Typee: A Romance of the South Seas

by Herman Melville

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  APPREHENSIONS OF EVIL--FRIGHTFUL DISCOVERY--SOME REMARKSON CANNIBALISM--SECOND BATTLE WITH THE HAPPARS--SAVAGESPECTACLE--MYSTERIOUS FEAST--SUBSEQUENT DISCLOSURES

  FROM the time of my casual encounter with Karky the artist, my life wasone of absolute wretchedness. Not a day passed but I was persecuted bythe solicitations of some of the natives to subject myself to the odiousoperation of tattooing. Their importunities drove me half wild, for Ifelt how easily they might work their will upon me regarding this oranything else which they took into their heads. Still, however, thebehaviour of the islanders towards me was as kind as ever. Fayaway wasquite as engaging; Kory-Kory as devoted; and Mehevi the king just asgracious and condescending as before. But I had now been three months intheir valley, as nearly as I could estimate; I had grown familiar withthe narrow limits to which my wandering had been confined; and I beganbitterly to feel the state of captivity in which I was held. Therewas no one with whom I could freely converse; no one to whom I couldcommunicate my thoughts; no one who could sympathize with my sufferings.A thousand times I thought how much more endurable would have been mylot had Toby still been with me. But I was left alone, and the thoughtwas terrible to me. Still, despite my griefs, I did all in my powerto appear composed and cheerful, well knowing that by manifesting anyuneasiness, or any desire to escape, I should only frustrate my object.

  It was during the period I was in this unhappy frame of mind that thepainful malady under which I had been labouring--after having almostcompletely subsided--began again to show itself, and with symptoms asviolent as ever. This added calamity nearly unmanned me; the recurrenceof the complaint proved that without powerful remedial applicationsall hope of cure was futile; and when I reflected that just beyond theelevations, which bound me in, was the medical relief I needed, and thatalthough so near, it was impossible for me to avail myself of it, thethought was misery.

  In this wretched situation, every circumstance which evinced thesavage nature of the beings at whose mercy I was, augmented the fearfulapprehensions that consumed me. An occurrence which happened about thistime affected me most powerfully.

  I have already mentioned that from the ridge-pole of Marheyo's housewere suspended a number of packages enveloped in tappa. Many of these Ihad often seen in the hands of the natives, and their contents had beenexamined in my presence. But there were three packages hangingvery nearly over the place where I lay, which from their remarkableappearance had often excited my curiosity. Several times I had askedKory-Kory to show me their contents, but my servitor, who, in almostevery other particular had acceded to my wishes, refused to gratify mein this.

  One day, returning unexpectedly from the 'Ti', my arrival seemed tothrow the inmates of the house into the greatest confusion. They wereseated together on the mats, and by the lines which extended from theroof to the floor I immediately perceived that the mysterious packageswere for some purpose or another under inspection. The evident alarmthe savages betrayed filled me with forebodings of evil, and with anuncontrollable desire to penetrate the secret so jealously guarded.Despite the efforts of Marheyo and Kory-Kory to restrain me, I forcedmy way into the midst of the circle, and just caught a glimpse of threehuman heads, which others of the party were hurriedly enveloping in thecoverings from which they had been taken.

  One of the three I distinctly saw. It was in a state of perfectpreservation, and from the slight glimpse I had of it, seemed to havebeen subjected to some smoking operation which had reduced it to thedry, hard, and mummy-like appearance it presented. The two long scalplocks were twisted up into balls upon the crown of the head in the sameway that the individual had worn them during life. The sunken cheekswere rendered yet more ghastly by the rows of glistening teeth whichprotruded from between the lips, while the sockets of the eyes--filledwith oval bits of mother-of-pearl shell, with a black spot in thecentre--heightened the hideousness of its aspect.

  Two of the three were heads of the islanders; but the third, to myhorror, was that of a white man. Although it had been quickly removedfrom my sight, still the glimpse I had of it was enough to convince methat I could not be mistaken.

  Gracious God! what dreadful thoughts entered my head; in solving thismystery perhaps I had solved another, and the fate of my lost companionmight be revealed in the shocking spectacle I had just witnessed. Ilonged to have torn off the folds of cloth and satisfied the awfuldoubts under which I laboured. But before I had recovered from theconsternation into which I had been thrown, the fatal packages werehoisted aloft, and once more swung over my head. The natives nowgathered round me tumultuously, and laboured to convince me that whatI had just seen were the heads of three Happar warriors, who had beenslain in battle. This glaring falsehood added to my alarm, and it wasnot until I reflected that I had observed the packages swinging fromtheir elevation before Toby's disappearance, that I could at all recovermy composure.

  But although this horrible apprehension had been dispelled, I haddiscovered enough to fill me, in my present state of mind, with the mostbitter reflections. It was plain that I had seen the last relic of someunfortunate wretch, who must have been massacred on the beach by thesavages, in one of those perilous trading adventures which I have beforedescribed.

  It was not, however, alone the murder of the stranger that overcame mewith gloom. I shuddered at the idea of the subsequent fate his inanimatebody might have met with. Was the same doom reserved for me? Was Idestined to perish like him--like him perhaps, to be devoured and myhead to be preserved as a fearful memento of the events? My imaginationran riot in these horrid speculations, and I felt certain that theworst possible evils would befall me. But whatever were my misgivings, Istudiously concealed them from the islanders, as well as the full extentof the discovery I had made.

  Although the assurances which the Typees had often given me, that theynever eat human flesh, had not convinced me that such was the case, yet,having been so long a time in the valley without witnessing anythingwhich indicated the existence of the practice, I began to hope that itwas an event of very rare occurrence, and that I should be spared thehorror of witnessing it during my stay among them: but, alas, thesehopes were soon destroyed.

  It is a singular fact, that in all our accounts of cannibal tribes wehave seldom received the testimony of an eye-witness account to thisrevolting practice. The horrible conclusion has almost always beenderived from the second-hand evidence of Europeans, or else from theadmissions of the savages themselves, after they have in some degreebecome civilized. The Polynesians are aware of the detestation in whichEuropeans hold this custom, and therefore invariably deny its existence,and with the craft peculiar to savages, endeavour to conceal every traceof it.

  The excessive unwillingness betrayed by the Sandwich Islanders, even atthe present day, to allude to the unhappy fate of Cook, has often beenremarked. And so well have they succeeded in covering the event withmystery, that to this very hour, despite all that has been said andwritten on the subject, it still remains doubtful whether they wreakedupon his murdered body the vengeance they sometimes inflicted upon theirenemies.

  At Kealakekau, the scene of that tragedy, a strip of ship's coppernailed against an upright post in the ground used to informthe traveller that beneath reposed the 'remains' of the greatcircumnavigator. But I am strongly inclined to believe not only thecorpse was refused Christian burial, but that the heart which wasbrought to Vancouver some time after the event, and which the Hawaiiansstoutly maintained was that of Captain Cook, was no such thing; and thatthe whole affair was a piece of imposture which was sought to be palmedoff upon the credulous Englishman.

  A few years since there was living on the island of Maui (one of theSandwich group) an old chief, who, actuated by a morbid desire fornotoriety, gave himself out among the foreign residents of the placeas the living tomb of Captain Cook's big toe!--affirming that at thecannibal entertainment which ensued after the lamented Briton's death,that particular portion of his body had fallen to his share. Hisi
ndignant countrymen actually caused him to be prosecuted in the nativecourts, on a charge nearly equivalent to what we term defamation ofcharacter; but the old fellow persisting in his assertion, and noinvalidating proof being adduced, the plaintiffs were cast in the suit,and the cannibal reputation of the defendant firmly established. Thisresult was the making of his fortune; ever afterwards he was in thehabit of giving very profitable audiences to all curious travellers whowere desirous of beholding the man who had eaten the great navigator'sgreat toe.

  About a week after my discovery of the contents of the mysteriouspackages, I happened to be at the Ti, when another war-alarm wassounded, and the natives rushing to their arms, sallied out to resista second incursion of the Happar invaders. The same scene was againrepeated, only that on this occasion I heard at least fifteen reports ofmuskets from the mountains during the time that the skirmish lasted.An hour or two after its termination, loud paeans chanted through thevalley announced the approach of the victors. I stood with Kory-Koryleaning against the railing of the pi-pi awaiting their advance, whena tumultuous crowd of islanders emerged with wild clamours fromthe neighbouring groves. In the midst of them marched four men, onepreceding the other at regular intervals of eight or ten feet, withpoles of a corresponding length, extending from shoulder to shoulder,to which were lashed with thongs of bark three long narrow bundles,carefully wrapped in ample coverings of freshly plucked palm-leaves,tacked together with slivers of bamboo. Here and there upon these greenwinding-sheets might be seen the stains of blood, while the warriors whocarried the frightful burdens displayed upon their naked limbs similarsanguinary marks. The shaven head of the foremost had a deep gash uponit, and the clotted gore which had flowed from the wound remained in drypatches around it. The savage seemed to be sinking under the weighthe bore. The bright tattooing upon his body was covered with bloodand dust; his inflamed eyes rolled in their sockets, and his wholeappearance denoted extraordinary suffering and exertion; yet sustainedby some powerful impulse, he continued to advance, while the throngaround him with wild cheers sought to encourage him. The other three menwere marked about the arms and breasts with several slight wounds, whichthey somewhat ostentatiously displayed.

  These four individuals, having been the most active in the lateencounter, claimed the honour of bearing the bodies of their slainenemies to the Ti. Such was the conclusion I drew from my ownobservations, and, as far as I could understand, from the explanationwhich Kory-Kory gave me.

  The royal Mehevi walked by the side of these heroes. He carried in onehand a musket, from the barrel of which was suspended a small canvaspouch of powder, and in the other he grasped a short javelin, which heheld before him and regarded with fierce exultation. This javelin he hadwrested from a celebrated champion of the Happars, who had ignominiouslyfled, and was pursued by his foes beyond the summit of the mountain.

  When within a short distance of the Ti, the warrior with the woundedhead, who proved to be Narmonee, tottered forward two or three steps,and fell helplessly to the ground; but not before another had caught theend of the pole from his shoulder, and placed it upon his own.

  The excited throng of islanders, who surrounded the person of the kingand the dead bodies of the enemy, approached the spot where I stood,brandishing their rude implements of warfare, many of which were bruisedand broken, and uttering continual shouts of triumph. When the crowddrew up opposite the Ti, I set myself to watch their proceedings mostattentively; but scarcely had they halted when my servitor, who had leftmy side for an instant, touched my arm and proposed our returning toMarheyo's house. To this I objected; but, to my surprise, Kory-Koryreiterated his request, and with an unusual vehemence of manner. Still,however, I refused to comply, and was retreating before him, as in hisimportunity he pressed upon me, when I felt a heavy hand laid upon myshoulder, and turning round, encountered the bulky form of Mow-Mow, aone-eyed chief, who had just detached himself from the crowd below, andhad mounted the rear of the pi-pi upon which we stood. His cheek hadbeen pierced by the point of a spear, and the wound imparted a stillmore frightful expression to his hideously tattooed face, alreadydeformed by the loss of an eye. The warrior, without uttering asyllable, pointed fiercely in the direction of Marheyo's house, whileKory-Kory, at the same time presenting his back, desired me to mount.

  I declined this offer, but intimated my willingness to withdraw, andmoved slowly along the piazza, wondering what could be the cause of thisunusual treatment. A few minutes' consideration convinced me that thesavages were about to celebrate some hideous rite in connection withtheir peculiar customs, and at which they were determined I should notbe present. I descended from the pi-pi, and attended by Kory-Kory, whoon this occasion did not show his usual commiseration for my lameness,but seemed only anxious to hurry me on, walked away from the place. As Ipassed through the noisy throng, which by this time completely environedthe Ti, I looked with fearful curiosity at the three packages, which nowwere deposited upon the ground; but although I had no doubt as to theircontents, still their thick coverings prevented my actually detectingthe form of a human body.

  The next morning, shortly after sunrise, the same thundering soundswhich had awakened me from sleep on the second day of the Feast ofCalabashes, assured me that the savages were on the eve of celebratinganother, and, as I fully believed, a horrible solemnity.

  All the inmates of the house, with the exception of Marheyo, his son,and Tinor, after assuming their gala dresses, departed in the directionof the Taboo Groves.

  Although I did not anticipate a compliance with my request, still, witha view of testing the truth of my suspicions, I proposed to Kory-Korythat, according to our usual custom in the morning, we should take astroll to the Ti: he positively refused; and when I renewed the request,he evinced his determination to prevent my going there; and, to divertmy mind from the subject, he offered to accompany me to the stream. Weaccordingly went, and bathed. On our coming back to the house, I wassurprised to find that all its inmates had returned, and were loungingupon the mats as usual, although the drums still sounded from thegroves.

  The rest of the day I spent with Kory-Kory and Fayaway, wandering abouta part of the valley situated in an opposite direction from the Ti,and whenever I so much as looked towards that building, although it washidden from view by intervening trees, and at the distance of more thana mile, my attendant would exclaim, 'Taboo, taboo!'

  At the various houses where we stopped, I found many of the inhabitantsreclining at their ease, or pursuing some light occupation, as ifnothing unusual were going forward; but amongst them all I did notperceive a single chief or warrior. When I asked several of the peoplewhy they were not at the 'Hoolah Hoolah' (the feast), their uniformlyanswered the question in a manner which implied that it was not intendedfor them, but for Mehevi, Narmonee, Mow-Mow, Kolor, Womonoo, Kalow,running over, in their desire to make me comprehend their meaning, thenames of all the principal chiefs.

  Everything, in short, strengthened my suspicions with regard to thenature of the festival they were now celebrating; and which amountedalmost to a certainty. While in Nukuheva I had frequently been informedthat the whole tribe were never present at these cannibal banquets, butthe chiefs and priests only; and everything I now observed agreed withthe account.

  The sound of the drums continued without intermission the whole day, andfalling continually upon my ear, caused me a sensation of horror which Iam unable to describe. On the following day, hearing none of thosenoisy indications of revelry, I concluded that the inhuman feast wasterminated; and feeling a kind of morbid curiosity to discover whetherthe Ti might furnish any evidence of what had taken place there, Iproposed to Kory-Kory to walk there. To this proposition he repliedby pointing with his finger to the newly risen sun, and then up to thezenith, intimating that our visit must be deferred until noon. Shortlyafter that hour we accordingly proceeded to the Taboo Groves, and assoon as we entered their precincts, I looked fearfully round in, questof some memorial of the scene which had so lately been acted the
re; buteverything appeared as usual. On reaching the Ti, we found Mehevi and afew chiefs reclining on the mats, who gave me as friendly a reception asever. No allusions of any kind were made by them to the recent events;and I refrained, for obvious reasons, from referring to them myself.

  After staying a short time I took my leave. In passing along the piazza,previously to descending from the pi-pi, I observed a curiously carvedvessel of wood, of considerable size, with a cover placed over it, ofthe same material, and which resembled in shape a small canoe. It wassurrounded by a low railing of bamboos, the top of which was scarcelya foot from the ground. As the vessel had been placed in its presentposition since my last visit, I at once concluded that it must havesome connection with the recent festival, and, prompted by a curiosityI could not repress, in passing it I raised one end of the cover; at thesame moment the chiefs, perceiving my design, loudly ejaculated, 'Taboo!taboo!'

  But the slight glimpse sufficed; my eyes fell upon the disorderedmembers of a human skeleton, the bones still fresh with moisture, andwith particles of flesh clinging to them here and there!

  Kory-Kory, who had been a little in advance of me, attracted bythe exclamations of the chiefs, turned round in time to witness theexpression of horror on my countenance. He now hurried towards me,pointing at the same time to the canoe, and exclaiming rapidly,'Puarkee! puarkee!' (Pig, pig). I pretended to yield to the deception,and repeated the words after him several times, as though acquiescingin what he said. The other savages, either deceived by my conductor unwilling to manifest their displeasure at what could not now beremedied, took no further notice of the occurrence, and I immediatelyleft the Ti.

  All that night I lay awake, revolving in my mind the fearful situationin which I was placed. The last horrid revelation had now been made, andthe full sense of my condition rushed upon my mind with a force I hadnever before experienced.

  Where, thought I, desponding, is there the slightest prospect of escape?The only person who seemed to possess the ability to assist me was thestranger Marnoo; but would he ever return to the valley? and if he did,should I be permitted to hold any communication with him? It seemed asif I were cut off from every source of hope, and that nothing remainedbut passively to await whatever fate was in store for me. A thousandtimes I endeavoured to account for the mysterious conduct of thenatives.

  For what conceivable purpose did they thus retain me a captive? Whatcould be their object in treating me with such apparent kindness, anddid it not cover some treacherous scheme? Or, if they had no otherdesign than to hold me a prisoner, how should I be able to pass away mydays in this narrow valley, deprived of all intercourse with civilizedbeings, and for ever separated from friends and home?

  One only hope remained to me. The French could not long defer a visitto the bay, and if they should permanently locate any of their troopsin the valley, the savages could not for any length of time conceal myexistence from them. But what reason had I to suppose that I should bespared until such an event occurred, an event which might be postponedby a hundred different contingencies?