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The Voyage Of The Beagle

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A little higher up, the river divided itself into three little
streams. The two northern ones were impracticable, owing to a
succession of waterfalls which descended from the jagged summit
of the highest mountain; the other to all appearance was equally
inaccessible, but we managed to ascend it by a most extraordinary
road. The sides of the valley were here nearly precipitous; but,
as frequently happens with stratified rocks, small ledges
projected, which were thickly covered by wild bananas, liliaceous
plants, and other luxuriant productions of the tropics. The
Tahitians, by climbing amongst these ledges, searching for fruit,
had discovered a track by which the whole precipice could be
scaled. The first ascent from the valley was very dangerous; for
it was necessary to pass a steeply inclined face of naked rock by
the aid of ropes which we brought with us. How any person
discovered that this formidable spot was the only point where the
side of the mountain was practicable, I cannot imagine. We then
cautiously walked along one of the ledges till we came to one of
the three streams. This ledge formed a flat spot above which a
beautiful cascade, some hundred feet in height, poured down its
waters, and beneath, another high cascade fell into the main
stream in the valley below. From this cool and shady recess we
made a circuit to avoid the overhanging waterfall. As before, we
followed little projecting ledges, the danger being partly
concealed by the thickness of the vegetation. In passing from one
of the ledges to another there was a vertical wall of rock. One
of the Tahitians, a fine active man, placed the trunk of a tree
against this, climbed up it, and then by the aid of crevices
reached the summit. He fixed the ropes to a projecting point, and
lowered them for our dog and luggage, and then we clambered up
ourselves. Beneath the ledge on which the dead tree was placed,
the precipice must have been five or six hundred feet deep; and
if the abyss had not been partly concealed by the overhanging
ferns and lilies my head would have turned giddy, and nothing
should have induced me to have attempted it. We continued to
ascend, sometimes along ledges, and sometimes along knife-edged
ridges, having on each hand profound ravines. In the Cordillera I
have seen mountains on a far grander scale, but for abruptness
nothing at all comparable with this. In the evening we reached a
flat little spot on the banks of the same stream which we had
continued to follow, and which descends in a chain of waterfalls:
here we bivouacked for the night. On each side of the ravine
there were great beds of the mountain-banana, covered with ripe
fruit. Many of these plants were from twenty to twenty-five feet
high, and from three to four in circumference. By the aid of
strips of bark for rope, the stems of bamboos for rafters, and
the large leaf of the banana for a thatch, the Tahitians in a few
minutes built us an excellent house; and with withered leaves
made a soft bed.

(PLATE 86. FATAHUA FALL, TAHITI.)

(PLATE 87. TAHITIAN.)

They then proceeded to make a fire, and cook our evening meal. A
light was procured by rubbing a blunt pointed stick in a groove
made in another, as if with intention of deepening it, until by
the friction the dust became ignited. A peculiarly white and very
light wood (the Hibiscus tiliaceus) is alone used for this
purpose: it is the same which serves for poles to carry any
burden, and for the floating out-riggers to their canoes. The
fire was produced in a few seconds: but to a person who does not
understand the art, it requires, as I found, the greatest
exertion; but at last, to my great pride, I succeeded in igniting
the dust. The Gaucho in the Pampas uses a different method:
taking an elastic stick about eighteen inches long, he presses
one end on his breast, and the other pointed end into a hole in a
piece of wood, and then rapidly turns the curved part like a
carpenter's centre-bit. The Tahitians having made a small fire of
sticks, placed a score of stones of about the size of
cricket-balls, on the burning wood. In about ten minutes the
sticks were consumed, and the stones hot. They had previously
folded up in small parcels of leaves, pieces of beef, fish, ripe
and unripe bananas, and the tops of the wild arum. These green
parcels were laid in a layer between two layers of the hot
stones, and the whole then covered up with earth, so that no
smoke or steam could escape. In about a quarter of an hour the
whole was most deliciously cooked. The choice green parcels were
now laid on a cloth of banana leaves, and with a cocoa-nut shell
we drank the cool water of the running stream; and thus we
enjoyed our rustic meal.

I could not look on the surrounding plants without admiration. On
every side were forests of bananas; the fruit of which, though
serving for food in various ways, lay in heaps decaying on the
ground. In front of us there was an extensive brake of wild
sugar-cane; and the stream was shaded by the dark green knotted
stem of the Ava,--so famous in former days for its powerful
intoxicating effects. I chewed a piece, and found that it had an
acrid and unpleasant taste, which would have induced any one at
once to have pronounced it poisonous. Thanks to the missionaries,
this plant now thrives only in these deep ravines, innocuous to
every one. Close by I saw the wild arum, the roots of which, when
well baked, are good to eat, and the young leaves better than
spinach. There was the wild yam, and a liliaceous plant called
Ti, which grows in abundance, and has a soft brown root, in shape
and size like a huge log of wood: this served us for dessert, for
it is as sweet as treacle, and with a pleasant taste. There were,
moreover, several other wild fruits, and useful vegetables. The
little stream, besides its cool water, produced eels and
crayfish. I did indeed admire this scene, when I compared it with
an uncultivated one in the temperate zones. I felt the force of
the remark that man, at least savage man, with his reasoning
powers only partly developed, is the child of the tropics.

As the evening drew to a close, I strolled beneath the gloomy
shade of the bananas up the course of the stream. My walk was
soon brought to a close by coming to a waterfall between two and
three hundred feet high; and again above this there was another.
I mention all these waterfalls in this one brook to give a
general idea of the inclination of the land. In the little recess
where the water fell, it did not appear that a breath of wind had
ever blown. The thin edges of the great leaves of the banana,
damp with spray, were unbroken, instead of being, as is so
generally the case, split into a thousand shreds. From our
position, almost suspended on the mountain-side, there were
glimpses into the depths of the neighbouring valleys; and the
lofty points of the central mountains, towering up within sixty
degrees of the zenith, hid half the evening sky. Thus seated, it
was a sublime spectacle to watch the shades of night gradually
obscuring the last and highest pinnacles.

Before we laid ourselves down to sleep, the elder Tahitian fell
on his knees, and with closed eyes repeated a long prayer in his
native tongue. He prayed as a Christian should do, with fitting
reverence, and without the fear of ridicule or any ostentation of
piety. At our meals neither of the men would taste food, without
saying beforehand a short grace. Those travellers who think that
a Tahitian prays only when the eyes of the missionary are fixed
on him, should have slept with us that night on the
mountain-side. Before morning it rained very heavily; but the
good thatch of banana-leaves kept us dry.

NOVEMBER 19, 1835.

At daylight my friends, after their morning prayer, prepared an
excellent breakfast in the same manner as in the evening. They
themselves certainly partook of it largely; indeed I never saw
any men eat near so much. I suppose such enormously capacious
stomachs must be the effect of a large part of their diet
consisting of fruit and vegetables which contain, in a given
bulk, a comparatively small portion of nutriment. Unwittingly, I
was the means of my companions breaking, as I afterwards learned,
one of their own laws and resolutions: I took with me a flask of
spirits, which they could not refuse to partake of; but as often
as they drank a little, they put their fingers before their
mouths, and uttered the word "Missionary." About two years ago,
although the use of the ava was prevented, drunkenness from the
introduction of spirits became very prevalent. The missionaries
prevailed on a few good men who saw that their country was
rapidly going to ruin, to join with them in a Temperance Society.
From good sense or shame, all the chiefs and the queen were at
last persuaded to join. Immediately a law was passed that no
spirits should be allowed to be introduced into the island, and
that he who sold and he who bought the forbidden article should
be punished by a fine. With remarkable justice, a certain period
was allowed for stock in hand to be sold, before the law came
into effect. But when it did, a general search was made, in which
even the houses of the missionaries were not exempted, and all
the ava (as the natives call all ardent spirits) was poured on
the ground. When one reflects on the effect of intemperance on
the aborigines of the two Americas, I think it will be
acknowledged that every well-wisher of Tahiti owes no common debt
of gratitude to the missionaries. As long as the little island of
St. Helena remained under the government of the East India
Company, spirits, owing to the great injury they had produced,
were not allowed to be imported; but wine was supplied from the
Cape of Good Hope. It is rather a striking, and not very
gratifying fact, that in the same year that spirits were allowed
to be sold in St. Helena, their use was banished from Tahiti by
the free will of the people.

After breakfast we proceeded on our journey. As my object was
merely to see a little of the interior scenery, we returned by
another track, which descended into the main valley lower down.
For some distance we wound, by a most intricate path, along the
side of the mountain which formed the valley. In the less
precipitous parts we passed through extensive groves of the wild
banana. The Tahitians, with their naked, tattooed bodies, their
heads ornamented with flowers, and seen in the dark shade of
these groves, would have formed a fine picture of man inhabiting
some primeval land. In our descent we followed the line of
ridges; these were exceedingly narrow, and for considerable
lengths steep as a ladder; but all clothed with vegetation. The
extreme care necessary in poising each step rendered the walk
fatiguing. I did not cease to wonder at these ravines and
precipices: when viewing the country from one of the knife-edged
ridges, the point of support was so small that the effect was
nearly the same as it must be from a balloon. In this descent we
had occasion to use the ropes only once, at the point where we
entered the main valley. We slept under the same ledge of rock
where we had dined the day before: the night was fine, but from
the depth and narrowness of the gorge, profoundly dark.

Before actually seeing this country, I found it difficult to
understand two facts mentioned by Ellis; namely, that after the
murderous battles of former times, the survivors on the conquered
side retired into the mountains, where a handful of men could
resist a multitude. Certainly half a dozen men, at the spot where
the Tahitian reared the old tree, could easily have repulsed
thousands. Secondly, that after the introduction of Christianity,
there were wild men who lived in the mountains, and whose
retreats were unknown to the more civilised inhabitants.

NOVEMBER 20, 1835.

In the morning we started early, and reached Matavai at noon. On
the road we met a large party of noble athletic men, going for
wild bananas. I found that the ship, on account of the difficulty
in watering, had moved to the harbour of Papawa, to which place I
immediately walked. This is a very pretty spot. The cove is
surrounded by reefs, and the water as smooth as in a lake. The
cultivated ground, with its beautiful productions, interspersed
with cottages, comes close down to the water's edge.

From the varying accounts which I had read before reaching these
islands, I was very anxious to form, from my own observation, a
judgment of their moral state,--although such judgment would
necessarily be very imperfect. First impressions at all times
very much depend on one's previously acquired ideas. My notions
were drawn from Ellis's "Polynesian Researches"--an admirable and
most interesting work, but naturally looking at everything under
a favourable point of view, from Beechey's "Voyage;" and from
that of Kotzebue, which is strongly adverse to the whole
missionary system. He who compares these three accounts will, I
think, form a tolerably accurate conception of the present state
of Tahiti. One of my impressions, which I took from the two last
authorities, was decidedly incorrect; namely, that the Tahitians
had become a gloomy race, and lived in fear of the missionaries.
Of the latter feeling I saw no trace, unless, indeed, fear and
respect be confounded under one name. Instead of discontent being
a common feeling, it would be difficult in Europe to pick out of
a crowd half so many merry and happy faces. The prohibition of
the flute and dancing is inveighed against as wrong and
foolish;--the more than presbyterian manner of keeping the
Sabbath is looked at in a similar light. On these points I will
not pretend to offer any opinion, in opposition to men who have
resided as many years as I was days on the island.

On the whole, it appears to me that the morality and religion of
the inhabitants are highly creditable. There are many who attack,
even more acrimoniously than Kotzebue, both the missionaries,
their system, and the effects produced by it. Such reasoners
never compare the present state with that of the island only
twenty years ago; nor even with that of Europe at this day; but
they compare it with the high standard of Gospel perfection. They
expect the missionaries to effect that which the Apostles
themselves failed to do. Inasmuch as the condition of the people
falls short of this high standard, blame is attached to the
missionary, instead of credit for that which he has effected.
They forget, or will not remember, that human sacrifices, and the
power of an idolatrous priesthood--a system of profligacy
unparalleled in any other part of the world--infanticide a
consequence of that system--bloody wars, where the conquerors
spared neither women nor children--that all these have been
abolished; and that dishonesty, intemperance, and licentiousness
have been greatly reduced by the introduction of Christianity. In
a voyager to forget these things is base ingratitude; for should
he chance to be at the point of shipwreck on some unknown coast,
he will most devoutly pray that the lesson of the missionary may
have extended thus far.

In point of morality, the virtue of the women, it has been often
said, is most open to exception. But before they are blamed too
severely, it will be well distinctly to call to mind the scenes
described by Captain Cook and Mr. Banks, in which the
grandmothers and mothers of the present race played a part. Those
who are most severe, should consider how much of the morality of
the women in Europe is owing to the system early impressed by
mothers on their daughters, and how much in each individual case
to the precepts of religion. But it is useless to argue against
such reasoners;--I believe that, disappointed in not finding the
field of licentiousness quite so open as formerly, they will not
give credit to a morality which they do not wish to practise, or
to a religion which they undervalue, if not despise.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1835.

The harbour of Papiete, where the queen resides, may be
considered as the capital of the island: it is also the seat of
government, and the chief resort of shipping. Captain Fitz Roy
took a party there this day to hear divine service, first in the
Tahitian language, and afterwards in our own. Mr. Pritchard, the
leading missionary in the island, performed the service. The
chapel consisted of a large airy framework of wood; and it was
filled to excess by tidy, clean people, of all ages and both
sexes. I was rather disappointed in the apparent degree of
attention; but I believe my expectations were raised too high. At
all events the appearance was quite equal to that in a country
church in England. The singing of the hymns was decidedly very
pleasing, but the language from the pulpit, although fluently
delivered, did not sound well: a constant repetition of words,
like "tata ta, mata mai," rendered it monotonous. After English
service, a party returned on foot to Matavai. It was a pleasant
walk, sometimes along the sea-beach and sometimes under the shade
of the many beautiful trees.

About two years ago, a small vessel under English colours was
plundered by some of the inhabitants of the Low Islands, which
were then under the dominion of the Queen of Tahiti. It was
believed that the perpetrators were instigated to this act by
some indiscreet laws issued by her majesty. The British
government demanded compensation; which was acceded to, and a sum
of nearly three thousand dollars was agreed to be paid on the
first of last September. The Commodore at Lima ordered Captain
Fitz Roy to inquire concerning this debt, and to demand
satisfaction if it were not paid. Captain Fitz Roy accordingly
requested an interview with the Queen Pomarre, since famous from
the ill-treatment she has received from the French; and a
parliament was held to consider the question, at which all the
principal chiefs of the island and the queen were assembled. I
will not attempt to describe what took place, after the
interesting account given by Captain Fitz Roy. The money, it
appeared, had not been paid; perhaps the alleged reasons were
rather equivocal; but otherwise I cannot sufficiently express our
general surprise at the extreme good sense, the reasoning powers,
moderation, candour, and prompt resolution, which were displayed
on all sides. I believe we all left the meeting with a very
different opinion of the Tahitians from what we entertained when
we entered. The chiefs and people resolved to subscribe and
complete the sum which was wanting; Captain Fitz Roy urged that
it was hard that their private property should be sacrificed for
the crimes of distant islanders. They replied that they were
grateful for his consideration, but that Pomarre was their Queen,
and that they were determined to help her in this her difficulty.
This resolution and its prompt execution, for a book was opened
early the next morning, made a perfect conclusion to this very
remarkable scene of loyalty and good feeling.

After the main discussion was ended, several of the chiefs took
the opportunity of asking Captain Fitz Roy many intelligent
questions on international customs and laws, relating to the
treatment of ships and foreigners. On some points, as soon as the
decision was made, the law was issued verbally on the spot. This
Tahitian parliament lasted for several hours; and when it was
over Captain Fitz Roy invited Queen Pomarre to pay the "Beagle" a
visit.

NOVEMBER 25, 1835.

In the evening four boats were sent for her majesty; the ship was
dressed with flags, and the yards manned on her coming on board.
She was accompanied by most of the chiefs. The behaviour of all
was very proper: they begged for nothing, and seemed much pleased
with Captain Fitz Roy's presents. The Queen is a large awkward
woman, without any beauty, grace or dignity. She has only one
royal attribute: a perfect immovability of expression under all
circumstances, and that rather a sullen one. The rockets were
most admired, and a deep "Oh!" could be heard from the shore, all
round the dark bay, after each explosion. The sailors' songs were
also much admired; and the queen said she thought that one of the
most boisterous ones certainly could not be a hymn! The royal
party did not return on shore till past midnight.

NOVEMBER 26, 1835.

In the evening, with a gentle land-breeze, a course was steered
for New Zealand; and as the sun set, we had a farewell view of
the mountains of Tahiti--the island to which every voyager has
offered up his tribute of admiration.

DECEMBER 19, 1835.

In the evening we saw in the distance New Zealand. We may now
consider that we have nearly crossed the Pacific. It is necessary
to sail over this great ocean to comprehend its immensity. Moving
quickly onwards for weeks together, we meet with nothing but the
same blue, profoundly deep, ocean. Even within the archipelagoes,
the islands are mere specks, and far distant one from the other.
Accustomed to look at maps drawn on a small scale, where dots,
shading, and names are crowded together, we do not rightly judge
how infinitely small the proportion of dry land is to the water
of this vast expanse. The meridian of the Antipodes has likewise
been passed; and now every league, it made us happy to think, was
one league nearer to England. These Antipodes call to one's mind
old recollections of childish doubt and wonder. Only the other
day I looked forward to this airy barrier as a definite point in
our voyage homewards; but now I find it, and all such
resting-places for the imagination, are like shadows, which a man
moving onwards cannot catch. A gale of wind lasting for some days
has lately given us full leisure to measure the future stages in
our homeward voyage, and to wish most earnestly for its
termination.

DECEMBER 21, 1835.

Early in the morning we entered the Bay of Islands, and being
becalmed for some hours near the mouth, we did not reach the
anchorage till the middle of the day. The country is hilly, with
a smooth outline, and is deeply intersected by numerous arms of
the sea extending from the bay. The surface appears from a
distance as if clothed with coarse pasture, but this in truth is
nothing but fern. On the more distant hills, as well as in parts
of the valleys, there is a good deal of woodland. The general
tint of the landscape is not a bright green; and it resembles the
country a short distance to the south of Concepcion in Chile. In
several parts of the bay little villages of square tidy-looking
houses are scattered close down to the water's edge. Three
whaling-ships were lying at anchor, and a canoe every now and
then crossed from shore to shore; with these exceptions, an air
of extreme quietness reigned over the whole district. Only a
single canoe came alongside. This, and the aspect of the whole
scene, afforded a remarkable, and not very pleasing contrast,
with our joyful and boisterous welcome at Tahiti.

In the afternoon we went on shore to one of the larger groups of
houses, which yet hardly deserves the title of a village. Its
name is Pahia: it is the residence of the missionaries; and there
are no native residents except servants and labourers. In the
vicinity of the Bay of Islands the number of Englishmen,
including their families, amounts to between two and three
hundred. All the cottages, many of which are whitewashed and look
very neat, are the property of the English. The hovels of the
natives are so diminutive and paltry that they can scarcely be
perceived from a distance. At Pahia it was quite pleasing to
behold the English flowers in the gardens before the houses;
there were roses of several kinds, honeysuckle, jasmine, stocks,
and whole hedges of sweetbriar.

DECEMBER 22, 1835.

In the morning I went out walking; but I soon found that the
country was very impracticable. All the hills are thickly covered
with tall fern, together with a low bush which grows like a
cypress; and very little ground has been cleared or cultivated. I
then tried the sea-beach; but proceeding towards either hand, my
walk was soon stopped by salt-water creeks and deep brooks. The
communication between the inhabitants of the different parts of
the bay is (as in Chiloe) almost entirely kept up by boats. I was
surprised to find that almost every hill which I ascended had
been at some former time more or less fortified. The summits were
cut into steps or successive terraces, and frequently they had
been protected by deep trenches. I afterwards observed that the
principal hills inland in like manner showed an artificial
outline. These are the Pas, so frequently mentioned by Captain
Cook under the name of "hippah;" the difference of sound being
owing to the prefixed article.

That the Pas had formerly been much used was evident from the
piles of shells, and the pits in which, as I was informed, sweet
potatoes used to be kept as a reserve. As there was no water on
these hills, the defenders could never have anticipated a long
siege, but only a hurried attack for plunder, against which the
successive terraces would have afforded good protection. The
general introduction of firearms has changed the whole system of
warfare; and an exposed situation on the top of a hill is now
worse than useless. The Pas in consequence are, at the present
day, always built on a level piece of ground. They consist of a
double stockade of thick and tall posts, placed in a zigzag line,
so that every part can be flanked. Within the stockade a mound of
earth is thrown up, behind which the defenders can rest in
safety, or use their firearms over it. On the level of the ground
little archways sometimes pass through this breastwork, by which
means the defenders can crawl out to the stockade and reconnoitre
their enemies. The Reverend W. Williams, who gave me this
account, added that in one Pas he had noticed spurs or buttresses
projecting on the inner and protected side of the mound of earth.
On asking the chief the use of them, he replied, that if two or
three of his men were shot their neighbours would not see the
bodies, and so be discouraged.

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