The chief leading the way, I followed through the open entrance of the
courtyard. The yard was very spacious, and under the dark shade of the
trees I could see a light here and there in the windows of small huts
along the walls, where, as I found later, the slaves and the young men of
the family slept. In the middle of the space there was another altar, I
am sorry to say; indeed, there were altars everywhere. I never heard of
a people so religious, in their own darkened way, as these islanders. At
the further end of the court was a really large and even stately house,
with no windows but a clerestory, indicated by the line of light from
within, flickering between the top of the wall and the beginning of the
high-pitched roof. Light was also streaming through the wide doorway,
from which came the sound of many voices. The house was obviously full
of people, and, just before we reached the deep verandah, a roofed space
open to the air in front, they began to come out, some of them singing.
They had flowers in their hair, and torches in their hands. The chief,
giving me a sign to be silent, drew me apart within the shadow of a plane
tree, and we waited there till the crowd dispersed, and went, I presume,
to their own houses. There were no women among them, and the men carried
no spears nor other weapons. When the court was empty, we walked up the
broad stone steps and stood within the doorway. I was certainly much
surprised at what I saw. There was a rude magnificence about this house
such as I had never expected to find in the South Sea Islands. Nay,
though I am not unacquainted with the abodes of opulence at home, and
have been a favoured guest of some of our merchant princes (including
Messrs. Bunton, the eminent haberdashers, whose light is so generously
bestowed on our Connection), I admit that I had never looked on a more
spacious reception-room, furnished, of course, in a somewhat savage
manner, but, obviously, regardless of expense. The very threshold
between the court and the reception-room, to which you descended by
steps, was made of some dark metal, inlaid curiously with figures of
beasts and birds, also in metal (gold, as I afterwards learned), of
various shades of colour and brightness.
At first I had some difficulty in making out the details of the vast
apartment which lay beyond. I was almost dizzy with hunger and fatigue,
and my view was further obscured by a fragrant blue smoke, which rose in
soft clouds from an open fireplace in the middle of the room. Singular
to say, there was no chimney, merely a hole in the lofty roof, through
which most of the smoke escaped. The ceiling itself, which was supported
by carved rafters, was in places quite black with the vapour of many
years. The smoke, however, was thin, and as the fuel on the fire, and on
the braziers, was of dry cedar and sandal-wood, the perfume, though
heavy, was not unpleasant. The room was partly illuminated by the fire
itself, partly by braziers full of blazing branches of trees; but, what
was most remarkable, there were rows of metal images of young men (naked,
I am sorry to say), with burning torches in their hands, ranged all along
the side walls.
A good deal of taste, in one sense, had been expended in making these
images, and money had clearly been no object. I might have been somewhat
dazzled by the general effect, had I not reflected that, in my own
country, gas is within reach of the poorest purse, while the electric
light itself may be enjoyed by the very beggar in the street. Here, on
the contrary, the dripping of the wax from the torches, the black smoke
on the roof, the noisy crackling of the sandal-wood in the braziers, all
combined to prove that these natives, though ingenious enough in their
way, were far indeed below the level of modern civilization. The
abominable ceremony of the afternoon would have proved as much, and now
the absence of true _comfort_, even in the dwelling of a chief, made me
think once more of the hardships of a missionary's career.
But I must endeavour to complete the picture of domestic life in the
island, which I now witnessed for the first time, and which will never be
seen again by Europeans. The walls themselves were of some dark but
glittering metal, on which designs in lighter metal were inlaid. There
were views of the chief going to the chase, his bow in his hand; of the
chief sacrificing to idols; of men and young women engaged in the soul-
destroying practice of promiscuous dancing; there were wild beasts, lions
among others; rivers, with fish in them; mountains, trees, the sun and
moon, and stars, all not by any means ill designed, for the work of
natives. The pictures, indeed, reminded me a good deal of the ugly
Assyrian curiosities in the British Museum, as I have seen them when
conducting the children of the Bungletonian Band of Hope through the
rooms devoted to the remains of Bible peoples, such as the Egyptians,
Hittites, and others.
Red or blue curtains, strangely embroidered, hung over the doors, and
trophies of swords, shields, and spears, not of steel, but of some darker
metal, were fixed on the tall pillars that helped to prop the roof. At
the top of the wall, just beneath the open unglazed spaces, which
admitted light and air in the daytime, and wind and rain in bad weather,
was a kind of frieze, or coping, of some deep blue material. {30} All
along the sides of the hall ran carved seats, covered with pretty light
embroidered cloths, not very different from modern Oriental fabrics. The
carpets and rugs were precisely like those of India and Persia, and I
supposed that they must have been obtained through commerce. But I
afterwards learned that they were, beyond doubt, of native manufacture.
At the further end of the room was a kind of platform, or dais, on which
tables were set with fruit and wine. But much more curious than the
furniture of the hall was the group of women sitting by the fire in the
centre. There sat in two rows some twenty girls, all busily weaving, and
throwing the shuttle from hand to hand, laughing and chattering in low
voices. In the midst of them, on a high chair of cedar-wood, decorated
with ivory, and with an ivory footstool, sat a person whom, in a
civilized country, one must have looked on with respect as a lady of high
rank. She, like her husband the chief, had a golden circlet twisted in
her hair, which was still brown and copious, and she wore an appearance
of command.
At her feet, on a stool, reclined a girl who was, I must confess, of
singular beauty. Doto had long fair hair, a feature most unusual among
these natives. She had blue eyes, and an appearance of singular
innocence and frankness. She was, at the moment, embroidering a piece of
work intended, as I afterwards learned with deep pain, for the covering
of one of their idols, to whose service the benighted young woman was
devoted. Often in after days, I saw Doto stooping above her embroidery
and deftly interweaving the green and golden threads into the patterns of
beasts and flowers. Often my heart went out to this poor child of pagan
tribe, and I even pleased myself with the hope that some day, a reclaimed
and enlightened character, she might employ her skill in embroidering
slippers and braces for a humble vessel. I seemed to see her, a helpmate
meet for me, holding Mothers' Meetings, playing hymn-tunes on the lyre,
or the double pipes, the native instruments, and, above all, winning the
islanders from their cruel and abominable custom of exposing their infant
children on the mountains. How differently have all things been
arranged.
But I am wandering from my story. When we reached the group by the
fireside, who had at first been unaware of our entrance, the chief's wife
gave a slight start, alarmed doubtless by my appearance. She could never
have seen, nor even dreamed of, such a spectacle as I must have
presented, haggard, ragged, faint with hunger, and worn with fatigue as I
was. The chief motioned to me that I should kneel at his wife's feet,
and kiss her hand, but I merely bowed, not considering this a fit moment
to protest otherwise against such sacrilegious mummeries. But the
woman--her name I learned later was Ocyale--did not take my attitude in
bad part. The startled expression of her face changed to a look of pity,
and, with a movement of her hand, she directed Doto to bring a large
golden cup from the table at the upper end of the room. Into this cup
she ladled some dark liquid from a bowl which was placed on a small three-
legged stand, or dumb waiter, close to her side. Next she spilt a little
of the wine on the polished floor, with an appearance of gravity which I
did not understand. It appears that this spilling of wine is a drink
offering to their idols. She then offered me the cup, which I was about
to taste, when I perceived that the liquor was indubitably _alcoholic_!
A total abstainer, I had, I am thankful to say, strength enough to resist
the temptation thus adroitly thrust upon me. Setting down the cup, I
pointed to the badge of blue ribbon, which, though damp and colourless,
remained faithful to my button-hole. I also made signs I was hungry, and
would be glad of something to eat. My gestures, as far as the blue
ribbon went, must have been thrown away, of course, but any one could
understand that I was fainting from hunger. The mistress of the house
called to one of the spinning girls, who rose and went within the door
opening from the platform at the upper end of the room. She presently
returned with an old woman, a housekeeper, as we would say, and obviously
a faithful and familiar servant. After some conversation, of which I was
probably the topic, the old woman hobbled off, laughing. She soon came
back, bringing, to my extreme delight, a basket with cakes and goat
cheese, and some cold pork in a dish.
I ought, perhaps, to say here that, in spite of the luxury of their
appointments, and their extraordinary habit of "eating and drinking all
day to the going down of the sun" (as one of their own poets says), these
islanders are by no means good cooks. I have tasted of more savoury
meats, dressed in coverings of leaves on hot stones, in Maori pahs, or in
New Caledonian villages, than among the comparatively civilized natives
of the country where I now found myself. Among the common people,
especially, there was no notion of hanging or keeping meat. Often have I
seen a man kill a hog on the floor of his house, cut it up, toast it, as
one may say, at the fire, and then offer the grilled and frequently under-
done flesh to his guests. Invariably the guests are obliged to witness
the slaughter of the animal which is to supply their dinner. This
slaughter is performed as a kind of sacrifice; the legs of the beast are
the portions of the gods, and are laid, with bits of fat, upon the
altars. Then chops, or rather kabobs, of meat are hacked off, spitted,
and grilled or roasted at the fire. Consequently all the meat tasted in
this island is actually "meat offered to idols."
When I made this discovery the shock was very great, and I feared I was
repeating a sin denounced from the earliest ages. But what was I to do?
Not the meat only, but the vegetables, the fruit, the grain, the very
fish (which the natives never eat except under stress of great hunger),
were sacred to one or other of their innumerable idols. I must eat, or
starve myself to death--a form of suicide. I therefore made up my mind
to eat without scruple, remembering that the gods of the nations are
nothing at all, but the fancies of vain dreamers, and the invention of
greedy and self-seeking priests.
These scruples were of later growth, after I had learned that their meals
were invariably preceded by a sacrifice, partly to provide the food,
partly as grace before meat. On the present occasion I made an excellent
supper, though put to a good deal of inconvenience by the want of forks,
which were entirely unknown on the island. Finding that I would not
taste the alcoholic liquor, which the natives always mixed with a large
proportion of water, Doto rose, went out, and returned with a great bowl
of ivy-wood, curiously carved, and full of milk. In this permitted
beverage, as my spirits were rising, I drank the young lady's health,
indicating my gratitude as well as I could. She bowed gracefully, and
returned to her task of embroidery. Meanwhile her father and mother were
deep in conversation, and paid no attention to me, obviously
understanding that my chief need was food. I could not but see that the
face of the chief's wife was overclouded, probably with anxiety caused by
the prophecy of which I was, or was taken for, the subject.
When my hunger was satisfied, I fell, it seems, into a kind of doze, from
which I was wakened by the noise of people rising, moving, and pushing
back chairs. I collected my senses, and perceived that the room was
almost dark, most of the inmates had gone, and the chief was lighting a
torch at one of the braziers. This torch he placed in my hand,
indicating, as I understood, that I was to put myself under the guidance
of two of the young women who had been spinning. At this I was somewhat
perplexed, but followed where they went before me, each of them holding a
burning torch. The light flared and the smoke drifted among the
corridors, till we came within sound of running water. In a lofty green
chamber was a large bath of polished marble, carved with shapes of men
armed with pitchforks, and employed in spearing fish. The bath was full
of clear water, of somewhat higher than tepid heat, and the stream,
welling up in one part, flowed out in another, not splashing or spilling.
The young women now brought flasks of oil, large sponges, such as are
common in these seas, and such articles of dress as are worn by the men
among the natives. But, to my astonishment, the girls showed no
intention of going away, and it soon became evident _that they meant to
assist me in my toilet_! I had some difficulty in getting them to
understand the indecorum of their conduct, or rather (for I doubt if they
understood it after all) in prevailing on them to leave me. I afterwards
learned that this custom, shocking as it appears to Europeans, is
regarded as entirely right and usual even by the better class of
islanders; nor, to do them justice, have I ever heard any imputations on
the morality of their women. Except among the shepherds and
shepherdesses in the rural districts, whose conduct was very regardless,
a high standard of modesty prevailed among the female natives. In this,
I need not say, they were a notable exception among Polynesian races.
Left to my own devices by the retreat of the young women, I revelled in
the pleasures of the bath, and then the question arose, How was I to be
clothed?
I had, of course, but one shirt with me, and that somewhat frayed and
worn. My boots, too, were almost useless from their prolonged immersion
in salt water. Yet I could not bring myself to adopt the peculiar dress
of the natives, though the young persons had left in the bath-room
changes of raiment such as are worn by the men of rank. These garments
were simple, and not uncomfortable, but, as they showed the legs from the
knees downwards, like kilts, I felt that they would be unbecoming to one
in my position.
Almost the chief distinction between civilized man and the savage, is the
wearing of trousers. When a missionary in Tongo, and prime minister of
King Haui Ha there, I made the absence of breeches in the males an
offence punishable by imprisonment. Could I, on my very first appearance
among the islanders to-morrow, fly, as it were, in the face of my own
rules, and prove false to my well-known and often expressed convictions?
I felt that such backsliding was impossible. On mature consideration,
therefore, I made the following arrangement.
The garments of the natives, when they condescended to wear any, were but
two in number. First, there was a long linen or woollen shirt or smock,
without sleeves, which fell from the neck to some distance below the
knees. This shirt I put on. A belt is generally worn, into which the
folds of the smock can be drawn up or "kilted," when the wearer wishes to
have his limbs free for active exercise. The other garment is simply a
large square piece of stuff, silken or woollen as it happens in
accordance with the weather, and the rank of the wearer. In this a man
swathes himself, somewhat as a Highlander does in his plaid, pinning it
over the shoulder and leaving the arms free. When one is accustomed to
it, this kind of dress is not uncomfortable, and many of the younger
braves carried it with a good deal of grace, showing some fancy and
originality in the dispositions of the folds. Though attired in this
barbarous guise, I did not, of course, dispense with my trousers, which,
being black, contrasted somewhat oddly with my primrose-coloured ki ton,
as they call the smock, and the dark violet clamis, or plaid. When the
natives do not go bareheaded, they usually wear a kind of light, soft
wideawake, but this. I discarded in favour of my hat, which had already
produced so remarkable an effect on their superstitious minds.
Now I was dressed, as fittingly as possible in the circumstances, but I
felt that my chief need was a bed to lie down upon. I did not wish to
sleep in the bath-room, so, taking my torch from the stand in which I had
placed it, I sallied forth into the corridors, attired as I have
described, and carrying my coat under my arm. A distant light, and the
noise of females giggling, which increased most indecorously as I drew
near, attracted my attention. Walking in the direction of the sounds, I
soon discovered the two young women to whose charge I had been committed
by the chief. They appeared to be in high spirits, and, seizing my arms
before I could offer any resistance, they dragged me at a great pace down
the passage and out into the verandah. Here the air was very fragrant
and balmy, and a kind of comfortable "shakedown" of mattresses, covered
with coloured blankets, had been laid for me in a corner. I lay down as
soon as the sound of the young women's merriment died out in the
distance, and after the extraordinary events of the night, I was soon
sleeping as soundly as if I had been in my father's house at Hackney
Wick.