The Coral Island

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

  BLOODY BILL IS COMMUNICATIVE AND SAGACIOUS--UNPLEASANT PROSPECTS--RETROSPECTIVE MEDITATIONS INTERRUPTED BY VOLCANIC AGENCY--THE PIRATESNEGOTIATE WITH A FEEJEE CHIEF--VARIOUS ETCETERAS THAT ARE CALCULATED TOSURPRISE AND HORRIFY.

  It was many days after the events just narrated ere I recovered a littleof my wonted spirits. I could not shake off the feeling for a long timethat I was in a frightful dream, and the sight of our captain filled mewith so much horror that I kept out of his way as much as my dutiesabout the cabin would permit. Fortunately he took so little notice ofme that he did not observe my changed feelings towards him, otherwise itmight have been worse for me.

  But I was now resolved that I would run away the very first island weshould land at, and commit myself to the hospitality of the nativesrather than remain an hour longer than I could help in the pirateschooner. I pondered this subject a good deal, and at last made up mymind to communicate my intention to Bloody Bill; for during severaltalks I had had with him of late, I felt assured that he too wouldwillingly escape if possible. When I told him of my design he shook hishead. "No, no, Ralph," said he; "you must not think of running awayhere. Among some of the groups of islands you might do so with safety;but if you tried it here, you would find that you had jumped out of thefryin'-pan into the fire."

  "How so, Bill?" said I. "Would the natives not receive me?"

  "That they would, lad; but they would eat you too."

  "Eat me!" said I in surprise. "I thought the South Sea Islanders neverate anybody except their enemies."

  "Humph!" ejaculated Bill. "I 'spose 'twas yer tender-hearted friends inEngland that put that notion into your head. There's a set o'soft-hearted folk at home that I knows on who don't like to have theirfeelin's ruffled; and when you tell them anything they don't like--thatshocks them, as they call it--no matter how true it be, they stop theirears and cry out, `Oh, that is _too_ horrible! We can't believe that!'An' they say truth. They can't believe it, 'cause they won't believeit. Now, I believe there's thousands o' the people in England who aresich born drivellin' _won't believers_ that they think the black fellowshereaways, at the worst, eat an enemy only now an' then out o' spite;whereas I know for certain, and many captains of the British andAmerican navies know as well as me, that the Feejee Islanders eat notonly their enemies but one another--and they do it not for spite, butfor pleasure. It's a _fact_ that they prefer human flesh to any other.But they don't like white men's flesh so well as black; they say itmakes them sick."

  "Why, Bill," said I, "you told me just now that they would eat _me_ ifthey caught me!"

  "So I did, and so I think they would. I've only heard some o' them saythey don't like white men _so well_ as black; but if they was hungrythey wouldn't be particular. Anyhow, I'm sure they would kill you. Yousee, Ralph, I've been a good while in them parts, and I've visited thedifferent groups of islands oftentimes as a trader. And thorough-goin'blackguards some o' them traders are--no better than pirates, I can tellyou. One captain that I sailed with was not a chip better than the onewe're with now. He was trading with a friendly chief one day aboard hisvessel. The chief had swam off to us with the things for trade tiedatop of his head, for them chaps are like otters in the water. Well,the chief was hard on the captain, and would not part with some o' histhings. When their bargainin' was over they shook hands, and the chiefjumped overboard to swim ashore; but before he got forty yards from theship, the captain seized a musket and shot him dead. He then hove upanchor and put to sea, and as we sailed along the shore he dropped sixblack fellows with his rifle, remarkin' that `that would spoil the tradefor the next-comers.' But, as I was sayin', I'm up to the ways o' thesefellows. One o' the laws o' the country is that every shipwreckedperson who happens to be cast ashore, be he dead or alive, is doomed tobe roasted and eaten. There was a small tradin' schooner wrecked offone of these islands when we were lyin' there in harbour during a storm.The crew was lost--all but three men, who swam ashore. The moment theylanded, they were seized by the natives and carried up into the woods.We knew pretty well what their fate would be; but we could not helpthem, for our crew was small, and if we had gone ashore they wouldlikely have killed us all. We never saw the three men again. But weheard frightful yelling and dancing and merrymaking that night; and oneof the natives, who came aboard to trade with us next day, told us thatthe _long pigs_, as he called the men, had been roasted and eaten, andtheir bones were to be converted into sail-needles. He also said thatwhite men were bad to eat, and that most o' the people on shore weresick."

  I was very much shocked and cast down in my mind at this terribleaccount of the natives, and asked Bill what he would advise me to do.Looking round the deck to make sure that we were not overheard, helowered his voice and said, "There are two or three ways that we mightescape, Ralph, but none o' them's easy. If the captain would only sailfor some o' the islands near Tahiti we might run away there well enough,because the natives are all Christians; an' we find that wherever thesavages take up with Christianity they always give over their bloodyways, and are safe to be trusted. I never cared for Christianitymyself," he continued in a soliloquising voice, "and I don't well knowwhat it means; but a man with half-an-eye can see what it does for theseblack critters. However, the captain always keeps a sharp lookout afterus when we get to these islands, for he half-suspects that one or two o'us are tired of his company. Then we might manage to cut the boatadrift some fine night when it's our watch on deck, and clear off beforethey discovered that we were gone. But we would run the risk o' bein'caught by the blacks. I wouldn't like to try that plan. But you and Iwill think over it, Ralph, and see what's to be done. In the meantimeit's our watch below, so I'll go and turn in."

  Bill then bade me good-night and went below, while a comrade took hisplace at the helm; but feeling no desire to enter into conversation withhim, I walked aft, and leaning over the stern, looked down into thephosphorescent waves that gurgled around the rudder, and streamed outlike a flame of blue light in the vessel's wake. My thoughts were verysad, and I could scarce refrain from tears as I contrasted my presentwretched position with the happy, peaceful time I had spent on the CoralIsland with my dear companions. As I thought upon Jack and Peterkin,anxious forebodings crossed my mind, and I pictured to myself the griefand dismay with which they would search every nook and corner of theisland in a vain attempt to discover my dead body; for I felt assuredthat if they did not see any sign of the pirate schooner or boat whenthey came out of the cave to look for me, they would never imagine thatI had been carried away. I wondered, too, how Jack would succeed ingetting Peterkin out of the cave without my assistance; and I trembledwhen I thought that he might lose presence of mind, and begin to kickwhen he was in the tunnel! These thoughts were suddenly interrupted andput to flight by a bright-red blaze, which lighted up the horizon to thesouthward and cast a crimson glow far over the sea. This appearance wasaccompanied by a low growling sound, as of distant thunder, and at thesame time the sky above us became black, while a hot, stifling wind blewaround us in fitful gusts.

  The crew assembled hastily on deck, and most of them were under thebelief that a frightful hurricane was pending; but the captain, comingon deck, soon explained the phenomena.

  "It's only a volcano," said he. "I knew there was one hereabouts, butthought it was extinct.--Up, there, and furl topgallant sails! We'lllikely have a breeze, and it's well to be ready."

  As he spoke, a shower began to fall, which, we quickly observed, was notrain, but fine ashes. As we were many miles distant from the volcano,these must have been carried to us from it by the wind. As the captainhad predicted, a stiff breeze soon afterwards sprang up, under theinfluence of which we speedily left the volcano far behind us; butduring the greater part of the night we could see its lurid glare andhear its distant thunder. The shower did not cease to fall for severalhours, and we must have sailed under it for nearly forty miles--perhapsfarther. When we emerged from the cloud, ou
r decks and every part ofthe rigging were completely covered with a thick coat of ashes. I wasmuch interested in this, and recollected that Jack had often spoken ofmany of the islands of the Pacific as being volcanoes, either active orextinct, and had said that the whole region was more or less volcanic,and that some scientific men were of opinion that the islands of thePacific were nothing more or less than the mountain-tops of a hugecontinent which had sunk under the influence of volcanic agency.

  Three days after passing the volcano, we found ourselves a few miles towindward of an island of considerable size and luxuriant aspect. Itconsisted of two mountains, which seemed to be nearly four thousand feethigh. They were separated from each other by a broad valley, whosethick-growing trees ascended a considerable distance up themountain-sides; and rich, level plains or meadow-land spread round thebase of the mountains, except at the point immediately opposite thelarge valley, where a river seemed to carry the trees, as it were, alongwith it down to the white, sandy shore. The mountain-tops, unlike thoseof our Coral Island, were sharp, needle-shaped, and bare, while theirsides were more rugged and grand in outline than anything I had yet seenin those seas. Bloody Bill was beside me when the island first hove insight.

  "Ah!" he exclaimed, "I know that island well. They call it Emo."

  "Have you been there before, then?" I inquired.

  "Ay, that I have, often, and so has this schooner. 'Tis a famous islandfor sandal-wood. We have taken many cargoes of it already--and havepaid for them, too, for the savages are so numerous that we dared nottry to take it by force. But our captain has tried to cheat them sooften that they're beginnin' not to like us overmuch now. Besides, themen behaved ill the last time we were here, and I wonder the captain isnot afraid to venture. But he's afraid o' nothin' earthly, I believe."

  We soon ran inside the barrier coral reef, and let go our anchor in sixfathoms water, just opposite the mouth of a small creek, whose shoreswere densely covered with mangroves and tall umbrageous trees. Theprincipal village of the natives lay about half-a-mile from this point.Ordering the boat out, the captain jumped into it, and ordered me tofollow him. The men, fifteen in number, were well armed; and the matewas directed to have Long Tom ready for emergencies.

  "Give way, lads!" cried the captain.

  The oars fell into the water at the word, the boat shot from theschooner's side, and in a few minutes reached the shore. Here, contraryto our expectation, we were met with the utmost cordiality by Romata,the principal chief of the island, who conducted us to his house andgave us mats to sit upon. I observed in passing that the natives, ofwhom there were two or three thousand, were totally unarmed.

  After a short preliminary palaver, a feast of baked pigs and variousroots was spread before us, of which we partook sparingly, and thenproceeded to business. The captain stated his object in visiting theisland, regretted that there had been a slight misunderstanding duringthe last visit, and hoped that no ill-will was borne by either party,and that a satisfactory trade would be accomplished.

  Romata answered that he had forgotten there had been any differencesbetween them, protested that he was delighted to see his friends again,and assured them they should have every assistance in cutting andembarking the wood. The terms were afterwards agreed on, and we rose todepart. All this conversation was afterwards explained to me by Bill,who understood the language pretty well.

  Romata accompanied us on board, and explained that a great chief fromanother island was then on a visit to him, and that he was to beceremoniously entertained on the following day. After begging to beallowed to introduce him to us, and receiving permission, he sent hiscanoe ashore to bring him off. At the same time he gave orders to bringon board his two favourites, a cock and a paroquet. While the canoe wasgone on this errand, I had time to regard the savage chief attentively.He was a man of immense size, with massive but beautifully moulded limbsand figure, only parts of which--the broad chest and muscular arms--wereuncovered; for although the lower orders generally wore no otherclothing than a strip of cloth called _maro_ round their loins, thechief, on particular occasions, wrapped his person in voluminous foldsof a species of native cloth made from the bark of the Chinesepaper-mulberry. Romata wore a magnificent black beard and moustache,and his hair was frizzed out to such an extent that it resembled a largeturban, in which was stuck a long wooden pin! I afterwards found thatthis pin served for scratching the head, for which purpose the fingerswere too short without disarranging the hair. But Romata put himself tomuch greater inconvenience on account of his hair; for we found that heslept with his head resting on a wooden pillow, in which was cut ahollow for the neck, so that the hair of the sleeper might not bedisarranged.

  In ten minutes the canoe returned, bringing the other chief, whocertainly presented a most extraordinary appearance, having painted onehalf of his face red and the other half yellow, besides ornamenting itwith various designs in black! Otherwise he was much the same inappearance as Romata, though not so powerfully built. As this chief hadnever seen a ship before--except, perchance, some of the petty tradersthat at long intervals visit these remote islands--he was much taken upwith the neatness and beauty of all the fittings of the schooner. Hewas particularly struck with a musket which was shown to him, and askedwhere the white men got hatchets hard enough to cut the tree of whichthe barrel was made! While he was thus engaged, his brother-chief stoodaloof, talking with the captain, and fondling a superb cock and a littleblue-headed paroquet--the favourites of which I have before spoken. Iobserved that all the other natives walked in a crouching posture whilein the presence of Romata. Before our guests left us, the captainordered the brass gun to be uncovered and fired for their gratification;and I have every reason to believe he did so for the purpose of showingour superior power, in case the natives should harbour any evil designsagainst us. Romata had never seen this gun before, as it had not beenuncovered on previous visits, and the astonishment with which he viewedit was very amusing. Being desirous of knowing its power, he beggedthat the captain would fire it; so a shot was put into it. The chiefswere then directed to look at a rock about two miles out at sea, and thegun was fired. In a second the top of the rock was seen to burstasunder, and to fall in fragments into the sea.

  Romata was so delighted with the success of this shot that he pointed toa man who was walking on the shore, and begged the captain to fire athim, evidently supposing that his permission was quite sufficient tojustify the captain in such an act. He was therefore surprised, and nota little annoyed, when the captain refused to fire at the native andordered the gun to be housed.

  Of all the things, however, that afforded matter of amusement to thesesavages, that which pleased Romata's visitor most was the ship's pump.He never tired of examining it and pumping up the water. Indeed, somuch was he taken up with this pump that he could not be prevailed on toreturn on shore, but sent a canoe to fetch his favourite stool, on whichhe seated himself, and spent the remainder of the day in pumping thebilge-water out of the ship!

  Next day the crew went ashore to cut sandal-wood, while the captain,with one or two men, remained on board, in order to be ready, if needbe, with the brass gun, which was unhoused and conspicuously elevated,with its capacious muzzle directed point-blank at the chief's house.The men were fully armed, as usual; and the captain ordered me to gowith them, to assist in the work. I was much pleased with this order,for it freed me from the captain's company, which I could not nowendure, and it gave me an opportunity of seeing the natives.

  As we wound along in single file through the rich, fragrant groves ofbanana, cocoa-nut, bread-fruit, and other trees, I observed that therewere many of the plum and banyan trees, with which I had become familiaron the Coral Island. I noticed, also, large quantities of taro--roots,yams, and sweet potatoes growing in enclosures. On turning into an openglade of the woods, we came abruptly upon a cluster of native houses.They were built chiefly of bamboos, and were thatched with the large,thick leaves of the pandanus; but m
any of them had little more than asloping roof and three sides with an open front, being the most simpleshelter from the weather that could well be imagined. Within these andaround them were groups of natives--men, women, and children--who allstood up to gaze at us as we marched along, followed by the party of menwhom the chief had sent to escort us. About half-a-mile inland wearrived at the spot where the sandal-wood grew, and while the men set towork I clambered up an adjoining hill to observe the country.

  About midday the chief arrived with several followers, one of whomcarried a baked pig on a wooden platter, with yams and potatoes onseveral plantain leaves, which he presented to the men, who sat downunder the shade of a tree to dine. The chief sat down to dine also;but, to my surprise, instead of feeding himself, one of his wivesperformed that office for him! I was seated beside Bill, and asked himthe reason of this.

  "It is beneath his dignity, I believe, to feed himself," answered Bill;"but I dare say he's not particular, except on great occasions. They'vea strange custom among them, Ralph, which is called _tabu_, and theycarry it to great lengths. If a man chooses a particular tree for hisgod, the fruit o' that tree is tabued to him; and if he eats it, he issure to be killed by his people--and eaten, of course, for killing meanseating hereaway. Then, you see that great mop o' hair on the chief'shead? Well, he has a lot o' barbers to keep it in order; and it's a lawthat whoever touches the head of a living chief or the body of a deadone, his hands are tabued. So in that way the barbers' hands are alwaystabued, and they daren't use them for their lives, but have to be fedlike big babies--as they are, sure enough!"

  "That's odd, Bill. But look there," said I, pointing to a man whoseskin was of a much lighter colour than the generality of the natives."I've seen a few of these light-skinned fellows among the Feejeeans.They seem to me to be of quite a different race."

  "So they are," answered Bill. "These fellows come from the TonganIslands, which lie a long way to the eastward. They come here to buildtheir big war-canoes; and as these take two, and sometimes four, yearsto build, there's always some o' the brown-skins among the blacksarpents o' these islands."

  "By the way, Bill," said I, "your mentioning serpents reminds me that Ihave not seen a reptile of any kind since I came to this part of theworld."

  "No more there are any," said Bill, "if ye except the niggersthemselves. There's none on the islands but a lizard or two, and somesich harmless things; but I never seed any myself. If there's none onthe land, however, there's more than enough in the water; and thatreminds me of a wonderful brute they have here. But come, I'll show itto you." So saying, Bill arose, and leaving the men still busy with thebaked pig, led me into the forest. After proceeding a short distance wecame upon a small pond of stagnant water. A native lad had followed us,to whom we called and beckoned him to come to us. On Bill saying a fewwords to him, which I did not understand, the boy advanced to the edgeof the pond and gave a low, peculiar whistle. Immediately the waterbecame agitated, and an enormous eel thrust its head above the surfaceand allowed the youth to touch it. It was about twelve feet long, andas thick round the body as a man's thigh.

  "There!" said Bill, his lip curling with contempt; "what do you think ofthat for a god, Ralph? This is one o' their gods, and it has been fedwith dozens o' livin' babies already. How many more it'll get afore itdies is hard to say."

  "Babies!" said I with an incredulous look.

  "Ay, babies," returned Bill. "Your soft-hearted folk at home would say,`Oh, horrible! Impossible!' to that, and then go away as comfortableand unconcerned as if their sayin' `Horrible! impossible!' had made it alie. But I tell you, Ralph, it's a _fact_. I've seed it with my owneyes the last time I was here; an' mayhap, if you stop awhile at thisaccursed place and keep a sharp lookout, you'll see it too. They don'tfeed it regularly with livin' babies, but they give it one now and thenas a treat.--Bah, you brute!" cried Bill in disgust, giving the reptilea kick on the snout with his heavy boot that sent it sweltering back inagony into its loathsome pool. I thought it lucky for Bill--indeed forall of us--that the native youth's back happened to be turned at thetime, for I am certain that if the poor savages had come to know that wehad so rudely handled their god we should have had to fight our way backto the ship. As we retraced our steps I questioned my companion furtheron this subject.

  "How comes it, Bill, that the mothers allow such a dreadful thing to bedone?"

  "Allow it? the mothers _do_ it! It seems to me that there's nothing toofiendish or diabolical for these people to do. Why, in some of theislands they have an institution called the _Areoi_, and the personsconnected with that body are ready for any wickedness that mortal mancan devise. In fact, they stick at nothing; and one o' their customs isto murder their infants the moment they are born. The mothers agree toit, and the fathers do it. And the mildest ways they have of murderingthem is by sticking them through the body with sharp splinters ofbamboo, strangling them with their thumbs, or burying them alive andstamping them to death while under the sod."

  I felt sick at heart while my companion recited these horrors.

  "But it's a curious fact," he continued after a pause, during which wewalked in silence towards the spot where we had left our comrades--"it'sa curious fact that wherever the missionaries get a footin' all thesethings come to an end at once, an' the savages take to doin' each othergood and singin' psalms, just like Methodists."

  "God bless the missionaries," said I, while a feeling of enthusiasmfilled my heart so that I could speak with difficulty. "God bless andprosper the missionaries till they get a footing in every island of thesea!"

  "I would say Amen to that prayer, Ralph, if I could," said Bill, in adeep, sad voice; "but it would be a mere mockery for a man to ask ablessing for others who dare not ask one for himself. But, Ralph," hecontinued, "I've not told you half o' the abominations I have seendurin' my life in these seas. If we pull long together, lad, I'll tellyou more; and if times have not changed very much since I was here last,it's like that you'll have a chance o' seeing a little for yourselfbefore long."