 CHAPTER 81 We visit the court. It was about the middle of the second month of the Hegira, and therefore some five weeks after our arrival in Part 2y, that we at last obtained admittance to the residents of the Queen. It happened thus. There was a Marquesan in the train of Pomerie who officiated as nurse to her children. According to the Tahitian custom, the royal youngsters are carried about until it requires no small degree of strength to stand up under them. But Marbona was just the man for this, large and muscular, well made as a statue, and with an arm like a degenerate Tahitian's thigh. Embarking at his native island as a sailor on board of a French whaler, he afterwards ran away from the ship at Tahiti, where, being seen and admired by Pomerie, he had been prevailed upon to enlist in her service. Often when visiting the grounds, we saw him walking about in the shade, carrying two handsome boys who encircled his neck with their arms. Marbona's face, tattooed as it was in the ornate's style of his tribe, was as good as a picture book to these young Pomeries. They delighted to trace with their fingers the outlines of the strange shapes there delineated. The first time my eyes lighted upon the Marquesan, I knew his country in a moment, and hailing him in his own language, he turned round, surprised that a person so speaking should be a stranger. He proved to be a native of Taior, a glen of Nukohiva. I had visited the place more than once, and so on the island of Aimeo we met like old friends. In my frequent conversations with him over the bamboo picket, I found this islander a philosopher of nature, a wild heathen, moralizing upon the vices and follies of the Christian court of Tahiti, a savage, scorning the degeneracy of the people among whom fortune had thrown him. I was amazed at the national feelings of the man, no European, when abroad, could speak of his country with more pride than Marbona. He assured me again and again that so soon as he had obtained sufficient money to purchase twenty muskets and as many bags of powder, he was going to return to a place with which Aimeo was not worthy to be compared. It was Marbona who, after one or two unsuccessful attempts, at last brought about our admission into the queen's grounds. Through a considerable crowd he conducted us along the pier to where an old man was sitting, to whom he introduced us as a couple of carhalries of his acquaintance, anxious to see the sights of the palace. The venerable chamberlain stared at us and shook his head. The doctor, thinking he wanted a fee, placed a plug of tobacco in his hand. This was ingratiating and we were permitted to pass on. Upon the point of entering one of the houses, Marbona's name was shouted in a half a dozen different directions, and he was obliged to withdraw. Thus left at the very threshold to shift for ourselves, my companion's assurance stood us in good stead. He stalked right in, and I followed. The place was full of women, who, instead of exhibiting the surprise we expected, accosted us as cordially as if we had called to make our suchang with them by express invitation. In the first place, nothing would do but we must each devour a calabash of koi and several roasted bananas. Pipes were then lighted, and a brisk conversation ensued. These ladies of the court, if not very polished, were surprisingly free and easy in their manners, quite as much so as King Charles's beauties. There was one of them, an arch-little miss, who could converse with us pretty fluently, to whom we strove to make ourselves particularly agreeable with the view of engaging her services as Ciccerone. As such, she turned out to be everything we could desire. No one disputing her will, every place was entered without ceremony, curtains brushed aside, mats lifted, and each nook and corner explored. Whether the little damsel carried her mistress's signet, that everything opened to her thus, I know not, but Marbona himself, the bearer of two infants, could not have been half so serviceable. Among other houses which we visited was one of large size and fine exterior, the special residence of a European, formerly the mate of a merchant vessel, who had done himself the honor of marrying into the Pomeray family. The lady he wedded, being a near-kindswoman of the queen, he became a permanent member of Her Majesty's household. His adventurer, Rose Late, dressed theatrically in calico and trinkets, assumed a dictatorial tone in conversation, and was evidently upon excellent terms with himself. We found him reclining on a mat, smoking a reed pipe of tobacco, in the midst of an admiring circle of chiefs and ladies. He must have noticed our approach, but instead of rising and offering civilities, he went on talking and smoking without even condescending to look at us. His highness feels his poe, carelessly observed the doctor. The rest of the company gave us the ordinary salutation, our guide announcing us beforehand. In answer to our earnest requests to see the queen, we were now conducted to an edifice, by far the most spacious in the enclosure. It was at least one hundred and fifty feet in length, very wide, with low eaves and an exceedingly steep roof of Pandana's leaves. There were neither doors nor windows, nothing along the sides but the slight posts supporting the rafters. Between these posts, curtains of fine matting and tappa were rustling all round. Some of them were festooned, or partly withdrawn, so as to admit light and air, and afford a glimpse now and then of what was going on within. Pushing aside one of the screens, we entered. The apartment was one immense hall, the long and lofty ridge pole fluttering with fringed matting and tassels, full forty feet from the ground. Lounges of mats piled one upon another, extended on either side. While here and there were slight screens, forming as many recesses, where groups of natives, all females, were reclining at their evening meal. As we advanced, these various parties ceased their buzzing, and an explanation of our appearance among them listened to a few cabalistic words from our guide. The whole scene was a strange one. But what most excited our surprise was the incongruous assemblage of the most costly objects from all quarters of the globe. Cheek by jowl, they lay beside the rudest native articles without the slightest attempt at order. Superb writing desks of rosewood inlaid with silver and mother of pearl, decanters and goblets of cut glass, embossed volumes of plates, gilded candelabras, sets of globes and mathematical instruments, the finest porcelain, richly mounted sabers and fouling pieces, laced hats and sumptuous garments of all sorts, with numerous other matters of European manufacture, were strewn about among greasy calabashes half filled with poe, rolls of old tappa and matting, paddles and fish spears, and the ordinary furniture of a tahitian dwelling. All the articles first mentioned were doubtless presents from foreign powers. They were more or less injured, the fouling pieces and swords were rusted, the finest woods were scratched, and a folio volume of hogarth lay open, with a coconut shell of some musty preparation capsized among the miscellaneous furniture of the rake's apartment, where that inconsiderate young gentleman is being measured for a coat. While we were amusing ourselves in this museum of curiosities, our conductor plucked us by the sleeve and whispered, Pomerie, Pomerie, are my cow-cow? She is coming to sup, then, said the doctor, staring in the direction indicated, what say you, Paul, suppose we step up? Just then a curtain nearby lifted, and from a private building, a few yards distant, the queen entered unattended. She wore a loose gown of blue silk, with two rich shawls, one red and the other yellow, tied about her neck. Her royal majesty was barefooted. She was about the ordinary size, rather matronly. Her features not very handsome, her mouth voluptuous, but there was a care-worn expression in her face, probably attributed to her late misfortunes. From her appearance one would judge her about forty, but she is not so old. As the queen approached one of the recesses, her attendance hurried up, escorted her in, and smoothed the mats on which she at last reclined. Two girls soon appeared, carrying their mistresses repast, and then, surrounded by cut glass and porcelain and jars of sweet meats and confections, Pomerie Vahini I, the titular queen of Tahiti, ate fish and poe out of her native calabashes, gaining either knife or spoon. Come on, whispered Long Ghost, let's have an audience at once. And he was on the point of introducing himself when our guide, quite alarmed, held him back and implored silence. The other natives also interfered, and as he was pressing forward, raised such an outcry that Pomerie lifted her eyes and saw us for the first. Pomerie seemed surprised and offended, and issuing an order in a commanding tone to several of her women, waved us out of the house. Summary as the dismissal was, Court Etiquette, no doubt, required our compliance. We withdrew, making a profound inclination as we disappeared behind the Tapa eras. We departed the grounds without seeking marbona, and previous to vaulting over the picket, fed our pretty guide after a fashion of our own. Looking round a few moments after, we saw the damsel escorted back by two men who seemed to have been sent after her. I trust she received nothing more than a reprimand. The next day Popo informed us that strict orders had been issued to admit no strangers within the palace precincts. CHAPTER 81. Which Ends the Book Disappointed in going to court, we determined upon going to sea. It would never do longer to trespass on Popo's hospitality, and then, weary somewhat of life in Imeo, like all sailors ashore, I at last pined for the billows. Now if her crew were to be credited, the Leviathan was not the craft to our mind. But I had seen the captain, and liked him. He was an uncommonly tall, robust, fine-looking man in the prime of life. There was a deep crimson spot in the middle of each sunburn cheek, doubtless the effect of his sea potations. He was a vineyarder, or native of the island of Martha's Vineyard, adjoining Nantucket, and I would have sworn it a sailor and no tyrant. Previous to this, we had rather avoided the Leviathan's men when they came ashore. But now we purposely threw ourselves in their way in order to learn more of the vessel. We became acquainted with a third mate, a Prussian, and an old merchant seamen, a right jolly fellow with a face like a ruby. We took him to Popos, and gave him a dinner of baked pig and breadfruit, with pipes and tobacco for dessert. The account he gave us of the ship agreed with my own surmises. A cosier old craft never floated, and the captain was the finest man in the world. There was plenty to eat, too, and at sea, nothing to do but sit on the windlass and sail. The only bad trait about the vessel was this. She had been launched under some baleful star, and so was a luckless ship in the fishery. She dropped her boats into the brine often enough, and they frequently got fast to the whales. But Lance and Harpoon almost invariably drew when darted by the men of the Leviathan. But what of that? We would have all the sport of chasing the monsters, with none of the detestable work which follows their capture. So hurrah for the coast of Japan! Sither the ship was bound. A word now about the hard stories we heard the first time we visited the ship. They were nothing but idle fictions, got up by the sailors for the purpose of frightening us away, so as to oblige the captain, who was in want of more hands, to lie the longer in a pleasant harbor. The next time the vineyarder came ashore, we flung ourselves in his path. When informed of our desire to sail with him, he wanted to know our history, and above all what countrymen we were. We said that we had left a whaler in Tahiti some time previous, and since then had been, in the most praiseworthy manner, employed upon a plantation. As for our country, sailors belonged to no nation in particular. We were, on this occasion, both Yankees. Upon this he looked decidedly incredulous, and freely told us that he barely believed we were both from Sydney. Be it known here that American sea-captains in the Pacific are mortally afraid of these Sydney gentry, who, to tell the truth wherever known, are in excessively bad odor. Is there a mutiny on board a ship in the South Seas? Ten to one a Sydney man is the ring-leader. Ashore these fellows are equally riotous. It was on this account that we were anxious to conceal the fact of our having belonged to the Julia, though it annoyed me much, thus to deny the dashing little craft. For the same reason also the doctor fibbed about his birthplace. Unfortunately, one part of our raiment, our Freeti's blue frocks, was deemed a sort of collateral evidence against us. For curiously enough, an American sailor is generally distinguished by his red frock, and an English tar by his blue one, thus reversing the national collars. The circumstance was pointed out by the captain, and we quickly explained the anomaly, but in vain. He seemed inveterately prejudiced against us, and in particular eyed the doctor most distrustfully. By way of propping the latter's pretensions, I was throwing out a hint concerning Kentucky as a land of tall men when our vineyarder turned away abruptly and desired to hear nothing more. It was evident that he took Longost for an exceedingly problematical character. Perceiving this, I resolved to see what a private interview would do. So, one afternoon, I found the captain smoking a pipe in the dwelling of a portly old native, one Mai Mai, who for a reasonable compensation did the honors of part two-y to illustrious strangers. His guest had just risen from a sumptuous meal of baked pig and tarot pudding, and the remnants of the repast were still visible. Two reeking bottles also, with their necks wrenched off, lay upon the mat. All this was encouraging, for after a good dinner one feels affluent and amiable, and particularly open to conviction. So at all events I found the noble vineyarder. I began by saying that I called for the purpose of setting him right, touching certain opinions of his concerning the place of my nativity. I was an American, thank heaven, and wanted to convince him of the fact. After looking me in the eye for some time, and by so doing, revealing an obvious unsteadiness in his own visual organs, he begged me to reach forth my arm. I did so, wondering what upon earth that useful member had to do with the matter in hand. He placed his fingers upon my wrist, and holding them there for a moment, sprang to his feet, and with much enthusiasm pronounced me a Yankee every beat of my pulse. Here, my my, he cried, another bottle. And when it came, with one stroke of a knife he summarily beheaded it, and commanded me to drain it to the bottom. He then told me that if I would come on board his vessel the following morning I would find the ship's articles on the cabin transom. This was getting along famously, but what was to become of the doctor? I forthwith made an adroit allusion to my long friend, but it was worse than useless. The vineyarder swore he would have nothing to do with him. He, my long friend, was a bird from Sydney, and nothing would make him, the man of little faith, believe otherwise. I could not help loving the free-hearted captain, but indignant at this most unaccountable prejudice against my comrade, I abruptly took leave. When informing the doctor of the result of the interview he was greatly amused, and laughingly declared that the vineyarder must be a penetrating fellow. He then insisted upon my going to sea in the ship, since he well knew how anxious I was to leave. As for himself, on second thoughts he was no sailor, and although landsmen very often composed part of a whaler's crew, he did not quite relish the idea of occupying a position so humble. In short, he had made up his mind to tarry a while in Imeo. I turned the matter over, and at last decided upon quitting the island. The impulse urging me to sea once more, and the prospect of eventually reaching home, were too much to be resisted, especially as the Leviathan was so comfortable a craft was now bound on her last whaling-cruise, and in little more than a year's time would be going round Cape Horn. I did not, however, covenant to remain in the vessel for the residue of the voyage, which would have been needlessly binding myself. I merely stipulated for the coming cruise, leaving my subsequent movements unrestrained, for there is no knowing that I might not change my mind and prefer journeying home by short and easy stages. The next day I paddled off to the ship, signed and sealed, and stepped ashore with my advance, fifteen Spanish dollars tassling the ends of my neck handkerchief. I forced half of the silver on long-ghost, and having little use for the remainder would have given it to Popo as some small return for his kindness. But although he well knew the value of the coin, not a dollar would he accept. In three days' time the Prussian came to Popo's and told us that the captain, having made good the number of his crew by shipping several islanders, had determined upon sailing with the land-grease at dawn the following morning. These tidings were received in the afternoon. The doctor immediately disappeared, returning soon after with a couple of flasks of wine concealed in the folds of his frock. Through the agency of the Marquesan he had purchased them from an understrapper of the court. I prevailed upon Popo to drink a parting shell, and even little Lou, actually looking conscious that one of her hopeless admirers was about leaving Partouy forever, sipped a few drops from a folded leaf. As for the warm-hearted Arfriti, her grief was unbounded. She even besought me to spend my last night under her own palm thatch, and then in the morning she would herself paddle me off to the ship. But this I would not consent to, and so, as something to remember her by, she presented me with a roll of fine madding and another of tappa. These gifts, placed in my hammock, I afterwards found very agreeable in the warm latitudes to which we were bound, nor did they fail to awaken most grateful remembrances. About nightfall we broke away from this generous-hearted household and hurried down to the water. It was a mad, merry night among the sailors. They had on tap a small cask of wine procured in the same way as the doctor's flasks. In hour or two after midnight everything was noiseless, but when the first streak of the dawn showed itself over the mountains, a sharp voice hailed the folks all and ordered the ship unmoored. The anchors came up cheerily, the sails were soon set, and with the early breath of the tropical morning, fresh and fragrant from the hillsides, we slowly glided down the bay and were swept through the opening in the reef. Presently we hove, too, and the canoes came alongside to take off the islanders who had accompanied us thus far. As he stepped over the side, I shook the doctor long and heartily by the hand. I have never seen or heard of him since. Crouting all sail, we braced the yard square, and the breeze freshening bold straight away from the land. Once more the sailor's cradle rocked under me and I found myself rolling in my gait. By noon the island had gone down in the horizon, and all before us was the wide Pacific. End of chapters 81 and 82, recording by Tricia G. End of Olmoo, A Narrative of Adventures in the South Seas by Herman Melville.