Chapter 18

January 18.—This morning {*4} we continued to the southward, with
the same pleasant weather as before. The sea was entirely smooth,
the air tolerably warm and from the northeast, the temperature of
the water fifty-three. We now again got our sounding-gear in
order, and, with a hundred and fifty fathoms of line, found the
current setting toward the pole at the rate of a mile an hour.
This constant tendency to the southward, both in the wind and
current, caused some degree of speculation, and even of alarm, in
different quarters of the schooner, and I saw distinctly that no
little impression had been made upon the mind of Captain Guy. He
was exceedingly sensitive to ridicule, however, and I finally
succeeded in laughing him out of his apprehensions. The variation
was now very trivial. In the course of the day we saw several
large whales of the right species, and innumerable flights of the
albatross passed over the vessel. We also picked up a bush, full
of red berries, like those of the hawthorn, and the carcass of a
singular-looking land-animal. It was three feet in length, and
but six inches in height, with four very short legs, the feet
armed with long claws of a brilliant scarlet, and resembling
coral in substance. The body was covered with a straight silky
hair, perfectly white. The tail was peaked like that of a rat,
and about a foot and a half long. The head resembled a cat’s,
with the exception of the ears—these were flopped like the ears
of a dog. The teeth were of the same brilliant scarlet as the
claws.

January 19.—To-day, being in latitude 83 degrees 20’, longitude
43 degrees 5’ W. (the sea being of an extraordinarily dark
colour), we again saw land from the masthead, and, upon a closer
scrutiny, found it to be one of a group of very large islands.
The shore was precipitous, and the interior seemed to be well
wooded, a circumstance which occasioned us great joy. In about
four hours from our first discovering the land we came to anchor
in ten fathoms, sandy bottom, a league from the coast, as a high
surf, with strong ripples here and there, rendered a nearer
approach of doubtful expediency. The two largest boats were now
ordered out, and a party, well armed (among whom were Peters and
myself), proceeded to look for an opening in the reef which
appeared to encircle the island. After searching about for some
time, we discovered an inlet, which we were entering, when we saw
four large canoes put off from the shore, filled with men who
seemed to be well armed. We waited for them to come up, and, as
they moved with great rapidity, they were soon within hail.
Captain Guy now held up a white handkerchief on the blade of an
oar, when the strangers made a full stop, and commenced a loud
jabbering all at once, intermingled with occasional shouts, in
which we could distinguish the words Anamoo-moo! and Lama-Lama!
They continued this for at least half an hour, during which we
had a good opportunity of observing their appearance.

In the four canoes, which might have been fifty feet long and
five broad, there were a hundred and ten savages in all. They
were about the ordinary stature of Europeans, but of a more
muscular and brawny frame. Their complexion a jet black, with
thick and long woolly hair. They were clothed in skins of an
unknown black animal, shaggy and silky, and made to fit the body
with some degree of skill, the hair being inside, except where
turned out about the neck, wrists, and ankles. Their arms
consisted principally of clubs, of a dark, and apparently very
heavy wood. Some spears, however, were observed among them,
headed with flint, and a few slings. The bottoms of the canoes
were full of black stones about the size of a large egg.

When they had concluded their harangue (for it was clear they
intended their jabbering for such), one of them who seemed to be
the chief stood up in the prow of his canoe, and made signs for
us to bring our boats alongside of him. This hint we pretended
not to understand, thinking it the wiser plan to maintain, if
possible, the interval between us, as their number more than
quadrupled our own. Finding this to be the case, the chief
ordered the three other canoes to hold back, while he advanced
toward us with his own. As soon as he came up with us he leaped
on board the largest of our boats, and seated himself by the side
of Captain Guy, pointing at the same time to the schooner, and
repeating the word Anamoo-moo! and Lama-Lama! We now put back to
the vessel, the four canoes following at a little distance.

Upon getting alongside, the chief evinced symptoms of extreme
surprise and delight, clapping his hands, slapping his thighs and
breast, and laughing obstreperously. His followers behind joined
in his merriment, and for some minutes the din was so excessive
as to be absolutely deafening. Quiet being at length restored,
Captain Guy ordered the boats to be hoisted up, as a necessary
precaution, and gave the chief (whose name we soon found to be
Too-wit) to understand that we could admit no more than twenty of
his men on deck at one time. With this arrangement he appeared
perfectly satisfied, and gave some directions to the canoes, when
one of them approached, the rest remaining about fifty yards off.
Twenty of the savages now got on board, and proceeded to ramble
over every part of the deck, and scramble about among the
rigging, making themselves much at home, and examining every
article with great inquisitiveness.

It was quite evident that they had never before seen any of the
white race—from whose complexion, indeed, they appeared to
recoil. They believed the Jane to be a living creature, and
seemed to be afraid of hurting it with the points of their
spears, carefully turning them up. Our crew were much amused with
the conduct of Too-wit in one instance. The cook was splitting
some wood near the galley, and, by accident, struck his axe into
the deck, making a gash of considerable depth. The chief
immediately ran up, and pushing the cook on one side rather
roughly, commenced a half whine, half howl, strongly indicative
of sympathy in what he considered the sufferings of the schooner,
patting and smoothing the gash with his hand, and washing it from
a bucket of seawater which stood by. This was a degree of
ignorance for which we were not prepared, and for my part I could
not help thinking some of it affected.

When the visitors had satisfied, as well as they could, their
curiosity in regard to our upper works, they were admitted below,
when their amazement exceeded all bounds. Their astonishment now
appeared to be far too deep for words, for they roamed about in
silence, broken only by low ejaculations. The arms afforded them
much food for speculation, and they were suffered to handle and
examine them at leisure. I do not believe that they had the least
suspicion of their actual use, but rather took them for idols,
seeing the care we had of them, and the attention with which we
watched their movements while handling them. At the great guns
their wonder was redoubled. They approached them with every mark
of the profoundest reverence and awe, but forbore to examine them
minutely. There were two large mirrors in the cabin, and here was
the acme of their amazement. Too-wit was the first to approach
them, and he had got in the middle of the cabin, with his face to
one and his back to the other, before he fairly perceived them.
Upon raising his eyes and seeing his reflected self in the glass,
I thought the savage would go mad; but, upon turning short round
to make a retreat, and beholding himself a second time in the
opposite direction, I was afraid he would expire upon the spot.
No persuasion could prevail upon him to take another look;
throwing himself upon the floor, with his face buried in his
hands, he remained thus until we were obliged to drag him upon
deck.

The whole of the savages were admitted on board in this manner,
twenty at a time, Too-wit being suffered to remain during the
entire period. We saw no disposition to thievery among them, nor
did we miss a single article after their departure. Throughout
the whole of their visit they evinced the most friendly manner.
There were, however, some points in their demeanour which we
found it impossible to understand; for example, we could not get
them to approach several very harmless objects—such as the
schooner’s sails, an egg, an open book, or a pan of flour. We
endeavoured to ascertain if they had among them any articles
which might be turned to account in the way of traffic, but found
great difficulty in being comprehended. We made out,
nevertheless, what greatly astonished us, that the islands
abounded in the large tortoise of the Gallipagos, one of which we
saw in the canoe of Too-wit. We saw also some biche de mer in the
hands of one of the savages, who was greedily devouring it in its
natural state. These anomalies—for they were such when considered
in regard to the latitude—induced Captain Guy to wish for a
thorough investigation of the country, in the hope of making a
profitable speculation in his discovery. For my own part, anxious
as I was to know something more of these islands, I was still
more earnestly bent on prosecuting the voyage to the southward
without delay. We had now fine weather, but there was no telling
how long it would last; and being already in the eighty-fourth
parallel, with an open sea before us, a current setting strongly
to the southward, and the wind fair, I could not listen with any
patience to a proposition of stopping longer than was absolutely
necessary for the health of the crew and the taking on board a
proper supply of fuel and fresh provisions. I represented to the
captain that we might easily make this group on our return, and
winter here in the event of being blocked up by the ice. He at
length came into my views (for in some way, hardly known to
myself, I had acquired much influence over him), and it was
finally resolved that, even in the event of our finding biche de
mer, we should only stay here a week to recruit, and then push on
to the southward while we might. Accordingly we made every
necessary preparation, and, under the guidance of Too-wit, got
the Jane through the reef in safety, coming to anchor about a
mile from the shore, in an excellent bay, completely landlocked,
on the southeastern coast of the main island, and in ten fathoms
of water, black sandy bottom. At the head of this bay there were
three fine springs (we were told) of good water, and we saw
abundance of wood in the vicinity. The four canoes followed us
in, keeping, however, at a respectful distance. Too-wit himself
remained on board, and, upon our dropping anchor, invited us to
accompany him on shore, and visit his village in the interior. To
this Captain Guy consented; and ten savages being left on board
as hostages, a party of us, twelve in all, got in readiness to
attend the chief. We took care to be well armed, yet without
evincing any distrust. The schooner had her guns run out, her
boarding-nettings up, and every other proper precaution was taken
to guard against surprise. Directions were left with the chief
mate to admit no person on board during our absence, and, in the
event of our not appearing in twelve hours, to send the cutter,
with a swivel, around the island in search of us.

At every step we took inland the conviction forced itself upon us
that we were in a country differing essentially from any hitherto
visited by civilized men. We saw nothing with which we had been
formerly conversant. The trees resembled no growth of either the
torrid, the temperate, or the northern frigid zones, and were
altogether unlike those of the lower southern latitudes we had
already traversed. The very rocks were novel in their mass, their
color, and their stratification; and the streams themselves,
utterly incredible as it may appear, had so little in common with
those of other climates, that we were scrupulous of tasting them,
and, indeed, had difficulty in bringing ourselves to believe that
their qualities were purely those of nature. At a small brook
which crossed our path (the first we had reached) Too-wit and his
attendants halted to drink. On account of the singular character
of the water, we refused to taste it, supposing it to be
polluted; and it was not until some time afterward we came to
understand that such was the appearance of the streams throughout
the whole group. I am at a loss to give a distinct idea of the
nature of this liquid, and cannot do so without many words.
Although it flowed with rapidity in all declivities where common
water would do so, yet never, except when falling in a cascade,
had it the customary appearance of limpidity. It was,
nevertheless, in point of fact, as perfectly limpid as any
limestone water in existence, the difference being only in
appearance. At first sight, and especially in cases where little
declivity was found, it bore resemblance, as regards consistency,
to a thick infusion of gum arabic in common water. But this was
only the least remarkable of its extraordinary qualities. It was
not colourless, nor was it of any one uniform colour—presenting
to the eye, as it flowed, every possible shade of purple; like
the hues of a changeable silk. This variation in shade was
produced in a manner which excited as profound astonishment in
the minds of our party as the mirror had done in the case of
Too-wit. Upon collecting a basinful, and allowing it to settle
thoroughly, we perceived that the whole mass of liquid was made
up of a number of distinct veins, each of a distinct hue; that
these veins did not commingle; and that their cohesion was
perfect in regard to their own particles among themselves, and
imperfect in regard to neighbouring veins. Upon passing the blade
of a knife athwart the veins, the water closed over it
immediately, as with us, and also, in withdrawing it, all traces
of the passage of the knife were instantly obliterated. If,
however, the blade was passed down accurately between the two
veins, a perfect separation was effected, which the power of
cohesion did not immediately rectify. The phenomena of this water
formed the first definite link in that vast chain of apparent
miracles with which I was destined to be at length encircled.