by Jim Musgrave
Drizzle was coming down in a fine mist, and it reminded Dana of the night the Monitor had sunk. He was happy to finally be ashore. "Right, Captain. We've finally arrived. May I read something appropriate from Mister Emerson at tonight's gathering? I believe it would be a nice touch."
"Certainly, you may! The time has come for our new civilization to understand our role amongst the natives. That's why I wanted us to go out tonight. I want to show you a spot that will be quite valuable to us in the coming days."
"What spot is that, Captain?" asked Dana, excitement in his voice.
"You shall soon see, my boy, you shall soon see."
Standing just inside, on the shadow side of the cave, Walter Sinclair watched the two men as they walked over the sand and into a break in the volcanic cliffs, as the rain increased, and they soon disappeared, leaving him to raise his collar and mutter before stepping out after them, "Yes, we shall all see!"
Chapter Fifty-Five: Father Perez
June 15, 1863
Captain Ericsson and Dana Greene arrived at a cave near the base of the Crater called Rano Cao after walking for two hours in the rain across the island. Ericsson had learned about the priest, Father Adolpho Perez, from Moses Young on Pitcairn Island. Father Perez had journeyed to Easter Island from Chile in 1856, ostensibly to convert these "savages" to Christianity. He was a member of a group of ten Catholic missionaries of the Jesuit order, who landed by ship, and he was the only one who stayed. Four died of smallpox, and five left by boat, in 1857, when their efforts to convert the natives proved futile. Father Perez remained on Rapanui because he had been converted by the natives to their new religion.
When Ericsson and Greene entered the cave that night, they met a man who was a far cry from the Catholic order of Jesuits. Indeed, he was almost naked, with sealskin wrapped around his loins and sandals made from polished driftwood on his feet. He was seated in the corner of the cave at a small desk, with an overhead torch lighting his work on several tablets, which were stacked all around him, like so many Hebrew Commandments. His hair was wild and black, and around his sun-bronzed neck was the figure of a wooden carving that appeared to be in the shape of some kind of bird creature.
Ericsson, who spoke Spanish, addressed the priest. He planned to keep what he found out from this gentleman all to himself for possible use at a later time. He told the priest that they had arrived to establish a colony and to work with the local natives to improve their lot.
Father Perez began to laugh maniacally, tears running down his sunbaked cheeks. He told Ericsson about the sad history of Easter Island. The population had once been large, seven to nine thousand, and the clans were formed on various parts of the island. However, there evolved a centerpiece for their pagan religion, and it was the carving of the huge moai statues. The father explained to John that it was this cult of statues that eventually created the environmental destruction that they saw today all over the island.
"The Hanau Eepe and Hanau Momoko had a war, or so legend tells it. Hanau Eepe means fat and Hanau Momoko means thin. All but one of the Hanau Eepe was killed. The creation of the moai destroyed the many thousands of palms and sweet potatoes which grew all over the island at that time," said the priest.
"How did that occur?" asked Ericsson.
"They used up the trees transporting the moai all over the island. They greased the rollers with sweet potatoes, and pushed the statues until they could be raised in a ceremony. The clans competed and began fighting over the diminishing resources. There was even cannibalism!" the priest whispered, as if he could negate the fact simply by making it less audible.
"What sort of government exists today?" asked Ericsson.
"Most of the clans have moved up onto Rano Kau volcano. They live in the village called Orongo. I am their priest, the only one from below who is allowed to go up there. It is the place where heathen rituals are practiced! The god of fertility, Meke-Meke, rules up there, and none of the clans living elsewhere on the island is allowed to go up there. However, when the Bird Man has been appointed, after the great contest, the island becomes possessed!" the priest's eyes grew wide, and Ericsson understood that he had to counter this demonic cult in some way, or this island's population would never see civilization again.
Walter Sinclair stood just outside the cave, and he could hear the priest speaking to Ericsson and Greene. Sinclair could also speak Spanish. He learned it in his travels to Spain for English merchants. The idea of this fertility cult intrigued him immensely. This would be a perfect way to seize power over the natives and over Ericsson and his ideas of law and order. If this Bird Man were given power over the island, then he would find out what it would take to win the contest! Sinclair left the cave, and he secretly vowed to visit Orongo as soon as he could figure a way to get there. Perhaps this priest could get him up there, he thought, and he put his hand on the revolver tucked inside his belt. The gun felt cold and securely persuasive.
* * *
After returning to the encampment, Ericsson told the others what he had learned from the priest, Father Perez. Of course, what he told them was not the truth, as he did not want any of them being tempted by the pagan rituals on the volcano.
He knew he needed to act before the contest began, and he also knew that if the others knew about this Bird Man cult, then they might be tempted to participate. Therefore, Ericsson told them about the poor, crazy priest, who had been broken by the harsh elements of the island. He said it was their job to teach the natives how to restore the island to natural wealth, and he had brought the implements to do just that. "Soon," said Ericsson, puffing out his chest, "this will be Ericssonville, and these people will be civilized!"
Chapter Fifty-Six: Hanga Roa Clan
July 21, 1863
Ericsson learned there were two major clans, or mata, on Rapanui. The surviving clan at Hanga Roa numbered about 200 natives, led by their tribal leader, King Maurata, to whom Ericsson was introduced in a grand ceremony. King Maurata was the fifty-seventh king going back to the founding king of the island, Hotu Matua. Maurata's clan, together with the high priest, named Kannon, was gathered all around the two men, as they discussed the restoration of the land to agricultural pursuits. The natives wore castoff clothing from the ships of war that had visited, and many seemed to enjoy sporting brass buttons. Many were also ornately tattooed, and the women had intricate patterns drawn on the skin below the waist, and the lines were fine, like lace- work, and from the thigh to the knee the appearance was that of silk tights. Others wore clothing made from the branch bark of the Hibiscus that grew near the village. Some of the women were bare-breasted, as they collected in chattering bunches all around the men, and they also wore cast-off women's hats and dresses.
King Maurata spoke to Ericsson through pictures he drew on an elaborate picture board, similar to the rongo-rongo tablets the priest had shown him. King Maurata told John Ericsson about the other clan, the Fainga, who had formed after the island became deforested during "the Moai Wars between the long ears and the short ears." There was no clan leader of the Fainga's 600 native members. Instead, the Bird Man cult formed the ritualized basis for their existence, and, of course, for the yearly contest to see who would earn the right to become Bird Man and rule the island. King Maurata told Ericsson that his clan had never won the Bird Man contest. In fact, they were most often subjected to the most horrendous degradations. Many of their women were taken off to become "love slaves" to the Fainga, and their clan had to pay great donations from their sparse supply of chickens, rats and their only crop, sugarcane.
Ericsson asked the chief what life had been like before the Moai Wars, and King Maurata drew pictures of giant palm trees, swimming dolphins and large canoes. Obviously, there had been a disastrous ecological failure of some kind, and Ericsson supposed it had to do with the construction of the moai, and the resulting competition between clans, as the renegade priest Father Perez had suggested. He also knew his inventions could bring this land back to its or
iginal splendor, and this would be his method to establish himself as a leader in their midst.
First, Ericsson showed the clan the seeds of the Chilean wine palm, the giant plants that grew to be over 60 feet tall. He had gathered over 200 of these seeds during their visit off the coast of Tierra del Fuego. He also showed them the steel plow, the device that would till the rich, volcanic earth of Easter Island, so the palms could be planted. Ericsson explained how he would build a network of canals and irrigation waterways, so they could supply the necessary water to their new crops of breadfruit, corn, yams and lettuce. He also explained that they could build canoes once more and harvest fish and their eggs along with crustaceans, which could be farmed inland, within salt water tide pools. They would also visit Motu Motiro Hiva, the uninhabited island 260 miles away, where they could gather eggs from the wild birds that nest there by the thousands.
At the mention of the birds' eggs, there was uproar from the assembled natives. Egg collection was the province of the warrior clan of the Bird Man, and the Fainga would kill any person who attempted to gather eggs before the competition. King Maurata explained that the annual contest took place in the summer, when the strongest men of the clans would gather at the cliffs overlooking the tiny islands of Mutu Rau Kau and Muto Nui, where the Sooty Terns would arrive to lay their eggs. Only King Maurata and the young men who were competing were allowed into the village of Orongo for the Bird Man contest. King Maurata's last honorary job was giving the ceremonial "go!" to the men as they plunged down the side of the cliffs on their way to swim across the shark-infested waters to retrieve the first egg and return it and become crowned "Bird Man" for the coming year.
Otherwise, the warrior cult held dominion over the island, and King Maurata did not believe Ericsson's "gardening" tools would do much good against the spears and knives of the Fainga. It was at that moment that Ericsson motioned to Dana Greene, who had come with him, and the young man uncovered the invention of one Dr. Richard Jordan Gatling, a close friend of Ericsson's.
Greene, with some reluctance, fed cartridges into the top hopper of the gun. The Gatling gun was a hand-crank-operated weapon with six barrels revolving around a central shaft. The cartridges were fed to the gun by gravity through the hopper mounted on the top of the gun. Six cam-operated bolts alternately wedged, fired, and dropped the bullets, which were contained in steel chambers. The Gatling used the six barrels to partially cool the gun during firing. Since the gun was capable of firing 600 rounds a minute, each barrel fired 100 rounds per minute. One can imagine the commotion that ensued once Greene began cranking this weapon. There was no doubt in any of the assembled natives' minds that they were about to experience the dawn of a new civilization.
Chapter Fifty-Seven: Fainga Clan
July 21, 1863
Walter did not use the gun on Father Perez, as the priest was more than happy to take him to the village of Orongo, on the outer rim of the Rano Kau volcano. The crazy priest even sang songs in Spanish as they made their way up to the top. Once there, Walter noticed that the soil was much more fertile, and there were many green ferns growing wild all over the rim and down into the valley of the volcano itself. Rano Kau was one of three volcanoes on the island.
Easter Island was born out of the ocean by volcanic eruptions, and the island had a triangle shape that was formed by the three large volcanoes located at the corners. The highest volcanic cone on the island was Maunga Terevaka in the northeast corner, which rose to 1,674 feet. Rano Kau volcano, the second largest, had fresh water inside its long dormant center, one of the few sites on the island for fresh water. The breezes at the top of the volcano were comforting to Walter, and he could see, off in the distance, his ship anchored in the harbor at Hanga Piko.
The houses at Orongo were not made from bulrushes, as were the design of the huts in the village below. Instead, this warrior caste had constructed stone dwellings inside the volcanic cliffs, rising from the sea, overlooking the two small islands of Mutu Rau Kau and Muto Nui.
The priest noticed Walter staring at the houses. He spoke to him in Spanish, "Las casas de las mortes, senor. These are the death chambers. Men who fall down the face of the cliffs during the contest usually wash up on the beaches. They put their bodies inside these houses as an honor. To die during the competition for the Bird Man is a great thing!"
Walter understood the logic of that. He had risked his life many times for different causes. Going after Ericsson and his attempt to sink the Monitor were contests to him, just like these young men who wanted to be the Bird Man. He also knew what Ericsson and Greene were up to down in the village. The Gatling was certainly a nice touch. However, Walter knew where the ammunition was stored, as he was the captain. The Bird Man clan sounded like his kind of chaps. Fertility rights? What was that coming toward them?
Sinclair and the priest stood still as a crowd of young, completely nude women surrounded them, giggling, and draped flowers around their necks as they stood in front of the main hut. This was the "communal hut," where the Fainga clan met to dance and to bloody raise hell! Sinclair ducked his head as he entered the small entrance to the low hut. Inside, he could hear the sound of drums, and he could make out an altar where a man in a feathered costume sat. The big torches stood on either side of his throne, and several of the nude women were lounging, in a variety of alluring poses, at his feet, on rugs made from the flag of a Peruvian merchant ship.
The priest pointed to the Bird Man. "The birds have laid their eggs, and soon the contest will begin. This man will be replaced by the new victor."
"Ah, and this new Bird Man gets to rule the roost, correct?" asked Sinclair.
"Yes, but not until they have sacrificed this man to the fertility god Meke-Meke."
"What? You mean they kill the Bird Man?" Walter was surprised. However, a plan was forming in his mind as he heard this new fact.
"Yes, it's considered a great honor to die at the peak of one's power. You see, we have been raided recently by Peruvian slave traders. Over five-hundred of our people were taken prisoner, and several were shot as they tried to escape. Therefore, this contest has taken on a bit of a desperate purpose."
"I see. There is something I want you to do for me before the games begin. In return, I will guarantee you receive all the food and liquor you need from my ship's store." Sinclair put his arm around the priest's shoulders.
"Of course! What is it you need, senor?"
"I don't want any of my fellow travelers to know about what happens to the Bird Man. Can you see that this happens?"
The Bird Man stood up as a group of natives took him by his arms and guided him out of the hut. This was the sacrificial escort, and the young man held his head high with pride as he was marched outside. The feathered headdress waved in the breeze as he bent down to fit through the narrow opening.
"I will not tell any of your compadres. Also, I don't think there will be a problem with the natives telling them about this ritual, as it is sacred and is not mentioned. Even if they did speak of the fate of our Bird Man, it would not sound as if their words meant what they, in fact, do mean."
"What are you suggesting?" asked Sinclair.
"Their word for the ritual sacrifice of the Bird Man is fekitoa, which means 6a gathering of two men.' You see, the natives believe that after the Bird Man is sacrificed his spirit immediately is met by the Great Spirit, Meke-Meke, and they both go up into heaven to frolic together forever and ever. Thus, even if a native did tell your friends about the sacrifice, it would not imply what it, in fact, actually means."
"That's excellent! I say, do these women also like to frolic?" asked Sinclair, smiling.
"Oh, yes! Why do you think I gave up my religion?" said Perez, and he led Walter over to a couple of voluptuous handmaidens. The women giggled and covered their mouths.
"Wait until the other men discover what the Bird Man wins," said Sinclair, lustfully gazing at the nude women. "You say the natives must do whatever the Bird Man requests of them?"
"Yes, he is a king for the year," said Perez.
"Then we shall have a new king. God save the king!" Walter laughed, and the women also laughed, as Sinclair chucked them playfully under their olive chins.
Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Bird Man
July 22, 1863 to September 2, 1863
When Chip Jefferson heard that any male on the island could compete to become Bird Man, he was immediately transfixed with hope. Even though the other, older adults were mostly disappointed by life on the island, Chip was charged with new energy. After all, he was now 17, and his body was fully developed. Walter Sinclair, who had gone up to the village of Orongo, told the group all about the Bird Man contest the following evening after dinner. Lieutenant Greene right away said he was going to compete, and when Chip also volunteered, Sinclair thought Chip's entry was a splendid idea.
"Good show, young man! I see you have the courage needed to win. In fact, I am so impressed by your bravado that I am going to personally supervise your training. I have learned a few techniques from the natives in Orongo, and you shall be the beneficiary of my research and my knowledge of tactics."
Captain Ericsson also saw the whole ritual as a challenge, so he vowed to assist Greene. "I will do some research of my own, Sinclair. It's quite obvious why you would want to win the Bird Man contest, but what I want to know is what you will do with the Bird Man power if you were to acquire it?"
Sinclair smiled. "I believe we have a difference in philosophy, John. Whereas you have your Greek rubbish about philosopher kings, I rather fancy Machiavelli. You see, you are not the only learned fellow on the island. Let me read to you the passage that addresses your question about what I plan to do with my power. You have voiced your plan to create a Platonic Republic. Machiavelli has something interesting to say about how one should handle republics. Let me read it to you, "But when cities or countries are accustomed to live under a prince, and his family is exterminated, they, being on the one hand accustomed to obey and on the other hand not having the old prince, cannot agree in making one from amongst themselves, and they do not know how to govern themselves. For this reason they are very slow to take up arms, and a prince can gain them to himself and secure them much more easily. But in republics there is more vitality, greater hatred, and more desire for vengeance, which will never permit them to allow the memory of their former liberty to rest; so that the safest way is to destroy them or to reside there."