The Papuans—Their Physical and Moral Characteristics—Their Artistic1 Tastes—Their Dwellings2—Their Primitive3 Political Institutions—Their Weapons and Mode of Fighting—The Polynesians—Their Manners and Customs when first visited by Europeans—Tattooing4—The Tapa Cloth—Their Canoes—Swimming Feats—Aristocratic Forms of Government—The Tabu—Religion—Superstitious Observances—Human Sacrifices—Infanticide—Low Condition of the Coral Islanders.
Two races of man, widely differing from each other in character, social condition, and physical conformation—the Papuans and the Polynesians—are spread over the islands of the Pacific and the archipelagoes of the Coral Sea. The Papuans who occupy the area comprising New Guinea, New Ireland, New Britannia, New Caledonia, the New Hebrides, the Solomon Group, Loyalty5, and many other islands of minor6 importance, are in stature7 equal to if not surpassing the average European size. Their legs are long and thin, and their hands and feet greater than those of the Malays. The face is somewhat elongated8, the forehead flat, the brows very prominent, the eyes sufficiently9 large and well formed, not too deeply set,277 nor with the overhanging brow of the Australians; the nose large, slightly aquiline10, and broad at the base; the mouth large with thick and pouting11 lips. The colour of the skin is commonly of a deep black-brown or black, sometimes approaching the coal-black of the genuine Negro races.
The growth of the hair is very peculiar12, and at first sight might be confounded with the wool of the negro. Its distribution is most easily seen on the body and limbs, when it may be observed to grow in small tufts or pencils, separated one from the other, and giving a blotchy13 or woolly aspect to the skin. The hair of the head doubtless grows in the same way, but here the tufts are close together, and each forms a separate small curl, very stiff, and when suffered to grow long hangs down in a narrow pipe-like ringlet. The fashion of dressing14 the hair varies in different localities, but generally the greatest care is bestowed15 upon it. The face of the Papuans has upon the whole a more European expression than that of the Malays, and the prominent nose, the strongly marked eyebrows16, and the character of the hair enable one at once to distinguish these two races from each other.
The difference in their moral characteristics is no less remarkable17.
The Papuan is impulsive18 and demonstrative in his language and actions. His passions and emotions express themselves in screaming and laughing, in howling and jumping. The women and children take part in every conversation, and show no fear at the sight of strangers and Europeans. The Malay is timid, cold, quiet; the Papuan bold, impetuous, and noisy. The former is serious, and seldom laughs; the latter is jovial20, and loves a joke: the one hides his emotions, the other shows them openly.
It is difficult to form an opinion of the intelligence of the Papuans, but Mr. Wallace is inclined to place it on a somewhat higher level than that of the Malays, although the latter, influenced for centuries by the immigration and intercourse21 with Hindoos, Chinese, and Arabs, have made some progress in civilisation22, while the former, communicating but little with the rest of the world, are still plunged23 in barbarism. The Papuan has much more vital energy, which certainly would materially aid his intellectual development were he placed in more278 favourable24 circumstances. He combines a remarkable taste and skill in the ornamenting26 of his furniture with an utter disregard of all order and convenience in his household arrangements. He has no chair or bench to sit upon, does not know the use of a brush, and his dress, such as it is, consists of dirty bark or rags. He never takes the trouble to clear the path which he daily treads, of overhanging branches or prickly thorns. In many parts his nourishment27 consists almost entirely28 of roots and vegetables; fish and game being only occasional luxuries; and in consequence both of his coarse food and his filthy29 habits, he is very liable to various cutaneous diseases. The children, particularly, have often a miserable30 look, and are covered over their whole body with eruptions31 and sores. If these people are not savages32, where are we to look for them? And yet these same savages have a decided33 taste for the fine arts, and employ their leisure hours in executing ornamental34 works, the neatness and elegance35 of which would often do honour to our schools of design.
They cover the outside of their houses with rude but characteristic figures, and their canoes, and other implements36 and furniture are decorated with elaborate carvings37 in various patterns; a custom very seldom met with among the Malayan tribes.
But the most striking instance of Papuan industry, and the one which seems most at variance38 with their utter barbarism in almost every other respect, is shown in the construction of the immense houses in New Guinea which strike the stranger with astonishment39. They are upwards40 of 300 feet long, about 30 feet in width, and 16 or 18 feet high in the centre, from which the roof slopes down on either hand to the floor; their inside looks just like a great tunnel. Down each side are a row of cabins with walls of bamboo and neatly41 made doors. Inside these cabins are low frames covered with mats, apparently42 bed-places, and overhead are shelves and pegs43 for bows and arrows, baskets, stone axes, and other utensils45. These immense structures rest on a number of posts, like the ancient lacustrine habitations of Switzerland, so that their floor is raised from the muddy ground about six feet. The roof, formed of an arched framework of bamboo, is covered with a perfectly46 waterproof47 thatch48 of sago-palm leaves. The centre of the house for about a279 third of its width is kept quite clear, forming a noble covered promenade49, though rather dark, as the only light proceeds from the large doors at the end and the little side doors between the cabins.
Most accounts describe the honesty of the Papuans as superior to that of the Polynesian race, and they seem to be less eagerly addicted50 to pilfering51; they are, however, commonly much more hostile and ferocious52, sometimes waging open warfare53, sometimes having recourse to the grossest treachery. Travellers mention them honourably54 for the treatment of their women. Mr. Jukes never saw a woman beaten or abused among the Torres Straits Islanders, and in all the harder kinds of work the men appeared to take their fair share of labour. Their care and affection for their children seemed always great. Although wanting in the engaging liveliness and fascinating manners of some of the eastern Polynesian nations, they are of a cheerful disposition55, readily engaging in sports and amusements, and their curiosity is easily excited by anything interesting or uncommon56. When bartering57 with Europeans they show their good sense in preferring useful articles to mere58 ornaments59.
The political institutions of the Papuans are extremely primitive. We do not hear of any division into ranks or of any hereditary60 chieftainship or authority among them. They apparently live in small tribes, hostile the one to the other. They have never attained61 to any great skill in navigation. Their canoes are commonly small, rudely fashioned, and unfit to encounter the swell62 of the open sea. Their agriculture is very rude and they seem in no instance to cultivate rice or any other sort of grain. No genuine Papuan nation has been known to have invented or practised the art of making any kind of cloth. Their favourite weapons are the bow and arrow, in the use of which they are very expert, but they appear never to have acquired anything like discipline or skill in warfare, although apparently more constantly engaged in it than the Polynesians.
Of their mode of fighting, the following account of a skirmish witnessed by Mr. Jukes gives us a good idea. ‘The hostile parties approached each other at full speed to within about thirty or forty yards, when they both halted, sheltering280 themselves behind rocks and large stones; and there was a pretty brisk interchange of arrows. The sharp twanging or smacking63 of the bows, the rattling64 of bundles of arrows and the hurtling of arrows through the air, and their glancing from the rocks, was heard above the shouts and cries of the combatants. The fierce gestures, quick and active movements, and the animated65 attitudes of the black and naked warriors66, ornamented67, as many of them were, with glittering pearl shells or red flowers and yellow leaves hanging from their hair, and the crouching68 of the women, known by their petticoats, in the rear or skirts of the battle with fresh stores of ammunition69, formed for a short time an interesting and exciting spectacle. After a minute or two’s skirmishing they all rushed together, hand to hand, and formed a confused mob. The shouting and noise was then redoubled, and there was a short clatter70 of long poles, sticks, or canoe paddles, which we could see waving above their heads, and we thought some of them were using their arrows as spears or daggers71. Still no execution seemed to be done, as we saw none of them down, and in a very short time the poles and paddles were all held erect72, the women closed up, and the war of deeds seemed to end in one of words. The fight being done, both parties seemed very glad it was over. Several of the combatants were slightly scarred with arrow marks, but in some cases had evidently had a very narrow escape. It seemed as if they had seen the arrow coming and avoided it by twisting the body as the Australians avoid spears.’
As to the future prospects73 of the Papuan race, there can hardly be a doubt that as soon as they come within the range of European emigration or dominion74, their speedy extinction75 must be the result. Their very qualities will seal their doom76, for a warlike and energetic people will never quietly submit to the yoke77 of a foreign master, and must as surely disappear before the white man as the wolf or the tiger.
With the single and remarkable exception of the Feejee Islanders, who form a kind of intermediate race between the Papuan and Polynesian races, all the archipelagoes and islands of the tropical Pacific, situated78 on the east and north of the above-mentioned groups, are inhabited by nations distinguished79 from the Papuan stock by a yellow, olive-coloured, or brown skin; by smooth, generally black, hair; by a finer281 proportioned body, with well-rounded limbs and swelling80 muscles. The nations belonging to this yellow or Polynesian race have in general attained a much higher degree of civilisation than the black hordes81 of the western islands; and though enormous distances intervene between them, the inhabitants of the large groups of the Sandwich, Society, Navigators, and Friendly Islands, are more similar to each other than the various nations crowded together in the comparatively narrow space of our continent. Their features are everywhere the same; they speak dialects of the same language, so nearly resembling each other that the people of Tonga can freely converse82 with those of Hawaii; and when first visited by European navigators they showed a surprising similarity in their customs, their religious observances, and their political institutions, as well as in the progress they had made in agriculture and the industrial arts.
Not satisfied with the spontaneous bounty83 of Nature, they forced the willing soil to yield them a variety of productions. The Tahitians, besides multiplying the bread-fruit tree and the cocoa palm, chiefly cultivated the banana, the sweet potato, and the yam; while the roots of the taro84 formed the principal nourishment of the Sandwich Islanders, who by an admirable system of irrigation extended the plantations85 of this water-loving plant, even high up the hills, where it grew in artificial ponds. These served likewise as basins for the reception of mullets, which were taken when quite young out of the sea, and placed in reservoirs into which some sweet water was made to flow. They were then gradually accustomed to water less and less salt, and ultimately, after five or six weeks, transferred to the submerged taro plantations, where they grew to a large size, and acquired a delicious flavour.
The food of the common people in all these islands consisted entirely of vegetables: pork, and the flesh of dogs, which was particularly esteemed86, being exclusively reserved for the use of the great. This taste seems strange, but as the dogs destined87 for the table were fed wholly upon bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, and other vegetables, their flesh was but little inferior to English lamb, and might well pass for a delicacy88 in a country where beef, mutton, and venison were unknown. The general drink was water or the milk of the cocoa-nut, but on festive89 occasions282 they prepared an intoxicating90 beverage91 called Kava from the root of a species of pepper.
Both men and women were dressed in Tapa, a kind of white cloth, which was not woven, but made like paper, of the macerated fibres of the bark of the Chinese mulberry and bread-fruit trees spread out and beaten together. The lower classes wore but a scanty92 covering of this material, while the nobles were amply attired93 in long and flowing garments, stained with various colours.
When even the rude Australian shows some desire to decorate his ugly person by sticking a bone through his nostrils94, or by bedaubing his filthy body with paint, we cannot wonder at the taste for ornament25 displayed by the more polished South Sea Islanders. Elegant chaplets, of gaily-coloured feathers, adorned95 their raven96 hair, and flowers in the ears gratified at once the eye by their lively hues97, and the smell by their delicious perfume.
The custom of tattooing so frequent among the Malays, and even among the Negroes and American Indians, was nowhere so universally and so elaborately practised as among the South Sea islanders. Each group had its particular patterns, each rank was differently marked. The instrument used for this painful operation was a kind of comb, the teeth of which were struck just through the skin, after which the punctures98 were rubbed with a kind of paste made of soot99 and oil which left an indelible stain.
The industrial dexterity100 of this ingenious people appeared in the manufacture of many other articles besides the Tapa. Rushes, grass, the bark of trees, and fibrous leaves furnished the material for finer mats than any made in Europe. The coarser kind of matting was employed for sleeping on in the night, or sitting on through the day; the finer sort was converted into garments in rainy weather, the Tapa being soon penetrated101 by wet. They were also very expert in making basket and wicker work; their baskets were of a vast number of different patterns, many of them exceedingly neat, and the making of them was an art practised by everyone, both men and women. Essentially102 maritime103 in their tastes, they excelled in the construction of their canoes, which were the more to be admired as an adze made of stone, a chisel104 or gouge283 made of bone, a rasp of coral, and the skin of a sting ray as a file and polisher, were the only tools which they possessed105. With these rude implements they generally took up several days in felling a tree, which was then split into planks106. The boards, having been very dexterously107 smoothed, were afterwards fitted to the boat with the same exactness that might be expected from an expert joiner.
To fasten them together, holes were bored with a piece of bone fixed108 into a stick for that purpose, and through these holes a kind of plaited cordage was passed, so as to hold the planks strongly together. The seams were caulked109 with dry rushes, and the whole outside of the vessel110 was painted over with a kind of gummy juice which supplied the place of pitch. Considering the inferiority of their tools, the building of one of their large war canoes, which sometimes had the enormous length of 108 feet and could hold forty men, was undoubtedly111 a piece of workmanship not inferior to the huge vessels112 constructed in Europe with the assistance of iron. Generally two of these war canoes were lashed113 together, with two masts set up between them, and a high platform raised above, on which the warriors, armed with spears and slings114, were stationed; the rowers sat below, ready to receive the wounded from above and to send reinforcements to take their place. Single boats had an outrigger on one side, and only one mast in the middle; and in these frail115 constructions, they did not hesitate to sail far beyond the sight of land, shaping their course in the daytime by the sun, at night by the stars, to which they gave their particular names.
A fleet of war canoes with its curved figures, its waving pennants116, and its men gracefully117 clothed in flowing garments, afforded a highly picturesque118 spectacle, which might give some idea of the vessels in which the Argonauts sailed to Colchis, or the Homeric heroes embarked119 for the destruction of Troy.
Accustomed to bathe from infancy120, the half-amphibious South Sea Islanders are admirable swimmers. Captain Cook was amazed at the natatorial expertness of the Tahitians in a tremendously high surf, in which the best European swimmer would have been drowned, as the shore was covered with pebbles121 and large stones. Whenever a huge wave broke near284 them they dived under it and rose again on the other side. The stern of an old canoe added much to their sport. This they took out before them, and swam as far as the outermost122 breach123 in the reef, through which the sea came pouring in; when two or three getting into it and turning the square end to the breaking waves, were driven in towards the shore with incredible rapidity, sometimes almost to the beach, but generally the wave broke over them before they got half-way, in which case they dived and rose to the other side with the canoe in their hands and swimming out with it again were again driven back.
On the border of the reef of the island of Huaheini, Ellis frequently saw more than a hundred persons of all ages play like dolphins in the rolling breakers, sometimes riding on the crest124 of a wave and nearly enveloped125 with foam126, and then again disappearing under the billows, which rolled like mountains above them.
The dwellings of the South Sea Islanders were small huts built under the shade of bread-fruit trees or cocoa palms, and open at the sides, so as to allow a free entrance to the cooling breeze—a great enjoyment127 in a climate blessed with a perpetual spring. A strong thatch of palm leaves effectually kept out the rain, and the floor was covered with hay, over which they spread mats to sleep on, this being the chief use to which their simple constructions were devoted128, for, unless it rained, they ate and performed all their work in the open air.
The form of government in the large Polynesian groups was monarchical129 and aristocratic. When Captain Wallis first landed on Tahiti, a queen reigned130 over the beautiful island, and when Cook discovered the Sandwich Archipelago a succession of kings had long ruled over Hawaii. The genealogy131 of the great nobles was traced back as far as the remotest periods of their legendary132 history, and in some islands the kings, as in the old times of Greece, derived133 their origin in a direct line from the gods, so that religion lent its aid to secure their authority by the prestige of birth. Their person was sacred, none of the lower classes was allowed to touch them, and he who should have ventured to cast his shadow over their path would have been punished with death. Whenever the king or queen appeared in public, they were always carried on the shoulders of men, whose honourable134 office exonerated135 them from285 all other labour. In this manner they travelled full speed at the rate of more than five miles an hour. Other carriers, with a considerable retinue136, ran alongside for the relief of their tired comrade, and at each relay royalty137 never placed its foot upon the ground, but vaulted138 over the head of the exhausted139 carrier upon the shoulders of his successor, who instantly proceeded on his journey at a sharp trot140.
In the Friendly Archipelago the Tui Tonga, a sacred personage descending141 in a direct line from one of the chief Polynesian gods, enjoyed divine honours, which were paid him not only by his countrymen, but even by part of Samoa and the Feejee Islands. The highest nobles were obliged to sit down when he passed; a mark of reverence142 which they themselves exacted from the meanest peasant.
An etiquette143 as severe and circumstantial as that which prescribes the courtly forms existing among the most civilised people of Asia or Europe, served to maintain the wide line of demarcation which separated the lords of the land from the common artisans and cultivators of the soil: and the strange superstition144 of the Tabu, one of the most effectual instruments of government ever invented by man, still further secured the willing obedience145 of the people.
In general the Tabu signified a prohibition146. It interdicted147 the visiting of certain spots, the use of certain articles of food, the touching148 of certain objects, the use of certain words, the performance of certain actions, and he who, for instance, touched the dead body of a chieftain was subjected during several months to a tabu, and was then not allowed to carry his victuals149 to his mouth with his own hands. When hungry and no one near at hand to feed him, he was obliged to creep on all fours and seize his victuals with his lips.
The Tabu spread its influence over every occurrence of life. It was political or religious, general or individual, of limited duration or perpetual. Sometimes it proceeded from the whim150 of a chieftain, or the caprice of a priest; sometimes it appeared as a measure of general utility, and then again as a protection for individual property; sometimes it extended over a whole people, and in other cases was limited to a single individual. Its yoke lay particularly heavy on the women, whom it deprived of many enjoyments151, and subjected to many irksome restrictions152.286 But, though frequently tyrannical and oppressive, it often performed the salutary part of our laws and police regulations, with this difference, however, in its favour: that whereas many of us are, more or less, inclined to infringe153 the law, no Polynesian would have ventured to disobey the Tabu, being perfectly convinced that this crime would immediately entail154 upon him the signal vengeance155 of his gods. Every chieftain had the right to subject his inferiors to a Tabu, and was in a like manner obliged to submit to the interdictions pronounced by his superior. If by some chance he had infringed156 a Tabu, he could only be exonerated by a chieftain of higher rank. Thus the Tabu placed an enormous power in the hands of the privileged castes, and secured by the chains of superstition the eternal slavery of the people.
As among the ancient Greeks an invisible world of gods ruled over the visible phenomena157 of nature, thus also the fertile fancy of the Polynesians peopled earth and heaven, the ocean and the mountains with a mighty158 host of spirits. They recognized their presence in the rising sun, the mild moonlight, the howling storm, the roaring breaker, and the soft evening breeze. The peak of the mountain, the fleecy vapours hanging on its side, the foaming159 waterfall, and above all the volcano and the earthquake, were all palpable objects, connected with a presiding divinity. Most of these gods were vindictive160, proud, irascible beings, ever ready to do mischief161 in a material or immaterial form; and even the spirits of deceased relations were feared as malignant162 demons19. Thus, here as elsewhere, superstition added its fantastical terrors to the real evils of existence.
The Polynesian Pantheon, a strange mixture of poetry and absurdity163, was as richly peopled as that of the ancient Greeks or Scandinavians. Tangaloa was the creator of their little world, which, according to the Tonga account, he fished up from the sea. Tahiti was the first part that appeared. Just as its rock showed above water, the line broke. However, the rock in which the hook stuck could still be seen on the island of Hoonga, and the family of Tuitonga were in possession of the hook. In Tahiti and Samoa the workman was the same, but the work different. The Tahitian Tangaloa formed the ocean from the sweat of his brow—so hard did he work in making the land.
287 The Samoan sent down his daughter Toli in the shape of a snipe to survey the world below. As she saw nothing but sea, her father rolled down a stone, which became one island, and another which became a second, and so on. The first growth of such islands was wild vine. They were pulled out of the ground and heaped up to rot, so that worms were produced. Out of these worms grew men and women.
Oro, the god of war, was the mighty protector of Tahiti. His father, Taaroa, was the son of night, for here also, as among the Greeks, all originally proceeded from darkness.
Hiro, the Polynesian Neptune164, likewise played a considerable part in legendary lore165. Once the monsters of the deep had lulled166 him with a profound sleep while the god of winds raised a terrible storm to destroy a vessel in which his friends were embarked. Their destruction seemed inevitable167, but a good spirit penetrated into the sea-grot where the god was dozing168, awoke him from his slumbers169, and told him of the danger his followers170 were in. Instantly he rose to the surface, where his presence scared away the weaker storm-god, and his friends were saved.
In the Sandwich Islands, the chief divinities resided in the burning craters171 of Mauna Loa, for no phenomenon of nature was equal in terrific grandeur172 to these explosions of subterranean173 fire, and the mysterious powers which caused them were necessarily prominent in power. There dwelt Pele the supreme174 goddess of fire, with a whole train of subordinate deities175, such as Kamoho ‘the king of steam,’ Teoahitamatana ‘the fire-spitting son of war,’ Hiatawawahilani ‘the sky-rending cloud-compeller.’ The roar of the volcano was the music to which their deities danced, their delight was to swim in the waves of the fiery176 sea. Never did these dreadful beings leave their abodes179 for a beneficial purpose, but only to receive offerings or to wreak180 vengeance: the quaking of the earth, the outpouring lava181 stream announced their coming. This religion of dread177 placed of course an enormous power in the hands of the priests, who profited largely by the terrors of a credulous182 people.
As in Greece, the divinities of the Polynesian Pantheon were worshipped under the palpable form of idols183 in large temples, or inclosures; but while Apollo or Jove fashioned by the hand of a Phidias or Scopas still command the admiration184 of a world288 which has long since ceased to believe in them, the rude figures which the Tahitian or the Hawaiian adored were models of hideous185 deformity.
Like the ancient Greeks, the Polynesians had also their Elysium. The higher gods, and the souls of kings, chiefs and councillors, resided in a happy island, more beautiful than any on earth; but the common people were excluded from this abode178 of felicity, as they have been debarred from all political rights in life. The idea of a retributive justice had no room in the Polynesian mind, and birth claimed its privileges even after death, while merit was ignored.
To judge by their progress in the industrial arts, their elaborate political institutions, and the courtesy of their manners, the South Sea Islander, particularly the Tahitians, might claim a place among civilized186 nations, but in many respects they were still deeply plunged in barbarism. Their wars were sanguinary and cruel, their morals dissolute. Infanticide was extremely common among them, and the cause of this horrible crime was not the want of food but a culpable187 laziness. Although the fertility of the soil and the mildness of a delicious climate rendered it easy to provide for a large family, the general indolence was so great that a man with more than three children (a rare case) was looked upon as groaning188 under an intolerable burden, and thus thousands of infants were immolated189 to the love of ease of their unnatural190 parents.
Human sacrifices were frequently offered to propitiate191 the gods—in war time, on the occasion of some great festival, of the illness or coronation of a king, or at the building of a temple. Each of the pillars which sustained the roof of one of these edifices192 was planted in the body of a wretch193 immolated in honour of the cruel divinity to whom the building was consecrated194. To the honour of Polynesian humanity it must, however, be added, that the victims—either prisoners of war or persons who had incurred195 the enmity of some priest or noble—were not made to suffer any additional torment196, but suddenly despatched by the unexpected blow of a club.
In all the larger Polynesian groups the state of society briefly197 described in the foregoing pages has long since disappeared.
289 In Hawaii, Tahiti, Tonga, and Samoa, the ancient religion, the ancient customs, the ancient manufactures have more or less given way to European influences, and now only exist in the more remote or more insignificant198 islands where the missionary199 has either not appeared or which are too poor to tempt200 our avarice201.
The difference between the geological structure of the different islands of the Pacific has a marked influence upon the condition of their inhabitants. In the high and more extensive islands, where the structure is primitive and volcanic202, the productions of the soil are more abundant and various, and the conditions for social development more favourable, than in the low small islands of a coralline structure, where food is less abundant, the sun more scorching203, and generally the complexion204 of the inhabitants darker.
While the Tahitians, Sandwich Islanders, Samoans, and Fijians cultivate the taro plant or pluck the fruits of the bread-fruit tree, the coral islander is frequently restricted to the nuts of the cocoa palm, or even to those of the screw pine, and adds to his sparing vegetable meal only a few crabs205 or fishes which he gathers on the reef or catches in the lagoon206.
On some of the low Caroline Islands, whose inhabitants undertake long sea voyages, the ideas of the people have naturally a somewhat wider range; but in general the poverty of the language corresponds with the narrow circle of a life confined to so small a space and to so few objects of interest.
The inhabitants of Hau or Bow Island, situated in the centre of the extensive Paumotu group, give us a good idea of the dreary207 monotony of a coral islander’s life. Captain Beechey, who visited them in 1826, describes them as an ill-favoured, indolent race, above the middle size, with strong bones but flaccid muscles. The ugliness of the men was surpassed by that of the women, who were obliged to work in the hot sun while their lazy lords and masters looked on, reclining in the shade. Having obtained the chief’s permission to fell some wood, he endeavoured to procure208 the natives’ assistance by liberal offers of tobacco and shirts, but in spite of this tempting209 salary the chief was the only man among them who could be roused from his lethargy and induced to work, and even he let the axe44 drop before the first tree was felled.
290 With the aid of an interpreter, Captain Beechey learned many interesting particulars about these islanders during his four days’ sojourn210 among them. They had, as they said, given up cannibalism211 some time ago; but, to judge by the diabolical212 animation213 which spread over the chief’s brutal214 countenance215 as he described the excellent flavour of human flesh, there is every reason to believe that they were in great danger of a relapse. These savages preferred eating their victuals raw, and were thus in fact but one degree removed from that horrid216 custom. A canoe full of fish having landed in the neighbourhood of the village, they immediately devoured217 the whole cargo218, leaving nothing but the bones and fins219. Their marriage ceremonies were as simple as possible: a man had only to say to a woman ‘Thou shalt be my wife!’ and, provided she was not pre-engaged, no further ceremony was required. The children seemed to be the only objects for which the men showed any affection; the women at least came in for no share of it. While the men stretched their lazy limbs in the shade, these unfortunate creatures were obliged to gather shell-fish on the pointed220 coral reefs, or to seek for pandanus nuts in the woods. They went to this work at break of day, and on returning from their morning’s labour had no time to rest, but were obliged to serve their hungry masters, who first devoured the best part of the fleshy substance inclosed in the rind of the nuts and then threw the rest to the women as we should throw a bone to a dog. After this, the women cracked the nuts with a heavy stone in order to extract the four or five small kernels221 about the size of an almond which they contain, and which, were laid aside for the men. As a great number of nuts was necessary to satisfy their voracious222 appetite, the women were in fact occupied all day long in gathering223 mussels, sea-urchins, and pandanus nuts, and cracking the latter.
The supremacy224 of the stronger sex was asserted with the utmost severity, and nowhere did the tyranny of man show itself in a more contemptible225 light. Once a poor woman, fancying herself unobserved, ventured to eat a few kernels of the nuts she had fetched from a great distance, but unfortunately did not escape the vigilant226 eye of her brutal husband, who immediately rose and knocked her down. Thus overworked and debased by ill-treatment, we cannot wonder if the291 females possess none of those qualities and graces which render women in Europe so charming.
Truly, even in the wildest regions of the earth, it would be difficult to find a spot still less adapted to the moral and intellectual improvement of its inhabitants than a coral island, despite its cloudless sky, its waving palm trees, its azure227 lagoon, and the magnificence of the sea hurling228 its snow-white breakers against the reef.
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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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dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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tattooing
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| n.刺字，文身v.刺青，文身( tattoo的现在分词 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击 | |
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loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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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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stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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8
elongated
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| v.延长，加长( elongate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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9
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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10
aquiline
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| adj.钩状的，鹰的 | |
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11
pouting
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| v.撅（嘴）( pout的现在分词 ) | |
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12
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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13
blotchy
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| adj.有斑点的，有污渍的；斑污 | |
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14
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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15
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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16
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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17
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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18
impulsive
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| adj.冲动的，刺激的；有推动力的 | |
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19
demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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20
jovial
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| adj.快乐的，好交际的 | |
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21
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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22
civilisation
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| n.文明，文化，开化，教化 | |
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23
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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24
favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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25
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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26
ornamenting
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| v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的现在分词 ) | |
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27
nourishment
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| n.食物，营养品；营养情况 | |
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28
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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29
filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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30
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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31
eruptions
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| n.喷发，爆发( eruption的名词复数 ) | |
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32
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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33
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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34
ornamental
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| adj.装饰的；作装饰用的；n.装饰品；观赏植物 | |
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35
elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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36
implements
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| n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效 | |
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37
carvings
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| n.雕刻( carving的名词复数 )；雕刻术；雕刻品；雕刻物 | |
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38
variance
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| n.矛盾，不同 | |
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39
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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40
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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41
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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42
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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43
pegs
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| n.衣夹( peg的名词复数 )；挂钉；系帐篷的桩；弦钮v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的第三人称单数 )；使固定在某水平 | |
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44
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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45
utensils
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| 器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物 | |
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46
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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47
waterproof
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| n.防水材料；adj.防水的；v.使...能防水 | |
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48
thatch
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| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
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49
promenade
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| n./v.散步 | |
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50
addicted
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| adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的 | |
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51
pilfering
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| v.偷窃（小东西），小偷( pilfer的现在分词 )；偷窃（一般指小偷小摸） | |
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52
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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53
warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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54
honourably
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| adv.可尊敬地，光荣地，体面地 | |
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55
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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56
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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57
bartering
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| v.作物物交换，以货换货( barter的现在分词 ) | |
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58
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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59
ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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60
hereditary
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| adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的 | |
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61
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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62
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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63
smacking
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| 活泼的，发出响声的，精力充沛的 | |
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64
rattling
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|
| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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65
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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66
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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67
ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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68
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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69
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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70
clatter
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|
| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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71
daggers
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| 匕首，短剑( dagger的名词复数 ) | |
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72
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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73
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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74
dominion
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|
| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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75
extinction
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| n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种 | |
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76
doom
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|
| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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77
yoke
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| n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶 | |
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78
situated
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|
| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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79
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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80
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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81
hordes
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|
| n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 )；部落 | |
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82
converse
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|
| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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83
bounty
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| n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与 | |
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84
taro
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| n.芋，芋头 | |
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85
plantations
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| n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 ) | |
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86
esteemed
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|
| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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87
destined
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|
| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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88
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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89
festive
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|
| adj.欢宴的，节日的 | |
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90
intoxicating
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| a. 醉人的,使人兴奋的 | |
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91
beverage
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| n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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92
scanty
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|
| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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93
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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94
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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95
adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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96
raven
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|
| n.渡鸟，乌鸦；adj.乌亮的 | |
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97
hues
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| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
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98
punctures
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| n.（尖物刺成的）小孔( puncture的名词复数 )；（尤指）轮胎穿孔；（尤指皮肤上被刺破的）扎孔；刺伤v.在（某物）上穿孔( puncture的第三人称单数 )；刺穿（某物）；削弱（某人的傲气、信心等）；泄某人的气 | |
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99
soot
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| n.煤烟，烟尘；vt.熏以煤烟 | |
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100
dexterity
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| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
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101
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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102
essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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103
maritime
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| adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的 | |
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104
chisel
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| n.凿子；v.用凿子刻，雕，凿 | |
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105
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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106
planks
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| （厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点 | |
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107
dexterously
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| adv.巧妙地，敏捷地 | |
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108
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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109
caulked
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| v.堵（船的）缝( caulk的过去式和过去分词 )；泥…的缝；填塞；使不漏水 | |
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110
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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111
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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112
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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113
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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114
slings
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| 抛( sling的第三人称单数 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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115
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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116
pennants
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| n.校旗( pennant的名词复数 )；锦标旗；长三角旗；信号旗 | |
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117
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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118
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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119
embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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120
infancy
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| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
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121
pebbles
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| [复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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122
outermost
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| adj.最外面的，远离中心的 | |
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123
breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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124
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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125
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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126
foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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127
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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128
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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129
monarchical
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| adj. 国王的，帝王的，君主的，拥护君主制的 =monarchic | |
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130
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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131
genealogy
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| n.家系，宗谱 | |
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132
legendary
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| adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学） | |
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133
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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134
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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135
exonerated
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| v.使免罪，免除( exonerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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136
retinue
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| n.侍从；随员 | |
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137
royalty
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| n.皇家，皇族 | |
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138
vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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139
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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140
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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141
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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142
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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143
etiquette
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| n.礼仪，礼节；规矩 | |
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144
superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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145
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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146
prohibition
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| n.禁止；禁令，禁律 | |
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147
interdicted
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| v.禁止（行动）( interdict的过去式和过去分词 )；禁用；限制 | |
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148
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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149
victuals
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| n.食物；食品 | |
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150
whim
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| n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想 | |
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151
enjoyments
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| 愉快( enjoyment的名词复数 )； 令人愉快的事物； 享有； 享受 | |
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152
restrictions
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| 约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则） | |
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153
infringe
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| v.违反，触犯，侵害 | |
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154
entail
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| vt.使承担，使成为必要，需要 | |
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155
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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156
infringed
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| v.违反（规章等）( infringe的过去式和过去分词 )；侵犯（某人的权利）；侵害（某人的自由、权益等） | |
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157
phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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158
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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159
foaming
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| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
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160
vindictive
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| adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的 | |
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161
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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162
malignant
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| adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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163
absurdity
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| n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 | |
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164
Neptune
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| n.海王星 | |
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165
lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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166
lulled
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| vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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167
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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168
dozing
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| v.打瞌睡,假寐 n.瞌睡 | |
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169
slumbers
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| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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170
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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171
craters
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| n.火山口( crater的名词复数 )；弹坑等 | |
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172
grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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173
subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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174
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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175
deities
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| n.神，女神( deity的名词复数 )；神祗；神灵；神明 | |
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176
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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177
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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178
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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179
abodes
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| 住所( abode的名词复数 )； 公寓； （在某地的）暂住； 逗留 | |
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180
wreak
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| v.发泄；报复 | |
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181
lava
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| n.熔岩，火山岩 | |
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182
credulous
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| adj.轻信的，易信的 | |
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183
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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184
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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185
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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186
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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187
culpable
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| adj.有罪的，该受谴责的 | |
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188
groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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189
immolated
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| v.宰杀…作祭品( immolate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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190
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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191
propitiate
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| v.慰解，劝解 | |
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192
edifices
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| n.大建筑物( edifice的名词复数 ) | |
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193
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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194
consecrated
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| adj.神圣的，被视为神圣的v.把…奉为神圣，给…祝圣( consecrate的过去式和过去分词 )；奉献 | |
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195
incurred
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| [医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式 | |
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196
torment
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| n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠 | |
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197
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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198
insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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199
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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200
tempt
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| vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣 | |
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201
avarice
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| n.贪婪；贪心 | |
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202
volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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203
scorching
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| adj. 灼热的 | |
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204
complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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205
crabs
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| n.蟹( crab的名词复数 )；阴虱寄生病；蟹肉v.捕蟹( crab的第三人称单数 ) | |
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206
lagoon
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| n.泻湖，咸水湖 | |
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207
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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208
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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209
tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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210
sojourn
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| v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留 | |
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211
cannibalism
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| n.同类相食；吃人肉 | |
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212
diabolical
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| adj.恶魔似的，凶暴的 | |
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213
animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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214
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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215
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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216
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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217
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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218
cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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219
fins
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| [医]散热片；鱼鳍；飞边；鸭掌 | |
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220
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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221
kernels
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| 谷粒( kernel的名词复数 )； 仁； 核； 要点 | |
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222
voracious
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| adj.狼吞虎咽的，贪婪的 | |
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223
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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224
supremacy
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| n.至上；至高权力 | |
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225
contemptible
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| adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的 | |
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226
vigilant
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| adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的 | |
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227
azure
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| adj.天蓝色的，蔚蓝色的 | |
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228
hurling
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| n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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