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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0669f13 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #62138 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62138) diff --git a/old/62138-0.txt b/old/62138-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index edcb15f..0000000 --- a/old/62138-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4337 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Cannibal-land, by Martin Johnson - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Cannibal-land - Adventures with a camera in the New Hebrides - -Author: Martin Johnson - -Release Date: May 15, 2020 [EBook #62138] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CANNIBAL-LAND *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -[Illustration: MEN OF ESPIRITU SANTO] - - - - - CANNIBAL-LAND - _Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides_ - - - BY - MARTIN JOHNSON - - WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE AUTHOR’S PHOTOGRAPHS - -[Illustration] - - BOSTON AND NEW YORK - HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY - The Riverside Press Cambridge - 1922 - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY ASIA PUBLISHING COMPANY - COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY MARTIN JOHNSON - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - - - The Riverside Press - CAMBRIDGE · MASSACHUSETTS - PRINTED IN THE U. S. A. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CONTENTS - - - PROLOGUE 3 - - I. INTRODUCING NAGAPATE 6 - - II. SYDNEY AND NEW CALEDONIA 23 - - III. THE THRESHOLD OF CANNIBAL-LAND 39 - - IV. NAGAPATE COMES TO CALL 49 - - V. IN NAGAPATE’S KINGDOM 71 - - VI. THE BIG NUMBERS SEE THEMSELVES ON THE SCREEN 94 - - VII. THE NOBLE SAVAGE 100 - - VIII. GOOD-BYE TO NAGAPATE 116 - - IX. THE MONKEY PEOPLE 123 - - X. THE DANCE OF THE PAINTED SAVAGES 138 - - XI. TOMMAN AND THE HEAD-CURING ART 152 - - XII. THE WHITE MAN IN THE SOUTH SEAS 161 - - XIII. ESPIRITU SANTO AND A CANNIBAL FEAST 175 - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - - MEN OF ESPIRITU SANTO _Frontispiece_ - - THE WATCHER OF TANEMAROU BAY 14 - - NAGAPATE 18 - - A BEACH SCENE 24 - - LOOKING SEAWARD 36 - - DANCE OF TETHLONG’S MEN 46 - - A CALL FROM NAGAPATE 62 - - THE SAFE BEACH TRAIL, TANEMAROU BAY 68 - - LOOKING OVER NAGAPATE’S KINGDOM FROM THE HIGHEST PEAK IN - NORTHERN MALEKULA 74 - - WOMEN OF THE BIG NUMBERS 78 - - RAMBI 84 - - ATREE AND NAGAPATE 88 - - HUNTING FOR THE MAGIC 98 - - A CANNIBAL AND A KODAK 98 - - NAGAPATE AMONG THE DEVIL-DEVILS 110 - - ONE OF THE MONKEY MEN 128 - - WO-BANG-AN-AR 134 - - SOUTHWEST BAY 138 - - WOMAN AND CHILD OF THE LONG-HEADS, TOMMAN 142 - - THE PAINTED DANCERS OF SOUTHWEST BAY 148 - - THE OLD HEAD-CURER 154 - - A CLUB-HOUSE IN TOMMAN WITH MUMMIED HEADS AND BODIES 158 - - TOMMAN WOMEN, SHOWING GAP IN TEETH 162 - - DWARFS OF ESPIRITU SANTO 182 - - THE CANNIBAL DANCE 188 - - - - - CANNIBAL-LAND - - - - - PROLOGUE - - -Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had my first glimpse of -the New Hebrides. - -I was standing my trick at the wheel. Jack London and his wife, -Charmian, were beside me. It was just dawn. Slowly, out of the morning -mists, an island took shape. The little ship rose and sank on the -Pacific swell. The salt breeze ruffled my hair. I played my trick calmly -and in silence, but my heart beat fast at the sight of that bit of land -coming up like magic out of the gray water. - -For I knew that of all the groups in the South Seas, the New Hebrides -were held to be the wildest. They were inhabited by the fiercest of -cannibals. On many of the islands, white men had scarcely trod. Vast, -unknown areas remained to be explored. I thrilled at the thought of -facing danger in the haunts of savage men. - -I was young then. But my longing for adventure in primitive lands has -never left me. News of a wild country, of unvisited tribes, still -thrills me and makes me restless to be off in some old South Seas -schooner, seeing life as it was lived in Europe in the Stone Age and is -still lived in out-of-the-way corners of the earth that civilization has -overlooked. - -I have been luckier than most men. For my lifework has made my youthful -dreams come true. - -On my first voyage, in the Snark, I met with a couple of pioneer -motion-picture men, who were packing up the South Seas in films to take -back to Europe and America. They inspired in me the idea of making a -picture-record of the primitive, fast-dying black and brown peoples that -linger in remote spots. Into my boyish love of adventure there crept a -purpose that has kept me wandering and will keep me wandering until I -die. - -Two years ago, I again found myself in the New Hebrides at dawn. London -had taken the last long voyage alone; and the little Snark, so white and -pretty when we had sailed it south, hung sluggishly at anchor in Api, -black and stained, and wet and slimy under the bare feet of a crew of -blacks. My boat now was a twenty-eight-foot open whaleboat, with a jury -rig of jib and mainsail; my crew of five, squatting in the waist, -looking silently at us or casting glances, sometimes down at the water, -sometimes with sudden jerks of the head upward at the little mast, like -monkeys under a coconut tree, were naked savages from Vao; and my -companion, seated on the thwart beside me, was my wife, Osa. We were -nearing the cannibal island of Malekula. - -But to start the story of our adventures in Malekula at the beginning, I -must go back and describe the reconnoitering trip we took fourteen -months earlier. - - - - - CHAPTER I - INTRODUCING NAGAPATE - - -Osa and I were nearing the end of a long cruise through the South Seas. -We had come in contact with many wild peoples, but none of them were -quite wild enough. I had made motion-pictures of cannibals in the -Solomons. They were _bona-fide_ cannibals, fierce and naked. But -somehow, I never quite felt that they were the real thing: they so -obviously respected the English Government officers and native police -boys who accompanied and protected us. I wanted to get among savages who -were unspoiled—to make photographs showing them in their own villages, -engaged in their ordinary pursuits. I felt sure, from what I had seen -and heard and read, that the pictures I wanted were waiting to be taken -in the New Hebrides and nowhere else. - -Savagery has been pretty well eliminated from the South Seas. The -Solomon Islander is well on the road to becoming a respectable citizen -of the British Empire. Most of the Fiji Islanders have left off -cannibalism and have settled down and turned Methodist. If you except -New Guinea and Borneo, the New Hebrides are probably the only islands in -the Pacific where there are natives who live as they did before the -white man’s coming. - -The savages of the New Hebrides probably owe their immunity from -civilization to an accident of government. For many years the ownership -of the islands was disputed. Both British and French laid claim to them. -Neither would relinquish hold; so finally, they arranged to administer -the islands jointly until a settlement should be made. That settlement -has been pending for years. Meanwhile, both governments have been -marking time. Each party is slow to take action for fear of infringing -on the rights—or of working for the benefit—of the other. Each maintains -but a small armed force. The entire protection of the group consists of -about sixty or seventy police boys, backed up by the gunboats which make -occasional tours of the group. It is easy to understand that this is not -an adequate civilizing force for a part of the world where civilizing is -generally done at the point of a rifle, and that the savages of the more -inaccessible parts of the group are as unsubdued as they were in the -days of the early explorers. - -I had heard that there were parts of the island of Malekula, the second -largest island of the group, that no white man had ever trod, so I -decided that Malekula was the island I wanted to visit. “The Pacific -Islands Pilot,” which I had among my books, gave a solemn warning -against the people of Malekula that served only to whet my interest: - -“Although an appearance of friendly confidence will often tend to allay -their natural feeling of distrust, strangers would do well to maintain a -constant watchfulness and use every precaution against being taken by -surprise.” So said the “Pilot.” “... They are a wild, savage race and -have the reputation of being treacherous.... Cannibalism is still -occasionally practiced. Nearly all are armed with Snyders. The bushmen -live entirely among the hills in small villages and are seldom seen. -Being practically secure from punishment, they have not the same reasons -for good behavior that the salt-water men have, and should, therefore, -be always treated with caution.” - -A recruiter who had been for years in the New Hebrides enlisting blacks -for service in the Solomons described Malekula to me in detail. It was a -large island, as my map showed me, shaped roughly like an hour-glass, -about sixty miles long and about ten miles across in the middle and -thirty-five or so at the ends. He said that there were supposed to be -about forty thousand savages on the island, most of them hidden away in -the bush. The northern part of the island was shared between the Big -Numbers and the Small Numbers people, who took their names from the -_nambas_, the garment—if it could be called a garment—worn by the men. -In the case of the Small Numbers, said my informant, it was a twisted -leaf. In the case of the Big Numbers, it was a bunch of dried pandanus -fiber. The recruiter said that the central part of the island was -supposed to be inhabited by a race of nomads, though he himself had -never seen any one who had come in contact with them. In the southern -region lived a long-headed people, with skulls curiously deformed by -binding in infancy. - -Of all these peoples the Big Numbers were said to be the fiercest. Both -British and French had undertaken “armed administrations” in their -territory, in an attempt to pacify them, but had succeeded only in -sacrificing a man for every savage, they had killed. No white man had -ever established himself upon the territory of the Big Numbers and none -had ever crossed it. I decided to attempt the crossing myself and to -record the feat with my cameras. - -Every one to whom I mentioned this project advised me against it. I was -warned that experienced recruiters of labor for the white man’s sugar -and rubber plantations, who knew the islands and the natives well, never -landed upon the beach unless they had a second, “covering” boat with an -armed crew to protect them against treachery, and that the most daring -trader planned to stop there only for a day—though perforce he often -stayed for all eternity. But I had the courage born of ignorance, and -ventured boldly, taking it for granted that the tales told of the -savages were wildly exaggerated. Traders, missionaries, and Government -officials all joined in solemn warning against the undertaking, but as -none of them had ever seen a cannibal in action, I did not take their -advice seriously. When they found that I was determined in my course, -they gave me all the assistance in their power. - -My recruiter friend suggested that I make my headquarters on Vao, a -small island about a mile off the northeastern coast of Malekula, where -a mission station was maintained by the French fathers. He said that -between the mission and the British gunboat, which stopped there -regularly, the natives of Vao had become fairly peaceable, we would be -safe there, and at the same time would be in easy reach of Malekula. - -Osa and I lost no time in getting to Vao, where Father Prin, an aged -priest, welcomed us cordially, and set aside for us one of the three -rooms in his little stone house. Father Prin had kind, beautiful eyes -and a venerable beard. He looked like a saint, in his black cassock, and -when we had a chance to look about at the degenerate creatures among -whom he lived, we thought that he must, indeed, be one. He had spent -twenty-nine years in the South Seas. During the greater part of that -time he had worked among the four hundred savages of Vao. The net result -of his activities was a clearing, in which were a stone church and the -stone parsonage and the thatched huts of seventeen converts. The -converts themselves did not count for much, even in Father Prin’s eyes. -He had learned that the task of bringing the New Hebridean native out of -savagery was well-nigh hopeless. He knew that, once he had left his -little flock, it would undoubtedly lapse into heathenism. The faith and -perseverance he showed was a marvel to me. I shall always respect him -and the other missionaries who work among the natives of Vao and -Malekula for the grit they show in a losing fight. I have never seen a -native Christian on either of the islands—and I’ve never met any one who -has seen one! - -When he learned that we were bent on visiting Malekula, Father Prin -added his word of warning to the many that I had received. Though he -could speak many native languages, his English was limited to -_bêche-de-mer_, the pidgin English of the South Seas. In this grotesque -tongue, which consorted so strangely with his venerable appearance, he -told us that we would never trust ourselves among the natives if we had -any real understanding of their cruelty. He said he was convinced that -cannibalism was practiced right on Vao, though the natives, for fear of -the British gunboat, were careful not to be discovered. He cited -hair-raising incidents of poisonings and mutilations. He told us to look -around among the savages of Vao. We would discover very few if any old -folk, for the natives had the cruel custom of burying the aged alive. He -had done everything he could to eradicate this custom, but to no end. He -told us of one old woman whom he had exhumed three times, but who had -finally, in spite of his efforts, met a cruel death by suffocation. -Once, he had succeeded in rescuing an old man from death by the simple -expedient of carrying him off and putting him into a hut next to his own -house, where he could feed him and look after him. A few days after the -old man had been installed, a body of natives came to the clearing and -asked permission to examine him. They looked at his teeth to see if he -had grown valuable tusks; they fingered his rough, withered skin; they -felt his skinny limbs; they lifted his frail, helpless carcass in their -arms; and finally they burst into yells of laughter. They said the -missionary had been fooled—there was not a thing about the old man worth -saving! We could not look for mercy or consideration from such men as -these, said Father Prin. But despite his warning, Osa and I sailed away -to visit the grim island. - -With the assistance of Father Prin, we secured a twenty-eight-foot -whaleboat that belonged to a trader who made his headquarters on Vao, -but was now absent on a recruiting trip, leaving his “store” in charge -of his native wife. With the aid of five Vao boys, recommended by Father -Prin as being probably trustworthy, we hoisted a small jib and a -mainsail, scarcely larger, and were off. - -At the last moment, Father Prin’s grave face awoke misgivings in me and -I tried to dissuade Osa from accompanying me. Father Prin sensed the -drift of our conversation and made his final plea. - -“Better you stop along Vao,” he urged. “Bush too bad.” His eyes were -anxious. But Osa was not to be dissuaded. “If you go, I’m going, too,” -she said, turning to me, and that was final. - -We landed at a point on the Vao side of Malekula, where there were one -or two salt-water villages, whose inhabitants had learned to respect -gunboats. We picked up three boys to serve as guides and carriers and -then sailed on to Tanemarou Bay, in the Big Numbers territory. The -shores along which we traveled were rocky. Occasionally we saw a group -of natives on the beach, but they disappeared as we approached. These -were no salt-water savages, but fierce bushmen. Their appearance was not -reassuring; but when we reached Tanemarou Bay, we boldly went ashore. We -were greeted by a solitary savage who stepped out of the darkness of the -jungle into the glaring brightness of the beach. He was a frightful -object to behold, black and dirty, with heavy, lumpy muscles, and an -outstanding shock of greasy hair. Except for a clout of dried pandanus -fiber, a gorget of pig’s teeth, and the pigtails that dangled from his -ear-lobes, he was entirely naked. As he approached, we saw that his -dull, shifty eyes were liquid; his hairy, deeply seamed face was -contorted frightfully; and his hands were pressed tight against his -stomach. Osa shrank close to me. But the first words of the native, -uttered in almost unintelligible _bêche-de-mer_, were pacific enough. -“My word! Master! Belly belong me walk about too much!” - -[Illustration: THE WATCHER OF TANEMAROU BAY] - -The nervous tension that Osa and I had both felt snapped, and we burst -out laughing. I saw a chance to make a friend, so I fished out a handful -of cascara tablets and carefully explained to the native the exact -properties of the medicine. I made it perfectly clear—so I thought—that -part of the tablets were to be taken at dawn and part at sunset. He -listened with painful attention, but the moment I stopped speaking he -lifted the whole handful of pills to his slobbering lips and downed them -at a gulp! - -By this time we were surrounded by a group of savages, each as -terrible-looking as our first visitor. As they made no effort to molest -us, however, we gained confidence. I set up a camera and ground out -several hundred feet of film. They had never seen a motion-picture -camera before, but, as is often the way with savages, after a first -casual inspection, they showed a real, or pretended, indifference to -what they could not understand. - -Through the talented sufferer who knew _bêche-de-mer_, I learned that -the chief of the tribe, Nagapate, was a short distance away in the bush, -and on the spur of the moment, never thinking of danger, I made up my -mind to see him. Guided by a small boy, Osa and I plunged into the dark -jungle, followed by our three carriers with my photographic apparatus. -We slid and stumbled along a trail made treacherous by miry streams and -slimy creepers and up sharp slopes covered with tough canes. At last we -found ourselves in a clearing about three thousand feet above the sea. - -From where we stood we could see, like a little dot upon the blue of the -ocean, our whaleboat hanging offshore. The scene was calm and beautiful. -The brown-green slopes were silent, except for the sharp metallic calls -of birds. But we knew that there were men hidden in the wild, by the -faint, thin wisps of smoke that we could see here and there above the -trees. Each marked a savage camp-fire. “That’s where they’re cooking the -‘long pig,’” I said jocularly, pointing the smoke wisps out to Osa. But -a moment later my remark did not seem so funny. I heard a sound and -turned and saw standing in the trail four armed savages, with their guns -aimed at us. - -“Let’s get out of this,” I said to Osa; but when we attempted to go down -the trail, the savages intercepted us with threatening gestures. -Suddenly there burst into view the most frightful, yet finest type of -savage I have ever seen. We knew without being told that this was -Nagapate himself. His every gesture was chiefly. - -He was enormously tall, and his powerful muscles rippled under his skin, -glossy in the sunlight. He was very black; his features were large; his -expression showed strong will and the cunning and brutal power of a -predatory animal. A fringe of straight outstanding matted hair -completely encircled his face; his skin, though glossy and -healthy-looking, was creased and thick, and between his brows were two -extraordinarily deep furrows. On his fingers were four gold rings that -could only have come from the hands of his victims. - -I thought I might win this savage to friendliness, so I got out some -trade-stuff I had brought with me and presented it to him. He scarcely -glanced at it. He folded his arms on his breast and stared at us -speculatively. I looked around. From among the tall grasses of the -clearing, there peered black and cruel faces, all watching us in -silence. There were easily a hundred savages there. For the present -there was no escape possible. I decided that my only course was to -pretend a cool indifference, so I got out my cameras and worked as -rapidly as possible, talking to the savages and to Osa as if I were -completely at ease. - -I soon saw, however, that we must get away if we were not to be caught -by darkness. I made a last show of assurance by shaking hands in -farewell with Nagapate. Osa followed my example; but instead of -releasing her, the savage chief held her firmly with one hand and ran -the other over her body. He felt her cheeks and her hair and pinched and -prodded her speculatively. - -She was pale with fright. I would have shot the savage on the spot, but -I knew that such a foolhardy act would mean instant death to both of us. -I clenched my hands, forced to my lips what I hoped would pass for an -amused grin, and stood pat. After a moment that seemed to both Osa and -me an hour long, Nagapate released Osa and grunted an order at the -savages who surrounded us. They disappeared into the bush. This was our -opportunity. I ordered the three carriers to pick up the apparatus, and -we started for the trail. - -[Illustration: NAGAPATE] - -We had gone only a few steps when we were seized from behind. We had no -chance to struggle. - -In the minutes that followed, I suffered the most terrible mental -torture I have ever experienced. I saw only one slim chance for us. Osa -and I each carried two revolvers in our breeches’ pockets; so far, the -savages had not discovered them, and I hoped there might come some -opportunity to use them. Every ghastly tale I had ever heard came -crowding into my memory; and as I looked at the ring of black, merciless -faces, and saw my wife sagging, half-swooning, in the arms of her -cannibal captors, my heart almost stopped its beating. - -At this moment a miracle happened. - -Into the bay far below us steamed the Euphrosyne, the British -patrol-boat. It came to anchor and a ship’s boat was lowered. The -savages were startled. From lip to lip an English word was passed, -“Man-o’-war—Man-o’-war—Man-o’-war.” With an assumption of satisfaction -and confidence that I did not feel, I tried to make it clear to them -that this ship had come to protect us, though I knew that at any moment -it might up anchor and steam away again. Nagapate grunted an order, my -carriers picked up their loads, and we were permitted to start down the -trail. Once out of sight we began to run. The cane-grass cut our faces, -we slipped on the steep path, but still we ran. - -Halfway down, we came to an open place from which we could see the bay. -To our consternation, the patrol-boat was putting out to sea! We knew -that the savages, too, had witnessed its departure; for at once, from -hill to hill, sounded the vibrant roar of the conch-shell boo-boos—a -message to the savages on the beach to intercept us. - -The sun was near setting. We hurried forward; soon we found that we had -lost the trail. Darkness came down, and we struggled through the jungle -in a nightmare of fear. Thorns tore our clothing and our flesh. We -slipped and fell a hundred times. Every jungle sound filled us with -terror. - -But at last, after what seemed hours, we reached the beach. We stole -toward the water, hopeful of escaping notice, but the savages caught -sight of us. Fortunately our Vao boys, who had been lying off in the -whaleboat, sighted us, too, and poled rapidly in to our assistance. We -splashed into the surf and the boys dragged us into the boat, where we -lay, exhausted and weak with fear. - -It took us three days to get back to Vao, but that nightmare story of -storm and terror does not belong here. Suffice it to say that we at last -got back safely and with my film unharmed. - -On my return to Vao, one of the native boatmen presented me with a -letter, which had been left for me at Tanemarou Bay, by the commander of -the patrol-boat, who had been assured by our boys that we were in the -immediate vicinity of the beach and were about to return to the boat. - - MATANAVOT, _10th November, 1917_ - - DEAR SIR: - - I have been endeavoring to find you with a view to warning you - against carrying out what I understand to be your intentions. I am - told that you have decided to penetrate into the interior of this - island with a view to coming in contact with the people known as the - “Big Numbers.” Such a proceeding cannot but be attended with great - risk to yourself and all those who accompany you. The whole interior - of this island of Malekula is, and has been for a considerable time, - in a very disturbed condition, and it has been necessary in - consequence to make two armed demonstrations in the “Big Numbers” - country during the last three years. For these reasons, on the part - of the Joint Administration of this group, I request that you will - not proceed further with this idea, and hereby formally warn you - against such persistence, for the consequences of which the - Administration cannot hold itself responsible. - - Yours faithfully - (Signed) M. KING - _H.B.M. Resident Commissioner for the New Hebrides_ - - In any case I trust you will not take your wife into the danger zone - with you. - - M. K. - - - - - CHAPTER II - SYDNEY AND NEW CALEDONIA - - -Osa and I were sure, after our first adventure in Malekula, that we had -had enough of cannibals to last us for the rest of our natural lives. -But when we reached Sydney, on our way home, and had our films -developed, we began to weaken. Our pictures were so good that we almost -forgot the risk we had taken to get them. The few feet I had managed to -grind out on Malekula were no “staged” pictures of savage life. They -were so real and convincing that Osa declared her knees went wobbly -every time she saw them. - -Before many months, Nagapate was scowling out of the screen at audiences -in New York and Paris and London, and villagers who would never go a -hundred miles from home were meeting him face to face in the Malekula -jungle. The public wanted more—and so did we. Early in 1919, about a -year after our first adventure in the Malekula bush, we were again in -Sydney, preparing for a second visit to the land of the Big Numbers—the -trip out of which this book has grown. - -As we sailed into Sydney harbor on the S.S. Ventura, we met, sailing -out, the Pacifique, the little steamer of the Messageries Maritimes that -had taken us to the New Hebrides on our former visit. That meant we -should have four weeks to wait before embarking on our journey to -Malekula. We were impatient to be off, but we knew that the four weeks -would pass quickly enough, for many things remained to be done before we -should be ready for a long sojourn in the jungle. - -We took up our abode with the Higginses, in their house on Darling Point -Road overlooking the harbor. Ernie Higgins had handled my films for me -on my previous trip, and I had found him to be the best laboratory man I -had ever met with, so I was glad to be again associated with him. - -The house was an old-fashioned brick house of about twelve or fourteen -rooms. I fitted up one of the second-story rooms to serve as a workroom. -I had electricity brought in and set up my Pathéscope projector, so that -I could see the pictures I happened to be working on. Having this -projector meant that the work of cutting and assembling films would be -cut in two. I put up my rewinds, and soon had everything in apple-pie -order. - -[Illustration: A BEACH SCENE] - -From the window of my workroom, I could look over Sydney harbor. Osa and -I never tired of watching the ships going in and out. We would consult -the sailing lists in the newspapers, and try to identify the vessels -that we saw below us. There were steamers from China and Japan and the -Straits Settlements; little vessels from the various South Seas groups; -big, full-rigged ships from America; steamers from Africa and Europe; -little schooners from the islands; coastal boats to and from New Zealand -and Tasmania, and almost every day big ships came in with returned -soldiers. In the course of a week we saw boats of every description -flying the flags of almost every nation on the globe. - -Osa put in long days in the harbor, fishing from Mr. Higgins’s little -one-man dinghy, that was nearly swamped a dozen times a day in the wash -from the ferry-boats, while I worked like a slave at my motion-picture -apparatus. The public thinks that a wandering camera-man’s difficulties -begin with putting a roll of film in the camera and end with taking it -out. If I were telling the true story of this trip, I should start with -my grilling weeks of preparation in New York. But my troubles in Sydney -will perhaps give sufficient idea of the unromantic back-of-the-scenes -in the life of a motion-picture explorer. I had troubles by the score. -My cameras acted up. They scratched the film; they buckled. When I had -remedied these and a dozen other ailments, I found that my pictures were -not steady when they were projected. The fault we at last located in Mr. -Higgins’s printer. We repaired the printer. Then we found that the -developer produced a granulated effect on the film. It took us two weeks -to get the proper developer. But our troubles were not over. Great spots -came out on the pictures—grease in the developing tanks. And the racks -were so full of old chemicals that they spoiled the film that hung over -them. I had new racks and new tanks made. They were not made according -to specifications. I had them remade twice and then took them apart and -did the work myself. - -After I thought that my troubles were over, I found that my Pathéscope -projector, which had been made for standard film, had several parts -lacking. This was most serious, for it spoiled a plan that I had had in -the back of my head ever since I had first seen my Malekula pictures. I -wanted to show them to Nagapate and his men. It was an event that I had -looked forward to ever since I had decided to revisit the island. It -would be almost comparable to setting up a movie show in the Garden of -Eden. Luckily, I was able to have the missing parts made in Sydney, and -my apparatus was at last in order. - -Then I had to collect as much information as I could about the New -Hebrides and their inhabitants, so I trotted around morning after -morning, to interview traders and steamship officials and missionaries. -Another task, in which Osa helped me, was to ransack the second-hand -clothing stores for old hats and coats and vests to serve as presents -for the natives. Other trade-stuffs, such as tobacco, mirrors, knives, -hatchets, and bright-colored calico, I planned to get in Vila, the -principal port and capital of the New Hebrides. - -The four weeks had gone by like a flash, but the Pacifique had not yet -put in an appearance. She came limping into harbor at the end of another -week. She had been delayed by engine trouble and by quarantines; for the -influenza was raging through the South Seas. It was announced that she -would sail in five days, but the sailing date was postponed several -times, and it was the 18th of June before we finally lifted anchor. - -It seemed good to get out of the flu-infested city, where theaters and -schools and churches were closed, every one was forced to wear a mask, -and the population was in a blue funk. We both loved Sydney and its -hospitable people, but we were not sorry to see the pretty harbor, with -its green slopes dotted with red-tiled roofs, fade into the distance. - -Osa and I have often said that we like the Pacifique better than any -ship we have ever traveled on. It is a little steamer—only one thousand -nine hundred tons. We do not have bunks to sleep in, but comfortable -beds. Morning coffee is served from five to eleven o’clock. It is an -informal meal. Every one comes up for it in pajamas. Breakfast is at -half-past eleven. Dinner is ready at half-past six and lasts until -half-past eight. It is a leisurely meal, of course after course, with -red wine flowing plentifully. After dinner, the French officers play on -the piano and sing. - -Most of the officers were strangers to us on this voyage, for our old -friends were all down with the flu in Sydney. The doctor and the -wireless operator were both missing, and the captain, Eric de Catalano, -assumed their duties. He was a good wireless operator, for we got news -from New Zealand each night and were in communication with Nouméa long -before we sighted New Caledonia. How efficient he was as a doctor, I -cannot say. But he had a big medicine chest and made his round each day -among the sick, and though many of the passengers came down with -influenza, none of them died. He was a handsome man, quiet and -intelligent, and a fine photographer. He had several cameras and a -well-fitted dark room and an enlarging apparatus aboard, and had made -some of the best island pictures I had ever seen. He seemed to be a man -of many talents, for the chief engineer told me that he had an -electrician’s papers and could run the engines as well as he himself -could. - -We were a polyglot crowd aboard. We had fifteen first-class and five -second-class passengers, French, Australian, English, Scotch, and Irish, -and one Dane, with Osa and myself to represent America. In the steerage -were twenty-five Japanese, and up forward there was a Senegalese negro -being taken to the French convict settlement at Nouméa. Our officers -were all French—few could speak English. Our deck crew was composed of -_libérés_—ex-convicts from Nouméa. The cargo-handlers were native New -Caledonians with a sprinkling of Loyalty Islanders. The firemen were -Arabs, the dish-washers in the galley, New Hebrideans. The bath steward -was a Fiji Islander, the cabin steward a Hindu, the second-class cabin -steward hailed from the Molucca Islands, and our table steward was a -native of French Indo-China. - -Three days out from Sydney we passed Middleton Reef, a coral atoll, -about five miles long and two across, with the ocean breaking in foam on -its reef and the water of its lagoon as quiet as a millpond. The atoll -is barely above water, and many ships have gone aground there. We sailed -so close that I could have thrown a stone ashore, and saw the hull of a -big schooner on the reef. - -As we stood by the rail looking at her, one of our fellow-passengers, a -trader who knew the islands well, came up to us and told us her story. - -“She went ashore three years ago, in a big wind,” he said. “All hands -stuck to the ship until she broke in two. Then they managed to reach -land—captain and crew and the captain’s wife and two children. They had -some fresh water and a little food. They rationed the water carefully, -and there was rain. But the food soon gave out. For days they had -nothing. The crew went crazy with hunger, and killed one of the children -and ate it. For two days, the mother held the other child in her arms. -Then she threw it into the sea so that they could not eat it. Then three -of the men took one of the ship’s boats. They could not manage it in the -rough sea, but by a lucky chance they were washed up on the beach. They -were still alive, but the captain’s wife had lost her mind.” - -We reached Nouméa on the morning of June 23d. The pilot met us outside -the reef, in accordance with regulations, but he refused to come on -board when he found that we had several passengers down with the -influenza, so we towed him in. We were not allowed to land, but were -placed in quarantine off a small island about two miles from Nouméa, -between the leper settlement and Île Nou, the convict island. We were -avoided as though we had leprosy. Each day a launch came with fresh meat -and fresh vegetables, the French engineer and black crew all masked and -plainly anxious not to linger in our vicinity any longer than necessary, -and each day the doctor came and took our temperatures. - -We passed our time in fishing from the deck. We had excellent luck and -our catches made fine eating. Osa, of course, caught more fish than any -one else, principally because she was up at sunrise and did not quit -until it was time to go to bed. I relieved the monotony in the evenings -by showing my pictures. I set up the Pathéscope in the saloon, and each -night I gave a performance. My audience was most critical. Every one on -board knew the New Hebrides and Nouméa well, and many of the passengers -were familiar with the Solomons and other groups in which I had taken -pictures. But my projector worked finely; I had as good a show as could -be seen in any motion-picture house, and every one was satisfied. - -We had been surprised, as we steamed into the harbor, to see the -Euphrosyne lying at anchor there. The sight of her had made us realize -that we were indeed nearing the Big Numbers territory. Strangely enough, -the thought aroused no fear in us—only excitement and eagerness to get -to work, and resentment against the delay that kept us inactive in -Nouméa harbor. - -Not until four days had passed was our quarantine lifted. On the evening -of June 27th, the launch brought word that peace had been signed, and -that, if no more cases of flu had developed, we would be allowed to land -on the following day and take part in the peace celebration. - -New Caledonia does not much resemble the other islands of the South -Pacific. It has a white population of twenty thousand—about two thirds -as great as the native population. Its capital, Nouméa, is an industrial -city of fifteen thousand white inhabitants—the Chicago of the South -Seas. In and around it are nickel-smelters, meat-canneries, sugar-works, -tobacco and coconut-oil and soap factories. New Caledonia is rich in -minerals. It has large deposits of coal and kaolin, chrome and cobalt, -lead and antimony, mercury, cinnabar, silver, gold and copper and gypsum -and marble. In neighboring islands are rich guano beds. Agriculture has -not yet been crowded off the island by industry. The mountain slopes -make good grazing grounds and the fertile valleys are admirably fitted -for the production of coffee, cotton, maize, tobacco, copra, rubber, and -cereals. Yet there is little of South Seas romance about the islands. -And Nouméa is one of the ugliest, most depressing little towns on the -face of the earth. - -We docked there early on the morning of Saturday, the 28th of June. The -wharf was packed with people, but none of them would come on board. We -might have been a plague ship. As we went ashore, we looked for signs of -the peace celebration. A few half-hearted firecrackers and some flags -hanging limp in the heat were all. The real celebration, we were told, -would take place on Monday. - -In the evening, we were invited to attend one of those terrible -home-talent performances that I had thought were a product only of -Kansas, but, I now learned, were as deadly in the South Seas as in the -Middle West. A round little Frenchman read a paper in rapid French that -we could not understand, but the expression of polite interest on the -faces of the audience told us that it must be like the Fourth-of-July -orations in our home town. Then came a duet, by a man and woman who -could not sing. Another paper. Then an orchestra of three men and four -girls arranged themselves with much scraping of chairs on the funny -little stage and wheezed a few ancient tunes. - -On Sunday night we went to the Peace Ball in the town hall. Most of -Nouméa’s fifteen thousand inhabitants were there, so dancing was next to -impossible. It was like a Mack Sennet comedy ball. Ancient finery had -been hauled out for the occasion, and, though most of the men appeared -in full dress, scarcely one had evening clothes that really fitted. -Under the too loose and too tight coats, however, there were warm and -hospitable hearts, and we were treated royally. After the ball, we were -entertained at supper by the governor and his suite. - -Governor Joulia was a little, bald-headed man of about fifty years of -age, always smiling, always polite, and always dressed in the most -brilliant of brilliant uniforms, covered with decorations that he had -won during campaigns in Senegal, Algeria and India. His wife was a -pretty, plump woman of about thirty—she and Osa took to each other at -once. They spoke no English, and our French is awful, but we struck out -like drowning persons, and managed to understand each other after a -fashion. - -On Monday, the “real celebration” of the peace consisted in closing the -stores and sleeping most of the day. In the afternoon, the governor and -his wife came to the ship for us and took us to their beautiful summer -place, about five miles from the city. A great park, with deer feeding -under the trees, fine gardens, tennis courts, well-tended walks—and the -work all done by numbered convicts. - -There are convicts everywhere in and about Nouméa—convicts and -_libérés_. Their presence makes the ugly little town seem even more -unprepossessing than it is. The pleasantest spot anywhere around is Île -Nou, the convict island that I have often heard called a hell on earth. -On this green little island are about five hundred convicts—all old men, -for France has not deported any of her criminals to New Caledonia since -1897. They are all “lifers.” Indeed, I was told of one old man who is in -for two hundred years; he has tried to escape many times, and, according -to a rule of the settlement, ten years are added to a man’s sentence for -each attempt at escape. - -We visited Île Nou in company with Governor Joulia and Madame Joulia; -the Mayor of Nouméa; the manager of the big nickel mines; the Governor -of the prison settlement, and a lot of aides-de-something. We saw the -old prisoners, in big straw hats and burlap clothing, each with his -number stamped on his back, all busy doing nothing. We were taken -through the cells where, in former times, convicts slept on bare boards, -with their feet through leg-irons. We were locked in dark dungeons, and, -for the benefit of my camera, the guillotine was brought out and, with a -banana stalk to take the place of a man, the beheading ceremony was gone -through with. We were taken in carriages over the green hills to the -hospitals and to the insane asylum, where we saw poor old crazy men, -with vacant eyes, staring at the ceilings. Here we met the king of the -world, who received us with great pomp from behind the bars of a strong -iron cage, and a pitiful old inventor, who showed us a perpetual-motion -machine which he had just perfected. It was made from stale bread. - -[Illustration: LOOKING SEAWARD] - -Yet Île Nou is better than Nouméa, with its ugly streets full of broken -old _libérés_. While most of the convicts were sent out for life, some -were sent for five years. At the end of that time, they were freed from -Île Nou and permitted to live in New Caledonia on parole, and if they -had committed no fresh offense, at the end of another five years they -were given their ticket back to France. Any one sentenced to a longer -term than five years, however, never saw France again. He regained his -freedom, but was destined to lifelong exile. Some of the _libérés_ have -found employment and have become responsible citizens of New Caledonia, -but many of them drift through the streets of Nouméa, broken old men who -sleep wherever they can find a corner to crawl into and pick their food -from the gutters. - -I was glad, while in Nouméa, to renew my acquaintance with Commissioner -King of the New Hebrides, who had come to New Caledonia to have the -Euphrosyne repaired. I talked over with him my proposed expedition to -Malekula, and received much valuable advice. He could not give me the -armed escort I had hoped to secure from him, for he had no police boys -to spare. He promised, however, to pick us up at Vao, in about a month’s -time, and take us for a cruise through the group in the Euphrosyne. I -wanted him, and the New Caledonian officials as well, to see some of my -work, so I decided to show my films in the Grand Cinéma, the leading -motion-picture house of Nouméa. I gave the proprietor the films free of -charge, under condition that I got fifty seats blocked off in the center -of the house. We invited fifty guests, and the remainder of the house -was packed with French citizens of Nouméa, Chinese and Japanese coolies -and native New Caledonians. I showed the five reels called “Cannibals of -the South Seas.” Then I showed my four reels of Malekula film, and ended -up with a one-reel subject, Nouméa. We were given an ovation, and both -Osa and I had to make speeches—understood by few of those present. The -French have a passion for speeches whether they can understand them or -not. The next morning, we found ourselves celebrities as we walked -through the streets of Nouméa. - - - - - CHAPTER III - THE THRESHOLD OF CANNIBAL-LAND - - -We left New Caledonia at midnight on July 3d, and steamed over a calm -sea to Vila. - -Vila is the commercial center as well as the capital of the New Hebrides -and its harbor is one of the finest in the South Seas. On our right, as -we steamed in, was the island of Irriki, a mountain peak rising out of -the sea, on the highest point of which Mr. King has built his house. -Vila is a typical South Seas town—a rambling mixture of tropical and -European architecture and no architecture at all. Its public buildings, -French and British, its churches, and the well-kept British settlement, -with the parade grounds and barracks for the native police, make it more -imposing than the run of the pioneer villages of Melanesia, but it -seemed strange to us that it should be the metropolis for the white -people of thirty islands. We spent a day in Vila looking up old -acquaintances and laying in supplies. Among the acquaintances we found -good old Father Prin who had been retired from active duty on Vao and -had come to Vila to spend his declining days. He was glad to see us, but -shook his head when he heard that we were again going to try our luck -among the Big Numbers. - -“Big Numbers plenty bad,” he warned us in _bêche-de-mer_. And Osa and I -replied in the same tongue, “Me no fright.” - -I bought nearly a thousand dollars’ worth of food and trade-stuffs from -the four trading stores of Vila, but could not get a schooner or any -native boys to take us on our trip around Malekula. So I decided to go -on to the island of Espiritu Santo, two hundred miles to the north. We -stopped at Api, to leave mail and supplies and to take on copra. In the -harbor there, we again saw the old Snark at anchor. It was a black and -shabby ship, manned by a black crew and used for recruiting labor for -work in the white man’s sugar and copra plantations. - -We found Segond Channel, off Southeastern Santo, filled with cutters and -schooners, every one of which had white men aboard, who had been waiting -a couple of weeks for the news and supplies brought by the Pacifique. In -no time at all, I made arrangements for three schooners with big crews -to accompany me on my visit to the tribe of the Big Numbers. Mr. Thomas, -of Hog Harbor, promised he would send his boat to Vao in a week with as -many boys as he could spare. Mr. Perrole, an experienced French -recruiter, also agreed to charter a schooner and bring boys. We obtained -a third schooner from a young Frenchman, Paul Mazouyer, one of the most -picturesque dare-devils I have ever met. A giant in size and strength, -boiling with energy, always singing, sometimes dancing with his boys, he -did not understand the meaning of fear. He was a match for three white -men, and he took chances on the beach that no other recruiter would -dream of taking. I asked him once in _bêche-de-mer_—the only language in -which we could converse—if the savages did not sometimes make him a -little anxious. - -“Ah,” he said, shifting his huge frame and stretching his arms, “my -word! Suppose fifty men he come, me no fright!” - -I believed him. He was a two-fisted adventurer of the old type, with the -courage of unbeaten youth. He knew, as every white man in the New -Hebrides knows, that he might expect short shrift once the natives got -him in their power, but he trusted to fate and took reckless chances. - -The captain of the Pacifique agreed to take us to Vao, although it was -fifty miles off his course. We dropped anchor off the island just at -daylight and were surrounded almost immediately by canoes filled with -naked savages. The Pacifique was a marvel to the natives. She was one of -the smallest steamers I had ever been aboard, but they had never in all -their lives seen so large a vessel. The imposing size of the ship and -the impressive quantity of my baggage—sixty-five trunks, crates and -boxes—gave me a great deal of importance in their eyes. As we stood on -the beach watching the unloading of the ship’s boat, they crowded about, -regarding us with furtive curiosity. From time to time they opened their -huge, slobbering mouths in loud guffaws, though there was apparently no -cause for laughter. - -When my things were all unloaded, the captain and officers shook hands -with us and put off for the ship. In twenty minutes the Pacifique was -steaming away. Before she gained speed, a big American flag was hoisted -between the masts, and the engineer tooted encouragement to us. As she -grew small in the distance, the flag at the stern of the vessel was -dipped three times. We sat on the beach among our boxes and watched her -until she was just a cloud of smoke on the horizon. We felt very lonely -and very much shut off from our kind there, surrounded by a crowd of -jabbering, naked savages, who stared at us with all the curiosity shown -by people back home toward the wild man in a sideshow. - -With a show of cheerfulness, we set about making ourselves comfortable -for the weeks to come. The huts of the seventeen converts were deserted, -and rapidly going to pieces: the former occupants had forsaken the -lonely clearing for the crowded villages. But the little stone house in -which Father Prin had lived was still standing, though one corner of the -roof had fallen in. A proffer of tobacco secured me many willing black -hands to repair the roof and thatch it with palm leaves. Other natives -brought up our trunks and boxes. They cut big poles and lashed the boxes -to them with vines, and, ten to twenty natives to a box, they carried -the luggage from the beach in no time. By noon we had everything stored -away safe from the weather. We spent the afternoon in unpacking the -things needed for immediate use, and soon Osa and I had our little -three-room dwelling shipshape. - -We had learned a lesson from our first trip, with the result that, on -this second expedition, we had brought with us every possible comfort -and even some luxuries—from air-cushions and mattresses to hams, bacons, -and cheeses specially prepared for us in Sydney. With a clear-flamed -Primus stove and Osa to operate it, we were fairly certain of good food. -Having promulgated the law of the New Hebrides and Solomons, that every -native coming upon the clearing must leave his gun behind him and cover -his nakedness with calico, we settled down for a long stay. - -Vao is a very small island, no more than two miles in diameter, lying -several miles off the northeast shore of Malekula. It is rimmed on the -Malekula side by a broad, beautiful beach. Three small villages are -hidden in the low, scrub jungle, but the only signs of habitation are -three canoe houses that jut out from the fringe of bushes and hundreds -of canoes drawn up in a careful line upon the beach. - -About four hundred savages live in the three villages of Vao. Their -huts—mere shelters, not high enough to permit a man to stand -erect—contain nothing but a few bits of wood to feed the smoldering -fires. Pigs wander freely in and out. Oftentimes these animals seem to -be better favored than the human inmates, who are a poor lot, many of -them afflicted with dreadful sores and weak eyes. - -Many of the inhabitants of Vao are refugees from the big island of -Malekula, who were vanquished in battle and literally driven off the -earth by their enemies. Soon after our arrival, a powerful savage named -Tethlong, one of the Small Numbers people, arrived on Vao with twenty of -his men. All the remaining men of his tribe had been killed and the -women and children had been taken captive. The natives of Vao received -the newcomers as a welcome addition to their fighting force, and -Tethlong set about to insure his position among his new neighbors. He -invited the entire population to a feast, and at once sent his men to -neighboring islands to buy up pigs and chickens for the occasion. The -devil-devils—great, hollowed logs, carved roughly to represent human -faces, which are erected everywhere in the New Hebrides to guard against -evil spirits—were consulted to find a propitious time for the feasting, -and on the appointed day the celebration began with much shouting and -singing and dancing and beating of tom-toms. It lasted for several days. -Before it was over, seven hundred and twenty pigs had been slaughtered. -The island had never before seen such a feast. As a result of his -political strategy, Tethlong became the Big Chief of Vao, taking -precedence over the chiefs already there. - -I got some fine pictures of Tethlong’s feast, but they were the only -pictures I took for some days. For one thing, I was too busy for camera -work; for the job of checking over our supplies and fortifying our place -against a heavy rain kept us busy. For another, I was anxious to keep -our savage neighbors at a distance, so long as we were alone. - -Though they got over their curiosity concerning us and our effects -within a few days, about half a dozen loafers continued to appear every -morning and beg for tobacco. They were too lazy to work, and their -constant presence annoyed us. They were in the way, and, besides, they -grew cheekier day by day. The limit was reached one evening when Osa was -playing her ukulele. Several natives wandered over from the village to -listen. It was pretty music—I liked it a lot—and Osa was flattered when -some of the boys came to talk to us about it. But it soon developed that -they were demanding tobacco as compensation for listening! - -[Illustration: DANCE OF TETHLONG’S MEN] - -We managed to get hold of a fairly trustworthy boy—Arree by name—to help -with the housework. He claimed to have gone to the Catholic mission -school at Vila, and, strange to say, he did not approve of the ways of -his own people, though he was never absent from one of their festivals. -He always told us the local gossip. It was from him that we learned what -had happened to the mission boy who had worked for us on our former -visit. He had aroused the ill-will of a neighbor and two weeks before -our arrival had died from poison placed in his _lap-lap_, a pudding made -of coconuts and fish. - -Osa could write volumes regarding the difficulties of training her -scrubby native recruit to the duties of housework. He spoke good -_bêche-de-mer_, but _bêche-de-mer_ is a language capable of various -interpretations. Osa spoke it better than I, but even she could not make -simple orders clear to our muddle-brained black slavey. One morning, she -told Arree to heat an iron for her. She waited for a long time to get -it, and then went after it. She found Arree crouched before the fire, -gravely watching the iron boiling in a pot. - -Arree murdered the King’s English in a way that must have made old -Webster turn over in his grave. He never said “No.” His negative was -always “No more,” and his affirmative was an emphatic “Yes-yes.” When I -called for warm water in the morning, he would reply, blandly, “Hot -water, he cold fellow,” and I would have to wait until, in his leisured -way, Arree built the fire and heated the water. He had a sore leg, which -I healed with a few applications of ointment. A few days later, he came -to me with one eye swollen nearly shut, and my medicine kit in his hand. -“Me gottem sore leg along eye-eye,” he informed me. Sometimes he -achieved triumphs. I asked him once to tell another native to bring me -the saw from Osa. In order to air his knowledge of English, Arree said: -“You go along Mary (woman) belong Master catchem one fellow something he -brother belong ackus (axe), pullem he come, pushem he go.” And then he -translated the command, for his admiring, wide-eyed brother, into the -native dialect. - -Osa and I often caught ourselves falling into this queer English even -when there were no natives around. It gets into the blood like -baby-talk. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - NAGAPATE COMES TO CALL - - -Long before our reënforcements were due to arrive, we began to feel -uneasy on Vao. I found our neighbors far too friendly with the -unregenerate Malekula bushmen to be entirely trustworthy. The bush -people had no canoes. But when they wanted to visit Vao, they would sing -out from the shore, and the Vao men would go after them and bring them -over, fifteen or twenty of them at a time. The Malekula men never came -near our clearing, but the knowledge that they were on the island made -us uncomfortable. We were sure that they came to participate in savage -orgies, for often after a group of them arrived, the sound of the -tom-tom and of savage chanting drifted through the jungle from the -native villages, and our little clearing seemed haunted by shadows that -assumed menacing shapes. Finally, there occurred an incident that -changed what had been merely nervous apprehension to vivid fear. - -We had been a week on the island. The schooners we were awaiting had not -yet arrived. We could expect them, now, any day, but things do not run -by clockwork in the South Seas, so we knew that another week might pass -before we should see them. It had been hot and rainy and steamy and -disagreeable ever since our arrival, but to-night was clear, with a -refreshing breeze. After our tinned dinner, Osa and I went down to the -beach. The moon was full. The waves lazily washed up on the soft sand, -white in the moonlight, and the fronds of the palm-trees along the shore -whispered and rattled above our heads. Osa, in a romantic mood, was -strumming very softly on the ukulele. All at once, we heard the -whish-whish of canoe paddles coming around a rocky point. We moved back -into the shelter of some bushes and watched. - -Presently ten natives landed on the beach and drew their canoe up after -them. From it they took two objects wrapped in leaves, one elongated and -heavy—it took several men to handle it—the other small and round. Soon -the men, with their burdens, disappeared down a dark pathway leading to -the village. - -For several minutes we did not dare to move. Then we hurried back to the -house and got our revolvers and sat for a long time feeling very much -alone, afraid to go to bed and afraid to go out in the open. After a -while a weird chanting and the beating of tom-toms began in the village -near by. The noise kept us awake all night. - -Next morning, Arree came up with his story of the night’s revels. The -packages, he said, had really contained the body and head of a man. The -head had been impaled on a stick in the village square, and the natives -had danced wildly around it. Then the body was spitted on a long pole -and roasted over a great fire. The savages continued to dance and sing -until the horrible meal was ready. The rest of the night was spent in -feasting. Such orgies as this, Arree said, were fairly frequent. The -natives often purchased slain enemies from the bush savages of Malekula, -to eat as they would eat so many pigs. - -Two days after this incident, Paul Mazouyer dropped anchor off Vao. We -were glad to see him, and told him so in emphatic _bêche-de-mer_, the -only common language at our disposal. We promptly put my apparatus -aboard his little schooner, or cutter, as the craft was called in those -waters, and set sail for the country of the Big Numbers. A hundred naked -savages watched us in silence from the beach. The two other schooners -had gone on ahead to meet us in Big Numbers Bay, known locally as -Tanemarou. They were all recruiting schooners with experienced crews, -armed with regulation rifles, as permitted and indeed insisted upon by -the Government. - -Recruiting labor for the rubber and sugar plantations of white settlers -is a regular business in the New Hebrides and a dangerous one. A -recruiter chooses his island and anchors in the offing. He then sets -adrift a charge of dynamite, which is detonated as a signal to the -natives. The roar of the explosion rolls through the valleys and echoes -against the hills. On the day following, the savages come down to the -beach to trade. Two boats then put off from the schooner. In the first -is the white man with an unarmed crew, for the savages are not beyond -rushing the boat for the sake of a gun. In the second, hovering a short -distance away, is an armed crew, who cover the savages with their guns -while their master parleys with the chiefs for recruits. At the first -hostile move on the part of the natives, the boys in the covering boat -open fire. - -Despite such extreme precautions, tragedies happen. A friend of Paul -Mazouyer’s had been killed at Malua, whither we were now bound. Paul -told us the story. There were only a few savages on the beach at the -time; but one of them promised to go into the bush to recruit if his -people were given half a case of tobacco. The recruiter foolishly sent -his covering boat back to the cutter for the tobacco, and the savages -sat down on the beach to wait. While they were waiting, another savage -came out of the jungle. He walked slowly down the beach with his hands -behind him and waded out into the water until he could get behind the -white man. Then he suddenly placed the muzzle of a gun against the white -man’s back and pulled the trigger. - -A French gunboat was sent from Nouméa to avenge the murder, and a month -after the tragedy Paul led an expedition into the bush which razed a -village and killed a number of savages. - -In conclusion, Paul told us an incident that he thought was uproariously -funny. The victor had brought the bodies of four of the natives down to -the sea. Among the members of the expedition were a dozen “civilized” -blacks of a tribe hostile to the Big Numbers. These twelve boys looked -thoughtfully at the four dead bodies and then approached the commander -with a spokesman at their head. - -“Master,” he said with great earnestness, “me lookum some fellow man he -die finish. He stop along sand. He plenty good kai-kai! Me think more -better you no put him along ground. Altogether boy he speak—He eat him!” - -We reached the bay where these events had taken place on the first night -after our departure from Vao. We coasted along so close to the shore -that we could plainly see groups of natives who watched us, talking and -gesticulating among themselves, and sometimes followed us for some -distance along the beach, curious to see where we would land. We rounded -the northern point of the island and bucked into a stiff head wind and a -strong current. We made little progress until the tide turned. Then we -went along at a good rate. - -We anchored in Malua Bay, a stone’s throw from shore, on a line with a -great ravine that cleft the mountains and separated the territory of the -Small Numbers tribes, which lies directly across from Vao, from that of -the Big Numbers, which occupies the northwest corner of the island. - -That was a night typical of the South Seas. I shall never forget it. The -moon was visible for only a few seconds at a time, when it dodged from -behind thick, drifting clouds and drenched everything with a light -almost as bright as day. Our black crew huddled in the bow of the boat. -We sat with our guns beside us. On the shore we could clearly make out -the forms of savages squatting around their camp-fire. From the distance -we could hear the deep tones of the conch-shell boo-boos. The sea rolled -upon the beach with a heavy, sleepy purring. In the dark blue waters -below us we could see sharks moving about, leaving trails of phosphorus. -By the light of a greasy, smoky lantern that went out every few moments, -struggling against a ground swell that threatened to capsize my -typewriter, I entered the day’s events in my diary. As I wrote, the -savages began a weird dance, their grotesque forms silhouetted against -the sky. The sound of their chanting brought me what Osa calls the -“South Sea feeling.” I don’t know how to describe it. But it is the -thing that makes me always want to go back. - -The next morning we went ashore in two boats, Paul, Osa, and myself in -one, with one boy to pull, and four armed boys in another boat to cover -us. There were only half a dozen savages in sight, so we landed on the -beach and even walked up to the small river that emptied into the bay, -but we kept our guns handy and the covering boat was watching closely. -We knew that if it came to a rush, we could beat the savages to the boat -and that they were too poor shots to waste valuable ammunition in -shooting from the edge of the jungle. It is the custom of the men of -Malekula to approach near enough to place the muzzle against their -enemy. Otherwise, they seldom risk a shot. - -We had not been ashore long when we saw a couple of natives emerge from -the bush and walk toward us. We hurried to the boat. Other savages -appeared in small groups, so we shoved off. We bobbed along the shore -all afternoon, while Paul tried to get recruits. About fifty armed -savages wandered up and down, coaxing us in closer; but on account of -Osa, I would not risk landing, though Paul, who feared nothing, wanted -to put in to shore. He knew that almost any savage in that region would -kill him, if chance offered, in revenge for the part he had played in -the punitive expedition, but this was his favorite recruiting ground and -he was not to be scared away from it. He had the contempt for natives -that has resulted fatally for many a white man. - -At sundown we returned to the cutter. We could hear the savages shouting -as they went back into the hills. The broiling sun had left us hot and -sticky, and when Paul suggested a swim we all agreed to it, sharks or no -sharks. The boys kept a sharp lookout for the flashes of phosphorus that -would mean approaching danger, but we finished our swim without -adventure. Nevertheless, that night we put out hooks and caught two -sharks, one four feet long, the other six—which ended our swimming along -these shores. - -Paul’s little boat was close quarters for the three of us. He made his -bed alongside the engines, below, and Osa and I slept in the scuppers, -one on each side of the hatch. - -At about eleven o’clock, it began to rain and blow. We dragged our -anchor and had to put down another and then a kedge anchor in addition. -The craft twisted and turned and plunged, until Osa swore we went right -over and up again. I padded Osa with old sail to protect her from -bruises and we held on to the hatch with both hands to keep from being -thrown into the sea. Almost all our supplies were drenched; for we -robbed everything else of tarpaulin or canvas coverings to keep my -apparatus dry. Shivering and wretched, we crouched on deck waiting for -daylight. Morning was never so slow in coming; but with the first light, -the rain ceased, the sea became smooth, and the sun came up broiling -hot, sucking up the moisture until from stern to bow we looked like a -spout of a boiling tea-kettle. - -There was fever in the air. We ate quinine as if it had been candy, in -an effort to stave off the sickness that, always inconvenient, would now -prove especially so. - -About noon we made out two vessels sailing up to us, and as they came -alongside we found that one was sailed by Perrole and the other by a -young man, half Samoan and half English, whom Mr. Thomas had sent with -ten boys. His name was Stephens. We now had twenty-six armed and -experienced natives, four white men and Osa. With this force I was ready -to undertake almost anything; so after a hasty conference we decided to -go on to Tanemarou, the bay from which we had first entered Nagapate’s -territory. Without the aid of the Government, I saw that it would be -impossible to carry out my original intention of entering the island at -the northern end and traversing it straight through to the southern. So -I proposed the alternative plan of sailing completely around the island, -landing at different points from which I could strike inland to visit -the tribes. In many ways, this latter plan proved to be the better of -the two for my purpose. I doubt, now, if a Government escort would have -been to my advantage; for any Government expedition would have been -regarded as a punitive raid and as such would have encountered the most -determined resistance. Even at the time, I felt that the peaceable -nature of my expedition would put me on good terms with the savages. -Cruel as they were, they were childlike, too, and the fact that we were -coming to them in a friendly spirit with presents for which, apparently, -we were asking nothing in return, would, I felt sure, disarm their -hostility. I had discovered that most of the recent murders of white men -had been committed by the savages in a spirit of revenge. Recruiters who -had carried off their kinsfolk; traders who had cheated them; members of -punitive expeditions, or the occasional Simon Legree who had earned the -hatred of the blacks by cruelty—such were the victims of savage gun or -knife. - -It was with a feeling of confidence that I sailed into Tanemarou Bay. -Here, sweeping around us, was the broad beach across which we had run -for our lives almost two years before. In fine yellow sand it spread -away from the water’s edge for about a hundred yards to the dark fringe -of jungle. Against the high black volcanic rocks that guarded the -entrance to the bay, a heavy surf beat and roared, but on the sands the -land-locked waters lapped gently, shimmering with many colors. The dark -hills rose about the jungle in green slopes mottled with brown and -streaked here and there with tiny wisps of smoke. - -I suddenly thought that the peaceful aspect of those hills was exactly -what must have struck the men aboard the gunboat Euphrosyne when its -opportune appearance had given Osa and me the chance for our lives. The -memory of that horrible adventure made me momentarily uneasy. Osa -squeezed my arm, and I knew that her thoughts, too, had gone back to the -evening when, in the gathering darkness, we had slipped from the edge of -the jungle, tattered, bleeding, and terrified, and rushed into the water -pursued by the yelling savages. - -Paul was not troubled by any forebodings. He at once suggested that we -go ashore. So Osa and I followed him into the boat and we pulled for the -beach, followed by the small boats from the other cutters. As we landed, -about twenty armed savages suddenly appeared and came walking boldly -toward us. Except for belts of rough bark and clouts of pandanus fiber, -they were naked. The flatness of their noses was accentuated by plugs -driven through the cartilage dividing the nostrils. Shaggy, outstanding -manes of hair completely encircled their faces, which were deeply seamed -and wore a perpetual scowl. - -I began to doubt once more whether I could fulfill the object of my -expedition after all. There was no man living who had witnessed the -cannibalistic rites of these wild men. Many had made the attempt and had -paid a gruesome penalty. But as the band drew nearer, my feeling -changed. In a sense, they were my people. They had encircled the globe -with me and in the comfortable surroundings of great theaters had stood -naked and terrible before thousands of civilized people. I had made -their faces familiar in all parts of the world. With something like -emotion I watched them as they approached. Suddenly the figure at their -head stood out like a “fade-in.” - -It was Nagapate. - -Osa and I forgot that this savage had once wanted to eat us. We forgot -what had happened at our first violent meeting. We looked at each other -and smiled and then, both actuated by the same unaccountable impulse, we -rushed forward and grabbed his hand. - -Now Nagapate did not know the meaning of a handshake, but he seemed to -understand instantly that we were glad to see him. His heavy face, -gashed so deeply with wrinkles that his scowl seemed unalterable, broke -into a delighted grin. He recovered his dignity in a moment, however, -and stood to one side with his arms folded on his massive chest, -watching closely every move we made. The strong guard we had brought -with us must have impressed him; but he did not seem at all -apprehensive, for he could tell by our conduct that we were friendly. We -were anxious to get some pictures. However, since fresh relays of -savages continued to come down from the jungle, we decided to wait until -we had with us all the boys from the other boats before taking any -further chances. - -We decided to return to the cutter, and as we were about to embark an -extraordinary thing happened. Nagapate came up to Osa and made signs to -show that he would like to go aboard with us. Now hundreds of his own -people had been grabbed from his beach in times gone by and -“blackbirded” away to slavery. He was accustomed, and with cause, to -think the white man as merciless as we thought him to be. Yet of his own -free will, without a glimmer of fear, Nagapate put himself completely in -our power. - -[Illustration: A CALL FROM NAGAPATE] - -An hour later, while we ate our dinner of tinned beef, Nagapate, with -two of his men, squatted on the deck at our feet and ate hard-tack and -white trade-salmon. Afterwards I brought out pictures I had made on my -first visit. The savages gave yells of excitement when they saw -Nagapate’s face caught on paper. When I produced a large colored poster -of the chief and presented it to him, he was speechless. The three -savages, looking at this mysterious likeness, were almost ready to -kow-tow to us, as they did to their devil-devils in the bush. - -But the crowning touch of all came when we had grown a little tired of -our guests, and Osa brought out her ukulele and commenced to sing. To -our surprise Nagapate joined in, chanting a weird melody, which his men -took up. After a few bars, they were made shy by the sound of their own -voices. Nagapate stopped his song and vainly tried once more to look -dignified. In fact, that old man-eater showed every manifestation of a -young and awkward boy’s self-consciousness! - -We bridged over the awkward situation with more salmon and about ten -o’clock sent him ashore happy, with his bare arms full of knives and -calico and tobacco. We judged by his farewell that we would be welcome -any time we cared to drop in on him for dinner and that we had a fair -prospect of not being served up as the main course. In any case, on the -strength of his visit, I determined to chance a visit to his village on -the following day, though I realized that the visit, in many ways -significant, did not give the least assurance of continued friendliness. -These savages are as willful and as uncertain in their moods as -children. When they are sulky, they are as likely to murder -treacherously whoever arouses their ill-will as a small boy is to throw -a stone. There is no one to control or guide them. They are physically -powerful, they are passionate, and they possess deadly weapons. We could -be no more certain that our lives would be safe with them than a man -with a silk hat can be sure of his headgear among three hundred -schoolboys fighting with snowballs. - -We were awakened at daybreak by a shout from the shore. A score of -natives stood on the beach, calling and gesticulating. I went ashore, -accompanied by Paul Mazouyer, and found that they had presents from -their chief, Nagapate—yams and coconuts and wild fruits. But the -presents were not for me. In their almost unintelligible _bêche-de-mer_, -the natives explained that the fruits were for “Mary”—their -_bêche-de-mer_ word for woman. I could scarcely believe my ears. In all -my experience among the blacks of the South Seas, I had never known a -savage to pay any attention to a woman, except to beat her or to growl -at her. The women of the islands are slaves, valued at so many pigs. -They do all the work that is done in the native villages and get -scoldings and kicks for thanks. I went doubtfully back to the schooner -and brought Osa ashore. The natives greeted her with grunts of -satisfaction and laid their offering at her feet. - -My respect for Nagapate increased. I saw that he was a diplomat. He had -observed that this little person in overalls, who had approached him so -fearlessly, was treated with the utmost deference by the crews of the -schooners and by the white men. He had come to the conclusion that she -was the real boss of the expedition. And he was very nearly right! - -Perrole and Stephens joined us, and we remained on the beach all -morning. Osa and I took pictures of the natives squatting about us and -watched for Nagapate himself to put in an appearance. I was eager to -invite him to his first “movie.” He had been overcome with awe at sight -of a photograph of himself. What would he say to motion-pictures that -showed him talking, with threatening gestures, and scowling as on that -memorable day two years before? - -Every now and then a new delegation of natives arrived on the beach. In -spite of the law that prohibits the sale of firearms to the natives, -they all carried rifles. I examined some of the guns. They were old, but -not too old to do damage, and every native had a supply of cartridges. I -found later that spears and bows and arrows are almost out of use among -the Big Numbers. Nine men out of ten own guns. Where do they get them? -No native will tell, for telling would mean no more rifles and no more -cartridges. The white people of the islands know, but they keep their -information to themselves. I know, too, but I am not doing any talking -either, for I want to go back to the New Hebrides some day. - -Our own boys remained close by us all the morning and we kept sharp -watch for any sign of treachery. By noon, the savages had lost their -suspicion of us. They stacked their rifles against rocks and trees and -moved about, talking to each other in their strange, grunting speech. -We, too, moved about more freely. And I tried to gain the confidence of -the natives by talking to them. My attempts to learn their language with -_bêche-de-mer_ as a medium brought great guffaws. But in spite of the -friendliness of our visitors, we were never quite at ease. Their -appearance was against them. Their ugly faces—eyes with scarcely any -pupils, flat noses made twice their normal size by the wooden plugs -thrust through the cartilage dividing the nostrils, great mouths with -thick, loose lips—their stealthy way of walking, their coarse, rapid, -guttural speech, which sounded angry even when they spoke to one -another, the quick gestures with which they filled in the gaps in their -limited language—none of these things tended to make us feel at home. - -I kept wondering how some of Osa’s sheltered young friends back home -would act, if they were to be set down, as she was, on a sandy beach, -miles from civilization, and surrounded with fierce cannibals—hideous -and worse than naked; for they worship sex, and what clothing they wear -calls attention to their sex rather than conceals it. I watched her -admiringly as she went about taking snapshots as unconcernedly as if the -savages had been Boy Scouts on an outing. And I thought, as I have -thought many many times in the nine years we have gone about together, -how lucky I was. Osa has all the qualities that go to make an ideal -traveling companion for an explorer—pluck, endurance, cheerfulness under -discomfort. In an emergency, I would trust her far sooner than I would -trust most men. - -During the afternoon, several fresh groups of natives came out of the -jungle to stare at us, and toward sunset a number of savages descended a -trail that sloped down to the beach about half a mile from where we were -sitting and brought us a message from the great chief. It was couched as -follows: “Nagapate, he big fellow master belong Big Numbers. He, he -wantem you, you two fellow, you come along lookem house belong him, you -lookem piccaninny belong him, you lookem Mary belong him. He makem big -fellow sing-sing. More good you, you two fellow come. He no makem bad, -he makem good altogether.” And it meant that His Highness, Chief -Nagapate, would like to have us visit him in his village, and that he -guaranteed our safety. - -[Illustration: THE SAFE BEACH TRAIL, TANEMAROU BAY] - -I accepted the invitation with alacrity. The messengers hurried off, and -Osa and I followed, curious to see where the trail left the beach. We -had not gone far, before Paul shouted for us to stop. We halted and saw, -a quarter of a mile down the beach, a group of about a hundred armed -natives. Some Big Numbers people came up to us and warned us, with -gestures, to go no farther, so we sat down on the sand and awaited -developments. The newcomers squatted on the beach and stared in our -direction. In about fifteen minutes, a second group of natives appeared -from a trail still farther down the beach, and the first group sprang to -their feet and melted into the bush with incredible rapidity. - -What did it all mean? Paul, well versed in island lore, had the answer. -The beach was used jointly by four tribes, three belonging to the Big -Numbers and one to the Small Numbers people. All of these tribes are -more or less hostile, but they have agreed between them that the beach -is neutral ground, for they realize that if fighting is permitted there, -it will never be safe for any of them to come out into the open to trade -or fish. Sometimes the beach armistice is violated, and for weeks there -is severe fighting along the sand; in the end, however, the matter is -always settled by an exchange of wild pigs and the beach is again safe -for all comers. But the armistice never extends back into the bush. In -the jungle and the tall cane-grass, it is always open season for -man-killing. - -We returned to the schooner early that evening, in order to make ready -for our trip into the interior. I packed all my photographic apparatus -carefully in canvas and rubber cases, and I bundled up several -tarpaulins to protect us and our cameras in case of sudden rain. We put -up enough supplies to last seven or eight days, and a good equipment of -trade-stuffs. As we packed, the monotonous chanting of some twenty of -Nagapate’s men, who had remained on the beach to escort us to the -village, drifted across the water. Occasionally we caught a glimpse of -them, grotesque black shapes against the light from their camp-fire. - - - - - CHAPTER V - IN NAGAPATE’S KINGDOM - - -Next morning, before daybreak, we were on the beach. The embers of the -camp-fire remained, but our escort had vanished. I was filled with -misgivings. Did Nagapate plan treachery? We were thirty-one—twenty-six -trustworthy native boys, four white men, and Osa. We were all well -equipped with repeating rifles and automatic pistols. In open fight, we -could have stood off a thousand savages. But I knew that the men of -Malekula, though they are notoriously bad shots, could pick us off one -by one, if they wished, as we went through the jungle. - -I suppose that we all felt a little doubtful about taking the plunge -into the jungle, but we all—with the exception of our native boys, who -were plainly in a blue funk—kept our doubts to ourselves. The boys were -so frightened that they rebelled against carrying anything except their -guns. To inspire them with confidence, each of us took a piece of -luggage, and then we divided among them what was left and persuaded them -to take the trail. - -It was dawn on the beach, but it was still night in the jungle. The -trail was a dark tunnel with walls and roof of underbrush and trees and -tangled vines. We stumbled along blindly at first. Presently our eyes -became used to the dark and we walked with more ease. Stems and thorns -caught at our clothes as we passed. We slipped on wet, slimy roots and -stumbled over them in the dim light. Only where the jungle was -intersected by one of the numerous streams—swift but shallow and never -too wide for leaping—that water the island, did the light succeed in -struggling weakly through the tangle. - -The New Hebridean jungle is different from that of India or Africa. The -severe hurricanes that sweep over the islands each year have stunted -growth. There are no forest giants. Trees send their branches out rather -than up, forming a dense mass of vegetation that is further bound -together by vines, so that it is almost impossible to penetrate the -jungle save by beaten trails or along the courses of streams. - -The sun was well up when we came out on the first of a series of -plateaus that formed a giant stairway up the mountain. They were -separated from one another by five hundred to a thousand yards of scrub -trees and tangled bush. It was not easy going. The ascents were steep, -and the trail was wet and slippery. - -We kept watch for treacherous natives. Once we were startled by -blood-curdling cries that came from the direction in which we were -going. Our boys said the men of Malekula were hunting wild pigs. We went -on in silence. Our hearts jumped every time a twig cracked. There was a -set expression on Osa’s face. I knew she was frightened, but I knew, -too, that no amount of money would have persuaded her to turn back. - -By noon we had reached what seemed to be the highest point of northern -Malekula, and looked back over valley after valley of dense jungle, and -plateau after plateau covered with cane-grass. Here and there a coconut -tree stood out alone. Smoke, curling out of the hillsides, indicated the -sites of native villages. Perhaps, at that very moment, gruesome feasts -of human flesh were being prepared. In the bay, very small and very far -off, were three black dots—our boats. - -We heard a sound behind us and quickly turned. There were some twenty -men, sent by the “big fellow master belong Big Numbers.” They took our -apparatus and indicated that we were to follow them. We were dead tired; -still there seemed nothing to do but to push on. - -We were not sorry, after about a mile, to approach a village. First we -came upon scattered groves of coconut and banana trees. Our trail became -wider and harder and we passed weed-grown patches of yams and taro, -protected against the wild pigs by rude walls of bamboo. Finally we came -out upon a clearing around which clustered a few wretched shelters -thatched roughly with leaves. In the center of the clearing stood -upright hollow logs—the drums used to send messages from village to -village and to furnish music for the native dances. The natives called -them boo-boos—the name given to conch-shells and all other sound-making -instruments. On the hard ground of the clearing sat some thirty savages, -all well armed. They had apparently been watching for us, but they did -not greet us. We spoke to them, but, beyond a few grunts, they made no -reply. There were no women and children in sight. That was a bad sign; -for the women and children are sent away only when there is trouble in -the air. Perrole, Stephens, and Mazouyer drew nearer to Osa and me. -Their faces were grave. Our boys edged close to us. None of us spoke. - -[Illustration: LOOKING OVER NAGAPATE’S KINGDOM FROM THE HIGHEST PEAK IN -NORTHERN MALEKULA] - -After a short rest, our guides indicated that we were to take the trail -again. We pushed on over a muddy path, bordered by coconut and banana -trees, and in about fifteen minutes we came out upon another clearing, -much larger than the first, with many more huts surrounding it and with -more and bigger boo-boos in the center. Here again were savages awaiting -us—about two hundred of them, each with a gun. We were led to a big -boo-boo that had been overturned by the wind and were told to sit down. -We obeyed like obedient school-children. - -One of the natives beat out on a boo-boo an irregular boom-boom-boom -that roared through the clearing and was echoed back from the hills. It -sounded like a code. We felt that it might be a summons to the -executioner. Osa huddled close to me. A stillness fell over the -assembly. - -Suddenly, at the far side of the clearing, a huge savage appeared. It -was Nagapate. He stood for a moment, looking over the audience; then he -walked slowly and majestically into the center of the clearing. He -roared a few words to his men. Then he turned to us. A native came -running up—the laziest black stepped lively when Nagapate commanded—with -a block of wood for a throne. The chief sat down near us, and we stepped -forward and shook hands with him. He had grown used to this form of -greeting and responded with graciousness. - -It had been a wonderful entrance. But then Nagapate had an instinct for -the dramatic. Throughout our stay in his village, I noticed, he never -made a move that was not staged. He let it be known by his every act -that he was no common chief, who had won his position through skill in -killing pigs or men. Nagapate was a king and a descendant of kings. His -was the only tribe I had come across during my travels among the blacks -of the South Pacific that had an hereditary ruler. - -After he had greeted us, he uttered a sharp command and a native stepped -up with a big bamboo water-bottle. Nagapate drank from it, and then the -native offered it, tilted at the proper angle, to each of us in turn. It -was not pleasant to drink from the mouthpiece at which Nagapate’s great -lips had sucked. But we gathered that the bottle was the South Sea -equivalent of a pipe of peace; so we drank gladly. I then presented to -Nagapate a royal gift of knives, calico, and tobacco, and I told one of -the boys to give two sticks of tobacco to each native. - -The natives smoked their tobacco (those that did not eat it) at once and -greedily. It seemed to break the ice a bit; so I got out my cameras. For -three hours, I made pictures. But I did not get any “action.” I wanted a -picture of a man coming out of his house; for the doors of the huts are -so low that the people have to come out on all fours. I persuaded a -native to go into his hut and come out again. He did so. But his -companions laughed and jeered at him, and after that every one had stage -fright. - -As the afternoon wore on, scores of women and children appeared. I have -never seen human beings more wretched than those women. At first sight -they looked like walking haystacks. They wore dresses of purple dyed -grasses, consisting of a bushy skirt that hung from the waist to the -knees, a sort of widow’s veil that was thrown over the head and face so -as to leave a tiny peep-hole for the wearer to look through, and a long -train that hung down the back nearly to the ground. A more cumbersome -and insanitary dress was never devised. It was heavy. It was hot. Worst -of all, it was dirty. Every one of the dresses was matted with filth. I -did not see a single pig—and there were dozens of them rooting about -inside and outside the houses—that was so dirty as the women of that -village. I afterward found that for women to wash was strictly taboo. -From birth to death water never touched their skins! - -I got my cameras ready, but the women hid in the houses and would not -come out to be photographed. Not until Nagapate commanded them to come -into the clearing did they creep whimpering in terror from the low -doors. - -We had heard from the natives at our headquarters on the island of Vao -that Nagapate had a hundred wives, but there were only ten of them, and -they were as wretched as any of the other women. Osa presented them each -with a string of beads and a small glass jar of cheap candy. They did -not even look at their gifts. They wanted only to get the ordeal over -and to escape. During all our stay in the village the poor, browbeaten -wretches never got up enough courage to look at us. Their lords and -masters felt our skins and our hair and our clothes, examining us with -embarrassing freedom. But whenever we came upon a woman, she squatted -down and hid her face behind her grass veil. - -Since the women and children had appeared, we gained confidence and -walked about the village, inspecting the houses. As we approached, the -children, scrawny little wretches, big-bellied from malnutrition and -many of them covered with sores, scurried off into the bush like -frightened rabbits. The houses were wretched huts made of poles with a -covering of leaves and grass, or, occasionally, of woven bamboo. Inside -were the embers of fires—nothing more. A hard, worn place on the ground -in one corner showed where the owner slept. Nagapate’s house stood off -by itself. It was larger than the rest and more compactly made. But it -was as bare as any of the others. - -Toward sunset we built a fire and cooked our supper. The natives -gathered around and watched us in astonishment. They themselves made no -such elaborate preparation for eating. Once in a while a man would -kindle a fire and throw a few yams among the coals. When the yams were -burned black on one side, he would turn them with a stick and burn them -on the other. Then they were ready for eating—the outside burned crisp -and the inside raw. One evening some of the men brought in some little -pigs, broke their legs, so that they could not escape, and threw them, -squealing, into a corner of a hut. The next day there was meat to eat. -Like the yams, it was only half-cooked. The natives tore it with their -teeth as if they had been animals, and they seemed especially to relish -the crisp, burned portions. Each man was his own cook. Even Nagapate -made his own fire and cooked his own food, for it was taboo for him to -eat anything prepared by an inferior or cooked over a fire made by an -inferior. He conveniently considered us his superiors and ate greedily -everything we gave him. He never shared the salmon and rice he got from -us either with his cronies or with his wives. In fact, we never saw a -woman eating, and the children seemed to live on sugar-cane and on clay -that they dug up with their skinny little fingers. - -Our first day as Nagapate’s guests drew to an end. Just before dark a -native came and motioned to us to follow him. He led us to a new house -and indicated that we were to make ourselves at home there. We were -tired out after our long march; so we turned in without delay. We spread -our blankets on the ground and lay, fully dressed, on top of them. The -camp soon became quiet, but we could not sleep. So far, everything had -gone well, but still we did not feel quite safe. Our boys seemed to -share our apprehension. They crowded around the hut, as close to us as -they could get. Some of them slipped under the grass walls and lay half -inside the hut. - -[Illustration: WOMEN OF THE BIG NUMBERS] - -We slept little and were up before dawn, stiff from lying on the hard -ground. We asked for water, and a native brought it in a bamboo bottle. -There was about a pint of water for each of the five of us. The savage -that brought it looked on astonished as we washed our hands and faces. -It is not taboo for the Big Numbers men to bathe—but they rarely use -their privilege, and they could not understand our reckless waste of -water, which was carried by the women from a spring half a mile away. - -After a breakfast of tinned beef, we set to work. But if it had been -hard to get good pictures the day before, it was now almost impossible. -The women had all left the village to get the day’s supply of water, -fruits, and firewood. The men squatted in the center of the clearing, -guns in hand. They were apparently waiting for something—for what? - -We were uneasy. It may seem to the reader, in view of the fact that we -escaped with whole skins, that we were absurdly uneasy. But I should -like to see the man who could remain calm when surrounded as we were by -savages, ugly and powerful, whose only pleasure was murder, and who, we -were convinced, were eaters of human flesh. All day long our hosts -squatted about the giant boo-boos, staring at us or at the ground or at -the jungle or, sometimes, it seemed, at nothing at all. Now and then a -single savage would come out of the jungle and join the group, and -immediately one of the squatters would get up and go into the bush, -taking the trail by which the newcomer had arrived. Even Paul was -troubled, and confided to me, when the others were not about, “Me no -like.” - -The coming and going and interminable squatting and staring got on the -nerves of all of us. Toward evening, we received an explanation of it -from Atree, Nagapate’s “private secretary.” Atree had been “blackbirded” -away from the island about twelve years previous to our arrival, in the -days when natives were still carried off by force for servitude on the -plantations of Queensland; and, by some miracle, when the all-white -Australia law had gone into effect and the blacks had been -“repatriated,” he had made his way back to his own island. He had -managed, during his sojourn abroad, to pick up a little _bêche-de-mer_; -so he acted as go-between and interpreter in all our dealings with -Nagapate. He told us that a fight with a neighboring village was -brewing. There had been a dispute over some pigs, in which somebody had -got hurt. The relatives of the victim were preparing to attack our -hosts. The men who had come and gone from the clearing were the lookouts -who guarded the village against surprise. - -A fight! My first thought was, “What a picture I’ll get!” But Osa, at my -elbow, said miserably, “I wish we were back in the boat,” and my -conscience began to hurt. To reassure her I told her that our force was -a match for half a dozen native villages. - -Before sunset there was great activity in the clearing. Men kept coming -and going, and there was much grunted consultation in the shadow of the -boo-boos. All that night an armed guard stood watch. - -At sunrise, Nagapate came and asked if we would shoot off our guns to -frighten the enemy. I did not like the idea. I thought it might be a -ruse to get us to empty our guns and to give the natives a chance to -rush on us before we could reload. However, since we did not wish to -seem suspicious, we granted the request. But we fired in rotation, -instead of in a volley, so that there would always be some among us with -ready rifles. And I found that I was not the only one who had thought of -the danger of empty cartridge-chambers: I have never seen such snappy -reloading as that of our black boys! - -After the volley, I gave Nagapate my rifle to shoot. He unloaded her as -fast as he could pull the trigger, and begged for more, like an eager -small boy. I was sorry to refuse him, but I did not care to waste many -cartridges, so I explained through Atree that the gun had to cool off, -and Nagapate, to my relief, seemed satisfied with the explanation. - -After the shooting was over, everybody seemed to take courage. The -natives moved about more freely. Only about a third remained armed and -ready for summons. They were apparently satisfied that their enemies, -convinced that they were well supplied with ammunition, would be afraid -to start hostilities. We ourselves were more at ease, and I went up to -some of the soldiers and examined their fighting equipment. Their guns -were, as usual, old and rusty, but they all had cartridges, which they -carried in leather cartridge cases slung over their shoulders. I was -surprised to find that none had clubs. Instead, they had big knives, -some of them three feet long, for hand-to-hand fighting. Paul told me -that such knives had become the most sought-for articles of trade. There -was no Government ban on them as on rifles and cartridges. - -[Illustration: RAMBI] - -On the afternoon of our fourth day in the village, Nagapate brought up a -man we had not seen before. He was nearly as large as Nagapate himself, -and had, like Nagapate, an air of commanding dignity. - -“Rambi! Rambi!” growled Nagapate, pointing to his companion. Then the -chief went through a rapid pantomime, in which he seemed to kill off a -whole army of enemies. We gathered that Rambi was minister of war, as -indeed he was; but Osa dubbed him chief of police. We learned from Paul -that the tribe was ruled by a sort of triumvirate, with Nagapate in -supreme command and Rambi and a third chief named Velle-Velle, who acted -as a primitive prime minister, next in authority. - -Rambi was a Godsend. He enjoyed being photographed, although he did not -have the slightest idea of what the operation meant. He forgot his -dignity and capered like a monkey in front of my camera and actually -succeeded in injecting a little enthusiasm into the rest of the natives, -who still suffered from stage fright. - -I gave presents of tobacco for every picture I made. I must have paid -out several dollars’ worth of tobacco each day. Ten years earlier, when -I was on the Snark with Jack London, trade tobacco made from the stalks -and refuse from the Virginia tobacco factories had cost less than a cent -a stick. The supply I had with me in Malekula had cost almost four cents -a stick. Thus the high cost of living makes itself felt even in the -South Seas. Tinned foods, cartridges, gasoline, mirrors, knives, and -calico also have increased in price enormously since the war. An -explorer must expect his expenses to be just about four hundred per cent -higher than they were ten years ago. And the trader is in a bad way. For -the natives learned how to value trade-stuffs years ago and they insist -on buying at the old rate. Increased costs and greater difficulty of -transportation mean nothing to them. - -On the next day, we went, with an escort of several of Nagapate’s men, -to another Big Numbers village about four miles away. That trip was -typical of the many downs that are mingled with the ups in a -motion-picture man’s existence. The four miles were the hardest four -miles I ever walked. The trail lay along the side of a hill, following a -deep valley. It was seldom used, and it slanted toward the valley in an -alarming way. It was slimy with mud and decayed vegetation, and in many -places a slip would have meant a slide of several hundred feet down a -steep hill. Both Osa and I had on spiked boots, but they soon became -clogged with mud and offered less grip than ordinary shoes. We crept -along at a snail’s pace, testing every foothold. Though we left -Nagapate’s village at dawn, we did not reach our destination until after -ten o’clock. It was a poor and uninteresting village of about thirty -houses. Most of the men were off on a pig hunt, and all the women were -out collecting firewood and fruits and vegetables. About noon, it began -to drizzle. By three o’clock, it had settled down to a good downpour. -The women straggled in one by one and retreated into their houses. The -men returned in a sullen humor, with a few skinny pigs. According to -custom, they broke one hind leg and one front leg of each animal to -prevent its escape and threw the wretched little creatures in a -squalling, moaning heap. Those on the bottom probably suffocated before -morning. - -We could not think of retracing our steps over the treacherous trail in -that downpour; so we persuaded a native and his wife and two sore-faced -children to give up their hut to us. Since we had no blankets, we lay on -the hard ground and made the best of a bad bargain. - -Next morning, the rain had ceased. But the cane-grass was as wet as a -sponge. We had not gone a hundred yards toward Nagapate’s village before -we were soaked through. The trail was more slippery than ever. About -every quarter of a mile we had to stop and rest. The sun came out -boiling hot and sucked up the moisture, which rose like steam all about -us. We were five hours in this natural Turkish bath. When we reached our -destination, we threw ourselves down and fell asleep in sheer -exhaustion. We had not secured a single foot of film, and we felt -miserably that we stood a very good chance of contracting fever, which -so far we had luckily escaped. - -Late that afternoon, I missed Osa. I had something of a hunt for her, -but I finally found her in the shade at the edge of the clearing, -playing with a little naked piccaninny. Atree and Nagapate squatted near -by, watching her with grave, intent faces. - -[Illustration: ATREE AND NAGAPATE] - -Nagapate was Osa’s constant companion. The great chief had taken a fancy -to the white “Mary.” Every day he sent her gifts, and his yams and -fruits and coconuts pleased her more than if they had been expensive -presents of civilization. They seemed to her an assurance of his -good-will. But the rest of us were a bit uneasy. We had what I now -believe to be the absurd suspicion that all these gifts were tokens of -savage wooing—that perhaps Nagapate was planning to massacre us, if the -occasion offered, and keep Osa to share his wretched hut. The strain of -constant watching, constant suspicion, was telling on our nerves. We -fancied that the novelty of our presence was wearing off. Like children, -the savages soon weary of a diversion. We were becoming -familiar—dangerously familiar—to them, and our gifts and even the magic -taught me by the great Houdini, had begun to pall. We began to feel that -it was time for us to go. - -Osa and I talked it over as we walked about the village the following -afternoon. We strayed farther than usual and suddenly found ourselves -near what seemed to be a deserted hut. We walked around it and found, on -the far side, a well-beaten path that led to a tiny door. Without -thinking, I crawled through the doorway, and Osa followed me. It was -several seconds before our eyes became accustomed to the dim light. -Suddenly Osa gasped and clutched my arm. - -All about us, piled in baskets, were dried human heads. A ghastly frieze -of them grinned about the eaves. Skulls hung from the rafters, heaps of -picked human bones lay in the corners. One glance was enough for us. We -crawled out of the hut and lost no time in getting back to the center of -the village. Luckily none of the savages had seen us. - -We gathered Paul Mazouyer and Perrole and Stephens about us and told -them of our adventure, and it did not take the conference long to decide -to return to the beach on the following day. The other white men told us -that if we had been seen in or near the head-house, the chances were -that we should all have been murdered, for such houses were sacred and -taboo to all, save the men of the village. - -That evening a great fire was started in the clearing. Until late in the -night the ordinarily lazy savages piled on great logs that four men were -required to carry. Nothing was cooked over the fire. It was not needed -for warmth, for the night was stifling hot. We asked Arree the reason -for the illumination. He replied that he did not know. We decided that -there must be some sinister purpose in it and lay sleepless, on guard -the night through. - -At dawn we were up. We did our packing in a hurry, and then we sent one -of the natives for Nagapate. The chief came across the clearing, slowly -and deliberately, as always. With him was a tottering old man, the -oldest native I ever saw in the New Hebrides. - -As Osa and I went up to greet Nagapate, the old man began to jabber -excitedly. He came over to me and felt my arms and legs with both his -skinny hands. He pinched me and poked me in the ribs and stomach. All -the time he kept up a running fire of excited comment, addressed to -Nagapate. To our relief, he finally stopped talking for want of breath. -Nagapate spoke a few sharp words and the old man backed away. - -Osa’s face went white. And indeed, there could be no doubt about the -meaning of the old native’s pantomime. I almost doubted the advisability -of telling Nagapate of our departure. If he liked, he could prevent us -from ever reaching the sea, from which we were separated by so many -miles of jungle. But I decided to take a chance. I had, by this time, -rather more than a smattering of the language of Nagapate’s tribe. I -always make it a practice, when among new tribes, to learn four -words—“Yes,” “no,” “good,” and “bad.” The language spoken by Nagapate -and his followers was so primitive and contained so many repetitions -that I had been able to progress beyond these four fundamental words and -so, with the aid of gestures, I succeeded in telling Nagapate that our -provisions had run out and that we had to return to our boats. To my -surprise Nagapate not only assented to our departure, but volunteered to -accompany us to the beach. - -I invited the entire village to come to the beach for motion-pictures -and tobacco, after sunset, on the following evening. Motion-pictures -meant nothing to them; but tobacco they understood. So they agreed to -come. We left like honored guests, with an escort of twenty-five -savages. Nagapate himself walked (as a result of my maneuvering) safe -between Osa and myself. - -It had taken twelve hours to climb up to Nagapate’s village. The return -journey required only three. It was a pleasant morning’s walk. The sun -was shining bright and beautiful, many-colored birds fluttered about us. - -When we arrived at the beach, we invited Nagapate and his boon -companions, Atree and Rambi, to come on board the schooner. There we -feasted them on hard-tack and white salmon. When bedtime came, the great -chief indicated that it was his pleasure to sleep on board. I was -heartily astonished and a little ashamed. After all our suspicions, -Nagapate was again voluntarily putting himself into our hands, with the -touching confidence of a little child. - -Our royal guest and his men bunked in the engine-room. I happened to -wake about midnight and took a peep at them. There they were, flat on -their backs on the hard, greasy floor, sleeping like logs. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - THE BIG NUMBERS SEE THEMSELVES ON THE SCREEN - - -Early on the morning of the show, we got the whaleboats to work and took -all my projection machinery ashore. Soon I had everything set up, ready -for the show. But when I tried out the projector to see if it was -shipshape, I found that my generator was out of order. Work as I would, -I could not get a light. I was blue and discouraged. I had been looking -forward to this show for two years, and now, apparently, it was not -going to come off. Imagine going back several hundred thousand years and -showing men of the Stone Age motion-pictures of themselves. That is what -I had planned to do. For the men of Malekula are in the stage of -development reached by our own ancestors long before the dawn of written -history. Through my pictures of them, I had carried New York audiences -back into the Stone Age. Now I wanted to transport the savages into -1919—and my generator would not work. - -The projector was worked by man-power. Two men on each side turned the -handles attached to the machinery that should produce the magic light; -but though my boys ground patiently all afternoon, not a glimmer showed. -Finally, I gave up and motioned them to stop. They misunderstood me and, -thinking that I wanted them to turn faster, went to work with redoubled -energy. The miracle happened—the light flashed on. In my excitement, I -forgot my supper. - -The beach was already crowded with savages. I had thought they might be -curious about my machinery. But they scarcely looked at it. They just -squatted on the sands with their guns clutched tight in their hands. No -women and only three or four children accompanied them. In spite of my -promise of tobacco, they had not quite trusted my invitation and they -were on the lookout for foul play. By dark they were restless. They had -received no tobacco. They did not understand all this preparation that -culminated in nothing. They wanted action. - -I saw that the show must begin at once; so I tested everything once -more. Since I had no idea how the pictures would be received, I -stationed armed guards at each side of the screen and around the -projector, at points from which they could cover the audience. Then I -tried to persuade my visitors to sit in front of the projector, where -they would get a good view of the screen. They were now thoroughly -suspicious and would not stay where I put them. They wanted to keep an -eye on me. They were so uneasy that I expected to see them disappear -into the bush at any moment. But Osa saved the situation. She took -Nagapate by the arm and made him sit down beside her. The rest of the -savages gathered about them. Then the show began. - -First, a great bright square flashed on the screen. Then came a hundred -feet of titles. The attention of the natives was divided between the -strange letters and the rays of white light that passed above their -heads. They looked forward and up and back toward me, jabbering all the -time. Then slowly, out of nothing, a familiar form took shape on the -screen. It was Osa, standing with bent head. The savages were silent -with amazement. Here was Osa sitting at Nagapate’s side—and there she -was on the screen. The picture-Osa raised her head and winked at them. -Pandemonium broke loose. “Osa—Osa—Osa—Osa,” shouted the savages. They -roared with laughter and screamed like rowdy children. - -I had been afraid that my guests would be frightened and bolt at the -first demonstration of my “magic,” but they had been reassured by the -familiar sight of Osa. Now they were ready for anything. I showed them a -picture of Osa and me as we left the Astor Hotel in New York. Then I -showed them the crazy thousands that had crowded New York streets on -Armistice Day. I followed this picture with glimpses of Chicago, San -Francisco, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Tokyo, and Sydney. Nagapate told me -afterward that he had not known there were so many white people in all -the world and asked me if the island I came from was much larger than -Malekula. I showed in quick succession, steamers, racing automobiles, -airplanes, elephants, ostriches, giraffes. The savages were silent; they -could not comprehend these things. So I brought them nearer home, with -pictures taken on Vao, Santo, and other islands of the New Hebrides. - -Now it was time for the great scene. I instructed Paul in turning the -crank of the projector and put Stephens and Perrole in charge of the -radium flares. I myself took my stand behind my camera, which was -trained on the audience. A hundred feet of titles—then Nagapate’s face -appeared suddenly on the screen. A great roar of “Nagapate” went up. At -that instant the radium lights flashed on, and I, at my camera, ground -out the picture of the cannibals at the “movies.” True, about two thirds -of the audience, terrified by the flares, made precipitately for the -bush. But Nagapate and the savages around him sat pat and registered -fear and amazement for my camera. In about two minutes the flares burned -out. Then we coaxed back to their places the savages that had fled. I -started the reel all over and ran it to the end amid an uproar that made -it impossible for me to make myself heard when I wanted to speak to Osa. -Practically every savage pictured on the screen was in the audience. In -two years they had not changed at all, except, as Osa said, for -additional layers of dirt. As each man appeared, they called out his -name and laughed and shouted with joy. Among the figures that came and -went on the screen was that of a man who had been dead a year. The -natives were awe-struck. My magic could bring back the dead! - -Midway in the performance I turned the projection handle over to -Mazouyer and joined the audience. Osa was crying with excitement. And -there was a lump in my own throat. We had looked forward a long time to -this. - -[Illustration: HUNTING FOR THE MAGIC] - -[Illustration: A CANNIBAL AND A KODAK] - -When the show was over, a great shout went up. The savages gathered into -groups and discussed the performance, for all the world as people do -“back home.” Then they crowded about us, demanding their pay for looking -at my pictures! As I gave them their sticks of tobacco, each grunted out -the same phrase—whether it meant “Fine,” or “Thank you,” or just -“Good-bye,” I do not know. - -While we packed our apparatus, the natives cut bamboo and made rude -torches. When all were ready, they lighted their torches at the fire -that burned on the beach, and then they set off in single file up the -trail. We said good-bye to Perrole and Stephens, who were to sail for -Santo that night, and prepared to go aboard Paul’s cutter. He had -difficulty in getting his engine started, and while he worked with it, -Osa and I sat on the beach, watching the torches of the Big Numbers -people as they filed up hill and down dale the long eight miles to their -village. The night was so dark that we could not see anything except the -string of lights that wound through the black like a fiery serpent. The -head disappeared over the top of the hill. Half an hour later, the tail -wriggled out of sight. Then the engine kicked off. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - THE NOBLE SAVAGE - - -The morning after our motion-picture show on the beach at Malekula found -us anchored off Vao. We got our luggage ashore as quickly as possible -and then turned in to make up for lost sleep. We had slept little during -our eight days in the village of Nagapate. We had been in such constant -fear of treachery that the thud of a falling coconut or the sound of a -branch crackling in the jungle would set our nerves atingle and keep us -awake for hours. Now we felt safe. We knew that the four hundred savages -of Vao, though at heart as fierce and as cruel as any of the Malekula -tribes, lived in wholesome fear of the British gunboat; so we slept well -and long. - -The next morning we said good-bye to Paul Mazouyer and he chugged away -to Santo in the little schooner that for two weeks had been our home. -Osa and I were alone on Vao. We turned back to our bungalow to make -things comfortable, for we did not know how many days it would be before -Mr. King, who had promised to call for us, would appear. - -As we walked slowly up from the beach, we heard a shout. We turned and -saw a savage running toward us. He was a man of about forty; yet he was -little larger than a child and as naked as when he was born. From his -almost unintelligible _bêche-de-mer_, we gathered that he wanted to be -our servant. We could scarcely believe our ears. Here was a man who -wanted to work! We wondered how he came to have a desire so contrary to -Vao nature, until we discovered, after a little further conversation in -_bêche-de-mer_, that he was half-witted! Since we were in need of native -help, we decided not to let his mental deficiencies stand in his way and -we hired him on the spot. Then came the first hitch. We could not find -out his name. Over and over, we asked him, “What name belong you?” but -with no result. He shook his head uncomprehendingly. Finally, Osa -pointed to the tracks he had left in the sand. They led down to the -shore and vanished at the water’s edge. “His name is Friday,” she said -triumphantly. And so we called him. - -From that moment, Friday was a member of our household. We gave him a -singlet and a _lava-lava_, or loin-cloth, of red calico, and from -somewhere he dug up an ancient derby hat. Some mornings he presented -himself dressed in nothing but the hat. He was always on hand bright and -early, begging for work, but, unfortunately, there was nothing that he -could do. We tried him at washing clothes, and they appeared on the line -dirtier than they had been before he touched them. We tried him at -carrying water, but he brought us liquid mud, with sticks and leaves -floating on the top. The only thing he was good for was digging bait and -paddling the canoe gently to keep it from drifting while Osa fished. - -That was, indeed, a service of some value; for Osa was an indefatigable -fisherwoman. Every day, she went out and brought back from ten to thirty -one- and two-pound fish, and one day she caught two great fish that must -have weighed ten pounds each. It took the combined efforts of Friday and -herself to land them. - -I am convinced that, for bright color and strange markings, there are no -fish in the world like those of Vao. Osa called them Impossible Fish. -There were seldom two of the same color or shape in her day’s catch. -They were orange and red and green and silver, and sometimes -varicolored. But the most noticeable were little blue fish about the -size of sardines which went in schools of thousands through the still -sea, coloring it with streaks of the most brilliant shimmering blue you -can imagine. In addition to the Impossible Fish, there were many octopi, -which measured about three feet from tentacle to tentacle, and there -were shellfish by the thousand. On the opposite side of the island from -that on which we lived, oysters grew on the roots of mangrove trees at -the water’s edge, and at low tide we used to walk along and pick them -off as if they had been fruit. - -We worked hard for the first week or so after our return to Vao, for we -had about a hundred and fifty plates and nearly two hundred kodak films -to develop. Previous to this trip, I had been forced to develop -motion-picture films, as well as kodak films and plates, as I went -along. Like most photographers, I had depended upon a formalin solution -to harden the gelatin films and keep them from melting in the heat. -Though such a solution aids in the preservation of the film, it -interferes considerably with the quality of the picture, which often is -harsh in outline as a result of the thickening of the film, and it is -not a guarantee against mildew or against the “fogging” of negatives. -Before starting for the New Hebrides, however, I had worked out a method -of treating films that did not affect the quality of the picture, and -yet made it possible to develop films successfully at a temperature much -higher than 65°. Still better, it permitted me to seal my film after -exposure and await a favorable opportunity for developing. Only lately I -have developed in a New York workshop films that were exposed nineteen -months ago in the New Hebrides and that were carried about for several -months under the blaze of a tropical sun. They are among the best -pictures I have ever taken. - -Any one who has tried motion-picture photography in the tropics will -realize what it means to be freed from the burden of developing all -films on the spot. To work from three o’clock until sunrise, after a day -of hard work in enervating heat, is usually sheer agony. Many a time I -have gone through with the experience only to see the entire result of -my work ruined by an accident. I have hung up a film to dry (in the -humid atmosphere of the tropics drying often requires forty-eight hours -instead of half as many minutes) and found it covered with tiny insects -or bits of sand or pollen blown against it by the wind and embedded deep -in the gelatin. I have covered it with mosquito-net in an effort to -avoid a repetition of the tragedy and the mosquito-net has shut off the -air and caused the gelatin to melt. I have had films mildew and thicken -and cloud and spot, in spite of every effort to care for them. On this -trip, though even so simple an operation as the changing of -motion-picture film and the sealing of negatives was an arduous task -when it had to be performed in cramped quarters, it was a great relief -to be able to seal up my film and forget it after exposure. The plates -that I used in my small camera had to be promptly attended to, however, -for to have treated them as I treated the motion-picture film would have -meant adding considerably to the bulk and weight of the equipment we -were forced to carry about with us. - -We worked at the developing several hours a day, and between times we -explored the island, learning what we could of native life. Arree, the -boy who acted as our maid-of-all-work, supplied me with native words -until I had a fairly respectable vocabulary, but, when I tried to use -it, I made the interesting discovery that the old men and the young men -spoke different tongues. Language changes rapidly among savage tribes. -No one troubles to get the correct pronunciation of a word. The younger -generation adopt abbreviations or new words at will and incorporate into -their speech strange corruptions of English or French words learned from -the whites. Some of the words I learned from Arree were absolutely -unintelligible to many of the older men. I found, too, that the language -varied considerably from village to village, and though many of the Vao -men were refugees from Malekula, it was very different from that of any -of the tribes on the big island. I once estimated the number of -languages spoken in the South Seas at four hundred. I am now convinced -that as many as that are used by the black races alone. - -As we poked about Vao, we decided that the island would be a good place -in which to maroon the people who have the romantic illusion that -savages lead a beautiful life. We had long ago lost that illusion, but -even for us Vao had some surprises. One day, I made a picture of an old, -blind man, so feeble that he could scarcely walk. He was one of the few -really old savages about, and I gathered that he must have been a -powerful chief in his day, or otherwise he would not have escaped the -ordinary penalty of age—being buried alive. But on the day after I had -taken his picture, when I went to his hut to speak to him, I was -informed that “he stop along ground” and I was shown a small hut, in -which was a freshly dug grave. My notice of the old man had drawn him -into the limelight. The chiefs had held a conference and decided that he -was a nuisance. A grave was dug for him, he was put into it, a flat -stone was placed over his face so that he could breathe (!), and the -hole was filled with earth. Now a devil-devil man was squatting near the -grave to be on hand in case the old man asked for something. There was -no conscious cruelty in the act, simply a relentless logic. The old man -had outlived his usefulness. He was no good to himself or to the -community. Therefore, he might as well “stop along ground.” - -Only a few days later, as we approached a village, we heard, at -intervals, the long-drawn-out wail of a woman in pain. In the clearing -we discovered a group of men laughing and jeering at something that was -lying on the ground. That something was a writhing, screaming young -girl. The cause of her agony was apparent. In the flesh back of her -knee, two great holes had been burned. I could have put both hands in -either of them. - -“One fellow man, him name belong Nowdi, he ketchem plenty coconuts, he -ketchem plenty pigs, he ketchem plenty Mary,” said Arree, and he went on -to explain that the “Mary” on the ground was the newest wife of Nowdi, -whom he pointed out to us among the amused spectators. The savage had -paid twenty pigs for her—a good price for a wife in the New Hebrides—but -he had made a bad bargain; for the girl did not like him. Four times she -ran away from him and was caught and brought back. The last time, nearly -six months had elapsed before she was found, hiding in the jungle of the -mainland. The day before we saw the girl, the men of the village had -gathered in judgment. A stone was heated white-hot. Then four men held -the girl while a fifth placed the stone in the hollow of her knee, drew -her leg back until the heel touched the thigh, and bound it there. For -an hour they watched her anguish as the stone slowly burned into her -flesh. Then they turned her loose. Thenceforth she would always have to -hobble, like an old woman, with the aid of a stick. She would never run -away again. - -We turned aside, half sick. It was hard for me to keep my hands off the -brutes that stood laughing around the girl. Only the knowledge that to -touch them would be suicide for me and death or worse for Osa held me -back. But as we returned to the bungalow, I gradually cooled down. I -realized that it was not quite fair to judge these savages—still in the -stage of development passed by our own ancestors hundreds of thousands -of years ago—according to the standards of civilized society. And I -remembered how beastly even men of my own kind sometimes are when they -are released from the restraints of civilization. - -The next morning, after our morning swim, Osa and I sat on the beach and -watched the commuters set off for Malekula. In some fifty canoes, -“manned” by women, the entire female population went to the big island -every day to gather firewood and fruit and vegetables. For the small -island of Vao could not support its four hundred inhabitants, and the -native women had accordingly made their gardens on the big island. This -morning, as usual, the women were accompanied by an armed guard; for -although the bush natives of Malekula were supposed to be friendly, the -Vao men did not take any chances when it came to a question of losing -their women. Late in the evening the canoes came back again. The women -had worked all day, many of them with children strapped to their backs; -the men had lounged on the beach, doing nothing. But it was the women -who paddled the canoes home. There was a stiff sea and it took nearly -three hours to paddle across the mile-wide channel. But the men never -lifted a finger to help. When the boats were safely beached, the women -shouldered their big bundles of vegetables and firewood and trudged -wearily toward their villages, the men bringing up the rear, with -nothing to carry except their precious guns. Among the poor female -slaves—they were little more—we saw five who hobbled along with the aid -of sticks. They were women who had tried to run away. - -A few days later, Arree asked us if we should like to attend a feast -that was being held to celebrate the completion of a devil-devil, one of -the crude, carved logs that are the only visible signs of religion among -the savages. We did not see why that should be an event worth -celebrating, for there were already some hundreds of devil-devils on the -island, but we were glad to have the opportunity of witnessing one of -the feasts of which Arree had so often told us. - -[Illustration: NAGAPATE AMONG THE DEVIL-DEVILS] - -Feasting was about the only amusement of the natives of Vao. A birth or -a death, the building of a house or a canoe, or the installation of a -chief—any event in the least out of the ordinary furnished an excuse for -an orgy of pig meat—usually “long.” The one we attended was typical. -First the new devil-devil was carried into the clearing and, with scant -ceremony, set up among the others. Then some of the men brought out -about a hundred pigs and tied them to posts. Others piled hundreds of -yams in the center of the clearing, and still others threw chickens, -their legs tied together, in a squawking heap. When all was ready, the -yams were divided among the older men, each of whom then untied a pig -from a post and presented it solemnly to his neighbor, receiving in -return another pig of about the same size. The savages broke one front -and one hind leg of their pigs and threw the squealing little beasts on -the ground beside the yams. Then they exchanged chickens and promptly -broke the legs and wings of their fowls. I shall never forget the -terrible crunching of bones and the screaming of the tortured pigs and -chickens. When the exchange was completed, the men took their pigs to -the center of the clearing, beat them over the head with sticks until -they were nearly dead and threw them down to squeal and jerk their lives -away. - -When the exchange of food was completed, the men built little fires all -around the clearing to cook the feast. Most of them were chiefs. It is a -general rule throughout the region that no chief may eat food prepared -by an inferior, or cooked over a fire built by an inferior. The rather -doubtful honor of being his own cook is, indeed, practically the only -mark that distinguishes a chief. As a rule a chief has no real -authority. He cannot command the least important boy in his village. -Only his wives are at his beck and call—and they are forbidden by custom -to cook for him! - -Chieftainship is an empty honor on Vao. If the biggest chief on the -island should start off on a hunting trip and forget his knife, he would -know better than to ask the poorest boy in the party to go back for it, -for he would know in advance that the answer would be most emphatic Vao -equivalent for “go chase yourself!” Yet a chieftaincy is sufficiently -flattering to the vanity of the incumbent to be worth many pigs. The pig -is more important in the New Hebrides than anywhere else in the world. A -man’s wealth is reckoned in pigs, and a woman’s beauty is rated -according to the number of pigs she will bring. The greatest chiefs on -Vao are those who have killed the most pigs. Even in that remote region -there is political corruption, for some men are not above buying pigs in -secret to add to their “bag” and their prestige. Tethlong, who, during -our stay on the island, was the most important chief on Vao, bought five -hundred porkers to be slaughtered for the feast that made him chief. All -the natives knew he had bought the pigs; but they hailed him solemnly, -nevertheless, as the great pig-killer. - -Tethlong had as fine a collection of pigs’ tusks as I have ever seen. -These fierce-looking bits of ivory did not come off the wild pigs, -however, but were carefully cultivated on the snouts of domesticated -pigs. It is the custom throughout the New Hebrides to take young pigs -and gouge out two upper teeth, so as to make room for the lower canine -teeth to develop into tusks. The most valuable tusks are those that have -grown up and curled around so as to form two complete circles. These, -however, are very rare. The New Hebridean native considers himself well -off if he has a single circlet to wear as a bracelet or nose ring and he -takes pride in a collection of ordinary, crescent-shaped tusks. - -Pigs’ tusks are the New Hebridean equivalent of money. For even among -savages, there are rich and poor. The man of wealth is the one who has -the largest number of pigs and wives and coconut trees and canoes, -acquired by judicious swapping or by purchase, with pigs’ tusks, rare, -orange-colored cowries, and stones of strange shape or coloring as -currency. Most natives keep such treasures in “bokkus belong bell”—a -Western-made box with a bell that rings whenever the lid is lifted. But -this burglar-alarm is utterly superfluous, for natives uncontaminated by -civilization never steal. - -Osa refused to watch the process of preparing the pigs and fowls for -broiling. It was not a pretty sight. But it was speedily over. While the -cooking was in progress, the dancing began. A group of men in the center -of the clearing went through the motions of killing pigs and birds and -men. Each tried to get across the footlights the idea that he was a -great, strong man. And though the pantomime was crude, it was effective. -The barbaric swing of the dancers, in time to the strange rhythm beaten -out on the boo-boos—the hollowed logs that serve as drums—got into my -blood, and I understood how the dances sometimes ended in an almost -drunken frenzy. - -When the first group of dancers were tired, the older men gathered in -the center of the clearing and palavered excitedly. Then they retired to -their fires and waited. So did we. But nothing happened save another -dance. This was different in detail from the first. I never saw a native -do exactly the same dance twice, though in essentials each is -monotonously similar to the last. When the second dance was over, there -was more palavering and then more dancing—and so on interminably. Osa -and I grew sleepy and went back to the bungalow. But the tom-toms -sounded until dawn. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - GOOD-BYE TO NAGAPATE - - -The Euphrosyne, with the British Commissioner aboard, was about two -weeks overdue and we were growing impatient to be off. It was not the -Euphrosyne, however, but the queerest vessel I have ever seen, that -anchored off Vao, one night at midnight. She was about the size of a -large schooner and nearly as wide in the beam as she was long. She had -auxiliary sails, schooner-rigged. Her engine burned wood. And her -name—as we discovered later—was Amour. Queer as she was, she was a -Godsend to us, marooned on Vao. We went out in a canoe and found, to our -surprise, that the commander and owner was Captain Moran, whom we had -met in the Solomons two years before. We asked him where he was bound -for. He said that he had no particular destination; he was out to get -copra wherever he could get it. I proposed that he turn over his ship to -us at a daily rental, so that we could continue our search for signs of -cannibalism among the tribes of Malekula. He assented readily. Osa and I -were delighted, for we knew that there wasn’t a better skipper than -Captain Moran in the South Seas. Both he and his brother, who acted as -engineer, were born in the islands and had spent their lives in -wandering from one group to another. They knew the treacherous channels -as well as any whites in those waters, and they knew the natives, too, -from long experience as traders. - -The next morning, while the crew of the schooner were cutting wood for -fuel, we packed our supplies on board the Amour. When all was ready, we -pulled up anchor, set the sails, and started the engine. After a few -grunts, the propeller began to turn, and we were on our way. - -Her ungainly shape served to make the Amour seaworthy, but it did not -conduce to speed. We wheezed along at a rate of three knots an hour. -Though we left Vao at dawn, it was nearly dark when we again reached -Tanemarou Bay, the “seaport” of the Big Numbers territory. There was no -one on the beach, but we discharged a stick of dynamite and rolled -ourselves in our blankets, sure that there would be plenty of natives on -hand to greet us next morning. - -We slept soundly, in spite of the pigs that roamed the deck, and were -awakened at daylight by cries. About a hundred savages had gathered on -the beach. We lost no time in landing, but to our disappointment, -Nagapate had not come down to greet us. Only Velle-Velle, the prime -minister, was on hand, I and he was in a difficult mood. He gave me to -understand that I had slighted him, on my previous visit, in my -distribution of presents. I soon averted his displeasure with plenty of -tobacco and the strangest and most wonderful plaything he had ever had—a -football. It was a sight for sore eyes to see that dignified old savage, -who ordinarily was as pompous as any Western prime minister, kicking his -football about the beach. - -At about ten o’clock, I took a few boys and went inland to get some -pictures. Osa wanted to accompany me, but I set my foot down on it. I -knew there was no danger for myself, but I felt that Nagapate’s interest -in her made it unsafe for her to venture. I went to the top of a hill a -few miles back, where I made some fine pictures of the surrounding -country, and was lucky enough to get a group of savages coming over the -ridge of another hill about half a mile away. My guides became panicky -when they saw the newcomers, and insisted that we return to the beach at -once, but I held firm until the last savage on the opposite hill had -been lost to sight in the jungle. Then with enough film to justify my -morning’s climb, I returned to the beach. - -On the following morning, Nagapate made his appearance, and told me, -through Atree, that he had brought his wives to see Osa. I sent the boat -to the schooner for her, but when she appeared, Nagapate said that his -wives could not come to the beach and that Osa, accordingly, must go -inland as far as the first river to meet them. I did not like the idea, -but decided that no possible harm could come to her if the armed crew of -the Amour and Captain Moran and I accompanied her. It turned out that my -distrust of Nagapate was again unjustified. We found the wives waiting -at the designated spot with sugar-cane and yams and a nice, new Big -Numbers dress for Osa. They had not come to the beach because the newest -wife was not permitted to look at the sea for a certain time after -marriage—which seemed to me to carry the taboo on water a bit too far. - -Osa was pleased to add the Big Numbers dress to her collection of -strange things from Melanesia. And indeed it was quite a gift. For in -spite of their apparent simplicity, the making and dyeing of the -pandanus garments is a complicated process. Since the grass will not -take the dye if it is the least green, it has to be dried and washed and -dried again. When it is thoroughly bleached, it is dyed deep purple. - -After Osa in turn had presented the wives with salmon and sea-biscuits -(which I afterward saw Nagapate and his men devouring) and strings of -bright-colored beads, Nagapate agreed to get his men to dance for me, if -I would come to his village. I did not relish the idea of the long trip -into the hills, but I wanted the picture. Osa returned to the schooner, -and Captain Moran and I, with five boys, went inland. We made the -village in four hours. When we arrived, I was ready to drop with -exhaustion, and lay down on the ground for half an hour to recover. -Savages squatted about me and watched me while I rested, then crowded -about me while I got my cameras ready for action. Nagapate sent out for -the men to come to the clearing, and they straggled in, sullen and -cranky. They did not want to dance, but Nagapate’s word was law. At his -command, a few men went to the great boo-boos and beat out a weird -rhythm that seemed to me to express the very essence of cannibalism. At -first the savages danced in a half-hearted fashion, but gradually they -warmed up. Soon they were doing a barbaric dance better than any I had -ever seen. They marched quickly and in perfect time around the boo-boos. -Then they stopped suddenly, with a great shout, stood for a moment -marking time with their feet, marched on again and stopped again, and so -on, the march becoming faster and faster and the shouting wilder and -more continuous, until at last the dancers had to stop from sheer -exhaustion. - -I got a fine picture, well worth the long trip up the mountains, but it -was very late before we got started beachward, accompanied by Nagapate -and a number of his men. We went down the slippery trail as fast as we -could go. I should have been afraid, in my first days in the islands, -that the boys might fall with my cameras if we went at such a rate, but -by now I had found that they were as sure-footed as mountain sheep. They -carried my heavy equipment as if it had been bags of feathers and -handled it much more carefully than I should have been able to. - -In spite of our haste, it grew dark before we reached the beach. The -boys cut dead bamboo for torches and in the uncertain light they gave, -we stumbled along. When we were within about a quarter of a mile from -the sea, we fired a volley to let Osa know that we were coming. To our -surprise, when we came out on the beach, we were greeted by Osa and -Engineer Moran and the remainder of the crew of the Amour, all armed to -the teeth. Osa was crying. It was the first time I had ever known her to -resort to tears in the face of danger. But when she learned that we were -all there and safe, and that the volley had been a signal of our -approach and not an indication that we had been attacked, her tears -dried and she scolded me roundly for having frightened her. - -I went to the boat and got a crate of biscuits and a small bag of rice -and took them back to Nagapate for a feast for him and his men. Then I -said good-bye. I believe that the old cannibal was really sorry to see -us go—and not only for the sake of the presents we had given him. Some -day I am going back to see him once more. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - THE MONKEY PEOPLE - - -At daylight we pulled anchor and set the sails and started the engine. -With the wind to help us, we made good progress. In three hours we had -reached our next anchorage, a small bay said to be the last frequented -by the Big Numbers people. We were in the territory of the largest tribe -on the west side of Malekula. Moran told me that no white man had ever -penetrated the bush and that the people were very shy and wild. We -landed, but saw no signs of savages. We thought we had the beach to -ourselves, and I set about making pictures of a beautiful little river, -all overhung with ferns and palms, that ran into the sea at one side of -the bay. As I worked, one of the boys ran up to me and told me in very -frightened _bêche-de-mer_ that he had seen “plenty big fellow man along -bush,” and we beat a hasty retreat from the river, with its beautiful -vegetation, well fitted for concealing savages. - -I was very anxious to secure some photographs of the savages, and all -the more so because they were said to be so difficult of approach, so I -walked along the beach until I came to a trail leading into the -interior. It was easy to locate the trail, for it was like a tunnel -leading into the dark jungle. At its mouth, I set up my camera, attached -a telephoto lens, bundled up a handful of tobacco in a piece of calico, -placed my bait at the entrance of the trail, and waited. A half-hour -passed, but nothing happened. Then, quick as a wink, a savage darted -out, seized the bundle and disappeared before I had time to take hold of -the crank of my camera. My trap had worked too well. Now I was -determined to get results, so I had our armed crew withdraw to the edge -of the beach and asked Captain Moran and Osa to set their guns against a -rock so that the savages could see that we were not armed. I knew that, -in case of emergency, we could use the pistols in our pockets. Then I -sat down on my camera case and waited. At noon we sent one of the boys -back to the boat for some tinned lunch. We ate with our eyes on the -trail. It was two o’clock before four savages, with guns gripped tight -in their hands, came cautiously out of the jungle, ready to run at the -first alarm. I advanced slowly, so as not to frighten them, holding out -a handful of tobacco and clay pipes. They timidly took my presents, and -I tried to make them understand, by friendly gestures and soft words, -which they did not comprehend, that we could not harm them. To make a -long story short, I worked all afternoon to gain their confidence—and it -was work wasted, for I could get no action from them. They simply stood -like hitching-posts and let me take pictures all around them. At sundown -we went back to the ship, with nothing to show for our day’s effort. - -Next morning, we set sail betimes. It did not take us long to reach -Lambumba Bay, on the narrow isthmus that connects northern and southern -Malekula. I had been anxious to visit this region, for I had heard -conflicting tales concerning it. Some said that it was inhabited by -nomad tribes; others said that the nomads were a myth—that the region -was uninhabited. I wanted to see for myself. So I instructed Captain -Moran to find a good anchorage, where the ship would be sheltered in -case a westerly wind should spring up. I wanted him to feel safe in -leaving the Amour in charge of a couple of blacks, for I needed him and -his brother and the majority of the crew to accompany us into the -interior. We found a small cove at the mouth of a stream and with the -kedge anchor we drew the Amour in until the branches of the trees hung -over the decks. At high tide we pulled the bow of the schooner up into -the sand. At low tide she was almost high and dry, and she was safe from -any ordinary blow. Since this was not the hurricane season, no great -storm was to be expected. In the evening, Osa made up the lunch-bags for -the following day, and early next morning, we struck inland along a -well-beaten trail. We followed this trail all day, but we saw no signs -of natives. Next day we took a second trail, which crossed the first. -Again we met no one. But we found baskets hanging from a banian and the -embers of a fire, still alive under a blanket of ashes. - -Though we were accomplishing nothing, we were having a very enjoyable -time, for this was the most beautiful part of Malekula we had seen. The -trails were well-beaten and for the most part followed small streams -that cut an opening in the dense jungle to let the breeze through. Here, -as elsewhere, we were surrounded by gay tropical birds, and in the trees -hung lovely orchids. Osa kept the boys busy climbing after the flowers. -They were plainly amazed at the whim of this white “Mary,” who filled -gasoline tins with useless flowers, but they obeyed her willingly -enough, and she, with arms full of the delicate blossoms, declared that -she was willing to spend a month looking for the savages. - -We discovered them, however, sooner than that. On the third morning we -took a new trail. We were walking along very slowly. I was in the lead. -I turned a sharp corner around a big banian—and all but collided with a -savage. The savage was as astonished as I, but he got his wits back more -quickly than I did mine, and flitted off into the jungle as quietly as a -butterfly. When the others came, I could scarcely make them believe that -I had seen him; for he left no trail in the underbrush, and they had not -heard a sound. In the hope of surprising other natives, we agreed to -stay close together and to make as little noise as possible. In about -half an hour four natives appeared on the brow of a low hill, directly -in front of us. They, too, turned at the sight of us and ran off. - -We followed along the trail by which they had disappeared. In about -fifteen minutes we stopped to rest near a great banian. Now the banian, -which is characteristic of this section of Malekula, begins as a -parasite seedling that takes root in a palm or some other tree. This -seedling grows and sends out branches, which drop ropelike tendrils to -the ground. The tendrils take root and gradually thicken into trunks. -The new trunks send out other branches, which in turn drop their -tendrils, and so on, indefinitely. The banian near which we had stopped -was some twenty feet in diameter. Its many trunks grew close together -and it was covered with a crown of great heart-shaped leaves. Since -conditions seemed favorable for a picture, I got a camera ready and -turned to the tree to study the lights and shadows before I adjusted the -shutters. As I grew accustomed to the light, I saw dimly, peering from -behind the tendrils, four intent black faces. We had caught up with the -men we had surprised on the trail. - -I spent an hour in trying to coax them into the open. I held out toward -them the things most coveted by the natives of the New Hebrides—tobacco, -salt, a knife, a piece of red calico. But they did not stir. I made an -attractive heap of presents on the ground and we all stood back, hoping -that the shy savages would pick up courage to come out and examine them. -But they refused to be tempted. At last I lost patience and ordered the -boys to surround the banian. When I was sure that we had the natives -cornered, I went under the tree and hunted around among its many trunks -for my captives. There was not a sign of them. But in the center of the -banian was an opening in which hung long ladders fashioned from the -tendrils. The savages had escaped over the tops of the trees. We did not -get another glimpse of them that day, but when we returned to the Amour, -we saw footprints in the sand of the beach. And the two boys we had left -in charge said that a number of savages had inspected the vessel from a -distance, disappearing into the jungle just before our arrival. - -[Illustration: ONE OF THE MONKEY MEN] - -I was convinced by this time that we had really discovered the nomads, -but I began to despair of ever getting a close-up of them. Early next -morning, however, as we were eating breakfast, a native who might have -been twin brother to those of the banian marched boldly down the beach -and up to the side of the ship. In bad _bêche-de-mer_ he asked us who we -were and where we came from and what we wanted. We learned that he had -been “blackbirded” off to Queensland long before and had made his way -back home after a year’s absence. He knew all about the white men and -their ways, he told us, and proved it by asking for tobacco. - -I gladly got out some tobacco and gave it to him. Then he informed us -that he had no pipe and I made him happy with a clay pipe and a box of -matches. - -I invited him to come on board, but he refused; one “blackbirding” -experience had been enough for him. He squatted on the sand, within -talking distance, and told us what a great man he was. He was the only -one of his tribe who knew “talk belong white man.” He was a famous -fighter. The enemies of his people ran when they saw him. He had killed -many men and many pigs. He recited his virtues over and over, utterly -ignoring my questions about his people. But finally I succeeded in -extracting from him an agreement to guide us to the headquarters of his -tribe. - -When we stood on the shore, ready to go, Nella—for that was the name of -our visitor—looked Osa over from head to foot. She wore her usual jungle -costume of khaki breeches and high boots. When he had completed his -inspection, he turned to me and said wisely, “Me savvy. He Mary belong -you.” Then, adding in a business-like tone, “Me think more better you -bringem altogether tobacco,” he turned and led the way into the jungle. - -He took us along one of the trails that we had followed in vain during -the preceding days. But presently he turned off into another trail that -we had not noticed. The entrance was masked with cane-grass. After about -ten feet, however, the path was clean and well-beaten. When we had -passed through the cane, Nella returned and carefully straightened out -the stalks that we had trampled down. - -When we had traversed a mile or so of trail, Nella called a halt and -disappeared into the depths of a banian. Soon he returned, followed by -three young savages and an old man, who was nearer to a monkey than any -human being I have ever seen before or since—bright eyes peering out -from a shock of woolly hair; an enormous mouth disclosing teeth as white -and perfect as those of a dental advertisement; skin creased with deep -wrinkles; an alert, nervous, monkey-like expression; quick, sure, -monkey-like movements. He approached us carefully, ready to turn and run -at the slightest alarm. I endeavored to shake hands with him, but he -jerked his hand away. The friendly greeting had no meaning for him. My -presents, however, talked to him. Reassured by them and the voluble -Nella, who was greatly enjoying his position as master of ceremonies, -the savages squatted near us. - -I began digging after information, but information was hard to get. -Nella preferred asking questions to answering them. All that I could -learn from him was that there were many savages in the vicinity and that -we would see them all in due time. - -The conversation became one-sided. The five savages sat and discussed us -in their own language of growls and ape-like chattering. They tried to -examine the rifles carried by our boys, but the boys were afraid to let -their guns out of their hands. Osa, more confident, explained to the -savages the working of her repeater. Then they focused their attention -on her. They felt her boots and grunted admiringly. They fingered her -blond hair and carefully touched her skin, giving strange little -whistles of awe. Osa was used to such attentions from savages and took -them as a matter of course. - -In spite of their grotesque appearance, there was little that was -terrifying about our new acquaintances. They seemed not at all warlike. -Only two of the five carried weapons, the one a bow and arrow, the other -a club. I was interested to observe that the old man, who apparently was -a chief, wore the Big Numbers costume—a great clout of pandanus -fiber—while the others were still more lightly clothed according to the -style in vogue among the Small Numbers. I tried to find out the reason -for the variation. But Nella was not interested in my questions. -Finally, I realized that there was no use in trying to get information -in a hurry. Time means nothing to savages. We examined the banian from -which our visitors had come. Like the tree we had seen on the previous -day, it had a hole in the center, in which hung a ladder for hasty -exits. Empty baskets, hung from the branches, showed that the place was -much frequented. - -After a while about twenty natives came along the trail. They joined the -five natives already with us, and the examination of us and our -belongings began all over. Osa went among the newcomers with her kodak, -taking snapshots, and I set up my moving-picture camera on a tripod, -selected a place where the light was good, and tried to get the savages -in front of my lens. They would not move; so I pointed my camera at them -and began to turn the crank. Like lightning, they sprang to their feet -and ran to the banian. They scampered up the tendrils like monkeys, and -by the time I could follow them with the camera, I could see only their -bright eyes here and there peering from the crevices. - -Through Nella we coaxed them back, and down they came, as quickly as -they had gone up, while I ground out one of the best pictures I ever -got. Osa at once dubbed them the “monkey people.” And indeed they were -nearer monkeys than men. They had enormous flat feet, with the great toe -separated from the other toes and turned in. They could grasp a branch -with their feet as easily as I could with my hands. For speed and -sureness and grace in climbing, they outdid any other men I had ever -seen. - -When luncheon-time came, we spread out our meal of cold broiled -wood-pigeon, tinned asparagus, and sea-biscuit and began to eat. After -watching us for a few moments, two or three savages went and fetched -some small almond-like nuts, which they shared with their companions. -They seemed more like monkeys than ever as they squatted there, busily -cracking the nuts with stones and picking out the meats with their -skinny fingers. - -By dint of many presents, I won the confidence of the chief and, before -the afternoon was over, I was calling him by his first and only name, -which was, as near as I can spell it phonetically, Wo-bang-an-ar. He was -a strange crony. He was covered with layer after layer of dirt. No one -who has not been among savage tribes can image a human being so filthy. -His hair had never been combed or cut; it was matted with dirt and -grease. His eyes were protruding and bloodshot and they were never -still. His glance darted from one to another of us and back again. But, -like Nagapate, he proved to be a real chief, and his people jumped -whenever he gave a command. He ordered them to do whatever I asked, and -I made pictures all the afternoon. - -[Illustration: WO-BANG-AN-AR] - -That night we slept in the banian, and next day Nella led us through the -jungle to a clearing some five miles distant. There we found about a -hundred men, women, and children. All of them, save Wo-bang-an-ar, who -had his food supplied to him by his subjects, looked thin and drawn. -Some of the men wore the Big Numbers costume, some that of the Small -Numbers. The women wore the usual Small Numbers dress of a few leaves. A -few men carried old rifles, but they had only about half a dozen -cartridges among them; a few others had bows and arrows or clubs, but -the majority were unarmed. This seemed strange, in the light of our -experience among the tribes of northern Malekula, but even stranger was -the fact that these people had no houses or huts—no dwellings of any -kind. They lived in the banians. Sometimes they put a few leaves over -the protruding roots as a shelter from rain. Occasionally, they built -against the great central trunk of the tree a rough lean-to of sticks -and leaves. Beyond that they made no attempt at constructing houses. - -During the three days we spent among them, I picked up fragments of -their history, which runs somewhat as follows: - -Years ago, before the white men came to Malekula, there were many more -people on the island than there are to-day. In the north and in the -south there were great tribes, who were fierce and warlike. They fell -upon the people who dwelt in the isthmus, and destroyed their villages. -Again and again this happened. The tribes that lived in the isthmus grew -smaller and smaller. Their men were killed and their women were carried -off. Finally the few that were left no longer dared to build villages; -for a village served merely to advertise their whereabouts to their -enemies. They became nomads, living in trees. They even ceased the -cultivation of gardens and depended for their food on wild fruits and -nuts, the roots of trees, and an occasional bit of fish. Their number -was augmented from time to time by refugees from the Big Numbers tribes -on the north and from the Small Numbers on the south—a fact that -explained the variation in dress we had noticed. They were unarmed, -because their best means of defense was flight. They could not stand -against their warlike neighbors, but they could elude them by climbing -trees and losing themselves in the dark, impenetrable jungles. - - - - - CHAPTER X - THE DANCE OF THE PAINTED SAVAGES - - -After three days among the nomads, we decided that there was no -cannibalism among a people so mild and spiritless, and so we packed our -belongings and set off for the Amour. We thought we had half a day’s -journey ahead of us, but to our surprise we reached the ship in less -than two hours. Nella, to be on the safe side, had led us to the -headquarters of the tribe by a circuitous route. - -It was high tide when we reached the beach; so we took the opportunity -of getting the Amour off the sand. A good breeze took us rapidly down -the coast. At nightfall we started the engine and by midnight we had -anchored in Southwest Bay. - -[Illustration: SOUTHWEST BAY] - -The next morning, at daybreak, we were surrounded by natives in canoes, -with fruit and yams and fish for sale. Since the fish were old and -smelly, we decided to catch some fresh ones by the dynamite method in -use throughout the South Seas wherever there are white men to employ -their “magic”! We lowered the two whaleboats. I set my camera in one and -lashed the other alongside to steady my boat which bobbed about a good -bit as it was, but not enough to spoil the picture. I next set the -natives to hunting for a school of fish. In a few moments they signaled -that they had found one. We approached slowly and quietly and threw the -dynamite. It exploded with a roar and sent a spout of water several feet -into the air. After the water had quieted, the fish began to appear. -Soon some three hundred mullets, killed from the concussion, were -floating on the surface and the natives jumped overboard and began to -gather the fish into their canoes. Suddenly one of the blacks yelled in -terror. He scrambled into his canoe and his companions did likewise. I -saw the dark edge of a shark’s fin coming through the water. He was an -enormous shark and in his wake came a dozen others. They made the water -boil as they gobbled down our catch. Captain Moran seized his gun and -put a bullet through the nose of one of the largest of them. The shark -leaped ten feet out of the water, and in huge jumps made for the open -sea, lashing the water into foam with his tail every time he touched the -surface. I got some fine pictures. - -Before the sun was up, we were well on our way, with an escort of a -dozen canoes. The river was broad and beautiful. On one side was a sandy -beach. On the other was jungle, clear to the water’s edge. After we had -paddled for about two miles, we came unexpectedly into a lagoon about -three miles long and two wide, and dotted with tiny, jungled islands. As -we were making pictures of the lovely scene, several natives came out in -canoes and invited us to land. They were the first of the long-headed -people that we had seen. Their heads were about half as long again as -they should have been and sloped off to a rounded point. We landed and -visited several villages, each consisting of no more than three or four -tumble-down huts. There were a few wretched, naked women, a half-dozen -skinny children, and several half-starved pigs about. Some of the women -had strapped to their backs babies who wore the strange baskets that -mould their heads into the fashionable shape. One of these baskets is -put on the head of each child when it is about three days old. First a -cloth woven from human hair is fitted over the head. This is soaked with -coconut oil to soften the skull. Then, after a few days, the basket is -put on, and the soft skull immediately takes on the elongated shape -desired. The basket is woven of coconut fiber in such a manner that the -strands can be tightened day after day, until the bones are too hard to -be further compressed. When the child is a year old, the basket is taken -off. - -In time gone by, the lagoon tribes, like the “monkey people,” had -suffered much from wars. The few survivors had lost interest in life. -They no longer repaired their houses. Their devil-devils were falling -into decay. The clearings, instead of being beaten hard, as is usually -the case, were overgrown with grass; for dances and ceremonies were rare -among these sadly disheartened folk. - -Inside the houses were gruesome ornaments. Human heads, dried and -smoked, hung from the rafters or leered from the ends of the poles on -which they were impaled. In some houses there were mummified bodies, -with pigs’ tusks in the place of feet. Somehow, in the general -atmosphere of decay, these things seemed pitiful rather than terrifying. - -When we returned to the beach, a little after dark, the boys told us -that scores of natives, well armed and painted in war-colors, had spent -a day on the beach on the opposite side of the bay. As soon as it was -daylight, we embarked in the whaleboat to look for them. For about five -miles, we ran along the coast without seeing a trace of a human being. -The jungle came down to the water’s edge and dangled its vines in the -water. But at last we came to a long, sandy beach well packed down by -bare feet. A number of baskets hung from the trees at the edge of the -jungle. We headed the boat for the shore, but just before she ran her -nose into the sand, some twenty savages emerged without warning from the -bush. One glance, and our boys frantically put out to sea again. We were -thankful enough for their presence of mind, for the natives were a -terrifying sight. Their faces and heads were striped with white lime; -their black bodies were dotted with spots of red, yellow, blue, and -white, and their bushy hair bristled with feathers. They all carried -guns. How many of them had bullets was another question—but we did not -care to experiment to find the answer. - -When we were about fifty feet from shore, I called a halt and tried to -get into communication with the natives. I had small success. They kept -saying something over and over, but what it was, I could not understand. -The tide carried us up the coast and the men followed at the water’s -edge. Finally, realizing that we did not trust them, they went back to -the jungle and leaned their guns against a tree. Then they came down to -the water-line again, and we rowed inshore until the bow of our boat was -anchored in the sand. - -[Illustration: WOMAN AND CHILD OF THE LONG-HEADS, TOMMAN] - -The savages waded out to us. Our boys held their guns ready for action; -for the visitors were certainly a nasty-looking lot. They were as naked -as when they were born, and they had great, slobbery mouths that seemed -to bespeak many a cannibal feast. They begged for tobacco and I gave -each of them a stick and a clay pipe. Then one of them, who spoke a -little _bêche-de-mer_, told us that a big feast was taking place at a -village about three miles inland. He and his companions were waiting for -the boo-boos to announce that it was time for them to put in an -appearance. - -I decided, and Captain Moran and his brother agreed with me, that there -would be no danger in attending the ceremony. From what I could extract -from the natives, I gathered that there would not be more than a hundred -and fifty persons present. Our black boys seemed willing to make the -trip—a good sign, for they were quick to scent danger and determined in -avoiding it, so we landed. - -Experience had taught me that the possession of a rifle does not -necessarily make a native dangerous, and, sure enough, when I examined -the guns leaning against the tree, I found that only four of the guns -had cartridges. The rest were all too old and rusty to shoot. - -Twenty savages led us inland over a good trail. Before we had walked -half an hour, we could hear the boom of the boo-boos. I have never been -able to get used to that sound. Often as I have heard it, it sends a -chill down my spine. After an hour, it began to get on my nerves. By -that time we had reached the foot of a steep hill, and our escort told -us that they could go no farther until they were summoned. We went on -alone, the sound of the boo-boos growing louder and more terrifying with -each step. Osa began to wonder about the advisability of bursting on the -natives unannounced. She hinted vaguely that it might be wise to return -to the boat. But we kept on. - -It was a hard climb. We had to stop several times to rest. The revolvers -that Osa and I carried in our hip pockets seemed heavy as lead. At last, -however, we made the top of the hill, and found ourselves at the edge of -a clearing about a quarter of a mile in diameter. In the center, around -a collection of huge boo-boos and devil-devils, were a thousand naked -savages. That was my first estimate. A little later I divided the number -in two, but even at that, there were more savages than I had ever before -seen at one time. And they were the fiercest-looking lot I had ever laid -my eyes on. White lead, calcimine, red paint, and common bluing are -among the most valued trade articles in this region, and the savages had -invested heavily in them, and besides had added to their make-up boxes -yellow ocher and coral lime and ghastly purple ashes. Every single one -had a gun or a bow and arrows, and looked as if he would use it at very -slight provocation. - -As we appeared, the boom of the boo-boos ceased. The savages who had -been dancing stopped. Every eye was turned on us. After a moment’s -silence, all the natives began to talk. Then a number separated -themselves from the mob, and, led by an old man who was smeared with -yellow ocher from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet, -approached us. - -The old man spoke to us severely in _bêche-de-mer_, asking our business. - -“We walk about, no more,” I explained humbly. “We bringem presents for -big fellow master belong village.” - -The haughty old man then informed us that, though he himself was the -biggest chief of all, there were many other chiefs present, and that I -must make presents to all of them. He was not at all polite about it. He -said “must” and he meant “must.” I took one glance at the hundreds of -fierce, painted faces in the clearing, and then I had one of the boys -bring me the big ditty-bag. Then and there I distributed about -twenty-five dollars’ worth of trade-stuff—the most I had ever given at -one time. - -The uproar was fairly deafening—I was thoroughly alarmed. The voices of -the savages were angry. Men ran from group to group, apparently giving -commands. Moran put his two hands in his pockets where he kept his -revolvers and I told Osa to do likewise. Our boys huddled close around -us. No need to tell them to keep their guns ready. - -The bag was soon empty, and there was nothing further to do but await -developments. To retreat would be more dangerous than to stay. In order -to keep Osa from guessing how scared I was, I got out my moving-picture -camera. I wish I could have photographed what happened then; for the -entire mob broke and ran for cover. I wondered if they had ever seen a -machine-gun. I couldn’t explain their fright on any other grounds. Only -old Yellow Ocher stood his ground. He was scared, but game, and asked me -excitedly what I was up to. I explained the camera to him and opened it -up and showed him the film and the wheels. He shouted to the other -natives to come back, and they returned to the clearing, muttering and -casting sullen glances in our direction. The old man was angry. We had -nearly broken up the show. He gave us to understand that he washed his -hands of us. - -He then turned his attention to the ceremony. In a few moments a dozen -savages took their places at the boo-boos and a few men started a -half-hearted chant. A score of young savages began to dance, but without -much spirit. It was half an hour before they warmed up, but at the end -of that time the chant was loud and punctuated with blood-thirsty yells, -and a hundred men were dancing in the clearing. I call the performance -“dancing,” but it was simply a march, round and round, quickening -gradually to a run punctuated by leaps and yells. Soon women and -children came out of the jungle. That was a good sign. For the time -being, we were in no danger. - -The dance ended abruptly with a mighty yell. The men at the boo-boos -changed their rhythm and the twenty savages we had met on the beach -burst from the jungle into the clearing and began to dance. There was a -rough symbolism in their dance. But we could not decipher the meaning of -the pantomime. They picked up a bunch of leaves here and deposited them -there. Then they charged a little bundle of sticks and finally gathered -them up and carried them off. When they were tired out, they withdrew to -the side-lines, and another group, all painted alike, in an even fiercer -pattern than that of the first group, made a similar dramatic entrance -and danced themselves into exhaustion. They were followed by other -groups. By the time three hours had passed, there were fully a thousand -savages in the clearing. - -It was a wonderful sight. My “movie” sense completely overcame my fears, -and I ground out roll after roll of film. When the afternoon was well -advanced, a hundred savages began to march to slow time around the -devil-devils. Others joined in. They increased their pace. Soon more -than half the natives were in a great circle, running and leaping and -shouting around the clearing. Those who were left formed little circles -of their own, the younger men dancing and the older ones watching with -unfriendly eyes the actions of the rival groups. Even the women and -children were hopping up and down and shouting. Occasionally a -detachment of natives came toward us. At times we were completely -surrounded, though we tried our best by moving backward to prevent the -savages from getting in our rear. - -[Illustration: THE PAINTED DANCERS OF SOUTHWEST BAY] - -As the dance grew wilder, however, the savages lost all interest in us. -Soon every one of them was dancing in the clearing. I shall never forget -that dance—a thousand naked, painted savages, running and leaping in -perfect time to the strange beat-beat-beat of the boo-boos and the wild, -monotonous chant punctuated with brutal yells. The contagion spread to -the women and children and they hopped up and down like jumping-jacks -and chanted with the men. I turned the crank of my camera like mad. The -sun sank behind the trees and Osa and Moran urged me to return to the -beach, but I was crazy with excitement over the picture I was getting -and I insisted on staying: I lighted a number of radium flares. The -savages muttered a bit, but they were worked up to too high a pitch to -stop the dance, and, when they found that the flares did no harm, they -rather liked them. Old Yellow Ocher, seeing that the bluish-white light -added to the spectacular effect, asked me for some more flares. I gave -him my last two, and he put them among the devil-devils and lighted -them. He could not have done me a greater service. The light from the -flares made it possible to get a picture such as I never could have -secured in the waning daylight. - -The savages were sweating and panting with their exertions, but now they -danced faster than ever. They seemed to have lost their senses. They -leaped and shouted like madmen. Osa swallowed her pride and begged me to -put up my camera, and at last I reluctantly consented. As I packed my -equipment, I found two hundred sticks of tobacco that had escaped my -notice. Without thinking of consequences, I put them on the edge of the -clearing and motioned to Yellow Ocher to come and get them. But some of -the young bucks saw them first. They leaped toward them. The first dozen -got them. The next hundred fought for them. The dance ended in uproar. - -For the first time in our island experiences, Osa was frightened. She -took to her heels and ran as she had never run before. The boys grabbed -up my cameras and followed her. Captain Moran stood by me. He urged me -to run, but I felt that, if we did so, we should have the whole pack on -us. Old Yellow Ocher and some of the other chiefs came up to us and -yelled something that we could not understand and did not attempt to -answer. There was no chance for explanations in that uproar. We edged -toward the trail. The chiefs pressed after us, yelling louder than ever. -Their men were at their heels. Luckily some of the natives began to -fight among themselves and diverted the attention of the majority from -us. Only a small group followed us to the edge of the hill. When we -reached the trail, Moran said we had better cut and run, and we made the -steep descent in record time. - -Our boys were a hundred yards ahead of us. Osa, with nothing to carry, -was far in the lead. When I caught up with her, she was crying, not with -fear, but with anger. When she got her breath back, she told me what she -thought of me for exposing us all to danger for the sake of a few feet -of film. I took the scolding meekly, for I knew she was right. But I -kept wishing that we had been twelve white men instead of three. Then I -could have seen the dance through to the end. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - TOMMAN AND THE HEAD-CURING ART - - -We were safe on board the Amour, but we could still hear the boo-boos -marking the time for the wild dance back in the hills. I awoke several -times during the night. The boom-boom still floated across the water. I -was glad that we had taken to our heels when we did, though I still -regretted the picture I might have got if we could have stayed. At dawn, -there was silence. The dance was over. - -A trader who put in at Southwest Bay late in the morning told us of a -man who had been brutally murdered at the very village we had visited. -It was his belief that we had escaped only because the memory of the -punitive expedition that had avenged the murder was still fresh in the -minds of the natives. Even that memory might have failed to protect us, -he told us, if the natives had really been in the heat of the dance. And -he and Captain Moran swapped yarns about savage orgies until Osa became -angry with me all over again for having stayed so long on the hill to -witness the dance. - -After a day’s rest, we continued on our journey in search of cannibals. -Our next stop was Tomman, an island about half a mile off the -southernmost tip of Malekula. Since we found the shore lined with -canoes, we expected to be surrounded as usual, as soon as we had dropped -anchor, by natives anxious to trade. To our surprise, there was not a -sign of life. We waited until it was dark and then gave up expecting -visitors, for the savages of the New Hebrides rarely show themselves -outside their huts after dark for fear of spirits. Early next morning, -however, we were awakened by hoarse shouts, and found the Amour -surrounded by native craft. We then discovered that we had arrived -inopportunely in the midst of a dance. Dances in the New Hebrides are -not merely social affairs. They all have some ceremonial significance -and accordingly are not to be lightly interrupted. - -Captain Moran assured us that, since the natives of this island, like -those of Vao, were sufficiently acquainted with the Government gunboat -to be on their good behavior where white men were concerned, it would be -safe to go ashore. We launched a whaleboat and set out for the beach, -escorted by about a hundred savages, who came to meet us in canoes. -These natives, like some of those we had met with in the region around -Southwest Bay, had curiously shaped heads. Their craniums were almost -twice as long as the normal cranium and sloped to a point at the crown. -The children, since their hair was not yet thick enough to conceal the -conformation, seemed like gnomes with high brows and heads too big for -their bodies. - -When we reached shore, we beached the whaleboat at a favorable spot and, -leaving it in charge of a couple of the crew, followed a well-beaten -trail that led from the beach to a village near by. At the edge of a -clearing surrounded by ramshackle huts, we stopped to reconnoiter. - -I have never seen a more eerie spectacle. In the center of the clearing, -before a devil-devil, an old man was dancing. Very slowly he lifted one -foot and very slowly put it down; then he lifted the other foot and put -it down, chanting all the while in a hoarse whisper. At the farther side -of the clearing, a group of old savages were squatting near a smoldering -fire, intently watching one of their number, the oldest and most wizened -of them all, as he held in the smoke a human head, impaled on a stick. -Near by, on stakes set in the ground, were other heads. - -[Illustration: THE OLD HEAD-CURER] - -The natives who had accompanied us up the trail shouted something and -the men about the fire looked up. They seemed not at all concerned over -our sudden appearance and made no attempt to conceal the heads. As for -the old dancer, he did not so much as glance our way. - -We went over to the men crouched about the fire and spoke to them. They -paid scant attention to Moran and me, but they forsook their heads to -look at Osa. She was always a source of wonder and astonishment to the -natives, most of whom had never before seen a white woman. These old men -went through the usual routine of staring at her and cautiously touching -her hands and hair, to see if they were as soft as they appeared to be. - -I discovered that the old head-curer knew _bêche-de-mer_ and could tell -me something of the complicated process of his trade. The head was first -soaked in a chemical mixture that hardened the skin and, to a certain -extent, at least, made it fireproof. Next, the curer held it over a -fire, turning and turning it in the smoke until the fat was rendered out -and the remaining tissue was thoroughly dried. After the head had been -smeared with clay to keep it from burning, it was again baked for some -hours. This process consumed about a week of constant work. The dried -head was then hung up for a time in a basket of pandanus fiber, made in -the shape of a circular native hut with a thatched roof, and finally it -was exhibited in the owner’s hut or in a ceremonial house; but for a -year it had to be taken out at intervals and smoked again in order to -preserve it. - -The old head-curer was an artist, with an artist’s pride in his work. He -told me that he was the only one left among his people who really -understood the complicated process of drying heads. The young men were -forsaking the ways of their fathers. Of the old men, he was the most -skilled. All the important heads were brought to him for curing, and he -was employed to dry the bodies of great chiefs, smearing the joints with -clay to keep the members from falling apart, turning each rigid corpse -in the smoke of a smoldering fire until it was a shriveled mummy, -painting the shrunken limbs in gay colors, and substituting pigs’ tusks -for the feet. The old man told me that heads nowadays are not what they -were in olden times. He said what I found hard to believe—that the -craniums of his ancestors were twice as long as those of present-day -islanders. - -Specimens of the head-curer’s art were displayed in every hut in the -village. The people of Tomman are not head-hunters in the strict sense -of the word. They do not go on head-raids as do the men of Borneo. But -if they kill an enemy, they take his head and hang it up at home to -frighten off the evil spirits. The heads of enemies are roughly covered -with clay and hastily and carelessly cured, but those of relatives are -more scientifically treated, for they are to be cherished in the family -portrait gallery. While the natives of Tomman do not produce works of -art comparable to the heads treated by the Maoris of New Zealand, the -results of their handiwork show a certain dignity and beauty. One -forgets that the heads were once those of living men, for they are -dehumanized and like sculptures. Each household boasted a few mummies -and a number of heads, and, to our surprise, the people willingly showed -us their treasures and allowed us to photograph them. In northern -Malekula, as we had learned, it is as much as a white man’s life is -worth to try to see the interior of a head-hut, and demands for heads—or -skulls, rather, for the natives of the northern part of the island do -not go in for head-curing—are usually met with sullen, resentful -silence. Here, the natives not only brought out heads and bodies for us -to photograph, but in exchange for a supply of tobacco permitted me to -make a flashlight picture of a big ceremonial hut containing about fifty -heads and fifteen mummified bodies. - -This hut seemed to be a club for the men of the village. Almost every -village of the New Hebrides boasts some sort of a club-house, which is -strictly taboo for women and children. Here, the devil-devils are made -and, it is rumored, certain mysterious rites are performed. Be that as -it may, club-life in the New Hebrides seemed to me to be as stupid and -meaningless as it usually is in the West. Instead of lounging in -plush-covered armchairs and smoking Havana cigars, the men of the New -Hebrides lay on the ground and smoked Virginia cuttings in clay pipes. -Each man had his favorite resting-place—a hollow worn into the ground by -his own body. He was content to lie there for hours on end, almost -motionless, saying scarcely a word; but the women and children outside -thought that he was engaged in the strange and wonderful rites of his -“lodge”! - -[Illustration: A CLUB-HOUSE IN TOMMAN WITH MUMMIED HEADS AND BODIES] - -Toward evening the women of the village appeared with loads of firewood -and fruits and vegetables. On top of nearly every load was perched a -child or a young baby, its head fitted snugly with a basket to make the -skull grow in the way in which, according to Tomman ideals of beauty, it -should go. The women of Tomman we found a trifle more independent than -those of other islands of the New Hebrides. Of course, their upper front -teeth were missing—knocked out by their husbands as part of the marriage -ceremony. The gap was the Tomman substitute for a wedding-ring. But on -Tomman, as elsewhere in the New Hebrides, wives are slaves. Since a good -wife is expensive, costing from twenty to forty pigs, and the supply is -limited, most of the available women are cornered by the rich. A young -man with little property is lucky if he can afford one wife. He looks -forward to the day when he will inherit his father’s women. Then he will -have perhaps a dozen willing hands to work for him. He will give a great -feast and, if he kills enough pigs, he will be made a chief. - -When we went back to the ship at sunset, the old man was still doing his -solitary dance in front of the devil-devil. In the morning, when we -returned to the village, he was already at it, one foot up, one foot -down. When we left Tomman, four days after our arrival, he was still -going strong. I tried to discover the reason for the performance, but -the natives either could not or would not tell me. - -Although Tomman was an interesting spot, we did not remain there long. I -was looking for cannibals, and experience had taught me that -head-hunters were rarely cannibals or cannibals head-hunters. So, since -our time in the islands was growing short, we decided to move on. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - THE WHITE MAN IN THE SOUTH SEAS - - -We chugged away from Tomman and for a week we cruised along the southern -end of Malekula. In this region, the mountains come down to the sea. -Beyond them lies dangerous territory. It was not safe for us to cross -them with the force we had; so we had to be content with inspecting the -coast. There we found only deserted villages and a few scattered huts -inhabited by old men left to die alone. - -Finally we rounded the end of the island and steamed up the eastern -coast. One evening we came to anchor in Port Sandwich—a lovely, -land-locked bay. Since it was very late, we deferred explorations until -the following morning and turned in almost as soon as we had anchored, -so as to be ready for work betimes. - -At about three o’clock, Osa and I, who slept on deck, were rudely -awakened by being thrown into the scuppers. We pulled ourselves to our -feet and held tight to the rail. The ship rolled and trembled violently. -Though there seemed to be no wind, the water boiled around us and the -trees on shore swayed and groaned in the still air. - -Captain Moran and his brother came rushing from their cabins. The black -crew tumbled out of the hold, yelling with terror. There was a sound of -breaking crockery. A big wave washed over the deck and carried overboard -everything that was loose. The water bubbled up from below as if from a -giant caldron and fishes leaped high into the air. After what seemed to -be half an hour, but was in reality a few minutes, the disturbance -subsided. We had been through an earthquake. - -The volcanic forces that brought the New Hebrides into being are still -actively at work. Small shocks are almost a daily occurrence in the -islands. But this had been no ordinary earthquake. The next morning, -when we went ashore, we found that half the native huts of the little -settlement near the mouth of the bay had collapsed like card houses. The -devil-devils and boo-boos stood at drunken angles—some of them had -fallen to the ground—and, in the village clearings and other level -places, the ground looked like a piece of wet paper that had been -stretched until it was full of wrinkles and jagged tears. Streaks of red -clay marked the courses of landslides down the sides of the mountains. -The old men of the settlement said that the earthquake was the worst -they had ever experienced. And when we returned to Vao, we found that -two sides of our own bungalow had caved in as a result of the shock. - -[Illustration: TOMMAN WOMEN, SHOWING GAP IN TEETH] - -A visit to the volcano Lopevi gave us further proof of the uncertain -foundation on which the islands rest. - -On the morning after the earthquake, Mr. King, the British Commissioner, -appeared in the Euphrosyne, on his way to Vao to fetch us for a visit at -Vila. We told him regretfully that we had no time for visiting, and then -he proposed a jaunt to Lopevi, a great volcano about thirty miles from -Malekula. We were glad of the opportunity to see the volcano, which was -reputed to be one of the most beautiful in the world. So we said -good-bye to Captain Moran, who departed at once to continue his -interrupted trading, and we transferred our belongings to the -Euphrosyne, where we reveled in the unaccustomed luxury of good beds and -good service by attentive servants. - -We left Port Sandwich at daybreak, and in a few hours we saw Lopevi, a -perfect cone, rising abruptly out of the water to a height of nearly six -thousand feet. When we came within range, I got my camera ready. A fine -fringe of thunder-clouds encircled the island about halfway down, but -the top was free. The light was perfect. I was grinding happily away, -when a miracle happened. Lopevi sent up a cloud of smoke. Then she -growled ominously, and shot out great tongues of lapping flame. More -smoke, and she subsided into calm again. I had secured a fine picture -and congratulated myself on having arrived just in the nick of time. -Suddenly, as we discussed the event, Lopevi became active again. And -after that there was an eruption every twenty minutes from ten in the -morning until four in the afternoon. We steamed all around the island, -stopping at favorable points to wait for a good “shot.” At four o’clock, -we sailed for Api, where we were to harbor for the night. And from the -time we turned our backs on Lopevi, there was not another eruption. Her -cone was in sight for an hour that night, and next morning, from -Ringdove Bay where we were anchored, she was plainly visible. But she -did not emit a single whiff of smoke. Osa called her our trained -volcano. - -We remained on Api for four days. Since Mr. King was due back at Vila, -he had to leave on the morning after our arrival; so we took up our -quarters with Mr. Mitchell, the English manager of one of the largest -coconut plantations on the island. - -In more civilized regions one might hesitate before descending, bag and -baggage, upon an unknown host, to wait for a very uncertain steamer; but -in the islands of the South Seas one is almost always sure of a welcome. -The traders and planters lead lonely lives. They have just three things -to look forward to—the monthly visit of the Pacifique, a trip once a -year to Sydney or New Caledonia, and dinner. For the Englishman in -exile, dinner is the greatest event of the day. He rises at daybreak -and, after a hasty cup of coffee, goes out on the plantation to see that -work is duly under way. He breakfasts at eleven and then sleeps for a -couple of hours, through the heat of the day. His day’s work is over at -six; then he has a bath and a whiskey-and-soda—and dinner. Another -drink, a little quiet reading, then off with the dinner clothes and to -bed. - -Yes, I said dinner clothes. For dinner clothes are as much _de rigueur_ -in Ringdove Bay as they are on Piccadilly. I, who have a rowdy fondness -for free-and-easy dress and am only too glad when I can escape from the -world of dinner coats and white ties, suggested, on the second evening -of our stay at Api, that, since Mrs. Johnson was used to informal -attire, we could dispense, if Mr. Mitchell desired, with the ceremony of -dressing. - -“But, my dear Johnson,” said Mitchell, “I dress for dinner when I am -here alone.” - -That ended the matter. I knew that I was up against an article of the -British creed and might as well conform. - -When I first went out to the South Seas, I was disposed to regard the -punctiliousness in dress of the isolated Britisher as more or less of an -affectation. But now I realize that a dinner coat is a symbol. It is a -man’s declaration to himself and the world that he has a firm grasp on -his self-respect. A Frenchman in the islands can go barefooted and -half-clothed, can live a life ungoverned by routine, rising at will, -going to bed at will, working at will, can throw off every convention, -and still maintain his dignity. With the Anglo-Saxon it is different. -The Englishman must hold fast to an ordered existence or, in nine cases -out of ten, the islands will “get” him. - -It is customary to waste a lot of pity on the trader and the planter in -remote places—lonely outposts of civilization, but, from my observation, -they do not need pity. The man who stays in the islands is fitted for -the life there; if he isn’t, he doesn’t stay, and, if he does stay, he -can retire, after fifteen or twenty years, with a tidy fortune. - -Of course the road to fortune is a long and hard one. The average -planter starts out with a little capital—say five hundred dollars. He -purchases a plot of land. The price he pays depends upon the locality in -which he buys. In regions where the natives are still fairly -unsophisticated, he may get his land for almost nothing. Even where the -natives are most astute, he can buy a square mile for what he would pay -for an acre back home. His next step is to get his land cleared. To that -end, he buys a whaleboat and goes out to recruit natives to act as -laborers. He needs five or six blacks. They will build his house and -clear his land and plant his coconuts. Since it takes seven years for -the coconuts to mature, sweet potatoes and cotton must be planted -between the rows of trees. The sweet potatoes, with a little rice, will -furnish all the food required by the blacks. The cotton, if the planter -is diligent and lucky, will pay current expenses until the coconuts -begin bearing. - -Though his small capital of five hundred dollars may be eaten up early -in the game, the settler need not despair. The big trading companies -that do business in the islands will see him through if he shows any -signs of being made of the right stuff. They will give him credit for -food and supplies and they will provide him with knives, calico, and -tobacco, which he can barter with the blacks for the sandalwood and -copra that will help balance his account with the companies. And after -the first trying seven years, his troubles are about over—if he can get -labor enough to keep his plantation going. - -Even in the remote islands of the New Hebrides, the labor problem has -reared its head. The employer, in civilized regions, has a slight -advantage resulting from the fact that men must work to live. In the New -Hebrides, indeed all throughout Melanesia, the black man can live very -comfortably, according to his own standards, on what nature provides. -Only a minimum of effort is required to secure food and clothing and -shelter, and most of that effort is put forth by the female slaves he -calls his wives. Even the experienced recruiter finds it hard to get the -Melanesian to exchange his life of ease for a life of toil. And the -inexperienced recruiter finds it very hard. The days when natives could -be picked up on any beach are past. The blacks in the more accessible -regions know what recruiting means—two years of hard labor, from which -there is no escape and from which a man may or may not return home. So -the recruiter must look for hands in the interior, where knowledge of -the white man and his ways has not penetrated. Even here, the -inexperienced recruiter is at a disadvantage. For the experienced -recruiter has invariably preceded him. - -Each year, the number of available recruits is growing fewer, for the -native population is dwindling rapidly. As a result, the cost of labor -is high. In the Solomons, one may secure a native for a three years’ -term at five or six pounds a year in the case of inexperienced workmen, -or at nine pounds a year in the case of natives who have already served -for three years. In the New Hebrides, planter bids against planter, and -the native benefits, receiving from twelve to fifteen pounds a year for -his work. The planters complain of the high cost of labor. But the big -planters, the capitalists of the South Seas, who have their chains of -copra groves, with a white superintendent in charge of each one, -certainly do not suffer. I remember being on one big Melanesian -plantation on the day when natives were paid for two years’ work all in -a lump. About four thousand dollars was distributed among the workers. I -watched them spend it in the company store. A great simple black, clad -in a nose-stick and a yard of calico, would come in and after an hour of -happy shopping would go off blissfully with little or no money and a -collection of cheap mirrors and beads and other worthless gew-gaws all -in a shiny new “bokkus b’long bell.” By night, about three thousand -dollars had been taken in by the company store-keeper. I was reminded of -a rather grimly humorous story of a day’s receipts that totaled only -$1800 after a $2000 pay-day. When the report reached the main office in -Sydney, a curt note was sent to the plantation store-keeper asking what -had become of the other $200! - -There are certainly two sides to the labor question in the New Hebrides. -Yet the whole development of the islands hangs upon cheap and efficient -labor. Where it is to come from is a question. The recruiting of -Orientals for service in British possessions in the South Seas is -forbidden. Even if it were permitted, it would not solve the problem, -for the coolie of China or Japan or India is not adapted to the grilling -labor of clearing bush. - -Mr. Mitchell discussed the labor problem as long and as bitterly as any -employer back home. The natives of Api, while friendly and mild, were -entirely averse to toil. He had to import hands from other islands. Only -occasionally could he persuade the Api people to do a few days’ work in -order to secure some object “belong white man.” - -Often they coveted curious things. One morning, during our stay, a -delegation of natives appeared and said they had come for -“big-fellow-bokkus (box).” A servant, summoned by Mitchell, brought out -a wooden coffin, one of the men counted out some money, and the natives -shouldered their “bokkus” and went away. - -Mitchell laughed as he watched them depart. That coffin had a history. -About six weeks previously, a delegation of natives had appeared, with a -black who had seen service on a New Zealand plantation acting as -spokesman. He informed Mitchell that their old chief was dying and that -they had decided to pay him the honor of burying him in “bokkus belong -white man.” They asked Mitchell if he would provide such a “bokkus” and -for how much. Mitchell had a Chinese carpenter and a little supply of -timber; so he very gladly consented to have a coffin made. He figured -the cost at ten pounds. That appeared to the delegation to be excessive, -and they went off to the hills. The next day, however, they reappeared -and requested that he make a coffin half the size for half the money. -Mitchell protested that a coffin half the size originally figured upon -would not be long enough to hold the chief. And they replied that they -would cut his arms and legs off to make him fit in. At that, Mitchell, -with an eye to labor supply, said that, if they must have a coffin, they -must have a proper coffin. He would order the carpenter to make one -large enough to hold the chief without mutilation, and he would charge -them only five pounds for it, though that meant a loss to him. The -carpenter went to work. Most of the village came down to supervise the -job, and every few hours, until the coffin was finished, a messenger -reported on the chief’s condition. When the “bokkus” was at last done, -they carried it up the trail with great rejoicing. But the next day they -brought it back. The old chief was up and about, and they had no use for -it. They laid it down at Mitchell’s feet and demanded their money back. -Mitchell protested that he had no use for the coffin, either, but they -were firm. And he, remembering how difficult it is to get hands in the -copra-cutting season, meekly returned the five pounds, and put the -coffin in his storehouse. Now, a month later, the old chief had died, -and the natives had come for the coffin. We could hear them chanting as -they went up the trail. - -The next day we set sail on the Pacifique, which had arrived during the -night with letters and papers a month old, and we were dropped at Port -Sandwich, which was sparsely populated with sullen and subdued savages, -to await whatever trader might happen along to take us back to Vao. We -had used all our films and were thoroughly tired of Port Sandwich when a -trader finally put in an appearance. His boat was a twenty-four-foot -launch, barely large enough to contain us and our equipment. When we -hoisted our dinghy aboard, its bow and stern protruded several feet -beyond the sides of the launch. Next morning, with some misgivings, we -set out on the fifty-five-mile journey that would complete our round of -Malekula and bring us back to Vao. - -We got “home” about four in the afternoon, tired and half-cooked from -the broiling sun that had beat down upon us all day. We received a royal -welcome. A great crowd of natives met us at the beach, and each seized a -box or package and carried it at top speed up to the bungalow. In half -an hour everything was in the house. It had been a long time since our -Vao neighbors had had any of our tobacco! - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - ESPIRITU SANTO AND A CANNIBAL FEAST - - -For two days we developed films and plates. On the third, we attended -what might be called the New Year’s celebration of Vao. Fires are made -among the islanders by the primitive method by rubbing two sticks -together. Though the operation takes only a minute, the savages are too -lazy to light a fire every time they need one, so once a year, in the -largest house of the village, they make a big fire, which is kept -burning to furnish embers from which all the other fires may be lighted. -At the end of the year, the fire is put out with great solemnity, and a -new one is lighted. The ceremony lasts all day and all night. It is -called “killing the Mankki.” - -On the morning of the festivities, bush natives began to arrive before -daylight. The young boys of Vao served as ferrymen. A group of men would -come down to the beach at Malekula and shout across the water, and the -Vao boys would put out in their funny little crooked canoes—for wood is -so scarce that even bent trees are made to do duty as dugouts—and bring -back a load of passengers. Natives came from other islands near by. By -night, there were more than a thousand people on the islands. - -From early in the morning, there was dancing and pig-killing in the -clearings of the three villages. The different tribes did not mingle -together. One group would come out of the bush into the clearing, dance -its dance, kill a score or so of pigs, and then retire into the bush -again. - -It was bad weather for photography. It rained all day—a fine, drizzling -rain. But I worked hard, hoping to secure some good film, for the dances -were unusually interesting. One especially good dance was a snake dance, -in which the natives brandished small snakes tied to coconut leaves. -They are deadly afraid of snakes. They have a saying that holds good -pretty much the world over, to the effect that snakes with blunt tails -are always poisonous and those with long, pointed tails are harmless. I -noted that the snakes used for the dance were very small and of a -long-tailed variety. At the end of the dance each man killed his snake -and fed it to a pig. Then each man killed a pig. - -The slaughter of pigs was enormous. I am sure some five hundred must -have been killed during the day—far more than could be eaten. As each -pig was killed, his tusks were removed and placed upon platforms that -had been erected to hold them. Pigs’ tusks are always carefully -preserved. They ornament the houses. They form necklaces for the -devil-devils. They are placed in the crotches of trees. - -I was convinced, as the day wore on, that pork was not the only meat on -the bill of fare. It seemed to me that I was at last hot on the trail of -cannibalism; the men from Malekula had brought with them strange -packages wrapped in leaves, which, I suspected, contained human flesh. -The action of the blacks confirmed my suspicion, for they guarded their -packages carefully, and would not let me come near with my cameras. - -They were threatening in their attitude all day. Even my tobacco did not -thaw them out. The Vao people tolerated me, in return for a case of -tobacco, but their eyes were far from friendly, and the old men muttered -evilly every time they looked our way. - -By dark things were getting lively. The mob of savages surged back and -forth from one village to another, shouting and singing. I made a great -discovery for thirsty America—that people can actually get drunk on -imagination. The natives had no intoxicating liquor. Their only drink -was water, and yet they lurched drunkenly when they walked, and sang as -only drunken men and women sing. - -I did not see the fire put out and the new one built. As it grew later, -the mob became wilder. I began to think of the long, dark trail to the -bungalow, where we would be absolutely at the mercy of lurking savages, -and decided that discretion was the better part of valor. So Osa and I -went home. We slept with our guns handy—and we did not sleep much at -that, for the boo-boos sounded all night and the shouting and singing -sometimes surged very near. - -We spent the next few days in visits to the northern coast of Malekula, -but we did not dare venture inland, for the attitude of the natives was -at once suspicious and threatening. We talked the matter over and -decided that we had seen about enough of Malekula and Vao and might as -well pursue our investigations elsewhere. Espiritu Santo was some forty -miles away. In the southern portion there was reported to be a race of -dwarfs, and cannibalism was said to be general there, as on Malekula. We -had almost despaired of getting actual proof that man ate man in the New -Hebrides. We ourselves had seen enough to be convinced that “long pig” -was on many a bill of fare, but we could not prove anything; for, since -the Government metes out severe punishment to eaters of human flesh, the -savages are careful not to be caught at their ghoulish feasts. Still, -our luck might turn, we thought, if we changed islands, and we should -find the evidence we had been seeking for so many weeks. - -The very day after we made this decision, a small cutter nosed into the -passage between Vao and Malekula. The owner was a full-blooded Tongan -trader, named Powler. He was on his way to get some coconuts he had -bought from a native on an island near by, but he promised to return in -a few days and take us to Santo. When he arrived, we had our equipment -packed and were ready to go aboard. The natives helped us with a will -and showed real regret at parting with us, for they knew that they would -never again get so much tobacco in return for so little work. - -The wind was favorable, and we fairly flew along. Shortly after dark we -anchored off Tongoa, a small island a stone’s throw from Santo. To my -great delight, Powler agreed to remain with us. He was a great, -good-natured giant, never out of sorts and strong as an ox. I wished we -had met with him sooner. The natives trusted him. His dark skin and his -ability to grasp the languages of the island tribes stood him in good -stead. Besides, he had the reputation, among both natives and whites, of -being absolutely honest in his dealings—a trait as rare in the South -Seas as elsewhere. In his company, we went ashore early on the morning -after our arrival. - -We found the men of Santo, who gathered on the beach to greet us, quite -different in type from the Malekula bush savages. They were smaller and -more gracefully built. They wore flowers and feathers in their hair. -They had a curious custom of removing part of the bone that divides the -nostrils so that the bridges of their noses had fallen in and they -appeared to be always scowling. To enhance their fierceness still -further, they put sticks through their noses. - -Such nose ornaments are characteristic of the blacks of the South Seas. -The Solomon Islander wears a ring fashioned from bone or shell and -highly polished and ornamented. The native of Santa Cruz adorns himself -with a piece of polished tortoise-shell shaped like a padlock. But the -man of the New Hebrides thrusts into his nose anything that he happens -upon—usually a stick picked up along the trail. - -To my great delight, the Santo men wore a geestring of calico. As I have -said before, the dress of the men of Malekula, if you can call it dress, -draws attention to their sex rather than conceals it. On my first visit -among them, I had taken motion-pictures of them as they were. When I -returned to America, I found that naked savages shocked the public. Some -of my best films were absolutely unsalable. On this second trip, -accordingly, I managed, whenever possible, to persuade the savages to -wear geestrings or loin-cloths or aprons of leaves. Since “costuming” -was very difficult (the blacks, naturally enough, could see no reason -for it), I was glad that I should not have to spend time in persuading -the men of Santo to put on more clothing. - -At daybreak on the following morning, we started for the hills. With us -were Powler and three of his boys and fifteen trustworthy Tongoa -natives. We were bound for a village of pottery-makers—but we never got -there. We had tramped for about three hours when we came suddenly upon a -group of little men. They were too surprised to run, and too frightened. -They were all, with the exception of one of their number who carried a -gun as big as he was, armed with bows and arrows, but they did not show -any hostility. Instead, they just gathered close together and stared at -us in terror. - -These were the dwarfs I had heard about. I got out some presents for -them. Soon their timidity wore off, and I persuaded them to walk one by -one under my outstretched arm. Although their fuzzy wool stood out in -great bushy mops, not a hair touched my arm as they passed under. There -were sixteen of them, all told. Five were old fellows with grizzled -whiskers, ten were of middle age, and one, the tallest of them all, was -a boy of about fifteen. - -We settled down near a stream and I took pictures as long as the light -lasted. That night, our little friends camped close by, and the next -day, when we set out for the beach, they followed us. We showed them -everything we had in our trunks. They were as pleased as children, and, -when I allowed the old chief to shoot my big automatic revolver, he -fairly danced with excitement. - -[Illustration: DWARFS OF ESPIRITU SANTO] - -The next day, I sent messengers into the hills to hunt for a chief about -whom Mr. King had told us. This chief had achieved a great reputation as -a prophet and a worker of magic. A year before, he had been nobody—just -a savage. Then he had gone mad. He had once been recruited as a member -of the crew of a mission ship, where he had heard hymns and Bible -stories, which he now adapted to his own use. He told the natives there -was going to be a great flood, which would cover Santo. He himself, -however, would not be drowned, for he was going to bring Hat Island, a -little island off the coast, over to rest on Santo Peak. Hat Island was -a barren and undesirable piece of real estate, but the prophet said that -he had made arrangements to have twenty European steamers come regularly -with food and tobacco for the inhabitants. Since he had been fairly -successful in foretelling the weather, the natives believed in him, and -each clamored for a place on Hat Island. But the salvation offered by -the old savage came high. Reservations on Hat Island could be secured -only at the price of ten pigs each. Soon the prophet had cornered most -of the pigs in that section of Santo. Seeing his power, he raised the -price of admission. He secured, in addition to the pigs, the most -desirable women in the vicinity. In fact, he appropriated everything he -wanted, and occasionally he ran _âmok_ and killed several of his -compatriots—as he said, to put the fear of God into them. - -The next recruiter that came to Santo was besieged with savages begging -to be allowed to go to work on copra plantations. He soon learned that -the natives had not suddenly grown industrious, but that even work -seemed pleasant in contrast with the reign of terror of the inspired -chief. The chief saw possibility of profit in the desire of his people -to escape and made the recruiter pay heavily in tobacco and calico for -every native taken away. - -Reports of his rule had reached the Government officers at Vila, and -Commissioner King, who had sent for him several times to no avail, had -given me a letter to present to the old fellow, in case I should go to -Santo. I now sent word to the chief that I had an important message that -could be delivered only to him in person. To my surprise, two days after -the message had been delivered, the prophet appeared. - -I had made everything ready for a motion-picture show to entertain my -pigmies. Just before dark, as I was testing my projector, thirty armed -natives came down the beach. The dwarfs wanted to run, but we made them -understand that we would protect them, and they huddled behind us, -frightened, but with perfect faith in our ability and readiness to take -care of them in any crisis. - -The newcomers were a nasty-looking lot. The prophet, ridiculous in a -singlet and overalls and a high hat, came up to me with no sign of -hesitation and held out his hand. I could distinguish words in the -greeting he grunted at me, but they had no connection. His eyes were -bloodshot and wild, his lips were abnormally red, and he drooled as he -talked. - -I presented Commissioner King’s letter, which was an imposing document -with a red official seal. In high-sounding language it enjoined the -chief to give me and my party every possible aid, and ended with an -invitation to his prophetic highness to come to Vila on the Euphrosyne -the next time she passed that way and the promise that he would not be -harmed if he would do so. - -When the prophet saw the red seal, his assurance fell from him, and he -rolled his eyes in terror. - -“Me sick; me sick,” he repeated over and over. I tried to explain that -Commissioner King realized that he was sick, and for that very reason -wanted to see him and help him, but I doubt if he understood anything I -said. - -After dark, we started the show. The dwarfs chattered and giggled like -children, but our other guests were unsmiling and ominously silent. Only -the prophet kept talking. One of the boys told me afterward that he was -telling his men that he had sent for me in order to work his magic -through me—that I and my projector had nothing to do with the pictures; -he himself was responsible. - -But halfway through the performance he apparently began to doubt his -power. Rocking back and forth, he repeated over and over, “By-em-by me -die, by-em-by me die.” He was looking forward to the day when he would -be captured and carried off to Vila and, as he imagined, put to death. I -was glad when the show was over and the prophet and his followers -withdrew for the night. It had not been an especially merry evening. - -Early next morning a delegation of the prophet’s followers sought me out -and begged me to take their chief by force to Vila and have him hanged. - -“He bad. He takem plenty pigs; he takem plenty women; he killem plenty -men,” they explained. - -I was sorry for them, but I could do nothing. I tried to make them -understand that I had nothing to do with the Government and consequently -no authority to arrest a man, but I could see that they did not quite -believe me. They went off muttering to themselves. - -In a few minutes they departed with their chief in quest of a certain -kind of shellfish to be found about five miles up the beach, and we -decided to take advantage of their absence and visit one of the villages -in the prophet’s territory. - -We walked for about three hours without seeing any signs of a village. -Then we heard, faint in the distance, the sound of a tom-tom. Soon we -were within hearing of a chanted song. We advanced with caution, until -we reached the edge of a village clearing. From behind a clump of bushes -we could watch the natives who danced there. The dance was just the -ordinary native hay-foot, straw-foot, around the devil-devils in the -center of the clearing, now slow, now gradually increasing in tempo -until it was a run. - -What interested me was the feast that was in preparation. On a long -stick, over the fire, were a dozen pieces of meat. More meat was -grilling on the embers of another fire. On leaves near by were the -entrails of the animal that was cooking. I do not know what it was that -made me suspect the nature of this meat. It certainly was not much -different in appearance from pork. But some sixth sense whispered to me -that it was not pork. - -The savages had no suspicion of our nearness. As a matter of fact, the -keenness of sight and hearing that primitive peoples are generally -credited with are entirely lacking in the New Hebrideans. Many a time -Osa and I have quietly crept up to a native village and stolen away -again without being detected. Often on the trail we have literally run -into blacks before they realized that we were approaching. Even the -half-starved native dogs have lost their alertness. More than once I -have come suddenly on a cur and laughed at him as he rolled over -backward in an attempt to escape. With the natives lost in a dance, we -were quite safe. - -For an hour we watched and took long-range photographs. The dance -continued monotonously. The meat sizzled slowly over the fire—and -nothing happened. Then I gave one of the Tongoa boys who accompanied us -a radium flare and told him to go into the clearing, drop the flare into -the fire, and run to one side out of the picture. He did as I asked him. -The natives stopped dancing and watched him as he approached. He threw -the flare into the fire and jumped aside. As they stooped down close to -the flame to see what he had thrown there, the flare took fire and sent -its blinding white light into their faces. With a yell they sprang back -and ran in terror directly toward us. When they saw us, they stopped so -quickly that they almost tumbled backward. Then they turned and ran in -the opposite direction. The half-minute flare had burned out; so they -grabbed the meat from the fire and carried it with them into the bush. - -[Illustration: THE CANNIBAL DANCE] - -My boys sprang into the clearing. I, with my camera on my shoulder, was -just behind them. When I came up to them, they were standing by the -fire, looking at the only remnant of the feast that was left on the -embers. It was a charred human head, with rolled leaves plugging the -eye-sockets. - -I had proved what I had set out to prove—that cannibalism is still -practiced in the South Seas. I was so happy that I yelled. After -photographing the evidence, I wrapped the head carefully in leaves, to -take away with me. We picked the fire over, but could find no other -remainder of the gruesome feast. In one of the huts, however, we -discovered a quantity of human hair, laid out on a green leaf, to be -made into ornaments. - -Some of the cannibals returned and, from a distance, watched us search -their huts. I then took their pictures. They grinned into the camera, as -innocent as children. - -We arrived at the beach a little after dark. Powler had shot some -pigeons, fried their breasts, and made a soup from the remainder, and he -had cut down a coconut tree and made a salad of the heart. We did full -justice to the meal. After it was over, we sat and admired the roasted -head—at least I admired it. Osa did not think much of it. As for Powler, -he tried in vain to conceal that he thought me absolutely crazy to care -so much about an old charred head. - -The next day, while I was printing pictures on the beach, a delegation -of cannibals appeared on the scene. They were good-natured and friendly. -I showed them a big mirror. It was apparently the first they had ever -seen. They were awed and puzzled, touching the glass with cautious -fingers and looking behind the mirror suddenly, to surprise whoever -might be fooling them. I photographed them as they peered at their -reflection and grimaced like a bunch of monkeys. We invited them to -luncheon. Their favorite dish of “long pig” was not on the bill of fare. -But they ate our trade salmon and biscuits with gusto and smacked their -lips over the coffee that Osa made for them—the first they had ever -tasted. They remained with us until the following day, when we picked up -our apparatus and sailed off on the first lap of our journey home. - -In seven months in the New Hebrides I had exposed twenty-five thousand -feet of film, and had, besides, about a thousand “stills.” I was well -satisfied with my work; for I knew that my pictures would help the -Western world to realize the life lived by the fast-disappearing -primitive races of the earth; and I had actual evidence—my long-range -photographs and the charred head that I so carefully cherished—that -cannibalism is still practiced in the islands of the South Seas. - - - THE END - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. - 2. Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed. - 3. 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- margin: .67em auto; page-break-before: always; } - .ph2 { text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; font-size: x-large; margin: .75em auto; - page-break-before: always; } - .fixed {font-family: 'Old English Text MT', serif; font-weight:bold; } - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Cannibal-land, by Martin Johnson - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Cannibal-land - Adventures with a camera in the New Hebrides - -Author: Martin Johnson - -Release Date: May 15, 2020 [EBook #62138] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CANNIBAL-LAND *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class='tnotes covernote'> - -<p class='c000'><b>Transcriber’s Note:</b></p> - -<p class='c000'>The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.</p> - -</div> - -<div id='Frontispiece' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_frontispiece.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>MEN OF ESPIRITU SANTO</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='titlepage'> - -<div> - <h1 class='c001'>CANNIBAL-LAND<br /> <span class='xlarge'><em>Adventures with a Camera in the New Hebrides</em></span></h1> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>BY</div> - <div><span class='large'>MARTIN JOHNSON</span></div> - <div class='c003'>WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE AUTHOR’S PHOTOGRAPHS</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/title.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>BOSTON AND NEW YORK</div> - <div>HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY</div> - <div><span class='fixed'>The Riverside Press Cambridge</span></div> - <div>1922</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c004'> - <div>COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY ASIA PUBLISHING COMPANY</div> - <div>COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY MARTIN JOHNSON</div> - <div>ALL RIGHTS RESERVED</div> - <div class='c002'><span class='fixed'>The Riverside Press</span></div> - <div>CAMBRIDGE · MASSACHUSETTS</div> - <div>PRINTED IN THE U. S. A.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_v'>v</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary='CONTENTS'> -<colgroup> -<col width='7%' /> -<col width='88%' /> -<col width='4%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c006'> </td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Prologue</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_3'>3</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>I.</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Introducing Nagapate</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_6'>6</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>II.</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Sydney and New Caledonia</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_23'>23</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>III.</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Threshold of Cannibal-Land</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_39'>39</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>IV.</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Nagapate comes to call</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_49'>49</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>V.</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>In Nagapate’s Kingdom</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_71'>71</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>VI.</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Big Numbers see themselves on the Screen</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_94'>94</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>VII.</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Noble Savage</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_100'>100</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>VIII.</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Good-bye to Nagapate</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_116'>116</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>IX.</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Monkey People</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_123'>123</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>X.</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Dance of the Painted Savages</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_138'>138</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XI.</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Tomman and the Head-Curing Art</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_152'>152</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XII.</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The White Man in the South Seas</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_161'>161</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XIII.</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Espiritu Santo and a Cannibal Feast</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_175'>175</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_vii'>vii</span> - <h2 class='c005'>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary='ILLUSTRATIONS'> -<colgroup> -<col width='80%' /> -<col width='20%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Men of Espiritu Santo</span></td> - <td class='c008'><em><a href='#Frontispiece'>Frontispiece</a></em></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Watcher of Tanemarou Bay</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_14'>14</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Nagapate</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_18'>18</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>A Beach Scene</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_24'>24</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Looking Seaward</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_36'>36</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Dance of Tethlong’s Men</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_46'>46</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>A Call from Nagapate</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_62'>62</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Safe Beach Trail, Tanemarou Bay</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_68'>68</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Looking over Nagapate’s Kingdom from the Highest Peak in Northern Malekula</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_74'>74</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Women of the Big Numbers</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_80'>78</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Rambi</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_84'>84</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Atree and Nagapate</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_88'>88</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Hunting for the Magic</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_98'>98</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>A Cannibal and a Kodak</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_98'>98</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Nagapate among the Devil-Devils</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_110'>110</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>One of the Monkey Men</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_128'>128</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Wo-bang-an-ar</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_134'>134</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Southwest Bay</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_138'>138</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_viii'>viii</span><span class='sc'>Woman and Child of the Long-Heads, Tomman</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_142'>142</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Painted Dancers of Southwest Bay</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_148'>148</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Old Head-Curer</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_154'>154</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>A Club-House in Tomman with Mummied Heads and Bodies</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_158'>158</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Tomman Women, showing Gap in Teeth</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_162'>162</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Dwarfs of Espiritu Santo</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_182'>182</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Cannibal Dance</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_188'>188</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div><span class='pageno' id='Page_ix'>ix</span></div> -<div class='section ph1'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c004'> - <div>CANNIBAL-LAND</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_3'>3</span> - <h2 class='c005'>PROLOGUE</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Twelve years ago, from the deck of the Snark, I had -my first glimpse of the New Hebrides.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I was standing my trick at the wheel. Jack London -and his wife, Charmian, were beside me. It was -just dawn. Slowly, out of the morning mists, an island -took shape. The little ship rose and sank on the -Pacific swell. The salt breeze ruffled my hair. I -played my trick calmly and in silence, but my heart -beat fast at the sight of that bit of land coming up -like magic out of the gray water.</p> - -<p class='c010'>For I knew that of all the groups in the South -Seas, the New Hebrides were held to be the wildest. -They were inhabited by the fiercest of cannibals. -On many of the islands, white men had scarcely -trod. Vast, unknown areas remained to be explored. -I thrilled at the thought of facing danger in the -haunts of savage men.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I was young then. But my longing for adventure -in primitive lands has never left me. News of a wild -<span class='pageno' id='Page_4'>4</span>country, of unvisited tribes, still thrills me and -makes me restless to be off in some old South Seas -schooner, seeing life as it was lived in Europe in the -Stone Age and is still lived in out-of-the-way corners -of the earth that civilization has overlooked.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I have been luckier than most men. For my lifework -has made my youthful dreams come true.</p> - -<p class='c010'>On my first voyage, in the Snark, I met with a -couple of pioneer motion-picture men, who were -packing up the South Seas in films to take back to -Europe and America. They inspired in me the idea -of making a picture-record of the primitive, fast-dying -black and brown peoples that linger in remote -spots. Into my boyish love of adventure there crept -a purpose that has kept me wandering and will keep -me wandering until I die.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Two years ago, I again found myself in the New -Hebrides at dawn. London had taken the last long -voyage alone; and the little Snark, so white and -pretty when we had sailed it south, hung sluggishly -at anchor in Api, black and stained, and wet and -slimy under the bare feet of a crew of blacks. My -boat now was a twenty-eight-foot open whaleboat, -with a jury rig of jib and mainsail; my crew of five, -squatting in the waist, looking silently at us or casting -<span class='pageno' id='Page_5'>5</span>glances, sometimes down at the water, sometimes -with sudden jerks of the head upward at the -little mast, like monkeys under a coconut tree, were -naked savages from Vao; and my companion, seated -on the thwart beside me, was my wife, Osa. We -were nearing the cannibal island of Malekula.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But to start the story of our adventures in Malekula -at the beginning, I must go back and describe -the reconnoitering trip we took fourteen months -earlier.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_6'>6</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER I<br /> <span class='large'>INTRODUCING NAGAPATE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Osa and I were nearing the end of a long cruise -through the South Seas. We had come in contact -with many wild peoples, but none of them were -quite wild enough. I had made motion-pictures of -cannibals in the Solomons. They were <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">bona-fide</span></i> cannibals, -fierce and naked. But somehow, I never -quite felt that they were the real thing: they so obviously -respected the English Government officers -and native police boys who accompanied and protected -us. I wanted to get among savages who were -unspoiled—to make photographs showing them in -their own villages, engaged in their ordinary pursuits. -I felt sure, from what I had seen and heard -and read, that the pictures I wanted were waiting to -be taken in the New Hebrides and nowhere else.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Savagery has been pretty well eliminated from the -South Seas. The Solomon Islander is well on the -road to becoming a respectable citizen of the British -Empire. Most of the Fiji Islanders have left off cannibalism -and have settled down and turned Methodist. -If you except New Guinea and Borneo, the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span>New Hebrides are probably the only islands in the -Pacific where there are natives who live as they did -before the white man’s coming.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The savages of the New Hebrides probably owe -their immunity from civilization to an accident of -government. For many years the ownership of the -islands was disputed. Both British and French laid -claim to them. Neither would relinquish hold; so -finally, they arranged to administer the islands -jointly until a settlement should be made. That settlement -has been pending for years. Meanwhile, -both governments have been marking time. Each -party is slow to take action for fear of infringing on -the rights—or of working for the benefit—of the -other. Each maintains but a small armed force. The -entire protection of the group consists of about sixty -or seventy police boys, backed up by the gunboats -which make occasional tours of the group. It is easy -to understand that this is not an adequate civilizing -force for a part of the world where civilizing is generally -done at the point of a rifle, and that the savages -of the more inaccessible parts of the group are as -unsubdued as they were in the days of the early -explorers.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I had heard that there were parts of the island of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_8'>8</span>Malekula, the second largest island of the group, -that no white man had ever trod, so I decided that -Malekula was the island I wanted to visit. “The -Pacific Islands Pilot,” which I had among my books, -gave a solemn warning against the people of Malekula -that served only to whet my interest:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Although an appearance of friendly confidence -will often tend to allay their natural feeling of distrust, -strangers would do well to maintain a constant -watchfulness and use every precaution against being -taken by surprise.” So said the “Pilot.” “... They -are a wild, savage race and have the reputation of being -treacherous.... Cannibalism is still occasionally -practiced. Nearly all are armed with Snyders. -The bushmen live entirely among the hills in small -villages and are seldom seen. Being practically secure -from punishment, they have not the same reasons -for good behavior that the salt-water men -have, and should, therefore, be always treated with -caution.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>A recruiter who had been for years in the New -Hebrides enlisting blacks for service in the Solomons -described Malekula to me in detail. It was a large -island, as my map showed me, shaped roughly like -an hour-glass, about sixty miles long and about ten -<span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span>miles across in the middle and thirty-five or so at -the ends. He said that there were supposed to be -about forty thousand savages on the island, most of -them hidden away in the bush. The northern part of -the island was shared between the Big Numbers and -the Small Numbers people, who took their names -from the <em>nambas</em>, the garment—if it could be called -a garment—worn by the men. In the case of the -Small Numbers, said my informant, it was a twisted -leaf. In the case of the Big Numbers, it was a bunch -of dried pandanus fiber. The recruiter said that -the central part of the island was supposed to be -inhabited by a race of nomads, though he himself -had never seen any one who had come in contact -with them. In the southern region lived a long-headed -people, with skulls curiously deformed by -binding in infancy.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Of all these peoples the Big Numbers were said to -be the fiercest. Both British and French had undertaken -“armed administrations” in their territory, -in an attempt to pacify them, but had succeeded -only in sacrificing a man for every savage, they -had killed. No white man had ever established -himself upon the territory of the Big Numbers and -none had ever crossed it. I decided to attempt -<span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>the crossing myself and to record the feat with my -cameras.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Every one to whom I mentioned this project advised -me against it. I was warned that experienced -recruiters of labor for the white man’s sugar and -rubber plantations, who knew the islands and the -natives well, never landed upon the beach unless -they had a second, “covering” boat with an armed -crew to protect them against treachery, and that the -most daring trader planned to stop there only for a -day—though perforce he often stayed for all eternity. -But I had the courage born of ignorance, and -ventured boldly, taking it for granted that the tales -told of the savages were wildly exaggerated. Traders, -missionaries, and Government officials all joined -in solemn warning against the undertaking, but -as none of them had ever seen a cannibal in action, -I did not take their advice seriously. When -they found that I was determined in my course, they -gave me all the assistance in their power.</p> - -<p class='c010'>My recruiter friend suggested that I make my -headquarters on Vao, a small island about a mile off -the northeastern coast of Malekula, where a mission -station was maintained by the French fathers. He -said that between the mission and the British gunboat, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span>which stopped there regularly, the natives of -Vao had become fairly peaceable, we would be safe -there, and at the same time would be in easy reach -of Malekula.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Osa and I lost no time in getting to Vao, where -Father Prin, an aged priest, welcomed us cordially, -and set aside for us one of the three rooms in his little -stone house. Father Prin had kind, beautiful eyes -and a venerable beard. He looked like a saint, in his -black cassock, and when we had a chance to look -about at the degenerate creatures among whom he -lived, we thought that he must, indeed, be one. He -had spent twenty-nine years in the South Seas. During -the greater part of that time he had worked -among the four hundred savages of Vao. The net result -of his activities was a clearing, in which were -a stone church and the stone parsonage and the -thatched huts of seventeen converts. The converts -themselves did not count for much, even in Father -Prin’s eyes. He had learned that the task of bringing -the New Hebridean native out of savagery was -well-nigh hopeless. He knew that, once he had left -his little flock, it would undoubtedly lapse into -heathenism. The faith and perseverance he showed -was a marvel to me. I shall always respect him and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>the other missionaries who work among the natives -of Vao and Malekula for the grit they show in a losing -fight. I have never seen a native Christian on -either of the islands—and I’ve never met any one -who has seen one!</p> - -<p class='c010'>When he learned that we were bent on visiting -Malekula, Father Prin added his word of warning to -the many that I had received. Though he could -speak many native languages, his English was limited -to <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bêche-de-mer</span></i>, the pidgin English of the South -Seas. In this grotesque tongue, which consorted so -strangely with his venerable appearance, he told us -that we would never trust ourselves among the natives -if we had any real understanding of their cruelty. -He said he was convinced that cannibalism was -practiced right on Vao, though the natives, for fear -of the British gunboat, were careful not to be discovered. -He cited hair-raising incidents of poisonings -and mutilations. He told us to look around -among the savages of Vao. We would discover very -few if any old folk, for the natives had the cruel custom -of burying the aged alive. He had done everything -he could to eradicate this custom, but to no -end. He told us of one old woman whom he had exhumed -three times, but who had finally, in spite of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span>his efforts, met a cruel death by suffocation. Once, -he had succeeded in rescuing an old man from death -by the simple expedient of carrying him off and putting -him into a hut next to his own house, where he -could feed him and look after him. A few days after -the old man had been installed, a body of natives -came to the clearing and asked permission to examine -him. They looked at his teeth to see if he -had grown valuable tusks; they fingered his rough, -withered skin; they felt his skinny limbs; they lifted -his frail, helpless carcass in their arms; and finally -they burst into yells of laughter. They said the -missionary had been fooled—there was not a -thing about the old man worth saving! We could -not look for mercy or consideration from such men -as these, said Father Prin. But despite his warning, -Osa and I sailed away to visit the grim island.</p> - -<p class='c010'>With the assistance of Father Prin, we secured -a twenty-eight-foot whaleboat that belonged to a -trader who made his headquarters on Vao, but was -now absent on a recruiting trip, leaving his “store” -in charge of his native wife. With the aid of five Vao -boys, recommended by Father Prin as being probably -trustworthy, we hoisted a small jib and a -mainsail, scarcely larger, and were off.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>At the last moment, Father Prin’s grave face -awoke misgivings in me and I tried to dissuade Osa -from accompanying me. Father Prin sensed the -drift of our conversation and made his final plea.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Better you stop along Vao,” he urged. “Bush -too bad.” His eyes were anxious. But Osa was not -to be dissuaded. “If you go, I’m going, too,” she -said, turning to me, and that was final.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We landed at a point on the Vao side of Malekula, -where there were one or two salt-water villages, -whose inhabitants had learned to respect gunboats. -We picked up three boys to serve as guides and carriers -and then sailed on to Tanemarou Bay, in the -Big Numbers territory. The shores along which we -traveled were rocky. Occasionally we saw a group -of natives on the beach, but they disappeared as we -approached. These were no salt-water savages, but -fierce bushmen. Their appearance was not reassuring; -but when we reached Tanemarou Bay, we -boldly went ashore. We were greeted by a solitary -savage who stepped out of the darkness of the jungle -into the glaring brightness of the beach. He was a -frightful object to behold, black and dirty, with -heavy, lumpy muscles, and an outstanding shock of -greasy hair. Except for a clout of dried pandanus -fiber, a gorget of pig’s teeth, and the pigtails that -dangled from his ear-lobes, he was entirely naked. -As he approached, we saw that his dull, shifty eyes -were liquid; his hairy, deeply seamed face was contorted -frightfully; and his hands were pressed tight -against his stomach. Osa shrank close to me. But the -first words of the native, uttered in almost unintelligible -<i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bêche-de-mer</span></i>, were pacific enough. “My word! -Master! Belly belong me walk about too much!”</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_014.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE WATCHER OF TANEMAROU BAY</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span>The nervous tension that Osa and I had both felt -snapped, and we burst out laughing. I saw a chance -to make a friend, so I fished out a handful of cascara -tablets and carefully explained to the native the exact -properties of the medicine. I made it perfectly -clear—so I thought—that part of the tablets were -to be taken at dawn and part at sunset. He listened -with painful attention, but the moment I stopped -speaking he lifted the whole handful of pills to his -slobbering lips and downed them at a gulp!</p> - -<p class='c010'>By this time we were surrounded by a group of -savages, each as terrible-looking as our first visitor. -As they made no effort to molest us, however, we -gained confidence. I set up a camera and ground out -several hundred feet of film. They had never seen a -motion-picture camera before, but, as is often the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>way with savages, after a first casual inspection, they -showed a real, or pretended, indifference to what -they could not understand.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Through the talented sufferer who knew <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bêche-de-mer</span></i>, -I learned that the chief of the tribe, Nagapate, -was a short distance away in the bush, and on the -spur of the moment, never thinking of danger, I -made up my mind to see him. Guided by a small -boy, Osa and I plunged into the dark jungle, followed -by our three carriers with my photographic -apparatus. We slid and stumbled along a trail made -treacherous by miry streams and slimy creepers and -up sharp slopes covered with tough canes. At last -we found ourselves in a clearing about three thousand -feet above the sea.</p> - -<p class='c010'>From where we stood we could see, like a little dot -upon the blue of the ocean, our whaleboat hanging -offshore. The scene was calm and beautiful. The -brown-green slopes were silent, except for the sharp -metallic calls of birds. But we knew that there were -men hidden in the wild, by the faint, thin wisps of -smoke that we could see here and there above the -trees. Each marked a savage camp-fire. “That’s -where they’re cooking the ‘long pig,’” I said jocularly, -pointing the smoke wisps out to Osa. But -<span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span>a moment later my remark did not seem so funny. -I heard a sound and turned and saw standing in -the trail four armed savages, with their guns aimed -at us.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Let’s get out of this,” I said to Osa; but when we -attempted to go down the trail, the savages intercepted -us with threatening gestures. Suddenly there -burst into view the most frightful, yet finest type of -savage I have ever seen. We knew without being -told that this was Nagapate himself. His every gesture -was chiefly.</p> - -<p class='c010'>He was enormously tall, and his powerful muscles -rippled under his skin, glossy in the sunlight. He was -very black; his features were large; his expression -showed strong will and the cunning and brutal -power of a predatory animal. A fringe of straight -outstanding matted hair completely encircled his -face; his skin, though glossy and healthy-looking, -was creased and thick, and between his brows were -two extraordinarily deep furrows. On his fingers -were four gold rings that could only have come from -the hands of his victims.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I thought I might win this savage to friendliness, -so I got out some trade-stuff I had brought with me -and presented it to him. He scarcely glanced at it. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>He folded his arms on his breast and stared at us -speculatively. I looked around. From among the -tall grasses of the clearing, there peered black and -cruel faces, all watching us in silence. There were -easily a hundred savages there. For the present there -was no escape possible. I decided that my only -course was to pretend a cool indifference, so I got out -my cameras and worked as rapidly as possible, talking -to the savages and to Osa as if I were completely -at ease.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I soon saw, however, that we must get away if we -were not to be caught by darkness. I made a last -show of assurance by shaking hands in farewell with -Nagapate. Osa followed my example; but instead of -releasing her, the savage chief held her firmly with -one hand and ran the other over her body. He felt -her cheeks and her hair and pinched and prodded her -speculatively.</p> - -<p class='c010'>She was pale with fright. I would have shot the -savage on the spot, but I knew that such a foolhardy -act would mean instant death to both of us. I -clenched my hands, forced to my lips what I hoped -would pass for an amused grin, and stood pat. After -a moment that seemed to both Osa and me an hour -long, Nagapate released Osa and grunted an order at -the savages who surrounded us. They disappeared -into the bush. This was our opportunity. I ordered -the three carriers to pick up the apparatus, and we -started for the trail.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_018.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>NAGAPATE</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span>We had gone only a few steps when we were -seized from behind. We had no chance to struggle.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In the minutes that followed, I suffered the most -terrible mental torture I have ever experienced. I -saw only one slim chance for us. Osa and I each carried -two revolvers in our breeches’ pockets; so far, -the savages had not discovered them, and I hoped -there might come some opportunity to use them. -Every ghastly tale I had ever heard came crowding -into my memory; and as I looked at the ring of black, -merciless faces, and saw my wife sagging, half-swooning, -in the arms of her cannibal captors, my -heart almost stopped its beating.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At this moment a miracle happened.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Into the bay far below us steamed the Euphrosyne, -the British patrol-boat. It came to anchor and -a ship’s boat was lowered. The savages were startled. -From lip to lip an English word was passed, -“Man-o’-war—Man-o’-war—Man-o’-war.” With -an assumption of satisfaction and confidence that I -did not feel, I tried to make it clear to them that this -<span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>ship had come to protect us, though I knew that at -any moment it might up anchor and steam away -again. Nagapate grunted an order, my carriers -picked up their loads, and we were permitted to -start down the trail. Once out of sight we began to -run. The cane-grass cut our faces, we slipped on the -steep path, but still we ran.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Halfway down, we came to an open place from -which we could see the bay. To our consternation, -the patrol-boat was putting out to sea! We knew -that the savages, too, had witnessed its departure; -for at once, from hill to hill, sounded the vibrant roar -of the conch-shell boo-boos—a message to the savages -on the beach to intercept us.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The sun was near setting. We hurried forward; -soon we found that we had lost the trail. Darkness -came down, and we struggled through the jungle in -a nightmare of fear. Thorns tore our clothing and -our flesh. We slipped and fell a hundred times. -Every jungle sound filled us with terror.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But at last, after what seemed hours, we reached -the beach. We stole toward the water, hopeful of escaping -notice, but the savages caught sight of us. -Fortunately our Vao boys, who had been lying off in -the whaleboat, sighted us, too, and poled rapidly in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span>to our assistance. We splashed into the surf and the -boys dragged us into the boat, where we lay, exhausted -and weak with fear.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It took us three days to get back to Vao, but that -nightmare story of storm and terror does not belong -here. Suffice it to say that we at last got back safely -and with my film unharmed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>On my return to Vao, one of the native boatmen -presented me with a letter, which had been left for -me at Tanemarou Bay, by the commander of the -patrol-boat, who had been assured by our boys that -we were in the immediate vicinity of the beach and -were about to return to the boat.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c011'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Matanavot</span>, <em>10th November, 1917</em></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l c011'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Dear Sir</span>:</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c012'>I have been endeavoring to find you with a view -to warning you against carrying out what I understand -to be your intentions. I am told that you have -decided to penetrate into the interior of this island -with a view to coming in contact with the people -known as the “Big Numbers.” Such a proceeding -cannot but be attended with great risk to yourself -and all those who accompany you. The whole interior -of this island of Malekula is, and has been for a -considerable time, in a very disturbed condition, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>it has been necessary in consequence to make two -armed demonstrations in the “Big Numbers” country -during the last three years. For these reasons, -on the part of the Joint Administration of this -group, I request that you will not proceed further -with this idea, and hereby formally warn you against -such persistence, for the consequences of which the -Administration cannot hold itself responsible.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c011'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in10'>Yours faithfully</div> - <div class='line in12'>(Signed) <span class='sc'>M. King</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='small'><em>H.B.M. Resident Commissioner for the New Hebrides</em></span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c012'>In any case I trust you will not take your wife into -the danger zone with you.</p> - -<div class='c013'>M. K.</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER II<br /> <span class='large'>SYDNEY AND NEW CALEDONIA</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Osa and I were sure, after our first adventure in -Malekula, that we had had enough of cannibals to -last us for the rest of our natural lives. But when we -reached Sydney, on our way home, and had our films -developed, we began to weaken. Our pictures were -so good that we almost forgot the risk we had taken -to get them. The few feet I had managed to grind -out on Malekula were no “staged” pictures of savage -life. They were so real and convincing that Osa -declared her knees went wobbly every time she saw -them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Before many months, Nagapate was scowling out -of the screen at audiences in New York and Paris and -London, and villagers who would never go a hundred -miles from home were meeting him face to face -in the Malekula jungle. The public wanted more—and -so did we. Early in 1919, about a year after our -first adventure in the Malekula bush, we were again -in Sydney, preparing for a second visit to the land of -the Big Numbers—the trip out of which this book -has grown.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>As we sailed into Sydney harbor on the S.S. Ventura, -we met, sailing out, the Pacifique, the little -steamer of the Messageries Maritimes that had -taken us to the New Hebrides on our former visit. -That meant we should have four weeks to wait before -embarking on our journey to Malekula. We -were impatient to be off, but we knew that the four -weeks would pass quickly enough, for many things -remained to be done before we should be ready for -a long sojourn in the jungle.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We took up our abode with the Higginses, in their -house on Darling Point Road overlooking the harbor. -Ernie Higgins had handled my films for me on -my previous trip, and I had found him to be the best -laboratory man I had ever met with, so I was glad -to be again associated with him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The house was an old-fashioned brick house of -about twelve or fourteen rooms. I fitted up one of -the second-story rooms to serve as a workroom. I -had electricity brought in and set up my Pathéscope -projector, so that I could see the pictures I happened -to be working on. Having this projector meant that -the work of cutting and assembling films would be -cut in two. I put up my rewinds, and soon had -everything in apple-pie order.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_024.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>A BEACH SCENE</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>From the window of my workroom, I could look -over Sydney harbor. Osa and I never tired of watching -the ships going in and out. We would consult -the sailing lists in the newspapers, and try to identify -the vessels that we saw below us. There were steamers -from China and Japan and the Straits Settlements; -little vessels from the various South Seas -groups; big, full-rigged ships from America; steamers -from Africa and Europe; little schooners from -the islands; coastal boats to and from New Zealand -and Tasmania, and almost every day big ships came -in with returned soldiers. In the course of a week we -saw boats of every description flying the flags of almost -every nation on the globe.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Osa put in long days in the harbor, fishing from -Mr. Higgins’s little one-man dinghy, that was nearly -swamped a dozen times a day in the wash from the -ferry-boats, while I worked like a slave at my motion-picture -apparatus. The public thinks that a wandering -camera-man’s difficulties begin with putting a -roll of film in the camera and end with taking it out. -If I were telling the true story of this trip, I should -start with my grilling weeks of preparation in New -York. But my troubles in Sydney will perhaps give -sufficient idea of the unromantic back-of-the-scenes -<span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>in the life of a motion-picture explorer. I had troubles -by the score. My cameras acted up. They -scratched the film; they buckled. When I had remedied -these and a dozen other ailments, I found that -my pictures were not steady when they were projected. -The fault we at last located in Mr. Higgins’s -printer. We repaired the printer. Then we found -that the developer produced a granulated effect on -the film. It took us two weeks to get the proper -developer. But our troubles were not over. Great -spots came out on the pictures—grease in the developing -tanks. And the racks were so full of old -chemicals that they spoiled the film that hung over -them. I had new racks and new tanks made. They -were not made according to specifications. I had -them remade twice and then took them apart and -did the work myself.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After I thought that my troubles were over, I -found that my Pathéscope projector, which had -been made for standard film, had several parts lacking. -This was most serious, for it spoiled a plan that -I had had in the back of my head ever since I had -first seen my Malekula pictures. I wanted to show -them to Nagapate and his men. It was an event that -I had looked forward to ever since I had decided to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>revisit the island. It would be almost comparable to -setting up a movie show in the Garden of Eden. -Luckily, I was able to have the missing parts made -in Sydney, and my apparatus was at last in order.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Then I had to collect as much information as I -could about the New Hebrides and their inhabitants, -so I trotted around morning after morning, to interview -traders and steamship officials and missionaries. -Another task, in which Osa helped me, was to -ransack the second-hand clothing stores for old hats -and coats and vests to serve as presents for the natives. -Other trade-stuffs, such as tobacco, mirrors, -knives, hatchets, and bright-colored calico, I -planned to get in Vila, the principal port and capital -of the New Hebrides.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The four weeks had gone by like a flash, but the -Pacifique had not yet put in an appearance. She -came limping into harbor at the end of another week. -She had been delayed by engine trouble and by -quarantines; for the influenza was raging through -the South Seas. It was announced that she would -sail in five days, but the sailing date was postponed -several times, and it was the 18th of June before we -finally lifted anchor.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It seemed good to get out of the flu-infested city, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>where theaters and schools and churches were closed, -every one was forced to wear a mask, and the population -was in a blue funk. We both loved Sydney -and its hospitable people, but we were not sorry to -see the pretty harbor, with its green slopes dotted -with red-tiled roofs, fade into the distance.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Osa and I have often said that we like the Pacifique -better than any ship we have ever traveled on. -It is a little steamer—only one thousand nine hundred -tons. We do not have bunks to sleep in, but -comfortable beds. Morning coffee is served from -five to eleven o’clock. It is an informal meal. Every -one comes up for it in pajamas. Breakfast is at half-past -eleven. Dinner is ready at half-past six and -lasts until half-past eight. It is a leisurely meal, of -course after course, with red wine flowing plentifully. -After dinner, the French officers play on the piano -and sing.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Most of the officers were strangers to us on this -voyage, for our old friends were all down with the -flu in Sydney. The doctor and the wireless operator -were both missing, and the captain, Eric de Catalano, -assumed their duties. He was a good wireless -operator, for we got news from New Zealand each -night and were in communication with Nouméa long -<span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>before we sighted New Caledonia. How efficient he -was as a doctor, I cannot say. But he had a big medicine -chest and made his round each day among the -sick, and though many of the passengers came down -with influenza, none of them died. He was a handsome -man, quiet and intelligent, and a fine photographer. -He had several cameras and a well-fitted -dark room and an enlarging apparatus aboard, and -had made some of the best island pictures I had ever -seen. He seemed to be a man of many talents, for -the chief engineer told me that he had an electrician’s -papers and could run the engines as well as he -himself could.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We were a polyglot crowd aboard. We had fifteen -first-class and five second-class passengers, French, -Australian, English, Scotch, and Irish, and one Dane, -with Osa and myself to represent America. In the -steerage were twenty-five Japanese, and up forward -there was a Senegalese negro being taken to the -French convict settlement at Nouméa. Our officers -were all French—few could speak English. Our -deck crew was composed of <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">libérés</span></i>—ex-convicts -from Nouméa. The cargo-handlers were native New -Caledonians with a sprinkling of Loyalty Islanders. -The firemen were Arabs, the dish-washers in the galley, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>New Hebrideans. The bath steward was a Fiji -Islander, the cabin steward a Hindu, the second-class -cabin steward hailed from the Molucca Islands, -and our table steward was a native of French Indo-China.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Three days out from Sydney we passed Middleton -Reef, a coral atoll, about five miles long and two -across, with the ocean breaking in foam on its reef -and the water of its lagoon as quiet as a millpond. -The atoll is barely above water, and many ships -have gone aground there. We sailed so close that I -could have thrown a stone ashore, and saw the hull -of a big schooner on the reef.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As we stood by the rail looking at her, one of our -fellow-passengers, a trader who knew the islands -well, came up to us and told us her story.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“She went ashore three years ago, in a big wind,” -he said. “All hands stuck to the ship until she broke -in two. Then they managed to reach land—captain -and crew and the captain’s wife and two children. -They had some fresh water and a little food. -They rationed the water carefully, and there was -rain. But the food soon gave out. For days they had -nothing. The crew went crazy with hunger, and -killed one of the children and ate it. For two days, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>the mother held the other child in her arms. Then -she threw it into the sea so that they could not eat it. -Then three of the men took one of the ship’s boats. -They could not manage it in the rough sea, but by a -lucky chance they were washed up on the beach. -They were still alive, but the captain’s wife had lost -her mind.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>We reached Nouméa on the morning of June 23d. -The pilot met us outside the reef, in accordance with -regulations, but he refused to come on board when he -found that we had several passengers down with the -influenza, so we towed him in. We were not allowed -to land, but were placed in quarantine off a small -island about two miles from Nouméa, between the -leper settlement and Île Nou, the convict island. We -were avoided as though we had leprosy. Each day -a launch came with fresh meat and fresh vegetables, -the French engineer and black crew all masked and -plainly anxious not to linger in our vicinity any -longer than necessary, and each day the doctor came -and took our temperatures.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We passed our time in fishing from the deck. We -had excellent luck and our catches made fine eating. -Osa, of course, caught more fish than any one else, -principally because she was up at sunrise and did not -<span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>quit until it was time to go to bed. I relieved the -monotony in the evenings by showing my pictures. -I set up the Pathéscope in the saloon, and each night -I gave a performance. My audience was most critical. -Every one on board knew the New Hebrides -and Nouméa well, and many of the passengers were -familiar with the Solomons and other groups in -which I had taken pictures. But my projector -worked finely; I had as good a show as could be -seen in any motion-picture house, and every one was -satisfied.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We had been surprised, as we steamed into the -harbor, to see the Euphrosyne lying at anchor there. -The sight of her had made us realize that we were indeed -nearing the Big Numbers territory. Strangely -enough, the thought aroused no fear in us—only -excitement and eagerness to get to work, and resentment -against the delay that kept us inactive in Nouméa -harbor.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Not until four days had passed was our quarantine -lifted. On the evening of June 27th, the launch -brought word that peace had been signed, and that, -if no more cases of flu had developed, we would be -allowed to land on the following day and take part -in the peace celebration.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span>New Caledonia does not much resemble the other -islands of the South Pacific. It has a white population -of twenty thousand—about two thirds as -great as the native population. Its capital, Nouméa, -is an industrial city of fifteen thousand white inhabitants—the -Chicago of the South Seas. In and -around it are nickel-smelters, meat-canneries, sugar-works, -tobacco and coconut-oil and soap factories. -New Caledonia is rich in minerals. It has large deposits -of coal and kaolin, chrome and cobalt, lead -and antimony, mercury, cinnabar, silver, gold and -copper and gypsum and marble. In neighboring islands -are rich guano beds. Agriculture has not yet -been crowded off the island by industry. The -mountain slopes make good grazing grounds and the -fertile valleys are admirably fitted for the production -of coffee, cotton, maize, tobacco, copra, rubber, -and cereals. Yet there is little of South Seas romance -about the islands. And Nouméa is one of the -ugliest, most depressing little towns on the face of -the earth.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We docked there early on the morning of Saturday, -the 28th of June. The wharf was packed with -people, but none of them would come on board. We -might have been a plague ship. As we went ashore, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>we looked for signs of the peace celebration. A few -half-hearted firecrackers and some flags hanging -limp in the heat were all. The real celebration, we -were told, would take place on Monday.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In the evening, we were invited to attend one of -those terrible home-talent performances that I had -thought were a product only of Kansas, but, I now -learned, were as deadly in the South Seas as in the -Middle West. A round little Frenchman read a paper -in rapid French that we could not understand, -but the expression of polite interest on the faces of -the audience told us that it must be like the Fourth-of-July -orations in our home town. Then came a -duet, by a man and woman who could not sing. Another -paper. Then an orchestra of three men and -four girls arranged themselves with much scraping -of chairs on the funny little stage and wheezed a few -ancient tunes.</p> - -<p class='c010'>On Sunday night we went to the Peace Ball in the -town hall. Most of Nouméa’s fifteen thousand inhabitants -were there, so dancing was next to impossible. -It was like a Mack Sennet comedy ball. Ancient -finery had been hauled out for the occasion, -and, though most of the men appeared in full dress, -scarcely one had evening clothes that really fitted. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span>Under the too loose and too tight coats, however, -there were warm and hospitable hearts, and we -were treated royally. After the ball, we were entertained -at supper by the governor and his suite.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Governor Joulia was a little, bald-headed man of -about fifty years of age, always smiling, always polite, -and always dressed in the most brilliant of brilliant -uniforms, covered with decorations that he had -won during campaigns in Senegal, Algeria and India. -His wife was a pretty, plump woman of about thirty—she -and Osa took to each other at once. They -spoke no English, and our French is awful, but we -struck out like drowning persons, and managed to -understand each other after a fashion.</p> - -<p class='c010'>On Monday, the “real celebration” of the peace -consisted in closing the stores and sleeping most of -the day. In the afternoon, the governor and his -wife came to the ship for us and took us to their -beautiful summer place, about five miles from the -city. A great park, with deer feeding under the trees, -fine gardens, tennis courts, well-tended walks—and -the work all done by numbered convicts.</p> - -<p class='c010'>There are convicts everywhere in and about Nouméa—convicts -and <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">libérés</span></i>. Their presence makes -the ugly little town seem even more unprepossessing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>than it is. The pleasantest spot anywhere around is -Île Nou, the convict island that I have often heard -called a hell on earth. On this green little island -are about five hundred convicts—all old men, for -France has not deported any of her criminals to New -Caledonia since 1897. They are all “lifers.” Indeed, -I was told of one old man who is in for two hundred -years; he has tried to escape many times, and, according -to a rule of the settlement, ten years are added -to a man’s sentence for each attempt at escape.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We visited Île Nou in company with Governor -Joulia and Madame Joulia; the Mayor of Nouméa; -the manager of the big nickel mines; the Governor of -the prison settlement, and a lot of aides-de-something. -We saw the old prisoners, in big straw hats -and burlap clothing, each with his number stamped -on his back, all busy doing nothing. We were taken -through the cells where, in former times, convicts -slept on bare boards, with their feet through leg-irons. -We were locked in dark dungeons, and, for -the benefit of my camera, the guillotine was brought -out and, with a banana stalk to take the place of a -man, the beheading ceremony was gone through -with. We were taken in carriages over the green -hills to the hospitals and to the insane asylum, where -we saw poor old crazy men, with vacant eyes, staring -at the ceilings. Here we met the king of the -world, who received us with great pomp from behind -the bars of a strong iron cage, and a pitiful old inventor, -who showed us a perpetual-motion machine which -he had just perfected. It was made from stale bread.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_036.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>LOOKING SEAWARD</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>Yet Île Nou is better than Nouméa, with its ugly -streets full of broken old <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">libérés</span></i>. While most of the -convicts were sent out for life, some were sent for five -years. At the end of that time, they were freed from -Île Nou and permitted to live in New Caledonia on -parole, and if they had committed no fresh offense, -at the end of another five years they were given their -ticket back to France. Any one sentenced to a longer -term than five years, however, never saw France -again. He regained his freedom, but was destined to -lifelong exile. Some of the <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">libérés</span></i> have found employment -and have become responsible citizens of -New Caledonia, but many of them drift through the -streets of Nouméa, broken old men who sleep wherever -they can find a corner to crawl into and pick -their food from the gutters.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I was glad, while in Nouméa, to renew my acquaintance -with Commissioner King of the New -Hebrides, who had come to New Caledonia to have -<span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>the Euphrosyne repaired. I talked over with him -my proposed expedition to Malekula, and received -much valuable advice. He could not give me the -armed escort I had hoped to secure from him, for -he had no police boys to spare. He promised, however, -to pick us up at Vao, in about a month’s time, -and take us for a cruise through the group in the Euphrosyne. -I wanted him, and the New Caledonian -officials as well, to see some of my work, so I decided -to show my films in the Grand Cinéma, the leading -motion-picture house of Nouméa. I gave the proprietor -the films free of charge, under condition that -I got fifty seats blocked off in the center of the house. -We invited fifty guests, and the remainder of the -house was packed with French citizens of Nouméa, -Chinese and Japanese coolies and native New Caledonians. -I showed the five reels called “Cannibals -of the South Seas.” Then I showed my four reels of -Malekula film, and ended up with a one-reel subject, -Nouméa. We were given an ovation, and both Osa -and I had to make speeches—understood by -few of those present. The French have a passion for -speeches whether they can understand them or not. -The next morning, we found ourselves celebrities as -we walked through the streets of Nouméa.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER III<br /> <span class='large'>THE THRESHOLD OF CANNIBAL-LAND</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>We left New Caledonia at midnight on July 3d, and -steamed over a calm sea to Vila.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Vila is the commercial center as well as the capital -of the New Hebrides and its harbor is one of the -finest in the South Seas. On our right, as we steamed -in, was the island of Irriki, a mountain peak rising -out of the sea, on the highest point of which Mr. -King has built his house. Vila is a typical South -Seas town—a rambling mixture of tropical and European -architecture and no architecture at all. Its -public buildings, French and British, its churches, -and the well-kept British settlement, with the parade -grounds and barracks for the native police, -make it more imposing than the run of the pioneer -villages of Melanesia, but it seemed strange to us -that it should be the metropolis for the white people -of thirty islands. We spent a day in Vila looking up -old acquaintances and laying in supplies. Among -the acquaintances we found good old Father Prin -who had been retired from active duty on Vao and -had come to Vila to spend his declining days. He -<span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>was glad to see us, but shook his head when he heard -that we were again going to try our luck among the -Big Numbers.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Big Numbers plenty bad,” he warned us in -<i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bêche-de-mer</span></i>. And Osa and I replied in the same -tongue, “Me no fright.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>I bought nearly a thousand dollars’ worth of food -and trade-stuffs from the four trading stores of Vila, -but could not get a schooner or any native boys to -take us on our trip around Malekula. So I decided -to go on to the island of Espiritu Santo, two hundred -miles to the north. We stopped at Api, to leave -mail and supplies and to take on copra. In the harbor -there, we again saw the old Snark at anchor. It -was a black and shabby ship, manned by a black -crew and used for recruiting labor for work in the -white man’s sugar and copra plantations.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We found Segond Channel, off Southeastern -Santo, filled with cutters and schooners, every one -of which had white men aboard, who had been waiting -a couple of weeks for the news and supplies -brought by the Pacifique. In no time at all, I made -arrangements for three schooners with big crews to -accompany me on my visit to the tribe of the Big -Numbers. Mr. Thomas, of Hog Harbor, promised -<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>he would send his boat to Vao in a week with as -many boys as he could spare. Mr. Perrole, an experienced -French recruiter, also agreed to charter -a schooner and bring boys. We obtained a third -schooner from a young Frenchman, Paul Mazouyer, -one of the most picturesque dare-devils I have ever -met. A giant in size and strength, boiling with energy, -always singing, sometimes dancing with his -boys, he did not understand the meaning of fear. He -was a match for three white men, and he took -chances on the beach that no other recruiter would -dream of taking. I asked him once in <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bêche-de-mer</span></i>—the -only language in which we could converse—if -the savages did not sometimes make him a little -anxious.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Ah,” he said, shifting his huge frame and stretching -his arms, “my word! Suppose fifty men he come, -me no fright!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>I believed him. He was a two-fisted adventurer of -the old type, with the courage of unbeaten youth. -He knew, as every white man in the New Hebrides -knows, that he might expect short shrift once the -natives got him in their power, but he trusted to -fate and took reckless chances.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The captain of the Pacifique agreed to take us to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>Vao, although it was fifty miles off his course. We -dropped anchor off the island just at daylight and -were surrounded almost immediately by canoes -filled with naked savages. The Pacifique was a marvel -to the natives. She was one of the smallest -steamers I had ever been aboard, but they had never -in all their lives seen so large a vessel. The imposing -size of the ship and the impressive quantity of my -baggage—sixty-five trunks, crates and boxes—gave -me a great deal of importance in their eyes. As -we stood on the beach watching the unloading of the -ship’s boat, they crowded about, regarding us with -furtive curiosity. From time to time they opened -their huge, slobbering mouths in loud guffaws, -though there was apparently no cause for laughter.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When my things were all unloaded, the captain -and officers shook hands with us and put off for the -ship. In twenty minutes the Pacifique was steaming -away. Before she gained speed, a big American -flag was hoisted between the masts, and the engineer -tooted encouragement to us. As she grew small -in the distance, the flag at the stern of the vessel was -dipped three times. We sat on the beach among our -boxes and watched her until she was just a cloud of -smoke on the horizon. We felt very lonely and very -<span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span>much shut off from our kind there, surrounded by a -crowd of jabbering, naked savages, who stared at us -with all the curiosity shown by people back home -toward the wild man in a sideshow.</p> - -<p class='c010'>With a show of cheerfulness, we set about making -ourselves comfortable for the weeks to come. The -huts of the seventeen converts were deserted, and -rapidly going to pieces: the former occupants had -forsaken the lonely clearing for the crowded villages. -But the little stone house in which Father -Prin had lived was still standing, though one corner -of the roof had fallen in. A proffer of tobacco secured -me many willing black hands to repair the -roof and thatch it with palm leaves. Other natives -brought up our trunks and boxes. They cut big -poles and lashed the boxes to them with vines, and, -ten to twenty natives to a box, they carried the luggage -from the beach in no time. By noon we had -everything stored away safe from the weather. We -spent the afternoon in unpacking the things needed -for immediate use, and soon Osa and I had our little -three-room dwelling shipshape.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We had learned a lesson from our first trip, with -the result that, on this second expedition, we had -brought with us every possible comfort and even -<span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span>some luxuries—from air-cushions and mattresses -to hams, bacons, and cheeses specially prepared for -us in Sydney. With a clear-flamed Primus stove and -Osa to operate it, we were fairly certain of good food. -Having promulgated the law of the New Hebrides -and Solomons, that every native coming upon the -clearing must leave his gun behind him and cover -his nakedness with calico, we settled down for a long -stay.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Vao is a very small island, no more than two miles -in diameter, lying several miles off the northeast -shore of Malekula. It is rimmed on the Malekula -side by a broad, beautiful beach. Three small villages -are hidden in the low, scrub jungle, but the -only signs of habitation are three canoe houses that -jut out from the fringe of bushes and hundreds of -canoes drawn up in a careful line upon the beach.</p> - -<p class='c010'>About four hundred savages live in the three villages -of Vao. Their huts—mere shelters, not high -enough to permit a man to stand erect—contain -nothing but a few bits of wood to feed the smoldering -fires. Pigs wander freely in and out. Oftentimes -these animals seem to be better favored than the -human inmates, who are a poor lot, many of them -afflicted with dreadful sores and weak eyes.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span>Many of the inhabitants of Vao are refugees from -the big island of Malekula, who were vanquished in -battle and literally driven off the earth by their enemies. -Soon after our arrival, a powerful savage -named Tethlong, one of the Small Numbers people, -arrived on Vao with twenty of his men. All the remaining -men of his tribe had been killed and the -women and children had been taken captive. The -natives of Vao received the newcomers as a welcome -addition to their fighting force, and Tethlong set -about to insure his position among his new neighbors. -He invited the entire population to a feast, -and at once sent his men to neighboring islands to -buy up pigs and chickens for the occasion. The -devil-devils—great, hollowed logs, carved roughly -to represent human faces, which are erected everywhere -in the New Hebrides to guard against evil -spirits—were consulted to find a propitious time -for the feasting, and on the appointed day the celebration -began with much shouting and singing and -dancing and beating of tom-toms. It lasted for several -days. Before it was over, seven hundred and -twenty pigs had been slaughtered. The island had -never before seen such a feast. As a result of his -political strategy, Tethlong became the Big Chief -<span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>of Vao, taking precedence over the chiefs already -there.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I got some fine pictures of Tethlong’s feast, but -they were the only pictures I took for some days. -For one thing, I was too busy for camera work; for -the job of checking over our supplies and fortifying -our place against a heavy rain kept us busy. For another, -I was anxious to keep our savage neighbors -at a distance, so long as we were alone.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Though they got over their curiosity concerning -us and our effects within a few days, about half a -dozen loafers continued to appear every morning -and beg for tobacco. They were too lazy to work, -and their constant presence annoyed us. They were -in the way, and, besides, they grew cheekier day by -day. The limit was reached one evening when Osa -was playing her ukulele. Several natives wandered -over from the village to listen. It was pretty music—I -liked it a lot—and Osa was flattered when -some of the boys came to talk to us about it. But it -soon developed that they were demanding tobacco -as compensation for listening!</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_046.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>DANCE OF TETHLONG’S MEN</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>We managed to get hold of a fairly trustworthy -boy—Arree by name—to help with the housework. -He claimed to have gone to the Catholic mission school at Vila, and, strange to say, he did not -approve of the ways of his own people, though he -was never absent from one of their festivals. He always -told us the local gossip. It was from him that -we learned what had happened to the mission boy -who had worked for us on our former visit. He had -aroused the ill-will of a neighbor and two weeks before -our arrival had died from poison placed in his -<em>lap-lap</em>, a pudding made of coconuts and fish.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Osa could write volumes regarding the difficulties -of training her scrubby native recruit to the duties of -housework. He spoke good <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bêche-de-mer</span></i>, but <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bêche-de-mer</span></i> -is a language capable of various interpretations. -Osa spoke it better than I, but even she could -not make simple orders clear to our muddle-brained -black slavey. One morning, she told Arree to heat an -iron for her. She waited for a long time to get it, and -then went after it. She found Arree crouched before -the fire, gravely watching the iron boiling in a pot.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Arree murdered the King’s English in a way that -must have made old Webster turn over in his grave. -He never said “No.” His negative was always “No -more,” and his affirmative was an emphatic “Yes-yes.” -When I called for warm water in the morning, -he would reply, blandly, “Hot water, he cold fellow,” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>and I would have to wait until, in his leisured -way, Arree built the fire and heated the water. He -had a sore leg, which I healed with a few applications -of ointment. A few days later, he came to me with -one eye swollen nearly shut, and my medicine kit in -his hand. “Me gottem sore leg along eye-eye,” he -informed me. Sometimes he achieved triumphs. I -asked him once to tell another native to bring me the -saw from Osa. In order to air his knowledge of English, -Arree said: “You go along Mary (woman) -belong Master catchem one fellow something he -brother belong ackus (axe), pullem he come, pushem -he go.” And then he translated the command, for -his admiring, wide-eyed brother, into the native -dialect.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Osa and I often caught ourselves falling into this -queer English even when there were no natives -around. It gets into the blood like baby-talk.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER IV<br /> <span class='large'>NAGAPATE COMES TO CALL</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Long before our reënforcements were due to arrive, -we began to feel uneasy on Vao. I found our neighbors -far too friendly with the unregenerate Malekula -bushmen to be entirely trustworthy. The bush people -had no canoes. But when they wanted to visit -Vao, they would sing out from the shore, and the -Vao men would go after them and bring them over, -fifteen or twenty of them at a time. The Malekula -men never came near our clearing, but the knowledge -that they were on the island made us uncomfortable. -We were sure that they came to participate -in savage orgies, for often after a group of them -arrived, the sound of the tom-tom and of savage -chanting drifted through the jungle from the native -villages, and our little clearing seemed haunted by -shadows that assumed menacing shapes. Finally, -there occurred an incident that changed what had -been merely nervous apprehension to vivid fear.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We had been a week on the island. The schooners -we were awaiting had not yet arrived. We could expect -them, now, any day, but things do not run by -<span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>clockwork in the South Seas, so we knew that another -week might pass before we should see them. -It had been hot and rainy and steamy and disagreeable -ever since our arrival, but to-night was clear, -with a refreshing breeze. After our tinned dinner, -Osa and I went down to the beach. The moon was -full. The waves lazily washed up on the soft sand, -white in the moonlight, and the fronds of the palm-trees -along the shore whispered and rattled above -our heads. Osa, in a romantic mood, was strumming -very softly on the ukulele. All at once, we heard -the whish-whish of canoe paddles coming around a -rocky point. We moved back into the shelter of some -bushes and watched.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Presently ten natives landed on the beach and -drew their canoe up after them. From it they took -two objects wrapped in leaves, one elongated and -heavy—it took several men to handle it—the -other small and round. Soon the men, with their -burdens, disappeared down a dark pathway leading -to the village.</p> - -<p class='c010'>For several minutes we did not dare to move. -Then we hurried back to the house and got our revolvers -and sat for a long time feeling very much -alone, afraid to go to bed and afraid to go out in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>open. After a while a weird chanting and the beating -of tom-toms began in the village near by. The -noise kept us awake all night.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Next morning, Arree came up with his story of the -night’s revels. The packages, he said, had really -contained the body and head of a man. The head -had been impaled on a stick in the village square, -and the natives had danced wildly around it. Then -the body was spitted on a long pole and roasted over -a great fire. The savages continued to dance and -sing until the horrible meal was ready. The rest of -the night was spent in feasting. Such orgies as this, -Arree said, were fairly frequent. The natives often -purchased slain enemies from the bush savages of -Malekula, to eat as they would eat so many pigs.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Two days after this incident, Paul Mazouyer -dropped anchor off Vao. We were glad to see him, -and told him so in emphatic <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bêche-de-mer</span></i>, the only -common language at our disposal. We promptly put -my apparatus aboard his little schooner, or cutter, -as the craft was called in those waters, and set sail -for the country of the Big Numbers. A hundred -naked savages watched us in silence from the beach. -The two other schooners had gone on ahead to meet -us in Big Numbers Bay, known locally as Tanemarou. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>They were all recruiting schooners with experienced -crews, armed with regulation rifles, as -permitted and indeed insisted upon by the Government.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Recruiting labor for the rubber and sugar plantations -of white settlers is a regular business in the -New Hebrides and a dangerous one. A recruiter -chooses his island and anchors in the offing. He then -sets adrift a charge of dynamite, which is detonated -as a signal to the natives. The roar of the explosion -rolls through the valleys and echoes against the -hills. On the day following, the savages come down -to the beach to trade. Two boats then put off from -the schooner. In the first is the white man with an -unarmed crew, for the savages are not beyond rushing -the boat for the sake of a gun. In the second, -hovering a short distance away, is an armed crew, -who cover the savages with their guns while their -master parleys with the chiefs for recruits. At the -first hostile move on the part of the natives, the boys -in the covering boat open fire.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Despite such extreme precautions, tragedies happen. -A friend of Paul Mazouyer’s had been killed at -Malua, whither we were now bound. Paul told us -the story. There were only a few savages on the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span>beach at the time; but one of them promised to go -into the bush to recruit if his people were given half -a case of tobacco. The recruiter foolishly sent his -covering boat back to the cutter for the tobacco, and -the savages sat down on the beach to wait. While -they were waiting, another savage came out of the -jungle. He walked slowly down the beach with his -hands behind him and waded out into the water until -he could get behind the white man. Then he suddenly -placed the muzzle of a gun against the white -man’s back and pulled the trigger.</p> - -<p class='c010'>A French gunboat was sent from Nouméa to -avenge the murder, and a month after the tragedy -Paul led an expedition into the bush which razed a -village and killed a number of savages.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In conclusion, Paul told us an incident that he -thought was uproariously funny. The victor had -brought the bodies of four of the natives down to the -sea. Among the members of the expedition were a -dozen “civilized” blacks of a tribe hostile to the Big -Numbers. These twelve boys looked thoughtfully -at the four dead bodies and then approached the -commander with a spokesman at their head.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Master,” he said with great earnestness, “me -lookum some fellow man he die finish. He stop along -<span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span>sand. He plenty good kai-kai! Me think more better -you no put him along ground. Altogether boy he -speak—He eat him!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>We reached the bay where these events had taken -place on the first night after our departure from Vao. -We coasted along so close to the shore that we could -plainly see groups of natives who watched us, talking -and gesticulating among themselves, and sometimes -followed us for some distance along the beach, -curious to see where we would land. We rounded -the northern point of the island and bucked into a -stiff head wind and a strong current. We made little -progress until the tide turned. Then we went along -at a good rate.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We anchored in Malua Bay, a stone’s throw from -shore, on a line with a great ravine that cleft the -mountains and separated the territory of the Small -Numbers tribes, which lies directly across from Vao, -from that of the Big Numbers, which occupies the -northwest corner of the island.</p> - -<p class='c010'>That was a night typical of the South Seas. I -shall never forget it. The moon was visible for only -a few seconds at a time, when it dodged from behind -thick, drifting clouds and drenched everything with -a light almost as bright as day. Our black crew huddled -<span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>in the bow of the boat. We sat with our guns -beside us. On the shore we could clearly make out -the forms of savages squatting around their camp-fire. -From the distance we could hear the deep tones -of the conch-shell boo-boos. The sea rolled upon the -beach with a heavy, sleepy purring. In the dark -blue waters below us we could see sharks moving -about, leaving trails of phosphorus. By the light of -a greasy, smoky lantern that went out every few -moments, struggling against a ground swell that -threatened to capsize my typewriter, I entered the -day’s events in my diary. As I wrote, the savages -began a weird dance, their grotesque forms silhouetted -against the sky. The sound of their chanting -brought me what Osa calls the “South Sea feeling.” -I don’t know how to describe it. But it is the -thing that makes me always want to go back.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The next morning we went ashore in two boats, -Paul, Osa, and myself in one, with one boy to pull, -and four armed boys in another boat to cover us. -There were only half a dozen savages in sight, so we -landed on the beach and even walked up to the small -river that emptied into the bay, but we kept our -guns handy and the covering boat was watching -closely. We knew that if it came to a rush, we could -<span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>beat the savages to the boat and that they were too -poor shots to waste valuable ammunition in shooting -from the edge of the jungle. It is the custom of -the men of Malekula to approach near enough to -place the muzzle against their enemy. Otherwise, -they seldom risk a shot.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We had not been ashore long when we saw a couple -of natives emerge from the bush and walk toward -us. We hurried to the boat. Other savages appeared -in small groups, so we shoved off. We bobbed along -the shore all afternoon, while Paul tried to get recruits. -About fifty armed savages wandered up and -down, coaxing us in closer; but on account of Osa, -I would not risk landing, though Paul, who feared -nothing, wanted to put in to shore. He knew that -almost any savage in that region would kill him, if -chance offered, in revenge for the part he had played -in the punitive expedition, but this was his favorite -recruiting ground and he was not to be scared away -from it. He had the contempt for natives that has -resulted fatally for many a white man.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At sundown we returned to the cutter. We could -hear the savages shouting as they went back into the -hills. The broiling sun had left us hot and sticky, -and when Paul suggested a swim we all agreed to it, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>sharks or no sharks. The boys kept a sharp lookout -for the flashes of phosphorus that would mean approaching -danger, but we finished our swim without -adventure. Nevertheless, that night we put out -hooks and caught two sharks, one four feet long, the -other six—which ended our swimming along these -shores.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Paul’s little boat was close quarters for the three -of us. He made his bed alongside the engines, below, -and Osa and I slept in the scuppers, one on each -side of the hatch.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At about eleven o’clock, it began to rain and blow. -We dragged our anchor and had to put down another -and then a kedge anchor in addition. The -craft twisted and turned and plunged, until Osa -swore we went right over and up again. I padded -Osa with old sail to protect her from bruises and we -held on to the hatch with both hands to keep from -being thrown into the sea. Almost all our supplies -were drenched; for we robbed everything else of tarpaulin -or canvas coverings to keep my apparatus -dry. Shivering and wretched, we crouched on deck -waiting for daylight. Morning was never so slow in -coming; but with the first light, the rain ceased, the -sea became smooth, and the sun came up broiling -<span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>hot, sucking up the moisture until from stern to bow -we looked like a spout of a boiling tea-kettle.</p> - -<p class='c010'>There was fever in the air. We ate quinine as if it -had been candy, in an effort to stave off the sickness -that, always inconvenient, would now prove especially -so.</p> - -<p class='c010'>About noon we made out two vessels sailing up to -us, and as they came alongside we found that one -was sailed by Perrole and the other by a young man, -half Samoan and half English, whom Mr. Thomas -had sent with ten boys. His name was Stephens. -We now had twenty-six armed and experienced natives, -four white men and Osa. With this force I -was ready to undertake almost anything; so after a -hasty conference we decided to go on to Tanemarou, -the bay from which we had first entered Nagapate’s -territory. Without the aid of the Government, I -saw that it would be impossible to carry out my -original intention of entering the island at the northern -end and traversing it straight through to the -southern. So I proposed the alternative plan of sailing -completely around the island, landing at different -points from which I could strike inland to visit -the tribes. In many ways, this latter plan proved to -be the better of the two for my purpose. I doubt, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>now, if a Government escort would have been to my -advantage; for any Government expedition would -have been regarded as a punitive raid and as such -would have encountered the most determined resistance. -Even at the time, I felt that the peaceable nature -of my expedition would put me on good terms -with the savages. Cruel as they were, they were -childlike, too, and the fact that we were coming to -them in a friendly spirit with presents for which, apparently, -we were asking nothing in return, would, -I felt sure, disarm their hostility. I had discovered -that most of the recent murders of white men had -been committed by the savages in a spirit of revenge. -Recruiters who had carried off their kinsfolk; traders -who had cheated them; members of punitive expeditions, -or the occasional Simon Legree who had -earned the hatred of the blacks by cruelty—such -were the victims of savage gun or knife.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was with a feeling of confidence that I sailed -into Tanemarou Bay. Here, sweeping around us, -was the broad beach across which we had run for our -lives almost two years before. In fine yellow sand it -spread away from the water’s edge for about a hundred -yards to the dark fringe of jungle. Against the -high black volcanic rocks that guarded the entrance -<span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>to the bay, a heavy surf beat and roared, but on the -sands the land-locked waters lapped gently, shimmering -with many colors. The dark hills rose about -the jungle in green slopes mottled with brown and -streaked here and there with tiny wisps of smoke.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I suddenly thought that the peaceful aspect of -those hills was exactly what must have struck the -men aboard the gunboat Euphrosyne when its opportune -appearance had given Osa and me the -chance for our lives. The memory of that horrible -adventure made me momentarily uneasy. Osa -squeezed my arm, and I knew that her thoughts, too, -had gone back to the evening when, in the gathering -darkness, we had slipped from the edge of the jungle, -tattered, bleeding, and terrified, and rushed into -the water pursued by the yelling savages.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Paul was not troubled by any forebodings. He at -once suggested that we go ashore. So Osa and I followed -him into the boat and we pulled for the beach, -followed by the small boats from the other cutters. -As we landed, about twenty armed savages suddenly -appeared and came walking boldly toward us. Except -for belts of rough bark and clouts of pandanus -fiber, they were naked. The flatness of their noses -was accentuated by plugs driven through the cartilage -<span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>dividing the nostrils. Shaggy, outstanding -manes of hair completely encircled their faces, -which were deeply seamed and wore a perpetual -scowl.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I began to doubt once more whether I could fulfill -the object of my expedition after all. There was -no man living who had witnessed the cannibalistic -rites of these wild men. Many had made the attempt -and had paid a gruesome penalty. But as the -band drew nearer, my feeling changed. In a sense, -they were my people. They had encircled the globe -with me and in the comfortable surroundings of -great theaters had stood naked and terrible before -thousands of civilized people. I had made their faces -familiar in all parts of the world. With something -like emotion I watched them as they approached. -Suddenly the figure at their head stood out like a -“fade-in.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was Nagapate.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Osa and I forgot that this savage had once wanted -to eat us. We forgot what had happened at our first -violent meeting. We looked at each other and smiled -and then, both actuated by the same unaccountable -impulse, we rushed forward and grabbed his hand.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Now Nagapate did not know the meaning of a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>handshake, but he seemed to understand instantly -that we were glad to see him. His heavy face, gashed -so deeply with wrinkles that his scowl seemed unalterable, -broke into a delighted grin. He recovered -his dignity in a moment, however, and stood to one -side with his arms folded on his massive chest, -watching closely every move we made. The strong -guard we had brought with us must have impressed -him; but he did not seem at all apprehensive, for he -could tell by our conduct that we were friendly. We -were anxious to get some pictures. However, since -fresh relays of savages continued to come down from -the jungle, we decided to wait until we had with us -all the boys from the other boats before taking any -further chances.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We decided to return to the cutter, and as we were -about to embark an extraordinary thing happened. -Nagapate came up to Osa and made signs to show -that he would like to go aboard with us. Now hundreds -of his own people had been grabbed from his -beach in times gone by and “blackbirded” away to -slavery. He was accustomed, and with cause, to -think the white man as merciless as we thought him -to be. Yet of his own free will, without a glimmer of -fear, Nagapate put himself completely in our power.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_062.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>A CALL FROM NAGAPATE</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>An hour later, while we ate our dinner of tinned -beef, Nagapate, with two of his men, squatted on -the deck at our feet and ate hard-tack and white -trade-salmon. Afterwards I brought out pictures -I had made on my first visit. The savages gave -yells of excitement when they saw Nagapate’s face -caught on paper. When I produced a large colored -poster of the chief and presented it to him, he was -speechless. The three savages, looking at this mysterious -likeness, were almost ready to kow-tow to us, -as they did to their devil-devils in the bush.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But the crowning touch of all came when we had -grown a little tired of our guests, and Osa brought -out her ukulele and commenced to sing. To our surprise -Nagapate joined in, chanting a weird melody, -which his men took up. After a few bars, they were -made shy by the sound of their own voices. Nagapate -stopped his song and vainly tried once more to look -dignified. In fact, that old man-eater showed every -manifestation of a young and awkward boy’s self-consciousness!</p> - -<p class='c010'>We bridged over the awkward situation with more -salmon and about ten o’clock sent him ashore happy, -with his bare arms full of knives and calico and tobacco. -We judged by his farewell that we would be -<span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>welcome any time we cared to drop in on him for -dinner and that we had a fair prospect of not being -served up as the main course. In any case, on the -strength of his visit, I determined to chance a visit -to his village on the following day, though I realized -that the visit, in many ways significant, did not give -the least assurance of continued friendliness. These -savages are as willful and as uncertain in their -moods as children. When they are sulky, they are -as likely to murder treacherously whoever arouses -their ill-will as a small boy is to throw a stone. There -is no one to control or guide them. They are physically -powerful, they are passionate, and they possess -deadly weapons. We could be no more certain -that our lives would be safe with them than a man -with a silk hat can be sure of his headgear among -three hundred schoolboys fighting with snowballs.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We were awakened at daybreak by a shout from -the shore. A score of natives stood on the beach, -calling and gesticulating. I went ashore, accompanied -by Paul Mazouyer, and found that they had -presents from their chief, Nagapate—yams and coconuts -and wild fruits. But the presents were not -for me. In their almost unintelligible <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bêche-de-mer</span></i>, -the natives explained that the fruits were for “Mary”—their -<span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span><i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bêche-de-mer</span></i> word for woman. I could -scarcely believe my ears. In all my experience -among the blacks of the South Seas, I had never -known a savage to pay any attention to a woman, except -to beat her or to growl at her. The women of -the islands are slaves, valued at so many pigs. They -do all the work that is done in the native villages and -get scoldings and kicks for thanks. I went doubtfully -back to the schooner and brought Osa ashore. -The natives greeted her with grunts of satisfaction -and laid their offering at her feet.</p> - -<p class='c010'>My respect for Nagapate increased. I saw that he -was a diplomat. He had observed that this little person -in overalls, who had approached him so fearlessly, -was treated with the utmost deference by the -crews of the schooners and by the white men. He -had come to the conclusion that she was the real -boss of the expedition. And he was very nearly -right!</p> - -<p class='c010'>Perrole and Stephens joined us, and we remained -on the beach all morning. Osa and I took pictures -of the natives squatting about us and watched for -Nagapate himself to put in an appearance. I was -eager to invite him to his first “movie.” He had -been overcome with awe at sight of a photograph of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>himself. What would he say to motion-pictures that -showed him talking, with threatening gestures, and -scowling as on that memorable day two years before?</p> - -<p class='c010'>Every now and then a new delegation of natives -arrived on the beach. In spite of the law that prohibits -the sale of firearms to the natives, they all carried -rifles. I examined some of the guns. They were -old, but not too old to do damage, and every native -had a supply of cartridges. I found later that spears -and bows and arrows are almost out of use among -the Big Numbers. Nine men out of ten own guns. -Where do they get them? No native will tell, for -telling would mean no more rifles and no more cartridges. -The white people of the islands know, but -they keep their information to themselves. I know, -too, but I am not doing any talking either, for I want -to go back to the New Hebrides some day.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Our own boys remained close by us all the morning -and we kept sharp watch for any sign of treachery. -By noon, the savages had lost their suspicion of -us. They stacked their rifles against rocks and trees -and moved about, talking to each other in their -strange, grunting speech. We, too, moved about -more freely. And I tried to gain the confidence of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span>natives by talking to them. My attempts to learn -their language with <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bêche-de-mer</span></i> as a medium -brought great guffaws. But in spite of the friendliness -of our visitors, we were never quite at ease. -Their appearance was against them. Their ugly -faces—eyes with scarcely any pupils, flat noses -made twice their normal size by the wooden plugs -thrust through the cartilage dividing the nostrils, -great mouths with thick, loose lips—their stealthy -way of walking, their coarse, rapid, guttural speech, -which sounded angry even when they spoke to one -another, the quick gestures with which they filled in -the gaps in their limited language—none of these -things tended to make us feel at home.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I kept wondering how some of Osa’s sheltered -young friends back home would act, if they were to -be set down, as she was, on a sandy beach, miles from -civilization, and surrounded with fierce cannibals—hideous -and worse than naked; for they worship sex, -and what clothing they wear calls attention to their -sex rather than conceals it. I watched her admiringly -as she went about taking snapshots as unconcernedly -as if the savages had been Boy Scouts on an -outing. And I thought, as I have thought many -many times in the nine years we have gone about together, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>how lucky I was. Osa has all the qualities -that go to make an ideal traveling companion for an -explorer—pluck, endurance, cheerfulness under discomfort. -In an emergency, I would trust her far -sooner than I would trust most men.</p> - -<p class='c010'>During the afternoon, several fresh groups of natives -came out of the jungle to stare at us, and toward -sunset a number of savages descended a trail -that sloped down to the beach about half a mile from -where we were sitting and brought us a message from -the great chief. It was couched as follows: “Nagapate, -he big fellow master belong Big Numbers. He, -he wantem you, you two fellow, you come along -lookem house belong him, you lookem piccaninny -belong him, you lookem Mary belong him. He -makem big fellow sing-sing. More good you, you -two fellow come. He no makem bad, he makem good -altogether.” And it meant that His Highness, Chief -Nagapate, would like to have us visit him in his village, -and that he guaranteed our safety.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_068.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE SAFE BEACH TRAIL, TANEMAROU BAY</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>I accepted the invitation with alacrity. The messengers -hurried off, and Osa and I followed, curious to -see where the trail left the beach. We had not gone -far, before Paul shouted for us to stop. We halted -and saw, a quarter of a mile down the beach, a group -of about a hundred armed natives. Some Big Numbers -people came up to us and warned us, with gestures, -to go no farther, so we sat down on the sand -and awaited developments. The newcomers squatted -on the beach and stared in our direction. In -about fifteen minutes, a second group of natives appeared -from a trail still farther down the beach, and -the first group sprang to their feet and melted into -the bush with incredible rapidity.</p> - -<p class='c010'>What did it all mean? Paul, well versed in island -lore, had the answer. The beach was used jointly by -four tribes, three belonging to the Big Numbers and -one to the Small Numbers people. All of these tribes -are more or less hostile, but they have agreed between -them that the beach is neutral ground, for -they realize that if fighting is permitted there, it will -never be safe for any of them to come out into the -open to trade or fish. Sometimes the beach armistice -is violated, and for weeks there is severe fighting -along the sand; in the end, however, the matter is always -settled by an exchange of wild pigs and the -beach is again safe for all comers. But the armistice -never extends back into the bush. In the jungle and -the tall cane-grass, it is always open season for man-killing.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>We returned to the schooner early that evening, -in order to make ready for our trip into the interior. -I packed all my photographic apparatus carefully in -canvas and rubber cases, and I bundled up several -tarpaulins to protect us and our cameras in case of -sudden rain. We put up enough supplies to last -seven or eight days, and a good equipment of trade-stuffs. -As we packed, the monotonous chanting of -some twenty of Nagapate’s men, who had remained -on the beach to escort us to the village, drifted -across the water. Occasionally we caught a glimpse -of them, grotesque black shapes against the light -from their camp-fire.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER V<br /> <span class='large'>IN NAGAPATE’S KINGDOM</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Next morning, before daybreak, we were on the -beach. The embers of the camp-fire remained, but -our escort had vanished. I was filled with misgivings. -Did Nagapate plan treachery? We were thirty-one—twenty-six -trustworthy native boys, four -white men, and Osa. We were all well equipped -with repeating rifles and automatic pistols. In open -fight, we could have stood off a thousand savages. -But I knew that the men of Malekula, though they -are notoriously bad shots, could pick us off one -by one, if they wished, as we went through the -jungle.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I suppose that we all felt a little doubtful about -taking the plunge into the jungle, but we all—with -the exception of our native boys, who were plainly -in a blue funk—kept our doubts to ourselves. The -boys were so frightened that they rebelled against -carrying anything except their guns. To inspire -them with confidence, each of us took a piece of luggage, -and then we divided among them what was -left and persuaded them to take the trail.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>It was dawn on the beach, but it was still night in -the jungle. The trail was a dark tunnel with walls -and roof of underbrush and trees and tangled vines. -We stumbled along blindly at first. Presently our -eyes became used to the dark and we walked with -more ease. Stems and thorns caught at our clothes -as we passed. We slipped on wet, slimy roots and -stumbled over them in the dim light. Only where -the jungle was intersected by one of the numerous -streams—swift but shallow and never too wide for -leaping—that water the island, did the light succeed -in struggling weakly through the tangle.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The New Hebridean jungle is different from that -of India or Africa. The severe hurricanes that sweep -over the islands each year have stunted growth. -There are no forest giants. Trees send their branches -out rather than up, forming a dense mass of vegetation -that is further bound together by vines, so that -it is almost impossible to penetrate the jungle save by -beaten trails or along the courses of streams.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The sun was well up when we came out on the -first of a series of plateaus that formed a giant stairway -up the mountain. They were separated from -one another by five hundred to a thousand yards of -scrub trees and tangled bush. It was not easy going. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span>The ascents were steep, and the trail was wet and -slippery.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We kept watch for treacherous natives. Once we -were startled by blood-curdling cries that came from -the direction in which we were going. Our boys said -the men of Malekula were hunting wild pigs. We -went on in silence. Our hearts jumped every time a -twig cracked. There was a set expression on Osa’s -face. I knew she was frightened, but I knew, too, -that no amount of money would have persuaded her -to turn back.</p> - -<p class='c010'>By noon we had reached what seemed to be the -highest point of northern Malekula, and looked back -over valley after valley of dense jungle, and plateau -after plateau covered with cane-grass. Here and -there a coconut tree stood out alone. Smoke, curling -out of the hillsides, indicated the sites of native -villages. Perhaps, at that very moment, gruesome -feasts of human flesh were being prepared. In the -bay, very small and very far off, were three black -dots—our boats.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We heard a sound behind us and quickly turned. -There were some twenty men, sent by the “big fellow -master belong Big Numbers.” They took our -apparatus and indicated that we were to follow them. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span>We were dead tired; still there seemed nothing to do -but to push on.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We were not sorry, after about a mile, to approach -a village. First we came upon scattered groves of coconut -and banana trees. Our trail became wider and -harder and we passed weed-grown patches of yams -and taro, protected against the wild pigs by rude -walls of bamboo. Finally we came out upon a clearing -around which clustered a few wretched shelters -thatched roughly with leaves. In the center of the -clearing stood upright hollow logs—the drums used -to send messages from village to village and to furnish -music for the native dances. The natives called -them boo-boos—the name given to conch-shells -and all other sound-making instruments. On the -hard ground of the clearing sat some thirty savages, -all well armed. They had apparently been watching -for us, but they did not greet us. We spoke to them, -but, beyond a few grunts, they made no reply. -There were no women and children in sight. That -was a bad sign; for the women and children are sent -away only when there is trouble in the air. Perrole, -Stephens, and Mazouyer drew nearer to Osa and me. -Their faces were grave. Our boys edged close to us. -None of us spoke.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_074.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>LOOKING OVER NAGAPATE’S KINGDOM FROM THE HIGHEST PEAK IN NORTHERN MALEKULA</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>After a short rest, our guides indicated that we -were to take the trail again. We pushed on over a -muddy path, bordered by coconut and banana trees, -and in about fifteen minutes we came out upon another -clearing, much larger than the first, with many -more huts surrounding it and with more and bigger -boo-boos in the center. Here again were savages -awaiting us—about two hundred of them, each with -a gun. We were led to a big boo-boo that had been -overturned by the wind and were told to sit down. -We obeyed like obedient school-children.</p> - -<p class='c010'>One of the natives beat out on a boo-boo an irregular -boom-boom-boom that roared through the clearing -and was echoed back from the hills. It sounded -like a code. We felt that it might be a summons to -the executioner. Osa huddled close to me. A stillness -fell over the assembly.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Suddenly, at the far side of the clearing, a huge savage -appeared. It was Nagapate. He stood for a moment, -looking over the audience; then he walked -slowly and majestically into the center of the clearing. -He roared a few words to his men. Then he -turned to us. A native came running up—the laziest -black stepped lively when Nagapate commanded—with -a block of wood for a throne. The chief sat -<span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>down near us, and we stepped forward and shook -hands with him. He had grown used to this form of -greeting and responded with graciousness.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It had been a wonderful entrance. But then Nagapate -had an instinct for the dramatic. Throughout -our stay in his village, I noticed, he never made -a move that was not staged. He let it be known by -his every act that he was no common chief, who had -won his position through skill in killing pigs or men. -Nagapate was a king and a descendant of kings. -His was the only tribe I had come across during my -travels among the blacks of the South Pacific that -had an hereditary ruler.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After he had greeted us, he uttered a sharp command -and a native stepped up with a big bamboo -water-bottle. Nagapate drank from it, and then the -native offered it, tilted at the proper angle, to each -of us in turn. It was not pleasant to drink from the -mouthpiece at which Nagapate’s great lips had -sucked. But we gathered that the bottle was the -South Sea equivalent of a pipe of peace; so we drank -gladly. I then presented to Nagapate a royal gift -of knives, calico, and tobacco, and I told one of the -boys to give two sticks of tobacco to each native.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The natives smoked their tobacco (those that did -<span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span>not eat it) at once and greedily. It seemed to break -the ice a bit; so I got out my cameras. For three -hours, I made pictures. But I did not get any “action.” -I wanted a picture of a man coming out of his -house; for the doors of the huts are so low that the -people have to come out on all fours. I persuaded -a native to go into his hut and come out again. -He did so. But his companions laughed and jeered -at him, and after that every one had stage fright.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As the afternoon wore on, scores of women and -children appeared. I have never seen human beings -more wretched than those women. At first sight -they looked like walking haystacks. They wore -dresses of purple dyed grasses, consisting of a bushy -skirt that hung from the waist to the knees, a sort of -widow’s veil that was thrown over the head and face -so as to leave a tiny peep-hole for the wearer to look -through, and a long train that hung down the back -nearly to the ground. A more cumbersome and insanitary -dress was never devised. It was heavy. It -was hot. Worst of all, it was dirty. Every one of -the dresses was matted with filth. I did not see a -single pig—and there were dozens of them rooting -about inside and outside the houses—that was so -dirty as the women of that village. I afterward found -<span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>that for women to wash was strictly taboo. From -birth to death water never touched their skins!</p> - -<p class='c010'>I got my cameras ready, but the women hid in the -houses and would not come out to be photographed. -Not until Nagapate commanded them to come into -the clearing did they creep whimpering in terror -from the low doors.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We had heard from the natives at our headquarters -on the island of Vao that Nagapate had a hundred -wives, but there were only ten of them, and -they were as wretched as any of the other women. -Osa presented them each with a string of beads and -a small glass jar of cheap candy. They did not even -look at their gifts. They wanted only to get the ordeal -over and to escape. During all our stay in the -village the poor, browbeaten wretches never got up -enough courage to look at us. Their lords and masters -felt our skins and our hair and our clothes, examining -us with embarrassing freedom. But whenever -we came upon a woman, she squatted down and -hid her face behind her grass veil.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Since the women and children had appeared, we -gained confidence and walked about the village, inspecting -the houses. As we approached, the children, -scrawny little wretches, big-bellied from malnutrition -<span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>and many of them covered with sores, scurried -off into the bush like frightened rabbits. The houses -were wretched huts made of poles with a covering of -leaves and grass, or, occasionally, of woven bamboo. -Inside were the embers of fires—nothing more. A -hard, worn place on the ground in one corner showed -where the owner slept. Nagapate’s house stood off by -itself. It was larger than the rest and more compactly -made. But it was as bare as any of the others.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Toward sunset we built a fire and cooked our supper. -The natives gathered around and watched us in -astonishment. They themselves made no such elaborate -preparation for eating. Once in a while a man -would kindle a fire and throw a few yams among the -coals. When the yams were burned black on one -side, he would turn them with a stick and burn them -on the other. Then they were ready for eating—the -outside burned crisp and the inside raw. One evening -some of the men brought in some little pigs, -broke their legs, so that they could not escape, and -threw them, squealing, into a corner of a hut. The -next day there was meat to eat. Like the yams, it -was only half-cooked. The natives tore it with their -teeth as if they had been animals, and they seemed -especially to relish the crisp, burned portions. Each -<span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span>man was his own cook. Even Nagapate made his -own fire and cooked his own food, for it was taboo -for him to eat anything prepared by an inferior or -cooked over a fire made by an inferior. He conveniently -considered us his superiors and ate greedily -everything we gave him. He never shared the salmon -and rice he got from us either with his cronies or -with his wives. In fact, we never saw a woman eating, -and the children seemed to live on sugar-cane -and on clay that they dug up with their skinny little -fingers.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Our first day as Nagapate’s guests drew to an end. -Just before dark a native came and motioned to us to -follow him. He led us to a new house and indicated -that we were to make ourselves at home there. We -were tired out after our long march; so we turned -in without delay. We spread our blankets on the -ground and lay, fully dressed, on top of them. The -camp soon became quiet, but we could not sleep. So -far, everything had gone well, but still we did not -feel quite safe. Our boys seemed to share our apprehension. -They crowded around the hut, as close to -us as they could get. Some of them slipped under -the grass walls and lay half inside the hut.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_080.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>WOMEN OF THE BIG NUMBERS</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>We slept little and were up before dawn, stiff from -lying on the hard ground. We asked for water, and -a native brought it in a bamboo bottle. There was -about a pint of water for each of the five of us. The -savage that brought it looked on astonished as we -washed our hands and faces. It is not taboo for the -Big Numbers men to bathe—but they rarely use -their privilege, and they could not understand our -reckless waste of water, which was carried by the -women from a spring half a mile away.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After a breakfast of tinned beef, we set to work. -But if it had been hard to get good pictures the day -before, it was now almost impossible. The women -had all left the village to get the day’s supply of -water, fruits, and firewood. The men squatted in the -center of the clearing, guns in hand. They were apparently -waiting for something—for what?</p> - -<p class='c010'>We were uneasy. It may seem to the reader, in -view of the fact that we escaped with whole skins, -that we were absurdly uneasy. But I should like to -see the man who could remain calm when surrounded -as we were by savages, ugly and powerful, whose -only pleasure was murder, and who, we were convinced, -were eaters of human flesh. All day long our -hosts squatted about the giant boo-boos, staring at -us or at the ground or at the jungle or, sometimes, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>it seemed, at nothing at all. Now and then a single -savage would come out of the jungle and join the -group, and immediately one of the squatters would -get up and go into the bush, taking the trail by -which the newcomer had arrived. Even Paul was -troubled, and confided to me, when the others were -not about, “Me no like.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The coming and going and interminable squatting -and staring got on the nerves of all of us. Toward -evening, we received an explanation of it from -Atree, Nagapate’s “private secretary.” Atree had -been “blackbirded” away from the island about -twelve years previous to our arrival, in the days -when natives were still carried off by force for servitude -on the plantations of Queensland; and, by -some miracle, when the all-white Australia law had -gone into effect and the blacks had been “repatriated,” -he had made his way back to his own island. -He had managed, during his sojourn abroad, to pick -up a little <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bêche-de-mer</span></i>; so he acted as go-between -and interpreter in all our dealings with Nagapate. -He told us that a fight with a neighboring village was -brewing. There had been a dispute over some pigs, -in which somebody had got hurt. The relatives of -the victim were preparing to attack our hosts. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span>men who had come and gone from the clearing were -the lookouts who guarded the village against surprise.</p> - -<p class='c010'>A fight! My first thought was, “What a picture -I’ll get!” But Osa, at my elbow, said miserably, “I -wish we were back in the boat,” and my conscience -began to hurt. To reassure her I told her that our -force was a match for half a dozen native villages.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Before sunset there was great activity in the clearing. -Men kept coming and going, and there was -much grunted consultation in the shadow of the -boo-boos. All that night an armed guard stood -watch.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At sunrise, Nagapate came and asked if we would -shoot off our guns to frighten the enemy. I did not -like the idea. I thought it might be a ruse to get us -to empty our guns and to give the natives a chance -to rush on us before we could reload. However, -since we did not wish to seem suspicious, we granted -the request. But we fired in rotation, instead of in a -volley, so that there would always be some among us -with ready rifles. And I found that I was not the -only one who had thought of the danger of empty -cartridge-chambers: I have never seen such snappy -reloading as that of our black boys!</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span>After the volley, I gave Nagapate my rifle to -shoot. He unloaded her as fast as he could pull the -trigger, and begged for more, like an eager small -boy. I was sorry to refuse him, but I did not care to -waste many cartridges, so I explained through Atree -that the gun had to cool off, and Nagapate, to my -relief, seemed satisfied with the explanation.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After the shooting was over, everybody seemed to -take courage. The natives moved about more freely. -Only about a third remained armed and ready for -summons. They were apparently satisfied that their -enemies, convinced that they were well supplied -with ammunition, would be afraid to start hostilities. -We ourselves were more at ease, and I went up -to some of the soldiers and examined their fighting -equipment. Their guns were, as usual, old and rusty, -but they all had cartridges, which they carried in -leather cartridge cases slung over their shoulders. I -was surprised to find that none had clubs. Instead, -they had big knives, some of them three feet long, -for hand-to-hand fighting. Paul told me that such -knives had become the most sought-for articles of -trade. There was no Government ban on them as on -rifles and cartridges.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_084.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>RAMBI</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span>On the afternoon of our fourth day in the village, -Nagapate brought up a man we had not seen before. -He was nearly as large as Nagapate himself, and had, -like Nagapate, an air of commanding dignity.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Rambi! Rambi!” growled Nagapate, pointing -to his companion. Then the chief went through a -rapid pantomime, in which he seemed to kill off a -whole army of enemies. We gathered that Rambi -was minister of war, as indeed he was; but Osa -dubbed him chief of police. We learned from Paul -that the tribe was ruled by a sort of triumvirate, -with Nagapate in supreme command and Rambi -and a third chief named Velle-Velle, who acted as a -primitive prime minister, next in authority.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Rambi was a Godsend. He enjoyed being photographed, -although he did not have the slightest idea -of what the operation meant. He forgot his dignity -and capered like a monkey in front of my camera and -actually succeeded in injecting a little enthusiasm -into the rest of the natives, who still suffered from -stage fright.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I gave presents of tobacco for every picture I -made. I must have paid out several dollars’ worth -of tobacco each day. Ten years earlier, when I was -on the Snark with Jack London, trade tobacco made -from the stalks and refuse from the Virginia tobacco -<span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span>factories had cost less than a cent a stick. The supply -I had with me in Malekula had cost almost four -cents a stick. Thus the high cost of living makes itself -felt even in the South Seas. Tinned foods, cartridges, -gasoline, mirrors, knives, and calico also have -increased in price enormously since the war. An explorer -must expect his expenses to be just about four -hundred per cent higher than they were ten years -ago. And the trader is in a bad way. For the natives -learned how to value trade-stuffs years ago and -they insist on buying at the old rate. Increased -costs and greater difficulty of transportation mean -nothing to them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>On the next day, we went, with an escort of several -of Nagapate’s men, to another Big Numbers -village about four miles away. That trip was typical -of the many downs that are mingled with the ups -in a motion-picture man’s existence. The four miles -were the hardest four miles I ever walked. The trail -lay along the side of a hill, following a deep valley. -It was seldom used, and it slanted toward the valley -in an alarming way. It was slimy with mud and decayed -vegetation, and in many places a slip would -have meant a slide of several hundred feet down a -steep hill. Both Osa and I had on spiked boots, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span>but they soon became clogged with mud and offered -less grip than ordinary shoes. We crept along at a -snail’s pace, testing every foothold. Though we left -Nagapate’s village at dawn, we did not reach our destination -until after ten o’clock. It was a poor and -uninteresting village of about thirty houses. Most -of the men were off on a pig hunt, and all the women -were out collecting firewood and fruits and vegetables. -About noon, it began to drizzle. By three -o’clock, it had settled down to a good downpour. -The women straggled in one by one and retreated -into their houses. The men returned in a sullen humor, -with a few skinny pigs. According to custom, -they broke one hind leg and one front leg of each animal -to prevent its escape and threw the wretched little -creatures in a squalling, moaning heap. Those on -the bottom probably suffocated before morning.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We could not think of retracing our steps over the -treacherous trail in that downpour; so we persuaded -a native and his wife and two sore-faced children to -give up their hut to us. Since we had no blankets, we -lay on the hard ground and made the best of a bad -bargain.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Next morning, the rain had ceased. But the cane-grass -was as wet as a sponge. We had not gone a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>hundred yards toward Nagapate’s village before we -were soaked through. The trail was more slippery -than ever. About every quarter of a mile we had to -stop and rest. The sun came out boiling hot and -sucked up the moisture, which rose like steam all -about us. We were five hours in this natural Turkish -bath. When we reached our destination, we -threw ourselves down and fell asleep in sheer exhaustion. -We had not secured a single foot of film, -and we felt miserably that we stood a very good -chance of contracting fever, which so far we had -luckily escaped.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Late that afternoon, I missed Osa. I had something -of a hunt for her, but I finally found her in the -shade at the edge of the clearing, playing with a little -naked piccaninny. Atree and Nagapate squatted -near by, watching her with grave, intent faces.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_088.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>ATREE AND NAGAPATE</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>Nagapate was Osa’s constant companion. The -great chief had taken a fancy to the white “Mary.” -Every day he sent her gifts, and his yams and fruits -and coconuts pleased her more than if they had been -expensive presents of civilization. They seemed to -her an assurance of his good-will. But the rest of -us were a bit uneasy. We had what I now believe to -be the absurd suspicion that all these gifts were tokens of savage wooing—that perhaps Nagapate -was planning to massacre us, if the occasion offered, -and keep Osa to share his wretched hut. The strain -of constant watching, constant suspicion, was telling -on our nerves. We fancied that the novelty of -our presence was wearing off. Like children, the savages -soon weary of a diversion. We were becoming -familiar—dangerously familiar—to them, and our -gifts and even the magic taught me by the great -Houdini, had begun to pall. We began to feel that it -was time for us to go.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Osa and I talked it over as we walked about the -village the following afternoon. We strayed farther -than usual and suddenly found ourselves near what -seemed to be a deserted hut. We walked around it -and found, on the far side, a well-beaten path that -led to a tiny door. Without thinking, I crawled -through the doorway, and Osa followed me. It was -several seconds before our eyes became accustomed -to the dim light. Suddenly Osa gasped and clutched -my arm.</p> - -<p class='c010'>All about us, piled in baskets, were dried human -heads. A ghastly frieze of them grinned about the -eaves. Skulls hung from the rafters, heaps of picked -human bones lay in the corners. One glance was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span>enough for us. We crawled out of the hut and lost -no time in getting back to the center of the village. -Luckily none of the savages had seen us.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We gathered Paul Mazouyer and Perrole and Stephens -about us and told them of our adventure, and -it did not take the conference long to decide to return -to the beach on the following day. The other -white men told us that if we had been seen in or near -the head-house, the chances were that we should all -have been murdered, for such houses were sacred -and taboo to all, save the men of the village.</p> - -<p class='c010'>That evening a great fire was started in the clearing. -Until late in the night the ordinarily lazy savages -piled on great logs that four men were required -to carry. Nothing was cooked over the fire. -It was not needed for warmth, for the night was stifling -hot. We asked Arree the reason for the illumination. -He replied that he did not know. We decided -that there must be some sinister purpose in it and lay -sleepless, on guard the night through.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At dawn we were up. We did our packing in a hurry, -and then we sent one of the natives for Nagapate. -The chief came across the clearing, slowly and deliberately, -as always. With him was a tottering old man, -the oldest native I ever saw in the New Hebrides.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span>As Osa and I went up to greet Nagapate, the old -man began to jabber excitedly. He came over to -me and felt my arms and legs with both his skinny -hands. He pinched me and poked me in the ribs and -stomach. All the time he kept up a running fire of -excited comment, addressed to Nagapate. To our -relief, he finally stopped talking for want of breath. -Nagapate spoke a few sharp words and the old man -backed away.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Osa’s face went white. And indeed, there could be -no doubt about the meaning of the old native’s pantomime. -I almost doubted the advisability of telling -Nagapate of our departure. If he liked, he could prevent -us from ever reaching the sea, from which we -were separated by so many miles of jungle. But I -decided to take a chance. I had, by this time, rather -more than a smattering of the language of Nagapate’s -tribe. I always make it a practice, when among new -tribes, to learn four words—“Yes,” “no,” “good,” -and “bad.” The language spoken by Nagapate and -his followers was so primitive and contained so many -repetitions that I had been able to progress beyond -these four fundamental words and so, with the aid of -gestures, I succeeded in telling Nagapate that our -provisions had run out and that we had to return to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span>our boats. To my surprise Nagapate not only assented -to our departure, but volunteered to accompany -us to the beach.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I invited the entire village to come to the beach -for motion-pictures and tobacco, after sunset, on the -following evening. Motion-pictures meant nothing -to them; but tobacco they understood. So they -agreed to come. We left like honored guests, with -an escort of twenty-five savages. Nagapate himself -walked (as a result of my maneuvering) safe between -Osa and myself.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It had taken twelve hours to climb up to Nagapate’s -village. The return journey required only -three. It was a pleasant morning’s walk. The sun -was shining bright and beautiful, many-colored -birds fluttered about us.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When we arrived at the beach, we invited Nagapate -and his boon companions, Atree and Rambi, to -come on board the schooner. There we feasted them -on hard-tack and white salmon. When bedtime -came, the great chief indicated that it was his pleasure -to sleep on board. I was heartily astonished and -a little ashamed. After all our suspicions, Nagapate -was again voluntarily putting himself into our -hands, with the touching confidence of a little child.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>Our royal guest and his men bunked in the engine-room. -I happened to wake about midnight and took -a peep at them. There they were, flat on their backs -on the hard, greasy floor, sleeping like logs.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER VI<br /> <span class='large'>THE BIG NUMBERS SEE THEMSELVES ON THE SCREEN</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Early on the morning of the show, we got the whaleboats -to work and took all my projection machinery -ashore. Soon I had everything set up, ready for the -show. But when I tried out the projector to see if it -was shipshape, I found that my generator was out of -order. Work as I would, I could not get a light. I was -blue and discouraged. I had been looking forward to -this show for two years, and now, apparently, it was -not going to come off. Imagine going back several -hundred thousand years and showing men of the -Stone Age motion-pictures of themselves. That is -what I had planned to do. For the men of Malekula -are in the stage of development reached by our own -ancestors long before the dawn of written history. -Through my pictures of them, I had carried New -York audiences back into the Stone Age. Now I -wanted to transport the savages into 1919—and -my generator would not work.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The projector was worked by man-power. Two -men on each side turned the handles attached to the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span>machinery that should produce the magic light; but -though my boys ground patiently all afternoon, not -a glimmer showed. Finally, I gave up and motioned -them to stop. They misunderstood me and, thinking -that I wanted them to turn faster, went to work -with redoubled energy. The miracle happened—the -light flashed on. In my excitement, I forgot my -supper.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The beach was already crowded with savages. I -had thought they might be curious about my machinery. -But they scarcely looked at it. They just -squatted on the sands with their guns clutched tight -in their hands. No women and only three or four -children accompanied them. In spite of my promise -of tobacco, they had not quite trusted my invitation -and they were on the lookout for foul play. By dark -they were restless. They had received no tobacco. -They did not understand all this preparation that -culminated in nothing. They wanted action.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I saw that the show must begin at once; so I -tested everything once more. Since I had no idea -how the pictures would be received, I stationed armed -guards at each side of the screen and around the projector, -at points from which they could cover the audience. -Then I tried to persuade my visitors to sit in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span>front of the projector, where they would get a good -view of the screen. They were now thoroughly suspicious -and would not stay where I put them. They -wanted to keep an eye on me. They were so uneasy -that I expected to see them disappear into the bush -at any moment. But Osa saved the situation. She -took Nagapate by the arm and made him sit down -beside her. The rest of the savages gathered about -them. Then the show began.</p> - -<p class='c010'>First, a great bright square flashed on the screen. -Then came a hundred feet of titles. The attention -of the natives was divided between the strange letters -and the rays of white light that passed above -their heads. They looked forward and up and back -toward me, jabbering all the time. Then slowly, out -of nothing, a familiar form took shape on the screen. -It was Osa, standing with bent head. The savages -were silent with amazement. Here was Osa sitting -at Nagapate’s side—and there she was on the -screen. The picture-Osa raised her head and winked -at them. Pandemonium broke loose. “Osa—Osa—Osa—Osa,” -shouted the savages. They roared -with laughter and screamed like rowdy children.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I had been afraid that my guests would be frightened -and bolt at the first demonstration of my -<span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>“magic,” but they had been reassured by the familiar -sight of Osa. Now they were ready for anything. -I showed them a picture of Osa and me as we left the -Astor Hotel in New York. Then I showed them -the crazy thousands that had crowded New York -streets on Armistice Day. I followed this picture -with glimpses of Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, -Honolulu, Tokyo, and Sydney. Nagapate told -me afterward that he had not known there were so -many white people in all the world and asked me if -the island I came from was much larger than Malekula. -I showed in quick succession, steamers, racing -automobiles, airplanes, elephants, ostriches, giraffes. -The savages were silent; they could not comprehend -these things. So I brought them nearer home, with -pictures taken on Vao, Santo, and other islands of -the New Hebrides.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Now it was time for the great scene. I instructed -Paul in turning the crank of the projector and put -Stephens and Perrole in charge of the radium flares. -I myself took my stand behind my camera, which -was trained on the audience. A hundred feet of -titles—then Nagapate’s face appeared suddenly on -the screen. A great roar of “Nagapate” went up. At -that instant the radium lights flashed on, and I, at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>my camera, ground out the picture of the cannibals -at the “movies.” True, about two thirds of the audience, -terrified by the flares, made precipitately for -the bush. But Nagapate and the savages around -him sat pat and registered fear and amazement for -my camera. In about two minutes the flares burned -out. Then we coaxed back to their places the savages -that had fled. I started the reel all over and ran -it to the end amid an uproar that made it impossible -for me to make myself heard when I wanted to speak -to Osa. Practically every savage pictured on the -screen was in the audience. In two years they had -not changed at all, except, as Osa said, for additional -layers of dirt. As each man appeared, they called -out his name and laughed and shouted with joy. -Among the figures that came and went on the screen -was that of a man who had been dead a year. The -natives were awe-struck. My magic could bring -back the dead!</p> - -<p class='c010'>Midway in the performance I turned the projection -handle over to Mazouyer and joined the audience. -Osa was crying with excitement. And there -was a lump in my own throat. We had looked forward -a long time to this.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_098a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>HUNTING FOR THE MAGIC</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_098b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>A CANNIBAL AND A KODAK</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>When the show was over, a great shout went up. -The savages gathered into groups and discussed the -performance, for all the world as people do “back -home.” Then they crowded about us, demanding -their pay for looking at my pictures! As I gave them -their sticks of tobacco, each grunted out the same -phrase—whether it meant “Fine,” or “Thank you,” -or just “Good-bye,” I do not know.</p> - -<p class='c010'>While we packed our apparatus, the natives cut -bamboo and made rude torches. When all were -ready, they lighted their torches at the fire that -burned on the beach, and then they set off in single -file up the trail. We said good-bye to Perrole and -Stephens, who were to sail for Santo that night, and -prepared to go aboard Paul’s cutter. He had difficulty -in getting his engine started, and while he -worked with it, Osa and I sat on the beach, watching -the torches of the Big Numbers people as they filed -up hill and down dale the long eight miles to their -village. The night was so dark that we could not see -anything except the string of lights that wound -through the black like a fiery serpent. The head disappeared -over the top of the hill. Half an hour later, -the tail wriggled out of sight. Then the engine -kicked off.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER VII<br /> <span class='large'>THE NOBLE SAVAGE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The morning after our motion-picture show on the -beach at Malekula found us anchored off Vao. We -got our luggage ashore as quickly as possible and then -turned in to make up for lost sleep. We had slept -little during our eight days in the village of Nagapate. -We had been in such constant fear of treachery -that the thud of a falling coconut or the sound of -a branch crackling in the jungle would set our nerves -atingle and keep us awake for hours. Now we felt -safe. We knew that the four hundred savages of Vao, -though at heart as fierce and as cruel as any of the -Malekula tribes, lived in wholesome fear of the British -gunboat; so we slept well and long.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The next morning we said good-bye to Paul Mazouyer -and he chugged away to Santo in the little -schooner that for two weeks had been our home. -Osa and I were alone on Vao. We turned back to -our bungalow to make things comfortable, for we -did not know how many days it would be before Mr. -King, who had promised to call for us, would appear.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As we walked slowly up from the beach, we heard -<span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>a shout. We turned and saw a savage running toward -us. He was a man of about forty; yet he was -little larger than a child and as naked as when he was -born. From his almost unintelligible <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bêche-de-mer</span></i>, -we gathered that he wanted to be our servant. We -could scarcely believe our ears. Here was a man who -wanted to work! We wondered how he came to -have a desire so contrary to Vao nature, until we -discovered, after a little further conversation in -<i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bêche-de-mer</span></i>, that he was half-witted! Since we were -in need of native help, we decided not to let his mental -deficiencies stand in his way and we hired him on -the spot. Then came the first hitch. We could not -find out his name. Over and over, we asked him, -“What name belong you?” but with no result. He -shook his head uncomprehendingly. Finally, Osa -pointed to the tracks he had left in the sand. They -led down to the shore and vanished at the water’s edge. -“His name is Friday,” she said triumphantly. And -so we called him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>From that moment, Friday was a member of our -household. We gave him a singlet and a <em>lava-lava</em>, or -loin-cloth, of red calico, and from somewhere he dug -up an ancient derby hat. Some mornings he presented -himself dressed in nothing but the hat. He -<span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span>was always on hand bright and early, begging for -work, but, unfortunately, there was nothing that he -could do. We tried him at washing clothes, and they -appeared on the line dirtier than they had been before -he touched them. We tried him at carrying -water, but he brought us liquid mud, with sticks and -leaves floating on the top. The only thing he was -good for was digging bait and paddling the canoe -gently to keep it from drifting while Osa fished.</p> - -<p class='c010'>That was, indeed, a service of some value; for Osa -was an indefatigable fisherwoman. Every day, she -went out and brought back from ten to thirty one- -and two-pound fish, and one day she caught two -great fish that must have weighed ten pounds each. -It took the combined efforts of Friday and herself to -land them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I am convinced that, for bright color and strange -markings, there are no fish in the world like those of -Vao. Osa called them Impossible Fish. There were -seldom two of the same color or shape in her day’s -catch. They were orange and red and green and silver, -and sometimes varicolored. But the most noticeable -were little blue fish about the size of sardines -which went in schools of thousands through the still -sea, coloring it with streaks of the most brilliant -<span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span>shimmering blue you can imagine. In addition to -the Impossible Fish, there were many octopi, which -measured about three feet from tentacle to tentacle, -and there were shellfish by the thousand. On the -opposite side of the island from that on which we -lived, oysters grew on the roots of mangrove trees -at the water’s edge, and at low tide we used to walk -along and pick them off as if they had been fruit.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We worked hard for the first week or so after our -return to Vao, for we had about a hundred and fifty -plates and nearly two hundred kodak films to develop. -Previous to this trip, I had been forced to develop -motion-picture films, as well as kodak films and -plates, as I went along. Like most photographers, I -had depended upon a formalin solution to harden the -gelatin films and keep them from melting in the heat. -Though such a solution aids in the preservation of -the film, it interferes considerably with the quality -of the picture, which often is harsh in outline as a result -of the thickening of the film, and it is not a guarantee -against mildew or against the “fogging” of -negatives. Before starting for the New Hebrides, -however, I had worked out a method of treating -films that did not affect the quality of the picture, -and yet made it possible to develop films successfully -<span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span>at a temperature much higher than 65°. Still better, -it permitted me to seal my film after exposure and -await a favorable opportunity for developing. Only -lately I have developed in a New York workshop -films that were exposed nineteen months ago in the -New Hebrides and that were carried about for several -months under the blaze of a tropical sun. They -are among the best pictures I have ever taken.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Any one who has tried motion-picture photography -in the tropics will realize what it means to be -freed from the burden of developing all films on the -spot. To work from three o’clock until sunrise, after a -day of hard work in enervating heat, is usually sheer -agony. Many a time I have gone through with the -experience only to see the entire result of my work -ruined by an accident. I have hung up a film to dry -(in the humid atmosphere of the tropics drying often -requires forty-eight hours instead of half as many -minutes) and found it covered with tiny insects or bits -of sand or pollen blown against it by the wind and -embedded deep in the gelatin. I have covered it with -mosquito-net in an effort to avoid a repetition of the -tragedy and the mosquito-net has shut off the air and -caused the gelatin to melt. I have had films mildew and -thicken and cloud and spot, in spite of every effort -<span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span>to care for them. On this trip, though even so simple -an operation as the changing of motion-picture film -and the sealing of negatives was an arduous task -when it had to be performed in cramped quarters, it -was a great relief to be able to seal up my film and -forget it after exposure. The plates that I used in -my small camera had to be promptly attended to, -however, for to have treated them as I treated the -motion-picture film would have meant adding considerably -to the bulk and weight of the equipment -we were forced to carry about with us.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We worked at the developing several hours a day, -and between times we explored the island, learning -what we could of native life. Arree, the boy who -acted as our maid-of-all-work, supplied me with native -words until I had a fairly respectable vocabulary, -but, when I tried to use it, I made the interesting -discovery that the old men and the young men -spoke different tongues. Language changes rapidly -among savage tribes. No one troubles to get the -correct pronunciation of a word. The younger generation -adopt abbreviations or new words at will and -incorporate into their speech strange corruptions of -English or French words learned from the whites. -Some of the words I learned from Arree were absolutely -<span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>unintelligible to many of the older men. I -found, too, that the language varied considerably -from village to village, and though many of the Vao -men were refugees from Malekula, it was very different -from that of any of the tribes on the big island. I -once estimated the number of languages spoken in -the South Seas at four hundred. I am now convinced -that as many as that are used by the black races -alone.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As we poked about Vao, we decided that the island -would be a good place in which to maroon the -people who have the romantic illusion that savages -lead a beautiful life. We had long ago lost that illusion, -but even for us Vao had some surprises. One -day, I made a picture of an old, blind man, so feeble -that he could scarcely walk. He was one of the few -really old savages about, and I gathered that he must -have been a powerful chief in his day, or otherwise he -would not have escaped the ordinary penalty of age—being -buried alive. But on the day after I had -taken his picture, when I went to his hut to speak to -him, I was informed that “he stop along ground” -and I was shown a small hut, in which was a freshly -dug grave. My notice of the old man had drawn him -into the limelight. The chiefs had held a conference -<span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span>and decided that he was a nuisance. A grave was -dug for him, he was put into it, a flat stone was -placed over his face so that he could breathe (!), and -the hole was filled with earth. Now a devil-devil -man was squatting near the grave to be on hand in -case the old man asked for something. There was -no conscious cruelty in the act, simply a relentless -logic. The old man had outlived his usefulness. He -was no good to himself or to the community. Therefore, -he might as well “stop along ground.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Only a few days later, as we approached a village, -we heard, at intervals, the long-drawn-out wail of -a woman in pain. In the clearing we discovered a -group of men laughing and jeering at something that -was lying on the ground. That something was a -writhing, screaming young girl. The cause of her -agony was apparent. In the flesh back of her knee, -two great holes had been burned. I could have put -both hands in either of them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“One fellow man, him name belong Nowdi, he -ketchem plenty coconuts, he ketchem plenty pigs, he -ketchem plenty Mary,” said Arree, and he went on -to explain that the “Mary” on the ground was the -newest wife of Nowdi, whom he pointed out to us -among the amused spectators. The savage had paid -<span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span>twenty pigs for her—a good price for a wife in the -New Hebrides—but he had made a bad bargain; -for the girl did not like him. Four times she ran -away from him and was caught and brought back. -The last time, nearly six months had elapsed before -she was found, hiding in the jungle of the mainland. -The day before we saw the girl, the men of the village -had gathered in judgment. A stone was heated -white-hot. Then four men held the girl while a fifth -placed the stone in the hollow of her knee, drew her -leg back until the heel touched the thigh, and bound -it there. For an hour they watched her anguish as -the stone slowly burned into her flesh. Then they -turned her loose. Thenceforth she would always -have to hobble, like an old woman, with the aid of a -stick. She would never run away again.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We turned aside, half sick. It was hard for me to -keep my hands off the brutes that stood laughing -around the girl. Only the knowledge that to touch -them would be suicide for me and death or worse for -Osa held me back. But as we returned to the bungalow, -I gradually cooled down. I realized that it was -not quite fair to judge these savages—still in the -stage of development passed by our own ancestors -hundreds of thousands of years ago—according to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>the standards of civilized society. And I remembered -how beastly even men of my own kind sometimes -are when they are released from the restraints -of civilization.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The next morning, after our morning swim, Osa -and I sat on the beach and watched the commuters -set off for Malekula. In some fifty canoes, -“manned” by women, the entire female population -went to the big island every day to gather firewood -and fruit and vegetables. For the small island of -Vao could not support its four hundred inhabitants, -and the native women had accordingly made their -gardens on the big island. This morning, as usual, -the women were accompanied by an armed guard; -for although the bush natives of Malekula were supposed -to be friendly, the Vao men did not take any -chances when it came to a question of losing their -women. Late in the evening the canoes came back -again. The women had worked all day, many of -them with children strapped to their backs; the men -had lounged on the beach, doing nothing. But it was -the women who paddled the canoes home. There -was a stiff sea and it took nearly three hours to paddle -across the mile-wide channel. But the men never -lifted a finger to help. When the boats were safely -<span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>beached, the women shouldered their big bundles of -vegetables and firewood and trudged wearily toward -their villages, the men bringing up the rear, with -nothing to carry except their precious guns. Among -the poor female slaves—they were little more—we -saw five who hobbled along with the aid of sticks. -They were women who had tried to run away.</p> - -<p class='c010'>A few days later, Arree asked us if we should like -to attend a feast that was being held to celebrate -the completion of a devil-devil, one of the crude, -carved logs that are the only visible signs of religion -among the savages. We did not see why that should -be an event worth celebrating, for there were already -some hundreds of devil-devils on the island, but we -were glad to have the opportunity of witnessing one -of the feasts of which Arree had so often told us.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_110.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>NAGAPATE AMONG THE DEVIL-DEVILS</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>Feasting was about the only amusement of the -natives of Vao. A birth or a death, the building of a -house or a canoe, or the installation of a chief—any -event in the least out of the ordinary furnished -an excuse for an orgy of pig meat—usually “long.” -The one we attended was typical. First the new -devil-devil was carried into the clearing and, with -scant ceremony, set up among the others. Then -some of the men brought out about a hundred pigs -and tied them to posts. Others piled hundreds of -yams in the center of the clearing, and still others -threw chickens, their legs tied together, in a squawking -heap. When all was ready, the yams were divided -among the older men, each of whom then untied -a pig from a post and presented it solemnly to -his neighbor, receiving in return another pig of about -the same size. The savages broke one front and one -hind leg of their pigs and threw the squealing little -beasts on the ground beside the yams. Then they exchanged -chickens and promptly broke the legs and -wings of their fowls. I shall never forget the terrible -crunching of bones and the screaming of the tortured -pigs and chickens. When the exchange was -completed, the men took their pigs to the center of -the clearing, beat them over the head with sticks until -they were nearly dead and threw them down to -squeal and jerk their lives away.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When the exchange of food was completed, the -men built little fires all around the clearing to cook -the feast. Most of them were chiefs. It is a general -rule throughout the region that no chief may eat -food prepared by an inferior, or cooked over a fire -built by an inferior. The rather doubtful honor of -being his own cook is, indeed, practically the only -<span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span>mark that distinguishes a chief. As a rule a chief has -no real authority. He cannot command the least important -boy in his village. Only his wives are at his -beck and call—and they are forbidden by custom to -cook for him!</p> - -<p class='c010'>Chieftainship is an empty honor on Vao. If the -biggest chief on the island should start off on a hunting -trip and forget his knife, he would know better -than to ask the poorest boy in the party to go back -for it, for he would know in advance that the answer -would be most emphatic Vao equivalent for “go -chase yourself!” Yet a chieftaincy is sufficiently -flattering to the vanity of the incumbent to be worth -many pigs. The pig is more important in the New -Hebrides than anywhere else in the world. A man’s -wealth is reckoned in pigs, and a woman’s beauty is -rated according to the number of pigs she will bring. -The greatest chiefs on Vao are those who have killed -the most pigs. Even in that remote region there is -political corruption, for some men are not above -buying pigs in secret to add to their “bag” and their -prestige. Tethlong, who, during our stay on the island, -was the most important chief on Vao, bought -five hundred porkers to be slaughtered for the feast -that made him chief. All the natives knew he had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span>bought the pigs; but they hailed him solemnly, nevertheless, -as the great pig-killer.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Tethlong had as fine a collection of pigs’ tusks as -I have ever seen. These fierce-looking bits of ivory -did not come off the wild pigs, however, but were -carefully cultivated on the snouts of domesticated -pigs. It is the custom throughout the New Hebrides -to take young pigs and gouge out two upper teeth, -so as to make room for the lower canine teeth to develop -into tusks. The most valuable tusks are those -that have grown up and curled around so as to form -two complete circles. These, however, are very rare. -The New Hebridean native considers himself well off -if he has a single circlet to wear as a bracelet or nose -ring and he takes pride in a collection of ordinary, -crescent-shaped tusks.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Pigs’ tusks are the New Hebridean equivalent of -money. For even among savages, there are rich and -poor. The man of wealth is the one who has the -largest number of pigs and wives and coconut trees -and canoes, acquired by judicious swapping or by -purchase, with pigs’ tusks, rare, orange-colored cowries, -and stones of strange shape or coloring as currency. -Most natives keep such treasures in “bokkus -belong bell”—a Western-made box with a bell that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span>rings whenever the lid is lifted. But this burglar-alarm -is utterly superfluous, for natives uncontaminated -by civilization never steal.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Osa refused to watch the process of preparing the -pigs and fowls for broiling. It was not a pretty -sight. But it was speedily over. While the cooking -was in progress, the dancing began. A group of men -in the center of the clearing went through the motions -of killing pigs and birds and men. Each tried -to get across the footlights the idea that he was a -great, strong man. And though the pantomime was -crude, it was effective. The barbaric swing of the -dancers, in time to the strange rhythm beaten out -on the boo-boos—the hollowed logs that serve as -drums—got into my blood, and I understood how -the dances sometimes ended in an almost drunken -frenzy.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When the first group of dancers were tired, the -older men gathered in the center of the clearing and -palavered excitedly. Then they retired to their fires -and waited. So did we. But nothing happened save -another dance. This was different in detail from the -first. I never saw a native do exactly the same dance -twice, though in essentials each is monotonously -similar to the last. When the second dance was over, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>there was more palavering and then more dancing—and -so on interminably. Osa and I grew sleepy -and went back to the bungalow. But the tom-toms -sounded until dawn.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER VIII<br /> <span class='large'>GOOD-BYE TO NAGAPATE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The Euphrosyne, with the British Commissioner -aboard, was about two weeks overdue and we were -growing impatient to be off. It was not the Euphrosyne, -however, but the queerest vessel I have ever -seen, that anchored off Vao, one night at midnight. -She was about the size of a large schooner and nearly -as wide in the beam as she was long. She had -auxiliary sails, schooner-rigged. Her engine burned -wood. And her name—as we discovered later—was -Amour. Queer as she was, she was a Godsend -to us, marooned on Vao. We went out in a canoe -and found, to our surprise, that the commander and -owner was Captain Moran, whom we had met in the -Solomons two years before. We asked him where he -was bound for. He said that he had no particular -destination; he was out to get copra wherever he -could get it. I proposed that he turn over his ship to -us at a daily rental, so that we could continue our -search for signs of cannibalism among the tribes of -Malekula. He assented readily. Osa and I were delighted, -for we knew that there wasn’t a better skipper -<span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span>than Captain Moran in the South Seas. Both he -and his brother, who acted as engineer, were born in -the islands and had spent their lives in wandering -from one group to another. They knew the treacherous -channels as well as any whites in those waters, -and they knew the natives, too, from long experience -as traders.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The next morning, while the crew of the schooner -were cutting wood for fuel, we packed our supplies -on board the Amour. When all was ready, we pulled -up anchor, set the sails, and started the engine. After -a few grunts, the propeller began to turn, and we -were on our way.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Her ungainly shape served to make the Amour -seaworthy, but it did not conduce to speed. We -wheezed along at a rate of three knots an hour. -Though we left Vao at dawn, it was nearly dark -when we again reached Tanemarou Bay, the “seaport” -of the Big Numbers territory. There was no -one on the beach, but we discharged a stick of dynamite -and rolled ourselves in our blankets, sure that -there would be plenty of natives on hand to greet us -next morning.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We slept soundly, in spite of the pigs that roamed -the deck, and were awakened at daylight by cries. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span>About a hundred savages had gathered on the beach. -We lost no time in landing, but to our disappointment, -Nagapate had not come down to greet us. -Only Velle-Velle, the prime minister, was on hand, -I and he was in a difficult mood. He gave me to understand -that I had slighted him, on my previous visit, -in my distribution of presents. I soon averted his -displeasure with plenty of tobacco and the strangest -and most wonderful plaything he had ever had—a -football. It was a sight for sore eyes to see that dignified -old savage, who ordinarily was as pompous -as any Western prime minister, kicking his football -about the beach.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At about ten o’clock, I took a few boys and went -inland to get some pictures. Osa wanted to accompany -me, but I set my foot down on it. I knew there -was no danger for myself, but I felt that Nagapate’s -interest in her made it unsafe for her to venture. I -went to the top of a hill a few miles back, where I -made some fine pictures of the surrounding country, -and was lucky enough to get a group of savages coming -over the ridge of another hill about half a mile -away. My guides became panicky when they saw -the newcomers, and insisted that we return to the -beach at once, but I held firm until the last savage -<span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>on the opposite hill had been lost to sight in the jungle. -Then with enough film to justify my morning’s -climb, I returned to the beach.</p> - -<p class='c010'>On the following morning, Nagapate made his appearance, -and told me, through Atree, that he had -brought his wives to see Osa. I sent the boat to the -schooner for her, but when she appeared, Nagapate -said that his wives could not come to the beach and -that Osa, accordingly, must go inland as far as the -first river to meet them. I did not like the idea, but -decided that no possible harm could come to her if -the armed crew of the Amour and Captain Moran -and I accompanied her. It turned out that my distrust -of Nagapate was again unjustified. We found -the wives waiting at the designated spot with sugar-cane -and yams and a nice, new Big Numbers dress -for Osa. They had not come to the beach because -the newest wife was not permitted to look at the sea -for a certain time after marriage—which seemed to -me to carry the taboo on water a bit too far.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Osa was pleased to add the Big Numbers dress to -her collection of strange things from Melanesia. -And indeed it was quite a gift. For in spite of their -apparent simplicity, the making and dyeing of the -pandanus garments is a complicated process. Since -<span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>the grass will not take the dye if it is the least green, -it has to be dried and washed and dried again. When -it is thoroughly bleached, it is dyed deep purple.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After Osa in turn had presented the wives with -salmon and sea-biscuits (which I afterward saw Nagapate -and his men devouring) and strings of bright-colored -beads, Nagapate agreed to get his men to -dance for me, if I would come to his village. I did -not relish the idea of the long trip into the hills, but -I wanted the picture. Osa returned to the schooner, -and Captain Moran and I, with five boys, went inland. -We made the village in four hours. When we -arrived, I was ready to drop with exhaustion, and -lay down on the ground for half an hour to recover. -Savages squatted about me and watched me while I -rested, then crowded about me while I got my cameras -ready for action. Nagapate sent out for the men -to come to the clearing, and they straggled in, sullen -and cranky. They did not want to dance, but Nagapate’s -word was law. At his command, a few men -went to the great boo-boos and beat out a weird -rhythm that seemed to me to express the very essence -of cannibalism. At first the savages danced in -a half-hearted fashion, but gradually they warmed -up. Soon they were doing a barbaric dance better -<span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>than any I had ever seen. They marched quickly -and in perfect time around the boo-boos. Then -they stopped suddenly, with a great shout, stood -for a moment marking time with their feet, marched -on again and stopped again, and so on, the march -becoming faster and faster and the shouting wilder -and more continuous, until at last the dancers had -to stop from sheer exhaustion.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I got a fine picture, well worth the long trip up the -mountains, but it was very late before we got started -beachward, accompanied by Nagapate and a number -of his men. We went down the slippery trail as -fast as we could go. I should have been afraid, in my -first days in the islands, that the boys might fall -with my cameras if we went at such a rate, but by -now I had found that they were as sure-footed as -mountain sheep. They carried my heavy equipment -as if it had been bags of feathers and handled it much -more carefully than I should have been able to.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In spite of our haste, it grew dark before we -reached the beach. The boys cut dead bamboo for -torches and in the uncertain light they gave, we -stumbled along. When we were within about a quarter -of a mile from the sea, we fired a volley to let Osa -know that we were coming. To our surprise, when -<span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span>we came out on the beach, we were greeted by Osa -and Engineer Moran and the remainder of the crew -of the Amour, all armed to the teeth. Osa was crying. -It was the first time I had ever known her to resort -to tears in the face of danger. But when she -learned that we were all there and safe, and that the -volley had been a signal of our approach and not an -indication that we had been attacked, her tears -dried and she scolded me roundly for having frightened -her.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I went to the boat and got a crate of biscuits and a -small bag of rice and took them back to Nagapate -for a feast for him and his men. Then I said good-bye. -I believe that the old cannibal was really sorry -to see us go—and not only for the sake of the presents -we had given him. Some day I am going back -to see him once more.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER IX<br /> <span class='large'>THE MONKEY PEOPLE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>At daylight we pulled anchor and set the sails and -started the engine. With the wind to help us, we -made good progress. In three hours we had reached -our next anchorage, a small bay said to be the last -frequented by the Big Numbers people. We were in -the territory of the largest tribe on the west side of -Malekula. Moran told me that no white man had -ever penetrated the bush and that the people were -very shy and wild. We landed, but saw no signs of -savages. We thought we had the beach to ourselves, -and I set about making pictures of a beautiful little -river, all overhung with ferns and palms, that ran -into the sea at one side of the bay. As I worked, one -of the boys ran up to me and told me in very frightened -<i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bêche-de-mer</span></i> that he had seen “plenty big fellow -man along bush,” and we beat a hasty retreat -from the river, with its beautiful vegetation, well -fitted for concealing savages.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I was very anxious to secure some photographs of -the savages, and all the more so because they were -said to be so difficult of approach, so I walked along -<span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span>the beach until I came to a trail leading into the interior. -It was easy to locate the trail, for it was like -a tunnel leading into the dark jungle. At its mouth, -I set up my camera, attached a telephoto lens, bundled -up a handful of tobacco in a piece of calico, -placed my bait at the entrance of the trail, and -waited. A half-hour passed, but nothing happened. -Then, quick as a wink, a savage darted out, seized -the bundle and disappeared before I had time to -take hold of the crank of my camera. My trap had -worked too well. Now I was determined to get results, -so I had our armed crew withdraw to the edge -of the beach and asked Captain Moran and Osa to -set their guns against a rock so that the savages -could see that we were not armed. I knew that, in -case of emergency, we could use the pistols in our -pockets. Then I sat down on my camera case and -waited. At noon we sent one of the boys back to the -boat for some tinned lunch. We ate with our eyes on -the trail. It was two o’clock before four savages, -with guns gripped tight in their hands, came cautiously -out of the jungle, ready to run at the first -alarm. I advanced slowly, so as not to frighten them, -holding out a handful of tobacco and clay pipes. -They timidly took my presents, and I tried to make -<span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span>them understand, by friendly gestures and soft -words, which they did not comprehend, that we -could not harm them. To make a long story short, I -worked all afternoon to gain their confidence—and -it was work wasted, for I could get no action from -them. They simply stood like hitching-posts and let -me take pictures all around them. At sundown we -went back to the ship, with nothing to show for our -day’s effort.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Next morning, we set sail betimes. It did not take -us long to reach Lambumba Bay, on the narrow isthmus -that connects northern and southern Malekula. -I had been anxious to visit this region, for I had -heard conflicting tales concerning it. Some said that -it was inhabited by nomad tribes; others said that -the nomads were a myth—that the region was uninhabited. -I wanted to see for myself. So I instructed -Captain Moran to find a good anchorage, -where the ship would be sheltered in case a westerly -wind should spring up. I wanted him to feel safe in -leaving the Amour in charge of a couple of blacks, -for I needed him and his brother and the majority of -the crew to accompany us into the interior. We -found a small cove at the mouth of a stream and with -the kedge anchor we drew the Amour in until the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span>branches of the trees hung over the decks. At high -tide we pulled the bow of the schooner up into the -sand. At low tide she was almost high and dry, and -she was safe from any ordinary blow. Since this was -not the hurricane season, no great storm was to be -expected. In the evening, Osa made up the lunch-bags -for the following day, and early next morning, -we struck inland along a well-beaten trail. We followed -this trail all day, but we saw no signs of natives. -Next day we took a second trail, which crossed the -first. Again we met no one. But we found baskets -hanging from a banian and the embers of a fire, still -alive under a blanket of ashes.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Though we were accomplishing nothing, we were -having a very enjoyable time, for this was the most -beautiful part of Malekula we had seen. The trails -were well-beaten and for the most part followed -small streams that cut an opening in the dense jungle -to let the breeze through. Here, as elsewhere, we -were surrounded by gay tropical birds, and in the -trees hung lovely orchids. Osa kept the boys busy -climbing after the flowers. They were plainly amazed -at the whim of this white “Mary,” who filled gasoline -tins with useless flowers, but they obeyed her -willingly enough, and she, with arms full of the delicate -<span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span>blossoms, declared that she was willing to spend -a month looking for the savages.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We discovered them, however, sooner than that. -On the third morning we took a new trail. We were -walking along very slowly. I was in the lead. I -turned a sharp corner around a big banian—and all -but collided with a savage. The savage was as astonished -as I, but he got his wits back more quickly -than I did mine, and flitted off into the jungle as -quietly as a butterfly. When the others came, I -could scarcely make them believe that I had seen -him; for he left no trail in the underbrush, and they -had not heard a sound. In the hope of surprising -other natives, we agreed to stay close together and -to make as little noise as possible. In about half an -hour four natives appeared on the brow of a low hill, -directly in front of us. They, too, turned at the sight -of us and ran off.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We followed along the trail by which they had disappeared. -In about fifteen minutes we stopped to -rest near a great banian. Now the banian, which is -characteristic of this section of Malekula, begins as -a parasite seedling that takes root in a palm or some -other tree. This seedling grows and sends out -branches, which drop ropelike tendrils to the ground. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span>The tendrils take root and gradually thicken into -trunks. The new trunks send out other branches, -which in turn drop their tendrils, and so on, indefinitely. -The banian near which we had stopped was -some twenty feet in diameter. Its many trunks grew -close together and it was covered with a crown of -great heart-shaped leaves. Since conditions seemed -favorable for a picture, I got a camera ready and -turned to the tree to study the lights and shadows -before I adjusted the shutters. As I grew accustomed -to the light, I saw dimly, peering from behind -the tendrils, four intent black faces. We had caught -up with the men we had surprised on the trail.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I spent an hour in trying to coax them into the -open. I held out toward them the things most coveted -by the natives of the New Hebrides—tobacco, -salt, a knife, a piece of red calico. But they did not -stir. I made an attractive heap of presents on the -ground and we all stood back, hoping that the shy -savages would pick up courage to come out and examine -them. But they refused to be tempted. At -last I lost patience and ordered the boys to surround -the banian. When I was sure that we had the natives -cornered, I went under the tree and hunted around -among its many trunks for my captives. There was -not a sign of them. But in the center of the banian -was an opening in which hung long ladders fashioned -from the tendrils. The savages had escaped over the -tops of the trees. We did not get another glimpse of -them that day, but when we returned to the Amour, -we saw footprints in the sand of the beach. And the -two boys we had left in charge said that a number of -savages had inspected the vessel from a distance, -disappearing into the jungle just before our arrival.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_128.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>ONE OF THE MONKEY MEN</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>I was convinced by this time that we had really -discovered the nomads, but I began to despair of -ever getting a close-up of them. Early next morning, -however, as we were eating breakfast, a native -who might have been twin brother to those of the -banian marched boldly down the beach and up to -the side of the ship. In bad <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bêche-de-mer</span></i> he asked us -who we were and where we came from and what we -wanted. We learned that he had been “blackbirded” -off to Queensland long before and had made -his way back home after a year’s absence. He knew -all about the white men and their ways, he told us, -and proved it by asking for tobacco.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I gladly got out some tobacco and gave it to him. -Then he informed us that he had no pipe and I made -him happy with a clay pipe and a box of matches.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span>I invited him to come on board, but he refused; -one “blackbirding” experience had been enough for -him. He squatted on the sand, within talking distance, -and told us what a great man he was. He was -the only one of his tribe who knew “talk belong white -man.” He was a famous fighter. The enemies of his -people ran when they saw him. He had killed many -men and many pigs. He recited his virtues over and -over, utterly ignoring my questions about his people. -But finally I succeeded in extracting from him an -agreement to guide us to the headquarters of his -tribe.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When we stood on the shore, ready to go, Nella—for -that was the name of our visitor—looked Osa -over from head to foot. She wore her usual jungle -costume of khaki breeches and high boots. When he -had completed his inspection, he turned to me and -said wisely, “Me savvy. He Mary belong you.” -Then, adding in a business-like tone, “Me think -more better you bringem altogether tobacco,” he -turned and led the way into the jungle.</p> - -<p class='c010'>He took us along one of the trails that we had followed -in vain during the preceding days. But presently -he turned off into another trail that we had not -noticed. The entrance was masked with cane-grass. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>After about ten feet, however, the path was clean -and well-beaten. When we had passed through the -cane, Nella returned and carefully straightened out -the stalks that we had trampled down.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When we had traversed a mile or so of trail, Nella -called a halt and disappeared into the depths of a -banian. Soon he returned, followed by three young -savages and an old man, who was nearer to a -monkey than any human being I have ever seen -before or since—bright eyes peering out from a -shock of woolly hair; an enormous mouth disclosing -teeth as white and perfect as those of a dental -advertisement; skin creased with deep wrinkles; an -alert, nervous, monkey-like expression; quick, sure, -monkey-like movements. He approached us carefully, -ready to turn and run at the slightest alarm. -I endeavored to shake hands with him, but he jerked -his hand away. The friendly greeting had no meaning -for him. My presents, however, talked to him. -Reassured by them and the voluble Nella, who was -greatly enjoying his position as master of ceremonies, -the savages squatted near us.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I began digging after information, but information -was hard to get. Nella preferred asking questions -to answering them. All that I could learn from -<span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span>him was that there were many savages in the vicinity -and that we would see them all in due time.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The conversation became one-sided. The five -savages sat and discussed us in their own language -of growls and ape-like chattering. They tried to examine -the rifles carried by our boys, but the boys -were afraid to let their guns out of their hands. Osa, -more confident, explained to the savages the working -of her repeater. Then they focused their attention -on her. They felt her boots and grunted admiringly. -They fingered her blond hair and carefully -touched her skin, giving strange little whistles of -awe. Osa was used to such attentions from savages -and took them as a matter of course.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In spite of their grotesque appearance, there was -little that was terrifying about our new acquaintances. -They seemed not at all warlike. Only two of -the five carried weapons, the one a bow and arrow, -the other a club. I was interested to observe that the -old man, who apparently was a chief, wore the Big -Numbers costume—a great clout of pandanus fiber—while -the others were still more lightly clothed -according to the style in vogue among the Small -Numbers. I tried to find out the reason for the variation. -But Nella was not interested in my questions. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>Finally, I realized that there was no use in trying to -get information in a hurry. Time means nothing to -savages. We examined the banian from which our -visitors had come. Like the tree we had seen on the -previous day, it had a hole in the center, in which -hung a ladder for hasty exits. Empty baskets, hung -from the branches, showed that the place was much -frequented.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After a while about twenty natives came along -the trail. They joined the five natives already with -us, and the examination of us and our belongings began -all over. Osa went among the newcomers with -her kodak, taking snapshots, and I set up my moving-picture -camera on a tripod, selected a place -where the light was good, and tried to get the savages -in front of my lens. They would not move; so I -pointed my camera at them and began to turn the -crank. Like lightning, they sprang to their feet and -ran to the banian. They scampered up the tendrils -like monkeys, and by the time I could follow them -with the camera, I could see only their bright eyes -here and there peering from the crevices.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Through Nella we coaxed them back, and down -they came, as quickly as they had gone up, while I -ground out one of the best pictures I ever got. Osa -<span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>at once dubbed them the “monkey people.” And indeed -they were nearer monkeys than men. They had -enormous flat feet, with the great toe separated from -the other toes and turned in. They could grasp a -branch with their feet as easily as I could with my -hands. For speed and sureness and grace in climbing, -they outdid any other men I had ever seen.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When luncheon-time came, we spread out our -meal of cold broiled wood-pigeon, tinned asparagus, -and sea-biscuit and began to eat. After watching us -for a few moments, two or three savages went and -fetched some small almond-like nuts, which they -shared with their companions. They seemed more -like monkeys than ever as they squatted there, busily -cracking the nuts with stones and picking out the -meats with their skinny fingers.</p> - -<p class='c010'>By dint of many presents, I won the confidence of -the chief and, before the afternoon was over, I was -calling him by his first and only name, which was, as -near as I can spell it phonetically, Wo-bang-an-ar. -He was a strange crony. He was covered with layer -after layer of dirt. No one who has not been among -savage tribes can image a human being so filthy. His -hair had never been combed or cut; it was matted -with dirt and grease. His eyes were protruding and -bloodshot and they were never still. His glance -darted from one to another of us and back again. -But, like Nagapate, he proved to be a real chief, and -his people jumped whenever he gave a command. -He ordered them to do whatever I asked, and I made -pictures all the afternoon.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_134.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>WO-BANG-AN-AR</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span>That night we slept in the banian, and next day -Nella led us through the jungle to a clearing some -five miles distant. There we found about a hundred -men, women, and children. All of them, save Wo-bang-an-ar, -who had his food supplied to him by his -subjects, looked thin and drawn. Some of the men -wore the Big Numbers costume, some that of the -Small Numbers. The women wore the usual Small -Numbers dress of a few leaves. A few men carried -old rifles, but they had only about half a dozen cartridges -among them; a few others had bows and arrows -or clubs, but the majority were unarmed. This -seemed strange, in the light of our experience among -the tribes of northern Malekula, but even stranger -was the fact that these people had no houses or -huts—no dwellings of any kind. They lived in the -banians. Sometimes they put a few leaves over the -protruding roots as a shelter from rain. Occasionally, -they built against the great central trunk of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>tree a rough lean-to of sticks and leaves. Beyond -that they made no attempt at constructing houses.</p> - -<p class='c010'>During the three days we spent among them, I -picked up fragments of their history, which runs -somewhat as follows:</p> - -<p class='c010'>Years ago, before the white men came to Malekula, -there were many more people on the island -than there are to-day. In the north and in the south -there were great tribes, who were fierce and warlike. -They fell upon the people who dwelt in the isthmus, -and destroyed their villages. Again and again this -happened. The tribes that lived in the isthmus -grew smaller and smaller. Their men were killed and -their women were carried off. Finally the few that -were left no longer dared to build villages; for a village -served merely to advertise their whereabouts to -their enemies. They became nomads, living in trees. -They even ceased the cultivation of gardens and depended -for their food on wild fruits and nuts, the -roots of trees, and an occasional bit of fish. Their -number was augmented from time to time by refugees -from the Big Numbers tribes on the north and -from the Small Numbers on the south—a fact that -explained the variation in dress we had noticed. -They were unarmed, because their best means of defense -<span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span>was flight. They could not stand against their -warlike neighbors, but they could elude them by -climbing trees and losing themselves in the dark, impenetrable -jungles.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER X<br /> <span class='large'>THE DANCE OF THE PAINTED SAVAGES</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>After three days among the nomads, we decided -that there was no cannibalism among a people so -mild and spiritless, and so we packed our belongings -and set off for the Amour. We thought we had half -a day’s journey ahead of us, but to our surprise we -reached the ship in less than two hours. Nella, to be -on the safe side, had led us to the headquarters of -the tribe by a circuitous route.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was high tide when we reached the beach; so we -took the opportunity of getting the Amour off the -sand. A good breeze took us rapidly down the coast. -At nightfall we started the engine and by midnight -we had anchored in Southwest Bay.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_138.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>SOUTHWEST BAY</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>The next morning, at daybreak, we were surrounded -by natives in canoes, with fruit and yams -and fish for sale. Since the fish were old and smelly, -we decided to catch some fresh ones by the dynamite -method in use throughout the South Seas wherever -there are white men to employ their “magic”! We -lowered the two whaleboats. I set my camera in one -and lashed the other alongside to steady my boat -which bobbed about a good bit as it was, but not -enough to spoil the picture. I next set the natives to -hunting for a school of fish. In a few moments they -signaled that they had found one. We approached -slowly and quietly and threw the dynamite. It exploded -with a roar and sent a spout of water several -feet into the air. After the water had quieted, the -fish began to appear. Soon some three hundred mullets, -killed from the concussion, were floating on the -surface and the natives jumped overboard and began -to gather the fish into their canoes. Suddenly -one of the blacks yelled in terror. He scrambled into -his canoe and his companions did likewise. I saw the -dark edge of a shark’s fin coming through the water. -He was an enormous shark and in his wake came a -dozen others. They made the water boil as they -gobbled down our catch. Captain Moran seized his -gun and put a bullet through the nose of one of the -largest of them. The shark leaped ten feet out of the -water, and in huge jumps made for the open sea, -lashing the water into foam with his tail every time -he touched the surface. I got some fine pictures.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Before the sun was up, we were well on our way, -with an escort of a dozen canoes. The river was -broad and beautiful. On one side was a sandy beach. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span>On the other was jungle, clear to the water’s edge. -After we had paddled for about two miles, we came -unexpectedly into a lagoon about three miles long -and two wide, and dotted with tiny, jungled islands. -As we were making pictures of the lovely scene, several -natives came out in canoes and invited us to -land. They were the first of the long-headed people -that we had seen. Their heads were about half as -long again as they should have been and sloped off -to a rounded point. We landed and visited several -villages, each consisting of no more than three or -four tumble-down huts. There were a few wretched, -naked women, a half-dozen skinny children, and several -half-starved pigs about. Some of the women -had strapped to their backs babies who wore the -strange baskets that mould their heads into the -fashionable shape. One of these baskets is put on -the head of each child when it is about three days -old. First a cloth woven from human hair is fitted -over the head. This is soaked with coconut oil to -soften the skull. Then, after a few days, the basket is -put on, and the soft skull immediately takes on the -elongated shape desired. The basket is woven of coconut -fiber in such a manner that the strands can be -tightened day after day, until the bones are too hard -<span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>to be further compressed. When the child is a year -old, the basket is taken off.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In time gone by, the lagoon tribes, like the “monkey -people,” had suffered much from wars. The few -survivors had lost interest in life. They no longer repaired -their houses. Their devil-devils were falling -into decay. The clearings, instead of being beaten -hard, as is usually the case, were overgrown with -grass; for dances and ceremonies were rare among -these sadly disheartened folk.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Inside the houses were gruesome ornaments. Human -heads, dried and smoked, hung from the rafters -or leered from the ends of the poles on which they -were impaled. In some houses there were mummified -bodies, with pigs’ tusks in the place of feet. Somehow, -in the general atmosphere of decay, these -things seemed pitiful rather than terrifying.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When we returned to the beach, a little after dark, -the boys told us that scores of natives, well armed -and painted in war-colors, had spent a day on the -beach on the opposite side of the bay. As soon as it -was daylight, we embarked in the whaleboat to look -for them. For about five miles, we ran along the -coast without seeing a trace of a human being. The -jungle came down to the water’s edge and dangled its -<span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span>vines in the water. But at last we came to a long, -sandy beach well packed down by bare feet. A number -of baskets hung from the trees at the edge of the -jungle. We headed the boat for the shore, but just -before she ran her nose into the sand, some twenty -savages emerged without warning from the bush. -One glance, and our boys frantically put out to sea -again. We were thankful enough for their presence -of mind, for the natives were a terrifying sight. -Their faces and heads were striped with white lime; -their black bodies were dotted with spots of red, -yellow, blue, and white, and their bushy hair bristled -with feathers. They all carried guns. How -many of them had bullets was another question—but -we did not care to experiment to find the -answer.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When we were about fifty feet from shore, I called -a halt and tried to get into communication with the -natives. I had small success. They kept saying -something over and over, but what it was, I could -not understand. The tide carried us up the coast and -the men followed at the water’s edge. Finally, realizing -that we did not trust them, they went back to -the jungle and leaned their guns against a tree. -Then they came down to the water-line again, and -we rowed inshore until the bow of our boat was anchored -in the sand.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_142.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>WOMAN AND CHILD OF THE LONG-HEADS, TOMMAN</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>The savages waded out to us. Our boys held their -guns ready for action; for the visitors were certainly -a nasty-looking lot. They were as naked as when -they were born, and they had great, slobbery mouths -that seemed to bespeak many a cannibal feast. They -begged for tobacco and I gave each of them a stick -and a clay pipe. Then one of them, who spoke a little -<i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bêche-de-mer</span></i>, told us that a big feast was taking -place at a village about three miles inland. He -and his companions were waiting for the boo-boos -to announce that it was time for them to put in an -appearance.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I decided, and Captain Moran and his brother -agreed with me, that there would be no danger in attending -the ceremony. From what I could extract -from the natives, I gathered that there would not be -more than a hundred and fifty persons present. Our -black boys seemed willing to make the trip—a good -sign, for they were quick to scent danger and determined -in avoiding it, so we landed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Experience had taught me that the possession of -a rifle does not necessarily make a native dangerous, -and, sure enough, when I examined the guns leaning -<span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>against the tree, I found that only four of the guns -had cartridges. The rest were all too old and rusty -to shoot.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Twenty savages led us inland over a good trail. -Before we had walked half an hour, we could hear -the boom of the boo-boos. I have never been able to -get used to that sound. Often as I have heard it, it -sends a chill down my spine. After an hour, it began -to get on my nerves. By that time we had reached -the foot of a steep hill, and our escort told us that -they could go no farther until they were summoned. -We went on alone, the sound of the boo-boos growing -louder and more terrifying with each step. Osa -began to wonder about the advisability of bursting -on the natives unannounced. She hinted vaguely -that it might be wise to return to the boat. But we -kept on.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was a hard climb. We had to stop several times -to rest. The revolvers that Osa and I carried in our -hip pockets seemed heavy as lead. At last, however, -we made the top of the hill, and found ourselves at -the edge of a clearing about a quarter of a mile -in diameter. In the center, around a collection of -huge boo-boos and devil-devils, were a thousand -naked savages. That was my first estimate. A little -<span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span>later I divided the number in two, but even at that, -there were more savages than I had ever before seen -at one time. And they were the fiercest-looking lot -I had ever laid my eyes on. White lead, calcimine, red -paint, and common bluing are among the most valued -trade articles in this region, and the savages had -invested heavily in them, and besides had added to -their make-up boxes yellow ocher and coral lime and -ghastly purple ashes. Every single one had a gun or -a bow and arrows, and looked as if he would use it at -very slight provocation.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As we appeared, the boom of the boo-boos ceased. -The savages who had been dancing stopped. Every -eye was turned on us. After a moment’s silence, all -the natives began to talk. Then a number separated -themselves from the mob, and, led by an old man -who was smeared with yellow ocher from the crown -of his head to the soles of his feet, approached us.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The old man spoke to us severely in <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bêche-de-mer</span></i>, -asking our business.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We walk about, no more,” I explained humbly. -“We bringem presents for big fellow master belong -village.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The haughty old man then informed us that, -though he himself was the biggest chief of all, there -<span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span>were many other chiefs present, and that I must -make presents to all of them. He was not at all polite -about it. He said “must” and he meant “must.” -I took one glance at the hundreds of fierce, painted -faces in the clearing, and then I had one of the boys -bring me the big ditty-bag. Then and there I distributed -about twenty-five dollars’ worth of trade-stuff—the -most I had ever given at one time.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The uproar was fairly deafening—I was thoroughly -alarmed. The voices of the savages were -angry. Men ran from group to group, apparently -giving commands. Moran put his two hands in his -pockets where he kept his revolvers and I told Osa -to do likewise. Our boys huddled close around us. -No need to tell them to keep their guns ready.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The bag was soon empty, and there was nothing -further to do but await developments. To retreat -would be more dangerous than to stay. In order to -keep Osa from guessing how scared I was, I got out -my moving-picture camera. I wish I could have -photographed what happened then; for the entire -mob broke and ran for cover. I wondered if they had -ever seen a machine-gun. I couldn’t explain their -fright on any other grounds. Only old Yellow Ocher -stood his ground. He was scared, but game, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span>asked me excitedly what I was up to. I explained -the camera to him and opened it up and showed him -the film and the wheels. He shouted to the other natives -to come back, and they returned to the clearing, -muttering and casting sullen glances in our direction. -The old man was angry. We had nearly -broken up the show. He gave us to understand that -he washed his hands of us.</p> - -<p class='c010'>He then turned his attention to the ceremony. In -a few moments a dozen savages took their places at -the boo-boos and a few men started a half-hearted -chant. A score of young savages began to dance, but -without much spirit. It was half an hour before they -warmed up, but at the end of that time the chant -was loud and punctuated with blood-thirsty yells, -and a hundred men were dancing in the clearing. I -call the performance “dancing,” but it was simply a -march, round and round, quickening gradually to a -run punctuated by leaps and yells. Soon women and -children came out of the jungle. That was a good -sign. For the time being, we were in no danger.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The dance ended abruptly with a mighty yell. -The men at the boo-boos changed their rhythm and -the twenty savages we had met on the beach burst -from the jungle into the clearing and began to dance. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>There was a rough symbolism in their dance. But -we could not decipher the meaning of the pantomime. -They picked up a bunch of leaves here and deposited -them there. Then they charged a little bundle -of sticks and finally gathered them up and carried -them off. When they were tired out, they withdrew -to the side-lines, and another group, all painted -alike, in an even fiercer pattern than that of the first -group, made a similar dramatic entrance and danced -themselves into exhaustion. They were followed by -other groups. By the time three hours had passed, -there were fully a thousand savages in the clearing.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was a wonderful sight. My “movie” sense -completely overcame my fears, and I ground out -roll after roll of film. When the afternoon was well -advanced, a hundred savages began to march to -slow time around the devil-devils. Others joined in. -They increased their pace. Soon more than half the -natives were in a great circle, running and leaping -and shouting around the clearing. Those who were -left formed little circles of their own, the younger -men dancing and the older ones watching with unfriendly -eyes the actions of the rival groups. Even -the women and children were hopping up and down -and shouting. Occasionally a detachment of natives -came toward us. At times we were completely surrounded, -though we tried our best by moving backward -to prevent the savages from getting in our rear.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_148.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE PAINTED DANCERS OF SOUTHWEST BAY</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>As the dance grew wilder, however, the savages -lost all interest in us. Soon every one of them was -dancing in the clearing. I shall never forget that -dance—a thousand naked, painted savages, running -and leaping in perfect time to the strange beat-beat-beat -of the boo-boos and the wild, monotonous -chant punctuated with brutal yells. The contagion -spread to the women and children and they hopped -up and down like jumping-jacks and chanted with -the men. I turned the crank of my camera like mad. -The sun sank behind the trees and Osa and Moran -urged me to return to the beach, but I was crazy -with excitement over the picture I was getting and I -insisted on staying: I lighted a number of radium -flares. The savages muttered a bit, but they were -worked up to too high a pitch to stop the dance, and, -when they found that the flares did no harm, they -rather liked them. Old Yellow Ocher, seeing that the -bluish-white light added to the spectacular effect, -asked me for some more flares. I gave him my last -two, and he put them among the devil-devils and -lighted them. He could not have done me a greater -<span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span>service. The light from the flares made it possible -to get a picture such as I never could have secured -in the waning daylight.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The savages were sweating and panting with their -exertions, but now they danced faster than ever. -They seemed to have lost their senses. They leaped -and shouted like madmen. Osa swallowed her pride -and begged me to put up my camera, and at last I -reluctantly consented. As I packed my equipment, -I found two hundred sticks of tobacco that had -escaped my notice. Without thinking of consequences, -I put them on the edge of the clearing and -motioned to Yellow Ocher to come and get them. -But some of the young bucks saw them first. They -leaped toward them. The first dozen got them. The -next hundred fought for them. The dance ended in -uproar.</p> - -<p class='c010'>For the first time in our island experiences, Osa -was frightened. She took to her heels and ran as she -had never run before. The boys grabbed up my cameras -and followed her. Captain Moran stood by me. -He urged me to run, but I felt that, if we did so, we -should have the whole pack on us. Old Yellow Ocher -and some of the other chiefs came up to us and yelled -something that we could not understand and did -<span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>not attempt to answer. There was no chance for explanations -in that uproar. We edged toward the -trail. The chiefs pressed after us, yelling louder than -ever. Their men were at their heels. Luckily some -of the natives began to fight among themselves and -diverted the attention of the majority from us. Only -a small group followed us to the edge of the hill. -When we reached the trail, Moran said we had better -cut and run, and we made the steep descent in -record time.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Our boys were a hundred yards ahead of us. Osa, -with nothing to carry, was far in the lead. When I -caught up with her, she was crying, not with fear, -but with anger. When she got her breath back, she -told me what she thought of me for exposing us all -to danger for the sake of a few feet of film. I took -the scolding meekly, for I knew she was right. But -I kept wishing that we had been twelve white men -instead of three. Then I could have seen the dance -through to the end.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XI<br /> <span class='large'>TOMMAN AND THE HEAD-CURING ART</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>We were safe on board the Amour, but we could still -hear the boo-boos marking the time for the wild -dance back in the hills. I awoke several times during -the night. The boom-boom still floated across -the water. I was glad that we had taken to our heels -when we did, though I still regretted the picture I -might have got if we could have stayed. At dawn, -there was silence. The dance was over.</p> - -<p class='c010'>A trader who put in at Southwest Bay late in the -morning told us of a man who had been brutally -murdered at the very village we had visited. It was -his belief that we had escaped only because the memory -of the punitive expedition that had avenged the -murder was still fresh in the minds of the natives. -Even that memory might have failed to protect us, -he told us, if the natives had really been in the heat -of the dance. And he and Captain Moran swapped -yarns about savage orgies until Osa became angry -with me all over again for having stayed so long on -the hill to witness the dance.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After a day’s rest, we continued on our journey in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>search of cannibals. Our next stop was Tomman, an -island about half a mile off the southernmost tip of -Malekula. Since we found the shore lined with canoes, -we expected to be surrounded as usual, as soon -as we had dropped anchor, by natives anxious to -trade. To our surprise, there was not a sign of life. -We waited until it was dark and then gave up expecting -visitors, for the savages of the New Hebrides -rarely show themselves outside their huts after dark -for fear of spirits. Early next morning, however, we -were awakened by hoarse shouts, and found the -Amour surrounded by native craft. We then discovered -that we had arrived inopportunely in the -midst of a dance. Dances in the New Hebrides are -not merely social affairs. They all have some ceremonial -significance and accordingly are not to be -lightly interrupted.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Captain Moran assured us that, since the natives -of this island, like those of Vao, were sufficiently acquainted -with the Government gunboat to be on -their good behavior where white men were concerned, -it would be safe to go ashore. We launched a -whaleboat and set out for the beach, escorted by -about a hundred savages, who came to meet us in -canoes. These natives, like some of those we had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>met with in the region around Southwest Bay, had -curiously shaped heads. Their craniums were almost -twice as long as the normal cranium and -sloped to a point at the crown. The children, since -their hair was not yet thick enough to conceal the -conformation, seemed like gnomes with high brows -and heads too big for their bodies.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When we reached shore, we beached the whaleboat -at a favorable spot and, leaving it in charge of a -couple of the crew, followed a well-beaten trail that -led from the beach to a village near by. At the edge -of a clearing surrounded by ramshackle huts, we -stopped to reconnoiter.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I have never seen a more eerie spectacle. In the -center of the clearing, before a devil-devil, an old -man was dancing. Very slowly he lifted one foot and -very slowly put it down; then he lifted the other foot -and put it down, chanting all the while in a hoarse -whisper. At the farther side of the clearing, a group -of old savages were squatting near a smoldering fire, -intently watching one of their number, the oldest -and most wizened of them all, as he held in the -smoke a human head, impaled on a stick. Near by, -on stakes set in the ground, were other heads.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_154.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE OLD HEAD-CURER</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span>The natives who had accompanied us up the trail -shouted something and the men about the fire looked -up. They seemed not at all concerned over our sudden -appearance and made no attempt to conceal the -heads. As for the old dancer, he did not so much as -glance our way.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We went over to the men crouched about the fire -and spoke to them. They paid scant attention to -Moran and me, but they forsook their heads to look -at Osa. She was always a source of wonder and astonishment -to the natives, most of whom had never -before seen a white woman. These old men went -through the usual routine of staring at her and cautiously -touching her hands and hair, to see if they -were as soft as they appeared to be.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I discovered that the old head-curer knew <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bêche-de-mer</span></i> -and could tell me something of the complicated -process of his trade. The head was first soaked in a -chemical mixture that hardened the skin and, to a -certain extent, at least, made it fireproof. Next, the -curer held it over a fire, turning and turning it in the -smoke until the fat was rendered out and the remaining -tissue was thoroughly dried. After the head had -been smeared with clay to keep it from burning, it -was again baked for some hours. This process consumed -about a week of constant work. The dried -<span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>head was then hung up for a time in a basket of pandanus -fiber, made in the shape of a circular native -hut with a thatched roof, and finally it was exhibited -in the owner’s hut or in a ceremonial house; -but for a year it had to be taken out at intervals and -smoked again in order to preserve it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The old head-curer was an artist, with an artist’s -pride in his work. He told me that he was the only -one left among his people who really understood the -complicated process of drying heads. The young -men were forsaking the ways of their fathers. Of the -old men, he was the most skilled. All the important -heads were brought to him for curing, and he was -employed to dry the bodies of great chiefs, smearing -the joints with clay to keep the members from falling -apart, turning each rigid corpse in the smoke of a -smoldering fire until it was a shriveled mummy, -painting the shrunken limbs in gay colors, and substituting -pigs’ tusks for the feet. The old man told -me that heads nowadays are not what they were in -olden times. He said what I found hard to believe—that -the craniums of his ancestors were twice as -long as those of present-day islanders.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Specimens of the head-curer’s art were displayed -in every hut in the village. The people of Tomman -<span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>are not head-hunters in the strict sense of the word. -They do not go on head-raids as do the men of -Borneo. But if they kill an enemy, they take his head -and hang it up at home to frighten off the evil spirits. -The heads of enemies are roughly covered with -clay and hastily and carelessly cured, but those of -relatives are more scientifically treated, for they are -to be cherished in the family portrait gallery. While -the natives of Tomman do not produce works of art -comparable to the heads treated by the Maoris of -New Zealand, the results of their handiwork show a -certain dignity and beauty. One forgets that the -heads were once those of living men, for they are -dehumanized and like sculptures. Each household -boasted a few mummies and a number of heads, and, -to our surprise, the people willingly showed us their -treasures and allowed us to photograph them. In -northern Malekula, as we had learned, it is as much -as a white man’s life is worth to try to see the interior -of a head-hut, and demands for heads—or -skulls, rather, for the natives of the northern part of -the island do not go in for head-curing—are usually -met with sullen, resentful silence. Here, the natives -not only brought out heads and bodies for us to -photograph, but in exchange for a supply of tobacco -<span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span>permitted me to make a flashlight picture of a big -ceremonial hut containing about fifty heads and -fifteen mummified bodies.</p> - -<p class='c010'>This hut seemed to be a club for the men of the -village. Almost every village of the New Hebrides -boasts some sort of a club-house, which is strictly -taboo for women and children. Here, the devil-devils -are made and, it is rumored, certain mysterious -rites are performed. Be that as it may, club-life in -the New Hebrides seemed to me to be as stupid and -meaningless as it usually is in the West. Instead of -lounging in plush-covered armchairs and smoking -Havana cigars, the men of the New Hebrides lay on -the ground and smoked Virginia cuttings in clay -pipes. Each man had his favorite resting-place—a -hollow worn into the ground by his own body. He -was content to lie there for hours on end, almost motionless, -saying scarcely a word; but the women and -children outside thought that he was engaged in the -strange and wonderful rites of his “lodge”!</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_158.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>A CLUB-HOUSE IN TOMMAN WITH MUMMIED HEADS AND BODIES</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>Toward evening the women of the village appeared -with loads of firewood and fruits and vegetables. -On top of nearly every load was perched a -child or a young baby, its head fitted snugly with a -basket to make the skull grow in the way in which, -according to Tomman ideals of beauty, it should go. -The women of Tomman we found a trifle more independent -than those of other islands of the New Hebrides. -Of course, their upper front teeth were missing—knocked -out by their husbands as part of the marriage -ceremony. The gap was the Tomman substitute -for a wedding-ring. But on Tomman, as -elsewhere in the New Hebrides, wives are slaves. -Since a good wife is expensive, costing from twenty -to forty pigs, and the supply is limited, most of the -available women are cornered by the rich. A young -man with little property is lucky if he can afford one -wife. He looks forward to the day when he will inherit -his father’s women. Then he will have perhaps -a dozen willing hands to work for him. He will give -a great feast and, if he kills enough pigs, he will be -made a chief.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When we went back to the ship at sunset, the old -man was still doing his solitary dance in front of the -devil-devil. In the morning, when we returned to -the village, he was already at it, one foot up, one foot -down. When we left Tomman, four days after our -arrival, he was still going strong. I tried to discover -the reason for the performance, but the natives either -could not or would not tell me.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span>Although Tomman was an interesting spot, we -did not remain there long. I was looking for cannibals, -and experience had taught me that head-hunters -were rarely cannibals or cannibals head-hunters. -So, since our time in the islands was -growing short, we decided to move on.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XII<br /> <span class='large'>THE WHITE MAN IN THE SOUTH SEAS</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>We chugged away from Tomman and for a week we -cruised along the southern end of Malekula. In this -region, the mountains come down to the sea. Beyond -them lies dangerous territory. It was not safe -for us to cross them with the force we had; so we had -to be content with inspecting the coast. There we -found only deserted villages and a few scattered huts -inhabited by old men left to die alone.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Finally we rounded the end of the island and -steamed up the eastern coast. One evening we came -to anchor in Port Sandwich—a lovely, land-locked -bay. Since it was very late, we deferred explorations -until the following morning and turned in almost as -soon as we had anchored, so as to be ready for work -betimes.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At about three o’clock, Osa and I, who slept on -deck, were rudely awakened by being thrown into -the scuppers. We pulled ourselves to our feet and -held tight to the rail. The ship rolled and trembled -violently. Though there seemed to be no wind, the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>water boiled around us and the trees on shore swayed -and groaned in the still air.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Captain Moran and his brother came rushing from -their cabins. The black crew tumbled out of the -hold, yelling with terror. There was a sound of -breaking crockery. A big wave washed over the deck -and carried overboard everything that was loose. -The water bubbled up from below as if from a giant -caldron and fishes leaped high into the air. After -what seemed to be half an hour, but was in reality -a few minutes, the disturbance subsided. We had -been through an earthquake.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The volcanic forces that brought the New Hebrides -into being are still actively at work. Small -shocks are almost a daily occurrence in the islands. -But this had been no ordinary earthquake. The -next morning, when we went ashore, we found that -half the native huts of the little settlement near the -mouth of the bay had collapsed like card houses. -The devil-devils and boo-boos stood at drunken angles—some -of them had fallen to the ground—and, -in the village clearings and other level places, the -ground looked like a piece of wet paper that had been -stretched until it was full of wrinkles and jagged -tears. Streaks of red clay marked the courses of -landslides down the sides of the mountains. The -old men of the settlement said that the earthquake -was the worst they had ever experienced. And when -we returned to Vao, we found that two sides of our -own bungalow had caved in as a result of the shock.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_162.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>TOMMAN WOMEN, SHOWING GAP IN TEETH</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>A visit to the volcano Lopevi gave us further -proof of the uncertain foundation on which the islands -rest.</p> - -<p class='c010'>On the morning after the earthquake, Mr. King, -the British Commissioner, appeared in the Euphrosyne, -on his way to Vao to fetch us for a visit at -Vila. We told him regretfully that we had no time for -visiting, and then he proposed a jaunt to Lopevi, a -great volcano about thirty miles from Malekula. We -were glad of the opportunity to see the volcano, -which was reputed to be one of the most beautiful in -the world. So we said good-bye to Captain Moran, -who departed at once to continue his interrupted -trading, and we transferred our belongings to the -Euphrosyne, where we reveled in the unaccustomed -luxury of good beds and good service by attentive -servants.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We left Port Sandwich at daybreak, and in a few -hours we saw Lopevi, a perfect cone, rising abruptly -out of the water to a height of nearly six thousand -<span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span>feet. When we came within range, I got my camera -ready. A fine fringe of thunder-clouds encircled the -island about halfway down, but the top was free. -The light was perfect. I was grinding happily away, -when a miracle happened. Lopevi sent up a cloud of -smoke. Then she growled ominously, and shot out -great tongues of lapping flame. More smoke, and -she subsided into calm again. I had secured a fine -picture and congratulated myself on having arrived -just in the nick of time. Suddenly, as we discussed -the event, Lopevi became active again. And after -that there was an eruption every twenty minutes -from ten in the morning until four in the afternoon. -We steamed all around the island, stopping at favorable -points to wait for a good “shot.” At four o’clock, -we sailed for Api, where we were to harbor for the -night. And from the time we turned our backs on -Lopevi, there was not another eruption. Her cone -was in sight for an hour that night, and next morning, -from Ringdove Bay where we were anchored, -she was plainly visible. But she did not emit a single -whiff of smoke. Osa called her our trained volcano.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We remained on Api for four days. Since Mr. -King was due back at Vila, he had to leave on the -morning after our arrival; so we took up our quarters -<span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>with Mr. Mitchell, the English manager of one -of the largest coconut plantations on the island.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In more civilized regions one might hesitate before -descending, bag and baggage, upon an unknown -host, to wait for a very uncertain steamer; -but in the islands of the South Seas one is almost always -sure of a welcome. The traders and planters -lead lonely lives. They have just three things to -look forward to—the monthly visit of the Pacifique, -a trip once a year to Sydney or New Caledonia, and -dinner. For the Englishman in exile, dinner is the -greatest event of the day. He rises at daybreak and, -after a hasty cup of coffee, goes out on the plantation -to see that work is duly under way. He breakfasts -at eleven and then sleeps for a couple of hours, -through the heat of the day. His day’s work is over -at six; then he has a bath and a whiskey-and-soda—and -dinner. Another drink, a little quiet reading, -then off with the dinner clothes and to bed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Yes, I said dinner clothes. For dinner clothes are -as much <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">de rigueur</span></i> in Ringdove Bay as they are on -Piccadilly. I, who have a rowdy fondness for free-and-easy -dress and am only too glad when I can escape -from the world of dinner coats and white ties, -suggested, on the second evening of our stay at Api, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>that, since Mrs. Johnson was used to informal attire, -we could dispense, if Mr. Mitchell desired, with the -ceremony of dressing.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“But, my dear Johnson,” said Mitchell, “I dress -for dinner when I am here alone.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>That ended the matter. I knew that I was up -against an article of the British creed and might as -well conform.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When I first went out to the South Seas, I was -disposed to regard the punctiliousness in dress of the -isolated Britisher as more or less of an affectation. -But now I realize that a dinner coat is a symbol. It -is a man’s declaration to himself and the world that -he has a firm grasp on his self-respect. A Frenchman -in the islands can go barefooted and half-clothed, -can live a life ungoverned by routine, rising -at will, going to bed at will, working at will, can -throw off every convention, and still maintain his -dignity. With the Anglo-Saxon it is different. The -Englishman must hold fast to an ordered existence -or, in nine cases out of ten, the islands will “get” -him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It is customary to waste a lot of pity on the trader -and the planter in remote places—lonely outposts -of civilization, but, from my observation, they do not -<span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span>need pity. The man who stays in the islands is fitted -for the life there; if he isn’t, he doesn’t stay, and, if -he does stay, he can retire, after fifteen or twenty -years, with a tidy fortune.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Of course the road to fortune is a long and hard -one. The average planter starts out with a little -capital—say five hundred dollars. He purchases a -plot of land. The price he pays depends upon the -locality in which he buys. In regions where the natives -are still fairly unsophisticated, he may get his -land for almost nothing. Even where the natives -are most astute, he can buy a square mile for what -he would pay for an acre back home. His next step -is to get his land cleared. To that end, he buys a -whaleboat and goes out to recruit natives to act as -laborers. He needs five or six blacks. They will -build his house and clear his land and plant his coconuts. -Since it takes seven years for the coconuts to -mature, sweet potatoes and cotton must be planted -between the rows of trees. The sweet potatoes, with -a little rice, will furnish all the food required by the -blacks. The cotton, if the planter is diligent and -lucky, will pay current expenses until the coconuts -begin bearing.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Though his small capital of five hundred dollars -<span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span>may be eaten up early in the game, the settler need -not despair. The big trading companies that do business -in the islands will see him through if he shows -any signs of being made of the right stuff. They will -give him credit for food and supplies and they will -provide him with knives, calico, and tobacco, which -he can barter with the blacks for the sandalwood and -copra that will help balance his account with the -companies. And after the first trying seven years, -his troubles are about over—if he can get labor -enough to keep his plantation going.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Even in the remote islands of the New Hebrides, -the labor problem has reared its head. The employer, -in civilized regions, has a slight advantage resulting -from the fact that men must work to live. In -the New Hebrides, indeed all throughout Melanesia, -the black man can live very comfortably, according -to his own standards, on what nature provides. Only -a minimum of effort is required to secure food and -clothing and shelter, and most of that effort is put -forth by the female slaves he calls his wives. Even -the experienced recruiter finds it hard to get the -Melanesian to exchange his life of ease for a life of -toil. And the inexperienced recruiter finds it very -hard. The days when natives could be picked up on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span>any beach are past. The blacks in the more accessible -regions know what recruiting means—two -years of hard labor, from which there is no escape -and from which a man may or may not return home. -So the recruiter must look for hands in the interior, -where knowledge of the white man and his ways -has not penetrated. Even here, the inexperienced -recruiter is at a disadvantage. For the experienced -recruiter has invariably preceded him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Each year, the number of available recruits is -growing fewer, for the native population is dwindling -rapidly. As a result, the cost of labor is high. In -the Solomons, one may secure a native for a three -years’ term at five or six pounds a year in the case of -inexperienced workmen, or at nine pounds a year in -the case of natives who have already served for three -years. In the New Hebrides, planter bids against -planter, and the native benefits, receiving from -twelve to fifteen pounds a year for his work. The -planters complain of the high cost of labor. But the -big planters, the capitalists of the South Seas, who -have their chains of copra groves, with a white superintendent -in charge of each one, certainly do not -suffer. I remember being on one big Melanesian -plantation on the day when natives were paid for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span>two years’ work all in a lump. About four thousand -dollars was distributed among the workers. I -watched them spend it in the company store. A -great simple black, clad in a nose-stick and a yard of -calico, would come in and after an hour of happy -shopping would go off blissfully with little or no -money and a collection of cheap mirrors and beads -and other worthless gew-gaws all in a shiny new -“bokkus b’long bell.” By night, about three thousand -dollars had been taken in by the company store-keeper. -I was reminded of a rather grimly humorous -story of a day’s receipts that totaled only $1800 after -a $2000 pay-day. When the report reached the main -office in Sydney, a curt note was sent to the plantation -store-keeper asking what had become of the -other $200!</p> - -<p class='c010'>There are certainly two sides to the labor question -in the New Hebrides. Yet the whole development of -the islands hangs upon cheap and efficient labor. -Where it is to come from is a question. The recruiting -of Orientals for service in British possessions in -the South Seas is forbidden. Even if it were permitted, -it would not solve the problem, for the coolie -of China or Japan or India is not adapted to the -grilling labor of clearing bush.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span>Mr. Mitchell discussed the labor problem as long -and as bitterly as any employer back home. The -natives of Api, while friendly and mild, were entirely -averse to toil. He had to import hands from -other islands. Only occasionally could he persuade -the Api people to do a few days’ work in order to -secure some object “belong white man.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Often they coveted curious things. One morning, -during our stay, a delegation of natives appeared -and said they had come for “big-fellow-bokkus -(box).” A servant, summoned by Mitchell, brought -out a wooden coffin, one of the men counted out -some money, and the natives shouldered their “bokkus” -and went away.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Mitchell laughed as he watched them depart. -That coffin had a history. About six weeks previously, -a delegation of natives had appeared, with -a black who had seen service on a New Zealand -plantation acting as spokesman. He informed Mitchell -that their old chief was dying and that they had -decided to pay him the honor of burying him in -“bokkus belong white man.” They asked Mitchell -if he would provide such a “bokkus” and for how -much. Mitchell had a Chinese carpenter and a little -supply of timber; so he very gladly consented to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>have a coffin made. He figured the cost at ten -pounds. That appeared to the delegation to be excessive, -and they went off to the hills. The next day, -however, they reappeared and requested that he -make a coffin half the size for half the money. Mitchell -protested that a coffin half the size originally -figured upon would not be long enough to hold the -chief. And they replied that they would cut his -arms and legs off to make him fit in. At that, Mitchell, -with an eye to labor supply, said that, if they -must have a coffin, they must have a proper coffin. -He would order the carpenter to make one large -enough to hold the chief without mutilation, and he -would charge them only five pounds for it, though -that meant a loss to him. The carpenter went to -work. Most of the village came down to supervise -the job, and every few hours, until the coffin was -finished, a messenger reported on the chief’s condition. -When the “bokkus” was at last done, they -carried it up the trail with great rejoicing. But the -next day they brought it back. The old chief was up -and about, and they had no use for it. They laid it -down at Mitchell’s feet and demanded their money -back. Mitchell protested that he had no use for the -coffin, either, but they were firm. And he, remembering -<span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span>how difficult it is to get hands in the copra-cutting -season, meekly returned the five pounds, and put -the coffin in his storehouse. Now, a month later, the -old chief had died, and the natives had come for the -coffin. We could hear them chanting as they went -up the trail.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The next day we set sail on the Pacifique, which -had arrived during the night with letters and papers -a month old, and we were dropped at Port Sandwich, -which was sparsely populated with sullen and -subdued savages, to await whatever trader might -happen along to take us back to Vao. We had used -all our films and were thoroughly tired of Port Sandwich -when a trader finally put in an appearance. His -boat was a twenty-four-foot launch, barely large -enough to contain us and our equipment. When we -hoisted our dinghy aboard, its bow and stern protruded -several feet beyond the sides of the launch. -Next morning, with some misgivings, we set out on -the fifty-five-mile journey that would complete our -round of Malekula and bring us back to Vao.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We got “home” about four in the afternoon, tired -and half-cooked from the broiling sun that had beat -down upon us all day. We received a royal welcome. -A great crowd of natives met us at the beach, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>each seized a box or package and carried it at -top speed up to the bungalow. In half an hour -everything was in the house. It had been a long -time since our Vao neighbors had had any of our -tobacco!</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XIII<br /> <span class='large'>ESPIRITU SANTO AND A CANNIBAL FEAST</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>For two days we developed films and plates. On -the third, we attended what might be called the New -Year’s celebration of Vao. Fires are made among -the islanders by the primitive method by rubbing -two sticks together. Though the operation takes -only a minute, the savages are too lazy to light a fire -every time they need one, so once a year, in the largest -house of the village, they make a big fire, which -is kept burning to furnish embers from which all the -other fires may be lighted. At the end of the year, -the fire is put out with great solemnity, and a new -one is lighted. The ceremony lasts all day and all -night. It is called “killing the Mankki.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>On the morning of the festivities, bush natives began -to arrive before daylight. The young boys of -Vao served as ferrymen. A group of men would come -down to the beach at Malekula and shout across the -water, and the Vao boys would put out in their -funny little crooked canoes—for wood is so scarce -that even bent trees are made to do duty as dugouts—and -bring back a load of passengers. Natives -<span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>came from other islands near by. By night, there -were more than a thousand people on the islands.</p> - -<p class='c010'>From early in the morning, there was dancing and -pig-killing in the clearings of the three villages. The -different tribes did not mingle together. One group -would come out of the bush into the clearing, dance -its dance, kill a score or so of pigs, and then retire -into the bush again.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was bad weather for photography. It rained all -day—a fine, drizzling rain. But I worked hard, hoping -to secure some good film, for the dances were unusually -interesting. One especially good dance was a -snake dance, in which the natives brandished small -snakes tied to coconut leaves. They are deadly afraid -of snakes. They have a saying that holds good pretty -much the world over, to the effect that snakes with -blunt tails are always poisonous and those with -long, pointed tails are harmless. I noted that the -snakes used for the dance were very small and of a -long-tailed variety. At the end of the dance each -man killed his snake and fed it to a pig. Then each -man killed a pig.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The slaughter of pigs was enormous. I am sure -some five hundred must have been killed during the -day—far more than could be eaten. As each pig -<span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>was killed, his tusks were removed and placed upon -platforms that had been erected to hold them. Pigs’ -tusks are always carefully preserved. They ornament -the houses. They form necklaces for the devil-devils. -They are placed in the crotches of trees.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I was convinced, as the day wore on, that pork -was not the only meat on the bill of fare. It seemed -to me that I was at last hot on the trail of cannibalism; -the men from Malekula had brought with them -strange packages wrapped in leaves, which, I suspected, -contained human flesh. The action of the -blacks confirmed my suspicion, for they guarded -their packages carefully, and would not let me come -near with my cameras.</p> - -<p class='c010'>They were threatening in their attitude all day. -Even my tobacco did not thaw them out. The Vao -people tolerated me, in return for a case of tobacco, -but their eyes were far from friendly, and the old -men muttered evilly every time they looked our -way.</p> - -<p class='c010'>By dark things were getting lively. The mob of -savages surged back and forth from one village to -another, shouting and singing. I made a great discovery -for thirsty America—that people can actually -get drunk on imagination. The natives had no -<span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span>intoxicating liquor. Their only drink was water, and -yet they lurched drunkenly when they walked, and -sang as only drunken men and women sing.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I did not see the fire put out and the new one -built. As it grew later, the mob became wilder. I -began to think of the long, dark trail to the bungalow, -where we would be absolutely at the mercy of -lurking savages, and decided that discretion was the -better part of valor. So Osa and I went home. We -slept with our guns handy—and we did not sleep -much at that, for the boo-boos sounded all night and -the shouting and singing sometimes surged very -near.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We spent the next few days in visits to the northern -coast of Malekula, but we did not dare venture -inland, for the attitude of the natives was at once -suspicious and threatening. We talked the matter -over and decided that we had seen about enough of -Malekula and Vao and might as well pursue our investigations -elsewhere. Espiritu Santo was some forty -miles away. In the southern portion there was reported -to be a race of dwarfs, and cannibalism was -said to be general there, as on Malekula. We had almost -despaired of getting actual proof that man ate -man in the New Hebrides. We ourselves had seen -<span class='pageno' id='Page_179'>179</span>enough to be convinced that “long pig” was on -many a bill of fare, but we could not prove anything; -for, since the Government metes out severe punishment -to eaters of human flesh, the savages are careful -not to be caught at their ghoulish feasts. Still, -our luck might turn, we thought, if we changed islands, -and we should find the evidence we had been -seeking for so many weeks.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The very day after we made this decision, a small -cutter nosed into the passage between Vao and Malekula. -The owner was a full-blooded Tongan trader, -named Powler. He was on his way to get some coconuts -he had bought from a native on an island near -by, but he promised to return in a few days and take -us to Santo. When he arrived, we had our equipment -packed and were ready to go aboard. The natives -helped us with a will and showed real regret at -parting with us, for they knew that they would never -again get so much tobacco in return for so little -work.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The wind was favorable, and we fairly flew along. -Shortly after dark we anchored off Tongoa, a small -island a stone’s throw from Santo. To my great delight, -Powler agreed to remain with us. He was a -great, good-natured giant, never out of sorts and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_180'>180</span>strong as an ox. I wished we had met with him -sooner. The natives trusted him. His dark skin and -his ability to grasp the languages of the island tribes -stood him in good stead. Besides, he had the reputation, -among both natives and whites, of being absolutely -honest in his dealings—a trait as rare in the -South Seas as elsewhere. In his company, we went -ashore early on the morning after our arrival.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We found the men of Santo, who gathered on the -beach to greet us, quite different in type from the -Malekula bush savages. They were smaller and more -gracefully built. They wore flowers and feathers in -their hair. They had a curious custom of removing -part of the bone that divides the nostrils so that -the bridges of their noses had fallen in and they -appeared to be always scowling. To enhance their -fierceness still further, they put sticks through their -noses.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Such nose ornaments are characteristic of the -blacks of the South Seas. The Solomon Islander -wears a ring fashioned from bone or shell and highly -polished and ornamented. The native of Santa -Cruz adorns himself with a piece of polished tortoise-shell -shaped like a padlock. But the man of -the New Hebrides thrusts into his nose anything -<span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span>that he happens upon—usually a stick picked up -along the trail.</p> - -<p class='c010'>To my great delight, the Santo men wore a geestring -of calico. As I have said before, the dress of the -men of Malekula, if you can call it dress, draws attention -to their sex rather than conceals it. On my -first visit among them, I had taken motion-pictures -of them as they were. When I returned to America, -I found that naked savages shocked the public. -Some of my best films were absolutely unsalable. On -this second trip, accordingly, I managed, whenever -possible, to persuade the savages to wear geestrings -or loin-cloths or aprons of leaves. Since “costuming” -was very difficult (the blacks, naturally enough, -could see no reason for it), I was glad that I should -not have to spend time in persuading the men of -Santo to put on more clothing.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At daybreak on the following morning, we started -for the hills. With us were Powler and three of his -boys and fifteen trustworthy Tongoa natives. We -were bound for a village of pottery-makers—but -we never got there. We had tramped for about three -hours when we came suddenly upon a group of little -men. They were too surprised to run, and too -frightened. They were all, with the exception of one -<span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>of their number who carried a gun as big as he was, -armed with bows and arrows, but they did not show -any hostility. Instead, they just gathered close together -and stared at us in terror.</p> - -<p class='c010'>These were the dwarfs I had heard about. I got -out some presents for them. Soon their timidity -wore off, and I persuaded them to walk one by one -under my outstretched arm. Although their fuzzy -wool stood out in great bushy mops, not a hair -touched my arm as they passed under. There were -sixteen of them, all told. Five were old fellows with -grizzled whiskers, ten were of middle age, and one, -the tallest of them all, was a boy of about fifteen.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We settled down near a stream and I took pictures -as long as the light lasted. That night, our little -friends camped close by, and the next day, when -we set out for the beach, they followed us. We -showed them everything we had in our trunks. They -were as pleased as children, and, when I allowed the -old chief to shoot my big automatic revolver, he -fairly danced with excitement.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_182.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>DWARFS OF ESPIRITU SANTO</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span>The next day, I sent messengers into the hills to -hunt for a chief about whom Mr. King had told us. -This chief had achieved a great reputation as a -prophet and a worker of magic. A year before, he had -been nobody—just a savage. Then he had gone -mad. He had once been recruited as a member of the -crew of a mission ship, where he had heard hymns -and Bible stories, which he now adapted to his own -use. He told the natives there was going to be a -great flood, which would cover Santo. He himself, -however, would not be drowned, for he was going to -bring Hat Island, a little island off the coast, over to -rest on Santo Peak. Hat Island was a barren and -undesirable piece of real estate, but the prophet said -that he had made arrangements to have twenty European -steamers come regularly with food and tobacco -for the inhabitants. Since he had been fairly -successful in foretelling the weather, the natives believed -in him, and each clamored for a place on Hat -Island. But the salvation offered by the old savage -came high. Reservations on Hat Island could be secured -only at the price of ten pigs each. Soon the -prophet had cornered most of the pigs in that section -of Santo. Seeing his power, he raised the price -of admission. He secured, in addition to the pigs, -the most desirable women in the vicinity. In fact, he -appropriated everything he wanted, and occasionally -he ran <em>âmok</em> and killed several of his compatriots—as -he said, to put the fear of God into them.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span>The next recruiter that came to Santo was besieged -with savages begging to be allowed to go to -work on copra plantations. He soon learned that the -natives had not suddenly grown industrious, but -that even work seemed pleasant in contrast with the -reign of terror of the inspired chief. The chief saw -possibility of profit in the desire of his people to escape -and made the recruiter pay heavily in tobacco -and calico for every native taken away.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Reports of his rule had reached the Government -officers at Vila, and Commissioner King, who had -sent for him several times to no avail, had given me -a letter to present to the old fellow, in case I should -go to Santo. I now sent word to the chief that I had -an important message that could be delivered only to -him in person. To my surprise, two days after the -message had been delivered, the prophet appeared.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I had made everything ready for a motion-picture -show to entertain my pigmies. Just before dark, as I -was testing my projector, thirty armed natives came -down the beach. The dwarfs wanted to run, but we -made them understand that we would protect them, -and they huddled behind us, frightened, but with -perfect faith in our ability and readiness to take care -of them in any crisis.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>The newcomers were a nasty-looking lot. The -prophet, ridiculous in a singlet and overalls and a -high hat, came up to me with no sign of hesitation -and held out his hand. I could distinguish words in -the greeting he grunted at me, but they had no connection. -His eyes were bloodshot and wild, his lips -were abnormally red, and he drooled as he talked.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I presented Commissioner King’s letter, which -was an imposing document with a red official seal. -In high-sounding language it enjoined the chief to -give me and my party every possible aid, and ended -with an invitation to his prophetic highness to come -to Vila on the Euphrosyne the next time she passed -that way and the promise that he would not be -harmed if he would do so.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When the prophet saw the red seal, his assurance -fell from him, and he rolled his eyes in terror.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Me sick; me sick,” he repeated over and over. I -tried to explain that Commissioner King realized -that he was sick, and for that very reason wanted to -see him and help him, but I doubt if he understood -anything I said.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After dark, we started the show. The dwarfs -chattered and giggled like children, but our other -guests were unsmiling and ominously silent. Only -<span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span>the prophet kept talking. One of the boys told me -afterward that he was telling his men that he had -sent for me in order to work his magic through me—that -I and my projector had nothing to do with the -pictures; he himself was responsible.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But halfway through the performance he apparently -began to doubt his power. Rocking back and -forth, he repeated over and over, “By-em-by me -die, by-em-by me die.” He was looking forward to -the day when he would be captured and carried off to -Vila and, as he imagined, put to death. I was glad -when the show was over and the prophet and his followers -withdrew for the night. It had not been an -especially merry evening.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Early next morning a delegation of the prophet’s -followers sought me out and begged me to take their -chief by force to Vila and have him hanged.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“He bad. He takem plenty pigs; he takem plenty -women; he killem plenty men,” they explained.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I was sorry for them, but I could do nothing. I -tried to make them understand that I had nothing to -do with the Government and consequently no authority -to arrest a man, but I could see that they did -not quite believe me. They went off muttering to -themselves.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>In a few minutes they departed with their chief in -quest of a certain kind of shellfish to be found about -five miles up the beach, and we decided to take advantage -of their absence and visit one of the villages -in the prophet’s territory.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We walked for about three hours without seeing -any signs of a village. Then we heard, faint in the -distance, the sound of a tom-tom. Soon we were -within hearing of a chanted song. We advanced with -caution, until we reached the edge of a village clearing. -From behind a clump of bushes we could watch -the natives who danced there. The dance was just -the ordinary native hay-foot, straw-foot, around the -devil-devils in the center of the clearing, now slow, -now gradually increasing in tempo until it was a run.</p> - -<p class='c010'>What interested me was the feast that was in -preparation. On a long stick, over the fire, were a -dozen pieces of meat. More meat was grilling on the -embers of another fire. On leaves near by were the -entrails of the animal that was cooking. I do not -know what it was that made me suspect the nature -of this meat. It certainly was not much different in -appearance from pork. But some sixth sense whispered -to me that it was not pork.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The savages had no suspicion of our nearness. As -<span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span>a matter of fact, the keenness of sight and hearing -that primitive peoples are generally credited with -are entirely lacking in the New Hebrideans. Many -a time Osa and I have quietly crept up to a native -village and stolen away again without being detected. -Often on the trail we have literally run into blacks -before they realized that we were approaching. -Even the half-starved native dogs have lost their -alertness. More than once I have come suddenly on -a cur and laughed at him as he rolled over backward -in an attempt to escape. With the natives lost in a -dance, we were quite safe.</p> - -<p class='c010'>For an hour we watched and took long-range -photographs. The dance continued monotonously. -The meat sizzled slowly over the fire—and nothing -happened. Then I gave one of the Tongoa boys who -accompanied us a radium flare and told him to go -into the clearing, drop the flare into the fire, and run -to one side out of the picture. He did as I asked him. -The natives stopped dancing and watched him as he -approached. He threw the flare into the fire and -jumped aside. As they stooped down close to the -flame to see what he had thrown there, the flare took -fire and sent its blinding white light into their faces. -With a yell they sprang back and ran in terror directly toward us. When they saw us, they stopped -so quickly that they almost tumbled backward. -Then they turned and ran in the opposite direction. -The half-minute flare had burned out; so they -grabbed the meat from the fire and carried it with -them into the bush.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_188.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE CANNIBAL DANCE</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span>My boys sprang into the clearing. I, with my -camera on my shoulder, was just behind them. -When I came up to them, they were standing by the -fire, looking at the only remnant of the feast that -was left on the embers. It was a charred human -head, with rolled leaves plugging the eye-sockets.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I had proved what I had set out to prove—that -cannibalism is still practiced in the South Seas. I -was so happy that I yelled. After photographing the -evidence, I wrapped the head carefully in leaves, to -take away with me. We picked the fire over, but -could find no other remainder of the gruesome feast. -In one of the huts, however, we discovered a quantity -of human hair, laid out on a green leaf, to be -made into ornaments.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Some of the cannibals returned and, from a distance, -watched us search their huts. I then took -their pictures. They grinned into the camera, as innocent -as children.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span>We arrived at the beach a little after dark. Powler -had shot some pigeons, fried their breasts, and -made a soup from the remainder, and he had cut -down a coconut tree and made a salad of the heart. -We did full justice to the meal. After it was over, we -sat and admired the roasted head—at least I admired -it. Osa did not think much of it. As for -Powler, he tried in vain to conceal that he thought -me absolutely crazy to care so much about an old -charred head.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The next day, while I was printing pictures on the -beach, a delegation of cannibals appeared on the -scene. They were good-natured and friendly. I -showed them a big mirror. It was apparently the -first they had ever seen. They were awed and puzzled, -touching the glass with cautious fingers and -looking behind the mirror suddenly, to surprise whoever -might be fooling them. I photographed them -as they peered at their reflection and grimaced like -a bunch of monkeys. We invited them to luncheon. -Their favorite dish of “long pig” was not on the bill -of fare. But they ate our trade salmon and biscuits -with gusto and smacked their lips over the coffee -that Osa made for them—the first they had ever -tasted. They remained with us until the following -<span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span>day, when we picked up our apparatus and sailed off -on the first lap of our journey home.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In seven months in the New Hebrides I had exposed -twenty-five thousand feet of film, and had, besides, -about a thousand “stills.” I was well satisfied -with my work; for I knew that my pictures would -help the Western world to realize the life lived by the -fast-disappearing primitive races of the earth; and I -had actual evidence—my long-range photographs -and the charred head that I so carefully cherished—that -cannibalism is still practiced in the islands of the -South Seas.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><span class='small'>THE END</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='tnotes'> - -<div class='section ph2'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c004'> - <div>TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - - <ol class='ol_1 c002'> - <li>Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. - - </li> - <li>Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed. - </li> - </ol> - -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Cannibal-land, by Martin Johnson - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CANNIBAL-LAND *** - -***** This file should be named 62138-h.htm or 62138-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/1/3/62138/ - -Produced by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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