 | CHAPTER XVIII. Narrative of a four months' residence among the natives of a valley of the Marquesas Islands, or, A peep at Polynesian life |  |
CHAPTER XVIII.
Swimming in company with the Girls of the Valley—A Canoe—Effects
of the Taboo—A pleasure Excursion on the Pond—Beautiful Freak of
Fayaway—Mantua-making—A Stranger arrives in the Valley—His mysterious
conduct—Native Oratory—The Interview—Its Results—Departure
of the Stranger.
Returning health and peace of mind gave a new interest to
everything around me. I sought to diversify my time by as many
enjoyments as lay within reach. Bathing in company with
troops of girls formed one of my chief amusements. We sometimes
enjoyed the recreation in the waters of a miniature lake,
into which the central stream of the valley expanded. This
lovely sheet of water was almost circular in figure, and about
three hundred yards across. Its beauty was indescribable. All
around its banks waved luxuriant masses of tropical foliage,
soaring high above which were to be seen, here and there, the
symmetrical shaft of the cocoa-nut tree, surmounted by its tuft
of graceful branches, drooping in the air like so many waving
ostrich plumes.
The ease and grace with which the maidens of the valley propelled
themselves through the water, and their familiarity with
the element, were truly astonishing. Sometimes they might be
seen gliding along, just under the surface, without apparently
moving hand or foot—then throwing themselves on their sides,
they darted through the water, revealing glimpses of their forms,
as, in the course of their rapid progress, they shot for an instant
partly into the air—at one moment they dived deep down into
the water and the next they rose bounding to the surface.
I remember upon one occasion plunging in among a parcel
of these river-nymphs, and counting vainly upon my superior
strength, sought to drag some of them under the water, but I
quickly repented my temerity. The amphibious young creatures
my devoted limbs, tumbled me about and ducked me under the
surface, until from the strange noises which rang in my ears,
and the supernatural visions dancing before my eyes, I thought I
was in the land of spirits. I stood indeed as little chance among
them as a cumbrous whale attacked on all sides by a legion of
sword-fish. When at length they relinquished their hold of me,
they swam away in every direction, laughing at my clumsy endeavours
to reach them.
There was no boat on the lake; but at my solicitation and
for my special use, some of the young men attached to Marheyo's
household, under the direction of the indefatigable Kory-Kory,
brought up a light and tastefully-carved canoe from the sea. It
was launched upon the sheet of water, and floated there as gracefully
as a swan. But, melancholy to relate, it produced an effect
I had not anticipated. The sweet nymphs, who had sported
with me before in the lake, now all fled its vicinity. The prohibited
craft, guarded by the edicts of the "taboo," extended the
prohibition to the waters in which it lay.
For a few days, Kory-Kory, with one or two other youths,
accompanied me in my excursions to the lake, and while I paddled
about in my light canoe, would swim after me shouting
and gambolling in pursuit. But I was ever partial to what is
termed in the `Young Men's Own Book' — "the society of
virtuous and intelligent young ladies;" and in the absence of the
mermaids, the amusement became dull and insipid. One morning
I expressed to my faithful servitor my desire for the return of
the nymphs. The honest fellow looked at me bewildered for a
moment, and then shook his head solemnly, and murmured
"taboo! taboo!" giving me to understand that unless the canoe
was removed, I could not expect to have the young ladies back
again. But to this procedure I was averse; I not only wanted
the canoe to stay where it was, but I wanted the beauteous Fayaway
to get into it, and paddle with me about the lake. This
latter proposition completely horrified Kory-Kory's notions of
propriety. He inveighed against it, as something too monstrous
to be thought of. It not only shocked their established notions
of propriety, but was at variance with all their religious ordinances.
However, although the "taboo" was a ticklish thing to meddle
with, I determined to test its capabilities of resisting an attack.
I consulted the chief Mehevi, who endeavoured to dissuade me
from my object: but I was not to be repulsed; and accordingly
increased the warmth of my solicitations. At last he entered
into a long, and I have no doubt a very learned and eloquent
exposition of the history and nature of the "taboo" as affecting
this particular case; employing a variety of most extraordinary
words, which, from their amazing length and sonorousness, I have
every reason to believe were of a theological nature. But all
that he said failed to convince me: partly, perhaps, because I
could not comprehend a word that he uttered; but chiefly, that
for the life of me I could not understand why a woman should
not have as much right to enter a canoe as a man. At last he
became a little more rational, and intimated that, out of the
abundant love he bore me, he would consult with the priests and
see what could be done.
How it was that the priesthood of Typee satisfied the affair
with their consciences, I know not; but so it was, and Fayaway's
dispensation from this portion of the taboo was at length procured.
Such an event I believe never before had occurred in the
valley; but it was high time the islanders should be taught a
little gallantry, and I trust that the example I set them may produce
beneficial effects. Ridiculous, indeed, that the lovely
creatures should be obliged to paddle about in the water, like so
many ducks, while a parcel of great strapping fellows skimmed
over its surface in their canoes.
The first day after Fayaway's emancipation I had a delightful
little party on the lake—the damsel, Kory-Kory, and myself.
My zealous body-servant brought from the house a calabash of
poe-poe, half a dozen young cocoa-nuts—stripped of their husks—
three pipes, as many yams, and me on his back a part of the way.
Something of a load; but Kory-Kory was a very strong man for
his size, and by no means brittle in the spine. We had a very
pleasant day; my trusty valet plied the paddle and swept us
gently along the margin of the water, beneath the shades of the
overhanging thickets. Fayaway and I reclined in the stern of
the canoe, on the very best terms possible with one another; the
gentle nymph occasionally placing her pipe to her lip, and
added a fresh perfume. Strange as it may seem, there is nothing
in which a young and beautiful female appears to more advantage
than in the act of smoking. How captivating is a Peruvian
lady, swinging in her gaily-woven hammock of grass, extended
between two orange trees, and inhaling the fragrance of a choice
cigarro! But Fayaway, holding in her delicately formed olive
hand the long yellow reed of her pipe, with its quaintly carved
bowl, and every few moments languishingly giving forth light
wreaths of vapour from her mouth and nostrils, looked still more
engaging.
We floated about thus for several hours, when I looked up to
the warm, glowing, tropical sky, and then down into the transparent
depths below; and when my eye, wandering from the
bewitching scenery around, fell upon the grotesquely-tattooed
form of Kory-Kory, and finally encountered the pensive gaze of
Fayaway, I thought I had been transported to some fairy region,
so unreal did everything appear.
This lovely piece of water was the coolest spot in all the
valley, and I now made it a place of continual resort during the
hottest period of the day. One side of it lay near the termination
of a long gradually expanding gorge, which mounted to
the heights that environed the vale. The strong trade wind,
met in its course by these elevations, circled and eddied about
their summits, and was sometimes driven down the steep ravine
and swept across the valley, ruffling in its passage the otherwise
tranquil surface of the lake.
One day, after we had been paddling about for some time, I
disembarked Kory-Kory, and paddled the canoe to the windward
side of the lake. As I turned the canoe, Fayaway, who was
with me, seemed all at once to be struck with some happy idea.
With a wild exclamation of delight, she disengaged from her
person the ample robe of tappa which was knotted over her
shoulder (for the purpose of shielding her from the sun), and
spreading it out like a sail, stood erect with upraised arms in the
head of the canoe. We American sailors pride ourselves upon
our straight clean spars, but a prettier little mast than Fayaway
made was never shipped a-board of any craft.
In a moment the tappa was distended by the breeze—the long
glided rapidly through the water, and shot towards the shore.
Seated in the stern, I directed its course with my paddle until it
dashed up the soft sloping bank, and Fayaway, with a light
spring, alighted on the ground; whilst Kory-Kory, who had
watched our manœuvres with admiration, now clapped his hands
in transport, and shouted like a madman. Many a time afterwards
was this feat repeated.
If the reader have not observed ere this that I was the
declared admirer of Miss Fayaway, all I can say is that he is
little conversant with affairs of the heart, and I certainly
shall not trouble myself to enlighten him any farther. Out of
the calico I had brought from the ship I made a dress for this
lovely girl. In it she looked, I must confess, something like an
opera dancer. The drapery of the latter damsel generally commences
a little above the elbows, but my island beauty's began
at the waist, and terminated sufficiently far above the ground to
reveal the most bewitching ankle in the universe.
The day that Fayaway first wore this robe was rendered
memorable by a new acquaintance being introduced to me. In
the afternoon I was lying in the house, when I heard a great
uproar outside; but being by this time pretty well accustomed to
the wild halloos which were almost continually ringing through
the valley, I paid little attention to it, until old Marheyo, under
the influence of some strange excitement, rushed into my presence
and communicated the astounding tidings, "Marnoo
pemi!" which being interpreted, implied that an individual by
the name of Marnoo was approaching. My worthy old friend
evidently expected that this intelligence would produce a great
effect upon me, and for a time he stood earnestly regarding me,
as if curious to see how I should conduct myself, but as I
remained perfectly unmoved, the old gentleman darted out of the
house again, in as great a hurry as he had entered it.
"Marnoo, Marnoo," cogitated I, "I have never heard that name
before. Some distinguished character, I presume, from the prodigious
riot the natives are making;" the tumultuous noise
drawing nearer and nearer every moment, while "Marnoo!—
Marnoo!" was shouted by every tongue.
I made up my mind that some savage warrior of consequence,
of paying his respects on the present occasion. So vain had I
become by the lavish attention to which I had been accustomed,
that I felt half inclined, as a punishment for such neglect, to
give this Marnoo a cold reception, when the excited throng
came within view, convoying one of the most striking specimens
of humanity that I ever beheld.
The stranger could not have been more than twenty-five years
of age, and was a little above the ordinary height; had he been
a single hair's breadth taller, the matchless symmetry of his form
would have been destroyed. His unclad limbs were beautifully
formed; whilst the elegant outline of his figure, together with
his beardless cheeks, might have entitled him to the distinction of
standing for the statue of the Polynesian Apollo; and indeed the
oval of his countenance and the regularity of every feature
reminded me of an antique bust. But the marble repose of art
was supplied by a warmth and liveliness of expression only to be
seen in the South Sea Islander under the most favourable developments
of nature. The hair of Marnoo was a rich curling
brown, and twined about his temples and neck in little close
curling ringlets, which danced up and down continually when he
was animated in conversation. His cheek was of a feminine
softness, and his face was free from the least blemish of tattooing,
although the rest of his body was drawn all over with fanciful
figures, which — unlike the unconnected sketching usual among
these natives — appeared to have been executed in conformity with
some general design.
The tattooing on his back in particular attracted my attention.
The artist employed must indeed have excelled in his profession.
Traced along the course of the spine was accurately delineated
the slender, tapering, and diamond-checkered shaft of the beautiful
"artu" tree. Branching from the stem on either side, and
disposed alternately, were the graceful branches drooping with
leaves all correctly drawn, and elaborately finished. Indeed, this
piece of tattooing was the best specimen of the Fine Arts I had
yet seen in Typee. A rear view of the stranger might have suggested
the idea of a spreading vine tacked against a garden wall.
Upon his breast, arms, and legs, were exhibited an infinite variety
of figures; every one of which, however, appeared to have reference
I have described was of the brightest blue, and when contrasted
with the light olive colour of the skin, produced an unique and
even elegant effect. A slight girdle of white tappa, scarcely
two inches in width, but hanging before and behind in spreading
tassels, composed the entire costume of the stranger.
He advanced surrounded by the islanders, carrying under one
arm a small roll of the native cloth, and grasping in his other
hand a long and richly decorated spear. His manner was that of
a traveller conscious that he is approaching a comfortable stage
in his journey. Every moment he turned good-humouredly to
the throng around him, and gave some dashing sort of reply to
their incessant queries, which appeared to convulse them with
uncontrollable mirth.
Struck by his demeanor, and the peculiarity of his appearance,
so unlike that of the shaven-crowned and face-tattooed natives in
general, I involuntarily rose as he entered the house, and profferred
him a seat on the mats beside me. But without deigning
to notice the civility, or even the more incontrovertible fact of
my existence, the stranger passed on, utterly regardless of me,
and flung himself upon the further end of the long couch that
traversed the sole apartment of Marheyo's habitation.
Had the belle of the season, in the pride of her beauty and
power, been cut in a place of public resort by some supercilious
exquisite, she could not have felt greater indignation than I did
at this unexpected slight.
I was thrown into utter astonishment. The conduct of the
savages had prepared me to anticipate from every new comer the
same extravagant expressions of curiosity and regard. The singularity
of his conduct, however, only roused my desire to
discover who this remarkable personage might be, who now
engrossed the attention of every one.
Tinor placed before him a calabash of poee-poee, from which
the stranger regaled himself, alternating every mouthful with
some rapid exclamation which was eagerly caught up and echoed
by the crowd that completely filled the house. When I observed
the striking devotion of the natives to him, and their temporary
withdrawal of all attention from myself, I felt not a little piqued.
The glory of Tommo is departed, thought I, and the sooner he
the moment, and they were prompted by that glorious principle
inherent in all heroic natures—the strong-rooted determination to
have the biggest share of the pudding or go without any of it.
Marnoo, this all-attractive personage, having satisfied his
hunger, and inhaled a few whiffs from a pipe which was handed
to him, launched out into an harangue which completely enchained
the attention of his auditors.
Little as I understood of the language, yet from his animated
gestures and the varying expression of his features—reflected as
from so many mirrors in the countenances around him, I could
easily discover the nature of those passions which he sought to
arouse. From the frequent recurrence of the words "Nukuheva"
and "Frannee" (French), and some others with the
meaning of which I was acquainted, he appeared to be rehearsing
to his auditors events which had recently occurred in the neighbouring
bays. But how he had gained the knowledge of these
matters I could not understand, unless it were that he had just
come from Nukuheva—a supposition which his travel-stained
appearance not a little supported. But, if a native of that region,
I could not account for his friendly reception at the hands of the
Typees.
Never, certainly, had I beheld so powerful an exhibition of
natural eloquence as Marnoo displayed during the course of his
oration. The grace of the attitudes into which he threw his
flexible figure, the striking gestures of his naked arms, and above
all, the fire which shot from his brilliant eyes, imparted an effect
to the continually changing accents of his voice, of which the
most accomplished orator might have been proud. At one moment
reclining sideways upon the mat, and leaning calmly upon
his bended arm, he related circumstantially the aggressions of the
French—their hostile visits to the surrounding bays, enumerating
each one in succession—Happar, Puerka, Nukuheva, Tior,—and
then starting to his feet and precipitating himself forward with
clenched hands and a countenance distorted with passion, he
poured out a tide of invectives. Falling back into an attitude of
lofty command, he exhorted the Typees to resist these encroachments;
reminding them, with a fierce glance of exultation, that
as yet the terror of their name had preserved them from attack,
intrepidity of the French, who, with five war-canoes and
hundreds of men, had not dared to assail the naked warriors of
their valley.
The effect he produced upon his audience was electric; one
and all they stood regarding him with sparkling eyes and trembling
limbs, as though they were listening to the inspired voice of
a prophet.
But it soon appeared that Marnoo's powers were as versatile as
they were extraordinary. As soon as he had finished this vehement
harangue, he threw himself again upon the mats, and,
singling out individuals in the crowd, addressed them by name,
in a sort of bantering style, the humour of which, though nearly
hidden from me, filled the whole assembly with uproarious
delight.
He had a word for everybody; and, turning rapidly from one
to another, gave utterance to some hasty witticism, which was
sure to be followed by peals of laughter. To the females, as
well as to the men, he addressed his discourse. Heaven only
knows what he said to them, but he caused smiles and blushes to
mantle their ingenuous faces. I am, indeed, very much inclined
to believe that Marnoo, with his handsome person and captivating
manners, was a sad deceiver among the simple maidens of
the island.
During all this time he had never, for one moment, deigned to
regard me. He appeared, indeed, to be altogether unconscious
of my presence. I was utterly at a loss how to account for this
extraordinary conduct. I easily perceived that he was a man of
no little consequence among the islanders; that he possessed uncommon
talents; and was gifted with a higher degree of knowledge
than the inmates of the valley. For these reasons, I
therefore greatly feared lest having, from some cause or other,
unfriendly feelings toward me, he might exert his powerful influence
to do me mischief.
It seemed evident that he was not a permanent resident of the
vale, and yet, whence could he have come? On all sides the
Typees were girt in by hostile tribes, and how could he possibly,
if belonging to any of these, be received with so much
cordiality?
The personal appearance of the enigmatical stranger suggested
additional perplexities. The face, free from tattooing, and the
unshaven crown, were peculiarities I had never before remarked
in any part of the island, and I had always heard that the contrary
were considered the indispensable distinctions of a Marquesan
warrior. Altogether the matter was perfectly incomprehensible
to me, and I awaited its solution with no small degree of anxiety.
At length, from certain indications, I suspected that he was
making me the subject of his remarks, although he appeared
cautiously to avoid either pronouncing my name, or looking in
the direction where I lay. All at once he rose from the mats
where he had been reclining, and, still conversing, moved towards
me, his eye purposely evading mine, and seated himself within
less than a yard of me. I had hardly recovered from my surprise,
when he suddenly turned round, and, with a most benignant
countenance, extended his right hand gracefully towards
me. Of course I accepted the courteous challenge, and, as soon
as our palms met, he bent towards me, and murmured in musical
accents,—"How you do?" "How long you been in this bay?"
"You like this bay?"
Had I been pierced simultaneously by three Happar spears, I
could not have started more than I did at hearing these simple
questions! For a moment I was overwhelmed with astonishment,
and then answered something I know not what; but as
soon as I regained my self-possession, the thought darted through
my mind that from this individual I might obtain that information
regarding Toby which I suspected the natives had purposely
withheld from me. Accordingly I questioned him concerning
the disappearance of my companion, but he denied all knowledge
of the matter. I then enquired from whence he had come?
He replied, from Nukuheva. When I expressed my surprise, he
looked at me for a moment, as if enjoying my perplexity, and
then, with his strange vivacity, exclaimed,—"Ah! me taboo,—
me go Nukuheva,—me go Tior,—me go Typee,—me go every
where,—nobody harm me,—me taboo."
This explanation would have been altogether unintelligible to
me, had it not recalled to my mind something I had previously
heard concerning a singular custom among these islanders.
Though the country is possessed by various tribes, whose mutual
yet there are instances where a person having ratified friendly
relations with some individual belonging to the valley, whose inmates
are at war with his own, may, under particular restrictions,
venture with impunity into the country of his friend, where,
under other circumstances, he would have been treated as an
enemy. In this light are personal friendships regarded among
them, and the individual so protected is said to be "taboo," and
his person, to a certain extent, is held as sacred. Thus the
stranger informed me he had access to all the valleys in the island.
Curious to know how he had acquired his knowledge of
English, I questioned him on the subject. At first, for some
reason or other, he evaded the enquiry, but afterwards told me
that, when a boy, he had been carried to sea by the captain of a
trading vessel, with whom he had staid three years, living part
of the time with him at Sydney, in Australia, and that, at
a subsequent visit to the island, the captain had, at his own request,
permitted him to remain among his countrymen. The
natural quickness of the savage had been wonderfully improved
by his intercourse with the white men, and his partial knowledge
of a foreign language gave him a great ascendancy over his less
accomplished countrymen.
When I asked the now affable Marnoo why it was that he had
not previously spoken to me, he eagerly enquired what I had
been led to think of him from his conduct in that respect. I
replied, that I had supposed him to be some great chief or warrior,
who had seen plenty of white men before, and did not think
it worth while to notice a poor sailor. At this declaration of the
exalted opinion I had formed of him, he appeared vastly gratified,
and gave me to understand that he had purposely behaved
in that manner, in order to increase my astonishment, as soon as
he should see proper to address me.
Marnoo now sought to learn my version of the story as to how
I came to be an inmate of the Typee valley. When I related
to him the circumstances under which Toby and I had entered
it, he listened with evident interest; but as soon as I alluded to
the absence, yet unaccounted for, of my comrade, he endeavoured
to change the subject, as if it were something he desired not to
agitate. It seemed, indeed, as if everything connected with
Notwithstanding Marnoo's denial of any knowledge of his fate,
I could not avoid suspecting that he was deceiving me; and this
suspicion revived those frightful apprehensions with regard to
my own fate, which, for a short time past, had subsided in my
breast.
Influenced by these feelings, I now felt a strong desire to
avail myself of the stranger's protection, and under his safeguard
to return to Nukuheva. But as soon as I hinted at this, he unhesitatingly
pronounced it to be entirely impracticable; assuring
me that the Typees would never consent to my leaving the valley.
Although what he said merely confirmed the impression which I
had before entertained, still it increased my anxiety to escape
from a captivity, which, however endurable, nay, delightful it
might be in some respects, involved in its issues a fate marked
by the most frightful contingencies.
I could not conceal from my mind that Toby had been treated
in the same friendly manner as I had been, and yet all their
kindness had terminated in his mysterious disappearance. Might
not the same fate await me?—a fate too dreadful to think of.
Stimulated by these considerations, I urged anew my request to
Marnoo; but he only set forth in stronger colours the impossibility
of my escape, and repeated his previous declaration that
the Typees would never be brought to consent to my departure.
When I endeavoured to learn from him the motives which
prompted them to hold me a prisoner, Marnoo again assumed
that mysterious tone which had tormented me with apprehensions
when I had questioned him with regard to the fate of
my companion.
Thus repulsed, in a manner which only served, by arousing
the most dreadful forebodings, to excite me to renewed attempts,
I conjured him to intercede for me with the natives, and endeavour
to procure their consent to my leaving them. To this
he appeared strongly averse; but, yielding at last to my importunities,
he addressed several of the chiefs, who with the rest had
been eyeing us intently during the whole of our conversation.
His petition, however, was at once met with the most violent
disapprobation, manifesting itself in angry glances and gestures,
and a perfect torrent of passionate words, directed to both him
earnestly deprecated the resentment of the crowd, and in a few
moments succeeded in pacifying to some extent the clamours
which had broken out as soon as his proposition had been understood.
With the most intense interest had I watched the reception
his intercession might receive; and a bitter pang shot through
my heart at the additional evidence, now furnished, of the unchangeable
determination of the islanders. Marnoo told me,
with evident alarm in his countenance, that although admitted
into the bay on a friendly footing with its inhabitants, he could
not presume to meddle with their concerns, as such a procedure,
if persisted in, would at once absolve the Typees from the restraints
of the "Taboo," although so long as he refrained from
any such conduct, it screened him effectually from the consequences
of the enmity they bore his tribe.
At this moment, Mehevi, who was present, angrily interrupted
him; and the words which he uttered, in a commanding tone,
evidently meant that he must at once cease talking to me, and
withdraw to the other part of the house. Marnoo immediately
started up, hurriedly enjoining me not to address him again, and,
as I valued my safety, to refrain from all further allusion to the
subject of my departure; and then, in compliance with the order
of the determined chief, but not before it had again been angrily
repeated, he withdrew to a distance.
I now perceived, with no small degree of apprehension, the
same savage expression in the countenance of the natives which
had startled me during the scene at the Ti. They glanced their
eyes suspiciously from Marnoo to me, as if distrusting the nature
of an intercourse carried on, as it was, in a language they could
not understand, and they seemed to harbour the belief that already
we had concerted measures calculated to elude their vigilance.
The lively countenances of these people are wonderfully indicative
of the emotions of the soul, and the imperfections of their
oral language are more than compensated for by the nervous
eloquence of their looks and gestures. I could plainly trace, in
every varying expression of their faces, all those passions which
had been thus unexpectedly aroused in their bosoms.
It required no reflection to convince me, from what was going
and accordingly, great as was the effort to suppress my feelings,
I accosted Mehevi in a good-humoured tone, with a view of dissipating
any ill impression he might have received. But the
ireful, angry chief was not so easily mollified. He rejected my
advances with that peculiarly stern expression I have before
described, and took care by the whole of his behaviour towards
me to show the displeasure and resentment which he felt.
Marnoo, at the other extremity of the house, apparently desirous
of making a diversion in my favour, exerted himself to
amuse with his pleasantries the crowd about him; but his lively
attempts were not so successful as they had previously been, and,
foiled in his efforts, he rose gravely to depart. No one expressed
any regret at this movement, so seizing his roll of tappa, and
grasping his spear, he advanced to the front of the pi-pi, and
waving his hand in adieu to the now silent throng, cast upon me
a glance of mingled pity and reproach, and flung himself into
the path which led from the house. I watched his receding
figure until it was lost in the obscurity of the grove, and then
gave myself up to the most desponding reflections.
| CHAPTER XVIII. Narrative of a four months' residence among the natives of a valley of the Marquesas Islands, or, A peep at Polynesian life | |