CHAPTER SIX.
OUR HERO BECOMES A FAVOURITE, AND ENTERTAINS HOPES OF ESCAPE.
The sufferings which Jarwin with his little dog had hitherto undergonewere as nothing compared to those which he endured for some months afterbeing taken prisoner by the savages. At first he gave himself up forlost, feeling assured that ere long he would be sacrificed in the templeof one of their idols, and then baked in an oven and consumed as food,according to the horrible practice of the South-Sea Islanders. Indeedhe began to be much astonished that, as day after day passed, there wasno sign of any intention to treat him in this way, although severaltimes the natives took him out of the hut in which he was imprisoned,and, placing him in the centre of a circle, held excited and sometimesangry discussions over him.
It was not till months afterwards, when he had acquired a slightknowledge of their language, that he came to understand why he wasspared at this time. It appeared that four shipwrecked sailors, who hadbeen cast on a neighbouring island, had been killed, baked, and eaten,according to usage, by the chief and his friends. Immediatelyafterwards, those who had partaken of this dreadful food had been seizedwith severe illness, and one or two had died. This fact had been knownfor some time to Jarwin's captors, and the discussions above referred tohad been engaged in with reference to the question whether it was likelythat the flesh of the white man who had been thrown on their islandwould be likely to disagree with their stomachs! It was agreed thatthis was highly probable, and thus the seaman's life was spared; but hewas sometimes tempted to wish that it had not been spared, for hismaster, the Big Chief, was a very hard man; he put him to the mosttoilsome labour, and treated him with every sort of indignity.Moreover, he was compelled to be a witness of practices so revolting andcruel, that he often put the question to himself whether it was possiblefor devils to display greater wickedness and depravity than thesepeople.
Jarwin was frequently tempted to resent the treatment he received, but,fortunately, he was prudent enough to bear it submissively, for it iscertain that if he had rebelled he would have been slain on the spot.Moreover, he set himself to carry out his favourite maxim--namely, thatit was wise in all circumstances to make the best of everything. Helaboured, therefore, with such goodwill, that he softened the breast ofthe Big Chief, who gradually became more amiable, and even indulgent tohim. Thus he came to know experimentally the wisdom of that Scripture,"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."
John Jarwin possessed a remarkably fine sonorous bass voice, which, informer days, had been a source of great delight to his messmates.Although strong and deep, it was very sweet and tender in its tones, andeminently suited for pathetic and sentimental songs. Indeed Jarwin'snature was so earnest, that although he had a great deal of quiet humourabout him, and could enjoy comic songs very much, he never himself sanganything humorous. Now, it chanced that the Big Chief had a good earfor music, and soon became so fond of the songs which his slave was wontto hum when at work, that he used to make him sit down beside himfrequently and sing for hours at a time! Fortunately, Jarwin's lungswere powerful, and his voice being full-toned and loud, he was able tosing as much as his master desired without much exertion. He gave himhis whole budget which was pretty extensive--including melodies of the"Black-eyed Susan" and "Ben Bolt" stamp. When these had been sung overand over again, he took to the Psalms and Paraphrases--many of which heknew by heart, and, finally, he had recourse to extempore composition,which he found much easier than he had expected--the tones flowingnaturally and the words being gibberish! Thus he became a sort of Davidto this remarkable Saul. By degrees, as he learnt the native tongue, heheld long conversations with the Big Chief, and told him about his ownland and countrymen and religion. In regard to the last the Chief wasvery inquisitive, and informed his slave that white men had been forsome time in that region, trying to teach their religion to the men ofan island which, though invisible from his island, was not very fardistant. Jarwin said little about this, but from that time he began tohope that, through the missionaries, he might be able to make his escapeere long.
During all this time poor Cuffy experienced a variety of vicissitudes,and made several narrow escapes. At first he had been caught and was onthe point of being killed and roasted, when he wriggled out of hiscaptor's grasp and made off to the mountains, terrorstruck! Here hedwelt for some weeks in profound melancholy. Being unable to standseparation from his master any longer, he ventured to return to thevillage, but was immediately hunted out of it, and once again fled inhorror to the hills. Jarwin was not allowed to quit the village alone,he therefore never saw his little dog, and at length came to theconclusion that it had been killed. When, however, he had ingratiatedhimself with his master, he was allowed more freedom, and one day,having wandered a considerable distance into the mountains, he camesuddenly and unexpectedly upon Cuffy. Having experienced nothing fromman of late but the most violent and cruel treatment, Cuffy no soonerbeheld, as he supposed, one of his enemies, than, without giving him asecond glance, he sprang up, put his ears back, his tail between hislegs, and, uttering a terrible yell, fled "on the wings of terror!" ButJarwin put two fingers in his mouth and gave a peculiarly shrillwhistle, which brought the dog to a sudden stop. He looked back withears cocked. Again Jarwin whistled. Instantly Cuffy turned and ran athim with a series of mingled yells, whines, and barks, that gave but afaint idea of his tumultuous feelings. It would scarcely be too much tosay that he almost ate his master up. He became like an india-rubberball gone mad! He bounded round him to such an extent that Jarwin foundit very difficult to get hold of or pat him. It is impossible to dojustice to such a meeting. We draw a veil over it, only remarking thatthe sailor took his old favourite back to the village, and, after muchentreaty and a good deal of persuasive song, was permitted to keep him.
About ten months after this event, war broke out between the Big Chiefand a neighbouring tribe of natives, who were a very quarrelsome andvindictive set. The tribe with whom Jarwin dwelt would gladly havelived at peace, but the other tribe was stronger in numbers and thirstedfor conquest--a consequence of strength which is by no means confined tosavages!
When war was formally declared, the Big Chief told Jarwin to preparehimself for battle. At first our hero had some qualms of conscienceabout it, but on reflecting that on the part of the tribe to which hebelonged it was a war of self-defence, his conscience was pacified.
The Big Chief ordered him to throw away his now ragged garments, smearhis whole body over with oil and red earth, paint black spots on hischeeks, and a white streak down his nose, and put on warrior's costume.In vain Jarwin begged and protested and sang. The Big Chief's blood wasup, and his commands must be obeyed, therefore Jarwin did as he was bid;went out to battle in this remarkable costume--if we may so style it--and proved himself such a prodigy of valour that his prowess went far toturn the tide of victory wherever he appeared during the fight. But wepass over all this. Suffice it to say, that the pugnacious tribe wasseverely chastised and reduced to a state of quiet--for the time atleast.
One day, not long after the cessation of the war, a canoe arrived withseveral natives, all of whom wore clothing of a much more civiliseddescription than is usually seen among South-Sea savages. They had along, earnest talk with the natives, but Jarwin was not allowed to hearit, or to show himself. Next day they went away. For some time afterthat Big Chief was very thoughtful, but silent, and Jarwin could notinduce him to become confidential until he had sung all his melodies andall his psalms several times over, and had indulged in extempore melodyand gibberish until his brain and throat were alike exhausted. The BigChief gave way at last, however, and told him that his late visitorswere Christians, who, with two native teachers, had been sent from adistant island by a white chief named Williams, to try and persuade himand his people to burn their idols.
"And are 'ee goin' to do it?" asked Jarwin.
"No," replied the Chief, "but I am going to Raratonga to see CookeeWilliams."
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Of course they conversed in the native tongue, but as this would beunintelligible to the reader, we translate. It may also be remarkedhere that "Cookee" signified a white man, and is a word derived from thevisit of that great navigator Captain Cook to these islands, by thenatives of which he was ultimately murdered.
Jarwin had heard, while in England, of the missionary Williams. Onlearning that he was among the islands, his heart beat high, and hebegged earnestly that he might be allowed to go with the chief and hisparty to Raratonga, but his wily master would not consent "You will runaway!" he said.
"No, I won't," said Jarwin, earnestly. Big Chief shook his head. "Theywill take you from me," he said, "when they find out who you are."
"I'll not let 'em," replied Jarwin, with pathetic sincerity, and thenbegan to sing in such a touching strain, that his master lay back on hiscouch and rolled his large eyes in rapture.
"You shall go, Jowin," (that was the best he could make of the name),"if you will make me a promise."
"Name it, old boy," said Jarwin.
"That you will go dressed like one of my young men, and never open yourlips to speak a word, no more than if you were dumb, whether the Cookeesspeak to you or not."
Jarwin hesitated, but reflecting that there was no chance of his seeingthe missionary at all if he did not give this promise, he consented.
A week after that all the preparations were made, and four large canoes,full of well-armed men, set out for Raratonga.
At the time we write of, the island of Raratonga had been recentlydiscovered by the missionary Williams. The success of the labours ofthat devoted man and his native teachers, is one of the most marvellouschapters in the history of the isles of the Pacific. At Raratonga, Godseemed to have prepared the way for the introduction of the Gospel in awonderful manner, for although the native teachers who first went ashorethere were roughly handled, they were enabled, nevertheless, topersevere, and in not much more than a single year, the Gospel wrought achange in the feelings and habits of the people, which was little shortof miraculous. Within that brief period they had given up and burnt alltheir idols, had ceased to practise their bloody and horrible rites, andhad embraced Christianity--giving full proof of their sincerity bysubmitting to a code of laws founded on Scripture, by agreeing toabandon polygamy, by building a large place of worship, and by leadingcomparatively virtuous and peaceful lives. And all this was begun andcarried on for a considerable time, not by the European missionaries butby two of the devoted native teachers, who had previously embracedChristianity.
The extent of the change thus wrought in the Raratongans in so short atime by the Gospel, may be estimated by a glance at the difficultieswith which the missionaries had to contend. In writing of the ancientusages of the people, Mr Williams, [See Williams' most interestingwork, entitled "A Narrative of Missionary Enterprises in the South-SeaIslands"], tells us that one of their customs was an unnatural practicecalled _Kukumi anga_. As soon as a son reached manhood, he would fightand wrestle with his father for the mastery, and if he obtained it,would take forcible possession of the farm belonging to his parent, whomhe drove in a state of destitution from his home. Another custom wasequally unnatural and inhuman. When a woman lost her husband, therelatives of the latter, instead of paying visits of kindness to thefatherless and widow in their affliction, would seize every article ofvalue belonging to the deceased, turn the disconsolate mother and herchildren away, and possess themselves of the house, food, and land. Butthey had another custom which caused still greater difficulties to themissionaries. It was called "land-eating"--in other words, the gettingpossession of each other's lands unjustly, and these, once obtained,were held with the greatest possible tenacity, for land was exceedinglyvaluable at Raratonga, and on no subject were the contentions of thepeople more frequent or fierce.
From this it will be seen that the Raratongans were apparently a mostunpromising soil in which to plant the "good seed," for there isscarcely another race of people on earth so depraved and unnatural asthey seem to have been. Nevertheless, God's blessed Word overcame thesedeep-rooted prejudices, and put an end to these and many other horriblepractices in little more than a year.
After this glorious work had been accomplished, the energeticmissionary--who ultimately laid down his life in one of these islands[_The Island of Erramanga_] for the sake of Jesus Christ--resolved to gohimself in search of other islands in which to plant the Gospel, and tosend out native teachers with the same end in view. The record of theirlabours reads more like a romance than a reality, but we cannot affordto diverge longer from the course of our narrative. It was one of thesesearching parties of native teachers that had visited the Big Chief'sisland as already described, and it was their glowing words andrepresentations that had induced him to undertake this voyage toRaratonga.
Big Chief of course occupied the largest of the four canoes, and ourfriend Jarwin sat on a seat in front of him--painted and decorated likea native warrior, and wielding a paddle like the rest. Of course Cuffyhad been left behind.
Poor Jarwin had, during his captivity, undergone the process of beingtatooed from head to foot. It had taken several months to accomplishand had cost him inexpressible torture, owing to the innumerablepunctures made by the comb-like instrument with which it was done on theinflamed muscles of his body. By dint of earnest entreaty and muchsong, he had prevailed on Big Chief to leave his face and handsuntouched. It is doubtful if he would have succeeded in this, despitethe witching power of his melodious voice, had he not at the same timeoffered to paint his own face in imitation of tatooing, and accomplishedthe feat to such perfection that his delighted master insisted on havinghis own painted forthwith in the same style.
During a pause in their progress, while the paddlers were resting, BigChief made his captive sit near him.
"You tell me that Cookee-men" (by which he meant white men) "never lie,never deceive."
"I shud lie an' deceive myself, if I said so," replied Jarwin, bluntly.
"What did you tell me, then?" asked the Chief, with a frown.
"I told you that _Christian_ men don't lie or deceive--leastwise theydon't do it with a will."
"Are _you_ a Christian man, Jowin?"
"I am," replied the sailor promptly. Then with a somewhat perplexedair, "Anyhow I _hope_ I am, an' I try to act as sitch."
"Good, I will soon prove it. You will be near the Cookee-men ofRaratonga to-morrow. You will have chance to go with them and leave me;but if you do, or if you speak one word of Cookee-tongue--you are _not_Christian. Moreover, I will batter your skull with my club, till it islike the soft pulp of the bread-fruit."
"You're a cute fellar, as the Yankees say," remarked Jarwin, with aslight smile. This being said in English, the Chief took no notice ofit, but glanced at his slave suspiciously.
"Big Chief," said Jarwin, after a short silence, "even before I was aChristian, I had been taught by my mother to be ashamed of telling alie, so you've no occasion for to doubt me. But it's a hard thing tostand by a countryman, specially in my pecooliar circumstances, an' notlet him know that you can speak to him. May I not be allowed to palavera bit with 'em? I wont ask 'em to take me from you."
"No," said the Chief sternly. "You came with me promising that youwould not even speak to the Cookee-men."
"Well, Big Chief," replied Jarwin, energetically, "you shall see that aBritish seaman can stick to his promise. I'll be true to you. Honourbright. I'll not give 'em a word of the English lingo if they was totry to tear it out o' me wi' red hot pincers. I'll content myself wi'lookin' at 'em and listenin' to 'em. It'll be a comfort to hear mymother-tongue, anyhow."
"Good," replied the Chief, "I trust you."
The interval of rest coming to an end at this point, the conversationceased and the paddles were resumed.
It was a magnificent day. The great Pacific was in that condition ofperfect repose which its name suggests. Not a breath of air ruffled thewide sheet of water, which lay spr
ead out like a vast circularlooking-glass to reflect the sky, and it did reflect the sky with suchperfect fidelity, that the clouds and cloudlets in the deep were exactcounterparts of those that floated in the air, while the four canoes,resting on their own reflections, seemed to be suspended in the centreof a crystal world, which was dazzlingly lit up by two resplendent suns.
This condition of calm lasted the whole of that day and night, and theheat was very great; nevertheless the warriors--of whom there were fromforty to fifty in each canoe--did not cease to paddle for an instant,save when the short spells of rest came round, and when, twice duringthe day, they stopped to eat a hasty meal.
When the sun set they still continued to paddle onwards, the onlydifference being that instead of passing over a sea of crystal, theyappeared to traverse an ocean of amber and burnished gold. All nightthey continued their labours. About daybreak the Chief permitted themto enjoy a somewhat longer period of rest, during which most of them,without lying down, indulged in a short but refreshing nap. Resumingthe paddles, they proceeded until sunrise, when their hearts weregladdened by the sight of the blue hills of Raratonga on the brighthorizon.
"Now we shall soon be at the end of our voyage," said the Chief, as hepointed to the distant hills, and glanced at Jarwin as he might at aprize which he was much afraid of losing. "Remember the promise, youChristian. Don't be a deceiver, you `Breetish tar!'" (He quoted Jarwinhere.)
"Honour bright!" replied our hero.
The savage gazed earnestly into the sailor's bright eyes, and appearedto think that if his honour was as bright as they were, there was notmuch cause to fear. At all events he looked pleased, nodded his head,and said "Good," with considerable emphasis.
By this time the hills of Raratonga were beginning to look less likeblue clouds and more like real mountains; gradually as the canoes drewnearer, the markings on them became more and more defined, until at lasteverything was distinctly visible--rocky eminences and luxuriantvalleys, through which flowed streams and rivulets that glitteredbrightly in the light of the ascending sun, and almost constrainedJarwin to shout with delight, for he gazed upon a scene more lovely byfar than anything that he had yet beheld in the Southern Seas.