Omoo: Adventures in the South Seas

by Herman Melville

  We found him reclining on a mat, smoking a reed-pipe of tobacco, inthe midst of an admiring circle of chiefs and ladies. He must havenoticed our approach; but instead of rising and offering civilities,he went on talking and smoking, without even condescending to look atus.

  "His Highness feels his 'poee,'" carelessly observed the doctor. Therest of the company gave us the ordinary salutation, our guideannouncing us beforehand.

  In answer to our earnest requests to see the queen, we were nowconducted to an edifice, by far the most spacious, in the inclosure.It was at least one hundred and fifty feet in length, very wide, withlow eaves, and an exceedingly steep roof of pandannas leaves. Therewere neither doors nor windows--nothing along the sides but theslight posts supporting the rafters. Between these posts, curtains offine matting and tappa were rustling, all round; some of them werefestooned, or partly withdrawn, so as to admit light and air, andafford a glimpse now and then of what was going on within.

  Pushing aside one of the screens, we entered. The apartment was oneimmense hall; the long and lofty ridge-pole fluttering with fringedmatting and tassels, full forty feet from the ground. Lounges ofmats, piled one upon another, extended on either side: while hereand there were slight screens, forming as many recesses, where groupsof natives--all females--were reclining at their evening meal.

  As we advanced, these various parties ceased their buzzing, and inexplanation of our appearance among them, listened to a fewcabalistic words from our guide.

  The whole scene was a strange one; but what most excited our surprisewas the incongruous assemblage of the most costly objects from allquarters of the globe. Cheek by jowl, they lay beside the rudestnative articles, without the slightest attempt at order. Superbwriting-desks of rosewood, inlaid with silver and mother-of-pearl;decanters and goblets of cut glass; embossed volumes of plates; gildedcandelabra; sets of globes and mathematical instruments; the finestporcelain; richly-mounted sabres and fowling-pieces; laced hats andsumptuous garments of all sorts, with numerous other matters ofEuropean manufacture, were strewn about among greasy calabasheshalf-filled with "poee," rolls of old tappa and matting, paddles andfish-spears, and the ordinary furniture of a Tahitian dwelling.

  All the articles first mentioned were, doubtless, presents fromforeign powers. They were more or less injured: the fowling-piecesand swords were rusted; the finest woods were scratched; and a foliovolume of Hogarth lay open, with a cocoa-nut shell of some mustypreparation capsized among the miscellaneous furniture of the Rake'sapartment, where that inconsiderate young gentleman is being measuredfor a coat.

  While we were amusing ourselves in this museum of curiosities, ourconductor plucked us by the sleeve, and whispered, "Pomaree! Pomaree!armai kow kow."

  "She is coming to sup, then," said the doctor, staring in thedirection indicated. "What say you, Paul, suppose we step up?" Justthen a curtain near by lifted, and from a private building a fewyards distant the queen entered, unattended.

  She wore a loose gown of blue silk, with two rich shawls, one red andthe other yellow, tied about her neck. Her royal majesty wasbarefooted.

  She was about the ordinary size, rather matronly; her features notvery handsome; her mouth, voluptuous; but there was a care-wornexpression in her face, probably attributable to her latemisfortunes. From her appearance, one would judge her about forty;but she is not so old.

  As the queen approached one of the recesses, her attendants hurriedup, escorted her in, and smoothed the mats on which she at lastreclined. Two girls soon appeared, carrying their mistress' repast;and then, surrounded by cut-glass and porcelain, and jars ofsweetmeats and confections, Pomaree Vahinee I., the titular Queen ofTahiti, ate fish and "poee" out of her native calabashes, disdainingeither knife or spoon.

  "Come on," whispered Long Ghost, "let's have an audience at once;" andhe was on the point of introducing himself, when our guide, quitealarmed, held him back and implored silence. The other natives alsointerfered, and, as he was pressing forward, raised such an outcrythat Pomaree lifted her eyes and saw us for the first.

  She seemed surprised and offended, and, issuing an order in acommanding tone to several of her women, waved us out of the house.Summary as the dismissal was, court etiquette, no doubt, required ourcompliance. We withdrew; making a profound inclination as wedisappeared behind the tappa arras.

  We departed the ground without seeing Marbonna; and previous tovaulting over the picket, feed our pretty guide after a fashion ofour own. Looking round a few moments after, we saw the damselescorted back by two men, who seemed to have been sent after her. Itrust she received nothing more than a reprimand.

  The next day Po-Po informed us that strict orders had been issued toadmit no strangers within the palace precincts.

  CHAPTER LXXXII.

  WHICH ENDS THE BOOK

  DISAPPOINTED in going to court, we determined upon going to sea. Itwould never do, longer to trespass on Po-Po's hospitality; and then,weary somewhat of life in Imeeo, like all sailors ashore, I at lastpined for the billows.

  Now, if her crew were to be credited, the Leviathan was not the craftto our mind. But I had seen the captain, and liked him. He was anuncommonly tall, robust, fine-looking man, in the prime of life.There was a deep crimson spot in the middle of each sunburnt cheek,doubtless the effect of his sea-potations. He was a Vineyarder, ornative of the island of Martha's Vineyard (adjoining Nantucket),and--I would have sworn it--a sailor, and no tyrant.

  Previous to this, we had rather avoided the Leviathan's men, when theycame ashore; but now, we purposely threw ourselves in their way, inorder to learn more of the vessel.

  We became acquainted with the third mate, a Prussian, and an oldmerchant-seaman--a right jolly fellow, with a face like a ruby. Wetook him to Po-Po's, and gave him a dinner of baked pig andbreadfruit; with pipes and tobacco for dessert. The account he gaveus of the ship agreed with my own surmises. A cosier old craft neverfloated; and the captain was the finest man in the world. There wasplenty to eat, too; and, at sea, nothing to do but sit on the windlassand sail. The only bad trait about the vessel was this: she had beenlaunched under some baleful star; and so was a luckless ship in thefishery. She dropped her boats into the brine often enough, and theyfrequently got fast to the whales; but lance and harpoon almostinvariably "drew" when darted by the men of the Leviathan. But what ofthat? We would have all the sport of chasing the monsters, with noneof the detestable work which follows their capture. So, hurrah forthe coast of Japan! Thither the ship was bound.

  A word now about the hard stories we heard the first time we visitedthe ship. They were nothing but idle fictions, got up by the sailorsfor the purpose of frightening us away, so as to oblige the captain,who was in want of more hands, to lie the longer in a pleasantharbour.

  The next time the Vineyarder came ashore, we flung ourselves in hispath. When informed of our desire to sail with him, he wanted to knowour history; and, above all, what countrymen we were. We said that wehad left a whaler in Tahiti, some time previous; and, since then, hadbeen--in the most praiseworthy manner--employed upon a plantation. Asfor our country, sailors belong to no nation in particular; we were,on this occasion, both Yankees. Upon this he looked decidedlyincredulous; and freely told us that he verily believed we were bothfrom Sydney.

  Be it known here that American sea captains, in the Pacific, aremortally afraid of these Sydney gentry; who, to tell the truth,wherever known, are in excessively bad odour. Is there a mutiny onboard a ship in the South Seas, ten to one a Sydney man is theringleader. Ashore, these fellows are equally riotous.

  It was on this account that we were anxious to conceal the fact of ourhaving belonged to the Julia, though it annoyed me much, thus to denythe dashing little craft. For the same reason, also, the doctorfibbed about his birthplace.

  Unfortunately, one part of our raiment--Arfretee's blue frocks--wedeemed a sort of collateral evidence against us. For, curiouslyenough, an American sailor is generally distinguished by his redfrock; and an English tar by h
is blue one: thus reversing thenational colours. The circumstance was pointed out by the captain; andwe quickly explained the anomaly. But, in vain: he seemedinveterately prejudiced against us; and, in particular, eyed thedoctor most distrustfully.

  By way of propping the tatter's pretensions, I was throwing out a hintconcerning Kentucky, as a land of tall men, when our Vine-yarderturned away abruptly, and desired to hear nothing more. It wasevident that he took Long Ghost for an exceedingly problematicalcharacter.

  Perceiving this, I resolved to see what a private interview would do.So, one afternoon, I found the captain smoking a pipe in the dwellingof a portly old native--one Mai-Mai--who, for a reasonablecompensation, did the honours of Partoowye to illustrious strangers.

  His guest had just risen from a sumptuous meal of baked pig and taropudding; and the remnants of the repast were still visible. Tworeeking bottles, also, with their necks wrenched off, lay upon themat. All this was encouraging; for, after a good dinner, one feelsaffluent and amiable, and peculiarly open to conviction. So, at allevents, I found the noble Vineyarder.

  I began by saying that I called for the purpose of setting him righttouching certain opinions of his concerning the place of mynativity:--I was an American--thank heaven!--and wanted to convincehim of the fact.

  After looking me in the eye for some time, and, by so doing, revealingan obvious unsteadiness in his own visual organs, he begged me toreach forth my arm. I did so; wondering what upon earth that usefulmember had to do with the matter in hand.

  He placed his fingers upon my wrist; and holding them there for amoment, sprang to his feet, and, with much enthusiasm, pronounced mea Yankee, every beat of my pulse!

  "Here, Mai-Mai!" he cried, "another bottle!" And, when it came, withone stroke of a knife, he summarily beheaded it, and commanded me todrain it to the bottom. He then told me that if I would come on boardhis vessel the following morning, I would find the ship's articles onthe cabin transom.

  This was getting along famously. But what was to become of thedoctor?

  I forthwith made an adroit allusion to my long friend. But it wasworse than useless. The Vineyarder swore he would have nothing to dowith him--he (my long friend) was a "bird" from Sydney, and nothingwould make him (the man of little faith) believe otherwise.

  I could not help loving the free-hearted captain; but indignant atthis most unaccountable prejudice against my comrade, I abruptly tookleave.

  Upon informing the doctor of the result of the interview, he wasgreatly amused; and laughingly declared that the Vineyarder must be apenetrating fellow. He then insisted upon my going to sea in theship, since he well knew how anxious I was to leave. As for himself,on second thoughts, he was no sailor; and although "lands--' men"very often compose part of a whaler's crew, he did not quite relishthe idea of occupying a position so humble. In short, he had made uphis mind to tarry awhile in Imeeo.

  I turned the matter over: and at last decided upon quitting theisland. The impulse urging me to sea once more, and the prospect ofeventually reaching home, were too much to be resisted; especially asthe Leviathan, so comfortable a craft, was now bound on her lastwhaling cruise, and, in little more than a year's time, would begoing round Cape Horn.

  I did not, however, covenant to remain in the vessel for the residueof the voyage; which would have been needlessly binding myself. Imerely stipulated for the coming cruise, leaving my subsequentmovements unrestrained; for there was no knowing that I might notchange my mind, and prefer journeying home by short and easy stages.

  The next day I paddled off to the ship, signed and sealed, and steppedashore with my "advance"--fifteen Spanish dollars--tasseling the endsof my neck-handkerchief.

  I forced half of the silver on Long Ghost; and having little use forthe remainder, would have given it to Po-Po as some small return forhis kindness; but, although he well knew the value of the coin, not adollar would he accept.

  In three days' time the Prussian came to Po-Po's, and told us that thecaptain, having made good the number of his crew by shipping severalislanders, had determined upon sailing with the land breeze at dawnthe following morning. These tidings were received in the afternoon.The doctor immediately disappeared, returning soon after with acouple of flasks of wine concealed in the folds of his frock. Throughthe agency of the Marquesan, he had purchased them from anunderstrapper of the court.

  I prevailed upon Po-Po to drink a parting shell; and even little Loo,actually looking conscious that one of her hopeless admirers wasabout leaving Partoowye for ever, sipped a few drops from a foldedleaf. As for the warm-hearted Arfretee, her grief was unbounded. Sheeven besought me to spend my last night under her own palm-thatch;and then, in the morning, she would herself paddle me off to theship.

  But this I would not consent to; and so, as something to remember herby, she presented me with a roll of fine matting, and another oftappa. These gifts placed in my hammock, I afterward found veryagreeable in the warm latitudes to which we were bound; nor did theyfail to awaken most grateful remembrances.

  About nightfall, we broke away from this generous-hearted household,and hurried down to the water.

  It was a mad, merry night among the sailors; they had on tap a smallcask of wine, procured in the same way as the doctor's flasks.

  An hour or two after midnight, everything was noiseless; but when thefirst streak of the dawn showed itself over the mountains, a sharpvoice hailed the forecastle, and ordered the ship unmoored.

  The anchors came up cheerily; the sails were soon set; and with theearly breath of the tropical morning, fresh and fragrant from thehillsides, we slowly glided down the bay, and were swept through theopening in the reef. Presently we "hove to," and the canoes camealongside to take off the islanders who had accompanied us thus far.As he stepped over the side, I shook the doctor long and heartily bythe hand. I have never seen or heard of him since.

  Crowding all sail, we braced the yards square; and, the breezefreshening, bowled straight away from the land. Once more thesailor's cradle rocked under me, and I found myself rolling in mygait.

  By noon, the island had gone down in the horizon; and all before uswas the wide Pacific.