The Coral Island, Robert Michael Ballantyne [inspirational novels .TXT] 📗

>water, one of which was to dive off a sort of stage which had been

erected near a deep part of the sea, and chase each other in the

water. Some of them went down to an extraordinary depth; others

skimmed along the surface, or rolled over and over like porpoises,

or diving under each other, came up unexpectedly and pulled each

other down by a leg or an arm. They never seemed to tire of this

sport, and, from the great heat of the water in the South Seas,

they could remain in it nearly all day without feeling chilled.

Many of these children were almost infants, scarce able to walk;

yet they staggered down the beach, flung their round fat little

black bodies fearlessly into deep water, and struck out to sea with

as much confidence as ducklings.

 

The other game to which I have referred was swimming in the surf.

But as this is an amusement in which all engage, from children of

ten to gray-headed men of sixty, and as I had an opportunity of

witnessing it in perfection the day following, I shall describe it

more minutely.

 

I suppose it was in honour of their guest that this grand swimming-match was got up, for Romata came and told the captain that they

were going to engage in it, and begged him to “come and see.”

 

“What sort of amusement is this surf swimming?” I inquired of Bill,

as we walked together to a part of the shore on which several

thousands of the natives were assembled.

 

“It’s a very favourite lark with these ‘xtr’or’nary critters,”

replied Bill, giving a turn to the quid of tobacco that invariably

bulged out his left cheek. “Ye see, Ralph, them fellows take to

the water as soon a’most as they can walk, an’ long before they can

do that anything respectably, so that they are as much at home in

the sea as on the land. Well, ye see, I ‘spose they found swimmin’

for miles out to sea, and divin’ fathoms deep, wasn’t exciting

enough, so they invented this game o’ the surf. Each man and boy,

as you see, has got a short board or plank, with which he swims out

for a mile or more to sea, and then, gettin’ on the top o’ yon

thundering breaker, they come to shore on the top of it, yellin’

and screechin’ like fiends. It’s a marvel to me that they’re not

dashed to shivers on the coral reef, for sure an’ sartin am I that

if any o’ us tried it, we wouldn’t be worth the fluke of a broken

anchor after the wave fell. But there they go!”

 

As he spoke, several hundreds of the natives, amongst whom we were

now standing, uttered a loud yell, rushed down the beach, plunged

into the surf, and were carried off by the seething foam of the

retreating wave.

 

At the point where we stood, the encircling coral reef joined the

shore, so that the magnificent breakers, which a recent stiff

breeze had rendered larger than usual, fell in thunder at the feet

of the multitudes who lined the beach. For some time the swimmers

continued to strike out to sea, breasting over the swell like

hundreds of black seals. Then they all turned, and, watching an

approaching billow, mounted its white crest, and, each laying his

breast on the short flat board, came rolling towards the shore,

careering on the summit of the mighty wave, while they and the

onlookers shouted and yelled with excitement. Just as the monster

wave curled in solemn majesty to fling its bulky length upon the

beach, most of the swimmers slid back into the trough behind;

others, slipping off their boards, seized them in their hands, and,

plunging through the watery waste, swam out to repeat the

amusement; but a few, who seemed to me the most reckless, continued

their career until they were launched upon the beach, and enveloped

in the churning foam and spray. One of these last came in on the

crest of the wave most manfully, and landed with a violent bound

almost on the spot where Bill and I stood. I saw by his peculiar

head-dress that he was the chief whom the tribe entertained as

their guest. The sea-water had removed nearly all the paint with

which his face had been covered; and, as he rose panting to his

feet, I recognised, to my surprise, the features of Tararo, my old

friend of the Coral Island!

 

Tararo at the same moment recognised me, and, advancing quickly,

took me round the neck and rubbed noses; which had the effect of

transferring a good deal of the moist paint from his nose to mine.

Then, recollecting that this was not the white man’s mode of

salutation, he grasped me by the hand and shook it violently.

 

“Hallo, Ralph!” cried Bill, in surprise, “that chap seems to have

taken a sudden fancy to you, or he must be an old acquaintance.”

 

“Right, Bill,” I replied, “he is indeed an old acquaintance;” and I

explained in a few words that he was the chief whose party Jack and

Peterkin and I had helped to save.

 

Tararo having thrown away his surf-board, entered into an animated

conversation with Bill, pointing frequently during the course of it

to me; whereby I concluded he must be telling him about the

memorable battle, and the part we had taken in it. When he paused,

I begged of Bill to ask him about the woman Avatea, for I had some

hope that she might have come with Tararo on this visit. “And ask

him,” said I, “who she is, for I am persuaded she is of a different

race from the Feejeeans.” On the mention of her name the chief

frowned darkly, and seemed to speak with much anger.

 

“You’re right, Ralph,” said Bill, when the chief had ceased to

talk; “she’s not a Feejee girl, but a Samoan. How she ever came to

this place the chief does not very clearly explain, but he says she

was taken in war, and that he got her three years ago, an’ kept her

as his daughter ever since. Lucky for her, poor girl, else she’d

have been roasted and eaten like the rest.”

 

“But why does Tararo frown and look so angry?” said I.

 

“Because the girl’s somewhat obstinate, like most o’ the sex, an’

won’t marry the man he wants her to. It seems that a chief of some

other island came on a visit to Tararo and took a fancy to her, but

she wouldn’t have him on no account, bein’ already in love, and

engaged to a young chief whom Tararo hates, and she kicked up a

desperate shindy; so, as he was going on a war expedition in his

canoe, he left her to think about it, sayin’ he’d be back in six

months or so, when he hoped she wouldn’t be so obstropolous. This

happened just a week ago; an’ Tararo says that if she’s not ready

to go, when the chief returns, as his bride, she’ll be sent to him

as a LONG PIG.”

 

“As a long pig!” I exclaimed in surprise; “why what does he mean by

that?”

 

“He means somethin’ very unpleasant,” answered Bill with a frown.

“You see these blackguards eat men an’ women just as readily as

they eat pigs; and, as baked pigs and baked men are very like each

other in appearance, they call men LONG pigs. If Avatea goes to

this fellow as a long pig, it’s all up with her, poor thing.”

 

“Is she on the island now?” I asked eagerly.

 

“No, she’s at Tararo’s island.”

 

“And where does it lie?”

 

“About fifty or sixty miles to the south’ard o’ this,” returned

Bill; ” but I - “

 

At this moment we were startled by the cry of “Mao! mao! - a shark!

a shark!” which was immediately followed by a shriek that rang

clear and fearfully loud above the tumult of cries that arose from

the savages in the water and on the land. We turned hastily

towards the direction whence the cry came, and had just time to

observe the glaring eyeballs of one of the swimmers as he tossed

his arms in the air. Next instant he was pulled under the waves.

A canoe was instantly launched, and the hand of the drowning man

was caught, but only half of his body was dragged from the maw of

the monster, which followed the canoe until the water became so

shallow that it could scarcely swim. The crest of the next billow

was tinged with red as it rolled towards the shore.

 

In most countries of the world this would have made a deep

impression on the spectators, but the only effect it had upon these

islanders was to make them hurry with all speed out of the sea,

lest a similar fate should befall some of the others; but, so

utterly reckless were they of human life, that it did not for a

moment suspend the progress of their amusements. It is true the

surf-swimming ended for that time somewhat abruptly, but they

immediately proceeded with other games. Bill told me that sharks

do not often attack the surf-swimmers, being frightened away by the

immense numbers of men and boys in the water, and by the shouting

and splashing that they make. “But,” said he, “such a thing as you

have seen just now don’t frighten them much. They’ll be at it

again to-morrow or next day, just as if there wasn’t a single shark

between Feejee and Nova Zembla.”

 

After this the natives had a series of wrestling and boxing

matches; and being men of immense size and muscle, they did a good

deal of injury to each other, especially in boxing, in which not

only the lower orders, but several of the chiefs and priests

engaged. Each bout was very quickly terminated, for they did not

pretend to a scientific knowledge of the art, and wasted no time in

sparring, but hit straight out at each other’s heads, and their

blows were delivered with great force. Frequently one of the

combatants was knocked down with a single blow; and one gigantic

fellow hit his adversary so severely that he drove the skin

entirely off his forehead. This feat was hailed with immense

applause by the spectators.

 

During these exhibitions, which were very painful to me, though I

confess I could not refrain from beholding them, I was struck with

the beauty of many of the figures and designs that were tattooed on

the persons of the chiefs and principal men. One figure, that

seemed to me very elegant, was that of a palm-tree tattooed on the

back of a man’s leg, the roots rising, as it were, from under his

heel, the stem ascending the tendon of the ankle, and the graceful

head branching out upon the calf. I afterwards learned that this

process of tattooing is very painful, and takes long to do,

commencing at the age of ten, and being continued at intervals up

to the age of thirty. It is done by means of an instrument made of

bone, with a number of sharp teeth with which the skin is

punctured. Into these punctures a preparation made from the kernel

of the candle-nut, mixed with cocoa-nut oil, is rubbed, and the

mark thus made is indelible. The operation is performed by a class

of men whose profession it is, and they tattoo as much at a time,

as the person on whom they are operating can bear; which is not

much, the pain and inflammation caused by tattooing being very

great, sometimes causing death. Some of the chiefs were tattooed

with an