THE COOPER "ROMANCES."--INCIDENTS.--BYRON'S ISLAND.
"What did you value your life at, when the cannibals were holding their
powwow over you, the other day to Dominica?" asked the cooper, who was
whittling a charge for his pipe from a long twist of "nigger-head."
"At a very low figure," said I. "At one time I'd have been glad to sell
out at a nominal price. But do you really suppose they _are_ cannibals?"
"Of course they are," returned the cooper. "Probably one of the points
they were disputing about was, how it was best to cook and dress you."
"But Peter says they had no intention of killing us at all, and as he
understands the language, I suppose he knows best. But I confess, that
in spite of his assurances, I felt anything but safe; for at any moment
some impulsive child of nature might have driven a lance through me,
just to end the controversy."
"And don't you see," said Fisher, "that Peter's view of the matter
would partially spoil the poetry of Cooper's yarn, that he means to
found on the facts?"
"Of course," said the cooper. "There's not half as much romance in
knowing that you are to be cooped up in a bamboo calaboose, and
ransomed for old Revolutionary muskets, as there is in the other view
of the matter."
"And what may be your other view of the matter?" I asked.
"Why, in the absence of any positive knowledge, you can let the
imagination run free," said the cooper, rising to light his pipe at
the hanging lamp, and striking an attitude. "You may just suppose
yourself neatly transfixed by the javelin of a barbaric chieftain, and
your spirit passing gently away to the music of tomtoms, blending with
melodious voices chanting the wild 'hula-hula.' Then," he continued,
shaking his immense beard, as he warmed with his subject, "you are
laid out in state in the halls of the Marquesan Cæsars (or Montezumas,
if you prefer that), to grace a 'Kava feast' of princes of the blood;
you are done to a turn at the hands of the chief doctor of the palace;
and served up in curry as the leading dish at a right royal banquet,
flanked by immense bunches of the golden banana at one end, and
pyramids of bread-fruit at the other."
"Delightful!" said I. "There's nothing in Fox's Book of Martyrs half
as satisfactory--to the narrator. But, being the hero of the adventure
myself, I should vote for the calaboose and the ransom. Besides, it
would be some satisfaction to know one's precise value in this market;
just how many old flint-locks you are worth, or whether you could be
quoted at par, with old nigger-head tobacco, pound for pound."
"But, joking aside," said the cooper, "I don't, of course, know
whether that particular tribe are cannibals or not, but it is pretty
well established that there are tribes on this Marquesan group, who
deserve that name. The tribe of Taipi, in the island of Nukahiva, are
somewhat notorious in that line."
"That is the island where the French are planting a colony now, or
trying to, isn't it?" said I.
"Yes," answered the cooper. "Jim, the white man, told me they had
quite a force of troops there, and a frigate or two on this station.
But I think they will have their hands full, for these islanders are a
naturally savage race, particularly so, and warlike, too. It will not
be an easy thing to civilize them, or to subdue them either, in their
native mountains."
"Did you ever, in your own experience, have any proofs that they really
eat men at any of this group?" I asked.
"No," he replied, "I can't say that I ever did, I only give the reports
at second-hand."
"Well, Cooper," said I, "I am disappointed in you this time. I had made
up my mind to listen to marvellous tales of
'Anthropophagi, and men whose heads
Do grow beneath their shoulders,'"
"No," said the cooper conscientiously, "I cannot swear to the
cannibals, and I have never seen men with their heads under their
shoulders; but I've seen a tribe in New Holland with their faces
looking behind them, or the spinal column in front of them, which ever
you choose to have it."
"Which way did they walk?" I asked.
"Both ways, equally well. Like these canoes down at the groups, they
just shift their sail, and the stern becomes the bow. You should see
those Yohos out in the bush, hunting with the face turned over one
shoulder, prepared to run either way, at the shortest notice. But I
think the most diverting thing was a grand war-dance that I saw there,
a sort of forward-and-back movement that displayed their double-ender
qualities to the best advantage."
"There, that'll do, Cooper," said Fisher. "Dry up now, and turn in."
"Fact!" replied the cooper, with the utmost gravity. "You may laugh and
you may doubt, but what I've seen, I know."
The next landfall after leaving the Marquesas, was Starbuck's Island,
low and dangerous, where the captain lowered his boat and went ashore,
but found nothing of interest but an old trypot, some staves and
hoops of decayed casks, and a few other mementoes of the wreck of the
Independence, of Nantucket, which ran ashore here in the night under
full headway a few years before. The crew lived some time on this
island, being obliged to construct a substitute for a still and make
water for use from sea-water. A part of them finally made their way to
Otaheite in boats, and the rest were taken off the island by a passing
ship.
Nearly on the meridian we saw a "school of cows and calves," and here,
for the first time, I had an opportunity of seeing sperm whales "bring
to" handsomely. The second mate struck first, and his whale, after
running a short distance, stopped, and all the rest came up around him,
and lay for some time, blowing, "heads and points," while we in the
other two boats pulled on and fastened at our leisure, selecting the
largest cows. After we were well fast, instead of immediately killing
our whales, we lanced loose ones, and the sport was very exciting,
as the whales were up and down in all directions among the boats,
and some difficulty was met with from the fast whales crossing each
other's course, and thus fouling the lines. Of course many of the loose
whales which we killed were lost, as it was quite impossible to keep
the run of them all, and a freshly-killed whale cannot be seen at any
considerable distance, without a waif to indicate his whereabouts.
And here for the first time I saw the use of a contrivance called a
"waif-drug," for attaching the tell-tale flag to a whale while still
alive. A short toggle of oak is fitted firmly in the centre of a square
piece of plank, one end of the toggle is bored to step the waif-pole
in, and the other is loaded with iron sufficiently to balance but not
to sink it. This is attached by a few fathoms of line to a harpoon,
which being darted into a whale after he has been mortally wounded with
the lance, the plank drug rests flat on the surface, and the pole and
waif are kept in an upright position. Eight whales were collected and
secured as the reward of our exertions, though the whole eight yielded
but little more oil than the one taken off Juan Fernandez.
Not wishing to run too fast over the ground, we hauled on a wind
while boiling these whales; and the next day after "cooling down,"
we ran to the westward and made an island, low but well wooded; the
top-branches of the beautiful cocoanut-tree being the first object to
break the horizon line. This, the mate informed me, was Byron's Island,
the weathermost of Kingsmill's Group. Very soon the sails of numerous
canoes were to be seen approaching, for a ship can be discovered almost
as soon as she makes the land, all the islands of this group being low.
The fleet of canoes was constantly receiving fresh accessions as we
drew nearer the land, the number increasing till more than a hundred
could be counted from the deck. They worked to windward rapidly, having
immense triangular sails of matting. The first canoe that neared us
came boldly alongside, throwing a line which was caught by eager hands
on deck, for we were all on the tiptoe of curiosity to cultivate closer
acquaintance with this singular people.
"Here he comes, stem on for Dover Castle!" said the second mate, as
the canoe's bow struck in the waist with considerable force, and then,
snubbed by her warp, she swung fore and aft, while the savages, taking
the line in to one of the thwart timbers, "bowed her off" with much
skill, for the ship was going at a smart rate through the water. By
this time other canoes were crowding upon the first one, all anxious
to be the first to make a trade with us; each with a line of its own
ready to throw to us, or else clamoring for a rope's end to be thrown
from the ship. Some fell short, and the ship flew past them; but,
nothing daunted, they fell into her wake, knowing that she would heave
to soon. Some ran into others, doing considerable damage to their
frail structures and increasing the clamor and confusion. I noticed
one strapping fellow in the first canoe, who, with both hands full of
"truck," was making the most urgent signs and cries for a rope to be
thrown to him. Curious to see how he would manage, I flung him one
which he seized with his teeth, and without hesitation threw himself
overboard, still holding his wares in both hands and five or six
"sennit" hats upon his head. He swung alongside towing by the vice-like
grip of his teeth upon the rope, the ship moving at a rate that I
should suppose would have torn any white man's jaws out of his head,
unless he opened them and let go his hold. I jumped into the chains
and reaching down, managed to relieve one of his hands of its load, so
that he could have one arm and his teeth to tow by, for it was hardly
possible to get him on board until the ship's way was stopped. A canoe
was now driving right upon him, having swung in against the ship in
consequence of collision with another, but he paid little heed to her,
simply diving under and rising again the other side of her, seemingly
as much at home in the water as a porpoise.
Faster and faster the reinforcements of canoes gather, and the Babel of
guttural shouts and yells exceeds all descriptive powers. Each canoe
contains at least one representative of the gentler sex; some of them
two or three; but the women, contrary to all rules among civilized
communities, have but little to say. Crash! I run to the other side
of the deck to see what has happened; an unfortunate canoe has filled
and swamped alongside, torn her thwart out by the strain upon the warp,
and the apparent wreck is drifting into our wake, the crew swimming
off with her, for the women are as amphibious as the men, their yells
rise louder than ever, while screams of derisive laughter greet them on
every side from their unsympathizing consorts. As Manoel the Portuguese
expressively says, it is "every man for myself" in this crowd. Anxious
to know how they will conduct under these circumstances, I jump up on
the shearpole and follow them with my eye. As soon as they wind their
way out of the thickest crowd of the pursuing canoes, they seize their
own by the head and stern, and shooting her violently fore and aft a
few times, she slops about half the water out over the two ends; a man
then jumps lightly into her, and commences baling; soon she will bear
another man; and it is not many minutes ere she takes her place in the
fleet, though now occupying a rear position, a bit of seizing stuff
completes her repairs, and they are after us again, joining in the
general laugh, and eager as ever.
"Haul the mainsail up! and square the main yard!" cries the old man
with a desperate effort to make himself heard above the clamor and din.
The orders are repeated by the mates, and the ship is soon hove to,
the canoes closing up around us. Everything of a portable nature has
been picked up about the decks, and stowed away out of reach, for all
savages are known to be adepts at thieving; indeed their exploits in
this way would do honor to the most expert "professionals" in England
or America.
Some caution against treachery is also necessary at all times in
dealing with these people, though, as a general rule, where they come
without arms, and accompanied by women and children, no danger is to be
apprehended.
As soon as the ship's way was stopped, the islanders poured in over the
rail in vast numbers, and a brisk traffic was carried on for cocoanut,
mats, hats, shells, etc. Tobacco was the precious metal and root of all
evil with this people. Iron they seemed to care very little for, unless
an opportunity offered to steal it, but "tabahky" was the very goal of
their desires, and for this they would barter soul and body. Articles
of clothing were in no request; indeed they offered some for sale for
bits of tobacco, having probably stolen them from previous visitors.
The costumes of these natives are exceedingly light and airy, the men
having absolutely no covering beyond what Nature has provided; while
the females were restricted to a single garment not unlike the Highland
philibeg, the material being grass or seaweed.
More canoes kept paddling up alongside, and attaching themselves to the
offside of the first comers, till the ship was surrounded with them
several tiers deep, extending to a considerable distance; for these
crafts occupy much space in beam, not so much from the size of the boat
itself, as of the bulky "outrigger" built out one side to balance her
when carrying sail. These islands produce no trees suitable for making
"dug-outs" of any considerable size, and the canoes are built of little
pieces of wood, hundreds of pieces in a single craft, holes being made
near the edges, and the pieces lashed together with innumerable little
"seizings," a sort of mortar or white cement is plastered on to fill
up the numerous joints, and the still more numerous little holes for
the lashings. This only partially answers the purpose; for though the
boats are not deficient in the qualities of speed and buoyancy, they
are never tight, and one man is kept almost constantly baling. The
lashings, as well as all their ropes, some of considerable size, are
ingeniously twisted from the fibrous outside or husk of the cocoanut.
Two white men came on board, one of whom had been here several years,
and had become quite domesticated. He seemed to have considerable
influence among the natives, and doubtless was as arrant a savage as
any of them when on shore. This man told me that the work of building
canoes was constantly going on at their naval dockyard, and that he
could hardly perceive the progress made from day to day; several months
being consumed in finishing one of them. And no more work is done to
them than is absolutely necessary to fit them for service, for the
people evince none of the artistic skill and taste in ornamenting their
vessels, for which many other of the Polynesian tribes are noted.
The man whom I had assisted by throwing him a rope, and relieving him
of a part of his load, attached himself particularly to me, and we
drove a smart barter trade, highly satisfactory to both parties. He
soon gave me further evidence of his powers of jaw, as, laughing at my
bungling attempts to husk a cocoanut with an axe, he seized the whole
bunch of nuts, and jerked the husks all off with his teeth, in less
time than I should have taken to finish one, considering his services
amply rewarded with a morsel of "tabahky." I bought all his stock of
mats, and as many of the hats as I could adapt to my very accommodating
head, in other words, all which were not more than eleven sizes too big
for me. The next thing produced for my inspection was a cocoanut shell,
filled with a sort of syrup, into which he run his finger and sucked it
with infinite gusto, at the same time tempting me to do likewise.
"Id-id-ee tikee-moee-moee!" he yelled.
"What the devil is that?" said I.
"Tikee-moee-moee?" he repeated. "Tabahky!"
I found this a very nice article, light in color, clear and thick, not
unlike honey. I bought it eagerly, and gave my friend to understand
I would like to have more. In less than ten minutes he had brought
me more than a dozen, which I purchased at sight of the shells, and
carried below. I discovered the next day when too late, that only the
first one was worth eating, the rest appearing to be about equally
compounded of very black molasses and sea-water.
I made my out-door agent understand that I wanted to collect shells,
showing him one as a specimen. He rushed to the side, shouting to his
comrade in the canoe, "Teroot!" and returned with a few which were
not worth much. My "wants" having been thus advertised, I was beset
with cries of "Teroot!" for the next half-hour; for every barbarian
pedler who had a beech-worn shell or fragment of a shell to dispose of,
pushed it into my face with the same war-cry. I selected a few, which I
thought worthy to be added to my collection. But I was by no means rid
of the rest, after so doing; for I was pursued from post to pillar, and
the same specimens, transferred to different hands, loomed before my
eyes dozens of times, with the savage cry "Teroot! Tabahky!"
"I'm sayin', ould chap, what's the matter wid y'er leg?" said the voice
of Farrell near me.
I turned and saw an elderly, grave looking man climbing in over the
rail. As he landed on deck, he presented a singular phenomenon; having
one well-proportioned leg of the natural size, while the other one at
the calf would have filled a deck-bucket.
"Say, ould chap, what ails y'er leg?" repeated the Irishman.
"Ididee tikee-nut!" shouted the old man, holding up over his head a
bunch of nuts, knotted together by strips of the husk.
"Ah! the divil take your tikeenuts, it's your leg I'm looking at. Who
ever saw the likes?"
"Tabahky!" roared the venerable savage, keeping an eye to business.
"What made y'er leg swell that big?" pursued Farrell.
"Tikee moee moee!" was the answer, in a voice of thunder.
"An' sure, I'll ate none of it, if it has that effect."
"Why," said the cooper, "don't you see, he's got the 'fay-fay.' There's
plenty of that disease on these islands. There's a man in that canoe
under the quarter there with one of his arms puffed up bigger than my
body; you can see it wobble every time he moves. Now, twig this old
gentleman when he walks."
"Isn't it painful, do you think?" I asked.
"No, they say not, after it's swelled, and set to its full size, for I
believe it's never cured. It is common on many islands in the Pacific,
and at Rotumah, particularly so. Most of the white men have it there,
that is, those who have lived there any length of time. It is caused by
the diet, I suppose."
"Yes, that's what the ould chap tould me, 'twas the tikeenuts and that
swate tracle stuff made it swell," said Farrell.
"Mr. Grafton, we must get rid of these canoes now as fast as possible.
We can't afford to drift any more. Brace full the mainyard and down
tacks!" said the captain. "They must take care of their own canoes."
This manoeuvre produced some commotion among the visitors, and
scattered the greater part of them. Some who had not been fortunate
enough to dispose of all their wares, still hung on, offering goods at
very low prices to close out the stock.
"Keep cool, don't drive them," said the mate. "I'll get clear of them
all, in a minute."
He went down below, and soon returned with a musket, which he pointed
in the air over their heads, and pulled the trigger. A stampede ensued,
and a rapid succession of plunges overboard as well as into the
canoes, soon cleared the deck of all the frightened savages; and the
fleet were soon standing in for the land, presenting a picturesque and
beautiful view, as the declining sun shone upon the numerous triangular
sails and flashing paddles; while we hugged the wind under all sail to
hold our weather position.