LEAVING San Francisco on April 20, 1850, the wind being fair, we made about eight knots per hour, and soon lost sight of the land over which the Stars and Stripes waves. The writer became very seasick2, and remained so for the voyage. He was seven days without an action of his bowels6, and he could not retain any kind of food on his stomach until we got down in the tropics, when two flying fish flew aboard ship at night, and the steward7 cooked them for the sick man. That was the first thing he had a relish8 for. The captain said that if he had ever heard of anybody dying of seasickness he would have had no hopes of getting the writer ashore9.
The monotony of the voyage was broken only by vast fields of seaweed, so dense10 that it greatly impeded11 our progress. Seabirds and fish were very plentiful12, and many times attracted the attention of the voyagers, who caught several kinds of fish, including dolphin, shark and porpoise13. The fishing afforded some amusing sport, the writer gaining courage enough at one time to crawl out on the jibboom and catch one fish.
The most trying event of the whole voyage was a calm in the torrid zone, where we lay for eight days; it was said that in that time we gained only eight miles. During that calm all the pitch broiled14 out of the seams of the deck, making it leak so that it had to be recalked and repitched. It became so hot that a man could not endure his bare feet on it, and if it had not been for the seamen15 throwing water on deck it seemed that we could not have lived through the terrible ordeal16. Finally a gentle breeze came to our relief, and we were wafted17 in sight of the Marquesas Islands. We passed so close to these that the captain expressed a fear that we were in danger of being attacked by the natives of Nukahuia, the principal island. He said they were cannibals, and that small vessels19 had been captured by the natives coming off in such numbers, in canoes, as to overpower the crews. Hence he thought it dangerous to be so close with such light winds as we had. The wind soon freshened to a gale20, and thus our fears were allayed21 as we bore down close along to the northward22 of the Tuamotu group, sighting some of them, to Tahiti, on which we landed on May 24, 1850.
Tahiti is the principal island of the Society group; it is said to be eighty miles in length, varying from two miles at the isthmus23 to forty miles in the widest place. The highest mountain summit is said to be five thousand feet or more. The capital, Papeete, is in latitude24 17 degrees 32 minutes south, longitude25 144 degrees 34 minutes west. The islands were invaded by the French in 1843. In 1847 the war was concluded, but not until much blood had been spilled and the country laid waste. Then a French protectorate was established there, and consequently, at the time we arrived, we found ourselves under the French flag, and had to apply to Governor Bonard for permission to go on shore. This was granted, but very reluctantly, and we paid the secretary three francs for each of us.
Once on shore, we found Brother Pratt's old friends, Hamatua and Pohe, who treated us very kindly26 and on May 25th got our baggage from the vessel18, then took us in their boat around the northeast of the island to their home in a little village called Huaua, where we were met by their families and six or seven Church members. It seemed to be impossible for them to rejoice any more than they did, and under the circumstances we could not be treated with greater kindness. They provided us with the best the land produced, making us cordially welcome.
Brother Pratt preached to them, while I was deaf and dumb, so far as the spoken language was concerned; but the actions of the natives spoke27 louder than words. When it came to meal time, they spread before us roast pig, and fish, taro28, fais, bananas, cocoanuts, sweet-potatoes, popoie, oranges, pine and vee apples, doavas, bread fruit, etc. We had appetites equal to the occasion, and felt no remorse29 for not having done justice to the table, or to the chest which was a substitute for a table.
We soon learned that the Protestant ministers and Catholic priest were very much prejudiced against us, and were doing all they could to prevent the people receiving us into their houses, advising them not to hold any conversation with us, or attend our meetings. We also learned that the government officials were jealous of Mormon influence, and that a watch was kept over us, in other words, the natives said that detectives were on our track, and that a ship of war had been sent to Tubuoi for Elders B. F. Grouard and T. Whitaker, who were on that island as Mormon missionaries30, and who had been accused of speaking against the government. It may be imagined, therefore, that in all respects our stay was not so pleasant as otherwise it might have been.
As it was, however, we made the best of the situation. Brother Pratt preached and talked much of the time to a few who gathered around, and he soon baptized six persons. I studied the language by committing a few words to memory, then forming them into sentences, and having them corrected by the natives. Then, when I heard one tell another what to do, I watched what was done. I collected many sentences, and walked the beach till I committed them to memory. At first it seemed a very difficult task to catch the sounds, but in a short time I could begin to understand, and then to talk. For a change I would rest myself from studying the language by practicing reading and writing, having provided myself with copybooks and other necessary material before leaving San Francisco.
The home we had been made so welcome to was situated31 a few rods from the beach, and between two little streams of water that came tumbling down from the steep precipices32 in the background into a small valley, which was heavily timbered. There were some six or seven small huts or dwellings33 and twenty-five or thirty people all told. No business was carried on further than gathering34 the fruit that grew, uncultivated, in abundance for the needs of the population; and with little effort they caught fish as they cared to consume it. As most of the people of the village were quiet and peaceable, it will be understood why we called the place our lonely retreat, or lonely Huaua. We visited other villages occasionally, and tried to interest the inhabitants and preach to them, but in vain. They would give us food, and sometimes offered to keep us over night, but as a rule they were very cold and indifferent towards us.
Under the circumstances the best we could do was to study the language and prepare ourselves for future usefulness as the way might open. Meanwhile, many rumors were in circulation about the French driving the Mormons out of the country; and the Protestant ministers and Catholic priest seemed to spare no pains to spread all the slanderous36 stories they ever had heard about the Mormons. So many rumors were in circulation that we did not know what to believe, so we remained in suspense37 till July 17, when, to our surprise, Brother Grouard came in through a heavy rain and told us that he and Brother Whitaker had been brought from Tubuoi, where they had been building a small schooner38 for the use of the mission. He said they had been arrested on the charge of speaking against the French government. They had landed that morning from a ship of war, and he had got permission to come and see us, but had to return that evening so as to be at the trial next morning. He had left a horse five miles back, because the road was so rough that he could cover the distance on foot quicker than on horseback, and had no time to lose. He greatly desired that Brother Pratt and I should be at his trial. Said he, "I am innocent, but I do not know what they will prove, and we want you to stand by us." So it was agreed that Brother Hamatua and I should go on foot early next morning, and Brothers Pratt and Pohe would come as soon as the wind quieted down, as it was then too high to venture out in the boat.
Brother Hamatua and I set out early in the morning, in a heavy rain, which continued to pour down till we reached Papeete, at 11 o'clock, when we met Brother Grouard coming from his trial, he having been discharged. He said Brother Whitaker would also be acquitted39, although the prejudice against them was very strong.
Brothers Grouard and Whitaker thought the government would board and lodge40 them at least till it got ready to return them home again, but in this they were mistaken, so they and I did the best we could for ourselves. We soon learned that the steamship41 Sarien would leave for Tubuoi in three or four days, and the brethren would be taken back on that. Brother Grouard sought the permission of the governor for Brother Pratt and me to go on the Sarien with him. This was refused on the ground that two Mormon missionaries were enough on that island. The governor did not wish any more to go until he knew more about them.
The wind kept so high that Brother Pratt did not reach Papeete until Brothers Grouard and Whitaker had been acquitted and had gone. I had started home, and was overhauled42 by Brother Grouard, who said something had broken on the ship and they had to stop to repair it; that he could not remain to see Brother Pratt, but would stay with me as long as he could. He had only a few moments to stop, so I proceeded about six miles, when I learned that Brother Pratt was on the way by boat. Upon obtaining this information I went back to the house where we had stayed two or three nights, finding the place barren and uninviting. Everything was very lonely with no friends there. I feared that I would be alone that night, but at last Brother Pratt came. The boat had stopped, with our bedding and provisions, three or four miles up the coast. Although the night was very dark, and the road lay through the woods and across creeks43, Brother Pratt thought we had better try to make the boat for the night, as we had to give up going to Tubuoi.
This course was followed, and we found our friends and bedding all right. Not being satisfied, however, with the situation, we went back to Papeete next morning, to see the governor ourselves. When we met him, Brother Pratt asked the reason why we could not be free to go where we chose. He replied that there had been some trouble with Mr. Grouard, and as it was his business to look after government affairs, he wished to inquire into the matter further before permitting more American missionaries to go there. Said he: "While I do not wish to interfere44 with religion, it is my duty to keep peace, and if you will call again in a month or six weeks, I will let you know more about it."
At this we went to the boat, and with our friends returned to lonely Huaua. Indeed, if it had not been for our friends Hamatua and Pohe and their families, our stay at the place for some time after this would have been very uncomfortable. Food had become very scarce, so that we had to eat seasnails, and bugs that played on the surface of salt water pools. These bugs were about the size of the end of a man's thumb; in form and action they very much resembled the little black bugs found along the edges of our fresh water streams, and called by some people mellow45 bugs. I submit that a dish of these, without pepper or salt, was a strange sight to present to a white man—their legs sticking out in all directions; yet, when a man has gone long enough without food, they become quite tempting46, and he is not very particular about the legs, either.
We also had other strange dishes set before us. When other food failed, the natives would go to the mouths of small fresh water streams, and dig in the sands, just where the high tide flowed, and at a depth of twelve to eighteen inches they would find a something that resembled young snakes more than anything else I can compare them to. They were from six to ten inches in length, had a snake's mouth, and a spinal47 column, or we should have called them worms; they were without fins48, or we might have called them eels49. The natives had a name for them, but I have forgotten it. When they were boiled in salt water—put a quart or two into a pot of cold seawater, then hang them over the fire and see them squirm a few moments—they were ready for the missionary's meal, taken without pepper or salt. When cooked, a person seizes one by the head and extracts it from the dish, or the banana leaf, as the case may be. He retains the head between his thumb and forefinger50, then takes hold of the body with his teeth, draws it through these, and thus strips off the flesh in his mouth. He then lays down the head and backbone51, and repeats the operation until he has completed his repast.
Just a moment, my friendly reader; we have another dish for you on the Society Islands, that you may enjoy better. It is a peculiar52 kind of fish, very rare indeed, for they seldom appear more than once or twice in a year: then they are present by myriads53. They come up out of the sea into the fresh water streams so thickly that they can be dipped up with a frying-pan or bucket. Sometimes the natives dip them up with an open bucket, or with a sack having a hoop54 in the mouth, thus taking them by bushels. These fish are of a dark color, and from half an inch to an inch and a quarter long. When boiled they look like boiled rice, and a man can eat about as many of them as he can grains of that vegetable. When they are eaten with the cream of the cocoanut they are quite palatable55. This dish is not very common, as I remember seeing it in only three or four places.
Besides the dish named, we had a small shellfish called maava. It lives in a shell so much like a snail's that we called it a seasnail. It was cooked in the shell, and was quite acceptable for a change in hard times. We also had a large shellfish called pahua; again, we had a jelly-fish which, when taken and laid in a dish, very much resembled the white of an egg; it had neither scales nor bones, and was eaten raw, without pepper or salt.
Still another course of food which we had was wild boar from the mountains. I can only say that the flesh is hard and tough. Brother Pratt shot a boar with his shotgun. This pleased the natives very much. I also gave chase to one which led me so far away from water that I felt I should die of thirst and heat. On my descent returning, I came to a lone35 cocoanut tree that had plenty of nuts on. I tried in vain to climb the tree; then I clubbed the nuts that were only forty feet or so up, but finding that it was impossible to obtain drink in that way, I sat down in the shade in despair, and felt for a moment that I could not live to reach water. At last my nerves became somewhat steadied, and I took aim at the stem of a nut, it being not so thick as my little finger. The bullet cut one stem entirely56 away and passed through another close to the nut. Thus two cocoanuts dropped, and hopes of life sprung up anew, only to perish, for I found it impossible to open the nuts. After a brief rest, I started down the mountain again, and succeeded in reaching a cocoanut grove57 where an old man was throwing down nuts. I told him of my suffering and he hastened down, opened a nut, and gave me a drink that was most refreshing58. May he receive a prophet's reward, for he gave me drink when it seemed that life was fast ebbing59 away. The welcome draught60 refreshed me so that I gained the village early, being wiser for the experience of following wild boars in the mountains away from water. Although the temptation came to me several times afterward61, I never chased a wild boar again; but at one time I killed one which appeared to be about two years old, without a chase. This, and hunting ducks and fishing a little, greatly relieved the monotony of our involuntary stay.
For a change from our living at Huaua, I went to visit Pohe, nephew of my old friend Hamatua, who lived at Tiara, three miles up the coast, making my home with him. I visited among the people there, and by hearing none but the Tahitian language spoken, I progressed very fast therein; indeed my progress astonished the natives at Tiara, who said. "The Lord helps the Mormon missionaries learn our language, for in three months they speak it better than other foreigners do in five years."
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1
seasickness
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| n.晕船 | |
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seasick
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| adj.晕船的 | |
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rumors
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| n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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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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bugs
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| adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误 | |
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bowels
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| n.肠，内脏，内部；肠( bowel的名词复数 )；内部，最深处 | |
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steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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8
relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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impeded
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| 阻碍，妨碍，阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12
plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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porpoise
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| n.鼠海豚 | |
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14
broiled
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| a.烤过的 | |
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seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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wafted
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| v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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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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gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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allayed
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| v.减轻，缓和( allay的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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isthmus
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| n.地峡 | |
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latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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longitude
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| n.经线，经度 | |
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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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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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taro
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| n.芋，芋头 | |
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remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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missionaries
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| n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 ) | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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slanderous
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| adj.诽谤的，中伤的 | |
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suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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schooner
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| n.纵帆船 | |
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acquitted
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| 宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现 | |
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lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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41
steamship
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| n.汽船，轮船 | |
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42
overhauled
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| v.彻底检查( overhaul的过去式和过去分词 )；大修；赶上；超越 | |
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43
creeks
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| n.小湾( creek的名词复数 )；小港；小河；小溪 | |
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44
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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45
mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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spinal
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| adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的 | |
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48
fins
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| [医]散热片；鱼鳍；飞边；鸭掌 | |
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49
eels
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| abbr. 电子发射器定位系统（=electronic emitter location system） | |
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50
forefinger
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| n.食指 | |
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51
backbone
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| n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气 | |
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52
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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myriads
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| n.无数，极大数量( myriad的名词复数 ) | |
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54
hoop
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| n.（篮球）篮圈，篮 | |
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55
palatable
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| adj.可口的，美味的；惬意的 | |
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56
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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59
ebbing
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| （指潮水）退( ebb的现在分词 )； 落； 减少； 衰落 | |
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60
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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