THERE was no instance in which the social and kindly2 dispositions3 of the Typees were more forcibly evinced than in the manner the conducted their great fishing parties. Four times during my stay in the valley the young men assembled near the full of the moon, and went together on these excursions. As they were generally absent about forty-eight hours, I was led to believe that they went out towards the open sea, some distance from the bay. The Polynesians seldom use a hook and line, almost always employing large well-made nets, most ingeniously fabricated from the twisted fibres of a certain bark. I examined several of them which had been spread to dry upon the beach at Nukuheva. They resemble very much our own seines, and I should think they were nearly as durable4.
All the South Sea Islanders are passionately5 fond of fish; but none of them can be more so than the inhabitants of Typee. I could not comprehend, therefore, why they so seldom sought it in their waters, for it was only at stated times that the fishing parties were formed, and these occasions were always looked forward to with no small degree of interest.
During their absence the whole population of the place were in a ferment6, and nothing was talked of but ‘pehee, pehee’ (fish, fish). Towards the time when they were expected to return the vocal7 telegraph was put into operation—the inhabitants, who were scattered8 throughout the length of the valley, leaped upon rocks and into trees, shouting with delight at the thoughts of the anticipated treat. As soon as the approach of the party was announced, there was a general rush of the men towards the beach; some of them remaining, however, about the Ti in order to get matters in readiness for the reception of the fish, which were brought to the Taboo9 Groves10 in immense packages of leaves, each one of them being suspended from a pole carried on the shoulders of two men.
I was present at the Ti on one of these occasions, and the sight was most interesting. After all the packages had arrived, they were laid in a row under the verandah of the building and opened.
The fish were all quite small, generally about the size of a herring, and of every variety. About one-eighth of the whole being reserved for the use of the Ti itself, the remainder was divided into numerous smaller packages, which were immediately dispatched in every direction to the remotest parts of the valley. Arrived at their destination, these were in turn portioned out, and equally distributed among the various houses of each particular district. The fish were under a strict Taboo, until the distribution was completed, which seemed to be effected in the most impartial12 manner. By the operation of this system every man, woman, and child in the vale, were at one and the same time partaking of this favourite article of food.
Once I remember the party arrived at midnight; but the unseasonableness of the tour did not repress the impatience13 of the islanders. The carriers dispatched from the Ti were to be seen hurrying in all directions through the deep groves; each individual preceded by a boy bearing a flaming torch of dried cocoanut boughs14, which from time to time was replenished15 from the materials scattered along the path. The wild glare of these enormous flambeaux, lighting16 up with a startling brilliancy the innermost recesses17 of the vale, and seen moving rapidly along beneath the canopy18 of leaves, the savage19 shout of the excited messengers sounding the news of their approach, which was answered on all sides, and the strange appearance of their naked bodies, seen against the gloomy background, produced altogether an effect upon my mind that I shall long remember.
It was on this same occasion that Kory-Kory awakened20 me at the dead hour of night, and in a sort of transport communicated the intelligence contained in the words ‘pehee perni’ (fish come). As I happened to have been in a remarkably21 sound and refreshing22 slumber23, I could not imagine why the information had not been deferred24 until morning, indeed, I felt very much inclined to fly into a passion and box my valet’s ears; but on second thoughts I got quietly up, and on going outside the house was not a little interested by the moving illumination which I beheld25.
When old Marheyo received his share of the spoils, immediate11 preparations were made for a midnight banquet; calabashes of poee-poee were filled to the brim; green bread-fruit were roasted; and a huge cake of ‘amar’ was cut up with a sliver26 of bamboo and laid out on an immense banana-leaf.
At this supper we were lighted by several of the native tapers, held in the hands of young girls. These tapers are most ingeniously made. There is a nut abounding27 in the valley, called by the Typees ‘armor’, closely resembling our common horse-chestnut. The shell is broken, and the contents extracted whole. Any number of these are strung at pleasure upon the long elastic28 fibre that traverses the branches of the cocoanut tree. Some of these tapers are eight or ten feet in length; but being perfectly29 flexible, one end is held in a coil, while the other is lighted. The nut burns with a fitful bluish flame, and the oil that it contains is exhausted30 in about ten minutes. As one burns down, the next becomes ignited, and the ashes of the former are knocked into a cocoanut shell kept for the purpose. This primitive31 candle requires continual attention, and must be constantly held in the hand. The person so employed marks the lapse32 of time by the number of nuts consumed, which is easily learned by counting the bits of tappa distributed at regular intervals33 along the string.
I grieve to state so distressing34 a fact, but the inhabitants of Typee were in the habit of devouring35 fish much in the same way that a civilized37 being would eat a radish, and without any more previous preparation. They eat it raw; scales, bones, gills, and all the inside. The fish is held by the tail, and the head being introduced into the mouth, the animal disappears with a rapidity that would at first nearly lead one to imagine it had been launched bodily down the throat.
Raw fish! Shall I ever forget my sensations when I first saw my island beauty devour36 one. Oh, heavens! Fayaway, how could you ever have contracted so vile38 a habit? However, after the first shock had subsided39, the custom grew less odious40 in my eyes, and I soon accustomed myself to the sight. Let no one imagine, however, that the lovely Fayaway was in the habit of swallowing great vulgar-looking fishes: oh, no; with her beautiful small hand she would clasp a delicate, little, golden-hued love of a fish and eat it as elegantly and as innocently as though it were a Naples biscuit. But alas41! it was after all a raw fish; and all I can say is, that Fayaway ate it in a more ladylike manner than any other girl of the valley.
When at Rome do as the Romans do, I held to be so good a proverb, that being in Typee I made a point of doing as the Typees did. Thus I ate poee-poee as they did; I walked about in a garb42 striking for its simplicity43; and I reposed44 on a community of couches; besides doing many other things in conformity45 with their peculiar46 habits; but the farthest I ever went in the way of conformity, was on several occasions to regale47 myself with raw fish. These being remarkably tender, and quite small, the undertaking48 was not so disagreeable in the main, and after a few trials I positively49 began to relish50 them; however, I subjected them to a slight operation with a knife previously51 to making my repast.
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1
tapers
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| （长形物体的）逐渐变窄( taper的名词复数 )； 微弱的光； 极细的蜡烛 | |
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2
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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3
dispositions
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| 安排( disposition的名词复数 )； 倾向； （财产、金钱的）处置； 气质 | |
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4
durable
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| adj.持久的，耐久的 | |
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5
passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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6
ferment
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| vt.使发酵；n./vt.（使）激动，（使）动乱 | |
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7
vocal
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| adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目 | |
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8
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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9
taboo
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| n.禁忌，禁止接近，禁止使用；adj.禁忌的；v.禁忌，禁制，禁止 | |
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10
groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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11
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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12
impartial
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| adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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14
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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15
replenished
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| 补充( replenish的过去式和过去分词 )； 重新装满 | |
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16
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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17
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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19
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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20
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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21
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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22
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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23
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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24
deferred
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| adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从 | |
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25
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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26
sliver
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| n.裂片，细片，梳毛；v.纵切，切成长片，剖开 | |
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27
abounding
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| adj.丰富的，大量的v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的现在分词 ) | |
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28
elastic
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| n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的 | |
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29
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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30
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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31
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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32
lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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33
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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34
distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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35
devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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36
devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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37
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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38
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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39
subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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40
odious
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| adj.可憎的，讨厌的 | |
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41
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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42
garb
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| n.服装，装束 | |
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43
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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44
reposed
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| v.将（手臂等）靠在某人（某物）上( repose的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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45
conformity
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| n.一致，遵从，顺从 | |
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46
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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47
regale
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| v.取悦，款待 | |
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48
undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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49
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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50
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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51
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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