The natives compel the Mentor's people to be tattooed.--Description
of that painful operation.--They also oblige them to pluck their
beards, &c.--Another vessel passes by the island; and, afterwards,
a third comes in sight and remains for three days; the Mentor's
people are closely guarded at these times.--The melancholy fate of
William Sedon; and the barbarous murder of Peter Andrews.--Attack
on H. Holden, who is protected by one of the natives, and
escapes.--B. Nute and others are protected by the female natives
from the fury of the men.--Death of one of the Pelew
chiefs.--Another of the Pelew people is detected in stealing, and
is punished in their manner.--Death of Milton Hewlet and Charles C.
Bouket; leaving now only B. Nute, H. Holden, and the other Pelew
chief, named _Kobak_, who all remained in a feeble and helpless
condition.--Filthy practices of the natives.--Friendship of the
surviving Pelew chief.
A new trial now awaited us. The barbarous beings among whom our lot had
been cast, deemed it important that we should be _tattooed_, and we were
compelled to submit to the distressing operation. We expostulated
against it--we entreated--we begged to be spared this additional
affliction; but our entreaties were of no use. Those savages were not
to be moved, and we were compelled to submit; and that the reader may
form some idea of the painful process, I will here give a brief account
of it.
We were in the first place securely bound down to the ground, and there
held fast by our tormentors. They then proceeded to draw with a sharp
stick the figures designed to be imprinted on the skin. This done, the
skin was thickly punctured with a little instrument made of sharpened
fish bones, and somewhat resembling a carpenter's adz in miniature, but
having teeth, instead of a smooth, sharp edge. This instrument was held
within an inch or two of the flesh, and struck into it rapidly with a
piece of wood, applied to it in such a manner as to cause it to rebound
at every stroke. In this way our breasts and arms were prepared; and
subsequently the ink, which was made of a vegetable found on the island
called by them the "_savvan_," was applied. The operation caused such an
inflammation of our bodies, that only a portion could be done at one
time; and as soon as the inflammation abated another portion was done,
as fast as we could bear it, till our bodies were covered. It was
effectually done; for to this day the figures remain as distinct as they
were when first imprinted, and the marks will be carried by us to the
grave. They were exceedingly anxious to perform the operation upon our
faces; but this we would not submit to, telling them that sooner than
have it done we would die in resisting them. Among themselves, the
oldest people had the greatest quantity of tattooing, and the younger
class less.
Besides the operation of _tattooing_, they compelled us to pluck the
hair from different parts of the body, and to pluck our beards about
every ten days, which was extremely painful; and at every successive
operation the beard grew out harder and stiffer.
About seventeen days after the captain and Rollins left, we saw a vessel
to the windward; but the natives did not attempt to visit it. Five
months afterwards another came in sight, and remained for three days
near the island. At one time we could distinctly see the men on board;
but we were kept on shore and closely guarded. Several canoes visited
the ship, and brought back a few pieces of iron, fish-hooks, glass
bottles, &c. We tried, but in vain, to escape. It seemed to us, that we
were doomed to remain on that dreary spot, to wear out our remaining
strength in hopeless bondage, and to submit to the control of brutal
masters, whose tender mercies were cruelties. Death, in any form, would
have been a relief, and often did we see moments when it would have been
welcomed as the best of friends! To some of our companions it did come,
though dreadful in the manner, yet as a not unwelcome alternative.
About a year after we first arrived at the island, William Sedon became
so reduced as to deprive us of all hopes of his recovery. He looked like
a skeleton; and, at last, was so entirely exhausted by hunger, as to be
unable to walk, or even to rise from the ground. He continued, however,
to crawl from place to place, until all his remaining strength was
nearly gone, when the inhuman monsters placed him in an old canoe, and
sent him adrift on the ocean! Gladly would his unhappy shipmates have
extended to him the last sad offices of friendship; that poor
consolation was denied both him and us! My heart bleeds at the
recollection of our separation and his melancholy fate--when we saw him
anxiously turn his languid eyes towards those who were doomed still to
linger on the borders of the grave! Our sighs were breathed almost in
silence, and our tears were shed in vain!
It may be observed here, that it is not their custom to deposit the
bodies of any of their dead in the earth, except very young children.
The bodies of grown people, after death, are laid in a canoe and
committed to the ocean.
It was soon our lot to part with another of our companions, Peter
Andrews. He was accused by the natives of some trifling offence, and put
to death. The savages knocked him down with their clubs, and then
despatched him in the most cruel and most shocking manner. I was at this
time at a distance from the place where he was killed. My master was
absent; and upon my hearing a noise in the direction of the place where
the foul business was transacted, and suspecting that all was not right,
I started to see what was going on. I was near the beach when I saw a
number of the savages coming towards the spot where I stood, dragging
along the lifeless and mangled body of our comrade! One of them
approached me behind, and knocked me down with his club. The body of
Andrews was thrown into the sea, and it seemed to be their determination
to destroy the whole of us. I warded off the blows aimed at me as well
as I could, and recovering myself, ran towards the hut of my master. He
had not yet returned; but, fortunately, an old man, who had previously
shown some regard for me, and who was the particular friend of my
master, happened at that moment to be passing; and seizing the man who
had pursued me, held him fast. I escaped and ran into the hut, and
crawled up through an aperture in the floor into the chamber under the
roof. I seized an old box and covered up the hole through which I had
ascended; but this was not sufficient to detain, for any great length of
time, the wretches who were thirsting for my blood. They soon succeeded
in displacing the box, and one of them seized me; but just as he was
pulling me from my place of refuge, my master returned with several of
his friends, and rescued me from the clutches of my enemies.
In the mean time Nute and the rest of our companions were at the
"_Tahboo_," a place of public resort, where, for the only time, the
females rendered our people any assistance. They concealed the men under
some mats, and kept them there till the fury of the natives had in a
measure subsided.
We were next called upon to part with one of the Pelew _chiefs_ who had
come with us. He died of absolute starvation, and, according to custom,
was committed to the waves in an old canoe. In a short time after this,
the Pelew private (who had also come with us) was detected in the crime
of taking a few cocoa-nuts without leave; for which offence he had his
hands tied behind him, and was put into a canoe and sent adrift; which
was their usual method of punishment for offences of different kinds.
About a year and seven months from the commencement of our captivity
Milton Hewlet died, and, like the others, was, according to the custom
of the natives, committed to the ocean. A short time afterwards Charles
C. Bouket, having become so reduced by his sufferings as to be unable to
help himself, was (horrible to relate!) placed in a canoe, while still
alive, and committed to the mercy of the ocean. Thus did one after
another of our companions sink under the weight of their sufferings, and
perish without any alleviation of their wretchedness. Nute and myself,
with our friend _Kobac_, the other Pelew chief, were all that remained;
and we were constantly expecting that the next hour would end our
existence.
The idea of death, however, had now become familiar; and often did we
desire the release from suffering which that alone could afford.
Nothing, as it now appears to us, but the kind interposition of
Providence, could have continued our lives, and have given us the power
of endurance to hold out so long as we did. We were frequently so
reduced as to be unable to walk, and were forced to drag ourselves on
our hands and knees to some place where we could lie down under the
shade of a bush, and take rest. But the small comfort to be obtained in
this way was greatly lessened by the annoyance of musquetoes, which
could attack us with impunity in our helpless and feeble condition.
Besides this, our flesh had so fallen away, that on lying down, our
bones would actually pierce through the skin, giving us the most severe
pain. After we were tattooed, the parts operated upon were, for a long
time, running sores; and when exposed to the sun, the pain was
excruciating.
It has been already said, that the natives were indolent, filthy and
degraded, but the half has not been told; and some things which we
witnessed cannot be related. The intercourse of the sexes was
unrestrained by any law; and the decencies of life were almost entirely
neglected. Instead of taking pains to keep clean, they seemed to be not
unwilling to have their heads overrun with vermin; and however
incredible it may seem, it is a disgusting truth, that they are
accustomed to eat them; and particular care seems to be taken to keep
those loathsome animals in the heads of the children. But I forbear any
further particulars.
I have already said, that only two of the crew of the Mentor, namely,
Nute and myself, remained alive, with the exception of captain Barnard
and Rollins, who had fortunately escaped. The Pelew chief had become
strongly attached to us, and we take pleasure in stating the fact, that
his faithfulness and affection had greatly endeared him to us. He seemed
more like a brother than a barbarian; and most gladly would we have
saved him from those sufferings which, no doubt, before this time, have
terminated his life. Alas! it was not in our power to administer to his
relief; and when we last saw him he was but just alive.