The sandal-wood party--Native children's games somewhat
surprising--Desperate amusements suddenly and fatally brought to a
close--An old friend recognised--News--Romata's mad conduct.
Next day the wood-cutting party went ashore again, and I accompanied
them as before. During the dinner-hour I wandered into the woods alone,
being disinclined for food that day. I had not rambled far when I found
myself unexpectedly on the sea-shore, having crossed a narrow neck of
land which separated the native village from a large bay. Here I found
a party of the islanders busy with one of their war-canoes, which was
almost ready for launching. I stood for a long time watching this party
with great interest, and observed that they fastened the timbers and
planks to each other very much in the same way in which I had seen Jack
fasten those of our little boat. But what surprised me most was its
immense length, which I measured carefully, and found to be a hundred
feet long; and it was so capacious that it could have held three
hundred men. It had the unwieldy outrigger and enormously high
stern-posts which I had remarked on the canoe that came to us while I
was on the Coral Island. Observing some boys playing at games a short
way along the beach, I resolved to go and watch them; but as I turned
from the natives who were engaged so busily and cheerfully at their
work, I little thought of the terrible event that hung on the
completion of that war-canoe.
Advancing towards the children, who were so numerous that I began to
think this must be the general playground of the village, I sat down on
a grassy bank under the shade of a plantain tree to watch them. And a
happier or more noisy crew I have never seen. There were at least two
hundred of them, both boys and girls, all of whom were clad in no other
garments than their own glossy little black skins, except the maro, or
strip of cloth round the loins of the boys, and a very short petticoat
or kilt on the girls. They did not all play at the same game, but
amused themselves in different groups.
One band was busily engaged in a game exactly similar to our blind
man's buff. Another set were walking on stilts, which raised the
children three feet from the ground. They were very expert at this
amusement, and seldom tumbled. In another place I observed a group of
girls standing together, and apparently enjoying themselves very much;
so I went up to see what they were doing, and found that they were
opening their eyelids with their fingers till their eyes appeared of an
enormous size, and then thrusting pieces of straw between the upper and
lower lids, across the eyeball, to keep them in that position! This
seemed to me, I must confess, a very foolish as well as dangerous
amusement. Nevertheless the children seemed to be greatly delighted
with the hideous faces they made. I pondered this subject a good deal,
and thought that if little children knew how silly they seemed to
grown-up people when they make faces, they would not be so fond of
doing it. In another place were a number of boys engaged in flying
kites, and I could not help wondering that some of the games of those
little savages should be so like to our own, although they had never
seen us at play. But the kites were different from ours in many
respects, being of every variety of shape. They were made of very thin
cloth, and the boys raised them to a wonderful height in the air by
means of twine made from the cocoa-nut husk. Other games there were,
some of which showed the natural depravity of the hearts of these poor
savages, and made me wish fervently that missionaries might be sent out
to them. But the amusement which the greatest number of the children of
both sexes seemed to take chief delight in was swimming and diving in
the sea, and the expertness which they exhibited was truly amazing.
They seemed to have two principal games in the water, one of which was
to dive off a sort of stage which had been erected near a deep part of
the sea, and chase each other in the water. Some of them went down to
an extraordinary depth; others skimmed along the surface, or rolled
over and over like porpoises, or diving under each other, came up
unexpectedly and pulled each other down by a leg or an arm. They never
seemed to tire of this sport, and from the great heat of the water in
the South Seas, they could remain in it nearly all day without feeling
chilled. Many of these children were almost infants, scarce able to
walk; yet they staggered down the beach, flung their round, fat little
black bodies fearlessly into deep water, and struck out to sea with as
much confidence as ducklings.
The other game to which I have referred was swimming in the surf. But
as this is an amusement in which all engage, from children of ten to
grey-headed men of sixty, and as I had an opportunity of witnessing it
in perfection the day following, I shall describe it more minutely.
I suppose it was in honour of their guest that this grand
swimming-match was got up, for Romata came and told the captain that
they were going to engage in it, and begged him to "come and see."
"What sort of amusement is this surf-swimming?" I inquired of Bill, as
we walked together to a part of the shore on which several thousands of
the natives were assembled.
"It's a very favourite lark with these 'xtr'or'nary critters," replied
Bill, giving a turn to the quid of tobacco that invariably bulged out
of his left cheek. "Ye see, Ralph, them fellows take to the water as
soon a'most as they can walk, an' long before they can do that anything
respectably, so that they are as much at home in the sea as on the
land. Well, ye see, I s'pose they found swimmin' for miles out to sea,
and divin' fathoms deep, wasn't exciting enough, so they invented this
game o' swimmin' on the surf. Each man and boy, as you see, has got a
short board or plank, with which he swims out for a mile or more to
sea, and then, gettin' on the top o' yon thunderin' breaker, they come
to shore on the top of it, yellin' and screechin' like fiends. It's a
marvel to me that they're not dashed to shivers on the coral reef, for
sure an' sartin' am I that if any o' us tried it, we wouldn't be worth
the fluke of a broken anchor after the wave fell. But there they go!"
As he spoke, several hundreds of the natives, amongst whom we were now
standing, uttered a loud yell, rushed down the beach, plunged into the
surf, and were carried off by the seething foam of the retreating wave.
At the point where we stood, the encircling coral reef joined the
shore, so that the magnificent breakers, which a recent stiff breeze
had rendered larger than usual, fell in thunder at the feet of the
multitudes who lined the beach. For some time the swimmers continued to
strike out to sea, breasting over the swell like hundreds of black
seals. Then they all turned, and watching an approaching billow,
mounted its white crest, and each laying his breast on the short, flat
board, came rolling towards the shore, careering on the summit of the
mighty wave, while they and the onlookers shouted and yelled with
excitement. Just as the monster wave curled in solemn majesty to fling
its bulky length upon the beach, most of the swimmers slid back into
the trough behind; others, slipping off their boards, seized them in
their hands, and plunging through the watery waste, swam out to repeat
the amusement; but a few, who seemed to me the most reckless, continued
their career until they were launched upon the beach, and enveloped in
the churning foam and spray. One of these last came in on the crest of
the wave most manfully, and landed with a violent bound almost on the
spot where Bill and I stood. I saw by his peculiar head-dress that he
was the chief whom the tribe entertained as their guest. The sea-water
had removed nearly all the paint with which his face had been covered,
and as he rose panting to his feet, I recognised, to my surprise, the
features of Tararo, my old friend of the Coral Island!
Tararo at the same moment recognised me, and advancing quickly, took me
round the neck and rubbed noses; which had the effect of transferring a
good deal of the moist paint from his nose to mine. Then, recollecting
that this was not the white man's mode of salutation, he grasped me by
the hand and shook it violently.
"Hallo, Ralph!" cried Bill in surprise, "that chap seems to have taken
a sudden fancy to you, or he must be an old acquaintance."
"Right, Bill," I replied; "he is indeed an old acquaintance;" and I
explained in a few words that he was the chief whose party Jack and
Peterkin and I had helped to save.
Tararo haying thrown away his surf-board, entered into an animated
conversation with Bill, pointing frequently during the course of it to
me; whereby I concluded he must be telling him about the memorable
battle and the part we had taken in it. When he paused, I begged of
Bill to ask him about the woman Avatea, for I had some hope that she
might have come with Tararo on this visit. "And ask him," said I, "who
she is, for I am persuaded she is of a different race from the
Feejeeans." On the mention of her name the chief frowned darkly, and
seemed to speak with much anger.
"You're right, Ralph," said Bill, when the chief had ceased to talk;
"she's not a Feejee girl, but a Samoan. How she ever came to this place
the chief does not very clearly explain, but he says she was taken in
war, and that he got her three years ago, an' kept her as his daughter
ever since. Lucky for her, poor girl, else she'd have been roasted and
eaten like the rest."
"But why does Tararo frown and look so angry?" said I.
"Because the girl's somewhat obstinate, like most o' the sex, an' won't
marry the man he wants her to. It seems that a chief of some other
island came on a visit to Tararo and took a fancy to her, but she
wouldn't have him on no account, bein' already in love, and engaged to
a young chief whom Tararo hates, and she kicked up a desperate shindy;
so, as he was going on a war-expedition in his canoe, he left her to
think about it, sayin' he'd be back in six months or so, when he hoped
she wouldn't be so obstropolous. This happened just a week ago; an'
Tararo says that if she's not ready to go when the chief returns, as
his bride, she'll be sent to him as a _long pig_."
"As a long pig!" I exclaimed in surprise; "why, what does he mean by
that?"
"He means somethin' very unpleasant," answered Bill with a frown. "You
see these blackguards eat men an' women just as readily as they eat
pigs; and as baked pigs and baked men are very like each other in
appearance, they call men _long_ pigs. If Avatea goes to this fellow as
a long pig, it's all up with her, poor thing."
"Is she on the island now?" I asked eagerly.
"No; she's at Tararo's island."
"And where does it lie!"
"About fifty or sixty miles to the south'ard o' this," returned Bill;
"but I--"
At this moment we were startled by the cry of "Mao! mao!--a shark! a
shark!" which was immediately followed by a shriek that rang clear and
fearfully loud above the tumult of cries that arose from the savages in
the water and on the land. We turned hastily towards the direction
whence the cry came, and had just time to observe the glaring eyeballs
of one of the swimmers as he tossed his arms in the air. Next instant
he was pulled under the waves. A canoe was instantly launched, and the
hand of the drowning man was caught, but only half of his body was
dragged from the maw of the monster, which followed the canoe until the
water became so shallow that it could scarcely swim. The crest of the
next billow was tinged with red as it rolled towards the shore.
In most countries of the world this would have made a deep impression
on the spectators, but the only effect it had upon these islanders was
to make them hurry with all speed out of the sea, lest a similar fate
should befall some of the others; but so utterly reckless were they of
human life, that it did not for a moment suspend the progress of their
amusements. It is true the surf-swimming ended for that time somewhat
abruptly, but they immediately proceeded with other games. Bill told me
that sharks do not often attack the surf-swimmers, being frightened
away by the immense numbers of men and boys in the water, and by the
shouting and splashing that they make. "But," said he, "such a thing as
you have seen just now don't frighten them much. They'll be at it again
to-morrow or next day, just as if there wasn't a single shark between
Feejee and Nova Zembla."
After this the natives had a series of wrestling and boxing matches;
and being men of immense size and muscle, they did a good deal of
injury to each other, especially in boxing, in which not only the lower
orders but several of the chiefs and priests engaged. Each bout was
very quickly terminated, for they did not pretend to a scientific
knowledge of the art, and wasted no time in sparring, but hit straight
out at each other's heads, and their blows were delivered with great
force. Frequently one of the combatants was knocked down with a single
blow; and one gigantic fellow hit his adversary so severely that he
drove the skin entirely off his forehead. This feat was hailed with
immense applause by the spectators.
During these exhibitions, which were very painful to me, though I
confess I could not refrain from beholding them, I was struck with the
beauty of many of the figures and designs that were tattooed on the
persons of the chiefs and principal men. One figure, that seemed to me
very elegant, was that of a palm tree tattooed on the back of a man's
leg, the roots rising, as it were, from under his heel, the stem
ascending the tendon of the ankle, and the graceful head branching out
upon the calf. I afterwards learned that this process of tattooing is
very painful, and takes long to do, commencing at the age of ten, and
being continued at intervals up to the age of thirty. It is done by
means of an instrument made of bone, with a number of sharp teeth with
which the skin is punctured. Into these punctures a preparation made
from the kernel of the candle-nut, mixed with cocoa-nut oil, is rubbed,
and the mark thus made is indelible. The operation is performed by a
class of men whose profession it is, and they tattoo as much at a time
as the person on whom they are operating can bear; which is not much,
the pain and inflammation caused by tattooing being very great,
sometimes causing death. Some of the chiefs were tattooed with an
ornamental stripe down the legs, which gave them the appearance of
being clad in tights; others had marks round the ankles and insteps
which looked like tight-fitting and elegant boots. Their faces were
also tattooed, and their breasts were very profusely marked with every
imaginable species of device--muskets, dogs, birds, pigs, clubs, and
canoes, intermingled with lozenges, squares, circles, and other
arbitrary figures.
The women were not tattooed so much as the men, having only a few marks
on their feet and arms. But I must say, however objectionable this
strange practice may be, it nevertheless had this good effect, that it
took away very much from their appearance of nakedness.
Next day, while we were returning from the woods to our schooner, we
observed Romata rushing about in the neighbourhood of his house,
apparently mad with passion.
"Ah!" said Bill to me, "there he's at his old tricks again. That's his
way when he gets drink. The natives make a sort of drink o' their own,
and it makes him bad enough; but when he gets brandy he's like a wild
tiger. The captain, I suppose, has given him a bottle, as usual, to
keep him in good humour. After drinkin' he usually goes to sleep, and
the people know it well, and keep out of his way, for fear they should
waken him. Even the babies are taken out of ear-shot; for when he's
waked up he rushes out just as you see him now, and spears or clubs the
first person he meets."
It seemed at the present time, however, that no deadly weapon had been
in his way, for the infuriated chief was raging about without one.
Suddenly he caught sight of an unfortunate man who was trying to
conceal himself behind a tree. Bushing towards him, Romata struck him a
terrible blow on the head, which knocked out the poor man's eye and
also dislocated the chief's finger. The wretched creature offered no
resistance; he did not even attempt to parry the blow. Indeed, from
what Bill said, I found that he might consider himself lucky in having
escaped with his life, which would certainly have been forfeited had
the chief been possessed of a club at the tune.
"Have these wretched creatures no law among themselves," said I, "which
can restrain such wickedness?"
"None," replied Bill. "The chiefs word is law. He might kill and eat a
dozen of his own subjects any day for nothing more than his own
pleasure, and nobody would take the least notice of it."
This ferocious deed took place within sight of our party as we wended
our way to the beach, but I could not observe any other expression on
the faces of the men than that of total indifference or contempt. It
seemed to me a very awful thing that it should be possible for men to
come to such hardness of heart and callousness to the sight of
bloodshed and violence; but, indeed, I began to find that such constant
exposure to scenes of blood was having a slight effect upon myself, and
I shuddered when I came to think that I too was becoming callous.
I thought upon this subject much that night while I walked up and down
the deck during my hours of watch, and I came to the conclusion that if
I, who hated, abhorred, and detested such bloody deeds as I had
witnessed within the last few weeks, could so soon come to be less
sensitive about them, how little wonder that these poor ignorant
savages, who were born and bred in familiarity therewith, should think
nothing of them at all, and should hold human life in so very slight
esteem!