INTRODUCTION.
In the summer of 1842, the author of this narrative, as a
sailor before the mast, visited the Marquesas Islands in an
American South Seaman. At the island of Nukuheva he left
his vessel, which afterward sailed without him. Wandering in
the interior, he came upon the valley of Typee, inhabited by
a primitive tribe of savages, from which valley a fellow-sailor
who accompanied him soon afterward effected his escape. The
author, however, was detained in an indulgent captivity for
about the space of four months; at the end of which period, he
escaped in a boat which visited the bay.
This boat belonged to a vessel in need of men, which had
recently touched at a neighboring harbor of the same island,
where the captain had been informed of the author's detention
in Typee. Desirous of adding to his crew, he sailed round
thither, and “hove to” off the mouth of the bay. As the Typees
were considered hostile, the boat, manned by “Taboo”
natives from the other harbor, was then sent in, with an interpreter
at their head, to procure the author's release. This was
finally accomplished, though not without peril to all concerned.
At the time of his escape, the author was suffering severely
from lameness.
The boat having gained the open sea, the ship appeared in
the distance. Here the present narrative opens.
