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_ APPREHENSIONS OF EVIL--FRIGHTFUL DISCOVERY--SOME REMARKS ON
CANNIBALISM--SECOND BATTLE WITH THE HAPPARS--SAVAGE
SPECTACLE--MYSTERIOUS FEAST--SUBSEQUENT DISCLOSURES
FROM the time of my casual encounter with Karky the artist, my
life was one of absolute wretchedness. Not a day passed but I
was persecuted by the solicitations of some of the natives to
subject myself to the odious operation of tattooing. Their
importunities drove me half wild, for I felt how easily they
might work their will upon me regarding this or anything else
which they took into their heads. Still, however, the behaviour
of the islanders towards me was as kind as ever. Fayaway was
quite as engaging; Kory-Kory as devoted; and Mehevi the king just
as gracious and condescending as before. But I had now been
three months in their valley, as nearly as I could estimate; I
had grown familiar with the narrow limits to which my wandering
had been confined; and I began bitterly to feel the state of
captivity in which I was held. There was no one with whom I
could freely converse; no one to whom I could communicate my
thoughts; no one who could sympathize with my sufferings. A
thousand times I thought how much more endurable would have been
my lot had Toby still been with me. But I was left alone, and
the thought was terrible to me. Still, despite my griefs, I did
all in my power to appear composed and cheerful, well knowing
that by manifesting any uneasiness, or any desire to escape, I
should only frustrate my object.
It was during the period I was in this unhappy frame of mind that
the painful malady under which I had been labouring--after having
almost completely subsided--began again to show itself, and with
symptoms as violent as ever. This added calamity nearly unmanned
me; the recurrence of the complaint proved that without powerful
remedial applications all hope of cure was futile; and when I
reflected that just beyond the elevations, which bound me in, was
the medical relief I needed, and that although so near, it was
impossible for me to avail myself of it, the thought was misery.
In this wretched situation, every circumstance which evinced the
savage nature of the beings at whose mercy I was, augmented the
fearful apprehensions that consumed me. An occurrence which
happened about this time affected me most powerfully.
I have already mentioned that from the ridge-pole of Marheyo's
house were suspended a number of packages enveloped in tappa.
Many of these I had often seen in the hands of the natives, and
their contents had been examined in my presence. But there were
three packages hanging very nearly over the place where I lay,
which from their remarkable appearance had often excited my
curiosity. Several times I had asked Kory-Kory to show me their
contents, but my servitor, who, in almost every other particular
had acceded to my wishes, refused to gratify me in this.
One day, returning unexpectedly from the 'Ti', my arrival seemed
to throw the inmates of the house into the greatest confusion.
They were seated together on the mats, and by the lines which
extended from the roof to the floor I immediately perceived that
the mysterious packages were for some purpose or another under
inspection. The evident alarm the savages betrayed filled me
with forebodings of evil, and with an uncontrollable desire to
penetrate the secret so jealously guarded Despite the efforts of
Marheyo and Kory-Kory to restrain me, I forced my way into the
midst of the circle, and just caught a glimpse of three human
heads, which others of the party were hurriedly enveloping in the
coverings from which they had been taken.
One of the three I distinctly saw. It was in a state of perfect
preservation, and from the slight glimpse I had of it, seemed to
have been subjected to some smoking operation which had reduced
it to the dry, hard, and mummy-like appearance it presented. The
two long scalp locks were twisted up into balls upon the crown of
the head in the same way that the individual had worn them during
life. The sunken cheeks were rendered yet more ghastly by the
rows of glistening teeth which protruded from between the lips,
while the sockets of the eyes--filled with oval bits of
mother-of-pearl shell, with a black spot in the
centre--heightened the hideousness of its aspect.
Two of the three were heads of the islanders; but the third, to
my horror, was that of a white man. Although it had been quickly
removed from my sight, still the glimpse I had of it was enough
to convince me that I could not be mistaken.
Gracious God! what dreadful thoughts entered my head; in solving
this mystery perhaps I had solved another, and the fate of my
lost companion might be revealed in the shocking spectacle I had
just witnessed. I longed to have torn off the folds of cloth and
satisfied the awful doubts under which I laboured. But before I
had recovered from the consternation into which I had been
thrown, the fatal packages were hoisted aloft, and once more
swung over my head. The natives now gathered round me
tumultuously, and laboured to convince me that what I had just
seen were the heads of three Happar warriors, who had been slain
in battle. This glaring falsehood added to my alarm, and it was
not until I reflected that I had observed the packages swinging
from their elevation before Toby's disappearance, that I could at
all recover my composure.
But although this horrible apprehension had been dispelled, I had
discovered enough to fill me, in my present state of mind, with
the most bitter reflections. It was plain that I had seen the
last relic of some unfortunate wretch, who must have been
massacred on the beach by the savages, in one of those perilous
trading adventures which I have before described.
It was not, however, alone the murder of the stranger that
overcame me with gloom. I shuddered at the idea of the
subsequent fate his inanimate body might have met with. Was the
same doom reserved for me? Was I destined to perish like him--
like him perhaps, to be devoured and my head to be preserved as a
fearful memento of the events? My imagination ran riot in these
horrid speculations, and I felt certain that the worst possible
evils would befall me. But whatever were my misgivings, I
studiously concealed them from the islanders, as well as the full
extent of the discovery I had made.
Although the assurances which the Typees had often given me, that
they never eat human flesh, had not convinced me that such was
the case, yet, having been so long a time in the valley without
witnessing anything which indicated the existence of the
practice, I began to hope that it was an event of very rare
occurrence, and that I should be spared the horror of witnessing
it during my stay among them: but, alas, these hopes were soon
destroyed.
It is a singular fact, that in all our accounts of cannibal
tribes we have seldom received the testimony of an eye-witness
account to this revolting practice. The horrible conclusion has
almost always been derived from the second-hand evidence of
Europeans, or else from the admissions of the savages themselves,
after they have in some degree become civilized. The Polynesians
are aware of the detestation in which Europeans hold this custom,
and therefore invariably deny its existence, and with the craft
peculiar to savages, endeavour to conceal every trace of it.
The excessive unwillingness betrayed by the Sandwich Islanders,
even at the present day, to allude to the unhappy fate of Cook,
has often been remarked. And so well have they succeeded in
covering the event with mystery, that to this very hour, despite
all that has been said and written on the subject, it still
remains doubtful whether they wreaked upon his murdered body the
vengance they sometimes inflicted upon their enemies.
At Kealakekau, the scene of that tragedy, a strip of ship's
copper nailed against an upright post in the ground used to
inform the traveller that beneath reposed the 'remains' of the
great circumnavigator. But I am strongly inclined to believe not
only the corpse was refused Christian burial, but that the heart
which was brought to Vancouver some time after the event, and
which the Hawiians stoutly maintained was that of Captain Cook,
was no such thing; and that the whole affair was a piece of
imposture which was sought to be palmed off upon the credulous
Englishman.
A few years since there was living on the island of Maui (one of
the Sandwich group) an old chief, who, actuated by a morbid
desire for notoriety, gave himself out among the foreign
residents of the place as the living tomb of Captain Cook's big
toe!--affirming that at the cannibal entertainment which ensued
after the lamented Briton's death, that particular portion of his
body had fallen to his share. His indignant countrymen actually
caused him to be prosecuted in the native courts, on a charge
nearly equivalent to what we term defamation of character; but
the old fellow persisting in his assertion, and no invalidating
proof being adduced, the plaintiffs were cast in the suit, and
the cannibal reputation of the defendant firmly established.
This result was the making of his fortune; ever afterwards he was
in the habit of giving very profitable audiences to all curious
travellers who were desirous of beholding the man who had eaten
the great navigator's great toe.
About a week after my discovery of the contents of the mysterious
packages, I happened to be at the Ti, when another war-alarm was
sounded, and the natives rushing to their arms, sallied out to
resist a second incursion of the Happar invaders. The same scene
was again repeated, only that on this occasion I heard at least
fifteen reports of muskets from the mountains during the time
that the skirmish lasted. An hour or two after its termination,
loud paeans chanted through the valley announced the approach of
the victors. I stood with Kory-Kory leaning against the railing
of the pi-pi awaiting their advance, when a tumultuous crowd of
islanders emerged with wild clamours from the neighbouring
groves. In the midst of them marched four men, one preceding the
other at regular intervals of eight or ten feet, with poles of a
corresponding length, extending from shoulder to shoulder, to
which were lashed with thongs of bark three long narrow bundles,
carefully wrapped in ample coverings of freshly plucked
palm-leaves, tacked together with slivers of bamboo. Here and
there upon these green winding-sheets might be seen the stains of
blood, while the warriors who carried the frightful burdens
displayed upon their naked limbs similar sanguinary marks. The
shaven head of the foremost had a deep gash upon it, and the
clotted gore which had flowed from the wound remained in dry
patches around it. The savage seemed to be sinking under the
weight he bore. The bright tattooing upon his body was covered
with blood and dust; his inflamed eyes rolled in their sockets,
and his whole appearance denoted extraordinary suffering and
exertion; yet sustained by some powerful impulse, he continued to
advance, while the throng around him with wild cheers sought to
encourage him. The other three men were marked about the arms
and breasts with several slight wounds, which they somewhat
ostentatiously displayed.
These four individuals, having been the most active in the late
encounter, claimed the honour of bearing the bodies of their
slain enemies to the Ti. Such was the conclusion I drew from my
own observations, and, as far as I could understand, from the
explanation which Kory-Kory gave me.
The royal Mehevi walked by the side of these heroes. He carried
in one hand a musket, from the barrel of which was suspended a
small canvas pouch of powder, and in the other he grasped a short
javelin, which he held before him and regarded with fierce
exultation. This javelin he had wrested from a celebrated
champion of the Happars, who had ignominiously fled, and was
pursued by his foes beyond the summit of the mountain.
When within a short distance of the Ti, the warrior with the
wounded head, who proved to be Narmonee, tottered forward two or
three steps, and fell helplessly to the ground; but not before
another had caught the end of the pole from his shoulder, and
placed it upon his own.
The excited throng of islanders, who surrounded the person of the
king and the dead bodies of the enemy, approached the spot where
I stood, brandishing their rude implements of warfare, many of
which were bruised and broken, and uttering continual shouts of
triumph. When the crowd drew up opposite the Ti, I set myself to
watch their proceedings most attentively; but scarcely had they
halted when my servitor, who had left my side for an instant,
touched my arm and proposed our returning to Marheyo's house. To
this I objected; but, to my surprise, Kory-Kory reiterated his
request, and with an unusual vehemence of manner. Still,
however, I refused to comply, and was retreating before him, as
in his importunity he pressed upon me, when I felt a heavy hand
laid upon my shoulder, and turning round, encountered the bulky
form of Mow-Mow, a one-eyed chief, who had just detached himself
from the crowd below, and had mounted the rear of the pi-pi upon
which we stood. His cheek had been pierced by the point of a
spear, and the wound imparted a still more frightful expression
to his hideously tattooed face, already deformed by the loss of
an eye. The warrior, without uttering a syllable, pointed
fiercely in the direction of Marheyo's house, while Kory-Kory, at
the same time presenting his back, desired me to mount.
I declined this offer, but intimated my willingness to withdraw,
and moved slowly along the piazza, wondering what could be the
cause of this unusual treatment. A few minutes' consideration
convinced me that the savages were about to celebrate some
hideous rite in connection with their peculiar customs, and at
which they were determined I should not be present. I descended
from the pi-pi, and attended by Kory-Kory, who on this occasion
did not show his usual commiseration for my lameness, but seemed
only anxious to hurry me on, walked away from the place. As I
passed through the noisy throng, which by this time completely
environed the Ti, I looked with fearful curiosity at the three
packages, which now were deposited upon the ground; but although
I had no doubt as to their contents, still their thick coverings
prevented my actually detecting the form of a human body.
The next morning, shortly after sunrise, the same thundering
sounds which had awakened me from sleep on the second day of the
Feast of Calabashes, assured me that the savages were on the eve
of celebrating another, and, as I fully believed, a horrible
solemnity.
All the inmates of the house, with the exception of Marheyo, his
son, and Tinor, after assuming their gala dresses, departed in
the direction of the Taboo Groves.
Although I did not anticipate a compliance with my request,
still, with a view of testing the truth of my suspicions, I
proposed to Kory-Kory that, according to our usual custom in the
morning, we should take a stroll to the Ti: he positively
refused; and when I renewed the request, he evinced his
determination to prevent my going there; and, to divert my mind
from the subject, he offered to accompany me to the stream. We
accordingly went, and bathed. On our coming back to the house, I
was surprised to find that all its inmates had returned, and were
lounging upon the mats as usual, although the drums still sounded
from the groves.
The rest of the day I spent with Kory-Kory and Fayaway, wandering
about a part of the valley situated in an opposite direction from
the Ti, and whenever I so much as looked towards that building,
although it was hidden from view by intervening trees, and at the
distance of more than a mile, my attendant would exclaim, 'Taboo,
taboo!'
At the various houses where we stopped, I found many of the
inhabitants reclining at their ease, or pursuing some light
occupation, as if nothing unusual were going forward; but amongst
them all I did not perceive a single chief or warrior. When I
asked several of the people why they were not at the 'Hoolah
Hoolah' (the feast), their uniformly answered the question in a
manner which implied that it was not intended for them, but for
Mehevi, Narmonee, Mow-Mow, Kolor, Womonoo, Kalow, running over,
in their desire to make me comprehend their meaning, the names of
all the principal chiefs.
Everything, in short, strengthened my suspicions with regard to
the nature of the festival they were now celebrating; and which
amounted almost to a certainty. While in Nukuheva I had
frequently been informed that the whole tribe were never present
at these cannibal banquets, but the chiefs and priests only; and
everything I now observed agreed with the account.
The sound of the drums continued without intermission the whole
day, and falling continually upon my ear, caused me a sensation
of horror which I am unable to describe. On the following day,
hearing none of those noisy indications of revelry, I concluded
that the inhuman feast was terminated; and feeling a kind of
morbid curiosity to discover whether the Ti might furnish any
evidence of what had taken place there, I proposed to Kory-Kory
to walk there. To this proposition he replied by pointing with
his finger to the newly risen sun, and then up to the zenith,
intimating that our visit must be deferred until noon. Shortly
after that hour we accordingly proceeded to the Taboo Groves, and
as soon as we entered their precincts, I looked fearfully round
in, quest of some memorial of the scene which had so lately been
acted there; but everything appeared as usual. On reaching the
Ti, we found Mehevi and a few chiefs reclining on the mats, who
gave me as friendly a reception as ever. No allusions of any
kind were made by them to the recent events; and I refrained, for
obvious reasons, from referring to them myself.
After staying a short time I took my leave. In passing along the
piazza, previously to descending from the pi-pi, I observed a
curiously carved vessel of wood, of considerable size, with a
cover placed over it, of the same material, and which resembled
in shape a small canoe. It was surrounded by a low railing of
bamboos, the top of which was scarcely a foot from the ground.
As the vessel had been placed in its present position since my
last visit, I at once concluded that it must have some connection
with the recent festival, and, prompted by a curiosity I could
not repress, in passing it I raised one end of the cover; at the
same moment the chiefs, perceiving my design, loudly ejaculated,
'Taboo! taboo!'
But the slight glimpse sufficed; my eyes fell upon the disordered
members of a human skeleton, the bones still fresh with moisture,
and with particles of flesh clinging to them here and there!
Kory-Kory, who had been a little in advance of me, attracted by
the exclamations of the chiefs, turned round in time to witness
the expression of horror on my countenance. He now hurried
towards me, pointing at the same time to the canoe, and
exclaiming rapidly, 'Puarkee! puarkee!' (Pig, pig). I pretended
to yield to the deception, and repeated the words after him
several times, as though acquiescing in what he said. The other
savages, either deceived by my conduct or unwilling to manifest
their displeasure at what could not now be remedied, took no
further notice of the occurrence, and I immediately left the Ti.
All that night I lay awake, revolving in my mind the fearful
situation in which I was placed. The last horrid revelation had
now been made, and the full sense of my condition rushed upon my
mind with a force I had never before experienced.
Where, thought I, desponding, is there the slightest prospect of
escape? The only person who seemed to possess the ability to
assist me was the stranger Marnoo; but would he ever return to
the valley? and if he did, should I be permitted to hold any
communication with him? It seemed as if I were cut off from
every source of hope, and that nothing remained but passively to
await whatever fate was in store for me. A thousand times I
endeavoured to account for the mysterious conduct of the natives.
For what conceivable purpose did they thus retain me a captive?
What could be their object in treating me with such apparent
kindness, and did it not cover some treacherous scheme? Or, if
they had no other design than to hold me a prisoner, how should I
be able to pass away my days in this narrow valley, deprived of
all intercourse with civilized beings, and for ever separated
from friends and home?
One only hope remained to me. The French could not long defer a
visit to the bay, and if they should permanently locate any of
their troops in the valley, the savages could not for any length
of time conceal my existence from them. But what reason had I to
suppose that I should be spared until such an event occurred, an
event which might be postponed by a hundred different
contingencies? _
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