Typee: A Romance of the South Seas

by Herman Melville

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  A GREAT EVENT HAPPENS IN THE VALLEY--THE ISLAND TELEGRAPH--SOMETHINGBEFALLS TOBY--FAYAWAY DISPLAYS A TENDER HEART--MELANCHOLYREFLECTIONS--MYSTERIOUS CONDUCT OF THE ISLANDERS--DEVOTION OFKORY-KORY--A RURAL COUCH--A LUXURY--KORY-KORY STRIKES A LIGHT A LA TYPEE

  IN the course of a few days Toby had recovered from the effects ofhis adventure with the Happar warriors; the wound on his head rapidlyhealing under the vegetable treatment of the good Tinor. Less fortunatethan my companion however, I still continued to languish under acomplaint, the origin and nature of which were still a mystery. Cut offas I was from all intercourse with the civilized world, and feeling theinefficacy of anything the natives could do to relieve me; knowing,too, that so long as I remained in my present condition, it wouldbe impossible for me to leave the valley, whatever opportunity mightpresent itself; and apprehensive that ere long we might be exposed tosome caprice on the part of the islanders, I now gave up all hopesof recovery, and became a prey to the most gloomy thoughts. A deepdejection fell upon me, which neither the friendly remonstrances ofmy companion, the devoted attentions of Kory-Kory nor all the soothinginfluences of Fayaway could remove.

  One morning as I lay on the mats in the house, plunged in melancholyreverie, and regardless of everything around me, Toby, who had left meabout an hour, returned in haste, and with great glee told me to cheerup and be of good heart; for he believed, from what was going on amongthe natives, that there were boats approaching the bay.

  These tidings operated upon me like magic. The hour of our deliverancewas at hand, and starting up, I was soon convinced that somethingunusual was about to occur. The word 'botee! botee!' was vociferated inall directions; and shouts were heard in the distance, at firstfeebly and faintly; but growing louder and nearer at each successiverepetition, until they were caught up by a fellow in a cocoanut tree afew yards off, who sounding them in turn, they were reiterated from aneighbouring grove, and so died away gradually from point to point, asthe intelligence penetrated into the farthest recess of the valley. Thiswas the vocal telegraph of the islanders; by means of which condenseditems of information could be carried in a very few minutes from thesea to their remotest habitation, a distance of at least eight or ninemiles. On the present occasion it was in active operation; one piece ofinformation following another with inconceivable rapidity.

  The greatest commotion now appeared to prevail. At every fresh item ofintelligence the natives betrayed the liveliest interest, and redoubledthe energy with which they employed themselves in collecting fruit tosell to the expected visitors. Some were tearing off the husks fromcocoanuts; some perched in the trees were throwing down bread-fruitto their companions, who gathered them into heaps as they fell; whileothers were plying their fingers rapidly in weaving leafen baskets inwhich to carry the fruit.

  There were other matters too going on at the same time. Here you wouldsee a stout warrior polishing his spear with a bit of old tappa, oradjusting the folds of the girdle about his waist; and there you mightdescry a young damsel decorating herself with flowers, as if havingin her eye some maidenly conquest; while, as in all cases of hurryand confusion in every part of the world, a number of individuals kepthurrying to and fro, with amazing vigour and perseverance, doing nothingthemselves, and hindering others.

  Never before had we seen the islanders in such a state of bustle andexcitement; and the scene furnished abundant evidence of the fact--thatit was only at long intervals any such events occur.

  When I thought of the length of time that might intervene before asimilar chance of escape would be presented, I bitterly lamented thatI had not the power of availing myself effectually of the presentopportunity.

  From all that we could gather, it appeared that the natives were fearfulof arriving too late upon the beach, unless they made extraordinaryexertions. Sick and lame as I was, I would have started with Toby atonce, had not Kory-Kory not only refused to carry me, but manifestedthe most invincible repugnance to our leaving the neighbourhood of thehouse. The rest of the savages were equally opposed to our wishes, andseemed grieved and astonished at the earnestness of my solicitations.I clearly perceived that while my attendant avoided all appearance ofconstraining my movements, he was nevertheless determined to thwart mywishes. He seemed to me on this particular occasion, as well as oftenafterwards, to be executing the orders of some other person with regardto me, though at the same time feeling towards me the most livelyaffection.

  Toby, who had made up his mind to accompany the islanders if possible,as soon as they were in readiness to depart, and who for that reason hadrefrained from showing the same anxiety that I had done, now representedto me that it was idle for me to entertain the hope of reaching thebeach in time to profit by any opportunity that might then be presented.

  'Do you not see,' said he, 'the savages themselves are fearful of beingtoo late, and I should hurry forward myself at once did I not think thatif I showed too much eagerness I should destroy all our hopes of reapingany benefit from this fortunate event. If you will only endeavour toappear tranquil or unconcerned, you will quiet their suspicions, and Ihave no doubt they will then let me go with them to the beach, supposingthat I merely go out of curiosity. Should I succeed in getting down tothe boats, I will make known the condition in which I have left you, andmeasures may then be taken to secure our escape.'

  In the expediency of this I could not but acquiesce; and as the nativeshad now completed their preparations, I watched with the liveliestinterest the reception that Toby's application might meet with. As soonas they understood from my companion that I intended to remain, theyappeared to make no objection to his proposition, and even hailed itwith pleasure. Their singular conduct on this occasion not a littlepuzzled me at the time, and imparted to subsequent events an additionalmystery.

  The islanders were now to be seen hurrying along the path which led tothe sea. I shook Toby warmly by the hand, and gave him my Payta hatto shield his wounded head from the sun, as he had lost his own. Hecordially returned the pressure of my hand, and solemnly promising toreturn as soon as the boats should leave the shore, sprang from my side,and the next minute disappeared in a turn of the grove.

  In spite of the unpleasant reflections that crowded upon my mind, Icould not but be entertained by the novel and animated sight which bynow met my view. One after another the natives crowded along the narrowpath, laden with every variety of fruit. Here, you might have seen one,who, after ineffectually endeavouring to persuade a surly porker to beconducted in leading strings, was obliged at last to seize the perverseanimal in his arms, and carry him struggling against his naked breast,and squealing without intermission. There went two, who at a littledistance might have been taken for the Hebrew spies, on their return toMoses with the goodly bunch of grape. One trotted before the other at adistance of a couple of yards, while between them, from a pole restingon the shoulders, was suspended a huge cluster of bananas, which swayedto and fro with the rocking gait at which they proceeded. Here rananother, perspiring with his exertions, and bearing before him aquantity of cocoanuts, who, fearful of being too late, heeded not thefruit that dropped from his basket, and appeared solely intent uponreaching his destination, careless how many of his cocoanuts keptcompany with him.

  In a short time the last straggler was seen hurrying on his way, and thefaint shouts of those in advance died insensibly upon the ear. Ourpart of the valley now appeared nearly deserted by its inhabitants,Kory-Kory, his aged father, and a few decrepit old people, being allthat were left.

  Towards sunset the islanders in small parties began to return fromthe beach, and among them, as they drew near to the house, I sought todescry the form of my companion. But one after another they passed thedwelling, and I caught no glimpse of him. Supposing, however, that hewould soon appear with some of the members of the household, I quietedmy apprehensions, and waited patiently to see him advancing in companywith the beautiful Fayaway. At last, I perceived Tinor coming forward,followed by the girls and young
men who usually resided in the house ofMarheyo; but with them came not my comrade, and, filled with a thousandalarms, I eagerly sought to discover the cause of his delay.

  My earnest questions appeared to embarrass the natives greatly. Alltheir accounts were contradictory: one giving me to understand thatToby would be with me in a very short time; another that he did not knowwhere he was; while a third, violently inveighing, against him, assuredme that he had stolen away, and would never come back. It appearedto me, at the time, that in making these various statements theyendeavoured to conceal from me some terrible disaster, lest theknowledge of it should overpower me.

  Fearful lest some fatal calamity had overtaken him, I sought out youngFayaway, and endeavoured to learn from her, if possible, the truth.

  This gentle being had early attracted my regard, not only from herextraordinary beauty, but from the attractive cast of her countenance,singularly expressive of intelligence and humanity. Of all the nativesshe alone seemed to appreciate the effect which the peculiarity of thecircumstances in which we were placed had produced upon the minds of mycompanion and myself. In addressing me--especially when I lay recliningupon the mats suffering from pain--there was a tenderness in her mannerwhich it was impossible to misunderstand or resist. Whenever she enteredthe house, the expression of her face indicated the liveliest sympathyfor me; and moving towards the place where I lay, with one arm slightlyelevated in a gesture of pity, and her large glistening eyes gazingintently into mine, she would murmur plaintively, 'Awha! awha! Tommo,'and seat herself mournfully beside me.

  Her manner convinced me that she deeply compassionated my situation, asbeing removed from my country and friends, and placed beyond the reachof all relief. Indeed, at times I was almost led to believe that hermind was swayed by gentle impulses hardly to be anticipated from one inher condition; that she appeared to be conscious there were ties rudelysevered, which had once bound us to our homes; that there were sistersand brothers anxiously looking forward to our return, who were, perhaps,never more to behold us.

  In this amiable light did Fayaway appear in my eyes; and reposing fullconfidence in her candour and intelligence, I now had recourse to her,in the midst of my alarm, with regard to my companion.

  My questions evidently distressed her. She looked round from one toanother of the bystanders, as if hardly knowing what answer to give me.At last, yielding to my importunities, she overcame her scruples, andgave me to understand that Toby had gone away with the boats which hadvisited the bay, but had promised to return at the expiration of threedays. At first I accused him of perfidiously deserting me; but as I grewmore composed, I upbraided myself for imputing so cowardly an actionto him, and tranquillized myself with the belief that he had availedhimself, of the opportunity to go round to Nukuheva, in order to makesome arrangement by which I could be removed from the valley. At anyrate, thought I, he will return with the medicines I require, and then,as soon as I recover, there will be no difficulty in the way of ourdeparture.

  Consoling myself with these reflections, I lay down that night in ahappier frame of mind than I had done for some time. The next day passedwithout any allusion to Toby on the part of the natives, who seemeddesirous of avoiding all reference to the subject. This raised someapprehensions in my breast; but when night came, I congratulated myselfthat the second day had now gone by, and that on the morrow Toby wouldagain be with me. But the morrow came and went, and my companion didnot appear. Ah! thought I, he reckons three days from the morning of hisdeparture,--tomorrow he will arrive. But that weary day also closed uponme, without his return. Even yet I would not despair; I thought thatsomething detained him--that he was waiting for the sailing of a boat,at Nukuheva, and that in a day or two at farthest I should see himagain. But day after day of renewed disappointment passed by; at lasthope deserted me, and I fell a victim to despair.

  Yes; thought I, gloomily, he has secured his own escape, and cares notwhat calamity may befall his unfortunate comrade. Fool that I was,to suppose that any one would willingly encounter the perils of thisvalley, after having once got beyond its limits! He has gone, and hasleft me to combat alone all the dangers by which I am surrounded. Thuswould I sometimes seek to derive a desperate consolation from dwellingupon the perfidity of Toby: whilst at other times I sunk under thebitter remorse which I felt as having by my own imprudence brought uponmyself the fate which I was sure awaited me.

  At other times I thought that perhaps after all these treacheroussavages had made away with him, and thence the confusion into whichthey were thrown by my questions, and their contradictory answers, or hemight be a captive in some other part of the valley, or, more dreadfulstill, might have met with that fate at which my very soul shuddered.But all these speculations were vain; no tidings of Toby ever reachedme; he had gone never to return.

  The conduct of the islanders appeared inexplicable. All reference to mylost comrade was carefully evaded, and if at any time they were forcedto make some reply to my frequent inquiries on the subject, they woulduniformly denounce him as an ungrateful runaway, who had desertedhis friend, and taken himself off to that vile and detestable placeNukuheva.

  But whatever might have been his fate, now that he was gone the nativesmultiplied their acts of kindness and attention towards myself, treatingme with a degree of deference which could hardly have been surpassed hadI been some celestial visitant. Kory-Kory never for one moment left myside, unless it were to execute my wishes. The faithful fellow, twiceevery day, in the cool of the morning and in the evening, insisted uponcarrying me to the stream, and bathing me in its refreshing water.

  Frequently in the afternoon he would carry me to a particular part ofthe stream, where the beauty of the scene produced a soothing influenceupon my mind. At this place the waters flowed between grassy banks,planted with enormous bread-fruit trees, whose vast branches interlacingoverhead, formed a leafy canopy; near the stream were several smoothblack rocks. One of these, projecting several feet above the surfaceof the water, had upon its summit a shallow cavity, which, filled withfreshly-gathered leaves, formed a delightful couch.

  Here I often lay for hours, covered with a gauze-like veil of tappa,while Fayaway, seated beside me, and holding in her hand a fan wovenfrom the leaflets of a young cocoanut bough, brushed aside the insectsthat occasionally lighted on my face, and Kory-Kory, with a view ofchasing away my melancholy, performed a thousand antics in the waterbefore us.

  As my eye wandered along this romantic stream, it would fall upon thehalf-immersed figure of a beautiful girl, standing in the transparentwater, and catching in a little net a species of diminutive shell-fish,of which these people are extraordinarily fond. Sometimes a chatteringgroup would be seated upon the edge of a low rock in the midst of thebrook, busily engaged in thinning and polishing the shells of cocoanuts,by rubbing them briskly with a small stone in the water, an operationwhich soon converts them into a light and elegant drinking vessel,somewhat resembling goblets made of tortoise shell.

  But the tranquillizing influence of beautiful scenery, and theexhibition of human life under so novel and charming an aspect were notmy only sources of consolation.

  Every evening the girls of the house gathered about me on the mats, andafter chasing away Kory-Kory from my side--who nevertheless, retiredonly to a little distance and watched their proceedings with the mostjealous attention--would anoint my whole body with a fragrant oil,squeezed from a yellow root, previously pounded between a couple ofstones, and which in their language is denominated 'aka'. And mostrefreshing and agreeable are the juices of the 'aka', when applied toones, limbs by the soft palms of sweet nymphs, whose bright eyes arebeaming upon you with kindness; and I used to hail with delight thedaily recurrence of this luxurious operation, in which I forgot all mytroubles, and buried for the time every feeling of sorrow.

  Sometimes in the cool of the evening my devoted servitor would lead meout upon the pi-pi in front of the house, and seating me near its edge,protect my body from the annoyance of the insects whi
ch occasionallyhovered in the air, by wrapping me round with a large roll of tappa.He then bustled about, and employed himself at least twenty minutes inadjusting everything to secure my personal comfort.

  Having perfected his arrangements, he would get my pipe, and, lightingit, would hand it to me. Often he was obliged to strike a light for theoccasion, and as the mode he adopted was entirely different from what Ihad ever seen or heard of before I will describe it.

  A straight, dry, and partly decayed stick of the Hibiscus, about sixfeet in length, and half as many inches in diameter, with a small, bitof wood not more than a foot long, and scarcely an inch wide, is asinvariably to be met with in every house in Typee as a box of lucifermatches in the corner of a kitchen cupboard at home.

  The islander, placing the larger stick obliquely against some object,with one end elevated at an angle of forty-five degrees, mounts astrideof it like an urchin about to gallop off upon a cane, and then graspingthe smaller one firmly in both hands, he rubs its pointed end slowlyup and down the extent of a few inches on the principal stick, until atlast he makes a narrow groove in the wood, with an abrupt terminationat the point furthest from him, where all the dusty particles which thefriction creates are accumulated in a little heap.

  At first Kory-Kory goes to work quite leisurely, but gradually quickenshis pace, and waxing warm in the employment, drives the stick furiouslyalong the smoking channel, plying his hands to and fro with amazingrapidity, the perspiration starting from every pore. As he approachesthe climax of his effort, he pants and gasps for breath, and his eyesalmost start from their sockets with the violence of his exertions. Thisis the critical stage of the operation; all his previous laboursare vain if he cannot sustain the rapidity of the movement until thereluctant spark is produced. Suddenly he stops, becoming perfectlymotionless. His hands still retain their hold of the smaller stick,which is pressed convulsively against the further end of the channelamong the fine powder there accumulated, as if he had just piercedthrough and through some little viper that was wriggling and strugglingto escape from his clutches. The next moment a delicate wreath of smokecurls spirally into the air, the heap of dusty particles glows withfire, and Kory-Kory, almost breathless, dismounts from his steed.

  This operation appeared to me to be the most laborious species of workperformed in Typee; and had I possessed a sufficient intimacy with thelanguage to have conveyed my ideas upon the subject, I should certainlyhave suggested to the most influential of the natives the expediency ofestablishing a college of vestals to be centrally located in the valley,for the purpose of keeping alive the indispensable article of fire; soas to supersede the necessity of such a vast outlay of strength andgood temper, as were usually squandered on these occasions. There might,however, be special difficulties in carrying this plan into execution.

  What a striking evidence does this operation furnish of the widedifference between the extreme of savage and civilized life. A gentlemanof Typee can bring up a numerous family of children and give them alla highly respectable cannibal education, with infinitely less toiland anxiety than he expends in the simple process of striking a light;whilst a poor European artisan, who through the instrumentality of alucifer performs the same operation in one second, is put to his wit'send to provide for his starving offspring that food which the childrenof a Polynesian father, without troubling their parents, pluck from thebranches of every tree around them.