Torrey's Narrative; or, The Life and Adventures of William TorreyTorrey, William
History
Torrey's Narrative; or, The Life and Adventures of William Torrey
Torrey, William
Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia); Seafaring life
His casks were already on shore for water, and he
was trying to get the natives to fill them. I went to the
king and told him he was a kekeno tehoury, (bad white
man,) and that he was going to get water and hogs
without pay, and advised him to drive them from the
harbor. The king at this became greatly enraged, and
called together the tribe, or many of them, ordered Capt.
Fisher to leave the island immediately, and not to land
their boats again.
The casks were rolled into the water, the natives
followed up closely with clubs and spears, ready to force
them away, should they offer resistance or in any way
retard their operations. The next morning they weighed
anchor and left our harbor, without being able to get
either water or provisions.
As fishing was one of the ways in which we spent[148]
our time, I purpose here giving an account of the manner
in which fish are caught:
When a school of porpoises enter the harbor, notice
is given to the tribe, who, armed with stones, immediately
resort to the water; some on each side rush into
the water, beating the stones together beneath the surface.
The porpoises becoming frightened, flee before
their pursuers and are driven upon the beach, where
they are killed by the old men and boys with clubs.—They
are then taken to their huts, and hung up by a
cord of bark run through the tail. From these they
daily feast, until they rot and fall from their hanging
place.
Smaller fish are taken by nets, made of the cords of
bark. These nets are about twenty feet across the top
or mouth; they are sunk below the water's surface by
stones placed in the bottom and attached to several
boats, stationed at regular points about, by cords. The
natives then swim around on all sides, and at a given
signal swim towards the boats, beating stones together.
The fish frightened on all sides, flee to the least dangerous
point, which is in the vicinity of the net; the net is
then raised to the surface, oftentimes catching a barrel
or two at a time. The females seldom join in catching
fish, and never unless by special permission.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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