CHAPTER 18

January 18.—This morning {*4} we continued to the southward, with

the same pleasant weather as before. The sea was entirely smooth,

the air tolerably warm and from the northeast, the temperature of

the water fifty-three. We now again got our sounding-gear in

order, and, with a hundred and fifty fathoms of line, found the

current setting toward the pole at the rate of a mile an hour.

This constant tendency to the southward, both in the wind and

current, caused some degree of speculation, and even of alarm, in

different quarters of the schooner, and I saw distinctly that no

little impression had been made upon the mind of Captain Guy. He

was exceedingly sensitive to ridicule, however, and I finally

succeeded in laughing him out of his apprehensions. The variation

was now very trivial. In the course of the day we saw several

large whales of the right species, and innumerable flights of the

albatross passed over the vessel. We also picked up a bush, full

of red berries, like those of the hawthorn, and the carcass of a

singular-looking land-animal. It was three feet in length, and

but six inches in height, with four very short legs, the feet

armed with long claws of a brilliant scarlet, and resembling

coral in substance. The body was covered with a straight silky

hair, perfectly white. The tail was peaked like that of a rat,

and about a foot and a half long. The head resembled a cat’s,

with the exception of the ears—these were flopped like the ears

of a dog. The teeth were of the same brilliant scarlet as the

claws.

January 19.—To-day, being in latitude 83 degrees 20’, longitude

43 degrees 5’ W. (the sea being of an extraordinarily dark

colour), we again saw land from the masthead, and, upon a closer

scrutiny, found it to be one of a group of very large islands.

The shore was precipitous, and the interior seemed to be well

wooded, a circumstance which occasioned us great joy. In about

four hours from our first discovering the land we came to anchor

in ten fathoms, sandy bottom, a league from the coast, as a high

surf, with strong ripples here and there, rendered a nearer

approach of doubtful expediency. The two largest boats were now

ordered out, and a party, well armed (among whom were Peters and

myself), proceeded to look for an opening in the reef which

appeared to encircle the island. After searching about for some

time, we discovered an inlet, which we were entering, when we saw

four large canoes put off from the shore, filled with men who

seemed to be well armed. We waited for them to come up, and, as

they moved with great rapidity, they were soon within hail.

Captain Guy now held up a white handkerchief on the blade of an

oar, when the strangers made a full stop, and commenced a loud

jabbering all at once, intermingled with occasional shouts, in

which we could distinguish the words Anamoo-moo! and Lama-Lama!

They continued this for at least half an hour, during which we

had a good opportunity of observing their appearance.

In the four canoes, which might have been fifty feet long and

five broad, there were a hundred and ten savages in all. They

were about the ordinary stature of Europeans, but of a more

muscular and brawny frame. Their complexion a jet black, with

thick and long woolly hair. They were clothed in skins of an

unknown black animal, shaggy and silky, and made to fit the body

with some degree of skill, the hair being inside, except where

turned out about the neck, wrists, and ankles. Their arms

consisted principally of clubs, of a dark, and apparently very

heavy wood. Some spears, however, were observed among them,

headed with flint, and a few slings. The bottoms of the canoes

were full of black stones about the size of a large egg.

When they had concluded their harangue (for it was clear they

intended their jabbering for such), one of them who seemed to be

the chief stood up in the prow of his canoe, and made signs for

us to bring our boats alongside of him. This hint we pretended

not to understand, thinking it the wiser plan to maintain, if

possible, the interval between us, as their number more than

quadrupled our own. Finding this to be the case, the chief

ordered the three other canoes to hold back, while he advanced

toward us with his own. As soon as he came up with us he leaped

on board the largest of our boats, and seated himself by the side

of Captain Guy, pointing at the same time to the schooner, and

repeating the word Anamoo-moo! and Lama-Lama! We now put back to

the vessel, the four canoes following at a little distance.

Upon getting alongside, the chief evinced symptoms of extreme

surprise and delight, clapping his hands, slapping his thighs and

breast, and laughing obstreperously. His followers behind joined

in his merriment, and for some minutes the din was so excessive

as to be absolutely deafening. Quiet being at length restored,

Captain Guy ordered the boats to be hoisted up, as a necessary

precaution, and gave the chief (whose name we soon found to be

Too-wit) to understand that we could admit no more than twenty of

his men on deck at one time. With this arrangement he appeared

perfectly satisfied, and gave some directions to the canoes, when

one of them approached, the rest remaining about fifty yards off.

Twenty of the savages now got on board, and proceeded to ramble

over every part of the deck, and scramble about among the

rigging, making themselves much at home, and examining every

article with great inquisitiveness.

It was quite evident that they had never before seen any of the

white race—from whose complexion, indeed, they appeared to

recoil. They believed the Jane to be a living creature, and

seemed to be afraid of hurting it with the points of their

spears, carefully turning them up. Our crew were much amused with

the conduct of Too-wit in one instance. The cook was splitting

some wood near the galley, and, by accident, struck his axe into

the deck, making a gash of considerable depth. The chief

immediately ran up, and pushing the cook on one side rather

roughly, commenced a half whine, half howl, strongly indicative

of sympathy in what he considered the sufferings of the schooner,

patting and smoothing the gash with his hand, and washing it from

a bucket of seawater which stood by. This was a degree of

ignorance for which we were not prepared, and for my part I could

not help thinking some of it affected.

When the visitors had satisfied, as well as they could, their

curiosity in regard to our upper works, they were admitted below,

when their amazement exceeded all bounds. Their astonishment now

appeared to be far too deep for words, for they roamed about in

silence, broken only by low ejaculations. The arms afforded them

much food for speculation, and they were suffered to handle and

examine them at leisure. I do not believe that they had the least

suspicion of their actual use, but rather took them for idols,

seeing the care we had of them, and the attention with which we

watched their movements while handling them. At the great guns

their wonder was redoubled. They approached them with every mark

of the profoundest reverence and awe, but forbore to examine them

minutely. There were two large mirrors in the cabin, and here was

the acme of their amazement. Too-wit was the first to approach

them, and he had got in the middle of the cabin, with his face to

one and his back to the other, before he fairly perceived them.

Upon raising his eyes and seeing his reflected self in the glass,

I thought the savage would go mad; but, upon turning short round

to make a retreat, and beholding himself a second time in the

opposite direction, I was afraid he would expire upon the spot.

No persuasion could prevail upon him to take another look;

throwing himself upon the floor, with his face buried in his

hands, he remained thus until we were obliged to drag him upon

deck.

The whole of the savages were admitted on board in this manner,

twenty at a time, Too-wit being suffered to remain during the

entire period. We saw no disposition to thievery among them, nor

did we miss a single article after their departure. Throughout

the whole of their visit they evinced the most friendly manner.

There were, however, some points in their demeanour which we

found it impossible to understand; for example, we could not get

them to approach several very harmless objects—such as the

schooner’s sails, an egg, an open book, or a pan of flour. We

endeavoured to ascertain if they had among them any articles

which might be turned to account in the way of traffic, but found

great difficulty in being comprehended. We made out,

nevertheless, what greatly astonished us, that the islands

abounded in the large tortoise of the Gallipagos, one of which we

saw in the canoe of Too-wit. We saw also some biche de mer in the

hands of one of the savages, who was greedily devouring it in its

natural state. These anomalies—for they were such when considered

in regard to the latitude—induced Captain Guy to wish for a

thorough investigation of the country, in the hope of making a

profitable speculation in his discovery. For my own part, anxious

as I was to know something more of these islands, I was still

more earnestly bent on prosecuting the voyage to the southward

without delay. We had now fine weather, but there was no telling

how long it would last; and being already in the eighty-fourth

parallel, with an open sea before us, a current setting strongly

to the southward, and the wind fair, I could not listen with any

patience to a proposition of stopping longer than was absolutely

necessary for the health of the crew and the taking on board a

proper supply of fuel and fresh provisions. I represented to the

captain that we might easily make this group on our return, and

winter here in the event of being blocked up by the ice. He at

length came into my views (for in some way, hardly known to

myself, I had acquired much influence over him), and it was

finally resolved that, even in the event of our finding biche de

mer, we should only stay here a week to recruit, and then push on

to the southward while we might. Accordingly we made every

necessary preparation, and, under the guidance of Too-wit, got

the Jane through the reef in safety, coming to anchor about a

mile from the shore, in an excellent bay, completely landlocked,

on the southeastern coast of the main island, and in ten fathoms

of water, black sandy bottom. At the head of this bay there were

three fine springs (we were told) of good water, and we saw

abundance of wood in the vicinity. The four canoes followed us

in, keeping, however, at a respectful distance. Too-wit himself

remained on board, and, upon our dropping anchor, invited us to

accompany him on shore, and visit his village in the interior. To

this Captain Guy consented; and ten savages being left on board

as hostages, a party of us, twelve in all, got in readiness to

attend the chief. We took care to be well armed, yet without

evincing any distrust. The schooner had her guns run out, her

boarding-nettings up, and every other proper precaution was taken

to guard against surprise. Directions were left with the chief

mate to admit no person on board during our absence, and, in the

event of our not appearing in twelve hours, to send the cutter,

with a swivel, around the island in search of us.

At every step we took inland the conviction forced itself upon us

that we were in a country differing essentially from any hitherto

visited by civilized men. We saw nothing with which we had been

formerly conversant. The trees resembled no growth of either the

torrid, the temperate, or the northern frigid zones, and were

altogether unlike those of the lower southern latitudes we had

already traversed. The very rocks were novel in their mass, their

color, and their stratification; and the streams themselves,

utterly incredible as it may appear, had so little in common with

those of other climates, that we were scrupulous of tasting them,

and, indeed, had difficulty in bringing ourselves to believe that

their qualities were purely those of nature. At a small brook

which crossed our path (the first we had reached) Too-wit and his

attendants halted to drink. On account of the singular character

of the water, we refused to taste it, supposing it to be

polluted; and it was not until some time afterward we came to

understand that such was the appearance of the streams throughout

the whole group. I am at a loss to give a distinct idea of the

nature of this liquid, and cannot do so without many words.

Although it flowed with rapidity in all declivities where common

water would do so, yet never, except when falling in a cascade,

had it the customary appearance of limpidity. It was,

nevertheless, in point of fact, as perfectly limpid as any

limestone water in existence, the difference being only in

appearance. At first sight, and especially in cases where little

declivity was found, it bore resemblance, as regards consistency,

to a thick infusion of gum arabic in common water. But this was

only the least remarkable of its extraordinary qualities. It was

not colourless, nor was it of any one uniform colour—presenting

to the eye, as it flowed, every possible shade of purple; like

the hues of a changeable silk. This variation in shade was

produced in a manner which excited as profound astonishment in

the minds of our party as the mirror had done in the case of

Too-wit. Upon collecting a basinful, and allowing it to settle

thoroughly, we perceived that the whole mass of liquid was made

up of a number of distinct veins, each of a distinct hue; that

these veins did not commingle; and that their cohesion was

perfect in regard to their own particles among themselves, and

imperfect in regard to neighbouring veins. Upon passing the blade

of a knife athwart the veins, the water closed over it

immediately, as with us, and also, in withdrawing it, all traces

of the passage of the knife were instantly obliterated. If,

however, the blade was passed down accurately between the two

veins, a perfect separation was effected, which the power of

cohesion did not immediately rectify. The phenomena of this water

formed the first definite link in that vast chain of apparent

miracles with which I was destined to be at length encircled.