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.
Returning health and peace of mind gave a new interest to everything
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 sometimes 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 symmetrical 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 propelled
themselves through the water, and their familiarity with 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 swarmed 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 endeavours 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 gracefully 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, accompanied me
in my excursions to the lake and, while I paddled about in my light
canoe, would swim after me shouting and gambolling in pursuit. But this
was far from contenting me. Indeed, I soon began to weary of it, and
longed more than ever for the pleasant society of the mermaids, in
whose absence the amusement was 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! 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 horrified Kory-Kory’s notions of
propriety. He inveighed against it, as something too monstrous to be
thought of. It not only shocked 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 endeavoured to persuade me from my 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 exposition of the history and nature of the
“taboo” as affecting this particular 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 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 gallantry, 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, the gentle nymph occasionally placing her pipe to her
lips, 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, swinging 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 vapour from her mouth and nostrils, looked still more
engaging.
We boated about thus for several hours, when I looked up to the warm,
glowing, tropical sky, and then down into the transparent depths below;
and when my eye, wandering from the bewitching scenery around, fell
upon the grotesquely-tattooed form of Kory-Kory, and finally
encountered the pensive gaze of Fayaway, 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 valley, and
I now made it a place of continual resort during the hottest 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 summits, 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 up-raised 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 a light spring, alighted on the ground; whilst
Kory-Kory, who had watched our manœuvres with admiration, now clapped
his hands in transport, and shouted like a madman. Many a time
afterwards was this feat repeated.
If the reader has not observed ere this that I was the declared admirer
of Miss Fayaway, all I can say is, that he is little conversant 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 a dress was made 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 terminated sufficiently far above the
ground to reveal the most bewitching ankle in the universe.
The day that Fayaway first wore this robe was rendered memorable 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 communicated 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 I 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, who had not
yet enjoyed the honour 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 reminded 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
favourable 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 disposed alternately, were
the graceful branches drooping with leaves all correctly drawn, and
elaborately finished. Indeed, this 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 suggested 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 reference 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-colour 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 tassels,
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-humouredly 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 demeanour, 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 proffered 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 farther
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.
I was thrown into utter astonishment. The conduct of the savages had
prepared me to anticipate from every new-comer the same extravagant
expression of curiosity and regard. The singularity 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 principle 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 enchained 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, “Nukuheva” and “Franee” (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
neighboring 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.
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 moment reclining sideways upon the mat, and leaning
calmly upon his bended arm, he related circumstantially the aggressions
of the French—their hostile visit 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 encroachments; 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 wondrous 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 trembling 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 vehement 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
humour 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 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 captivating 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 uncommon talents; and was gifted with a
higher degree of knowledge 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
influence 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 possibly, if belonging to any of
these, be received with so much cordiality?
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 contrary were
considered the indispensable distinctions of a Marquesan warrior.
Altogether the matter was perfectly incomprehensible 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 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 surprise, when he suddenly turned round, and with a most
benignant 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 accents,—“How you do?
How long have 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 astonishment, 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 information 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 everywhere,—nobody harm 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 inmates 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 English, 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 vessel, with whom he
had stayed three years, living part of the time with him at Sydney, 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 ascendancy over his less accomplished
countrymen.
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 version 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 absence, yet
unaccounted for, of my comrade, he endeavoured to change the subject,
as if it were something he desired not to agitate. It seemed, indeed,
as if everything connected with Toby was destined to beget distrust and
anxiety in my bosom. Notwithstanding 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 unhesitatingly
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 mind that Toby had been treated in the same
friendly manner as I had been, and yet all their kindness 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
colours the impossibility of my escape, and repeated his previous
declaration, that the Typees would never be brought to consent to my
departure.
When I endeavoured 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 companion.
Thus repulsed, in a manner which only served, by arousing the most
dreadful forebodings, to excite me to renewed attempts, I conjured him
to intercede for me with the natives, and endeavour to procure their
consent to my leaving them. To this he appeared strongly averse; but,
yielding at last to my importunities, he addressed 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 deprecated the resentment of the crowd, and in a few moments
succeeded in pacifying, to some extent, the clamours 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 unchangeable
determination of the islanders. Marnoo told me, with evident alarm in
his countenance, that although admitted into the bay on a friendly
footing with its inhabitants, he could not presume to meddle with their
concerns, as such a procedure, if persisted 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.
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 harbour the belief that already we had concerted measures calculated
to elude their vigilance.
The lively countenances of these people are wonderfully indicative of
the emotions of the soul, and the imperfections of their oral language
are more than compensated for by the nervous eloquence 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-humoured tone, with a view of dissipating any
ill impression he might have received. But the ireful, angry chief was
not so easily mollified. He rejected my advances with that peculiarly
stern expression I have before described, and took care by the whole of
his behaviour towards me to show the displeasure and resentment which
he felt.
Marnoo, at the other extremity of the house, apparently desirous of
making a diversion in my favour, 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 regret 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 grove, and then gave
myself up to the most desponding reflections.