Typee: A Romance of the South Seas

by Herman Melville

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  MELANCHOLY CONDITION--OCCURRENCE AT THE TI--ANECDOTE OF MARHEYO--SHAVINGTHE HEAD OF A WARRIOR

  IN looking back to this period, and calling to remembrance thenumberless proofs of kindness and respect which I received from thenatives of the valley, I can scarcely understand how it was that, in themidst of so many consolatory circumstances, my mind should still havebeen consumed by the most dismal forebodings, and have remained aprey to the profoundest melancholy. It is true that the suspiciouscircumstances which had attended the disappearance of Toby were enoughof themselves to excite distrust with regard to the savages, in whosepower I felt myself to be entirely placed, especially when it wascombined with the knowledge that these very men, kind and respectfulas they were to me, were, after all, nothing better than a set ofcannibals.

  But my chief source of anxiety, and that which poisoned every temporaryenjoyment, was the mysterious disease in my leg, which still remainedunabated. All the herbal applications of Tinor, united with the severerdiscipline of the old leech, and the affectionate nursing of Kory-Kory,had failed to relieve me. I was almost a cripple, and the pain I enduredat intervals was agonizing. The unaccountable malady showed no signsof amendment: on the contrary, its violence increased day by day, andthreatened the most fatal results, unless some powerful means wereemployed to counteract it. It seemed as if I were destined to sinkunder this grievous affliction, or at least that it would hinder me fromavailing myself of any opportunity of escaping from the valley.

  An incident which occurred as nearly as I can estimate about three weeksafter the disappearance of Toby, convinced me that the natives, fromsome reason or other, would interpose every possible obstacle to myleaving them.

  One morning there was no little excitement evinced by the people nearmy abode, and which I soon discovered proceeded from a vague reportthat boats, had been seen at a great distance approaching the bay.Immediately all was bustle and animation. It so happened that day thatthe pain I suffered having somewhat abated, and feeling in much betterspirits than usual, I had complied with Kory-Kory's invitation to visitthe chief Mehevi at the place called the 'Ti', which I have beforedescribed as being situated within the precincts of the Taboo Groves.These sacred recesses were at no great distance from Marheyo'shabitation, and lay between it and the sea; the path that conducted tothe beach passing directly in front of the Ti, and thence skirting alongthe border of the groves.

  I was reposing upon the mats, within the sacred building, in companywith Mehevi and several other chiefs, when the announcement was firstmade. It sent a thrill of joy through my whole frame;--perhaps Toby wasabout to return. I rose at once to my feet, and my instinctive impulsewas to hurry down to the beach, equally regardless of the distance thatseparated me from it, and of my disabled condition. As soon as Mehevinoticed the effect the intelligence had produced upon me, and theimpatience I betrayed to reach the sea, his countenance assumed thatinflexible rigidity of expression which had so awed me on the afternoonof our arrival at the house of Marheyo. As I was proceeding to leavethe Ti, he laid his hand upon my shoulder, and said gravely, 'abo, abo'(wait, wait). Solely intent upon the one thought that occupied my mind,and heedless of his request, I was brushing past him, when suddenly heassumed a tone of authority, and told me to 'moee' (sit down). Thoughstruck by the alteration in his demeanour, the excitement under which Ilaboured was too strong to permit me to obey the unexpected command,and I was still limping towards the edge of the pi-pi with Kory-Koryclinging to one arm in his efforts to restrain me, when the nativesaround started to their feet, ranged themselves along the open front ofthe building, while Mehevi looked at me scowlingly, and reiterated hiscommands still more sternly.

  It was at this moment, when fifty savage countenances were glaring uponme, that I first truly experienced I was indeed a captive in thevalley. The conviction rushed upon me with staggering force, and I wasoverwhelmed by this confirmation of my worst fears. I saw at once thatit was useless for me to resist, and sick at heart, I reseated myselfupon the mats, and for the moment abandoned myself to despair.

  I now perceived the natives one after the other hurrying past the Ti andpursuing the route that conducted to the sea. These savages, thoughtI, will soon be holding communication with some of my own countrymenperhaps, who with ease could restore me to liberty did they know of thesituation I was in. No language can describe the wretchedness which Ifelt; and in the bitterness of my soul I imprecated a thousand curses onthe perfidious Toby, who had thus abandoned me to destruction. It was invain that Kory-Kory tempted me with food, or lighted my pipe, or soughtto attract my attention by performing the uncouth antics thathad sometimes diverted me. I was fairly knocked down by this lastmisfortune, which, much as I had feared it, I had never before had thecourage calmly to contemplate.

  Regardless of everything but my own sorrow, I remained in the Ti forseveral hours, until shouts proceeding at intervals from the grovesbeyond the house proclaimed the return of the natives from the beach.

  Whether any boats visited the bay that morning or not, I never couldascertain. The savages assured me that there had not--but I was inclinedto believe that by deceiving me in this particular they sought to allaythe violence of my grief. However that might be, this incident showedplainly that the Typees intended to hold me a prisoner. As they stilltreated me with the same sedulous attention as before, I was utterlyat a loss how to account for their singular conduct. Had I been in asituation to instruct them in any of the rudiments of the mechanic arts,or had I manifested a disposition to render myself in any way usefulamong them, their conduct might have been attributed to some adequatemotive, but as it was, the matter seemed to me inexplicable.

  During my whole stay on the island there occurred but two or threeinstances where the natives applied to me with the view of availingthemselves of my superior information; and these now appear so ludicrousthat I cannot forbear relating them.

  The few things we had brought from Nukuheva had been done up into asmall bundle which we had carried with us in our descent to the valley.This bundle, the first night of our arrival, I had used as a pillow, buton the succeeding morning, opening it for the inspection of the natives,they gazed upon the miscellaneous contents as though I had just revealedto them a casket of diamonds, and they insisted that so precious atreasure should be properly secured. A line was accordingly attached toit, and the other end being passed over the ridge-pole of the house, itwas hoisted up to the apex of the roof, where it hung suspended directlyover the mats where I usually reclined. When I desired anything from itI merely raised my finger to a bamboo beside me, and taking hold ofthe string which was there fastened, lowered the package. This wasexceedingly handy, and I took care to let the natives understand howmuch I applauded the invention. Of this package the chief contents werea razor with its case, a supply of needles and thread, a pound or two oftobacco and a few yards of bright-coloured calico.

  I should have mentioned that shortly after Toby's disappearance,perceiving the uncertainty of the time I might be obliged to remain inthe valley--if, indeed, I ever should escape from it--and consideringthat my whole wardrobe consisted of a shirt and a pair of trousers, Iresolved to doff these garments at once, in order to preserve them ina suitable condition for wear should I again appear among civilizedbeings. I was consequently obliged to assume the Typee costume, a littlealtered, however, to suit my own views of propriety, and in which I haveno doubt I appeared to as much advantage as a senator of Rome envelopedin the folds of his toga. A few folds of yellow tappa tucked about mywaist, descended to my feet in the style of a lady's petticoat, onlyI did not have recourse to those voluminous paddings in the rear withwhich our gentle dames are in the habit of augmenting the sublimerotundity of their figures. This usually comprised my in-door dress;whenever I walked out, I superadded to it an ample robe of the samematerial, which completely enveloped my person, and screened it from therays of the sun.

  One morning I made a rent in this mantle; and to show the islande
rs withwhat facility it could be repaired, I lowered my bundle, and takingfrom it a needle and thread, proceeded to stitch up the opening. Theyregarded this wonderful application of science with intense admiration;and whilst I was stitching away, old Marheyo, who was one of thelookers-on, suddenly clapped his hand to his forehead, and rushing toa corner of the house, drew forth a soiled and tattered strip of fadedcalico which he must have procured some time or other in traffic on thebeach--and besought me eagerly to exercise a little of my art upon it.I willingly complied, though certainly so stumpy a needle as mine nevertook such gigantic strides over calico before. The repairs completed,old Marheyo gave me a paternal hug; and divesting himself of his 'maro'(girdle), swathed the calico about his loins, and slipping the belovedornaments into his ears, grasped his spear and sallied out of the house,like a valiant Templar arrayed in a new and costly suit of armour.

  I never used my razor during my stay in the island, but although avery subordinate affair, it had been vastly admired by the Typees; andNarmonee, a great hero among them, who was exceedingly precise in thearrangements of his toilet and the general adjustment of is person,being the most accurately tattooed and laboriously horrified individualin all the valley, thought it would be a great advantage to have itapplied to the already shaven crown of his head.

  The implement they usually employ is a shark's tooth, which is about aswell adapted to the purpose as a one-pronged fork for pitching hay. Nowonder, then, that the acute Narmonee perceived the advantage my razorpossessed over the usual implement. Accordingly, one day he requested asa personal favour that I would just run over his head with the razor. Inreply, I gave him to understand that it was too dull, and could not beused to any purpose without being previously sharpened. To assist mymeaning, I went through an imaginary honing process on the palm of myhand. Narmonee took my meaning in an instant, and running out of thehouse, returned the next moment with a huge rough mass of rock as bigas a millstone, and indicated to me that that was exactly the thingI wanted. Of course there was nothing left for me but to proceed tobusiness, and I began scraping away at a great rate. He writhed andwriggled under the infliction, but, fully convinced of my skill, enduredthe pain like a martyr.

  Though I never saw Narmonee in battle I will, from what I then observed,stake my life upon his courage and fortitude. Before commencingoperations, his head had presented a surface of short bristling hairs,and by the time I had concluded my unskilful operation it resembled nota little a stubble field after being gone over with a harrow. However,as the chief expressed the liveliest satisfaction at the result, I wastoo wise to dissent from his opinion.