_January 18._ This morning[4] we continued to the southward, with the
same pleasant weather as before. The sea was entirely smooth, the air
tolerably warm and from the northeast, the temperature of the water
fifty-three. We now again got our sounding-gear in order, and, with a
hundred and fifty fathoms of line, found the current setting towards
the pole at the rate of a mile an hour. This constant tendency to the
southward, both in the wind and current, caused some degree of
speculation, and even of alarm, in different quarters of the schooner,
and I saw distinctly that no little impression had been made upon the
mind of Captain Guy. He was exceedingly sensitive to ridicule, however,
and I finally succeeded in laughing him out of his apprehensions. The
variation was now very trivial. In the course of the day we saw several
large whales of the right species, and innumerable flights of the
albatross passed over the vessel. We also picked up a bush, full of red
berries, like those of the hawthorn, and the carcass of a
singular-looking land-animal. It was three feet in length, and but six
inches in height, with four very short legs, the feet armed with long
claws of a brilliant scarlet, and resembling coral in substance. The
body was covered with a straight silky hair, perfectly white. The tail
was peaked like that of a rat, and about a foot and a half long. The
head resembled a cat's, with the exception of the ears--these were
flapped like the ears of a dog. The _teeth_ were of the same brilliant
scarlet as the claws.
[Footnote 4: The terms _morning_ and _evening_, which I have made use
of to avoid confusion in my narrative, as far as possible, must not, of
course, be taken in their ordinary sense. For a long time past we had
had no night at all, the daylight being continual. The dates throughout
are according to nautical time, and the bearings must be understood as
per compass. I would also remark in this place, that I cannot, in the
first portion of what is here written, pretend to strict accuracy in
respect to dates, or latitudes and longitudes, having kept no regular
journal until after the period of which this first portion treats. In
many instances I have relied altogether upon memory.]
_January 19._ To-day, being in latitude 83° 20', longitude 43° 5' W.
(the sea being of an extraordinarily dark colour), we again saw land
from the masthead, and, upon a closer scrutiny, found it to be one of a
group of very large islands. The shore was precipitous, and the
interior seemed to be well wooded, a circumstance which occasioned us
great joy. In about four hours from our first discovering the land we
came to anchor in ten fathoms, sandy bottom, a league from the coast,
as a high surf, with strong ripples here and there, rendered a nearer
approach of doubtful expediency. The two largest boats were now ordered
out, and a party, well armed (among whom were Peters and myself),
proceeded to look for an opening in the reef which appeared to encircle
the island. After searching about for some time, we discovered an
inlet, which we were entering, when we saw four large canoes put off
from the shore, filled with men who seemed to be well armed. We waited
for them to come up, and, as they moved with great rapidity, they were
soon within hail. Captain Guy now held up a white handkerchief on the
blade of an oar, when the strangers made a full stop, and commenced a
loud jabbering all at once, intermingled with occasional shouts, in
which we could distinguish the words _Anamoo-moo!_ and _Lama-Lama!_
They continued this for at least half an hour, during which we had a
good opportunity of observing their appearance.
In the four canoes, which might have been fifty feet long and five
broad, there were a hundred and ten savages in all. They were about the
ordinary stature of Europeans, but of a more muscular and brawny frame.
Their complexion a jet black, with thick and long woolly hair. They
were clothed in skins of an unknown black animal, shaggy and silky, and
made to fit the body with some degree of skill, the hair being inside,
except where turned out about the neck, wrists, and ankles. Their arms
consisted principally of clubs, of a dark, and apparently very heavy
wood. Some spears, however, were observed among them, headed with
flint, and a few slings. The bottoms of the canoes were full of black
stones about the size of a large egg.
When they had concluded their harangue (for it was clear they intended
their jabbering for such), one of them who seemed to be the chief stood
up in the prow of his canoe, and made signs for us to bring our boats
alongside of him. This hint we pretended not to understand, thinking it
the wiser plan to maintain, if possible, the interval between us, as
their number more than quadrupled our own. Finding this to be the case,
the chief ordered the three other canoes to hold back, while he
advanced towards us with his own. As soon as he came up with us he
leaped on board the largest of our boats, and seated himself by the
side of Captain Guy, pointing at the same time to the schooner, and
repeating the words _Anamoo-moo!_ and _Lama-Lama!_ We now put back to
the vessel, the four canoes following at a little distance.
Upon getting alongside the chief evinced symptoms of extreme surprise
and delight, clapping his hands, slapping his thighs and breast, and
laughing obstreperously. His followers behind joined in his merriment,
and for some minutes the din was so excessive as to be absolutely
deafening. Quiet being at length restored, Captain Guy ordered the
boats to be hoisted up, as a necessary precaution, and gave the chief
(whose name we soon found to be _Too-wit_) to understand that we could
admit no more than twenty of his men on deck at one time. With this
arrangement he appeared perfectly satisfied, and gave some directions
to the canoes, when one of them approached, the rest remaining about
fifty yards off. Twenty of the savages now got on board, and proceeded
to ramble over every part of the deck, and scramble about among the
rigging, making themselves much at home, and examining every article
with great inquisitiveness.
It was quite evident that they had never before seen any of the white
race--from whose complexion, indeed, they appeared to recoil. They
believed the Jane to be a living creature, and seemed to be afraid of
hurting it with the points of their spears, carefully turning them up.
Our crew were much amused with the conduct of Too-wit in one instance.
The cook was splitting some wood near the galley, and, by accident,
struck his axe into the deck, making a gash of considerable depth. The
chief immediately ran up, and pushing the cook on one side rather
roughly, commenced a half whine, half howl, strongly indicative of
sympathy in what he considered the sufferings of the schooner, patting
and smoothing the gash with his hand, and washing it from a bucket of
seawater which stood by. This was a degree of ignorance for which we
were not prepared, and for my part I could not help thinking some of it
affected.
When the visiters had satisfied, as well as they could, their curiosity
in regard to our upper works, they were admitted below, when their
amazement exceeded all bounds. Their astonishment now appeared to be
far too deep for words, for they roamed about in silence, broken only
by low ejaculations. The arms afforded them much food for speculation,
and they were suffered to handle and examine them at leisure. I do not
believe that they had the least suspicion of their actual use, but
rather took them for idols, seeing the care we had of them, and the
attention with which we watched their movements while handling them. At
the great guns their wonder was redoubled. They approached them with
every mark of the profoundest reverence and awe, but forbore to examine
them minutely. There were two large mirrors in the cabin, and here was
the acme of their amazement. Too-wit was the first to approach them,
and he had got in the middle of the cabin, with his face to one and his
back to the other, before he fairly perceived them. Upon raising his
eyes and seeing his reflected self in the glass, I thought the savage
would go mad; but, upon turning short round to make a retreat, and
beholding himself a second time in the opposite direction, I was afraid
he would expire upon the spot. No persuasions could prevail upon him to
take another look; but, throwing himself upon the floor, with his face
buried in his hands, he remained thus until we were obliged to drag him
upon deck.
The whole of the savages were admitted on board in this manner, twenty
at a time, Too-wit being suffered to remain during the entire period.
We saw no disposition to thievery among them, nor did we miss a single
article after their departure. Throughout the whole of their visit they
evinced the most friendly manner. There were, however, some points in
their demeanour which we found it impossible to understand: for
example, we could not get them to approach several very harmless
objects--such as the schooner's sails, an egg, an open book, or a pan
of flour. We endeavoured to ascertain if they had among them any
articles which might be turned to account in the way of traffic, but
found great difficulty in being comprehended. We made out,
nevertheless, what greatly astonished us, that the islands abounded in
the large tortoise of the Gallipagos, one of which we saw in the canoe
of Too-wit. We saw also some _biche de mer_ in the hands of one of the
savages, who was greedily devouring it in its natural state. These
anomalies, for they were such when considered in regard to the
latitude, induced Captain Guy to wish for a thorough investigation of
the country, in the hope of making a profitable speculation in his
discovery. For my own part, anxious as I was to know something more of
these islands, I was still more earnestly bent on prosecuting the
voyage to the southward without delay. We had now fine weather, but
there was no telling how long it would last; and being already in the
eighty-fourth parallel, with an open sea before us, a current setting
strongly to the southward, and the wind fair, I could not listen with
any patience to a proposition of stopping longer than was absolutely
necessary for the health of the crew and the taking on board a proper
supply of fuel and fresh provisions. I represented to the captain that
we might easily make this group on our return, and winter here in the
event of being blocked up by the ice. He at length came into my views
(for in some way, hardly known to myself, I had acquired much influence
over him), and it was finally resolved that, even in the event of our
finding _biche de mer_, we should only stay here a week to recruit, and
then push on to the southward while we might. Accordingly we made every
necessary preparation, and, under the guidance of Too-wit, got the Jane
through the reef in safety, coming to anchor about a mile from the
shore, in an excellent bay, completely landlocked, on the southeastern
coast of the main island, and in ten fathoms of water, black sandy
bottom. At the head of this bay there were three fine springs (we were
told) of good water, and we saw abundance of wood in the vicinity. The
four canoes followed us in, keeping, however, at a respectful distance.
Too-wit himself remained on board, and, upon our dropping anchor,
invited us to accompany him on shore, and visit his village in the
interior. To this Captain Guy consented; and ten savages being left on
board as hostages, a party of us, twelve in all, got in readiness to
attend the chief. We took care to be well armed, yet without evincing
any distrust. The schooner had her guns run out, her boarding-nettings
up, and every other proper precaution was taken to guard against
surprise. Directions were left with the chief mate to admit no person
on board during our absence, and, in the event of our not appearing in
twelve hours, to send the cutter, with a swivel, round the island in
search of us.
At every step we took inland the conviction forced itself upon us that
we were in a country differing essentially from any hitherto visited by
civilized men. We saw nothing with which we had been formerly
conversant. The trees resembled no growth of either the torrid, the
temperate, or the northern frigid zones, and were altogether unlike
those of the lower southern latitudes we had already traversed. The
very rocks were novel in their mass, their colour, and their
stratification; and the streams themselves, utterly incredible as it
may appear, had so little in common with those of other climates, that
we were scrupulous of tasting them, and, indeed, had difficulty in
bringing ourselves to believe that their qualities were purely those of
nature. At a small brook which crossed our path (the first we had
reached) Too-wit and his attendants halted to drink. On account of the
singular character of the water, we refused to taste it, supposing it
to be polluted; and it was not until some time afterward we came to
understand that such was the appearance of the streams throughout the
whole group. I am at a loss to give a distinct idea of the nature of
this liquid, and cannot do so without many words. Although it flowed
with rapidity in all declivities where common water would do so, yet
never, except when falling in a cascade, had it the customary
appearance of _limpidity_. It was, nevertheless, in point of fact, as
perfectly limpid as any limestone water in existence, the difference
being only in appearance. At first sight, and especially in cases where
little declivity was found, it bore resemblance, as regards
consistency, to a thick infusion of gum Arabic in common water. But
this was only the least remarkable of its extraordinary qualities. It
was _not_ colourless, nor was it of any one uniform colour--presenting
to the eye, as it flowed, every possible shade of purple, like the hues
of a changeable silk. This variation in shade was produced in a manner
which excited as profound astonishment in the minds of our party as the
mirror had done in the case of Too-wit. Upon collecting a basinful, and
allowing it to settle thoroughly, we perceived that the whole mass of
liquid was made up of a number of distinct veins, each of a distinct
hue; that these veins did not commingle; and that their cohesion was
perfect in regard to their own particles among themselves, and
imperfect in regard to neighbouring veins. Upon passing the blade of a
knife athwart the veins, the water closed over it immediately, as with
us, and also, in withdrawing it, all traces of the passage of the knife
were instantly obliterated. If, however, the blade was passed down
accurately between two veins, a perfect separation was effected, which
the power of cohesion did not immediately rectify. The phenomena of
this water formed the first definite link in that vast chain of
apparent miracles with which I was destined to be at length encircled.