Horace Holden

“ I may add, that the Pelew chiefs had never heard of Lord North's island; but they are acquainted with the Caroline islands.
A detail of all that befell us would serve only to give pain to the benevolent, or at most to show how much human beings can endure. I shall attempt but little more than [Pg 92] to describe the sufferings of a day; observing once for all, that for the term of two long years we experienced the same privations, and were subjected to the same brutal treatment; life, during all that time, being no better than the constant succession of the most acute sufferings. ”

“ Their implements of war are spears and clubs; they have no bows and arrows. Their spears are made of the wood of the cocoa-nut trees; the points of them are set with rows of sharks' teeth; and, being at the same time very heavy and from ten to twenty feet long, are formidable weapons.
Their canoes are made of logs which drift to their island from other places, there being no trees on it large enough for that purpose; they are hollowed out with great labor, and are of very clumsy workmanship; to prevent their oversetting, they are fitted up with outriggers, like those of the Pelew islanders. ”

“ The reception we met with on land was no more agreeable than that upon the water. Judging from the treatment we had received from the females of the island which we had left, it was hoped that the gentler sex would extend to us some proof of their commiseration; but in this we were sadly disappointed. If possible, they were more cruel than their inhuman lords and masters. We were soon separated from each other, and dragged about from place to place; our brutal captors, in the mean time, contending with each other to see who should have us as his property. ”

“ And, what may be regarded as remarkable, the female portion of the inhabitants outstrip the men in cruelty and savage depravity; so much so, that we were frequently indebted to the tender mercies of the men for escapes from death at the hands of the women. The indolence of the natives, which not even the fear of starvation itself can rouse to exertion, prevents their undertaking the least toil, although a little labor, well applied, might be made to render them infinitely more comfortable. ”

“ My master was absent; and upon my hearing a noise in the direction of the place where the foul business was transacted, and suspecting that all was not right, I started to see what was going on. I was near the beach when I saw a number of the savages coming towards the spot where I stood, dragging along the lifeless and mangled body of our comrade! One of them approached me behind, and knocked me down with his club. The body of Andrews was thrown into the sea, and it seemed to be their determination to destroy the whole of us. ”

“ Should we find it possible to procure the means of subsistence, it was thought best to remain where we were for a day or two, not knowing what reception we should meet with, were we to throw ourselves into the hands of the inhabitants of the main island, and feeling an unconquerable reluctance to come in contact with beings scarce less ferocious than beasts of prey. ”

“ We were captured and taken to the island December 6, 1832; and on the third day of February, 1833, two months wanting three days, captain Barnard and Bartlet Rollins effected their escape. Compared with the remainder of our captivity, our privations and sufferings up to that time were less severe. But at no time did we have sufficient food to satisfy the cravings of hunger! The very crumbs that fall from an [Pg 96] ordinary table would have been to us a luxury; the swine of America are better fed than we were, on the most fortunate day of our residence upon that island. ”

“ By this time we had acquired a sufficient knowledge of their tongue to converse fluently with the natives, and we informed our masters, that our feeble condition rendered it impossible for us to attempt to do any thing more. We also reasoned the matter with them, telling them that death was our inevitable doom, unless we were allowed to relax our labor; that if we died we could be of no service to them, but if allowed a respite, and we lived, and could be put on board a vessel, they should be liberally rewarded. ”

“ But judge of our feelings on finding that the trunk, which we had hoped to render so useful in conveying us to some place from which we could obtain a passage to our native land, had, in falling, become so split as to be good for nothing! It seemed to us that a cruel fate had ordained, that no labor of our hands should prosper. ”

“ The complexion of these islanders is a light copper color; much lighter than the Malays, or the Pelew islanders; which last, however, they resemble in the breadth of their faces, high cheek bones, and broad flattened noses. They do not color their teeth, by chewing any thing, as many of those islanders do; but their teeth are so strong that they can husk a cocoa-nut with them instantly. ”

“ The only product of its soil worth mentioning is the cocoa-tree; and those are of so dwarfish and miserable a growth as to bear but very few nuts. These few, however, constitute the food of the inhabitants, with the exception of a species of fish caught occasionally near the shore. The only animals or creeping things known on the island are lizards and mice, and, during our stay there, scarcely a solitary sea-fowl was known to have alighted on the island, and but few fish were taken by the natives. ”

“ In the mean time Nute and the rest of our companions were at the "Tahboo," a place of public resort, where, for the only time, the females rendered our people any assistance. They concealed the men under some mats, and kept them there till the fury of the natives had in a measure subsided.
We were next called upon to part with one of the Pelew chiefs who had come with us. He died of absolute starvation, and, according to custom, was committed to the waves in an old canoe. ”

“ The children do not address their parents by any word corresponding to father or mother, papa or mamma, but by their names. Their parents treat them on the footing of equality; they are generally well behaved, and are never punished, except occasionally when impatient for their food.
Their language appears to be different from those of the other islands in that quarter; we found that the three natives of the Pelew islands, that accompanied us, could not understand any thing they said ”

“ We were soon surrounded by a vast crowd of the natives, eager to see us, and to learn something of the nature of beings so different from themselves.
A short time after our arrival, a quantity of food was brought from the house of the prophetess, and placed in the centre of the platform. This consisted of a hog's head, boiled in sea-water, highly seasoned with cayenne and aromatic herbs, a plentiful supply of yams, and a large bowl of sweetened water. This meal was abundant and delicious ”

“ The natives were all armed, much like those with whom we first became acquainted.
This instantaneous movement was occasioned, as we afterwards learned, by an alarm given by the two natives who had visited us on the small island. Intelligence of the fact, that a boat's crew of strange looking beings, as we doubtless appeared to them, had landed upon their territory, was given by sounding a shell. This aroused the multitude, and caused them to come out, to satisfy their curiosity, and assist in conducting us safely and speedily to a place of security. A large war canoe made directly towards us ”

“ It was my good fortune to be retained by one who, compared with the other natives, was humane. His name was Pahrahbooah; the female head of the family was called Nahkit; and they had four children. I went by the name of Tee ́mit; and Benjamin Nute by the name of Rollo. The captain was also fortunate in falling into the hands of a friend of my master, who treated him with comparative kindness. He was valued the more highly also on account of being a large, fleshy man—they judging of these things by the size and appearance. ”

“ Their principal food is the cocoa-nut. They occasionally succeed in procuring fish, though the supply obtained during our residence there was exceedingly small. Their fish-hooks are made of turtle-shell, and not well contrived for the purpose; but we could not induce them to use our hooks, till they had heated them and altered their form so that they would not hold the fish. They did this, because they said that Yarris (God) would be angry with them, if they used our hooks without preparing them according to [Pg 85] their fashion. Sometimes they are so fortunate as to obtain a sea-turtle ”

“ We were frequently so reduced as to be unable to walk, and were forced to drag ourselves on our hands and knees to some place where we could lie down under the shade of a bush, and take rest. But the small comfort to be obtained in this way was greatly lessened by the annoyance of musquetoes, which could attack us with impunity in our helpless and feeble condition. ”

“ Our [Pg 49] fair readers may judge how much we were amused, on finding that the copper-colored females of the island cut up our old shoes into substitutes for jewelry, and seemed highly delighted with wearing the shreds suspended from their ears.
Our further acquaintance with this extraordinary people confirmed us in the opinion, that the ceremony of marriage is unpractised and unknown among them. The chiefs appropriate to themselves as many females as they please, and in the selection they exercise this despotism over the affections without regard to any other laws than those of caprice. ”

“ They know nothing of any other portion of the globe, than the mere speck of barren land upon which by some accident they were thrown, and where they remain, to drag out a wretched existence. Their traditions do not extend further back than to about a hundred years ”

“ Among themselves, the oldest people had the greatest quantity of tattooing, and the younger class less.
Besides the operation of tattooing, they compelled us to pluck the hair from different parts of the body, and to pluck our beards about every ten days, which was extremely painful; and at every successive operation the beard grew out harder and stiffer.
About seventeen days after the captain and Rollins left, we saw a vessel to the windward; but the natives did not attempt to visit it. Five months afterwards another came in sight, and remained for three days near the island. ”

“ At best we could get no more than a small piece of cocoa-nut, hardly a common sized mouthful, at a time, and if, either from exhaustion or any other cause, we neglected to perform the required amount of labor, our pittance of food was withheld altogether. ”

“ We took into the boat one small chest of bread, some water, a quantity of wearing apparel, a canister of gunpowder, one musket, a brace of pistols, three cutlasses, and a tinder-box. In this frail bark, and with these poor means of subsistence and defence, with little to rely upon but the mercy of Providence, we took leave of the [Pg 27] ship; not without feelings of deep sorrow, and with small hopes of improving our forlorn condition.
On leaving the ship we steered directly for the reef above mentioned, and without much difficulty landed and drew up our boat. ”

“ Our savage masters interposed their authority, and by menaces and blows prevented us. Many of us were severely beaten, and all but two were detained by the brutal force of the savages. At length captain Barnard and Rollins, after being severely beaten, were allowed to accompany the natives to the ship, and succeeded in effecting their escape. Trusting to the humanity of the captain and crew, we for some time confidently expected, that they would contrive some way of enabling us to join them. ”

“ And should the government of enlightened America ever see proper to extend to them some proof of its regard, it would afford us unspeakable pleasure to have it in our power to communicate to them the exalted principles, which might incline this highly favored nation to the performance of so noble a deed.
Finding it important to be able to converse with the natives, we improved every opportunity [Pg 59] to become acquainted with their language. ”

“ Whether they could in any way be improved by instruction, is a question which it would be difficult to answer. They seem to be doomed to remain, as one of the last links in the chain that connects our race with the mere animal part of the creation. ”

“ We were destined to see one after another of our fellow-sufferers sink under the constantly increasing severity of the burdens imposed upon them, and perish either from actual starvation, or by the blows of the savages. ”

“ Having satisfied our most pressing wants, we next set ourselves at work to obtain food. We had with us a part of the bread brought from the wreck, and the preparation given us by the natives composed of the cocoa-nut pulverized and mixed with the sweet liquor extracted from the tree. ”

“ Henry Short, Barque Britannia."
Never shall we find words to express our joy at once more finding ourselves in the company of civilized men! Nor can we be too grateful to captain Short, and his officers and crew, for their kind attentions during our passage to Lintin. Every thing in their power was done to restore our health and strength, and to render us comfortable. On arriving at Lintin we found ourselves sufficiently recovered to be able to pass up the river to Canton. We remained there, at the factories, under medical treatment, until the ship Morrison, of New York, was ready to sail ”

“ Whenever Holden or Nute expressed a wish to go to England, the natives would say to them,—
Gur zah beeto Inglish bah? Taw ah muk ́kah woar Inglish; gur zah beeto Inglish, gur mo ́ree poo ́ruk; mah ́ree Inglish muk ́kah ketch ́ee etch ́ee, omah ah yahpuk gur mum ́mee tee ́dee ah To ́bee, yevvers mah ́ree To ́bee yissung ah mukkah.
What do you (wish to) go to England for? There is nothing to eat in England; if you go to England you will die; Englishmen eat rats and snails and filth; if you stay in To ́bee you [Pg 130] will live; To ́bee men have very good (food) to eat. ”

“ These constitute the slender means of their support; and they are thus barely kept from actual death by famine, but on the very verge of starvation. When any one of them begins to fail, for want of food, so that his death is pretty certain, they inhumanly turn him off from among them, to starve to death. ”

“ The women wear no other clothing than a sort of apron (fastened to the waist by a curiously wrought girdle) extending nearly to the knees, and left open at the sides. The material of these garments (if such they can be called) is the bark of a tree called by them "karamal." This tree grows from thirty to forty feet high, and is two or three feet in circumference. The hair of both males and females is worn long; it is coarse and stiff, and of a color resembling that of the natives of North [Pg 48] America. They make free use of the oil extracted from the cocoa-nut ”

“ They take pride in their hair, and are particularly careful about it, washing and cleansing it almost every day. They do not color it, however, as the natives of some islands are said to do; but they moisten it with the juice pressed out from the cocoa-nut, which gives it a very glossy appearance; and it is frequently so long as to reach down to their waist. ”

“ We were sailing in this manner, not apprehending danger, when, about eleven o'clock at night, on the 21st of May, 1832, just at the time of relieving the watch, the ship struck with great violence upon what we afterwards found to be the coral reef extending to the northward and eastward of the Pelew islands. The ship ran directly upon the rocks, and struck three times in quick succession, the waves dashing over and around us with tremendous violence. ”