Typee: A Romance of the South Seas

by Herman Melville

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  ATTEMPT TO PROCURE RELIEF FROM NUKUHEVA--PERILOUS ADVENTURE OF TOBY INTHE HAPPAR MOUNTAINS--ELOQUENCE OF KORY-KORY

  AMIDST these novel scenes a week passed away almost imperceptibly. Thenatives, actuated by some mysterious impulse, day after day redoubledtheir attentions to us. Their manner towards us was unaccountable.Surely, thought I, they would not act thus if they meant us any harm.But why this excess of deferential kindness, or what equivalent can theyimagine us capable of rendering them for it?

  We were fairly puzzled. But despite the apprehensions I could notdispel, the horrible character imputed to these Typees appeared to bewholly undeserved.

  'Why, they are cannibals!' said Toby on one occasion when I eulogizedthe tribe. 'Granted,' I replied, 'but a more humane, gentlemanly andamiable set of epicures do not probably exist in the Pacific.'

  But, notwithstanding the kind treatment we received, I was too familiarwith the fickle disposition of savages not to feel anxious to withdrawfrom the valley, and put myself beyond the reach of that fearful deathwhich, under all these smiling appearances, might yet menace us. Buthere there was an obstacle in the way of doing so. It was idle for meto think of moving from the place until I should have recovered from thesevere lameness that afflicted me; indeed my malady began seriously toalarm me; for, despite the herbal remedies of the natives, it continuedto grow worse and worse. Their mild applications, though they soothedthe pain, did not remove the disorder, and I felt convinced that withoutbetter aid I might anticipate long and acute suffering.

  But how was this aid to be procured? From the surgeons of the Frenchfleet, which probably still lay in the bay of Nukuheva, it might easilyhave been obtained, could I have made my case known to them. But howcould that be effected?

  At last, in the exigency to which I was reduced, I proposed to Toby thathe should endeavour to go round to Nukuheva, and if he could notsucceed in returning to the valley by water, in one of the boats of thesquadron, and taking me off, he might at least procure me some propermedicines, and effect his return overland.

  My companion listened to me in silence, and at first did not appear torelish the idea. The truth was, he felt impatient to escape from theplace, and wished to avail himself of our present high favour withthe natives to make good our retreat, before we should experience somesudden alteration in their behaviour. As he could not think of leavingme in my helpless condition, he implored me to be of good cheer; assuredme that I should soon be better, and enabled in a few days to returnwith him to Nukuheva.

  Added to this, he could not bear the idea of again returning to thisdangerous place; and as for the expectation of persuading the Frenchmento detach a boat's crew for the purpose of rescuing me from the Typees,he looked upon it as idle; and with arguments that I could not answer,urged the improbability of their provoking the hostilities of the clanby any such measure; especially, as for the purpose of quieting itsapprehensions, they had as yet refrained from making any visit to thebay. 'And even should they consent,' said Toby, 'they would only producea commotion in the valley, in which we might both be sacrificed by theseferocious islanders.' This was unanswerable; but still I clung to thebelief that he might succeed in accomplishing the other part of my plan;and at last I overcame his scruples, and he agreed to make the attempt.

  As soon as we succeeded in making the natives understand our intention,they broke out into the most vehement opposition to the measure, andfor a while I almost despaired of obtaining their consent. At the barethought of one of us leaving them, they manifested the most livelyconcern. The grief and consternation of Kory-Kory, in particular, wasunbounded; he threw himself into a perfect paroxysm of gestures whichwere intended to convey to us not only his abhorrence of Nukuhevaand its uncivilized inhabitants, but also his astonishment that afterbecoming acquainted with the enlightened Typees, we should evince theleast desire to withdraw, even for a time, from their agreeable society.

  However, I overbore his objections by appealing to my lameness; fromwhich I assured the natives I should speedily recover if Toby werepermitted to obtain the supplies I needed.

  It was agreed that on the following morning my companion should depart,accompanied by some one or two of the household, who should point out tohim an easy route, by which the bay might be reached before sunset.

  At early dawn of the next day, our habitation was astir. One of theyoung men mounted into an adjoining cocoanut tree, and threw down anumber of the young fruit, which old Marheyo quickly stripped of thegreen husks, and strung together upon a short pole. These were intendedto refresh Toby on his route.

  The preparations being completed, with no little emotion I bade mycompanion adieu. He promised to return in three days at farthest; and,bidding me keep up my spirits in the interval, turned round the cornerof the pi-pi, and, under the guidance of the venerable Marheyo, wassoon out of sight. His departure oppressed me with melancholy, and,re-entering the dwelling, I threw myself almost in despair upon thematting of the floor.

  In two hours' time the old warrior returned, and gave me to understandthat after accompanying my companion a little distance, and showing himthe route, he had left him journeying on his way.

  It was about noon of this same day, a season which these people are wontto pass in sleep, that I lay in the house, surrounded by its slumberinginmates, and painfully affected by the strange silence which prevailed.All at once I thought I heard a faint shout, as if proceeding fromsome persons in the depth of the grove which extended in front of ourhabitation.

  The sounds grew louder and nearer, and gradually the whole valley rangwith wild outcries. The sleepers around me started to their feet inalarm, and hurried outside to discover the cause of the commotion.Kory-Kory, who had been the first to spring up, soon returned almostbreathless, and nearly frantic with the excitement under which he seemedto be labouring. All that I could understand from him was that someaccident had happened to Toby. Apprehensive of some dreadful calamity,I rushed out of the house, and caught sight of a tumultuous crowd, who,with shrieks and lamentations, were just emerging from the grovebearing in their arms some object, the sight of which produced all thistransport of sorrow. As they drew near, the men redoubled theircries, while the girls, tossing their bare arms in the air, exclaimedplaintively, 'Awha! awha! Toby mukee moee!'--Alas! alas! Toby is killed!

  In a moment the crowd opened, and disclosed the apparently lifeless bodyof my companion home between two men, the head hanging heavily againstthe breast of the foremost. The whole face, neck, back, and bosom werecovered with blood, which still trickled slowly from a wound behind thetemple. In the midst of the greatest uproar and confusion the body wascarried into the house and laid on a mat. Waving the natives off to giveroom and air, I bent eagerly over Toby, and, laying my hand upon thebreast, ascertained that the heart still beat. Overjoyed at this, Iseized a calabash of water, and dashed its contents upon his face, thenwiping away the blood, anxiously examined the wound. It was about threeinches long, and on removing the clotted hair from about it, showed theskull laid completely bare. Immediately with my knife I cut away theheavy locks, and bathed the part repeatedly in water.

  In a few moments Toby revived, and opening his eyes for a second--closedthem again without speaking. Kory-Kory, who had been kneeling beside me,now chafed his limbs gently with the palms of his hands, while a younggirl at his head kept fanning him, and I still continued to moisten hislips and brow. Soon my poor comrade showed signs of animation, and Isucceeded in making him swallow from a cocoanut shell a few mouthfuls ofwater.

  Old Tinor now appeared, holding in her hand some simples she hadgathered, the juice of which she by signs besought me to squeeze intothe wound. Having done so, I thought it best to leave Toby undisturbeduntil he should have had time to rally his faculties. Several times heopened his lips, but fearful for his safety I enjoined silence. In thecourse of two or three hours, however, he sat up, and was sufficientlyrecovered to tell me what had occurred.

  'After leaving t
he house with Marheyo,' said Toby, 'we struck across thevalley, and ascended the opposite heights. Just beyond them, my guideinformed me, lay the valley of Happar, while along their summits, andskirting the head of the vale, was my route to Nukuheva. After mountinga little way up the elevation my guide paused, and gave me to understandthat he could not accompany me any farther, and by various signsintimated that he was afraid to approach any nearer the territories ofthe enemies of his tribe. He however pointed out my path, which nowlay clearly before me, and bidding me farewell, hastily descended themountain.

  'Quite elated at being so near the Happars, I pushed up the acclivity,and soon gained its summit. It tapered to a sharp ridge, from whenceI beheld both the hostile valleys. Here I sat down and rested for amoment, refreshing myself with my cocoanuts. I was soon again pursuingmy way along the height, when suddenly I saw three of the islanders, whomust have just come out of Happar valley, standing in the path ahead ofme. They were each armed with a heavy spear, and one from his appearanceI took to be a chief. They sung out something, I could not understandwhat, and beckoned me to come on.

  'Without the least hesitation I advanced towards them, and hadapproached within about a yard of the foremost, when, pointing angrilyinto the Typee valley, and uttering some savage exclamation, he wheeledround his weapon like lightning, and struck me in a moment to theground. The blow inflicted this wound, and took away my senses. As soonas I came to myself, I perceived the three islanders standing a littledistance off, and apparently engaged in some violent altercationrespecting me.

  'My first impulse was to run for it; but, in endeavouring to rise, Ifell back, and rolled down a little grassy precipice. The shock seemedto rally my faculties; so, starting to my feet, I fled down the path Ihad just ascended. I had no need to look behind me, for, from the yellsI heard, I knew that my enemies were in full pursuit. Urged on by theirfearful outcries, and heedless of the injury I had received--thoughthe blood flowing from the wound trickled over into my eyes and almostblinded me--I rushed down the mountain side with the speed of the wind.In a short time I had descended nearly a third of the distance, and thesavages had ceased their cries, when suddenly a terrific howl burst uponmy ear, and at the same moment a heavy javelin darted past me as I fled,and stuck quivering in a tree close to me. Another yell followed, anda second spear and a third shot through the air within a few feet of mybody, both of them piercing the ground obliquely in advance of me. Thefellows gave a roar of rage and disappointment; but they were afraid, Isuppose, of coming down further into the Typee valley, and so abandonedthe chase. I saw them recover their weapons and turn back; and Icontinued my descent as fast as I could.

  'What could have caused this ferocious attack on the part of theseHappars I could not imagine, unless it were that they had seen meascending the mountain with Marheyo, and that the mere fact of comingfrom the Typee valley was sufficient to provoke them.

  'As long as I was in danger I scarcely felt the wound I had received;but when the chase was over I began to suffer from it. I had lost myhat in the flight, and the run scorched my bare head. I felt faintand giddy; but, fearful of falling to the ground beyond the reach ofassistance, I staggered on as well as I could, and at last gained thelevel of the valley, and then down I sank; and I knew nothing more untilI found myself lying upon these mats, and you stooping over me with thecalabash of water.'

  Such was Toby's account of this sad affair. I afterwards learned that,fortunately, he had fallen close to a spot where the natives go forfuel. A party of them caught sight of him as he fell, and soundingthe alarm, had lifted him up; and after ineffectually endeavouring torestore him at the brook, had hurried forward with him to the house.

  This incident threw a dark cloud over our prospects. It reminded us thatwe were hemmed in by hostile tribes, whose territories we could not hopeto pass, on our route to Nukuheva, without encountering the effects oftheir savage resentment. There appeared to be no avenue opened to ourescape but the sea, which washed the lower extremities of the vale.

  Our Typee friends availed themselves of the recent disaster of Toby toexhort us to a due appreciation of the blessings we enjoyed among them,contrasting their own generous reception of us with the animosity oftheir neighbours. They likewise dwelt upon the cannibal propensities ofthe Happars, a subject which they were perfectly aware could not failto alarm us; while at the same time they earnestly disclaimed allparticipation in so horrid a custom. Nor did they omit to call uponus to admire the natural loveliness of their own abode, and the lavishabundance with which it produced all manner of luxuriant fruits;exalting it in this particular above any of the surrounding valleys.

  Kory-Kory seemed to experience so heartfelt a desire to infuse into ourminds proper views on these subjects, that, assisted in his endeavoursby the little knowledge of the language we had acquired, he actuallymade us comprehend a considerable part of what he said. To facilitateour correct apprehension of his meaning, he at first condensed his ideasinto the smallest possible compass.

  'Happar keekeeno nuee,' he exclaimed, 'nuee, nuee, ki kikannaka!--ah! owle motarkee!' which signifies, 'Terrible fellows thoseHappars!--devour an amazing quantity of men!--ah, shocking bad!'Thus far he explained himself by a variety of gestures, duringthe performance of which he would dart out of the house, and pointabhorrently towards the Happar valley; running in to us again witha rapidity that showed he was fearful he would lose one part ofhis meaning before he could complete the other; and continuing hisillustrations by seizing the fleshy part of my arm in his teeth,intimating by the operation that the people who lived over in thatdirection would like nothing better than to treat me in that manner.

  Having assured himself that we were fully enlightened on this point, heproceeded to another branch of his subject. 'Ah! Typee mortakee!--nuee,nuee mioree--nuee, nuee wai--nuee, nuee poee-poee--nuee, nuee kokoo--ah!nuee, nuee kiki--ah! nuee, nuee, nuee!' Which literally interpretedas before, would imply, 'Ah, Typee! isn't it a fine place though!--nodanger of starving here, I tell you!--plenty of bread-fruit--plenty ofwater--plenty of pudding--ah! plenty of everything! ah! heaps, heapsheaps!' All this was accompanied by a running commentary of signs andgestures which it was impossible not to comprehend.

  As he continued his harangue, however, Kory-Kory, in emulation of ourmore polished orators, began to launch out rather diffusely into otherbranches of his subject, enlarging probably upon the moral reflectionsit suggested; and proceeded in such a strain of unintelligible andstunning gibberish, that he actually gave me the headache for the restof the day.