reef, where a group of young trees seemed to spring up out of the bare
coral. On approaching the place, we found that a little island, about
the size of Palm-islet was there in process of formation.
Notwithstanding the exposed and barren character of the locality, and
the scantiness of the soil, which was not anywhere a foot in depth. It
was covered with a thrifty vegetation, among which were several
well-grown-palms, a group of young casuarinas, and some ferns and
tournefortias. Nor was this embryo islet destitute of inhabitants. The
trees were at this hour filled with aquatic birds, and I observed among
them one remarkable species, long-bodied, and slender, like swallows,
with red bills and feet, white breast, and slate-coloured wings; these,
instead of perching, like the rest of their feathered associates, upon
the trees, nestled in the concavity of the long palm-leaves, far enough
from the stem, to be rocked gently by the undulating motion of the leaf,
which a breath of wind, or the slightest stirring of the birds in these
swinging nets was sufficient to produce. But by far the most numerous
and singular portion of the population of the islet, consisted of a
species of large land-crab, inhabiting burrows hollowed out beneath the
roots of the trees. Great numbers of them appeared to be bathing or
sporting in the shallow water on the lagoon side of the islet, but, at
sight of us, they scrambled off to their burrows with a degree of
agility that could hardly have been expected from such clumsy-looking
creatures. Owing partly to this unlooked-for rapidity of locomotion,
and partly to a natural shyness and hesitation which we felt about
handling them rashly, (their pincer-like jaws, with half a dozen pairs
of which each individual seemed to be provided, having a rather
formidable appearance), they escaped before we could capture even a
specimen. Johnny forthwith posted himself in ambush among a bunch of
fern, and riveting his eyes upon one of the burrows at the foot of a
young cocoa-nut tree, waited impatiently for the crabs to venture forth
once more. In a few moments a patriarchal-looking old fellow emerged
cautiously from the hole, and was presently followed by several more.
Johnny prudently delayed any hostile movement, until they should get far
enough from their place of security to enable him to cut off their
retreat; and, in the meantime, I was greatly amused and interested in
observing the ingenious method, in which the patriarch commenced
operating upon a cocoa-nut, which had fallen to the ground near his den.
Managing his complicated apparatus of claws with surprising dexterity,
he seized the nut, and stripped off the outer husk in a twinkling; then
setting it upon one end, he began to hammer away at the orifices through
which the stalk and root of the future tree make their way when the nut
germinates. Having at length removed the filling up of these orifices,
he inserted a claw, and actually split the strong inner shell, dividing
it neatly into halves. At this stage of the proceedings, half a dozen
greedy neighbours, who had been looking on, without offering a helping
claw, shuffled nimbly forward to share the spoil, and it was curious to
see how quickly they cleaned out the shell, leaving not a particle of
the kernel. Johnny seized this as a favourable moment for a sally, and
rushed forth cutlass in hand, having adopted the discreet resolution of
disabling them, by lopping off those formidable claws, before coming to
close quarters. The sally, however, was premature, and proved entirely
unsuccessful, for the crabs backed and sidled into their burrows with
such expedition, that the last of them disappeared before their
assailant could get within reach. Leaving Johnny to renew his
ambuscade, if so disposed, I proceeded along the reef, and found Max and
Browne bathing for the second time that day. They had discovered a
charming place for the purpose, where a kind of oval basin was formed by
the lagoon setting into the inside of the reef. The water was deep and
clear, so that there was no danger of wounding the feet by means of
shells or corals. Max had discovered what he supposed to be an enormous
pearl-oyster, attached to a wall of coral, at the depth of five or six
fathoms, and they were diving for it alternately. Both succeeded in
reaching it, but it adhered so firmly to the rock by its strong beard,
that neither of the amateur pearl-divers could tear it off, and getting
soon exhausted and out of breath, they abandoned the attempt.
The submarine scenery of the lagoon was in this spot unusually varied
and beautiful, and the basin formed a bath, fit for the Nereids
themselves. Numbers of different kinds of shell-fish were attached to
the coral branches, or wedged into their interstices. Others were
feeding, and reflected the brightest colours with every motion. Purple
mullet, variegated rock-fish, and small ray-fish, were darting about
near the bottom. Another species of mullet, of a splendid changeable
blue and green, seemed to be feeding upon the little polyps protruding
from the coral tops. Shells, sea-plants, coral, and fishes, and the
slightest movement of the latter, even to the vibration of a tiny fin!
or the gentle opening of the gills in respiration, could be seen with
perfect distinctness in this transparent medium. But what chiefly
attracted attention, was the gay tints, and curious shapes, of the
innumerable zoophytes, or "flower animals," springing up from the sides
and bottom of the basin, and unfolding their living leaves above their
limestone trunks or stems which encased them. Blue, red, pink, orange,
purple, and green, were among the colours, and the variety of patterns
seemed absolutely endless: they mimicked, in their manner of growth, the
foliage of trees, the spreading antlers of the stag, globes, columns,
stars, feathery plumes, trailing vines, and all the wildest and most
graceful forms of terrestrial vegetation. Nothing was wanting to
complete this submarine shrubbery, even to the minutest details; there
were mosses, and ferns, and lichens, and spreading shrubs, and branching
trees; bunches of slender thread-like stems, swaying gently with the
motion of the water, might, (except for their pale, purplish, tint),
pass for rushes, or tussocks of reedy grass; and it required no effort
of the imagination to see fancifully shaped wild-flowers in the numerous
varieties of actiniae, or sea anemones, many of which bore the closest
resemblance to wood-pinks, asters, and carnations. The imitations of
these flowers were in some cases wonderfully perfect, even to their
delicate petals, which were represented by the slender, fringe-like
tentacles of the living polyp, protruding from its cell. Besides these
counterparts of land vegetation, there were waving sea-fans, solid
masses of sponge-coral, clubs of Hercules, madrepores, like
elegantly-formed vases filled with flowers, dome-like groups of
astraeae, studded with green and purple spangles, and a thousand other
shapes, so fantastic and peculiar, that they can be likened to no other
objects in nature.
Johnny having got tired of lying in wait for the crabs, came to watch
the swimmers and search for shells. In the course of frequent beach
excursions with Mr Frazer, he had picked up the names, and chief
distinguishing characteristics of the principal genera of marine shells,
in consequence of which he had at length come to regard himself as quite
a conchologist, and was ambitious of making a "collection," like other
naturalists, in which design Arthur encouraged and assisted him.
Joining me, where I was lying upon a flat ledge, peering down into the
basin, he presently espied a Triton's trumpet, more than a foot in
length, in some five fathoms of water, and pointing it out to Max, he
begged him to dive for it, earnestly assuring him that he had never seen
so fine a specimen of the "Murex Tritonica." But the latter very
decidedly declined sacrificing his breath in the cause of science,
declaring that he had completely exhausted himself by his exertions in
pearl-diving.
Eiulo coming up at the moment with a number of shell-fish which he had
obtained, Johnny appealed to him for aid, and not in vain, for as soon
as the much-coveted shell was pointed out to him, he threw off his
wrapper, and plunging into the water, almost instantly returned with it.
Max now showed him the supposed pearl-oyster, and challenged him to
make an attempt to bring it up. Eiulo laughed, and nodded his
acceptance of the challenge: after pausing a moment to take breath, he
dived perpendicularly downward, reaching the shell easily with a few
strokes, and made one or two vigorous but ineffectual jerks at it; then,
just as I thought him about to give it up, and ascend again, he grasped
it with both hands, brought his feet under him, and bracing himself
firmly against the wall of coral, he wrenched it off, and bore the prize
in triumph to the surface. It proved to be a pearl-oyster, as Max had
supposed, and on being opened was found to contain eleven seed-pearls.
Eiulo presented the shell and its contents to Johnny, who seemed to
value the former, quite as much as the latter, and presently ran off in
search of Arthur, to inquire whether it should properly be classed with
the "genus ostrea," or the "genus mytilus."
After watching the swimmers a little longer, I strolled along the reef,
in the direction which Johnny had taken in pursuit of Arthur, stopping
occasionally to watch the bursting of a wave of uncommon magnitude, or
to examine some of the interesting objects that were strewn with such
profusion in every direction, and which rendered that barren ledge so
choice a spot for the studies of the naturalist. Some ten or fifteen
minutes had been thus employed, and it was beginning to grow dark, so
that Arthur and Johnny, whom I had not yet overtaken, could be but just
distinguished, like two specks in the distance, when I heard the
powerful voice of Browne, raised in a loud and prolonged halloo.
Pausing to listen, I soon heard the cry repeated, in a manner that
showed as I thought, that something unusual had taken place. Hastening
back, I found that Max and Browne had swum off to a coral knoll, in the
lagoon, a stone's throw from the reef, and dared not venture back, being
closely blockaded by a large fish swimming about near the spot, which
they supposed to be a shark. They called loudly for me to come after
them in the boat, and to lose no time about it, as there was water
enough on the knoll, to enable a shark, if tolerably enterprising, to
reach them where they stood. Though it was rapidly getting dark, there
was still sufficient light to enable me to distinguish an enormous fish
of some kind, cruising back and forth, with the regularity of a sentinel
on duty, between the reef, and the shallow where Max and Browne were
standing up to their knees in water. The case appeared to admit of no
delay, and jumping into the boat, I pulled over to the coral patch with
all possible speed, passing the fish close enough to see that it was in
fact a large shark, and he proved also to be an exceedingly fierce and
ravenous one. It almost seemed as though he understood my errand, for
he followed, or rather attended me, closely, keeping so near the bow of
the boat that it was with great difficulty and some danger, that I at
length got the blockaded swimmers aboard. When this was effected, his
disappointment and consequent bad temper were quite apparent; he swam
round and round the boat in the most disturbed and agitated manner as we
returned, making a variety of savage demonstrations, and finally going
so far as to snap spitefully at the oars, which he did not discontinue,
until Browne had two or three times rapped him smartly over the nose.
After landing in safety, Max pelted him with shells and pieces of coral
rock, until he finally swam off.
Meantime, Arthur and Johnny had returned from their wandering along the
reef; the latter had come across another colony of crabs, and had
succeeded in capturing three of them, or rather two and a half, for
having, as he fondly imagined, disabled one enormous fellow by hacking
him in two with his cutlass, the one half had scrambled into the hole,
while Johnny was securing the other.
We now placed the chama shells, the crabs, and other shell-fish,
together with Johnny's specimens, to which he had added a splendid
madrepore vase, in the boat, and as soon as the swimmers were dressed,
we pulled over to Palm-islet. Here we arranged a tent in the same
manner as we had done on the memorable night when we first reached these
shores. Max then kindled a fire, and prepared to cook our supper. The
shell-fish were easily managed by placing them upon the embers, but the
crabs, which it was necessary to boil, and which were of the size of
small lobsters, presented a more difficult case. Max's culinary genius,
however, stimulated by a keen appetite, eventually triumphed over every
obstacle. He procured a number of stones, which he heated in the fire;
then filling one of the deep and rounded chama shells with water, he
proceeded to drop the heated stones into it, using a couple of sticks as
a pair of tongs. This process he continued until the water boiled, when
he remorselessly plunged the unhappy crabs therein, and from time to
time dropped in more of the heated stones, until the cookery was
complete.
CHAPTER TWENTY.
ARTHUR'S STORY.
BROWNE ON "THE KNIGHTLY CHARACTER"--ROKOA--THE CANNIBAL ISLAND OF
ANGATAN.
"This is no Grecian fable of fountains running wine,
Of hags with snaky tresses, and sailors turned to swine:
On yonder teeming island, under the noon day sun,
In sight of many people, these strange, dark deeds were done."
Having made a hearty and satisfactory supper, and concluded the meal
with a draught of cocoa-nut milk, we sat down, like the patriarchs of
old, "in the door of our tent" facing the sea, to enjoy the freshness of
the evening breeze.
Johnny, after having settled it to his own entire satisfaction, that the
shell in which his pearls had been found, was properly a mussel, and not
an oyster; and having also, by Arthur's help, resolved his doubts and
difficulties, touching divers other knotty points in conchology;
successively raised and canvassed the grave and edifying questions--
whether there actually were such creatures as mermaids?--whether
sea-serpents were indigenous to the neighbourhood of Cape Cod and
Massachusetts Bay?--whether the narratives of ancient and modern
voyagers, in regard to Krakens, and gigantic Polypes, with feelers or
arms as long as a ship's main-mast, had any foundation in fact or were
to be looked upon as sheer fabrications?--and, finally, whether the
hideous and revolting practice of cannibalism, really prevailed among
the inhabitants of certain groups of islands in the Pacific?
"This puts me in mind, Arthur," said Johnny, suddenly, while the
last-mentioned subject was under discussion, "of a promise you made
during the voyage, to tell me a story about a cannibal island upon which
you were once cast, and the adventures you met with there. This is a
good time to tell it: it is quite early, and the night so beautiful,
that it would be a shame to think of going to bed for two or three hours
yet; for my part, I feel as though I could sit here all night without
getting sleepy."
"A happy thought, Johnny," said Browne, "it will be the pleasantest
possible way of passing the evening; therefore, Arthur, let us have the
story."
"O yes, the story! let us have the cannibal story by all means!" cried
Max, "this is just the hour, and the place, to tell it with effect. The
dash of the surf upon the reef; the whispering of the night wind in the
tree-tops; the tall black groves on the shore yonder, and the water
lying blacker still in their shadow, will all harmonise admirably with
the subject."
"I believe I did promise Johnny an account of an unintentional visit I
once made to a place known as `the Cannibal Island of Angatan,' and I
have no objection to redeem my pledge now, if desired. I wish you to
take notice, however, at the outset, in order to avoid raising false
expectations, that I do not promise you a `Cannibal Story'--how much my
narrative deserves such a title, will appear when you have heard it."
The call for the story being quite eager and unanimous, Arthur settled
himself into a comfortable position, and after giving one or two of
those preliminary ahems, common to the whole fraternity of story-tellers
from time immemorial, he proceeded as follows:--
ARTHUR'S STORY OF THE CANNIBAL ISLAND OF ANGATAN.
"About a year and a half ago, and just before the time when I was to
sail for the United States to complete my preparation for the seminary,
I was induced to embark upon a voyage to the Palliser Islands, planned
by a young chief of Eimeo, named Rokoa, and a Mr Barton, an American
trader residing at the island. The object of the young chief in this
expedition, was to ascertain the fate of an elder brother, who had
sailed for Anaa, or Chain island, several months before, with the
intention of returning immediately, but who had never since been heard
from: that of Mr Barton, was to engage a number of Hao-divers, for a
pearl-fishing voyage, contemplated by him in connection with another
foreign trader. He did not himself embark with us; but his son, a young
man, two or three years my senior, accompanied us instead, to make the
necessary arrangements for engaging the divers, and also to purchase any
mother-of-pearl, pearls, and tortoise-shell, which the natives might
have to dispose of, at such places as we should visit. With a view to
the latter purpose, he was provided with a supply of trinkets and cheap
goods of various kinds, such as are used in this species of traffic. At
the Society Islands, the natives had learned the fair value of their
commodities, and would no longer exchange even their yams, bread-fruit,
and cocoa-nuts, for beads, spangles, and fragments of looking-glasses;
but among the smaller groups, lying farther to the eastward, where the
intercourse with Europeans was comparatively infrequent, these, and
similar articles, were still in great demand, the simple islanders
readily giving rich shells, and valuable pearls, in barter for them. I
accompanied the expedition, at the request of Rokoa, and with scarcely
any other object than to gratify him; though I was made the bearer of
letters, and some trifling presents to a Tahitian native missionary, who
had recently gone to Hao, to labour there. I had long known both Rokoa
and his brother, now supposed to be lost. The former was a remarkable
and interesting character. He had accompanied my uncle and myself on a
voyage to Hawaii, and visited with us the great volcano of Kilauea, on
that island, said to be by far the grandest and most wonderful in the
world, not excepting Vesuvius itself. In making the descent into the
crater, and while endeavouring to reach what is called the Black Ledge,
he saved my life at the imminent hazard of his own. It was upon that
voyage, that I first became acquainted with him. We afterwards
travelled together, through the most wild and inaccessible parts of the
interior of Tahiti and Eimeo; and in the course of this intimacy, I
discovered much in him to esteem and admire. There was in his
character, such a union of gentleness and courage, such childlike
openness of disposition, and such romantic fidelity to what he
considered the obligations of friendship, as reminds me of young Edmund,
in Johnny's favourite story of Asiauga's Knight. With a chivalrous
daring, that could face the most appalling danger without a tremor, was
united an almost feminine delicacy of character, truly remarkable in a
savage."
"That," said Browne, "is the true ideal of the knightly character--
courage, which nothing can daunt, but without roughness or ferocity even
in the hour of mortal combat. The valour of the knight is a high
sentiment of honour, devotion, loyalty; it is calm, gentle, beautiful,
and is thus distinguished from the mere animal courage of the ruffian,
which is brutal, fierce, and cruel."
"I think I shall like Rokoa," said Johnny, rubbing his hands together in
token of satisfaction, "and I guess this is going to be an interesting
story; there will be some fighting in it, I expect."
"Of course, there will be plenty of fighting," said Max, "or else what
is the meaning of this preliminary flourish of trumpets, about Rokoa's
chivalrous courage, and all that?"
"I once more give fair and timely notice, in order to prevent
disappointment, that I am merely relating a sober narrative of facts,
and not improvising one of Max's florid romances about Sooloo pirates,
Spanish bandits, Italian bravos, or the robbers of the Hartz mountains."
"Or enchanted castles, captive princesses, valiant knights,
fire-breathing dragons, and diabolical old magicians," added Browne,
"which formed the staple of a highly edifying tale with which I
overheard him entertaining Johnny the other afternoon at Castle-hill, as
we were taking our siesta in the shade."
"And a capital story it was, too," said Johnny, "but go on, Arthur,
please."
"Well, every thing being arranged for our voyage, we set sail in a large
`Vaa Motu,' or single canoe, furnished with a great outrigger, and
manned by a crew of nine natives. Our cargo consisted of Barton's stock
of goods for trading with the islanders, and a quantity of stained
tappa, fine mats, shark's teeth, etcetera, which Rokoa had laid in for
purposes of his own.
"The commencement of the voyage was pleasant and auspicious. We set out
in the morning, with a fine westerly breeze, which is of rare occurrence
in that latitude, and early in the afternoon we passed the high island
of Meetia, just in sight to the southward, showing that we had made at
least seventy miles, in about nine hours. The wind continued steady and
fair, and the next day at sunset, we reached Anaa. Here we remained
only long enough to enable Rokoa to obtain all the information to be
had, that promised to throw any light upon the fate of his brother. All
that could be learned was, that a canoe from Tahiti had touched here
several months since, and after obtaining a supply of water, had
immediately sailed for Motutunga, or Adventure Island, but from the
description given us of the canoe, and of the number and appearance of
her company, there was little reason to believe that this was the party
with which Rokoa's brother had embarked. Barton being anxious to
improve the favourable breeze, which still continued to blow with
unwonted steadiness from such a quarter, we resumed our voyage, and
steered eastward for Hao, on the day after our arrival at Anaa.
"That night the weather suddenly changed, and a storm arose, the wind
blowing strongly from the south-west. Our crew became alarmed, and a
part of them began to clamour to return to Anaa, which we might have
done, by three or four hours' incessant paddling, in the teeth of the
gale. Rokoa, however, believed that the weather would change again in
the morning, and determined to continue on our course; we accordingly
ran before the wind, with barely sufficient sail to keep the canoe
steady, and enable us to steer her. The storm continued without
intermission or abatement for the next twenty-four hours, contrary to
Rokoa's prediction; and to avoid the danger of being swamped, we were
obliged still to keep running before it. The second night, at sunset,
the wind fell, and in the morning, the sea had become tolerably smooth,
with only a moderate breeze blowing. But though the gale had ceased,
the weather was still thick, and the sky so obscured by clouds that we
could not see the sun, or even fix upon the quarter of the heavens in
which he stood. Thus, those means upon which the natives are wont to
rely for directing their course upon their long voyages, wholly failed
us. The canoe was furnished with a small ship's compass, a present to
Rokoa from the missionaries, but this had been broken, by one of our
crew being thrown violently upon it during the storm, while Barton was
consulting it. We did not get even a glimpse of the sun all that day;
nor the next, until late in the afternoon, when it cleared beautifully,
and for the first time since the loss of the compass, we were able to
distinguish north from south, and east from west. We found that we had
got completely `turned round,' as the phrase is, and were heading due
north; and we now put about, and steered in what we supposed to be the
right direction. At dawn the next day, we were surprised to find
ourselves in sight of a strange island, which none of us remembered
having seen before. A remarkable looking black rock, resembling the
hull of a large man-of-war, rose abruptly from the water about half a
mile from the shore.