“Happar keekeeno nuee,” he exclaimed; “nuee, nuee, ki ki kannaka!—ah!
owle motarkee!” which signifies, “Terrible fellows those
Happars!—devour an amazing quantity of men!—ah, shocking bad!” Thus far
he explained himself by a variety of gestures, during the performance
of which he would dart out of the house, and point abhorrently towards
the Happar valley; running in to us again with the rapidity that showed
he was fearful we would lose one part of his meaning before he could
complete the other; and continuing his illustrations by seizing the
fleshy part of my arm in his teeth, intimating, by the operation, that
the people who lived over in that direction would like nothing better
than to treat me in that manner.
Having assured himself that we were fully enlightened on this point, he
proceeded to another branch of the subject. “Ah! Typee me! arkee!—nuee,
nuee mioree—nuee, nuee wai nuee, nuee poee poee—nuee, nuee kokoo—ah!
nuee, nuee kiki—ah! nuee, nuee, nuee!” Which, liberally interpreted as
before, would imply, “Ah, Typee! isn’t it a fine place though!—no
danger of starving here, I tell you!—plenty of bread-fruit—plenty of
water—plenty of pudding—ah! plenty of everything, ah! heaps, heaps,
heaps!” All this was accompanied by a running commentary of signs and
gestures which it was impossible not to comprehend.
As he continued his harangue, however, Kory-Kory, in emulation of our
more polished orators, began to launch out rather diffusely into other
branches of his subject, enlarging probably upon the moral reflections
it suggested; and proceeded in such a strain of unintelligible and
stunning gibberish, that he actually gave me the headache for the rest
of the day.
CHAPTER XIII
A great event happens in the valley—The island telegraph—Something
befalls Toby—Fayaway displays a tender heart—Melancholy
reflections—Mysterious conduct of the islanders—Devotion of Kory-Kory—A
rural couch—A luxury—Kory-Kory strikes a light _à la_ Typee.
In the course of a few days Toby had recovered from the effects of his
adventure with the Happar warriors; the wound on his head rapidly
healing under the vegetable treatment of the good Tinor. Less fortunate
than my companion, however, I still continued to languish under a
complaint, the origin and nature of which was still a mystery. Cut off
as I was from all intercourse with the civilized world, and feeling the
inefficacy of anything the natives could do to relieve me; knowing,
too, that so long as I remained in my present condition it would be
impossible for me to leave the valley, whatever opportunity might
present itself; and apprehensive that ere long we might be exposed to
some caprice on the part of the islanders, I now gave up all hopes of
recovery, and became a prey to the most gloomy thoughts. A deep
dejection fell upon me, which neither the friendly remonstrances of my
companion, the devoted attentions of Kory-Kory, nor all the soothing
influences of Fayaway, could remove.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account