86. CHAPTER LXXXVI.
OF THOSE SCAMPS THE PLUJII.
The beach gained, we embarked.
In good time our party recovered from the seriousness into
which we had been thrown; and a rather long passage being
now before us, we whiled away the hours as best we might.
Among many entertaining narrations, old Braid-Beard,
crossing his calves, and peaking his beard, regaled us with
some account of certain invisible spirits, ycleped the Plujii,
arrant little knaves as ever gulped moonshine.
They were spoken of as inhabiting the island of Quelquo,
in a remote corner of the lagoon; the innocent people of
which island were sadly fretted and put out by their diabolical
proceedings. Not to be wondered at; since, dwelling
as they did in the air, and completely inaccessible, these
spirits were peculiarly provocative of ire.
Detestable Plujii! With malice aforethought, they
brought about high winds that destroyed the banana plantations,
and tumbled over the heads of its occupants many a
bamboo dwelling. They cracked the calabashes; soured
the “poee;” induced the colic; begat the spleen; and
almost rent people in twain with stitches in the side. In
short, from whatever evil, the cause of which the Islanders
could not directly impute to their gods, or in their own opinion
was not referable to themselves,—of that very thing
must the invisible Plujii be guilty. With horrible dreams,
and blood-thirsty gnats, they invaded the most innocent
slumbers.
All things they bedeviled. A man with a wry neck
ascribed it to the Plujii; he with a bad memory railed
against the Plujii; and the boy, bruising his finger, also
cursed those abominable spirits.
Nor, to some minds, at least, was there wanting strong
presumptive evidence, that at times, with invisible fingers,
the above mentioned Plujii did leave direct and tangible
traces of their presence; pinching and pounding the unfortunate
Islanders; pulling their hair; plucking their ears,
and tweaking their beards and their noses. And thus perpetually
vexing, incensing, tormenting, and exasperating their
helpless victims, the atrocious Plujii reveled in their malicious
dominion over the souls and bodies of the people of
Quelquo.
What it was, that induced them to enact such a part,
Oro only knew; and never but once, it seems, did old Mohi
endeavor to find out.
Once upon a time, visiting Quelquo, he chanced to
encounter an old woman almost doubled together, both
hands upon her abdomen; in that manner running about
distracted.
“My good woman,” said he, “what under the firmament
is the matter?”
“The Plujii! the Plujii!” affectionately caressing the
field of their operations.
“But why do they torment you?” he soothingly inquired.
“How should I know? and what good would it do me if
I did?”
And on she ran.
At this part of his narration, Mohi was interrupted by
Media; who, much to the surprise of all present, observed,
that, unbeknown to him (Braid-Beard), he happened to have
been on that very island, at that very time, and saw that
identical old lady in the very midst of those abdominal tribulations.
“That she was really in great distress,” he went on to
say, “was plainly to be seen; but that in that particular
instance, your Plujii had any hand in tormenting her, I had
some boisterous doubts. For, hearing that an hour or two
previous she had been partaking of some twenty unripe
bananas, I rather fancied that that circumstance might
have had something to do with her sufferings. But however
it was, all the herb-leeches on the island would not have
altered her own opinions on the subject.”
“No,” said Braid-Beard; “a post-mortem examination
would not have satisfied her ghost.”
“Curious to relate,” he continued, “the people of that
island never abuse the Plujii, notwithstanding all they suffer
at their hands, unless under direct provocation; and a settled
matter of faith is it, that at such times all bitter words
and hasty objurgations are entirely overlooked, nay, pardoned
on the spot, by the unseen genii against whom they are
directed.”
“Magnanimous Plujii!” cried Media. “But, Babbalanja,
do you, who run a tilt at all things, suffer this silly conceit
to be uttered with impunity in your presence? Why
so silent?”
“I have been thinking, my lord,” said Babbalanja, “that
though the people of that island may at times err, in imputing
their calamities to the Plujii, that, nevertheless, upon
the whole, they indulge in a reasonable belief. For, Plujii
or no Plujii, it is undeniable, that in ten thousand ways, as
if by a malicious agency, we mortals are woefully put out
and tormented; and that, too, by things in themselves so
exceedingly trivial, that it would seem almost impiety to ascribe
them to the august gods. No; there must exist some
greatly inferior spirits; so insignificant, comparatively, as to
be overlooked by the supernal powers; and through them it
must be, that we are thus grievously annoyed. At any rate
such a theory would supply a hiatus in my system of metaphysics.”
“Well, peace to the Plujii,” said Media; “they trouble
not me.”
