CHAPTER SEVEN.
ROASTING, FORAGING, AND FABRICATING.
One morning John Adams awoke from a pleasant dream and lay for some timeon his back, in that lazy, half-conscious fashion in which some men loveto lie on first awaking. The canopy above him was a leafy structurethrough which he could see the deep azure of the sky with its few cloudsof fleecy white. Around him were the rude huts of leaves and boughswhich his comrades had constructed for themselves more or lesstastefully, and the lairs under bush and tree with which the Otaheitannatives were content. Just in front of his own hut was that of FletcherChristian. It was more thoroughly built than the others, being partlyformed of planks and other woodwork saved from the _Bounty_, and waswell thatched with the broad leaves of tropical plants.
In front of the hut Christian's wife, Isabella, was busily engageddigging a hole in the ground. She was the only member of the partyastir that morning.
"I wonder why Mainmast is up so early," murmured Adams, rousing himselfand using his elbow as a prop while he observed her.
Mainmast, who was better known by that sobriquet than by the name whichChristian had given to her on his wedding-day at Otaheite, was a verycomely and naturally amiable creature, graceful in form, and although aso-called savage, possessing an air of simple dignity and refinementwhich might almost be termed lady-like. Indeed, several of the othernative wives of the mutineers were similar to Mrs Christian in theserespects, and, despite their brown complexions, were remarkablygood-looking. One or two, however, were commonplace enough, especiallythe wives of the three married Otaheitan men, who seemed to be, as nodoubt they were, of a lower social class than the others who had mingledwith the best Otaheitan society, Edward Young's wife, for instance,being a sort of native princess--at least she was the daughter of agreat chief.
The dress of these women was simple, like themselves, and notungraceful. It consisted of a short petticoat of tapa, or native cloth,reaching below the knees, and a loose shawl or scarf of the samematerial thrown over the shoulders.
After gazing a short time, Adams perceived what Mainmast was about. Shewas preparing breakfast, which consisted of a hog. It had been shot byChristian the night before, partly because it annoyed him withpertinacious grunting in the neighbourhood of his hut, and partlybecause several families of hoglets having been born soon after theirarrival on the island, he could not be charged with extravagance ingiving the people a treat of flesh once in a way.
The process of cooking the hog was slow, hence the early move. It wasalso peculiar, therefore we shall describe it in detail, in order thatthe enterprising housewives of England may try the plan if convenient.
Mainmast's first act was to kindle a large fire, into which she put anumber of goodly-sized and rounded stones. While these were heating,she dug a large hole in the ground with a broken shovel, which was theonly implement of husbandry possessed at that time by the community.This hole was the oven. The bottom of it she covered with freshplantain leaves. The stones having been heated, were spread over thebottom of the hole and then covered with leaves. On this hotbed thecarcass of the pig was placed, and another layer of leaves spread overit. Some more hot stones were placed above that, over which greenleaves were strewn in bunches, and, finally, the whole was covered upwith earth and rubbish piled up so as to keep in the heat.
Just as she had accomplished this, Mainmast was joined by Mrs Young(Susannah) and Mrs McCoy.
"Good-morning," said Mrs Christian, using the words of salutation whichshe had learned from the Europeans. "The hog will not be ready for along time; will you help me with the cakes?"
The women at once assented, and set to work. They spoke to each otherin the Otaheitan tongue. To their husbands they spoke in a jumble ofthat tongue and English. For convenience we shall, throughout our tale,give their conversations in ordinary English.
While Mrs McCoy prepared some yams and sweet potatoes for baking, MrsYoung compounded a cake of yams and plantains, beaten up, to be baked inleaves. Mainmast also roasted some breadfruit.
This celebrated fruit--but for which the _Bounty_, would never have beensent forth, and the mutiny with its wonderful consequences would neverhave occurred--grows on a tree the size of a large apple-tree, theleaves of which are of a very deep green. The fruit, larger than anorange, has a thick rind, and if gathered before becoming ripe, andbaked in an oven, the inside resembles the crumb of wheaten bread, andis very palatable. It lasts in season about eight months of the year.
While the culinary operations were going on, the precocious Sally,awaking from her slumbers, rose and staggered forth to survey the faceof the newborn day. Her little body was clothed in an admirably fittinggarment of light-brown skin, the gift of Nature. Having yawned andrubbed her eyes, she strayed towards the fire. Mrs Christian receivedher with an affable smile, and presented her with a pannikin ofcocoa-nut milk to keep her quiet. Quaffing this beverage with evidentdelight, she dropped the pannikin, smacked her rosy lips, and toddledoff to seek adventures. Her first act was to stand in front of IsaacMartin's hut, and gaze with a look not unmixed with awe at the long nosepointing to the sky, from which sonorous sounds were issuing.
It is said that familiarity breeds contempt. It was obvious that theawesome feeling passed from the infant's mind as she gazed. Under theimpulse of a sudden inspiration she entered the hut, went up to thenose, and tweaked it.
"Hallo!" shouted Martin, springing up and tumbling Sally head over heelsin the act. "Oh, poor thing, I haven't hurt you, have I?"
He caught the child in his arms and kissed her; but Sally seemed to careneither for the tumble nor the kisses. Having been released, shesallied from the hut in search of more adventures.
Martin, meanwhile, having been thoroughly aroused, got up and wenttowards the fire.
"You're bright and early, Mainmast," he said, slowly filling his pipe.
"Yes, hog takes time to cook."
"Hog is it, eh? That'll be first-rate. Got sauce for it?"
"Hog needs no sauce," said Mrs Christian, with a laugh. To say truth,it required very little to arouse her merriment, or that of her amiablesisterhood.
When Martin had lighted his pipe, he stood gazing at the fireprofoundly, as if absorbed in meditation. Presently he seized afrying-pan which lay on the ground, and descended therewith by way ofthe steep cliffs to the sea.
While he was gone, one and another of the party came to the fire andbegan to chat or smoke, or both, according to fancy. Ere long Martinwas seen slowly ascending the cliffs, holding the frying-pan with greatcare.
"What have you got there?" asked one.
"Oysters, eh?" said another, scrutinising the pan.
"More like jelly-fish," said Young.
"What in all the world is it?" asked Adams, as the pan was put on thefire.
"You'll see when it boils," said Martin.
"There's nothin' in it at all but water," said Quintal, somewhatcontemptuously.
"Well, I've heerd of many a thing, but never fried water," remarkedMcCoy.
"I should think it indigestible," said Christian, coming up at themoment.
Whether the natives understood the jest or not we cannot say, butcertain it is that all of them, men and women, burst into a fit oflaughter at this, in which they were joined by Otaheitan Sally from meresympathy.
"Well, what is to be the order of the day?" asked Christian, turning toYoung. "Shall we proceed with our dwellings, or divide the island intolocations?"
"I think," answered the midshipman, "that some of us at least should setup the forge. I know that Williams's fingers are tingling to grasp thesledge-hammer, and the sooner he goes at it, too, the better, for we'rebadly off for tools."
"If you don't require my services," said Brown, "I'll go plant somebreadfruits and other things at that sheltered spot we fell uponyesterday."
"I intend to finish the thatching of my hut," said Quintal, in thatoff-hand tone of independence and disregard of the wishes of otherswhich was
one of his characteristics.
"Well, there are plenty of us to do all the work," said Christian. "Letevery man do what pleases himself. I would only ask for one or twovolunteers to cut the water-tanks I spoke of yesterday. The water wehave discovered, although a plentiful supply for present needs, may runshort or cease altogether if drought comes. So we must provide againsta dry instead of a rainy day, by cutting a tank or two in the solid rockto hold a reserve."
Adams and Mills at once volunteered for this duty. Other arrangementswere soon made, and they sat down to breakfast, some using plates savedfrom the _Bounty_, others flat stones as substitutes, while emptycocoa-nut shells served for drinking-cups.
"Your water pancake should be done brown by this time," said Young, ashe sat down on the turf tailor-wise.
"Not quite, but nearly," returned Martin, as he stirred thefuriously-boiling contents of the frying-pan.
In a few minutes more the sea water had boiled quite away, leaving awhite residuum, which Martin scraped carefully off into a cocoa-nut cup.
"You see, boys," he said, setting down the salt thus procured, "I nevercould abide fresh meat without a pick o' salt to give it a relish. Itmay be weakness perhaps, but--"
"Being the weakness of an old salt," interrupted Christian, "it'sexcusable. Now, boys, fall-to with a will. We've got plenty of workbefore us, an' can't afford to waste time."
This exhortation was needless. The savoury smell of the roast pig, whenit had been carefully disentombed, might have given appetite to aseasick man. They ate heartily, and for some time in silence.
The women, however, did not join in the feast at that time. It was thecustom among the Otaheitans that the men should eat first, the womenafterwards; and the mutineers, having become habituated to the custom,did not see fit to change it. When the men had finished and discussedthe day's proceedings, the remainder of the pig, fruits, and vegetables,were consumed by the females, among whom, we are bound to state, Sallywas the greatest gourmand.
When pipes were finished, and the digestion of healthy young men hadbeen thus impaired as far as was possible in the circumstances, theparty went off in several groups about their various avocations.
Among other things removed from the _Bounty_ were a smith's anvil andbellows, with various hammers, files, etcetera, and a large quantity ofiron-work and copper. One party, therefore, under Young and Williamsthe armourer, busied themselves in setting up a forge near theirsettlement, and preparing charcoal for the forge fire.
Another party, under Christian, proceeded to some neighbouring rocks,and there, with sledge-hammer and crowbars, which they used as jumpers,began the laborious task of boring the solid rock, intending afterwardsto blast, and partly to cut it, into large water-tanks. Quintalcontinued the thatching of his hut, in which work his humble wife aidedhim effectively. Brown proceeded with the planting operations which hehad begun almost immediately after landing; and the women busiedthemselves variously, some in preparing the mid-day meal, some ingathering fruits and roots for future use, and others in improving theinternal arrangements of their various huts, or in clearing away thedebris of the late feast. As for little Sally, she superintendedgenerally the work of the home department, and when she tired of that,went further afield in search of adventures.
The Lonely Island: The Refuge of the Mutineers Page 7
