66. CHAPTER LXVI.
WITH A FAIR WIND, AT SUNRISE THEY SAIL.
True each to his word, up came the sun, and round to
my isle came Media.
How glorious a morning! The new-born clouds all
dappled with gold, and streaked with violet; the sun in high
spirits; and the pleasant air cooled overnight by the blending
circumambient fountains, forever playing all round the
reef; the lagoon within, the coral-rimmed basin, into which
they poured, subsiding, hereabouts, into green tranquillity.
But what monsters of canoes! Would they devour an
innocent voyager? their great black prows curling aloft, and
thrown back like trunks of elephants; a dark, snaky length
behind, like the sea-serpent's train.
The prow of the foremost terminated in a large, open,
shark's mouth, garnished with ten rows of pearly human
teeth, curiously inserted into the sculptured wood. The
gunwale was ornamented with rows of rich spotted Leopard
and Tiger-shells; here and there, varied by others, flat and
round, and spirally traced; gay serpents petrified in coils.
These were imbedded in a grooved margin, by means of a
resinous compound, exhaling such spices, that the canoes
were odoriferous as the Indian chests of the Maldives.
The likeness of the foremost canoe to an elephant, was
helped by a sort of canopied Howdah in its stern, of heavy,
russet-dyed tappa, tasselled at the corners with long bunches
of cocoanut fibres, stained red. These swayed to and fro,
like the fox-tails on a Tuscarora robe.
But what is this, in the head of the canoe, just under the
shark's mouth? A grinning little imp of an image; a ring
in its nose; cowrie shells jingling at its ears; with an abominable
leer, like that of Silenus reeling on his ass. It was
taking its ease; cosily smoking a pipe; its bowl, a duodecimo
edition of the face of the smoker. This image looked sternward;
everlastingly mocking us.
Of these canoes, it may be well to state, that although
during our stay in Odo, so many barges and shallops had
touched there, nothing similar to Media's had been seen.
But inquiring whence his sea-equipage came, we were thereupon
taught to reverence the same as antiquities and heir-looms;
claw-keeled, dragon-prowed crafts of a bygone generation;
at present, superseded in general use by the more
swan-like canoes, significant of the advanced stage of marine
architecture in Mardi. No sooner was this known, than
what had seemed almost hideous in my eyes, became merely
grotesque. Nor could I help being greatly delighted with
the good old family pride of our host.
The upper corners of our sails displayed the family crest
of Media; three upright boars' tusks, in an heraldic field
argent. A fierce device: Whom rends he?
All things in readiness, we glided away: the multitude
waving adieu; and our flotilla disposed in the following
order.
First went the royal Elephant, carrying Media, myself,
Jarl, and Samoa; Mohi the Teller of Legends, Babbalanja,
and Yoomy, and six vivacious paddlers; their broad paddle-blades
carved with the royal boars' tusks, the same tattooed
on their chests for a livery.
And thus, as Media had promised, we voyaged in state.
To crown all, seated sideways in the high, open shark's-mouth
of our prow was a little dwarf of a boy, one of Media's
pages, a red conch-shell, bugle-wise suspended at his
side. Among various other offices, it was the duty of little
Vee-Vee to announce the advent of his master, upon drawing
near to the islands in our route. Two short bars, projecting
from one side of the prow, furnished him the means
of ascent to his perch.
As we gained the open lagoon with bellied sails, and
paddles playing, a sheaf of foam borne upright at our prow;
Yoomy, standing where the spicy spray flew over him,
stretched forth his hand and cried—“The dawn of day
is passed, and Mardi lies all before us: all her isles, and all
her lakes; all her stores of good and evil. Storms may
come, our barks may drown. But blow before us, all ye
winds; give us a lively blast, good clarion; rally round us
all our wits; and be this voyage full gayly sailed, for Yillah
will yet be found.”
