Butaritari
AT Honolulu we had said farewell to the CASCO and to Captain Otis, and our next adventure was made in changed conditions. Passage was taken for myself, my wife, Mr. Osbourne, and my China boy, Ah Fu, on a pigmy trading schooner1, the EQUATOR, Captain Dennis Reid; and on a certain bright June day in 1889, adorned2 in the Hawaiian fashion with the garlands of departure, we drew out of port and bore with a fair wind for Micronesia.
The whole extent of the South Seas is a desert of ships; more especially that part where we were now to sail. No post runs in these islands; communication is by accident; where you may have designed to go is one thing, where you shall be able to arrive another. It was my hope, for instance, to have reached the Carolines, and returned to the light of day by way of Manila and the China ports; and it was in Samoa that we were destined3 to re — appear and be once more refreshed with the sight of mountains. Since the sunset faded from the peaks of Oahu six months had intervened, and we had seen no spot of earth so high as an ordinary cottage. Our path had been still on the flat sea, our dwellings4 upon unerected coral, our diet from the pickle-tub or out of tins; I had learned to welcome shark’s flesh for a variety; and a mountain, an onion, an Irish potato or a beef-steak, had been long lost to sense and dear to aspiration6.
The two chief places of our stay, Butaritari and Apemama, lie near the line; the latter within thirty miles. Both enjoy a superb ocean climate, days of blinding sun and bracing7 wind, nights of a heavenly brightness. Both are somewhat wider than Fakarava, measuring perhaps (at the widest) a quarter of a mile from beach to beach. In both, a coarse kind of TARO8 thrives; its culture is a chief business of the natives, and the consequent mounds9 and ditches make miniature scenery and amuse the eye. In all else they show the customary features of an atoll: the low horizon, the expanse of the lagoon10, the sedge-like rim11 of palm-tops, the sameness and smallness of the land, the hugely superior size and interest of sea and sky. Life on such islands is in many points like life on shipboard. The atoll, like the ship, is soon taken for granted; and the islanders, like the ship’s crew, become soon the centre of attention. The isles12 are populous13, independent, seats of kinglets, recently civilised, little visited. In the last decade many changes have crept in; women no longer go unclothed till marriage; the widow no longer sleeps at night and goes abroad by day with the skull14 of her dead husband; and, fire-arms being introduced, the spear and the shark-tooth sword are sold for curiosities. Ten years ago all these things and practices were to be seen in use; yet ten years more, and the old society will have entirely15 vanished. We came in a happy moment to see its institutions still erect5 and (in Apemama) scarce decayed.
Populous and independent — warrens of men, ruled over with some rustic16 pomp — such was the first and still the recurring17 impression of these tiny lands. As we stood across the lagoon for the town of Butaritari, a stretch of the low shore was seen to be crowded with the brown roofs of houses; those of the palace and king’s summer parlour (which are of corrugated18 iron) glittered near one end conspicuously19 bright; the royal colours flew hard by on a tall flagstaff; in front, on an artificial islet, the gaol20 played the part of a martello. Even upon this first and distant view, the place had scarce the air of what it truly was, a village; rather of that which it was also, a petty metropolis21, a city rustic and yet royal.
The lagoon is shoal. The tide being out, we waded22 for some quarter of a mile in tepid23 shallows, and stepped ashore24 at last into a flagrant stagnancy25 of sun and heat. The lee side of a line island after noon is indeed a breathless place; on the ocean beach the trade will be still blowing, boisterous26 and cool; out in the lagoon it will be blowing also, speeding the canoes; but the screen of bush completely intercepts27 it from the shore, and sleep and silence and companies of mosquitoes brood upon the towns.
We may thus be said to have taken Butaritari by surprise. A few inhabitants were still abroad in the north end, at which we landed. As we advanced, we were soon done with encounter, and seemed to explore a city of the dead. Only, between the posts of open houses, we could see the townsfolk stretched in the siesta28, sometimes a family together veiled in a mosquito-net, sometimes a single sleeper29 on a platform like a corpse30 on a bier.
The houses were of all dimensions, from those of toys to those of churches. Some might hold a battalion31, some were so minute they could scarce receive a pair of lovers; only in the playroom, when the toys are mingled32, do we meet such incongruities33 of scale. Many were open sheds; some took the form of roofed stages; others were walled and the walls pierced with little windows. A few were perched on piles in the lagoon; the rest stood at random35 on a green, through which the roadway made a ribbon of sand, or along the embankments of a sheet of water like a shallow dock. One and all were the creatures of a single tree; palm-tree wood and palm — tree leaf their materials; no nail had been driven, no hammer sounded, in their building, and they were held together by lashings of palm-tree sinnet.
In the midst of the thoroughfare, the church stands like an island, a lofty and dim house with rows of windows; a rich tracery of framing sustains the roof; and through the door at either end the street shows in a vista36. The proportions of the place, in such surroundings, and built of such materials, appeared august; and we threaded the nave37 with a sentiment befitting visitors in a cathedral. Benches run along either side. In the midst, on a crazy dais, two chairs stand ready for the king and queen when they shall choose to worship; over their heads a hoop38, apparently39 from a hogshead, depends by a strip of red cotton; and the hoop (which hangs askew) is dressed with streamers of the same material, red and white.
This was our first advertisement of the royal dignity, and presently we stood before its seat and centre. The palace is built of imported wood upon a European plan; the roof of corrugated iron, the yard enclosed with walls, the gate surmounted40 by a sort of lych-house. It cannot be called spacious41; a labourer in the States is sometimes more commodiously42 lodged43; but when we had the chance to see it within, we found it was enriched (beyond all island expectation) with coloured advertisements and cuts from the illustrated44 papers. Even before the gate some of the treasures of the crown stand public: a bell of a good magnitude, two pieces of cannon45, and a single shell. The bell cannot be rung nor the guns fired; they are curiosities, proofs of wealth, a part of the parade of the royalty46, and stand to be admired like statues in a square. A straight gut47 of water like a canal runs almost to the palace door; the containing quay48-walls excellently built of coral; over against the mouth, by what seems an effect of landscape art, the martello-like islet of the gaol breaks the lagoon. Vassal49 chiefs with tribute, neighbour monarchs51 come a-roving, might here sail in, view with surprise these extensive public works, and be awed52 by these mouths of silent cannon. It was impossible to see the place and not to fancy it designed for pageantry. But the elaborate theatre then stood empty; the royal house deserted53, its doors and windows gaping54; the whole quarter of the town immersed in silence. On the opposite bank of the canal, on a roofed stage, an ancient gentleman slept publicly, sole visible inhabitant; and beyond on the lagoon a canoe spread a striped lateen, the sole thing moving.
The canal is formed on the south by a pier34 or causeway with a parapet. At the far end the parapet stops, and the quay expands into an oblong peninsula in the lagoon, the breathing-place and summer parlour of the king. The midst is occupied by an open house or permanent marquee — called here a maniapa, or, as the word is now pronounced, a maniap’ — at the lowest estimation forty feet by sixty. The iron roof, lofty but exceedingly low-browed, so that a woman must stoop to enter, is supported externally on pillars of coral, within by a frame of wood. The floor is of broken coral, divided in aisles55 by the uprights of the frame; the house far enough from shore to catch the breeze, which enters freely and disperses56 the mosquitoes; and under the low eaves the sun is seen to glitter and the waves to dance on the lagoon.
It was now some while since we had met any but slumberers; and when we had wandered down the pier and stumbled at last into this bright shed, we were surprised to find it occupied by a society of wakeful people, some twenty souls in all, the court and guardsmen of Butaritari. The court ladies were busy making mats; the guardsmen yawned and sprawled57. Half a dozen rifles lay on a rock and a cutlass was leaned against a pillar: the armoury of these drowsy58 musketeers. At the far end, a little closed house of wood displayed some tinsel curtains, and proved, upon examination, to be a privy59 on the European model. In front of this, upon some mats, lolled Tebureimoa, the king; behind him, on the panels of the house, two crossed rifles represented fasces. He wore pyjamas60 which sorrowfully misbecame his bulk; his nose was hooked and cruel, his body overcome with sodden61 corpulence, his eye timorous62 and dull: he seemed at once oppressed with drowsiness63 and held awake by apprehension64: a pepper rajah muddled65 with opium66, and listening for the march of a Dutch army, looks perhaps not otherwise. We were to grow better acquainted, and first and last I had the same impression; he seemed always drowsy, yet always to hearken and start; and, whether from remorse67 or fear, there is no doubt he seeks a refuge in the abuse of drugs.
The rajah displayed no sign of interest in our coming. But the queen, who sat beside him in a purple sacque, was more accessible; and there was present an interpreter so willing that his volubility became at last the cause of our departure. He had greeted us upon our entrance:—‘That is the honourable68 King, and I am his interpreter,’ he had said, with more stateliness than truth. For he held no appointment in the court, seemed extremely ill — acquainted with the island language, and was present, like ourselves, upon a visit of civility. Mr. Williams was his name: an American darkey, runaway69 ship’s cook, and bar-keeper at THE LAND WE LIVE IN tavern70, Butaritari. I never knew a man who had more words in his command or less truth to communicate; neither the gloom of the monarch50, nor my own efforts to be distant, could in the least abash71 him; and when the scene closed, the darkey was left talking.
The town still slumbered72, or had but just begun to turn and stretch itself; it was still plunged73 in heat and silence. So much the more vivid was the impression that we carried away of the house upon the islet, the Micronesian Saul wakeful amid his guards, and his unmelodious David, Mr. Williams, chattering74 through the drowsy hours.
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schooner
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| n.纵帆船 | |
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adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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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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aspiration
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| n.志向，志趣抱负；渴望；(语)送气音；吸出 | |
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bracing
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| adj.令人振奋的 | |
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taro
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| n.芋，芋头 | |
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mounds
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| 土堆，土丘( mound的名词复数 )； 一大堆 | |
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lagoon
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| n.泻湖，咸水湖 | |
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rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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isles
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| 岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
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populous
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| adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的 | |
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skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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rustic
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| adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬 | |
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recurring
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| adj.往复的，再次发生的 | |
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corrugated
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| adj.波纹的；缩成皱纹的；波纹面的；波纹状的v.（使某物）起皱褶(corrugate的过去式和过去分词) | |
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conspicuously
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| ad.明显地，惹人注目地 | |
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gaol
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| n.(jail)监狱；(不加冠词)监禁；vt.使…坐牢 | |
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metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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waded
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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tepid
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| adj.微温的，温热的，不太热心的 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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stagnancy
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| n.停滞，迟钝 | |
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boisterous
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| adj.喧闹的，欢闹的 | |
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intercepts
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| （数学）截距( intercept的名词复数 ) | |
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siesta
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| n.午睡 | |
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sleeper
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| n.睡眠者，卧车，卧铺 | |
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corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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battalion
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| n.营；部队；大队(的人) | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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incongruities
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| n.不协调( incongruity的名词复数 )；不一致；不适合；不协调的东西 | |
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pier
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| n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱 | |
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random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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vista
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| n.远景，深景，展望，回想 | |
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nave
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| n.教堂的中部；本堂 | |
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hoop
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| n.（篮球）篮圈，篮 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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commodiously
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| adv.宽阔地，方便地 | |
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lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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illustrated
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| adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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royalty
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| n.皇家，皇族 | |
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gut
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| n.[pl.]胆量；内脏；adj.本能的；vt.取出内脏 | |
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quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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vassal
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| n.附庸的；属下；adj.奴仆的 | |
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monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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monarchs
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| 君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 ) | |
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awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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aisles
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| n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊 | |
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disperses
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| v.（使）分散( disperse的第三人称单数 )；疏散；驱散；散布 | |
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sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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drowsy
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| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
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privy
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| adj.私用的；隐密的 | |
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pyjamas
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| n.（宽大的）睡衣裤 | |
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sodden
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| adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑 | |
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timorous
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| adj.胆怯的，胆小的 | |
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drowsiness
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| n.睡意；嗜睡 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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muddled
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| adj.混乱的；糊涂的；头脑昏昏然的v.弄乱，弄糟( muddle的过去式)；使糊涂；对付，混日子 | |
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opium
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| n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的 | |
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remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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runaway
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| n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的 | |
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tavern
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| n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店 | |
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abash
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| v.使窘迫，使局促不安 | |
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slumbered
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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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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chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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