these reflections now seldom obtruded upon me ; I gave 
 myself up to the passing hour, and if ever disagreeable thoughts 
 arose in my mind, I drove them away. When I looked around 
 the verdant recess in which I was buried, and gazed up to the 
 summits of the lofty eminence that hemmed me in, I was well 
 disposed to think that I was in the " Happy Valley," and that 
 beyond those heights there was naught but a world of care and 
 anxiety. 
 
 As I extended my wanderings in the valley and grew more 
 familiar with the habits of its inmates, I was fain to confess that, 
 despite the disadvantages of his condition, the Polynesian savage, 
 surrounded by all the luxurious provisions of nature, enjoyed an 
 infinitely happier, though certainly a less intellectual existence, 
 than the self-complacent European. 
 
 The naked wretch who shivers beneath the bleak skies, and 
 starves among the inhospitable wilds of Terra-del-Fuego, might 
 indeed be made happier by civilisation, for it would alleviate his 
 physical wants. But the voluptuous Indian, with every desire 
 supplied, whom Providence has bountifully provided with all the 
 sources of pure and natural enjoyment, and from whom are 
 removed so many of the ills and pains of life what has he to 
 desire at the hands of Civilisation 1 She may " cultivate his 
 mind," may " elevate his thoughts," these I believe are the 
 established phrases but will he be the happier ? Let the once 
 smiling and populous Hawaiian islands, with their now diseased, 
 starving, and dying natives, answer the question. The mission- 
 
158 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP, xvn 
 
 aries may seek to disguise the matter as they will, but the facts 
 are incontrovertible ; and the devoutest Christian who visits that 
 group with an unbiased mind, must go away mournfully asking 
 " Are these, alas ! the fruits of twenty-five years of enlight 
 ening ? " 
 
 In a primitive state of society, the enjoyments of life, though 
 few and simple, are spread over a great extent, and are unal 
 loyed ; but Civilisation, for every advantage she imparts, holds 
 a hundred evils in reserve ; the heart-burnings, the jealousies, 
 the social rivalries, the family dissensions, and the thousand self- 
 inflicted discomforts of refined life, which make up in units the 
 swelling aggregate of human misery, are unknown among these 
 unsophisticated people. 
 
 But it will be urged that these shocking unprincipled wretches 
 are cannibals. Very true ; and a rather bad trait in their cha 
 racter it must be allowed. But they are such only when they 
 seek to gratify the passion of revenge upon their enemies ; and I 
 ask whether the mere eating of human flesh so very far exceeds 
 in barbarity that custom which only a few years since was prac 
 tised in enlightened England : a convicted traitor, perhaps a 
 man found guilty of honesty, patriotism, and suchlike heinous 
 crimes, had his head lopped off* with a huge axe, his bowels 
 dragged out and thrown into a fire ; while his body, carved into 
 four quarters, was with his head exposed upon pikes, and permit 
 ted to rot and fester among the public haunts of men ! 
 
 The fiend-like skill we display in the invention of all manner 
 of death-dealing engines, the vindictiveness with which we parry 
 on our wars, and the misery and desolation that follow in their 
 train, are enough of themselves to distinguish the white civilized 
 man as the most ferocious animal on the face of the earth. 
 
 His remorseless cruelty is seen in many of the institutions of 
 our own favored land. There is one in particular lately adopted 
 in one of the States of the Union, which purports to have been 
 
CHAP, xvii.] THEIR HAPPINESS. 159 
 
 dictated by the most merciful considerations. To destroy our 
 malefactors piece-meal, drying up in their veins, drop by drop, 
 the blood we are too chicken-hearted to shed by a single blow 
 which would at once put a period to their sufferings, is deemed 
 to be infinitely preferable to the old-fashioned punishment of gib 
 beting much less annoying to the victim, and more in accord 
 ance with the refined spirit of the age ; and yet how feeble is all 
 language to describe the horrors we inflict upon these wretches, 
 whom we mason up in the cells of our prisons, and condemn to 
 perpetual solitude in the very heart of our population ! 
 
 But it is needless to multiply the examples of civilized bar 
 barity ; they far exceed in the amount of misery they cause the 
 crimes which we regard with such abhorrence in our less en 
 lightened fellow-creatures. 
 
 The term " Savage " is, 1 conceive, often misapplied, and in 
 deed, when I consider the vices, cruelties, and enormities of every 
 kind that spring up in the tainted atmosphere of a feverish civi 
 lisation, I am inclined to think that so far as the relative wicked 
 ness of the parties is concerned, four or five Marquesan Islanders 
 sent to the United States as Missionaries, might be quite as useful 
 as an equal number of Americans despatched to the Islands in a 
 similar capacity. 
 
 I once heard it given as an instance of the frightful depravity 
 of a certain tribe in the Pacific, that they had no word in their 
 language to express the idea of virtue. The assertion was 
 unfounded ; but were it otherwise, it might be met by stating that 
 their language is almost entirely destitute of terms to express 
 the delightful ideas conveyed by our endless catalogue of civilized 
 crimes. 
 
 In the altered frame of mind to which I have referred, every 
 object that presented itself to my notice in the valley struck me 
 in a new light, and the opportunities I now enjoyed of observing 
 the manners of its inmates, tended to strengthen my favorable 
 
160 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xvn. 
 
 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 honor 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 debtors' 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 melan 
 choly young men, no blubbering youngsters, and no squalling 
 brats. All was mirth, fun, and high good humor. Blue devils, 
 hypochondria, and doleful dumps, went and hid themselves among 
 the nooks and crannies of the rocks. 
 
 Here you would see a parcel of children frolicking together the 
 live-long day, and no quarrelling, no contention, among them. 
 The same number in our own land could not have played together 
 for the space of an hour without biting or scratching one another. 
 There you might have seen a throng of young females, not filled 
 with envyings of each other's charms, nor displaying the ridicu 
 lous affectations of gentility, nor yet moving in whalebone corsets, 
 
CHAP, xvii.] THEIR AMUSEMENTS. 161 
 
 like so many automatons, but free, inartificially happy, and un 
 constrained. 
 
 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 honor 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 polish- 
 ing 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 de 
 meanor, journeying occasionally from house to house, where they 
 were always sure to be received with the attention bestowed upon 
 distinguished guests. The old men, of whom there were many in 
 the vale, seldom stirred from their mats, where they would recline 
 for hours and hours, smoking and talking to one another with all 
 the garrulity of age. 
 
 But the continual happiness, which so far as I was able to judge 
 appeared to prevail in the valley, sprung principally from that all- 
 pervading sensation which Rousseau has told us he at one time 
 experienced, the mere buoyant sense of a healthful physical exist 
 ence. And indeed in this particular the Typees had ample reason 
 to felicitate themselves, for sickness was almost unknown. During 
 the whole period of my stay I saw but one invalid among them ; 
 and on their smooth clear skins you observed no blemish or mark 
 of disease. 
 
 The general repose, however, upon which I have just been 
 descanting, was broken in upon about this time by an event 
 which proved that the islanders were not entirely exempt from 
 
162 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xvn. 
 
 those occurrences which disturb the quiet of more civilized com 
 munities. 
 
 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 mani 
 fold injuries they had received at their hands, yet with a forbear 
 ance 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 to 
 wards 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 clamors 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 ter 
 rible stories I have heard about the inveteracy with which they 
 carried on the feud, their deadly intensity of hatred, and the dia 
 bolical malice with which they glutted their revenge upon the 
 inanimate forms of the slain, are nothing more than fables, and I 
 must confess that I experienced something like a sense of regret 
 at having my hideous anticipations thus disappointed. I felt in 
 some sort like a 'prentice boy who, going to the play in the ex 
 pectation of being delighted with a cut-and-thrust tragedy, is 
 almost moved to tears of disappointment at the exhibition of a 
 genteel comedy. 
 
 I could not avoid thinking that I had fallen in with a greatly 
 
. xvn.] A CONFLICT. 163 
 
 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 prema 
 ture in coming to this conclusion. One day about noon, happen 
 ing to be at the Ti, I had lain down on the mats with several of 
 >he 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 disap 
 peared 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 clamors, 
 as they invariably do here as elsewhere on every occasion of ex 
 citement 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 perse 
 verance, that for awhile, had entire volleys of musketry been fired 
 off in the neighboring mountains, I should not have been able to 
 have heard them. 
 
 When this female commotion had a little subsided I listened 
 eagerly for further information. At last bang went another shot, 
 and then a second volley of yells from the hills. Again all was 
 quiet, and continued so for such a length of time that I began to 
 think the contending armies had agreed upon a suspension of hos 
 tilities ; when pop went a third gun, followed as before with a 
 yell. After this, for nearly two hours nothing occurred worthy 
 
164 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP, xvn 
 
 of comment, save some straggling shouts from the hill-side, sound 
 ing like the halloos of a parcel of truant boys who had lost them 
 selves in the woods. 
 
 During this interval I had remained standing on the piazza of 
 the " Ti," which directly fronted the Happar mountain, and with 
 no one near me but Kory-Kory and the old superannuated savages 
 I have before described. These latter never stirred from their 
 mats, and seemed altogether unconscious that anything unusual 
 was going on. 
 
 As for Kory-Kory, he appeared to think that we were in the 
 midst of great events, and sought most zealously to impress me 
 with a due sense of their importance. Every sound that reached 
 us conveyed some momentous item of intelligence to him. At 
 such times, as if he were gifted with second sight, he would go 
 through a variety of pantomimic illustrations, showing me the 
 precise manner in which the redoubtable Typees were at that 
 very moment chastising the insolence of the enemy. " Mehevi 
 hanna pippee nuee Happar," he exclaimed every five minutes, 
 giving me to understand that under that distinguished captain the 
 warriors of his nation were performing prodigies of valor. 
 
 Having heard only four reports from the muskets, I was led to 
 believe that they were worked by the islanders in the same man 
 ner 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 con 
 cluded that the contest had been determined one way or the other. 
 Such appeared, indeed, to be the case, for in a little while a cou 
 rier arrived at the " Ti," almost breathless with his exertions, 
 and communicated the news of a great victory having been 
 achieved by his countrymen : " Happar poo arva ! Happar poo 
 arva !" (the cowards had fled). Kory-Kory was in ecstasies, and 
 commenced a vehement harangue, which, so far as I understood 
 it, implied that the result exactly agreed with his expectations, 
 
CHAP, xvn.] THE RESULT. 165 
 
 and which, moreover, was intended to convince me that it would 
 be a perfectly useless undertaking, even for an army of fire-eat 
 ers, 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 Bona- 
 partean 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 enenty 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 he not made a descent into the hostile 
 vale, and brought away some trophy of his victory some mate 
 rials for the cannibal entertainment which I had heard usually 
 terminated every engagement ? After all, I was much inclined 
 to believe that these shocking festivals must occur very rarely 
 among the islanders, if, indeed, they ever take place. 
 
166 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xvn. 
 
 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. 
 
 END OF PART I. 
 
 
WILEY & PUTNAM'S 
 
 LIBRARY OF 
 
 AMERICAN BOOKS. : 
 T YP E E: ' 
 
 A PEEP AT POLYNESIAN LIFE. 
 
 PART II. 
 
NOW PUBLISHING 
 
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 LIBRARY OF AMERICAN BOOKS. 
 
 JOURNAL OF AN AFRICAN CRUISER. Edited by NATHANIEL 
 
 HAWTHORNE. 
 
 TALES. By EDGAR A. POE. 
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 March, 1846. 
 
T YP E E: 
 
 A PEEP AT POLYNESIAN LIFE. 
 
 DURING A 
 
 FOUR MONTHS' RESIDENCE 
 
 A VALLEY OF THE MARQUESAS; 
 
 WITH NOTICES OF THE FRENCH OCCUPATION OF TAHITI AND 
 
 THE PROVISIONAL CESSION OF THE SANDWICH 
 
 ISLANDS TO LORD PAULET. 
 
 BY HERMAN MELVILLE. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 WILEY AND PUTNAM. 
 
 LONDON: 
 JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. 
 
 1846. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1846, by 
 
 WILEY & PUTNAM, 
 
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 District of New- York. 
 
 CRAIOHBAD'S Power Press. 
 112 Fulton Street 
 
 T. B. SMITH, Stereotype! 
 230 William Street. 
 
RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS, 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Swimming in company with the Girls of the Valley A Canoe Effects of 
 the Taboo A pleasure Excursion on the Pond Beautiful freak of Fay- 
 away Mantua-making A Stranger arrives in the Valley His mysteri 
 ous conduct Native Oratory The Interview Its Results Departure 
 of the Stranger. 
 
 RETURNING health and peace of mind gave a new interest to every 
 thing 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 some 
 times 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 sym 
 metrical 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 pro 
 pelled themselves through the water, and their familiarity with 
 
 9 
 
168 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xvin. 
 
 the element, were truly astonishing. Sometimes they might be seen 
 gliding along just under the surface, without apparently moving 
 hand or foot ; then throwing themselves on their sides, they darted 
 through the water, revealing glimpses of their forms, as, in the 
 course of their rapid progress, they shot for an instant partly into 
 the air ; at one moment they dived deep down into the water, and 
 the next they rose bounding to the surface. 
 
 I remember upon one occasion plunging in among a parcel of 
 these river-nymphs, and counting vainly on my superior strength, 
 sought to drag some of them under the water ; but I quickly 
 repented my temerity. The amphibious young creatures swarm 
 ed about me like a shoal of dolphins, and seizing hold of my 
 devoted limbs, tumbled me about and ducked me under the surface, 
 until from the strange noises which rang in my ears, and the 
 supernatural visions dancing before my eyes, I thought I was in 
 the land of spirits. I stood indeed as little chance among them 
 as a cumbrous whale attacked on all sides by a legion of sword- 
 fish. When at length they relinquished their hold of me, they 
 swam away in every direction, laughing at my clumsy endeavors 
 to reach them. 
 
 There was no boat on the lake ; but at my solicitation and for 
 my special use, some of the young men attached to Marheyo's 
 household, under the direction of the indefatigable Kory-Kory, 
 brought up a light and tastefully carved canoe from the sea. It 
 was launched upon the sheet of water, and floated there as grace 
 fully 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, ac 
 companied me in my excursions to the lake, and while I paddled 
 about in my light canoe, would swim after me shouting and gam- 
 
CHAP, xvm ] THE TABOO RELAXED. 169 
 
 boiling in pursuit. But I was ever partial to what is termed in 
 the " Young Men's Own Book" " the society of virtuous and in 
 telligent young ladies;" and in the absence of the mermaids, the 
 amusement became dull and insipid. One morning I expressed 
 to my faithful servitor my desire for the return of the nymphs. 
 The honest fellow looked at me bewildered for a moment, and then 
 shook his head solemnly, and murmured " taboo f taboo /" giving 
 me to understand that unless the canoe was removed, I could not 
 expect to have the young ladies back again. But to this procedure 
 I was averse ; I not only wanted the canoe to stay where it was, 
 but I wanted the beauteous Fayaway to get into it, and paddle 
 with me about the lake. This latter proposition completely horri 
 fied Kory-Kory's notions of propriety. He inveighed against it, 
 as something too monstrous to be thought of. It not only shock 
 ed their established notions of propriety, but was at variance with 
 all their religious ordinances. 
 
 However, although the " taboo" was a ticklish thing to meddle 
 with, I determined to test its capabilities of resisting an attack. 
 I consulted the chief Mehevi, who endeavored to persuade me 
 from jmy 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 exposi 
 tion of the history and nature of the "taboo" as affecting this par 
 ticular 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 
 
170 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xvm. 
 
 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 gal 
 lantry, and I trust that the example I set them may produce 
 beneficial effects. Ridiculous, indeed, that the lovely creatures 
 should be obliged to paddle about in the water, like so many 
 ducks, while a parcel of great strapping fellows skimmed over its 
 surface in their canoes. 
 
 The first day after Fayaway's emancipation, I had a delightful 
 little party on the lake the damsel, Kory-Kory, and myself. My 
 zealous body-servant brought from the house a calabash of poee- 
 poee, half a dozen young cocoa-nuts stripped of their husks 
 three pipes, as many yams, and me on his back a part of the way. 
 Something of a load ; but Kory-Kory was a very strong man for 
 his size, and by no means brittle in the spine. We had a very 
 pleasant day ; my trusty valet plied the paddle and swept us 
 gently along the margin of the water, beneath the shades of the 
 overhanging thickets. Fayaway and I reclined in the stern of the 
 canoe, on the very best terms possible with one another ; the gen 
 tle nymph occasionally placing her pipe to her lip, and exhaling 
 the mild fumes of the tobacco, to which her rosy breath added a 
 fresh perfume. Strange as it may seem, there is nothing in which 
 a young and beautiful female appears to more advantage than in 
 the act of smoking. How captivating is a Peruvian lady, swing 
 ing in her gaily- woven hammock of grass, extended between two 
 orange-trees, and inhaling the fragrance of a choice cigarro ! 
 But Fayaway, holding in her delicately-formed olive hand the 
 long yellow reed of her pipe, with its quaintly carved bowl, and 
 every few moments languishingly giving forth light wreaths of 
 vapor from her mouth and nostrils, looked still more engaging. 
 
 We floated about thus for several hours, when I looked up to 
 the warm, glowing, tropical sky, and then down into the transpa- 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
CHAP, xvin.] BEAUTIFUL LAKE. 171 
 
 rent depths below ; and when my eye, wandering from the be 
 witching scenery around, fell upon the grotesquely-tattooed form 
 of Kory-Kory, and finally encountered the pensive gaze of Faya- 
 way, 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 val 
 ley, and I now made it a place of continual resort during the hot 
 test 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 sum 
 mits, and was sometimes driven down the steep ravine and swept 
 across the valley, ruffling in its passage the otherwise tranquil 
 surface of the lake. 
 
 One day, after we had been paddling about for some time, I 
 disembarked Kory-Kory, and paddled the canoe to the windward 
 side of the lake. As I turned the canoe, Fayaway, who was with 
 me, seemed all at once to be struck with some happy idea. With 
 a wild exclamation of delight, she disengaged from her person the 
 ample robe of tappa which was knotted over her shoulder (for the 
 purpose of shielding her from the sun), and spreading it out like 
 a sail, stood erect with upraised arms in the head of the canoe. 
 We American sailors pride ourselves upon our straight clean 
 spars, but a prettier little mast than Fayaway made was never 
 shipped aboard of any craft. 
 
 In a moment the tappa was distended by the breeze the long 
 brown tresses of Fayaway streamed in the air and the canoe 
 glided rapidly through the water, and shot 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 alight spring, 
 alighted on the ground ; whilst Kory-Kory, who had watched our 
 manoeuvres with admiration, now clapped his hands in transport, 
 
172 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xvm. 
 
 and shouted like a madman. Many a time afterwards was this 
 feat repeated. 
 
 If the reader have not observed ere this that I was the declared 
 admirer of Miss Fayaway, all I can say is, that he is little con 
 versant 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 I made a dress for this lovely girl. In it 
 she looked, I must confess, something like an opera-dancer. The 
 drapery of the latter damsel generally commences a little above 
 the elbows, but my island beauty's began at the waist, and termi 
 nated sufficiently far above the ground to reveal the most be 
 witching ankle in the universe. 
 
 The day that Fayaway first wore this robe was rendered me 
 morable 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 com 
 municated the astounding tidings, " Marnoo pemi !" which being 
 interpreted, implied that an individual by the name of Marnoo 
 was approaching. My worthy old friend evidently expected that 
 this intelligence would produce a great effect upon me, and for a 
 time he stood earnestly regarding me, as if curious to see how 1 
 should conduct myself, but as I remained perfectly unmoved, the 
 old gentleman darted out of the house again, in as great a hurry 
 as he had entered it. 
 
 " Marnoo, Marnoo," cogitated I, " I have never heard that 
 name before. Some distinguished character, I presume, from the 
 prodigious riot the natives are making ;" the tumultuous noise 
 drawing nearer and nearer every moment, while " Marnoo ! 
 Marnoo !" was shouted by every tongue. 
 
 I made up my mind that some savage warrior of consequence, 
 
CHAP, xvin.] A NEW ACQUAINTANCE. 173 
 
 who had not yet enjoyed the honor 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 re 
 minded 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 favorable 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 dis 
 posed alternately, were the graceful branches drooping with 
 leaves all correctly drawn, and elaborately finished. Indeed, this 
 
174 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xvm. 
 
 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 sug 
 gested 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 refer- 
 ence 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-color 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 tas 
 sels, 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-humoredly 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 demeanor, 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 prof 
 fered 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 further end of the long couch that 
 traversed the sole apartment of Marheyo's habitation. 
 
 Had the belle of the season, in the pride of her beauty and 
 power, been cut in a place of public resort by some supercilious 
 exquisite, she could not have felt greater indignation than I did 
 at this unexpected slight. 
 
 1 was thrown into utter astonishment. The conduct of the 
 savages had prepared me to anticipate from every new comer the 
 
CHAP, xvm.] MARNOO'S HARANGUE. 175 
 
 same extravagant expressions of curiosity and regard. The sin 
 gularity 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 prin 
 ciple 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 en 
 chained 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 " Nuku- 
 heva " and " France " (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 neigh 
 boring bays. But how he had gained the knowledge of these 
 matters I could not understand, unless it were that he had just 
 come from Nukuheva a supposition which his travel-stained 
 appearance not a little supported. But, if a native of that region, 
 I could not account for his friendly reception at the hands of the 
 Typees. 
 
 o* 
 
176 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. XVIIL 
 
 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 mo 
 ment reclining sideways upon the mat, and leaning calmly upon 
 his bended arm, he related circumstantially the aggressions of the 
 French their hostile visits to the surrounding bays, enumerating 
 each one in succession Happar, Puerka, Nukuheva, Tior, and 
 then starting to his feet and precipitating himself forward with 
 clenched hands and a countenance distorted with passion, he 
 poured out a tide of invectives. Falling back into an attitude of 
 lofty command, he exhorted the Typees to resist these encroach 
 ments ; 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 won 
 drous 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 trem 
 bling 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 vehe 
 ment 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 humor 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 
 
CHAP, xvni.] MORE PERPLEXTIES. 177 
 
 to another, gave utterance to some hasty witticism, which was 
 sure to be followed by peals of laughter. To the females, as 
 well as to the men, he addressed his discourse. Heaven only 
 knows what he said to them, but he caused smiles and blushes to 
 mantle their ingenuous faces. I am, indeed, very much inclined 
 to believe that Marnoo, with his handsome person and captivat 
 ing manners, was a sad deceiver among the simple maidens of 
 the island. 
 
 During all this time he had never, for one moment, deigned to 
 regard me. He appeared, indeed, to be altogether unconscious 
 of my presence. I was utterly at a loss how to account for this 
 extraordinary conduct. I easily perceived that he was a man of 
 no little consequence among the islanders ; that he possessed un 
 common talents ; and was gifted with a higher degree of know 
 ledge 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 in 
 fluence 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 pos 
 sibly, if belonging to any of these, be received with so much 
 cordiality 1 
 
 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 con 
 trary were considered the indispensable distinctions of a Mar- 
 quesan warrior. Altogether the matter was perfectly incompre 
 hensible 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 
 
178 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xvm. 
 
 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 sur 
 prise, when he suddenly turned round, and, with a most benig 
 nant countenance, extended his right hand gracefully towards me. 
 Of course I accepted the courteous challenge, and, as soon as our 
 palms met, he bent towards me, and murmured in musical ac 
 cents, " How you do ?" " How long you been in this bay ?" 
 " You like this bay ?" 
 
 Had I been pierced simultaneously by three Happar spears, I 
 could not have started more than I did at hearing these simple 
 questions ! For a moment I was overwhelmed with astonish 
 ment, 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 informa 
 tion 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 every 
 where, nobody harm me, me taboo." 
 
 This explanation would have been altogether unintelligible to 
 me, had it not recalled to my mind something I had previously 
 heard concerning a singular custom among these islanders. 
 Though the country is possessed by various tribes, whose mutual 
 hostilities almost wholly preclude any intercourse between them ; 
 yet there are instances where a person having ratified friendly 
 relations with some individual belonging to the valley, whose in- 
 
CHAP, xviii.] AN INTERVIEW 179 
 
 mates are at war with his own, may, under particular restrictions, 
 venture with impunity into the country of his friend, where, 
 under other circumstances, he would have been treated as an 
 enemy. In this light are personal friendships regarded among 
 them, and the individual so protected is said to be "taboo," and 
 his person, to a certain extent, is held as sacred. Thus the 
 stranger informed me he had access to all the valleys in the island. 
 
 Curious to know how he had acquired his knowledge of Eng 
 lish, I questioned him on the subject. At first, for some reason 
 or other, he evaded the inquiry, but afterwards told me that, when 
 a boy, he had been carried to sea by the captain of a trading ves 
 sel, with whom he had stayed three years, living part of the time 
 with him at Sidney, in Australia, and that, at a subsequent visit 
 to the island, the captain had, at his own request, permitted him 
 to remain among his countrymen. The natural quickness of the 
 savage had been wonderfully improved by his intercourse with 
 the white men, and his partial knowledge of a foreign language 
 gave him a great ascendency over his less accomplished coun 
 trymen. 
 
 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 ve'rsion 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 
 
130 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xvm. 
 
 absence, yet unaccounted for, of my comrade, he endeavored to 
 change the subject, as if it were something he desired not to agi 
 tate. It seemed, indeed, as if everything connected with Toby 
 was destined to beget distrust and anxiety in my bosom. Not- 
 withstanding Marnoo's denial of any knowledge of his fate, I 
 could not avoid suspecting that he was deceiving me ; and this 
 suspicion revived those frightful apprehensions with regard to 
 my own fate, which, for a short time past, had subsided in my 
 breast. 
 
 Influenced by these feelings, I now felt a strong desire to avail 
 myself of the stranger's protection, and under his safeguard to 
 return to Nukuheva. But as soon as I hinted at this, he unhesi 
 tatingly pronounced it to be entirely impracticable; assuring me 
 that the Typees would never consent to my leaving the valley. 
 Although what he said merely confirmed the impression which I 
 had before entertained, still it increased my anxiety to escape from 
 a captivity, which, however endurable, nay, delightful it might be 
 in some respects, involved in its issues a fate marked by the most 
 frightful contingencies. 
 
 I could not conceal from my mmd that Toby had been treated 
 in the same friendly manner as I had been, and yet all their kind 
 ness 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 colors the impossibility of my escape, 
 and repeated his previous declaration that the Typees would never 
 be brought to consent to my departure. 
 
 When I endeavored 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 com 
 panion. 
 
 Thus repulsed, in a manner which only served, by arousing the 
 

 CHAP, xviii.] CONDUCT OF THE NATIVES. 181 
 
 most dreadful forebodings, to excite me to renewed attempts, I con 
 jured him to intercede for me with the natives, and endeavor to 
 procure their consent to my leaving them. To this he appeared 
 strongly averse ; but, yielding at last to my importunities, he ad 
 dressed 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 de 
 precated the resentment of the crowd, and in a few moments suc 
 ceeded in pacifying to some extent the clamors which had broken 
 out as soon as his proposition had been understood. 
 
 With the most intense interest had I watched the reception his 
 intercession might receive ; and a bitter pang shot through my 
 heart at the additional evidence, now furnished, of the unchange 
 able determination of the islanders. Marnoo told me, with evi 
 dent alarm in his countenance, that although admitted into the 
 bay on a friendly footing with its inhabitants, he could not pre 
 sume to meddle with their concerns, as such a procedure, if per 
 sisted in, would at once absolve the Typees from the restraints of 
 the " Taboo," although so long as he refrained from any such 
 conduct, it screened him effectually from the consequences of the 
 enmity they bore his tribe. 
 
 At this moment, Mehevi, who was present, angrily interrupted 
 him ; and the words which he uttered, in a commanding tone, 
 evidently meant that he must at once cease talking to me, and 
 withdraw to the other part of the house. Marnoo immediately 
 started up, hurriedly enjoining me not to address him again, and, 
 as I valued my safety, to refrain from all further allusion to the 
 subject of my departure ; and then, in compliance with the order 
 of the determined chief, but not before it had again been angrily 
 repeated, he withdrew to a distance. 
 
182 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xvm. 
 
 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 harbor the belief that already 
 we had concerted measures calculated to elude their vigilance. 
 
 The lively countenances of these people are wonderfully indi 
 cative of the emotions of the soul, and the imperfections of their 
 oral language are more than compensated for by the nervous elo 
 quence of their looks and gestures. I could plainly trace, in 
 every varying expression of their faces, all those passions which 
 had been thus unexpectedly aroused in their bosoms. 
 
 It required no reflection to convince me, from what was going 
 on, that the injunction of Marnoo was not to be rashly slighted ; 
 and accordingly, great as was the effort to suppress my feelings, 
 I accosted Mehevi in a good-humored tone, with a view of dissi 
 pating any ill impression he might have received. But the ire 
 ful, angry chief was not so easily mollified. He rejected my 
 advances with that peculiarly stern expression I have before de 
 scribed, and took care by the whole of his behavior towards me to 
 show the displeasure and resentment which he felt. 
 
 Marnoo, at the other extremity of the house, apparently desi 
 rous of making a diversion in my favor, 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 re 
 gret 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 greve, and then gave myself up to the 
 most desponding reflections. 
 
CHAP, xix.] REFLECTIONS. 18? 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Reflections 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 mani 
 fested 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 determinatioa 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 
 
184 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xix. 
 
 strange desire these people manifested to retain me among them ; 
 but I could discover none. 
 
 But however this might be, the scene which had just occurred 
 admonished me of the danger of trifling with the wayward and 
 passionate spirits against whom it was vain to struggle, and 
 might even be fatal to do so. My only hope was to induce the 
 natives to believe that I was reconciled to my detention in the 
 valley, and by assuming a tranquil and cheerful demeanor, to 
 allay the suspicions which I had so unfortunately aroused. Their 
 confidence revived, they might in a short time remit in some 
 degree their watchfulness over my movements, and I should then 
 be the better enabled to avail myself of any opportunity which 
 presented itself for escape. I determined, therefore, to make the 
 best of a bad bargain, and to bear up manfully against whatever 
 might betide. In this endeavor I succeeded beyond my own 
 expectations,. At the period of Marnoo's visit, I had been in 
 the valley, as nearly as I could conjecture, some two months. 
 Although not completely recovered from my strange illness, which 
 still lingered about me, I was free from pain and able to take ex 
 ercise. In short, I had every reason to anticipate a perfect re 
 covery. Freed from apprehensions on this point, and resolved to 
 regard the future without flinching, I flung myself anew into all 
 the social pleasures of the valley, and sought to bury all regrets, 
 and all remembrances of my previous existence, in the wild enjoy 
 ments it afforded. 
 
 In my various wanderings through the vale, and as I became 
 better acquainted with the character of its inhabitants, I was 
 more and more struck with the light-hearted joyousness that 
 everywhere prevailed. The minds of these simple savages, 
 unoccupied by matters of graver moment, were capable of deriv 
 ing 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 
 
CHAP, xix.] MANUFACTURE OF POP-GUNS. 185 
 
 incidents of the passing hour hut these diminutive items swelled 
 altogether to an amount of happiness seldom experienced by more 
 enlightened individuals, whose pleasures are drawn from more 
 elevated but rarer sources. 
 
 What community, for instance, of refined and intellectual 
 mortals would derive the least satisfaction from shooting pop 
 guns ? The mere supposition of such a thing being possible 
 would excite their indignation, and yet the whole population of 
 Typee did little else for ten days but occupy themselves with that 
 childish amusement, fairly screaming, too, with the delight it af 
 forded them. 
 
 One day I was frolicking with a little spirited urchin, some six 
 years old, who chased me with a piece of bamboo about three feet 
 long, with which he occasionally belabored 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 play 
 ing. Accordingly, with my knife I made two parallel slits in 
 the cane several inches in length, and cutting loose at one end 
 the elastic strip between them, bent it back and slipped the point 
 into a little notch made for the purpose. Any small substance 
 placed against this would be projected with considerable force 
 through the tube, by merely springing the bent strip out of the 
 notch. 
 
 Had I possessed the remotest idea of the sensation this piece 
 of ordnance was destined to produce, I should certainly have 
 taken out a patent for the invention. The boy scampered away 
 with it, half delirious with ecstasy, and in twenty minutes after 
 wards I might have been seen surrounded by a noisy crowd ven 
 erable old greybeards responsible fathers of families valiant 
 warriors matron? young men girls and children, all holding in 
 their hands bits of bamboo, and each clamoring to be served first. 
 
 For three or four hours I was engaged in manufacturing pop- 
 
186 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xix. 
 
 guns, but at last made over my good- will and interest in the con 
 cern to a lad of remarkably quick parts, whom I soon initiated into 
 the art and mystery. 
 
 Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop, now resounded all over the valley. Duels, 
 skirmishes, pitched battles, and general engagements were to be 
 seen on every side. Here, as you walked along a path which 
 led through a thicket, you fell into a cunningly-laid ambush, 
 and became a target for a body of musketeers whose tattooed 
 limbs you could just see peeping into view through the foliage. 
 There, you were assailed by the intrepid garrison of a house, 
 who levelled their bamboo rifles at you from between the upright 
 canes which composed its sides. Farther on you were fired 
 upon by a detachment of sharpshooters, mounted upon the top of 
 a pi-pi. 
 
 Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop ! green guavas, seeds, and berries were 
 flying about in every direction, and during this dangerous state of 
 affairs I was half afraid that, like the man and his brazen bull, I 
 should fall a victim to my own ingenuity. Like everything else, 
 however, the excitement gradually wore away, though ever after 
 occasionally pop-guns might be heard at all hours of the day. 
 
 It was towards the close of the pop-gun war, that I was infinitely 
 diverted with a strange freak of Marheyo's. 
 
 I had worn, when I quitted the ship, a pair of thick pumps, 
 which, from the rough usage they had received in scaling preci 
 pices and sliding down gorges, were so dilapidated as to be alto 
 gether unfit for use so, at least, would have thought the gene 
 rality of people, and so they most certainly were, when considered 
 in the light of shoes. But things unserviceable in one way, may 
 with advantage be applied in another, that is, if one have genius 
 enough for the purpose. This genius Marheyo possessed in a 
 superlative degree, as he abundantly evinced by the use to which 
 he put these sorely bruised and battered old shoes. 
 
 Every article, however trivial, which belonged to me, the 
 
CHAP, xix.] MARHEYO'S PENDANTS. 187 
 
 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 house 
 wife, having come across them in some of her domestic occupa 
 tions had pitched the useless things out of the house. But I was 
 soon undeceived. 
 
 One day I observed old Marheyo bustling about me with un 
 usual activity, and to such a degree as almost to supersede Kory- 
 Kory in the functions of his office. One moment he volunteered 
 to trot off with me on his back to the stream ; and when I refused, 
 noways daunted by the repulse, he continued to frisk about me 
 like a superannuated house-dog. I could not for the life of me 
 conjecture what possessed the old gentleman, until all at once, 
 availing himself of the temporary absence of the household, he 
 went through a variety of uncouth gestures, pointing eagerly 
 down to my feet, and then up to a little bundle which swung from 
 the ridge pole overhead. At last I caught a faint idea of his 
 meaning, and motioned him to lower the package. He executed 
 the order in the twinkling of an eye, and unrolling a piece of 
 tappa, displayed to my astonished gaze the identical pumps which 
 I thought had been destroyed long before. 
 
 I immediately comprehended his desire, and very generously 
 gave him the shoes, which had become quite mouldy, wondering 
 for what earthly purpose he could want them. 
 
 The same afternoon I descried the venerable warrior approach 
 ing the house, with a slow, stately gait, ear-rings 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 
 
 

 188 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xix. 
 
 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 employ 
 ments which, although amusing rather than laborious as occupa 
 tions, contributed to their comfort and luxury. Among these, the 
 most important was the manufacture of the native cloth, " tap- 
 pa," so well known, under various modifications, throughout 
 the whole Polynesian Archipelago. As is generally understood, 
 this useful and sometimes elegant article is fabricated from the 
 bark of different trees. But, as I believe that no description of 
 its manufacture has ever been given, I shall state what I know 
 regarding it. 
 
 In the manufacture of the beautiful white tappa generally 
 worn on the Marquesan Islands, the preliminary operation consists 
 in gathering a certain quantity of the young branches of the 
 cloth-tree. The exterior green bark being pulled off as worth 
 less, there remains a slender fibrous substance, which is carefully 
 stripped from the stick, to which it closely adheres. When a 
 sufficient quantity of it has been collected, the various strips are 
 enveloped in a covering of large leaves, which the natives use 
 precisely as we do wrapping-paper, and which are secured by a 
 few turns of a line passed round them. The package is then 
 laid in the bed of some running stream, with a heavy stone placed 
 over it, to prevent its being swept away. After it has remained 
 for two or three days in this state, it is drawn out, and exposed, 
 for a short time, to the action of the air, every distinct piece 
 being attentively inspected, with a view of ascertaining whether 
 it has yet been sufficiently affected by the operation. This is 
 repeated again and again, until the desired result is obtained. 
 
 When the substance is in a proper state for the next process, 
 it betrays evidences of incipient decomposition ; the fibres are 
 
CHAP, xix.] TAPPA "NATIVE CLOTH. 189 
 
 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 mal 
 let, 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 discernible in the tappa 
 in its finished state. After being beaten in the manner I have 
 described, the material soon becomes blended in one mass, which, 
 moistened occasionally with water, is at intervals hammered out, 
 by a kind of gold-beating process, to any degree of thinness re. 
 quired. 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 color. 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 colors dis 
 posed in regular figures ; and, in the midst of the innovations of 
 the times, was regarded, towards the decline of her life, as a lady 
 
190 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xix. 
 
 of the old school, clinging as she did to the national cloth, in pre 
 ference 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 lime, and near one another, the effect upon 
 the ear of a person, at a little distance, is really charming. 
 
 
CHAP, xx.] HISTORY OF A DAY. 
 
 191 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 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 fire-wood ; some of the young men 
 laying the cocoa-nut trees under contribution as they passed be 
 neath 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 goodwill towards 
 each other. 
 
 Our morning meal was soon prepared. The islanders are 
 somewhat abstemious at this repast ; reserving the more powerful 
 
 10 
 
192 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xx. 
 
 efforts of their appetite to a later period of the day. For my 
 own part, with the assistance of my valet, who, as I have before 
 stated, always officiated as spoon on these occasions, I ate 
 sparingly from one of Tinor's trenchers of poee-poee ; which 
 was devoted exclusively for my own use, being mixed with the 
 milky meat of ripe cocoa-nut. A section of a roasted bread-fruit. 
 a small cake of " Amar," or a mess of " Cokoo," two or three 
 bananas, or a Mawmee apple ; an annuee, or some other agree 
 able 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 especial pipe, a present from the noble 
 Mehevi. The islanders, who only smoke a whiff or two at a 
 time, and at long intervals, and w r ho 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 them 
 selves 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, 
 

 CHAP, xx.] MORNING OCCUPATIONS. 193 
 
 immediately after eating, threw themselves once more upon the 
 inviting mats, and resumed the employment of the previous night, 
 sleeping as soundly as if they had not closed their eyes for a 
 week. Others sallied out into the groves, for the purpose of 
 gathering fruit or fibres of bark and leaves ; the last two being 
 in constant requisition, and applied to a hundred uses. A few, 
 perhaps, among the girls, would slip into the woods after flowers, 
 or repair to the stream with small calabashes and cocoa-nut 
 shells, in order to polish them by friction with a smooth stone 
 in the water. In truth these innocent people seemed to be at 
 no loss for something to occupy their time ; and it would be 
 no light task to enumerate all their employments, or rather 
 pleasures. 
 
 My own mornings I spent in a variety of ways. Sometimes I 
 rambled about from house to house, sure of receiving a cordial 
 welcome wherever I went ; or from grove to grove, and from one 
 shady place to another, in company with Kory-Kory and Faya- 
 way, and a rabble rout of merry young idlers. Sometimes I 
 was too indolent for exercise, and accepting one of the many in 
 vitations 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 
 
194 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xx. 
 
 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 act- 
 ing just according to the humor 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 mid 
 night. 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 noon-tide 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 pre 
 parations 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 inter 
 vals 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 
 
CHAP, xx.] EVENING FESTIVITIES. 195 
 
 hour, always repaired thither. As the shadows of night ap 
 proached, 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 con 
 sist of active, romping, mischievous evolutions, in which every 
 limb is brought into requisition. Indeed, the Marquesan girls 
 dance all over, as it were ; not only do their feet dance, but their 
 arms, hands, fingers, ay, their very eyes, seem to dance in their 
 heads. 
 
 The damsels wear nothing but flowers and their compendious 
 gala tunics ; and when they plume themselves for the dance, 
 they look like a band of olive-colored Sylphides on the point of 
 taking wing. 
 
 Unless some particular festivity was going forward, the inmates 
 of Marheyo's house retired to their mats rather early in the 
 evening ; but not for the night, since, after slumbering lightly for 
 a while, 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 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. 
 
196 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxi. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 The Spring of Arva Wai Remarkable Monumental Remains Some ideas 
 with regard to the History of the Pi -Pis found in the Valley. 
 
 ALMOST every country has its medicinal springs famed for their 
 healing virtues. The Cheltenham of Typee is embosomed in 
 the deepest solitude, and but seldom receives a visitor. It is 
 situated remote from any dwelling, a little way up the mountain, 
 near the head of the valley ; and you approach it by a pathway 
 shaded by the most beautiful foliage, and adorned with a thousand 
 fragrant plants. 
 
 The mineral waters of Arva Wai* ooze forth from the crevices 
 of a rock, and gliding down its mossy side, fall at last, in many 
 clustering drops, into a natural basin of stone fringed round with 
 grass and dewy-looking little violet-colored flowers, as fresh 
 and beautiful as the perpetual moisture they enjoy can make 
 them. 
 
 The water is held in high estimation by the islanders, some of 
 whom consider it an agreeable as well as a medicinal beverage ; 
 they bring it from the mountain in their calabashes, and store it 
 away beneath heaps of leaves in some shady nook near the house. 
 Old Marheyo had a great love for the waters of the spring. 
 Every now and then he lugged off to the mountain a great round 
 demijohn of a calabash, and, panting with his exertions, brought 
 it back filled with his darling fluid. 
 
 * I presume this might be translated into " Strong Waters. Arva is the 
 name bestowed upon a root the properties of which are both inebriating and 
 medicinal. " Wai " is the Marquesan word for water. 
 
CHAP, xxi.] REMARKABLE MONUMENTAL REMAINS. 197 
 
 The water tasted like a solution of a dozen disagreeable things, 
 and was sufficiently nauseous to have made the fortune of the 
 proprietor, had the spa been situated in the midst of any civilized 
 community. 
 
 As I am no chemist, I cannot give a scientific analysis of the 
 water. All I know about the matter is, that one day Marheyo 
 in my presence poured out the last drop from his huge calabash, 
 and I observed at the bottom of the vessel a small quantity of gravel 
 ly sediment very much resembling our common sand. Whether 
 this is always found in the water, and gives it its peculiar flavor 
 and virtues, or whether its presence was merely incidental, I was 
 not able to ascertain. 
 
 One day in returning from this spring by a circuitous path, I 
 came upon a scene which reminded me of Stonehenge and the 
 architectural labors 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 hill side. 
 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 with 
 out 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 
 
198 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxi. 
 
 from one to another, is a wilderness of vines, in whose sinewy 
 embrace many of the stones lie half-hidden, while in some 
 places a thick growth of bushes entirely covers them. There 
 is a wild pathway which obliquely crosses two of these terraces ; 
 and so profound is the shade, so dense the vegetation, that a 
 stranger to the place might pass along it without being aware of 
 their existence. 
 
 These structures bear every indication of a very high anti 
 quity, and Kory-Kory, who was my author'*y in all matters 
 of scientific research, gave me to understand that they were co 
 eval with the creation of the world ; that the great gods them 
 selves were the builders ; and that they would endure until 
 time shall be no more. Kory-Kory's prompt explanation, and his 
 attributing the work to a divine origin, at once convinced me 
 that neither he nor the rest of his countrymen knew anything 
 about them. 
 
 As I gazed upon this monument, doubtless the work of an 
 extinct and forgotten race, thus buried in the green nook of an 
 island at the end of the earth, the existence of which was yester 
 day 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 
 
CHAP, xxi.] ANTIQUITIES. 199 
 
 of Nukuheva cannot be imputed to the coral insect : for inde 
 fatigable as that wonderful creature is, it would be hardly mus 
 cular enough to pile rocks one upon the other more than three 
 thousand feet above the level of the sea. That the land may 
 have been thrown up by a submarine volcano is as possible as 
 anything else. No one can make an affidavit to the contrary, 
 and therefore I will say nothing against the supposition : indeed, 
 were geologists to assert that the whole continent of America had 
 in like manner been formed by the simultaneous explosion of a 
 train of Etnas laid under the water all the way from the North 
 Pole to the parallel of Cape Horn, I am the last man in the world 
 to contradict them. 
 
 I have already mentioned that the dwellings of the islanders 
 were almost invariably built upon massive stone foundations, which 
 they call pi-pis. The dimensions of these, however, as well as 
 of the stones composing them, are comparatively small : but there 
 are other and larger erections of a similar description comprising 
 the " morais," or burying-grounds, and festival-places, in nearly 
 all the valleys of the island. Some of these piles are so extensive, 
 and so great a degree of labor 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 con 
 trivance within the reach of so simple a people could such enor 
 mous masses have been moved or fixed in their places ? and how 
 could they with their rude implements have chiselled and hammer 
 ed them into shape ? 
 
 All of these larger pi-pis like that of the Hoolah Hoolah 
 Ground in the Typee valley bore incontestible marks of great 
 age ; and I am disposed to believe that their erection may be as 
 cribed to the same race of men who were the builders of the still 
 more ancient remains I have just described. 
 10* 
 
200 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xrf. 
 
 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 enter, 
 prising 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 un 
 appropriated pi-pis, and without farther ceremony pitch his bamboo 
 tent upon it. 
 
CHAP, xxn.] A FESTIVAL. 201 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Preparations for a Grand Festival in the Valley Strange doings in the 
 Taboo Groves Monument of Calabashes Gala costume of the Typee 
 damsels Departure for the Festival. 
 
 FROM the time that my lameness had decreased I had made a 
 daily practice of visiting Mehevi at the Ti, who invariably gave 
 me a most cordial reception. I was always accompanied in these 
 excursions by Fayaway and the 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 neigh 
 boring 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. Al 
 though it was the permanent residence of several distinguished 
 chiefs, and of the noble Mehevi in particular, it was still at certain 
 seasons the favorite 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 con 
 stitutions. 
 
 This building appeared to be the head-quarters of -the valley, 
 where all flying rumors 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. 
 
202 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxn. 
 
 Mehevi acted as supreme lord over the place, spending the 
 greater portion of his time there : and often when, at particular 
 hours of the day, it was deserted by nearly every one else except 
 the verd- antique looking centenarians, who were fixtures in the 
 building, the chief himself was sure to be found enjoying his 
 " otium cum dignitate " upon the luxurious mats which covered 
 the floor. Whenever I made my appearance he invariably rose, 
 and, like a gentleman doing the honors 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 savory 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 honor 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 un 
 exceptionable repasts. 
 
 One day, on drawing near to the Ti, I observed that extensive 
 preparations were going forward, plainly betokening some ap 
 proaching 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 endeavors 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 a while, I was 
 attracted to a neighboring 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 unfor- 
 
CHAP, xxn.] NATIVE COOKERY. 203 
 
 tunate porker. Again and again he missed his writhing and 
 struggling victim, but though puffing and panting with his exer 
 tions, he still continued them ; and after striking a sufficient 
 number of blows to have demolished an entire drove of oxen, 
 with one crashing stroke he laid him dead at his feet. 
 
 Without letting any blood from the body, it was immediately 
 carried to a fire which had been kindled near at hand, and four 
 savages taking hold of the carcass by its legs, passed it rapidly to 
 and fro in the flames. In a moment the smell of burning bristles 
 betrayed the object of this procedure. Having got thus far in 
 the matter, the body was removed to a little distance ; and, being 
 disembowelled, the entrails were laid aside as choice parts, and 
 the whole carcass thoroughly washed with water. An ample 
 thick green cloth, composed of the long thick leaves of a species 
 of palm-tree, ingeniously tacked together with little pins of bam 
 boo, was now spread upon the ground, in which the body being 
 carefully rolled, it was borne to an oven previously prepared to 
 receive it. Here it was at once laid upon the heated stones at 
 the bottom, and covered with thick layers of leaves, the whole 
 being quickly hidden from sight by a mound of earth raised 
 over it. 
 
 Such is the summary style in which the Typees convert per 
 verse-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 considera 
 tion 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 implor 
 ing 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 
 
204 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxn. 
 
 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 labors, stood still, and kept shouting most lustily 
 without intermission. 
 
 It is a peculiarity among these people, that when engaged in 
 an employment they always make a prodigious fuss about it. So 
 seldom do they ever exert themselves, that when they do work 
 they seem determined that so meritorious an action shall not escape 
 the observation of those around. If, for example, they have 
 occasion to remove a stone to a little distance, which perhaps 
 might be carried by two able-bodied men, a whole swarm gather 
 about it, and, after a vast deal of palavering, lift it up among them 3 
 every one struggling to get hold of it, and bear it off yelling and 
 panting as if accomplishing some mighty achievement. Seeing 
 them on these occasions, one is reminded of an infinity of black 
 ants clustering about and dragging away to some hole the leg of 
 a deceased fly. 
 
 Having for some time attentively observed these demonstrations 
 of good cheer, I entered the Ti, where Mehevi sat complacently 
 looking out upon the busy scene, and occasionally issuing his 
 orders. The chief appeared to be in an extraordinary flow of 
 spirits, and gave me to understand that on the morrow there would 
 be grand doings in the Groves generally, and at the Ti in parti 
 cular ; and urged me by no means to absent myself. In com 
 memoration of what event, however, or in honor of what distin 
 guished 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 endeavored to initiate 
 me into the perplexing arcana of the taboo. 
 
CHAP, xxii.] FEAST OF CALABASHES. 205 
 
 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 endeavored 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 remark, 
 able pyramidical structure some three yards square at the base, 
 and perhaps ten feet in height, which had lately been thrown up, 
 and occupied a very conspicuous position. It was composed 
 principally of large empty calabashes, with a few polished cocoa- 
 nut shells, and looked not unlike a cenotaph of skulls. My 
 cicerone perceived the astonishment with which I gazed at this 
 monument of savage crockery, and immediately addressed him 
 self to the task of enlightening me : but all in vain ; and to this 
 hour the nature of the monument remains a complete mystery to 
 me. As, however, it formed so prominent a feature in the ap 
 proaching revels, I bestowed upon the latter, in my own mind, the 
 title of the "Feast of Calabashes." 
 
 The following morning, awaking rather late, I perceived the 
 whole of 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 Fay away, were anointing themselves with " aka," 
 arranging their long tresses, and performing other matters con 
 nected 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 
 
206 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxn. 
 
 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 insignifi 
 cance 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, con 
 fronted for a moment by this band of Island girls ; their stiffness, 
 formality, and affectation, contrasted with the artless vivacity and 
 unconcealed natural graces of these savage maidens. It would 
 be the Venus de j Medici placed beside a milliner's doll. 
 
 It was not long before Kory-Kory and myself were left alone in 
 the house, the rest of its inmates having departed for the Taboo 
 Groves. My valet was all impatience to follow them ; and was 
 as fidgetty 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 in 
 habitants. 
 
 When we reached the rock that abruptly terminated the path, 
 and concealed from us the festive scene, wild shouts and a con 
 fused 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. 
 
CHAP, xxii.] GALA COSTUME. 207 
 
 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 de 
 vise some means of decorating myself. However, as I felt de 
 sirous 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 per 
 son 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 
 lasses, who were sitting near us on the grass surrounded by heaps 
 of flowers, which they were forming into garlands. I motioned 
 to them to bring some of their handy work to me ; and in an in 
 stant a dozen wreaths were at my disposal. One of them I put 
 round the apology for a hat which I had been forced to construct 
 for myself out of palmetto-leaves, and some of the others I con 
 verted into a splendid girdle. These operations finished, with 
 the slow and dignified step of a full-dressed beau I ascended the 
 rock. 
 
208 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxm. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 The Feast of Calabashes 
 
 THE whole population of the valley seemed to be gathered within 
 the precincts of the grove. In the distance could be seen the long 
 front of the Ti, its immense piazza swarming with men, arrayed 
 in every variety of fantastic costume, and all vociferating with 
 animated gestures ; while the whole interval between it and the 
 place where I stood was enlivened by groups of females fancifully 
 decorated, dancing, capering, and uttering wild exclamations. 
 As soon as they descried me they set up a shout of welcome ; 
 and a band of them came dancing 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 inter- 
 
en 
 
 CHAP, xxiii.] PIAZZA OF THE TI. 209 
 
 stices of the huge stones which formed the pi-pi were large boughs 
 of trees ; hanging from the branches of which, and screened from 
 the sun by their foliage, were innumerable little packages with 
 leafy coverings, containing the meat of the numerous hogs which 
 had been slain, done up in this manner to make it more accessible 
 to the crowd. Leaning against the railing of the piazza were an 
 immense number .of long, heavy bamboos, plugged at the lower 
 
 d. and with their projecting muzzles stuffed with a wad of 
 leaves. These were filled with water from the stream, and each 
 of them might hold from four to five gallons. 
 
 The banquet being thus spread, naught remained but for 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, 
 alabashes 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 se 
 dative 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 neighbor ; sometimes for that purpose stretching indo 
 lently 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 
 
210 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxin. 
 
 pleasing flavor, 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 be 
 lieve, in all the other valleys, the weed is very scarce, being 
 only obtained in small quantities from foreigners, and smoking is 
 consequently with the inhabitants of these places a very great 
 luxury. How it was that the Typees were so well furnished with 
 it I cannot divine. I should think them too indolent to devote any 
 attention to its culture ; and, indeed, as far as my observation 
 extended, not a single atom of the soil was under any other 
 cultivation than that of shower and sunshine. The tobacco-plant, 
 however, like the sugar-cane, may grow wild in some remote 
 part of the vale. 
 
 There were many in the Ti for whom the tobacco did not fur 
 nish 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 sys 
 tem 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 pre 
 pared 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 mouths with its contents, proceeded to the business before 
 them. This merely consisted in thoroughly masticating the " arva," 
 and throwing it mouthful after mouthful into the receptacle pro 
 vided. When a sufficient quantity had been thus obtained water 
 was poured upon the mass, and being stirred about with the fore- 
 

 CHAP, xxin.] "ARVA." 211 
 
 finger of the right-hand, the preparation was soon in readiness for 
 use. The " arva " has medicinal qualities. 
 
 Upon the Sandwich Islands it has been employed with no small 
 success in the treatment of scrofulous affections, and in combating 
 the ravages of a disease for whose frightful inroads the ill- 
 starred inhabitants of that group are indebted to their foreign 
 benefactors. But the tenants of the Typee valley, as yet exempt 
 from these inflictions, generally employ the " arva " as a minister 
 lo 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 cos 
 tume, 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 ba 
 nanas, 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 sup 
 plied me with one of the leafy packages of pork, which, notwith 
 standing the somewhat hasty manner in which it had been pre 
 pared, possessed a most excellent flavor, and was surprisingly 
 weet and tender. 
 
 Pork is not a staple article of food among the people of the Mar 
 quesas, 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 labor and difficulty, that the hungry animal can 
 pierce the husk and shell so as to get at the meat. I have fre 
 quently 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 
 
212 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxm. 
 
 the ground. Following it up, he would crunch at it again sav 
 agely for a moment, and the next knock it on one side, pausing 
 immediately after, as if wondering how it could so suddenly have 
 disappeared. In this way the persecuted cocoa-nuts were often 
 chased half across the valley. 
 
 The second day of the Feast of Calabashes was ushered in by still 
 more uproarious noises than the first. The skins of innumerable 
 sheep seemed to be resounding to the blows of an army of drummers. 
 Startled from my slumbers by the din, I leaped up, and found the 
 whole household engaged in making preparations for immediate 
 departure. Curious to discover of what strange events these novel 
 sounds might be the precursors, and not a little desirous to catch 
 a sight of the instruments which produced the terrific noise, I 
 accompanied the natives as soon as they were in readiness to de 
 part for the Taboo Groves. 
 
 The comparatively open space that extended from the Ti toward 
 the rock, to which I have before alluded as forming the ascent to 
 the place, was, with the building itself, now altogether deserted by 
 the men; the whole distance being filled by bands of females, 
 shouting and dancing under the influence of some strange excite 
 ment. 
 
 I was amused at the appearance of four or five old women who, 
 in a state of utter nudity, with their arms extended flatly down their 
 sides, and holding themselves perfectly erect, were leaping stiffly 
 into the air, like so many sticks bobbing to the surface, after being 
 pressed perpendicularly into the water. They preserved the ut 
 most 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 learn- . 
 
CHAP, xxiii.] A FESTIVAL. 213 
 
 ed 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 femeles, we passed on to the Hoolah 
 Hoolah ground. Within the spacious quadrangle, the whole popu 
 lation of the valley seemed to be assembled, and the sight pre 
 sented was truly remarkable. Beneath the sheds of bamboo 
 which opened towards the interior of the square, reclined the 
 principal chiefs and warriors, while a miscellaneous throng lay at 
 their ease under the enormous trees which spread a majestic 
 canopy overhead. Upon the terraces of the gigantic altars, at either 
 end, were deposited green bread-fruit in baskets of cocoa-nut 
 leaves, large rolls of tappa, bunches of white bananas, clusters 
 of mammee-apples, the golden-hued fruit of the artu-tree, and 
 baked hogs, laid out in large wooden trenches, fancifully decorated 
 with freshly plucked leaves, whilst a variety of rude implements 
 of war were piled in confused heaps before the ranks of hideous 
 idols. Fruits of various kinds were likewise suspended in leafen 
 baskets, from the tops of poles planted uprightly, and at regular 
 intervals, along the lower terraces of both altars. At their base 
 were arranged two parallel rows of cumbersome drums, stand 
 ing at least fifteen feet in height, and formed from the hollow 
 trunks of large trees. Their heads were covered with shark 
 skins, and their barrels were elaborately carved with various 
 quaint figures and devices. At regular intervals they were 
 bound round by a species of sinnate of various colors, and strips 
 of native cloth flattened upon them here and there. Behind these 
 instruments were built slight platforms, upon which stood a num- 
 
 I 
 
214 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP, xxui 
 
 her of young men who, beating violently with the palms of their 
 hands upon the drum-heads, produced those outrageous sounds 
 which had awakened me in the morning. Every few minutes 
 these musical performers hopped down from their elevation into 
 the crowd below, and their places were immediately supplied by 
 fresh recruits. Thus an incessant din was kept up that might 
 have startled Pandemonium. 
 
 Precisely in the middle of the quadrangle were placed perpen 
 dicularly 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 endeavored to discover. 
 
 Another most striking feature of the performance was exhibited 
 by a score of old men, who sat cross-legged in the little pulpits, 
 which encircled the trunks of the immense trees growing in the 
 middle of the enclosure. These venerable gentlemen, who I pre 
 sume were the priests, kept up an uninterrupted monotonous chant, 
 which was nearly drowned in the roar of drums. In the right 
 hand they held a finely woven grass fan, with a heavy black 
 wooden handle curiously chased : these fans they kept in conti 
 nual motion. 
 
 But. no attention whatever seemed to be paid to the drummers 
 or to the old priests ; the individuals who composed the vast crowd 
 present being entirely taken up in chatting and laughing with 
 one another, smoking, drinking arva, and eating. For all the 
 observation it attracted, or the good it achieved, the whole savage 
 orchestra might, with great advantage to its own members and the 
 company in general, have ceased the prodigious uproar they were 
 making. 
 
 In vain I questioned Kory-Kory and others of the natives, as to 
 the meaning of the strange things that were going on ; all their 
 explanations were conveyed in such a mass of outlandish gibber- 
 
CHAP. XXIII.] 
 
 CLOSE OF THE FESTIVITIES. 
 
 215 
 
 ish and gesticulation that I gave up the attempt in despair. A11 
 that day the drums resounded, the priests chanted, and the multi 
 tude 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 sin 
 gular festival terminated. 
 
 11 
 
216 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxiv. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Ideas suggested by the Feast of Calabashes Inaccuracy of certain published 
 Accounts of the Islands A Reason Neglected State of Heathenism in 
 the Valley Effigy of a dead Warrior A singular Superstition The 
 Priest Kolory and the God Moa Artua Amazing Religious Observance 
 A dilapidated Shrine 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. As a 
 religious solemnity, however, it had not at all corresponded with 
 the horrible descriptions of Polynesian worship which we have 
 received in some published narratives, and especially in those 
 accounts of the evangelized islands with which the missionaries 
 have favored us. Did not the sacred character of these persons 
 render the purity of their intentions unquestionable, I should cer 
 tainly be led to suppose that they had exaggerated the evils of 
 Paganism, in order to enhance the merit of their own disinterested 
 labors. 
 
 In a certain work incidentally treating of the " Washington, or 
 Northern Marquesas Islands," I have seen the frequent immola 
 tion of human victims upon the altars of their gods, positively and 
 repeatedly charged upon the inhabitants. The same work gives 
 also a rather minute account of their religion, enumerates a 
 great many of their superstitions, and makes known the par 
 ticular designations of numerous orders of the priesthood. One 
 would almost imagine from the long list that is given of cannibal 
 primates, bishops, archdeacons, prebendaries, and other inferior 
 
CHAP, xxiv.] INACCURACIES OF TRAVELLERS. 217 
 
 ecclesiastics, that the sacerdotal order far outnumbered the rest 
 of the population, and that the poor natives were more severely 
 priest-ridden than even the inhabitants of the papal states. These 
 accounts are likewise calculated to leave upon the reader's mind 
 an impression that human victims are daily cooked and served 
 up upon the altars ; that heathenish cruelties of every descrip 
 tion are continually practised ; and that these ignorant Pagans are 
 in a state of the extremest wretchedness in consequence of the 
 grossness of their superstitions. Be it observed, however, that all 
 this information is given by a man who, according to his own 
 statement, was only at one of the islands, and remained there but 
 two weeks, sleeping every night on board his ship, and taking 
 little kid-glove excursions ashore in the daytime, attended by an 
 armed party. 
 
 Now, all I can say is, that in all my excursions through the 
 valley of Typee, I never saw any of these alleged enormities. 
 If any of them are practised upon the Marquesas Islands, they 
 must certainly have come to my knowledge while living for 
 months with a tribe of savages, wholly unchanged from their 
 original primitive condition, and reputed the most ferocious in the 
 South Seas. 
 
 The fact is, that there is a vast deal of unintentional humbug- 
 gery in some of the accounts we have from scientific men con 
 cerning the religious institutions of Polynesia. These learned 
 tourists generally obtain the greater part of their information from 
 the retired old South-Sea rovers, who have domesticated them 
 selves among the barbarous tribes of the Pacific. Jack, who has 
 long been accustomed to the long-bow, and to spin tough yarns on 
 a ship's forecastle, invariably officiates as showman of the island 
 on which he has settled, and having mastered a few dozen words of 
 the language, is supposed to know all about the people who speak it. 
 A natural desire to make himself of consequence in the eyes of 
 the strangers, prompts him to lay claim to a much greater know- 
 
218 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxiv. 
 
 ledge of such matters than he actually possesses. In reply to in 
 cessant queries, he communicates not only all he knows, but a 
 *good deal more, and if there be any information deficient, still he 
 is at no loss to supply it. The avidity with which his anecdotes 
 are noted down tickles his vanity, and his powers of invention 
 increase with the credulity of his auditors. He knows just the 
 sort of information wanted, and furnishes it to any extent. 
 
 This is not a supposed case ; I have met with several indivi 
 duals like the one described, and I have been present at two or 
 three of their interviews with strangers. 
 
 Now, when the scientific voyager arrives at home with his col 
 lection of wonders, he attempts, perhaps, to give a description of 
 some of the strange people he has been visiting. Instead of repre 
 senting them as a community of lusty savages, who are leading a 
 merry, idle, innocent life, he enters into a very circumstantial and 
 learned narrative of certain unaccountable superstitions and prac 
 tices, about which he knows as little as the islanders do themselves. 
 Having had little time, and scarcely any opportunity, to become 
 acquainted with the customs he pretends to describe, he writes 
 them down one after another in an off-hand haphazard style ; 
 and were the book thus produced to be translated into the tongue 
 of the people of whom it purports to give the history, it would ap 
 pear quite as wonderful to them as it does to the American public, 
 and much more improbable. 
 
 For my own part, I am free to confess my almost entire inability 
 to gratify any curiosity that may be felt with regard to the theo 
 logy 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-favored god with a large 
 
CHAP, xxiv.] EFFIGY OF A WARRIOR. 219 
 
 bottle-nose and fat shapeless arms crossed upon his breast ; whilst 
 others worshipped an image which, having no likeness either in 
 heaven or on earth, could hardly be called an idol. As the 
 islanders always maintained a discreet reserve with regard to my 
 own peculiar views on religion, I thought it would be excessively 
 ill-bred in me to pry into theirs. 
 
 But, although my knowledge of the religious faith of the Typees 
 was unavoidably limited, one of their superstitious observances 
 with which I became acquainted interested me greatly. 
 
 In one of the most secluded portions of the valley within a 
 stone's cast of Fayaway's lake for so I christened the scene of 
 our island yachting and hard by a growth of palms, which stood 
 ranged in order along both banks of the stream, waving their 
 green arms as if to do honor to its passage, was the mausoleum of 
 a deceased warrior chief. Like all the other edifices of any note, 
 it was raised upon a small pi-pi of stones, which, being of unusual 
 height, was a conspicuous object from a distance. A light thatch 
 ing of bleached palmetto-leaves hung over it like a self-supported 
 canopy ; for it was not until you came very near that you saw it 
 was supported by four slender columns of bamboo rising at each 
 corner to a little morothan the height of a man. A clear area of 
 a few yards surrounded the pi-pi, and was enclosed by four trunks 
 of cocoa-nut trees resting at the angles on massive blocks of stone. 
 The place was sacred. The sign of the inscrutable Taboo was 
 seen in the shape of a mystic roll of white Tappa, suspended by a 
 twisted cord of the same material from the top of a slight pole 
 planted within the enclosure.* The sanctity of the spot appeared 
 never to have been violated. The stillness of the grave was 
 there, and the calm solitude around was beautiful and touching. 
 The soft shadows of those lofty palm-trees ! I can see them now 
 hanging over the little temple, as if to keep out the intru 
 sive sun. 
 
 * White appears to be the sacred color among the Marquesans. 
 
220 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxiv. 
 
 On all sides as you approached this silent spot you caught 
 sight of the dead chiefs effigy, seated in the stern of a canoe, 
 which was raised on a light frame a few inches above the level 
 of the pi-pi. The canoe was about seven feet in length ; of a 
 rich, dark colored 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, re 
 vealing only the hands and head ; the latter skilfully carved in 
 wood, and surmounted by a superb arch of plumes. These 
 plumes, in the subdued and gentle gales which found access to 
 this sequestered spot, were never for one moment at rest, but kept 
 nodding and waving over the chief's brow. The long leaves of 
 the palmetto dropped over the eaves, and through them you saw 
 the warrior holding his paddle with both hands in the act of 
 rowing, leaning forward and inclining his head, as if eager to 
 hurry on his voyage. Glaring at him for ever, and face to face, 
 was a polished human skull, which crowned the prow of the 
 canoe. The spectral figurehead, reversed in its position, glancing 
 backwards, seemed to mock the impatient attitude of the warrior. 
 
 When I first visited this singular place with Kory-Kory, he 
 told me or at least I so understood him that the chief was 
 paddling his way to the realms of bliss, and bread-fruit the 
 Polynesian heaven where every moment the bread-fruit trees 
 dropped their ripened spheres to the ground, and where there 
 was no end to the cocoa-nuts and bananas ; there they reposed 
 through the livelong 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 prefer 
 able to all the shining trinkets and gay tappa of the white men ; 
 
CHAP, xxiv.] RELIGION IN TYPEE. 221 
 
 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," 1 asked him, " wish to ac 
 company 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, en 
 forced 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 fre 
 quently enlivened his discourse ; and he introduced them with an 
 air which plainly intimated, that in his opinion, they settled the 
 matter in question, whatever it might be. 
 
 Could it have been then, that when I asked him whether he 
 desired to go to this heaven of bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, and young 
 ladies, which he had been describing, he answered by saying 
 something equivalent to our old adage " A bird in the hand is 
 worth two in the bush ?" if he did, Kory-Kory was a discreet 
 and sensible fellow, and I cannot sufficiently admire his shrewd 
 ness. 
 
 Whenever, in the course of my rambles through the valley, I 
 happened to be near the chief's mausoleum, 1 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 be- 
 
222 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS [CHAP. xxiv. 
 
 lieve 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 pro 
 gress ; 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 grin 
 ning 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 soli 
 tude ; the festival had been nothing more than a jovial mingling 
 of the tribe ; the idols were quite as harmless as any other logs 
 of wood ; and the priests were the merriest dogs in the valley. 
 
 In fact religious affairs in Typee were at a very low ebb : all 
 such matters sat very lightly upon the thoughtless inhabitants ; 
 and, in the celebration of many of their strange rites, they ap 
 peared merely to seek a sort of childish amusement. 
 
 A curious evidence of this was given in a remarkable ceremony 
 in which I frequently saw Mehevi and several other chiefs and 
 warriors of note take part ; but never a single female. 
 
 Among those whom I looked upon as forming the priesthood 
 of the valley, there was one in particular who often attracted my 
 notice, and whom I could not help regarding as the head of the 
 
CHAP, xxiv.] LORD PRIMATE OF TYPEE. 223 
 
 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 ap 
 pearance, 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 hea 
 thenish-looking little image. This instrument, however, might 
 perhaps have been emblematic of his double functions. With one 
 end in carnal combat he transfixed the enemies of his tribe ; and 
 with the other as a pastoral crook he kept in order his spiritual 
 flock. But this is not all I have to say about Kolory. His mar 
 tial grace very often carried about with him what seemed to me 
 the half of a broken war-club. It was swathed round with rag 
 ged bits of white tappa, and the upper part, which was intended 
 to represent a human head, was embellished with a strip of scar, 
 let cloth of European manufacture. It required little observation 
 to discover that this strange object was revered as a god. By the 
 side of the big and lusty images standing sentinel over the altars 
 of the Hoolah Hoolah ground, it seemed a mere pigmy in tatters. 
 But appearances all the world over are deceptive. Little men 
 are sometimes very potent, and rags sometimes eover very ex 
 tensive pretensions. In fact, this funny little image was the 
 " crack " god of the island ; lording it over all the wooden lub 
 bers who looked so grim and dreadful ; its name was Moa Artua.* 
 * The word " Artua," although having some other significations, is in 
 11* 
 
224 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxjv. 
 
 And it was in honor of Moa Artua, and for the entertainment of 
 those who believe in him, that the curious ceremony I am about 
 to describe was observed. 
 
 Mehevi and the chieftains of the Ti have just risen from their 
 noontide slumbers. There are no affairs of state to dispose of; 
 and having eaten two or three breakfasts in the course of the 
 morning, the magnates of the valley feel no appetite as yet for 
 dinner. How are their leisure moments to be occupied 1 They 
 smoke, they chat, and at last one of their number makes a propo 
 sition 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, hol 
 lowed out in the likeness of a canoe. The priest comes along 
 dandling his charge as if it were a lachrymose infant he was en 
 deavoring to put into a good humor. 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 some 
 thing in his ear ; the rest of the company listening eagerly for a 
 reply. But the baby-god is deaf or dumb, perhaps both, for 
 never a word does he utter. At last Kolory speaks a little louder, 
 and soon growing angry, comes boldly out with what he has to 
 say and bawls to him. He put me in mind of a choleric fellow, 
 who, after trying in vain to communicate a secret to a deaf man, 
 all at once flies into a passion and screams it out so that every one 
 may hear. Still Moa Artua remains as quiet as ever ; and Ko 
 lory, seemingly losing his temper, fetches him a box over the 
 head, strips him of his tappa and red cloth, and laying him in a 
 
 nearly all the Polynesian dialects used as the general designation of the 
 gods. 
 
CHAP, xxiv.] MO A ARTUA. 225 
 
 state of nudity in a little trough, covers him from sight. At this 
 proceeding all present loudly applaud and signify their approval 
 by uttering the adjective " motarkee" with violent emphasis. 
 Kolory, however, is so desirous his conduct should meet with un 
 qualified approbation, that he inquires of each individual sepa 
 rately whether under existing circumstances he has not done per 
 fectly 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 conscien 
 tious. 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 confiden 
 tially communicating to him. Some items of intelligence appear 
 to tickle all present amazingly ; for one claps his hands in a rap 
 ture ; 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 inter 
 rupted by a question put by one of the warriors to the god. Ko- 
 
226 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxiv. 
 
 lory hereupon snatches it up to his ear again, and after listening 
 attentively, once more officiates as the organ of communication. 
 A multitude of questions and answers having passed between the 
 parties, much to the satisfaction of those who propose them, the god 
 is put tenderly to bed in the trough, and the whole company unite 
 in a long chant, led off by Kolory. This ended, the ceremony 
 is over ; the chiefs rise to their feet in high good humor, and my 
 Lord Archbishop, after chatting awhile, and regaling himself with 
 a whiff or two from a pipe of tobacco, tucks the canoe under his 
 arm and marches off with it. 
 
 The whole of these proceedings were like those of a parcel of 
 children playing with dolls and baby houses. 
 
 For a youngster scarcely ten inches high, and with so few early 
 advantages as he doubtless had had, Moa Artua was certainly a 
 precocious little fellow if he really said all that was imputed to 
 him ; but for what reason this pocr devil of a deity, thus cuffed 
 about, cajoled, and shut up in a box, was held in greater estima 
 tion 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 honor 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 like 
 wise 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 easi 
 est thing in life for him (Moa Artua) to take the whole island of Nu- 
 
CHAP, xxiv.] RELIGION OF POLYNESIA. 227 
 
 kuheva 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 per- 
 plexed the illustrious Cook, in his intercourse with the South Sea 
 islanders, as their sacred rites. Although this prince of naviga 
 tors was in many instances assisted by interpreters in the prose 
 cution of his researches, he still frankly acknowledges that he 
 was at a loss to obtain anything like a clear insight into ihe puz 
 zling arcana of their faith. A similar admission has been made 
 by other eminent voyagers : by Carteret, Byron, Kotzebue, and 
 Vancouver. 
 
 For my own part, although hardly a day passed while I re 
 mained upon the island that I did not witness some religious cere 
 mony or other, it was very much like seeing a parcel of " Free 
 masons" 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 effec 
 tually 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 mysteri 
 ous Taboo. The " independent electors" of the valley were not 
 to be brow-beaten by chiefs, priests, idols, or devils. As for the 
 luckless idols, they received more hard knocks than supplica 
 tions. I do not wonder that some of them looked so grim, and 
 stood so bolt upright, as if fearful of looking to the right or the 
 left lest they should give any one offence. The fact is, they had 
 to carry themselves "pretty straight" or suffer the consequences. 
 Their worshippers were such a precious set of fickle-minded and 
 irreverent heathens, that there was no telling when they might 
 
228 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxiv. 
 
 topple one of them over, break it to pieces, and making a fire 
 with it on the very altar itself, fall to roasting the offerings of 
 bread-fruit, and eat them in spite of its teeth. 
 
 In how little reverence these unfortunate deities were held by 
 the natives was on one occasion most convincingly proved to me. 
 Walking with Kory-Kory through the deepest recesses of the 
 groves, I perceived a curious looking image, about six feet in 
 height, which originally had been placed upright against a low 
 pi-pi, surmounted by a ruinous bamboo temple, but having be 
 come fatigued and weak in the knees, was now carelessly leaning 
 against it. The idol was partly concealed by the foliage of a tree 
 which stood near, and whose leafy boughs drooped over the pile 
 of stones, as if to protect the rude fane from the decay to which 
 it was rapidly hastening. The image itself was nothing more 
 than a grotesquely shaped log, carved in the likeness of a portly 
 naked man with the arms clasped over the head, the jaws thrown 
 wide apart, and its thick shapeless legs bowed into an arch. It 
 was much decayed. The lower part was overgrown with a bright 
 silky moss. Thin spears of grass sprouted from the distended 
 mouthj and fringed the outline of the head and arms. His god- 
 ship had literally attained a green old age. All its prominent 
 points were bruised and battered, or entirely rotted away. The 
 nose had taken its departure, and from the general appearance of 
 the head it might have been supposed that the wooden divinity, in 
 despair at the neglect of its worshippers, had been trying to beat 
 its own brains out against the surrounding trees. 
 
 I drew near to inspect more closely this strange object of ido 
 latry ; but halted reverently at the distance of two or three paces, 
 out of regard to the religious prejudices of my valet. As soon, 
 however, as Kory-Kory perceived that I was in one of my inquir 
 ing, scientific moods, to my astonishment, he sprang to the side 
 of the idol, and pushing it away from the stones against which it 
 rested, endeavored to make it stand upon its legs. But the divi- 
 
CHAP, xxiv.] IDOLS AND PRIESTS. 229 
 
 nity had lost the use of them altogether ; and while Kory-Kory 
 was trying to prop it up, by placing a stick between it and the 
 pi-pi, the monster fell clumsily to the ground, and would infalli 
 bly have broken its neck had not Kory-Kory providentially broken 
 its fall by receiving its whole weight on his own ha If- crushed 
 back. I never saw the honest fellow in such a rage before. He 
 leaped furiously to his feet, and seizing the stick, began beating 
 the poor image ; every moment or two pausing and talking to it 
 in the most violent manner, as if upbraiding it for the accident. 
 When his indignation had subsided a little he whirled the idol 
 about most profanely, so as to give me an opportunity of examin 
 ing it on all sides. I am quite sure I never should have pre 
 sumed to have taken such liberties with the god myself, and I 
 was not a little shocked at Kory-Kory 's impiety. 
 
 This anecdote speaks for itself. When one of the inferior 
 order of natives could show such contempt for a venerable and 
 decrepit God of the Groves, what the state of religion must be 
 among the people in general is easily to be imagined. In truth, 
 I regard the Typees as a back-slidden generation. They are 
 sunk in religious sloth, and require a spiritual revival. A long 
 prosperity of bread-fruit and cocoa-nuts has rendered them remiss 
 in the performance of their higher obligations. The wood-rot 
 malady is spreading among the idols the fruit upon their altars 
 is becoming offensive the temples themselves need re-thatching 
 the tattooed clergy are altogether too light-hearted and lazy 
 and their flocks are going astray. 
 
230 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxv. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 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 Testi 
 mony 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 neighboring 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 j 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 some 
 times 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 
 
CHAP, xxv.] PHYSICAL PECULIARITIES. 231 
 
 from dress, but appeared in all the naked simplicity of nature, I 
 could not avoid comparing them with the fine gentlemen and 
 dandies who promenade such unexceptionable figures in our -fre 
 quented thoroughfares. Stripped of the cunning artifices of the 
 tailor, and standing forth in the garb of Eden, what a sorry set 
 of round-shouldered, spindle-shanked, crane-necked varlets would 
 civilized men appear ! Stuffed calves, padded breasts, and scien 
 tifically cut pantaloons would then avail them nothing, and the 
 effect would be truly deplorable. 
 
 Nothing in the appearance of the islanders struck me more 
 forcibly than the whiteness of their teeth. The novelist always 
 compares the masticators of his heroine to ivory ; but I boldly 
 pronounce the teeth of the Typees to be far more beautiful than 
 ivory itself. The jaws of the oldest greybeards among them 
 were much better garnished than those of most 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 uncom 
 monly diminutive. The early period of life at which the human 
 form arrives at maturity in this generous tropical climate, like 
 wise deserves to be mentioned. A little creature, not more than 
 thirteen years of age, and who in other particulars might be 
 regarded as a mere child, is often seen nursing her own baby ; 
 whilst lads who, under less ripening skies, would be still at school, 
 are here responsible fathers of families. 
 
 On first entering the Typee Valley, I had been struck with the 
 marked contrast presented by its inhabitants with those of the bay 
 J had previously left. In the latter place, I had riot been favora 
 bly impressed with the personal appearance of the male portion 
 
232 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxv. 
 
 of the population ; although with the females, excepting in some 
 truly melancholy instances, I had been wonderfully pleased. I 
 had observed that even the little intercourse Europeans had car- 
 ried on with the Nukuheva natives had not failed to leave its 
 traces amongst them. One of the most dreadful curses under 
 which humanity labors had commenced its havocs, and betrayed, 
 as it ever does among the South Sea islanders, the most aggra 
 vated symptoms. From this, as from all other foreign inflictions, 
 the yet uncontaminated tenants of the Typee Valley were 
 wholly exempt ; and long may they continue so. Better it will 
 be for them for ever to remain the happy and innocent heathens 
 and barbarians that they now are, than, like the wretched inha 
 bitants of the Sandwich Islands, to enjoy the mere name of Chris 
 tians without experiencing any of the vital operations of true 
 religion, whilst, at the same time, they are made the victims of 
 the worst vices and evils of civilized life. 
 
 Apart, however, from these considerations, I am inclined to 
 believe that there exists a radical difference between the two 
 tribes, if indeed they are not distinct races of men. To those 
 who have merely touched at Nukuheva Bay, without visiting 
 other portions of the island, it would hardly appear credible the 
 diversities presented between the various small clans inhabiting 
 so diminutive a spot. But the hereditary hostility which has 
 existed between them for ages, fully accounts for this. 
 
 Not so easy, however, is it to assign an adequate cause for the 
 endless variety of complexions to be seen in the Typee Valley. 
 During the festival, I had noticed several young females whose 
 skins were almost as white as any Saxon damsels ; a slight dash 
 of the mantling brown being all that marked the difference. 
 This comparative fairness of complexion, though in a great de 
 gree 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, 
 
CHAP, xxv.] COSMETICS. 233 
 
 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, how 
 ever, 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 color, it conse 
 quently imparts for the time a similar hue to the complexion. 
 Nothing, therefore, can be imagined more singular than the ap 
 pearance of these nearly naked damsels immediately after the 
 application of the cosmetic. To look at one of them you would 
 almost suppose she was some vegetable in an unripe state ; and 
 that, instead of living in the shade for ever, she ought to be 
 placed out in the sun to ripen. 
 
 All the islanders are more or less in the habit of anointing 
 themselves ; the women preferring the " aker " or " papa," and 
 the men using the oil of the cocoa-nut. Mehevi was remarkably 
 fond of mollifying his entire cuticle with this ointment. Some 
 times he might be seen with his whole body fairly reeking with 
 the perfumed oil of the nut, looking as if he had just emerged 
 from a soap-boiler's vat, or had undergone the process of dipping 
 in a tallow-chandlery. To this cause perhaps, united to their 
 frequent bathing and extreme cleanliness, is ascribable, in a great 
 measure, the marvellous purity and smoothness of skin exhibited 
 by the natives in general. 
 
 The prevailing tint among the women of the valley was a 
 light olive, and of this style of complexion Fayaway afforded 
 
 I 
 
234 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxv. 
 
 the most beautiful example. Others were still darker, while 
 not a few were of a genuine golden color, 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 ac 
 count 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 in 
 habitants in every respect resemble those dwelling on that and 
 the other islands of the group. Figneroa, the chronicler of Men- 
 danna's voyage, says, that on the morning the land was descried, 
 when the Spaniards drew near the shore, there sallied forth, in 
 rude procession, about seventy canoes, and at the same time 
 many of the inhabitants (females I presume) made towards the 
 ships by swimming. He adds, that " in complexion they were 
 nearly white ; of good stature, and finely formed ; and on their 
 faces and bodies were delineated representations of fishes and 
 other devices." The old Don then goes on to say, " There came, 
 among others, two lads paddling their canoe, whose eyes were 
 fixed on the ship ; they had beautiful faces and the most promis 
 ing animation of countenance ; and were in all things so becom 
 ing, 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."* More than two hundred years have 
 gone by since the passage of which the above is a translation 
 was written ; and it appears to me now, as I read it, as fresh 
 
 * This passage, which is cited as an almost literal translation from the 
 original, I found in a small volume entitled " Circumnavigation of the 
 Globe," in which volume are several extracts from " Dalrymple's Historical 
 Collections." The last-mentioned work I have never seen, but it is said to 
 contain a very correct English version of great part of the learned Doctor 
 Christoval Suaverde de Figneroa's History of Mendanna's Voyage, pub 
 lished at Madrid, A.D. 1613 
 
CHAP, xxv.] BEAUTY OF THE WOMEN. 235 
 
 and true as if written but yesterday. The islanders are still the 
 same ; and I have seen boys in the Typee Valley of whose 
 " beautiful faces and promising animation of countenance " no 
 one who has not beheld them can form any adequate idea. Cook, 
 in the account of his voyages, pronounces the Marquesans as by 
 far the most splendid islanders in the South Seas. Stewart, the 
 chaplain of the U. S. ship Vincennes, in his " Scenes in the 
 South Seas," expresses, in more than one place, his amazement 
 at the surpassing loveliness of the women ; and says that many 
 of the Nukuheva damsels reminded him forcibly of the most 
 celebrated beauties in his own land. Fanning, a Yankee mari 
 ner of some reputation, likewise records his lively impressions of 
 the physical appearance of these people ; and Commodore David 
 Porter of the U. S. frigate Essex, is said to have been vastly 
 smitten by the beauty of the ladies. Their great superiority 
 over all other Polynesians cannot fail to attract the notice of those 
 who visit the principal groups in the Pacific, The voluptuous 
 Tahitians are the only people who at all deserve to be compared 
 with them ; while the dark-hued Hawiians and the woolly-headed 
 Feegees are immeasurably inferior to them. The distinguishing 
 characteristic of the Marquesan islanders, and that which at 
 once strikes you, is the European cast of their features a pecu 
 liarity seldom observable among other uncivilized people. Many 
 of their faces present a profile classically beautiful, and in the 
 valley of Typee I saw several who, like the stranger Marnoo, 
 were in every respect models of beauty. 
 
 Some of the natives present at the Feast of Calibashes had 
 displayed a few articles of European dress ; disposed, however, 
 about their persons after their own peculiar fashion. Among 
 these I perceived the two pieces of cotton-cloth which poor Toby 
 and myself had bestowed upon our youthful guides the afternoon 
 we entered the valley. They were evidently reserved for gala 
 days ; and during those of the festival they rendered the young 
 
236 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxv. 
 
 islanders who wore them very distinguished characters. The 
 small number who were similarly adorned, and the great value 
 they appeared to place upon the most common and most trivial 
 articles, furnished ample evidence of the very restricted inter 
 course they held with vessels touching at the island. A few cot 
 ton handkerchiefs, of a gay pattern, tied about the neck, and suf 
 fered to fall over the shoulders ; strips of fanciful calico, swathed 
 about the loins, were nearly all I saw. 
 
 Indeed, throughout the valley, there were few things of any 
 kind to be seen of European origin. All I ever saw, besides the 
 articles just alluded to, were the six muskets preserved in the 
 Ti, and three or four similar implements of warfare hung up 
 in other houses ; some small canvas bags, partly filled with bul- 
 tats 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 armory. 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 pur 
 pose. It was one of those clumsy, old-fashioned, English pieces 
 known generally as Tower Hill muskets, and, for aught I know, 
 might have been left on the island by Wallace, Carteret, Cook, 
 or Vancouver. The stock was half rotten and worm-eaten ; the 
 lock was as rusty and about as well adapted to its ostensible pur 
 pose as an old door-hinge ; the threading of the screws about the 
 trigger was completely worn away ; while the barrel shook in 
 
CHAP, xxv.] EQUALITY OF CONDITION. 237 
 
 the wood. Such was the weapon the chief desired me to restore 
 to its original condition. As I did not possess the accomplish 
 ments of a gunsmith, and was likewise destitute of the necessary 
 tools, I was reluctantly obliged to signify my inability to perform 
 the task. At this unexpected communication Mehevi regarded 
 me, for a moment, as if he half suspected I was some inferior 
 sort of white man, who after all did not know much more than a 
 Typee. However, after a most labored explanation of the mat 
 ter, I succeeded in making him understand the extreme difficulty 
 of the task. Scarcely satisfied with my apologies, however, he 
 marched off with the superannuated musket in something of a 
 huff, as if he would no longer expose it to the indignity of being 
 manipulated by such unskilful fingers. 
 
 During the festival I had not failed to remark the simplicity 
 of manner, the freedom from all restraint, and, to a certain de 
 gree, 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 dis 
 tinguish 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 trans 
 mitted from father to son, I have no doubt that one of the effects 
 here, as elsewhere, of high birth, is to induce respect and 
 obedience. 
 
 The civil institutions of the Marquesas Islands appear to be 
 
238 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP, xxv 
 
 in this, as in other respects, directly the reverse of those of the 
 Tahitian and Hawiian groups, where the original power of the 
 king and chiefs was far more despotic than that of any tyrant in 
 civilized countries. At Tahiti it used to be death for one of the 
 inferior orders to approach, without permission, under the shadow 
 of the king's house ; or to fail in paying the customary reverence 
 when food destined for the king was borne past them by his mes 
 sengers. At the Sandwich Islands, Kaahumanu, the gigantic 
 old dowager queen a woman of nearly four hundred pounds 
 weight, and who is said to be still living at Mowee was accus 
 tomed, in some of her terrific gusts of temper, to snatch up an 
 ordinary sized man who had offended her, and snap his spine 
 across her knee. Incredible as this may seem, it is a fact. 
 While at Lahainaluna the residence of this monstrous Jezebel 
 a humpbacked wretch was pointed out to me, who, some twen 
 ty-five years previously, had had the vertebrae of his back-bone 
 very seriously discomposed by his gentle mistress. 
 
 The particular grades of rank existing among the chiefs of 
 Typee, I could not in all cases determine. Previous to the Feast 
 of Calabashes I had been puzzled what particular station to assign 
 to Mehevi. But the important part he took upon that occasion 
 convinced me that he had no superior among the inhabitants of 
 the valley. I had invariably noticed a certain degree of deference 
 paid to him by all with whom I had ever seen him brought in 
 contact ; but when I remembered that my wanderings had been 
 confined to a limited portion of the valley, and that towards the 
 sea a number of distinguished chiefs resided, some of whom had 
 separately visited me at Marheyo's house, and whom, until the 
 Festival, I had never seen in the company of Mehevi, I felt dis 
 posed to believe that his rank after all might not be particularly 
 elevated. 
 
 The revels, however, had brought together all the warriors 
 whom I had seen individually and in groups at different times 
 
CHAP, xxv.] GRADATIONS IN RANK. 239 
 
 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 congratu 
 lating myself that Mehevi had from the first taken me as it were 
 under his royal protection, and that he still continued to entertain 
 for me the warmest regard, as far at least as I was enabled to 
 judge from appearances. For the future I determined to pay 
 most assiduous court to him, hoping that eventually through his 
 kindness I might obtain my liberty. 
 
240 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxvi. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 King Mehevi Allusion to his Hawiian Majesty Conduct of Marheyo and 
 Mehevi in certain delicate matters Peculiar system of Marriage Num 
 ber of Population Uniformity Embalming Places of Sepulture 
 Funeral obsequies at Nukuheva Number of Inhabitants in Typee Lo 
 cation of the Dwellings Happiness enjoyed in the Valley A Warning 
 Some ideas with regard to the Civilisation of the Islands Reference to 
 the present state of the Hawiians Story of a Missionary's Wife Fash- 
 ionable Equipages at Oahu Reflections. 
 
 KING Mehevi ! A goodly sounding title ! and why should I not 
 bestow it upon the foremost man in the valley of Typee ? The 
 republican missionaries of Oahu cause to be gazetted in the 
 Court Journal, published at Honolula, the most trivial move 
 ment of " his gracious majesty " King Kammehammaha III., 
 and "their highnesses the princes of the blood royal."* And 
 
 * Accounts like these are sometimes copied into English and American 
 journals. They lead the reader to infer that the arts and customs of civi 
 lized life are rapidly refining the natives of the Sandwich Islands. But let 
 no one be deceived by these accounts. The chiefs swagger about in gold 
 lace and broadcloth, while the great mass of the common people are nearly 
 as primitive in their appearance as in the days of Cook. In the progress 
 of events at these islands, the two classes are receding from each other : 
 the chiefs are daily becoming more luxurious and extravagant in their style 
 of living, and the common people more and more destitute of the necessa 
 ries and decencies of life. But the end to which both will arrive at last 
 will be the same : the one are fast destroying themselves by sensual indul 
 gences, and the other are fast being destroyed by a complication of disor 
 ders, and the want of wholesome food. The resources of the domineering 
 chiefs are wrung from the starving serfs, and every additional bauble with 
 which they bedeck themselves is purchased by the sufferings of their bonds- 
 
CHAP, xxvi.] KING MEHEVI. 241 
 
 who is his " gracious majesty," and what the quality of this 
 " blood royal ?" His " gracious majesty " is a fat, lazy, negro- 
 looking blockhead, with as little character as power. He has 
 lost the noble traits of the barbarian, without acquiring the 
 redeeming graces of a civilized being ; and, although a member 
 of the Hawiian Temperance Society, is a most inveterate dram- 
 drinker. 
 
 The " blood royal " is an extremely thick, depraved fluid ; 
 formed principally of raw fish, bad brandy, and European sweet 
 meats, and is charged with a variety of eruptive humors, which 
 are developed in sundry blotches and pimples upon the august 
 face of " majesty itself," and the angelic countenances of the 
 " princes and princesses of the blood-royal !" 
 
 Now, if the farcical puppet of a chief magistrate in the Sand 
 wich Islands be allowed the title of King, why should it be with 
 held from the noble savage Mehevi, who is a thousand times 
 more worthy of the appellation ? All hail, therefore, Mehevi, 
 King of the Cannibal Valley, and long life and prosperity to his 
 Typeean majesty ! May Heaven for many a year preserve him, 
 the uncompromising foe of Nukuheva and the French, if a hostile 
 attitude will secure his lovely domain from the remorseless in 
 flictions of South Sea civilisation. 
 
 Previously to seeing the Dancing Widows I had little idea 
 that there were any matrimonial relations subsisting in Typee, 
 and I should as soon have thought of a Platonic affection being 
 cultivated between the sexes, as of the solemn connexion of man 
 and wife. To be sure, there were old Marheyo and Tinor, who 
 seemed to have a sort of nuptial understanding with one another ; 
 but for all that, I had sometimes observed a comical-looking old 
 gentleman dressed in a suit of shabby tattooing, who had the 
 
 men ; so that the measure of gew-gaw refinement attained by the chiefs is 
 only an index to the actual state of degradation in which the greater por 
 tion of the population lie grovelling 
 
242 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxvi. 
 
 audacity to take various liberties with the lady, and that too in 
 the very presence of the old warrior her husband, who looked on 
 as good-naturedly as if nothing was happening. This behavior, 
 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 them 
 selves ; for sure I am, they never troubled themselves about any 
 domestic affairs. In truth, Mehevi seemed to be the president 
 of a club of hearty fellows, who kept " Bachelor's Hall " in fine 
 style at the Ti. I had no doubt but that they regarded children 
 as odious incumbrances ; and their ideas of domestic felicity were 
 sufficiently shown in the fact, that they allowed no meddlesome 
 housekeepers to turn topsy-turvy those snug little arrangements 
 they had made in their comfortable dwelling. I strongly sus 
 pected, however, that some of these jolly bachelors were carrying 
 on love intrigues with the maidens of the tribe ; although they 
 did not appear publicly to acknowledge them. I happened to 
 pop upon Mehevi three or four times when he was romping in a 
 most undignified manner for a warrior king with one of the 
 prettiest little witches in the valley. She lived with an old 
 woman and a young man, in a house near Marheyo's ; and al 
 though in appearance a mere child herself, had a noble boy about 
 a year old, who bore a marvellous resemblance to Mehevi, whom 
 I should certainly have believed to have been the father, were it 
 not that the little fellow had no triangle on his face but on 
 second thoughts, tattooing is not hereditary. Mehevi, however, 
 was not the only person upon whom the damsel Moonoony smiled 
 the young fellow of fifteen, who permanently resided in the 
 house with her, was decidedly in her good graces. I sometimes 
 beheld both him and the chief making love at the same time. Is 
 it possible, thought I, that the valiant warrior can consent to give 
 
CHAP, xxvi.] BADGE OF WEDLOCK. 243 
 
 up a corner in the thing he loves ? This too was a mystery 
 which, with others of the same kind, was afterwards satisfactorily 
 explained. 
 
 During the second day of the Feast of Calabashes, Kory-Kory 
 being determined that I should have some understanding on 
 these matters had, in the course of his explanations, directed 
 my attention to a peculiarity I had frequently remarked 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, ac 
 cording 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 dis 
 tinguished, and never ventured to indulge in the slightest approach 
 to flirtation with any of their number. Married women, to be 
 sure ! I knew better than to offend them. 
 
 A further insight, however, into the peculiar domestic customs 
 of the inmates of the valley did away in a measure with the 
 severity of my scruples, and convinced me that I was deceived 
 in some at least of my conclusions. A regular system of poly 
 gamy exists among the islanders ; but of a most extraordinary 
 nature, a plurality of husbands, instead of wives ; and this soli 
 tary fact speaks volumes for the gentle disposition of the male 
 population. Where else, indeed, could such a practice exist, even 
 for a single day? Imagine a revolution brought about in a 
 
244 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxvi. 
 
 Turkish seraglio, and the harem rendered the abode of bearded 
 men ; or conceive some beautiful woman in our own country run 
 ning distracted at the sight of her numerous lovers murdering one 
 another before her eyes, out of jealousy for the unequal distribu 
 tion of her favors ! Heaven defend us from such a state of 
 things ! We are scarcely amiable and forbearing enough to sub 
 mit to it. 
 
 I was not able to learn what particular ceremony was observed 
 in forming the marriage contract, but am inclined to think that 
 it must have been of a very simple nature. Perhaps the mere 
 " PPP m tne question," as it is termed with us, might have been 
 followed by an immediate nuptial alliance. At any rate, I have 
 more than one reason to believe that tedious courtships are un 
 known in the valley of ^Typee. 
 
 The males considerably outnumber the females. This holds 
 true of many of the islands of Polynesia, although the reverse ot 
 ,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 pre 
 sents 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 mar 
 ried supplementary husbands with them. Infidelity on either 
 side is very rare. No man has more than one wife, and no wife 
 of mature years has less than two husbands, sometimes she has 
 three, but such instances are not frequent. The marriage tie, 
 whatever it may be, does not appear to be indissoluble j for sepa- 
 
CHAP, xxvi ] SYSTEM OF MARRIAGE. 245 
 
 rations occasionally happen. These, however, when they do 
 take place, produce no unhappiness, and are preceded by no 
 bickerings ; for the simple reason, that an ill-used wife or a hen 
 pecked husband is not obliged to file a bill in Chancery to obtain 
 a divorce. As nothing stands in the way of a separation, the 
 matrimonial yoke sits easily and lightly, and a Typee wife lives 
 on very pleasant and sociable terms with her husbands. On the 
 whole, wedlock, as known among these Typees, seems to be of 
 a more distinct and enduring nature than is usually the case with 
 barbarous people. A baneful promiscuous intercourse of the sexes 
 is hereby avoided, and virtue, without being clamorously invoked, 
 is, as it were, unconsciously practised. 
 
 The contrast exhibited between the Marquesas and other 
 islands of the Pacific in this respect, is worthy of being 
 noticed. At Tahiti the marriage tie was altogether unknown ; 
 and the relation of husband and wife, father and son, could 
 hardly be said to exist. The Arreory Society one of the most 
 singular institutions that ever existed in any part of the world 
 spread universal licentiousness over the island. It was the volup 
 tuous character of these people which rendered the disease intro 
 duced among them by De Bougainville's ships, in 1768, doubly 
 destructive. It visited them like a plague, sweeping them off by 
 hundreds. 
 
 Notwithstanding the existence of wedlock among the Typees, 
 the Scriptural injunction to increase and multiply seems to be 
 but indifferently attended to. I never saw any of those large 
 families in arithmetical or 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 num 
 ber. 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 
 
246 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxvi. 
 
 little ones tagging at their apronstrings, or rather at the bread 
 fruit-leaf they usually wore in the rear. 
 
 The ratio of increase among all the Polynesian nations is 
 'very small ; and in some places as yet uncorrupted by inter- 
 course with Europeans, the births would appear but very little 
 to outnumber the deaths ; the population in such instances re 
 maining nearly the same for several successive generations, even 
 upon those islands seldom or never desolated by wars, and among 
 people with whom the crime of infanticide is altogether un 
 known. This would seem expressly ordained by Providence to 
 prevent the overstocking of the islands with a race too indolent 
 to cultivate the ground, and who, for that reason alone, would, 
 by any considerable increase in their numbers, be exposed to the 
 most deplorable misery. During the entire period of my stay in 
 the valley of Typee, I never saw more than ten or twelve chil 
 dren under the age of six months, and only became aware of two 
 births. 
 
 It is to the looseness of the marriage tie that the late rapid 
 decrease of the population of the Sandwich Islands and of Tahiti 
 is in part to be ascribed. The vices and diseases introduced 
 among these unhappy people annually swell the ordinary mortality 
 of the islands, while, from the same cause, the originally small 
 number of births is proportionally decreased. Thus the progress 
 of the Hawiians and Tahitians to utter extinction is accelerated 
 in a sort of compound ratio. 
 
 I have before had occasion to remark that I never saw any of 
 the ordinary signs of a place of sepulture in the valley, a cir 
 cumstance which I attributed, at the time, to my living in a par 
 ticular 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 
 
CHAP, xxvi.] FUNERAL FEAST. 247 
 
 the shadowy recesses along the base of the mountains. At 
 Nukuheva, two or three large quadrangular " pi-pis," heavily 
 flagged, enclosed with regular stone walls, and shaded over and 
 almost hidden from view by the interlacing branches of enormous 
 trees, were pointed out to me as burial-places. The bodies, I 
 understood, were deposited in rude vaults beneath the flagging, 
 and were suffered to remain there without being disinterred. 
 Although nothing could be more strange and gloomy than the 
 aspect of these places, where the lofty trees threw their dark 
 shadows over rude blocks of stone, a stranger looking at them 
 would have discerned none of the ordinary evidences of a place 
 of sepulture. 
 
 During my stay in the valley, as none of its inmates were so 
 accommodating as to die and be buried in order to gratify my 
 curiosity with regard to their funeral rites, I was reluctantly 
 obliged to remain in ignorance of them. As I have reason to 
 believe, however, that the observances of the Typees in these 
 matters are the same with those of all the other tribes on the 
 island, I will here relate a scene I chanced to witness at 
 Nukuheva. 
 
 A young man had died, about daybreak, in a house near the 
 beach. I had been sent ashore that morning, and saw a good 
 deal of the preparations they were making for his obsequies. 
 The body, neatly wrapped in new white tappa, was laid out in 
 an open shed of cocoa-nut boughs, upon a bier constructed of 
 elastic bamboos ingeniously twisted together. This was sup 
 ported, 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 in 
 dividuals, distinguished by head-dresses of beautiful tappa, and 
 12* 
 
248 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP, xxvi 
 
 wearing a great number of ornaments, appeared to officiate as 
 masters of the ceremonies. By noon the entertainment had fairly 
 begun, and we were told that it would last during the whole of 
 the two following days. With the exception of those who mourned 
 by the corpse, every one seemed disposed to drown the sense of 
 the late bereavement in convivial indulgence. The girls, decked 
 out in their savage finery, danced ; the old men chanted ; the 
 warriors smoked and chatted ; and the young and lusty, of both 
 sexes, feasted plentifully, and seemed to enjoy themselves as pleas- 
 antly as they could have done had it been a wedding. 
 
 The islanders understand the art of embalming, and practise 
 it with such success, that the bodies of their great chiefs are fre 
 quently 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 expos 
 ed, 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 ijts 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 
 
CHAP, xxvi.] IMPENDING CHANGES. 249 
 
 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 laby 
 rinth of foot-paths twisting and turning- among the thickets with 
 out end. 
 
 The penalty of the Fall presses very lightly upon the valley of 
 Typee ; for, with the one solitary exception of striking a light, I 
 scarcely saw any piece of work performed there which caused the 
 sweat to stand upon a single brow. As for digging and delving for a 
 livelihood, the thing is altogether unknown. Nature has planted 
 the bread-fruit and the banana, and in her own good time she brings 
 them to maturity, when the idle savage -stretches forth his hand, 
 and satisfies his appetite. 
 
 Ill-fated people ! I shudder when I think of the change a few 
 years will produce in their paradisaical abode ; and probably when 
 the most destructive vices, and the worst attendances on civilisa 
 tion, shall have driven all peace and happiness from the valley, 
 the magnanimous French will proclaim to the world that the 
 Marquesas Islands have been converted to Christianity ! and this 
 the Catholic world will doubtless consider as a glorious event. 
 Heaven help the "Isles of the Sea!" The sympathy which 
 Christendom feels for them, has, alas ! in too many instances proved 
 their bane. 
 
 How little do some of these poor islanders comprehend when 
 they look around them, that no inconsiderable part of their dis 
 asters originates in certain tea-party excitements, under the influ 
 ence of which benevolent-looking gentlemen in white cravats 
 solicit alms, and old ladies in spectacles, and young ladies in 
 sober russet gowns, contribute sixpences towards the creation of a 
 fund, the object of which is to ameliorate the spiritual condition 
 
250 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxvi. 
 
 of the Polynesians, but whose end has almost invariably been to 
 accomplish their temporal destruction ! 
 
 Let the savages be civilized, but civilize them with benefits, 
 and not with evils ; and let heathenism be destroyed, but not by 
 destroying the heathen. The Anglo-Saxon hive have extirpated 
 Paganism from the greater part of the North American continent; 
 but with it they have likewise extirpated the greater portion of the 
 Red race. Civilisation is gradually sweeping from the earth the 
 lingering vestiges of Paganism, and at the same time the shrinking 
 forms of its unhappy worshippers. 
 
 Among the islands of Polynesia, no sooner are the images 
 overturned, the temples demolished, and the idolaters converted 
 into nominal Christians, than disease, vice, and premature death 
 make their appearance. The depopulated land is then recruited 
 from the rapacious hordes of enlightened individuals who settle 
 themselves within its borders, and clamorously announce the 
 progress of the Truth. Neat villas, trim gardens, shaven lawns, 
 spires, and cupolas arise, while the poor savage soon finds himself 
 an interloper in the country of his fathers, and that too on the 
 very site of the hut where he was born. The spontaneous fruits 
 of the earth, which God in his wisdom had ordained for the support 
 of the indolent natives, remorselessly seized upon and appropriated 
 by the stranger, are devoured before the eyes of the starving in 
 habitants, or sent on board the numerous vessels which now touch 
 at their shores. 
 
 When the famished wretches are cut off in this manner from 
 their natural supplies, they are told by their benefactors to work 
 and earn their support by the sweat of their brows ! But to no 
 fine gentleman born to hereditary opulence does this manual labor 
 come more unkindly than to the luxurious Indian when thus robbed 
 of the bounty of heaven. Habituated to a life of indolence, he 
 cannot and will not exert himself; and want, disease, and vice, all 
 evils of foreign growth, soon terminate his miserable existence. 
 
CHAP, xxvi.] MISSIONARY INFLUENCES. 251 
 
 But what matters all this ? Behold the glorious result ! The 
 abominations of Paganism have given way to the pure rites of 
 the Christian worship, the ignorant savage has been supplanted 
 by the refined European ! Look at Honolulu, the metropolis of 
 the Sandwich Islands ! A community of disinterested merchants, 
 and devoted self-exiled heralds of the Cross, located on the very 
 spot that twenty years ago was defiled by the presence of idolatry. 
 What a subject for an eloquent Bible-meeting orator ! Nor has 
 such an opportunity for a display of missionary rhetoric been 
 allowed to pass by unimproved ! But when these philanthropists 
 send us such glowing accounts of one half of their labors, why 
 does their modesty restrain them from publishing the other half 
 of the good they have wrought ? Not until I visited Honolulu 
 was I aware of the fact that the small remnant of the natives had 
 been civilized into draught-horses, and evangelized into beasts of 
 burden. But so it is. They have been literally broken into the 
 traces, and are harnessed to the vehicles of their spiritual in 
 structors like so many dumb brutes ! 
 
 Among a multitude of similar exhibitions that I saw, I shall 
 never forget a robust, red-faced, and very lady-like personage, a 
 missionary's spouse, who day after day for months together took 
 her regular airings in a little go-cart drawn by two of the 
 islanders, one an old grey-headed man, and the other a rogueish 
 stripling, both being, with the exception of the fig-leaf, as naked 
 as when they were born. Over a level piece of ground this pair 
 of draught bipeds would go with a shambling, unsightly trot, the 
 youngster hanging back all the time like a knowing horse, while 
 the old hack plodded on and did all the work. 
 
 Rattling along through the streets of the town in this stylish 
 equipage, the lady looks about her as magnificently as any queen 
 driven in state to her coronation. A sudden elevation, and a 
 sandy road, however, soon disturb her serenity. The small 
 wheels become embedded in the loose soil, the old stager stands 
 
252 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxvi. 
 
 tugging and sweating, while the young one frisks about and does 
 nothing ; not an inch does the chariot budge. Will the tender 
 hearted lady, who has left friends and home for the good of the 
 souls of the poor heathen, will she think a little about their 
 bodies and get out, and ease the wretched old man until the 
 ascent is mounted ? Not she ; she could not dream of it. To 
 be sure, she used to think nothing of driving the cows to pasture 
 on the old farm in New England ; but times have changed since 
 then. So she retains her seat and bawls out, " Hookee ! hookee !" 
 (pull, pull.) The old gentleman, frightened at the sound, labors 
 away harder than ever ; and the younger one makes a great show 
 of straining himself, but takes care to keep one eye on his mis 
 tress, in order to know when to dodge out of harm's way. At 
 last the good lady loses all patience ; " Hookee ! hookee !" and 
 rap goes the heavy handle of her huge fan over the naked skull 
 of the old savage ; while the young one shies to one side and 
 keeps beyond its range. " Hookee ! hookee !" again she cries 
 " Hookee tata kannaka !" (pull strong, men,) but all in vain, 
 and she is obliged in the end to dismount, and, sad necessity, 
 actually to walk to the top of the hill. 
 
 At the town where this paragon of humility resides, is a 
 spacious and elejfcnt American chapel, where divine service is 
 regularly performed. Twice every Sabbath towards the close of 
 the exercises may be seen a score or two of little wagons ranged 
 along the railing in front of the edifice, with two squalid native 
 footmen in the livery of nakedness standing by each, and waiting 
 for the dismissal of the congregation to draw their superiors 
 home. 
 
 Lest the slightest misconception should arise from anything 
 thrown out in this chapter, or indeed in any other part of the 
 volume, let me here observe, that against the cause of missions in 
 the abstract no Christian can possibly be opposed : it is in truth a 
 just and holy cause. But if the great end proposed by it be 
 
CHAP, xxvi.] THE HAWIIAN MISSION. 253 
 
 spiritual, the agency employed to accomplish that end is purely 
 earthly ; and, although the object in view be the achievement of 
 much good, that agency may nevertheless be productive of evil. 
 In short, missionary undertaking, however it may be blessed of 
 Heaven, is in itself but human and subject, like everything else, 
 to errors and abuses. And have not errors and abuses crept into 
 the most sacred places, and may there not be unworthy or incapable 
 missionaries abroad, as well as ecclesiastics of a similar character 
 at home ? May not the unworthiness or incapacity of those who 
 assume apostolic functions upon the remote islands of the sea more 
 easily escape detection by the world at large than if it were dis 
 played in the heart of a city? An unwarranted confidence in the 
 sanctity of its apostles a proneness to regard them as incapable 
 of guile and an impatience of the least suspicion as to their 
 rectitude as men or Christians, have ever been prevailing faults 
 in the Church. Nor is this to be wondered at : for subject as 
 Christianity is to the assaults of unprincipled foes, we are naturally 
 disposed to regard everything like an exposure of ecclesiastical 
 misconduct as the offspring of malevolence or irreligious feeling. 
 Not even this last consideration, however, shall deter me from the 
 honest expression of my sentiments. 
 
 There is something apparently wrong in the prlctical operations 
 of the Sandwich Islands Mission. Those who from pure religious 
 motives contribute to the support of this enterprise, should take 
 care to ascertain that their donations, flowing through many devious 
 channels, at last effect their legitimate object, the conversion of 
 the Hawiians. I urge this, not because I doubt the moral probity 
 of those who disburse these funds, but because I know that they 
 are not rightly applied. To read pathetic accounts of missionary 
 hardships, and glowing descriptions of conversions, and baptisms 
 taking place beneath palm-trees, is one thing ; and to go to the 
 Sandwich Islands and see the missionaries dwelling in picturesque 
 and prettily-furnished coral-rock villas, whilst the miserable 
 
254 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxvi. 
 
 natives are committing all sorts of immorality around them, is 
 quite another. 
 
 In justice to the missionaries, however, I will willingly admit, 
 that whatever evils may have resulted from their collective mis 
 management of the business of the mission, and from the want of 
 vital piety evinced by some of their number, still the present de 
 plorable condition of the Sandwich Islands is by no means wholly 
 chargeable against them. The demoralizing influence of a disso 
 lute foreign population, and the frequent visits of all descriptions 
 of vessels, have tended not a little to increase the evils alluded to. 
 In a word, here, as in every case where civilisation has in any way 
 been introduced among those whom we call savages, she has 
 scattered her vices, and withheld her blessings. 
 
 As wise a man as Shakspeare has said, that the bearer of evil 
 tidings hath but a losing office ; and so I suppose will it prove 
 with me, in communicating to the trusting friends of the Hawiian 
 Mission what has been disclosed in various portions of this narra 
 tive. I am persuaded, however, that as these disclosures will by 
 their very nature attract attention, so they will lead to something 
 which will not be without ultimate benefit to the cause of Christi 
 anity in the Sandwich Islands. 
 
 I have but one thing more to add in connection with this sub 
 ject those things which I have stated as facts will remain facts, 
 in spite of whatever the bigoted or incredulous may say or write 
 against them. My reflections, however, on those facts may not 
 be free from error. If such be the case, I claim no further indul 
 gence than should be conceded to every man whose object is to 
 do good. 
 
CHAP, xxvii.] SOCIAL CONDITION. 255 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 The Social Condition and general Character of the Typees. 
 
 I HAVE already mentioned that the influence exerted over the 
 people of the valley by their chiefs was mild in the extreme ; and 
 as to any general rule or standard of conduct by which the com- 
 monalty were governed in their intercourse with each other, so 
 far as my observation extended, I should be almost tempted to say, 
 that none existed on the island, except, indeed, the mysterious 
 " Taboo" be considered as such. During the time I lived among 
 the Typees, no one was ever put upon his trial for any offence 
 against the public. To all appearance there were no courts of 
 law or equity. There was no municipal police for the purpose 
 of apprehending vagrants and disorderly characters. In short, 
 there were no legal provisions whatever for the well-being and 
 conservation of society, the enlightened end of civilized legislation. 
 And yet everything went on in the valley with a harmony and 
 smoothness unparalleled, I will venture to assert, in the most 
 select, refined, and pious associations of mortals in Christendom. 
 How are we to explain this enigma? These islanders were 
 heathens ! savages ! ay, cannibals ! and how came they, without 
 the aid of established law, to exhibit, in so eminent a degree, that 
 social order which is the greatest blessing and highest pride of 
 the social state ? 
 
 It may reasonably be inqdired, how were these people governed ? 
 how were their passions controlled in their everyday transactions ? 
 It must have been by an inherent principle of honesty and charity 
 towards each other. They seemed to be governed by that sort of 
 
256 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. XXVIL 
 
 tacit common-sense law which, say what they will of the inborn 
 lawlessness of the human race, has its precepts graven on every 
 breast. The grand principles of virtue and honor, however they 
 may be distorted by arbitrary codes, are the same all the world 
 over: and where these principles are concerned, the right or 
 wrong of any action appears the same to the uncultivated as to the 
 enlightened mind. It is to this indwelling, this universally dif 
 fused perception of what is just and noble, that the integrity of the 
 Marquesans in their intercourse with each other, is to be attri 
 buted. In the darkest nights they slept securely, with all their 
 worldly wealth around them, in houses the doors of which were 
 never fastened. The disquieting ideas of theft or assassination 
 never disturbed them. Each islander reposed beneath his own 
 palmetto thatching, or sat under his own bread-fruit tree, with 
 none to molest or alarm him. There was not a padlock in the 
 valley, nor anything that answered the purpose of one: still there 
 was no community of goods. This long spear, so elegantly 
 carved and highly polished, belongs to Wormoonoo : 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 
 Karluna : 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.* 
 
 * The strict honesty which the inhabitants of nearly all the Polynesian 
 Islands manifest towards each other, is in striking contrast with the thiev 
 ing propensities some of them evince in their intercourse with foreigners. 
 It would almost seem that, according to their peculiar code of morals, the 
 pilfering of a hatchet or a wrought nail from a European, is looked upon as 
 a praiseworthy action. Or rather, it may be presumed, that bearing in 
 
CHAP, xxvii.] LANDS JOINT PROPERTY. 257 
 
 So much for the respect in which " personal property" is held 
 in Typee j how secure an investment of " real property" may be, 
 I cannot take upon me to say. Whether the land of the valley 
 was the joint property of its inhabitants, or whether it was par 
 celled out among a certain number of landed proprietors who 
 allowed everybody to " squat " and " poach " as much as he or 
 she pleased, I never could ascertain. At any rate, musty parch 
 ments and title-deeds there were none on the island ; and I am 
 half inclined to believe that its inhabitants hold their broad valleys 
 in fee simple from nature herself; to have and to hold, so long as 
 grass grows and water runs ; or until their French visitors, by a 
 summary mode of conveyance, shall appropriate them to their own 
 benefit and behoof. 
 
 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 are 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 
 
 mind the wholesale forays made upon them by their nautical visitors, they 
 consider the property of the latter as a fair object of reprisal. This con 
 sideration, while it serves to reconcile an apparent contradiction in the 
 moral character of the islanders, should in some measure alter that low 
 opinion of it which the reader of South Sea voyages is too apt to form. 
 
258 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxvu. 
 
 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 cala 
 bashes 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 pack 
 ages swinging overhead : there are only two layers of mats be 
 neath ; and the calabashes and trenchers are not so numerous, nor 
 so tastefully stained and carved. But then, Ruaruga has a house 
 not so pretty a one, to be sure but just as commodious as Mar 
 heyo's ; and, I suppose, if he wished to vie with his neighbor's 
 establishment, he could do so with very little trouble, These, in 
 short, constituted the chief differences perceivable in the relative 
 wealth of the people in Typee. 
 
 Civilisation does not engross all the virtues of humanity : she 
 has not even her full share of them. They flourish in greater 
 abundance and attain greater strength among many barbarous 
 people. The hospitality of the wild Arab, the courage of the 
 North American Indian, and the faithful friendships of some of 
 the Polynesian nations, far surpass anything of a similar kind 
 among the polished communities of Europe. If truth and justice, 
 and the better principles of our nature, cannot exist unless en 
 forced by the statute-book, how are we to account for the social 
 condition of the Typees ? So pure and upright were they in all 
 the relations of life, that entering their valley, as I did, under the 
 most erroneous impressions of their character, I was soon led to 
 exclaim in amazement : " Are these the ferocious savages, the 
 blood-thirsty cannibals of whom I have heard such frightful tales ! 
 They deal more kindly with each other, and are more humane 
 than many who study essays on virtue and benevolence, and who 
 repeat every night that beautiful prayer breathed first by the lips 
 
. 
 
 CHAP, xxvii.] SPIRIT OF UNANIMITY. 259 
 
 of the divine and gentle Jesus." I will frankly declare, that 
 after passing a few weeks in this valley of the Marquesas, I 
 formed a higher estimate of human nature than I had ever before 
 entertained. But alas ! since then I have been one of the crew 
 of a man-of-war, and the pent-up wickedness of five hundred men 
 has nearly overturned all my previous theories. 
 
 There was one admirable trait in the general character of the 
 Typees which, more than anything else, secured my admiration : 
 it was the unanimity of feeling they displayed on every occasion. 
 With them there hardly appeared to be any difference of opinion 
 upon any subject whatever. They all thought and acted alike. 
 I do not conceive that they could support a debating society for 
 a single night : there would be nothing to dispute about ; and 
 were they to call a convention to take into consideration the state 
 of the tribe, its session would be a remarkably short one. They 
 showed this spirit of unanimity in every action of life ; every, 
 thing was done in concert and good fellowship. I will give an 
 instance of this 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, labors of all, the entire 
 work was completed before sunset. The islanders, while em 
 ployed 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 in- 
 clined to be lazy, but a perfect tumult of hilarity prevailed ; and 
 
260 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. XXVIL 
 
 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 enjoy 
 ments ; and nowhere are they more sensible of their power. Far 
 different from their condition among many rude nations, where 
 the women are made to perform all the work while their ungal- 
 lant lords and masters lie buried in sloth, the gentle sex in the 
 valley of Typee were exempt from toil, if toil it might be called 
 that, even in the tropical climate, never distilled one drop of per 
 spiration. Their light household occupations, together with the 
 manufacture of tappa, the platting of mats, and the polishing of 
 drinking-vessels, were the only employments pertaining to the 
 women. And even these resembled those pleasant avocations 
 which fill up the elegant morning leisure of our fashionable 
 ladies at home. But in these occupations, slight and agreeable 
 though they were, the giddy young girls very seldom engaged. 
 Indeed these wilful, care-killing damsels were averse to all use 
 ful employment. Like so many spoiled beauties, they ranged 
 through the groves bathed in the stream danced flirted 
 played all manner of mischievous pranks, and passed their days 
 in one merry round of thoughtless happiness. 
 
 During my whole stay on the island I never witnessed a single 
 quarrel, nor anything that in the slightest degree approached 
 even to a dispute. The natives appeared to form one household, 
 whose members were bound together by the ties of strong affec- 
 
f 
 
 CHAP, xxvii.] JEALOUSY OF EUROPEANS. 261 
 
 tion. 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 con 
 tradict me. Not so ; these apparent discrepancies are easily 
 reconciled. By many a legendary tale of violence and wrong, 
 as well as by events which have passed before their eyes, these 
 people have been taught to look upon white men with abhorrence. 
 The cruel invasion of their country by Porter has alone furnished 
 them with ample provocation ; and I can sympathize in the spirit 
 which prompts the Typee warrior to guard all the passes to his 
 valley with the point of his levelled spear, and, standing upon the 
 beach, with his back turned upon his green home, to hold at bay 
 the intruding European. 
 
 As to the origin of the enmity of this particular clan towards 
 the neighboring tribes, I cannot so confidently speak. I will not 
 say that their foes are the aggressors, nor will I endeavor to pal 
 liate 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 erelong 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 odi 
 ous a crime is chargeable. But this only enormity in their cha- 
 
262 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxvu. 
 
 racter is not half so horrible as it is usually described. Accord 
 ing 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 ex 
 tremes ; for cannibalism to a certain moderate extent is practised 
 among several of the primitive tribes in the Pacific, but it is upon 
 the bodies of slain enemies alone ; and horrible and fearful as 
 the custom is, immeasurably as it is to be abhorred and con 
 demned, still I assert that those who indulge in it are in other 
 respects humane and virtuous. 
 
CHAP, xxvin.] FISHING PARTIES. 263 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 Fishing Parties Mode of distributing the Fish Midnight Banquet 
 Timekeeping Tapers Unceremonious style of eating the Fish. 
 
 THERE was no instance in which the social and kindly dispo 
 sitions 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 resemble 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 re 
 turn the vocal telegraph was put into operation the inhabitants, 
 who were scattered throughout the length of the valley, leaped 
 
 13 
 
264 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxvm. 
 
 upon rocks and into trees, shouting with delight at the thoughts of 
 the anticipated treat. As soon as the approach of the party was 
 announced, there was a general rush of the men towards the 
 beach ; some of them remaining, however, about the Ti, in order 
 to get matters in readiness for the reception of the fish, which 
 were brought to the Taboo groves in immense packages of 
 leaves, -each one of them being suspended from a pole carried on 
 the shoulders of two men. 
 
 I was present at the Ti on one of these occasions, and the 
 sight was most interesting. After all the packages had arrived, 
 they were laid in a row under the verandah of the building, 
 and opened. The fish were all quite small, generally about 
 the size of a herring, and of every variety of color. About 
 one-eighth of the whole being reserved for the use of the Ti 
 itself, the remainder was divided into numerous smaller pack 
 ages, which were immediately dispatched in every direction to 
 the remotest parts of the valley. Arrived at their destination, 
 these were in turn portioned out, and equally distributed among 
 the various houses of each particular district. The fish were 
 under a strict Taboo, until the distribution was completed, which 
 seemed to be effected in the most impartial manner. By the 
 operation of this system every man, woman, and child in the 
 vale, were at one and the same time partaking of this favorite 
 article of food. 
 
 Once I remember the party arrived at midnight; but the 
 unseasonableness of the hour did not repress the impatience 
 of the islanders. The carriers dispatched from the Ti were 
 to be seen hurrying in all directions through the deep groves ; 
 each individual preceded by a boy bearing a flaming torch 
 of dried cocoa-nut boughs, which from time to time was re- 
 plenished 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 
 

 CHAP, xxvin.] MIDNIGHT BANQUET. 265 
 
 moving rapidly along beneath the canopy of leaves, the savage 
 shout of the excited messengers sounding the news of their ap 
 proach, which was answered on all sides, and the strange ap 
 pearance of their naked bodies, seen against the gloomy back 
 ground, 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 com 
 municated the intelligence contained in the words " pehee perni " 
 (fish come). As I happened to have been in a remarkably 
 sound and refreshing slumber, I could not imagine why the 
 information had not been deferred until morning ; indeed, I felt 
 very much inclined to fly into a passion and box my valet's ears ; 
 but on second thoughts I got quietly up, and on going outside the 
 house was not a little interested by the moving illumination whichi 
 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 inge 
 niously 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 
 
266 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP, xxvni. 
 
 knocked into a cocoa-nut shell kept for the purpose. This 
 primitive candle requires continual attention, and must be con 
 stantly 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 inter 
 vals along the string. 
 
 I grieve to state so distressing a fact, but the inhabitants of 
 Typee were in the habit of devouring fish much in the same way 
 that a civilized being would eat a radish, and without any more 
 previous preparation. They eat it raw ; scales, bones, gills, and 
 all the inside. The fish is held by the tail, and the head being 
 introduced into the mouth, the animal disappears with a rapidity 
 that would at first nearly lead one to imagine it had been launched 
 bodily down the throat. 
 
 Raw fish ! Shall I ever forget my sensations when I first saw 
 my island beauty devour one. Oh, heavens ! Fayaway, how 
 could you ever have contracted so vile a habit ? However, after 
 the first shock had subsided, the custom grew less odious in my 
 eyes, and I soon accustomed myself to the sight. Let no one 
 imagine, however, that the lovely Fayaway was in the habit of 
 swallowing great vulgar-looking fishes : oh, no ; with her beau 
 tiful 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 man 
 ner 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 commu 
 nity 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 
 

 CHAP, xxvm.] EATS RAW FISH. 267 
 
 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. 
 
 
268 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxix. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 Natural History of the Valley Golden Lizards Tameness of the Birds 
 Mosquitos Flies Dogs A solitary Cat The Climate The Cocoa-nut 
 Tree Singular modes of climbing it An agile young Chief Fearless 
 ness of the Children Too-Too and the Cocoa-nut Tree The Birds of the 
 Valley. 
 
 I THINK I must enlighten the reader a little about the natural his 
 tory of the valley. 
 
 Whence, in the name of Count Buffon and Baron Cuvier, came 
 those dogs that I saw in Typee ? Dogs ! Big hairless rats rather ; 
 all with smooth, shining, speckled hides fat sides, and very disa 
 greeable faces. Whence could they have come ? That they 
 were not the indigenous production of the region, I am firmly con 
 vinced. Indeed they seemed aware of their being interlopers, 
 looking fairly ashamed, and always trying to hide themselves in 
 some dark corner. It was plain enough they did not feel at home 
 in the vale that they wished themselves well out of it, and back 
 to the ugly country from which they must have come. 
 
 Scurvy curs ! they were my abhorrence ; I should have liked 
 nothing better than to have been the death of every one of them. 
 In fact, on one occasion, I intimated the propriety of a canine 
 crusade to Mehevi ; but the benevolent king would not consent 
 to it. He heard me very patiently ; but when I had finished, 
 shook his head, and told me in confidence, that they were 
 taboo." 
 
 As for the animal that made the fortune of the ex-lord-mayor 
 Whittington, I shall never fcfrget the day that I was lying in the 
 
CHAP, xxix.] GOLDEN LIZARDS. 269 
 
 house about noon, everybody else being fast asleep ; and happen 
 ing to raise my eyes, met those of a big black spectral cat, which 
 sat erect in the doorway, looking at me with its frightful goggling 
 green orbs, like one of those monstrous imps that torment some of 
 Teniers' saints ! I am one of those unfortunate persons, to whom 
 the sight of these animals is at any time an insufferable annoyance. 
 
 Thus constitutionally averse to cats in general, the unexpected 
 apparition of this one in particular utterly confounded me. When 
 I had a little recovered from the fascination of its glance, I started 
 up ; the cat fled, and emboldened by this, I rushed out of the house 
 in pursuit ; but it had disappeared. It was the only time I ever 
 saw one in the valley, and how it got there I cannot imagine. It 
 is just possible that it might have escaped from one of the ships 
 at Nukuheva. It was in vain to seek information on the subject 
 from the natives, since none of them had seen the animal, the 
 appearance of which remains a mystery to me to this day. 
 
 Among the few animals which are to be met with in Typee, 
 there was none which I looked upon with more interest than a 
 beautiful 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 sun 
 shine 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. 
 
270 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxix. 
 
 The birds are also remarkably tame. If you happened to see 
 one perched upon a branch within reach of your arm, and ad 
 vanced 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 Galli- 
 pagos, a bird alighted on my outstretched arm, while its mate 
 chirped from an adjoining tree. Its tameness, far from shocking 
 me, as a similar occurrence did Selkirk, imparted to me the most 
 exquisite thrill of delight I ever experienced ; and with some 
 what of the same pleasure did I afterwards behold the birds and 
 lizards of the valley show their confidence in the kindliness of 
 man. 
 
 Among the numerous afflictions which the Europeans have 
 entailed upon some of the natives of the South Seas, is the acci 
 dental 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 alto 
 gether the aboriginal sand-flies. They sting, buzz, and torment, 
 from one end of the year to the other, and by incessantly exas 
 perating the natives materially obstruct the benevolent labors 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 
 
CHAP, xxix.] CLIMATE. 271 
 
 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 incon 
 siderate as to yawn while a number of them were hovering around 
 me. I never repeated the act. Some half-dozen darted into the 
 open apartment, and began walking about its ceiling ; the sensa 
 tion 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 chari 
 tably held my mouth open for at least five minutes, with a view 
 of affording egress to the stragglers, none of them ever availed 
 themselves of the opportunity. 
 
 There are no wild animals of any kind on the island, unless it 
 be decided that the natives themselves are such. The mountains 
 and the interior present to the eye nothing but silent solitudes, 
 unbroken by the roar of beasts of prey, and enlivened by few 
 tokens even of minute animated existence. There are no venom 
 ous reptiles, and no snakes of any description to be found in any 
 of the valleys. 
 
 In a company of Marquesan natives the weather affords no 
 topic of conversation. It can hardly be said to have any vicissi 
 tudes. 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 ascer 
 tain 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 conver 
 sational exclamations of its elderly citizens. Nor do there even 
 occur any of those eccentric meteorological changes which else- 
 
 13* 
 
272 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxix. 
 
 where surprise us. In the valley of Typee ice-creams would 
 never be rendered less acceptable by sudden frosts, nor would 
 pic-nic parties be deferred on account of inauspicious snow 
 storms : for there day follows day in one unvarying round of sum 
 mer and sunshine, and the whole year is one long tropical month 
 of June just melting into July. 
 
 It is this genial climate which causes the cocoa-nuts to flourish 
 as they do. This invaluable fruit, brought to perfection by the 
 rich soil of the Marquesas, and borne aloft on a stately column 
 more than a hundred feet from the ground, would seem at first 
 almost inaccessible to the simple natives. Indeed the slender, 
 smooth, and soaring shaft, without a single limb or protuberance 
 of any kind to assist one in mounting it, presents an obstacle only 
 to be overcome by the surprising agility and ingenuity of the 
 islanders. It might be supposed that their indolence would lead 
 them patiently to await the period when the ripened nuts, slowly 
 parting from their stems, fall one by one to the ground. This 
 certainly would be the case, were it not that the young fruit, 
 encased in a soft green husk, with the incipient meat adhering in 
 a jelly-like pellicle to its sides, and containing a bumper of the 
 most delicious nectar, is what they chiefly prize. They have at 
 least twenty different terms to express as many progressive stages 
 in the growth of the nut. Many of them reject the fruit alto 
 gether except at a particular period of its growth, which, incredi 
 ble as it may appear, they seemed to me to be able to ascertain 
 within an hour or two. Others are still more capricious in their 
 tastes ; and after gathering together a heap of the nuts of all ages, 
 and ingeniously tapping them, will first sip from one and then 
 from another, as fastidiously as some delicate wine-bibber experi 
 menting glass in hand among his dusty demijohns of different 
 vintages. 
 
 Some of the young men, with more flexible frames than their 
 comrades, and perhaps with more courageous souls, had a way of 
 
CHAP, xxix.] CLIMBING A COCOA-NUT TREE. 273 
 
 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 endeavor 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 astonish 
 ment at the apparent absurdity of the request. Maintaining this 
 position for a moment, the strange emotions depicted on his coun 
 tenance 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 arm, as 
 though endeavoring 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 school-boy about to catch a falling 
 ball. After continuing this for a moment or two, as if in expecta 
 tion that the fruit was going to be tossed down to him by some 
 good spirit in the tree-top, he turns wildly round in another fit of 
 despair, and scampers off to the distance of thirty or forty yards. 
 Here he remains awhile, eyeing the tree, the very picture of 
 misery ; but the next moment, receiving, as it were, a flash of 
 inspiration, he rushes again towards it, and clasping both arms 
 about the trunk, with one elevated a little above the other, he 
 presses the soles of his feet close together against the tree, 
 extending his legs from it until they are nearly horizontal, and 
 his body becomes doubled into an arch ; then, hand over hand 
 and foot after foot, he rises from the earth with steady rapidity, 
 and almost before you are aware of it, has gained the cradled and 
 
274 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxix. 
 
 embowered nest of nuts, and with boisterous glee flings the fruit 
 to the ground. 
 
 This mode of walking the tree is only practicable where the 
 trunk declines considerably from the perpendicular. This, how 
 ever, is almost always the case ; some of the perfectly straight 
 shafts of the trees leaning at an angle of thirty degrees. 
 
 The less active among the men, and many of the children of 
 the valley, have another method of climbing. They take a broad 
 and stout piece of bark, and secure either end of it to their 
 ankles : so that when the feet thus confined are extended apart, a 
 space of little more than twelve inches is left between them. 
 This contrivance greatly facilitates the act of climbing. The 
 band pressed against the tree, and closely embracing it, yields a 
 pretty firm support ; while with the arms clasped about the 
 trunk, and at regular intervals sustaining the body, the feet are 
 drawn up nearly a yard at a time, and a corresponding elevation 
 of the hands immediately succeeds. In this way I have seen 
 little children, scarcely five years of age, fearlessly climbing the 
 slender pole of a young cocoa-nut tree, and while hanging perhaps 
 fifty feet from the ground, receiving the plaudits of their parents 
 beneath, who clapped their hands, and encouraged them to mount 
 still higher. 
 
 What, thought I, on first witnessing one of these exhibitions, 
 would the nervous mothers of America and England say to a 
 similar display of hardihood in any of their children ? The 
 Lacedemonian nation might have approved of it, but most modern 
 dames would have gone into hysterics at the sight. 
 
 At the top of the cocoa-nut tree the numerous branches, radiating 
 on all sides from a common centre, form a sort of green and waving 
 basket, between the leaflets of which you just discern the nuts 
 thickly clustering together, and on the loftier trees looking no 
 bigger from the ground than bunches of grapes, I remember one 
 adventurous little fellow Too-Too was the rascal's name who 
 
CHAP, xxix.] BIRDS. 275 
 
 had built himself a sort of aerial baby-house in the picturesque 
 tuft of a tree adjoining Marheyo's habitation. He used to spend 
 hours there, rustling among the branches, and shouting with 
 delight every time the strong gusts of wind rushing down from 
 the mountain side, swayed to and fro the tall and flexible column 
 on which he was perched. Whenever I heard Too-Too's musical 
 voice sounding strangely to the ear from so great a height, and 
 beheld him peeping down upon me from out his leafy covert, he 
 always recalled to my mind Dibdin's lines 
 
 " There's a sweet little cherub that sits up aloft, 
 To look out for the life of poor Jack." 
 
 Birds bright and beautiful birds fly over the valley of Typee. 
 You see them perched aloft among the immovable boughs of the 
 majestic bread-fruit trees, or gently swaying on the elastic 
 branches of the Omoo ; skimming over the palmetto thatching of 
 the bamboo huts ; passing like spirits on the wing through the 
 shadows of the grove, and sometimes descending into the bosom 
 of the valley in gleaming flights from the mountains. Their 
 plumage is purple and azure, crimson and white, black and gold ; 
 with bills of every tint ; bright bloody-red, jet black, and ivory 
 white ; and their eyes are bright and sparkling ; they go sail 
 ing 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 walk 
 ing, 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. 
 
276 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAI^XXX. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 A Professor of the Fine Arts His Persecutions Something about Tattoo 
 ing 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, work 
 ing 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 charg 
 ing it with the coloring 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 in the present instance. Others presented several 
 points distributed in a line, somewhat resembling the teeth of a 
 saw. These were employed in the coarser parts of the work, and 
 
CHAP, xxx.] PROFESSOR OF TATTOOING. 277 
 
 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 indeli 
 ble impression. I observed a few the handles of which were 
 mysteriously curved, as if intended to be introduced into the 
 orifice of the ear, with a view perhaps of beating the tattoo upon 
 the tympanum. Altogether, the sight of these strange instruments 
 recalled to mind that display of cruel-looking mother-of-pearl- 
 handled things which one sees in their velvet-lined cases at the 
 elbow of a dentist. 
 
 The artist was not at this time engaged on an original sketch, 
 his subject being a venerable savage, whose tattooing had become 
 somewhat faded with age and needed a few repairs, and accord 
 ingly 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 labors 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 per 
 ceived me, supposing that I sought him in his professional capacity, 
 he seized hold of me in a paroxysm of delight, and was all eager 
 ness to begin the work. When, however, I gave him to under 
 stand that he had altogether mistaken my views, nothing could 
 exceed his grief and disappointment. But recovering from this, 
 
278 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS, [CHAP. xxx. 
 
 he seemed determined not to credit my assertion, and grasping his 
 implements, he flourished them about in fearful vicinity to my 
 face, going through an imaginary performance of his art, and 
 every moment bursting into some admiring exclamation at the 
 beauty of his designs. 
 
 Horrified at the bare thought of being rendered hideous for life 
 if the wretch were to execute his purpose upon me, I struggled to 
 get away from him, while Kory-Kory, turning traitor, stood by, 
 and besought me to comply with the outrageous request. On my 
 reiterated refusals the excited artist got half beside himself, and 
 was overwhelmed with sorrow at losing so noble an opportunity 
 of distinguishing himself in his profession. 
 
 The idea of engrafting his tattooing upon my white skin filled 
 him with all a painter's enthusiasm : again and again he gazed 
 into my countenance, and every fresh glimpse seemed to add to 
 the vehemence of his ambition. Not knowing to what extremities 
 he might proceed, and shuddering at the ruin he might inflict upon 
 my figure-head, I now endeavored 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 indig 
 nantly, and still continued his attack on my face, as though nothing 
 short of that would satisfy him. When his fore-finger 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 indig 
 nation, 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, how 
 ever, at last interfered, and drew him off from the chace. 
 
 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. 
 
CHAP, xxx.] NARROWLY ESCAPES TATTOOING. 279 
 
 These apprehensions were greatly increased by the desire 
 which King Mehevi and several of the inferior chiefs now mani 
 fested that I should be tattooed. The pleasure of the king was 
 first signified to me some three days after my casual encounter 
 with Karky the artist. Heavens ! what imprecations I showered 
 upon that Karky. Doubtless he had plotted a conspiracy against 
 me and my countenance, and would never rest until his diabolical 
 purpose was accomplished. Several times I met him in various 
 parts of the valley, and, invariably, whenever he descried me, he 
 came running after me with his mallet and chisel, flourishing them 
 about my face as if he longed to begin. What an object he would 
 have made of me ! 
 
 When the king first expressed his wish to me, I made known 
 to him my utter abhorrence of the measure, and worked myself 
 into such a state of excitement, that he absolutely stared at me in 
 amazement. It evidently surpassed his majesty's comprehension 
 how any sober-minded and sensible individual could entertain the 
 least possible objection to so beautifying an operation. 
 
 Soon afterwards he repeated his suggestion, and meeting with 
 a like repulse, showed some symptoms of displeasure at my ob 
 duracy. On his a third time renewing his request, I plainly per 
 ceived 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 Me 
 hevi 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 
 
2SO RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxx. 
 
 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 repug 
 nance, he ceased to importune me. 
 
 But not so some other of the savages. Hardly a day passed 
 but I was subjected to their annoying requests, until at last my 
 existence became a burden to me ; the pleasures I had previously 
 enjoyed no longer afforded me delight, and all my former desire 
 to escape from the valley now revived with additional force. 
 
 A fact which I soon afterwards learned augmented my appre 
 hension. 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 exer 
 cise 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 fre 
 quently 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 in 
 serted 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 
 
CHAP, xxx.] TABOO. 281 
 
 any information. Like the still more important system of the 
 " Taboo," it always appeared inexplicable to me. 
 
 There is a marked similarity, almost an identity, between the 
 religious institutions of most of the Polynesian islands, and in all 
 exists the mysterious " Taboo," restricted in its uses to a greater 
 or less extent. So strange and complex in its arrangements is 
 this remarkable system, that I have in several cases met with 
 individuals who, after residing for years among the islands in the 
 Pacific, and acquiring a considerable knowledge of the language, 
 have nevertheless been altogether unable to give any satisfactory 
 account of its operations. Situated as I was in the Typee valley, 
 I perceived every hour the effects of this all-controlling power, 
 without in the least comprehending it. Those effects were, in 
 deed, wide-spread and universal, pervading the most important as 
 well as the minutest transactions of life. The savage, in short, 
 lives in the continual observance of its dictates, which guide and 
 control every action of his being. 
 
 For several days after entering the valley I had been saluted 
 at least fifty times in the twenty-four hours with the talismanic 
 word " Taboo" shrieked in my ears, at some gross violation of 
 its provisions, of which I had unconsciously been guilty. The 
 day after our arrival I happened to hand some tobacco to Toby 
 over the head of a native who sat between us. He started up, as 
 if stung by an adder ; while the whole company, manifesting an 
 equal degree of horror, simultaneously screamed out " taboo ! " 
 I never again perpetrated a similar piece of ill-manners, which, 
 indeed, was forbidden by the canons of good breeding, as well as 
 by the mandates of the taboo. But it was not always so easy to 
 perceive wherein you had contravened the spirit of this institution. 
 I was many times called to order, if I may use the phrase, when 
 I could not for the life of me conjecture what particular offence I 
 had committed. 
 
 One day I was strolling through a secluded portion of the val- 
 
282 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxx. 
 
 ley, and hearing the musical sound of the cloth -mallet at a little 
 distance, I turned down a path that conducted me in a few mo 
 ments to a house where there were some half-dozen girls em 
 ployed 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 re 
 garded them for awhile in silence, and then carelessly picking up 
 a handful of the material that lay around, proceeded unconsciously 
 to pick it apart. While thus engaged, I was suddenly startled 
 by a scream, like that of a whole boarding-school of young ladies 
 just on the point of going into hysterics. Leaping up with the 
 idea of seeing a score of Happar warriors about to perform 
 anew the Sabine atrocity, I found myself confronted by the com 
 pany of girls, who, having dropped their work, stood before me 
 with starting eyes, swelling bosoms, and fingers pointed in horror 
 towards me. 
 
 Thinking that some venomous reptile must be concealed in the 
 bark which I held in my hand, I began cautiously to separate and 
 examine it. Whilst I did so the horrified girls redoubled their 
 shrieks. Their wild cries and frightened motions actually alarmed 
 me, and throwing down the tappa, I was about to rush from the 
 house, when in the same instant their clamors 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 mascu 
 line gender from even so much as touching it. 
 
 Frequently in walking through the groves I observed bread- 
 
CHAP xxx.] TABOO. 283 
 
 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 mo 
 ment 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 had received this 
 sacred investiture. 
 
 The capricious operations of the taboo are not its least remark 
 able feature : to enumerate them all would be impossible. Black 
 hogs infants to a certain age women in an interesting situa 
 tion young men while the operation of tattooing their faces is 
 going on and certain parts of the valley during the continu 
 ance of a shower are alike fenced about by the operation of the 
 taboo. 
 
 I witnessed a striking instance of its effects in the bay of Tior, 
 my visit to which place has been alluded to in a former part of 
 this narrative. On that occasion our worthy captain formed one 
 of the party. He was a most insatiable sportsman. Outward 
 bound, and off the pitch of Cape Horn, he used to sit on the taf- 
 frail, 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 chatter 
 ing in our wake. The sailors were struck aghast at his impiety, 
 
284 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxx. 
 
 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 preju 
 dices of the islanders, as he had previously shown for the super 
 stitions of the sailors. Having heard that there were a considera 
 ble 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 de 
 termined 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 fhe 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 suc 
 cessive reports, and the superb plumage of many a beautiful fowl 
 was ruffled by the fatal bullet. Had it not been that the French 
 admiral, with a large party, was then in the glen, 1 have no 
 doubt that the natives, although their tribe was small and dispirit 
 ed, would have inflicted summary vengeance upon the man who 
 thus outraged their most sacred institutions ; as it was, they con 
 trived to annoy him not a little. 
 
 Thirsting with his exertions, the skipper directed his steps to 
 a stream ; but the savages, who had followed at a little distance, 
 perceiving his object, rushed towards him and forced him away 
 from its bank his lips would have polluted it. Wearied at last, 
 he sought to enter a house that he might rest for a while on the 
 mats ; its inmates gathered tumultuously about the door and de- 
 
CHAP, xxx.] TABOO. 285 
 
 nied 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 honored on 
 oui % departure by a salute of stones from the hands of the exas 
 perated Tiors. In this way, on the neighboring 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 regu 
 lates 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 inha 
 bitants of an entire group. In illustration of this latter peculiar 
 ity, I may cite the law which forbids a female to enter a canoe 
 a prohibition which prevails upon all the northern Marquesas 
 Islands. 
 
 The word itself (taboo) is used in more than one significa 
 tion. It is sometimes used by a parent to his child, when in the 
 exercise of parental authority he forbids it to perform a parti 
 cular action. Anything opposed to the ordinary customs of 
 the islanders, although not expressly prohibited, is said to be 
 taboo." 
 
286 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxx. 
 
 The Typee language is one very difficult to be acquired ; it 
 bears a close resemblance to the other Polynesian dialects, all of 
 which show a common origin. The duplication of words, as 
 " lumee lumee," " poee poee," " muee muee," is one of their 
 peculiar features. But another, and a more annoying one, is the 
 different senses in which one and the same word is employed ; its 
 various meanings all have a certain connection, which only makes 
 the matter more puzzling. So one brisk, lively little word is 
 obliged, like a servant in a poor family, to perform all sorts of 
 duties ; for instance, one particular combination of syllables ex 
 presses 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. 
 
 The intricacy of these dialects is another peculiarity. In the 
 Missionary College at Lahainaluna, or Mawee, one of the Sand- 
 wich Islands, I saw a tabular exhibition of a Hawiian verb, con 
 jugated through all its moods and tenses. It covered the side of 
 a considerable apartment, and I doubt whether Sir William Jones 
 himself would not have despaired of mastering it. 
 
CHAP xxxi.] CHANTING. 287 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 Strange custom of the Islanders Their Chanting, and the peculiarity of 
 their Voice Rapture of the King at first hearing a Song A new Dignity 
 conferred on the Author Musical Instruments in the Valley Admira 
 tion 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 en- 
 treat 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 uni 
 versal practice of these islanders, would commence a low, dismal, 
 and monotonous chant, accompanying the voice with the instru 
 mental 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 further end of the house, I could not avoid looking at them, 
 although the spectacle suggested nothing but unpleasant reflec 
 tions. 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 
 
 14 
 
288 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxxi. 
 
 suddenly in the midst of these doleful chantings, my eye would 
 fall upon the wild-looking group engaged in their strange occu 
 pation, with their naked tattooed limbs, and shaven heads dis 
 posed in a circle, I was almost tempted to believe that I gazed 
 upon a set of evil beings in the act of working a frightful in 
 cantation. 
 
 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 pre 
 sent,?! 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 mu 
 sical 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 utter 
 ance, 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 
 
CHAP, xxxi.] NASAL FLUTE. 289 
 
 preternatural faculty which Heaven had denied to them. The 
 king was delighted with the verse ; but the chorus fairly trans 
 ported him. At his solicitation I sang it again and again, and 
 nothing could be more ludicrous than his vain attempts to catch 
 the air and the words. The royal savage seemed to think that 
 by screwing all the features of his face into the end of his nose 
 he might possibly succeed in the undertaking, but it failed to 
 answer the purpose; and in the end he gave it up, and consoled 
 himself by listening to my repetition of the sounds fifty times 
 over. 
 
 Previous to Mehevi's making the discovery, I had never been 
 'aware that there was anything of the nightingale about me ; but 
 I was now promoted to the place of court-minstrel, in which ca 
 pacity 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 appro 
 priately be denominated a nasal flute. It is somewhat longer 
 than an ordinary fife ; is made of a beautiful scarlet-colored 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 favorite recreation with the females, and one in which 
 Pay away 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 
 
290 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxxi. 
 
 them more pleasure than to see me go through the attitude of 
 pugilistic encounter. As not one of the natives had soul enough 
 in him to stand up like a man, and allow me to hammer away at 
 him, for my own personal gratification and that of the king, I was 
 necessitated to fight with an imaginary enemy, whom I invariably 
 made to knock under to my superior prowess. Sometimes when 
 this sorely battered shadow retreated precipitately towards a 
 group of the savages, and, following him up, I rushed among 
 them dealing my blows right and left, they would disperse in all 
 directions, much to the enjoyment of Mehevi, the chiefs, and 
 themselves. 
 
 The noble art of self-defence appeared to be regarded by them 
 as the peculiar gift of the white man ; and I make little doubt 
 but that they supposed armies of Europeans were drawn up pro 
 vided 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 hands 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 bo 
 som. This was repeated again and again, the baby remaining 
 
CHAP, xxxi.] LUXURIANT HAIR. 291 
 
 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, how 
 ever, the mother snatched it up, and by a process scarcely to be 
 mentioned obliged it to eject the fluid. For several weeks after 
 wards I observed the woman bringing her child down to the 
 stream regularly every day, in the cool of the morning and 
 evening, and treating it to a bath. No wonder that the South Sea 
 Islanders are so amphibious a race, when they are thus launched 
 into the water as soon us they see the light. I am convinced 
 that it is as natural for a human being to swim as it is for a duck. 
 And yet in civilized communities how many able-bodied indi 
 viduals die, like so many drowning kittens, from the occurrence 
 
 of the most trivial accidents ! 
 
 ****** 
 
 The long luxuriant and glossy tresses of the Typee damsels 
 often attracted my admiration. A fine head of hair is the pride 
 and joy of every woman's heart ! Whether against the express 
 will of Providence, it is twisted up on the crown of the head and 
 there coiled away like a rope on a ship's deck ; whether it be 
 stuck behind the ears and hangs down like the swag of a small 
 window-curtain ; 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 fair and redundant locks. After bathing, as they sometimes 
 do five or six times every day, the hair is carefully dried, and if 
 they have been in the sea, invariably washed in fresh water, and 
 anointed with a highly scented oil extracted from the meat of 
 the 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. 
 
292 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxxi. 
 
 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 under 
 goes a purifying process, arid 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 odor. After the lapse of a 
 few weeks the exterior shell of the nuts becomes quite dry and 
 hard, and assumes a beautiful carnation tint ; and when opened 
 they are found to be about two-thirds full of an ointment of a 
 light yellow color, and diffusing the sweetest perfume. This 
 elegant little odorous globe would not be out of place even upon 
 the toilette of a queen. Its merits as a preparation for the hair 
 are undeniable it imparts to it a superb gloss and a silky fine 
 ness. 
 
CHAP, xxxn.] APPREHENSIONS OF EVIL. 293 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 Apprehensions of Evil Frightful Discovery Some remarks on Canni 
 balism 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 im 
 portunities 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 behavior of the 
 islanders towards me was as kind as ever. Fayaway 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 cap 
 tivity 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 labor. 
 
294 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP, xxxn 
 
 ing 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 eleva 
 tions which bound me in, was the medical relief I needed, and 
 that, although so near, it was impossible for me to avail myself 
 of it, the thought was misery. 
 
 In this wretched situation, every circumstance which evinced 
 the savage nature of the beings at whose mercy I was, augmented 
 the fearful apprehensions that consumed me. An occurrence 
 which happened about this time affected me most powerfully. 
 
 1 have already mentioned that from the ridge-pole of Mar- 
 heyo'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 con 
 fusion. 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 
 
CHAP, xxxn.] FRIGHTFUL DISCOVERY. 295 
 
 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 re 
 duced it to the dry, hard, and mummy-like appearance it pre 
 sented. The two long scalp-locks were twisted up into balls 
 upon the crown of the head in the same way that the individual 
 had worn them during life. The sunken cheeks were rendered 
 yet more ghastly by the rows of glistening teeth which protruded 
 from between the lips, while the sockets of the eyes filled with 
 oval bits of mother-of-pearl shell, with a black spot in the centre 
 heightened the hideousness of its aspect. 
 
 Two of the three were heads of the islanders ; but the third, 
 to my horror, was that of a white man. Although it had been 
 quickly removed from my sight, still the glimpse I had of it was 
 enough to convince me that I could not be mistaken. 
 
 Gracious God ! what dreadful thoughts entered my mind. In 
 solving this mystery perhaps I had solved another, and the fate 
 of my lost companion might be revealed in the shocking spectacle 
 I had just witnessed. I longed to have torn off the folds of 
 cloth, and satisfied the awful doubts under which I labored. 
 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 labored 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, 
 ",-^,^ 14* 
 
296 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxxn. 
 
 with the most bitter reflections. It was plain that I had seen the 
 last relic of some unfortunate wretch, who must have been mas 
 sacred on the beach by the savages, in one of those perilous trad 
 ing 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 subse 
 quent 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 pos 
 sible evils would befall me. But whatever were my misgivings, 
 I studiously concealed them from the islanders, as well as the 
 full extent of the discovery I had made. 
 
 Although the assurances which the Typees had often given 
 me, that they never eat human flesh, had not convinced me that 
 such was the case, yet, having been so long a time in the valley 
 without witnessing anything which indicated the existence of the 
 practice, I began to hope that it was an event of very rare occur 
 rence, 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 either 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, endeavor to conceal every trace of it. 
 
 The excessive unwillingness betrayed by the Sandwich Island 
 ers, even at the present day, to allude to the unhappy fate of 
 
CHAP, xxxii.] CANNIBALISM. 297 
 
 Cook, has been often remarked. And so well have they suc 
 ceeded in covering that event with mystery, that to this very 
 hour, despite all that has been said and written on the subject, 
 it still remains doubtful whether they wreaked upon his mur 
 dered body the vengeance they sometimes inflicted upon their 
 enemies. 
 
 At Karakikova, the scene of that tragedy, a strip of ship's 
 copper nailed against an upright post in the ground used to in 
 form the traveller that beneath reposed the " remains " of the 
 great circumnavigator. But I am strongly inclined to believe 
 not only that the corpse was refused Christian burial, but that 
 the heart which was brought to Vancouver some time after the 
 event, and which the Hawiians stoutly maintained was that of 
 Captain Cook, was no such thing ; and that the whole affair was 
 a piece of imposture which was sought to be palmed off upon the 
 credulous Englishman. 
 
 A few years since there was living on the island of Mowee 
 (one of the Sandwich group) an old chief, who, actuated by a 
 morbid desire for notoriety, gave himself out among the foreign 
 residents of the place as the living tomb of Captain Cook's big 
 toe ! affirming, that at the cannibal entertainment which ensued 
 after the lamented Briton's death, that particular portion of his 
 body had fallen to his share. His indignant countrymen actually 
 caused him to be prosecuted in the native courts, on a charge 
 nearly equivalent to what we term defamation of character ; but 
 the old fellow persisting in his assertion, and no invalidating proof 
 being adduced, the plaintiffs were cast in the suit, and the can 
 nibal reputation of the defendant fully established. This result 
 was the making of his fortune ; ever afterwards he was in the 
 habit of giving very profitable audiences to all curious travellers 
 who were desirous of beholding the man who had eaten the great 
 navigator's great toe. 
 
 About a week after my discovery of the contents of the mys- 
 
298 RESIDENCE IN THE. MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxxn. 
 
 terious 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 termina 
 tion, loud paeans chanted through the valley announced the ap 
 proach of the victors. I stood with Kory-Kory leaning against 
 the railing of the pi-pi awaiting their advance, when a tumultu 
 ous crowd of islanders emerged with wild clamors from the neigh 
 boring 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 shoul 
 der, to which were lashed with thongs of bark three long narrow 
 bundles, carefully wrapped in ample coverings of freshly plucked 
 palm-leaves, tacked together with slivers of bamboo. Here and 
 there upon these green winding-sheets might be seen the stains 
 of blood, while the warriors who carried the frightful burdens 
 displayed upon their naked limbs similar sanguinary marks. 
 The shaven head of the foremost had a deep gash upon it, and 
 the clotted gore which had flowed from the wound remained in 
 dry patches around it. The savage seemed to be sinking under 
 the weight he bore. The bright tattooing upon his body was 
 covered with blood and dust ; his inflamed eyes rolled in their 
 sockets, and his whole appearance denoted extraordinary suffering 
 and exertion ; yet sustained by some powerful impulse, he con 
 tinued to advance, while the throng around him with wild cheers 
 sought to encourage him. The other three men were marked 
 about the arms and breasts with several slight wounds, which 
 they somewhat ostentatiously displayed. 
 
 These four individuals, having been the most active in the late 
 encounter, claimed the honor of bearing the bodies of their slain 
 enemies to the Ti. Such was the conclusion I drew from my 
 
CHAP, xxxn.] SUSPICIONS. 299 
 
 own observations, and, as far as I could understand, from the ex 
 planation 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 sus 
 pended 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 cele 
 brated champion of the Happars, who had ignominiously fled, 
 and was pursued by his foes beyond the summit of the mountain. 
 
 When within a short distance of the Ti, the warrior with the 
 wounded head, who proved to be Narmonee, tottered forward two 
 or three steps, and fell helplessly to the ground ; but not before 
 another had caught the end of the pole from his shoulder, and 
 placed it upon his own. 
 
 The excited throng of islanders, who surrounded the person of 
 the king and the dead bodies of the enemy, approached the spot 
 where I stood, brandishing their rude implements of warfare, 
 many of which were bruised and broken, and uttering continual 
 shouts of triumph. When the crowd drew up opposite the Ti, 
 I set myself to watch their proceedings most attentively ; but 
 scarcely had they halted when my servitor, who had left my 
 side for an instant, touched my arm, and proposed our returning 
 to Marheyo's house. To this I objected ; but, to my surprise, 
 Kory-Kory reiterated his request, and with an unusual vehemence 
 of manner. Still, however, I refused to comply, and was re 
 treating before him, as in his importunity he pressed upon me, 
 when I felt a heavy hand laid upon my shoulder, and turning 
 round, encountered the bulky form of Mow-mow, a one-eyed 
 chief, who had just detached himself from the crowd below, and 
 had mounted the rear of the pi-pi upon which we stood. His 
 cheek had been pierced by the point of a spear, and the wound 
 imparted a still more frightful expression to his hideously tattooed 
 face, already deformed by the loss of an eye. The warrior, 
 
300 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxxn. 
 
 without uttering a syllable, pointed fiercely in the direction of 
 Marheyo's house, while Kory-Kory, at the same time presenting 
 his back, desired me to mount. 
 
 I declined this offer, but intimated my willingness to withdraw, 
 and moved slowly along the piazza, wondering what could be the 
 cause of this unusual treatment. A few minutes' consideration 
 convinced rne that the savages were about to celebrate some 
 hideous rite in connection with their peculiar customs, and at 
 which they were determined I should not be present. I de 
 scended from the pi-pi, and attended by Kory-Kory, who on this 
 occasion did not show his usual commiseration for my lameness, 
 but seemed only anxious to hurry me on, walked away from the 
 place. As I passed through the noisy throng, which by this time 
 completely environed the Ti, I looked with fearful curiosity at 
 the three packages, which now were deposited upon the ground ; 
 but although I had no doubt as to their contents, still their thick 
 coverings prevented my actually detecting the form of a human 
 body. 
 
 The next morning, shortly after sunrise, the same thundering 
 sounds which had awakened me from sleep on the second day of 
 the Feast of Calabashes, assured me that the savages were on the 
 eve of celebrating another, and, as I fully believed, a horrible 
 solemnity. 
 
 All the inmates of the house, with the exception of Marheyo, 
 his son, and Tinor, after assuming their gala dresses, departed in 
 the direction of the Taboo Groves. 
 
 Although I did not anticipate a compliance with my request, 
 still, with a view of testing the truth of my suspicions, I proposed 
 to Kory-Kory that, according to our usual custom in the morning, 
 we should take a stroll to the Ti : he positively refused ; and 
 when I renewed the request, he evinced his determination to 
 prevent my going there ; and, to divert my mind from the sub 
 ject, he offered to accompany me to the stream. We accordingly 
 
CHAP, xxxii.] VISIT THE TI. 301 
 
 went, and bathed. On our coming back to the house, I was sur 
 prised to find that all its inmates had returned, and were loung 
 ing 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 di 
 rection 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 occu 
 pation, as if nothing unusual were going forward ; but amongst 
 them all I did not perceive a single chief or warrior. When I 
 asked several of the people why they were not at the " Hoolah 
 Hoolah " (the feast), they uniformly answered the question in a 
 manner which implied that it was not intended for them, but for 
 Mehevi, Narmonee, Mow-Mow, Kolor, Womonoo, Kalow, running 
 over, in their desire to make me comprehend their meaning, the 
 names of all the principal chiefs. 
 
 Everything, in short, strengthened my suspicions with regard 
 to the nature of the festival they were now celebrating ; and which 
 amounted almost to a certainty. While in Nukuheva I had fre 
 quently been informed that the whole tribe were never present at 
 these cannibal banquets, but the chiefs and priests only j and every, 
 thing I now observed agreed with the account. 
 
 The sound of the drums continued without intermission the 
 whole day, and falling continually upon my ear, caused me a 
 sensation of horror which I am unable to describe. On the fol 
 lowing 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- 
 
302 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxxn. 
 
 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 connection with the 
 recent festival ; and, prompted by a curiosity I could not repress, 
 in passing it I raised one end of the cover ; at the same moment 
 the chiefs, perceiving my design, loudly ejaculated, "Taboo! 
 taboo !" But the slight glimpse sufficed ; my eyes fell upon the 
 disordered members of a human skeleton, the bones still fresh 
 with moisture, and with particles of flesh clinging to them here 
 and there ! 
 
 Kory-Kory, who had been a little in advance of me, attracted 
 by the exclamations of the chiefs, turned round in time to wit 
 ness 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 pre 
 tended to yield to the deception, and repeated the words after him 
 several times, as though acquiescing in what he said. The other 
 
CHAP, xxxn.] ANXIOUS TO ESCAPE. 303 
 
 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 
 endeavored to account for the mysterious conduct of the natives. 
 For what conceivable purpose did they thus retain me a captive ? 
 What could be their object in treating me with such apparent 
 kindness, and did it not cover some treacherous scheme ? Or, if 
 they had no other design than to hold me a prisoner, how should I 
 be able to pass away my days in this narrow valley, deprived 
 of all intercourse with civilized beings, and for ever separated 
 from friends and home ? 
 
 One only hope remained to me. The French could not long 
 defer a visit to the bay, and if they should permanently locate 
 any of their troops in the valley, the savages could not for any 
 length of time conceal my existence from them. But what rea 
 son had I to suppose that I should be spared until such an event 
 occurred, an event which might be postponed by a hundred 
 different contingencies ? 
 
304 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP, xxxin. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 The Stranger again arrives in the Valley Singular Interview with him 
 Attempt to Escape Failure Melancholy Situation Sympathy of Mar- 
 heyo. 
 
 " MARNOO, Marnoo pemi !" Such were the welcome sounds 
 which fell upon my ear some ten days after the events 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 communi 
 cate. 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 
 
CHAP, xxxm.] INTERVIEW WITH MARNOO. 305 
 
 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 f Suppose you no like this bay, 
 why you come ? You no hear about Typee ? All white men 
 afraid Typee, so no white men come." 
 
 These words distressed me beyond belief; and when I again 
 related to him the circumstances under which I had descended 
 into the valley, and sought to enlist his sympathies in my behalf 
 by appealing to the bodily misery I endured, he listened to me 
 with impatience, and cut me short by exclaiming passionately, 
 " Me no hear you talk any more ; by by Kannaka get mad, kill 
 you and me too. No you see he no want you to speak to me 
 at all ? you see ah ! by by you no mind you get well, he 
 kill you, eat you, hang you head up there, like Happar Kan 
 naka. 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 de- 
 cribe, 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 evU 
 dently little disposed to compromise his own safety by 'any rash 
 endeavors 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 leap- 
 
306 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxxm. 
 
 ing 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 follow 
 ing 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 fee 
 ble 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 ut 
 most precaution. 
 
 The entrance to Marheyo's habitation was through a low nar 
 row opening in its wicker-work front. This passage, for no con 
 ceivable 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 
 
CHAP, xxxm.] MELANCHOLY SITUATION. 307 
 
 in the following manner. I would get up boldly in the course of 
 the night, and drawing the slide, issue from the house, and pre 
 tend that my object was merely to procure a drink from the cala 
 bash, which always stood without the dwelling on the corner of 
 the pi-pi. On re-entering I would purposely omit closing the 
 passage after me, and trusting that the indolence of the savages 
 would prevent them from repairing my neglect, would return to 
 my mat, and waiting patiently until all were again asleep, I would 
 then steal forth, and at once take the route to Pueearka. 
 
 The very night which followed Marnoo's departure, I pro 
 ceeded 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 
 J returned to my mat, anxiously awaiting the result of the ex 
 periment. 
 
 One after another the savages, turning restlessly, appeared to 
 resume their slumbers, and rejoicing at the stillness which pre 
 vailed, 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, who 
 ever he was, returned to his mat. This was a sad blow to me ; 
 but as it might have aroused the suspicions of the islanders to 
 have made another attempt that night, I was reluctantly obliged to 
 defer it until the next. Several times after I repeated the same 
 manoeuvre, but with as little success as before. As my pretence 
 for withdrawing from the house was to allay my thirst, Kory- 
 Kory, either suspecting some design on my part, or else prompted 
 by a desire to please me, regularly every evening placed a cala 
 bash of water by my side. 
 
 Even under these inauspicious circumstances I again and again 
 
308 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP. xxxm. 
 
 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 endeavored 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 assist 
 ance 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 con 
 cealed from them, and that with hope deferred they might con 
 tinue to await my return long after my inanimate form had 
 blended with the dust of the valley I could not repress a shud 
 der of anguish. 
 
 How vividly is impressed upon my mind every minute feature 
 of the scene which met my view during those long days of suf 
 fering 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 them 
 selves 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 tro 
 pical 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. 
 
CHAP, xxxin.] SOLITARY MUSINGS. 309 
 
 Frequently suspending his employment, and noticing my melan 
 choly 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 slumber 
 ing 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 recal to my mind their slender shafts, and 
 the graceful inequalities of their bark, on which my eye was 
 accustomed to dwell day after day in the midst of my solitary 
 musings. It is strange how inanimate objects will twine them 
 selves into our affections, especially in the hour of affliction. 
 Even now, amidst all the bustle and stir of the proud and busy 
 city in which I am dwelling, the image of those three trees seems 
 to come as vividly before my eyes as if they were actually pre 
 sent, and I still feel the soothing quiet pleasure which I then had 
 in watching hour after hour their topmost boughs waving grace 
 fully in the breeze. 
 
310 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP, xatnv. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 The Escape. 
 
 NEARLY three weeks had elapsed since the second visit of Marnoo, 
 and it must have been more than four months since I entered the 
 valley, when one day about noon, and whilst everything was in 
 profound silence, Mow- Mow, the one-eyed chie 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 ar 
 rived 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 com 
 municated 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 endeavored to make them 
 understand that I was going down to the sea to meet Toby. To 
 
CHAP, xxxiv.] THE ESCAPE. 311 
 
 this the king objected, and motioned Kory-Kory to bring me into 
 the house. It was in vain to resist; and in a few moments I found 
 myself within the Ti, surrounded by a noisy group engaged in 
 discussing the recent intelligence. Toby's name was frequently 
 repeated, coupled with violent exclamations of astonishment. It 
 seemed as if they yet remained in doubt with regard to the fact 
 of his arrival, and at every fresh report that was brought from the 
 shore they betrayed the liveliest emotions. 
 
 Almost frenzied at being held in this state of suspense, I pas 
 sionately 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 con 
 tinued 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 niy 
 mind. I was alive only to the one overwhelming idea, that a 
 chance of deliverance was now afforded me, if the jealous op 
 position 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 
 deser:ed 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. 
 
312 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP, xxxiv 
 
 In the midst of an excited throng, who by their violent gestures 
 and wild cries appeared to be under the influence of some excite- 
 ment as strong as my own, I was now borne along at a rapid trot, 
 frequently stooping my head to avoid the branches which crossed 
 the path, and never ceasing to implore those who carried me to 
 accelerate their already swift pace. 
 
 In this manner we had proceeded about four or five miles, when 
 we were met by a party of some twenty islanders, between whom 
 and those who accompanied me ensued an animated conference. 
 Impatient of the delay occasioned by this interruption, I was be- 
 seeching the man who carried me to proceed without his loitering 
 companions, when Kory-Kory, running to my side, informed me, 
 in three fatal words, that the news had all proved false that Toby 
 had not arrived " Toby owlee permi." Heaven only knows how, 
 in the state of mind and body I then was, I ever sustained the 
 agony which this intelligence caused me ; not that the news was 
 altogether unexpected ; but I had trusted that the fact might not 
 have been made known until we should have arrived upon the 
 beach. As it was, I at once foresaw the course the savages would 
 pursue. They had only yielded thus far. to my entreaties, that I 
 might give a joyful welcome to my long-lost comrade ; but now 
 that it was known he had riot arrived, they would at once oblige 
 me to turn back. 
 
 My anticipations were but too correct. In spite of the resist 
 ance 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. 
 
CHAP, xxxiv.] THE ESCAPE. 313 
 
 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 endeavored 
 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 compre 
 hend that I still believed Toby to have arrived on the shore, and 
 besought him to allow me to go forward to welcome him. To all 
 his repeated assertions, that my companion had not been seen, 1 
 pretended to turn a deaf ear : while I urged my solicitations with 
 an eloquence of gesture which the one-eyed chief appeared un 
 able to resist. He seemed indeed to regard me as a froward child, 
 to whose wishes he had not the heart to oppose force, and whom 
 he must consequently humor. He spoke a few words to the natives, 
 who at once retreated from the door, and I immediately passed out 
 of the house. 
 
 Here I looked earnestly round for Kory-Kory ; but that hitherto 
 faithful servitor was nowhere to be seen. Unwilling to linger 
 even for a single instant when every moment might be so im 
 portant, 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 unsuc 
 cessful, 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. 
 
314 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP, xxxiv. 
 
 Convinced by this of their determination to retain me a captive, 
 1 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 per- 
 ceived that some difference of opinion had arisen between them ; 
 that two parties, in short, were formed, and consequently that in 
 their divided counsels there was some chance of my deliverance. 
 
 Before I had proceeded a hundred yards I was again surrounded 
 by the savages, who were still in all the heat of argument, and 
 appeared every moment as if they would come to blows. In the 
 midst of this tumult old Marheyo came to my side, and I shall 
 never forget the benevolent expression of his countenance. He 
 placed his arm upon my shoulder, and emphatically pronounced 
 the only two English words I had taught him " Home " and 
 " Mother." I at once understood what he meant, and eagerly 
 expressed my thanks to him. Fay away 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 ecstasy I 
 felt when I first heard the roar of the surf breaking upon the 
 beach. Before long I saw the flashing billows themselves through 
 the opening between the trees. Oh glorious sight and sound of 
 ocean ! with what rapture did I hail you as familiar friends ! By 
 this time the shouts of the crowd upon the beach were distinctly 
 audible, and in the blended confusion of sounds I almost fancied I 
 could distinguish the voices of my own countrymen. 
 
CHAP, xxxiv.] THE ESCAPE. 315 
 
 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 inde 
 scribable joy, the tall figure of Karakoee, an Oahu Kannaka, who 
 had often been aboard the " Dolly," while she lay in Nukuheva. 
 He wore the green shooting-jacket with gilt buttons, which had 
 been given to him by an officer of the Reine Blanche the French 
 flag-ship and in which I had always seen him dressed. I now 
 remembered the Kannaka had frequently told me that his 
 person was tabooed in all the valleys of the island, and the sight 
 of him at such a moment as this filled my heart with a tumult of 
 delight. 
 
 Karakoee stood near the edge of the water with a large roll of 
 cotton-cloflv thrown over one arm, and holding two or three can 
 vas 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 rny freedom. 
 Animated by the idea, I called upon him loudly to come to me ; 
 but he replied, in broken English, that the islanders had threat 
 ened to pierce him with their spears, if he stirred a foot towards 
 
31*3 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP, xxxiv. 
 
 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 per 
 ceived 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 out on every side of me. Still I saw that the 
 Kannaka continued his exertions in my favor that he was boldly 
 debating the matter with the savages, and was striving to entice 
 them by displaying his cloth and powder, and snapping the lock 
 of his musket. But all he said or did appeared only to augment 
 the clamors of those around him, who seemed bent upon driving 
 him into the sea. 
 
 When I remembered the extravagant value placed by these 
 people upon the articles which were offered to them in exchange 
 for me, and which were so indignantly rejected, I saw a new 
 proof of the same fixed determination of purpose they had all 
 along manifested with regard to me, and in despair, and reckless 
 of consequences, I exerted all my strength, and shaking myself 
 free from the grasp of those who held me, I sprang upon my feet 
 and rushed towards Karakoee. 
 
 The rash attempt nearly decided my fate ; for, fearful that I 
 might slip from them, several of the islanders now raised a simul 
 taneous 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 
 
CHAP, xxxiv.] THE ESCAPE. 317 
 
 waist in the surf, endeavored to pacify them ; but at length, fear 
 ful 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 indignantly. I saw that now 
 or never was the moment. Clasping my hands together, I looked 
 imploringly at Marheyo, and moved towards the now almost 
 deserted beach. The tears were in the old man's eyes, but 
 neither he nor Kory-Kory attempted to hold me, and I soon reached 
 the Kannaka, who had anxiously watched my movements ; the 
 rowers pulled in as near as they dared to the edge of the surf; I 
 gave one parting embrace to Fayaway, who seemed speechless 
 with sorrow, and the next instant I found myself safe in the boat, 
 and Karakoee by my side, who told the rowers at once to give 
 way. Marheyo and Kory-Kory, and a great many of the women, 
 followed me into the water, and I was determined, as the only 
 mark of gratitude I could show, to give them the articles which 
 had been brought as my ransom. I handed the musket to Kory- 
 Kory, with a rapid gesture which was equivalent to a " Deed of 
 Gift ;" threw the roll of cotton to old Marheyo, pointing as I did 
 so to poor Fayaway, who had retired from the edge of the water 
 and was sitting down disconsolate on the shingles ; and tumbled 
 the powder-bags out to the nearest young ladies, all of whom were 
 vastly willing to take them. This distribution did not occupy ten 
 seconds, and before it was over the boat was under full way ; the 
 Kannaka all the while exclaiming loudly against what he con 
 sidered a useless throwing away of valuable property. 
 
 Although it was clear that my movements had been noticed by 
 several of the natives, still they had not suspended the conflict in 
 
318 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP, xxxiv. 
 
 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 groops, 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 favor, but when we came within a 
 hundred yards of the point, the active savages were already dash 
 ing into the water, and we all feared that within five minutes' 
 time we should have a score of the infuriated wretches around us. 
 If so our doom was sealed, for these savages, unlike the feeble 
 swimmers of civilized countries, are, if anything, more formidable 
 antagonists in the water than when on the land. It was all a trial of 
 strength ; our natives pulled till their oars bent again, and the 
 crowd of swimmers shot through the water despite its roughness, 
 with fearful rapidity. 
 
 By the time we had reached the headland, the savages were 
 
 
CHAP, xxxiv.] THE ESCAPE. 319 
 
 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 manoeuvre which has 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 a 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 for 
 get the ferocious expression of his countenance. 
 
 Only one other of the savages reached the boat. He seized 
 the gunwale, but the knives of our rowers so mauled his wrists, 
 that he was forced to quit his hold, and the next minute we were 
 past them all, and in safety. The strong excitement which had 
 thus far kept me up, now left me, and I fell back fainting into the 
 arms of Karakoee. 
 
 ****** 
 
 The circumstances connected with my most unexpected escape 
 may be very briefly stated. The captain of an Australian vessel, 
 being in distress for men in these remote seas, had put into Nu- 
 kuheva in order to recruit his ship's company, but not a single 
 man was to be obtained ; and the barque was about to get under 
 weigh, when she was boarded by Karakoee, who informed the 
 disappointed Englishman that an American sailor was detained by 
 the savages in the neighboring bay of Typee ; and he offered, 
 15* 
 
320 RESIDENCE IN THE MARQUESAS. [CHAP, xxxiv. 
 
 if supplied with suitable articles of traffic, to undertake his re 
 lease. The Kannaka had gained his intelligence from Marnoo, to 
 whom, after all, I was indebted for my escape. The proposition 
 was acceded to; and Karakoee, taking with him five tabooed 
 natives of Nukuheva, again repaired aboard the barque, which in 
 a few hours sailed to that part of the island, and threw her main 
 top-sail aback right off the entrance to the Typee bay. The 
 whale-boat, manned by the tabooed crew, pulled towards the 
 head of the inlet, while the ship lay " off and on " awaiting its 
 return. 
 
 The events which ensued have already been detailed, and little 
 more remains to be related. On reaching the " Julia " I was 
 lifted over the side, and my strange appearance and remarkable 
 adventure occasioned the liveliest interest. Every attention was 
 bestowed upon me that humanity could suggest. But to such a 
 state was I reduced, that three months elapsed before I recovered 
 my health. 
 
 The mystery which hung over the fate of my friend and com 
 panion Toby has never been cleared up. I still remain ignorant 
 whether he succeeded in leaving the valley ; or perished at the 
 hands of the islanders. 
 

 APPENDIX. 
 
 THE author of this volume arrived at Tahiti the very day that the iniquitous 
 designs of the French were consummated by inducing the subordinate 
 chiefs, during the absence of their queen, to ratify an artfully drawn treaty, 
 by which she was virtually deposed. Both menaces and caresses were 
 employed on this occasion, and the 32-pounders which peeped out of the 
 portholes of the frigate were the principal arguments adduced to quiet the 
 scruples of the more conscientious islanders. 
 
 And yet this piratical seizure of Tahiti, with all the woe and desolation 
 which resulted from it, created not half so great a sensation, at least in 
 America, as was caused by the proceedings of the English at the Sandwich 
 Islands. No transaction has ever been so grossly misrepresented as 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 em 
 ployed 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 out 
 break of indignation against the English. He deems it, therefore, a mere 
 act of justice towards a gallant officer briefly to state the leading circum 
 stances 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 favor of the im 
 becile 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 ascendency of a junto of ignorant 
 and designing Methodist elders in the councils of a half-civilized king, 
 ruling with absolute sway over a nation just poised between barbarism and 
 civilisation, and exposed by the peculiarities of its relations with foreign 
 
322 APPENDIX. 
 
 states to unusual difficulties, w_as not precisely calculated to impart a heal 
 thy 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 in 
 juries on the part of the British consul was no longer to be borne. Cap 
 tain Charlton, insultingly forbidden to leave the islands, clandestinely with 
 drew, and arriving at Valparaiso, conferred with Rear- Admiral Thomas, 
 the English commander-in-chief on the Pacific station. In consequence 
 of this communication, Lord George Paulet was despatched by the admiral 
 in the Carysfort frigate, to inquire into and correct the alleged abuses. 
 On arriving at his destination, he sent his first-lieutenant ashore with a let 
 ter to the king, couched in terms of the utmost courtesy, and soliciting the 
 honor of an audience. The messenger was denied access to his Majesty, 
 and Paulet was coolly referred to Doctor Judd, and informed that the apo 
 thecary was invested with plenary powers to treat with him. Rejecting 
 this insolent proposition, his lordship again addressed the king by letter, 
 and renewed his previous request ; but he encountered another repulse. 
 Justly indignant at this treatment, he penned a third epistle, enumerating 
 the grievances to be redressed, and demanding a compliance with his requi 
 sitions, under penalty of immediate hostilities. 
 
 The government was now obliged to act, and an artful stroke of policy 
 was decided upon by the despicable counsellors 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 conscien 
 tious ruler of his beloved people, comply with the arbitrary demands of his 
 lordship, and in deprecation of the horrors of war, tendered to his accept 
 ance 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 Hawiian 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 him 
 self to nearly all orders of the islanders ; but the king and the chiefs, whose 
 feudal sway over the common people is laboriously sought to be perpetu 
 ated by their missionary advisers, regarded all his proceedings with the 
 most vigilant animosity. Jealous of his growing popularity, and unable to 
 counteract it, they endeavored to assail his reputation abroad by ostenta 
 tiously protesting against his acts, and appealing in Oriental phrase to the 
 wide universe to witness and compassionate their unparalleled wrongs. 
 
APPENDIX. 323 
 
 Heedless of their idle clamors, Lord George Paulet addressed himself to 
 the task of reconciling the differences among the foreign residents, remedy 
 ing their grievances, promoting their mercantile interests, and ameliorat 
 ing as far as lay in his power the condition of the degraded natives. The 
 iniquities he brought to light and instantly suppressed are too numerous 
 to be here recorded ; but one instance may be mentioned that will give 
 some idea of the lamentable misrule to which these poor islanders are sub 
 jected. 
 
 It is well known that the laws of the Sandwich Islands are subject to 
 the most capricious alterations, which, by confounding all ideas of right 
 and wrong in the minds of the natives, produce the most pernicious effects. 
 In no case is this mischief more plainly discernible than in the continually 
 shifting regulations concerning licentiousness. At one time the most inno 
 cent freedoms between the sexes are punished with fine and imprison 
 ment ; 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 cer 
 tain reports, induced to institute a strict inquiry into the internal adminis 
 tration of General Kekuanoa, governor of the island of Oahu, one of the 
 pillars of the Hawiian church, and captain of the fort. He soon ascer 
 tained 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 ram 
 parts 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 Gen 
 eral 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 vigor with which the laws concerning licentiousness were at that 
 period enforced, enabled the General to monopolize 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 conside 
 rable sums of money. It is indeed a lamentable fact, that the principal 
 revenue of the Hawiian government is derived from the fine levied upon, 
 
324 APPENDIX. 
 
 or rather the licenses taken out by Vice, the prosperity of which is linked 
 with that of the government. Were the people to become virtuous the 
 authorities would become poor ; but from present indications there is little 
 apprehension to be entertained on that score. 
 
 Some five months after the date of the cession the Dublin frigate, carry 
 ing the flag of Rear- Admiral Thomas, entered the harbor of Honolulu. 
 The excitement that her sudden appearance produced on shore was prodi 
 gious. Three days after her arrival an English sailor hauled down the red 
 cross which had been flying from the heights of the fort, and the Hawiian 
 colors were again displayed upon the same staff. At the same moment the 
 long 42-pounders upon Punchbowl Hill opened their iron throats ift trium 
 phant reply to the thunders of the five men-of-war in the harbor ; and King 
 Kammahammaha III., surrounded by a splendid group of British and Ame 
 rican officers, unfurled the royal standard to assembled thousands of his sub 
 jects, who, attracted by the imposing military display of the foreigners, had 
 flocked to witness the formal restoration of the islands to their ancient 
 rulers. 
 
 The Admiral, after sanctioning the proceedings of his subaltern, had 
 brought the authorities to terms ; and so removed the necessity of acting 
 any longer under the provisional cession. 
 
 The event was made an occasion of riotous rejoicing by the king and the 
 principal chiefs, who easily secured a display of enthusiasm from the infe 
 rior orders, by remitting for a time the accustomed severity of the laws. 
 Royal proclamations in English and Hawiian were placarded in the streets 
 of Honolulu, and posted up in the more populous villages of the group, in 
 which his majesty announced to his loving subjects the reestablishment of 
 his throne; and called upon them to celebrate it by breaking through all 
 moral, legal, and religious restraint for ten consecutive days, during which 
 time all the laws of the land were solemnly declared to be suspended. 
 
 Who that happened to be at Honolulu during those ten memorable days, 
 will ever forget them ! The spectacle of universal broad-day debauchery, 
 which was then exhibited, beggars description. The natives of the sur 
 rounding 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 Polyne 
 sian 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 retain the stolen property 
 
APPENDIX. 325 
 
 Kekuanoa informing the white men, with a sardonic grin, that the laws 
 were " hampa " (tied up). 
 
 The history of these ten days reveals in their true colors the character of 
 the Sandwich Islanders, and furnishes an eloquent commentary on the 
 results which have flowed from the labors of the missionaries. Freed from 
 the restraints of severe penal laws, the natives almost to a man had plunged 
 voluntarily into every species of wickedness and excess, and by their utter 
 disregard of all decency plainly showed, that although they had been 
 schooled into a seeming submission to the new order of things, they were 
 in reality as depraved and vicious as ever. 
 
 Such were the events which produced in America so general an outbreak 
 of indignation against the spirited and high-minded Paulet. He is not the 
 first man who, in the fearless discharge of his duty, has awakened the 
 senseless clamors 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 ap 
 probation of his own government, but that to this hour the great body of 
 the Hawiian people invoke blessings on his head, and look back with gra 
 titude to the time when his liberal and paternal sway diffused peace and 
 happiness among them. 
 
 THE END. 
 
THE 
 
 STORY OF TOBY, 
 
 A SEQUEL TO " TYPEE." 
 BY THE AUTHOR OF THAT WORK. 
 
KOTE TO THE SEQUEL. 
 
 THE author was more than two years in the South Seas, after escaping from 
 the valley, as recounted in the last chapter. Some time after returning home 
 the foregoing narrative was published, though it was little thought at the 
 time that this would be the means of revealing the existence of Toby, who 
 had long been given up for lost. But so it proved. 
 
 The story of his escape supplies a natural sequel to the adventure, and as 
 such it is now added to the volume. It was related to the author by Toby 
 himself, not ten days since. 
 
 New York, July, 1846. 
 
THE STORY OF TOBY. 289 
 
 SEQUEL. 
 
 THE morning my comrade left me, as related in the narrative, he 
 was accompanied by a large party of the natives, some of them 
 carrying fruit and hogs for the purposes of traffic, as the report 
 had spread that boats had touched at the bay. 
 
 As they proceeded through the settled parts of the valley, 
 numbers joined them from every side, running with animated 
 cries from every pathway. So excited were the whole party, 
 that eager as Toby was to gain the beach, it was almost as much 
 as he could do to keep up with them. Making the valley ring 
 with their shouts, they hurried along on a swift trot, those in 
 advance pausing now and then, and flourishing their weapons to 
 urge the rest forward. 
 
 Presently they came to a place where the path crossed a band 
 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 strik 
 ing his heavy lance against the hollow bough of a tree. 
 
 This was a signal of alarm ; for nothing was now heard but 
 shouts of " Happar ! Happar ! " the warriors tilting with their 
 spears and brandishing them in the air, and the women and boys 
 shouting to each other, and picking up the stones in the bed of 
 the stream. In a moment or two Mow-Mow and two or three, 
 other chiefs ran out from the grove, arid the din increased ten 
 fold. 
 
 Now, thought Toby, for a fray ; and being unarmed, he be 
 sought one of the young men domiciled with Marheyo for the 
 loan of his spear. But he was refused ; the youth roguishly tell 
 ing him that the weapon was very good for him (the Typee), but 
 that a white man could fight much better with his fists. 
 
 u 2 
 
290 SEQUEL TO " TYPEE." 
 
 The merry humour of this young wag seemed to be shared by 
 the rest, for in spite of their warlike cries and gestures, every 
 body 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 mean 
 ing 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, mo 
 tioned 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 behindhand. Coming so near getting his skull broken by 
 the stones, and animated by an old grudge he bore the Happars, 
 he was among the first to dash at them. As he broke his way 
 through the underbrush, trying, as he did so, to wrest a spear 
 from a young chief, the shouts of battle all of a sudden ceased, 
 and the wood was as still as death. The next moment, the 
 party who had left them so mysteriously rushed out from behind 
 every bush and tree, and united with the rest in long and merry 
 peals of laughter. 
 
 It was all a sham, and Toby, who was quite out of breath with 
 excitement, was much incensed at being made a fool of. 
 
 It afterwards turned out that the whole affair had been con 
 certed for his particular benefit, though with what precise view 
 it would be hard to tell. My comrade was the more enraged at 
 this boys' play, since it had consumed so much time, every mo 
 ment of which might be precious. Perhaps, however, it was 
 partly intended for this very purpose ; and he was led to think 
 
THE STORY OF TOBY. 291 
 
 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 woilld 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 surround 
 ing Toby, and entreating him to " Moce," or sit down and rest 
 himself. As an additional inducement, several calabashes of food, 
 which had been brought along, were now placed on the ground, 
 and opened, and pipes also were lighted. Toby bridled his 
 impatience a while, but at last sprang to his feet and dashed 
 forward again. He was soon overtaken nevertheless, and again 
 surrounded, but without further detention was then permitted to 
 go down to the sea. 
 
 They came out upon a bright green space between the groves 
 and the water, and close under the shadow of the Happar moun 
 tain, where a path was seen, winding out of sight through a gorge. 
 
 No sign of a boat, however, was beheld ; nothing but a tumul 
 tuous crowd of men and women, and some one in their midst, 
 earnestly talking to them. As my comrade advanced, this person 
 came forward and proved to be no stranger. *He was an old grizzled 
 sailor, whom Toby and myself had frequently seen in Nukuheva, 
 where he lived an easy devil-may-care life in the household of 
 Mowanna the king, going by the name of " Jimmy." In fact, he 
 was the royal favourite, and had a good deal to say in his master's 
 councils. He wore a Manilla hat and a sort of tappa morning 
 gown, sufficiently loose and negligent to show the verse of a song 
 tatooed 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 for some time, could speak the language, and for that 
 reason was frequently employed by the French as an interpreter. 
 He. was an arrant old gossip too ; for ever coming off in his canoe 
 
292 SEQUEL TO " TYPEE." 
 
 to the ships in the bay, and regaling their crews with choice 
 little morsels of court scandal ; such, for instance, as a shameful 
 intrigue of his majesty with a Happar damsel, a public dancer at 
 the feasts, and otherwise relating some incredible tales about the 
 Marquesas generally. I remember in particular his telling the 
 Dolly's crew what proved to be literally a cock-and-bull story, 
 about two natural prodigies which he said were then on the 
 island. One was an old monster of a hermit, having a mar 
 vellous reputation for sanctity, and reputed a famous sorcerer, 
 who lived away off in a den among the mountains, where he hid 
 from the world a great pair of horns that grew out of his temples. 
 Notwithstanding his reputation for piety, this horrid old fellow 
 was the terror of all the island round, being reported to come out 
 from his retreat, and go a man-hunting every dark night. Some 
 anonymous Paul Pry, too, coming down the mountain, once got 
 a peep at his den, and found it full of bones. In short, he was 
 a most unheard-of monster. 
 
 The other prodigy Jimmy told us about, was the younger son 
 of a chief, who, although but just turned of ten, had entered upon 
 holy orders, because his superstitious countrymen thought him 
 especially intended for the priesthood from the fact of his having 
 a comb on his head like a rooster. But -this was not all ; for still 
 more wonderful to relate, the boy prided himself upon this strange 
 crest, being actually endowed with a cock's voice, and frequently 
 crowing over his peculiarity. 
 
 But to return to Toby. The moment he saw the old rover on 
 the beach, he ran up to him, the natives following after, and 
 forming a circle round them. 
 
 After welcoming hini 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 exceed 
 ingly 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 
 
THE STORY OF TOBY. 293 
 
 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 tatooed divine in 
 Nukuheva, was a friend of his, and through him he was " taboo." 
 
 He said, moreover, that he was sometimes employed to come 
 round to the bay, and engage fruit for ships lying in Nukuheva. 
 In fact, he was now on that very errand, according to his own 
 account, having just come across the mountains by the way of 
 Happar. By noon of the next day the fruit would be heaped up 
 in stacks on the beach, in readiness for the boats which he then 
 intended to bring into the bay. 
 
 Jimmy now asked Toby whether he wished to leave the island ; 
 if he did, there was a ship in want of men lying in the other 
 harbour, and would be glad to take him over, and see him on 
 board that very day. 
 
 " No," said Toby, " I cannot leave the island unless my 
 comrade goes with me. I left him up the valley because they 
 would not let him come down. Let us go now and fetch him." 
 
 " But how is he to cross the mountain with us," replied 
 Jimmy, " even if we get him down to the beach ? Better let 
 him stay till 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 unex 
 pected repulse, Toby now conjured the sailor to go after me alone. 
 But Jimmy replied, that in the mood the Typees then were they 
 would not permit him so to do, though at the same time he was 
 not afraid of their offering him any harm. 
 
 Little did Toby then think, as he 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, 
 
294 SEQUEL TO " TYPEE." 
 
 and he therefore wanted to get Toby off alone, for a purpose 
 which he afterwards made plain. Of all this, however, my com 
 rade now knew nothing. 
 
 He was still struggling with the islanders when Jimmy again 
 came up to him, and warned him against irritating them, saying 
 that he was only making matters worse for both of us, and if they 
 became enraged, there was no telling what might happen. At 
 last he made Toby sit down on a broken canoe by a pile of stones, 
 upon which was a ruinous little shrine supported by four upright 
 paddles, and in front partly screened by a net. The fishing par 
 ties met there, when they came in from the sea, for their offerings 
 were laid before an image, upon a smooth black stone within. 
 This spot Jimmy said was strictly " taboo," and no one would 
 molest or come near him while he stayed by its shadow. The 
 old sailor then went off, and began speaking very earnestly to 
 Mow-Mow and some other chiefs, while all the rest formed a 
 circle round the taboo place, looking intently at Toby, and talk 
 ing 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 her 
 self beside him on the canoe. 
 
 "Typee Mortarkee?" said she. " Mortarkee nuee," said 
 Toby. 
 
 She then asked him whether he was going to Nukuheva ; he 
 nodded yes ; and with a plaintive wail and her eyes filling with 
 tears she rose and left him. 
 
 This old woman, the sailor 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 
 
THE STORY OF TOBY. 295 
 
 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 re 
 turn ? Then, even if he remained, perhaps they would not let 
 him go back into the valley where I was. 
 
 Thus perplexed was my poor comrade ; he knew not what to 
 do, and his courageous spirit was of no use to him now. There 
 he was, all by himself, seated upon the broken canoe the natives 
 grouped around him at a distance, and eyeing him more and 
 more fixidly. 
 
 " 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. 
 
296 SEQUEL TO'" TYPEE." 
 
 " Now keep close to my side," said the sailor, " and let us be 
 moving quickly." Tinor and Fayaway here appeared ; the 
 kind-hearted old woman embracing Toby's knees, and giving 
 way to a flood of tears ; while Fayaway, hardly less moved, 
 spoke some few words of English she had learned, and held up 
 three fingers before him- in so many days he would return. 
 
 At last Jimmy pulled Toby out of the crowd, and after call 
 ing 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 '11 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 guaranty for the other's 
 return. This is only my own supposition, however, for as to all 
 their strange conduct, it is still a mystery. 
 
 " You see what sort of a taboo man I am," said the sailor, 
 after for some time silently following the path which led up the 
 mountain. " Mow-Mow made me a present of this pig here, 
 and the man who carries it will go right through Happar, and 
 down into Nukuheva with us. So long as he stays by me he is 
 safe, and just so it will be with you, and to-morrow with Tommo. 
 Cheer up, then, and rely upon me, you will see him in the 
 morning." 
 
 The ascent of the mountain was not very difficult, owing to its 
 being near to the sea, where the island ridges are comparatively 
 low ; the path, too, was a fine one, so that in a short time all 
 three were standing on the summit with the two valleys at their 
 feet. The white cascades marking the green head of the Typee 
 
THE STORY OF TOBY. 297 
 
 valley first, caught Toby's eye ; Marheyo's house could easily be 
 traced by them. 
 
 As Jimmy led the way along the ridge, Toby observed that 
 the valley of the Happars did not extend near so far inland as 
 that of the Typees. This accounted for our mistake in entering 
 the latter valley as we had. 
 
 A path leading down from the mountain was soon seen, and, 
 following it, the party were in a short time fairly in the Happar 
 valley. 
 
 " Now," said Jimmy^ as they hurried on, " we taboo men have 
 wives in all the bays, and I am going to show you the two I 
 have here." 
 
 So, when they came to the house where he said they lived, 
 which was close by the base of the mountain in a shady nook 
 among the groves, he went in, and was quite furious at finding 
 it empty the ladies had gone out. However, they soon made 
 their appearance, and, to tell the truth, welcomed Jimmy quite 
 cordially, as well as Toby, about whom they were very inquisi 
 tive. Nevertheless, as the report of their arrival spread, and the 
 Happars began to assemble, it became evident that the appear 
 ance of a white stranger among them was not by any means 
 deemed so wonderful an event as in the neighbouring valley. 
 
 The old sailor now bade his wives prepare something to eat, 
 as he must be in Nukuheva before dark. A meal of fish, 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 suffer 
 ing. But this fiery gentleman, so handy with his spear, had the 
 delicacy, it seemed, to keep out of view. Certainly the sight of 
 him would not have been any added inducement to making a stay 
 in the valley, some of the afternoon loungers in Happar having 
 politely urged Toby to spend a few days with them, there was 
 a feast coming on. He, however, declined. 
 
 All this while the young Typee stuck to Jimmy like his 
 shadow, and though as lively a dog as any of his tribe, he was 
 now as meek as a lamb, never opening his mouth except to eat. 
 
298 SEQUEL TO TYPEE." 
 
 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 nar 
 cotic nature, he refused ; but Jimmy said he would have some 
 thing mixed with it, which would convert it into an innocent 
 beverage that would inspirit them for the rest of their journey. 
 So at last he was induced to drink of it, and its effects were just 
 as the sailor had predicted ; his spirits rose at once, and all his 
 gloomy thoughts left him. 
 
 The old rover now began to reveal his true character, though 
 he was hardly suspected at the time. " If I get you off to a 
 ship," said he, " you will surely give a poor fellow something 
 for saving you." In short, before they left the house, he made 
 Toby promise that he would give him five Spanish dollars if he 
 succeeded in getting any part of his wages advanced from the 
 vessel, aboard of which they were going; Toby, moreover, 
 engaging to reward him still further, as soon as my deliverance 
 was accomplished. 
 
 A little while after this they started again, accompanied by 
 many of the natives, and going up the valley, took a steep path 
 near its head, which led to Nukuheva. Here the Happars 
 paused, and watched them as they ascended the mountain, one 
 group of bandit-looking fellows, shaking their spears and casting 
 
THE STOKY OF TOBY. 299 
 
 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 re 
 freshments in the shape of cocoa-nut milk and poee-poee, they 
 entered a canoe (the Typee, of course, going along) and paddled 
 off to a whale ship which was anchored near the shore. This 
 was the vessel in want of men. Our own had sailed some time 
 before. The captain professed great pleasure at seeing Toby, 
 but thought, from his exhausted appearance, that he must be unfit 
 for duty. However, he agreed to ship him, as well as his com 
 rade, as soon as he should arrive. 
 
 Toby begged hard for an armed boat, in which to go round to 
 Typee and rescue me, notwithstanding the promises of Jimmy. 
 But this the captain would not hear of, and told him to have 
 patience, for the sailor would be faithful to his word. When, 
 too, he demanded the five silver dollars for Jimmy, the captain 
 was unwilling to give them. But Toby insisted upon it, as he 
 now began to think that Jimmy might be a mere mercenary, 
 
300 SEQUEL TO " TYPEE." 
 
 who would be sure to prove faithless if not well paid. Accord 
 ingly 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 sun-rise 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 
 Tornmo?" 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 ; as 
 signing many plausible reasons, arid 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 cer 
 tainly expected to he would march right back into the valley, 
 and carry me away at all hazards. He, however, again refused 
 to allow Toby to accompany him. 
 
 Now, situated as Toby was, his sole dependence for the 
 present was upon this Jimmy, and therefore he was fain to 
 comfort himself as well as he could with what the old sailor 
 had 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 clay passed before he 
 ever saw Tommo again. Hardly was the boat out of sight, 
 when the captain came forward and ordered the anchor to be 
 weighed ; he was going to sea. 
 
 Vain were all 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 
 
THE STORY OF TOBY. 301 
 
 you were before me, and upbraiding me for leaving 1 you on the 
 
 island. 
 
 # ' * * * # * 
 
 There is little more to be related. Toby left this vessel at 
 New Zealand, and after some further adventures, arrived home 
 in less than two years after leaving the Marquesas. He always 
 thought of me as dead and I had every reason to suppose that 
 he too was no more ; but a strange meeting was in store for us, 
 one which made Toby's heart all the lighter. 
 
 London : Printed by WILLIAM CLOWES & SONS, Stamford Street. 
 
PS 2