Typee

by Herman Melville

  CHAPTER XII

  Attempt to procure relief from Nukuheva--Perilous adventure of Toby in the 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 attention to us. Their manner towards us was unaccountable. Surely,thought I, they would not act thus if they meant us any harm. But why thisexcess of deferential kindness, or what equivalent can they imagine uscapable of rendering them for it?

  We were fairly puzzled. But, despite the apprehensions I could not dispel,the horrible character imputed to these Typees appeared to be whollyundeserved.

  "Why, they are cannibals!" said Toby, on one occasion when I eulogized thetribe.

  "Granted," I replied, "but a more humane, gentlemanly, and amiable set ofepicures 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. But herethere was an obstacle in the way of doing so. It was idle for me to thinkof moving from the place until I should have recovered from the severelameness that afflicted me; indeed my malady began seriously to alarm me;for, despite the herbal remedies of the natives, it continued to growworse and worse. Their mild applications, though they soothed the pain,did not remove the disorder, and I felt convinced that, without betteraid, 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 how couldthat 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 not succeedin returning to the valley by water in one of the boats of the squadron,and taking me off, he might at least procure me some proper medicines, andeffect 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 with thenatives to make good our retreat, before we should experience some suddenalterations in their behaviour. As he could not think of leaving me in myhelpless condition, he implored me to be of good cheer; assured me that Ishould soon be better, and enabled in a few days to return with him toNukuheva.

  Added to this, he could not bear the idea of again returning to thisdangerous place; and as for the expectation of persuading the Frenchmen todetach a boat's crew for the purpose of rescuing me from the Typees, helooked upon it as idle; and, with arguments that I could not answer, urgedthe improbability of their provoking the hostilities of the clan by anysuch measure; especially as, for the purpose of quieting itsapprehensions, they had as yet refrained from making any visit to the bay."And even should they consent," said Toby, "they would only produce acommotion 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, and, fora 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 Nukuheva and itsuncivilized inhabitants, but also his astonishment that, after becomingacquainted with the enlightened Typees, we should evince the least desireto withdraw, even for a time, from their agreeable society.

  However, I overbore his objections by appealing to my lameness; from whichI assured the natives I should speedily recover, if Toby were permitted toobtain 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 the youngmen mounted into an adjoining cocoa-nut tree, and threw down a number ofthe young fruit, which old Marheyo quickly stripped of the green husks,and strung together upon a short pole. These were intended to refresh Tobyon 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 around the corner ofthe pi-pi, and, under the guidance of the venerable Marheyo, was soon outof sight. His departure oppressed me with melancholy, and, re-entering thedwelling, I threw myself almost in despair upon the matting of the floor.

  In two hours' time the old warrior returned, and gave me to understand,that 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 from somepersons 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 in alarm,and hurried outside to discover the cause of the commotion. Kory-Kory, whohad been the first to spring up, soon returned almost breathless, andnearly frantic with the excitement under which he seemed to be labouring.All that I could understand from him was, that some accident had happenedto Toby. Apprehensive of some dreadful calamity, I rushed out of thehouse, and caught sight of a tumultuous crowd, who, with shrieks andlamentations, were just emerging from the grove, bearing in their armssome object, the sight of which produced all this transport of sorrow. Asthey drew near, the men redoubled their cries, while the girls, tossingtheir bare arms in the air, exclaimed plaintively, "Awha! awha! Tobymuckee moee!"--Alas! alas! Toby is killed!

  In a moment the crowd opened, and disclosed the apparently lifeless bodyof my companion borne between two men, the head hanging heavily againstthe breast of the foremost. The whole face, neck, and bosom were coveredwith blood, which still trickled slowly from a wound behind the temple. Inthe midst of the greatest uproar and confusion, the body was carried intothe house and laid on a mat. Waving the natives off to give room and air,I bent eagerly over Toby, and, laying my hand upon the breast, ascertainedthat the heart still beat. Overjoyed at this, I seized a calabash ofwater, and dashed its contents upon his face, then, wiping away the blood,anxiously examined the wound. It was about three inches long, and, onremoving the clotted hair from about it, showed the skull laid completelybare. Immediately with my knife I cut away the heavy locks, and bathed thepart 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 cocoa-nut shell a few mouthfuls ofwater.

  THE BODY WAS CARRIED INTO THE HOUSE AND LAID ON A MAT]

  Old Tinor now appeared, holding in her hand some simples she had gathered,the juice of which she by signs besought me to squeeze into the wound.Having done so, I thought it best to leave Toby undisturbed until heshould have had time to rally his faculties. Several times he opened hislips, but, fearful for his safety, I enjoined
silence. In the course oftwo or three hours however, he sat up, and was sufficiently recovered totell me what had occurred.

  "After leaving the 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 mounting alittle way up the elevation my guide paused, and gave me to understandthat he could not accompany me any farther, and by various signs intimatedthat he was afraid to approach any nearer the territories of the enemiesof his tribe. He, however, pointed out my path, which now lay clearlybefore me, and, bidding me farewell, hastily descended the mountain.

  "Quite elated at being so near the Happars, I pushed up the acclivity, andsoon gained its summit. It tapered up to a sharp ridge, from whence Ibeheld both the hostile valleys. Here I sat down and rested for a moment,refreshing myself with my cocoa-nuts. I was soon again pursuing my wayalong the height, when suddenly I saw three of the islanders, who musthave just come out of Happar valley, standing in the path ahead of me.They were each armed with a heavy spear, and one, from his appearance, Itook to be a chief. They sung out something, I could not understand what,and beckoned me to come on.

  "Without the least hesitation I advanced towards them, and had approachedwithin about a yard of the foremost, when, pointing angrily into the Typeevalley, and uttering some savage exclamation, he wheeled round his weaponlike lightning, and struck me in a moment to the ground. The blowinflicted this wound, and took away my senses. As soon as I came tomyself, I perceived the three islanders standing a little distance off,and apparently engaged in some violent altercation respecting me.

  "My first impulse was to run for it; but, in endeavouring to rise, I fellback, and rolled down a little grassy precipice. The shock seemed to rallymy faculties; so, starting to my feet, I fled down the path I had justascended. I had no need to look behind me, for, from the yells I heard, Iknew that my enemies were in full pursuit. Urged on by their fearfuloutcries, and heedless of the injury I had received--though the bloodflowing from the wound trickled over into my eyes and almost blinded me--Irushed down the mountain side with the speed of the wind. In a short timeI had descended nearly a third of the distance, and the savages had ceasedtheir cries, when suddenly a terrific howl burst upon my ear, and at thesame moment a heavy javelin darted past me as I fled, and stuck quiveringin a tree close to me. Another yell followed, and a second spear and athird shot through the air within a few feet of my body, both of thempiercing the ground obliquely in advance of me. The fellows gave a roar ofrage and disappointment; but they were afraid, I suppose, of coming downfarther into the Typee valley, and so abandoned the chase. I saw themrecover their weapons and turn back; and I continued my descent as fast asI could.

  "What could have caused this ferocious attack on the part of these HapparsI could not imagine, unless it were that they had seen me ascending themountain with Marheyo, and that the mere fact of coming from the Typeevalley was sufficient to provoke them.

  "As long as I was in danger I scarcely felt the wound I had received; butwhen the chase was over I began to suffer from it. I had lost my hat inthe flight, and the sun scorched my bare head. I felt faint and giddy;but, fearful of falling to the ground beyond the reach of assistance, Istaggered on as well as I could, and at last gained the level of thevalley, and then down I sunk; and I knew nothing more until I found myselflying upon these mats, and you stooping over me with the calabash ofwater."

  Such was Toby's account of this sad affair. I afterwards learned thatfortunately he had fallen close to a spot where the natives go for fuel. Aparty of them caught sight of him as he fell, and, sounding the alarm, hadlifted him up; and after ineffectually endeavouring to restore him at thebrook, 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 extremity 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 of theirneighbours. They likewise dwelt upon the cannibal propensities of theHappars, a subject which they were perfectly aware could not fail to alarmus; while at the same time they earnestly disclaimed all participation inso horrid a custom. Nor did they omit to call upon us to admire thenatural loveliness of their own abode, and the lavish abundance with whichit produced all manner of luxuriant fruits; exalting it in this particularabove 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 endeavours bythe little knowledge of the language we had acquired, he actually made uscomprehend a considerable part of what he said. To facilitate our correctapprehension of his meaning, he at first condensed his ideas into thesmallest possible compass.

  "Happar keekeeno nuee," he exclaimed; "nuee, nuee, ki ki kannaka!--ah! owlemotarkee!" which signifies, "Terrible fellows those Happars!--devour anamazing quantity of men!--ah, shocking bad!" Thus far he explained himselfby a variety of gestures, during the performance of which he would dartout of the house, and point abhorrently towards the Happar valley; runningin to us again with the rapidity that showed he was fearful we would loseone part of his meaning before he could complete the other; and continuinghis illustrations 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 the subject. "Ah! Typee me! arkee!--nuee,nuee mioree--nuee, nuee wai nuee, nuee poee poee--nuee, nuee kokoo--ah! nuee,nuee kiki--ah! nuee, nuee, nuee!" Which, liberally interpreted as before,would imply, "Ah, Typee! isn't it a fine place though!--no danger ofstarving here, I tell you!--plenty of bread-fruit--plenty of water--plenty ofpudding--ah! plenty of everything, ah! heaps, heaps, heaps!" All this wasaccompanied by a running commentary of signs and gestures which it wasimpossible not to comprehend.

  As he continued his harangue, however, Kory-Kory, in emulation of our morepolished orators, began to launch out rather diffusely into other branchesof his subject, enlarging probably upon the moral reflections itsuggested; and proceeded in such a strain of unintelligible and stunninggibberish, that he actually gave me the headache for the rest of the day.