University of Virginia Library

33. CHAPTER XXXIII.

Our place of confinement being open all round, and so
near the Broom Road, of course we were in plain sight of
every body passing; and, therefore, we had no lack of visitors
among such an idle, inquisitive set, as the Tahitians. For a
few days, they were coming and going continually; while
thus ignobly fast by the foot, we were fain to give passive
audience.

During this period, we were the lions of the neighborhood;
and, no doubt, strangers from the distant villages were taken
to see the “Karhowrees” (white men), in the same way that
countrymen, in a city, are gallanted to the Zoological Gardens.

All this gave us a fine opportunity of making observations.
I was painfully struck by the considerable number of sickly or
deformed persons; undoubtedly made so by a virulent complaint,
which, under native treatment, almost invariably affects,
in the end, the muscles and bones of the body. In particular,
there is a distortion of the back, most unsightly to behold,
originating in a horrible form of the malady.

Although this, and other bodily afflictions, were unknown before
the discovery of the islands by the whites, there are several
cases found of the Fa-Fa, or Elephantiasis—a native disease,
which seems to have prevailed among them from the earliest
antiquity. Affecting the legs and feet alone, it swells them, in
some instances, to the girth of a man's body, covering the skin
with scales. It might be supposed, that one, thus afflicted,

would be incapable of walking; but, to all appearance, they
seem to be nearly as active as any body; apparently, suffering
no pain, and bearing the calamity with a degree of cheerfulness
truly marvelous.

The Fa-Fa is very gradual in its approaches, and years
elapse before the limb is fully swollen. Its origin is ascribed
by the natives to various causes; but the general impression
seems to be, that it arises, in most cases, from the eating of unripe
bread-fruit and Indian turnip. So far as I could find out,
it is not hereditary. In no stage do they attempt a cure; the
complaint being held incurable.

Speaking of the Fa-Fa, reminds me of a poor fellow, a sailor,
whom I afterward saw at Roorootoo, a lone island, some two
days' sail from Tahiti.

The island is very small, and its inhabitants nearly extinct.
We sent a boat off to see whether any yams were to be had, as
formerly, the yams of Roorootoo were as famous among the
islands round about, as Sicily oranges in the Mediterranean.
Going ashore, to my surprise, I was accosted, near a little
shanty of a church, by a white man, who limped forth from a
wretched hut. His hair and beard were unshorn, his face
deadly pale and haggard, and one limb swelled with the Fa-Fa
to an incredible bigness. This was the first instance of a
foreigner suffering from it, that I had ever seen, or heard of;
and the spectacle shocked me accordingly.

He had been there for years. From the first symptoms,
he could not believe his complaint to be what it really was,
and trusted it would soon disappear. But when it became
plain, that his only chance for recovery was a speedy change
of climate, no ship would receive him as a sailor: to think of
being taken as a passenger, was idle. This speaks little for the
humanity of sea captains; but the truth is, that those in the
Pacific have little enough of the virtue; and, nowadays, when

so many charitable appeals are made to them, they have become
callous.

I pitied the poor fellow from the bottom of my heart; but
nothing could I do, as our captain was inexorable. “Why,”
said he, “here we are—started on a six months' cruise—I can't
put back; and he is better off on the island than at sea. So
on Roorootoo he must die.” And probably he did.

I afterward heard of this melancholy object, from two sea-men.
His attempts to leave were still unavailing, and his hard
fate was fast closing in.

Notwithstanding the physical degeneracy of the Tahitians
as a people, among the chiefs, individuals of personable figures
are still frequently met with; and, occasionally, majestic-looking
men, and diminutive women as lovely as the nymphs who,
nearly a century ago, swam round the ships of Wallis. In
these instances, Tahitian beauty is quite as seducing as it
proved to the crew of the Bounty; the young girls being just
such creatures as a poet would picture in the tropics—soft,
plump, and dreamy-eyed.

The natural complexion of both sexes is quite light; but the
males appear much darker, from their exposure to the sun.
A dark complexion, however, in a man, is highly esteemed, as
indicating strength of both body and soul. Hence there is a
saying, of great antiquity among them,

With this idea of manliness, no wonder the Tahitians regard
all pale and tepid-looking Europeans, as weak and feminine;
whereas, a sailor, with a cheek like the breast of a roast turkey,
is held a lad of brawn: to use their own phrase, a “taata tona,”
or man of bones.

Speaking of bones, recalls an ugly custom of theirs, now obsolete—that

of making fish-hooks and gimblets out of those of
their enemies. This beats the Scandinavians turning people's
skulls into cups and saucers.

But to return to the Calabooza Beretanee. Immense was
the interest we excited among the throngs that called there;
they would stand talking about us by the hour, growing most
unnecessarily excited too, and dancing up and down with all
the vivacity of their race. They invariably sided with us; flying
out against the consul, and denouncing him as “Ita maitai
nuee,” or very bad exceedingly. They must have borne him
some grudge or other.

Nor were the women, sweet souls, at all backward in visiting.
Indeed, they manifested even more interest than the men;
gazing at us with eyes full of a thousand meanings, and conversing
with marvelous rapidity. But, alas! inquisitive though
they were, and, doubtless, taking some passing compassion on
us, there was little real feeling in them after all, and still less
sentimental sympathy. Many of them laughed outright at us,
noting only what was ridiculous in our plight.

I think it was the second day of our confinement, that a
wild, beautiful girl burst into the Calabooza, and, throwing
herself into an arch attitude, stood afar off, and gazed at us.
She was a heartless one:—tickled to death with Black Dan's
nursing his chafed ankle, and indulging in certain moral reflections
on the consul and Captain Guy. After laughing her fill
at him, she condescended to notice the rest; glancing from one
to another, in the most methodical and provoking manner
imaginable. Whenever any thing struck her comically, you
saw it like a flash—her finger leveled instantaneously, and,
flinging herself back, she gave loose to strange, hollow little
notes of laughter, that sounded like the bass of a music-box,
playing a lively air with the lid down.

Now, I knew not, that there was any thing in my own

appearance calculated to disarm ridicule; and, indeed, to have
looked at all heroic, under the circumstances, would have
been rather difficult. Still, I could not but feel exceedingly
annoyed at the prospect of being screamed at in turn, by this
mischievous young witch, even though she were but an
islander. And, to tell a secret, her beauty had something to
do with this sort of feeling; and, pinioned as I was, to a log,
and clad most unbecomingly, I began to grow sentimental.

Ere her glance fell upon me, I had, unconsciously, thrown
myself into the most graceful attitude I could assume, leaned
my head upon my hand, and summoned up as abstracted an
expression as possible. Though my face was averted, I soon
felt it flash, and knew that the glance was on me: deeper and
deeper grew the flush, and not a sound of laughter.

Delicious thought! she was moved at the sight of me. I
could stand it no longer, but started up. Lo! there she was;
her great hazel eyes rounding and rounding in her head, like
two stars, her whole frame in a merry quiver, and an expression
about the mouth that was sudden and violent death to any
thing like sentiment.

The next moment she spun round, and, bursting from peal
to peal of laughter, went racing out of the Calabooza; and, in
mercy to me, never returned.