Nevertheless, our crew still refused to make any nearer approach, suspecting that more of the natives were lurking among the mangroves, ready to sally out upon us at the proper moment if we should venture to land. "Rokoa, finding all attempts to overcome the cowardice of our men unavailing, took a few trinkets in his hand, and springing overboard, swam through the surf to the shore. The personage in the tiputa waited to receive him, continuing to wave the green branch, and to make amicable signs. Rokoa advanced, and greeted him in the Tahitian fashion by rubbing faces. The two then walked together to the skirts of the wood, where the others still kept themselves, and Rokoa, after distributing his trinkets, came down to the beach again, and beckoned us to come ashore, supposing that our crew might by this time be so far reassured as to venture it. Sinbad was about to remonstrate again, when Barton drew a pocket-pistol, with a pair of which he was provided, and threatened to shoot him, unless he kept quiet. This effectually silenced the croakings of the Hao-man, for the time at least, and we finally induced some of the others to take to the paddles, and push through the surf to the spot where Rokoa awaited us. As soon as the canoe was beached, and we were all fairly ashore, the natives came forward somewhat hastily from the skirt of the wood, probably in the expectation of receiving further presents; but our men, mistaking this sudden advance for a hostile movement, laid hold of the canoe, and would have put her into the water again, had not Rokoa, armed with a heavy paddle, and backed by Barton with his pistols, interfered with so much decision and vigour, that their fears began to take a new direction, and they came to the sensible conclusion that they had better run the risk of being roasted and caten by the cannibals, than encounter the far more immediate danger of having their heads broken by the club of their chief, or their bodies bored through by the pistol-balls of the young Papalangi. On the other hand, the leader of the party of natives spoke to them, and restrained their impatience: then advancing before the rest, he waved his hand, and throwing himself into an oratorical attitude, made a little speech, thanking Rokoa for his gifts, and welcoming us to the island. The language which he spoke was a dialect o the Tahitian, differing from it so slightly, that I had no difficulty in understanding what he said. When he had finished, Rokoa made an appropriate reply, according to the rules of Polynesian etiquette. He commenced by paying our gaudily-attired friend some florid compliments. He then gave a graphic account of our voyage, describing the storm which we had encountered in such terms, that our escape must have seemed little short of a miracle; and concluded by stating the manner in which we had been driven from our course and finally reached the island. The natives listened attentively, and signified their sense of Rokoa's eloquence by frequent exclamations of 'maitai! maitai!' (good! good!), and by nodding their heads emphatically at the end of every sentence." CHAPTER XXI. THE CANNIBAL VILLAGE. THE MARAE AND THE PRIEST-MOWNO AT HOME-CANNIBAL YOUNG LADIES-OLLA AND HER FRIENDS. "And there with awful rites, the hoary priest, "So, then," said Browne, interrupting Arthur's narrative, "these two parties of savages, instead of going to work, knocking each other's brains out, as one might naturally have expected, actually commenced entertaining one another with set speeches, very much like the mayor and aldermen of a city corporation receiving a deputation of visitors!" "There is," replied Arthur, "an almost childish fondness of form and ceremony among all the Polynesian tribes, as is seen at their high-feasts and festivals, their games, and religious rites. The chiefs and priests are in the habit of making little orations, upon a variety of occasions, when this is expected of them. Formerly, there existed in the Society Islands a class of persons called Rautis, or orators of battle, whose exclusive business it was to exhort the people in time of war, and on the eve of an engagement. Even during the heat of conflict, they mingled with the combatants, and strove to animate and inflame their courage by recounting the exploits of their ancestors, and urging every motive calculated to excite desperate valour and contempt of death. Some very remarkable instances of the powerful effect produced by the eloquence of these rautis are recorded, showing that they constituted a by no means useless or ineffective part of a native army. The islanders almost universally have a taste for oratory, by which they are easily affected, and they hold those who excel in it in high estimation." "It would appear, then," said Browne, "that they are not such utter heathens after all. I should never have given them credit for so much taste and sensibility." "You see, Browne,” said Max, “what advantages you will enjoy over the rest of us when we get to Eiulo's island, as Charlie is confident we are destined to do one of these days. You shall then astonish the simple inhabitants with Pitt's reply to Walpole, or 'Now is the winter of our discontent,' and gain advancement in the state by your oratorical gifts. Who knows but you may rise to be prime-minister, or chief rauti, to his majesty the king?" "Pray, let Arthur proceed with the story," said Morton, laughing; "I see that Charlie is beginning to grow impatient: he probably thinks it high time for the cannibals to be introduced, and the fighting to commence." "Well," resumed Arthur, "as soon as the speech-making was over, "the natives, who seemed thus far quite friendly and inoffensive, came forward once more, and we all went through the ceremony of rubbing faces, with a great show of cordiality, though it was easy to perceive that our party were still under the influence of secret fears and misgivings. Barton and I received more than our due proportion of these civilities, and from the wondering exclamations of our new acquaintances, as they examined the articles which composed our dress, and their remarks to one another upon our complexion, I inferred that some of them at least had never seen a white person before. Barton, in particular, attracted a large share of their attention, owing, probably, to a complexion rather florid, and uncommonly fair, notwithstanding a two-years' residence within the tropics, which, together with his light hair and blue eyes, afforded a striking contrast to the tawny skins and long black elf-locks of the natives. The chief of the party, who had acted as spokesman, was called Mowno. He was a young man, with a handsome, boyish face, expressive of good-nature and indolence. Rokoa walked apart with him to make inquiries, as I had no doubt, connected with the subject of his brother's fate. Meanwhile Barton produced a piece of tortoiseshell and some pearls, which he exhibited to the natives, asking whether they had any articles of the kind; but after carelessly looking at them, they shook their heads, and inquired what such things were good for; whereupon Barton, casting an annihilating glance at the disconcerted Sinbad, significantly demanded of him what had become of those necklaces of pearls worn by the natives of Angatan, and whether these simple, inoffensive people, were the gigantic cannibals about whom he had manufactured such enormous lics. After Mowno had concluded his conference with Rokoa, he led us to a large building near the beach, in a very ruinous and decayed state, and completely overshadowed by aged tamanu-trees. It seemed, from its size and peculiar structure, to be a deserted marae, or native temple. He then sent away two of his people, who soon returned with several clusters of cocoanuts, and some bananas, for our refreshment. On learning that the supply of water which we had taken in for our voyage was nearly exhausted, he informed us that there was no spring or stream nearer than his village, which was some two miles inland, and promised to have a supply sent us during the day. They had come down to the shore, as we |