A New Voyage Round the World, in the years 1823, 24, 25, and 26 Volume I Part 10

Some of the fruits and roots they brought were unknown to us; and their great size proved the strength of the soil. The bananas were of seven or eight species, of which I had hitherto seen but three in the most fruitful countries. Some of them were extremely large, and of a most excellent flavour. One of the fruits resembled an egg in size and figure; its colour was a bright crimson; and on the following day when we celebrated the Easter festival after the Russian fashion, they supplied to us the place of the Easter eggs.

I must yet mention two more articles of our marketing--namely, tame pigeons and parrots. The former are widely different from those of Europe both in shape and in the splendour of their plumage; their claws are also differently formed. The parrots are not larger than a sparrow, of a lively green and red, with red tails more than four times the length of their whole bodies. All these birds, of which great numbers were brought to us, were so tame, that they would sit quietly on the hand of their master, and receive their food from his mouth; the inclination for taming them, and the method of treatment, is favourable evidence of the mildness which characterises this people.

How many other unknown plants and animals may exist among these islands, where Nature is so profuse! and how much is it to be regretted that no secure anchorage can be found, which would enable an European expedition to effect a landing with proper precautions. Some idea may be formed of the dense population of the Flat Island, from the fact that, small as is its extent, above sixty canoes, each containing seven or eight men, came to us from it in less than an hour; and had we stayed longer, the canoes must have amounted to some hundreds, as the whole sea between us and the island was rapidly covering with increasing numbers.

Our market became still more animated when, the ship's provision being completed, I gave permission to the sailors to trade each for himself; as. .h.i.therto, to avoid confusion, the bargains had all been made by one person. Now some wanted one thing, some another from the canoes; and b.u.t.tons, old bits of cloth, and pieces of gla.s.s, were offered in exchange. The noise became louder and louder; and the sailors laid in such a stock of their own, that for weeks afterwards their breakfast-table was always provided with a roasted pig stuffed with bananas, and their palates gratified with abundance of delicious fruits.

They unanimously declared that they had never seen so rich a country.

Our trade was interrupted by the appearance of a great canoe surrounded with lesser ones, which, advancing towards us, drew the attention of all the natives. They called out _Eige-ea Eige_, and hastened to give place to the new-comers. The canoe, rowed by ten men, large and elegantly embellished with muscle-sh.e.l.ls, soon approached us. The heads of the rowers and of the steersman were decorated with green boughs, probably in token of peace.

In the fore part of the vessel, on a platform covered with matting, sat an elderly man cross-legged in the Asiatic fashion, holding a green, silk European parasol, which we conjectured must have belonged to one of the unfortunate companions of La Perouse, and have been obtained by this chief from Maouna. His clothing consisted of a very finely plaited gra.s.s-mat, hanging like a mantle from his shoulders, and a girdle round his waist. His head was enveloped in a piece of white stuff, in the manner of a turban. He spoke a few words, accompanied by a motion of the hand, to his countrymen or subjects, who immediately made way for his canoe to come alongside; and on our invitation he came on board attended by three persons.

He was not tattooed, was about six feet high, thin, but vigorous and muscular. His features were not handsome but agreeable; his countenance was intelligent and reflective; his behaviour modest and decorous.

On entering the ship, he inquired for the _Eigeh_, and I was pointed out to him; he approached me, bowed his head a little, spoke a few words which I did not understand, and then took hold of my elbows with both hands, raised them up several times, and repeated the English words "Very good." After this welcome, which I returned in an European manner, he gave me to understand that he was Eigeh of the Flat Island, and commanded his attendants to lay at my feet the presents he had brought for me, consisting of three fine fat pigs, which he called _boaka_, and some fruits. I presented him in return with a large hatchet, two strings of blue beads, and a coloured silk handkerchief, which I bound for him myself over his turban. The _Eigeh_ appeared excessively happy in the possession of these treasures, and tried to express his thankfulness by various gesticulations, and the repet.i.tion of the words "Very good." He also seemed to hold the blue beads in great estimation, and could not feel convinced that all those riches actually belonged to him. He inquired in pantomime if he might really keep both necklaces; and on my a.s.suring him that he might, the old man forgot his dignity, and jumped about like a boy with the beads in his hand, calling out, "Very good!

very good!" A fat treasurer shared the joy of his lord, and punctiliously imitated its expression, though not without some difficulty. When this tumult of pleasure had a little subsided, the latter produced a small basket very prettily plaited, and provided with a lid, and placed in it the costly acquisitions of the _Eigeh_; who himself took from it a Spanish dollar, and endeavoured to make me comprehend the question, whether this would purchase more blue beads.

To judge if he had any idea of the value of money, I offered him a single bead for his dollar; he immediately closed with the bargain, and, fearing that I might repent of mine, s.n.a.t.c.hed up the bead and thrust the money into my hand. I returned it to him; but, to his delight and astonishment, left him in possession of the bead. I now tried to learn from him how he came by this coin. He soon comprehended my meaning, pointed to the south, named Tongatabu, one of the Friendly Islands, which are some days' voyage from his own, and gave us to understand that he had sailed thither in his own vessel, and had there met with a ship from whose _Eigeh_ he had obtained the dollar as well as the parasol.

The boldness and skill these islanders display in the management of their fragile canoes, guiding them on long voyages merely by the sun and stars, in a region where the trade-wind is seldom constant, is most surprising.

I also made some little presents to the suite of the _Eigeh_, and the good people were lost in amazement at their costliness, till their attention was withdrawn from them to the ship itself. Their inquisitive eyes wandered in all directions, and their astonishment and admiration was loudly expressed. The _Eigeh_ contemplated the objects before him with more tranquillity, and asked but few questions, having already seen a ship, which his companions probably had not.

He remarked, however, with wonder the number of our guns and muskets, which he called _Puas_; counted them several times over, and clasped his hands above his head to express his surprise. He intimated to us that he knew the effect they produced, by pointing to a gun, trying to imitate the sound of the report, and then closing his eyes and hanging his head.

He explained this to his companions, who were so terrified by what he told them, that they would not again venture near the guns.

Meanwhile our traffic was renewed, though rather confusedly, from the impatience of the islanders to dispose of their property; the _Eigeh_ grew angry at this, and pressed me much to fire my _puas_ on the boisterous mob. Was he then really acquainted with their destructive power, and so indifferent about human life? Or, was he aware of the possibility of firing with blank cartridges? This remained uncertain.

A telescope which I held in my hand attracted the observation of the chief, who took it for a gun. I directed him to look through it; but the sudden vision of the distant prospect brought so close to his eye that he could even distinguish the people on the strand, so terrified him, that nothing could induce him to touch the magic instrument again.

He took much pains to persuade me to visit him on sh.o.r.e, embraced me repeatedly, and gave me to understand that we might cast anchor by his island, and that we should there have as many pigs as we pleased. At length he took my arm, and leading me to the railing, whence we could see the throngs of islanders busied with their barter, pointed to the women among them, whom he called _waraki_, shook his head, and said "No very good." Then he pointed to the island, and said in a kind tone, "Very good _waraki_." I very easily withstood this last temptation, strong as the _Eigeh_ seemed to think it; but I would willingly have seen the beautiful country, had it been possible to make a landing under the protection of our guns, for which however the wind was not favourable: a longer stay might besides have rendered our situation critical. We had a perfect calm, and were driven by a strong current towards the land; I therefore took advantage of the first puff of wind to make as much sail as I could, amidst the loud lamentations of the islanders, who expressed their regret in a mournful parting song.

The _Eigeh_, perceiving that his invitations would not be accepted, took a friendly leave of us: he seized me again by my elbows, hung his head, repeated several times the word "_Marua_," and departed. The canoes did not follow him, but remained near us, as our vessel could make but little way on account of the slackness of the wind.

The traffic was now over, and the attention of our companions therefore free to observe all our proceedings in the ship. Some of them thought to amuse us by making leaps into the air, and then begged for a reward. We did not disappoint them, and the tricks were reiterated, till a sudden gust of wind changed their merriment into consternation. The canoes immediately ahead of the ship could not leave its pa.s.sage clear in time to prevent our running down great numbers of them. In a moment our majestic vessel had distanced the mult.i.tude of its diminutive attendants, leaving extreme confusion behind it. The islanders' skill in navigation, however, enabled them speedily to recover from the shock, and the wind falling again, they succeeded in overtaking us. In the effort to accomplish this, they left all those to their fate who were still swimming about in search of their lost oars, and took no notice whatever of their cries for a.s.sistance. We pointed their attention to their forsaken companions, but the volatile creatures only laughed, and not a single canoe would return to take them in. At length, towards nightfall, they left us with the cry of "_Marua! Marua!_"

Among these islanders we observed the disease of elephantism, from which the Tahaitians suffer so much; otherwise they appeared healthy. If, as the Tahaitian captain said, they are subject to the Friendly Islanders, and must pay a yearly tribute to Tongatabu, the island Maouna, which Nature herself has made a strong fortress, and whose inhabitants are such fierce warriors, is probably excepted.

The following day we surveyed the magnificent island of Pola. Its lofty mountain was enveloped in thick white clouds, which seemed to roll down its sides, while the majestic summit rose into a cloudless region above them. The most luxuriant vegetation covers even its highest points.

From a considerable elevation down the sea-sh.o.r.e, the island presents a charming amphitheatre of villages and plantations, and confirmed us in the opinion, that the Navigators' Islands are the most beautiful in the Southern Ocean, and consequently in the whole world.

The sh.o.r.e was thronged with people, some of whom pushed their canoes into the sea to approach us, and others stood quietly watching us as we sailed past. The recurrence of a calm enabled the islanders to reach us, and our traffic with them was carried on in the same manner as with the natives of the Flat Island.

To avoid repet.i.tion, I shall only remark, that they seemed more shy than our yesterday's friends; that one of them offered us a red paint for sale; and that another cheated us. The former daubed his face with some of the colour to show us its use. Since none of them were painted with it, it is probably only used in war, or on grand occasions. The cheat remained, when the darkness had driven the other islanders homewards, bargaining with us for the price of a hog: a sack was lowered to him with the required payment, and when drawn up was found to contain a dog.

The rascal had made off, but we sent a bullet after him, which seemed to produce no small dismay.

On the following day, the 7th of April, having completed our observations, we took our course with a fresh trade-wind and full sails towards the north-west, in a direction where, according to the opinion of hydrographers, islands must lie.

With respect to our geographical observations on the Navigators'

Islands, I must make one remark--that all the longitudes found by us differ from those of La Perouse by from 20 to 23', and the points observed lying so many miles more easterly than he considered them. His observations were grounded on the distance of the moon, which always gives a false longitude unless there is an opportunity of seeing the moon at equal distances, right and left, from the sun. Our longitudes were fixed by good chronometers, which having been regulated at Cape Venus, could not in so short a time have made any important error.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CHART OF THE ISLANDS OF RADAK AND RALIK]

RADACK CHAIN OF ISLANDS.

RADACK CHAIN OF ISLANDS.

On the 8th of April, at noon, we found ourselves, according to our observation, in the lat.i.tude 11 24' South, and in the longitude 174 24'. We had left the north-west point of the island of Pola one hundred and forty miles behind us: the weather was fine, the horizon very clear, but we looked in vain from the mast-head for land.

Hence we gave up any further search in this quarter, and directed our course to the north, for the shortest way to cut the Equator, and then, by the help of the north-east trade-wind, to reach Radack, where we intended to stop and make observations on the pendulum, the results of which, in the neighbourhood of the Equator, would be important to us. I appointed Otdia, belonging to this chain of islands, for our residence, as affording the most convenient anchorage for large ships.

We were so much delayed by calms, that we could not till the 19th of April reach the ninth degree of south lat.i.tude. Here we encountered gusts of wind and torrents of rain, and a current carried us daily from twenty to thirty miles westward. When we were under three degrees south lat.i.tude, and one hundred and eighty degrees longitude, the current suddenly changed, and we were driven just as strongly to the East,--a circ.u.mstance too remarkable to be pa.s.sed over in silence. At a distance from land in the vicinity of the Equator, the currents are always westerly. Here it was precisely contrary; from what cause I am unable to explain.

From the fifth degree of south lat.i.tude to the Equator, we daily perceived signs of the neighbourhood of land. When we were exactly in 4 15' lat.i.tude, and 178 longitude, heavy gales brought swarms of b.u.t.terflies and small land-birds to the ship; we must therefore have been near land, but we looked for it in vain; and this discovery remains for some future navigator.

On the 22nd we cut the Equator in the longitude 179 43', and once more found ourselves in our own Northern hemisphere--nearer to our native country, though the course by which we must reach it would be still longer than that we had traversed. Our old acquaintance the Great Bear showed himself once more, and we looked upon him with joy, as though he had brought intelligence from our distant homes.

We now again employed Parrot's machine to draw up water from a depth of 800 fathoms. Its temperature was only six degrees of Reaumur, while that of the water at the surface was twenty-three degrees.

A tolerably strong wind, which blew during several successive days, brought us within sight of the Radack Islands, on the morning of the 28th of April.

To those who are yet unacquainted with these islands, and cannot or will not have recourse to my former voyage, I must be excused giving a few particulars concerning them.

In the year 1816, in the ship Rurik, I discovered the chain of islands called by their inhabitants, Radack. It consists of several groups lying near each other, and these again of many small islands united by reefs and surrounding great basins of water. All these being formed by the coral insect, are very low, and still but thinly covered with soil, so that they want the luxuriance of vegetation usual in this climate; their population is scanty; and the most important island of a group commonly gives its name to the whole.

The Radackers are tall and well made, of a dark brown complexion; their black hair is neatly bound up, and that of the women decorated with flowers and strings of muscle-sh.e.l.ls. Their features are soft and agreeable, and many of both s.e.xes may be considered beautiful. They attain a great age, and though less robust than some other South Sea islanders, and subsisting wholly on fish and vegetables, are generally healthy. In gentleness and good-nature they excel them all, even perhaps the Tahaitians.

The chief or sovereign of all these islands is named Lamari: the chiefs of the particular groups are subordinate to him; and under these are the chiefs of the separate islands composing each group. The chief of the group Otdia is called Rarik. I gave his portrait in my former voyage, and was particularly pleased with him, and with another native of the same group, named Lagediak. An inhabitant named Kadu of the group Kawan, no native, but thrown there by a storm from the island of Ulle, made the voyage from Otdia to Unalaschka and back with us in the ship Rurik, and gained the good-will of the whole crew. He gave us some instructions in the Radack language; and on our second visit could interpret pretty well between us and the islanders, as he already spoke a little Russian: his portrait also is prefixed to one of the volumes of my former voyage.

After an absence of eight years, I was now again in sight of my favourite Radack Islands, where I had pa.s.sed several weeks among some of the best of Nature's children. Whoever has read my former narrative, will imagine the pleasure with which I antic.i.p.ated my certain welcome; I pictured to myself a meeting on which the heavens themselves appeared to smile. It was an uncommonly fine day, and a fresh and favourable wind carried us quickly towards land. Our inquiring glances soon showed us from the deck, on the island Otdia, the airy groves of palms which enclose the residence of Rarik, and under whose shade I had so often sat among the friendly islanders. We could now distinguish boats sailing about on the inner basins, from one island to another, and a crowd of people running to the sh.o.r.e to gaze at the ship. I knew my timid friends too well, not to guess what was pa.s.sing in their minds. I had indeed, on parting from them, promised to visit them again, but the length of time which had since elapsed had probably extinguished this hope; and they would easily perceive that the great three-masted ship they now saw was not the small two-masted Rurik of their acquaintance. If, therefore, the first glimpse of the vessel had flattered them with the expectation of seeing me again, their pleasure had been ere this converted into fear.

Uncertain how they might be treated by the strangers, the women and children fled to the interior, and all the canoes were set in motion to carry their little possessions to some place of comparative safety. The most courageous among them advanced armed with spears to the sh.o.r.e, displaying their valour while the danger was yet distant.

It is not surprising that timorous apprehensions should agitate these poor people on the appearance of a strange vessel. Their western neighbours, the inhabitants of the island of Ralick, and of the southern islands of the groups Mediuro and Arno, which are much more thickly peopled, sometimes attack them with a superior force, plunder them, destroy their fruit-trees, and leave them scarcely subsistence enough to preserve them from starving. They had indeed imbibed from the crew of the Rurik a favourable opinion of white people; but the ship which now approached them was a monster in comparison of it, and they were excusable in supposing it manned by another and unknown race.

We now reached the group Otdia, and sailed close under the outward reef, towards the Schischmaref Strait, through which I proposed to enter the basin. The sight of the ship diffused terror throughout all the islands as we pa.s.sed, and the natives fled for concealment to the forests. As we approached the Lagediak Strait, the breeze was sufficient to warrant us in venturing through it; I therefore gave up my intention of entering by the Schischmaref Strait where the wind would be against us, spread all sail, and soon rode on the placid waters of the basin. I would not however advise seamen, without an adequate inducement, to choose this strait: it is so narrow, that stones might easily be thrown across from either sh.o.r.e; while, on the contrary, the breadth of the Schischmaref Strait admits of tacking, and renders its pa.s.sage easy with a good ship.

The water in the Lagediak is so transparent, that in a depth of fourteen fathoms, every stone at the bottom is discernible; the officer who sat in the tops on the watch for shallows, deceived by this appearance, expected every moment that the ship would run aground.

We continued to sail pleasantly on the beautiful smooth water of the basin, but the wind blowing directly off the island of Otdia, (after which the whole group is named, and where I hoped to meet with Rarik,) I was compelled, as it grew dark, to cast anchor before the island of Ormed, in a depth of thirty-two fathoms, on a bottom of fine coral sand.

Till the ship entered this natural harbour, the courage of the islanders did not quite forsake them, as they supposed the entrance to be unknown to us, and the exterior coast they trusted to the protection of the surf; but when we had penetrated into the basin, the panic became universal. We observed a constant running backwards and forwards on the sh.o.r.e; canoes hastily laden and rowed away, some to the right and some to the left, but none coming near us. The whole island of Ormed seemed, on our arrival, to have fairly given up the ghost. It was not till after dark that we could perceive any trace of life upon it; large fires were then kindled in two places at some distance from each other, while many smaller ones were flickering between them. We could also hear a sort of shrieking song, accompanied by the drum, which I knew to be their manner of calling on the G.o.ds for help, and which proved the extent of the alarm we had occasioned. This religious rite lasted through the night, but with the morning's dawn my friends had again disappeared, and the stillness of death prevailed as before.

We weighed anchor, and endeavoured by tacking to reach Otdia; and in so doing, often came very close upon the little picturesque bright green islands which studded the sparkling lake. The fresh morning breeze wafted aromatic odours towards us; but the huts of the inhabitants stood empty and desolate. When we were near Otdia, we again descried canoes sailing as close as possible to the sh.o.r.e. The population was busy on the strand, but no one seemed rightly to know what should be done in this alarming crisis. We next saw a long procession of islanders, bearing branches of palm as symbols of peace, taking advantage of the ebb-tide to cross the reef towards Otdia, and carrying baskets of cocoa-nuts and other fruits on poles. Hence it appeared that my friends had yielded to their destiny, and hoped to win the favour of the intruders by humility and presents. From their former dismay, I antic.i.p.ated that Kadu was absent, or he would have inspired his countrymen with more confidence.

We dropped anchor at noon opposite Otdia, on the same spot where the Rurik formerly rode. I then ordered a small two-oared boat to be lowered, and to make my first visit as little formidable as possible to my friends, went ash.o.r.e with only Dr. Eschscholz and two sailors. We rowed direct to Rarik's residence, where no human being was visible. A little canoe, bringing three men from a neighbouring island, now neared the sh.o.r.e, but immediately endeavoured to escape on observing that we steered towards it; in vain I waved a white handkerchief, a signal I had formerly been accustomed to make; they persisted in crowding sail, and taking all possible pains to get out of our reach; but their extreme anxiety now rendered that difficult which they usually perform with great dexterity. While they disputed vehemently among themselves, we gained materially upon them, and their entangled ropes refusing the a.s.sistance of their sails, they were on the point of trusting to their skill in swimming for safety, when two words from me changed all this terror into equally clamorous joy. I called to them "_Totabu_," the word into which they had tortured my name; and "_Aidarah_," an expression signifying both _friend_ and _good_. They stood motionless, waiting for a repet.i.tion of the cry, to convince themselves that their ears had not deceived them; but on my reiterating "_Totabu Aidarah_," they burst into the wildest acclamations of joy; called aloud to the sh.o.r.e, "_Hei Totabu, Totabu!_" and leaving their canoe to take care of itself, swam to land, incessantly repeating their exclamations of joy.