In these instances, Tahitian beauty
is quite as seducing as it proved to the crew of the Bounty; the
young girls being just such creatures as a poet would picture in the
tropics - soft, plump, and dreamy-eyed.
The natural complexion of both sexes is quite light; but the males
appear much darker, from their exposure to the sun. A dark
complexion, however, in a man, is highly esteemed, as indicating
strength of both body and soul. Hence there is a saying, of great
antiquity among them,
"If dark the cheek of the mother, The son will sound the war-conch; If
strong her frame, he will give laws."
With this idea of manliness, no wonder the Tahitians regarded all pale
and tepid-looking Europeans as weak and feminine; whereas, a sailor,
with a cheek like the breast of a roast turkey, is held a lad of
brawn: to use their own phrase, a "taata tona," or man of bones.
Speaking of bones recalls an ugly custom of theirs, now obsolete - that
of making fish-hooks and gimlets out of those of their enemies. This
beats the Scandinavians turning people's skulls into cups and
saucers.
But to return to the Calabooza Beretanee. Immense was the interest we
excited among the throngs that called there; they would stand talking
about us by the hour, growing most unnecessarily excited too, and
dancing up and down with all the vivacity of their race. They
invariably sided with us; flying out against the consul, and
denouncing him as "Ita maitai nuee," or very bad exceedingly. They
must have borne him some grudge or other.
Nor were the women, sweet souls, at all backward in visiting. Indeed,
they manifested even more interest than the men; gazing at us with
eyes full of a thousand meanings, and conversing with marvellous
rapidity. But, alas! inquisitive though they were, and, doubtless,
taking some passing compassion on us, there was little real feeling
in them after all, and still less sentimental sympathy. Many of them
laughed outright at us, noting only what was ridiculous in our
plight.
I think it was the second day of our confinement that a wild,
beautiful girl burst into the Calabooza, and, throwing herself into
an arch attitude, stood afar off, and gazed at us. She was a
heartless one: - tickled to death with Black Dan's nursing his chafed
ankle, and indulging in certain moral reflections on the consul and
Captain Guy. After laughing her fill at him, she condescended to
notice the rest; glancing from one to another in the most methodical
and provoking manner imaginable. Whenever anything struck her
comically, you saw it like a flash - her finger levelled
instantaneously, and, flinging herself back, she gave loose to
strange, hollow little notes of laughter, that sounded like the bass
of a music-box, playing a lively air with the lid down.
Now, I knew not that there was anything in my own appearance
calculated to disarm ridicule; and indeed, to have looked at all
heroic, under the circumstances, would have been rather difficult.
Still, I could not but feel exceedingly annoyed at the prospect of
being screamed at, in turn, by this mischievous young witch, even
though she were but an islander. And, to tell a secret, her beauty
had something to do with this sort of feeling; and, pinioned as I was
to a log, and clad most unbecomingly, I began to grow sentimental.
Ere her glance fell upon me, I had, unconsciously, thrown myself into
the most graceful attitude I could assume, leaned my head upon my
hand, and summoned up as abstracted an expression as possible. Though
my face was averted, I soon felt it flush, and knew that the glance
was on me; deeper and deeper grew the flush, and not a sound of
laughter.
Delicious thought! she was moved at the sight of me. I could stand it
no longer, but started up. Lo! there she was; her great hazel eyes
rounding and rounding in her head, like two stars, her whole frame in
a merry quiver, and an expression about the mouth that was sudden and
violent death to anything like sentiment.
The next moment she spun round, and, bursting from peal to peal of
laughter, went racing out of the Calabooza; and, in mercy to me,
never returned.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
LIFE AT THE CALABOOZA
A FEW days passed; and, at last, our docility was rewarded by some
indulgence on the part of Captain Bob.
He allowed the entire party to be at large during the day; only
enjoining upon us always to keep within hail. This, to be sure, was
in positive disobedience to Wilson's orders; and so, care had to be
taken that he should not hear of it. There was little fear of the
natives telling him; but strangers travelling the Broom Road might. By
way of precaution, boys were stationed as scouts along the road. At
sight of a white man, they sounded the alarm! when we all made for
our respective holes (the stocks being purposely left open): the beam
then descended, and we were prisoners. As soon as the traveller was
out of sight, of course, we were liberated.
Notwithstanding the regular supply of food which we obtained from
Captain Bob and his friends, it was so small that we often felt most
intolerably hungry. We could not blame them for not bringing us more,
for we soon became aware that they had to pinch themselves in order
to give us what they did; besides, they received nothing for their
kindness but the daily bucket of bread.
Among a people like the Tahitians, what we call "hard times" can only
be experienced in the scarcity of edibles; yet, so destitute are many
of the common people that this most distressing consequence of
civilization may be said, with them, to be ever present.
