... While sweetly some
Before this drama of the great Limelight
Of stars—and dancing shadows infinite.
THE best part of truth is hidden in the heart of humanity. How different is that which we reveal from that which we think of in silence. Our outward demeanour is civilisation8; our hidden inward cravings are barbarism. To some extent these pages will deal with the savage9 instincts of the natives of tropical isles10, and with men who have found refuge in those lands far from the cities of the Western world.
To tell you of the semi-heathen is much akin12 to telling you of ourselves, for are not the barbarian instincts which we all have within us our own tiny, savage, dusky children? We chide13 them for their waywardness, but do we not encourage them in secret, as the savage outwardly does, expressing joyously14 that which we are ashamed of? One has the virtue15 of truth and the other of polished deceit. Notwithstanding this, I think civilisation the best of all possible things. Truly, however, civilisation is built on a quicksand, and now that the Fijian forest battles and cannibalistic feasts have become fierce and gruesome history the great tribalistic clash of nations, in full swing as I write, reveals more than words the relentless18 link that binds19 white and brown men together.
Once when I was wandering in the Marquesan Group I suddenly came across the ruins of an old cannibalistic amphitheatre standing16 lonely by the forest palms. The stone cooling-shelves, whereon once lay the dead men and women in hot weather, were still intact, but thickly overgrown with moss20 and sheltered by bamboos; the festival arena21 and its surroundings of artistic22 savagery23 were all gone; the barbarian log walls had fallen. Wild tropical vines, smothered24 with wild flowers, thickly covered all that tomb-like place, where savages25 once ate their foes26 and whirled in the cannibalistic dance, revealing the shapes of the stone edifice27, the pae-pae,[15] the turrets28 and log walls. The savage tribes with their sighs and laughter lay dead, silent dust in the forest hard by. I looked up through that amphitheatre-shaped growth. It was night; I saw the stars glimmering29 through the dark palms as the trade wind stirred them. Now I think those vanished walls were as civilisation, and the green clinging boughs30 remaining and revealing the amphitheatre’s shape sad humanity clinging to the best it has left.
15. Altar.
The simile31 may not be perfect, but neither is anything that is human. But I must ramble32 on my way, for I am now well on the road to my reminiscences of Fiji.
Years ago, just off the Rewa river, which is navigable fifty or sixty miles inland, there was a wooden shanty33. It had two compartments34; the walls were made of coco-palm stems tied strongly together with wild hemp35. Situated36 at a lonely spot, surrounded by primeval vegetation, coco-palms, backa-trees and wild, tropical, twining vines, it was eminently38 suitable for the purpose for which it was used, for in its snug39 rooms lived the men who were members of the Charity Organization of the South Seas! The officials did not run the place on Western lines, for it was a true home for the fallen: no questions were asked when suddenly the hunted, haggard, unshaved face appeared; to be hunted was a sufficient reference to enable the applicant40 to be at once enrolled41 as a member. Twelve fierce-eyed, rough-looking men, attired42 in big-brimmed hats and belted trousers, would greet the new arrival, and with the instinct of bloodhounds stare, and reckon up the new visitor’s pedigree. If he looked sufficiently43 villainous and haggard, and pathetically told the woe44 of some criminal ambition that had been frustrated45 by the vigilant46 eye of civilisation, he was immediately given the first grade diploma, a tin mug of the best Fijian rum! If he still possessed47 any part of the spoil he could have an extra mugful, for the Organization was not a rich one. A little off-side room was artistically48 arranged; a small looking-glass, brush and comb, and all those things that tell of gentleness and frailness49 completed its furniture. There it was, silent, clean, tenantless50 and ready, for often from other lands, with the spoil, the missing man would arrive with the cause of his downfall weeping beside him, and in there she slept!
No one could tell the individual histories of these men. It will be sufficient to say that they were there.
Ere I proceed I must tell you that when I speak of the Organization’s whereabouts I mislead you in the name only; the true vicinity characteristically resembles my description. It is obvious that to be faithful to those who befriended me I must be secretive in some of the details which tell of this isle11 of the South Seas, where men sought, and probably still seek, a harbour of refuge safe from the stern law of civilised cities. To-day this institution exists and still carries on its varied51 work of extreme humanity. The low-roofed den7, the old bench surrounded by the swarthy, unshaved faces of the secretive crew, like bending shadows in tobacco smoke, breathing oaths as the cards are shuffled52, has disappeared; but still the game is carried on, though in more magnificent style, for as the cities rise the aristocracy of crime fortifies53 itself, becoming more guarded and respectable in outward appearance. Be assured that I dip my pen in stern experience for that which I tell you.
When you see these headlines in your daily paper, “Bank Manager Disappears. Officials in the Dock”, “Mayor and Vicar Missing,” be sure that the head of the Charity Organization of the South Seas has read the Colonial cable in The Marquesa News or Apia Times, and has rubbed his hands with delighted expectation, and that his agents are watching at the warden54 gates of the high sea ports of the tropic world. Forest lands, caves and mountain fastnesses and unknown isles of security are fast disappearing from the world as it becomes polite.
Where the bokai feast roared and revelled55, and the Fijian war dancers in the moonlight of other years whirled, in bloodthirsty revelry, by the Rewa river, now rise the church spires56! Where the ambushed57 tribe once watched from the jungle with gleaming eyes pass austere58 university men clad in gowns, with Bibles in their hands, to lecture on Christianity to open-mouthed natives. So things have changed, and the heathenish creeds59 of the old days faded, and it is my wish to give you one glimpse of that which has been.
It was my lot to stay in the Organization I speak of. A mile off was a small native village, where Mabau, a Fijian maid who helped Bones, the Organization overseer, to keep the rooms clean and tidy, lived. Bones was the descendant of one of those old Botany Bay convicts who, escaping in a boat, put to sea, and eventually drifting ashore60 in Fiji, made their homes there, and inculcated in the islanders’ minds the first contempt for the white race: contempt which, by an age of vigorous striving, missionaries62 have at last removed. Bones told me much of his convict ancestor, who had been transported from England for stealing a hammer, and so Bones was born in the South Seas. He had a firm, open face, grey, English eyes and a Fijian mouth. He was a fairly well-educated man, and though he looked rough, at heart was kind; he kissed Mabau’s pretty face as though she were his own child. In fact Bones in every way struck me as being most suitable for his job of running a South Sea Charity Organization, which was run upon exactly opposite lines to the charity organizations of the Western seas, where the officials have stony63 eyes and steel-trap mouths. As I have told you, Bones had neither; and as I sat by him and a strange bird in the coco-tree sang to the sunset, I felt drawn64 to him, and told him more than I would tell most men. It was a beautiful night; most of Bones’s friends were away, some at work and some at sea on trading schooners65. Bones played the banjo and I the fiddle66, and after indulging in some European and native folk-songs he lit his pipe and I strolled off under the palms.
It was on this night that I met Mabau again. Now Mabau was a Fijian maid of rare beauty. She had shining dark eyes and a thick mop of hair; the graceful67 curves of her bare brown body as she glided68 ’neath the sunlit palms made many Fijian youths gaze enviously69 upon her. The Chief Kaifa, her father, sat by his hut door; he had been one of the high chiefs of Thakambau, the last of the Fijian kings. Kaifa was a majestic-looking man; in spite of his thick lips he had fine features, with earnest eyes, and was straight-figured as a coco-palm. As he sat there, dressed in his native sulu, he smiled as I spoke70 to his daughter Mabau. I knew more of her doings than he thought. She was a true daughter of Eve, for her glance gave no hint whatever that we had met before.
For in my forest wanderings, about two days before the evening I have mentioned, I had met Mabau. She did not know at first that I had perceived her in a lonely spot. She knelt on her knees before a rotting, cast-off wooden idol71. Sunset had fired with red and gold the tops of the coco-palms and forest trees; overhead a few birds were still whistling. As I approached, and the dead scrub cracked beneath my feet, the heathen-hearted little maid looked hastily over her bare shoulder and, seeing me, arose swiftly, as though for flight. My voice must have had a note in it that appealed to and reassured72 the guilty forest child, for I called softly, and then smiled to let her know that from me no harm should befall her. “Why do you pray to that wooden thing?” I said, and then I gave the monstrous73 effigy74 a kick. With a frightened sigh she looked up at me and said: “O Papalangi, I love Vituo the half-caste.” Then with a blush she told me all, and it seemed that the soul of innocence75 peered through her eyes and asked for mercy as she looked down at herself and then up to me again, one hand resting on her brown breast. I gazed silently and knew all. The perfidious76 Vituo had stolen her heart.
“Me killee Vituo; your white God no help me, will he?” she said. I gazed awhile and said: “Yes, He will, Mabau.” I would not have told this thundering lie but for the fact that her appealing eyes awoke the best that was in me, and it was my earnest wish to attempt to stay her from inflicting77 any vengeance78 on her sinful lover which might bring sorrow to her afterwards.
Encouraged by my kindness, and misunderstanding my gestures as I endeavoured to explain that she should pray to the Christian1 God instead of to the gods of her fathers, she suddenly lifted her arms and started to chant into the wooden ears of the old idol again. On her knees she went, swaying her body and arms gently all the while in the mystic, Mebete charms. She sang on earnestly, and I gazed, astonished to see the heathen age before my eyes and to feel my ear-drums vibrating to the primeval lore79 of the South Seas. Through the forest boughs just overhead crept the lingering rays of the dying sunset, and two golden streaks80 fell slantwise over the praying maid’s brown body, glimmering in her thick dark hair as her head moved to and fro while she chanted her despair.
“Mabau,” I said, “where does Vituo live? Why not go and find him, tell him of your love and offer your forgiveness; he will doubtless take you to his arms.” In truth I felt this might be, for she was a comely81 and pretty maid. At my saying this she answered in this wise: “O white mans, I long die and go to Nedengi, or Mburanto the great goddess, who love deceived maids and make gods of children.” Then, with a fierce look on her dark face, and with heaving bosom82, she continued: “Mburanto will blow the breath of the big wind that will kill him, the wicked Vituo, and then him once dead will love me again, for good is his soul, though his body is whitish and wicked.” I saw the depth of her love flame in her eyes, and I answered: “Mabau, go home, and I will pray to the white God for you, and will see what can be done to bring this treacherous83 Vituo back to you again.” At this, with delight, she rose to her feet, her eyes and face shining and expressing pleasure at my promise; her sulu-cloth of woven coco-nut fibre revealed her trembling thighs84 as, with the impulsiveness85 of the Fijian temperament86, she started to sing and do the equivalent of a step-dance.
As I stood there, and the shadows of night thickened, I heard a voice, and Mr Bones suddenly stepped from a clump87 of tall fern growth into the clearing where we stood. “What’s up?” he said, and I knew then that he had been watching the whole performance. Mabau, who knew him well, started off, with feminine vivacity88, to tell him all her trouble. He knew her language, and so she was able swiftly to tell her tale. Now Bones, as I have said before, was a decent fellow, and he listened attentively89 all the while that she spoke. Then he turned towards me and said: “Vituo is a treacherous skunk90, and if he plays her false I will see to it that he gets his deserts. Go home, Mabau, for old Kaifa will be suspicious of your being out this late hour.” Off she went, and I had not seen her again till this meeting by her parent Kaifa’s home, when I digressed to tell you that, notwithstanding her greeting me as though I were a stranger, nevertheless all that I have told you had happened between us.
The chief, as I said, gave me a friendly greeting. I had seen him once before, when he had called at Bones’s homestead and borrowed a mugful of rum. He was a genuine survival of the old cannibalistic days: though he had embraced Christianity as best calculated to serve his interests and requirements, for the Protestant and Roman Catholic ecclesiastics91 were very kind to him—he had embraced both the creeds—he still, deep in his heart, clung tenaciously92 to old memories and the heathen mythologies93 of his tribal17 ancestors.
By his side sat Mabau, busily weaving a new fringed sulu gown, with varied patterns decorating its scantiness94; for it was the Fiji fashion to reveal as much as possible of the maid without her being accused of being absolutely nude95. His only surviving wife was a full-blooded Fijian, and as I sat by his side she squatted96 on her haunches, busily blowing, with her thick-lipped mouth, the embers of a tiny fire that flickered97 into a thousand stars, to be scattered98 by her breath, as the evening meal spluttered.
Chief Kaifa could speak excellent English, and as I stayed on, and the hour became late, he told me many things of the old days, of dark beliefs and also of the mighty99 cannibalistic warrior100, Thakambau. As he spoke, and the moon rose and lit the forest, his eyes brightened as the old splendour thrilled him, and Mabau, who sat by us alone, for the old wife had gone to bed in the hut near by, rested her chin on her hand and looked up with sparkling eyes, listening eagerly, and I saw who encouraged her and why she had prayed so earnestly to the old forest idol.
“O white mans,” he said, lifting his dusky arms as he spoke, “the old gods watch me to-night, and when I pass into shadow-land I shall be great chief, for am I not still faithful to them? Do I not cling to those who watched over my birth and gave me life?” As he spoke a strange bird screamed afar off in the forest palms, and with his dark finger to his lips he said: “Woi! Vanaka! the dead speak! and they who were unfaithful to men and maids are being punished by the gods”; for ere he finished many screams came to our ears, as a flock of migrating wings flapped under the moon that was right overhead.
Mabau, who had heard this, clapped her hands with delight, and I knew then that she had but little faith in Vituo’s promises; for I understood from Bones that he had seen Vituo, and he had pledged his faithfulness to poor Mabau. I say “poor Mabau” because this is no romance that I tell you of, but simply an incident in the sad drama of life that came about through Vituo’s unfaithfulness.
Much that Chief Kaifa told me that night, and on following nights that I spent in his interesting company, still lives vividly101 in my memory, and I think it will be interesting to tell here some things I heard concerning the monstrous deeds of Thakambau ere the awful royal cannibal embraced Christianity.
It appeared that Thakambau had six Fijian maids, who were kept in the royal huts, sheltered and closely guarded by his high chiefs; and though the missionaries had landed in the Fijian Group, and had even made homes on the isle, he managed to keep all that which the old chief told me a close secret. For some time these six maids formed his harem, and they were proud of the royal favour. In time two of them became mothers, and when the babies were six months old the high chiefs came in the dead of night and took them away. As time wore on, and Thakambau sickened of the secret tribal harem, the mothers disappeared one by one also—only a scream disturbed the forest silence. Then the bokai ovens, wherein the dead were roasted, were made hot, and great were the rejoicings of the cannibalistic natives and the tribal grandees102 who were favoured by being admitted and presented at the Court functions.
At last of the six erstwhile maids two only were left, and one night they too disappeared and ceased to weep, and the harem huts were silent.
Nedengi, the great Fiji god, blessed all those who had joined in the grand festival whereat the maids had been sacrificed; and as the assembled tribe sat in the terrible forest arena, drinking kava and gorging103 the dead, the Mebete spirits could be heard running, as their shadow-feet sped across the midnight moonlit forest that surrounded the bokai ovens; and the cannibals looked affrighted over their shoulders as they heard the wailing104 cries of the souls of the dead mothers and maids whom they were eating being pursued by the souls of dead warriors105 and lustful106 old gods, who hungered after the shadows of beautiful dead women!
“How terrible!” I suddenly gasped107, being unable to control my utterance109 as the old chief told me these things. Quickly he looked up at me, and swiftly I recognised my mistake, for he was very proud of his dead king and all the horror I have told you. Continuing, I said: “Thakambau was a great warrior, and the mighty Nedengi approved of his doings, and sanctioned them, as the white God does ours.”
Though I said that, the old fellow seemed to understand my feelings, and looking at me half kindly110 and half fiercely, said: “Nedengi did not sacrifice his own son! Nor does he send the helpless, blind souls of his children to the bokai ovens of hell fires to burn in agony for eternity111; nor did he hide in the dark of ages. Why did your mighty one God not come before? Why did He send you cursed whites to our isles to shout lies, ravish our maids and steal our lands? Wao! Wao! Why smash our idols112? Show me this great white God! Where, where is this Thing you prate113 about? Where?” Saying this, he lifted his eyes to the skies, and so vehemently114 did he rattle115 on, and so many things did he say that smacked116 of the truth, that for a moment I hung my head and felt as though I were the heathen and he the Christian.
Bidding the fierce old fellow good-night, I went swiftly across the flats, crept into the Home of the Fallen, by Rewa river, and slept.
It was the next day that I met the treacherous Vituo. Bones introduced me to him, and as I nodded my friend gave me a wink117 and so I assumed more politeness. I was much surprised by Vituo’s appearance, for though he was a half-caste his complexion118 was almost European. Certainly he was of a type which would appear handsome to Fijian womenkind, and from his manner I saw at a glance that he was a mixture of the swashbuckler and cavalier. I pitied little Mabau exceedingly, for she would, night after night, come over to see us, and I knew that she came full of hope that she might meet Vituo, who often came down the Rewa to help the traders, and to take up cargoes119 of copra and many other things that grew on the plantations120 which were cultivated and toiled122 over by the natives.
I stayed with Bones for some days; he was extremely kind to me, and I was glad of the opportunity of getting a rest, and, moreover, the men who lived with him were strange characters and extremely interesting. Often new arrivals came, some with heavy beards and some clean shaven, ostensibly for the purpose of disguise.
One old man, whose name was Enoch, was a quaint123 old chap and fondly loved rum. I do not know what he had done in his native land—which I believe was Australia—but at night he would shout in his sleep and, suddenly awaking, sit up and gasp108, and gaze with relief on the bunks124 around him, wherein slept the weary heads of the fallen. Now Enoch was very artful, for he found out that I was the rum-keeper and so it was my duty to share out, and night after night I was obliged to get out of my bed and give him tots of rum to allay125 the awful pain which a toothache was giving him. For several nights this kind of thing went on. I advised him at length to go to Suva and get the offensive molar pulled out, but no, he would not hear of it. At last, after a wretched week of nights disturbed by his groans126 and appeals for rum, I happened to tell him a joke, and as he opened his mouth wide with laughter I saw to my disgust that he was toothless!
Often I went out into the forest and, placing my music in the fork of a tree, stood and practised my violin. The native children would hear, and come peeping through the tall fern and grass to listen. They became my little friends. I taught them to dance around me, and they screamed with delight!
Several times Mabau came to see us, but Vituo did not keep his promises. She would stand at the Organization door for hours watching the sunset fade over the hills, and then with staring eyes look down the long white track, where once he had so eagerly come singing, to fall into her arms. Bones and I, and even old Enoch, would strive to cheer her up. I used to play the violin and get her to sing with her soft, plaintive127 voice some of the lotu hymns128, and so in this way divert her mind from thinking of her faithless lover. For, to tell the truth, Vituo was now only interested in a white woman who was staying at Suva. Bones knew of this, and told me all about it, and so we all felt deeply sorry for Mabau. In my heart I hated the treacherous half-caste for his heartless behaviour. Time was going on, and Mabau’s open disgrace fast approaching, and, as Bones said, it would not be well for her, or Vituo either, when the truth was out. The old chief, her father, still had a huge war-club which was the equivalent of Fijian law, and there was no telling what might happen when her condition was no longer a secret. Poor Mabau! I still remember her melancholy129 as I made her sing while I played the low notes on the violin, for she could follow easily the chords on the G string, but as the bow travelled up the scale to the higher notes her ear seemed to fail her. It was interesting to listen to her wild voice, which so easily sang melodies in the minor130 key, though as soon as I played in the major key her voice seemed to grip hold of the notes and slowly drift the strain from the major to the minor.
One night we were suddenly surprised by one of our companions appearing at the Organization door with two new members. They were dark-looking men; one was extremely handsome and very polite, indeed almost courtly in his salutations as he gently brushed the mug’s rim37 and swallowed the proffered131 rum. Enoch, Mabau and I, sitting on our tubs, watched them intently as they stood side by side and spoke in broken English to Bones, who seemed quite satisfied with their credentials132, for they were escaped convicts from Numea. They were unshaved and very disreputable-looking, but after a wash, shave and brush-up were considerably133 changed for the better, and I discovered that they were as gentle and intelligent as they looked. Reviere, the younger—that was not his real name—had, in a fit of jealousy134, shot a rival in Paris, and so had been transported to New Caledonia, the French penal135 settlement, from where convicts often escaped to live exiled lives in the islands or Australian cities.
Reviere fell in love with Mabau. He and I became very good friends, and though I told him of Vituo and all the trouble, still he gazed upon Mabau as she softly sang with eyes that seemed never to tire of gazing in her direction.
Reviere had been exiled in a convict prison for over five years, and Mabau being the first woman whom he had spoken to since he escaped from incarceration137, his infatuation for the Fijian maid was not so surprising as it would have been under normal circumstances. Alas138, though Mabau approved of his tenderness to her, and seemed somewhat flattered at his admiring gaze, she did not encourage him; for, notwithstanding the undress costume of the islanders and the looseness of the sexes in the native villages, Fijian maids were as modest as, and if anything more faithful to their lovers than, the maids of civilised lands sometimes are.
For two nights Mabau disappeared, and Bones being away on a trading trip, Reviere and I left the Organization officials playing dominoes and drinking rum and went off south of the Rewa river exploring; for we had heard that the natives were having high sprees inland and that the Meke festival dances were in full swing.
It was nearly dusk as we wandered along by the tropical palms and fern that grew thickly by the tiny track which we followed. Going across a pine-apple plantation121 we once more got on to the native road, and before the stars in heaven were at their brightest we emerged from the thick bush growth and entered a clearing that extended to the native village homesteads that stood under the palms and banyans across the flat.
It was a wonderful sight that appeared before us; for the old chieftains, and native women also, were dressed in war costume, their bodies swathed in bandages of grass and flowers, and as they danced wildly they made the scene impressively weird140. The general musical effect sounded like a Wagnerian orchestra being played out of tempo141 and tune142, but the legendary143 atmosphere was perfect. It also possessed the barbarian note of Wagnerian music, which so wonderfully expresses the German nature and shows that Wagner was a genius for true expression and anticipation144.
The moon came up and intensified145 the barbaric atmosphere that pervaded146 the excited village. From the hut doors peeped the tiny dark faces of the native children, who applauded with vigour147 the escapades of their old grandmother or grandfather, who, back once again in the revived memories of heathen days, threw their skinny legs skyward and did many grotesque148 movements that seemed impossible to old age and the stern decorum which those little children had erstwhile been used to from their august parents. Round the space, to the primitive149 music of thumped150 wooden drums (lais) and the hooting151 of bamboo reeds, they whirled; and then suddenly the vigorous antics would cease and all would start walking round in a circle, as the maids, almost nude, except for a blossom or a little grass tied about them, joined in, opened their thick-lipped mouths in unison152 and chanted some old strain that smacked more of heathenism than of the Christianity which most of them were supposed to have embraced. Under the coco-palms hard by sat several old women who dealt in South Sea witchcraft. I never saw such pathetically hideous153 old hags as they were. Their faces wrinkled up to a breathing-map of sin and vice154 as they put their fingers to their shrivelled lips and warned the innocent girls of sorrows to come, foretelling155 dire136 disaster, or the reverse, to those who appealed to them for prophecies.
Many of the maidens156 from the surrounding villages came running up the bush track and delightedly joined in the circling ring of dancers. A few of the latter, who belonged to the low-caste toiling157 natives, availed themselves of the opportunity to show their figures off, and though the majority of the dancers were innocent enough, in their way, these looser ones swayed about and went through preposterous158 antics, endeavouring to please the eyes of the semi-savage native men who squatted round as sightseers. Great was their applause at frequent intervals159, and deep the pleasure of those women who eagerly sought to please the eyes of prospective160 husbands.
Reviere and I stood watching this scene; neither of us spoke, so deeply were we interested in all about us. Then I touched Reviere, and told him to look behind him; there sat Mabau at the feet of a villainous-looking old witch who, responding to her pleadings, was doubtless telling Mabau how to win back Vituo’s love. There she sat, that artless, deceived maid, rubbing together the magic sticks and repeating word for word all that the old witch told her. It sounded in this wise: “O wao, we wao, wai wai, O mio mio, mio mi”; and so on, over and over again. Poor little Mabau, how fast she rubbed the magic sticks as, unperceived, Reviere and I watched her from the shadows and the old crony picked her two black front teeth with a bone skewer161 and thought over some new phrase for Mabau and the other maids to repeat after her. Many maids appealed to her and rubbed the sticks, some crossways and some downways, as they thought of the bonny promised babies that would be theirs. Two ugly old divorced wives, who had been foretold162 new husbands and children if they rubbed the magic sticks the right way, rubbed and rubbed so hard that their dark bodies were steaming with perspiration163 in the moonlight!
Neither of us approached Mabau as we watched; we saw why she had been absent from us for two nights. We had no doubt that each night she had sat at the black crone’s feet, listening to her prophecies and doing all she told her to do with those bits of stick, while Vituo, away in Suva, made love to the young white woman and thought no more of Mabau, who was to bring down vengeance on his head for his sins.
Next night Mabau watched at the trysting-place for the old witch’s prophecies to be fulfilled, but found that Vituo did not come as had been foretold, so as she knew of an old and lonely missionary who lived some eight miles from the spot where Reviere and I witnessed the native fête, she told us that she would go and visit the good white man and see if he could help her in her sorrow. Finding out from Bones where the recluse164 lived, I, being deeply interested, went off the following afternoon to see him. After four hours’ hard walking I inquired from some natives, and following a track which was thickly covered with thangi-thangi and drala growth, arrived at Naraundrau, which was situated south-east of the Rewa river and not far from the seashore. There in a secluded165 spot close by a stream was a small, neatly166 thatched homestead. As I approached all seemed silent, deserted167 and overgrown; the trees that shaded the hut-like home were heavy with thick, human-hand-shaped leaves, which intensified the gloom and isolation168. I coughed purposely; the door opened, and there, framed in the doorway169, stood a tall, stooping, grey-bearded man of about seventy or seventy-five years of age.
“Welcome, my son,” he said as I introduced myself, and he noticed that I was tired, for the heat of the sun had been terrific and I was parched170 with thirst. I had brought my violin with me for companionship and safety; though I had great faith in the Organization officials, I did not wish to tempt61 their integrity by leaving my instrument behind.
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1
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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witchcraft
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| n.魔法，巫术 | |
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hermit
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| n.隐士，修道者；隐居 | |
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missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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flutes
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| 长笛( flute的名词复数 )； 细长香槟杯（形似长笛） | |
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barbarian
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| n.野蛮人；adj.野蛮(人)的；未开化的 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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civilisation
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| n.文明，文化，开化，教化 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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10
isles
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| 岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
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11
isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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12
akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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13
chide
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| v.叱责；谴责 | |
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14
joyously
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| ad.快乐地, 高兴地 | |
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15
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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16
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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17
tribal
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| adj.部族的，种族的 | |
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18
relentless
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| adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的 | |
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19
binds
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| v.约束( bind的第三人称单数 )；装订；捆绑；（用长布条）缠绕 | |
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20
moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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21
arena
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| n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台 | |
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22
artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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23
savagery
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| n.野性 | |
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24
smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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25
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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26
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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27
edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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28
turrets
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| （六角）转台( turret的名词复数 )； （战舰和坦克等上的）转动炮塔； （摄影机等上的）镜头转台； （旧时攻城用的）塔车 | |
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29
glimmering
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| n.微光，隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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30
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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31
simile
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| n.直喻，明喻 | |
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32
ramble
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| v.漫步，漫谈，漫游；n.漫步，闲谈，蔓延 | |
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33
shanty
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| n.小屋，棚屋；船工号子 | |
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34
compartments
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| n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层 | |
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35
hemp
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| n.大麻；纤维 | |
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36
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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37
rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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38
eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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39
snug
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| adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房 | |
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40
applicant
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| n.申请人，求职者，请求者 | |
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41
enrolled
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| adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起 | |
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42
attired
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| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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44
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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45
frustrated
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| adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧 | |
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46
vigilant
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| adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的 | |
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47
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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48
artistically
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| adv.艺术性地 | |
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49
frailness
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| n.脆弱，不坚定 | |
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50
tenantless
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| adj.无人租赁的，无人居住的 | |
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51
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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52
shuffled
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| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
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53
fortifies
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| 筑防御工事于( fortify的第三人称单数 )； 筑堡于； 增强； 强化（食品） | |
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54
warden
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| n.监察员，监狱长，看守人，监护人 | |
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55
revelled
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| v.作乐( revel的过去式和过去分词 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
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56
spires
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| n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 ) | |
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57
ambushed
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| v.埋伏( ambush的过去式和过去分词 )；埋伏着 | |
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58
austere
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| adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的 | |
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59
creeds
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| （尤指宗教）信条，教条( creed的名词复数 ) | |
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60
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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61
tempt
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| vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣 | |
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62
missionaries
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| n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 ) | |
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63
stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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64
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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65
schooners
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| n.（有两个以上桅杆的）纵帆船( schooner的名词复数 ) | |
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66
fiddle
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| n.小提琴；vi.拉提琴；不停拨弄，乱动 | |
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67
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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68
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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69
enviously
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| adv.满怀嫉妒地 | |
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70
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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71
idol
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| n.偶像，红人，宠儿 | |
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72
reassured
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| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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73
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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74
effigy
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| n.肖像 | |
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75
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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76
perfidious
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| adj.不忠的，背信弃义的 | |
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77
inflicting
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 ) | |
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78
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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79
lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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80
streaks
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| n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹 | |
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81
comely
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| adj.漂亮的，合宜的 | |
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82
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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83
treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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84
thighs
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| n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿 | |
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85
impulsiveness
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| n.冲动 | |
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86
temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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87
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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88
vivacity
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| n.快活，活泼，精神充沛 | |
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89
attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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90
skunk
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| n.臭鼬，黄鼠狼；v.使惨败，使得零分；烂醉如泥 | |
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91
ecclesiastics
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| n.神职者，教会，牧师( ecclesiastic的名词复数 ) | |
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92
tenaciously
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| 坚持地 | |
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93
mythologies
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| 神话学( mythology的名词复数 )； 神话（总称）； 虚构的事实； 错误的观点 | |
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94
scantiness
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| n.缺乏 | |
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95
nude
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| adj.裸体的；n.裸体者，裸体艺术品 | |
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96
squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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97
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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98
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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99
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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100
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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101
vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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102
grandees
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| n.贵族，大公，显贵者( grandee的名词复数 ) | |
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103
gorging
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| v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的现在分词 )；作呕 | |
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104
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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105
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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106
lustful
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| a.贪婪的；渴望的 | |
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107
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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108
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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109
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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110
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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111
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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112
idols
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| 偶像( idol的名词复数 )； 受崇拜的人或物； 受到热爱和崇拜的人或物； 神像 | |
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113
prate
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| v.瞎扯，胡说 | |
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114
vehemently
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| adv. 热烈地 | |
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115
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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116
smacked
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| 拍，打，掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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117
wink
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| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
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118
complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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119
cargoes
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| n.（船或飞机装载的）货物( cargo的名词复数 )；大量，重负 | |
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120
plantations
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| n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 ) | |
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121
plantation
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| n.种植园，大农场 | |
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122
toiled
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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123
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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124
bunks
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| n.（车、船等倚壁而设的）铺位( bunk的名词复数 )；空话，废话v.（车、船等倚壁而设的）铺位( bunk的第三人称单数 )；空话，废话 | |
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125
allay
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| v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等) | |
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126
groans
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| n.呻吟，叹息( groan的名词复数 )；呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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127
plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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128
hymns
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌( hymn的名词复数 ) | |
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129
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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130
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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131
proffered
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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132
credentials
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| n.证明，资格，证明书，证件 | |
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133
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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134
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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135
penal
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| adj.刑罚的；刑法上的 | |
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136
dire
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| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
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137
incarceration
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| n.监禁，禁闭；钳闭 | |
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138
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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139
dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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140
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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141
tempo
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| n.(音乐的)速度；节奏，行进速度 | |
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142
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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143
legendary
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| adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学） | |
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144
anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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145
intensified
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| v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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146
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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147
vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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148
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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149
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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150
thumped
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| v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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151
hooting
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| （使）作汽笛声响，作汽车喇叭声( hoot的现在分词 )； 倒好儿； 倒彩 | |
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152
unison
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| n.步调一致，行动一致 | |
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153
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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154
vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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155
foretelling
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的现在分词 ) | |
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156
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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157
toiling
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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158
preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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159
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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160
prospective
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| adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的 | |
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161
skewer
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| n.（烤肉用的）串肉杆；v.用杆串好 | |
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162
foretold
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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163
perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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164
recluse
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| n.隐居者 | |
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165
secluded
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| adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
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166
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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167
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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168
isolation
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| n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离 | |
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169
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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170
parched
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| adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干 | |
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