repeatedly, and gave me to understand that we might cast anchor by his
island, and that we should there have as many pigs as we pleased. At
length he took my arm, and leading me to the railing, whence we could
see the throngs of islanders busied with their barter, pointed to the
women among them, whom he called _waraki_, shook his head, and said "No
very good." Then he pointed to the island, and said in a kind tone,
"Very good _waraki_." I very easily withstood this last temptation,
strong as the _Eigeh_ seemed to think it; but I would willingly have
seen the beautiful country, had it been possible to make a landing under
the protection of our guns, for which however the wind was not
favourable: a longer stay might besides have rendered our situation
critical. We had a perfect calm, and were driven by a strong current
towards the land; I therefore took advantage of the first puff of wind
to make as much sail as I could, amidst the loud lamentations of the
islanders, who expressed their regret in a mournful parting song.
The _Eigeh_, perceiving that his invitations would not be accepted, took
a friendly leave of us: he seized me again by my elbows, hung his head,
repeated several times the word "_Marua_," and departed. The canoes did
not follow him, but remained near us, as our vessel could make but
little way on account of the slackness of the wind.
The traffic was now over, and the attention of our companions therefore
free to observe all our proceedings in the ship. Some of them thought to
amuse us by making leaps into the air, and then begged for a reward. We
did not disappoint them, and the tricks were reiterated, till a sudden
gust of wind changed their merriment into consternation. The canoes
immediately ahead of the ship could not leave its passage clear in time
to prevent our running down great numbers of them. In a moment our
majestic vessel had distanced the multitude of its diminutive
attendants, leaving extreme confusion behind it. The islanders' skill in
navigation, however, enabled them speedily to recover from the shock,
and the wind falling again, they succeeded in overtaking us. In the
effort to accomplish this, they left all those to their fate who were
still swimming about in search of their lost oars, and took no notice
whatever of their cries for assistance. We pointed their attention to
their forsaken companions, but the volatile creatures only laughed, and
not a single canoe would return to take them in. At length, towards
nightfall, they left us with the cry of "_Marua! Marua!_"
Among these islanders we observed the disease of elephantism, from which
the Tahaitians suffer so much; otherwise they appeared healthy. If, as
the Tahaitian captain said, they are subject to the Friendly Islanders,
and must pay a yearly tribute to Tongatabu, the island Maouna, which
Nature herself has made a strong fortress, and whose inhabitants are
such fierce warriors, is probably excepted.
The following day we surveyed the magnificent island of Pola. Its lofty
mountain was enveloped in thick white clouds, which seemed to roll down
its sides, while the majestic summit rose into a cloudless region above
them. The most luxuriant vegetation covers even its highest points.
From a considerable elevation down the sea-shore, the island presents a
charming amphitheatre of villages and plantations, and confirmed us in
the opinion, that the Navigators' Islands are the most beautiful in the
Southern Ocean, and consequently in the whole world.
The shore was thronged with people, some of whom pushed their canoes
into the sea to approach us, and others stood quietly watching us as we
sailed past. The recurrence of a calm enabled the islanders to reach us,
and our traffic with them was carried on in the same manner as with the
natives of the Flat Island.
To avoid repetition, I shall only remark, that they seemed more shy than
our yesterday's friends; that one of them offered us a red paint for
sale; and that another cheated us. The former daubed his face with some
of the colour to show us its use. Since none of them were painted with
it, it is probably only used in war, or on grand occasions. The cheat
remained, when the darkness had driven the other islanders homewards,
bargaining with us for the price of a hog: a sack was lowered to him
with the required payment, and when drawn up was found to contain a dog.
The rascal had made off, but we sent a bullet after him, which seemed to
produce no small dismay.
On the following day, the 7th of April, having completed our
observations, we took our course with a fresh trade-wind and full sails
towards the north-west, in a direction where, according to the opinion
of hydrographers, islands must lie.
With respect to our geographical observations on the Navigators'
Islands, I must make one remark--that all the longitudes found by us
differ from those of La Pérouse by from 20 to 23', and the points
observed lying so many miles more easterly than he considered them. His
observations were grounded on the distance of the moon, which always
gives a false longitude unless there is an opportunity of seeing the
moon at equal distances, right and left, from the sun. Our longitudes
were fixed by good chronometers, which having been regulated at Cape
Venus, could not in so short a time have made any important error.
[Illustration: CHART OF THE ISLANDS OF RADAK AND RALIK]
RADACK CHAIN OF ISLANDS.
RADACK CHAIN OF ISLANDS.
On the 8th of April, at noon, we found ourselves, according to our
observation, in the latitude 11° 24' South, and in the longitude 174°
24'. We had left the north-west point of the island of Pola one hundred
and forty miles behind us: the weather was fine, the horizon very clear,
but we looked in vain from the mast-head for land.
Hence we gave up any further search in this quarter, and directed our
course to the north, for the shortest way to cut the Equator, and then,
by the help of the north-east trade-wind, to reach Radack, where we
intended to stop and make observations on the pendulum, the results of
which, in the neighbourhood of the Equator, would be important to us. I
appointed Otdia, belonging to this chain of islands, for our residence,
as affording the most convenient anchorage for large ships.
We were so much delayed by calms, that we could not till the 19th of
April reach the ninth degree of south latitude. Here we encountered
gusts of wind and torrents of rain, and a current carried us daily from
twenty to thirty miles westward. When we were under three degrees south
latitude, and one hundred and eighty degrees longitude, the current
suddenly changed, and we were driven just as strongly to the East,--a
circumstance too remarkable to be passed over in silence. At a distance
from land in the vicinity of the Equator, the currents are always
westerly. Here it was precisely contrary; from what cause I am unable to
explain.
From the fifth degree of south latitude to the Equator, we daily
perceived signs of the neighbourhood of land. When we were exactly in 4°
15' latitude, and 178° longitude, heavy gales brought swarms of
butterflies and small land-birds to the ship; we must therefore have
been near land, but we looked for it in vain; and this discovery remains
for some future navigator.
On the 22nd we cut the Equator in the longitude 179° 43', and once more
found ourselves in our own Northern hemisphere--nearer to our native
country, though the course by which we must reach it would be still
longer than that we had traversed. Our old acquaintance the Great Bear
showed himself once more, and we looked upon him with joy, as though he
had brought intelligence from our distant homes.
We now again employed Parrot's machine to draw up water from a depth of
800 fathoms. Its temperature was only six degrees of Reaumur, while that
of the water at the surface was twenty-three degrees.
A tolerably strong wind, which blew during several successive days,
brought us within sight of the Radack Islands, on the morning of the
28th of April.
To those who are yet unacquainted with these islands, and cannot or will
not have recourse to my former voyage, I must be excused giving a few
particulars concerning them.
In the year 1816, in the ship Rurik, I discovered the chain of islands
called by their inhabitants, Radack. It consists of several groups lying
near each other, and these again of many small islands united by reefs
and surrounding great basins of water. All these being formed by the
coral insect, are very low, and still but thinly covered with soil, so
that they want the luxuriance of vegetation usual in this climate; their
population is scanty; and the most important island of a group commonly
gives its name to the whole.
The Radackers are tall and well made, of a dark brown complexion; their
black hair is neatly bound up, and that of the women decorated with
flowers and strings of muscle-shells. Their features are soft and
agreeable, and many of both sexes may be considered beautiful. They
attain a great age, and though less robust than some other South Sea
islanders, and subsisting wholly on fish and vegetables, are generally
healthy. In gentleness and good-nature they excel them all, even perhaps
the Tahaitians.
The chief or sovereign of all these islands is named Lamari: the chiefs
of the particular groups are subordinate to him; and under these are the
chiefs of the separate islands composing each group. The chief of the
group Otdia is called Rarik. I gave his portrait in my former voyage,
and was particularly pleased with him, and with another native of the
same group, named Lagediak. An inhabitant named Kadu of the group Kawan,
no native, but thrown there by a storm from the island of Ulle, made the
voyage from Otdia to Unalaschka and back with us in the ship Rurik, and
gained the good-will of the whole crew. He gave us some instructions in
the Radack language; and on our second visit could interpret pretty well
between us and the islanders, as he already spoke a little Russian: his
portrait also is prefixed to one of the volumes of my former voyage.
After an absence of eight years, I was now again in sight of my
favourite Radack Islands, where I had passed several weeks among some of
the best of Nature's children. Whoever has read my former narrative,
will imagine the pleasure with which I anticipated my certain welcome; I
pictured to myself a meeting on which the heavens themselves appeared
to smile. It was an uncommonly fine day, and a fresh and favourable wind
carried us quickly towards land. Our inquiring glances soon showed us
from the deck, on the island Otdia, the airy groves of palms which
enclose the residence of Rarik, and under whose shade I had so often sat
among the friendly islanders. We could now distinguish boats sailing
about on the inner basins, from one island to another, and a crowd of
people running to the shore to gaze at the ship. I knew my timid friends
too well, not to guess what was passing in their minds. I had indeed, on
parting from them, promised to visit them again, but the length of time
which had since elapsed had probably extinguished this hope; and they
would easily perceive that the great three-masted ship they now saw was
not the small two-masted Rurik of their acquaintance. If, therefore, the
first glimpse of the vessel had flattered them with the expectation of
seeing me again, their pleasure had been ere this converted into fear.
Uncertain how they might be treated by the strangers, the women and
children fled to the interior, and all the canoes were set in motion to
carry their little possessions to some place of comparative safety. The
most courageous among them advanced armed with spears to the shore,
displaying their valour while the danger was yet distant.
It is not surprising that timorous apprehensions should agitate these
poor people on the appearance of a strange vessel. Their western
neighbours, the inhabitants of the island of Ralick, and of the southern
islands of the groups Mediuro and Arno, which are much more thickly
peopled, sometimes attack them with a superior force, plunder them,
destroy their fruit-trees, and leave them scarcely subsistence enough to
preserve them from starving. They had indeed imbibed from the crew of
the Rurik a favourable opinion of white people; but the ship which now
approached them was a monster in comparison of it, and they were
excusable in supposing it manned by another and unknown race.
We now reached the group Otdia, and sailed close under the outward reef,
towards the Schischmaref Strait, through which I proposed to enter the
basin. The sight of the ship diffused terror throughout all the islands
as we passed, and the natives fled for concealment to the forests. As we
approached the Lagediak Strait, the breeze was sufficient to warrant us
in venturing through it; I therefore gave up my intention of entering by
the Schischmaref Strait where the wind would be against us, spread all
sail, and soon rode on the placid waters of the basin. I would not
however advise seamen, without an adequate inducement, to choose this
strait: it is so narrow, that stones might easily be thrown across from
either shore; while, on the contrary, the breadth of the Schischmaref
Strait admits of tacking, and renders its passage easy with a good ship.
The water in the Lagediak is so transparent, that in a depth of fourteen
fathoms, every stone at the bottom is discernible; the officer who sat
in the tops on the watch for shallows, deceived by this appearance,
expected every moment that the ship would run aground.
We continued to sail pleasantly on the beautiful smooth water of the
basin, but the wind blowing directly off the island of Otdia, (after
which the whole group is named, and where I hoped to meet with Rarik,) I
was compelled, as it grew dark, to cast anchor before the island of
Ormed, in a depth of thirty-two fathoms, on a bottom of fine coral sand.
Till the ship entered this natural harbour, the courage of the islanders
did not quite forsake them, as they supposed the entrance to be unknown
to us, and the exterior coast they trusted to the protection of the
surf; but when we had penetrated into the basin, the panic became
universal. We observed a constant running backwards and forwards on the
shore; canoes hastily laden and rowed away, some to the right and some
to the left, but none coming near us. The whole island of Ormed seemed,
on our arrival, to have fairly given up the ghost. It was not till after
dark that we could perceive any trace of life upon it; large fires were
then kindled in two places at some distance from each other, while many
smaller ones were flickering between them. We could also hear a sort of
shrieking song, accompanied by the drum, which I knew to be their manner
of calling on the gods for help, and which proved the extent of the
alarm we had occasioned. This religious rite lasted through the night,
but with the morning's dawn my friends had again disappeared, and the
stillness of death prevailed as before.
We weighed anchor, and endeavoured by tacking to reach Otdia; and in so
doing, often came very close upon the little picturesque bright green
islands which studded the sparkling lake. The fresh morning breeze
wafted aromatic odours towards us; but the huts of the inhabitants stood
empty and desolate. When we were near Otdia, we again descried canoes
sailing as close as possible to the shore. The population was busy on
the strand, but no one seemed rightly to know what should be done in
this alarming crisis. We next saw a long procession of islanders,
bearing branches of palm as symbols of peace, taking advantage of the
ebb-tide to cross the reef towards Otdia, and carrying baskets of
cocoa-nuts and other fruits on poles. Hence it appeared that my friends
had yielded to their destiny, and hoped to win the favour of the
intruders by humility and presents. From their former dismay, I
anticipated that Kadu was absent, or he would have inspired his
countrymen with more confidence.
We dropped anchor at noon opposite Otdia, on the same spot where the
Rurik formerly rode. I then ordered a small two-oared boat to be
lowered, and to make my first visit as little formidable as possible to
my friends, went ashore with only Dr. Eschscholz and two sailors. We
rowed direct to Rarik's residence, where no human being was visible. A
little canoe, bringing three men from a neighbouring island, now neared
the shore, but immediately endeavoured to escape on observing that we
steered towards it; in vain I waved a white handkerchief, a signal I had
formerly been accustomed to make; they persisted in crowding sail, and
taking all possible pains to get out of our reach; but their extreme
anxiety now rendered that difficult which they usually perform with
great dexterity. While they disputed vehemently among themselves, we
gained materially upon them, and their entangled ropes refusing the
assistance of their sails, they were on the point of trusting to their
skill in swimming for safety, when two words from me changed all this
terror into equally clamorous joy. I called to them "_Totabu_," the word
into which they had tortured my name; and "_Aidarah_," an expression
signifying both _friend_ and _good_. They stood motionless, waiting for
a repetition of the cry, to convince themselves that their ears had not
deceived them; but on my reiterating "_Totabu Aidarah_," they burst into
the wildest acclamations of joy; called aloud to the shore, "_Hei
Totabu, Totabu!_" and leaving their canoe to take care of itself, swam
to land, incessantly repeating their exclamations of joy.
The inhabitants of Otdia, who had been observing us from behind the
bushes, now that the well-known name resounded through the island,
sprang from their concealment, giving vent to their rapture in frolic
gestures, dances, and songs. Numbers hurried to the strand; others ran
into the water as high as their hips, to be the first to welcome us. I
was now generally recognised, and called Rarik, because, according to
the custom prevailing here, I had sealed my friendship with that chief
by an exchange of names. They also recognised Dr. Eschscholz, who had
been of my former expedition, and heartily rejoiced in seeing again
their beloved "_Dein Name_." This was the name he had borne among them;
because when they asked his name, and he did not understand the
question, several of our people called to him "_Dein name_," which was
immediately adopted as his designation.
Four islanders lifted me from the boat, and carried me ashore, to where
Lagediak awaited me with open arms, and pressed me most cordially to his
bosom. The powerful tones of the muscle horn now resounded through the
woods, and our friends announced the approach of Rarik. He soon appeared
running at full speed towards us, and embraced me several times,
endeavouring in every possible way to express his joy at our return.
Though the friends to whom I was thus restored were but poor ignorant
savages, I was deeply affected by the ardour of their reception; their
unsophisticated hearts beat with sincere affection towards me,--and how
seldom have I felt this happy consciousness among the civilized nations
of the world!
Even the women and children now made their appearance; and, among them,
Rarik's loquacious mother, who with much gesticulation made me a long
speech, of which I understood very little. When she had concluded, Rarik
and Lagediak, each offering me an arm, led me to the house of the
former.
Upon a verdant spot before it, surrounded and shaded by bread-fruit
trees, young girls were busily spreading mats for Dr. Eschscholz and
myself to sit on. Rarik and Lagediak seated themselves facing us, and
the mother (eighty years of age) by my side, at a little distance. The
other islanders formed a compact circle around us; the nearest line
seating themselves, and those behind standing, to secure a better view
of us. Some climbed the trees; and fathers raised their children in
their arms, that they might see over the heads of the people. The women
brought baskets of flowers, and decorated us with garlands; and Rarik's
mother, drawing from her ears the beautiful white flower of the lily
kind, so carefully cultivated here as an indispensable ornament of the
female sex, did her best to fasten it into mine with strings of grass,
while the people expressed their sympathy by continual cries of
"_Aidarah_." In the mean time the young girls were employed in pressing
into muscle-shells the juice of the Pandanus, which they presented to
us, with a sort of sweet-meat called Mogan, prepared from the same
fruit; the flavour of both is very agreeable.
We were now overwhelmed with questions from all sides; to which, from
our imperfect knowledge of their language, we could return but few
answers. Rarik and Lagediak expressed their astonishment at the size of
our ship, inquired what was become of the Rurik, and, whether their
friends Timaro, Tamiso, &c. (Schischmaref and Chamisso) were still
living, how they were, and why they did not accompany us.
After the first ebullition of joy at our meeting, I thought I perceived
by the deportment of Rarik, that he had something on his mind; he
seemed conscious of some fault, and in vain endeavoured, under friendly
looks and words, to conceal a latent uneasiness. I even thought I could
trace a similar feeling in his mother and Lagediak. Pained by these
appearances, I asked an explanation. Rarik could no longer control his
feelings, but immediately fell, like a repentant child, in tears upon my
neck, without however confessing the cause of his agitation. On quitting
the island eight years previously, I had appointed Kadu to the
guardianship of the plants and animals we left behind, with the
strongest injunctions on all the islanders to avoid injuring them, and
threats of exacting a severe account on my return for any such offence.
I had not yet ventured to inquire after them, fearful that the report
might prove unsatisfactory, and cast a cloud over the pleasure of our
meeting. It now occurred to me that Rarik must in some way have injured
Kadu; perhaps he might even have put him to death. I looked sternly in
Rarik's face, while I inquired after him, but he answered me quite
innocently that Kadu was well and residing on the Aur group of islands
with their chief Lamari. The old mother then took up the conversation,
and very diffusively related that Lamari, soon after our departure, had
come hither with a fleet, and forcibly carried to Aur all the animals,
plants, tools, pieces of iron,--in short, whatever we had left on the
island.
Lagediak confirmed this tale, and added, that Lamari had demanded of
every islander, under pain of death, the last piece of iron in his
possession. Kadu, he said, soon after our departure, had married a
handsome girl, the daughter or relation of the chief of Ormed; had been
raised to the dignity of a Tamon-ellip, or great-commander, by Lamari;
and having freely made over the half of his treasures to this personage,
(a step which I had myself advised,) had been permitted to retain
peaceable possession of the remainder. It was also by his own desire
that Lamari had removed him to Aur, where he continued his
superintendence of the plants and animals. Kadu had commissioned
Lagediak to relate all these circumstances to me, with a request that I
would visit him at Aur; an invitation which with regret I was prevented
accepting by the large size of my ship.
I was glad however that Kadu had settled in Aur, as I hoped that the
animals and plants with which I had enriched these islands would
flourish under his care; and I learnt from Rarik that when he was a
short time before in Aur, on a visit to his father, they had propagated,
and were doing well. Swine and goats already formed part of their
festival provisions, and Rarik had himself partaken of such a feast. I
rejoiced in this information, and in the promise it afforded, that
through my means the time may be approaching when the barbarous custom
of sacrificing the third or fourth child of every marriage, from fear of
famine, may wholly cease.