# Twenty years before the mast/Chapter IX

CHAPTER IX.
New Zealand was discovered by Tasman, in 1642, and visited by Captain Cook in 1769. It consists of two large and several small islands, the largest being something over three hundred miles broad. They are mountainous, and of a volcanic nature. Mounts Egmont and Looker-on are from 8,000 to 10,000 feet high. The native population was at this time about one hundred and fifty thousand. This group, like all the Pacific islands, is very beautiful, so much so as to tempt the English government to get possession of them, and establish its colonies wherever a foothold could be obtained. An old proverb says, "Brag is a good dog, but Hold Fast is a better one." Some conceited Englishmen have boasted that England girdles the world with a chain of fortifications; that in the East Indies she is supreme; in China her power has been felt; in the Eastern Archipelago she knows no rival; and from the "Lion’s Rump" at Cape Town she looks forth over the broad ocean with the air of a conqueror. The banner of St. George waves in solemn majesty over the rock of St. Helena and is seen far out in the Atlantic. She has planted herself firmly on the coasts of Africa and of North and South America, and the best of the West India Islands are hers, and the sun always shines ​on some of her dominions! That is all English, you know.
Her Most Gracious Majesty, Queen Victoria of England, issued her proclamation, and took possession of these islands a few months before our arrival. The English changed the names of the two largest of these islands, which lie between 35° and 40° south latitude, formerly known and laid down on the charts as the North and South Islands. They are now called New Ulster and New Munster. Stewart’s Island is now called Leinster, and that beautiful beach, the residence of numerous run away English convicts from Hobart Town and Sydney, is very appropriately named "Blackguard Beach." It is not the runaway sailors, as has been said, but the escaped English convicts, who have found their way to many of the islands of the Pacific, that has been the greatest drawback to the missionary enterprise.
While lying here all hands had liberty on shore, and we had a jolly time. Twenty of us hired a large canoe and went up the Kawa Kawa River about nine miles with John Sac, to his home. Arriving at the village or pass, as it was called, we found all the natives, men, women, and children, armed with old guns, spears, or war-clubs, awaiting the coming of their young chief. They had heard of his arrival on an American man-of- war. As soon as John stepped on shore, they fired off their guns, brandished their war-clubs and spears, and shouted and yelled like so many demons. Fancy four or five thousand of these natives, many of them tattooed over the whole face, armed to the teeth, half-naked, some with a piece of an old mat thrown over the shoulders, ​others perfectly nude. Some wore red flannel shirts, or sailors’ old blue jackets, buttoned, and nothing else. They were wild with delight at the return of their young chief. Finally, after a tremendous yell, the old chief, John’s father, made his appearance. He was a very large man, and was tattooed all over his face. He wore over his shoulders a very fine, large mat, beautifully bordered with many rich feathers. His son, our John, wore nothing but his blue dungaree trousers and tarpaulin hat. As they advanced, they eyed each other, and purred like two cats. Finally, when they met, they touched the ends of their noses together, then, placing their hands on each other’s shoulders, they would purr and rub noses again and again. All this time we were standing beside John, while the natives were moaning, wailing, and making all kinds of hideous noises. In fact, they all seemed to be crazy. At a signal given by the old chief, they suddenly departed to their huts. We followed John, his father, and others of the royal family to the palace, or White House. It was a very large building, low studded, and contained but one room. On the dark, dirty walls were hanging old flint-lock guns, war-clubs, spears, mats, calabashes, sailors' sou’westers, old pea-jackets, junk bottles, skulls, and human heads dry as those of mummies. Presently we were served with peaches, boiled fish, fresh pork, and sweet potatoes. After this we were treated to some of their dances.
The war-dance, in which John took part, was confined to the young men, and was very interesting. The peace -dance was quite affecting, as were several of the others. To give them a rest, we danced several fore-and-afters, ​and all-fours; but the "Sailor’s Hornpipe" "took the cake." They were fairly overjoyed with it. The love- dance brought this New Zealand ball to a close. Of course we chose partners and joined in this dance. All the while John and his father were in close consultation. Occasionally John would sing out, "Sail in, shipmates, and rake her down." We did enjoy skipping the "light fantastic toe" with those fairy-like natives, immensely.
Just before sunrise, after the dance had been brought to a close, John called all hands to "splice the mainbrace." After this we breakfasted on a New Zealand "hishie-hashie" of fresh fish and sweet potatoes boiled into a scouse, and seasoned with something that gave it the flavor of a charlotte russe. It was very palatable, and we stowed away a good share of it in our lockers. Shortly after our usual smoke one after another complained of a strangely disagreeable sensation in the stomach, bearing a strong resemblance to sea-sickness, and soon all of those twenty healthy, manly-looking sailors had become as helpless as "babes in the woods." The only relief was to lie down flat with our faces to the ground. After a sound sleep under a pile of native mats, we awoke quite refreshed, finding ourselves guarded by our fair partners in the dance, who were sitting beside us. It was not long before we had our sea-legs on, all but John Sac, who was a very sick chief. The time of our liberty having expired, we heeded John’s advice, and after the native fashion of embracing and rubbing noses, left for the ship.
After we had arrived on board, the larboard watch went ashore to enjoy their liberty. They had a good ​frolic and returned the next day on time. Shortly afterward John Sac came on board with his father and several other chiefs. We hardly knew John, as he was dressed like all the rest in native attire, — a mat, made of native flax, large as a blanket, very fine, ingeniously made, and beautifully embroidered. These mat-cloaks were tied around their necks, and hung gracefully about their persons. The entire company, forty in number, were beautifully tattooed all over their faces, which gave them a very fierce aspect. All wore ear-rings of jade or shark’s teeth; a green stone, held sacred by them, was tied about their necks, and small, bright-colored feathers were stuck in their hair. They were of nearly uniform size, about six feet in height, and were a manly-looking set of men. John, his father, and several of the others pleaded earnestly with the commodore to purchase the territory of Muckatoo, a part of New Zealand which had once belonged to the old chief’s tribe, but had been seized by the English. The commodore told them that he could not interfere in a feud. We made them some very nice presents, and they left the ship.
While here we collected many curiosities, among them several rare specimens of tattooed heads. These New Zealanders, like nearly all other islanders, are great beggars. A big chief, whose hut was near the landing, was a continual bore to the commodore. At length he gave him an old uniform coat and a cocked hat. With these as his entire costume he promenaded the beach all day long, feeling very grand.
April 6. While we were heaving short this morning John Sac came on board dressed in his trousers and ​tarpaulin. He told the commodore that as he had been robbed of his home and country he must seek another island home. We all felt sorry that the anticipations which John had cherished, only a few weeks before, of
NEW ZEALAND CHIEF.
serenely spending the evening of his life at home in his own native country, had been forever blasted. After breakfast we weighed and catted our anchor and stood for those islands so famous in the song of "Hokey, Pokey, Winke, Wanke," "I am king of the Tonga Islands." ​There are six principal islands in the Tonga group, several small, uninhabited ones, and many coral reefs and shoals. They were discovered by Abel Janssen Tasman, the eminent Dutch navigator, in 1642. They were visited by Captain Cook in 1773, and are often called the "Friendly Islands of Captain Cook."
During our passage of sixteen days we were favored with light, balmy breezes. We passed Sunday and several other islands. Witnessed several very remarkable halos around the sun, in circles, half-circles, and segments of circles.
On the 22d we made the island of Tongataboo right ahead, rounded its eastern end, and stood down Astrolabe Channel. While in the middle of the channel the ship ran upon a coral reef. We hit it in the center and split this huge coral mushroom in halves. As the two halves fell over, the ship settled to her water-line unhurt, and in a short time we came to anchor off Nukualofa, the residence of King Josias, or Pubou. While lying here we found our tender, the Flying Fish, and the British brig Currency Lass at anchor. We surveyed the channel and found no shoal in the place where the ship had struck, and we had the satisfaction of knowing that we had rid the channel of one great danger without injury to our ship.
Mr. Tucker and Mr. Rabone, two Wesleyan missionaries, lived at Nukualofa. Mrs. Tucker took great pride in teaching the native children to read and write. The island was extremely fruitful, and was covered with rich foliage. At that time it contained ten thousand inhabitants. The highest part of Tongataboo is sixty feet above ​the level of the sea. The inhabitants were warlike; and war councils, speech-making, and drinking ava constituted the chief business of their lives.
While we were here two parties, called the Christians and the "Devils," were at war. Our commodore strove earnestly to restore the blessings of peace. The head chiefs of each party, with fifty of their followers, were invited on board to a peace council. They came the next day in two large canoes and several small ones, the Christians taking the starboard side, and the "Devils" the larboard side. All had their faces profusely adorned with war paint. Some were painted white; some black, with vermilion circles around their eyes, and their noses of the same bright hue; some with jet-black faces, vermilion around their eyes, and with white or yellow noses; others with yellow, red, black and white stripes crossing their faces in all directions; some half red, black, or white; and others completely covered with small dots of red, white, yellow, and black. Besides the small piece of tapa worn around the waist, they had orange and straw-colored ribbons, made of the pandanus leaves, tied around their legs and arms, above and below their knees and elbows. Some wore them around their necks, and others over the left or right shoulder, or both. The bands were three inches wide and very pliable. The Christians wore turbans, called sala, adorned with beautiful flowers. The "Devils" had their hair tied in a large knot on one side of the head. They were armed cap-a-pie with spears and war-clubs. Only the big chiefs — there were over a hundred of them — were allowed on board.
​The scene was novel and picturesque in the extreme. There they squatted in a body on the quarter-deck, all eager for the fight, and all eagerly listening to the great pow-wow. The Christians were represented by the missionary, Mr. Tucker; the "Devils," by a runaway English convict from Sydney. At the close of the great pow-wow we understood that peace was declared between them. Then the commodore made them presents of a lot of beads, several yards of bright-colored calico, some harmonicas and jews’-harps, and a number of large, bright- red, cotton umbrellas, with which all were highly delighted, and soon left the ship. Before they reached the shore, however, hostilities recommenced. The fight lasted all night. Next morning we learned that both parties were victorious; so they called it a drawn battle. When we went on shore the missionaries told us they had gained a great victory over the "Devils," and were now in possession of their yam grounds which the latter had taken from them several months before.
How the missionaries and their wives could live among those savages, in danger of their lives night and day, was more than we could comprehend.
On May 4th we bade our Christian friends adieu, and after taking a final leave of the "Devils," we got under way at daylight and left the harbor of Nukualofa. I doubt if any of our crew ever forgot this place, if for no other reason than because of the mosquitoes. They were so thick that when we went below on the gun or berth decks, it sounded as if there were several hundred music boxes playing together. Like Job’s "comforters" they smote us from the crowns of our heads to the soles of our ​feet. To escape from our tormentors we sought shelter in the tops and cross-trees. Here they were not so numerous, but they were just as ravenous, and their bite equally venomous.
At noon we passed the islands of Honga Tonga and Honga Hapai. On the 5th we made Turtle and several other small islands. After leaving Tonga all hands were more or less afflicted with ulcers, caused by those terrible mosquito bites. The sores were inflammatory, and difficult to cure. During the night we had a strong wind from the sou’east. The ship was hove to, to wait for daylight. Just at dawn we discovered several small islands close aboard on our lee bows, also a large reef right ahead. Our close vicinity to them was caused by a strong current setting to the northward. Had darkness continued a little longer, no doubt our ship would have been wrecked, and the crew massacred by the natives.
May 6. Weather hazy, with heavy gale blowing from the south. Ship under close-reefed top-sails. It is not very pleasant to cruise in bad weather where there are so many sunken reefs and shoals as are found in these seas.
FIJI CLUB DANCE.