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0TS  '2-'2- 

Moulton  Library 

Bangor  Theologioai  Seminary  J 


Presented  by 
The  Rev.  Robert 
Howard 


va/.B. CLARKE  Pr>'1 


THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 


"  I    AM    HAUNTED    BY    NUMBERLESS    ISLANDS    AND    MANY     A     DANAAN 

shore."— W.  B.  YEATS. 

"go 'little  book  and  wish  to  all 
Flowers  in  the  garden,  meat  in  the  hall." 

— R.  L.  STEVENSON  in  "Underwoods." 


N.W.  ANGLE  OF  CYCLOPEAN  ENCLOSURE  ON  LELE  ISLAND 


THE   TOKOSA,    OR    KING   OF    THE    ISLAND,    IN    FOREGROUND 
From  a  Photo  by  Di.  Chanmn 


THE 

CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

< 

TRAVEL  IN  THE  SEA  OF  THE 
LITTLE  LANDS 


BY 

F.  W.  CHRISTIAN 


B.A.    (PALLIOL   COLLEGE,    OXFORD)   AND    F.R.G.S.,    AND    CORRESPONDING 

MEMBER    OF    THE    POLYNESIAN    SOCIETY   OF 

NEW   ZEALAND 


WITH    FORTY-THREE    ILLUSTRATIONS   AND    FIVE    MAPS    AND    PLANS 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 

1899 


;ME  Lib- 
state  HOUSE  t^S 


JAN  ^90 


to,  r    {^CL.-) 


■^ 


S3S 
C5  3c 


TO   HIS   EXCELLENCY 
THE  RIGHT  HON.  THE  EARL  OF  RANFURLY 

K.C,  M.  G. 
GOVERNOR   OF   NEW  ZEALAND 

WHO,    FOLLOWING  THE   EXAMPLE  OF   HIS  GREAT   PREDECESSOR,   THE   LATE 

SIR    GEORGE   GREY,    HAS   TAKEN    SO    LIVELY   AND    PRACTICAL    AN 

INTEREST     IN     THE    WELFARE     OF    THE     MAORIS    AND 

THEIR  CLOSELY-RELATED  NEIGHBOURS  OF  THE 

VAST    POLYNESIAN    AREA,   THIS    BOOK 

ON   THE   CAROLINE  ISLANDS 

IS  VERY  CORDIALLY 

DEDICATED 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

PREFACE                   ........  IX 

INTRODUCTION    ........  I 

GENERAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  CAROLINES    .....  17 

PART  I 

CHAP 

I.    SYDNEY  TO  HONG  KONG  ......  27 

II.    HONG  KONG  TO  MANILLA                 .                  .                  .                  .  40 

III.  YAP    AND    THE    MARIANNES    TO     PONAPE  —  DESCRIPTION     OK 

PONAPE                 .......  50 

IV.  NALAP  ISLAND — PONAPEAN  SUPERSTITIONS  AND  CHARACTER    .  63 
V.    FIRST  AND  SECOND  VISITS  TO  THE  RUINS  OF  NAN-MATAL             .  76 

VI.    THIRD  VISIT  TO  THE  RUINS  .  .  .  .  .89 

VII.    VISIT    TO   CEMETERY   OF    THE   CHOKALAI   OR    LITTLE    PEOPLE, 
PONAUL   AND  LANG  TAKAI,  AND   RETURN  FROM  METALANIM 

TO  KITI  AND  COLONY   .                 .                 .                 .                 .  IIO 

PART  II 

VIII.    PONAPE  :    DRESS,  INDUSTRIES,   AND  MANUFACTURES      .                 .  122 

IX.    VISIT  TO  MOKIL,  PINGELAP  AND  KUSAIE                .                 .                 .  142 

X.    STAY  ON  LELE       .......  154 

PART  III 

XI.    RETURN  TO  COLONY  ;   VISIT  TO  MUTOK  AND  PANIAU      .                 .  175 
XII.    FEAST  IN  MUTOK,  KAVA-MAKING,  THE  STORY  OF  THE  NAMING 

OF  BIRDS,  MAKING  OF  FISH  OIL  DESCRIBED     .                 .                 .  186 

XIII.  PANIAU  TO  COLONY            ......  I97 

XIV.  FROM  PANIAU  TO  MARAU                .....  209 
XV.    PANIAU  TO  COLONY,  THENCE  TO  GUAM  AND  YAP              .                 .  225 

PART  IV 

XVI.    DESCRIPTION  OF  YAP  ;   TOMIL  TO  LAI      ....  234 

XVII.    VISIT  TO  ONOTH  AND  GOROR         .....  247 

XVIII.    TO  TOMIL,  LAI,  ELIK,  JOURNEY  BY  BOAT  TO  NORTH  YAP              .  262 
XIX.    STAY  IN  PILAU,  FOLK-LORE,  LEGEND  OF   FLOOD,  AN  ACCOUNT 

OF  THE  TABU  SYSTEM  OF  YAP                    ....  278 

XX.    NORTH  YAP — RETURN  TO  TARRANG          ....  294 

XXI.    STAY  AT  TARRANG  AND  DEPARTURE  FOR  HONG  KONG  .                 .  31O 


Vlll 


CONTENTS 


APPENDIX 


(a)  CLAN  NAMES  OF  PONAPE         .... 
(6)  NAMES  OF  NATIVE  DISEASES 
(<:)  PONAPEAN  TREES,  PLANTS  AND  SHRUBS 
(d)  SUPPLEMENTARY  LIST  OF  YAP  PLANT  AND  TREE  NAMES 
(<?)  PONAPEAN  FISHES,  INSECTS,  BIRDS,  AND  ANIMALS 
(/)  MARINE  CREATURES  OF  YAP 

(g)  PONAPE  ONOMATOPOEAS,  OR  IMITATIVE  SOUNDS 
(A)  PONAPE  GODS 

(?)  YAP  GODS         .... 
(/)  VARIETIES  OF  BREADFRUIT  IN  PONAPE 
(/•)  PONAPE — DAYS  OF  THE  MOON'S  AGE 
(/)  LAMOTREK  STAR-NAMES 
(?/?)  MORTLOCK  STAR-NAMES 
(;/)  YAP  STAR-NAMES 
(o)  LAMOTREK  GODS 

(/)  LAMOTREK — DAYS  OF  THE  MOON'S  AGE 
{q)  MORTLOCK  ISLANDS — DAYS  OF  THE  MOON'S 
(r)  MORTLOCK  MONTHS   . 
(s)  MORTLOCK  GODS 
(t)  YAP — DAYS  OF  THE  MOON'S  AGE 
(??)  NAMES  OF  MONTHS  IN  YAP  YEAR       . 
(v)  ULEAI — DAYS  OF  THE  MOON'S  AGE   . 
(w)  SOUTH  KENSINGTON  MUSEUM  NOTES 
(x)  KUSAIAN  TEXTILES    . 
(y)  PONAPEAN  SHELL — ADZES      . 
(z)   COMPARATIVE  TABLE  OF  THE  NAMES  FOR  THE  FOUR  QUARTERS  IN 
THE  MICRONESIAN  AND  INDONESIAN  AREAS 


324 
326 
328 

347 
352 
376 
379 
381 
384 
386 
387 
388 

389 
39° 
39i 
392 
393 
393 
393 
394 
394 
395 
395 
396 
397 

400 


403 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


N.-W.  ANGLE  OF  CYCLOPEAN  ENCLOSURE  ON  LELE  ISLAND 


MILLE  LAGOON,  MARSHALL  GROUP 

THE     WALLED     ISLET      OF     UCHENTAU  —  OUR     CAMPING     PLACE     IN 

METALANIM 
GROUP  OF  YAP  NATIVES 
THE  KING  OF  U  AND  FAMILY 
A  PALIKER  FISHING  CANOE 
A  NATIVE  OF  LOT 

S.-E.  ANGLE  OF  INNER  WALL  OF  NAN-TAUACH  . 
PATTERNS  IN  PONAPEAN  WOOD-CARVING  (two  half-plates) 

great  central  vault,  nan-tauach 

breakwater  at  nan-moluchai 

the  haunted  island  of  pan-katara 

inner  angle  of  great  outer  wall,  nan-tauach  . 

king  paul's  big  canoe  .... 

south  side  of  inner  enclosure,  nan-tauach 

n.-e.  angle  of  inner  court,  nan-tauach   . 

n.-e.  angle  of  outer  wall,  nan-tauach     . 

s.-w.  shoulder  of  inner  line  of  wall,  nan-tauach 

relics  of  old  sea-wall,  nakap  island 

ponatik  chief 

the  beach  at  lot 

nanaua,  nephew  of  king  rocha 

a  ponapean  canoe 

carved  dancing  paddles 

pilung  adolol,  a  chief  of  rul 

ponapean  house 

landing-place,  lele  harbour 

kusaian  bags    . 


Frontispiece 

PAGE 

26 

26 

52 

58 

70 

78 

84 

86 

90 

92 

94 

94 

96 

100 

102 

102 

104 

106 

108 

108 

126 

130 

130 

136 

140 

152 

158 


X 


LIST    OF     ILLUSTRATIONS 


WOMAN  S  KUSAIAN  SHAWL 

DEACON  OBADIAH  OF  ARU 

THE  GREAT  CLIFF  OF  CHOKACH 

STONE  MONEY  OF  YAP      . 

THE  HOUSE  OF  TANIS       . 

A  PAL  OR  WOMAN'S  HOUSE 

BACHELORS'  CLUB-HOUSE 

A  "BAl     OR  LODGE  IN  RUL  DISTRICT 

THE  HILL-SIDE  RUL  DISTRICT,    . 

KUSAIAN  BELTS 

KUSAIAN  BELTS 

PONAPEAN  SHELL-ADZES 


PAGE 
I58 
204 
226 
236 
256 
2S8 
266 
29O 
304 

394 
396 
398 


MAPS  AND  PLANS 


PLAN  OF  THE  SANCTUARY  OF  NAN-TAUACH 

SKETCH  MAP  OF  NAN-MATAL 

PLAN  OF  THE  CEMETERY  OF  THE  DWARFS 

PLAN  OF  LELE  RUINS       . 

MAP  OF  THE  CAROLINE  ISLANDS 


80 

98 

112 

I70 

402 


PREFACE 

THE  period  between  the  years  1890  and  1893  in 
Samoa  was  marked  by  civil  war  between  the  rival 
factions  of  Malietoa  and  Matafa,  ending,  as  all  the  world 
knows,  in  the  overthrow  and  deportation  of  the  latter  chief. 
A  partisan  feeling  in  the  struggle,  shared  by  me  with  Robert 
Louis  Stevenson,  my  neighbour  of  Vailima,  resulted  in 
the  extension  of  an  intimacy  with  the  Samoan  people  and 
their  chiefs.  It  sprung,  naturally  enough,  in  the  first  place, 
from  the  interest  I  had  always  taken  in  their  sports,  and  the 
assistance  I  was  happy  to  afford  them  by  distributing  medi- 
cines in  the  outer  districts  during  the  epidemics  of  measles 
and  influenza  which  unhappily  carried  off  so  many  of  the 
natives  during  these  years.  A  keen  interest  in  philology 
and  kindred  subjects  (especially  in  connection  with  the 
Malayo-Polynesian  peoples),  dating  from  my  college  days 
and  encouraged  by  the  sympathetic  counsels  of  the  late 
Master  of  Balliol,  could  not  well  fail  to  take  an  active  form 
under  the  stirring  influence  of  the  genial  author  of  "  A 
Footnote  to  History." 

I  entered  fully  into  the  romance  of  reef  and  palm, 
but  a  sense  of  work  to  be  done  banished  effectually  all 
thoughts  of  the  do  Ice  far  niente  so  generally  identified 
with  the  life  of  a  settler  in  these  isles  of  Eden.  Deem- 
ing idleness  a  thing  unrighteous,  I  spent  three  years 
in  cultivating  economic  plants,  mostly  of  the  Eucalyptus 
order,  for  distribution  amongst  the  natives.  Supplies  of 
seeds  for  this  purpose  were  regularly  sent  me  by  the 
Forest  Department  of  New  South  Wales,  in  return  for 
which  I  consigned  seed-packets  of  native  trees  and  plants. 
Subsequently  I  disposed  of  my  land  to  Stevenson,  and  on 
his  advice,  after  election  as  a  corresponding  member  of  the 
Polynesian  Society  of  New  Zealand,  I  went  further  afield 
into  Eastern  Polynesia,  where  a  somewhat  lengthy  stay  in 


XI 1  PREFACE 

Tahiti  and  the  North  and  South  Marquesas  gave  me  a 
wider  knowledge  and  a  deeper  interest  in  the  customs, 
language  and  legends  of  the  attractive  people  of  these 
islands,  now,  alas  !   fast  disappearing. 

Nor  did  my  journeyings  end  here,  for  on  my  return  to 
Sydney  I  met  Louis  Becke,  the  well-known  writer  of  tales 
of  the  Pacific,  who  told  me  of  an  ancient  island  Venice 
shrouded  in  jungle,  an  enchanted  region  of  archaeology  far 
away  in  the  Sea  of  Small  Islands,  termed  Micronesia  by 
geographers.  His  theme  was  the  story  of  a  strange  people 
scattered  up  and  down  the  lonely  atolls  of  the  great  Caroline 
archipelago,  folk  of  a  strange  outlandish  tongue,  that  pro- 
mised rich  results  to  the  student  of  folk-lore  and  philology. 
It  is  of  this  people  and  this  region  that  my  story  deals,  and 
I  must  here  say  that  even  in  this  remote  corner  of  the  globe 
I  found  not  virgin  soil — a  German  had  been  there  before 
me,  an  emissary  of  the  firm  of  Godeffroy  Bros,  of  Ham- 
burg, by  name  J.  S.  Kubary.  At  the  time  I  met  him,  he 
was  engaged  in  collecting  land-shells  and  specimens  of 
birds  (one  species  of  ground-pigeon,  a  Phlegcenas,  bears 
his  name);  and  had  already — in  1872 — explored  the 
mysterious  island-city  on  the  east  coast  of  Ponape.  To 
him  I  am  indebted  for  the  loan  of  his  plan  of  the  Metalanim 
ruins,  of  which  I  have  availed  myself,  making  a  good  many 
corrections  in  the  names  and  a  few  in  the  charting  of  the 
island  labyrinth,  at  the  same  time  supplementing  his  ac- 
count by  the  information  given  by  the  natives  of  the 
district  and  by  an  old  American  settler  and  his  sons  who 
accompanied  me  on  my  second  and  third  visits  to  the 
spot.  To  many  others,  both  native  and  European,  I  am 
deeply  indebted  for  much  valuable  assistance,  and  their 
names  occur  more  than  once  in  the  course  of  the  story 
which  I  will  not  anticipate  here.1 

Before  my  first  visit  to  Metalanim,  Kubary  promised  to 
give   me  a   full   account   later,  so   that  I  could   have  the 

1  Five  interesting  views  of  Yap  Island  have  been  very  kindly  supplied  me 
by  Admiral  Cyprian  Bridge,  who  visited  these  seas  about  1884  in  H.M.S. 
EspiegU. 


PREFACE  Xlll 

satisfaction  of  working  independently  ;  and  on  my  return 
we  had  many  interesting  discussions  together.  Soon  after 
my  departure  from  Ponape  in  1896,  I  received  a  letter  at 
Yap  telling  me  of  Kubary's  death,  which  occurred  only 
two  days  after  I  had  left,  under  very  sad  circumstances. 

Those  who  would  do  work  in  Micronesian  waters  might 
well  take  example  from  the  unobtrusive,  painstaking  work 
of  this  true  man  of  science. 

For  many  years  in  these  remote  lands  he  devoted  a 
grand  and  tireless  energy  to  clearing  up  problems  which 
have  troubled  so  many  European  scientists  who,  from  an 
arm-chair  in  their  studies  at  home,  are  sometimes  inclined 
to  settle  offhand,  with  a  few  indifferent  strokes  of  the  pen, 
questions  the  weight  of  which  they  have  only  tested  with 
a  crooked  finger.  Only  too  often,  those  who  have  borne 
the  burden  on  their  shoulders  are  pushed  aside  into  un- 
thanked  oblivion.  Those  can  sympathise  best  who  have 
endured  the  scorching  heats  of  the  Line,  the  inclement 
rain-torrents  of  the  wet  season,  fever  and  bad  food,  thirst 
and  sleeplessness,  the  opposition  of  superstitious  natives 
abroad  and  the  indifference  of  men  at  home,  such  measure 
as  the  world  metes  out  to  the  man  who  ventures  to  seek 
out  new  facts  or  new  methods  of  arranging  facts.  Such 
men  as  Kubary  during  their  life  receive  scant  thanks,  but 
their  praise  should  be  a  grateful  duty  to  all  who  honour 
pluck  and  enterprise.  And  though  Kubary  be  no  country- 
man of  ours,  Science  knows  no  such  narrow  boundaries, 
such  slender  distinctions  as  race  or  birth-land,  and  bids  us 
render  honour  to  one  of  her  most  faithful  servants  whom 
the  evil  day  found  girt  and  harnessed  to  his  task. 

All  honour  to  German  scientists  for  their  work  in 
Pacific  waters.  And  shall  we,  the  English,  sit  by  and 
dream  whilst  others  are  up  and  doing  ? 

F.  W.  C. 

[Since  these  lines  were  in  type  Germany  has  taken  over  the  Carolines  for  a 
sum  of  ^800,000.  It  will  be  most  interesting  to  see  how  she  will  develop  the 
resources  of  these  strange  new  lands,  her  latest  acquisition.] 


INTRODUCTION. 

MR  CHRISTIAN'S  reason  for  asking  me  to  prepare 
an  Introduction  to  his  account  of  his  experiences 
and  investigations  in  the  Caroline  Islands  was,  no  doubt, 
his  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  I  happen  to  be  one  of  the 
few  people  who  have  visited  those  islands  and  who  are  at 
this  moment  in  England.  It  should  be  stated  at  once 
that  I  fully  understand  how  very  slender  a  qualification 
that  is  for  undertaking  the  task  which  I  have  been 
requested  to  perform.  Indeed,  so  fully  is  this  understood, 
that  a  real  reluctance  to  give  any  cause  for  being  suspected 
of  a  desire  to  pose  as  an  authority  on  the  subjects  dealt 
with  by  Mr  Christian,  was  only  overcome  on  its  being 
made  apparent  that  a  short  preliminary  discussion  in 
general  terms,  whilst  it  might  not  strengthen  what  he  had 
to  say,  would  at  the  least  not  weaken  it,  although  readers 
will  be  likely  to  note  the  contrast  between  his  prolonged 
residence  and  deliberate  inquiries  in  the  places  described 
and  my  own  more  hurried  visits  and  superficial  observa- 
tion. It  is  true  that  I  have  been  to  a  large  number  of 
South  Sea  Islands,  and  it  follows,  almost  as  a  matter  of 
course,  that  the  visit  to  each  was  a  short  one. 

My  service  on,  as  we  call  it  in  the  Navy,  the  Pacific 
Station,  dates  back  to  1855  ;  ar>d  that  on  the  Australian 
Station — within  the  limits  of  which  most  of  the  South 
Sea  Islands  lie — dates  from  1859.  On  the  latter  station 
I  have  served  three  times,  and  my  most  extended  South 
Sea  cruises  took  place  when  I  was  a  Captain  in  command 
of  one  of  H.M.  ships,  in  the  years  1882,  1883,  and  1884. 
Much  of  the  water  traversed  was  then  imperfectly  surveyed 
or  entirely  unsurveyed  ;  the  natives  of  many  islands  were 
not  friendly  and  had  little  knowledge  of  white  men,  and 
A  * 


2  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

the  older  "  Labour  Trade  "  was  still  being  carried  on.  In 
such  circumstances  a  captain  of  a  man-of-war  had  a  great 
deal  too  much  to  do  to  find  any  considerable  amount  of 
time  at  his  disposal  to  devote  to  subjects  even  as  fascinat- 
ing as  the  ethnology,  the  botany,  or  the  zoology  of  the 
archipelagos  visited,  had  he,  indeed,  possessed  the 
requisite  preliminary  training.  I  paid  two  later  visits 
to  the  South  Seas,  when  in  command  of  the  Australian 
Station  in  1895  and  1896.  The  cruise  of  the  former  year 
embraced  several  different  groups  and  many  islands,  some 
of  which  were  new  to  me.  It  was  not  possible,  however, 
to  get  as  far  as  the  Carolines,  and  therefore  my  knowledge 
of  that  group  is  not  nearly  so  recent  as  Mr  Christian's. 
I  owe  an  apology  to  anyone  who  may  read  this  for 
dwelling  in  this  way  on  what  may  seem  personal  matters, 
but  it  is  desirable  that  the  reader  should  know  the  real 
extent  of  the  qualifications  of  the  person  who  has  con- 
sented to  address  him. 

Before  leaving  this  subject  altogether  it  may  be 
permissible  to  make  a  statement  likely  to  have  a  wider 
than  a  mere  personal  interest.  During  the  last  two  cruises 
mentioned  the  officers  and  men  of  the  ship  were  received, 
at  every  place  at  which  we  called,  by  the  islanders — of 
every  stage  of  culture,  from  perfectly  naked  savagery  to 
Church  membership — and  by  white  men,  when  there  were 
any,  with  every  demonstration  of  delight.  Considering 
that  an  important  part  of  the  duty  of  the  squadron  on  the 
station  is  to  keep  order  in  these  out-of-the-way  regions 
and  to  engage  in  punitive  expeditions  against  offending 
tribes,  it  may  be  fairly  claimed  for  the  officers  and  men  of 
H.M.  ships  so  employed  during  many  years  that  such  a 
reception  proves  that  they  must  have  performed  the  ardu- 
ous duties  in  question  with  a  thoroughness  and  at  the  same 
time  a  moderation  in  the  highest  degree  creditable  to 
them.  No  apology  is  offered  for  making  this  statement 
here.  It  is  largely  action  such  as  has  been  just  indicated 
that  has  made  it  possible  for  travellers  like  Mr  Christian 


INTRODUCTION  3 

to  move  about  many  of  the  archipelagos  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean  with  the  freedom  necessary  to  enable  them  to  carry 
on  their  investigations.  Moreover,  as  these  parts  of  the 
world  lie  far  beyond  the  "  sphere  of  influence  "  of  the  war 
correspondent,  nothing  is  known  at  home  of  the  many 
displays  of  devotion  and  gallantry  which  have  been  the 
indispensable  precursors  of  a  state  of  affairs  in  which  some 
of  the  fiercest  savages  in  the  world  have  become  the  trust- 
worthy entertainers  of  peaceful  men  of  science. 

The  friendly  intercourse  of  naval  officers  and  blue- 
jackets with  the  islanders  has  been  greatly  assisted  by 
the  deep  and  wide-spread  respect  of  the  latter  for  the 
Queen.  Her  Majesty's  name  has  been  made  known  to 
many  of  them  by  the  missionaries  ;  but  I  came  across 
cases  in  which  the  knowledge  must  have  been  derived  from 
others.  On  one  of  the  Louisiades,  where  the  people  were 
so  little  used  to  white  men  fourteen  years  ago  that  they 
were  frightened  by  the  striking  of  a  match,  and  put  to 
flight  by  the  report  of  a  rifle,  I  found  that  the  name  of 
"  Queen  Victoreea  "  was  quite  familiar  to  them.  To  be 
recognised  as  one  of  Queen  Victoreea's  "  white  chiefs  "  was 
nearly  always  and  everywhere  to  ensure  a  naval  officer  a 
friendly  reception.  Where  the  natives  could  make  them- 
selves intelligible  to  white  visitors  they  frequently  ex- 
pressed warm  regard  and  admiration  for  Her  Majesty. 
They  have  an  unfailing  confidence  in  her  desire  to  do 
them  good.  There  was  something  inexpressively  gratify- 
ing to  an  Englishman  to  notice  this  far-reaching  effect  of 
our  Queen's  beneficent  character.  In  the  Pacific  it  has 
been  most  advantageous  to  the  Empire,  as  the  native 
races  generally  are  desirous  of  being  brought  under  the 
sway  of  so  kind  and  so  just  a  monarch. 

The  reluctance,  above  alluded  to,  was,  it  must  be  owned, 
somewhat  modified  by  a  perception  of  the  possibility, 
created  by  complying  with  Mr  Christian's  request,  of 
inviting  attention  to  the  desirability,  if  not  necessity,  of 
investigations  of  the  kind  to  which  he  has  more  parti- 


4  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

cularly  devoted  himself.  Paying  visits,  though  short  ones, 
to  many  islands,  has  at  least  the  advantage  of  enabling  the 
visitor  to  form  an  accurate  estimate  of  the  importance  of 
studying  that  which,  at  any  rate  relatively  to  other  things, 
has  been  studied  but  little,  viz.  the  people.  Few  persons 
will  be  likely  to  dispute  the  assertion  that  far  less  atten- 
tion has  been  paid  to  the  manners,  customs,  language, 
institutions,  and  modes  of  thought  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  South  Sea  Islands  than  to  the  fauna,  flora,  and  even 
the  geology  of  their  places  of  abode.  The  assertion  holds 
good,  though  it  may  be  objected  that  anthropological  and 
ethnological  observations  were  made  by  members  of  ex- 
peditions of  discovery  and  exploration  commanded  by  a 
Bougainville,  a  Cook,  or  a  Wilkes.  Passing  observations, 
in  great  number  and  often  of  great  value,  were  made,  no 
doubt ;  but  the  trained  students  residing  for  long  periods 
amongst  the  island  people  for  the  purpose  of  carrying 
out  their  investigations  have  been  almost  exclusively 
"  naturalists  "  or  geologists.  We  owe  much  of  our  know- 
ledge of  the  south  sea  islanders  themselves  to  mission- 
aries ;  but  their  very  calling  put  them  out  of  sympathy 
with  many  native  customs  and  institutions  deserving  of 
study ;  whilst  the  earlier  missionaries,  i.e.  those  most 
favoured  by  opportunity,  were  without  the  proper  pre- 
liminary training. 

There  is  ground  for  believing  that  men  of  science  in 
Europe  and  America  were  alive  to  the  desirability  of 
obtaining  more  exact  knowledge  of  the  South  Sea  Island 
tribes  and  their  ways.  Their  difficulty  seems  to  have 
been  to  find  a  justification  of  the  expense  which  the 
necessary  investigations  were  likely  to  entail.  If  money 
were  to  be  forthcoming,  it  must  be  for  something  that 
promised  a  return.  Study  of  the  botany,  the  zoology,  or 
the  mineralogy  of  Oceania  might,  indeed  was  expected  to, 
result  in  the  discovery  of  marketable  commodities.  Even 
now,  as  Mr  Christian  has  probably  found,  it  is  well  to 
combine,  at  least  to  a  small  extent,  examination  of  the 


INTRODUCTION  5 

economic  botany  of  an  island  with  linguistic  researches. 
Till  lately,  if  not  till  this  very  moment,  the  general  in- 
terest in  the  branches  of  science  dealing  with  material 
was  greater  than  in  those  which  deal  with  man.  The 
latter  were,  and  perhaps  still  are,  thought  less  worth 
attention  by  many  of  those  who  think  about  science  at 
all.  We  may  count  with  confidence  upon  greater  in- 
terest being  taken  in  the  fortunes  of  an  expedition  to 
the  Caroline  Islands  to  prospect  for  gold  or  rubies,  than  in 
one  to  investigate  the  structure  of  the  language  or  the 
history  of  the  inhabitants  ;  and  the  greater  interest  in  the 
former  would  not  be  confined  to  those  who  simply  desire 
to  add  to  their  riches. 

Yet  a  little  reflection  will  suffice  to  make  us  doubt  both 
the  correctness  and  the  durability  of  this  attitude  of  mind. 
In  the  civilised  world  of  to-day — which  we  may  define  as 
the  world  in  which  the  men  wear  trousers  and  the  women 
read  novels — the  number  of  pupils,  irrespective  of  nation- 
ality, receiving  a  "  general  education,"  greatly  exceeds 
the  number  of  those  who  are  being  "  specially  "  trained. 
The  children  of  both  sexes  who  are  acquiring  historical 
knowledge,  though  it  be  but  a  smattering,  far  outnumber 
those  who  are  being  taught  "  science,"  and  still  more 
those  who  are  being  instructed  in  any  special  branch  of 
it.  This  means,  in  effect,  the  formation  of  a  continuously 
reinforced  body  of  readers  in  whom  a  preference  for  the 
perusal  of  narrative  rather  than  "  scientific  "  works  has  been 
implanted.  The  difference  in  the  figures  relating  to 
demands  for  books  on  history,  biography,  and  travel,  and 
to  demands  for  those  on  science — as  shown  in  the  reports 
of  libraries — will  furnish  evidence  corroborative  of  the 
above  contention. 

This  preference,  being  in  accordance  with  and  represen- 
tative of  natural  inclinations,  promises  to  endure.  We 
are  really  more  desirous  of  knowing  something  about  our 
fellow-men  than  about  anything  else.  This  justifies 
hesitation  before  accepting  the  conclusions  of  those  who 


6  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

assert  that  the  British  Empire  will  be  maintained  by  the 
establishment  of  "  technical  colleges "  better  than  by 
encouragement  of  the  qualities  which  distinguished  the 
worthies  who  had  a  leading  share  in  its  formation.  For  a 
long  time  to  come  there  will  be  a  more  widely  distributed 
desire  to  read  about  Nelson  or  Clive  than  about  volcanoes 
or  solar  physics.  This  ought  to  be  encouraging  to  men 
who  devote  themselves  to  the  study  of  the  characteristics 
of  tribes  in  a  world  far  removed  from  our  own.  These 
students  may  hope  for  a  larger  and  larger  public.  The 
most  influential  section  of  that  public  may  be  respectfully 
invited  to  note  the  advantages  of  which  the  studies  in 
question  will  make  them  the  specially  favoured  recipients. 
The  section  is  composed  of  those  who  teach  that  widely 
taught  subject — history.  In  the  South  Seas  they  may 
find  producible  living  illustrations  of  the  doctrines  which 
they  occupy  themselves  in  imparting  to  their  pupils. 
What  a  "  cabinet  of  specimens "  is  to  a  professor  of 
mineralogy,  what  an  "  anatomical  museum  "  is  to  a 
professor  of  anatomy,  the  tribes  of  the  South  Sea  Islands 
may  be  to  the  professor  of  history,  whether  he  teach  from 
a  chair  or  by  means  of  a  printed  book. 

If  only  a  small  fraction  of  the  time  and  intellectual 
effort  devoted  to  the  investigation  of  obscure  points  in 
the  history  of  early  Egypt,  early  Mesopotamia,  early 
Greece,  or  early  Italy — or  indeed  of  early  Britain — had 
been  added  to  the  little  which  has  been  devoted  to  South 
Sea  Island  investigations  of  a  similar  kind,  those  points 
would  have  been  cleared  up  more  easily.  I  will  try  to 
support  this  opinion  by  evidence  drawn  from  personal 
experiences. 

In  one  of  the  Marshall  Islands  there  was  a  war,  waged 
for  the  recapture  of  a  fugitive  lady  of  rank.  She  and  her 
new  consort  were  besieged  by  a  force  commanded,  not  by 
a  brother  of  her  former  spouse,  but  by  her  father.  In  that 
warrior's  camp  was  a  grown-up  daughter  of  the  Micronesian 
Helen.       The  latter's  mature  charms,  like   those   of  her 


INTRODUCTION  7 

Argive  prototype,  were  still  powerful  enough — so  white 
observers  thought — to  furnish  an  excuse  for  hostilities  as 
good  as  that  made  by  the  Trojan  elders  sitting  on  the 
tower  by  the  Scaean  gate.  The  chiefs  on  both  sides  were 
known  to  each  other  ;  and  between  them  there  was  a  fre- 
quent interchange  of  compliments  and  abuse,  such  as 
passed  between  Tlepolemos  and  Sarpedon,  or  between 
Hector  of  the  Glancing  Helm  and  Diomedes.  These  were, 
however,  merely  accidental  circumstances  recalling  inci- 
dents in  a  great  poem. 

What  was  of  real  historical  interest  was  the  mode  in 
which  the  besiegers  carried  on  the  war.  On  the  shore 
was  drawn  up  a  line  of  "  hollow  ships  " — the  great  ocean- 
going canoes  in  which  the  fearless  navigators  of  the  Mar- 
shall group  make  long  voyages.  The  besieging  army, 
having  disembarked,  lay  cantoned  in  rows  of  huts.  The 
battlefield  was  the  space  between  the  cantonment  and  the 
beleaguered  stronghold  in  which  the  runaway  dame  had 
taken  refuge.  The  fleet  was  protected  by  a  broad  wall 
(rb  vroirjoavTo  veZv  uvtp),  and  a  trench  which  had  been  drawn 
round  about.  The  belligerents  were  far  from  being  mere 
savages.  The  leader  of  the  besiegers  was  a  chief  of  im- 
posing stature,  dignified  manners,  like  all  South  Sea  chiefs, 
and  high  intellectual  gifts.  Other  chiefs  were  but  little 
inferior  to  him.  Whatever  resemblance  it  may  have  borne 
to  that  which,  perhaps,  was  waged  for  the  destruction  of 
Troy,  this  war  reproduced  scenes  that  must  have  been 
familiar,  from  personal  observation  or  through  tradition, 
to  the  composer  of  the  Iliad.  It  therefore  furnished  a 
picture  of  a  phase  of  life  buried  beneath  many  historical 
strata.  It  was  like  a  fossil  in  a  museum,  to  which  the 
professor  of  geology  sends  the  student  who  wishes  to 
understand  thoroughly  the  lecture  just  heard  or  the 
treatise  just  read. 

In  the  Gilbert  archipelago  a  little  more  than  a  dozen 
years  ago  the  "  Heroic  Kingship  "  was  in  course  of  super- 
session by  republican  forms.    In  the  more  northern  islands 


8  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

of  the  group  the  king  still  existed  ;  in  the  others  he  had 
disappeared.  In  at  least  one  island  there  was  an  am- 
phictyony  with  every  tendency  to  consolidate  into  a  league 
or  federation. 

In  a  second  Marshall  Island  also  there  was  a  war. 
White  visitors  on  an  errand  of  peace  to  one  of  the  armies 
— their  object  being  at  the  first  misunderstood — were 
received  by  the  whole  force  in  battle  array.  The  warrior 
in  command  took  no  part  in,  and  indeed  was  not  present 
during,  the  subsequent  negotiations.  It  turned  out  on 
inquiry  that  he  was  not  a  chief,  but  a  commoner  by  birth, 
whose  valour  and  military  skill  had  gained  him  the  posi- 
tion of  general.  The  islanders,  like  the  ancient  Germans, 
reges  ex  nobilitate,  duces  ex  virtute  sumunt.  This  was 
another  proof  that  appointment  to  command  on  account 
of  personal  ability  rather  than  social  rank  was  not — as 
has  been  claimed  somewhat  pretentiously — an  invention 
of  English  radicals  of  the  early  Victorian  period.  Ancient 
German  warriors  and  more  modern  South  Sea  islanders 
at  the  same  stage  of  culture  metaphorically  carried  a 
marshal's  baton  in  their  knapsacks  long  before  even  the 
immortal  principles  of  1789  were  heard  of. 

Acquaintance  with  several  races  of  the  South  Seas  will 
tend  to  weaken  the  belief  that  certain  institutions  are 
exclusively  Aryan,  as  has  been  asserted — still  less, 
exclusively  Teutonic.  De  minoribus  rebus  principes  con- 
sultant, de  majoribus  omnes,  though  a  concise,  is  an 
accurate  definition  of  the  polity  of  more  than  one  island 
community.  The  comitatus  is  known  in  the  Pelew  (Palao) 
Islands.  There,  it  has  peculiar  features  ;  for  instance,  the 
curious  relations  between  the  comites  and  the  hetaira  of 
the  chief,  sanctioned  by  custom  as  long  as  the  former 
remain  in  the  cal-de-bekkel.  Another  practice  attributed 
to  the  ancient  Germans  —  consecrated  reservation  of 
particular  areas — bears  a  strong  likeness  to  the  more 
beneficent  aspects  of  the  tabu,  which  is  often  adopted,  on 
the  pretext  of  divine  prohibition,  to  prevent  unrestricted 


INTRODUCTION  9 

access  to  fruit-bearing  trees  and  cultivated  plots.  The 
traditional,  perhaps  historically  warranted  conception  of 
the  mediaeval  Vehm-gericht,  as  regards  procedure,  has 
a  counterpart  in  the  legalised  regicide  of  the  Pelew 
Islands.  A  secret  tribunal  condemns  an  unpopular  king 
to  death.  A  rude  effigy  of  the  doomed  chief  is  carved 
on  the  bark  of  a  particular  tree.  On  seeing  this — his 
courtiers  eager  to  terminate  the  uncertainty  as  to  the 
composition  of  the  new  household  take  care  that  he  shall 
see  it  soon — the  king  learns  his  fate  and,  it  is  said,  never 
tries  to  escape  it.  In  the  New  Hebrides  the  weregild 
custom  was,  and  in  some  parts  still  is,  reproduced  with 
considerable  exactness.  Fifteen  years  ago  in  southern 
New  Guinea  the  unconscious  imitation  of  the  Corsican 
vendetta  was,  for  all   practical   purposes,  perfect. 

The  history  of  our  own  country  might  be  elucidated  by 
a  variety  of  illustrations  from  the  South  Sea  Islands.  In 
many  spots  the  descent  of  the  inhabitants  from  immigrant 
sea-rovers  is  obvious.  Estuaries,  rivers,  and  creeks,  are  in 
the  occupation  of  races  quite  distinct  from  the  earlier 
residents  who  have  been  forced  inland.  If  this  does  not 
exactly  reproduce  for  us  the  conditions  brought  about  by 
the  successive  expeditions  of  Hengest,  of  ./Elle,  and  of 
Cerdic  with  their  companions,  it  may,  surely,  be  taken  as 
illustrating  what  occurred  in  the  more  remote  days  when 
the  Aryan  Celts  invaded  the  island  in  the  occupation  of 
primitive  Euskarians.  To  have  seen  the  settlements  of 
certain  tribes  of  the  Pacific  enables  one  to  understand 
events  of  which  we  no  more  have  written  records  than  we 
have  of  the  generation  of  the  Permian  fossils. 

By  observation  of  the  islanders  we  may  watch  certain 
processes  of  great  social  and  political  importance.  We 
may  actually  perceive  the  growth  and  evolution  of  classes, 
and  even  of  ideas  and  principles.  If  anyone  wants  to  see 
progress  "  from  Status  to  Contract "  in  visible  operation 
he  should  go  to,  say,  Santa  Cruz,  which  has  just  been 
brought  under  British  administration.     In  half  an  ordinary 


io  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

lifetime  it  would  be  possible  to  note,  as  land,  owing  to 
the  extension  of  trading  settlements  in  the  lowlands,  be- 
came a  marketable  commodity,  how  chiefs  of  clans  in 
some  places  can  convert  themselves  into  territorial 
magnates  by  the  simple  process  of  monopolising  the  folk- 
land,  or,  if  that  name  be  objected  to,  the  common  property 
of  the  whole  clan.  It  sharpens  one's  perception  of  the 
essential  identity  of  human  actions  under  similar  conditions, 
when  one  sees  in  the  Pacific  also  that  the  ager  publicus 
tends  towards  concentration  in  the  hands  of  patricians, 
and  that  amongst  the  commons  the  propriety  of  redistri- 
buting it  rises,  in  time,  to  the  rank  of  a  political  principle. 

We  can  also  observe  how  a  missionary  Church  is 
received  at  first  with  wonder  and  submission  by  a 
population  in  a  less  forward  state  of  culture ;  how  it 
grows  powerful  and,  in  comparison  with  even  the  foremost 
natives,  wealthy ;  how  power  and  wealth  breed  a  dis- 
position to  domineer  ;  and  how  a  spirit  of  resistance  to 
domineering  methods  arises  and  a  belief  in  the  justice 
and  efficacy  of  secession  is  developed.  There  is  little 
fanciful  in  discerning  a  parallel  between  contemporary 
conditions  in  the  islands  and  those  which,  in  this  depart- 
ment of  affairs,  disclosed  themselves  in  mediaeval  Europe. 
There  have  been  moments  when  the  white  officials  in 
remote  archipelagoes  must  have  thought  that,  after  all, 
there  was  something  to  be  said  for  Henry  II. 

It  was  not  in  the  Congresses  or  Parliaments  of  the 
English-speaking  nations  that  "  stone-walling  "  or  "  ob- 
struction "  first  originated.  It  was  an  established  practice 
in  the  legislature  of  the  Vaitupuans.  Members  of  that 
body  who  were  resolved  not  to  allow  their  proposals  to 
be  "  talked  out "  were  provided  with  substantial  wooden 
couches,  on  which  they  could  take  a  nap  and  thus  out- 
stay the  longest-winded  orator  or  the  most  adroitly- 
arranged  succession  of  obstructive  motions.  These 
couches,  which  had  evidently  been  long  in  use,  were 
shown  to  visitors  sixteen  years  ago. 


INTRODUCTION  1 1 

Several  South  Sea  Island  races  are  not  now  savage  in 
any  sense,  except  as  to  rarity  of  trousers  and  absence  of 
novels,  and  never  deserved  that  epithet  in  its  sense  of 
ferocious.  There  is  no  finer  people  on  earth  than  the 
Tongans  and  the  closely  related  and  but  slightly  less 
vigorous  Samoans.  The  physical  beauty  of  both  sexes 
— which  attains  its  highest  development  amongst  the 
Samoan  women — is  parallelled  by  their  intellectual  en- 
dowment. The  grace  of  manner  and  general  dignity  of 
bearing,  habitual  with  members  of  chiefly  families,  could 
not  be  surpassed  in  the  most  polished  of  European  courts. 
The  contrast  in  these  respects  between  the  natives  of  high 
birth  and  the  proselytising  and  trading  white  men  who 
come  to  "  civilise  "  them  cannot  escape  the  notice  of  the 
least  observant. 

Where  they  have  not  been  made  the  victims  of  de- 
liberate and  pertinacious  corruption  these  people  have 
shown  a  capacity  for  accepting  our  civilisation  not  inferior 
to  that  exhibited  by  the  people  who  listened  to  the  teach- 
ing of  Augustine.  The  Tongans,  till  within  the  last  year 
or  two,  showed  that  there  was  at  least  one  constitutional 
monarchy  that  could  prosper  without  a  national  debt.  It 
does  not  require  financial  genius  of  a  high  order  to  enable 
you  to  discover  that  a  young  and  inexperienced  sovereign 
can  be  seduced  easily  into  extravagant  habits  ;  and — if  you 
have  the  power  of  a  great  nation  at  your  back  and  are 
sufficiently  "  detached  "  to  have  no  scruples — though  you 
may  be  but  a  tyro  in  finance,  you  can  manage  to  convert 
private  indebtedness  into  that  of  the  nation  and  insist  on 
liquidation  in  some  form  or  other.  The  Tongans,  it  may 
be  remarked,  have  a  highly  respectable  political  virtue  not 
usually  attributed  to  dark-skinned  people  by  white  men. 
They  are  as  passionately  attached  to  their  independence  as 
the  Swiss  or  the  Netherlanders  ever  were  to  theirs. 

It  is  hoped  that  this  rapid  survey  of  South  Sea  affairs 
will  at  the  least  help  to  make  it  seem  likely  that  they  will 
prove  interesting  enough  to  justify  efforts  to  widen  our 


12  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

knowledge  of  them.  One  cannot  help  thinking  how  full 
and  trustworthy  the  survey  might  have  been  had  it  been 
carried  out,  in  a  leisurely  manner,  by  a  trained  expert 
instead  of  by  a  hurried  observer  with  plenty  of  other  and 
more  urgent  work  on  his  hands.  It  may  be  admitted  that 
to  have  been  amongst  the  islanders,  even  the  more  savage 
of  them,  begets  a  liking  for  them.  There  is  no  unworthy 
prejudice  in  the  longing  that  their  good  points  may  be 
made  more  generally  known.  To  have  been  in  the  South 
Seas  is  apt  to  stimulate  mental  reaction  against  the 
complacent  self-sufficiency  of  the  modern  view  that  the 
eighteenth  century  laudation  of  the  "  state  of  nature"  was 
an  unmitigated  absurdity.  There  is  much  that  is  most 
attractive  in  the  kindly  communism  of  the  island  tribes, 
and  not  a  little  that  is  economically  sound.  When  a 
civilised  nation  takes  over  the  administration  of  some 
group  of  islands,  there  is  ingratitude,  as  well  as  impolicy, 
in  ignoring  the  fact  that  the  institutions  of  the  natives 
have  provided  the  new  government  with  a  ready-made 
system  of  poor  relief.  The  question  of  old  age  pensions 
had  been  settled  by  the  islanders  long  before  white  men 
came  amongst  them.  It  would  be  interesting  to  be  in- 
formed by  authorities  on  economics  where  co-operative 
agriculture  has  reached  a  more  efficient  development  than 
it  has  in  some  South  Sea  Islands.  A  general  recognition 
of  the  true  qualities  of  the  people  may  ward  off  from  them 
many  ills.  To  even  a  callous  heart  there  must  be  some- 
thing shocking  in  the  case  of  the  gracious,  kindly,  and 
intelligent  Samoans  serving  as  the  shuttle-cocks  of  rival 
gangs  of  money-makers  in  a  hurry  to  grow  rich.  Beli- 
sarius  begging  for  an  obolus  was  not  a  more  piteous 
spectacle  than  Malietoa  Laupepa,  with  his  seven  hundred 
years  of  chiefly  pedigree,  accepting  a  dole  of  salted  pork. 
In  that  subject  which  Mr  Christian  has  made  his  special 
study,  viz.  language,  the  Pacific  Islands  offer  a  fine  field 
for  investigation.  The  evolution  of  dialects,  and,  perhaps, 
of  distinct  languages,  can   be  followed  as   we  follow  an 


INTRODUCTION  13 

experiment  in  a  laboratory.  On  Mallicolo  (Malekula)  and 
Espiritu  Santo  of  the  New  Hebrides  one  could  measure 
the  extent  of  the  separation  between  adjacent  but  mutually- 
hostile  villages  by  the  varying  pronunciation  of  personal 
names  which  were  common  to  all. 

If  we  may  regard  the  South  Sea  Islands  as  a  museum 
of  living  specimens  to  which  students  in  many  branches  of 
learning  may  resort  in  order  to  fortify  their  conclusions 
and  improve  their  knowledge,  we  must  remember  that  it 
is  a  museum  which  will  not  be  open  long.  The  island 
races  are  diminishing  and,  besides,  are  rapidly  changing 
under  the  influence  of  "  civilisation."  The  geology  of 
Oceania,  whether  examined  now  or  a  hundred  years  hence, 
will  yield  the  same  results.  The  greatest  disaster  that 
can  be  caused  by  postponement  is  the  disappointment  of 
someone  with  a  theory  who  is  in  a  hurry  to  test  it.  Even 
the  fauna  and  the  flora  will  have  changed  but  little  in  a 
century,  and  in  easily  discernible  ways.  In  a  much 
shorter  time  the  people  will  have  died  out  or  have  been 
transformed  into  weak  and  ineffective  copies  of  white 
originals.  Therefore  the  student  who  wishes  to  do  what 
Mr  Christian  has  done,  and  carry  out  his  inquiries  on  the 
spot,  had  better  be  quick  about  it.  The  operation  will 
help  to  enlarge  our  knowledge  of  the  natives  and  their 
ways,  and  can  hardly  fail  to  benefit  the  Empire. 

The  formation  of  the  British  Empire  in  its  wide 
dominion  over  alien  races  was  made  possible  by  — 
amongst  others — two  things.  The  great  men  who  were 
the  immediate  agents  of  expansion  possessed  a  high 
capacity  for  understanding  the  native  populations  with 
which  they  came  in  contact.  Amongst  the  British 
people  at  home  the  trick  of  fussy  and  desultory  inter- 
ference with  that  of  which  they  know  nothing  had  not 
developed  into  a  serious  malady.  The  times  are  changed. 
Nevertheless  increased  knowledge  may  counteract  the 
most  menacing  consequences  of  the  disease. 

There  are  a  few  particular  points  to  which  it  may  not 


14  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

be  impertinent  to  allude.  I  have  ventured  to  form  the 
opinion  that  the  great  Ponape  and  Kusaie  ruins,  explored 
by  Mr  Christian,  are  not  those  of  buildings  erected  by 
the  races  at  present  inhabiting  the  islands.  The  opinion, 
I  find,  is  not  approved  by  persons  of  high  authority. 
Whether  the  ancestors  of  the  present  Ponapeans  or  an 
earlier  people  built  the  great  island  Venice  at  Metalanim, 
it  will  not,  I  expect,  be  denied  that  the  builders  must  have 
vastly  out-numbered  the  existing  population.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  every  Pacific  island  on  which  prehistoric 
remains  are  found.  Now,  a  tradition  of  a  larger  popula- 
tion in  early  times  is  very  common  in  the  South  Seas  ;  and 
there  is  evidence  beyond  that  supplied  by  the  ruins  to 
support  it.  That  the  native  population  is  diminishing — 
equally  under  conditions  of  coddling  and  neglect — is 
certain.  There  is,  however,  nothing  to  show  that  the 
actual  rate  of  decrease  is  greater  than,  or  even  as  great  as, 
that  of  former  ages.  Indeed  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose 
that  the  natives  had  been  moving  rapidly  towards  extinc- 
tion before  the  white  man  appeared  on  the  scene.  If  the 
great  ruins  were  the  work  of  a  pre-existing  people  it 
would  strengthen  the  belief — which  is  quite  tenable  if 
they  were  not — that  the  dying-out  is  really  independent 
of  the  white  man's  action.  Consequently,  we  may  console 
ourselves  with  the  reflection  that,  however  sorely  we  may 
have  sinned  against  them,  we  are  not  responsible  for  the 
extinction  of  the  island  races  of  the  Pacific. 

It  is  impossible  to  think  of  the  South  Sea  Islands  with- 
out thinking  of  missionaries.  They  have  played  a  great 
part  there  ;  or,  at  any  rate,  have  had  the  good  fortune  of 
telling  the  story  of  it  themselves.  For  those  who  hold 
that  it  is  a  more  sacred  duty  to  evangelise  some  tens  of 
thousands  of  islanders  than  some  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  dwellers  in  certain  quarters  of  the  great  cities  of  the 
United  Kingdom  and  the  Australasian  colonies,  this  must 
have  been  a  comfort.  We  are  often  ready  to  assume  that 
a  work  must  be  good  because  those  who  do  it  are  men  of 


INTRODUCTION  1 5 

noble  spirit  and  unselfish  practice.  Intimacy  with  some 
of  the  British  missionaries  of  all  the  churches  cannot  fail 
to  raise  one's  estimate  of  one's  fellow-men.  I  have  heard 
many  charges  brought  by  laymen  against  missionaries,  of 
improper  trading  or  impure  life.  In  not  one  single  case 
which  I 'was  able  to  investigate  was  there  any  truth  in  the 
accusations.  I  have  heard  of  one  bad  case ;  but  the 
accusers  and  judges  in  that  were  missionaries  themselves. 
Though  the  British  missionaries  of  one  sect  will  talk  very 
fully  of  the  proceedings  of  those  of  another,  I  never  heard 
from  any  of  them  a  single  expression  of  jealousy  or  ill- 
feeling.  On  the  contrary,  they  seemed  to  take  a  friendly 
interest  in  each  other's  success.  All  the  same,  any  really 
open-minded  visitor  to  the  islands  will  soon  discover  that 
other  white  men  who  are  too  seldom  remembered  have 
also  exercised  a  beneficent  influence  amongst  them.  The 
civilisation  of  the  islanders — Europeanisation  would  be 
more  accurate — has  not  been  the  work  of  the  missionaries 
alone.  The  white  trader  has  had  no  insignificant  share 
in  it. 

Those  who  believe  that  the  "  beach-comber,"  or  the 
copra-trader,  of  the  South  Seas  is  necessarily  a  scoundrel, 
err  grievously.  There  is,  proportionately  to  their  numbers, 
as  much  honesty,  sobriety,  and  energy  amongst  the  traders 
as  amongst  any  other  body  of  business  men.  They  have 
their  black  sheep,  no  doubt ;  let  the  community  which 
has  none  throw  at  them  the  first  stone  ! 

Thursday  Island  is  so  often  the  starting  place  for 
visitors  to  the  South  Seas  that  it  cannot  properly  be 
passed  without  mention.  I  have  occasionally  found  that 
it  is  given — in  my  opinion  most  undeservedly — a  bad 
character.  It  has  a  noisy  quarter  in  which  there  is  much 
debauchery.  Anyone  who  expresses  horror  at  this  is  in- 
vited to  inspect  certain  waterside  parts  of  Liverpool  or 
Antwerp  before  he  formulates  his  indictment.  At  one  of 
my  visits  to  Thursday  Island  nearly  all  the  residents  were 
good  enough  to  accept  an  invitation  to  come  on  board  the 


16  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

flag- ship.  What  they  thought  of  it  I  cannot  say  ;  I  only 
know  that  their  company  gave  me  unalloyed  pleasure. 
The  Thursday  Island  community  is,  in  my  opinion,  a  most 
creditable  one.  The  good  Australian  tradition  of  tolerat- 
ing no  lawlessness  in  newly  formed  and  hastily  populated 
settlements  has  been  respected  there  as  well  as  in  many  a 
mining  "  rush."  Whilst  nothing  would  induce  me  to  cross 
a  London  Park  after  10  p.m.,  I  would  readily  walk  from 
one  end  of  Thursday  Island  to  the  other  at  any  hour. 

There  is  no  need  for  me  to  dwell  upon  the  romantic 
side  of  life  in  the  South  Seas.  That  side  of  it  has  been 
illustrated  by  such  masters  as  Byron,  Melville,  R.  L. 
Stevenson,  most  conspicuously,  and  Louis  Becke. 

I  have  now  only  to  leave  Mr  Christian  to  tell  his  story. 
I  apologise  for  having  stood  so  long  between  him  and  his 
readers,  and  may  add  that  I  have  discovered,  not  from 
information  volunteered  by  him,  that  the  whole  cost  of 
his  expedition  has  been  defrayed  by  himself;  and  that 
his  only  inducement  has  been  a  disinterested  love  of  the 
studies  to  which  he  has  devoted  so  much  time  and  so 
much  labour. 

Cyprian  A.  G.  Bridge. 

London,  21st  March  1899. 


GENERAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  CAROLINES 

SPANISH    MICRONESIA 

SPANISH  Micronesia,  according  to  the  treaty  made  with 
Germany  in  1885,  lies  between  the  Equatorial  line  on 
the  south  and  the  eleventh  northern  parallel,  and  between 
1 390  and  1700  E.  longitude.1  The  great  island  of  New 
Guinea  lies  about  1000  miles  to  the  southward.  A  long 
chain  of  652  islands  lie  scattered  over  this  wide  stretch  of 
sea,  some  1400  miles  in  length.  The  inhabitants  number 
some  50,000,  a  combination  of  the  Black,  the  Brown,  and 
the  Yellow  races.  The  Caroline  archipelago  contains 
thirty-six  minor  groups.  We  will  take  the  more  important 
of  these  one  by  one  from  west  to  east. 

The  Pelew  group,  lying  on  the  western  frontier  of  the 
Carolines,  contains  about  two  hundred  islands,  of  which 
Bab-el-Thaob  is  the  largest.  The  population  of  the  Pelews 
is  considerably  over  3000.  The  language  is  the  harshest 
and  most  impossible  of  all  the  Malayan  dialects.  The 
principal  products  are  turtle-shell,  copra  or  dried  cocoanut 
kernel,  and  beche-de-mer  or  dried  sea-slugs.  In  the 
Chinese  markets  beche-de-mer  brings  as  much  as  £So 
sterling  per  ton.  Copra  in  European  markets  fetches 
about  £25  per  ton.  It  yields  a  capital  oil,  and  the 
crushed  residue  furnishes  a  grand  cattle-cake  and  is  used 
as  a  basis  for  sweetmeats  and  confectionery. 

Trouble  is  always  going  on  between  the  various  tribes, 
and  a  firm  hand  is  needed  to  keep  things  in  order. 
Captain  Butron  of  the  Spanish  cruiser  Velasco  (lost  in 
the  late  naval  battle  at  Manilla),  who  visited  the  group 
in    1885,   gives   these   natives   a    good    name.       Captain 

1  Since  these  lines  were  in  type,  Spanish  Micronesia  is  no  more. 
B  I7 


1 8  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

O'Keefe,  of  Yap,  who  knows  the  Pelews  very  well,  de- 
scribes the  people  as  regular  pirates.  In  olden  time  there 
was  great  commercial  activity  in  the  Western  Carolines. 
The  Yap  and  Pelew  natives  used  to  go  on  long  voyages 
of  trading  and  conquest.  The  island  of  Babelthoab  is 
rich  in  good  timber,  and  produces  all  the  tropical  fruits. 
On  the  hillside  are  some  interesting  lines  of  ancient 
fortifications,  which  I  hope  to  explore  next  winter. 

Alligators,  called  Gaiutsch  or  Aius,  are  found  in  some 
of  the  creeks,  and  a  peculiar  kind  of  horned  frog  or  Cerastes 
in  the  valleys  of  the  interior ;  this  they  call  Thagathaguk. 
There  are  two  kinds  of  snakes  \Bersoiok  and  Ngiis\ 
some  scorpions  and  centipedes.  On  the  plateaus  there  is 
plenty  of  good  pasture  for  horses  and  cattle.  Goats  are 
plentiful  and  very  destructive  to  the  breadfruit-trees  ; 
they  break  into  a  plantation,  gnaw  the  bark  away  in  a 
circle,  and  then  the  tree  dies,  and  so  does  the  goat  when 
he  is  caught !  There  is  no  Spanish  garrison  or  mission 
school  or  trading  station  in  the  Pelews.  Nothing  is  done 
at  all  to  show  that  these  islands  belong  to  Spain.  A 
fringing  reef,  fifty-three  miles  long  from  north  to  south, 
surrounds  the  Pelews — a  menace  to  navigation  which  has 
destroyed  many  a  China-bound  vessel.  I  have  lately 
heard  that  the  Spaniards  are  now  determined  to  sell  the 
Pelews,  the  Mariannes,  and  the  Carolines  to  some  foreign 
Power,  but  neither  America,  Great  Britain,  nor  Japan 
need  apply — and  these  the  very  nations  best  of  all  quali- 
fied for  colonising  these  fierce  and  intractable  islanders. 
In  her  business  relations  in  Pacific  islands  Great  Britain 
would  do  well  to  take  heed  of  the  saying  of  Horace, 
"  Tarde  venientibus  ossa " — "  Those  who  come  late  to 
dinner  only  get  bones." x 

Three  hundred  miles  north-east  of  the  Pelews  lies  Yap, 

surrounded  by  a  coral  reef  thirty-five  miles  long  and  five 

broad.     There  are  hardly  any  rivulets  on  the  island,  but 

inland  are  extensive  swamps  laid  out  in  plantations  of  a 

1  Recent  events  have  proved  these  words  only  too  true. 


SKETCH  OF  THE  CAROLINE  GROUP     19 

water  taro,  the  Colocasia  of  the  Nile  valley.  The  island 
is  full  of  relics  of  a  vanished  civilisation — embankments 
and  terraces,  sites  of  ancient  cultivation,  and  solid  roads 
neatly  paved  with  regular  stone  blocks,  ancient  stone 
platforms  and  graves,  and  enormous  council  lodges  of 
quaint  design,  with  high  gables  and  lofty  carved  pillars. 
The  ruins  of  ancient  stone  fish-weirs  fill  the  lagoon  between 
the  reef  and  the  shore,  making  navigation  a  most  difficult 
matter,  and  calling  forth  many  most  unkind  remarks  from 
trading  skippers.  The  fruits  of  the  soil  are  sweet  potatoes, 
yams,  of  which  there  is  a  great  variety,  taro,  mammee 
apples  or  papaw,  pineapples,  water-melons,  custard-apples, 
bananas,  sugar-cane,  breadfruit,  and  the  tropical  almond. 
Copra,  that  is,  cocoanut  kernel  chipped  up,  sun-dried,  and 
put  into  sacks,  is  largely  exported,  mostly  through  the 
German  traders,  who  have  spent  a  great  deal  of  money 
and  labour  here  for  the  last  thirty  years.  A  varnish  nut 
grows  here  which  should  give  good  results.  The  principal 
timber  tree  is  the  Voi,  with  a  leaf  like  that  of  a  magnolia 
and  in  the  wood  resembling  mahogany.  Tomil  harbour 
on  the  East  coast  is  the  chief  port ;  here  is  the  European 
settlement  and  a  small  garrison  of  Manilla  soldiers,  and  the 
Spanish  governor  of  the  Western  Carolines  resides  here 
with  a  few  Spanish  officers  and  officials.  There  are  about 
a  dozen  European  traders,  mostly  Germans. 

Yap  has  beautiful  scenery ;  the  groves  of  bamboo, 
croton,  cocoanut  and  areca  palms  are  magnificent. 
Huge  green  and  yellow  tree -lizards,  called  Galtif,  are 
found  in  the  bush,  and  the  nights  are  brilliant  with  fire- 
flies glittering  in  and  out  of  the  woods  like  showers  of 
golden  sparks.  There  are  very  few  birds,  however,  very 
few  cattle,  and  no  horses  on  the  island. 

The  Uluthi  or  Mackenzie  group  lies  a  little  to  the 
northward  of  Yap.  Mokomok  or  Arrowroot  island  is  the 
chief  port  and  trading  place,  with  a  great  trade  in  copra. 
The  natives  have  from  ancient  times  been  subject  to  Yap, 
and  they  come  down  every  February  to  pay  their  tribute. 


20  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

They  are  peaceful  and  law-abiding,  a  great  contrast  to 
some  of  the  people  farther  to  the  eastward.  The  next 
island  of  importance  is  Uleai.  Raur  is  the  trading  depot  of 
this  group,  exporting  great  quantities  of  copra,  pearl-shell, 
and  beche-de-mer.  The  language  contains  many  traces  of 
later  Malayan,  probably  derived  from  trading  vessels  from 
Java,  Timor,  and  Sumatra,  and  piratical  praus  from  Borneo 
and  the  Sulus.  All  the  central  Caroline  islanders  have  very 
similar  traditions,  customs,  and  language.  In  olden  days 
they  were  great  navigators,  guiding  their  way  fearlessly 
by  a  most  accurate  knowledge  of  the  stars  and  ocean  cur- 
rents. When  the  Spaniards  conquered  the  Mariannes 
about  three  hundred  years  ago,  a  great  number  of  the 
Chamorro  or  natives  of  the  soil  fled  to  Uleai  and  Lamotrek 
to  avoid  forced  conversion  and  slavery.  I  will  give  an 
instance  of  the  great  naval  enterprise  about  the  beginning 
of  this  century  of  the  natives  in  this  part  of  the  Carolines. 
The  Uleai  folk  and  their  neighbours  used  regularly  to 
assemble  at  Lamotrek  every  February  with  eighteen  or 
twenty  great  canoes.  From  thence  they  sailed  to  Guam, 
a  distance  of  some  five  hundred  miles,  where  they  would 
stay  until  April  or  May  and  then  return,  fearing  the  south- 
west monsoon. 

The  two  next  Caroline  groups,  Hall  and  Enderby,  are 
only  to  be  visited  with  great  precautions.  The  islands 
Pulo-Wat  and  Pulo-Suk  are  nothing  better  than  pirate 
strongholds.  It  would  be  well  for  an  English  or  American 
man-of-war  to  visit  here,  and  warn  the  local  chiefs  against 
cutting  off  peaceful  trading  vessels  in  their  lagoon.  They 
have  no  respect  at  all  for  the  red  and  yellow  flag,  for  the 
Spanish  have  taken  little  or  no  notice  of  several  murders 
committed  here  of  late  years.  The  next  group  is  called 
Ruk,  from  the  name  of  the  highest  basaltic  island  in  the 
chain.      It  is  also  called  Hogolu.1     The  group  consists  of 

1  The   natives   call   Ruk  "  Te-Fan"    "  The    Land,"  just   as   the   Gilbert 
Islanders  style  their  little  sun-scorched  coral  atolls  "  Te  Aba." 

The  island-name    Wap  or   Yap  in  the   Western   Carolines  has  the   same 


SKETCH  OF  THE  CAROLINE  GROUP    21 

about  seventy  islands  of  basalt  and  coral  lying  in  the 
middle  of  a  lagoon  about  one  hundred  and  forty  miles 
round.  There  is  a  fine  depth  of  water  and  good  anchor- 
age for  vessels  of  large  draft.  There  is  a  great  annual 
output  of  copra,  mostly  carried  off  to  Europe  in  German 
or  Norwegian  barques.  Pearl-shell,  turtle-shell,  and  beche- 
de-mer  are  very  abundant.  Here  they  make  from  the 
grated  root  of  the  wild  ginger  an  orange-coloured  cosmetic 
( Taz'k)  in  little  cones,  which  are  readily  exchanged  all  over 
the  Caroline  group.  There  are  thirty  Japanese  traders  in 
Hogolu  lagoon,  and  a  Hamburg  trading  firm  sends  many 
vessels  every  year  to  fill  up  with  copra.  Figures  are 
sometimes  better  than  photographs,  so  for  those  interested 
in  statistics  1  will  say  that  the  annual  export  of  copra 
from  the  Caroline  group  averages  four  million  pounds 
weight,  of  which  Yap  and  Hogolu  between  them  yield 
more  than  half.  Hogolu  has  a  population  of  about  ten 
thousand,  composed  of  two  distinct  races.  The  hill  tribes 
are  dark  in  colour  and  the  people  on  the  coast  light 
reddish-brown.  There  is  generally  some  small  civil  war 
on  hand,  and  the  national  game  of  head-hunting  has 
interfered  a  great  deal  with  business,  for  the  Spanish  let 
the  islanders  do  just  as  they  like.  The  natives  of  Ruk 
and  of  the  neighbouring  group  of  the  Mortlocks  have  a 
curious  custom,  observed  also  in  the  Visayas  of  the 
southern  Philippines,  among  the  ancient  Incas  of  Peru, 
and  the  Polynesians  of  Easter  island,  of  piercing  the 
lower  lobe  of  the  ear,  loading  it  with  heavy  ornaments 
and  causing  it  to  expand  downwards  to  an  enormous  size. 
The  Mortlocks  consist  of  three  groups,  Lukunor,  Satoan, 
and  Etal,  containing  in  all  ninety-eight  islands.  The 
population   is  about  two  thousand.     The  Germans  take 

primitive  meaning.  The  element  Pon,  Fan,  Fal  or  Far  enters  frequently 
into  the  names  of  Caroline  Islands.  Cf.  Ponatik,  Fanadik,  Faralap, 
Ponapei,  Fanupei ; — and  is  cognate  with  Fijian  Vanua,  Malay  Benua,  and 
with  Polynesian  Fanua,  Fenua,  Honua,  Whenua.  In  Gaelic  we  find 
Fonn  =  earth  :  land,   and  in  Sanskrit  Bonn  ^id. 


22  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

great  pains  to  develop  the  copra  industry  here.  Of  great 
interest  to  philologists  is  the  existence  of  a  pure  Polynesian 
dialect  upon  two  little  island  groups  named  Kap-en-Mail- 
ang  and  Nukuoro.  These  lie  to  the  south-east  of  the 
Mortlocks.  The  language  is  an  antique  form,  combining 
the  phonesis  of  the  Samoan  and  the  Maori,  spoken  about 
three  thousand  miles  away  down  in  the  South  Pacific. 
I  collected  about  five  hundred  words  of  the  Nukuoro 
dialect. 

The  next  group  to  the  eastward  is  that  of  Ponape  or 
Seniavin,  with  the  neighbouring  minor  groups  of  Ant,  Pakin, 
and  Ngatik,  of  which  more  anon.  The  islands  in  the 
Ponape  lagoon  are  somewhat  thinly  populated,  and  serve 
mainly  as  fishing  stations.  The  islet  of  Mutakaloch,  off 
the  Metalanim  coast,  is  remarkable  for  its  cellular  basalt 
formation  ;  whilst  near  Kapara,  which  lies  on  the  edge  of 
the  barrier  reef  on  the  south-west  coast,  is  seen  the  pheno- 
menon of  a  spring  of  fresh  water  welling  up  through  the 
coral. 

Farther  east  from  Ponape  are  the  Mokil  (or  Duperrey), 
the  Pingelap  (or  M'Caskill),  and  the  Kusaie  groups,  the 
easternmost  outpost  of  the  Spanish  dominions.  In  con- 
clusion, I  may  express  my  opinion  that  England  may  one 
day  have  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  islands  Kusaie  and 
Ponape,  the  latter  of  which  really  deserves  the  name  of 
the  garden  of  Micronesia.  I  may  be  pardoned  for  saying 
that  our  Government  at  home  has  of  late  years  shown 
itself  somewhat  indifferent  to  events  in  the  South  Seas. 
The  French  and  the  Germans  are  pushing  their  interests 
in  Pacific  waters,  whilst  we  stand  still.  Even  the  Nor- 
wegians are  busy  there,  and  we  look  tamely  on  and  do 
nothing.  Let  us  wake  from  this  strange  torpor  like  men 
of  business  and  try  what  we  can  do.  Surely  where 
French,  Germans,  and  Norwegians  can  make  money,  we 
can  make  money  too  ! 

I  will  refer  briefly  to  the  principal  explorers  who  have 
visited  these  waters. 


SKETCH  OF  THE  CAROLINE  GROUP    23 

On  the  6th  March,  1521,  the  illustrious  navigator 
Magellan  discovered  the  Mariannes  to  which  he  gave  the 
name  Ladrones  ;  from  thence,  he  went  on  and  discovered 
the  Philippine  group,  and  on  the  27th  April  of  the  same 
year  was  murdered  by  the  natives  on  the  island  of 
Mactan. 

In  1526,  Alonzo  de  Salazar  discovered  one  of  the 
islands  of  the  Marshall  group. 

In  1528,  Alvaro  de  Saavedra  discovered  the  Uluthi  or 
Mackenzie  group,  and  took  possession  of  them  in  the 
name  of  Spain.  A  little  later  he  sailed  into  the  wide 
lagoon  of  Hogolu,  or  Ruk,  and  in  the  September  of  the 
next  year  he  found  Ualan,  or  Kusaie.  After  him  Villa- 
lobos  and  Legaspi,  on  their  way  to  the  Philippines  from 
New  Spain,  made  fresh  discoveries  in  these  waters,  of 
which  Yap  was  the  most  important. 

In  1595,  the  famous  sea-captain  Quiros  fell  in  with 
Ngatik,  to  the  south  of  Ponape,  which  he  called  Los 
Valientes,  from  the  warlike  character  of  the  natives  he 
found  there.  In  1686,  a  small  island  to  the  south  of  the 
Mariannes  was  called  Carolina,  and  from  this  little  island 
the  name  became  applied  to  the  whole  group.  A  series  of 
expeditions  of  a  religious  character  followed  the  Spanish 
discoveries  in  these  seas.  Attempts  to  introduce  the 
Catholic  faith  on  Sonsorol  and  the  Enderby  group,  known 
as  Los  Martires,  failed  disastrously,  ending  in  the  death  of 
the  missionaries  who  conducted  them,  through  the 
cowardice  and  incompetence  of  the  captain  who  held 
temporal  command.  Other  Spanish  vessels,  no  doubt,  on 
the  course  from  Acapulco  to  the  Philippines,  may  have 
fallen  in  with  some  of  the  Caroline  Islands  or  been  wrecked 
on  some  of  the  uncharted  reefs.  Of  these  we  have  no 
record  save  the  grim  story  on  the  south  coast  of  Ponape, 
of  iron  men  who  came  up  out  of  the  sea  and  fought  with 
the  men  of  Kiti,  until  overwhelmed  with  sling-stones  and 
spear-thrusts.  A  voyager  of  note  in  Micronesia  was 
Kotzebue,  who,  with  the  famous  Chamisso,  poet,  dramatist, 


24  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

and  philologist,  visited  the  Marshalls,  the  Mariannes,  and 
a  portion  of  the  Carolines  in  1815.  After  1819,  Lutke, 
Freycinet,  Duperrey,  and  Dumont  D'Urville,  visited  these 
regions.  In  1839,  an  English  man-of-war,  the  Lame, 
coasted  around  Ponape  and  entered  Kiti  harbour.  A 
number  of  geographical  observations  and  soundings  were 
taken,  upon  which  our  present  Admiralty  chart  is  based. 
Most  unfortunately,  nearly  all  the  native  names  have 
been  cruelly  mangled,  and  have  become  a  meaningless 
jargon. 

Ever  since  1830  the  island  has  been  repeatedly  visited 
by  the  New  England  and  New  Bedford  whalers,  who  gave 
the  natives  little  cause  indeed  to  respect  the  white  man. 
During  the  Civil  War  in  America  a  Confederate  cruiser, 
the  Shenandoah,  caught  several  of  these  northern  craft  in 
Chokach  harbour,  and  burnt  them  to  the  water's  edge. 
About  1850  the  American  Methodist  Mission  was  estab- 
lished, and  recent  history  may  be  summarised  as 
follows  : — 

ABSTRACT    OF    HISTORY    OF    SPANISH    OCCUPATION. 

August  1885. — The  gunboat  litis  raises  the  German 
flag  at  Yap.  Excitement  at  Madrid.  German 
Consulate  assaulted.  The  matter  referred  to  the 
Pope  who  pronounces  in  favour  of  Spain. 

July  27,  1886. — Spanish  flag  raised  at  Ascension 
Bay  in  Ponape. 

April  19,  1887. — Founding  of  the  Colony  of  Santiago, 
and  formal  proclamation  of  Spanish  rule  at 
Ascension  Bay. 

April  24,  1887. — Founding  of  the  Catholic  Mission 
station  in  Kiti,  followed  by  bickerings  between 
the  Methodist  missionaries  from  Boston  and  the 
Capuchin  priests. 

June  16,  1887. — Mr  Doane,  the  head  of  the  Methodist 
Mission,  deported  to  Manilla. 


SKETCH  OF  THE  CAROLINE  GROUP    25 

July  1,  1887. — Massacre  of  a  detachment  of  Manilla 
soldiers  under  Ensign  Martinez  on  the  Island  of 
Chokach,  followed  by  a  general  native  rising  and 
the  capture  of  the  Spanish  fort  and  the  slaughter 
of  Senor  Posadillo,  the  Governor,  and  some  seventy 
of  the  defenders. 

October  31,  1887. — Arrival  of  punitive  expedition. 
The  new  Governor,  Senor  Cadarso,  proclaims  a 
general  amnesty. 

1888  and  1889. — Interval  of  peace. 

June  25,  1890. — Massacre  of  Lieut.  Porras  and  his 
party  of  fifty-four  soldiers  employed  on  the 
military  road  at  Oa  on  the  east  coast. 

June  29,  1890. — Wreck  of  Mr  J.  C.  Dewar's  yacht,  the 
Nyanza,  on  the  reefs  off  the  Mant  Islands  on  the 
north  coast. 

September  1,  1890. — Arrival  of  relief  expedition  from 
Manilla  under  Colonel  Gutierrez  Soto. 

September  12,  13,  and  14,  1890. — Bombardment  of 
the  Metalanim  coast.  Landing  of  troops  on 
Tomun.  Burning  of  native  houses  and  King 
Paul's  residence  destroyed.  Abortive  overland 
march  of  Spanish  troops  across  the  U  highlands 
from  the  Colony  and  their  return. 

September  16,  1890. — Landing  of  Spanish  at  Tolopuel 
in  Metalanim  harbour.     Colonel  Soto  killed. 

September  19,  1890. — Attack  upon  Oa  from  the 
sea.  The  position  brilliantly  carried  by  the 
Spanish,  but  with  severe  loss.  Death  of  Chaulik, 
one  of  the  leading  rebel  chiefs  of  the  League. 

October  15,  1890. —  Second  desultory  bombardment  of 
the  Metalanim  coast  by  the  Ulloa.  Arrival  of  the 
American  corvette  Alliance,  demanding  compen- 
sation for  the  proposed  expulsion  of  their  mission- 
aries, and  obtaining  1 7,000  gold  dollars,  leaving 
on  2nd  November,  and  conducting  Mr  Rand  and 
his  Methodist  colleagues  to  the  Island  of  Kusaie. 


26  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

November  22  and  23,  1890. — Hard  fighting  at  the 
stockade  of  Ketam  in  the  Metalanim  district. 
The  position  captured  by  the  Spanish  at  the 
sacrifice  of  a  third  of  their  force. 

A  trifling  skirmish  on  the  Chapalap  River  and  a  few 
assassinations  of  stray  Manilla  soldiers  wandering  outside 
the  Colony,  varied  the  monotony  of  affairs  until  the 
arrival  of  Don  Jose  Pidal  in  1894.  His  conciliatory 
policy  seemed  successful,  and  the  natives  regretted  his 
departure  in  1896.  His  successor,  Don  Miguel  Velasco, 
a  distinguished  naval  officer,  who  it  is  to  be  feared  perished 
in  the  recently  reported  massacre,  was  popular  alike 
amongst  Europeans  and  natives.  The  massacre  was 
doubtless  caused  by  the  imprisonment  of  Henry  Nanapei 
of  Ronkiti,  one  of  the  principal  chiefs,  who  held  strong 
American  sympathies,  and  was  head  of  the  Protestant 
Mission  schools  established  in  his  district.  Perhaps  if  the 
Carolines  are  handed  over  to  Germany,  as  Spain  seems 
disposed  to  do,  we  shall  hear  less  of  this  odium  theologicum 
which  elsewhere  has  proved  such  a  firebrand  to  the  world, 
and  here  has  brought  about  such  lamentable  waste  of  life 
and  treasure,  and  cruel  humiliations  to  Spain. 


LAGOON    AND    FORESHORE   OF   M1LLE,    MARSHALL   ISLANDS 


UCHENTAU.   OUR  CAMPING-PLACE   IN   METALANIM 


PART  I 
CHAPTER    I 

SYDNEY    TO    HONG    KONG 

EMBARKING  on  the  S.S.  Menmuir  we  start  from 
Sydney  on  a  lovely  evening,  September  3rd,  1895, 
passing  Seal  Rocks  above  Newcastle,  the  bane  of  our  ill- 
fated  predecessor  the  Catterthun.  A  haze  hung  over  the 
land  for  the  weather  had  been  very  dry,  and  frequent 
bush-fires  were  torching  up  on  our  left.  On  the  evening 
of  September  5  th  we  anchored  in  Moreton  Bay  to  pick  up 
some  passengers  from  Brisbane.  Next  night  we  sighted 
Capricorn  Light,  and  the  7th  found  us  moored  in  a  dense 
fog  off  the  pilot  station  in  Keppel  Bay,  where  by  and  by 
we  receive  cargo  from  Rockhampton  and  a  medley  of 
Chinese  passengers.  We  leave  about  noon  and  pass 
numerous  barren  islets  that  afternoon,  and  the  morning  of 
the  9th  found  us  lying  off  Townsville.  We  raised  Cape 
Grafton  that  afternoon,  sighting  Rocky  Island  about  day- 
light, and  anchoring  off  Cooktown  about  nine  o'clock, 
where  we  took  on  board  a  cargo  of  beche-de-mer. 

Cooktown  with  her  mangrove  belt  is  left  behind  us. 
Several  low  islands  lie  to  seaward,  flat  as  the  islets  of 
Tonga  or  the  Low  Archipelago  without  their  redeeming 
belt  of  graceful  palms.  The  sea  is  calm  as  a  mill-pond, 
and  the  sky  heavy  with  smoke  from  the  bush-fires  raging 
along  that  desolate  coast — the  domain  of  savage  hunting 
and  fishing  tribes  which  the  white  man  has  not  yet  ousted 
from  their  homes.  But  their  turn  will  come  by  and  by, 
and  the  surviving  blacks  will  follow  their  predecessors  as 
sure  as  the  night  the  day. 

Our  dear  old  captain  Hugh   Craig  is  the  life  and  soul 


28  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

of  our  merry  bachelor  party.  Day  after  day  we  creep 
northward,  gliding  over  a  glassy  sea,  our  Lotus  eaters' 
monotony  only  broken  by  sumptuous  meals  served  by 
noiseless  and  discreet  Celestials  in  airy  attire.  Evening 
after  evening,  many  a  noble  rubber  of  whist  is  played  out 
on  deck  with  the  Southern  Cross  and  the  myriad  lamps 
of  the  sky  gleaming  overhead  ;  with  the  kindly  breezes 
of  starry-kirtled  night  playing  softly  round  us,  as  with 
rhythmic  beat  of  clanging  machinery,  the  great  boat 
marches  on  with  a  fiery  trail  of  phosphorescent  sparkles 
in  her  train. 

On  the  evening  of  the  ninth  day  out  we  anchor  off  the 
mouth  of  the  famous  Torres  Straits,  so  as  to  steam 
through  the  jaws  of  the  narrow  and  perilous  Albany  Pass 
with  the  morning  light.  At  dawn  a  most  picturesque 
scene  unfolds  itself.  We  are  moving  through  a  channel 
not  above  eighty  yards  wide,  to  right  and  to  left  we  catch 
fleeting  glimpses  of  pretty  little  sandy  bays  opening  out 
here  and  there,  backed  by  clumps  of  cocoanut  palms,  re- 
calling bits  of  scenery  from  the  South  Seas.  On  either 
side  shelves  and  ledges  of  rock  stand  out  in  bold  relief, 
while  in  the  background  stretches  a  wild  bushland  covered 
thickly  with  low  scrub  and  dotted  pillars  of  grass-tree. 
One  picturesque  foreland  is  covered  with  tall  conical,  not 
to  say  comical  mounds,  the  mud-castles  of  the  Termites  or 
white  ants.  After  a  while  the  northern  horizon  is  left 
clear,  save  for  three  or  four  small  islands  on  the  New 
Guinea  side,  but  the  great  island  itself  lies  too  far  off  to 
view.  We  sight  the  residence  of  Mr  J.,  an  extensive 
landholder  and  J. P.  of  the  district,  a  man  of  mark,  and  a 
stern  man  to  the  marauding  savages  who  cluster  round  the 
lonely  little  settlement.  This  portion  of  Australia — all 
around  the  Gulf  of  Carpentaria — swarms  with  fierce  and 
warlike  blacks,  tinged  with  a  strong  racial  admixture  from 
Malay  pirates,  trepang-gatherers,  Papuan  war-parties,  and 
fleets  of  dugong  fishers  from  South  New  Guinea,  who 
have   haunted    these    coasts    for  many   a   hundred  years. 


SYDNEY   TO    HONG    KONG  29 

The  seas  hereabouts  are  famous  for  biche-de-mer  and  pearl- 
shell,  and  Mr  J.  has  several  luggers  in  hand  for  this 
service,  which  is  one  of  considerable  adventure  and  hard- 
ship. The  place  is  called  Somerset,  and  was  formerly  the 
residence  of  the  local  magistrate  appointed  by  the  Govern- 
ment, who  has  now  been  removed  to  Thursday  Island. 
The  waterway  round  us  simply  bristles  with  hidden  reefs 
and  dangerous  sandbanks.  Later  on  we  pass  the  four 
year  old  wreck  of  the  Volga,  a  Newcastle  collier  of  some 
2000  tons,  and  soon  after  slip  by  the  Mecca  reefs  (so 
called  from  the  China  steamer  wrecked  here  thirteen  years 
ago),  and  now  Thursday  Island  and  its  mosquito  fleet  of 
pearling  luggers  and  beche-de-mer  craft  comes  into  sight  as 
we  round  a  curve  and  run  alongside  the  William  Fairbairn 
hulk,  where  we  moor.  Presently  three  or  four  shoreboats 
manned  by  Cingalese  boatmen  come  alongside  to  take  our 
party  ashore. 

The  island  is  a  barren  sandy  spot,  and  the  township  a 
miserable  collection  of  tumbledown  shanties  and  stores 
faced  with  shaky  verandahs  and  roofed  with  corrugated 
iron,  which  with  the  fiery  heat  beating  down  overhead 
makes  the  interior  a  positive  furnace,  creating  a  hell- 
like heat  and  thirst,  which  many  of  the  settlers  appro- 
priately quench  with  huge  draughts  of  spirits  that  might 
have  come  out  of  Beelzebub's  own  private  still.  Here 
indeed  is  a  wonderful  mixture  of  races  for  poet,  painter, 
or  artist  of  an  unhealthy  turn  of  mind.  Crapulous,  un- 
washed white  men  with  low  foreheads  and  cunning  shifty 
eyes,  Cingalese,  Malays,  Papuans,  Chinamen,  Portuguese, 
African  and  Australian  niggers,  and  half-castes  of  all  sorts 
of  lovely  dissolving  shades  of  white,  dirty  brown,  sooty 
black  and  sickly  yellow,  pullulating  together  like  vermin 
in  the  mud-honey  of  drink,  opium,  and  filth,  the  paradise 
of  the  Australian  larrikin  and  the  type  of  native  he 
influences.  Picture  the  estimable  Captain  Randall  in 
Stevenson's  "  Beach  of  Falesa,"  and  you  will  get  a  notion 
of  the  white  loafer  of  Thursday  Island.     A  class  of  men 


30  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

unreasonably  large  in  number  here,  who  must  be  a  sad 
annoyance  to  their  sober  and  respectable  neighbours.  The 
landscape  is  slightly  redeemed  by  a  few  melancholy  look- 
ing cocoanut  palms  and  pandanus  clumps,  with  here  and 
there  a  wilted  and  sickly  pawpaw  tree  looking  as  if  ashamed 
of  its  surroundings.  On  every  hand  there  are  plenty  of 
vacant  allotments  covered  with  tall  stalks  of  dried-up 
vegetation  awaiting  a  stray  lucifer  or  spark  from  the  pipe 
of  some  careless  wayfarer  to  break  out  into  a  glorious 
conflagration  of  purifying  flame,  and  make  a  bonfire  of 
this  evil-smelling  rookery.  A  few  dull-eyed  storekeepers 
loll  around  on  rickety  benches  grumbling  at  bad  times, 
and  praying  for  some  customer  to  come  along,  who  when 
he  does  come  gets  a  taste  of  insolence  for  giving  them  the 
trouble  of  getting  up.  Any  remonstrance  is  answered  by 
a  shower  of  invectives,  which  must  keep  the  recording 
angel  very  busy  for  the  next  few  minutes.  A  tempting 
curio-assortment  lies  arrayed  in  the  windows  of  one  shop 
— but,  alas,  the  shutters  are  down.  The  proprietor  is 
away  "  on  the  tangle,"  as  a  wild-eyed  beach-comber  pass- 
ing by  curtly  informs  us. 

One  of  our  party  badly  wanting  a  shave  is  rash  enough 
to  approach  a  tumble-down  barber's  shop — one  look  at 
the  filthy  interior,  and  the  too  sanguine  customer  flees  in 
horror.  By-and-bye  we  come  to  a  shop  with  heaps  of 
useful  though  not  exactly  ornamental  household  crockery 
piled  up  in  front.  This  is  the  "  Hall  of  Arts,"  the  title 
set  forth  in  bright  blue  letters  on  a  green  ground.  By 
the  side  of  a  broken  window  a  flaring  red-and-yellow 
poster  announces  the  production  of  a  Screaming  Farce — 
a  relic  of  a  party  of  last  month's  strolling  players.  On 
the  hill  overlooking  the  centre  of  the  township  are  the 
Barracks,  wherein  some  fifty  men  of  the  Permanent  Ar- 
tillery are  stationed — stalwart  makers  of  roads,  clearers  of 
bush,  suppliers  of  water,  and  pioneers  of  civilisation  gener- 
ally, and  preservers  of  law  and  order.  Let  us  hope  that 
some  years  of  Purgatory  may  be  remitted  them  for  doing 


SYDNEY   TO    HONG    KONG  31 

their  duty  amidst  such  unpleasant  surroundings — and  men 
say  they  perform  it  well.  Lo  !  the  dingy  street  is  lighted 
up  by  a  bright  apparition  of  two  neat  little  Japanese 
musume's  patrolling  in  their  national  garb — a  harmony  in 
brown,  blue  and  grey — under  paper  umbrellas,  a  pair  of 
human  busy  bees  from  the  hive,  the  other  side  of  the 
jetty  where  lies  the  Japanese  quarter.  Now  these  Japanese 
have  certainly  established  a  solid  foothold  in  Thursday 
Island.  Possibly  their  nattiness,  their  thrift  and  superior 
business  ability,  account  for  the  bitter  hatred  of  a  certain 
section  of  the  white  population  towards  them.  Many  of 
the  settlers  look  upon  them  as  dangerous  rivals,  and  would 
gladly  over-reach  or  terrorise  these  bright  and  energetic 
little  people.  But  the  resident  is  a  firm  and  a  just  man, 
and  a  stern  repressor  of  the  lawless  and  rowdy  element, 
and  he  does  not  fight  alone.  Therefore  the  dogs  in  the 
manger  are  allowed  to  growl  and  bark  a  little,  but,  when 
they  take  to  biting,  measures  are  taken  to  muzzle  them. 

We  climbed  the  hill  and  lunched  at  an  odd  little  hotel 
on  top  where  there  were  a  number  of  pet  animals.  After 
admiring  a  stuffed  alligator  fourteen  feet  long,  and  supplying 
the  whisky-drinking  baboon  with  sundry  glasses  of  Scotch 
and  Irish  to  his  infinite  relish,  we  descended  and  made 
our  way  back  to  the  steamer.  We  found  them  hoisting 
on  board  quantities  of  sandal-wood  brought  down  in  some 
of  the  small  schooners  manned  by  crews  of  mixed  nation- 
ality, which  trade  between  Thursday  Island  and  the 
southern  districts  of  New  Guinea. 

The  capture  of  a  shovel-headed  shark  over  nine  feet  in 
length  caused  some  excitement.  He  was  hoisted  in  over 
the  side,  and  all  but  fell  into  the  sheep  pen,  much  to  the 
dismay  of  the  woolly  bleaters,  and  his  evil  life  was  cut  short 
by  repeated  slashes  over  the  tail  from  the  hatchet  of  the 
Chinese  cook.  We  remained  at  our  moorings  overnight, 
and  daybreak  sent  us  ploughing  across  the  Gulf  of  Car- 
pentaria, with  a  smooth  sea,  a  cloudless  sky,  and  a  pleasant 
breeze  to  waft  us  towards  the  magic  East. 


32  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

On  the  15th  we  sighted  New  Year's  Island  and  passed 
Cape  Croker,  anchoring  off  Cape  Don  for  the  night.  Next 
day  we  passed  Cape  Keith,  and  sighted  King's  Table  in 
the  afternoon,  reaching  Port  Darwin  about  two  hours 
before  sunset. 

The  town  is  situated  on  a  plateau,  reached  by  a  series 
of  steps  leading  up  the  hillside  from  the  end  of  a  long 
jetty  which  stretches  out  seaward  about  four  hundred 
yards.  At  spring  tide  the  rise  is  twenty-seven  feet,  which 
necessitates  high  and  stout  supports.  The  posts  are 
suffering  greatly  from  the  attacks  of  the  borer-worm,  that 
pest  of  tropical  seas.  It  may  console  mariners  to  know 
that  the  Board  of  Works  is  seriously  contemplating  the 
construction  of  a  new  wharf  with  solid  iron  cylinders.  In 
twenty  or  thirty  years  the  much-boasted  innovation  may 
be  an  accomplished  fact.  In  the  meantime  sea-captains 
may  grutch  and  grumble  to  their  hearts'  content. 

The  town  consists  of  the  usual  cluster  of  four  or  five 
score  houses,  a  distant  vision  of  flat-topped  roofs  capped 
with  the  inevitable  corrugated  iron,  shimmering  like 
burnished  copper  in  the  glare  of  the  evening  sun.  On 
a  closer  view,  however,  some  of  the  houses  of  the  better 
sort  appear  lying  back  in  little  gardens  of  their  own, 
fronted  by  spacious  verandahs  with  shades  of  split  bam- 
boo-cane, and  embowered  with  masses  of  roses  and  climb- 
ing creepers,  conspicuous  amongst  which  are  the  rich 
purple  leafy-petaled  blossoms  of  the  Bougainvillea  and 
the  blue  and  white  bells  of  the  convolvulus  major.  Here 
and  there  the  eye  rests  pleasantly  upon  clumps  of  crotons, 
and  masses  of  arum-lily  and  caladium.  There  is  a  Post 
Office  lying  back  in  a  trim  shrubbery ;  and  two  Banks, 
one  of  stone,  one  of  wood,  supply  the  monetary  needs  of 
the  townsfolk.  In  company  with  Messrs  Fcelsche  and 
Holtze  we  drove  out  next  day  to  visit  the  Botanical 
Gardens,  which  lie  about  three  miles  out  of  town  a  little 
way  past  Shell  Bay,  where  a  friendly  tribe  of  neighbour- 
ing blacks  are  encamped.     The  former  of  our  entertainers 


SYDNEY   TO    HONG    KONG  33 

is  the  Police  Magistrate  of  the  district,  who  has  contributed 
much  interesting  knowledge  to  scientific  journals  concern- 
ing the  languages  and  customs  of  the  native  races  of  the 
Northern  Territory.  Mr  Holtze  is  Curator  of  the  Gardens, 
and  is  a  great  botanical  enthusiast.  On  reaching  the  scene 
of  his  labours  the  first  thing  that  strikes  one  is  a  grove  of 
cocoanut  palms  only  seven  years  old  but  showing  vigorous 
growth.  Clumps  of  feathery  bamboo  and  sturdy  bananas 
give  a  genuine  South  Sea  Island  aspect  to  the  scene. 
There  is  quite  a  cosmopolitan  gathering  of  palms.  The 
prickly-palm  of  Queensland,  the  cabbage  palm  and  the  oil 
palm  from  Africa,  the  fan  palm  of  the  Marquesas,  the 
areca  palm  of  India  and  the  Philippines,  the  date  palm 
from  Arabia  and  Egypt,  are  all  here.  Huge  banyan  trees 
tower  around,  spreading  wide  their  aerial  root-sprays,  their 
tresses  of  small  leaf  nodding  and  whispering  in  the  sway 
of  the  free  ocean  breezes.  Strange  shrubs  and  trees  from 
the  Moluccas  confront  us,  the  cinnamon,  the  Malay  or 
jamboo  apple,  the  jackfruit,  the  gardenia,  the  cycas  and 
the  freycinetia.  The  Australian  flora  is  well  represented. 
Here  flourish  the  red  gum,  blue  gum,  spotted  gum, 
stringy  bark,  lemon  gum,  black-butt,  apple  tree,  sheoak, 
black  wattle  and  golden  wattle. 

The  site  of  the  gardens  was  heavily  timbered  in  former 
times  and  now  green  saplings  are  everywhere  shooting 
up  from  the  boles  of  the  felled  giants  of  the  forest.  I 
stayed  to  lunch  at  Holtze's  invitation,  and  thus  met  two 
ardent  cullers  of  herbs.  Finally  it  was  agreed  that  he 
should  furnish  me  with  a  number  of  seed-packets  and  that 
I  should  make  a  collection  of  assorted  Micronesian  seeds, 
always  giving  economic  trees  and  plants  the  preference. 
In  return  he  promised  me  a  number  of  North  Australian 
curios  and  undertook  to  minutely  tabulate  and  record  the 
species  and  genera  of  plants  raised  from  the  aforesaid 
collection  of  seeds,  which  when  they  came  to  hand  were  to 
be  sown  and  tended  with  special  care.  Then  our  talk 
turned  upon  the  neighbouring  tribes,  and  the  new  railway 
C 


34  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

extension  to  Pine  Creek.  He  told  me  of  the  Palmer 
Goldfield,  of  the  Yellow  Agony  invading  the  Northern 
Territory,  and  discoursed  learnedly  on  nuggets,  faults, 
veins,  signs,  claims  and  codes  of  diggers'  law,  which 
failed  to  inspire  me  with  golden  dreams,  though,  for  all 
I  know  or  care,  the  reality  may  be  hard  at  hand.  He 
spoke  of  the  lovely  scenery  on  the  creeks,  and  promised 
me  first-rate  sport  in  the  way  of  alligator  shooting,  if  I 
would  only  stay  over  two  months.  But  even  the  tempt- 
ing prospect  of  "  Shikar  "  fails  to  draw  me.  "  I  hear  the 
East  a-calling "  in  Rudyard  Kipling's  phrase.  What  is 
this  unaccountable  glamour  ?  I  ask — this  intense  fascina- 
tion, ever  drawing  on  that  strange  child  of  the  ages  the 
irrepressible  youth  of  England,  to  explore  new  lands  and 
court  new  adventures.  Some  such  indefinable  power 
holds  us  in  its  magic  grip  at  some  period  of  our  lives — 
sometimes  later,  often  earlier — and  urges  us  forward  and 
onward,  and  we  go. 

Despite  the  fierce  tropical  heat  we  spent  two  enjoyable 
days  in  Port  Darwin — though  I  doubt  whether  the  men 
at  the  winches  enjoyed  them.  For,  how  the  Menmuir 
manages  to  stow  all  the  cargo  she  takes  in  at  every  port, 
must  remain  a  dark  mystery  to  landsmen  for  all  time. 
Everybody,  however,  seems  at  peace  with  himself  and  the 
world  at  set  of  sun,  and  the  evening  whist  on  deck  goes  on 
with — I  remember — a  phenomenally  uneven  distribution 
of  trumps  and  high  cards,  which  left  our  veteran  player 
nothing  to  lead  from,  little  to  lecture  upon,  and  hardly 
a  leg  to  stand  on. 

At  last  we  are  off — Australia  sinking  astern — our  prow 
turned  towards  the  golden  Chersonese  of  the  ancients,  the 
fabled  lands  of  the  sea-robbers,  the  prahu  and  the  poisoned 
creeze  of  spice  and  cinnamon,  nutmeg  and  pineapple,  the 
domain  of  the  Orang  Laut — those  Phoenicians  of  Pacific 
waters.  Four  hundred  and  thirty  miles  ahead  of  us 
stretches  the  great  island  of  Timor,  on  the  southern  horn 
of  which  lies  Dilli,  our  port  of  destination,  one  of  the  last 


SYDNEY   TO    HONG    KONG  35 

strongholds  of  senile  Portugal,  erstwhile  the  successful 
trading  rival  of  the  stubborn  Dutchman  in  these  far-off 
tropic  seas.  About  fifty  hours  out,  passing  Nusa  Besi 
(Iron  Island)  we  sight  the  distant  peaks  of  Timor  melting 
into  the  soft  summer  haze  of  the  dying  day,  and  early 
next  morning  we  are  lying  inside  the  reef  abreast  of  the 
little  town  with  the  magnificent  name.  For  Dilli  is  the 
Malayan  form  of  Delhi,  wondrous  city  of  palaces,  one  of 
the  numerous  Sanskrit  place-names  which  have  come 
floating  down  into  Malayan  on  untold  waves  of  migration. 
And  here  follows  a  singular  dilemma  or  rather  trilemma, 
somewhat  after  the  fashion  of  the  triangular  duel  in 
Marryat's  immortal  "  Midshipman  Easy." 

Our  fellow-passenger,  P.  of  Adelaide,  has  a  number  of 
samples  of  South  Australian  products,  all  excellent  of 
their  kind,  to  put  upon  the  markets  of  the  East.  The 
question  arises  :  How  shall  he  set  about  in  Timor  ?  The 
Portuguese  Governor,  so  Captain  Craig  avers,  doesn't  know 
ten  words  of  English,  but  knows  a  little  French.  The 
eager  P.  doesn't  know  a  word  of  Portuguese,  but  from  his 
schooldays  preserves  a  sort  of  French  that  would  be  intel- 
ligible in  Adelaide.  There  is  an  interpreter  at  Dilli,  it  is 
true,  but  his  English  is  very  limited.  What  is  to  be 
done?  Suddenly  it  occurs  to  me  that  where  there  are 
Portuguese,  there  will  be  some  sort  of  ecclesiastic.  All 
ecclesiastics  understand  Latin  of  a  sort,  even  though  it  be 
that  of  Jerome  or  Augustine.  Let  us  therefore  have  at 
them  in  good  Ciceronian  Latin,  and  expound  unto  the 
shepherds  of  the  people  the  products  of  the  magic  land  of 
South  Australia. 

So  the  very  first  night  out,  a  most  elaborate  document 
is  drawn  up  and  duly  set  forth,  describing  the  fertility  of 
the  great  Provincia  Australis,  her  groves  of  olives,  yield- 
ing vats  of  yellowest  oil,  her  cornfields  white  with  nodding 
harvests  of  barley,  wheat  and  rye,  of  African  sorghum  and 
the  tasselled  corn  of  America,  telling  of  her  vineyards 
crested   with  black    and    golden    grape-clusters,   and   the 


36  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

generous  liquor  expressed  therefrom,  grateful  alike  to 
Caesar  and  peasant,  to  Pope  and  to  priest. 

Mention  is  made  of  flocks  and  herds — innumerable 
as  the  finny  droves  of  Ocean — that  browse  upon  wide 
green  pastures  watered  by  mighty  rivers  ;  of  the  salted 
hindquarters  of  noble  swine  ("  Terga  porcorum  salinata 
nobilium  ")  and  the  flesh  of  goodly  beeves  and  sheep,  and 
delicious  broth  from  their  tails,  encased  in  brazen  pots 
where  corruption  cannot  enter  in  nor  the  smell  of  decay 
mar  their  savour.  "  Pinguium  caro  bovum  atque  ovium 
intra  vasa  ahenea  involuta.  Neque  deest  jus  caudarum, 
decoctio  quaedam  maxime  saporosa,  ubi  corruptio  non 
potest  intrare."  (Ye  ghosts  of  great  Caesar  and  Apicius, 
what  think  ye  of  this  for  hams,  and  the  tinned  meats  and 
soups  of  commerce  ?)  One  suddenly-remembered  tag  from 
an  Eton  gradus  helps  us  out  of  a  difficult  corner.  It  ran 
Candiduli  divina  tomacula  porci,  "Heaven-flavoured  sausages 
of  whitish  pork?  This  and  Heaven  knows  what  sad 
stuff  beside,  all  reeled  off  in  sonorous  Latin,  ridiculously 
pat  and  to  the  point,  and  may  all  the  Caesars,  Christian 
saints,  and  Pagan  heroes  and  poets  downwards,  forgive 
a  stranger,  and  an  Englishman,  too,  for  misusing  their 
mother  tongue  so  damnably. 

It  was  indeed  quaint  reading,  left-handed  and  incon- 
gruous :  and  the  thing  came  off,  reader,  the  thing  came 
off.  We  went  ashore  and  looked  up  the  Governor,  who 
called  in  the  Bishop  of  the  diocese  to  give  a  churchman's 
opinion  on  a  thesis  that  sorely  taxed  the  Latinity  of  the 
lay  mind.  To  see  the  good  Bishop  calmly  and  seriously 
reading  off  sentence  after  sentence,  and  halting  here  and 
there  in  mild  doubt — then  suddenly  grasping  the  thing 
and  translating  it  bit  by  bit  into  current  Portuguese — 
cruelly  tried  our  stoicism,  as  we  sat  by  grave  as  judges 
but  racked  with  inward  laughter.  When  some  corollary 
about  woollen  goods  and  hosiery  was  being  sonorously  read 
in  some  fearful  dog-Latin,  I  felt  I  could  not  hold  out  much 
longer,  and  was  seriously  thinking  of  making  a  bolt  for 


SYDNEY   TO    HONG    KONG  37 

the  door,  when  the  catalogue  ended.  The  Governor  gave 
a  liberal  order,  which  was  promptly  filled.  Up  to  present 
date,  however,  I  have  never  learned  that  my  good  old 
friend  or  his  firm  ever  recovered  one  farthing  for  the 
goods  supplied.  That's  the  worst  of  dealing  with  Portu- 
guese. They  are  a  most  unreliable  lot.  It  seems  to 
cause  them  no  uneasiness  whatsoever  to  incur  an  obliga- 
tion which  they  know  very  well  they  have  no  funds  to 
meet.  It  was  just  the  same  at  Hong  Kong  the  other  day, 
when  one  of  the  Sikh  non-com. 's,  who  are  great  money- 
lenders, summoned  a  Portuguese.  The  defendant  had 
borrowed  considerable  sums,  and,  after  losing  the  money 
in  gambling,  calmly  declined  to  pay,  and  somehow  got  off 
scot-free !  The  injured  plaintiff  took  the  matter  pretty 
coolly,  remarking  that  he  thought  it  rather  hard  to  lend 
out  money  and  lose  principal  and  interest  too.  The 
defaulter  simply  grinned  provokingly,  and  said  he  didn't 
care  a  straw.  And  I  don't  suppose  the  Governor  of  Timor 
cares  either.  He  has,  doubtless,  eaten  the  beef  and  bis- 
cuits, relished  the  wine  and  oil,  and  dismissed  the  vexatious 
trifle  of  payment  for  ever  from  his  memory. 

During  our  visit  we  find  that  one  of  the  tribes  in  the 
neighbourhood  has  risen  in  revolt.  There  has  been  a 
skirmish  in  the  bush  ;  the  Portuguese  have  of  course  won 
a  glorious  victory,  but  the  enemy  are  unaccountably  left 
in  possession  of  the  field  of  battle,  and  a  considerable 
number  of  men  and  officers  are  laid  up  in  hospital.  Our 
good-natured  Captain  gave  two  or  three  of  the  poor  little 
widows  of  the  fallen  men  a  free  passage  up  to  Hong  Kong, 
en  route  for  Macao — the  sheet  anchor  of  Portugal  in  the 
China  Seas.  In  return  for  this  service  the  Portuguese 
some  months  later  bestowed  on  our  Captain  Hugh  an 
elaborate  decoration,  which  pleased  the  good  old  fellow 
heartily. 

The  doctor  and  one  of  our  party  went  off  into  the 
interior  on  stout  Timor  ponies.  The  rest  of  us  strolled 
aimlessly  along  the  sea-front.      We  meet  a  grimy  little 


38  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

boy  parading  around  with  a  lemon-crested  cockatoo. 
"  How  muchee  ?  "  says  P.  "  No  intendo.  No  savee," 
jerks  out  the  urchin,  and  is  gone  down  the  road  like  a 
flash.  We  meet  a  man  with  a  wizened-looking  monkey, 
both  looking  as  if  life  had  used  them  badly.  "  How 
muchee?"  once  more  demands  the  Inquisitor-General. 
"  No  savee,"  replies  the  terrified  man,  and  clutching  the 
poor  little  beast  tight,  turns  and  clears  out  for  his  life. 
We  enter  a  shop  and  demand  to  see  some  goods.  Again 
"  No  savee,"  sulky  looks  and  muttered  grumblings.  Re- 
sisting with  difficulty  a  strong  desire  to  break  somebody's 
head,  we  rally  our  forces,  and  enter  a  long  thatched  house 
by  the  roadside,  where  some  natives  are  chewing  betel-nut, 
with  calabashes  of  sweet  coconut  toddy  by  their  side  for 
sale.  Sorely  smitten  with  thirst  we  attempt  to  deal. 
Again  arises  the  eternal  "  No  savee,"  and  the  idiots  clear 
out,  calabashes  and  all,  as  if  the  devil  was  at  their  heels. 
At  last  we  meet  one  of  the  Portugese  non-coms.,  whose 
company  has  been  so  roughly  handled  in  the  late  action, 
and  who  explains  the  extraordinary  behaviour  of  the 
people  by  suggesting  that  they  take  all  English  heretics 
for  cannibals  and  fiends  with  tails  like  scorpions.  Perhaps 
they  really  do. 

Timor  is  very  much  like  any  high  basaltic  island  in  the 
Pacific — the  beach  fringed  as  usual  with  groves  of  coconut 
palms,  with  plenty  of  lemon  hibiscus,  pandanus,  and  native 
almond  trees  growing  by  the  roadside.  Its  dense  popula- 
tion is  of  mingled  Malay  and  Negrito.  The  great  extent 
and  fertility  of  the  island  will  in  the  near  future  render  it 
a  most  attractive  field  for  the  botanist,  the  zoologist,  and 
the  philologist.  Later  on,  in  Macao,  I  was  so  fortunate 
as  to  receive  from  a  worthy  Jesuit  Father  a  Portuguese 
vocabulary  and  grammar  of  the  Teton  dialect,  which  is  a 
most  bizarre  and  curious  one,  containing  very  many  ancient 
word-forms  akin  to  the  Polynesian. 

As  I  found  out  afterwards  from  further  information 
carefully  collected   and    sifted,  Timor  was    anciently    an 


SYDNEY   TO   HONG    KONG  39 

important  point  in  the  migrations  of  the  Malayan  race,  in 
whose  calendar  Timor  is  still  preserved  to  denote  the  East 
Quarter,  side  by  side  with  the  more  modern  term  Masrak 
(Arabic  Maskrik). 

The  easternmost  province  of  Yap  is  Tomil. 

In  the  Sulu  Archipelago  the  east  is  Timol. 

In  the  Mariannes  the  northern  quarter  is  Tirni. 

In  the  Pelews  the  southern  quarter  is  Dimis  and  Ditnus. 

In  the  Pilam  dialect  of  Eastern  Formosa  the  west  is 
Timor. 

All  variations  of  the  ancient  Malayan  geographical 
name  denote  different  points  of  the  compass.  So  we  may 
safely  take  Timor  to  have  been  one  of  the  early  homes  of 
the  Malayo-Polynesian,  or,  as  some  will  have  it,  the  Poly- 
nesian folk,  ere  they  dispersed  themselves  wave  upon 
wave,  flotilla  upon  flotilla,  on  their  long  ocean  wanderings. 

After  taking  cargo  aboard  we  leave  the  same  evening 
and  are  soon  past  the  south  end  of  Kambing  (Goat) 
Island.  After  leaving  Sula  Besi,  Limbi  and  Banka 
behind,  towards  sunset  on  the  24th  we  fall  in  with  the 
S.S.  Tsinan  going  southward,  threading  our  way  the  while 
through  a  multitude  of  carefully  charted  islands.  A  few 
days  later  we  find  ourselves  skirting  the  west  side  of 
Mindoro.  Every  day  now  brings  us  nearer  to  our  journey's 
end,  and  one  lovely  starlit  evening  we  raise  the  well- 
known  Peak,  and  a  little  later,  amidst  a  host  of  shipping, 
great  and  small,  we  drop  anchor  a  few  hundred  yards  off 
the  Praya  or  sea-front  of  the  city  of  Victoria — the  capital 
of  Hong  Kong.  This  and  Singapore  are  the  two  keys  to 
the  gate  of  our  commerce  in  the  East,  which  the  Pope  or 
Czar,  mighty  though  they  be,  shall  never  grasp,  whilst 
British  iron  and  gold  and  silver  and  steel  shall  last,  and 
while  British  pluck  and  enterprise  shall  endure  to  hold 
fast  the  empire  that  Britain's  sons  have  so  greatly  toiled 
to  win. 


CHAPTER    II 

HONG    KONG    TO    MANILLA 

IN  these  stirring  days  of  travel  all  the  English-speaking 
world,  or  nearly  all,  should  know  the  city  of  Victoria 
— the  threshold  of  the  gorgeous  East,  worn  by  the  count- 
less feet  of  tourists  on  their  nineteenth  century  pilgrimage 
in  search  of  the  strange  and  the  rare.  Victoria,  the 
wondrous  emporium  of  silks,  teas,  and  curios,  cunning 
bronze  and  silver  work  and  quaint  ceramics,  ductile  metal 
and  fictile  earth,  obedient  to  the  deft  hand  of  the  subtle 
Child  of  the  Yellow  Clay,  teeming  in  his  industrious 
millions.  Time  and  space  forbid  me  to  describe  at  length 
the  Lower  Town  with  its  steep  narrow  lanes  and  sky- 
scraping  dwelling  houses  tenanted  by  untold  thousands  of 
the  poorer  Chinese,  huddled  together  upon  narrow  noisome 
areas  ;  the  solid  and  splendid  buildings  of  the  European 
merchants  facing  the  craft-encumbered  sea — the  terraces 
and  high  white  walls  and  domes  of  the  Middle  Town,  the 
princely  abodes  of  wealthy  merchants.  The  Upper  Town, 
high  on  the  breezy  hills,  is  reached  by  that  engineering 
marvel,  the  Peak  Railway,  running  up  the  steepest  of  in- 
clines, through  plantations  of  fir  and  larch  and  a  hundred 
other  woodland  trees  that  clothe  the  gaunt  hillside,  the 
happy  result  of  a  grand  Afforestation  Scheme  to  fight  the 
island  fever  that  proved  so  deadly  in  the  early  years  of 
British  occupation.  Below  stretches  a  wonderful  view  of 
the  native  and  foreign  shipping  in  harbour,  of  the  penin- 
sula of  Kowloon  and  its  busy  docks  and  stores  across 
the  water,  and  in  the  background  the  grey  barren  hills  of 
China  loom  skyward.  A  week  of  wonders  ashore,  and  I 
left  by  the  Menmuir  for  Shanghai  and  Kobe,  just  to  catch 


HONG    KONG    TO    MANILLA  41 

a  passing  glimpse  of  these  two  famous  cities  of  the  East, 
before  setting  out  for  Manilla  and  my  yet  far-off  goal,  the 
Carolines.  I  will  set  down  here  no  thrice-told  tale  of 
places  which  have  already  been  so  well  described  by  the 
omnivious  and  omnivorous  tourist.  Suffice  it  to  say  that 
I  saw  the  sights  of  Shanghai,  "  did  "  the  "  Bubbling  Well 
Road,"  and  practised  with  great  satisfaction  on  the  magni- 
ficent cricket  ground.  My  visit  to  Kobe,  one  of  the 
Treaty  Ports  of  Japan,  was  a  most  enviable  experience. 
Here  I  met  also  with  the  greatest  kindness  and  hospitality 
from  the  European  residents. 

The  temples  of  Kyoto,  the  ancient  capital  of  the  Land 
of  Niphon,  where  I  stayed  two  days  at  the  far-famed 
hostelry  of  Yaami,  were  a  glory  and  a  revelation  to  me. 
I  wandered  in  the  halls,  cloisters,  and  gardens  of  Nishi- 
Hongwanji  and  her  sister  Buddhist  shrine,  and  marvelled 
at  the  carvings  of  Hidoro  Jingoro,  the  left-handed  artist 
of  cunning.  I  saw  the  Shinto  sanctuary  of  Inari-Sama, 
the  Fox-god  and  the  guardian  sentinels  Ama-Inu  and 
Koma-Inu,  prototypes  of  our  Lion  and  Unicorn,  and  heard 
the  solemn  chimes  of  the  Temple  bells  ringing  out  in  the 
midnight  stillness. 

I  conversed  with  polite  samurai,  and  traversed  miles  of 
street  in  rickety  rickshas.  I  revelled  in  the  island  beauties 
gemming  the  Inland  sea,  and  viewed  marvelling  the  grimy 
procession  of  the  basket-bearing  damsels  of  Moji  and 
Shimonoseki,  passing  like  imps  of  Eblis,  along  our  gang- 
way with  supplies  of  coal  to  help  us  southward. 

Then  back  again  for  a  brief  space  to  the  cheery  life  of 
Hong  Kong  with  its  cricket  matches  and  dinner  parties. 
Here  I  met  several  old  London  friends,  amongst  them 
the  Hon.  Stewart  Lockhart,  one  of  the  most  accom- 
plished Chinese  scholars  in  the  East,  who  has  since  suc- 
ceeded to  the  post  of  Colonial  Secretary,  for  which  his  zeal 
and  fine  abilities  had  already  marked  him  out.  By  his  kind 
offices  I  received  ample  credentials  from  the  Governor, 
Sir  William  Robinson,  to  the  Spanish  Governor-General 


42  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

of  the  Philippines,  requesting  him  to  direct  his  subordinates 
in  the  Eastern  and  Western  Carolines  to  render  me  all 
possible  assistance  in  my  explorations.  This  stood  me 
in  good  stead,  and  it  is  hardly  anticipating  matters  to  here 
very  cordially  thank  the  Spanish  officials  for  the  polite- 
ness and  hospitality  they  always  showed  me  during  my 
travels  in  their  possessions. 

A  fortnight  after  my  return  from  Japan  saw  me  off  for 
Manilla  via  Amoy  on  a  dark  and  drizzly  evening,  by  the 
good  steamer,  Esmeraldafighlmg  her  way  through  the  tum- 
bling seas  in  the  teeth  of  a  strong  north-easter.  Amoy — 
a  great  centre  for  the  coolie  traffic — is  just  like  other  large 
Chinese  towns,  laid  out  in  the  usual  narrow  and  abominably 
filthy  streets.  An  interesting  local  industry  was  seen  in 
elaborate  carvings  in  steatite  or  soap-stone.  Of  these  I 
obtained  some  fine  specimens  at  a  moderate  price.  Down 
to  Manilla  we  had  rather  a  rough  passage,  which  Captain 
Taylor,  our  genial  skipper,  managed  none  the  less  to 
enliven,  and  on  the  fifth  night  out  I  was  glad  enough  to 
spy  the  lights  of  Manilla  twinkling  ahead  through  the 
gloom  as  we  worked  our  way  cautiously  through  the 
wide  and  shallow  bay  leading  up  to  the  capital  of  the 
island  of  Luzon.  The  population  here,  like  the  hill-tribes 
of  the  neighbouring  island  of  Formosa,  form  the  northern- 
most wave  of  migration  from  Indonesia  and  the  Malay 
Archipelago,  the  teeming  mother  hive  of  the  brown  race, 
which  occupies  places  so  far  apart  as  Madagascar  and  the 
myriad  isles  of  the  wide  Pacific  area. 

Next  morning  we  found  ourselves  anchored  some  little 
way  out  from  the  mouth  of  the  Pasig  River,  which  is  so  shal- 
low a  stream  that  even  here  vessels  drawing  above  thirteen 
feet  cannot  enter.  On  our  left  lay  the  business  suburb  of 
Binondo,  with  its  wharfs  and  counting-houses,  with  a 
number  of  small  inter-island  trading  steamers  and  sailing 
vessels  of  every  kind  of  rig  drawn  up  alongside.  We  saw 
also  numerous  Banka  or  native  craft  (Javanese  Wang- 
Kang)  from  which  the  South  Sea  Island  canoe  seems  to 


HONG    KONG   TO    MANILLA  43 

have  been  named  {cf.  Polynesian  dialects  Wanga,  Waka, 
Vaka,    Va'a,   and    Wa'a).     The    Customs    Officials  were 
rather  late  aboard,  and  it  was  not  until  nearly  sunset  that 
I  found  myself  ensconced  bag  and   baggage  in  a  com- 
fortable upper   room  of  the  British   Club-House   in    the 
suburb  of  Nagtahan,  some  three  miles  out  of  town.      It 
lies  overlooking  a  sharp  elbow  of  the  river,  a  substantial 
building  embowered  in  palms  and  ornamental  trees  and 
shrubs,  formerly  the  country  residence  of  a  Spanish  official. 
The  next  few  days  were  spent  in  driving  about  the  city 
and  suburbs,  and  visiting  the  quaint  Old  Town  and  Fort 
across  the  river,  with  its  massive  walls,  drawbridges,  and 
weed-choked  moats,  looking  for  all  the  world  like  a  bit 
out  of  the  Middle  Ages.      I  do  not  here  propose  to  give 
a  full  account  of  all  the  architectural  beauties  of  Manilla, 
interesting  though  they  are.     The  churches  are  legion,  the 
most  conspicuous  being  the  fine  new  one  of  San  Sebastian, 
with  a  double  spire,  in  the  Quiapo  quarter.      In  Tondo 
ward,  that  of  St  Nino,  a  conspicuous  landmark  ;  and  in 
Binondo,   that   of  Santa    Cruz.      In   Old   Manilla,  where 
monks  and  priests  and  friars  do  mostly  congregate,  are 
some  magnificent  edifices  belonging  to  the  great  religious 
orders  of  St  Domingo,  St  Augustino,  and  St  Francisco. 
The  Jesuit  Cathedral  of  St  Ignacio  is  a  superb  building 
within  and  without,  and  the  chapel  of  the  Capuchins — 
the  poorest  of  the  orders — is  also  worth  seeing.    Up  to  the 
date  of  the  Filipino  revolt  and  the  American  war,  which 
almost  marched  side  by  side  with  it,  the  priestly  orders 
possessed  broad  lands  and  ample  revenues,  and  wielded 
enormous  power  over  the  indolent  and  superstitious  races 
of  the  land.     But  since  then  the  Wheel  of  Fortune  has 
come  round  with  a  vengeance.     To-day  the  men  of  the 
Black  Robe  are  in  sad  straits  as  were  ever  the  saints  of  old 
— threatened,  plundered,  beaten,  tortured,  burnt,  impaled, 
crucified,  and  this  by  the  very  natives  who  a  year  or  two 
ago  were  kneeling  to  them  for  a  blessing,  or  imploring 
pardon  and  protection  as  from  semi-divine  beings. 


44  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

But  then  these  things  were  hidden  from  me,  as  I  held 
my  peace,  looked  and  marvelled.  In  company  with  one 
or  other  of  the  Macleod  brothers,  heads  of  two  important 
mercantile  houses,  I  went  through  the  bustling  quarter  of 
Binondo  with  its  banks,  offices,  counting-houses,  stores, 
timber  yards,  quays  and  wharfs.  It  is  connected  with  the 
Old  Town  over  the  water  by  three  bridges  of  stone  and 
iron,  the  most  important  of  which  is  the  Puente  D'Espana, 
over  which  all  day  long  passes  a  continual  stream  of  traffic. 
Down  the  middle  of  Binondo  runs  a  fine  street,  the  Escolta, 
traversed  by  a  horse-tramway  plying  out  to  the  districts 
of  Tondo,  Sempalok  and  Santa  Misa.  Along  the  Escolta 
lie  the  principal  shops  and  cafes.  Away  to  the  left  is 
artisans'  quarter,  full  of  odd  little  shops,  stores  and  the 
bazaars  owned  by  the  Chinese  and  native  half-breeds,  of 
whom  there  are  some  seventy  thousand  in  Manilla  city 
and  wards.  Still  further  to  the  left  lies  the  insanitary 
native  quarter  of  Tondo,  in  early  days  the  seat  of  an 
independent  Kingling  or  Rajah,  with  a  population  of  over 
seventy  thousand,  mostly  of  the  poorer  class.  It  is  situated 
on  low  marshy  ground,  intersected  by  numerous  canals 
half  choked  up  with  animal  and  vegetable  refuse.  Malarial 
fevers,  small-pox  and  other  zymotic  diseases,  as  may  well 
be  imagined,  are  pretty  common  here.  In  fact  the  annual 
death-rate  from  these  causes  is  terribly  heavy.  The  parish 
is  one  enormous  mass  of  palm-thatched  dwellings,  with 
walls  and  floorings  of  light  cane,  raised  on  a  framework 
of  wooden  poles  a  few  feet  above  the  pools  of  stagnant 
water  that  day  and  night  send  up  their  exhalations.  On 
Good  Friday  morning  in  1895  one  of  these  huts  caught 
fire,  and  the  conflagration,  fanned  by  a  strong  breeze, 
marched  two  miles  in  the  space  of  half-an-hour. 

From  Tondo  a  line  of  steam-trams  runs  to  the  village  of 
Malabon  some  seven  miles  out,  so  lately  a  scene  of  battle 
and  carnage,  where  are  the  go-downs  and  works  of  the 
Luzon  Sugar-Refining  Company.  In  time  past  Malabon 
was  a  centre  of  the  tobacco  industry,  which  has  since  been 


HONG   KONG   TO    MANILLA  45 

nearly  strangled  in  the  clutch  of  Government  monopoly. 
A  number  of  natives  are  still  employed  by  a  local  firm  in 
manufacturing  the  commoner  classes  of  cigars,  of  which 
there  is  an  enormous  annual  consumption.  On  the  way 
to  Malabon  the  tram-line  runs  through  the  village  of  May- 
payo,  where  there  is  a  cock-pit  keenly  attended  on  Sun- 
days and  holidays  by  the  local  fancy.  Parallel  with  this 
sporting  rendezvous,  a  few  hundred  yards  back  through 
the  palms  and  bamboos  lies  the  village  of  Caloocan,  the 
scene  of  the  late  furious  engagement  between  the  American 
forces  and  the  Filipino  rebels  with  their  Igorrote  allies, 
and  the  first  station  of  the  solitary  railway  of  Luzon  which, 
starting  from  the  terminus  at  Tondo,  runs  through  the 
Kandava  marshes  skirting  the  Pampanga  border,  and  up 
to  the  port  of  Dagupan,  the  centre  of  a  fertile  rice  and 
hemp-producing  district.  Taken  all  in  all  the  scenery  of 
the  outskirts  of  Manilla  is  very  rich  and  picturesque. 
There  are  rice-fields  and  clearings  for  growing  bananas, 
taro  and  sweet  potato,  overshadowed  by  masses  of  Bolinao, 
areca,  sago,  and  coconut  palms,  topes  of  mango  and  of 
native  chestnut  {Dungun),  clumps  of  towering  cane 
(Kauaian  and  Boko).  Here  the  spreading  umbrella-like 
leafage  of  the  native  almond  (Talisai),  there  the  yellow- 
wreathed  glories  of  the  graceful  Cananga  (Ilangilang). 
In  between  all  nestle  the  frail  cane  and  nipa  huts  of  the 
natives,  lying  back  half  merged  in  the  bowery  wilderness. 
Every  day  brought  new  sights  and  scenes,  and  regularly 
at  sunset  we  used  to  visit  the  Luneta  or  Half-Moon 
Esplanade  on  the  sea-side  beyond  the  Old  Fort,  where 
crowds  of  citizens,  rich  and  poor,  stream  out  in  the  cool 
of  the  evening  in  every  description  of  vehicle  to  enjoy  the 
fresh  sea-breeze,  to  hear  the  band  play  in  the  Kiosk,  and  to 
gossip  and  promenade  up  and  down  under  the  long  flash- 
ing arc  of  electric  lights.  I  saw  the  Carabao  or  native 
buffalo  harnessed  to  uncouth  waggons  drawing  timber, 
and  watched  a  close-packed  herd  of  these  ugly  beasts 
wallowing  in   their  noondav  bath  of  mud  and  water,  nose 


46  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

to  nose  and  horn  to  horn.  I  inspected  factories  of 
tobacco  and  hemp — the  two  great  staple  trades  of  Man- 
illa— and  examined  the  delicate  fabrics  of  Jusi  and  Pifia, 
a  famous  Philippine  industry  well  known  and  valued  in 
the  marts  of  the  East.  I  bought  several  Panuelos,  speci- 
mens of  the  latter  stuff,  which  is  composed  of  the  fibres 
of  the  pineapple  leaf  worked  into  an  exquisite  filmy 
tracery,  resembling  the  finest  Brussels  lace,  the  designs 
on  the  border  being  taken  from  native  trees,  fruits  and 
flowers. 

I  attended  a  grand  Fiesta  at  Malate,  interminable  pro- 
cessions passing  down  the  village  street  all  day,  the  houses 
hung  with  gay  banners,  and  after  dark  a  glorious  supper- 
party  of  the  European  residents  followed  by  a  brilliant  fire- 
work display,  and  songs,  music,  cards  and  dancing,  lasting 
well  into  the  small  hours.  Some  pleasant  evenings  were 
spent  with  the  Spanish  residents,  whose  hospitality  fully 
bore  out  the  old  Castilian  tradition.  I  took  many  country 
walks,  and  found  the  peasantry  good-natured  folk.  Only 
it  struck  me  as  curious  that  the  village  children  would 
always  clear  out  at  the  sight  of  the  Castilay  by  which 
name  all  Europeans  alike  are  designated  outside  the 
Metropolis.  Is  it  not  a  lively  recollection  of  the  early 
Spanish  methods  of  conversion  and  conquest,  which  the 
milder  rule  of  the  present  day  has  not  yet  succeeded  in 
effacing  ? 

I  spent  one  lovely  morning  in  going  through  the 
Botanical  Gardens  near  Malate,  where  I  greatly  admired 
the  palms  and  ferns,  as  well  as  the  rich  flowers  and 
foliage  of  ornamental  shrubs  and  trees  under  cultivation. 
I  succeeded  in  obtaining  two  monster  packages  of 
specimen  seeds  to  forward  to  the  energetic  Curator  of  the 
Gardens  at  Port  Darwin. 

One  Sunday  Macleod  and  I  indulged  in  a  journey  up 
the  line  to  a  big  Pampanga  village  to  view  the  national 
sport.  They  gave  us  the  seat  of  honour  above  the  cock- 
pit, whence  we  witnessed  some  sharp  combats  of  warlike 


HONG   KONG   TO    MANILLA  47 

roosters  before  a  large  and  excited  audience  of  natives  and 
half-castes  who  staked  their  money  as  freely  and  merrily 
as  holiday  makers  at  Epsom.  Next  evening  we  visited 
the  European  Opera  House  at  the  foot  of  the  Calle  del  Iris, 
heard  some  interminable  music  and  songs,  and  went  away 
rather  bored.  At  the  native  theatre  in  Sempalok  we 
saw  a  drama  in  Tagala  dialect,  a  highly  comical  perfor- 
mance, where  a  poor  Christian  knight  of  Manilla  wooes  the 
daughter  of  a  "  Moro  "  or  Mahometan  Rajah  of  the  Sulu 
Islands,  wins  her,  and  carries  her  off  with  all  her  wealth 
after  slaying  her  infidel  father. 

In  company  with  a  mestizo  interpreter  I  entered 
several  native  markets,  Tiangui  or  Tianggi  (Mexican 
Tianquiz),  taking  down  careful  notes  of  all  the  odd  fishes, 
fruits  and  vegetables,  laid  out  for  sale  in  the  stalls. 

The  sight  of  my  notebook  and  pencil  so  busily  em- 
ployed aroused  a  deep  suspicion  amongst  the  simple- 
minded  vendors  of  fish  and  buffalo-beef,  shrimps  and 
mussels,  squid  and  sausages,  taro  and  tomatos,  onions 
and  bananas,  yams  and  garlic,  cabbages  and  coconuts, 
sour  toddy  and  medicinal  barks.  One  and  all  they  took 
me  for  a  local  official,  genus  informer,  entering  in  his 
black  book  made-up  complaints  against  the  quality  of 
their  wares,  in  order  to  extort  money  on  his  own  account 
out  of  their  poor  little  profits.  When  assured  of  the  real 
nature  of  my  errand  they  marvelled,  but  being  by  nature 
pleasant  people,  they  willingly  gave  me  plenty  of  curious 
information. 

I  called  on  the  British  Consul,  presented  my  letters 
from  Hong  Kong,  and  received  the  desired  credentials 
from  General  Blanco  to  his  subordinates  in  Yap  and 
Ponape.  Then  I  saw  the  head  of  the  Capuchin  Mission, 
to  whom  was  entrusted  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  wild 
Caroline  islanders.  He  received  me  very  kindly,  and 
presented  me  with  Spanish  vocabularies  of  the  Yap  and 
Ponapean  dialects.  I  secured  further  secular  aid  by 
engaging  as  general  utility  man  and  photographer  in  one, 


48  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

a  quarter-caste  from  the  Province  of  Pampanga,  a  quiet 
and  docile  fellow,  but  weak  and  unstable  as  water,  who, 
little  guessing   what   troubles    lay  before  him    in  savage 
ands,  recklessly  "  signed  on  "  in  a  spirit  of  adventure. 

Well,  everything  was  in  order  at  last  for  my  departure. 
Two  passages  were  taken  on  board  the  mail-steamer 
Venus  of  the  Planet  Line,  for  her  bi-monthly  trip  to  the 
distant  outlying  possessions  of  Yap,  Guam  and  Ponape. 
She  was  to  leave  at  noon  on  the  Sunday  (Dec.  1 7th), 
so  I  sent  the  lad  on  board  overnight  to  take  charge  of  the 
baggage.  Next  day  at  Nagtahan,  sad  to  say,  it  was  late 
when  Willie  Macleod  and  I  arose.  Hurriedly  we  got 
through  our  lunch  and  drove  down  in  hot  haste  to  the 
wharf  at  Binondo.  Plenty  of  steam  launches  and  small 
craft  lying  at  the  water  side,  but  never  a  soul  stirring  to 
take  us  aboard  ;  and,  to  add  to  our  perplexity,  a  distant 
warning  whistle  from  the  steamer  lifting  anchor  down  the 
Bay.  In  desperation  we  searched  about,  forcibly  im- 
pressed two  half-sober  wharf  loafers  and  a  fuddled 
mestizo  engineer  out  of  one  of  the  cafes,  laid  violent 
hands  on  a  launch,  and  were  away  down  the  Bay  as  hard 
as  steam  would  drive  us.  And  none  too  soon.  The 
Venus  is  slowly  moving  off.  In  reply  to  our  frantic  holloas 
and  gestures,  in  the  midst  of  which  the  excited  engineer 
nearly  falls  overboard,  the  good-natured  Spanish  captain 
stops  his  vessel  in  her  course,  and  she  lies  beating  the  water 
with  reversed  screw.  A  steam  launch  hissing  shoreward 
nearly  runs  us  down.  In  it  was  my  Manilla  man  seated 
upon  a  whole  pyramid  of  bags  and  boxes,  his  and  mine, 
which,  thinking  for  certain  I  had  missed  my  passage,  he 
was  dutifully  taking  ashore.  When  he  saw  us  his  face  fell 
like  mercury  before  a  storm.  I  roared  to  him  to  come 
along,  and  he  meekly  followed  our  craft  to  the  gangway  let 
down  for  us.  Master  and  man  climbed  up,  a  thought  taken 
aback  at  arriving  in  such  dramatic  fashion.  Not  a  word 
of  reproach  from  the  Captain,  only  a  little  good-natured 
chaff.      This    forbearance   of   a    choleric    ocean   potentate 


HONG   KONG  TO   MANILLA  49 

and  a  bit  of  a  martinet  reflects  infinite  credit  on  Spanish 
politeness. 

The  aforesaid  Captain  and  the  new  Spanish  Governor 
going  out  with  us  to  the  Mariannes  were  mightily  amused 
when  they  heard  of  the  impressed  steam-launch  driven  by 
a  strange  engineer  hauled  head  and  shoulders  out  of  a 
wine-shop.  They  also  made  merry  over  my  Manilla  lad. 
The  poor  creature,  obedient  to  my  orders,  turned  up  early 
on  Saturday  evening  to  look  after  the  luggage.  Feeling  a 
bit  dull,  he  fell  into  talk  with  the  ship's  boys,  and  they  filled 
his  noddle  with  all  sorts  of  horrible  stories  of  cannibal 
"  Carolinos,"  who,  when  he  arrived  at  Ponape,  would  stick 
him  full  of  javelins,  and  make  a  divining  bowl  of  his  skull. 
This  wretched  twaddle,  and  much  more,  Theodoro  of 
course  had  taken  for  gospel,  and  all  that  Sunday  morning 
had  been  peering  wistfully  over  the  side,  longing  to  get 
ashore  and  have  done  with  so  perilous  a  service. 

Towards  sunset  we  got  into  livelier  water,  and  once  out 
of  the  St  Bernadino  Straits  into  the  open  sea,  the  vessel 
rolled  a  good  deal.  My  poor  photographic  artist,  refusing 
alike  solid  food  and  liquid  consolation,  betook  himself  to 
a  nice  gloomy  corner,  where,  stretched  on  his  mat  wrapped 
in  an  ancient  cloak,  he  lay  dismally  brooding  on  the  ills  that 
awaited  him  in  heathen  lands  oversea.  In  a  comfortable 
deck  chair  I  made  myself  quite  at  home,  attentively 
conning  over  some  Spanish  books  of  travel.  On  my 
departure  friends  in  Manilla  had  thoughtfully  presented 
me  with  hundreds  of  cigars.  Hence  a  contented  mind 
and  holocaust  unending. 


D 


CHAPTER   III 

YAP    AND    THE    MARIANNES    TO    PONAPE DESCRIPTION 

OF    PONAPE 

IN  a  day  or  two  we  shook  down  into  our  places  on 
board.  The  ship  was  lighted  with  electricity  and  com- 
fortably fitted  up,  the  fare  good,  and  there  were  plenty  of 
Manilla  boys  who  attended  well  to  all  our  wants.  I  took 
a  special  liking  to  Sefior  Marina,  the  newly  appointed 
Governor  of  the  Mariannes,  who  gave  me  some  interesting 
facts  about  the  islands,  in  which  he  was  going  to  maintain 
law  and  order.  Bound  for  the  same  port  as  myself  is  a 
brusque  Ponapean  trader,  Captain  N.,  who  does  not  always 
appear  to  advantage,  being  taken  alternately  with  fits  of 
gaiety  during  which  he  tells  good  stories,  and  bearish 
moods  in  which  it  is  hard  to  get  a  satisfactory  word  out 
of  him.  Is  this  type  peculiar  to  the  Carolines  ?  Another 
source  of  amusement  is  the  Captain's  dog  Coco,  a  grossly 
fat,  absurdly  short-haired  animal,  with  a  hide  the  colour 
of  an  old  copper  coin  and  the  temper  of  the  traditional 
East  Indian  Nabob  with  a  liver.  The  creature  paces  the 
slippery  decks,  growling  at  every  lurch  of  the  vessel,  and 
snapping  at  the  spray  as  it  bursts  up  through  the  anchor 
chains.  When  feeding  he  growls,  when  fasting  he  growls. 
He  was,  however,  left  only  one  day  without  food,  and  this 
piece  of  neglect  brought  the  lad  in  charge  of  him  a  smart 
taste  of  the  rattan.  The  first  and  second  engineers  speak 
English  very  well,  as  is  generally  the  case  with  those  on 
the  mail-service  lines.  Many  of  them,  like  my  two  ac- 
quaintances came  from  the  Pyrenean  Provinces  in  the 
north  of  Spain,  and  spent  some  years  in  the  Engineering 
School  of  Instruction  in  Liverpool.  Naturally  our  con- 
50 


YAP    AND    THE    MARIANNES   TO    PONAPE       51 

versation    often    turned    on    that    philological    puzzle,  the 
Basque  language. 

At  noon  on  the  seventh  day  out,  we  raise  the  western- 
most isle  of  the  long  Caroline  Archipelago — variously 
termed  Yap,  Guap  or  Wap — a  low-lying  strip  of  land 
rising  in  the  middle  into  a  round  plateau  looking  down 
upon  an  exquisitely  green  belt  of  coconut  palms,  and 
recalling  exactly  my  impressions  on  sighting  Tongatabu 
on  my  first  Pacific  island  voyage.  Slipping  cautiously 
through  the  narrow  reef-passage  we  enter  Tomil  Harbour, 
with  the  islands  of  Tarrang  and  Ngingich  hard  by,  and  the 
little  Spanish  settlement  of  Santa  Christina  on  the  islands  of 
Tapalau  and  Belolach  joined  by  a  causeway,  right  in  front 
of  us,  and  are  soon  beleaguered  by  a  number  of  native 
canoes  and  shore  boats.  To  my  disappointment  Captain 
O'Keefe,  to  whom  I  have  a  letter  of  introduction,  and  who 
is  to  act  as  my  banker  and  general  business  agent  in  these 
waters,  is  away  on  one  of  his  long  cruises  in  the  Pelews 
and  Central  Carolines  ;  but  has  left  in  charge  as  foreman 
and  general  agent  a  certain  Joe  Mitchell,  with  whom  I 
have  no  difficulty  in  making  all  necessary  arrangements. 
To  Mr  E.  Oppenheim-Gerard  in  charge  of  the  station  of 
the  Jaluit  Gesellschaft  on  Ngingich  or  Dunnitch  I  also 
presented  my  credentials  when  he  came  on  board.  I  found 
him  a  most  interesting  comrade  with  a  fund  of  varied  and 
curious  information.  He  pressed  me  to  come  ashore  to 
dinner  at  sunset,  and  stay  overnight  at  his  place  ;  so  as 
the  steamer  did  not  leave  till  noon  next  day,  I  gladly 
accepted  his  invitation.  Theodoro  had  plucked  up  spirit 
wonderfully  at  the  sight  of  land  and  got  camera  and 
plates  into  working  order,  and  we  went  ashore  about  sunset 
well  pleased  with  the  prospect  of  strange  sights  in  a  strange 
land.  A  jovial  evening  was  spent  and  the  night  was  well 
advanced  when  we  retired.  Captain  N.,  on  business 
thoughts  intent,  elected  to  stay  overnight  upon  O'Keefe's 
island  close  by.      How  he  fared  I  cannot  tell. 

Out  of  our  table-talk  I  noted  some  peculiar  facts  about 


52  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

the  people  of  Yap,  and  their  language,  which  appears  to 
be  a  crabbed  form  of  some  ancient  Asiatic  tongue  allied  to 
the  Dravidian  coloured  with  a  tint  of  Malay  and  Japanese, 
and  crossed  or  chequered,  in  a  very  remarkable  way  with 
unmistakable  Polynesian  words. 

We  are  up  bright  and  early,  the  man  with  the  camera 
first  of  all. 

The  best  photo  he  took  was  one  of  a  group  of  natives 
with  three  women  from  the  Fe-Bai  or  Lodge  at  Rul,  with 
our  kindly  host  a  single  splash  of  white  in  the  background 
of  seven  ebony  statues. 

At  the  steamer's  first  whistle  reluctantly  we  made  our 
way  on  board,  promising  our  kind  host  to  look  him  up 
without  fail  on  my  way  back  from  Ponape,  which  promise, 
it  will  be  seen,  I  faithfully  kept.  On  my  return  to  Yap 
I  took  many  notes  on  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
natives — their  antiquities,  traditions  and  folklore,  marine 
life,  flora  and  geography — all  of  which  I  have  reserved 
more  appropriately  for  a  later  chapter  ;  our  first  glimpse 
of  Yap  being,  as  it  were,  a  mere  bird's-eye  view,  and  as 
such  I  give  it  here. 

We  noticed  that  the  people  were  very  much  darker 
than  the  light  brown  folk  of  Polynesia,  and  that  their 
canoes  were  on  a  different  model,  running  up  high  bow 
and  stern  with  a  peculiar  fish-tail  ornamentation  fore  and 
aft,  and  fitted  with  a  wide  and  heavy  outrigger  that  must 
stand  them  in  good  stead  in  long  sea-going  voyages. 

Punctually  at  noon  we  are  off,  heading  straight  for 
Guam,  which  lies  up  some  400  miles  to  the  N.E.  towards 
the  Bonins  and  Japan.  This  track  is  followed  by  the 
mail-steamers  in  order  to  avoid  the  dangerous  reefs  which 
surround  the  imperfectly  charted  islets  of  the  Central 
Carolines. 

During  our  voyage  from  Yap,  Senor  Marina,  who 
seemed  very  well  up  in  the  history  of  his  new  dominions, 
gave  me  the  following  facts :  Discovered  by  Magellan 
in  1  521  and  Christianised  about  1662,  the  islands  of  the 


YAP   AND   THE    MARIANNES   TO    PONAPE      53 

Marianne  or  Ladrone  group  came  under  Spanish  power. 
The  present  population  is  under  ten  thousand,  of  which 
more  than  two-thirds  are  located  in  Agafia,  the  metropolis 
and  residence  of  the  Governor.  The  native  race  are  called 
Chamorros,  and  at  the  time  of  the  Spanish  conquests  had 
reached  some  degree  of  civilisation  and  clan  organisation, 
and  had  acquired  no  mean  proficiency  in  agriculture  and 
pottery-making. 

What  mightily  stirred  my  curiosity  was  an  account 
given  me  by  the  Governor  of  some  interesting  ruins  in  the 
group.  For  more  minute  information  he  referred  me  to 
a  chapter  in  a  Spanish  historiette  published  lately  in 
Manilla,  of  which  I  subjoin  a  partial  free  translation. 

All  over  the  Mariannes,  in  the  seats  of  the  native 
population,  before  their  discovery  by  the  white  men, 
there  exist  certain  pyramids  and  truncated  cones,  on  the 
top  of  which  are  placed  semi-esferas,  i.e.  half  spherical 
bodies.  These  cones  or  pyramids  on  the  island  of 
Guahan  do  not  exceed  three  feet  in  height,  the  diameter 
of  the  curious  pieces  on  the  tops  being  about  two  feet. 
Those  seen  on  the  island  of  Saipan  near  the  village  of 
Garapui  on  the  west  coast  are  somewhat  larger  and 
generally  composed  of  stone.  Amongst  the  natives  these 
go  by  the  name  of  Houses  of  the  Ancients.  They  face 
each  other  in  two  parallel  lines  like  a  regular  street. 
According  to  tradition  the  old  inhabitants  used  to  inter 
their  dead  in  these  houses  or  cairns.  Many  even  of  the 
present  generation  have  a  superstitious  fear  of  touching 
the  stones  or  cultivating  the  ground  in  their  neighbourhood 
— a  fear  which  is  disappearing  nowadays  as  shown  by  the 
fact  that  the  Church  of  Tinian  was  partly  constructed  out 
of  the  ruins  of  one  of  these  monuments.  In  1887  a 
French  naturalist,  M.  Alfred  Marche,  accompanied  by  the 
Spanish  author  referred  to  above  and  several  Chamorro 
and  Caroline  natives,  visited  the  site  of  some  of  the  ruins 
on  Tinian  and  Saipan.  Those  of  the  most  imposing  pro- 
portions are  found  on  Tinian  near  the  pueblo  of  Sinharon. 


54  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

One  of  these  monuments  is  styled  The  House  of  Taga  and 
measures  four  and  a  half  metres  in  height,  and  one  and  a 
quarter  in  diameter  at  the  base.  On  the  top,  which  runs 
up  to  75  of  a  metre  in  breadth,  is  placed  a  semi-esfera 
two  and  a  half  metres  in  diameter. 

The  monuments  are  twelve  in  number,  arranged  in  a 
double  row  as  those  in  Saipan.  Seven  are  standing,  but 
cyclones  have  levelled  five  with  the  ground,  showing 
clearly  that  they  have  no  solidity  of  foundation.  The 
distance  between  each  of  them  and  its  neighbour  in  line 
is  about  one  and  a  half  metres,  and  that  between  the  rows 
about  four.  The  material  is  ordinary  rubble  from  the 
coral-reefs  mixed  with  a  great  quantity  of  mortar  made 
of  burnt  coral  lime  and  sand.  One  of  these  curious 
pyramids  still  standing  had  on  its  top  a  large  bowl  about 
five  feet  in  depth.  This,  according  to  tradition,  was  the 
grave  of  Taga's  daughter  and  in  it,  sure  enough,  the  ex- 
plorers found  some  human  bones  ;  but  of  these,  unfor- 
tunately, no  scientific  measurements  were  recorded.  This 
monument  is  at  the  end  of  the  village  and  faces  north-west. 

Thus  far  the  Spaniard,  and  it  is  much  to  be  hoped 
that  some  English  explorer  will  try  his  luck  in  turn  and 
furnish  our  scientists  at  home  with  fuller  information 
upon  the  origin,  design,  and  distribution  of  these  singular 
structures  of  an  all  but  vanished  people. 

About  sunset  on  Christmas  eve,  we  sight  the  high  table 
lands  of  Guam  or  Guahan.  We  draw  in  to  a  prospect  of 
woods  and  green  valleys,  backed  by  steep  cliffs  and 
curiously  shaped  turreted  masses  of  limestone  rock,  and 
finally  drop  anchor  in  Port  Luis  de  Apra,  about  two  miles 
off  the  little  town,  the  water  abruptly  shoaling  further 
inshore  and  blocked  on  every  hand  by  coral-reefs.  As 
there  was  nothing  to  be  gained  by  going  on  shore  long  after 
dark,  we  deferred  our  landing  till  next  morning.  About 
nine  o'clock  a  boat  comes  off,  manned  by  a  crew  of  natives 
under  the  command  of  the  son  of  Joe  Wilson,  the  pilot. 
We  pulled  in  through  the  shallows  marked  out  by  a  long 


YAP   AND   THE    MARIANNES    TO    PONAPE       55 

line  of  stakes.  Our  way  lay  under  the  lee  of  Goat  Island, 
the  scenery  of  which  much  resembles  that  of  Mauke  in  the 
Harvey  Group.  It  is  composed  of  honeycombed  water- 
worn  limestone  of  bluish  grey  tint,  covered  by  a  rich 
green  mantle  of  forest  and  low  scrub.  The  Thespesia, 
the  Cycas  circinalis  {Fadan),  and  the  Pandanus  grow 
abundantly  amongst  the  blocks  and  boulders,  also  the 
handsome  large-leaved  tree,  the  Puka  or  Pukatea  of 
South   Polynesia. 

Landing  at  Port  Louis  next  morning  behold  a  strange 
party  setting  forth  for  the  interior  in  a  strange  vehicle, 
drawn  by  a  stranger  beast  of  burden.  Captain  N.,  his  little 
daughter,  myself  and  the  Manilla  man,  all  perched  behind 
a  red  cow,  who  for  evident  reasons  should  have  been 
exempt,  and  who,  under  protest  and  the  propulsion  of  a 
small  native  boy  armed  with  a  switch  sitting  on  her 
shoulders,  drags  our  clumsy  old  Noah's  ark  through  the 
ruts  on  a  pair  of  wheels  totally  innocent  of  spokes  and 
each  being  of  one  solid  circular  piece  like  a  table  top, 
hewn  roughly  out  of  Daok  wood  {Callophyllum).  From 
Port  Louis  to  Agafia  is  no  very  long  journey,  but  it 
seemed  an  age  getting  there,  and  when  we  did  get  there, 
there  wasn't  very  much  to  see.  A  little  township  of  some 
six  thousand  souls,  allowing  a  soul  to  each  inhabitant,  at 
least  as  far  as  the  Catholic  priests  will  permit  them  to  own 
one.  The  Chamorros,  though  akin  to  their  neighbours 
the  Tagals  and  Pampangs  of  Luzon,  whom  the  Spanish 
military  system  has  quartered  on  them  in  the  form  of 
garrison,  yet  preserve  some  indefinable  personality  of 
their  own.  They  are  a  pretty  people,  gentle,  kindly,  and 
reasonably  honest.  It  is  a  pity  so  few  of  the  old  race 
are  left — less  than  ten  thousand  I  believe,  and  they  mostly 
half-castes.  But  the  narrative  of  "  Kotzubue's  Voyages  "  has 
given  us  one  consolation.  In  it  Chamisso  tells  us  clearly 
of  the  emigration  of  the  greater  part  of  the  Chamorros 
into  the  Central  Caroline  area,  whither  the  cruelty  of  petty 
Spanish   officials   and   the   motherly  solicitude  of  the  In- 


56  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

quisition  with  its  gentle  persuasive  measures,  dared  not 
and  dares  not  to  this  day  follow  them.  Chamisso,  poet, 
dramatist  and  philologist,  has  told  us  of  one  good,  honest 
Spanish  governor,  and  one  alone,  who  really  understood 
these  Ladrone  islanders.  From  results,  we  may  guess 
what  the  others  must  have  been,  despite  the  furious  denial 
of  the  Spanish  historian.  None  of  these  things  troubled 
Captain  N.,  who  all  the  while  was  thinking  of  nothing  but 
dollars  and  cents,  nor  Theodoro  either,  poor  creature,  who 
did  what  he  was  told  to  do,  when  he  would  much  rather 
have  sat  idle  and  slept.  He  did  not  sleep  and  he  did  not 
sit  idle. 

That  afternoon  I  recollect  to  my  infinite  boredom,  we 
interviewed  a  Japanese  storekeeper,  a  Spanish  padre,  a 
Chamorro  rice-farmer  and  a  German  trader,  who  barring  a 
strong  tendency  to  talk  "  shop,"  and  nothing  but  "  shop," 
seemed  a  decent  fellow.  He  gave  us  a  good  Christmas 
dinner,  and  somehow  our  patient  beast  got  us  down  to 
Port  Louis  that  night  about  eleven.  But  it  was  hard 
lines  on  that  cow.  Thence  on  board  and  away  next 
morning  for  another  five  days'  tumbling  and  tossing,  the 
wild  winds  whirring  through  our  rigging  as  night  and  day 
we  drone  on  and  on  into  the  south-east. 

On  the  ist  January  1896,  the  Venus  enters  the  harbour 
of  Ascension,  where  the  little  white-walled  Spanish  Colony 
of  Santiago  lies,  surrounded  by  a  clearing  on  a  slope  by 
the  waterside  at  the  mouth  of  a  wide  creek,  protected  to 
the  east  and  west  by  rude  block-houses.  I  landed  and 
presented  my  credentials  to  the  Governor  Don  Jos6  Pidal, 
who  scanned  them  and  me  narrowly,  and  appeared  some- 
what chagrined  at  an  Englishman  being  unable  to  speak 
Spanish  like  a  native  of  Castille,  after  only  two  months' 
study  of  that  interesting  tongue.  However,  we  contrived 
to  make  our  meaning  tolerably  clear  to  one  another.  It 
turns  out  from  the  Governor's  account  that  the  ruins  lie  in 
a  district  hostile  to  Europeans,  the  rulers  of  which  are 
only  kept  in  good  humour  by  the  receipt  of  monthly  sub- 


DESCRIPTION    OF   PONAPE  57 

sidies.  As  late  as  six  years  ago  they  proved  themselves 
treacherous  and  bloodthirsty  to  a  degree.  He  tells  me 
that  the  natives  are  savages  no  better  than  heathen  Moors 
or  Ethiopians,  and  that  sundry  ignorant  and  self-willed 
bigots  of  the  Methodist  Mission  from  Boston  have  been 
all  the  while  stirring  them  up  against  their  lawful  rulers  to 
the  great  detriment  of  Spanish  prestige,  and  the  glory 
of  the  Catholic  Church.  That  extreme  danger  and  much 
discomfort  would  accompany  the  quest,  and  that  he  him- 
self should  be  much  concerned  at  an  English  visitor  under 
Spanish  protection  risking  his  life  for  so  doubtful  an 
advantage  as  photographing  old  stone  walls,  and  excavating 
uninteresting  relics.  Undeterred  by  this  formidable  picture, 
I  still  held  firm  to  my  purpose,  and  finally  after  much 
persuasion  he  yielded  and  gave  his  word  under  protest  to 
do  his  best  to  assist  me  in  my  explorations.  And  this 
promise  I  must  say  he  kept  most  truly  and  honourably, 
once  especially  at  a  rather  critical  time,  where  a  weaker 
man  might  have  yielded  to  native  craft  and  subtlety. 

The  interview  over,  and  the  required  permission  gained, 
with  a  light  heart  I  introduced  myself  to  the  good 
Capuchin  priests,  Padres  Saturnino  and  Augustino.  I 
occupied  all  my  spare  time  in  studying  a  Spanish-Ponapean 
vocabulary  and  grammar,  with  which  the  head  of  their 
order  had  presented  me  in  Manilla. 

My  late  fellow  passenger,  Captain  N.,  with  whom  I  am 
lodging  pro  tern.,  has  once  more  turned  gruff  and  snappish. 
He  has  plenty  of  hard  work  in  hand,  and  is  deeply 
immersed  in  business  matters  with  his  Madrid  partner. 
The  first  few  days  hung  somewhat  heavy  on  my  hands. 
The  Manilla  soldiery,  who  formed  the  garrison  did  not 
particularly  interest  me,  though  my  photographer  Theodoro 
fraternised  with  them  readily  enough.  But  there  were 
always  a  few  natives  from  over  the  water,  or  from  the  coast 
districts,  pottering  around  the  store,  who  had  picked  up 
a  little  broken  English.  Both  the  Governor  and  Captain 
N.  advised  me  to  wait  until   Henry  Nanapei  of  Ronkiti 


58  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

came  up  from  the  South  Coast,  whom  they  declared  to 
be  the  very  man  to  help  me  to  make  a  success  of  the 
undertaking. 

One  morning  Captain  N.  expresses  himself  bluntly  after 
the  fashion  of  old  trading  skippers.  "  Ponape  natives  are 
a  queer  sort,  but  they  aren't  bad  natives.  They  don't 
think  much  of  killing  a  man.  I  know  some  of  them  down 
the  east  coast  who'd  like  to  have  my  head,  sure  enough, 
because  I  showed  some  Spanish  men-of-war  the  way  into 
one  of  their  harbours  in  the  last  war.  Go  easy,  my  lad, 
go  easy.  They  aren't  like  your  quiet  Tahiti  and  Samoa 
folk,  but  the  real  rough  article  and  no  mistake.  You  just 
remember  that,  and  go  easy  with  them,  and  you'll  be  all 
right.  If  you  don't  you'll  get  left,  as  sure  as  fate,  as  a 
good  many  others  have  been,  that's  all.  So  now  you 
know  what's  what,  and  I  can't  stand  here  giving  advice  all 
day.  It's  none  of  my  business  after  all.  You  stick 
to  Nanapei  and  he'll  see  you  through  ;  and  the  King  of 
U  is  a  good-natured  cuss,  drunk  or  sober.  Old  Lapen 
Paliker  too  is  about  as  straight  as  they  make  them.  Some 
of  his  people  are  sitting  round  outside  now.  You'd 
better  go  and  yarn  with  them,  and  listen  to  a  few  of  their 
lies.  Just  make  friends  with  the  old  people  first,  give  the 
girls  some  presents  and  the  men  a  few  sticks  of  tobacco, 
and  you  won't  be  able  to  get  rid  of  the  crowd.  They'll 
talk  with  you  all  day,  and  want  you  to  go  and  pay  them 
a  visit,  and  when  they  go  home  the  story  will  go  all 
round  the  island  like  a  telephone,  and  maybe  do  you  a 
lot  of  good.      I'm  busy.      Now  git !  "      And  I  got. 

I  soon  made  friends  with  the  Paliker  natives  and  their 
headman,  who  entertained  me  most  hospitably  for  a 
couple  of  days  at  the  little  hillside  settlement  just  below 
Chokach.  I  also  visited  the  Ichipau,  or  King  of  U,  and 
the  Wachai  of  Chokach,  whose  respective  territories 
bounded  the  colony  in  the  north-east  and  north- 
west. The  two  chiefs  were  a  curious  contrast  to  one 
another.      The  former  is  a  very  genial  old  gentleman,  and 


DESCRIPTION   OF   PONAPE  59 

a  great  admirer  of  English  and  Americans.  He  is  neither 
Protestant  nor  Catholic,  and  I  am  sorry  to  say  I  once 
caught  him  using  pages  of  a  Missionary  Bible  for  pipe- 
lights.  He  joined  in  the  native  rising  of  1887,  was 
deported  to  Manilla,  tried  for  his  life,  acquitted,  feted,  and 
sent  back  safe  home  again.  Since  then  he  has  rarely 
known  a  sober  moment.  Every  Sunday  he  appears  in 
the  colony  gorgeous  in  an  orange-coloured  kilt,  a  black 
coat,  and  turkey-red  shirt.  Bottle  under  arm  he  marches, 
offering  a  dram  to  every  European  he  meets  in  the  fulness 
of  his  regal  heart.  The  Spanish  allow  him  about  forty 
dollars  a  month  to  keep  him  in  good  humour,  and  thus  as 
a  rule  he  is  able  to  pay  his  debts — a  very  rare  thing  in  a 
native,  and  from  its  rarity  much  esteemed.  The  photo- 
graph shows  him  seated  in  front  of  his  house  near  Auak, 
with  the  Likant  or  Queen,  his  children,  and  his  faithful 
yellow  dog,  Clarita,  by  his  side.  The  Prince  of  Chokach 
has  a  fancy  for  European  garb.  Like  the  King  of  U,  he 
also  was  in  the  rising  of  1887,  and  draws  the  same  monthly 
salary.  Unlike  his  brother  monarch,  he  is  a  Catholic  and 
a  teetotaler,  hoards  his  money,  and  lets  his  debts  run  on. 

A  digression  on  the  physical  aspect  and  natural  pro- 
ducts of  Ponape,  the  chief  island  of  the  eastern  Carolines, 
may  enable  the  reader  to  picture  our  surroundings  at 
this  time. 

The  area  of  the  island  of  Ponape  is  some  340  square 
miles.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  barrier  reef  (paina)  enclosing 
a  lagoon  (nallani)  about  a  mile  and  a  half  in  breadth,  and 
of  varying  depth,  studded  in  all  directions  with  detached 
reefs  (mat)  and  patches  of  live  coral,  the  rapid  growth  of 
which  on  the  south  and  south-west  coasts  bids  fair  to 
render  navigation — except  for  the  lightest  canoes — an 
impossible  task.  On  the  north  coast,  however,  the  lagoon 
in  many  places  is  of  considerable  depth.  In  this  lagoon 
are  scattered  thirty-three  islets,  mostly  low  and  of  coralline 
formation  ;  a  few  of  them,  however,  are  volcanic  in  origin. 
The    principal    of    these   are    Langar,    Parram,    and    the 


60  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

Mants  on  the  north  coast,  Tapak  and  Aru  on  the  north- 
east, and  Mutok  in  the  south.  The  limestone  islets  are 
called  Takai-mai  or  Light-blue  Stone,  and  those  of  basalt 
formation  Takai-tol  or  Black  Stone. 

Chokach  has  a  remarkable  scarp  or  precipice,  the  Paip- 
Alap,  937  feet  in  height,  on  the  north  side  of  it,  where 
the  columnar  form  of  the  basalt  is  very  clearly  defined. 
The  glen  below,  tradition  declares,  was  the  quarry  whence 
the  early  builders  gathered  the  material  for  their  wonder- 
ful works  on  the  east  coast,  straight  from  the  workshop 
of  Nature.  Langar  is  the  headquarters  of  a  German 
trading   firm. 

The  other  islets  are  mere  patches  of  sand  and  coral, 
overgrown  with  palm,  pandanus  and  littoral  shrubs,  and 
visited  occasionally  by  fishing  parties. 

The  principal  harbours  are  six  in  number:  (i)  Ascension 
Bay  in  the  north,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Pillapenchakola 
River,  on  the  south  bank  of  which  stands  the  little  Spanish 
colony  of  Santiago,  with  the  peaks  of  Kupuricha  and 
Telemir  towering  some  2000  feet  high  in  the  background. 
To  the  south-west  is  the  great  scarp  of  Chokach,  a  notable 
landmark  far  out  at  sea.  (2)  Port  Aru,  or  Oa,  on  the 
U  and  Metalanim  border,  has  a  very  narrow  and  tortuous 
entrance,  and  was  the  scene  in  1890  of  a  brisk  action,  in 
which  the  Spaniards  brilliantly  carried  the  rebel  defences 
from  the  sea.  (3)  Metalanim  Harbour  on  the  east,  over- 
looked by  Mount  Takaiu,  or  the  Sugar-loaf  Peak,  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  which  are  the  celebrated  ruins.  (4) 
Port  Mutok,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kiti  river,  with  the 
peaks  of  Roi,  Lukoila,  and  Wana  in  the  background,  with 
a  remarkable  obelisk-shaped  rock,  called  by  the  native 
Chila-U,  or  the  Adze-head,  and  by  trading  skippers,  the 
"  Sentry  Box."  (5)  Ronkiti  Harbour,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  river  of  the  same  name,  which  rises  in  the  slopes  of 
Mount  Tolokom,  the  highest  peak  in  the  island,  judged  to 
be  2861  feet  high.  (6)  Ponatik  or  Middle  Harbour,  in 
South  Metalanim. 


DESCRIPTION    OF    PONAPE  61 

The  island  is  divided  into  five  districts,  U,  Chokach, 
Not,  Kiti,  and  Metalanim  ;  the  two  latter  with  a  popula- 
tion of  i  300  and  1  500  respectively.  The  whole  population 
is  about  5000,  living  in  Kanim  or  scattered  open  villages 
confined  to  the  sea  coast.  They  are  Christianised,  though 
some  of  them  retain  many  of  their  old  heathen  practices. 
The  north  province  of  U  is  very  mountainous,  and  some 
of  the  cliffs  looking  down  upon  the  valleys  show  a  very 
fine  example  of  columnar  basalt  formation.  The  interior 
of  the  island  is  an  almost  impenetrable  wilderness  of 
densely  wooded  mountains  and  sierras,  seamed  with 
deep  valleys,  and  ravines.  The  heavy  annual  rainfall 
sends  down  numerous  torrents  from  the  slopes  of  the 
mountains  which  form  the  central  water-shed.  A  belt  of 
swamp,  covered  by  thick  clumps  of  mangroves  and  other 
salt-water  brush,  surrounds  the  island.  The  mangrove 
belt  at  the  mouth  of  the  rivers  is  traversed  by  a  network 
of  shallow  tau,  or  waterways,  barely  wide  enough  to  allow 
a  single  canoe  to  pass.  The  scenery  a  little  way  up  the 
stream  is  rich  in  beauty.  The  mangroves  once  pierced, 
one  passes  into  a  region  of  Nipa  palm,  tree-ferns,  and  tall 
trees  interlacing  overhead,  hung  with  all  manner  of  ferns, 
orchids,  and  creepers,  the  advance-guard  of  the  hosts  of 
the  forest  sweeping  down  upon  the  rich  low  levels.  At  a 
little  higher  elevation  are  found  two  varieties  of  the  areca 
or  betel-nut  palm,  which  the  Ponapeans,  unlike  the  Malays 
and  their  Yap  relations  in  the  west,  do  not  chew.  Higher 
up  still  on  the  mountain  slopes  are  found  some  valuable 
timber-trees  (a  full  description  of  which  as  well  as  Ponapean 
economic  shrubs  and  plants,  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix). 
Amongst  the  mountains  there  are  some  well-grassed  table- 
lands admirably  suited  for  the  pasture  of  cattle.  In  the 
mountains  behind  Ronkiti  is  a  lake  swarming  with  huge 
eels.  Other  lakes  doubtless  exist,  but  unfortunately  very 
little  is  known  about  the  interior,  of  penetrating  which  the 
natives  appear  to  have  a  superstitious  dread. 

The    most    productive    copra    districts    are    Kiti    and 


62  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

Chokach,  and  there  is  a  considerable  trade  in  fruit  of  the 
vegetable  ivory  palm. 

The  climate  is  hot  and  moist,  tempered  from  October 
to  May  by  the  trade  wind  blowing  fresh  and  clear  out  of 
the  north-east.  The  rainy  season  sets  in  about  June, 
lasting  to  the  end  of  September.  This  is  the  time  of 
light  variable  winds,  with  frequent  calms,  with  occasional 
heavy  thunderstorms  and  south-westerly  gales.  Accord- 
ing to  Dr  Gulick's  observations,  the  highest  temperature 
marked  in  a  period  of  three  years  was  31  "j°  Cent.  {i.e. 
about  870  Fahr.),  and  the  lowest  210  (about  Jo°  Fahr.). 
The  average  temperature  is  28*3°  Cent.  (  =  about  8i° 
Fahr.).  The  annual  rainfall  is  somewhat  heavy.  In  the 
year  1890,  observations  taken  on  the  Maria  Molina  hulk 
in  Ascension  Bay  gave  230  days  in  the  year  on  which 
rain  fell,  and  a  total  rainfall  of  some  36  inches. 


CHAPTER   IV 

NALAP,  AND  PONAPEAN  SUPERSTITIONS  AND  CHARACTER 

SHORTLY  after  our  visit  to  the  Ichipau  of  U  and  his 
brother  monarch  of  Chokach,  we  met  Henry  Nanapei 
on  one  of  his  visits  to  the  Colony,  who,  on  learning  our 
needs,  promptly  agreed  to  place  at  our  disposal  the  island 
of  Nalap,  just  off  the  mouth  of  the  Ronkiti  River,  on  the 
south-west  coast.  Accordingly,  after  laying  in  various 
stores,  and  carefully  stowing  boxes,  baggage,  and  photo- 
graphic apparatus,  we  borrowed  a  big  canoe  and  two 
natives  of  Not  to  sail  her,  and  slipped  down  the  coast  past 
the  great  crag  of  Chokach,  the  hill  ranges  of  Paliker,  the 
valley  of  the  Palang  River,  and  the  round  hill-tops  of 
Marau  and  Tomara.  The  lagoon  in  many  places  is  filled 
with  stacks  of  living  coral  shooting  up  to  within  four  feet 
of  the  surface.  Shoreward  the  thick  line  of  mangroves 
marks  the  region  of  the  salt  marshes  girdling  Ponape  like 
a  great  green  ribbon.  This,  as  already  mentioned,  is 
seamed  by  myriad  narrow  lanes  or  waterways  just  wide 
enough  for  a  single  canoe  to  pass.  When  Ponape  is  fully 
civilised  there  will  be  need  to  elect  a  special  Minister 
of  the  waterways  for  the  effectual  clearing  and  widening 
of  these  precarious  channels.  For  the  canals  are  hardly 
navigable,  and,  worse  still,  from  time  to  time,  a  vigorous 
gale  of  wind  brings  down  some  great  forest  tree  across 
the  passage,  blocking  the  way  to  all  craft  until  some 
one  comes  with  an  axe  or  crosscut  saw  and  removes  it. 

We  strike  into  the  maze  and  pass  swampy  banks 
bordered  by  Nipa  palms  and  tall  forest  trees,  their  boughs 
and  trunks  laden  with  drooping  festoons  of  orchid,  creeper, 

polypody,  and  lliana,  and  huge  round,  glossy  green  clumps 

63 


64  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

of  birds'  nests  firm-rooted  in  the  fork  where  each  sturdy 
branch  springs  out  of  the  parent  tree.  A  turn  at  length 
brings  us  in  sight  of  the  Ronkiti  landing-place,  called 
Chakar-en-  Yap,  i.e.,  The  Yapmen's  heritage,  and  we  know 
that  our  journey  is  over. 

Nanapei  took  us  over  to  see  Nalap  the  same  afternoon  in 
his  own  boat.  The  islet  lies  out  in  the  bay  near  the  outer 
reef,  some  two  miles  off  the  mouth  of  the  Ronkiti  River, 
which  waters  a  fertile  valley  of  the  same  name,  which  Nana- 
pei has  planted  with  enormous  numbers  of  coconut  palms. 
We  returned  to  the  mainland  that  evening,  and  next  morn- 
ing bathed  in  the  river,  which  near  its  mouth  broadens  out 
into  a  little  lake,  lively  with  the  silvery  arrows  of  darting 
fish,  the  palms  fringing  the  banks  mirrored  to  the  life  in 
the  placid  water.  Here  flits  the  kingfisher  (Kotar)  with 
a  flash  of  sheeny  blue.  Fly  catchers  and  honey-eaters 
chirrup  in  the  tree-tops,  and  dragon-flies,  gaudy  with  blue 
and  brown,  with  red  and  orange,  wheel  and  circle  in  the 
sleepy  noontide.  The  whole  valley  is  one  great  garden, 
sadly  marshy  in  parts,  but  seemingly  of  a  prodigious  and 
inexhaustible  fertility.  A  little  dyking,  ditching,  and 
hedging  would  do  no  harm  here.  Sago-palms,  bananas, 
mangoes,  orange  and  lime  trees,  grow  in  the  greatest 
magnificence.  Great  beds  of  wild  ginger  carpet  the 
ground,  sending  up  a  pungent  aromatic  reek  from  their 
trodden  leaves.  Here  and  there  peeps  out  from  the  green 
veil  of  forest  a  bit  of  rich  russet  thatch,  a  patch  of  yellow 
and  brown  house-wall  of  canes  and  reedgrass,  occasional 
glimpses  of  native  dwellings  lying  back  in  the  shadow 
The  valley  is  populous  and  the  people  industrious,  for 
Nanapei  has  his  folk  well  in  hand.  There  is  no  lack  of 
food  in  the  land,  for  yams  and  taro  are  zealously  culti- 
vated. A  giant  species  of  Arum  {A.  costatum)  is  especially 
noticeable.  The  Caroline  islanders  call  it  Pulak,  the  Poly- 
nesians Puraka  and  Kape  or  'Ape.  In  the  Philippines  it 
is  called  Gabe.  It  has  a  very  large  tuber,  but  contains 
much  acrid  juice,  only  dispelled  by  long  and  careful  cook- 


THE   FISHING-STATION   OF   NALAP  65 

ing,  and  is  only  eaten  in  times  of  famine.  There  is  quite 
a  mixture  of  nationalities  in  Ronkiti.  Men  from  Ruk  and 
the  Mortlocks  are  easily  discerned  by  the  enormous  size 
of  the  lower  lobe  of  their  ears,  unnaturally  distended, 
loaded  down  with  shell-ornaments,  as  is  the  custom  of 
their  race.  There  are  some  Pingelap  and  Mokil  men, 
naive,  awkward,  and  stolid,  but  cheerful  and  harmless  folk, 
and  there  was  a  man  from  the  remote  islet  of  Nuku-Oro. 
His  name  was  Caspar,  and  Nanapei  employed  him  as 
carpenter  and  boat-builder — a  very  quiet,  good  fellow,  who 
was  delighted  at  my  being  able  to  converse  with  him  in 
Samoan,  to  which  the  Nuku-Oro  tongue  bears  an  extra- 
ordinary resemblance.  At  the  mouth  of  the  river  is  the 
Chakar-en-Yap  landing-place,  where  Nanapei  has  built  a 
substantial  wharf,  boathouse,  and  storehouse.  A  steep 
road  runs  up  the  hill- slope  behind  to  the  main  settlement 
on  the  plateau,  where  Nanapei  has  a  pretty  residence  of  the 
bungalow  type,  with  a  lawn  in  front  dotted  with  rose- 
bushes and  clumps  of  croton  and  scarlet  hibiscus. 

We  stayed  two  or  three  days  below  by  the  waterside, 
coming  up  hill  for  our  meals,  which  were  served  either  in 
Nanapei's  house  or  that  of  his  mother  Nalio  close  by. 
Nalio,  who  has  since  unhappily  died,  was  a  lady  of  strong 
character  and  intelligence.  She  had  a  most  kindly  and 
charitable  nature,  which  very  much  endeared  her  through- 
out the  tribes,  and  doubtless  brought  many  powerful 
local  chiefs  under  the  influence  of  her  son.  When  every- 
thing was  ready,  Nanapei  sailed  us  over  to  Nalap.  The 
house  he  placed  at  our  disposal  was  roomy  and  comfort- 
able, built  of  lumber,  with  all  furniture  complete,  even 
to  tables  and  chairs.  There  were  two  other  house- 
holds on  the  island.  The  nearest  to  us  was  that  of 
Judas,  the  native  teacher,  his  wife  and  their  boy  called 
Chilon,  a  bright  little  fellow.  An  old  fisherman  and 
his  wife,  with  a  number  of  ugly  yellow  house-dogs, 
lived  away  on  the  further  seaward  horn  of  the  islet. 
Close  by  Nalap  was  a  tiny  little  patch  or  cay  of  sand 
E 


66  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

covered  with  mangroves  and  ironwood  trees.  Here 
an  old  Gilbert  islander,  Te  Bako,  "  the  Shark"  and  his 
wife  lived.  In  his  youth  a  notorious  homicide,  but  con- 
verted in  middle  life,  he  was  now  passing  a  hale  and 
hearty  old  age,  darkened  by  occasional  fits  of  gloomy 
repentance.  He  said  the  ghosts  of  dead  men  wouldn't 
let  him  sleep  at  night,  and  at  all  hours  of  the  darkness, 
storm  or  calm,  one  would  see  him  out  upon  the  reef  with 
torch  and  spear  vehemently  striving  by  hard  toil  to  quell 
both  the  devil  within  him  and  the  devils  that  he  declared 
were  ever  mocking  and  gibing  at  him  from  without.  Fish 
he  brought  us  in  plenty,  and  was  always  glad  of  a  bit 
of  tobacco.  Biscuit  he  also  accepted  thankfully.  One 
stormy  night,  seeing  him  pitiably  drenched  and  chilled 
through  and  through  in  the  northerly  gales,  I  offered  him 
a  little  rum.  This  he  refused,  as  a  native  rarely  does, 
giving  me  plainly  to  understand  that  in  his  youth  he  had 
slain  a  relation  in  a  drunken  brawl. 

"  There  was  a  feast  in  the  Moniap  (Council  Lodge). 
My  head  was  hot  with  the  Karuoruo  {sour  toddy).  Words 
grew  to  a  quarrel,  and  men  fought.  In  the  morning  my 
brother  {i.e.  cousin)  lay  by  me  dead,  and  I  was  the  man 
who  had  slain  him.  Bad  is  the  strong  liquor  of  Te-Aba 
(the  Gilbert  Islands),  but  worse  is  the  fiery  water  of 
Te-Matang  (the  foreigner)."  And  the  old  man  was 
quite  right,  for  the  drinking  of  coconut  toddy  has  pro- 
duced frightful  consequences  in  the  Gilberts  and  the 
Marquesas.  Indeed  the  total  extinction  of  the  latter 
islanders  is  now  only  a  question  of  a  decade.  The  opium 
of  China,  the  rum  and  absinthe  of  the  French,  also  work 
their  havoc  there.  To  these  four  grim  foes  add  the 
Chinese  leprosy  and  the  measles  and  phthisis  of  Europe, 
which  are  pressing  these  hapless  natives  faster  and  faster 
to  extinction.  The  Gilbert  islanders  will  possibly  just 
scrape  clear  and  make  a  new  start.  But  the  Marquesan 
race  is  doomed — a  bright  and  amiable  people  sinking 
down  into  lurid  and  smoky  darkness. 


THE   FISHING-STATION   OF   NALAP  67 

Many  a  talk  had  Te  Bako  and  I  on  the  verandah  by 
night,  whilst  the  Manilla  man  was  snoring.  The  old 
warrior  would  tell  of  inter-island  wars  and  of  the  coming 
of  the  Kaibuke,  "  tree-mountains  "  or  foreign  ships.  For 
my  part  I  would  tell  him  of  the  great  wars  in  England 
and  America,  France  and  Germany,  and  of  the  little  wars 
in  the  Pacific,  Kamehamahas'  conquest  of  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  of  Mataafa  in  Samoa,  Pomare  in  Tahiti,  Thakom- 
bau  in  Fiji,  Te  Whiti  and  Tawhiao  in  New  Zealand. 
And  the  more  I  told  him  of  these  things  the  more  eagerly 
he  listened,  like  all  the  natives  I  have  ever  met. 

But  my  poor  artist  was  another  character  altogether 

pretentious  child  of  an  effete  civilization.  He  dared  to 
look  down  upon  the  magnificent  old  barbarian,  who  late 
in  life  was  himself  crushing  out  the  inherited  savagery 
of  generations  of  fierce  warriors  and  sea  rovers.  The 
Gilbert  islander  eyed  the  Manilla  citizen  askance,  sized  him 
up  as  a  poor  sort  of  creature,  and  despised  him  then  and 
there.  Theodoro  for  his  part,  as  much  as  possible  kept 
out  of  Te  Bako's  way,  and  always  carried  about  with  him 
a  small  revolver  for  fear  of  accidents  !  And  this  was  the 
beginning  of  the  terrors  that  his  prophetic  soul  saw  loom- 
ing up  before  him  on  the  steamer,  that  eventful  Sunday 
of  our  start  from  Manilla  Bay. 

A  term  of  serene  and  glorious  weather  succeeded.  The 
days  glided  by  filled  up  with  excursions  on  the  reef  and 
in  the  lagoon,  and  occasionally  to  the  mainland.  My 
evenings,  as  a  rule,  were  given  up  to  the  fascinating  study 
of  the  Ponapean  language  and  its  curious  idioms.  Here 
I  laid  the  groundwork  of  a  Ponapean  dictionary  contain- 
ing some  four  thousand  words,  since  much  elaborated  and 
added  to.  The  results  obtained  stood  me  in  good  stead 
during  the  rest  of  my  stay  on  the  island,  upon  which  I 
found  there  were  two  dialects  spoken  by  the  tribes  on  the 
East  and  West  coast  respectively,  mutually  intelligible, 
but  each  with  many  words  peculiar  to  its  area,  and  a 
number  of  minor   local  variations,  mostly  vowel  changes. 


68  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

As  an  instance  of  the  former,  Taip  is  the  East-coast  word 
for  the  Pandanus,  called  Kipar  on  the  Western  side.  The 
varying  local  names  for  the  Morinda  citrifolia — Umpul, 
Wompul  and  Weipul — show  the  vowel-changes.  Not  to 
detain  the  reader  over  the  dry  bones  of  philology,  I  will 
merely  remark  here  that  the  Ponapean  language  is  full  of 
diphthongs,  and  that  in  grammar  it  seems  to  form  a  con- 
necting link  with  the  languages  of  Malaysia,  with  the 
somewhat  complicated  tongues  of  Melanesia,  and  the  later 
and  abraded  forms  of  the  Polynesian  area.  It  has  very 
many  cognate  words  with  those  of  the  dialects  of  the 
Philippines  and  the  Kayan  and  Dayak  of  Borneo.  The 
simple  root-words  mostly  consisting  of  one  or  two  syllables 
are  akin  to  those  of  the  Indian  hill-tribes,  apparently  belong- 
ing to  the  primitive  Aryan  substratum.1  The  letter-sounds 
F  and  V  are  conspicuously  absent,  their  places  filled 
respectively  by  P,  which  also  does  duty  for  B,  and  by 
W,  agreeably  to  the  precepts  laid  down  by  the  father  of 
Sam  Weller.  H  is  never  heard,  even  in  words  cognate  with 
Polynesian.    Cf.  Polynesian  Hetau,  Fetau,  a  Callophyllum. 

Ponape,  Ichau  id. 

Polynesian,      Hetu,  Fetu,  a  star. 

Ponape,  Uchu  id. 

Polynesian,      Hoto,  Foto,  a  barb  ;  prickle,  sting. 

Ponape,  Och,  id. 

Polynesian,      Hitu,  Fitu,  seven. 

Ponape,  Ichu  id. 

(But  Polynesian  Hatu,  Fatu,  a  stone  ;  we  find  Ponapean 
Pat.)  where  by  analogy  one  would  expect  Ach  or  Ech. 

The  verbal  roots  are  most  elaborately  modified  by  the 
addition  of  qualifying  suffixes,  which  gives  great  flexibility 

1  This  I  know  has  been  called  in  question,  as  well  as  the  wider  theory 
involved  of  the  overflowing  and  infiltration  of  words  cognate  with  Aryan 
roots  into  the  Polynesian  area.  Yet  after  most  careful  and  minute  inquiry,  I 
feel  bound  to  range  myself  on  the  side  of  Fomander,  Tregear,  Percy  Smith 
and  the  Rev.  J.  Fraser.  Those  interested  further  in  the  subject  I  may  refer 
to  my  comparative  Table  of  some  40,000  Micronesian  and  Indonesian  words 
published  shortly  in  the  Journal  of  the  Polynesian  Society  of  New  Zealand  at 
Wellington. 


THE    FISHING-STATION    OF    NALAP  69 

and  even  elegance  to  a  tongue  which  at  first  strikes  one  as 
rather  harsh. 

A  common  prefix  to  names  of  birds  and  fishes  is  Li, 
i.e.  Woman. 

It  also  occurs  very  frequently  in  compound  words 
denoting  qualities  or  actions  held  in  light  esteem. 

Cf.  lA-kam,  a  lie,  i.e.  a  woman 's  fault. 

\J\-ngarangar,  Fury,  passion,  i.e.  a  woman's  angry  voice. 

lA-porok,  Curiosity,  i.e.  a  woman's  peering. 

Uv-motigin,    Conspiracy,  i.e.  a  woman's  whispering. 

But  lA-mpok  denotes  deep,  sincere  affection,  i.e.  a 
woman's  love. 

\Ji-pilipil,  Favoritism,  i.e.  a  woman's  choice. 

In  Chinese  we  find  the  word  for  woman  affixed  to  many 
uncomplimentary  adjectives. 

I  pass  rapidly  over  our  life  upon  Nalap,  somewhat  un- 
eventful, save  that  one  evening  we  were  nearly  cap- 
sized on  a  shoal  called  the  Horseheads,  where  two  years 
ago  one  of  the  Kiti  chiefs  was  upset,  and  lost  an  entire 
set  of  false  teeth  supplied  him  by  a  compassionate  Spanish 
doctor  in  Ascension  Bay.  One  little  expedition  of  mine, 
however,  is  worth  noting.  Guided  by  Harry  Beaumont, 
Nanapei's  chief  carpenter,  I  walked  from  Ronkiti  through 
the  woods  to  Annepein,  through  a  picturesque  but  also 
sadly  swampy  district,  stopping  on  the  way  to  notice  the 
Tumulus  of  Kona  the  Giant,  which  lies  in  a  clearing 
dotted  sparsely  with  wild  pandanus  trees,  which  give  the 
name  to  the  neighbouring  settlement  of  Kipar.  The 
mound  or  barrow  is  about  ten  feet  in  height,  twenty  in 
breadth,  and  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  length.  It  is  con- 
siderably overgrown  with  a  tangle  of  creepers  and  hibiscus. 

The  name  Kona  also  occurs  in  Hawaiian  and  Peruvian 
as  the  name  of  a  giant.  The  local  tradition  runs  to  the 
effect  that  a  giant  was  buried  here  with  his  body  on  land, 
and  his  legs  stretching  seaward  to  the  little  islets  of 
Kapara  and  Laiap,  lying  out  near  the  edge  of  the  lagoon. 
The  Spanish  historian  Pereiro  sets  the  mound  down,  and 


70  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

I  think  correctly,  as  a  construction  for  defence  or  a  ceme- 
tery wherein  they  interred  the  dead  after  a  great  battle. 
I  had  no  implements  for  excavation  handy,  and  soon  after- 
wards the  absorbing  interest  of  exploring  the  Metalanim 
ruins  quite  engrossed  my  attention.  But  I  mention  the 
Barrow  of  Kipar,  hoping  that  the  next  explorer  here  will 
come  better  provided,  and  that  here  also  diligent  excava- 
tions may  bring  to  light  many  interesting  relics  of  the 
past. 

We  received  a  good  many  visits  from  time  to  time  on 
Nalap  from  the  district  chiefs,  and  saw  a  couple  of  whaling 
vessels  and  one  Honolulu  trading  schooner  enter  and 
leave  Ronkiti  harbour,  also  a  copra-laden  vessel  from 
Nagasaki,  with  a  Japanese  crew  and  skipper.  We  also 
had  an  enjoyable  two  days'  visit  to  our  Paliker  friends  up 
the  coast,  marred  only  by  the  discomfort  on  our  journey 
up,  of  missing  the  right  landing-place  in  the  twilight 
amongst  the  dense  mangrove  thickets,  and  remaining 
moored  all  night  in  utter  darkness  cooped  up  in  our 
narrow  craft  under  a  terrific  tropical  downpour.  Next 
morning,  chilled  to  the  very  bone,  we  struggled  up  to  the 
little  hill  settlement,  where  the  warmth  of  our  reception 
speedily  made  us  forget  all  our  miseries.  A  mighty  feast 
was  prepared  for  us,  there  was  Kava-making,  there  were 
speeches  and  orations,  and  the  proceedings  closed  with  an 
exposition  of  native  dancing  and  singing.  The  second 
day  was  a  repetition  of  the  first,  and  after  delighting  our 
good  old  host,  the  village  headman,  with  a  present  of  knives 
and  tobacco,  we  sailed  back  again  to  Nalap,  where  we 
found  the  Spanish  gunboat  Quiros  in  harbour.  Nanapei 
introduced  me  to  her  commander,  Don  Miguel  Velasco, 
who  very  kindly  invited  us  all  three  to  go  down  with  him 
to  visit  the  Ant  Islands,  which  lie  about  twelve  miles  off 
the  west  coast.  They  were  colonised  from  Kiti  as  the 
Pakin  group,  a  little  to  the  northward  was  from  Chokach. 
The  Ant's  are  a  cluster  of  thirteen  small  and  two  larger 
islets,  disposed  in  the  usual  horse-shoe  formation,  the  prin- 


PONAPEAN  CHARACTER  AND  SUPERSTITIONS    71 

cipal  entrance  being  the  Tau-en-iai  or  Channel  of  Fire  at 
the  south  end  of  Kalap,  the  largest,  upon  which  live 
about  thirty  of  the  Kiti  folk,  engaged  in  collecting  copra 
from  the  magnificent  groves  of  cocoanuts  that  cover  one 
and  all  of  them.  Here  we  stayed  two  days,  taking 
soundings  in  the  lagoon.  I  walked  the  length  of  Kalap 
and  shot  a  number  of  green  and  grey  doves.  Theodoro 
took  some  views,  amongst  others,  one  of  the  coral-paved 
precinct  of  the  Pako-Charaui  or  Sacred  Shark,  the  Patron 
Spirit  of  Ant.  In  the  background  was  a  great  native 
chestnut  tree,  with  bundles  of  sugar  cane  and  kava  root, 
and  some  fishes'  heads  of  no  very  recent  date,  hanging  up 
in  honour  of  the  dread  divinity.  Then  back  to  Nalap 
for  a  few  days  more  study. 

By  this  time  I  had  formed  an  opinion  upon  native 
character,  with  its  strangely  mingled  strength  and  weak- 
ness, which  subsequent  events  rather  tended  to  confirm. 
I  here  give  it  to  the  reader  for  what  it  is  worth. 

The  character  of  the  Ponapean,  like  that  of  the  Caroline 
Islander  in  general,  in  whom  so  many  different  race- 
elements  are  merged,  has  some  curious  contradictions. 
He  alternates  fitful  seasons  of  wonderful  energy  at  work 
with  long  spells  of  incorrigible  laziness.  In  supplying  his 
simple  needs  he  shows  considerable  ingenuity  and  resource. 
He  is  very  superstitious,  yet  exceedingly  practical  in  small 
matters.  He  has  a  good  deal  of  the  Malay  stoicism  and 
apathy,  joined  to  great  penetration  and  acuteness.  His 
senses,  like  those  of  all  half-civilised  tribes,  are  very  keen, 
and  his  powers  of  minute  observation  most  remarkable. 
In  many  of  his  doings  he  exhibits  a  highly  comical 
mixture  of  shrewdness  and  simplicity,  of  seriousness  and 
buffoonery,  of  a  light-hearted  knavery  tempered  by  a 
certain  saving  sense  of  rude  justice — in  short,  a  regular 
moral  chamceleon.  He  is  a  capital  mimic,  something  of  a 
poet  of  the  doggrel  order,  and  very  fond  of  dancing,  feast- 
ing, and,  of  late  years,  of  fiery  alcoholic  liquors.  With 
strangers  he  is  reserved  and  suspicious,  and  often  shows 


72  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

a  cross-grained  reticence  when  questioned  on  the  past 
history  or  traditions  of  his  race,  with  which,  I  presume,  he 
fancies  strangers  have  no  concern.  As  a  rule  he  is  fairly 
honest.  Once  lay  his  suspicions  to  rest  and  win  his  con- 
fidence, and  he  will  prove  himself  a  faithful  friend  and  an 
excellent  host,  courteous  and  just  in  all  his  dealings,  as  I 
have  very  good  cause  to  know.  On  the  other  hand,  when 
dealing  with  his  enemies  he  calls  into  play  a  talent  for  in- 
trigue, lying,  and  chicanery  that  would  delight  a  Machiavel. 
In  his  private  life,  he  is  unselfish,  frugal,  and  economical,  a 
man  of  careful  small  habits.  Like  all  folk  of  Melanesian 
admixture,  he  is  liable  to  fits  of  dangerous  sullenness 
when  he  considers  himself  slighted  in  any  way.  He  is 
inclined  to  be  revengeful,  and  will  bide  his  time  patiently 
until  his  opportunity  comes.  Yet  he  is  not  implacable, 
and  counts  reconciliation  a  noble  and  a  princely  thing. 
There  is  a  form  of  etiquette  to  be  observed  on  these  occa- 
sions— a  present  {katoni)  is  made,  an  apology  offered — 
a  piece  of  sugar-cane  accepted  by  the  aggrieved  party — 
honour  is  satisfied  and  the  matter  ends.  The  Ponapean 
is  a  stout  warrior,  a  hardy  and  skilful  navigator,  fisherman, 
carpenter  and  boat-builder,  but  a  very  second-class  planter 
and  gardener.  He  is  a  kind  father,  but  alas,  according 
to  western  ideas,  a  stern  and  exacting  husband.  Many 
of  the  old  men  are  skilled  observers  of  the  stars,  the 
weather,  the  winds,  and  the  prevailing  currents.  The 
Ponapean  reveres  old  age,  especially  when  coupled  with 
wisdom  or  ability.  The  priest,  counsellor,  leech,  diviner, 
and  the  culler  of  simples  are  held  in  high  esteem.  The 
generous  and  provident  man  is  praised,  the  mean  man 
and  thief  generally  despised.  Lack  of  filial  piety  or 
natural  affection  carries  with  it  a  lamentable  stigma 
amongst  them,  and  the  curse  of  the  ancestral  spirits  here 
and  hereafter.  It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  the  Pona- 
pean character  has  changed  notably  for  the  worse  of  late 
years.  Many  of  the  natives  have  grown  thievish,  churlish 
and  disobliging  :  this  more  particularly  with  the  Metalanim 


PONAPEAN  CHARACTER  AND  SUPERSTITIONS     73 

folk  on  the  east  coast  who  are  the  most  difficult  of  all  the 
tribesmen. 

Their  manner  of  life  is  simple  and  hardy.  They  go  about 
in  all  weathers,  rain  or  sunshine.  Nowadays,  greatly  to  the 
peril  of  their  health,  they  have  adopted  European  clothes. 
These  they  keep  on  their  back  whether  wet  or  dry,  which 
induces  all  manner  of  rheumatic  and  pulmonary  ailments. 

Their  food  consists  generally  of  fish  or  shell-fish  and  a 
vegetable  diet  of  yams,  bananas,  taro,  and  breadfruit. 
The  forests  yield  pigeons  and  some  smaller  birds  very 
good  for  food.  On  the  occasion  of  a  feast,  pigs  and 
fowls  are  added  to  the  bill  of  fare.  The  flesh  of  the  dog 
(kiti)  is  highly  relished,  especially  on  the  east  coast. 
Crabs,  crayfish  and  freshwater  prawns  are  also  in  request. 
The  turtle  is  set  apart  for  the  chiefs  alone.  Eels,  whether 
of  the  salt  or  fresh  water  they  will  not  eat,  and  hold  them 
in  the  greatest  horror.  The  old  name  for  eel  is  // — the 
modern  Kamichik  or  the  Dreadful  One. 

The  special  department  of  the  women  is  the  making  of 
mats  and  shutters  of  reed-grass,  the  plaiting  of  baskets, 
and  binding  the  leaves  of  the  sago-palm  into  bundles  for 
thatch.  They  make  the  leaf-girdles  of  the  men,  and  com- 
pound the  coconut-oil  and  fish-oil,  and  mix  the  cosmetic 
of  turmeric,  without  which  no  Ponapean  dandy's  toilet  is 
complete.  They  fetch  water  in  calabashes,  light  the  fires, 
build  the  stone  ovens,  prepare  the  food,  and  perform  all  the 
household  duties.  When  required  they  cheerfully  assist  the 
men  in  their  outdoor  labours,  and  in  time  of  war  accompany 
their  husbands  and  relations  fearlessly  into  the  battle. 

Marriage. — The  formality  of  marriage  between  young 
people  is  singular.  The  girl  is  brought  into  the  house 
and  sits  down,  whilst  her  future  mother-in-law  rubs  coco- 
nut oil  vigorously  into  her  back  and  shoulders.  This  is 
called  Keieti  or  Anointing.  A  garland  of  flowers  is  placed 
on  her  head  and  the  ceremony  is  concluded  by  a  feast. 
The  marriage  bond  may  be  severed  at  any  time  at  the 
consent  of  either  party.     The  Ponapeans  for  the  most  part 


74  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

content  themselves  with  a  single  wife,  polygamy  being  the 
privilege  only  of  the  wealthy  and  powerful  chiefs.  Adultery 
is  usually  settled  out  of  court  by  a  sound  thrashing  of  the 
offending  wife  and  possibly  a  separation  of  the  parties. 
Exchange  of  wives  (Peickipal)  between  friends  and  rela- 
tions, as  in  the  Marquesas,  is  occasionally  practised.  The 
demi-monde  class  (Raran),  like  the  N iki-rau-roro  of  the 
Gilbert  Group,  is  tolerated  in  each  district.  Doubtless  an 
heirloom  of  their  Asiatic  forefathers.  The  Sanskrit  word 
Lalana  has  the  very  same  meaning. 

Adoption  of  children  is  universal  and  forms  a  com- 
plicated [chain  of  relationships,  an  arrangement  quite  clear 
and  simple  to  the  native  mind,  but  extremely  puzzling  to 
a  European.  Descent  is  traced  through  the  mother — a 
custom  tolerably  common  amongst  the  Oceanic  races  in 
general.  Members  of  the  same  Tipu  or  clan  cannot 
marry.  A  wife  must  be  taken  from  one  of  the  other 
divisions.  The  suitor  serves  for  his  wife  in  the  house  of 
his  father-in-law  elect,  as  Jacob  did  with  Laban,  and  fre- 
quently has  his  pains  for  nothing.  Men  and  women  alike 
practise  tatooing  (Inting)  on  the  arms  and  lower  limbs. 
Unlike  the  Marquesan  islanders  they  do  not  tatoo  their 
faces.  The  women  use  a  design  taken  from  the  interlacing 
of  coconut  fronds  in  their  leaf  baskets.  Other  designs 
are  circles  and  eight-pointed  stars  and  crosses  ;  some  of 
very  bizarre  form.  The  young  men,  to  show  their  con- 
tempt for  pain,  are  in  the  habit  of  inflicting  knife-gashes 
and  burning  deep  scars  on  their  breasts  and  arms.  A 
terrible  ethnic  mutilation  is  practised  upon  the  young  men 
on  reaching  marriageable  age.  It  is  called  Lekelek  and 
consists  of  the  excision  of  one  of  the  testicles — generally 
that  on  the  right  side.  The  Ichipau  of  Metalanim  in  a 
fit  of  religious  mania,  brooding  over  the  threatened  lake 
of  fire  and  bethinking  himself  of  a  certain  passage  in  St 
John,  went  even  further  than  this. 

Burial. — They  bury  their  dead  with  great  ceremony 
and  solemn  funeral  orations.  They  are  most  unwilling  to 
repeat  the  name  of  a  dead  ancestor — a  very  Melanesian 


PONAPEAN  CHARACTER  AND  SUPERSTITIONS    75 

trait.  Consequently,  I  did  not  meet  with  in  Ponape  any- 
elaborate  family  genealogies,  like  the  ancient  and  carefully 
preserved  oral  records  of  the  Marquesans  and  Maoris,  and 
the  kindred  Polynesian  races.  Something  of  the  sort  may 
however  exist. 

The  worship  of  the  Ani  or  deified  ancestors,  coupled 
with  a  sort  of  zoolatry  or  totemism,  is  the  backbone  of  the 
Ponapean  faith. 

Every  village,  every  valley,  hill  or  stream  has  its  genius 
loci,  every  family  its  household  god,  every  clan  its  presiding 
spirit,  every  tribe  its  tutelary  deity.  Thunder,  lightning, 
rain,  storm,  wind,  fishing,  planting,  war,  festival,  harvest, 
famine,  birth,  disease,  death,  all  these  events  and  pheno- 
mena have  their  supernatural  patron  or  Master-spirit. 
The  gloomy  fancy  of  the  Ponapean,  peoples  the  swamp, 
the  reef,  the  mountain,  and  the  hanging  woods  of  the 
inland  wilderness  with  hosts  of  spirits,  some  beneficent, 
the  greater  part  malignant.  All  these  Ani  are  honoured 
under  the  guise  of  some  special  bird,  fish,  or  tree  in  which 
they  are  supposed  to  reside,  and  with  which  they  are 
identified.  These  they  style  their  Tan-waar,  literally 
canoe,  vehicle  or  medium,  (like  the  Vaa  or  Vaka  of  the 
Polynesians,  the  Huaca  or  Vaka  of  the  Peruvians).  Thus 
the  chestnut  tree  is  the  medium  of  the  god  of  thunder,  the 
blue  starfish  of  the  god  of  rain,  the  shark  of  the  god  of 
war,  and  the  Lukot  or  native  owl  the  emblem  of  the  fairy 
Li-Ara-Katau,  one  of  the  local  genii  of  the  east  coast. 

In  their  mythology  they  have  a  submarine  Paradise 
{Packet),  a  place  of  perpetual  feasting  amongst  lovely 
sights  and  sweet  odours.  They  also  have  a  subterranean 
Tartarus  (JPueliko)  of  mire,  cold  and  darkness,  guarded  by 
two  grim  female  forms  (Lichar  and  Licher),  one  holding 
a  glittering  sword,  the  other  a  blazing  torch — a  gloomy 
conception  very  much  resembling  the  Yomi  of  Japan  and 
the  Yama  of  the  early  Vedas. 

And  now  we  made  up  our  minds  to  fly  at  higher  game, 
and  dive  into  the  mysteries  of  the  Metalanim  Ruins  on 
the  east  coast. 


CHAPTER  V 

FIRST    AND    SECOND    VISITS    TO    THE    RUINS 
OF    NAN-MATAL 

EARLY  in  March  1896,  we  left  Nalap  in  Nanapei's 
sailing-boat,  our  plans  being  to  run  up  to  the 
Spanish  Colony  in  Ascension  Bay  to  lay  in  a  stock  of 
European  provisions  and  other  necessaries,  for  neither 
stores  nor  groceries  are  found  in  Metalanim.  After  load- 
ing up  to  sail  along  the  U.  Coast  to  the  north,  and  touch 
at  two  interesting  islands,  Mantapeiti  and  Mantapeitak 
(Mant-to-leeward  and  Mant-to-windward),  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  which  in  1887,  Mr  J.  C.  Dewar's  fine  yacht 
the  Nyanza  was  cast  away  on  the  reefs,  a  total  wreck. 

After  leaving  the  Mants  we  passed  close  by  the  islands 
of  Tapak  and  Am,  upon  the  former  of  which  are  some 
ancient  platforms  and  tetragonal  enclosures  of  stonework. 
Thence  we  sailed  down  the  east  coast,  and  early  in  the 
morning  came  to  the  King's  island  of  Tomun,  or  Tamuan, 
which  lies  a  little  inside  the  mouth  of  Metalanim  Harbour. 
Here  we  found  David  Lumpoi,  an  English-speaking  chief 
to  whose  care  Nanapei  commended  us,  and  sailed  home 
again.  That  very  day  a  great  festival  was  being  holden 
under  Mount  Takai-U,  the  odd-looking  sugarloaf  hill  at 
the  head  of  the  bay.  Here  King  Paul  with  his  nobles 
and  commons  around  him,  sat  in  state  prepared  to  receive 
us.  Our  welcome  was  coldly  ceremonious,  and  I  in- 
stantly read  distrust  and  dislike  in  the  faces  of  the  notables 
present.  The  king  was  a  corpulent  old  man  with  a  large 
broad  head,  and  a  massive  square  chin,  his  somewhat  heavy 
features  being  of  a  Melanesian  rather  than  Polynesian 
type.      Looking   into  his    shifty    eyes   I    could    see   surly 

76 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  THE  RUINS  OF  NAN-MATAL    77 

pride  mingled  with  suspicion  and  vague  uneasiness.  The 
gruff  old  churl's  countenance  irresistibly  recalled  to  me  the 
description  of  the  wicked  island  king  in  one  of  R.  L. 
Stevenson's  South  Sea  Ballads  : — 

"  Fear  was  a  worm  in  his  heart,  Fear  darted  his  eyes 
And  he  probed  men's  faces  for  treason  and  pondered  their  speech 
for  lies." 

The  lodge  was  filled  with  smoke  as  a  Highland  cottage 
with  peat-reek,  whilst  myriads  of  lively  mosquitoes  hovered 
up  and  down,  in  and  out,  seeking  to  flesh  their  suckers  in 
the   august  assembly   shrouded    behind    that   fleecy  veil. 
The  interview  was  soon  over.      We   obtained  a  sullen  and 
grudging  permission  to  explore  the  ruins,  for  which,  how- 
ever, a  fee  of  five  dollars  was  demanded.      For  one  of  the 
Boston  missionaries  about   1880,  foreseeing  that  on  some 
later  day  Europeans  might  come  here  to  explore,  put  into 
the  head  of  the  Metalanim  chiefs  to  exact  this  toll,  which 
the  Spanish    Governor   had  told    us   would   certainly   be 
enforced.      I  handed  him  over  five  Spanish  dollars,  which 
he  eyed  doubtfully,  weighed,  smelt  and  nipped  between  his 
teeth,  to  make  sure  I    had  not  palmed  off  lead  on  him. 
With    the    remark,    "  Moni-n-Sepanich,    moni    chiuet," — 
"  Spanish  money,  bad   money  ;  "  he  locked  it  up  carefully 
in   a  box.      Scenting,   perhaps,   further   opportunities  for 
imposition,  and  assuming  an  air  of  cordiality  that  sat  but 
ill   on   him,   he    pressed   us  to    stay.      But    I   was   firmly 
resolved  to  go  before  his  majesty's  dull  brain  had  time  to 
devise  some   new    pretext   for    extortion.      Therefore,   as 
soon   as   we   decently   could,  we  departed,  itching  sorely 
from   mosquito  bites,  half-choked,  half-blinded,  eyes  and 
nostrils  tingling  sharply  from  the  acrid  smoke  that  filled 
every  corner  of  the  house.      A  portion  of  cooked  and  pre- 
served breadfruit,  the  latter  in  odour  recalling  a   Stilton 
cheese  some  three  years  old,  followed  us  down  to  the  boat 
according  to  a   hospitable   native   custom.      With    a  stiff 
breeze   behind   us   we    stood    across    the    bay.     Just   off 


78  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

Tomun,  David,  who  was  steering,  managed  to  run  the 
craft  upon  a  stack  of  coral  rocks,  staving  in  several  planks 
and  making  an  ugly  hole  in  her  bows,  which  we  had  some 
trouble  in  stopping.  We  put  inshore  awhile,  and  after 
repairing  damages,  loosed  away  south  for  Ponatik,  catch- 
ing our  first  glimpse  of  the  famous  ruins  by  our  way. 

We  entered  a  wonder  of  tortuous  alley-ways,  a  labyrinth 
of  shallow  canals,  with  shady  vistas  stretching  away  to  the 
right  and  left,  bordered  on  either  side  by  dense  walls  of 
tropical  leafage  and  the  ever-present  mangrove  and  salt- 
water brush,  the  vanguard  of  the  hosts  of  the  forest  in 
their  march  seaward  upon  the  rich  belt  of  alluvial  soil 
which  the  rivers  of  Ponape  have  washed  down.  Here  and 
there  grim  masses  of  stonework  peer  out  from  behind  the 
verdant  screen,  encrusted  with  lichen,  and  tufted  with 
masses  of  fern  waving  from  between  the  crevices  in  delicate 
feathery  outlines.  But  we  have  little  leisure  to  stay,  the 
clouds  are  banking  up  ominously  in  the  south.  Mount 
Telemir  is  black  with  storm-wrack.  "  Onward  "  is  the 
cry,  and  we  push  on  in  the  fading  light  past  foreland, 
sandspit  and  salt-marsh,  down  to  Ponatik,  where  we  land 
at  the  base  of  an  enormous  Tupap  tree. 

We  found  David's  house  all  ready  for  us.  Next  day 
we  looked  round  the  settlement,  in  which  there  was 
nothing  specially  remarkable,  save  a  singular  abundance 
of  Parram  or  Nipa-palm,  which  with  the  numerous  coconut 
and  sago-palms  gave  a  pretty  setting  to  the  scene. 

A  couple  of  days  later  I  visited  the  ruins  accompanied 
by  Keroun  and  Alek,  two  men  of  Ponatik,  who  were  with 
difficulty  induced  to  face  the  anger  of  the  Ani  or  ancestral 
spirits  and  the  tabu  which  enwraps  the  Lil-Charaui  or 
Holy  Places,  and  answers  very  much  to  the  Luli  so 
strictly  observed  by  the  natives  of  Timor.  Passing  the 
southern  barricade  of  stones,  we  turned  into  the  ghostly 
labyrinth  of  this  city  of  the  waters,  and  straightway  the 
merriment  of  our  guides  was  hushed,  and  conversation 
died  down  to  whispers. 


A  NATIVE   OF    LOT 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  THE  RUINS  OF  NAN-MATAL    79 

We  were  bound  for  Uchentau,  where  a  little  native 
house  had  been  set  apart  for  our  temporary  camp.  We 
arrived  about  nightfall,  and  as  there  was  no  particular  use 
in  exploring  ruins  by  torchlight,  we  reserved  our  energies 
for  the  morning. 

Next  day  broke  clear  and  bright,  the  canoe  was 
manned,  and  away  we  started.  As  we  shoot  round  a 
sharp  bend  on  the  right  after  five  minutes'  paddling,  a 
strange  and  wonderful  sight  greets  our  eyes.  We  are 
close  in  to  Nan-Tauach  (the  Place  of  Lofty  Walls),  the 
most  remarkable  of  all  the  Metalanim  ruins.  The  water- 
front is  faced  with  a  terrace  built  of  massive  basalt  blocks 
about  seven  feet  wide,  standing  out  more  than  six  feet 
above  the  shallow  waterway.  Above  us  we  see  a  striking 
example  of  immensely  solid  Cyclopean  stone-work  frown- 
ing down  upon  the  waterway,  a  mighty  wall  formed  of 
basaltic  prisms  laid  alternately  lengthwise  and  crosswise 
after  the  fashion  of  a  chock  and  log  fence,  or,  as  masons 
would  style  it,  Headers  and  Stretchers.  Our  guides  smile 
indulgently,  as  they  assist  me  and  my  Manilla  photo- 
grapher up  the  sides  of  the  great  wharf,  for  it  is  now 
low  tide  in  the  streets  of  this  strange  water-town.  On 
a  brimming  high-tide,  landing  is  an  easier  matter.  We 
were  soon  at  work  tearing  down  creepers  and  lianas,  and 
letting  in  the  light  of  the  sun  upon  the  mighty  black 
masses. 

The  left  side  of  the  great  gateway  yawning  overhead 
is  about  twenty-five  feet  in  height  and  the  right  some  thirty 
feet,  overshadowed  and  all  but  hidden  from  view  by  the 
dense  leafage  of  a  huge  Ikoik  tree,  which  we  had  not  the 
heart  to  demolish  for  its  extreme  beauty — a  wonder  of 
deep  emerald-green  heart-shaped  leaves,  thickly  studded 
with  tassels  of  scarlet  trumpet-shaped  flowers,  bright  as 
the  bloom  of  coral  or  flame  tree. 

Here  in  olden  times  the  outer  wall  must  have  been 
uniformly  of  considerably  greater  height,  but  has  now  in 
several  places  fallen  into  lamentable  ruin,  whether  from 


80  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

earthquake,  typhoon,  vandal  hands,  or  the  wear  and  tear 
of  long,  long  ages.  Somewhat  similar  in  character  would 
be  the  semi-Indian  ruins  of  Java,  and  the  Cyclopean 
structures  of  Ake,  and  Chichen-Itza  in  Yucatan.  A 
series  of  huge  rude  steps  brings  us  into  a  spacious  court- 
yard, strewn  with  fragments  of  fallen  pillars,  encircling 
a  second  terraced  enclosure  with  a  projecting  frieze  or 
cornice  of  somewhat  Japanese  type.  The  measurement 
of  the  outer  enclosure,  as  we  afterwards  roughly  ascer- 
tained, was  some  1 8  5  feet  by  1 1  5  feet,  the  average  thick- 
ness of  the  outer  wall  15  feet,  height  varying  from  20  to 
nearly  40  feet.  The  space  within  can  only  be  entered 
by  the  great  gateway  in  the  middle  of  the  western  face, 
and  by  a  small  ruinous  portal  in  the  north-west  corner. 
The  inner  terraced  enclosure  forms  a  second  conforming 
parallelogram  of  some  8  5  feet  by  7  5  feet ;  average  thick- 
ness of  wall,  8  feet  ;  height  of  walls,  15  to  18  feet. 
In  the  centre  of  a  rudely-paved  court  lies  the  great  central 
vault  or  treasure  chamber,  identified  with  the  name  of 
an  ancient  monarch  known  as  Chau-te-reul  or  Chau- 
te-Leur,  probably  a  dynastic  title  like  that  of  Pharaoh 
or  Ptolemy  in  ancient  Egypt.  (N.B. — Chan  was  the 
ancient  Ponape  word  denoting,  (a)  the  sun  (b)  a  king. 
The  latter  signification  tallies  with  the  Rotuma  Sau, 
a  king,  and  the  Polynesian  Hau  and  Au,  a  king,  chief.) 
The  plan  of  the  enclosure  facing  this  page  shows  three 
other  of  these  vaults,  the  double  line  of  terraces  built 
up  of  basalt  and  limestone  blocks,  and  the  several 
courtyards  separated  off  by  low  intersecting  lines  of 
wall.  In  this  connection  Kubary  remarks,  and  I  think 
very  truly,  "  A  certain  irregularity  in  the  whole  build- 
ing, as  in  the  differing  height  and  breadth  of  indi- 
vidual terraces,  betokens  a  variety  of  builders,  following 
one  another,  and  knowing  how  to  give  expression  to  their 
respective  ideas." 

Over  the  camp  fire  that  night  the  Spanish  doctor's  his- 
toriette  again  is  eagerly  studied.    Let  us  hear  what  the  good 


Scale    I  inch  to  40  feet, 


Plan  of  the  double  parallelogram  enclosed  by  the  walls  of  NanTauach, 
in  the  district  of  Nan  Matal,  tribe  of  Metalanim,  East  coast  of  Ponape. 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  THE  RUINS  OF  NAN-MATAL    81 

doctor,  Pereiro  Cabeza,  who  in  1890  nearly  lost  his  life  in 
battle  near  these  same  ruins,  has  to  say.  "  Between  the  dis- 
covery of  Ponape  in  1595  and  modern  times  the  island 
must  have  been  re-visited  by  the  Spanish.  In  1886  a 
derrotero  Inglese  or  map-making  Englishman  (name  not 
specified)  noticed  them  as  follows  :  "  Around  the  harbour 
of  Metalanim  there  are  some  interesting  ruins  whose  origin 
is  involved  in  the  greatest  obscurity.  The  oldest  inhabit- 
ant can  tell  nothing  about  them,  and  has  no  tradition  as 
to  their  history.  Doubtless  there  existed  here  a  fortified 
town  inhabited  by  a  folk  of  superior  civilisation.  Some 
of  the  stones  are  about  ten  feet  in  length  and  worked  into 
six  faces,  no  doubt  brought  from  some  civilised  country, 
for  they  have  no  stones  like  them  in  the  island.  The 
whole  settlement  appears  to  be  a  series  of  fortified  houses, 
and  various  artificial  caves  have  been  discovered  inside  the 
fortifications." 

Without  anticipating  the  narrative,  or  pausing  here  to 
seriously  criticise  Dr  Cabeza's  view  (which  Kubary  clearly 
shows  to  be  untenable)  that  these  structures  were  the 
work  of  pirates  or  early  Spanish  voyagers,  it  may  be  worth 
while  here  to  remark  : — 

1 .  The  old  inhabitants  do  retain  certain  traditions  about 
the  origin  of  these  ruins,  but  will  not  tell  everybody,  least 
of  all  a  mere  passing  traveller.  They  would  regard  it  as 
casting  "pearls  before  swine."  The  Englishman  of  1886 
evidently  does  not  know  what  native  reticence  means. 
The  Ponapean  tradition  told  me  by  the  Au  of  Marau  is 
sufficiently  explicit.  Two  brothers,  Ani-Aramach,  God- 
men  or  Heroes,  named  Olo-chipa  and  Olo-chopa,  coming 
from  the  direction  of  Chokach,  built  the  breakwater  of 
Nan-Moluchai  and  the  island  city  it  shuts  in.  By  their 
magic  spells  one  by  one  the  great  masses  of  stone  flew 
through  the  air  like  birds,  settling  down  into  their  appointed 
place.  These  two  names  of  curious  assonance  are  cognate 
with  those  of  the  Tahitian  Demigods  Oro-tetefa  and  Uru- 
tetefa,  the  traditional  founders  of  that  remarkable  brother- 
F 


82  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

hood  the  Areoi,  which  before  the  introduction  of  Christianity 
wielded  so  grim  and  tremendous  an  influence  throughout 
the  whole  of  the  Society  group. 

2.  The  doctor  speaks  of  "stones  worked  into  six  faces." 
The  stones,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  are  polygonal  or  multi- 
angular,  some  five,  some  eight-sided.  Many  are  certainly 
six-sided,  but  by  no  means  uniformly  so.  Here  comes 
in  the  interesting  question  of  the  early  use  in  Micronesia 
of  iron  or  copper  tools,  which  is  fully  discussed  in  the 
chapter  upon  Ponapean  tools  and  implements.  It  is 
enough  here  to  say  that  I  saw  no  marks  of  cutting  or 
graving  tools  on  the  stonework,  neither  did  Kubary.  I  do 
not  say  they  may  not  exist,  but  we  certainly  saw  none. 
The  native  Ponapean  axe  of  Tridacna  shell,  excellent  as 
is  the  edge  it  takes,  would  be  far  too  brittle  to  chisel 
such  hard  and  massive  blocks  into  shape.  A  geologist 
would  immediately  declare  them  to  be  unhewn  slabs  of 
basalt  of  natural  prismatic  formation. 

N.B. — Dr  Wichmann  of  Leipzig  says  they  are  akin 
to  the  basalt  of  the  Siebengebirge. 

3.  "  No  stones  like  them  in  the  island."  If  the 
Englishman  of  1886,  and  the  Spaniard  who  quotes  him, 
had  had  time  or  opportunity  to  inquire  further,  they 
would  have  found  that  on  Chokach  Island,  below  the 
Paip-Alap  or  Great  Cliff  on  the  north-west  coast,  and 
away  up  one  of  the  mountain  glens  of  U,  on  the  north 
coast,  are  the  two  places  whence  all  this  enormous  quan- 
tity of  basalt  was  brought  down.  The  landing  stage  at 
Auak  in  U,  and  some  remarkable  sacred  enclosures  on 
Tapak  Island  near  the  Mants,  are  built  of  the  same  stone. 
Moreover,  as  we  sitting  by  our  camp-fire  already  know 
very  well,  similar  remains  occur  on  Tauak  Islet  off  the 
Paliker  coast.  Subsequently  we  fell  in  with  others  at 
Nantamarui,  Lang  Takai,  Ponial  and  Pona  Ul,  on  the 
Kiti  and  Metalanim  borders,  and  at  Chap-en-Takai,  an 
ancient  fort  and  holy  place  crowning  one  of  the  hills  above 
Marau  on  the  Kiti  coast.      In  the  same  district  similar 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  THE  RUINS  OF  NAN-MATAL    83 

ruins  are  reported  in  the  hill-settlement  of  Chalapuk  near 
the  head-waters  of  the  Ronkiti  River. 

Kubary  with  his  usual  keen  and  minute  observation 
remarks  :  "  The  oblique  inward  slope  of  the  upper  basalt 
layers  seems  to  suggest  that  the  stones  were  brought  here 
b)'  means  of  an  inclined  plane."  Such  a  system,  in  the 
absence  of  powerful  cranes  and  other  machinery,  certainly 
seems  to  me  very  feasible.  In  my  mind's  eye  I  viewed 
an  even  slope  of  felled  tree  trunks  copiously  sluiced  with 
coconut  oil,  to  avoid  friction,  up  which  the  great  blocks 
would  be  hauled,  one  relay  of  workmen  above  pulling 
upon  long  and  thick  cables  of  coir  fibre  or  cinnet  and 
supplementary  ropes  of  green  hibiscus  bark,  another  relay 
below  with  solid  staves  and  handspikes  by  turns  pushing 
the  huge  mass  upwards  and  resting  with  their  poles  set 
against  and  below  it  to  prevent  it  slipping  back. 

Kubary  adds  that  the  blocks  of  basalt  were  rafted  down 
from  the  Not  district  on  the  north  coast.  This  tallies 
exactly  with  what  Nanchau  of  Mutok  and  the  Au  of 
Marau  told  me,  and  with  the  singular  phenomenon  I 
observed  in  the  shallower  portions  of  the  lagoon  :  the 
presence  of  numberless  broken  fragments  and  sometimes 
pillars  of  basalt  lying  upon  the  coral  bottom.  To  my 
inquiry  of  my  boatman  what  brought  them  there  the 
answer  was  always  the  same —  Takai-tol  poputi  nan  chet- 
uech,  0  ari, — "  When  a  bit  of  black  stone  falls  into  salt 
water  it  grows,  and  t/iat's  all  about  it." 

The  tale  of  how  we  fared  amongst  the  fortified  houses 
and  artificial  caves  shall  supplement  the  account  of  the 
mysterious  map-making  Englishman  of  the  Spanish 
chronicler. 

As  far  as  we  could  gather,  then  and  subsequently,  in 
olden  time  Ponape  (in  the  West  Carolines  Fanu-Pei,  the 
Land  of  the  Pel  or  Holy  Places),  then  much  more  popu- 
lous than  now,  was  united  under  the  rule  of  the  Chau-te- 
Leur  line  of  kings  like  the  Tui-Tongas  of  Tonga-tabu. 
The  last  of  the  dynasty  met  his  death  facing  a  barbaric 


84  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

horde  from  the  Pali-Air,  the  barren  lands  of  the  south, 
probably  some  portion  of  New  Guinea  or  the  Melanesian 
Islands,  led  by  a  fierce  and  terrible  warrior,  Icho-Kalakal, 
Kubary's  Idzi-Kolkol.  Swarms  of  savage  invaders  poured 
in  upon  the  peaceful  settlers,  and  almost  completely  de- 
stroyed the  ancient  civilisation  after  an  obstinate  resist- 
ance, in  which  numbers  were  slain  on  both  sides ;  the 
king  himself,  in  his  flight,  being  drowned  in  the  Chapalap 
River  at  the  head  of  Metalanim  Harbour.  The  pitying 
Ani  or  gods  changed  him  into  a  blue  river  fish,  the  Kitaly 
which  the  Metalanim  folk  to  this  very  day  refuse  to  eat. 
And  the  conqueror  Icho-Kalakal  ruled  the  land,  and  in 
process  of  time  died  and  was  buried  on  Pei-Kap  (one 
story  says  Nan-Pulok,  and  another  Peitok).  He  became 
the  War-God  of  Metalanim,  and  remains  a  dreaded  spectre 
to  this  very  day. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  two  of  the  principal  septs 
or  clans  on  Ponape,  the  Tip-en-Uai  or  Foreign  Folk  and 
the  Tip-en-Panamai  or  People  from  Panamai,  trace  their 
descent  from  Icho-Kalakal — Panamai  being  the  name  of 
the  land  from  which  the  invasion  came.  Possibly  the 
island  of  Panapa  (Ocean  Island),  or  one  of  the  Gilbert  or 
Line  Islands  may  be  designated,  where  we  find  a  mingled 
Polynesian  and  Melanesian  population.  Other  interesting 
facts  in  this  connection  are  : — 

i.  The  presence  of  an   elaborate  chiefs   language   in 

Ponapean,  some  words  of  which  are  pure  Polynesian  and 

others  later  Malay.1      \Cf. — Lima  is  the  hand  of  a  chief, 

Pa  that  of  a  commoner.     Kumikum  a  chief's  beard,  Alich 

a  subject's  beard.     Chilani  a  chief's  eye,  Macha  the  eye  of  a 

subject.     Achang  tooth  of  chief,  Ngi  tooth  of  common  man.] 

In  Malay  Kumi  is  a  moustache,  and  in  Javanese  Alls  is 

the  eyebrow. 

1  To  my  mind  this  is  proof  positive  of  the  coming  in  of  a  conquering  race 
forming  a  ruling  aristocracy,  like  William  the  Conqueror's  Normans  amongst 
the  Saxons,  or  Strongbow  and  his  brother  barons  amongst  the  Irish  of  a  later 
day.  And  this  conclusion,  indeed,  is  amply  borne  out  by  the  Ponapean 
tradition  of  Icho-Kalakal  and  his  invasion  from  the  lands  of  the  south. 


E    j; 


SECOND   VISIT   TO   THE   RUINS  85 

2.  A  wonderful  similarity  in  root-words  between  Pona- 
pean  and  the  language  of  the  Gilbert  group  and  the 
dialect  of  Efate  in  the  New  Hebrides  and  that  of  Mota  in 
the  Banks  group. 

3.  The  presence  of  Ponapean  place-names  in  the 
Melanesian  area. 

4.  The  occurrence  of  stone  buildings  like  those  of  Nan- 
Matal,  but  on  a  smaller  scale,  sketched  and  described  by 
the  Rev.  R.  H.  Codrington  at  Gaua  upon  Santa  Maria, 
one  of  the  Banks  group. 

The  result  of  our  first  visit  was  to  give  us  some  idea  of 
the  lie  of  the  land.  Clearly,  in  my  opinion,  the  place  was  a 
town  built  out  of  the  water  by  a  sea-faring  race,  not  as 
Hale  has  pronounced  it,  a  land  city  which  has  sunk.  In 
this  I  find  Kubary  and  Dr  Gulick  agree  with  me.  Darwin 
and  Dana,  however,  hold  Ponape  as  an  instance  of  the 
subsidence  of  an  island  within  the  sunk  plane.  We 
took  a  few  photographs,  and  managed  to  scratch  up  a  few 
beads  in  the  central  vault,  which,  of  course,  only  whetted 
our  appetite  for  more.  So  we  went  back  to  Ponatik  to 
engage  more  labour,  and  the  morning  after  our  return  an 
old  American  settler  in  the  neighbourhood,  J.  Kehoe,  called 
on  me  and  volunteered  to  give  his  help  in  exploring  the 
ruins,  where  he  had  himself  often  been  before.  So  we 
arranged  a  second  expedition,  and  left  on  March  14th. 
Our  party  consisted  of  J.  Kehoe,  Theodoro,  Nanit,  a  native 
of  Kiti,  Keroun  and  myself.  Arriving  at  Nan-Tauach  by 
way  of  Uchentau  about  noon,  we  set  about  our  excavations 
in  the  main  vault  (A).  We  all  took  turns  with  the  digging 
and  worked  till  sunset,  turning  out  heaps  more  bracelets 
and  shell  beads,  some  of  the  latter  thick  and  some  of  very 
delicate  make.  We  returned  muddy,  grimy  and  weary, 
with  marvellous  appetites  for  beef  and  biscuit,  and  lay 
down  longing  for  the  morrow.  Next  day  we  were  hard  at 
work  again  with  increasing  good  fortune,  for  several  mag- 
nificent shell-axes  or  Patkul  rewarded  our  efforts.  Then 
we  went  in  for  a   new  sort   of  toil,  hewing  and   hacking 


86  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

away,  making  tremendous  gaps  in  the  jungle  which 
envelopes  the  precinct  within  and  without,  climbing  around 
on  the  walls  heedless  of  tottering  slabs,  tearing  away  long 
festoons  of  creeper  and  great  clumps  of  weed  and  fern, 
close-rooted  in  the  crevices  of  the  mighty  structure.  The 
patient  man  with  the  camera  clicks  off  view  after  view  of 
the  massive  walls  sullenly  frowning  down  upon  the  assail- 
ants, who  have  rent  their  way  through  the  mazy  wilder- 
ness and  lifted  the  veil  of  clinging  greenery  and  let  in  the 
light  of  day  upon  these  halls  of  Eblis.  A  jovial  party 
surrounds  the  blazing  hearth  that  night,  all  but  Keroun, 
who  sits  apart  fitfully  muttering  to  himself,  a  prey  to 
supernatural  terror,  and  a  horror  of  unseen  horrors. 

March  16. — Next  morning  we  visited  Pan-Katara  and 
cleared  the  angle,  and  measured  the  height  of  the  wall, 
which  turned  out  to  be  27  feet.  With  difficulty  we  forced 
our  way  through  the  jungle  into  the  paved  enclosure  in 
the  heart  of  the  island,  where  in  olden  times  the  king  used 
to  sit  with  his  priests  and  nobles  round  him,  drinking  the 
choko  or  kava  in  solemn  state.  Keroun  flatly  declined  to 
accompany  us,  and  remained  with  the  canoe  on  the  canal- 
side  in  a  state  of  great  nervousness.  The  afternoon  was 
devoted  to  a  second  onslaught  on  the  bush  and  creepers. 
The  inner  courtyard  and  surrounding  terraces  of  Nan- 
Tauach  were  cleared  of  undergrowth,  together  with 
portions  of  the  walls  of  the  inner  enclosure  and  the  inner 
and  outer  angles  at  the  corner  of  the  great  wall  facing 
south.  These  operations  put  the  finishing  touch  to 
Keroun's  dismay,  who  repeatedly  declared  the  precinct  to 
be  haunted.  "  The  eyes  of  the  spirits  are  watching  every- 
thing you  do,"  said  the  obstinate  old  donkey.  "  They 
will  not  hurt  you  because  you  are  a  white  man,  but  they 
will  punish  us.  I  cannot  sleep  at  night;  I  am  very  much 
afraid,  and  I  should  like  to  go  home." 

March  17th  was  spent  in  digging  in  chambers  A  and 
B  with  moderate  results.  I  returned  with  my  party  to 
Ponatik  in  the  afternoon,  leaving  the  exploration  of  the 


SECOND   VISIT   TO   THE   RUINS  87 

pits,  the  taking  of  more  elaborate  measurements,  and 
photographing  of  the  north  side  for  next  excursion. 
We  were  busy  sorting  and  washing  curios  till  late 
that  night,  and  during  the  whole  of  next  day.  The 
people  of  the  settlement  still  continued  sullen  and 
stupid,  and  left  us  strictly  alone.  Keroun  thought  to 
make  a  brilliant  move  by  suddenly  demanding  double 
pay,  but  looked  very  blank  when  calmly  informed  that 
in  future  his  salary  was  to  be  reduced  in  proportion 
to  his  services. 

Next  morning  (March  19th)  Alek  came  in  with  some 
ornamental  dance-paddles,  and  a  collection  of  square 
tablets  of  native  woods  which  he  had  carved  into  beautiful 
patterns,  and  stained  in  red,  black,  white  and  yellow, 
using  native  dyes. 

That  afternoon  I  went  over  through  the  woods  with 
Keroun  to  Nantiati,  and  attended  a  Kava  festival  at  the 
waterside.  I  met  Joe  Kehoe  there,  and  went  home  with 
him  to  Nantamarui  in  the  evening  in  order  to  discuss  our 
plan  of  exploration  quietly  together,  not  caring  to  take  the 
selfish,  sullen  Lot  or  Ponatik  natives  into  my  confidence. 

When  I  returned  to  Ponatik  next  morning  I  found  that 
Chau-Tapa,  a  native  preacher  from  Aru,  whose  church 
name  was  Obadiah,  had,  on  Nanapei's  recommendation, 
come  to  look  after  our  spiritual  welfare,  and  at  the  same 
time  earn  a  few  honest  dollars  by  teaching  me  some  key- 
words in  the  dialect  of  the  Mortlock  group,  where  his 
missionary  labours  had  long  engaged  him.  A  few  years 
previously  his  white  superiors  had  transferred  him  to 
Aru,  viewing  with  alarm  his  devotion  to  the  bottle,  and 
several  sad  lapses  from  grace,  in  which  certain  fair  young 
female  converts  were  equally  blameworthy.  He  amused 
us  mightily  with  his  comical  ways  and  glib  Biblical  quota- 
tions, and  on  the  least  provocation  would  put  up  an 
extempore  prayer  with  all  the  unction  of  a  Salvation 
Army  captain.  I  don't  know  how  far  he  deceived  him- 
self, but    I    know  he   never  deceived   me,  for   I  had  seen 


88  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

plenty  of  that  kind  of  native  before  in  Tonga  and 
Samoa,  especially  Tonga.  Obadiah  really  was  a  curious 
study.  He  was  the  oddest  mixture  of  shrewdness, 
fanaticism,  and  fatuous  self-complacency  that  I  should  say 
the  Boston  Mission  ever  turned  out.  He  was  avaricious 
yet  benevolent,  covetous  as  a  Jew,  yet,  strange  to  say, 
liberal.  What  his  left  hand  grabbed,  his  right  would 
disperse  again  in  largesse.  Nobody  ever  visited  his 
place  at  Am  and  left  hungry.  For  the  rest,  he  was  a 
diplomatist  of  the  species  trimmer.  His  air  was  grand 
and  consequential,  and  last,  but  not  least,  he  dearly  loved 
strong  liquors.  All  that  day  he  took  great  pains  to  teach 
me  the  rudiments  of  Mortlock,  by  no  means  refusing  a 
glass  or  two  of  red  wine  in  between  whiles.  He  descanted 
earnestly  as  a  monk  upon  fasting  and  vigils.  Yet  he 
supped  heartily  at  sundown  upon  beef,  pork,  yam,  ship- 
biscuit  and  baked  dog,  and  I  am  sure  his  potations  of 
Vino  Tinto  must  have  given  a  rosy  tinge  to  his  dreams 
that  night. 

Next  morning  (March  21st)  our  guide  Joe  came  over, 
and  we  made  final  arrangements  for  a  third  expedition  to 
start  on  the  next  day  but  one. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THIRD    VISIT    TO   THE    RUINS 

AFTER  paying  off  Obadiah,  who  was  further  gladdened 
at  the  gift  of  an  old  black  coat  and  trousers, — 
"  Him  broke  behind  "  critically  murmured  the  recipient  ; — 
on  the  morning  of  the  23  rd  we  started  from  Lot,  forming 
quite  a  respectable  party.  Keroun,  it  is  true,  yielding  to 
spectral  terrors  had  begged  earnestly  to  be  left  out  this 
time.  Two  men  from  Lot  who  volunteered  for  five  dollars 
a  day  have  been  politely  sent  about  their  business.  Alek, 
too,  is  away  on  the  service  of  the  king,  who,  instead  of 
making  roads  and  plantations,  has  a  mania  for  building 
churches  and  private  mansions  all  over  the  Metalanim 
district.  Our  party  consisted  of  Joe  and  his  two  stalwart 
sons,  Lewis  and  Warren,  a  fine  young  fellow  from  the  Kiti 
border  called  Nanit,  and  a  smart  little  boy  called  Chetan. 
The  Manilla  man  with  his  camera  came  too,  but  he  was 
never  quite  at  his  ease.  That  very  afternoon  we  set  to 
digging  by  turns  in  the  central  vault.  This  delving  carries 
a  peculiar  charm  with  it.  One  never  knows  what  may  turn 
up  next.  The  prospect  of  a  reward  for  every  undamaged 
bracelet  or  shell-axe  proves  a  famous  incitement,  even  the 
apathetic  Manilla  man  turning  to  and  scratching  away  at 
the  mould  like  an  old  hen  at  a  rubbish  heapi^  We  con- 
tinued next  morning,  and  held  on  with  unabated  vigour 
until  noon.  Then  we  counted  up  our  treasures  and  thus 
reads  the  tally  : — 

A  quart  of  circular  rose- pink  beads,  worn  down  by  rubbing 
from  the  Spondylus  strombus  and  Conus  shells  varying 
generally  in  diameter  from  the  size  of  a  shilling  to  a  three- 
penny bit,  some  being  very  minute  and  delicate  in  design. 

89 


90  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

They  answer  exactly  to  the  Wampum  or  shell-bead- 
money  of  the  North  American  Indians,  who  use  them  for 
ornamenting  pouches,  mocassins  and  girdles. 

Some  were  circular  (Put),  others  rectangular  {Pake), 
used  strung  in  regular  rows  for  adorning  the  primitive 
girdles  woven  from  banana-fibre.  Some  were  very  much 
abraded  and  others  decidedly  bleached  in  hue  as  though 
they  had  been  buried  a  very  long  time.  Beads  exactly 
similar  in  design  have  recently  been  discovered  in  the 
ruins  of  Mitla  in  Central  America.  The  shell-discs 
found  in  Nan-Tauach  are  more  elegantly  ground  and 
finished  than  those  in  the  other  graves,  a  circumstance 
which  induces  Kubary  to  believe  Nan-Tauach  to  be  a 
later  structure.  This,  I  may  add,  is  the  opinion  also  of 
some  of  the  older  Ponapeans,  my  informants. 

Eighty  pearl-shell  shanks  of  fish-hooks  in  a  more  or 
less  perfect  condition,  exactly  resembling  those  used  all 
over  Polynesia  before  the  coming  of  the  white  man.  The 
hook  itself  was  generally  of  bone,  but  we  found  some 
fragments  of  pearl-shell  which  were  clearly  relics  of  the  barb. 

Five  ancient  Patkul  or  shell-axes  of  sizes  varying  from 
2 1  feet  to  6  inches. 

Five  unbroken  carved  shell-bracelets  of  elegant  design 
{Luou-en-Matup),  so  called  from  the  district  of  Matup  to 
the  north  of  Metalanim  harbour,  the  seat  of  this  industry  in 
olden  time — just  as  Icklingham  in  East  Anglia  was  noted 
for  the  manufacture  of  ancient  British  flint  implements. 

A  dozen  antique  needles  of  shell  used  for  sewing 
together  the  leaves  of  the  Kipar  or  Pandanus  to  make  the 
/  or  mat-sails  for  their  canoes.  Others  who  have  seen 
them  declare  them  to  be  shell-ornaments  strung  in  rows 
and  worn  round  the  neck,  curving  outwards  like  a  neck- 
lace of  whale's  teeth. 

Thirty  or  forty  large  circular  shells,  bored  through  the 
centres  and  worn  as  a  pendant  ornament  on  the  breast. 

We  also  turned  up  a  vast  number  of  fragments  of  bone, 
portions  of  skulls  and  bits  of  shell-bracelets,  a  couple  of 


THIRD   VISIT   TO  THE   RUINS  91 

small  shell  gouges,  a  piece  of  iron  resembling  a  spear- 
head, and  a  smoke-coloured  fragment  of  vitreous  appear- 
ance, that  Kubary  and  others  since  have  pronounced  to  be 
obsidian  or  volcanic  glass,  the  ltztli  of  the  ancient 
Mexicans. 

The  underground  chamber  A  from  which  we  took 
these  relics  lies  in  the  centre  of  the  inner  precinct  facing 
the  great  gateway.  It  is  about  8  feet  in  depth,  roofed  in 
by  six  enormous  blocks  or  slabs  of  basalt.  The  floor  con- 
sists of  loose  coral  and  soft  vegetable  mould  thickly 
matted  with  the  roots  of  a  breadfruit  tree  which  has 
sprung  up  just  behind  the  structure,  and  which,  by  a 
vigorous  root-growth,  is  gradually  displacing  the  blocks 
from  their  old  position.  The  side  nearest  the  entrance  is 
threatening  to  sink  into  ruins  at  no  very  far-off  date.  In 
fact  no  little  caution  was  needed  on  this  side  during  our 
digging  operations  to  avoid  a  disastrous  collapse  of 
masonry.  J.  S.  Kubary,  when  photographing  the  ruins 
about  twelve  years  ago,  used  this  very  vault  as  a  dark- 
room for  developing  his  negatives,  all  unconscious  of  the 
treasures  under  his  feet.  My  photograph  of  this  tomb, 
taken  on  Expedition  No.  2,  represents  our  shifty  workman 
Keroun,  and  gives  a  very  fair  idea  of  the  size  of  the  basalt 
blocks  forming  the  roof.  A  tangle  of  grasses  and  creeper 
carpets  the  precinct  ;  amongst  them  a  poison-weed  like 
a  Wistaria,  the  bruised  roots  of  which,  tied  in  bundles, 
native  fishermen  dabble  in  the  water  of  the  surf-pools  at 
low  tide,  to  which  they  impart  a  milky  tinge  and  stupify 
the  fish.  The  Ponapeans  call  it  Up,  the  Malays  Tuba. 
All  around  are  springing  up  saplings  of  Oramai,  a 
broad  leafed  shrub,  a  species  of  Ramie  (Kleinhovia), 
the  bark  of  which  is  used  for  making  nets  and  fish- 
lines.  In  the  middle  of  the  court  we  saw  several  fine 
Ixora  trees  in  flower,  possibly  the  same  as  those  observed 
by  Mr  Le  Hunt  in  1885,  who  happily  describes  them  as  a 
scarlet  waterfall  of  blossom.  The  afternoon  of  March 
25  th  was  spent  in  clearing  the  walls  of  the  inner  precinct. 


92  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

and  taking  various  photographs.  Just  beyond  the  cross- 
wall  at  the  back  of  vault  B  we  saw  a  long  basalt  slab 
curved  into  a  shallow  crescent  and  balanced  on  two  pro- 
jecting shafts  of  masonry  on  the  inner  side  of  the  south- 
west wall.  When  tapped  it  gave  a  clear  ringing  sound, 
and  was  probably  used  for  an  alarum  or  for  a  sort  of  bell 
in  sacred  ceremonies.  We  found  just  such  another  sub- 
sequently in  Nanapei's  settlement  of  Ronkiti.  I  brought 
it  home  and  it  is  now  in  the  British  Museum. 

On  March  25  th  we  visited  the  island  of  Nakap,  and 
photographed  the  reef  and  ruins  of  an  old  sea-wall,  with 
Na  in  the  distance,  and  King  Paul's  canoe  in  the  Nach  or 
Lodge.  After  Nakap  we  landed  on  the  breakwater  of 
Nan-Moluchai  at  considerable  risk,  for  the  approach  is 
dangerous  even  in  calm  weather  from  the  heavy  swell. 
Out  in  the  lagoon  off  the  harbour-mouth  the  magnitude 
of  the  task  of  the  early  builders  impressed  us  deeply. 
For  three  miles  down  to  the  south  one  can  descry  here 
and  there  the  massive  sea-walls  showing  out  through  the 
mangrove  clumps  which  girdle  the  islets  of  Karrian,  Likop, 
Lemankau,  Mant,  Kapinet,  Panui  and  Pon-Kaim,  the 
last  of  the  seaward  series,  which  make  up  the  outer  line 
serving  as  a  breakwater  against  the  deep  sea  roaring  at 
the  doors,  yet  interrupted  at  intervals,  and  forming  a 
re-entering  angle  between  Karrian  and  Nan-Moluchai. 

On  Nan-Moluchai  are  the  relics  of  another  walled 
sanctuary,  and  in  this  lonely  and  surf-beaten  spot  an  old 
castaway  Frenchman  spent  his  failing  years.  A  pile  of 
enormous  stones  block  the  entrance  to  the  re-entering 
angle,  at  the  head  of  which  is  Pein-Aring  Island.  They 
lie  half  submerged  here  in  deep  water.  The  photograph 
shows  our  American  guide's  eldest  son  sitting  thereon, 
with  a  breaker  just  curling  over  ready  to  fall. 

There  are  over  fifty  walled  islets  in  the  parallax  which, 
together  with  the  intersecting  canals,  occupies  some  eleven 
square  miles. 

It  may  be  well  here  to  take  some  of  the  island  names 


THIRD   VISIT   TO   THE   RUINS  93 

and  explain  them,  giving  at  the  same  time  any  interesting 
points  attaching  to  them,  for  some  of  them  throw  light  on 
the  early  history  of  the  place.  The  meaning  of  a  few  of 
these  antiquated  names  is  apparently  lost  altogether,  but 
by  the  aid  of  an  old  man  of  the  district  much  of  the 
difficulty  was  overcome. 

The  phonesis  of  the  names  and  their  spelling  has  been 
revised,  and  the  correct  native  renderings  given  instead  of 
the  bewildering  and  meaningless  jargon  into  which  even 
Kubary  has  fallen  in  the  otherwise  valuable  sketch-plan 
which,  with  his  permission,  I  have  adopted  as  the  ground- 
work of  the  present  chart.  With  the  aid  of  Joe  Kehoe 
and  his  sons,  and  the  minute  and  careful  scrutiny  of  some 
old  tribesmen  familiar  with  the  locality,  we  managed  to 
advance  Kubary's  industrious  work  another  stage  forward 
towards  completeness. 

The  name  Nan-Tauach  or  Nan-Tauas  means  the  Place 
of  Loftiness  or  High  Walls.  (Tauach — cf  the  Philippine 
Taas,  high,  and  Hindustani  Taj  or  Tej.)  [Kubary  calls 
it  Nan-Tauacz,  and  Mr  C.  F.  Wood,  in  the  account  of 
his  visit,  Nan-  Towass.~\ 

Chap-on-Nach  means  the  Land  of  the  Council-Lodge  or 
Club- House, 

The  name  Nan-Moluchai  is  variously  given  as  Nan- 
molu-chai,  the  place  to  cease  from  paddling — an  ironical 
designation  for  one  of  the  most  dangerous  landing-places 
on  the  coast,  or  Nan-mo  luch-ai,  the  place  of  the  cinder 
heaps,  i.e.  those  left  from  the  cooking  fires  of  the  host  of 
workmen  who  assisted  the  demi-gods  Olosipa  and  Olosopa 
in  the  construction  of  the  mighty  breakwater  and  the 
walled  islets  which  occupy  the  space  within. 

Na  means  a  ridge  of  rock.  {Cf  Nana,  a  cordillera  or 
mountain  chain.) 

Na-Kap  means  New  Na,  an  islet  of  later  origin. 

Pal-akap  means  New  Sanctuary  or  New  Chamber.  With 
the  Ponapean  Pal,  a  temple  or  chamber,  compare  Sanskrit 
Pal,  a  tent,  habitation  ;  Pelew  Blai,  a  house  ;  Yap  Pal,  a 


94  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

house  set  apart  for  the  women  ;  and  Malayan  Balai,  a  hall ; 
Polynesian  Hale,  Fale,  Fare,  a  house,  dwelling. 

Pei-kap  =  New  Pavement  or  New  Enclosure.  On  the 
east  side  of  Pei-kap  is  the  turtle-stone  of  Icho-Kalakal 
{cf  p.  96),  and  a  long  narrowish  slab  called  the  Uanit-en- 
Tare,  or  shield  of  Tare. 

Lemenkau  or  Lamenkau  =  Deep  blue  water  off  the  edge. 
There  is  another  Lamenkau  in  the  Banks  group  in 
Melanesia. 

Panui,  at  the  southern  angle,  may  be  a  Polynesian  word, 
and  =  big  wall.  More  probably,  however,  it  means  "  under 
the  Wi  or  Barringtonia  trees. 

Peitak  =  Up  to  ivindward.  The  rumoured  burial-place 
of  the  great  warrior  Icho-Kalakal,  i.e.  Prince  Wonder- 
ful, progenitor  of  the  famous  Tip-en  Panamai  clan,  who 
led  the  invasion  from  the  south  which  blotted  out  the 
civilisation  of  the  Chau-te-Leur  dynasty. 

Chau-Icho  =  King  and  Prince ;  also  name  of  a  small 
district  on  the  south  coast  near  Marau. 

Pan-ilel  =  the  place  where  you  have  to  steer — a  most 
appropriate  designation  of  the  maze  of  shallows,  choked 
up  with  water-weed  and  salt-water  brush.  Near  Pan-ilel 
is  a  huge  block  lying  under  the  masonry  at  the  canal-side 
with  two  other  masses  supporting  it,  called  Uanit-en- 
Chau-te-Leur,  the  shield  of  Chau-te-Leur. 

In  the  waterway  close  by  is  the  Tikitik  of  stone  known  as 
the  Head  of  Laponga,  a  famous  wizard  of  old  mentioned 
in  Ponapean  folklore  in  a  quaint  tale  entitled  "  The 
Naming  of  the  Birds,"  "  Ka-atanakipa-n-Men-pir-akan." 

The  name  Laponga  recalls  the  Lampongs,  a  tribe  of 
Sumatra,  distinguished  among  its  less  civilised  neighbours 
by  the  possession  of  Untang-untang,  or  hieroglyphic  records 
of  ancient  law  {Cf  Ponapean  Inting  to  write).  This  fact 
may  have  spread  the  use  of  the  word  Lampong  as  a  generic 
term  for  wizard  in  these  parts  of  the  Malayan  area. 

The  islet  of  Pulak  gets  its  designation  from  some  fine 
specimens  of  the  timber  tree  of  that  name  which  over- 


THE    HAUNTED    ISLAND   OF    PAN-KATARA 


INNER   ANGLE   OF   GREAT   OUTER   WALL,    NAN-TAUACH 


THIRD   VISIT   TO   THE    RUINS  95 

shadow  it,  and  similarly  a  neighbouring  islet  is  named 
Pan-Tipop,  i.e.  Under  the  Tipop  or  Tupap,  from  a  huge 
umbrella  tree  (the  Pacific  almond)  which  grows  at  its 
north  angle. 

Pan-Katara,  the  haunted  island,  which  our  guide  persists 
in  styling  Pan-Gothra  (Kubary  calls  it  Nan-Gutra),  "the 
place  of  proclamation,"  or,  "  sending  forth  of  messengers." 
A  native  gloss  is  Pach-en-Kaon  or  the  House  of  Govern- 
ment, denoting  a  metropolis  or  capital.  This  precinct, 
from  all  accounts,  was  anciently  the  seat  of  government 
and  solemn  feasts  of  king,  priests  and  nobles.  The 
solitary  inhabitant  is  the  white  goat  in  the  picture,  who, 
tired  of  the  society  of  ghosts  and  shadows,  came  down 
bleating  his  welcome,  anxious  to  meet  with  honest  flesh 
and  blood  once  more.  We  see  him  browsing  upon  the 
green  leaves  and  shoots  of  the  masses  of  shrub  and 
creeper  we  tossed  into  the  canal  below.  There  is 
another  Pankatara  amongst  the  ruins  of  Chap-en-Takai 
across  the  Kiti  border,  and  yet  another  on  Ngatik  or 
Raven's  Island,  some  thirty  miles  away  on  the  west 
coast  of  Ponape. 

Kubary  made  an  elaborate  plan  of  Pankatara  and  of 
the  neighbouring  island  of  Itet  in  connection  with  the 
ancient  ceremonies  observed  there.  His  description  of 
these  is  very  graphic  and  I  quote  it  here. 

The  Dziamarous  {Chaumard)  i.e.  High  Priests  of  the 
district  of  Metalanim  had  their  chief  temples  in  Nan- 
matal,  and  on  the  Island  of  Nangutra,  where  once 
a  year,  in  the  end  of  May  or  beginning  of  June, 
they  met  together  and  celebrated  the  feast  of  the 
"  Arbungelap."  All  the  natives  of  the  district  repair 
for  this  purpose  to  Kuffiner,  a  place  in  the  Bay  of 
Metalanim.1  All  canoes  made  ready  during  the  past 
year  are  launched  on  this  day  to  be  consecrated,  only 
the  vessel  destined  for  the  Divinity  remains  suspended  in 

1  The  wives  of  the  chiefs  were  not  present,  as  the  men  of  the  lower  classes 
are  forbidden  on  pain  of  death  to  see  them. 


96  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

the  king's  house.  After  having  begun  the  celebration 
at  Kuffiner  with  religious  dances  and  kava  drinking,  the 
whole  crowd  adjourns  to  Nangutra  with  singing  and  boat- 
racing,  where  the  king  plants  his  spear  by  a  long  stone 
visible  to  this  day  by  the  entrance.  The  lower  classes 
range  themselves  in  the  space  marked  off  to  the  left,  the 
chiefs  however  and  the  Dziamarous  place  themselves  round 
the  Kava  stone  before  the  god's  house  in  the  middle  space. 
On  the  right  side  food  is  heaped  as  an  offering  for  the  god 
or  spirit.  Then  kava  is  pounded  and  the  first  cup,  as  is 
customary  to  this  day,  offered  to  the  god,  and  the  two 
next  to  his  two  priests.  No  one  may  enter  the  temple 
except  the  king's  two  magicians,  Nangleim  (Nallaim)  and 
Manabus  (Manapuch).  After  the  kava  offering,  they 
adjourn  to  the  Island  Itet,  where  the  gigantic  deified 
Conger-Eel x  lives  within  a  wall  five  feet  high  and  four 
feet  thick.  On  a  huge  stone  a  turtle2  is  killed,  and  its 
entrails  laid  on  a  paved  space  in  the  Eel's  house. 

I  give  here  an  independent  native  version  of  Kubary's 
tale  of  the  Itet  monster. 

In  the  reign  of  King  Chau-te-Leur,  a  huge  lizard  (Kieil 
alap  amen)  came  swimming  into  the  great  harbour  and 
took  up  its  quarters  on  the  island  of  Pan-Katara,  other- 
wise called  Pangothra.  Taking  him  for  an  Ani  or  tute- 
lary genius,  they  brought  him  baskets  of  fruit  and  savoury 
messes  of  cooked  yams  and  bananas  to  conciliate  the 
favour  of  their  spectral-looking  visitor  (man  likamichik 
aman).  As  might  well  be  expected,  vegetable  diet  did 
not  content  him,  and  there  was  soon  a  disappearance  of 
some  of  the  basket-bearers,  which  the  chiefs,  after  losing 
some  of  their  most  industrious  slaves,  considered  a  mean 
act  of  ingratitude.  So  the  big  lizard  was  proclaimed  a 
public  enemy  and  a  cannibal  fiend,  and  the  warriors  of 

1  I  did  not  myself  hear  of  this  Conger-eel,  but  I  did  hear  of  a  pet  alligator 
which  was  kept  in  Nan-Matal  and  fed  as  a  sacred  animal. 

2  This  probably  represents  a  human  sacrifice.     In  the  same  way  in  New 
Zealand,  Ika  or  Ngohi,  a  fish,  is  used  to  denote  a  human  victim. 


THIRD   VISIT  TO   THE   RUINS  97 

the  tribe  went  forth  to  battle  with  the  monster.  But  he 
came  forward  very  angry,  seized  some  of  the  boldest  in  his 
iron  jaws,  and  crunched  them  up  in  pitiable  fashion.  They 
belaboured  him  industriously  on  every  side,  but  their 
spears  and  shell  axes  failed  to  make  impression  upon 
his  thick  skin,  whilst  pebbles  and  sling-stones  glanced 
off  him  harmless  as  raindrops.  So  at  last  since  the 
lizard  would  not  run  away,  of  course  the  Metalanim 
braves  had  to.  Finally  subtlety  triumphed  where 
numbers  and  valour  availed  nothing.  It  was  suggested 
to  slay  a  fat  hog,  cut  him  open,  and  after  stuffing  him 
full  with  pounded  Up  root,  to  leave  him  roasting  over 
a  great  fire  blazing  in  the  basement  of  the  Nach  or 
Council  Lodge.  All  the  sides  of  the  Nach  were  to  be 
walled  up  with  logs  and  driftwood,  save  one  opening 
big  enough  for  the  monster  to  crawl  through — attracted 
to  his  last  meal  by  the  far-reaching  scent  of  the  crackling 
pork.  When  their  foe  was  fairly  stupefied  with  the 
working  of  the  narcotic  drug,  the  opening  was  to  be 
quickly  filled  up  and  the  building  set  in  a  blaze.  Such 
was  the  fate  of  this  solitary  alligator,  no  doubt  washed 
out  to  sea  on  driftwood  from  one  of  the  great  rivers 
of  New  Guinea,  or  drifted  away  through  the  Straits  of 
Gilolo  by  the  ocean  currents.  He  crawled  right  into 
the  trap  set  for  him,  devoured  the  cooked  pig,  felt  very 
drowsy  and  went  off  into  deep  sleep,  to  wake  up  finding 
himself  lapped  shrivelling  in  a  merciless  furnace  of  flame, 
with  his  triumphant  enemies  shouting  and  dancing  round 
his  funeral  pyre. 

Pon-Kaim  is  the  southernmost  and  last  of  the  parallax, 
as  its  name  "  On  the  Angle  "  or  Corner,  sufficiently  indicates. 
There  another  great  line  of  partially  submerged  blocks, 
remnants  of  an  ancient  dyke,  with  a  narrow  passage  in 
the  centre,  closes  in  this  strange  island-city.1  In  the 
absence    of   written    annals,    a     careful     examination    of 

1  Nan-Matal  contains  in  all  some  fifty  of  these  curious  artificial  islets  and 
encloses  an  area  of  some  1 1  square  miles. 
G 


98  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

local  names  sometimes  gives  us  useful  little  bits  of 
history.  As  an  instance  of  how  geographical  names 
embody  an  historical  fact,  take  such  names  of  cities  as 
New  York,  New  Orleans,  Newcastle,  and  Carthage 
(Kiriath  or  Karth-Hadeschah,  i.e.  New  Sanctuary).  Thus 
even  in  lonely  little  Ponape  History  repeats  herself. 

That  evening  Joe  Kehoe  is  in  high  spirits  over  his 
good  luck.  "  Happy  as  a  clam  at  high  water,"  as  he 
poetically  phrases  it.  He  gives  many  old-time  reminis- 
cences— one  tale  really  characteristic  of  the  times,  the 
people  and  the  place.  The  reader  will  pardon  the 
digression,  for  his  account  is  an  independent  version 
(i)  of  a  crude  minor  paragraph  on  current  events  in 
a  Boston  missionary  journal  ;  (2)  of  Mr  J.  C.  Dewar's 
account  of  the  wreck  of  his  yacht  the  Nyanza  off  the 
Mant  Islands  in  1889  ;  and  (3)  of  the  historiette  of  Don 
Cabeza  Pereiro,  medico  of  the  first  column  in  the  Spanish 
attack  on  the  rebel  stronghold  of  Oa  in  the  same  year. 
We  shall  see  how  these  four  independent  accounts  tally. 

Joe  Kehoe's  story  concerned  a  Portuguese  negro  half- 
caste  named  Christian*)  (no  connection  of  the  author's),  a 
deserter  from  the  whaler  Helen  Mar,  who  settled  in  Ponape 
some  twelve  years  ago  in  the  fearless  old  beach-combing 
fashion,  and  roved  about  at  his  own  sweet  will  like  Steven- 
son's Tahitian  hero  Rakero,  who  "  as  an  '  aito '  wandered 
the  land,  delighting  maids  with  his  tongue,  smiting  men 
with  his  hand."  This  negro  Don  Juan  certainly  did  bear 
the  marks  of  some  twenty  knife-wounds,  gained  in  these 
adventures.  The  Spanish  chronicler  mentions  him  acting 
as  a  guide  to  their  first  column  in  the  morning  march  from 
Oa,  through  the  ravines  of  Machikau,  towards  the  eastern 
front  of  the  stockade  of  Ketam  (where  that  same  evening 
they  met  with  a  disastrous  repulse).  The  account  runs  : — 
"  Cristiano,  a  negro  of  Cabo  Verde,  a  Portuguese  subject, 
led  the  way,  a  man  of  herculean  strength  and  proved 
valour,  whom  the  natives  held  in  dread.  His  three  Caro- 
line wives  accompanied  him,  one  of  whom,  Li-Kanot,  in 


/ 


SKETCH    PLAN 

—   OF  — 

m>.,         NAN-MATAL 
ll  The  Metalanim  Venice. 

■■iSi?  =-    Mangrove  Clumps. 


THIRD   VISIT   TO   THE   RUINS  99 

the  firing  which  presently  began  from  a  body  of  natives 
in  ambush,  was  disabled  by  a  bullet  in  the  knee "  (for 
which  she  still  enjoys  a  small  monthly  pension). 

Compare  with  this,  the  terse  and  uncomplimentary 
notice  given  of  him,  sent  from  Ponape  by  one  of  Mr 
Doane's  co-religionists,  and  published  in  a  Boston  paper. 
"  We  have  had  great  trouble  here  lately  from  a  black 
Portuguese,  banished  some  time  ago  from  Manilla  for 
some  enormous  crimes.  He  has  sought  the  favour  of 
the  Spaniards,  asserting  that  in  time  of  need  he  supplied 
the  late  governor  (Don  Isidoro  Posadillo)  with  food. 
This  atoned  in  their  eyes  for  many  huge  sins,  and  he  is 
allowed  to  roam  up  and  down  the  island  doing  Satan's 
work  most  completely.     But  we  fear  him  not." 

Mr  Dewar's  account  tells  feelingly  of  the  stranding  of 

his  vessel  on  the  reefs  of  the  North  Coast  and  the  rascality 

of  a  certain  Portuguese  settler  of  U,  who,  when  left  in  charge 

assisted  various  natives  to  plunder  the  wreck.       Now  the 

aforesaid  negro  Christian,  who  seems  on  the  whole  to  have 

been  a  good-natured,  honest  old  soul,  gave  evidence  which 

led  to  the  conviction  of  some  of  the  delinquents,  and  their 

subsequent  detention  in  irons  on  the  hulk  Maria  Molina. 

If  missionaries  mean  that  giving  up  Church  members 

who  are  thieves  and  wreckers  to  justice  is  doing  Satan's 

work,  I  confess  they  appear  to  me  to  have  singular  ideas 

of  right  and  wrong.      I  should  counsel  them  to  teach  their 

congregations  industry,  and,  if  possible,  sturdier  notions  of 

honesty.     And  Joe  Kehoe's  account,  as  might  be  expected, 

ends  by  the  cowardly  assassination  of  the  negro  witness 

by  one  of  the  convicted  wreckers — called  Chaulik.      This 

scoundrel,  who  had  vowed   revenge,  by  a  lying  message 

enticed  him  to  an  island  called  Mang  off  the  Paliker  coast, 

laid  wait  in  the  bush  by  the  landing  place,  and  shot  him 

through   the   head   at   short    range ;    then    darting    from 

ambush,  hewed  to  pieces  his  expiring  victim,  whom  he 

was  not  man  enough  to  encounter  fairly  hand  to  hand. 

Joe  Kehoe  the  same  evening  told  us  of  a  curious  large 


IOO  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

flat  stone  on  the  Chapalap  River  called  Takai-nin-Talang. 
It  stands  near  Ketam  where  the  Spanish  met  with  such  a 
warm  reception  in  1892.  It  has  prints  of  a  man's  feet  in 
the  stone,  and  on  its  face  weapons  carved  in  outline,  which 
from  his  description  mightily  resemble  the  Japanese  Kat- 
ana  or  curved  swords.  He  gave  us  further  edifying  anec- 
dotes ;  amongst  others,  one  of  his  meeting  a  boat-load  of 
missionaries  on  the  Matup  flats  near  Metalanim  Harbour, 
whilst  he  was  taking  a  cargo  of  kava  down  to  a  Fijian 
trading  schooner  lying  in  port.  "  Oh,  for  shame,  Mr 
Kehoe,"  rose  their  reproachful  chorus.  "  Why  have  you 
got  your  boat  loaded  with  that  nasty  root  ?  "  To  which 
impertinence  Joe  answered  like  a  man,  and  thus  he  took 
up  his  parable.  "  See  here,  and  don't  make  no  mistake. 
You  won't  use  it  yourself,  more  fools  you  !  You  won't 
let  natives  use  it  or  sell  it.  Haven't  you  got  sense  to  see 
this  is  the  only  way  to  get  quit  of  it  out  of  the  country. 
You  make  me  tired." 

On  the  next  day,  March  26th,  we  continued  our  clear- 
ing operations  and  took  more  photographs  of  portions  of 
the  wall  at  various  angles,  and  explored  the  underground 
chambers  C  and  D,  which,  to  our  disappointment,  yielded 
only  scanty  results.  C  is  about  fourteen  feet  deep  and 
extremely  narrow.  Joe  Kehoe,  being  of  slender  though 
wiry  build,  was  lowered  with  a  lantern  to  assist  him  in 
his  labours.  He  turned  over  a  lot  of  soil,  but  only  got  a 
few  beads,  fragments  of  shell  bracelets,  and  mouldering 
bones.  Just  as  we  are  finishing  chamber  D  with  a  like 
result,  a  native  arrives  in  some  excitement  to  tell  us  that 
a  steamer  is  coming  into  the  great  harbour,  a  rare  occur- 
rence, for  prudent  skippers  nowadays  give  the  place  a  wide 
berth.  She  turns  out  to  be  the  Quiros,  on  one  of  her 
cruises  round  the  island.  Her  kind-hearted  commander, 
Don  Miguel  Velasco,  has  put  into  this  uninviting  port  on 
the  chance  of  conciliating  King  Paul,  and  at  the  same 
time  rendering  any  possible  assistance  to  our  expedition. 
That  very  afternoon  I  sent   Nanit  and   Ch£tan  on   board 


3     2. 


THIRD    VISIT   TO  THE    RUINS  ioi 

with  a  letter  to  the  Captain  and  his  Lieutenant  Don 
Lorenzo  Moya,  inviting  them  next  day  to  visit  the  scene 
of  our  operations  and  witness  the  clearing  of  the  east  and 
north  sides  of  the  great  outer  wall,  and  the  photographing 
of  further  portions  of  the  stone-work.  By  and  by  the  boys 
came  back  with  a  courteous  letter  from  Don  Miguel  ac- 
cepting the  invitation,  and  asking  me  to  come  on  board 
to  dinner  that  evening.  Joe  preferred  to  stay  with 
Theodoro  and  Nanit  and  keep  watch  and  ward,  but  his 
two  sons  and  Chetan  willingly  came  along.  Once  in  the 
broken  water  by  the  entrance  to  the  great  harbour,  we  find 
navigation  in  our  small  canoe  a  very  different  business  from 
paddling  along  the  still  backwaters  of  Nan-Matal.  The 
wild  white  horses  are  cresting  the  seas  outside  the  harbour 
mouth  to  eastward  ;  inside  there  is  a  very  heavy  ground- 
swell,  the  rollers  sweeping  in  one  after  another,  and  huge 
masses  of  green  water  toss  us  skyward  like  a  plaything. 
Then  down  again  into  the  deeps  we  sink,  with  the  spume 
hissing  and  tingling  in  our  ears,  and  another  great  wall 
forming  up  behind  us  in  the  gathering  dusk.  Just  off 
Tolopuel  there  is  a  submerged  stack  of  rocks  over  which, 
even  in  calm  weather,  comb  great  shoal-water  breakers. 
Our  little  steersman  from  Kiti,  not  knowing  the  dangers 
of  this  part  of  the  coast,  takes  us  right  into  the  heart  of 
the  foaming  welter,  and  the  next  quarter  of  an  hour  is 
lively  indeed.  But  the  lights  of  the  Quiros — welcome 
beacon — are  shining  out  ahead  in  the  deepening  gloom. 
Our  canoe,  though  small,  is  solid,  and  we  dash  our  paddles 
in  with  a  will,  and  after  some  narrow  escapes  from  upsetting 
win  our  way  slowly  into  calmer  water,  and  think  ourselves 
fortunate  to  be  there. 

We  met  with  a  warm  welcome  on  the  Quiros,  but 
noticed  with  misgiving  certain  sinister-looking  fellows — 
strangers  to  us — on  the  deck  ;  spies  of  King  Paul,  sent 
under  the  mask  of  friendship  to  take  note  of  the  vessel, 
her  fittings  and  stores,  and  to  repeat  every  word  uttered 
which  might  give  information  of  Spanish  plans.      When 


102  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

they  saw  us  their  countenances  fell,  and  they  were  soon 
paddling  ashore — their  plans  for  the  time  defeated — from 
which  I  augur  a  sleepless  night  for  suspicious  King  Paul 
and  trouble  brewing  for  us  in  the  near  future.  We  re- 
ceived cordial  congratulations  on  our  success,  and  after 
spending  a  pleasant  evening  rowed  back,  passing  under 
lee  of  Tomun  and  reaching  Uchentau  about  midnight,  by 
a  new  route  altogether,  through  an  uncharted  portion  of 
the  amazing  labyrinth — a  thorough  clearing  and  explora- 
tion of  which  would  entail  the  labours  of  a  small  party 
for  several  months. 

March  27th. — As  agreed,  the  first  and  second  lieu- 
tenants, with  two  Manilla  sailors,  turned  up  at  Uchentau 
about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning.  This  was  their  first 
visit  to  the  ruins,  and  the  sight  of  the  great  gateway  and 
the  high  walls  peeping  out  of  the  masses  of  jungle,  keenly 
excited  their  wonder  and  admiration.  We  showed  them 
the  central  vault,  and  pointed  out  the  peculiar  Japanese- 
looking  frieze  or  cornice  running  along  on  the  top  of  the 
inner  line  of  wall.  We  then  viewed  the  portion  near 
tomb  C,  where  the  inner  wall  is  in  a  ruinous  condition, 
and  the  court  strewn  with  broken  shafts  and  pillars  of 
toppled  masonry,  taking  our  visitors  round  the  courtyard, 
which  by  this  time  had  been  cleared  of  its  jungle  by 
vigorous  knife  and  axe  work. 

With  the  assistance  of  the  two  Manilla  sailors  we  fell 
to  work  once  again  to  bring  more  of  the  masonry  into 
view,  and  more  photographs  were  taken  of  the  south-west 
and  north-east  angles.  Clearing  as  we  went,  we  made  a 
complete  circuit  of  the  Place  of  the  Lofty  Walls,  as  the 
Ponapeans  term  the  precinct.  Every  foot  of  the  island  is 
covered  with  almost  impenetrable  forest  and  jungle.  On 
three  sides  the  walls  face  directly  on  the  waterway,  on  the 
south  there  is  a  belt  of  vegetation  which  we  had  no  time 
to  explore.  Standing  on  the  south-east  angle,  where  the 
wall  is  nearly  forty  feet  in  height,  one  looks  down  on  a 
green  abyss  of  nodding  woodland,  with  never  a  glimpse  of 


N.E.    INNER   ANGLE   OF    INNER    COURT,  NAN-TAUACH 


N.E.    ANGLE   OF   OUTER   WALL,    NAN-TAUACH 


THIRD    VISIT   TO    THE    RUINS  103 

the  network  of  canals  rippling  beneath  the  screen.  In 
clearing  this  angle  on  the  inner  side  we  found  the  stone- 
work less  regular  than  on  the  outer  face,  where  these 
astonishing  blocks  lie  alternately  sidewise  and  crosswise 
on  a  plane  of  the  greatest  nicety.  Effect  from  the  out- 
side was  clearly  the  aim  of  the  builders.  The  north-east 
angle  is  occupied  by  an  enormous  Aio  or  Banyan  tree, 
firm-rooted  in  the  solid  masonry,  over  which  it  towers  full 
fifty  feet,  buttressed  with  its  long  root-sprays,  and  thrust- 
ing bunches  of  thread-like  root-fibres  into  every  crevice. 
As  they  swell  these  exercise  a  constant  and  gradually 
increasing  force,  wrenching  asunder  the  blocks  from  their 
resting-places.  When  a  high  wind  blows  through  the 
tree-tops  the  continuous  swaying  and  rocking  movement 
racks  the  structure  through  and  through  in  every  joint 
and  key-stone.  These  mighty  forces,  working  slowly  but 
surely,  must  sooner  or  later  bring  the  wall  down  in  ruins. 

The  picture  of  our  group  excellently  shows  up  the  pro- 
portions of  the  masonry,  with  its  tasselling  of  birds'-nest 
and  polypody  fern,  and  the  mighty  Incubus,  king  of  the 
forest,  perched  above  firm-rooted,  shaking  his  myriad 
branches  in  the  breeze.  After  resting  awhile  we  hewed 
our  way  along  the  north  terrace,  finally  coming  out  upon 
the  canal  which  bounds  the  west  side.  Our  photograph  x 
of  the  north-west  angle  gives  a  happy  impression  of  the 
style  of  masonry  at  this  junction,  the  two  walls  running 
up  high  and  bluff  like  the  bows  of  a  Japanese  junk,  from 
which  model  they  were  possibly  designed.  The  figure  in 
the  foreground  is  that  of  the  Spanish  first  lieutenant, 
bestriding  a  projecting  shaft  of  the  stone-work  that  shoots 
out  like  a  bowsprit  over  the  canal  below.  Beneath 
stretches  a  belt  of  young  coco-palms  of  recent  growth, 
their  reddish  stems  just  merging  into  green. 

In  order  to  take  the  bearings  of  the  place  properly, 
our  visitors  kindly  promised  me  the  use  of  the  cruiser's 
compass  next  day,  and  as  it  was  now  getting  near  sunset, 

1  Journal  of  Royal  Geographical  Society,  February  1899,  p.  122,  q.v. 


104  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

insisted  on  my  taking  a  couple  of  boys  and  going  on 
board  with  them  to  dinner.  Not  content  with  this,  on 
our  return  they  supplied  us  with  various  articles  from  the 
ship's  stores  to  reinforce  our  scanty  commons.  We  re- 
tired to  rest,  taking  no  thought  for  the  morrow,  and 
well  contented  with  the  day's  work  done.  But  whilst 
we  were  sleeping    mischief  was  brewing. 

March  28th. — Early  next  morning  a  canoe  glides  up 
manned  by  five  of  King  Paul's  braves,  evil-looking  vaga- 
bonds, bearing  a  request  from  that  monarch  for  the  two 
white-faces  and  the  Manilla  dog  (Kiti-en- Manila) — (poor 
Theodoro !) — to  present  themselves,  and  give  account  of 
their  nefarious  doings.  It  turns  out  that  King  Paul  is 
filled  with  rage  at  the  coming  of  the  Quiros  into  port, 
and  suspects  some  deep  design  of  the  Spaniards.  His 
superstitious  terrors  have  been  awakened  by  tales  from 
stray  fishermen,  who,  passing  through  the  waterways  of 
Nan-Matal,  were  startled  to  view  the  havoc  wrought  in 
the  shrouding  jungle  by  our  axes  and  knives.  At  first 
they  thought  the  devils  of  the  wood  and  air  had  done 
this  thing,  but  a  closer  inspection  revealed  human  agency. 
It  seems  that  they  had  a  tradition  that  the  spirits  of 
the  slaughtered  Builders  had  entered  into  the  trees  that 
have  sprung  up  where  the  great  battle  was  fought.  Mr  C. 
F.  Wood  mentions  the  same  superstition  shown  during  his 
visit  to  Metalanim,  and  Mr  H.  O.  Forbes  tells  of  a  similar 
experience  of  his  in  one  of  the  Uma-Luli  or  sacred  groves 
in  the  interior  of  Timor.  His  Majesty  has  also  heard  of 
our  find,  which  he  interprets  as  a  hoard  of  hidden  gold  or 
silver.  This  appeals  to  his  ingrained  avarice,  and  he  wants 
his  share.  Theodoro,  with  a  small  revolver,  slips  out  of 
the  house  and  takes  to  his  heels  into  the  bush.  The 
little  boy  Chetan  also  makes  good  his  escape — steals 
somebody's  fishing  canoe  and  flees  for  his  life  down  the 
coast,  and  never  looks  behind  him  till  across  the  Kiti 
border.  Wondering  what  rod  in  pickle  lies  ready  for 
us,  we  are  conducted  to  Tomun  where  King  Paul  and 


THIRD    VISIT   TO   THE    RUINS  105 

two  or  three  of  his  chiefs  await  us.  Amongst  them  I 
saw  my  Ponatik  landlord,  Mr  David  Lumpoi,  who  seemed 
very  ill  at  ease.  The  angry  old  monarch  turned  to  us 
and  rated  us  sharply  for  our  unhallowed  work  which 
he  bade  us  cease  once  and  for  all,  and  leave  the  district 
that  very  day  on  pain  of  being  treated  as  enemies  to  the 
tribe.  As  the  Roman  philosopher  said  to  Julius  Caesar, 
"  It  is  ill  arguing  with  a  man  who  commands  ten  legions." 
Nevertheless,  observing  that  David  was  not  giving  full 
effect  to  my  answers,  I  took  up  my  parable,  regardless  of 
etiquette,  addressing  the  irate  monarch  in  a  few  straight- 
forward sentences  in  the  local  dialect  to  this  effect : — 
(1)  That  we  had  made  a  contract  and  expected  him, 
having  received  payment  before  hand,  to  keep  his  side 
of  it.  (2)  That  we  had  done  no  harm  to  the  masonry, 
and  had  dug  up  no  gold  or  silver  as  he  supposed. 
(3)  That  since  our  coming  in  the  tribe  we  had  behaved 
peacefully  and  defrauded  no  man.  (4)  That  as  he  de- 
sired us  to  go,  go  we  should,  but  at  our  own  convenience, 
not  his.  (5)  That  we  would  make  him  a  by- word  amongst 
the  tribes  for  his  broken  faith.  Finally  I  told  him  that  if 
he  meditated  any  treachery  that  an  English  man-of-war 
might  call  in  one  day  and  ask  inconvenient  questions. 
To  these  observations  he  made  no  reply  for  a  while, 
scanning  me  earnestly,  seemingly  puzzled  and  at  a  loss 
what  to  make  of  it.  At  length  he  grunted  out  sulkily 
that  he  didn't  like  white  men,  and  that  his  people  didn't 
either,  and  was  dismissing  us  with  further  threats  and 
warnings,  which,  to  his  infinite  wonder,  I  treated  very 
lightly.  "  Tell  your  king  there,"  said  I,  in  the  current 
Ponapean,  to  a  chief  close  by,  "that  I  will  return  in  a 
year  or  two  and  bring  with  me  a  party  of  Irishmen  with 
picks  and  spades  and  lamps  and  muskets,  and  we  will  dig 
where  we  please.  By  and  by  you  will  understand  white 
men  better."  The  king  took  my  jesting  remarks,  which 
may  come  true  some  day  after  all,  in  earnest.  We  parted 
gravely  and  ceremoniously.       And  this  was  the  last  I  saw 


106  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

of  that  puissant  monarch  the  Ichipau  of  Metalanim.  We 
made  our  way  back  to  Uchentau,  and  consoled  poor 
Theodoro  whom  we  found  in  a  very  dismal  frame  of 
mind.  But  he  brightened  up  about  mid-day  when  a 
boat  of  armed  Manilla  sailors  came  ashore  from  the 
Quiros  with  the  promised  compass.  We  soon  turned 
to  and  established  the  bearings  of  Nan-Tauach,  made 
certain  measurements,  which  hitherto  we  had  left  undone, 
and  the  man  with  the  camera  took  shots  until  nearly  the 
last  plate  of  his  stock  was  used.  We  took  a  farewell  pull 
around  the  canals — our  crew  gazing  with  wonder  at  the 
relics  of  a  past  civilisation  that  greeted  them  at  every  bend. 

Presently  we  gathered  from  our  escort  that  overnight  a 
present  of  bright-coloured  poisonous  fish  had  been  sent  on 
board  from  King  Paul.  The  cook  or  one  of  the  forecastle 
hands,  happening  to  taste  a  portion,  was  seized  with  violent 
pains  to  which  he  almost  succumbed.  Treachery,  with- 
out doubt,  is  in  the  air. 

Between  Kontaiak  and  Panachau  it  appears  that  we  are 
not  the  only  folk  out  on  the  water  this  day.  Two  other 
boat-loads  of  sailors  and  marines,  on  shore  leave,  are 
rowing  up  and  down  the  waterway  in  an  aimless  sort  of 
fashion.  One  or  two  native  canoes  are  also  going  about 
under  colour  of  fishing,  but  doubtless  in  reality  sent  out  to 
observe  and  report  upon  the  movements  of  these  un- 
authorised bodies  of  strangers  invading  the  precinct. 
Quite  possibly  many  more  of  King  Paul's  spies  lie  hidden 
in  the  bush,  burning  to  make  a  dash  upon  the  unconscious 
liberty  men.  For  the  sight  of  a  Manilla  man  to  a  native 
of  these  parts  is  like  a  red  rag  to  a  bull.  Fortunately, 
however,  nothing  of  the  kind  happens. 

Our  Manilla  men  land  us  at  Uchentau  and  return  to 
the  ship,  taking  off  some  curios  as  a  present  to  the  captain, 
also  a  note  informing  him  of  the  interruption  of  our  opera- 
tions in  the  district,  begging  him  to  report  the  facts  at 
headquarters,  and  strongly  advising  him  to  run  no  risks 
by  giving  his  men  leave  to  go  ashore  in  the  present  state 


THIRD   VISIT   TO    THE    RUINS  107 

of  affairs.  And  the  same  afternoon  we  started  for  Lot, 
where  for  the  next  two  or  three  days  we  had  ample  work 
in  hand,  sorting  and  washing  curios,  with  Theodoro 
industriously  developing  plates  with  his  mysterious  and 
evil-smelling  chemicals.  Curious  natives  dropped  in  from 
time  to  time  sniffing  the  strange  odours,  which  they  plainly 
told  us  in  the  jargon  of  their  kind  savoured  strongly  of 
Rakim,  or  demoniac  powers  and  the  Lake  of  Fire  and 
Brimstone — L4-en-Kichiniai,  the  mainstay  of  their  chari- 
table creed.  After  a  day  or  two  our  landlord  arrived  and 
promptly  demanded  double  the  original  rent  agreed  upon, 
clamouring  loudly  for  instant  pay.  His  ruse  absolutely 
failed,  and  we  elected  to  leave  his  inhospitable  roof  and 
move  further  down  the  coast  towards  the  Kiti  border. 

A  good  opportunity  for  departure  was  given  us  by  the 
arrival  of  a  Tahitian  trader,  Ruiz,  with  his  sailing-boat, 
engaged  in  collecting  copra  and  ivory  nuts  along  the  coast. 
He  readily  agreed  to  take  us  off,  and  to  land  me  at  Joe 
Kehoe's  place  at  Nantamarui,  and  take  the  Manilla  man 
and  the  curios  over  to  his  own  place  in  Kiti.  So  we  paid 
our  small  debts  in  Ponatik  after  a  deal  of  palaver  with 
Keroun  —  mercenary  old  rogue  —  who  demanded  five 
dollars  for  the  loan  of  a  kettle,  three  for  a  fowl,  and  ten 
more  for  a  dozen  wild  yams  he  had  supplied.  He 
frightened  the  Manilla  man  into  tears  with  his  loud  talk 
and  bluster  until  I  flung  him  a  dollar  and  a  few  sticks  of 
tobacco  in  full  quittance,  and  as  he  was  still  dissatisfied, 
forcibly  thrust  him  off  the  verandah.  David,  for  his  part, 
agreed  to  meet  us  up  in  the  Colony  a  little  later  on,  and 
there  receive  a  full  settlement  of  the  rent  due  to  him.  I 
may  here  remark  that  when  we  met  a  fortnight  later  this 
Ponapean  Shylock  caused  us  great  annoyance  by  his 
extortionate  demands.  He  behaved  in  a  most  insolent 
manner  before  the  Spanish  Governor,  who,  though  plainly 
unwilling  to  disoblige  a  chief  of  influence  in  so  turbulent 
a  district,  could  not  in  justice  allow  him  to  make  such 
unheard-of   overcharges.       For    he    kept    on    demanding 


108  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

double  pay,  utterly  repudiating  his  own  written  and 
signed  agreement  when  shown  him,  and  putting  forward 
yet  further  frivolous  and  unreasonable  claims.  Finally, 
Master  David,  after  a  stern  reprimand  from  the  Governor 
and  a  sharp  rebuke  from  Nanapei,  who  acted  as  mediator, 
received  his  just  payment  with  the  sour  phiz  of  a  cabman 
accepting  his  exact  fare,  and  amidst  the  undisguised  con- 
tempt of  the  Kiti  and  Paliker  natives  in  town  sailed  away 
home  again,  still  grumbling. 

To  resume.  We  embarked  and  dropped  down  with  the 
afternoon  tide  to  Nantamarui,  where  I  landed  at  Joe's  to 
stay  a  few  days  with  the  good  old  fellow.  During  this  visit 
I  examined  a  curious  pile  of  stone-work  about  three  hun- 
dred yards  in  the  rear  of  his  house,  and  added  still  further 
to  my  long  list  of  rare  and  curious  dialect  words,  Mrs 
Kehoe  (Litak-en-Na),  a  most  kindly  old  lady,  lending  most 
zealous  and  effectual  aid.  We  also  indulged  in  a  deal  of 
speculation  as  to  the  origin  and  history  of  the  engineering 
marvel  we  had  so  lately  quitted,  and  I  may  here  quote  in 
conclusion  Kubary's  able  summing-up  of  the  whole  matter, 
which  to  me  seems  amply  borne  out  both  by  native 
tradition  and  inherent  probability,  not  to  mention  the 
result  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  obtain  on  the  spot. 
In  his  conclusions  I  heartily  concur. 

i .  The  stone  buildings  of  Nanmatal  were  erected  by  a 
race  preceding  the  present  inhabitants  of  Ponape.  For 
tradition  declares  that  the  last  king  of  the  primitive  race, 
the  Dziautoloa  (i.e.  Chau-te-leur),  lived  on  the  island  of 
Nangutra.  He  himself  resided  in  the  stone-town,  whilst 
the  people  lived  on  the  chief  island  and  had  to  support 
the  ruler.  One  day  a  stranger  of  the  name  of  Idzikolkol 
landed  on  the  little  island  of  Nan-Pulok.  He  came  from 
the  Ant  or  Andema  Islands,  lying  about  ten  nautical  miles 
west  of  Ponape,  and  fearing  that  Nanmatal  was  too  thickly 
populated,  he  thought  it  advisable  to  go  back  again.  A 
new  landing  followed  in  Metalanim,  and  being  informed 
by  a  woman  of  the  military  weakness  of  the  Dziautoloa, 


A   PONATIC   CHIEF 

HOLDING    A   CARVED    DANCING    PADDLE,    WITH    A    PILE   OF    IVORV    NUTS    BESIDE    HIM 


THE    BEACH   AT   LOT 

RUIZ   SURROUNDED    WITH    BUNCHES    OF    K.4RRAT   OR    GIANT    PLANTAINS 


THIRD   VISIT   TO    THE    RUINS  109 

he  was  fortunate  enough  to  drive  the  king  back  upon  the 
chief  island,  and  even  to  kill  him.  This  Idzikolkol  was 
the  founder  of  the  customs  which  endure  to  this  day,  and 
the  Idzipaus  of  Metalanim  are  his  successors. 

2.  The  builders  of  Nanmatal  belonged  to  the  black  race 
and  the  Ponapeans  are  a  mixed  race. 

The  proof  lies  in  the  following.  At  the  excavation  of  the 
three  vaults  of  Nan  Tauacz,  and  the  till  then  undisturbed 
graves  of  Nanmorlosaj  (i.e.  Nan-moluchai)  and  Lukoporin, 
Kubary  found  amongst  the  human  bones  four  calvaria — 
skull-tops — which  clearly  showed  that  the  heads  were 
dolichocephalous,  or  corresponded  with  a  middle  form 
between  long  and  short  skulls.1  The  difference  between 
one  of  these  disinterred  skulls  and  those  of  the  present 
race,  is  : — 

Disinterred  skull :  length  181  millimetres,  breadth  127 
mm.  [cephalic  index  70*2],  facial  angle  unknown. 

Native  skull  of  to-day  :  length  170  mm.,  breadth  1  3  5  J 
mm.  [cephalic  index  797],  facial  angle  j6°  3c/. 

3.  The  ruins  of  Ponape  afford  no  proof  of  the  sinking  of 
the  island,  on  the  contrary  they  unmistakably  show  that 
they  are  the  remains  of  a  water-building. 

4.  The  four-fold  aspect  deprives  of  all  support  the  theory 
that  the  ruins  are  the  remains  of  fortifications  built  by 
Spanish  pirates.  The  discovery  of  a  Spanish  cannon  in 
the  year  1839  by  H.M.S.  Lame  proves  nothing,  beyond 
confirming  the  rumour  of  the  wreck  of  a  great  ship  on  Ant 
Island  long  before  the  rediscovery  of  the  Seniavin  Islands 
by  Admiral  Liitke  in  1828  ;  probably  one  of  the  cannons 
lying  on  the  shore  was  taken  from  thence  to  Roan  Kitti 
(i.e.  Ronkiti). 

1  A  skull  measured  by  Dr  Cabeza  Pereiro  from  Ponape  had  a  length  of 
184  mm.  and  a  breadth  of  140,  which  gives  a  cephalic  index  of  76*1.  Four 
other  Micronesian  crania  from  the  neighbouring  group  of  the  Mariannes  had 
respectively  cephalic  indices  of  76*55,  73*31,  71*27,  and  70*98,  giving  a  mean 
of  73-66. 


CHAPTER  VII 

VISIT  TO  CEMETERY  OF  THE  CHOKALAI  OR  LITTLE 
PEOPLE,  PONAUL  AND  LANG  TAKAI,  AND  RETURN 
FROM  METALANIM  TO  KITI  AND  COLONY 

ON  hearing  from  my  kind  old  host  of  some  curious 
ruins  on  a  hill-side  in  the  back  country,  I  deter- 
mined to  explore  them.  Theodoro,  my  photographer,  it 
will  be  remembered  having  finished  all  his  plates,  much  to 
his  satisfaction  had  been  despatched  across  the  border  to  the 
Catholic  settlement  of  King  Rocha  at  Aleniang — to  per- 
form his  chemical  operations  in  peace,  and  there  abide 
collecting  and  labelling  botanical  specimens  until  he 
received  further  instructions.  Accordingly  one  fine  morn- 
ing Joe  Kehoe,  his  eldest  son  Lewis,  and  myself  are  trudg- 
ing sturdily  up  the  hill-ridge  behind  Nantamarui  over  a 
rough,  steep  and  intricate  trail — I  will  not  call  it  pathway 
— thickly  carpeted  with  the  convolvuluses  Yo/ and  Chenchel. 
The  weeds  underfoot  treacherously  hide  from  our  view 
numerous  slippery  boulders  and  fragments  of  shivered 
basalt.  By  and  by  the  labyrinth  gets  worse  than  ever, 
and  for  several  hundred  yards  we  have  to  fight  our  way  on, 
hewing  right  and  left  with  our  eighteen-inch  knives,  climb- 
ing over  fallen  trunks  of  great  forest  trees  and  ducking 
under  low  natural  archways  of  Kalau  or  hibiscus.  As  by 
degrees  we  worked  our  way  nearer  to  the  region  of  tall 
forest  trees  the  underwood  became  less  dense.  On  our 
right  lies  a  green  valley  planted  with  taro,  bananas,  and 
breadfruit,  with  a  full-fed  brook  singing  down  through  it  in 
its  zigzag  course  beneath  the  mellow  shadows.  To  our 
left  stretches  a  steep  mountain-slope,  along  whose  slippery 
sides  we  scramble,  picking  our  way  cautiously  amongst 
Note. — A  portion  of  this  chapter  is  from  a  paper  read  by  the  author  before 
the  Royal  Geographical  Society,  December  12th,  1898. 


VISIT  TO   CHOKALAI   CEMETERY  in 

gnarled  roots  and  spreading  buttresses  of  the  ficoids  Nin 
and  Aio — the  lesser  and  greater  Banyan  trees.  Scattered 
at  our  feet  like  little  bright-blue  olives,  lie  the  berries  of 
the  Chatak  or  Elczocarpus,  dear  to  the  fruit-pigeons,  the 
grey-dove  (Murroi),  the  green-doves  {Kinuet  and  Kingking), 
and  the  violet-brown  ground  pigeon  (Paludi).  These 
Elaeocarpi  grow  often  to  over  ioo  feet  in  height.  Finally 
passing  one  of  the  buttressed  kings  of  the  forest  we 
suddenly  came  upon  a  low  breastwork  of  stones  enclosing 
the  object  of  our  search,  which  turned  out  to  be  a  cemetery 
in  the  shape  of  an  irregular  or  broken  parallelogram,  as  can 
be  seen  from  the  sketch  plan.  Six  graves  were  found  in 
the  lower  enclosure  and  three  on  a  platform  raised  five  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  ground.  All  were  little  vaults  not 
exceeding  four  or  four  and  a  half  feet  in  length — roofed 
in  with  massive  slabs  of  basalt — the  graves  of  the  Chok- 
alai,  Kichin-Aramach  or  Little  Folk,  woodland  elves, 
answering  to  our  own  pucks  and  pixies,  to  the  Trolds, 
Cobolds,  and  Dwarfs  of  the  Teutonic  peoples,  and  to  the 
Patupaiarehe  of  the  Maoris.  Ethnologists  would  style 
them  dwarf  Negritos.  These,  according  to  Ponapean 
tradition,  were  the  little  dwarfish  folk  who  dwelt  in  the 
land  before  the  coming  of  the  Kona  and  Li-ot,  the  giants 
and  the  cannibals.  The  two  latter  terms  probably  repre- 
sent respectively  the  Malayo-Polynesian  settlers  and  the 
Melanesians  from  the  south.  The  speech  of  the  dwarfs, 
it  is  said,  was  a  chattering  and  a  gibber  as  that  of  bats. 
They  were  dark  of  skin  and  flat-nosed  (Timpak).  They 
are  believed  still  to  haunt  the  dark  recesses  of  the  forest, 
and  to  be  very  malignant  and  revengeful.  I  was  told  that 
one  man  who  came  to  this  haunted  dell  to  plant  kava  was 
caught  up  and  spirited  away  by  the  revengeful  goblins,  and 
his  lifeless  body  was  found  days  afterwards  stretched  upon 
a  great  fiat  rock  by  the  seashore  off  Nantiati  Point.  A 
curious  fact  concerning  this  primitive  race  was  supplied 
me  by  the  Au  of  Marau  shortly  before  leaving  Ponape. 
The  people  at  the  mouth  of  the  Palang  River  near  the 


112  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

Chokach  and  Kiti  border  are  said  to  have  been  descended 
from  the  Chokalai,  who  it  seems  were  not  everywhere 
exterminated  by  the  Malayo-Polynesian  conquerors.  The 
Au's  description  runs  thus.  "  In  the  speech  of  the  Palang 
folk  is  a  most  foolish  undercurrent  of  chatter  ;  they  are 
shorter  in  stature,  and  their  skins  darker  than  their  neigh- 
bours ;  their  noses  are  flat  and  they  are  known  throughout 
the  tribes  as  Macha-en-Paikop  or  the  Paikop-faces.  Now 
the  Paikop  is  the  most  ill-favoured  of  fishes,  with  wide 
goggle-eyes,  and  a  face  as  flat  as  a  dish." 

Unluckily  I  had  no  opportunity  of  visiting  the  Palang 
folk,  who  are  said  to  be  thieving  and  treacherous.  There 
seems  no  reason  why  the  tale  of  the  Au  should  not  be 
true,  and  that  we  have  here  overlapped  and  all  but  exter- 
minated the  survivors  of  the  Negrito  race  who  made  these 
curious  little  graves.  Be  it  remarked  that  in  Ponape,  the 
Marquesas,  and  many  other  islands,  the  natives  have  a 
dread  of  venturing  too  far  into  the  interior — their  sensi- 
tive fancies  filling  the  mountain  jungle  with  deadly  lurk- 
ing influences  and  the  arrows  of  fairy  foes — doubtless  a 
recollection  of  early  struggles  of  the  Malayan  races  in 
Indonesia  and  their  own  islands  with  the  dwarf  aborigines 
of  the  mountain  and  the  bush. 

The  name  of  the  dell  is  Ponial,  i.e.  "  Over  the  pathway," 
so  called  because  the  mountain  slope  overhangs  an  old 
trail  leading  down  to  Nantamarui,  over  which  we  have 
with  such  difficulty  won  our  way.  The  wild  pandanus 
{Matal  or  Taip)  shoots  up  everywhere  around  the  ceme- 
tery, waving  her  sword-shaped  blades,  triply  fluted  and 
edged  with  fine  rows  of  prickles,  and  the  Hibiscus  tiliaceus 
weaves  her  intricate  labyrinth  of  shoots  ;  branches  and 
roots  spreading  in,  out,  above,  around  and  below.  The 
Talik-en-  Wal,  or  climbing  hartstongue  fern,  twines  thick 
around  the  stems  of  infant  forest  trees  in  this  grand 
nursery  of  Nature.  The  small  round  yellow  fruits  of  the 
Nin  and  the  blue  oblong  fruits  of  the  Eloeocarpus  lie 
sprinkled    amongst   greenest    cushions   of   moss   and   the 


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VISIT   TO   CHOKALAI    CEMETERY  113 

fibrous  roots  of  the  bush-ferns,  which  in  thick  wavy 
clumps  flourish  under  the  shadow  of  great  forest  trees. 
We  set  to  work  at  our  excavations.  After  clearing  away 
the  luxuriant  undergrowth,  we  cautiously  removed  the 
basalt  slabs  at  the  top  of  each  little  vault,  and  found  in 
the  red  soil  within  an  abundant  deposit  of  blue  mould 
promising  good  results.  In  the  first  few  minutes  a  very 
diminutive  stone  gouge  was  turned  up  and  a  stone  knife. 
No  other  results  rewarded  our  efforts,  save  a  few  pieces  of 
mouldering  bone.  All  the  rest  with  the  great  lapse  of 
time  in  a  damp  and  hot  climate  have  literally  melted 
away  like  sugar.  A  fresh  proof  of  the  great  antiquity  of 
this  burial  place  is  the  fact  that  not  one  single  red  or 
white  shell-bead  was  brought  to  light  in  any  of  the  seven 
graves  opened,  although  in  the  central  vault  of  Nan-Tauach 
we  had  found  a  very  large  number.  The  form  of  the 
cemetery  is  an  irregular  or  broken  parallelogram,  as  will 
be  seen  from  the  accompanying  sketch.  The  upper  por- 
tion of  the  cemetery  was  occupied  by  a  raised  platform 
of  basalt  blocks  five  feet  in  height.  Upon  this  were 
three  vaults  overgrown  by  a  tremendously  thick  awning 
of  the  ever  troublesome  Hibiscus.  The  graves  on  the 
upper  platform  gave  no  better  return,  yielding  only  a  few 
pieces  of  mouldering  and  unsubstantial  bone  to  our  most 
careful  search  ;  whereupon  Lewis  shrewdly  remarked  that 
the  Chokalai  must  have  been  either  very  stupid  people 
who  wouldn't  work,  or  very  poor  and  barbarous  wretches 
not  to  have  any  treasures  to  bury. 

Whilst  making  our  measurements  and  excavations,  we 
came  across  several  skink  lizards  rather  large  in  size,  called 
Kieil  by  the  natives,  who  hold  them  in  a  holy  horror. 
During  our  work  we  were  bothered  by  the  attentions  of 
numerous  minute  bush  or  sand-flies  (the  Em-en-wal), 
which,  however,  are  not  nearly  so  troublesome  as  their 
cousins  of  sun-scorched  Nukuhiva  in  the  North  Marquesas. 
Towards  sunset  we  departed,  leaving  the  dell  to  the  fairies 
whose  solitude  we  had  so  rudely  disturbed.  A  second 
H 


114  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

journey  next  day  proved  equally  fruitless  as  regards  relics, 
resulting  only  in  the  clearing  away  of  a  huge  quantity  of 
brushwood,  which  the  teeming  life  of  the  bush  by  this 
time  has  certainly  replaced  in  ten-fold  luxuriance,  to  cover 
up  the  sleeping-place  of  these  departed  folk  once  more 
from  the  face  of  man. 

The  evening  of  our  second  visit  to  the  Valley  of  the 
Dwarfs,  my  host  told  me  of  another  ancient  burying-place  on 
one  of  the  hills  to  the  north-west  of  our  valley.  So  next 
day,  armed  with  a  whale-spade  and  a  bundle  of  digging 
sticks,  we  struggled  up  the  steep  hill-side  over  the  most 
primitive  of  pathways.  A  quarter  of  an  hour's  sharp  climb 
brings  us  into  a  dense  thicket  crowning  the  summit  of  the 
duff.  A  few  areca  palms  are  in  evidence.  From  the  tree 
trunks  the  Freycinetia  droops  her  narrow  sword-shaped 
leaves,  and  the  long  green  tongues  of  the  Bird's-nest  fern  are 
waving  in  their  serial  circles,  and  the  plumes  and  crests  of 
many  another  knight  of  the  forest  army  glance  and  glim- 
mer in  the  cool  dark  silence.  Restful  to  the  eye  are  the 
mellow  harmonies  of  green  melting  into  one  another  on 
every  hand  like  the  notes  of  a  mighty  anthem.  Masses  of 
wild  ginger  {Ong-en-Pele)  carpet  the  ground  below,  dappled 
with  the  shadows  of  boughs  see-sawing  overhead  in  the 
deep  fresh  draught  of  the  trades.  The  air  is  filled  with  the 
aromatic  fragrance  of  their  crushed  leaves,  as  we  patiently 
win  our  way  onwards.  Under  the  shadow  of  lofty  forest 
trees  flourishes  many  a  clump  of  lowlier  shrub  of  the 
woodland,  the  Ixora  with  its  gorgeous  cascade  of  yellow- 
centred  umbels,  and  the  minute  starry  blossoms  of  the 
Ka-n-Mant,  a  firm-grained  yellow-wood  shrub,  and  the 
knotted  stems  and  powdery  catkins  of  the  sombre  Kava 
plant.  These  and  many  another,  some  ornamental,  very 
many  medicinal,  each  with  its  picturesque  native  name, 
associated  with  some  quaint  legend  or  fancy.  Ever 
and  anon  comes  down  through  the  aisles  of  the  woodland 
a  waft  of  fragrance  from  the  Matakel,  the  flower  of  some 
remote   tree-pandanus,   distilling   its   subtle   and    delicate 


VISIT    TO    LANG    TAKAI  115 

exhalation  rich  as  incense-cloud,  all  as  though  some  old 
god  of  the  forest  were  breathing  down  a  benediction  upon 
the  weary  sons  of  men. 

Working  our  way  through  the  wilderness  we  came  upon 
a  double  parallelogram  of  stone-work,  the  outer  wall  on 
the  east  side  measuring  115  feet  in  length,  and  the  south 
side  75.  The  average  thickness  of  the  wall  was  6  feet, 
the  height  about  5  feet.  It  was  built  up  of  rough  blocks 
of  stone  of  varying  sizes,  the  largest  being  4  feet  in  length 
by  3  in  thickness.  The  inner  conforming  parallelogram 
of  wall  measured  35  feet  on  the  east  side  and  30  feet  on 
the  south,  and  was  about  4  feet  in  height.  In  this  last 
enclosure  were  two  platforms  of  stone  facing  one  another, 
doubtless  the  tombs  of  two  heroes  of  ancient  date.  These 
we  cleared  of  loose  stones  and  excavated  superficially. 
Nothing,  however,  but  a  few  fragments  of  bones  and  bits 
of  shell  ornament  rewarded  our  labours.  Perhaps  the 
next  comer  with  more  time  and  better  implements  may 
be  more  fortunate.  In  any  case  it  will  not  be  labour  lost. 
There  are  many  more  such  stone  enclosures  {Lil-charaui) 
upon  Ponape,  especially  upon  the  island  of  Tapak,  a  little 
south-east  of  the  Mant  Islands,  off  the  coast  of  U,  near 
the  Nallam-en-Pokoloch  deeps,  before  you  come  to  Aru 
on  the  Metalanim  border.  It  is  for  future  explorers  to 
make  them  give  up  their  secrets,  and  for  the  skilful  artist 
to  set  down  upon  his  magic  canvas  some  of  the  wonder- 
fully beautiful  woodland  scenes  and  effects  which  I  have 
striven  feebly  to  depict  in  words.  Neither  must  they, 
nor  indeed  can  they,  pass  over  indifferently  these  relics  of 
a  gray  antiquity,  venerable  as  dolmen,  kistvaen,  or 
kjoekkenmodding — the  work  of  a  vanished  people  who, 
Titan-like,  have  stumbled  down  into  the  darkness  of  a 
mysterious  doom. 

A  few  days  after  our  excursion  to  Pona-Ul  we  visited 
the  remains  of  an  ancient  native  fortress  near  the  summit 
of  a  hill  to  the  eastward.  We  reached  the  place  after  a 
tedious   hour's   climb,  tramping    along    winding   slippery 


n6  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

paths  and  over  boulders  and  masses  of  fallen  rock,  making 
our  way  upward  through  the  shadow  of  hanging  woods. 
We  passed  the  foundations  of  some  old  houses  and  two 
or  three  clearings  in  the  lonely  mountain  wilderness  where 
bananas  were  growing,  and  at  last,  high  up  on  the  slope  of 
another  steep  hill,  its  rugged  sides  carpeted  with  the  large 
round  leaves  and  white  and  sulphur  bells  of  the  mountain 
convolvulus,  we  find  ourselves  confronted  with  a  forbid- 
ding-looking wall  of  loose  stones,  up  which  we  scramble 
on  to  a  rude  terrace,  with  another  high  and  compact  mass 
of  stone-work  looking  down  upon  us.  Yam  creepers  have 
everywhere  forced  their  way  up  through  the  stones,  their 
long  twining  stems  furnished  with  a  bristling  array  of 
small  black  prickles.  These  possibly  the  relics  of  an  old 
plantation  in  the  neighbourhood,  which  when  there  was  no 
one  left  to  tend  it  any  longer,  was  swallowed  up  once 
more  by  the  envious  bush. 

We  climbed  gingerly  up  the  slippery  face  of  the 
masonry  and  found  ourselves  standing  on  a  flat  level 
terrace  on  top  of  the  pile  which  is  some  1 5  feet  above  the 
circling  ring  of  stone-work  below.  The  length  of  the 
terrace  facing  seaward  is  48  feet,  and  its  width  20  feet. 
Tradition  declares  that  many  years  ago  the  Noch  or  chief 
of  the  Nantamarui  and  Nantiati  districts  built  this  strong- 
hold and  reared  a  great  Lodge  on  top  of  the  platform, 
which  looks  very  much  like  one  of  the  Mexican  teocalli 
or  truncated  pyramids.  As  he  failed  to  pay  nopue  or 
tribute,  the  king  of  Metalanim  assailed  him  in  his  moun- 
tain stronghold,  but  on  two  or  three  occasions  was  hurled 
back  with  great  loss.  Despairing  to  take  the  fort  by 
storm,  the  besiegers  had  resort  to  subtlety,  and  drew  off 
their  forces.  Some  while  after  news  came  up  from  the 
valley  of  the  Chapalap  River  that  civil  war  had  broken 
out  and  that  a  favourite  cousin  or  brother  of  his  own  was 
in  danger.  The  fearless  defender  of  this  mountain  fast- 
ness determined  to  take  his  best  warriors  with  him  and 
go  down  to  the  aid  of  his  hard-pressed  relative.      When 


VISIT   TO    LANG   TAKAI  117 

he  reached  the  village  with  his  succour,  the  very  people 
he  came  to  help,  who  were  in  the  plot  all  along,  turned 
on  their  bewildered  visitor  and  massacred  him  and  his 
whole  following.  Another  party  stormed  Lang-Takai, 
killing  old  men,  women  and  children  who  had  been  left 
behind.  Only  two  or  three  of  the  women  were  spared 
from  the  butchery,  and  were  added  to  the  seraglio  of  the 
conqueror,  and  their  descendants  are  in  Metalanim  to  this 
very  day. 

Another  tale  of  blood  will  further  illustrate  the  martial 
side  of  Ponapean  character. 

Nearly  one  hundred  years  ago  there  was  war  between 
the  tribes  of  Kiti  on  the  south-west  and  Metalanim  on 
the  east,  and  many  were  the  men  of  might  who  were 
slain  on  both  sides.  Now  it  fell  out  that  there  was  a 
mighty  festival  holden  on  the  southern  slopes  of  Mount 
Wana,  near  the  settlement  of  Aleniang.  A  Metalanim 
war-party  came  softly  up  the  tau  through  the  marshes 
and  stole  upon  the  settlement.  The  Nach  was  filled  with 
feasting  and  the  noise  of  revel,  when  in  burst  the  enemy 
and  slew  and  slew  till  they  were  weary  and — behold  the 
weakness  of  mighty  men — sat  them  down  to  drink  and 
boast  and  make  merry,  for  a  strong  delusion  was  leading 
them  to  doom.  For  the  conquered  were  no  cowards,  and 
some  of  them  that  fled  turned  again  and  took  counsel 
together.  One  crept  back  and  from  his  hiding-place  saw 
the  foes  drinking  in  the  lodge  and  heard  the  insults  of 
their  triumph  songs.  He  returned  and  told  his  comrades, 
and  wrath  and  desire  for  revenge  quenched  their  fear. 
Through  the  woods  they  sent  to  Annepein  for  succour, 
and  the  dwellers  on  the  banks  of  Palikalau  armed  and 
came  over.  Some  of  the  people  of  the  Ichipau  were 
sleeping,  and  more  were  drunk  and  helpless,  when  the 
Children  of  the  White  Bird  broke  in  upon  them  like  a 
raging  sea.  And  the  scent  of  more  than  kava  greeted 
the  hovering  crowds  of  Spirit-shapes  (Am)  in  that  reeking 
temple   of  slaughter.      Hence   the    proverb   to  this   day  : 


n8  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

"  Many  came  unbidden,  but  all  came  to  stay."  Thus  the 
Children  of  Kiti  held  their  own  and  more,  taking  five 
lives  for  every  two.  And  the  hearts  of  the  "Stammerers" 1 
turned  cold  and  for  many  months  there  was  peace  in  the 
lands  of  Wana. 

During  the  revolt  of  1890  and  the  Spanish  bombard- 
ment of  Metalanim  that  followed,  Lang-Takai  was  the 
fastness  whither  King  Paul  determined  to  send  the  old 
men,  women  and  children  of  the  tribe  for  safety  if  the 
hated  white  men  gained  the  upper  hand. 

A  fine  view  of  the  island  and  harbour  of  Mutok,  the 
Tenedos  of  Liitke,  was  obtained  from  the  level  terrace 
above.  The  island  resembled  in  shape  an  artist's  soft  hat 
with  its  broad  brim  and  deep  depression  in  centre.  Far 
to  the  westward  stretches  away  the  line  of  mangroves  and 
salt  water  brush  bordering  the  fertile  lowlands  of  Kiti. 
In  the  distance  are  Nalap  and  Kapara  and  several  smaller 
islets,  which  the  natives  declare  are  broken  portions  of  a 
once  extensive  mainland.  Further  off  yet,  a  long  low 
blue  line  on  the  horizon,  lie  the  Ant  Atolls,  quaintly  styled 
in  the  maps,  by  an  obvious  error,  "  And-ema  "  or  "  Ant-over- 
There"  On  the  slopes  below  flourishes  a  forest  world 
full  of  rich  promise  to  the  botanist,  if  any  should  hereafter 
visit  these  remote  regions.  Here  and  there  a  clearing 
devoted  to  the  culture  of  the  coconut,  the  banana,  the 
plantain,  the  taro,  the  breadfruit  and  the  yam,  all  of  which 
bear  names  cognate  with  their  equivalents  in  the  Polynesian 
dialects.  Below,  the  hanging  woods  sweep  lower  and 
lower,  merging  into  the  tract  of  marshy  land  overgrown 
with  mangrove  clumps  encircling  Ponape.  In  middle 
distance  the  varying  green  and  blue  waters  of  the  still 
lagoon,  the  outer  edge  of  the  reef  crested  with  the  white 
heads  of  the  eternal  breakers.  Beyond,  the  deep  blue 
Pacific    studded    with    myriad   islets,  far,   far  out  of  ken 

1  The  Metalanim  folk  speak  a  curious  crabbed  and  antiquated  dialect, 
much  ridiculed  by  their  critical  neighbours  of  Kiti  as  "  Nannamanam  "  or 
jargon. 


RETURN  FROM  METALANIM       119 

beyond  the  sunset,  where  many  a  liquid  unharvested  acre 
stretches  on  and  onward  to  the  gates  of  Gilolo  Sunda,  and 
San  Bernardino,  whence  for  ages  and  ages  the  swarming 
populations  of  Asia  have  been  pouring  out  through  Indo- 
nesia, all  too  small  for  their  teeming  myriads,  to  spread 
themselves  further  eastward  and  southward,  launching  out 
their  bold  keels  upon  a  great  waste  of  unknown  waters, 
wider  than  those  known  to  Greek,  Phceacian,  Viking  or 
Phoenician. 

A  pleasant  week  soon  passed.  But  alas  !  I  could  no 
longer  remain  in  this  most  hospitable  corner  of  an  inhospit- 
able province.  For  it  was  high  time  to  be  gone  across  the 
border  into  the  friendly  territory  of  King  Rocha  of  Kiti. 

For  that  most  Christian  monarch,  old  King  Paul,  for 
whom  one  day  a  halter  surely  waits,  has  passed  the  word 
from  parish  to  parish  down  his  coast  line,  breathing  out  dire 
threats  upon  all  or  any  of  his  subjects  who  should  venture 
to  receive,  entertain,  or  in  any  way  aid  me.  To  my  kind 
old  host  he  despatched  one  of  his  myrmidons  with  an 
insultirg  message  and  a  most  vengeful  letter,  to  the  effect 
that  his  coconut  palms  were  in  danger  of  being  chopped 
down,  his  pigs  slaughtered,  his  effects  plundered,  and  his 
home  birned  over  his  head  if  he  dared  any  longer  harbour 
the  macr.a  puotapuot  karialar,  the  accursed  while  man,  as 
the  old  ra.scal  rudely  styled  me. 

Well,  tnere  was  no  help  for  it.  Nantamarui,  if  I  stayed, 
was  plainly  under  ban.  A  nice  place  for  an  industrious 
settler,  who  may,  at  a  despot's  whim,  have  his  live  stock 
destroyed,  and  all  his  improvements  swept  into  instant 
ruin.  So,  ,vith  many  expressions  of  regard,  I  took  leave 
of  Joe  and  his  kindly  helpmate,  their  little  girls  Aroline 
and  Adeline,  and  their  stalwart  sons  Lewis  and  Warren, 
who  paddled  me  across  the  bay  and  up  to  Aleniang,  on 
the  Kiti  River,  where  my  Manilla  man,  in  charge  of  the 
curios,  was  staying  with  our  friend  the  Tahitian  trader. 
Here  I  put  up  for  a  few  days,  rambling  about  the  beautiful 
and   picturesque  district  of  Mount  Wana,  and  receiving 


120  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

much  kindness  from  the  people  of  the  valley,  their  king 
Rocha,  and  the  chiefs  of  Tiati,  Roi,  and  Mutok,  across 
the  bay. 

All  of  these  rendered  me  great  assistance  in  my  work 
by  pointing  out  places  of  interest,  and  calling  up  many  a 
tradition  from  the  memories  of  some  of  the  older  natives, 
mere  whispers  of  the  olden  time  echoing  fainter  and 
fainter  year  by  year  down  the  long  corridor  of  the  ages, 
destined  all  too  soon,  if  they  find  no  speedy  chronicler, 
to  merge  into  the  eternal  silence.  Whilst  I  sat  conferring 
with  the  chiefs  in  the  Council-Lodge,  the  Manilla  man 
was  scouring  hill  and  dale  with  an  attendant  posse  of 
small  boys  busy  in  collecting  seeds  and  fruits,  of  which 
every  evening  they  brought  home  good  spoil,  and  the 
packets  given  me  to  fill  for  the  Port  Darwin  Gardens 
were  soon  crammed  to  bursting  point.  Fearlessly  the 
Camera-man  ranges  in  the  friendly  valleys.  No  longer  he 
quakes  at  the  thought  of  sharp-shooters  hidden  in  every 
thicket.  No  longer  he  pictures  grim  forms  lurking  in 
ambush  behind  every  boulder,  axe  and  knife  in  hand,  to 
split  his  skull  or  crop  his  nose  and  ears.  Nevertheless, 
by-and-bye,  he  would  fain  be  gone,  and  I  let  him  go. 
Longingly  he  bethinks  him  of  the  fascinating  follies  of 
Manilla,  the  cock-pit,  the  theatre,  the  languid  gallantries 
of  the  Parian  and  the  Luneta,  and  the  attractive,  but  not 
always  winning  hazards  of  Panguingui  and  Chapdik,  dear 
to  the  Tagal  and  Chinese  gambler.  Or  he  is  home-sick 
for  the  pleasant  woods  and  lowlands  of  Pampanga,  and 
his  mal  de  pays  is  stronger  than  his  fears  of  mcl  de  mer. 

And  thus  Theodoro's  term  of  work  drew  to  an  end. 
Our  host's  sailing-boat  conveyed  us  to  the  colony  where 
we  stowed  the  curios  and  made  our  preparatons — he  to 
go,  and  I  to  stay.  A  few  days  later  the  nail-steamer 
came  into  port ;  and,  in  a  brand  new  suit  of  clothes  and 
with  a  cheerful  countenance,  laden  with  corrmissions  and 
borrowed  coin  from  all  sides,  the  worthy  artist  went  on 
board.     And    here    my    comrade    vanishes  out    of    the 


RETURN    FROM    METALAMM  12 1 

story.  But  not  quite  out  of  men's  memory.  For  some 
of  his  creditors  in  the  garrison  I  left  awaiting  his  return 
to  Ponape  with  the  most  lively  interest  and  anxiety. 
But,  alas,  so  unjust  is  man  to  his  fellow-man  !  He  cometh 
not  along.  News  was  brought  me  a  little  while  ago  of 
his  end.  It  was  in  keeping  with  his  life.  It  seems  that 
he  returned  to  Manilla,  joined  the  rebellion  that  had  just 
then  broken  out,  and  was  taken  prisoner  in  a  skirmish.  A 
court-martial  was  held,  and  one  fine  morning  the  Spanish 
shot  him  on  the  water-front  with  a  batch  of  his  fellow- 
rebels.      And  that  was  the  last  of  the  poor  creature. 

And  here  ends  the  story  of  my  first  four  months  in 
Ponape. 


PART  II 
CHAPTER  VIII 

PONAPE  :    DRESS,    INDUSTRIES,    AND    MANUFACTURES 

THE  various  excursions  in  and  around  Ponape  de- 
scribed in  the  First  Part  had  rendered  familiar  to 
me  much  of  the  inner  life  and  outward  fashions  of  the 
natives  both  on  the  east  and  west  coast.  Before  detail- 
ing any  further  adventures,  I  will  now  give  a  carefully- 
considered  description  of  the  domestic  economy  of  the 
Ponapeans,  their  weapons  and  dwellings. 

The  dress  of  the  men  worn  at  work  was  a  narrow 
girdle  (Uaiuai-loi,  in  Yap  Guai),  about  a  foot  in 
breadth  and  some  four  feet  in  length,  exactly  the  same  as 
formerly  worn  in  Japan,  made  of  the  woven  fibre  or  baste 
of  the  banana  or  of  the  Nin  tree,  often  dyed  yellow  from 
the  juice  of  the  Morinda  citrifolia.  It  goes  once  round 
the  waist,  down  between  the  thighs,  and  is  tucked  in 
behind  at  the  back,  so  as  to  leave  a  piece  depending  like 
a  tail.  (It  is  the  Hume  of  the  Marquesas,  the  Malo 
or  Malomalo  of  Hawaii,  Samoa  and  Fiji,  the  Maro  of 
Tahiti,  Mangareva  and  New  Zealand,  and  the  Palpal  of 
the  Mortlock  Islands.)  The  dress  worn  on  occasions  of 
festival  or  after  work  was  the  Kol  (that  of  a  chief  in  the 
language  of  ceremony  was  called  Mot)  or  native  kilt,  com- 
posed of  the  split  filaments  of  young  coconut  leaflets  (the 
pinnae  of  the  branch)  steamed  in  the  oven,  steeped  a  day 
in  water  under  heavy  stones,  scraped  with  cockle-shells  to 
remove  the  green  vegetable  matter.  These  also  were 
often  dyed  bright  yellow  with  turmeric,  or  with  the  juice 
of  the  bark  of  the  Morinda  citrifolia  or  Flame  Tree.  A 
new  Kol  is  a  pretty  sight,  but  exposure  to  the  sun  quickly 


DRESS,    INDUSTRIES,    MANUFACTURES       123 

makes  the  bright  hues  fade  out.  Sometimes  with  the 
cockle-shell  each  frond  would  be  carefully  pinched, 
crimped,  and  creased  into  wavy  lines,  the  work  of  the  old 
women.  This  was  a  Kol-Ikoch.  The  working  dress  was 
called  Likau-mal  or  Likau-en-tuka,  and  their  regular 
dress  for  festivals  or  leisure  Kapuot  or  Kapot.  The  chiefs 
and  men  of  note  in  the  community  used  to  wear  belts  of 
banana  fibre  {Tor,  Tur),  elaborately  woven  out  of  banana 
fibre  on  which  was  strung  rows  of  pink,  white  and  grey 
shell  beads.  Curiously  enough,  in  Hebrew  Tur  denotes  a 
row  of  jewels.  These  were  of  two  designs  and  varying 
sizes,  one  resembling  in  shape  the  Maori  hei-tikis  or 
rectangular  pendants  of  greenstone  called  Pake  or  Puake 
— the  other  round,  which  they  call  Pul.  For  a  common 
man  to  put  on  the  belt  of  a  chief  was  a  serious  offence  in 
Ponape  as  in  Hawaii,  in  which  latter  country  the  penalty 
was  death  :  cf.  the  old  distich — "  Ina  hume  ke  kanakai  ko 
ke  alii  malo,  e  make  noia."  "  If  a  common  man  bind  on  a 
chief's  girdle,  he  shall  die  for  it."  Carved  and  plain  shell- 
bracelets  were  also  the  fashion  styled  Luou-en-Matup  from 
the  place  of  their  manufacture.  A  wise  woman  named 
Kamai  is  said  to  have  invented  them.  The  same  word  is 
applied  to  a  ring  of  turtle-shell  as  far  as  Yap,  fourteen 
hundred  miles  to  the  westward.  (Possibly  the  word  is 
the  Lio  or  Liko  of  Polynesia,  and  denotes  a  hoop  or  circle.) 
Ear-rings  of  turtle-shell  {Kichin-pof)  were  sometimes  worn, 
but  the  Ponapeans  of  the  present  generation  do  not  pull 
down  and  distort  the  lower  lobe  of  the  ear  as  do  the 
Mortlock  Islanders,  and  as  the  primitive  people  on  Easter 
Island  did,  who  were  destroyed  by  a  Polynesian  invasion 
under  Hotu-Matua,  and  styled  by  their  conquerors  the 
Taringa-Roroa  or  Long  Ears.  A  similar  custom  prevailed 
amongst  the  early  Bisayas  in  the  Southern  Philippines,  and 
the  Spanish  chroniclers  of  the  Conquest  of  Peru  remark 
upon  it  as  a  fashion  of  the  early  Inca  nobles. 

The  dress  of  the  women  of  Ponape  was  called  Li-kau 
or  Li-kau-tei  (Kau,  clothing  ;  Polynesian  Aim  or  Kahu),  a 


124  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

wide  deep  girdle  depending  as  far  as  the  knees,  woven  from 
the  bark  of  the  Nin — a  common  forest  tree  of  the  ficoid 
order.  Native  cloth  made  from  the  Paper  Mulberry  bark 
(Broussonettia) — the  tapa  or  siapo  or  Ngatu  of  Polynesia 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  known  to  the  Ponapeans. 
Necklaces  of  shells  and  flowers  were  much  in  use,  likewise 
garlands  of  the  fragrant  Gardenia  and  Cananga  odorata. 
Wreaths  of  polypody  fern  and  various  aromatic  herbs  and 
grasses  were  greatly  in  favour.  Dancers,  male  and  female, 
were  fond  of  wearing  fillets  of  banana  leaf,  dracaena  ( Ting) 
and  coconut  leaflets.  These  last  they  would  wind  round 
their  fingers,  so  that  the  tips  projected  above  the  knuckles. 
These,  as  they  quivered  in  their  hands,  produced  a  rattling, 
whirring  effect  in  the  choruses,  and  were  styled  Anichinich. 

Their  hats  were  made  of  pandanus  leaf,  helmet-fashion, 
with  projecting  peak — used  by  fishermen  on  the  reef — 
called  on  Ponape  Li-chorrop,  on  Kusaie  Surafraf,  on  Yap, 
(where  they  assume  the  umbrella  shape  as  worn  by  Chinese 
coolies  and  fishermen)  Ruatch.  Of  late  years  the  people 
of  Pingelap  and  Kusaie  have  become  famous  for  their 
clever  workmanship  in  plaiting  broad  low  sailors'  hats  on 
the  European  design. 

Materials.  The  raw  material  for  their  textile  opera- 
tions were  (i)  the  inner  fibre  of  the  banana — the  Basho-fu 
of  the  Japanese  ;  (2)  the  bark  of  the  Nin  tree  used  in 
making  a  coarse  sort  of  native  cloth  ;  (3)  the  bark  of  the 
Kalau  {Kala-hau),  the  Fau  or  Hau  of  the  Polynesians.  The 
Ponapean  name  means  the  Au  from  which  Kal  or  string  is 
made.  It  is  the  Gili-fau  of  the  Mortlock  Islanders,  whose 
dialect  has  preserved  so  many  South  Polynesian  forms. 
Strips  of  the  bark  of  this  tree  whilst  fresh  are  as 
tenacious  as  the  green  withes  with  which  Samson  was 
bound.  This  handy  makeshift  is  called  Tip-en-kalau.  It 
is  a  valuable  substitute  for  string,  and  when  split  fine  is 
used  for  making  nets.  The  fourth  indispensable  material 
is  the  Tipanit  or  coconut  fibre,  obtained  after  sinking  the 
husks  a  few  days  in  the  sand  about  high  water  mark.    Each 


DRESS,    INDUSTRIES,    MANUFACTURES       125 

tiny  strand  is  laboriously  twisted  end  on  end  between  the 
deft  fingers  and  thumbs  of  the  old  men,  until  a  surprisingly 
strong  cord  or  rope  is  formed — the  thickness  varying  ac- 
cording to  the  patience  of  the  operator.  This  is  the  far- 
famed  cinnet  cord  so  extensively  used  in  Pacific  waters  for 
lashing  cross-beams  and  posts  into  place  in  house-building, 
and  in  canoe-making  as  a  substitute  for  nails  in  keeping 
the  framework  and  delicate  cross-pieces  of  the  outrigger  in 
place.  This  material  the  Ponapeans  call  variously  Puel 
and  Kichin-mot. 

TRAPS  and  Cages.  The  natives  used  to  be  very 
adept  in  constructing  all  manner  of  traps  and  snares  out 
of  the  pliant  strips  of  hibiscus.  The  nooses  they  used  in 
snaring  birds  and  wild  pigs.  These  they  called  Letip  or 
Litip,  which  being  interpreted  means  a  woman's  deceit. 
Other  kinds  of  traps  they  called  Katikatia-mau,  a  word 
which  in  plain  English  signifies  a  good  device.  Nowadays 
this  name  is  admiringly  applied  to  those  elegant  instru- 
ments of  torture  sold  by  the  traders  known  as  gins  or 
tooth-traps  for  the  capture  of  the  rat  and  the  mus  ridiculus, 
with  whom  the  native  is  at  endless  feud.  The  primitive 
rat-trap  was  made  of  slips  of  reedgrass  or  fine  cane,  and 
the  central  ribs  of  coconut  leaflets  formed  the  Kachik  or 
spring.  The  bait  consisted  of  a  lump  of  odorous  Mar 
or  fermented  breadfruit,  whilst  a  heavy  piece  of  rock  was 
laid  so  as  to  fall  upon  and  crush  the  intruder  directly  the 
spring  was  touched.  In  Yap  they  call  this  trap  Bildil. 
Now  and  then,  but  rarely,  there  is  to  be  seen  a  cage 
(Packapach  or  U)  made  of  slips  of  hibiscus  wood  cunningly 
joined  together,  in  which  sits  a  disconsolate-looking  bird. 
The  modern  Ponapean,  whatever  his  ancestors  of  a  remoter 
day  did,  does  not  trouble  his  head  much  about  taming 
birds — a  pretty  trait,  by  the  way,  in  the  character  of  his 
southern  cousin  the  Samoan.  However,  one  may  see 
sometimes  in  a  Ponapean  hut  a  ridiculously  tame  blue 
heron  (Kaualik),  or  a  pretty  black  and  white  sea-bird 
called  Chik — children's  pets.     Their  matter-of-fact  elders, 


126  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

knowing  the  trouble  in  times  of  scarcity  of  filling  hungry 
mouths,  are  hardly  likely  to  let  childish  sentiment  interfere 
with  the  just  claims  of  the  larder. 

Fish  Hooks  and  Fishing.  The  name  Kdch  denotes 
the  hook  of  wood  or  bone,  (in  Kusaie  Kou),  the  body  of  it 
mother-of-pearl  (pat),  the  glitter  of  which  attracts  the  fish 
like  the  bright  metal  spinner  used,  in  trolling  for  pike  in 
the  English  meres  and  the  lakes  of  Scotland  and  Switzer- 
land. The  metal  fish-hooks  of  varying  size  which  the  traders 
have  introduced  are  greatly  in  request.  The  Ponapean  is 
a  most  keen  fisherman.  One  skilled  in  this  art  is  always 
assured  of  a  goodly  alliance  in  marriage,  to  which  his 
resourcefulness  as  a  food-provider  entitles  him.1 

For  bait  they  use  bits  of  squid  or  cuttle-fish  (Kich\  or 
else  the  bodies  of  hapless  hermit-crabs  (Umpa)  torn  from 
their  snail-shell  homes.  They  frequently  use  bundles  of 
Up  root  for  stupefying  fish  in  the  pools.  When  crushed 
up  and  dabbled  in  the  water  these  roots  exude  a  milky 
juice  of  a  most  powerful  narcotic  property,  and  the  fish 
soon  are  floating  about  helpless.  The  larger  Muraenas 
or  sea-eels  are  the  last  to  succumb,  and  finally  writhe 
upwards  out  of  the  deeper  and  remoter  holes  in  a  stupid 
and  comatose  condition. 

Nets.  Uk  is  the  generic  term  for  nets.  They  are  made 
as  a  rule  of  strips  of  bark  from  the  Hibiscus  tree,  or  of 
the  Oramai,  a  species  of  Ramie. 

Uk-alap. — Large  stake-net  or  seine-net  used  for  catching 
turtle  and  big  fish,  some  twenty  fathoms  long  by  five  in  depth. 

Uk-e-tik. — A  small  seine-net. 

Chakichak. — A  small  casting  net  used  for  fishing  on  the 
edge  of  the  reef  just  above  the  deep  water. 

Naik. — A  hand-net,  with  a  bow-shaped  rim.  Used  for 
scooping  up  fish  driven  down  a  narrow  pass  or  ditch  in 
the  coral  reef. 

Lukuk,Lukouk. — A  hand-net  used  for  catching  small  fish. 

1  The  verb  Lait  or  Lalait  means  "to  go  a-fishing."  Cf.  Malay,  Laut,  the 
sea  ;  Oxxng-latit,  a  pirate. 


NANAUA,  NEPHEW  OF  KING  ROCHA  OF  KITI,  SEATED  ON  HIS  PARROR, 
OR   CARPET   OF   CEREMONY 


DRESS,    INDUSTRIES,    MANUFACTURES       127 

Liem. — A  bag-net  used  at  openings  of  weir  or  passage 
at  the  beginning  of  ebb-tides,  generally  four  days  after 
full  moon. 

Macha  (Polynesian  Matd)  is  the  word  used  for  the 
Mesh  of  the  net. 

A  fish-pen  or  weir  of  stone  is  called  Mae,  one  of  cane 
or  reeds  Liu. 

In  Yap  TJiagal  is  a  cane- weir ;  Aech  or  Etch,  a  stone 
weir ;  Maot,   a   fish-pond. 

Household  Implements,  &c.  Ponapeans  style  them 
all  Kapua-kai. 

Mats.  Loch  is  the  mat  of  the  country.  It  has  a 
peculiar  Japanese-like  design  and  is  sewn  together,  not 
plaited,  and  made  of  the  leaves  of  a  species  of  pandanus 
{Kipar),  which  answers  to  the  Raufara  of  Tahiti,  the  Rau- 
ara  of  Rarotonga,  and  the  Lauhala  of  Hawaii.  Length 
generally  about  seven  feet,  breadth  about  five.  The 
Paliker  district  is  noted  for  its  manufacture  of  these  mats, 
which  cost  from  six  to  eight  Spanish  dollars  apiece.  The 
Loch  of  a  great  tribal  chief  is  called  Parror  in  the  lan- 
guage of  ceremony. 

(2)  Li-rrop  or  Woman's  Rrop,  is  the  name  applied  to 
mats  of  foreign  make  and  pattern,  such  as  those  from 
Pingelap,  Strong's  Island,  and  the  Marshall  Islands — 
many  of  them  very  ornamental  in  design.  The  name 
itself  seems  to  be  a  foreign  word  {Cf.  Yap  Tsop,  Trop  ; 
Gilbert  Islands  Roba  Pingelap  ;  Rop).  Cf  Maori  Repa 
a  coarse  mat. 

(3)  Teinai  are  coarse  mats  plaited  from  coconut  leaves. 
The  article  and  its  name  alike  borrowed  from  the  Gilbert 
group,  as  also  the  rough  baskets  of  the  same  material 
known  as  Onoto. 

(4)  Kie,  Kiel. — Sleeping  mats  made  of  finely-woven 
pandanus.  Derived  from  the  Mortlocks.  Cf.  Polynesian 
Kiekie,  a  species  of  pandanus  used  as  a  textile  fabric  ; 
and   Kusaian   Kiaki,  a  mat. 

Mosquito  Screen.    Tei-amu-che. — The  tau  namu  of 


128  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

Nuku-Oro,  and  the  Tai-namu  of  the  south-west  Pacific. 
The  Ponapean  mosquito  screen,  before  the  introduction 
of  gauze  and  linen,  is  said  to  have  been  composed  of  a 
cloth  made  out  of  the  bark  of  the  Nin  tree.  The  Paper 
Mulberry,  from  which  the  tap  a,  kapa,  siapo,  or  native 
cloth  of  south-west  Polynesia  is  made,  is  not  used  for  this 
purpose  in  Ponape,  although  it  does  occur  sparsely. 

Pillow.  Ulul,  Ulunga. — The  Alunga  of  south-west 
Polynesia — either  made  of  bamboo,  or  a  log  of  wood — 
a  length  of  the  trunk  of  a  tree-fern  or  pandanus  tree,  for 
the  Ponapeans  are  a  hardy  vigorous  folk,  and  care  not 
over  much  for  soft  lying  and  sumptuous  fare. 

BASKETS.  Kiam. — A  long  flat  basket  or  tray  plaited 
roughly  of  coconut  fronds  split  down  the  middle  and  in- 
terlaced in  a  diamond  fashion.      (Upon  Kusaie  Kuam). 

Kopo. — A  circular  basket  of  varying  depth  made  of  the 
same  material. 

Kop-en-lait. — A  fisherman's  basket,  somewhat  larger  than 
the  above. 

Onoto. — A  large  coarsely-plaited  fish-basket,  a  Gilbert 
Island  word. 

Paikini. — Some  thirty  or  forty  of  the  above  Kiam  or 
flat  trays  fastened  together,  end  on  end,  so  as  to  form  one 
long  tray.  This  is  heaped  with  food,  and  carried  in 
solemn  procession  by  about  twenty  men  in  the  festivals 
celebrated  in  honour  of  a  plenteous  season.  It  is 
laid  down  on  the  grass,  and  a  band  of  men  approach 
with  shell  axes  on  their  shoulders,  with  which  they  sever 
the  strips  of  Kalau  bark  which  bind  the  component 
kiam  together.  Then  the  food  is  apportioned,  the  choko 
or  kava  is  brewed,  the  ancestral  spirits  are  invoked,  and 
the  people  fall  to  serious  business  tooth  and  nail. 

FAN.  Ta-n-ir,  i.e.  Thing  for  fanning. — A  fan  made  of 
pandanus  or  coconut  leaves.  Those  intended  for  fanning 
up  the  embers  are  clumsy  in  make,  but  those  designed  for 
personal  use  are  much  more  neat  in  finish,  and  resemble 
the  Marquesan  very  closely. 


DRESS,    INDUSTRIES,    MANUFACTURES       129 

Et  (Maori  Kete,  Samoan  and  Tahitian  Ete). — A  netted 
bag  of  Nin  or  Kalau  fibre. 

COMBS.  Rotam  or  Rokom. — Like  those  of  Yap  made 
out  of  the  wood  of  the  Koto  or  white  mangrove,  and  of 
similar  design.  Now  scarcely  ever  seen,  and  the  name  is 
now  applied  to  the  gutta-percha,  celluloid  and  tortoise-shell 
combs  supplied  by  the  ever-active  trader. 

For  BOTTLES  they  use  the  hollowed  circular  fruits  of 
the  Pulel,  Pelak,  and  Ichak  plants,  which  belong  to  the 
Calabash  family.  The  gourds  are  strung  together  by 
fives  and  sixes  with  cinnet.  They  use  the  large  ones  for 
storing  drinking-water,  the  smaller  for  the  various  scented 
oils,  in  which  native  fancy  so  strongly  delights. 

Cooking  Utensils.  In  Ponapean  7«/(Ngatik  Thai), 
denotes  a  wooden  dish,  platter,  and  even  a  coconut  cup. 
It  is  the  old  Indian  word  Thai,  Thaliya,  Chaliya,  and  is 
doubtless  a  survival  from  some  remote  era  of  crockery- 
ware  in  Southern  or  Central  Asia.  Chapi  is  another  name 
given  in  Ponape  to  vessels  of  wood  of  a  circular  shape.  The 
latter  word  occurs  in  the  Mortlock  Sepei,  Marshall  Islands 
Chebi,  Gilbert  Islands  Tabo,  Pelews  Theb.  In  the  Mari- 
annes Tape  denotes  an  earthen  pot,  the  Yap  equivalent 
being  Thab,  Thib  or  Tib,  cf.  Hebrew  Saph,  a  bowl.  The 
occurrence  of  this  common  word  over  so  wide  an  area, 
points  unmistakably  to  the  gradual  substitution  of  wooden 
for  earthen  vessels  in  Micronesia,  owing  to  the  industry 
of  pottery-making  falling  into  abeyance  in  certain  spots 
where  no  suitable  clay  or  kaolin  was  available.  It  is 
rather  astonishing  to  see  the  art  of  pottery-making  lost  in 
a  good-sized  and  well-settled  island  like  Ponape,  and 
retained  in  a  small  spot  like  Yap.  A  curious  fact,  illustrat- 
ing the  same  lost  industry,  was  pointed  out  by  the  Rev. 
Lawes  of  Port  Moresby  in  British  New  Guinea,  in  the 
preface  to  his  useful  vocabulary  of  the  Motu  dialect,  in 
which  the  word  Tunua,  which  in  south-west  and  east 
Polynesian  means  to  cook  by  broiling  or  roasting,  is  used  in 
a  special  sense  for  the  baking  of  pottery.  The  white  man's 
I 


130  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

iron-pot  is  supplanting  everywhere  the  earthen  vessels  of 
Micronesia,  where  the  primitive  industry  is  yet  preserved, 
The  ainpot  is  to  be  found  in  most  Ponapean  households 
and  embraces  a  variety  of  uses,  being  alternately  used 
for  making  huge  brews  of  black  tea,  and  boiling  quanti- 
ties of  yam  and  coconut  milk,  the  result  being  fre- 
quently a  weird  blending  of  different  flavours  on  the 
palate  of  the  European  who  drops  in  by  chance  to 
pot-luck. 

The  Um,  or  earth-oven,  where  the  raw  food  is  steamed 
(cf.  Motu  Amu,  the  Umu  of  south-west  Pacific  lands),  has 
too  often  been  described  by  travellers  to  need  detailed 
notice  here.  Cooking  underground  is  the  general  mode 
in  Ponape,  although  fish  are  frequently  broiled  on  the 
glowing  embers  of  dried  coconut  shells,  their  favour- 
ite fuel.  An  important  kitchen  utensil  is  known  as  a 
Kachak.  It  is  an  oval,  flat-bottomed  trough  of  Tong  or 
Chatak  wood,  pointed  at  both  ends  like  the  bows  of  a 
boat,  used  like  the  Umete  or  Kumete  of  South  Polynesia 
for  concocting  various  toothsome  masses  of  pounded  yam, 
taro,  bananas,  plantains,  or  bread-fruit,  mixed  with  coco- 
nut milk  and  salt  water  in  varying  proportions.  In  Ponape 
a  whale-boat  is  actually  called  Waar-en-kachak,  from  its 
sharp  fore  and  aft  build. 

Their  carving  {Chap,  Alat),  was  very  ornamental,  con- 
fined almost  wholly  to  the  bows  and  sides  of  their 
canoes  and  the  blades  of  their  dancing-paddles.  I  saw 
no  carved  pillars  in  their  houses,  as  in  Yap,  neither  did 
I  notice  any  carven  bowls  or  maces  as  in  Samoa  and 
the  Marquesas.  Specimens  of  the  chequer  and  chevron 
designs  from  Metalanim  may  be  seen  from  the  originals 
now  in  the  British  Museum.1  The  Ponapeans  use  a  needle 
of  human  bone  for  tattooing  the  elaborate  designs  on 
arms,  thighs,  and  legs.  This  they  call  Kai,  the  operation 
Inting  (Sulu  Indan). 

No  well-ordered  establishment  is  complete  without   a 

i  Vide  photos  facing  p.  86. 


fl>" 


A    PONAPEAN    CANOE 


CARVED   DANCING-PADDLES    PROM    METALAN1M    DISTRICT 


DRESS,    INDUSTRIES,    MANUFACTURES       13 1 

husking-stick  (Ak),  (called  in  Samoan  O'a,  and  in  Tongan 
Oka),  used  for  tearing  off  the  fibrous  outer  envelope  of 
the  coconuts.  It  is  a  stout  stake  of  mangrove-wood, 
pointed  at  both  ends,  and  driven  into  the  ground  at  an 
angle  of  about  95  degrees. 

The  same  useful  wood  is  used  as  a  digging  or  planting 
stick  like  the  Oka  of  the  Hawaiians,  and  the  Koa  of  the 
Aztecs  in  Mexico.  Cut  a  little  longer  they  make  capital 
poles  for  punting  canoes  along  in  the  shallower  portions 
of  the  lagoon.  These  the  Ponapeans  used  to  call  Lata 
(Hindu  Latha),  or  Parrak.  Where  the  Ak  is  found,  the 
Pelik  or  scraper  is  seldom  far  off. 

LOOM.  The  Ponapeans  in  olden  times  had  a  sort  of 
loom  resembling  the  Puas  of  their  neighbours  of  Kusaie, 
with  which  they  wove  the  fibre  of  the  banana  and  the  bark 
of  the  Nin  tree  into  the  Uaiuai-lol  or  narrow  girdles,  or 
iuto  the  Li-kau,  or  woman's  petticoat.  This  machine, 
now  long  out  of  use,  they  called  Tantar  (Hindustani  Tant : 
Tantra  id).  The  verbs  describing  the  process  in  Ponapean 
are  Tilpori,  Toro  and  Ka-tantaki). 

Native  houses  often  get  dusty,  so  the  industrious  house- 
wife always  has  two  or  three  brooms  in  hand  for  sweeping 
out  the  rubbish  and  keeping  the  mats  clean  and  neat. 
These  brooms  are  called  Kap-en-nok  or  Bundles  of  Nok — 
the  central  ribs  of  coconut  leaflets. 

In  the  house  of  any  person  of  distinction  there  will 
generally  be  found  a  huge  sea-chest  {Kopd)  or  at  all  events 
a  small  camphor  wood  box  (Kokon),  in  which  the  islanders 
love  to  secrete  their  possessions. 

If  a  native  be  given  to  carpentering  pursuits,  one  may 
possibly  see  a  cross-cut  saw  (Racharacli)  hung  up  carefully 
out  of  harm's  way,  or  a  grindstone  (U)  standing  sentinel 
in  the  courtyard  amongst  the  pigs  and  chickens. 

The  boat-builder  greatly  prefers  the  modern  gimlet  of 
steel  (me-n-kapurropur),  i.e.  "  the  thing  that  whirls  round  " 
to  the  primitive  borer  of  his  forefathers  made  out  of  a  long 
sharp-pointed    Murex    shell.      It   was    formerly  used  for 


132  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

piercing  boards  and  planks  in  canoe  and  house-building. 
The  word  for  a  hammer  or  mallet  is  Chuk  or  Kangar ;  a 
wedge  or  nail  is  Pack.  In  olden  times  holes  were  bored 
and  cinnet  fastenings  used,  or  wooden  trenails  or  bolts,  in 
the  absence  of  the  nails  lately  introduced  by  traders. 
These  they  now  call  Kichin-mata  or  bits  of  iron. 

Another  thing  necessary  in  household  industry  was  the 
Tikak — a  bone  or  shell  needle  used  for  sewing  together 
the  layers  of  Och  or  Ivory  palm-leaf  for  thatch,  and  joining 
the  leaves  of  the  pandanus  into  the  form  of  Loch  or  sleep- 
ing mats.  They  were  also  used  in  making  the  ancient  /  or 
mat-sails  out  of  the  pit  or  pandanus  leaves,  which  had 
undergone  a  preliminary  steaming  in  the  earth-oven.  The 
roll  of  pandanus  leaf  for  fashioning  the  sleeping  mats  was 
called  Ckal-en-pitipit,  also  Tanepit.  For  making  the  native 
belts  of  banana  fibre  with  their  garnishing  of  pink  and  white 
shell-beads,  the  Ponapean  housewives  used  a  fine  tortoise- 
shell  hackle  (Merd)  for  combing  out  the  rough  material — 
the  inner  portion  of  the  banana  suckers.  These  belts  from 
their  scarcity  are  much  esteemed  by  the  present  Ponapean, 
and  he  will  not  part  with  them  under  ten  dollars  apiece. 

The  ready  wit  of  the  Ponapean  is  sufficient  to  supply 
his  simple  needs.  Nature  has  been  bountiful,  and  he  has 
proved  himself  of  no  mean  adaptive  powers  in  dealing  with 
economic  plants  and  the  various  resources  of  the  lagoon 
and  reef  in  providing  himself  food,  shelter  and  clothing. 
This  will  be  apparent  as  one  by  one  we  will  examine  his 
household  implements,  his  tools,  his  devices  for  procuring 
food  by  sea  and  land,  his  instruments  of  music,  and  his 
weapons  of  war. 

Axes  and  Knives.  The  Ponape  words  for  axe  and 
knife  are  doubly  interesting  historically.  They  indicate  a 
reversion  through  long  isolation  to  the  primitive  stone  or 
shell  age  ;  moreover,  they  inversely  show  the  early  influ- 
ence of  an  active  Malay  element  radiating  throughout  the 
extensive  Caroline  Archipelago.  Writing  clearly  was  not 
the  only  art  lost  by  these  Ocean  tribes  during  their  long 


DRESS,    INDUSTRIES,    MANUFACTURES       133 

isolation.  And  by  examining  these  words  we  can  easily 
infer  how  these  two  things  came  about,  though  the  dates 
of  the  early  migrations  and  forays  are  almost  hopeless  in 
the  lack  of  proper  chronological  data  and  the  snapping  of 
traditional  links  in  the  process  of  untold  generations. 

Now  the  general  term  in  Ponapean  for  instruments  of 
the  axe,  adze  or  hatchet  type  is  Chila  (in  Kiti  they  are 
called  Kiy  and  in  the  Metalanim  district  Patkul).  From 
their  polished  marble-like  appearance  some  have  taken 
their  material  for  white  jade-stone,  but  J.  S.  Kubary  has 
clearly  shown  them  to  be  pieces  of  the  central  shaft  of  the 
Tridacna  Gigas  or  Giant  Clam  worn  down  into  that  form 
by  long  and  careful  rubbing.  In  our  excavations  in  the 
central  vault  of  Nan-Tauach,  we  settled  the  question  be- 
yond dispute,  for  we  dug  up  a  number  of  these  implements 
both  in  the  rough  and  the  smooth.1  They  are  now  getting 
somewhat  scarce  on  the  island,  ousted  from  use  by  the 
introduction  of  steel  adzes,  American  axes  and  tomahawks, 
through  the  ever  increasing  competition  of  traders.  (The 
new  introduction  they  call  Chila-pangapang.) 

In  early  days  they  used  to  cut  down  trees  with  these 
primitive  instruments,  with  the  aid  of  fire.  One  charred 
layer  chipped  off,  fire  would  be  applied  again — a  some- 
what tedious  process.  At  great  festivals  the  grandees 
used  to  sit  in  state  with  their  adzes  crooked  over  their 
shoulders  for  the  same  reason  that  a  European  wears  a 
Court  sword, — de  rigueur. 

The  Matau  was  a  shell-gouge  used  for  hollowing  out 
canoes,  with  its  handle  spliced  along  the  back.  In  Samoa 
it  is  called  by  the  very  same  name.  A  small  adze  was 
known  as  Maluak,  and  resembles  the  first,  only  smaller. 

The  word  Chila  is  the  Motu  I/a.  It  is  one  of  the 
primitive  Asiatic  words  which  any  minute  observer  cannot 
help  noticing  in  the  wide  Pacific  area.  It  appears  in  the 
Sanskrit  Shila  :  Shi/ — a  stone,  and  in  the  Latin — Silex — 
flint.      In  the  language  of  the  Garo  tribesmen  in   India 

1  Some  of  these  are  now  in  the  British  Museum. 


134  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

Sil  means  iron.  The  root  Sil,  in  the  sense  of  piercing  or 
cutting  is,  according  to  Isaac  Taylor,  of  frequent  occur- 
rence in  the  Ural-Altaic  tongues. 

On  the  other  hand  the  Metalanim  word  for  "  knife " 
kdpit  takes  us  into  times  when  early  Malayan  or  Sulu 
pirate-voyagers  landed  with  creeze  and  sword  (cf.  Bismarck 
Archipelago  Kaput,  iron  ;  Philippines  Kampit,  short  sword  ; 
Philippine  and  Sulu  Kampilan,  a  sword)  with  which  they 
doubtless  made  an  exceedingly  striking  impression  upon 
the  ill-armed  aborigines.  At  the  beginning  of  this  century, 
before  the  traders  brought  machetes  and  1 8 -inch  and 
2 -foot  knives,  the  Ponapeans  made  their  kapit  of  split 
bamboo.  Those  of  shell  were  called  Lopuk.  These  they 
used  for  slicing  up  fish  or  bread-fruit,  as  do  the  Yap 
people  to  this  day,  who  call  these  latter  Yar-ni-matsif, 
or  cutting  things  of  shell.  (In  Central  and  Western 
Carolines  a  shell-knife  is  called  Char  and  Yar  (cf 
Southern  Philippines  (Pangasinan)  Yoro,  a  knife).  The 
Metalanim  folk  use  the  old  name  Kapit  for  the  new 
article,  but  the  people  of  Kiti  and  Not  have  adopted 
the  English  word.  Naip  they  call  them,  not  cuchillo  as 
one  might  expect.  Characteristic  is  this  preference  for 
English  words  instead  of  Spanish. 

Now  there  are  two  other  highly  significant  names  of 
Malayan  derivation  running  through  these  1400  miles  in 
the  Sea  of  the  Little  Islands.  Iron  is  called  Mata  in 
Ponape,  and  Marra  in  the  Marshall  Islands.  Masra, 
Mossa,  and  Wessa  in  Kusaie.  In  the  two  next  groups,  the 
Mortlocks  and  Ruk,  we  find  the  form  Wasai  and  Wasi, 
Asi.  A  little  southward  and  westward  we  find  it  reappear 
in  Nuku-Oro  and  Kap-en-Marangi  as  Wasei.  In  Yap  it 
is  Wasai.  In  German  New  Guinea  it  occurs  as  Bassi. 
The  Malay  word  is  Basi  or  Besi.  Bad/a,  Wadja,  steel, 
of  which  the  above  are  doubtless  slightly  differentiated 
forms.  Finnic  Was  or  As ;  Caucasian  Asa  and  Vasa, 
iron.  Magyar  Vas,  iron.  Sanskrit  Asi,  iron,  bronze, 
copper,  a  sword.      Latin  s£s. 


DRESS,    INDUSTRIES,    MANUFACTURES       135 

N.B. — In  the  language  of  the  Tinneh  group  in  North 
America  we  find  the  words  Pesh,  Pash,  Mask,  and  Bask, 
denoting  knife. 

N.B. — Another  very  peculiar  word  for  Iron  is  found 
in  the  Mariannes  or  Ladrones  in  the  north-west,  and  in 
Uleai  and  neighbouring  islands  in  the  West  and  Cen- 
tral Carolines.  Marianne,  Lulik,  LULUG,  Iron.  Uleai, 
Uluthi,  and  Satanal,  Lulu,  id. 

Cf.  Sanskrit  Lohi,  Lauh  and  Lauk,  iron,  steel,  and  Ahom 
LlK ;  Khamtis,  Lek  ;  Lao,  Lek  ;  Siamese,  LlK.  In 
Ponapean  we  find  a  root  Luk,  Lak,  or  Lek,  with  the 
signification  of  cutting.  Philological  experts  must  give  us 
a  satisfactory  reason  for  the  above  coincidences,  and  tell 
us  plainly  how  these  words  came  into  the  Caroline  area, 
and  also,  whether  Ahom,  Khamti,  Lao,  and  Siamese 
borrowed  the  word  from  the  Sanskrit,  or  whether  the 
Sanskrit-speaking  folk  borrowed  the  word  from  their 
neighbours.  And  from  which  of  these  did  the  Caroline 
Islanders  receive  it? 

It  stands  to  reason,  that  as  the  basaltic  or  coral  lands 
of  the  Pacific  produce  no  iron,  steel  is  unobtainable.  It 
may  be  presumed  that  some  of  the  early  settlers  in  the 
Carolines  brought  with  them  a  stock  of  iron  or  steel 
weapons,  or  wrested  them  from  stray  pirates  of  a  later 
day.  When  these  rusted  away  or  got  broken,  and  could 
not  be  replaced,  the  traditional  name  would  in  all  prob- 
ability remain,  and  the  natives  under  stress  of  necessity, 
would  fall  back  upon  the  handiest  materials  available  to 
supply  their  place.  Those  who  live  on  low  coral  islets 
would  find  the  shaft  of  the  Tridacna  (Kima  or  Pacini) 
a  shell  very  abundant  on  their  reefs,  a  convenient  sub- 
stitute. Those  who  inhabited  high  basaltic  lands,  as 
Tahiti  or  the  Marquesas  (on  the  first  of  which  the 
water  is  always  deep  over  her  coral  reefs,  and  the 
latter  has  no  reefs  at  all)  would  fall  back  on  the 
black  basalt  stone  to  fashion  their  cutting  instruments. 
Samoa  and   Fiji  have  done  the  same.      In  those  islands 


136  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

the  blackstone  axes  were  common  enough  before  the 
advent  of  the  curio  hunter.  They  can  still  be  picked 
up  sometimes  on  the  mountain-tops  or  on  the  sites  of 
deserted  villages.  In  Ponape  I  met  with  no  axes  of 
blackstone,  the  reason  probably  being  that  the  shell 
was  easier  to  work  than  the  basalt,  which  does  not  so 
readily  shape  into  flakes  with  keen  cutting  edges. 

The  other  Malay  word  is  Parang,  which  in  the  Central 
Carolines  is  used  both  for  knife  and  iron.  In  Malayan 
vocabularies  it  is  given  with  the  meaning  of  a  bill-hook 
or  short  sword,  and  its  survival  in  these  remote  lands 
appears  to  indicate  a  lively  and  deep-seated  apprehension 
of  "  the  noble  white  weapon  "  wielded  by  the  piratical  hands 
of  these  Vikings  of  the  Pacific  Seas. 

WEAPONS.  Paz,  a  sling  (Yap  Got)  Pai-uet,  a  sling- 
stone,  the  favourite  missile-weapon  of  the  Ponapeans 
before  the  introduction  of  fire-arms  by  the  New  Bedford 
and  New  England  whalers.  The  sling  was  plaited  out  of 
strips  of  Hibiscus  bark,  or  else  out  of  the  cinnet-fibre 
or  that  of  the  Nin-tree  bark.  Amongst  the  Ponapeans, 
there  is  no  more  favourite  passage  in  the  Old  Testament 
than  the  famous  duel  of  David  and  Goliath,  the  trans- 
lation of  which  is  particularly  spirited  and  happy  in  the 
missionary  vernacular.  The  incidents  of  the  encounter 
are  peculiarly  in  accord  with  native  fashion  in  every  way, 
and  the  name  David  (Tepif)  is  very  common  amongst  the 
Protestant  folk  on  the  south-west  coast. 

The  bow  is  called  Kachik-en-katiu,  literally,  "  make- 
shoot-of-Katiu-wood  "  ;  the  arrow  Katiu-en-kachik,  a 
weapon  not  much  in  favour  on  the  Polynesian  and 
Micronesian  area.  It  is  more  of  a  Melanesian  weapon. 
In  the  Gilberts  it  is  called  Bana,  in  the  Marshall  Islands 
Li-ban,  i.e.  the  Ban  or  bow  of  a  woman,  regarded  as  a 
woman's  or  child's  weapon.  In  Polynesia  known  as  Fana, 
and  in  the  Melanesian  area  as  Vana,  Van,  Bana,  and 
Fan.  The  Malayan  form  is  Panah  (in  Sanskrit,  Ban 
or  Van  is  an  arrow,  and  Panach  is  a  bow-string).     It  may 


P1LUNG   ADOLOL,   A   CHIEF   OF    RUL 


DRESS,    INDUSTRIES,    MANUFACTURES       137 

be  worth  mentioning  that  in  ancient  Hawaii  the  bow  was 
used  by  lads,  old  men,  and  women  for  the  noble  sport  of 
shooting  at  rats — a  sad  come-down  for  the  weapon  which 
won  Merry  England  such  high  renown.  The  Ponapeans 
say  the  bow  was  used  by  the  Chokalai  or  dwarf  aborigines. 
The  bow  was  made  of  Katiu  or  Ixora  wood,  the  bow- 
string of  the  bark  of  the  Hibiscus,  the  arrows  of  Hibiscus 
wood,  or  slips  of  Alek  or  reed-grass,  tipped  with  the  spine 
of  the  sting-ray.      Nowadays  it  is  entirely  out  of  use. 

The  CLUB  was  occasionally  used.  It  was  known  as 
Lep-en-tuka  or  Chup-en-tuka  ;  by  the  Mortlock  Islanders 
as  Sop-en-ura.  Also  called  in  Ponape  Chup-en-pok.  The 
word  Chup  is  evidently  the  Indian  Chob,  which  denotes 
the  same  weapon  amongst  the  Hindu  peasantry.  Accord- 
ing to  Nanchau  of  Mutok  (Tenedos)  stone  clubs  called 
Permachapang  were  used.  Of  these  I  found  no  traces 
either  at  Chapen-takai  or  Nan-Matal,  neither  did  I  see 
during  my  stay  on  the  island  any  of  the  elaborately 
carved  war-clubs  or  maces  noted  in  the  Marquesas,  Fiji, 
Samoan  and  Tongan  Groups. 

Spears  were  the  favourite  weapon  in  hand  to  hand 
conflict.  They  were  called  Katiu  from  a  species  of  Ixora 
of  that  name.  Its  straight-growing  stems  were  used  by 
the  natives  for  fashioning  their  spears  and  javelins.  The 
Ak  or  Mangrove  also  was  much  used  for  making  spear- 
shafts.  They  were  pointed  with  the  sting  of  the  Ray 
(Likant-en-kap).  In  the  Mortlocks  the  spear  is  known  as 
Uak  or  Silak,  in  Ruk  Anek,  Pulawat  Lit,  in  the  Central 
Carolines  as  Tillak,  Tallak,  Dilok  and  Thilak.  In  the 
Marshalls  Mori,  Marre  or  Marri.  In  the  Philippines  it 
appears  in  the  Tagala  Tulag  or  Tolak — a  war-spear  (the 
Favorlang  of  Formosa  has  Roddok  and  Biloagh,  a  spear, 
Silek,  a  knife).  In  Metalanim  a  wooden  dagger  is  called 
Tillako,  in  Yap  Muruguil. 

The  most  formidable  of  all  the  Caroline  spears  were 
those  of  Yap  fashioned  out  of  the  wood  of  the  Bit  or 
Areca  palm,  and   manufactured  chiefly  in  the  district  of 


138  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

Madolai.  They  were  often  nearly  twelve  feet  in  length, 
pronged  and  barbed  on  either  side  in  the  cruellest  fashion 
so  as  to  inflict  a  most  terrible  wound.  The  prowess  of 
the  men  of  Yap  with  this  redoubtable  weapon  earned  for 
them  a  very  extensive  dominion  in  the  Central  Carolines, 
and  indeed  up  to  Ponape,  which  some  of  their  more 
distant  forays  seem  actually  to  have  reached. 

Musical  Instruments  and  Dances.  Like  all 
islanders  they  are  very  fond  of  music.  Any  up-to-date 
trading  skipper  with  a  cargo  of  banjos  and  accordions 
would  sell  them  off  in  double-quick  time.  The  Chaui 
(Fijian  Davui)  or  shell-trumpet — the  Pu  of  the  South 
Polynesians,  is  used  as  a  signal  of  war  or  assembly  like 
the  Atabal  of  the  ancient  Mexicans.  Close  by  the 
pointed  end  of  the  shell  a  circular  hole  is  bored.  The 
sound  travels  a  long  way  up  hill  and  down  valley,  and 
I  firmly  believe  that  between  village  and  village  is  a 
regular  code  of  signal-calls  almost  as  effective  as  our 
telephone.  Some  of  these,  "  CHAUI,"  are  of  very  large 
size  and  are  often  picked  up  amongst  the  foundations 
of  old  houses. 

The  native  flute  is  called  Chup-en-ro  or  Chup-en-parri. 
It  is  made  of  a  piece  of  Ro  or  reed-grass  or  of  parri  or 
bamboo.  It  is  not  quite  a  foot  in  length — closed  at  one 
end  by  a  stopper  of  leaves  and  pierced  with  six  holes  up 
to  the  mouthpiece.  It  is  not  a  nose-flute  like  the  Tosarri 
of  Formosa  or  the  Fango-fango  of  Samoa,  or  that  of  the 
Sakais  of  the  Malay  Peninsula. 

The  native  drum  is  called  Aip — the  old  name  Pen  or 
Pau  (the  Pahu  of  Tahiti).  One  I  saw  in  Paliker,  now  in 
the  British  Museum,  is  about  five  feet  in  height  and  made 
of  the  wood  of  the  Tupuk.  It  is  shaped  exactly  like  a 
huge  erect  dice-box  like  the  drums  of  the  Jekri  in  West 
Africa,  Niger  territory.  It  was  covered  with  the  skin  of 
the  Sting-Ray  and  beaten  with  a  stick  of  Hibiscus  wood 
on  occasions  of  festival.  The  Spanish  chronicler  Pereiro 
describes  a  smaller  sort  which  he  saw  in  Not  district  which 


DRESS,    INDUSTRIES,    MANUFACTURES      139 

he  calls  Piki-piki,  evidently  from  mistaking  the  meaning 
and  application  of  the  word  Pikir  which  is  a  verb  meaning 
to  beat  a  drum — not,  I  think,  denoting  the  drum  itself. 
This  one,  he  says,  was  about  three  feet  high  and  covered 
with  fish-bladders  which  they  collect  fresh  on  the  day  of  the 
festival — he  describes  it  as  adorned  with  square  markings 
and  painted  with  various  colours,  especially  red  and  black. 
When  the  feast  is  over  they  take  away  the  skins  and  get 
others,  for  they  are  easily  burst  and  need  constant  renewal. 
It  may  be  observed  that  the  Ponapeans  are  very  fond  of 
the  accordion  and  of  the  modern  Jews'  harp  which  they 
call  Kachangy  i.e.  make  sound.  It  seems  that  they  had  a 
sort  of  Jews'  harp  of  their  own  like  the  Samoan  Utete,  but 
the  modern  ones  have  ousted  the  ancient  article. 

DANCES.  There  are  two  kinds — one  peculiar  to  the 
men  called  Kalek,  the  Purek  of  the  Mortlock  Islanders, 
the  Sorosoro  or  Talisa  of  Kusaie,  and  the  Dalisia  of 
South-East  Formosa,  on  the  Favorlang  River — danced 
standing  ;  and  another  of  men  and  women  together,  like 
the  Siva  of  the  Samoans  performed  sitting  {Uen  or  Wen) 
with  graceful  wavings  of  hand,  wrist  and  arm.  The 
elaborate  dancing-masks  of  the  Solomon  Islands  and 
New  Hebrideans  are  not  found  here.  The  dancers  are 
always  in  Kapot — holiday  dress,  anointed  with  fish  or 
coconut-oil — the  men  in  bright  yellow  Kol  or  kilts,  their 
heads  garlanded  with  flowers  or  chaplets  of  green  fern, 
their  necks  and  arms  copiously  hung  with  festoons  of 
fresh  coconut  leaflets  and  on  the  fingers  of  each  hand 
a  sort  of  ring  with  bunches  of  Nok  or  ribs  of  coconut 
leaflets  bristling  out.  These,  in  shaking,  produce  a  sort 
of  harmonious  rustling.  Some  of  the  choruses  have  a 
fine  deep  sonorous  chime  like  those  of  the  Marquesan 
Islanders.  Many  of  the  dances  are  anything  but  decorous 
in  character.  It  is  said  that  a  number  of  the  words  used 
in  the  chants  both  in  Yap  and  Ponape  are  different 
altogether  from  the  spoken  language.  Certainly  some 
specimens  of  Ponapean  songs  written  down  by  Kaneke 


140  THE    CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

and  Chaulik  on  Paniau  were  hopelessly  unintelligible 
to  me  although  I  could  both  read  and  converse  in 
the  vernacular  Ponapean  with  considerable  ease  and 
fluency.  It  would  seem  that  many  Sagas  of  the  acts 
of  legendary  heroes  would  have  come  in  from  the  Marshall 
Islands  and  from  Yap,  and  thus  would  be  of  great  his- 
torical interest  in  tracing  ancient  connections  and  the 
gradual  or  accidental  fusions  of  different  Micronesian 
races.  It  is  here  that  the  Phonograph  or  Graphophone 
as  well  as  the  Camera  comes  to  the  aid  of  the  ethnologist. 
Once  get  the  exact  sounds  recorded  on  the  wax  cylinder, 
and  the  task  of  the  philologist  becomes  tenfold  easier. 
Melakaka  is  the  word  for  the  song  or  dramatical  com- 
position of  a  priest  or  chief,  and  is  therefore  very  happily 
adopted  by  the  missionaries  to  denote  the  Psalms  of 
David  and  the  Song  of  Solomon.  {Cf.  the  Hawaiian 
word  Mele — a  song,  and  the  Pelew  word  Moloik — dancing 
and  singing.) 

During  the  burial  of  any  person  of  note  was  intoned  a 
funeral  dirge,  wake  or  Threnody  called  Tarak.  It  is  said 
to  be  very  solemn,  weird  and  impressive. 

Ponapean  houses  are,  as  a  rule,  well  and  solidly  con- 
structed upon  platforms  four  or  five  feet  in  height,  built 
up  of  broken  pieces  of  basalt  and  sometimes  limestone 
blocks.  The  walls  composed  of  shutters  {Tet  or  Tat) 
made  of  bundles  of  reed-grass  or  cane  about  the  thickness 
of  one's  little  finger,  laid  side  by  side  with  the  greatest 
neatness  and  regularity,  and  bound  together  in  rows  with 
the  ever-useful  cinnet-fibre.  The  thatch  is  composed  of 
tightly  packed  bundles  of  leaf  of  the  Oc/i,  the  vegetable 
Ivory  or  Sago  Palm  called  by  the  Spanish  Palma  de 
marfil.  The  doors  (Uanini)  are  often  very  narrow,  and  it 
is  quite  a  trouble  to  squeeze  oneself  in.  The  floor  within 
is  covered  with  a  planking  of  boards,  or  else  with  numer- 
ous flat  shutters  of  reed-grass,  which  are  also  called  Tat 
or  Tet.  (Compare  Hindustani  Tatti — a  shutter  of  reed 
or  cane  of  a  similar  design.)     The  pillars  that  bear  up  the 


DRESS,    INDUSTRIES,    MANUFACTURES       141 

house  are  made  of  Katar  or  tree-fern,  of  bread-fruit  wood, 
or  that  of  one  of  the  useful  timber  trees  with  which  the 
island  abound.  The  rafters  are  of  the  sturdy  Ak  or 
mangrove  branches  (Polynesian  Oka).  The  height  of  the 
central  roof-tree  varies  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  in  houses 
of  moderate  size. 

The  cook-house,  called  Parra  or  Par  (Polynesian  Fare, 
Fale,  a  house  ;  in  Ponapean  there  is  no  F,  P  takes  its 
place),  was  an  unpretentious  building  of  mangrove  stakes 
and  thatch,  situated  a  little  to  the  rear  of  the  premises. 

The  Nach  or  Council  Lodge  was  a  lofty,  wide,  long  and 
spacious  building  with  a  raised  platform,  at  the  end  of 
which  there  was  often  a  room  for  the  sleeping  place  of  the 
Chief  and  his  family,  railed  off  by  shutters  of  cane  some- 
times called  Pel  or  Ueip  ;  the  partition  is  called  Mech-en- 
tet.  On  this  raised  platform,  about  six  feet  in  height 
{Lempantam  or  Leppantani),  ascended  by  a  rude  ladder 
{Kantake),  sat  the  chiefs  and  distinguished  men.  Along 
both  sides  within  the  Lodge  ran  a  wooden  terrace  or  plat- 
form, with  reed-grass  or  cane  flooring,  where  the  women 
and  children  and  those  of  lower  estate  sat.  In  the  open 
space  below  were  several  huge  flat  slightly  concave  basalt 
stones,  upon  which  the  Chakau,  Choko,  or  Kava  root  was 
pounded.  From  the  presence  of  these  flat  basalt  stones 
the  lodges  are  sometimes  called  Im-en-takai  or  Houses  of 
the  Takai  or  Stones.  Very  often  a  boathouse  on  the 
edge  of  a  creek  or  by  the  seashore  is  used  as  a  Nach,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  Horau-Nanui  of  Nuku-Oro. 

The  Nach  is  open  at  the  lower  end.  Above  the  en- 
trance some  slight  protection  against  the  wind  and  rain  is 
afforded  by  the  Lolo  or  cross-thatching  that  can  be  easily 
increased  in  case  of  bad  weather.  I  may  add  that  I  saw 
no  carved  posts  in  these  houses,  as  I  afterwards  remarked 
in  Yap.  It  seems  strange  the  omission  here  of  a  custom 
so  universal  in  the  Polynesian  and  Melanesian  area. 


CHAPTER  IX 

VISIT    TO    MOKIL,    PINGELAP    AND    KUSAIE  * 

ON  May  2nd,  1896,  just  after  the  departure  of  the 
mail  steamer  for  Manilla,  there  arrived  in  Ascen- 
sion Bay  a  little  trading-schooner,  the  Tulengkun,  belong- 
ing to  Captain  M.,  an  American  subject,  who  offered  me 
a  passage  by  her  to  Kusaie,  his  headquarters.  Taking 
advantage  of  the  opportunity  of  her  return  trip,  arrange- 
ments were  speedily  concluded,  and  on  a  miserable 
Saturday  afternoon  we  ran  from  the  Langar  anchorage 
in  a  raw  chilly  drizzle,  which  later  on  increased  into  a 
regular  downpour.  The  wind  comes  off  shore  in  occasional 
puffs,  and  the  vessel  rolls  considerably  on  the  long  heavy 
swell,  clearing  the  harbour  mouth  just  before  sunset. 
However,  an  hour  or  two  after  midnight  a  steady  breeze 
comes  along,  and  daybreak  finds  us  plunging  through 
white-crested  seas  with  the  great  cliff  of  Chokach  and  the 
cloud-capped  peak  of  Kupuricha  fast  sinking  astern.  A 
dull  and  wearisome  Sunday  drags  along.  The  first  stage 
of  our  journey  is  only  one  hundred  miles,  and  we  sight 
the  blurred  outline  of  Mokil  on  Monday  at  sunset,  just 
before  a  huge  inky  curtain  of  cloud  closes  down,  rudely 
blotting  it  out  and  bringing  a  hissing  white  squall.  Early 
next  morning  the  sky  was  clear  and  bright,  and  we  were 
lying  close  up  to  the  island,  and  by-and-bye  we  ran  in- 
shore. 

Mokil,  otherwise  called  Duperrey  from  the  French 
navigator  of  that  name,  is  properly  a  group  of  three  low 
islands — Urak,  Manton  and  Kalap — lying  close  together 

1  A  portion  of  the  narrative  below  appeared  in  the  Hong  Kong  Telegraph 
early  in  the  following  year. 

142 


VISIT   TO    MOKIL,    PINGELAP   AND    KUSAIE       143 

in  a  lagoon  of  no  great  extent.  Manton  is  rounded  in 
outline  like  a  boomerang  or  horse-shoe  ;  Urak  and  Kalap 
are  longer  in  stretch,  and  crescent-shaped.  Kalap  and 
Manton  are  inhabited,  the  former  containing  the  main 
settlement  surrounded  with  yam  and  taro  patches,  and 
embowered  in  palms  and  hibiscus  (Pa),  screw-pine  and 
Barringtonia.  Urak  is  one  wild  palm-grove,  full  of  pigs 
and  wild  fowl,  and  is  often  visited  from  the  main  settle- 
ment. A  pretty  feature  hereabouts  at  half-tide  are  the 
numerous  primrose,  mauve  and  sulphur-tinted  bits  of  coral 
studding  the  bottom,  with  bright  yellow  fishes,  six  or  eight 
inches  long,  darting  in  and  out  of  these  submarine  rock- 
eries, like  flashes  of  living  gold.  The  natives  call  them 
Tapurapur.  Gorgeous  star-fish  of  a  bright  Prussian  blue 
{Sukunap)  [called  On  Kusaie,  Si-keniaf\  lie  around.  With 
the  Ponapeans  the  creature  is  connected  with  the  Rain 
God,  and  lifting  it  out  of  the  water  is  said  to  be  invariably 
followed  by  heavy  showers  of  rain.  Between  Manton  and 
Urak  a  narrow  boat-passage  leads  up  to  Kalap  beach, 
across  a  strip  of  flat  reef  almost  dry  at  low  tides,  studded 
with  numerous  masses  of  honeycombed  limestone  rock. 
Close  here  are  two  large  blocks.  Tradition  says  the  Ani 
or  demi-gods,  in  the  form  of  a  pair  of  frigate-birds,  brought 
them  from  the  eastward.  These  were  the  mythical  ancestors 
of  the  Mokil  islanders. 

The  nearest  of  the  Ralik  chain  is  only  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  Mokil.  The  Mokil  folk, 
who  number  some  two  hundred,  probably  have  a  strong 
Marshall  Island  admixture  like  their  Pingelap  neighbours. 
Many  of  their  words  are  akin  to  those  in  Ralik,  and  some 
again  are  an  obsolete  form  of  Ponapean,  but  nowadays 
the  modern  Ponapean  is  everywhere  spoken,  introduced 
by  the  American  missionaries  and  native  teachers.  The 
natives  are  Christianised  ;  coconut  toddy  is  tabooed,  and 
all  use  of  intoxicating  liquors  and  tobacco  strictly  for- 
bidden. They  make  capital  sailors,  for  which  calling  a 
certain  cheery  hardihood  peculiarly  fits  them,  but  on  land, 


144  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

like  all  Pacific  islanders,  their  zeal  is  occasionally  dashed 
by  fits  of  laziness.  A  steady  aversion  to  settled  labour 
ashore  has  left  many  a  promising  contract  half  completed. 
It  is  so  with  all  the  brown  races — it  is  otherwise  with  the 
black  or  yellow — but  this  roving  nature,  impatient  of  con- 
trol, engendered  by  numberless  predatory  raids,  and  long 
sea-rovings  in  the  olden  days,  is  the  true  heritage  of  the 
Malayan.  These  bold  navigators,  as  any  up-to-date 
philological  chart  will  show,  swept  out  wave  upon  wave 
through  Gilolo  Straits,  conquering  and  blending  in  various 
proportions  with  the  agricultural  black  races  which  had 
preceded  them.  This  is  clearly  proved  by  the  frequent 
occurrence  of  Malay  and  Sanskritoid  root-words  along  the 
north  coast  of  New  Guinea  and  down  to  Port  Moresby, 
where  the  Motu  dialect  is  spoken.  Let  the  doubting 
reader  only  glance  at  the  long  list  of  Caroline  root-words 
in  the  Comparative  Table  soon  to  be  published  by  the 
Polynesian  Society  of  New  Zealand,  and  then  doubt  any 
more  if  he  can. 

It  is  to  the  black  races  therefore  that  we  are  to  look 
for  supply  of  plantation  labour,  and  to  the  brown  people 
for  sailors.  Each  will  then  follow  his  ancestral  bent  to 
the  great  saving  of  time  and  temper  of  the  long-suffering 
trader,  and  of  his  colleague,  that  irascible  and  leather- 
lunged  potentate,  the  trading  skipper. 

The  King,  or  Icho  of  Mokil,  lives  on  Kalap,  and  is  a 
bland  old  gentleman,  but,  like  nearly  all  converted 
natives,  has  a  keen  eye  for  business.  The  chief  trader 
on  the  island  is  John  Higgins,  a  capital  boat-builder  and 
carpenter.  He  was  the  son  of  a  Massachusetts  man, 
afterwards  murdered  upon  Pingelap  by  a  Gilbert  islander 
from  Arorai.  He  leads  as  quiet  and  industrious  a  life  as 
any  Norfolk  or  Pitcairn  island  settler,  and  bids  fair  to 
end  his  days  as  a  patriarch  of  the  old  Pacific  school. 

One  would  fancy  that  the  traders  in  these  parts  must 
needs  put  up  with  a  woeful  number  of  bad  debts,  the 
competition    in   trade    moving  in   the  old   vicious   circle. 


VISIT   TO   MOKIL,    PINGELAP  AND    KUSAIE       145 

Still  the  shiftless  credit  system  goes  on,  the  native  now 
and  again  paying  a  trifle  on  account,  after  alternate  bully- 
ing and  cajolery.  Very  often  the  native  reserves  to  him- 
self the  right  of  repudiating  his  debts  altogether,  and  when 
he  does  receive  a  little  money,  of  going  straight  across  to 
the  rival  store,  and  paying  ready  cash  for  goods  to  the 
frenzied  excitement  of  his  creditors.  On  the  other  hand, 
when  the  trader  gets  a  little  ahead  of  the  native,  as  some- 
times happens  between  seller  and  buyer  in  the  best 
regulated  communities,  the  voice  of  the  Spanish  law 
thunders  forth  :  "  How  dare  you  rob  the  poor  innocent 
native  ? "  ignoring  the  fact  that  the  noble  savage  is  every 
bit  as  versed  in  deception  and  trickery  as  his  white 
brother,  whom  if  he  fails  to  strike  at  the  first  venture,  he 
will  surely  bring  down  at  the  second,  place,  time  and 
opportunity,  and  lack  of  honest  interpreters  being  all  in 
his  favour.  Who  else  could  say  to  his  white  creditor  : 
"If  you  will  not  lend  me  money  how  can  I  ever  pay  ?  " 

There  is  no  lack  of  fowls  and  ducks  on  Kalap,  but  only 
a  few  little  pigs  are  allowed  here,  for  fear  of  the  ravages  the 
big  ones  would  surely  commit  amongst  the  taro  and  banana 
patches.  There  is  no  supply  of  running  water,  but  there 
is  a  heavy  annual  rainfall,  which  the  natives  make  the 
most  of  by  digging  numerous  shallow  pits  and  wells 
(Kallip).  A  species  of  jack-fruit  (Mai-mat)  is  cultivated. 
When  mature,  the  wood  develops  a  firm  reddish  grain, 
and  is  much  prized  by  local  carpenters  for  housebuilding. 
The  palm-groves  yield  an  abundant  supply  of  green  drink- 
ing nuts,  and  much  copra  is  made  from  the  kernels  of  the 
older  ones  called  Pen  (cf.  Samoan  Penu,  Gilbert  Islands 
Ben).  The  lagoon  teems  with  fine  fish,  the  most  esteemed 
of  which  are  a  species  of  mullet,  the  bonito  and  the  flying 
fish.  The  Mokil  canoes  are  built  of  seasoned  bread-fruit 
wood,  fitted  with  a  long,  solid,  and  heavy  outrigger,  curv- 
ing boldly  upwards  bow  and  stern,  recalling  somewhat  the 
Yap  canoes,  without,  however,  the  curious  fish-tail  orna- 
mentation on  the  figure-heads.  Their  Yi  or  sails,  like  the 
K 


146  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

old-fashioned  ones  of  Ponape,  are  wide  and  triangular, 
formed  of  parallel  rows  of  pandanus  leaves  neatly  sewn 
together.  The  usual  littoral  shrubs  common  on  low  coral 
islands  flourish  here,  amongst  them  two  medicinal  in 
quality,  the  Ramak  and  Sisin  (known  in  Ponape  as  the 
Inot  and  Titin).  Giant  screw-pines  (P.  edulis),  with  their 
quaint  leaf  whorls,  their  huge  orange-red  fruit  like  ex- 
aggerated pine  apples,  and  long  sword-shaped,  prickly- 
edged  leaves,  fringe  the  shore,  and  the  air  is  filled  with 
the  subtle  perfume  of  the  delicate  white  blossoms  of  the 
tree-gardenia  {Pur). 

After  a  stroll  in  the  woods,  a  bathe  in  one  of  the  water 
holes,  and  a  hearty  meal  of  fried  flying  fish  and  taro,  it  is 
time  to  leave.  Towards  evening,  with  a  good  load  of 
copra,  and  some  of  the  Urak  porkers  and  seven  or  eight 
native  passengers  on  board,  we  set  sail  for  Pingelap,  which 
lies  some  sixty  miles  away  to  the  southward.  Next  day 
nothing  but  dismal  and  dirty  weather  and  heavy  seas.  A 
powerful  odour  of  copra  permeates  the  ship  from  stem  to 
stern,  which  must  be  extremely  delicious  to  those  who  are 
accustomed  to  it.  Everything  is  hot,  damp,  muggy,  and 
uncomfortable.  Hosts  of  cockroaches  are  on  the  war-path 
below,  and  up  above  there  is  a  dank  drizzle,  hardly  a 
breath  of  wind  stirring,  and  the  great  cradle  of  the  deep 
is  rocking  us  to  and  fro  in  something  more  than  a 
motherly  fashion.  So  the  long  dreary  afternoon  wears 
itself  slowly  away. 

Late  in  the  evening  of  Thursday,  May  7th,  after  a 
steady  struggle  with  a  strong  north-west  current,  which 
future  navigators  in  these  waters  should  allow  for,  we 
catch  a  glimpse  of  the  lights  of  the  Pingelap  canoe-parties 
fishing  out  on  the  reef.  Next  morning  early  we  are 
anchored  near  the  beach,  and  numerous  folk  have  already 
boarded  us,  clamouring  for  an  extended  credit  system,  and 
excited  like  very  children  at  the  prospect  of  fingering  and 
handling,  and  perhaps  even  purchasing,  the  much-coveted 
foreign  goods.     Voices,  a  regular  Babel,  are  raised,  some 


VISIT   TO    MOKIL,    PINGELAP   AND   KUSAIE       147 

in  solemn  argument  and  serious  questioning,  some  rippling 
into  light  jests,  chaff  and  repartee,  some  melting  into  those 
coaxing,  pleading  and  wheedling  accents  wherewith  the 
native  so  often  reaches  the  soft  spot  in  the  white  trader's 
heart.  However,  business  is  somehow  concluded  at  last. 
Some  natives  make  small  payments,  some  pay  liberally  in 
promises  and  compliments  which  sometimes  pass  current 
in  Micronesia  as  elsewhere,  whilst  some  again  are  refused 
credit  altogether,  and  away  they  troop  into  their  canoes  and 
go  ashore  evidently  in  high  feather.  After  a  while  I  went 
ashore  in  the  ship's  boat,  pencil  and  note-book  in  hand,  as 
beseems  a  seeker  after  strange  things,  arousing  the  curiosity 
of  the  worthy  folk  on  the  beach,  who  for  naive  and  rustic 
stolidity  and  ludicrous  ignorance  are  the  very  Boeotians  of 
the  Pacific.  The  following  rough  notes  were  taken.  The 
group  consists,  like  Mokil,  of  three  low  coral  islands  lying 
close  together,  named  respectively  Pingelap,  Taka,  and 
Chikuru  styled  on  the  charts  Tugulu.  The  population  a 
little  over  1000  ;  pretty  dense  considering  the  meagre 
area,  but  compare  with  this  the  island  of  Tapitouea  in  the 
Gilbert  Group  which  is  one  huge  village.  The  natives  of 
Pingelap  form  a  sort  of  ethnic  link  between  the  Ponape 
and  Mokil  type.  Their  language  is  a  harsh  and  antiquated 
dialect  of  Ponapean  with  a  sprinkle  of  Marshall  Island 
words.  As  in  Mokil,  however,  the  new  missionary  Pona- 
pean, introduced  in  the  lesson  books  and  New  Testament 
translations  and  songs,  is  fast  ousting  the  old  language,  and 
this  is  a  living  instance  of  the  instability  of  Pacific  Island 
tongues.  So  fast  one  stratum  of  population  overlaps  another 
— "  Velut  unda  supervenit  undam."  Most  of  the  inhabitants 
here  live  on  the  main  central  island,  which  is  neatly  laid 
out  in  shady  walks  and  avenues,  skirting  trim  and  well-kept 
plantations  of  bananas  and  various  sorts  of  taro.  Plenty 
of  arrowroot  is  found  in  the  bush.  The  beach  is  thickly 
lined  by  rows  of  small  boathouses  backed  by  quite  an 
imposing  array  of  native  huts.  I  saw  numbers  of  canoes 
drawn  up  on  the  beach,  running  up  very  high  at  bow  and 


148  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

stern,  and  still  more  were  scattered  in  the  offing,  for  the 
Pingelap  folk  are  sturdy  and  energetic  fishermen.  The 
approach  was  picturesque,  the  grey  coral  reef  rising  up  like 
a  great  sea-wall  out  of  the  deep  blue  water.  The  bottom 
is  seamed  with  profound  cracks  and  fissures,  the  lurking 
places  of  great  fishes  and  giant  Crustacea  and  squid. 
Orange  and  scarlet  patches  of  coral  light  up  the  wavy 
masses  of  oarweed,  tangle  and  sea-fan,  and  many  a  quaint 
and  gorgeous  zoophyte  spreads  its  delicate  tentacles  in  the 
current  in  odd  nooks  and  corners.  Numerous  grey  and 
white  sea-birds  skim  the  surface  in  middle  distance,  follow- 
ing the  shoals  of  fish  "  Un  en  mom  "  in  their  course,  and 
now  and  then  a  white  or  blue  heron  wings  his  way  heavily 
overhead.  (The  former  they  call  Kara,  the  latter  Nan- 
kilap.)  The  coconut  groves  are  very  productive,  and  in 
profusion  are  found  two  varieties  of  jack-fruit  ("  Mai-pa  " 
and  "  Mai-si  ")  one  with  slightly,  the  other  deeply,  serrated 
leaves.  The  sea  swarms  with  fish,  and  there  are  plenty  of 
pigs  and  fowls.  The  numbers  of  bright  healthy  young 
children  playing  about  the  landing-place  gave  a  very 
pleasant  and  encouraging  testimony  of  the  vigour  and 
vitality  of  the  race — a  quality  now,  alas  !  growing  rarer 
and  rarer  amongst  South  Sea  island  peoples.  Quantities 
of  fishing  nets  were  seen  hanging  up  on  every  side.  From 
the  frequent  sheds  and  cooking-houses  on  the  waterside 
were  rising  grateful  aromas  of  baked  pigs  and  roasting 
fish.  In  a  trice  we  were  conducted  to  a  cool  shady  spot, 
mats  were  spread  out,  green  coconuts  husked,  and  a  savoury 
repast  was  soon  smoking  before  us.  Later  on  we  visit 
Tomas,  the  native  teacher,  and  duly  admire  the  pretty  little 
native  church  and  schoolhouse  with  its  palm-thatch  and 
burnt  coral  walls.  Tomas'  sleek  and  contented  appearance 
irresistibly  recalls  the  merry  old  Scottish  distich  : — 

"  O  the  monks  of  Melrose  made  gude  kail 
On  Fridays  when  they  fasted 
And  wanted  neither  beef  nor  ale 
As  long  as  their  neighbour's  lasted." 


VISIT   TO    MOKIL,    PINGELAP   AND    KUSAIE       149 

Heaps  of  coconuts  and  baskets  of  cooked  food  were 
lying  on  the  ground  outside — forming  the  Mairong  or 
church  offering  to  which  every  good  member  of  the  con- 
gregation is  expected  to  contribute.  Then  I  visited  the 
alleys  and  neatly  paved  pathways  of  Michor,  the  main 
settlement,  bordered  by  gardens  and  taro  patches  on  every 
side.  Hereabouts  are  some  groves  of  bread-fruit  carefully 
cultivated,  not  only  for  the  fruit,  but  for  its  timber,  which, 
when  it  gets  old  and  seasoned,  has  a  fine  reddish-brown 
tint.  They  use  it  for  boat  building  and  as  posts  and 
rafters  for  their  houses.  They  also  split  it  fine  to  make 
their  lattice  or  shutters,  as  the  reed-grass,  common  enough 
in  Kusaie,  Ponape  and  the  Mortlocks  is  not  found  here. 
The  name  they  give  these  shutters  in  this  part  of  the 
Carolines  is  tat  or  tet.  Compare  the  Hindustani  tat  or 
tatti,  a  term  widely  used,  as  all  Anglo-Indians  well  know, 
for  delicately  woven  shutters  of  cane  which  keep  out  the 
mid-day  dust  and  heat. 

When  we  got  on  board  a  host  of  natives  followed  us, 
headed  by  the  Icho  or  King  with  his  Queen  and  inter- 
preter, and  plenty  of  hats  i^Sorap)  and  mats  {Rop)  for  sale 
— both  cunningly  woven  of  the  leaf  of  the  Pandanus  in 
which  manufacture  they  are  very  skilful.  His  Majesty 
after  begging  in  a  naive  fashion  for  a  Turkey-red  shirt, 
refused  the  offer  of  a  cigar  as  a  bad  example  to  the  church 
members.  Quoth  his  majesty  to  me  :  "  You  my  friend. 
You  see  Pikitoria  (Victoria  sic).  He  one  big  chief — Pictoria 
he  talk.  You  speak  Pingelap  man  he  good."  This  same 
worthy  chief  and  his  colleague  of  Mokil  some  little  while 
ago  when  guests  on  board  the  gunboat  Quiros,  proved  a 
source  of  great  amusement  to  their  Spanish  hosts  by  their 
very  free  and  unconventional  table  manners,  helping  them- 
selves to  double  handfuls  of  food  from  the  nearest  dishes, 
in  utter  disregard  of  knives  and  forks,  to  the  dismay  of  the 
poor  steward  who  gazed  on  them  with  eyes  wide  open 
with  horror.  When  the  King  of  Pingelap  saw  and  smelt 
a  large  dish  of  curry,  his  eyes  glistened.     When  it  came 


ISO  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

within  reach  he  eagerly  scooped  up  a  double  handful  and 
without  more  ado  supped  it  up. 

Reluctantly  taking  leave  of  our  new  Arcadian  friends, 
we  hoisted  sail  the  same  evening  and  left  our  anchorage 
on  our  140  miles'  sail  down  to  Kusaie.  Continual  calms 
and  light  baffling  winds  checked  our  way,  and  several 
heavy  rain  squalls  burst  over  us.  Towards  sundown  on 
Saturday  the  9th,  after  a  spell  of  miserable  weather,  the 
clouds  lifted  a  little  and  disclosed  the  sharp  and  angular 
outline  of  Kusaie  standing  out  clearly  defined  under  a 
pall  of  inky  blackness,  the  tops  of  the  mountains  hidden 
in  bank  upon  bank  of  cloud-haze  and  smoky  wreaths 
of  teeming  vapour.  Anon  the  curtain  descends  anew,  a 
fresh  violent  squall  comes  down,  and  we  fly  scudding  over 
the  heaving  seas,  rolling  and  pitching,  like  a  Deal  or 
Sandgate  lugger  in  the  chops  of  the  English  Channel. 

I  had  nearly  forgotten  to  remark  that  the  Pingelap 
men  though  dull  and  heavy  in  temperament,  are  exceed- 
ingly nervous  withal — a  rare  thing  amongst  Caroline 
Islanders.  A  trifling  operation  such  as  the  removal  of 
a  splinter  will  make  a  strong  able-bodied  man  faint.  The 
same  is  related  of  the  people  of  Nuku-Oro  and  Kap-in- 
Mailang  further  south.  They  are  said  to  be  easily  subject 
to  hypnotic  suggestion,  a  fact  which  recalls  the  peculiar 
disorder  called  Lata  mentioned  by  Swettenham  as  com- 
mon in  the  Malay  Peninsula,  and  called  Malimali  in  the 
Philippines.  Pingelap  used  to  be  a  favourite  recruiting 
place  with  whaling  captains  plying  northward,  who  found 
the  men  docile  and  hardworking,  and  better  able  than 
many  other  islanders  to  stand  the  cold  of  the  Arctic 
regions. 

Late  at  night  we  pass  the  twinkling  lights  of  the 
missionary  settlement  of  Mout,  high  up  on  the  hill- 
slopes,  flashing  out  a  greeting  as  it  were  through  the  dense 
gloom.  In  the  early  morning,  May  10th,  we  are  off 
Coquille,  and  make  a  long  tack  to  double  the  North-East 
Point.       On  rounding  the  promontory,  the  island  of  Lele 


VISIT  TO   MOKIL,    PINGELAP   AND    KUSAIE       151 

with  its  spacious  harbour  of  Chabrol  on  the  far  side,  comes 
in  sight.  Hereabouts  a  powerful  current  runs,  setting  to 
the  eastward,  which  any  future  navigators  will  do  well 
to  remember,  giving  the  point  a  pretty  wide  berth  to 
avoid  stranding  amongst  the  breakers  on  a  dangerous 
coast.  The  main  island  reminds  one  somewhat  of  Raro- 
tonga,  with  the  bizarre  features  a  little  softened  down. 
The  altitude  of  Fulaet,  the  highest  peak,  is  about  the  same, 
some  2300  feet.  In  the  middle  are  two  needle-shaped 
peaks  set  close  together.  A  belt  of  rich  low  land 
surrounds  verdant  hill-slopes  thickly  clothed  with  forest 
up  to  the  summit.  Here  and  there  one  spies  scattered 
native  houses  lying  back  amongst  groves  of  pandanus 
and  palm.  We  have  passed  lonely  little  Star  Harbour, 
and  are  skirting  the  coast-line  dotted  with  the  straggling 
huts  of  Puia,  the  Gilbert  Islanders'  settlement.  And  so 
we  sailed  along,  each  foreland  opening  up  fresh  beauties 
in  the  landscape.  From  off  the  entrance  to  Chabrol  or 
Lele  Harbour  the  main  island  looks  almost  divided  in 
two  by  the  deep  inlet.  Close  at  hand  stretches  a  flat- 
topped  mountain,  like  that  of  Vatu  Vara  in  the  Fijis, 
resembling  in  shape  a  fashionable  tall  silk  hat  with  a 
broad  low  brim  running  round  it.  Side  on  to  us  on  the 
right  is  the  outer  edge  of  Lele.  Beyond  the  mainland 
looms  up,  rising  into  several  peaks  and  ranges,  opening 
out  into  rich  vistas  of  valley  and  emerald  woodland,  with 
snow-white  birds  circling  and  wheeling  in  the  far  tree-tops. 
The  swell  is  heavy,  and  there  falls  a  spell  of  light  variable 
breezes.  About  two  hundred  yards  off  under  our  lee 
beam,  heavy  rollers  are  dashing  upon  the  reef,  sending 
up  jets  and  clouds  and  sheets  of  finest  spray  that  fill  the 
middle  distance  with  a  misty  haze.  Slowly  we  approach 
the  land,  the  passage  at  its  narrowest  point  being  only 
about  three-quarters  of  a  cable  broad,  hardly  giving  fair 
room  to  tack  in  should  a  sudden  white  squall  sweep  down 
from  the  mountain  gorges  above.  Just  as  we  entered  the 
passage   a   chicken   flew  overboard   and  was  left  behind 


152  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

rising  and  falling  on  the  swell  astern.  By  order  of  the 
captain  the  boat  was  lowered,  however,  and  the  hapless 
fowl  rescued  from  one  liquid  grave,  only  to  appear  a  little 
later  in  another — to  wit,  a  savoury  soup. 

This  same  harbour  of  Lele  in  days  past  was  a  great 
rendezvous    for    the    New    Bedford    and    New    England 
whaleships.       There    the    famous    "  Bully "    Hayes,    the 
modern    Buccaneer,  played    fine   pranks   after   losing   his 
beautiful  vessel  on  the   reefs,  half  frightening   the   lives 
out    of  the   peaceful    Kusaians  by  landing  a  number  of 
fierce    and    warlike    Ocean    and    Gilbert    Islanders,   who 
brewed   huge   quantities   of   coconut-toddy,  and    set    the 
whole  place  in  a  ferment  with  their  carousals  and  mad 
orgies.       Night   after   night  they  kept  it  up,  alternately 
drinking    and    fighting.       Murdered    men's    bodies   were 
picked    up   on   the   beach   every  morning,  and  the  poor 
natives  of  Lele  fled  in  terror  of  their  lives.      Hayes  at 
last   brought   the   crazy  mutineers   back   to   their   senses 
and  meditated  settling   on   the   island,  when,  greatly  to 
the  American  missionaries'  relief,  a  barque  came  in  from 
Honolulu  with  the  intelligence  that  a  British  man-of-war 
was  coming  up  fast  in  search  of  that  very  dreadful  sinner 
and  reprobate,  the  aforesaid  Hayes.     But  what  became  of 
the  redoubtable  captain  of  many  resources  is  matter  for 
another  and  a  longer  yarn.      We  are  now  close  up  to  the 
settlement  with  the  King's  new  lumber  and  shingle  house 
standing   forward    prominently   amongst    many   humbler 
abodes,  under  the  shade  of  a  noble    Callophyllum   tree. 
Right  in  front  of  us  lies  Captain  M.'s  dwelling,  his  store- 
house and  copra  shed  flanked  by  white-walled  outhouses. 
Seaward  extends  the  wharf  built  up  sturdily  of  blocks  and 
lumps  of  coral  and  basalt  fragments,  with  a  topping  of 
black  and  white  pebbles  and  sea-shells.    There  we  anchored 
about  ten  o'clock. 

Numbers  of  natives  are  passing  and  repassing  on  the 
road  beyond,  for  it  is  Sunday  and  church  time  is  nigh,  and 
defaulters  rnn  the  risk  of  censure.     Everybody   seemed 


VISIT   TO    MOKIL,    PINGELAP   AND    KUSAIE       153 

greatly  interested  in  our  arrival,  and  many  thronged  the 
landing-place  to  welcome  us  on  shore.  The  men  were 
neatly  dressed  in  European  garb,  the  women  in  loose 
graceful  gowns.  Most  of  them  wore  flowers  in  their  hair, 
and  for  head-gear  broad  low  hats  of  Pandanus-leaf  trim- 
med with  tasteful  ribbons  of  banana  fibre,  in  tinting  which 
delicate  fibre  they  excel.  Pink,  white  and  red  roses, 
crimson  hibiscus  and  the  amber  and  purple  tassels  of 
the  Barringtonia  flower,  form  so  many  bright  touches  in 
a  pretty  picture  of  rich  and  subdued  tones  of  colour 
happily  blended.  Thus  we  landed  on  the  shore  of 
Kusaie.  How  befel  the  King's  hospitality,  the  visit  to 
the  good  missionaries  at  Mout,  and  the  exploration  of 
the  ruins,  must  be  told  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER  X 

STAY  ON  LELE 

SOON  after  landing  on  Lele  we  went  up  to  see  the 
King  or  "  Tokosa-Teleusar,"  who  speaks  very  good 
English  which  he  learned  from  the  American  whalers  he 
made  many  long  voyages  with  in  his  youth,  even  visiting 
the  town  of  Grimsby. 

On  July  26th,  1890,  Mr  J.  C.  Dewar,  in  his  yacht  the 
Nyanza,  visited  Lele,  and  was  favourably  impressed  with 
the  island. 

The  King  bade  us  heartily  welcome,  and  introduced  us 
to  his  wife  and  household,  who  seemed  thoroughly  pleasant 
people,  and  made  one  feel  quite  at  home  from  the  very 
first.  The  afternoon  passed  rapidly  away  in  conversation, 
the  King  apparently  taking  a  lively  interest  in  the  pro- 
posed exploration  of  the  ruins  on  his  island,  and  promising, 
without  any  hesitation,  his  hearty  aid  and  co-operation — 
a  different  character  from  the  sour  old  fanatic  of  Metalanim. 
He  placed  his  house  immediately  at  my  disposal,  and 
promptly  sent  his  dependants  to  search  the  larder,  and 
levy  hasty  contributions  amongst  the  villagers  in  case  any- 
thing be  lacking.  A  dismal  cackling  presently  announces 
the  demise  of  sundry  chickens.  Whilst  these  preparations 
were  going  forward  we  paid  a  visit  to  Li-kiak-sa,  the  aged 
native  teacher  of  the  district,  a  keen,  alert,  wiry  old  man, 
with  an  indefinable  air  of  mingled  wisdom,  shrewdness  and 
benevolence,  of  whom  we  shall  hear  more  anon.  He  owns 
a  small  islet  planted  thickly  with  sweet  potatoes,  of  which 
he  is  a  keen  cultivator  and  consumer.  He  did  not  appear 
to  deserve  the  harsh  criticisms  passed  upon  him  in  Louis 
Beck's  logbook  and  in  Mr  Dewar's  account  of  his  cruise — 


STAY   ON    LELE  155 

both  of  whom  style  him  a  cheating,  canting  and  self- 
righteous  rascal.  Similar  unfavourable  first  impressions 
are  common  enough  in  tales  of  travel,  which  a  more  ex- 
tended experience  of  a  stay,  one  likes  to  fancy,  would 
dispel  in  good  time,  or  at  least  qualify.  Then  we  visited 
the  other  end  of  the  village  to  call  upon  Kevas,  the  in- 
telligent school-teacher,  named  after  Caiaphas,  the  High 
Priest,  of  evil  fame.  We  persuaded  him  and  Li-kiak-sa 
to  share  our  evening  meal,  and  ere  long  roast  fowl,  fried 
fish,  eggs,  turtle,  and  taro  were  disappearing  with  fearful 
rapidity.  Our  dessert  consisted  of  a  mixture  of  taro,  yam, 
coconut  cream  and  ripe  bananas  mashed  up  together 
into  a  pudding,  and  steamed  in  leaves  underground.  The 
two  holy  men  refused  wine  and  beer,  contenting  themselves 
with  drinking  huge  mugs  of  scalding  black  tea,  sweetened 
with  table-spoonfuls  of  brown  sugar.  Soon  after  the  meal 
was  ended  Li-kiak-sa  left,  and  Kevas  remained  behind. 
Kevas  had  compiled  a  small  English-Kusaian  list  of  words 
which  he  undertook  to  go  through  with  me  on  the  morrow, 
with  some  school-books  and  a  native  New  Testament  in 
the  vernacular.  Finally,  for  a  moderate  remuneration,  he 
agreed  to  give  me  two  long  lessons  in  the  language  every 
day,  the  evening  lesson  lasting  regularly  from  seven  to 
eleven.  That  night  and  the  whole  of  the  next  day  we 
worked  steadily,  as  an  uninterrupted  downpour  of  rain  for- 
bade any  outdoor  excursions.  The  following  extract  from 
my  diary  shows  the  occasional  thorns  in  the  explorer's  path. 
"  Monday,  May  1 1  th. — Touch  of  low  fever  contracted 
in  the  Ponape  marshes.  Symptoms — headache,  dizzi- 
ness, loss  of  appetite  and  bearing  down  pains  in  the  back, 
with  general  disinclination  for  exertion  Weather  miser- 
able, no  chance  of  going  outdoors." 

My  instructor  turned  up  punctually  to  time,  and  by  and 
by  most  of  the  principal  words  in  use  are  carefully  noted 
down;  then  a  little  light  began  to  break  in  upon  this 
peculiar  dialect.  The  grammatical  system  and  the  num- 
erals and  many  of  the  rootwords   I   soon  saw  resembled 


156  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

the  Ponapean.  There  were  many  Marshall  Island  words 
also.  The  strong  original  consonant  and  vowel  sounds 
alike  are  curiously  twisted  in  pronunciation  by  the 
Kusaians.  But  for  a  detailed  treatment  I  must  refer  to 
my  comparative  table  which  the  Polynesian  Society  of 
New  Zealand  are  now  publishing. 

Mr  Dewar's  description  of  Kusaie  has  a  humour  of  its 
own.  "  The  island  of  Kusaie  is  a  great  Protestant  mis- 
sionary stronghold,  and  the  people  appear  to  be  painfully 
good.  They  none  of  them  dared  to  drink  or  smoke,  and 
when  I  offered  the  local  trader  a  newspaper,  he  piously 
replied  that  he  never  read  anything  but  the  Bible.  Not- 
withstanding all  these  fine  professions,  the  missionaries 
have  not  succeeded  in  inducing  the  King  to  stop  his  grog 
and  tobacco,  if  he  can  get  a  chance  of  enjoying  himself  in 
this  manner  in  secret."  It  describes  Captain  M.  to  a  hair, 
and  the  good  King  Teleusar  to  the  very  life. 

Curiously  enough,  there  seems  a  paucity  of  local  tradi- 
tions. The  name  of  the  island  itself  seems  to  be  pretty 
well  known  from  one  end  of  the  Carolines  to  the  other. 
The  Ponapeans  call  it  Koto,  and  declare  the  Ivory  Palm 
and  the  Kava  plant  were  introduced  on  their  island  by 
Kusaian  visitors.  The  Mortlock  and  Ruk  islanders,  more 
in  the  centre  of  the  great  archipelago,  call  it  Kosiu  and 
Kotiu  respectively,  whilst  in  Yap,  the  farthest  west  of  all 
the  Carolines,  they  denominate  it  Kuthiu  or  Kuziu}  The 
resemblance  to  the  great  southern  island  of  Japan,  Kiu-siu, 
is  too  remarkable  to  pass  idly  over.  The  name  of  Kusaie 
is  generally  applied  to  the  mainland  across  the  bay,  other- 
wise called  Ualan.  The  little  island  of  Lela  or  Lele  (from 
a  word  meaning  "  permission  ")  was  no  doubt  settled  by  a 
band  of  Japanese,  either  from  a  wrecked  junk,  or  equally 
likely  from  one  of  the  early  trading  vessels,  which,  accord- 
ing to  a  Japanese  merchant,  used  in  ancient  times  to  make 
long  voyages  to  the  south  and  east,  before  the  Emperor 

1  The  name  probably  reappears  far  to  the  S.E.  as  'Atiu  in  the  Cook  or 
Harvey  group.     Cf.  also  Maori  Kotiu  the  N.W.  wind. 


STAY   ON    LELE  157 

To-Kogunsama  interdicted  distant  trading  expeditions 
about  the  year  1640.  Nagasaki,  according  to  these  tra- 
ditions, used  to  be  the  great  emporium  of  trade  with  the 
Marai-jin  or  Malays  a  thousand  years  ago.  The  Caroline 
archipelago  and  the  isles  of  the  Pacific  were  known  under 
the  name  of  Nan-Yo.  As  to  the  possibility  of  chance 
additions  to  the  population  by  shipwreck,  witness  the  case 
of  the  drifting  ashore  of  a  Japanese  junk  in  1885  on 
Uchai  in  the  north  of  the  Marshall  group,  resulting  in  the 
massacre  of  a  portion  of  the  crew  and  the  plundering  of 
the  vessel.  The  natives  of  Lele  themselves  attribute 
the  building  of  the  great  Cyclopean  walls  (in  Kusaian 
Pot  Fa/at),  enclosures  and  canals  that  thickly  stud  their 
island,  to  a  dominant  foreign  race  who  arrived  in  vessels 
(Wak-palang)  from  the  north-west,  and  who  raised  these 
forts  as  defences  against  their  neighbours  on  the  mainland, 
whom  they  put  to  tribute,  imposing  upon  them,  when 
visiting  Lele  as  vassals  of  the  Tokosa,  the  humiliation  of 
doing  obeisance  by  crouching  down  low  and  of  never  rais- 
ing their  voices  above  a  whisper  in  addressing  him.  It 
may  here  be  observed  that  the  Ponapeans  have  a  tradition 
that  Icho-Kalakal,  who  commanded  the  great  invasion 
from  the  South,  called  at  Kusaie  and  the  Ant  Islands  on 
his  way  up  from  Panamai.  The  stones,  massive  blocks 
and  shafts  of  prismatic  basalt,  were  brought,  the  natives 
say,  from  South  Harbour  on  rafts  and  floats.  The  ruins 
on  Lele  are  not  so  elaborately  constructed  as  those  of 
Metalanim,  but  they  have  a  rude  and  massive  grandeur 
of  their  own.  Like  the  Ponapeans,  these  people  for  work- 
ing wood  (not  stone)  used  axes  and  adzes  {tola)  of  excel- 
lent make,  laboriously  ground  and  polished  down  from  the 
great  central  piece  of  the  Tridacna-gigas  or  great  Kima- 
Cockle  shell.  The  specimens  received  from  Li-kiak-sa 
are  exceedingly  white,  and  smooth  as  polished  marble,  with 
fine  cutting  edges.  In  length  they  measure  from  six  to  nine 
or  ten  inches,  by  two  or  two  and  a  half  inches  in  breadth. 
Many  of  the  words  in  Kusian  resemble  Malay-Polynesian 


158  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

words  far  to  the  westward,  and  there  is  also  a  slight  Mela- 
nesian  admixture.  There  are  also  some  Marshall  Island 
words,  Lo  the  Hibiscus,  Iter  the  Callophyllum,  Nukunuk 
clothes.  They  use  long  delicate  tapering  paddles  of  Pana 
or  Thespesia  wood,  like  those  of  the  Sonsorol  islanders. 
They  make  fairly  good  sailors,  and  appear  to  be  of  a 
peaceful,  obedient  and  easy-going  nature.  Their  chief 
manufactures  are  pandanus-leaf  hats,  which  they  plait  with 
as  much  skill  as  the  Pingelap  natives.  From  the  same  in- 
valuable fabric  they  make  ornamental  baskets  of  pretty 
design,  and  light  delicate  sleeping  mats  of  fine  texture 
(Kiaka).  But  the  most  interesting  industry  of  all  is  their 
weaving  of  fine  belts  and  ribbons,  called  Tol,  from  that  soft 
and  delicate  textile,  the  banana  fibre,  recalling  the  early 
national  Japanese  garb  of  Yu  or  Bashofu  made  of  the 
same  material,  imported  from  the  Ryu-Kiu  or  Lew-Chew 
group.  In  making  these,  a  loom  or  primitive  weaving 
machine  is  used  very  similar  in  model,  I  am  told,  to  that 
seen  in  some  of  the  less  advanced  villages  in  the  interior 
of  Japan,  where  the  restive  demon  of  machinery  has  not 
yet  wholly  ousted  hand  manufacture.  This  machine  goes 
under  the  name  of  Puas,  cf.  Pisa,  the  loom  used  in  the 
Bencoolen  district  of  Sumatra.  The  patterns  are  quaint 
and  graceful,  and  the  grouping  of  the  tints  carefully  con- 
sidered and  worked  out  to  the  avoidance  of  harsh,  crude, 
or  conflicting  colours.  A  rich  blue  tint  is  obtained  from 
the  juice  of  the  trunks  of  young  banana-suckers,  the  wild 
turmeric  root  or  the  Morinda  Citrifolia  juice  supplies  the 
shades  of  yellow,  black  tints  are  obtained  from  burnt 
candle-nuts  (Aleurites),  and  a  rich  reddish  brown  is  pre- 
pared from  the  scraped  and  pounded  bark  of  the  mangrove 
roots.  Other  gradations  of  hue  they  get  by  carefully 
boiling  in  small  quantities  of  water  pieces  of  gaudy  cotton 
fabrics,  which  their  innate  good  taste  rejects  as  an  eyesore. 
No  doubt  their  aesthetic  taste  is  due  to  a  remote  Japanese 
ancestry  or  some  admixture  of  a  high  Malayan  type.  For  a 
more  particular  description  of  these  fabrics  vide  Appendix. 


5  u 


-  -4 


>  3 

si 

< 


STAY   ON    LELE  159 

Products  :  —  Coconut  oil  (Kaki-fusas),  Copra  (Kaki), 
Pearlshell  (Fat),  and  Beche-de-mer  {Moet  or  Penipen). 

A  fine  clear  morning  at  last.  The  King  suggested 
an  excursion  along  the  coast  to  see  something  of  the 
country,  and  visit  the  settlement  and  schoolhouse  of  the 
Boston  Mission,  offering  to  accompany  me  part  of  the 
way,  but  when  pressed  to  introduce  me  to  the  missionaries 
he  excused  himself,  saying  that  he  was  not  very  well 
pleased  with  them,  and  considered  that  they  were  unfairly 
usurping  the  power  which  properly  belonged  to  him  alone, 
but  declining  at  the  same  time  to  more  expressly  state 
the  grounds  of  his  grievance.  "  However,"  said  he,  "  I 
will  tell  a  boy  to  sail  along  the  coast  in  my  canoe  and 
catch  us  up  early  in  the  afternoon  at  the  Gilbert  islanders' 
settlement,  so  that  you  will  easily  get  to  Mout  by  night- 
fall." Accordingly  we  started  on  our  walk,  cautiously 
wading  the  narrow  channel  between  Lele  and  the  main- 
land. We  hailed  in  passing  the  venerable  Li-kiak-sa 
hard  at  work  on  his  little  island  of  Yenei  weeding  and 
digging  amongst  his  sweet  potato  beds.  He  is  devising 
traps  and  snares  for  the  rats  which  have  evidently  been 
very  busy  amongst  his  cherished  tubers.  "  The  Kosso 
Kisrik  {i.e.  rats)  won't  leave  me  a  potato  soon,"  ruefully 
grumbles  the  poor  old  gentleman,  as  he  turns  with  a  sigh 
to  his  interrupted  labours.  "  I  wish  I  had  a  good  big 
Kosso  Kuchik  to  catch  them."  {Kosso  Kuchik  is  the 
Kusaian  name  for  Grimalkin,  called  by  the  Malays  Pusang 
or  Kuckzng.)  The  King  promised  him  a  fine  yellow  Tom 
on  the  first  opportunity,  and  we  left  the  holy  man  some- 
what comforted,  delving  and  grubbing  away  with  an 
energy  astonishing  for  a  man  of  his  years.  We  trudged 
along  some  three  miles  of  glittering  white  sandy  beach 
backed  by  the  usual  thickets  of  Barringtonia  and  Pan- 
danus  and  coco  palms,  halting  every  now  and  then  to 
admire  the  black  and  white  sea-snakes  {Kafeldld)  basking 
on  the  warm  sand  at  the  bottom  of  the  shallow  waters. 
We  managed  to  secure  one  of  them  by  hooking  him  sud- 


160  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

denly  out  of  the  bay  with  a  crooked  stick,  and  stowed  him 
away  in  a  bottle  to  join  the  scorpions,  centipedes,  lizards 
and  kindred  horrors  in  their  alcohol  bath.  By-and-bye 
the  boy  Mok-Lal  was  seen  coming  along  with  the  canoe. 
He  took  us  on  board,  and  we  skimmed  before  the  wind  along 
the  shallow  lagoon  which  is  now  gradually  rilling,  for  the 
tide  is  on  the  turn.  We  soon  reached  the  village  *  of  Puia 
and  its  shady  palm-groves.  A  venerable  old  guide  directed 
me  inland  through  the  salt  marshes  to  a  picturesque 
waterfall,  the  scene  of  the  ending  of  one  of  those  romantic 
friendships  common  in  island  history.  Two  young  chiefs 
defeated  in  battle,  too  proud  to  seek  safety  in  flight,  ended 
their  lives  together  by  casting  themselves  from  the  preci- 
pice to  be  crushed  upon  the  rocks  that  surround  the 
boiling  pool  below. 

Sixty  feet  sheer  the  clear  current  purls  down  a  black 
runnel  of  shiny  water-worn  basaltic  rock,  edged  by  tufts 
of  mosses  and  fern,  lichen  and  weed  sprouting  greenly  out 
of  myriad  cracks  and  crannies.  A  peculiar  black-shelled 
mollusc  (Neritina)  is  found  adhering  to  the  stones, 
resembling  those  found  in  the  mountain  streams  of  the 
Marquesas.  Below,  the  stream  irrigates  a  native  hazel- 
copse,  and  abruptly  burrowing  loses  itself  in  a  sandy 
subsoil  of  marshland,  the  haunt  of  the  Op,  a  fierce  and 
monstrous  red  and  blue  crab  with  stout  claws  a  cubit  long, 
the  Birgus  latro  or  Robber  crab  of  the  naturalists.  It 
climbs  the  trunks  of  the  coco  palms,  bites  off  the  clusters 
of  ripe  nuts,  tears  off  the  tough  and  fibrous  outer  husks  with 
its  powerful  nippers,  and  devours  the  kernel,  to  the  conse- 
quent shortage  of  copra  and  the  indignation  of  the  planter. 

Wending  our  tortuous  way  through  the  swamps,  we 
come  out  on  firmer  ground.  By-and-bye,  pushing  out  of 
a  thick  spinney,  we  emerged  upon  a  piece  of  abruptly 
rising  ground.  This  surmounted,  we  saw  before  us  a  deep 
yawning  chasm  in  the  hillside  towering  above  us.  As  we 
neared   the   entrance  to  the   cavern,  a   doleful  gibbering 

1  In  Kusaie  a  village  is  Tili,  in  Ponape  Tel. 


STAY   ON   LELE  161 

assaulted  our  ears,  like  the  twittering  of  uneasy  spirits  in 
torment.  Stumbling  over  heaps  of  pebbles  and  detritus, 
we  gained  the  gloomy  portal.  Our  eyes,  gradually  accus- 
tomed to  the  dim  light,  made  out  swarms  of  fluttering 
small  bats,  Kalekaf  '(the  Peapea  of  Samoa,  Emballonura  Sp.), 
like  swallows  on  wing,  darting  hither  and  thither  around 
the  arched  dome  overhead,  and  ever  and  anon  brushing 
in  headlong  panic  against  the  intruders.  Untold  genera- 
tions of  these  creatures  have  piled  up  strata  upon  strata 
of  the  finest  guano  on  the  cavern  floor — a  grand  business 
coup  for  the  next  trading-skipper  who  may  find  himself 
disappointed  in  the  Chincha  or  Maiden  Island  deposits, 
which  bid  fair  to  pan  out  one  of  these  days.  Right  at 
our  feet  stretches  an  inky  pool  of  Cimmerian  blackness, 
doubtless  stretching  far  back  into  the  shadowy  recesses  of 
the  mountain.  A  few  pistol  shots  fired  at  random  amidst 
the  gloom  awoke  sharp  reverberating  echoes  and  set  the 
winged  vermin  circling  and  shrilly  screeching  overhead. 

On  returning,  we  found  that  the  king  had  gone  as  far 
as  he  intended.  A  piece  of  tobacco  and  a  sea-biscuit 
amply  satisfied  my  guide,  and  leaving  the  king  to  his 
walk  overland,  I  embarked  with  the  faithful  Mok-Lal 
rather  late  in  the  afternoon.  The  tide  was  fast  running 
out,  and  before  long  it  became  clear  that  we  should  have 
hard  work  to  make  Mout  before  midnight,  if  at  all.  To 
crown  all,  Mok-Lal,  after  much  vigorous  pantomime  with 
an  accompanying  symphony  of  wonderful  double  vowels 
and  treble  consonants,  took  us  flying  into  a  tiny  cove 
where  ten  or  twelve  crazy  huts,  and  say  a  dozen  starveling 
folk  and  a  few  lean  yellow  dogs  represent  a  native  settle- 
ment. Certain  of  a  kindly  welcome,  but  sorely  suspecting 
fleas  in  these  squalid  habitations,  I  besought  Mok-Lal  not 
to  rashly  pledge  us  to  stay  overnight.  Whilst  in  dire 
suspense,  lo  !  a  welcome  sight.  The  Tulengkun,  which  I 
know  is  bound  for  Mout,  as  her  captain  had  told  me  the 
day  before,  appears  round  the  next  promontory.  The 
opportunity  was  too  good  to  be  lost.  A  word  to  Mok-Lal, 
L 


162  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

and  two  sturdy  paddlers  volunteered  ;  the  frail  canoe  was 
launched  and  over  the  reef  we  went  into  the  tumbling  surf. 
Fortunately  it  was  not  much  after  half-tide,  and  there  was 
just  a  chance  to  clear  the  outer  line  of  breakers.  After 
some  very  exciting  moments  and  hairbreadth  escapes, 
dodging  the  heavier  rollers  by  a  miracle,  we  are  out  in 
the  open  sea  and  presently,  sound  in  limb  but  with 
dripping  garments,  I  clambered  on  board  the  barque.  The 
ancient  cricket-bag,  sorely  the  worse  for  wear  with  stress 
of  rain,  sun  and  salt  water,  was  passed  up  over  the 
side  ;  Mok-Lal  and  the  boys  taking  a  long  compass  round 
to  the  harbour  mouth.  They  will  not  risk  the  breakers 
again — not  they.  The  Enuts  (ancestral  spirits)  won't 
work  miracles  twice  running.  We  duly  recognised  their 
pluck  and  skill,  and  once  more  the  Tulengkun  is  put 
before  the  wind.  The  sun  goes  down  on  the  reddening 
waters,  and  the  shadows  of  evening  darken  upon  peak  and 
cape,  shore  and  valley.  We  barely  strike  the  narrow  reef- 
passage  of  desolate  Star  Harbour  in  the  fast-failing  light. 
Once  within,  however,  we  speedily  glide  up  the  inlet,  moor- 
ing, after  various  tackings  and  fillings,  close  to  a  steep 
bank  where  a  full-flowing  river  joins  the  salt  water.  The 
cause  of  these  breaks  in  the  barrier  reef  in  the  line  of 
valleys  where  a  river  flows  into  the  sea,  is  familiar  to  all 
those  who  chart  out  coral-formations  in  Pacific  waters.  A 
current  of  fresh  or  even  brackish  water  means  death  to  the 
myriads  of  busy  little  cellular  zoophytes  who  pile  up 
their  rocky  barriers  against  the  inroads  of  ocean.  Only 
in  the  noble  rich  salt  water  can  these  wonderful  builders 
pursue  their  labours. 

We  found  the  place  almost  bare  of  inhabitants,  for  it  is 
only  visited  from  time  to  time  by  fishing  or  copra-cutting 
parties.  An  old  man  directed  us  to  a  tumble-down  build- 
ing with  a  crazy  verandah,  formerly'a  trader's  store,  where, 
surrounded  by  tame  cats  and  dogs,  we  hunted  up  some 
tinned  food,  biscuit  and  breadfruit,  and  made  ourselves 
comfortable  for  the  night.    Next  morning  bright  and  early 


STAY   ON   LELE  163 

the  ship's  boat  was  speeding  me  over  the  drowsy  lagoon, 
its  still  deep  waters  barely  yet  a-sparkle.  The  pearl-grey 
of  the  eastern  sky  is  melting  into  a  shimmer  of  pink  and 
gold  and  bronze.  To  our  left  wave  the  feathery  plumes 
of  the  graceful  palms,  softly  stirring  into  life  at  the  breath 
of  the  morning  breeze — acre  upon  acre  of  woodland — 
flecked  with  broad  irregular  patches  of  shadow  shrinking  in 
the  amber  light  of  early  dawn.  Light  and  delicate  airs  laden 
with  subtle  fragrance  float  down  from  ferny  dells  above 
steeped  in  the  glistening  dewlight  of  the  young  day.  Up 
comes  the  sun  chasing  the  truant  shadows  one  by  one  out 
of  their  hiding  places  on  slope  and  valley,  and  everything 
is  quickening  into  life.  The  forest  is  all  astir  with  a 
rumour  of  birds.  The  sus,  a  tiny  redbreasted  honey-eater, 
flits  cheeping  amongst  the  creamy  clusters  of  palm-bloom, 
and  the  coo  of  the  wood-pigeon  echoes  through  glade 
and  thicket  where,  with  no  tell-tale  plumage,  she  perches 
hidden  though  close  at  hand.  All  too  soon  our  journey 
is  over,  and  entering  a  little  sandy  cove  we  run  alongside 
the  wharf  built  of  coral  fragments,  and,  climbing  the 
winding  stairway  hewn  in  the  hillside,  find  ourselves  in  the 
little  settlement  which  forms  quite  a  township — the  head- 
quarters of  the  mission  after  its  expulsion  from  Ponape. 
Like  Caesar's  Gaul  it  lies  in  three  parts.  Each  of  these 
centres  round  its  schoolhouse.  The  first  establishment  is 
allotted  to  the  education  of  youths  and  boys  from  the 
Marshall  Islands,  in  which  archipelago  the  Germans,  under 
certain  restrictions,  have  granted  the  missionaries  leave  to 
establish  stations  for  their  propaganda.  Dr  Rife  is  in 
charge.  The  second,  under  Dr  Channon,  is  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  Gilbert  Island  boys  ;  and  the  third,  highest  up  on 
the  mountain  side,  is  occupied  by  the  girls'  school,  where 
a  mixed  bevy  of  Gilbert  and  Marshall  Island  lasses  live 
under  the  aegis  of  the  ladies  of  the  mission,  one  of  whom, 
Miss  Palmer,  was  in  charge  of  the  establishment  on  the 
east  coast  of  Ponape  at  Oa,  the  scene  of  the  massacre  of 
Lieut.  Porras  and  his  working  party  in   1  890.      Drs  Rife 


164  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

and  Channon,  with  true  American  hospitality,  soon  have 
refreshment  at  hand  which  the  heat  of  the  day  imperatively 
calls  for.  By  and  by  the  Tulengkun  turns  up  in  the 
bay,  having  waited  for  the  turn  of  the  tide.  Captain 
M.  and  the  two  doctors  are  soon  deep  in  business  talk. 
I  left  them  and  sought  a  comfortable  cane  lounge,  prying 
deep  amongst  Marshall  and  Gilbert  Island  root-words, 
with  a  sufficiency  of  green  drinking-nuts  at  my  side  to 
counteract  the  dryness  of  my  labours.  A  little  after  noon 
we  were  expected  to  dinner  with  Miss  Palmer  and  her 
colleague  at  the  girls'  school.  Captain  M.  was  too  busy  to 
turn  up  and  a  little  grumpy  into  the  bargain,  so  Dr  Channon 
took  me  up  the  hill  instead,  and  introduced  me  in  due 
form  to  the  ladies.  After  doing  justice  to  an  excellent 
meal,  the  rights  and  wrongs  of  the  1890  business  in  Ponape 
were  once  more  raked  up  from  oblivion.  Native  merits 
and  demerits  were  freely  touched  upon.  Miss  Palmer  is 
a  bright  and  sensible  little  woman  with  a  deep  interest  in 
her  work,  which  she  declares  is  fairly  successful,  though 
now  and  then  rather  trying  to  the  patience.  However 
willing  and  docile,  the  savage  convert  will  hark  back 
at  times  to  the  crude  notions  of  his  forefathers,  and 
deceit  appears  ingrained  in  them.  Hence  a  strange 
moral  obliquity  leads  them  into  the  most  needlessly 
crooked  paths.  Horace,  when  he  speaks  of  driving  out 
Nature  with  a  pitchfork  only  to  see  her  return  in  greater 
force  than  ever,  doubtless  had  tried  the  experiment  on 
some  surly  barbarian,  and  found  him  all  unimproved  by 
his  gentle  admonitions.  The  outward  change  for  the 
better,  however,  to  give  the  missionaries  their  due,  amongst 
the  Gilbert  Islanders  has  been  remarkable.  They  have 
always  been  the  vindictive  and  ferocious  of  all  South  Sea 
Islanders,  and  under  the  careful  instruction  of  sundry  white 
miscreants  had  taken  high  honours  in  the  school  of 
piracy,  cutting  off  unfortunate  trading  craft  by  diabolical 
treachery,  plundering,  and  scuttling  or  burning  the  craft 
and  cutting  the  throats  of  every  soul  on  board.     These 


STAY   ON    LELE  165 

playful  pursuits  would  sometimes  give  way  to  a  game  at 
civil  war.  This  kindly  folk  would  vary  the  programme 
of  murder,  rapine,  infanticide,  and  the  wiping  out  of  some 
unpopular  village  or  other  at  stated  intervals,  by  consum- 
ing huge  quantities  of  coconut-toddy  (Karuoruo)  at  their 
village  festivals.  These  merry  meetings  invariably  termin- 
ated in  a  fierce  free-fight,  where  men  and  women  joined  in 
the  melee  with  ironwood  clubs  and  wooden  swords,  thickly 
studded  with  sharks'  teeth,  with  which  they  inflicted  ghastly 
lacerations. 

Nowadays  these  noble  savages  are  altered  in  some  ways 
greatly  for  the  better.  They  don't  kill  helpless  infants 
any  more.  They  don't  cut  off  trading  vessels — though 
possibly  a  vision  of  English  Kaipukes  or  men-of-war  has 
tended  somewhat  to  this  laudable  change  of  purpose. 
They  go  to  church,  in  European  garb ;  the  men  wear 
shirts  and  blue  trousers,  some  wear  black  coats,  and  the 
women  tawdry  Manchester  goods,  and  for  fear  of  breaking 
the  Sabbath  by  mistake,  they  abstain  accurately  and  im- 
partially from  every  sort  and  condition  of  work  week  in 
week  out — except  under  stress  of  actual  hunger.  They 
like  money  very  well,  but  liquor  and  tobacco  still  better. 
They  are  told  they  mustn't  smoke  and  musn't  drink,  so  of 
course  they  do  it  on  the  quiet  the  first  chance  they  get. 
There  is  a  certain  bluntness  amounting  almost  to  churlish- 
ness in  the  Gilbert  Islander  that  distinguishes  him  from 
his  politer  brethren,  the  Tahitian  and  Samoan.  This  and 
the  complacency  and  self-righteousness  of  the  native  con- 
vert does  not  particularly  endear  him  at  first  sight  to  the 
European  visitor.  The  Pacific  Islander  in  a  word  is  pass- 
ing through  a  transition  period.  He  has  left  behind  him 
many  of  the  vices  of  his  forefathers,  but  at  the  same 
time  the  savage  virtues — bravery,  hardihood,  self-help, 
and  honesty  in  his  dealings  with  his  neighbour — are 
also  flickering  out  of  him.  His  individuality  is  lost  and 
he  has  become  a  Christian  of  the  colourless  humdrum 
order,  full  of  goody-goody  texts  and  Scriptural  references 


166  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

— a  harmless  fellow  enough,  but  scarcely  as  interesting 
to  the  student  of  human  nature  as  his  barbarian  ancestors. 
The  duplicity  and  sly  reticence  of  the  savage  is  unchanged 
in  him,  and  ever  and  anon  the  old  natural  man  peeps  out 
to  gambol  in  most  unorthodox  cantrips.  Unstable  as 
water  and  at  first  sight  without  any  real  depth  of  charac- 
ter, he  is  as  shrewd  a  hand  at  a  bargain  as  any  chapel- 
going  grocer  who  sands  his  sugar.  Anecdotes  to  the 
above  effect  whiled  away  the  afternoon  as  we  strolled  about 
the  little  settlement.  The  students,  some  one  hundred 
and  forty  in  all,  appeared  on  their  very  best  behaviour, 
perfect  models  of  that  meek  deportment  which  the  supple 
natives,  like  schoolboys  and  monkeys,  know  well  how  to 
put  on  and  off  like  a  glove.  Altogether  the  community 
wore  an  air  of  quiet  prosperity  and  contentment.  The 
boys  are  taught  various  useful  trades,  such  as  carpentry 
and  joinery,  and  the  girls  are  instructed  in  the  use  of  the 
needle  and  all  manner  of  housewifely  duties.  It  is  a 
miniature  copy  of  the  Kamehameha  School  for  native 
boys  and  girls  at  Kalihi,  a  suburb  of  Honolulu,  and 
doubtless  the  native  in  time  will  be  the  gainer  for  the 
gradual  formation  of  settled  habits  of  industry. 

Of  the  kindly  and  hospitable  people  in  charge  of 
the  Mission  Station  of  course  there  can  be  but  one 
opinion.  They  believe  genuinely  in  their  work,  and 
devote  themselves  with  single-hearted  zeal  to  what  seems 
an  unpromising  and  thankless  task.  With  those  who 
frankly  differ  from  them  in  their  ways  or  methods  they 
can  argue  without  bitterness  or  lack  of  charity,  as  all 
seekers  after  truth  should  surely  do. 

At  sunset  we  went  down  to  Dr  Channon's  pretty  little 
house  to  a  spread  of  native  and  imported  dainties,  and  a 
most  interesting  evening's  talk  ensued.  My  host  proves  an 
exceedingly  well  informed  and  liberal-minded  specimen 
of  the  professional  man  of  brain  and  action  that  Yale, 
Harvard,  Princeton,  and  their  sister  universities  are  turning 
out  year  after  year  to  enrich  Young  America.    By  and  by 


STAY   ON    LELE  167 

we  pay  a  visit  to  the  class-rooms  and  converse  a  while 
with  the  boys,  most  of  whom  understand  English — of  the 
parrot  order,  one  must  confess.  Then  the  talk  runs  on 
musty  antiquities  and  certain  singular  native  customs  with 
which  the  reader  shall  not  be  bored  at  present.  The  lads 
gave  a  sample  of  their  powers  as  choristers,  singing  vari- 
ous hymns  pitched  in  a  doleful  key — keeping  capital  time 
the  while.  The  reader  will  perhaps  be  surprised  to  learn 
that  part-singing  has  been  a  popular  institution  amongst 
Pacific  island  races  from  time  immemorial.  Then  home 
and  to  bed,  and  up  with  the  calling  of  the  fowls — "  Lan 
mon  kakla  " — as  the  islanders  phrase  it. 

A  pleasant  breeze  was  ruffling  the  waters  of  the 
bay,  and  the  Tulengkun  straining  at  her  moorings. 
With  a  hearty  farewell  to  our  friends  on  shore,  we 
pushed  off  and  boarded  her,  and  in  some  twenty 
minutes  were  slipping  merrily  through  the  water  on 
our  twelve  miles'  run  to  Lele.  The  hill-slopes  of 
Mout  are  soon  left  astern.  Range  after  range  of 
mountain  and  valley  glide  past  us  and  the  sun  is  high 
in  heaven,  looking  straight  down  on  the  reef,  when  we 
round  our  last  headland  and  work  our  way  slowly  into 
the  home  wharf  through  the  rollers  washing  into  the 
narrow  harbour,  all  shimmering  in  the  soft  and  golden 
haze.  The  mid-day  meal  at  Capt.  M.'s  despatched,  the 
Tokosa  and  I  take  a  long  woodland  walk,  sauntering 
slowly  through  the  palm-groves  and  fairy  glades  in  the 
waning  afternoon  which  ushers  in  my  last  night  in  Lele. 

The  sun  sinks — a  wheel  of  ruby  flame — amidst  a 
wonder  of  flaky  cloud-wrack,  lit  up  with  tenderest  hues 
of  pearl,  emerald  and  amethyst,  undreamt  of  by  artists 
of  sober  northern  climes,  who  reck  not  of  Nature's  prodi- 
gality in  sounds  and  sights  to  these  her  favoured  children 
of  the  tropics.  From  the  domain  of  the  on-creeping  host 
of  shadows,  from  the  dim  and  cool  recesses  of  darkening 
woodland,  trills  the  chirp  of  myriad  cicalas.  The  placid 
waters  of  the  harbour  here  and  there  dimple  in  the  grow- 


168  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

ing  twilight  with  swirling  rings  to  the  splashing  of  leaping 
fish.  One  by  one  in  the  gathering  dusk  cooking-fires 
gleam  out  like  lamplight  all  around  the  bay  from  the 
scattered  native  huts  lying  back  in  the  fringing  belt  of 
palm  and  pandanus.  Side  by  side  brushing  through  a 
tangle  of  trailing  creeper,  we  make  for  the  Tokosa's  house, 
where  I  am  to  pass  the  night.  The  king  has  agreed  to 
show  me  the  ruins  next  morning  without  fail.  Li-kiak-Sa 
has  parted  with  three  beautiful  shell-axes  {tola),  some 
baskets  and  mats,  and  a  quantity  of  the  dainty  native 
sashes  of  woven  and  dyed  banana-fibre.  In  the  king's 
household,  for  the  last  two  or  three  days,  the  fair  maidens 
Kenie,  Kusue  and  Notue,  have  been  hard  at  work  produc- 
ing specimens  of  their  delicate  fabric — gifts  for  their  guest 
to  take  away  to  his  bleak  northern  home.  The  worthy  old 
deacon  Kevas  turned  up,  and  we  put  in  four  hours'  solid 
work  up  to  midnight  mastering  the  intricacies  of  the 
Kusaian  tongue  ;  and  the  good  old  man  handed  me  over 
several  crude  Kusaian  translations  from  the  New  Testa- 
ment as  a  parting  gift.  He  had  worked  very  conscienti- 
ously, never  shirking  a  difficulty,  but  explaining  everything 
within  his  power.  The  king,  also,  who  speaks  English 
correctly  and  even  elegantly,  has  proved  a  valuable  assist- 
ant. Since  the  visit  of  the  Coquille  nobody  has  apparently 
taken  trouble  to  collect  any  facts  about  these  interesting 
islanders,  and  now  it  is  indeed  high  time,  and  only 
just  not  too  late.  It  is  a  sad  pity  that  the  language 
of  Kusaie,  with  all  its  elaborate  grammatical  inflection, 
and  quaint  post-positions  so  suggestive  of  Japanese  in- 
fluence, seems  likely  ere  long  to  be  classed  with  the  dead 
languages  of  the  earth.  For  the  population  is  not  over  four 
hundred,  all  told,  and  the  island  is  one  vast  garden  capable 
of  supporting  with  ease  twenty  times  that  number.  But  the 
health  and  vigour  of  the  folk  have  been  sapped  by  terrible 
diseases  introduced  by  the  brutal  and  lawless  crews  of 
visiting  whalers  whom  Dr  Rife,  from  some  heart-rending 
medical  experience,  with  perfect  justice  denounces  as  the 


STAY   ON    LELE  169 

vilest  miscreants,  the  enemies  of  God  and  man.  Any  un- 
prejudiced reader  of  history — of  the  voyages  of  Cook  and 
Roggenwein  and  other  early  navigators — must  needs  admit 
the  truth  of  these  awful  facts.  Little  cause  indeed  have 
Pacific  Islanders  to  bless  the  greater  part  of  their  white 
brethren.  There  was  true  historical  foresight  in  the  pre- 
diction of  the  Tahitian  sage  'Avira. 

"  Ua  haere  te  fau 
E  mou  te  fa'arero, 
E  nao  te  ta'ata." 

"  The  leaves  are  falling  on  the  sand, 
The  sea  shall  swallow  coral  strand, 
Our  folk  shall  vanish  from  the  land." 

On  the  following  day  (May  15th)  we  were  early  astir, 
for  Capt.  M.,  who  was  rather  in  an  irritable  mood,  had 
solemnly  vowed  to  wait  for  neither  of  us  after  four  o'clock. 
The  king,  to  my  great  delight,  is  coming  up  to  Ponape  to 
pay  his  respects  to  the  Spanish  governor,  Sr.  Pidal — a 
precise  but  not  unkindly  old  gentleman  of  Spain,  who, 
after  a  successful  and  popular  administration,  is  returning 
home  to  Madrid.  We  borrowed  the  Tulengkuri s  compass, 
and  the  Tokosa  and  I,  with  pencil,  note-book,  and  bush- 
knife  in  hand,  set  out  on  our  exploration.  A  boy  came 
with  us,  carrying  a  knife  and  a  six-foot  pole,  carefully 
graduated  from  a  carpenter's  foot-rule. 

To  reach  it  we  had  to  skirt  the  remains  of  some  Cyclo- 
pean walls  built  of  enormous  rough  basalt  blocks  rudely 
fitted  together,  immensely  old,  but  now  falling  into  ruins,  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  king's  house,  and  Captain  M.'s, 
which  we  have  already  viewed.  The  latter,  yielding  to  a 
Vandal  instinct,  has  dismantled  those  nearest  to  his 
house,  using  the  huge  blocks  as  a  groundwork  for  his  neat 
new  wharf,  caring  little  what  became  of  the  ancient  struc- 
ture. Leaving  these  behind  us  our  way  lies  some  three 
hundred  yards  inland,  along  a  narrow  muddy  lane  shut  in 
by  fern-fringed  walls  some  five  feet  high,  where  we  catch  our 
first  glimpse  of  the  great  outer  wall  of  the  principal  enclosure 


170  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

"  Pot  Falat."  The  masonry  is  composed  of  basalt  blocks 
and  prisms  of  varying  shape,  many  enormous  in  bulk  but 
clumsy  in  disposal.  In  careful  and  minute  adjustment 
they  are  inferior  to  the  structures  of  Metalanim  or  Java, 
but  doubtless  the  work  of  a  kindred  race  of  builders 
labouring  under  less  favourable  conditions.  Looking  at 
their  solid  outlines,  seamed  and  furrowed  with  the  rain 
and  sun  of  untold  generations,  one  cannot  help  marvelling 
at  the  ingenuity  and  skill  of  these  primitive  engineers  in 
moving,  lifting  and  poising  such  huge  and  unwieldy 
masses  of  rock  into  their  present  position,  where  these 
mighty  structures,  shadowed  by  great  forest  trees,  stand 
defying  Time's  changing  seasons  and  the  fury  of  tropic 
elements.  Why  in  distant  little  spots  of  the  Pacific  do 
we  find  the  like  engineering  marvels  ? — sites  held  as 
sacred,  guarded  by  shadowy  traditions  of  mighty  kings, 
magic  builders  and  giant  folk  of  old.  Ponape  has  her 
Tikitik-en-ani  or  Teraphim  of  stone,  has  her  sanctuaries 
of  Nan-Tauach  and  Pankatara,  and  her  Lil-charaui  or 
sacred  precincts  ;  Tobi,  her  massive  platforms  topped  by 
stone  images  of  her  Yari,  or  ancient  heroes,  gazing  out 
upon  the  deep  ;  Hawaii,  her  demon  -  temples  {Heiau). 
The  Marquesan  has  his  holy  places  {Meae)  and  his  Tiki, 
giant  images  hewn  out  of  black  basalt ;  the  Tahitian  his 
Marae  and  Ahu-rai,  sepulchral  monuments  of  ancient  kings. 
The  Easter  Islander  his  giant  long-eared  statues  of  black 
stone  with  crowns  of  red-brown  Tufa  on  their  heads,  his 
lofty  platforms,  stone  houses,  and  wooden  tablets  inscribed 
with  mysterious  hieroglyphics. 

The  key,  doubtless,  is  to  be  found  in  human  ambition, 
which  reveals  itself  even  amongst  the  fragments  of  a 
forgotten  folk  occupying  these  little  spots  in  a  waste  of 
waters.  These  remains,  insignificant  as  they  appear 
beside  the  works  of  Mycerinus,  Cheops,  Apda-martu, 
Sargon,  and  Nebuchadnezzar,  may  yet  serve  to  show 
what  eloquent  sermons  dumb  stones  may  preach  ;  what 
stories  they  tell  us  of  the  generations  of  man  vanishing 


Pot  Falat  Ruins 


Low     stont*    wall. 

if    „ 

f  IJL./B 

Gateway                    Gat'-wny- 

3      »                          •* 

NT.E. 


End  aC  Canal 
Stone  barrier 


S.E. 


STAY   ON    LELE  171 

one  by  one  into  dim  immensity,  ephemeral  as  the  leaves 
of  the  forest  fluttering  down  year  after  year  to  their  dust. 

But  time  is  passing,  and  the  tide  will  not  tarry  for  us 
either,  and  briskly  we  set  to  work  on  our  measurements, 
hewing  our  way  through  the  jungle,  splashing  into  muddy 
puddles,  and  tearing  a  path  through  the  tough  ground 
creepers  which  conceal  many  a  slippery  stone. 

The  enclosure  forms  a  parallelogram,  the  side  between 
the  western  and  northern  angles  measuring  194  feet,  and 
that  between  the  eastern  and  northern  1 1  o  feet.  Cutting 
a  path  on  the  south-west  side,  where  the  masonry  lies  piled 
up  in  vast  ruinous  heaps  overgrown  with  a  maze  of  hibiscus, 
we  started  operations  at  the  western  angle,  moving  along 
the  north-west  side. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  measurements  : — 

The  height  of  the  wall,  at  the  west  angle,  is  25  feet. 
At  the  foot  of  the  wall,  facing  north-west,  runs  a  shallow 
canal.  At  a  distance  of  72  feet  along  the  canal-side  is  a 
modern  barrier  of  small  stones  built  to  keep  out  high  tides 
— the  height  of  the  channel  above  sea-level  being  very 
trifling.  Doubtless  this  canal,  like  the  others,  of  which 
there  are  abundant  remains  on  Lele,  was  constructed  for 
the  purpose  of  rafting  up  these  huge  blocks  of  stone  from 
the  beach  whither  they  were  brought  from  South  Harbour, 
where  Nature,  as  in  Ponape,  has  further  indulged  her 
spoilt  children  by  providing  natural  pillars  ready  cast  in 
her  furnaces  underground,  crystallised  out  into  hexagonal 
prisms  ready  for  the  workman's  hand.  The  geologist  will 
recall  the  Giant's  Causeway,  the  rocks  of  the  southern 
promontory  of  Tasmania,  and  the  organ-pipe  formation  on 
Staffa  and  Iona,  as  illustrative  of  this  phenomenon  else- 
where. Just  beyond  the  aforesaid  barrier  is  a  gateway 
7  feet  in  breadth.  The  height  of  the  wall  here  is  1 6  feet. 
Great  fragments  of  shivered  basalt  that  have  toppled 
down  from  time  to  time  strew  the  rocky  floor  below. 
From  this  cause  the  wall  varies  considerably  in  height. 
About  40  feet  along  from  the  gateway  a  massive  slab  of 


172  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

basalt  stands  out  among  its  smaller  brethren,  length,  9 
feet  6  inches ;  depth,  2  feet  4  inches  ;  breadth,  3  feet 
6   inches. 

The  breadth  of  the  canal  is  9  feet.  Here  the  wall 
is  1  5  feet  thick.  5  o  feet  beyond  this  point  we  reach  a 
second  portal  1  5  feet  wide.  1  o  feet  beyond  this  is  the 
northern  angle  occupied  by  a  huge  banyan-tree,  which 
seems  obstinately  bent  on  the  destruction  of  the  masonry, 
with  its  myriads  of  clinging  roots  digging  into  every 
crevice  and  hollow  of  the  stonework  in  the  exasperating 
manner  known  to  every  botanist  familiar  with  the  tricks 
of  ficoid  plants.  These  root-fibres  develop  into  high  aerial 
buttresses.  Whenever  a  strong  wind  comes,  as  for  instance 
during  the  N.E.  trades,  there  is  a  tremendous  strain  on 
the  masonry.  This  is  not  the  only  destructive  factor,  for 
the  continual  expansion  of  the  roots  tends  more  and  more 
to  throw  these  gigantic  masses  of  stone  out  of  position — 
an  accident  which  these  primitive  engineers  could  hardly 
have  anticipated.  Fire  and  water  these  structures  could 
resist  for  untold  ages — sub-aerial  denudation  for  them 
would  have  no  terrors,  but  the  capillary  forces  of  nature 
are  stronger  than  even  these  old  foes.  Thus  the  irony  of 
Nature  loves  to  set  at  nought  human  endeavour.  How 
simple  a  method  of  disruption  is  the  swelling  of  milky  sap 
in  clinging  root-tendrils  that  would  once  have  yielded  to  a 
penknife.  But  from  the  days  of  Aristotle  downwards,  v\rj 
was  ever  a  disturbing  element. 

The  height  of  the  wall  at  the  northern  angle  is  26  feet 
{vide  frontispiece).  The  face  is  thickly  overgrown  with 
masses  of  hartstongue  and  Asplenium  fern  (called  Fwa 
and  Malaklak).  Dense  weeds  and  trailing  creepers  occupy 
every  available  crevice,  and  forest  trees  in  every  stage  of 
development  are  springing  up  above  and  behind. 

At  the  northern  angle  there  is  a  massive  pentagonal 
corner-stone  measuring  9  feet  in  length,  3  feet  6  inches  in 
breadth,  and  3  feet  in  depth. 

The  branch  canal  running  along  this  (the  north-east) 


STAY   ON   LELE  173 

side  is  4  feet  in  breadth,  bordered  by  a  wall  built  up  of 
rubble  5  feet  high. 

25  feet  along  from  the  north  angle  is  a  gateway  (No. 
3)  about  5  feet  wide.  The  thickness  of  the  main  wall  is 
here  1  5  feet.  20  feet  further  on  is  a  fourth  gateway,  and 
50  feet  beyond  we  reach  the  eastern  angle,  where  there 
is  a  remarkable  octagonal  corner-stone  3  feet  6  inches 
across,  3  feet  10  inches  in  depth,  and  6  feet  2  inches  in 
length. 

The  height  of  the  wall  at  the  east  angle  is  20  feet. 
Progress  along  the  south-east  side  we  found  very  difficult, 
and  we  had  to  form  a  passage  through  a  dense  labyrinth 
of  hibiscus.  The  walls  are  much  dilapidated  on  this  side, 
varying  in  height  from  8  to  1  5  feet.  In  many  cases  they 
have  collapsed  into  mere  heaps. 

There  is  little  of  interest  in  the  interior  at  first  sight. 
A  ruined  wall  divides  the  interior  into  two  courtyards, 
both  considerably  overgrown  with  straggling  coco-palms, 
banyans,  Ixoras  and  jackfruit  trees.  There  is  also  a  bushy 
undergrowth  of  scrub  and  a  network  of  running  vines. 

At  last  we  reach  the  south  angle,  where  the  wall  is  seen 
at  its  greatest  height  (30  feet). 

Here  some  massive  pieces  of  rock  are  let  into  the 
masonry. 

The  dimensions  of  one  six-faced  corner-stone  let  into 
the  wall  about  20  feet  from  the  ground  were  found  to  be  : 
length,  1  o  feet ;  depth,  4  feet  ;  breadth  across  face,  2  feet 
6  inches. 

The  foundations  of  the  wall  at  the  south  angle  are  three 
roundish  masses  of  basalt  piled  together.  The  lowest 
measures  6  feet  in  length,  4  feet  in  depth,  and  3  feet  in 
thickness. 

Here  our  survey  concluded,  much  to  my  regret.  There 
was  no  time  to  make  any  excavations  which  might  have 
brought  to  light,  as  in  the  ruins  of  Metalanim,  some 
interesting  specimens  of  native  weapons,  beads  and  shell- 
bracelets.     Any  future  visitor,  however/who  is  ambitious  of 


174  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

making  excavations  around  or  within  the  Pot  Falat  need 
have  no  anxiety  that  King  Teleusar  will  behave  as  badly 
as  his  brother  monarch  of  Ponape.  Doubtless  a  thorough 
exploration  of  the  little  island  lasting  several  weeks  would 
reveal  many  other  curious  relics  of  the  past.  The  interior 
is  somewhat  hilly  and  very  thickly  overgrown  with  brush- 
wood and  forest.  Most  of  the  south-east  and  south-west 
portion  of  Lele,  like  the  south  coast  of  Tongatabu,  is  a 
tract  of  lowland  patiently  and  laboriously  reclaimed  in 
olden  time  from  the  sea.  A  network  of  canals — very 
much  out  of  repair — intersects  this  portion,  many  of  these 
partially  filled  or  banked  up  by  the  natives  in  modern 
times  to  keep  the  tides  from  turning  their  taro-patches 
and  cleared  lands  into  a  salt  swamp.  The  remains  of 
immensely  solid  walls  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Captain 
M.'s  store  and  the  king's  house  along  the  beach,  are  no 
doubt  like  the  Pot  Falat,  relics  of  an  elaborate  system  of 
fortification,  the  product  of  large  numbers  of  native  work- 
men toiling  under  the  orders  of  an  intelligent  minority  of 
a  superior  race  who  had  a  practical  knowledge  of  engineer- 
ing. A  mixed  expedition  of  intrusive  and  conquering 
Malays  and  Japanese  would  probably  account  for  the 
phenomena  ;  and,  as  said  before,  the  natives  have  a  dim 
tradition  of  foreigners  coming  in  strange  vessels  out  of  the 
north,  settling  on  Lele  and  putting  the  chiefs  of  Ualan, 
the  main  island,  across  the  bay  to  tribute. 

The  natives  seem  to  attach  no  special  sanctity  to  these 
structures.  Though  possibly  the  work  of  a  kindred  race, 
the  ruins  of  Lele  are  far  rougher  and  ruder  in  design  than 
those  of  the  east  coast  of  Ponape.  It  may  be,  however, 
that  on  Ponape,  a  much  larger  island,  there  were  more 
workmen  and  better  material  for  the  work. 

And  thus  we  took  leave  of  these  labours  of  Titans. 
We  sailed  that  evening,  touching  at  Pingelap  and  Mokil 
on  our  return  journey,  and  anchoring  in  Ascension  Bay 
after  a  tedious  and  uneventful  voyage  of  ten  days,  a  suc- 
cession of  calms  alternating  with  heavy  rain-squalls. 


PART  III 
CHAPTER    XI 

RETURN    TO    COLONY  ;    TO    MUTOK   AND    PANIAU 

THE  day  after  the  Tulengkun  came  in  I  visited  the 
Spanish  Governor,  who  listened  with  much  interest 
to  the  account  of  my  doings.  I  then  went  over  to  Lan- 
gar,  and  spent  three  days  with  Captain  Weilbacher,  where 
I  had  some  interesting  talks  with  the  Lap  or  Headman 
of  Langar,  and  with  some  of  our  old  friends  from  Paliker, 
who  are  loyal  customers  of  the  German  firm.  I  also  met 
some  natives  from  Ngatik  or  Raven's  Island,  some  thirty 
miles  away  to  the  south-west,  who  had  come  up  on  one 
of  their  rare  visits.  They  are  the  descendants  of  an 
American  negro  castaway,  who,  with  his  native  wife  and 
children  and  a  few  relations  and  servants  from  Kiti,  landed 
on  the  islet  about  forty  years  ago.  Strange  to  say,  dur- 
ing that  short  period  of  isolation  they  have  actually  de- 
veloped a  new  and  peculiar  dialect  of  their  own,  broadening 
the  softer  vowels  and  substituting  TH  or  F  for  the  original 
T  sound  in  the  parent  Ponapean. 

I  spent  a  day  botanising  amongst  the  hill-slopes  of  Not 
and  in  the  ferny  dells  of  Kamar,  and  another  on  a  visit  to 
Kubary  at  Mpompo,  and  collected  many  seeds  of  economic 
trees  and  plants  from  the  densely-wooded  district  around 
the  big  waterfall. 

A  day  or  two  afterwards  I   met  Nanapei  again  in  the 

Colony.      He   seemed  rather  distrait,  and  told    me  that 

things  were  going  badly  on  the  East  coast ;  that  influenza 

had  broken  out  and  carried  off  many  of  the  people,  for 

which   King   Paul,  who  was  in  a  very  bad  humour,  held 

me  and  the  Manilla  man  to  blame.      I  was  advised  not  to 

175 


176  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

visit  Metalanim  until  Nanapei  had  smoothed  matters  over, 
and  to  content  myself  for  the  present  amongst  the  tribes 
on  the  south  and  south-west  coast,  who  would  welcome 
me  gladly.  With  Nanapei  was  a  young  relation  named 
Chaulik,  an  amiable  lad  with  the  manners  of  an  Eton  boy 
and  the  kindliness  of  a  Tahitian  chief.  We  were  soon 
firm  friends.  At  Nanapei's  suggestion  Chaulik  invited 
me  down  to  his  uncle  Nanchau's  island  of  Mutok  on  the 
south  coast,  to  which  I  paid  a  couple  of  flying  visits,  the 
latter  lasting  from  June  8th  to  23rd. 

I  visited  King  Rocha,  and  explored  the  beautiful  valley 
below  Mount  Wana,  through  which  the  Kiti  river  flows. 

I  found  Nanchau  a  fine  old  host.  The  King  of  Kiti 
and  his  people  were  most  friendly,  and  the  good  Catholic 
padre  of  the  Aleniang  mission  station  showed  me  great 
kindness.  One  day  I  had  a  glorious  little  climb  to  the 
top  of  one  of  the  two  round  masses  of  wooded  hill  which, 
separated  by  a  deep  chine,  stand  out  upon  Mutok  like 
humps  upon  a  camel.  I  was  accompanied  by  a  bright 
young  lady  named  Eta,  who  made  a  capital  guide,  and 
showed  a  remarkable  knowledge  of  plant  and  tree-names. 
She  took  considerable  interest,  somewhat  tempered  with 
awe,  in  my  grammar  and  dictionary-making,  and  in  a 
spirit  of  true  camaraderie  tendered  me  valuable  and  very 
unselfish  assistance  afterwards  amongst  her  kinsfolk  by 
stirring  up  the  most  intelligent  of  them  to  tell  me  what 
they  knew  of  the  gods  and  heroes  of  the  olden  time. 

Accordingly  one  fine  morning  succeeding  a  stormy 
night  we  wait  till  the  sun  is  high  over  the  coconuts,  and 
start  climbing  up  the  runnel  of  a  watercourse,  working  our 
way  through  a  maze  of  roots  and  branches  which  overhang 
the  steep  and  stony  trail.  We  wrestle  with  treacherous 
creepers,  and  scale  fallen  trunks  of  trees  lying  scattered 
over  the  hillside.  A  brief  but  violent  shower  of  rain  sud- 
denly patters  down  and  as  suddenly  ceases,  leaving  the 
bush  all  a-drip  and  steaming  in  the  noonday  heat.  At 
length   we   struggle   up   to   the   dividing   ridge,  where   a 


TO   MUTOK   AND    PANIAU  177 

clump  of  sago-palms  in  varying  stages  of  growth  looks 
down  through  hanging  woods  upon  the  calm  bay  below. 
At  their  roots  a  little  spring  bubbles  up  fresh  and  clear 
from  the  basalt,  amongst  masses  of  greenest  leafage  and 
the  erect  rose-tinted  flower-spikes  of  the  Aulong  or  wild 
ginger. 

Pursuing  a  track  along  the  western  hill-slope  we  plunge 
into  thickets  of  prickly  wild  pandanus.  With  many  a 
scratch  we  emerge,  hot  with  much  hewing,  into  an  open 
space  with  a  platform  of  stones  in  the  centre,  the  founda- 
tion of  some  old  native  house.  This  hill  is  called  Tol-o- 
Puel  (Anglice  Mud  or  Clay  Hill).  The  landward  one, 
where  sundry  wild  goats  do  roam,  is  called  Tol-en-Takai 
or  Stony  Hill,  and  fully  deserves  its  name.  A  few  wild 
pigs  and  some  jungle-fowl  inhabit  the  recesses  of  the  bush, 
and  all  the  day  long  the  covert  is  alive  with  the  notes 
of  green  and  grey  doves.  The  usual  forest-trees  of  the 
basaltic  uplands  are  found  here.  The  banyan  Aw,  the 
ficoid  Nin,  the  Elceocarpus  Chatak,  the  wild  nutmeg 
Karara,  the  graceful  ash-leaved  Marachau,  and  many 
another  tree  that  never  grew  in  European  woods.  Un- 
seen cicalas  fill  the  tree-tops  with  their  shrill  chorus,  and 
up  from  the  mangrove-belt  below  floats  the  harsh  croak 
of  the  Kaualik  or  blue  heron,  fishing  in  the  reef-pools  and 
paddling  around  the  logs  and  tree  trunks  rotting  in  the 
ooze  and  mud.  Around  us  the  rustle  of  thickets  and  a 
rumour  of  small  life.  To  seaward  the  shining  waters  of 
the  lagoon,  its  blue  tints  merging  into  green,  and  the  thin 
grey  line  of  the  outer  reef  fringed  with  creaming  breakers. 
Over  all,  rising  and  falling  in  deep  and  changeless  cadence, 
floats  their  echo.  Like  Stevenson  in  Apemama,  "  I  heard 
the  pulse  of  the  besieging  sea,"  sound  sweet  to  the  ears 
of  those  who  dwell  in  the  little  sea-girt  lands. 

These  and  other  excursions  I  made,  and  day  by  day 
felt  myself  more  in  the  people's  confidence.  And  so  before 
long,  the  beche-de-mer  season  being  nigh,  Nanchau  and 
his  kinsfolk  of  Mutok,  some  fifteen  souls  in  all,  determined 

M 


178  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

to  establish  a  fishing-station  upon  the  little  island  of 
Paniau,  out  upon  the  barrier-reef,  near  the  harbour 
mouth.  I  was  to  go  up  to  the  Colony  in  their  boat 
to  get  my  mails  due  by  the  steamer  on  the  25  th,  and 
take  in  a  store  of  European  provisions,  medicines,  and 
all  things  needful  for  a  lengthy  stay ;  then  to  return 
and  spend  several  months  with  them,  collecting  shells, 
and  viewing  the  strange  fishes  and  forms  of  marine  life, 
for  which  study  they  declared  the  spot  unequalled.  And 
so  indeed  it  proved,  and  most  loyal  was  the  help  they 
gave  me.  Accordingly  I  went  up  to  Ascension  Bay  and 
received  my  long-looked-for  letters  from  home  and  else- 
where, some  thirty  in  all,  and  came  back  again  with  all 
arrangements  made,  and  the  boat  well  loaded  up  with 
stores  of  biscuit  and  beef,  tea  and  sugar,  tobacco  and 
kerosene,  matches,  and  knives,  and  an  axe  or  two. 
And  in  two  or  three  days  we  all  crossed  the  bay  in  an 
odd  little  fleet  consisting  of  five  canoes,  a  flat-bottomed 
punt,  and  a  sailing-boat  ;  the  latter  rather  the  worse  for 
wear  after  frequent  collisions  with  the  coral-rocks  in  the 
shallows.  The  following  somewhat  minute  description 
of  a  stroll  round  my  new  island-home  will  give  some 
idea  of  the  scenery  of  the  islets  lying  in  the  lagoon 
off  the  Ponapean  coast,  and  indeed  of  the  character  of  a 
Pacific  atoll -island  in  general.  And  maybe  the  reader 
will  follow  me  in  thought  to  a  spot,  which  I  would 
gladly  have  him  visit  in  body,  far,  far  out  of  the 
track  of  tourist  and  artist,  and  likely  to  remain  so  for 
many  a  long  day. 

Starting  from  the  end  pointing  shorewards  where  our  huts 
and  drying-houses  are  established,  one  comes  upon  a  fine 
crescent  bend  of  silver- white  sand  stretching  along  some  two 
hundred  yards,  the  high  water  mark  of  the  tides  indicated 
by  little  ridges  of  driftwood,  sea-weed,  and  floating  seeds 
washed  up  by  the  ocean  currents.  Immediately  above 
tide-mark  is  a  belt  of  coarse,  creeping  grass,  mingled 
with    a    tangle    of   yellow    veitchling    (Keiwalu),    and    a 


TO    MUTOK   AND    PANIAU  179 

large  purplish-flowered  creeper  {Ipo)nea  sp.)  (the  fuefue  of 
Samoa),  which  bind  the  sandy  soil  together  with  their 
matted  roots.  The  Nkau,  a  medicinal  weed  of  rapid 
growth,  with  yellow  flowers  resembling  a  single  Michael- 
mas daisy,  occupies  much  space  in  the  interior.  At  the 
edge  of  our  settlement  are  some  fine  pandanus  trees,  but- 
tressed with  high  and  solid  aerial  roots,  laden  with  huge 
orange-red  fruit,  looking  like  glorified  pine-apples. 

And  now,  strolling  onwards,  we  come  to  the  prettiest 
thing  in  the  island,  a  magnificent  nursery  of  young 
coconut  palms,  leaf  and  stem  just  passing  from  their 
early  light-red  tint  into  harmonies  of  light  and  dark 
green,  as  Nature,  the  great  chemist,  is  quickening  into 
action  the  chlorophyll  within  them.  In  the  young 
fronds  the  pinnae  or  leaflets  are  set  firmly  and  evenly 
together,  and  do  not  present  the  ragged  and  wind-worn 
outline  of  their  elder  brethren,  which  flutter  crisping  in 
the  trade-wind  overhead.  Turning  a  little  way  into  the 
bush,  piles  of  husk  and  fallen  nuts  in  all  their  stages 
lie  around.  The  sprouting  nut,  called  Par  by  the  Pona- 
peans,  is  filled  with  a  soft  spongy  mass,  which  has  taken 
the  place  of  the  solid  kernel,  and  is  highly  valued  when 
roasted.  In  the  previous  stage,  i.e.  when  the  nut  is 
below  par  and  the  kernel  has  reached  its  maximum 
hardness  and  thickness,  it  is  called  Mangach,  and  then 
is  ready  to  be  cut  out  and   dried  for  copra. 

Upon  Paniau  there  is,  or  rather  was,  a  thriving  colony 
of  Ump  or  robber  crabs  (JBirgus  latro),  levying  contribu- 
tions on  the  coconuts.  Upon  these  the  native  proprietors 
look  with  an  evil  eye  on  account  of  the  nuts  they  destroy. 
Once,  at  King  Rocha's  entreaty,  we  organised  a  regular 
battue.  The  boys  in  camp  lived  on  dressed  crab  for 
a  whole  week   after.      This,  however,  by  the  way. 

Coming  out  on  to  the  beach  again,  it  is  rather  inter- 
esting to  turn  over  and  examine  the  drifts  of  weed  and 
jetsam.  Stems  of  reed-grass  and  bamboo,  bits  of  dry 
hibiscus  wood,  the  long-seeded  rhizomes  of  the  mangrove, 


180  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

the  round,  black,  scaly  nuts  of  the  sago  or  ivory  palm, 
and  the  fluted  fruits  of  the  Nipa  or  swamp-palm,  the 
seeds  of  Pulok,  Waingal,  Marrap-en-chet,  and  Kamau  ; 
the  first  named  polygonal,  the  second  round  and  flattish, 
the  third  long,  slender  and  keeled,  and  the  last  of  just  the 
size  and  wrinkled  shape  of  a  walnut  taken  out  of  its  shell. 
Specimens  of  seeds  of  the  common  littoral  shrubs  are 
washed  up  in  great  numbers.  Guppy,  in  his  book  on 
the  Solomon  Islands,  has  some  very  interesting  passages 
on  the  flotation  and  drifting  of  seeds  on  the  ocean  cur- 
rents, and  the  consequent  wide  distribution  of  certain 
littoral   trees   in   the   Pacific  area. 

The  drifts  of  deadwood,  sea-weed,  and  decayed  fruits 
and  nuts,  show  how  ingeniously  Nature  contrives  to  build 
up  a  suitable  soil  for  the  seeds  surviving  their  ocean  journey. 
Numbers  of  hermit  crabs  (Umpd)  and  some  small  brown 
lizards  {Lamuar)  are  very  busy  amongst  the  rubbish. 
Many  of  the  hermit-crabs  are  crawling  around  ensconced  in 
the  prettily-mottled  green  and  brown  shells  of  a  sea-snail. 
The  tenant  adopts  a  house  according  to  his  colour — for 
the  occupiers  of  these  first- mentioned  dwellings  have  a 
dull  green  body  with  red  markings,  others  again  have 
sky-blue  antennae,  and  their  claws  speckled  with  rich 
blue  and  gold.  One  very  large  blue  and  red  Csenobita 
of  allied  species  we  found  had  wedged  his  body  into  an 
ancient  coconut,  the  top  of  which  had  been  broken  in. 

Looking  out  into  the  lagoon  from  the  crescent  sand- 
beach  as  the  tide  ebbs,  one  remarks  some  curiously  shaped 
limestone  rocks,  about  forty  in  number,  studding  the  flats, 
most  of  them  much  worn  away  at  the  base,  and  locking 
like  flowers  on  a  stalk.  Captain  Wilson,  of  the  ill-fated 
Antelope,  noticed  many  of  these  formations  in  the  Pelews 
in  1783.  He  calls  them  "Flower-pot  islets,"  from  their 
narrow  bases  and  bulging  tops.  These  are  often  crowned 
with  a  bristle  of  small  littoral  shrubs,  which  flourish  in  the 
scanty  soil,  the  resort  of  the  sea  birds  Parrat  and  Kake, 
the  latter  of  which  deposits  its  eggs  here  in  the  tufiets  of 


TO   MUTOK   AND    PANIAU  181 

grass,  sea-pink  and  parsley  fern,  being  too  lazy  to  build  a 
proper  nest. 

At  low  tide  the  flats  are  dotted  with  shallow  pools  and 
thin  sheets  of  salt  water,  where  the  Chila,  Pachu,  and  Pacho, 
species  of  Tridacna  or  Clam,  open  up  their  valves  to  bask 
all  pink  and  purple  in  the  sunlight.  Here  are  also  found 
several  sorts  of  oysters,  oblong,  circular  and  hammer- 
shaped,  and  a  great  abundance  of  other  mollusca  and 
small  Crustacea.  Portions  of  the  reef  lie  bare,  seamed 
with  long  cracks,  in  which  lurk  fishes  innumerable  of  the 
Leather-Jacket  or  of  the  Chcetodon  type.  The  coral  floor 
of  the  pools  is  thickly  pitted  with  little  circular  holes,  the 
abode  of  the  Muraenas  or  grey  sea-eels,  which  at  the  rising 
of  the  tide  are  seen  darting  about  actively,  gorging  them- 
selves with  the  small  fry  who  issue  from  their  hiding 
places  in  endless  shoals  at  the  first  stirring  of  the  waters. 
Leaving  the  beach,  we  pass  inland  once  more  along  a 
shady  pathway  running  through  the  coconut  groves  which 
lead  past  the  two  water-holes  supplying  our  little  colony 
with  water  for  bathing  and  washing.  Our  drinking  water, 
by  the  way,  comes  from  a  spring  on  Mutok,  which  we 
fetch  over  twice  a  week  in  calabashes,  bottles  and  a  couple 
of  big  earthen  vessels,  designed  for  storing  biscuit,  but 
which  make  capital  water-pots. 

This  path  is  a  dividing  line  marking  off  the  land  of  my 
hosts,  Nalik  and  Nanchau,  from  that  of  the  King  of  Kiti 
to  whom  belongs  all  the  seaward  end.  The  water  holes 
are  just  in  the  centre  of  the  island,  and  here  there  is  some 
rich  soil.  King  Rocha  has  planted  a  number  of  jackfruit 
and  breadfruit  trees  which  are  doing  well.  There  is  also 
plenty  of  Giant  Taro,  and  the  Tacca  or  native  arrowroot 
grows  abundantly.  Beyond  this  the  seaward  end  of  the 
island  is  occupied  by  a  dense  grove  of  Wi  or  Barringtonia, 
where  the  Parrat,  a  brownish-grey  sea-bird,  has  estab- 
lished a  regular  rookery,  which  in  the  night  season  when 
the  moon  is  bright  is  continually  astir,  or  was,  before 
squab-pie    became    a    standing    dish    amongst    us.      The 


182  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

Barringtonia  is  a  very  handsome  tree,  with  creamy  white 
and  pink  tassels  of  deciduous  blossom  and  long  broad 
leaves,  with  an  elegant  sheaf  of  ruby-hued  leaflets  shoot- 
ing out  in  their  midst.  The  yellow-wooded  Morinda 
Citrifolia,  which  the  Ponapeans  call  Weipul  or  Flame- 
Tree,  is  abundantly  in  evidence,  also  the  Kiti  or  Cerbera. 
Struggling  through  the  undergrowth  we  make  our  way 
toward  the  end  facing  the  outer  reef,  which  the  tides 
have  left  high  and  dry.  The  Konuk  or  Betel-pepper 
climbs  like  ivy  over  the  trunks  of  the  coconut  palms, 
where  spirals  of  Polypody  and  great  tufts  of  Talik  or 
Birds'-nest  Fern  are  also  found  growing — the  long  broad 
leaves  of  the  latter  being  much  in  use  for  plates.  Large 
bundles  of  them  are  also  collected  to  serve  as  a  dry 
foundation  for  the  sleeping  mats  at  night. 

On  the  coconut  trunks  also  are  seen  growing  tufts  of 
Parsley  Fern,  the  Ulunga-n-Kieil  or  Black  Lizard's  Pillow 
of  the  Ponapeans.  The  seaward  end  of  Paniau  reached, 
about  half  way  between  high  water  mark  and  the  edge  of 
the  great  outer  barrier  reef,  runs  a  remarkably  deep  natural 
ditch,  trench,  or  crevasse,  in  the  coral  limestone,  which  they 
call  the  Warrawar,  where  on  certain  dark  nights  at  high 
tide  we  used  to  fish  by  torch-light.  All  the  back  of  the 
reef  is  thickly  strewn  with  coral  fragments,  ruinous  alike 
to  shoes  and  feet.  The  little  narrow  strip  of  beach  on 
which  we  stand  is  overshadowed  with  a  fringe  of  Pena  and 
Ikoik  trees.  Here  the  palms  stop  short,  for  the  dense 
masses  of  Barringtonia  have  ousted  them.  From  this 
point  on,  our  way  lies  over  beds  of  honeycombed  lime- 
stone rock,  studded  with  rough  knobs  and  bristling  with 
points  and  edges  of  a  razor-like  keenness.  The  inland 
path  on  this  side  is  narrow,  dark  and  tortuous.  At  the  foot 
of  the  thick-growing  Barringtonias,  the  ground  is  covered 
with  chunks  and  slabs  of  broken  coral  of  all  shapes  and 
sizes,  liable  to  turn  underfoot  when  stepped  on,  and  to 
inflict  unmerciful  raps  on  shin  and  ankle.  Under  the 
tree-roots  lurks  the  ever-watchful  Birgus  in  his  burrow  on 


TO   MUTOK   AND   PANIAU  183 

a  couch  of  coconut  husk,  gloating  over  his  unholy  spoils. 
To  seaward  one  at  all  events  has  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
one's  way.  These  cruelly  sharp  coral  ridges  are  appropri- 
ately called  by  the  natives  Rackarack,  a  word  which  also 
denotes  the  teeth  of  a  saw.  Close  to  the  end  of  the  War- 
rawar  are  two  pools  about  four  to  five  feet  in  depth,  into 
which  a  number  of  fish  used  to  find  their  way  at  high 
tides.  At  low  water  a  judicious  use  of  the  narcotic  Up 
root  on  several  occasions  stocked  our  larder  well.  About 
this  point  the  Barringtonia  gives  place  to  the  Inot  and 
Titin,  two  medicinal  trees  common  on  all  the  island 
beaches.  A  little  further  on  stretches  our  chief  fish- 
pond, closed  in  with  a  stout  stone  dam  to  seaward,  and 
often  yielding  us  good  sport  with  net  and  spear.  All 
this  rugged  side  of  the  island  is  strewn  with  driftwood, 
from  whence  we  draw  a  welcome  and  never-failing  supply 
of  fuel  to  keep  our  beche-de-mer-curing  operations  vigor- 
ously going.  The  fish-pond  passed,  we  find  ourselves  at 
the  back  of  the  settlement  from  which  we  started,  with 
the  camel-backed  outline  of  Mutok  and  the  distant  peak 
of  Mount  Wana  showing  up  to  our  left,  and  in  the 
fore-ground  the  little  sandbank  of  Tekera  separated  from 
us  by  a  narrow  channel,  a  mere  ridge  of  broken  coral, 
crowned  with  the  graceful  and  feathery  foliage  of  the 
Ngi  or  Ironwood.  The  reader  will  gather  some  notion 
of  the  beauties  of  lagoon  and  reef  lying  around  us,  from 
the  subjoined  description  of  one  of  our  frequent  trips  to 
this  charmed  region  of  lovely  and  ever-varying  scenes. 

As  the  canoe  shoots  over  the  edge  of  the  great  coral 
barrier  that  looms  up  through  the  water  like  a  mighty 
sea-wall  sloping  down  into  the  deeps,  the  voyager  for 
a  moment  feels  a  novel  sensation,  like  that  of  looking 
over  a  giddy  precipice.  The  landward  reef  edging  bristles 
with  a  thousand  graceful  forms  of  branching  coral  and 
a  marvel  of  submarine  algae  ;  a  true  garden  of  the  Nereides 
laid  out  in  gay  parterres  of  oarweed  and  sea-fan,  picked 
out    with    scintillating    patches    of   sea-moss    of    intense 


1 84  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

electric  blue.  Nature  here  deals  in  odd  and  whimsical 
contradictions.  Sponges  like  corals  flourish  beside  corals 
like  sponges.  On  the  sandy  bottom  inshore  bask  herds  of 
sea-cucumbers  (Holothuria),  black,  brown,  red,  green,  and 
speckled,  stretching  out  their  wavy  tassels  of  tentacle 
to  engulf  the  tiny  sea-eels  or  other  small  fry.  Great 
bright  ultramarine  five-fingered  starfishes  lie  spread  out 
below,  fearless  of  snatching  fingers,  for  the  Ponapeans 
firmly  believe  that  the  lifting  of  one  of  these  creatures 
out  of  water  will  be  followed  by  a  heavy  downpour  of 
rain.  All  around,  on  the  shelves  below  the  reef  edge,  out 
of  crevices  in  the  living  rock,  sponges  are  growing  in  vivid 
rows  and  clusters.  Sponges  grey,  sponges  green,  sponges 
scarlet  as  geranium  flower,  sponges  yellow  as  marigolds, 
parti-coloured  sponges  chequered  dark  blue  and  black, 
sponges  soft  and  sponges  horny — a  goodly  sight  for  any 
but  a  Turkey  merchant.  For  the  traders  say  the  homeliest- 
looking  alone  are  of  commercial  value,  and  these  are  only 
found  in  any  number  on  the  Paliker  coast  some  fifteen 
miles  up.  Solemn  blue  herons  stalk  round  the  flats.  The 
distant  cry  of  the  Kdke  or  white  gull  and  the  screech  of 
his  grey  cousin  the  Parrat,  hawking  hither  and  thither 
out  to  sea,  shrills  fitfully  on  the  ear — whilst  ever  and 
anon  comes  the  rhythmical  boom  of  ocean's  ceaseless 
thunder  rolling  on  the  outer  reef  and  reverberating 
through  the  hollow  caverns  in  the  honeycombed  lime- 
stone below ;  dens  where  grim  and  giant  poulps  and 
Crustacea  lurk  in  the  pale  green  light  glimmering  deep 
down  below  the  combing  line  of  surf;  where  priceless 
orange-cowries  stud  the  debris  of  the  ocean  floor  like 
crocuses,  living  out  their  little  lives,  far  from  the  reach 
of  conchologist,  and  shadowed  under  the  aegis  of  Nature's 
mightiest  forces. 

Light  airs  are  stirring.  The  bracing  scent  of  the  reef 
comes  off  in  frequent  whiffs,  brisk,  eager  odours  of  fucus, 
sea-tangle,  and  things  marine,  rich  in  ozone  and  iodine, 
with  a  sickly  phosphoric  aftertang  from  heaps  of  dead 


TO   MUTOK   AND    PANIAU  185 

and  decaying  coral.  To  seaward  the  air  is  thick  with 
motes  of  spray,  and  over  Ant  Atoll  in  the  west  ominous 
banks  of  cloud  are  forming  up.  Mid-heaven  as  yet  is 
clear,  and  the  sun  shines  out  serenely.  But  the  camel- 
backed  outline  of  Mutok  over  the  bay  seems  close  at 
hand,  and  a  languor  of  damp  heat  hangs  heavy  over 
all.  Nature  is  awaiting  her  Titanic  shower-bath  that 
the  coming  squall  will  surely  bring.  At  each  dip  of 
the  paddle,  forms  of  beauty,  unlimned,  undreamt  of  by 
artist,  flash  under  our  keel  below  the  shimmering  ripples. 
Forms  of  liquid  ruby  and  topaz,  strange  living  shapes, 
fiery,  crystalline,  translucent,  amethystine,  opalescent, 
iridescent.  Landward  we  turn,  and  straightway  the 
tender  dissolving  hues  of  the  coral  and  its  accompanying 
dream  of  colour-miracle  are  fading  out  into  soberer  tints, 
as  the  water  runs  shallower.  Memories  of  good  (/anon 
Kingsley's  "  Westward  Ho ! "  float  back,  the  yearning 
dreamy  fancies  of  Frank  Leigh's  gentle  spirit  ripe  for  its 
passing.  "  Qualis  Natura  formatrix  si  talis  formata."  "  How 
fair  must  be  Nature  the  Former  if  her  forms  are  so  fair." 

We  pass  over  large  round  table-topped  corals  of 
greenish  or  yellowish  brown — each  a  miniature  coral 
atoll  in  itself,  depressed  like  a  plate  in  the  centre,  with 
raised  edges  crested  by  the  lip-lipping  of  the  light  ripples 
brimming  around  their  furrowed  rims.  Brownish  masses 
of  disintegrating  coral  and  dull  fragments  of  limestone 
rock  strew  the  sandy  bottom,  from  which  the  fierce  solar 
heat  which  has  been  storing  here  all  the  sultry  noontide 
is  radiating  upward.  Now  is  the  time  for  a  hot  salt- 
water bath  for  those  who  prize  the  luxury,  but  beware ! 
Bathers  with  fresh  cuts  or  unhealed  scratches^will  suffer 
a  fiery  penance. 

ASHORE  !  is  the  word.  The  squall  is  coming  droning 
up  from  the  westward.  Hastily  we  haul  our  craft  high 
up  on  the  sand  and  dive  into  the  friendly  shelter  of 
a  palm  hut,  whilst  overhead  patter  thicker  and  thicker 
the  rain-drops,  heralds  of  the  coming  storm. 


CHAPTER   XII 

FEAST     IN     MUTOK,     KAVA-MAKING,    NAMING     OF    BIRDS, 
AND    MAKING    OF    FISH    OIL 

ONE  day,  Chaulik's  birthday  I  think,  Nanchau  made 
arrangements  with  some  of  the  Wana  chiefs  to 
hold  a  feast  on  his  island  of  Mutok,  so  as  to  give  me  the 
opportunity  of  getting  some  further  historical  facts  from 
the  old  men.  On  the  appointed  day,  therefore,  we  all  went 
across  the  bay,  leaving  a  couple  of  old  women  behind  to 
look  after  the  fires  in  the  curing  sheds.  Our  company 
was  not  very  numerous,  for  two  of  the  largest  Kiti  whale- 
boats  had  gone  up  the  week  before  to  the  Colony  along 
with  King  Rocha  to  see  the  Spanish  Governor.  However, 
some  of  the  oldest  and  most  influential  chiefs  of  Roi  and 
Tiati  had  remained,  and  came  over  with  a  great  store  of 
fruits  and  roots.  A  fatted  hog,  a  goat,  and  some  fowls 
were  promptly  slain  and  consigned  to  the  earth-oven. 
Chau-Wana,  our  principal  guest,  having  expressed  a  wish 
to  eat  dog,  poor  little  Pilot,  the  house-cur,  who  insisted 
on  coming  from  Paniau  with  us  in  the  boat,  is  straight- 
way doomed  to  death,  the  sentence  being  ruthlessly 
carried  out  by  three  strokes  of  a  heavy  club  in  the  hands 
of  young  Master  Warren  Kehoe.  Pilot's  funeral  oration 
was  of  the  briefest — "  Pilot  no  good,"  says  Chaulik,  "  him 
no  fight,  no  catch  pig,  ugly  little  dog,  very  cross  all  time. 
Before,  him  steal  meat  ;  now  we  eat  him,  son  of  a  gun." 
And  eaten  he  was  every  bit,  sure  enough,  to  the  great  satis- 
faction of  Chau-Wana  and  the  old  men.  I  contented  myself 
with  a  lump  of  goat's  flesh  and  a  piece  of  lean  pork,  in  lieu 
of  a  hind  leg  of  the  canine  victim  and  a  huge  mass  of  the 
pig's  fat  proffered  with  ceremony  in  a  lordly  dish.     There 


FEAST   IN   MUTOK  187 

were  plenty  of  yams  boiled  and  baked,  breadfruits  plain 
and  preserved,  plantains  and  bananas  roasted  and  raw, 
cooked  tubers  of  taro,  and  cakes  of  arrowroot  and  coconut 
cream,  with  a  dessert  of  roasted  sprouting  nuts.  There  was 
also  corned  beef  and  ship's  biscuit,  and  a  plentiful  brew 
of  tea  and  preserved  milk.  But  for  fear  the  meal  should 
take  on  too  much  of  the  appearance  of  a  Sunday-school 
picnic,  a  small  demijohn  of  red  wine  was  broached,  and 
subsequently  plenty  of  kava-root  was  brought  in  and 
pounded  solemnly.  Occupying  the  post  of  honour,  with 
Nalik  and  Nanchau  on  my  left  and  Chau-Wana  on  my 
right,  I  did  my  best  to  enliven  the  company  with  a 
running  fire  of  chaff.  A  toast  to  Queen  Wikitolia,  her 
ships  at  sea  and  her  soldiers  on  land,  produced  great 
enthusiasm,  but  I  really  fear  we  forgot  to  remember  the 
Spaniards.  Which  was  ungrateful.  However,  things  went 
merrily  enough.  Rising  to  the  humour  of  the  situation, 
I  bestowed  the  title  upon  Chau-Wana  of  the  "  King  of 
Hearts  " — a  monarch  with  whom  the  Ponapeans,  thanks 
to  card-playing  American  skippers,  are  perfectly  familiar. 
It  was  good  to  see  these  solemn  and  sententious  folk 
unbending  into  mirth  with  such  good  grace,  sinking  all 
private  grievances  as  cleverly  as  Christians  at  a  public 
dinner,  or  rival  politicians  at  a  private  one.  The  lips  of 
the  silent  were  unsealed,  the  shy  took  heart  of  grace,  the 
sulky  grew  affable,  and  dull  men  waxed  witty.  Songs 
and  lively  tales  went  round,  and  aged  men,  the  last  to 
find  their  tongues,  kept  me  busy  scribbling.  Offers  of 
service  assaulted  my  hearing  on  every  hand.  "  I  can  show 
you  all  the  good  fishing  spots,"  cries  one.  "  And  I  know 
the  names  and  virtues  (manaman)  of  every  plant  and 
tree  on  the  hills,"  says  another.  "  My  uncle  has  a  pretty 
daughter,"  cuts  in  a  frivolous  third.  "  I  can  tell  you  star 
names,  and  I  can  bring  you  stone  axe-heads,"  declares  a 
fourth  putting  in  his  say.  In  a  flash  I  nail  him  to  his 
word.  "  Listen,  boys,"  said  I,  "  old  shell-axes  lying  under- 
ground will   neither  clothe   nor    feed  you,  nor  will    they 


1 88  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

yield  you  the  black  tobacco  you  like  so  much.  Set  to 
then,  I  pray  you,  and  dig  up  these  axes,  fear  not  the 
spirits  of  folk  dead  and  gone.  Behold,  he  that  brings  me 
an  old  axe  of  shell  shall  receive  a  new  axe  of  steel." 

A  speech  that  next  day  brought  me  five  of  them.  In 
the  dark  night  cheerily  rang  out  songs  in  chorus  until 
the  sober  moon  swam  up  over  the  tree-tops.  The  King 
of  Hearts  at  last  rose  with  tottering  legs  to  take  his 
leave,  and  was  tenderly  escorted  down  to  the  wharf,  and 
put  on  board  his  canoe.  "  It  is  strange,  indeed,"  quoth 
he,  "  how  stiff  my  old  legs  get  when  the  dews  of  night 
are  falling.  Twenty  years  ago  it  was  not  so."  The 
guests  disperse  with  cordial  adieus,  and  another  pleasant 
merrymaking  has  rolled  away  with  the  kava  that  inspired 
it  far  into  the  Ewig-keit  of  mortal  things. 

The  effects  of  kava  have  been  noticed  ;  now  for  the 
moving  cause. 

The  plant  from  which  this  national  beverage  is  made  is 
pretty  well  known  to  the  public  from  the  description 
given  in  several  South  Sea  books  of  travel.  It  is  one  of 
the  Piperacece,  with  the  pendulous  flower-catkins  of  its 
kind,  broad,  deep-green,  veined  leaves,  and  spotted  stalks 
knotted  at  regular  intervals  like  those  of  the  bamboo. 
It  is  the  Chakau  or  Choko  of  Ponape,  the  Seka  of  Kusaie, 
the  Namoluk  of  the  New  Hebrides,  the  Yangona  of  Fiji, 
and  the  Kava  or  Ava  of  the  south-western  Polynesians. 
Botanists  term  it  the  Piper  Methysticum  or  Intoxica- 
ting Pepper.  The  modes  of  preparation  are  various.  In 
Samoa,  by  the  chewing  of  the  Aualuma  or  bevy  of  village 
girls.  In  Tonga,  Fiji  and  Ponape,  by  pounding  between 
flat  stones.  In  Samoa,  however,  nowadays,  the  ruminating 
process  so  horrifying  to  English  readers  and  certain  over- 
squeamish  early  voyagers  has  given  place  in  the  civilised 
districts  to  grating.  It  is  styled  the  nasty  root  and  the 
accursed  liqiwr  by  certain  good  and  worthy  missionaries 
whose  convictions  are  sometimes  sturdier  than  their 
charity.     The  symptoms,  however,  which  follow  an  over- 


KAVA-MAKING  189 

dose  of  kava  by  no  means  coincide  with  the  accepted 
notions  of  intoxication.  The  head  remains  perfectly  clear, 
but  the  legs  sometimes  suffer  a  sort  of  temporary  par- 
alysis. This,  however,  as  with  tea,  coffee  and  alcohol,  is 
only  the  punishment  which,  under  a  wise  law  of  Nature, 
the  abuse  or  excessive  use  of  any  of  her  precious  elixirs 
bears  with  it.      Abusus  non  tollit  usum. 

There  is  a  closely  allied  species  widely  distributed, 
which  the  Yap  people  variously  call  Langil,  Thlangil 
or  Gabui,  the  Marianne  folk  Pupul-en-aniti,  the  Mar- 
quesans  Kavakava-atua,  the  Samoans  Ava-ava-aitu,  and 
the  Tahitians  Avaava-atua.  This  is  the  plant  whose 
leaves  supply  the  wrapper  of  the  fruit  of  the  betel  or  areca 
palm,  extensively  used  as  a  chew  in  the  Malayan  area, 
of  which  Yap  and  the  Mariannes  are  the  outposts. 
Strangely  enough  Yap,  where  kava  drinking  is  not, 
has  kept  the  old  Polynesian  word  in  a  recognisable 
form  ;  whereas  in  Ponape  and  Kusaie,  where  there  are 
two  varieties  of  areca  palm  {Katai  and  Kotop)  growing 
in  great  plenty  in  the  highlands,  betel-nut  chewing  is 
not  in  vogue,  and  kava  drinking  is.  Yet  the  Ponapeans 
and  Kusaians  have  lost  or  tabued  the  old  Polynesian  word, 
and  adopted  one  which,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  offers  a 
curious  resemblance  to  the  Japanese  Saka  or  Sake,  which 
in  that  tongue  denotes  strong  liquor  in  general,  and  a 
weak  rice-spirit  in  particular.  Unfortunately  I  had  not 
the  chance  of  visiting  the  basaltic  islands  in  the  great 
lagoon  of  Hogolu  or  Ruk,  where  I  am  told  both  the 
kava  and  the  areca  palm  grow.  I  might  thus  have  deter- 
mined once  and  for  all  whether  these  Caroline  natives  are 
kava  drinkers  or  betel-nut  chewers. 

It  seems  highly  probable  that  kava  drinking  was  a 
logical  development  of  betel-nut  chewing  ;  the  betel-nut 
kernel  itself,  even  when  mixed  with  the  chunam  or  lime, 
being  a  somewhat  inert  substance.  Doubtless  the  natives, 
who  are  great  botanists,  and,  up  to  a  certain  point,  most 
logical  and  analytic  observers,  very  early  saw  that  it  was 


190  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

in  the  kava  plant  leaf  that  the  pleasing  qualities  of  the 
national  quid  lay  embosomed.  If  the  leaf  was  good, 
doubtless  the  root  was  better.  Perhaps  some  scientific 
Curtius  flung  himself  into  the  gulf  or  rather  gulp,  with  a 
thirst  for  knowledge  and  the  reward  of  knowledge  ;  or 
else  some  slave  was  called  in  and  set  to  work  upon  por- 
tions of  the  root  or  a  decoction  of  the  same,  probably  not 
without  some  protest  from  within.  The  slave  would  pre- 
sently fall  into  a  blessed  swound,  and  wake  up  next  day 
bright  and  refreshed,  with  a  dim  remembrance  of  blissful 
dreams,  coloured  of  course  by  his  own  personality,  and 
interpreted  in  accordance  with  his  peculiar  capacity 
for  decorative  lying.  On  all-fours  with  this  are  their 
curious  traditions  about  the  origin  of  the  kava,  one 
of  which  declares  that  Cherri-chou-lang,  or  the  Little 
Angel  from  Heaven,  in  pity  for  mankind  and  their  woes, 
dropped  a  piece  down  to  earth  from  the  Celestial  board  ; 
and  the  other  telling  us  how  a  mighty  magician  of  old 
raked  up  the  wondrous  root  with  his  Irar  or  magic  staff, 
and  made  his  memory  blessed. 

The  ceremony  of  kava  making,  already  referred  to 
twice  or  thrice,  is  as  follows.  The  Nach  or  Council- 
Lodge  is  the  scene  of  operations.  On  the  raised  platform 
above,  the  king  or  principal  district-chief  used  to  sit  with 
the  Chaumaro  or  high  priests  on  his  left  hand,  their 
long  hair  all  ashine  with  uchor  or  scented  oil,  dressed  in 
their  mol  or  kilts  of  split  coconut-filaments  dyed  orange 
with  the  juice  of  the  Morinda,  ceremonially  styled  the 
Kiri-kei.  The  lesser  chiefs  and  commons  sat  around  at  a 
respectful  distance.  On  the  ground  below  were  ranged 
several  roundish  pieces  of  basaltic  stone  resembling 
broad  shallow  plates.  Around  these  squatted  the  kava 
makers,  their  stone  pestles  swaying  and  ringing  in 
sonorous  rhythm  as  they  pounded  up  the  pieces  of 
tough  root  into  mere  masses  of  trash.  The  root,  be 
it  observed,  is  neither  dried  in  the  sun  as  in  south- 
western Polynesia,  nor  carefully  washed  with  water.     The 


KAVA-MAKING  191 

latter  ceremony,  they  say,  spoils  the  flavour  and  weakens 
the  strength. 

By  and  by  the  Ant  or  ancestral  spirits  are  supposed 
to  be  present,  with  Icho-Lumpoi  and  Nan-ul-lap,  the 
demon  lords  of  the  festive  hall.  Water  is  poured  in, 
and  the  first  cupful  is  squeezed  out  from  the  strainer  of 
Kalau  fibres.  Taking  the  cup  in  his  hand,  the  chief  of 
the  Chaumaro,  not  without  blinking  and  shivering  and 
other  signs  of  demoniac  possession,  mutters  a  charm  for 
the  spirits  to  take  their  place,  sips  a  little  from  the  cup, 
and  pours  out  a  drink-offering  to  the  invisible  guests. 
Then  the  bowl  is  offered  to  the  king.  It  is  customary 
for  the  recipient  to  stand  off  and  keep  declining  the 
draught  for  a  minute  or  two,  a  peculiar  ceremony  never 
omitted.  At  one  of  our  dinner-parties  it  would  certainly 
sorely  mortify  a  good  old  British  butler,  and  probably 
lead  him  to  take  the  unfortunate  guest  at  his  word. 
To  seize  the  proffered  cup  and  forthwith  drain  it  to 
the  dregs  would  be  considered  by  Ponapeans  the  act 
of  a  hopeless  churl.  Again,  the  drinker  never  swallows 
more  than  about  half  the  contents,  unlike  the  Samoans, 
who  finish  the  bowl  in  one  long  pull.  One  night  I  sprang 
a  Samoan  custom  on  the  people  of  Chau-Icho  in  Kiti 
which  rather  tickled  the  assembly.  In  Atua  on  Eastern 
Upolu,  where  they  often  drink  the  kava  made  from  green 
and  immature  roots,  the  Samoans  put  two  or  three  small 
red  chili-peppers  into  the  strainer  along  with  the  pounded 
root.  The  Ponapeans  thought  it  a  strange  innovation, 
but  as  usual  curiosity  carried  the  day,  and  no  less  than 
six  of  the  pungent  fruits  were  slipped  into  the  strainer, 
and  a  venerable  patriarch,  ugly  as  traditional  sin,  eagerly 
stretched  out  his  hand  for  the  first  taste.  The  effect  was 
instantaneous.  The  little  red  pepper-pods  had  indeed 
made  their  presence  felt. 

"  Too  muchee  hot — makum  feel  down  here  all  same 
fire,"  gasped  out  the  poor  old  gentleman,  beating  the  air 
around  him,  arms  flapping  hard  to  catch  his  breath,  tears 


192  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

streaming  from  his  eyes,  and  his  face  screwed  all  on  one 
side  like  a  turbot's  at  the  first  taste  of  that  potent  brew. 
The  paroxysm  once  past,  he  soon  forgot  his  woes  in  a 
stick  of  black  tobacco.  Every  man  then  took  a  little  of 
the  stuff,  but  with  more  caution,  amongst  them  the  Teacher 
of  New  Things,  who  with  unmoved  countenance  supped 
up  a  good  half- pint.  Then  there  ran  around  the 
lodge  a  low  murmuring  hum  of  "  Akai !  Akari !  See  what 
it  is,  brethren,  to  cross  the  great  sea."  "  Lo,  the  white 
man  is  even  as  one  of  us,"  quoth  another  ancient.  And 
then  the  world  went  right  merrily. 

Now,  with  regard  to  the  kava,  which  has  found  such 
an  army  of  detractors,  one  mistaken  impression  shall  here 
be  dispelled.  Travellers  in  Pacific  waters  have  declared 
that  the  kava  resembles  soap-suds  in  taste  ;  but  that  must 
be  only  the  dulness  of  their  spiritual  perceptions.  Now 
this  is  a  base  libel  on  a  noble  root.  The  aroma  is  that  of 
mingled  ginger  and  nutmeg,  with  a  soupcon  of  black  pep- 
per, and  an  undefinable  waft  of  the  fragrance  of  green  tea 
running  through  it.  If  people  will  drink  more  than  three 
large  cupfuls,  as  even  Ponapeans  sometimes  do,  they  have 
only  themselves  to  thank  if,  as  the  classic  Glabrio  says, 
one  leg  struggles  south  while  the  other  is  marching  due 
north.  If,  again,  the  white  trader  insists  on  mixing  good 
kava  and  bad  gin,  he  has  simply  to  face  the  consequences. 
But  this  gives  the  Prohibitionists  no  right  to  rail  against  a 
valuable  medicine,  of  whose  best  and  innermost  qualities 
they  are  presumably  ignorant.  The  members  of  Catholic 
orders  do  not  often  make  so  silly  a  mistake.  Beer,  whisky 
and  wine,  or  other  alcoholic  compounds,  are  strictly  to  be 
avoided  on  these  occasions  as  incompatible  with  what 
Lloyd  Osbourne  defines  as  the  true  kava  frame  of  mind. 
If  these  simple  and  useful  instructions  are  disregarded, 
as  the  writer  has  no  doubt  they  will  be,  the  innocent 
kava  root  cannot  be  held  answerable.  Into  the  hands 
of  the  doctors  I  commend  it.  They  may  blend  it  as  they 
will,  but  let  it  not  fall  into  the  clutches  of  Exeter  Hall. 


NAMING   OF   BIRDS  193 

To  the  thoughtless  reveller,  the  kava-bowl  is  in  itself 
an  end,  to  the  philosopher  a  means  of  catching  at  some 
floating  thread  of  tradition  to  weave  into  the  fabric  of  his 
theme,  be  it  folk-lore,  history,  or  ethnology.  To  the  ex- 
pansive influence  of  those  social  gatherings  I  am  indebted 
for  many  curious  legends,  and  this  is  one  of  therm 

Laponga  was  a  High  Priest  of  old  in  Metalanim.  It 
was  he  who  sat  at  the  left  hand  of  the  first  Chau-te-Leur 
king  ;  it  was  he  who  first  tasted  the  kava,  and  he  who 
uttered  the  first  uinani  or  magic  spell  invoking  the  pre- 
sence of  Nan-Ul-Lap,  chief  of  the  Ani  or  local  genii,  who 
love  to  be  honoured  when  the  feast  and  the  dances  are 
the  order  of  the  day  in  the  Great  Lodge.  The  second 
man  in  the  land,  the  keeper  of  the  king's  conscience,  as  it 
were  his  father-confessor,  he  sat  in  the  Place  of  Council  ; 
his  unshorn  locks  streaming  below  his  girdle  after  the 
manner  of  his  ancient  caste,  crowned  with  the  yellowing 
leaves  of  the  Dracaena,  his  Patkul  or  shell-axe  crooked 
obliquely  over  his  shoulder,  and  his  carved  Irar  or  magic 
staff  laid  close  at  hand  ;  in  his  fingers  a  bundle  of  leaves 
of  Alek,  the  native  reed-grass  traditionally  used  in  casting 
lots.  Such  was  the  wizard,  and  such  his  estate.  And  he 
was  wise  beyond  the  wisdom  of  all  men,  but  his  love  for 
his  fellows  tallied  not  therewith.  For  his  heart  was  cold, 
and  he  ever  delighted  in  mischief  and  ill  pleasantries,  and 
would  wander  at  times  over  the  land  in  all  manner  of 
strange  animal  shapes  working  his  evil  will.  In  one  of 
his  freaks  in  the  form  of  a  Lukot  or  native  owl,  he  took  to 
wife  one  of  the  Likat-en-ual  or  nymphs  of  the  forest. 
Numerous  was  their  progeny,  and  the  hanging  woods  of 
the  lofty  island  were  filled  with  beings  endowed  with 
human  utterance,  who  could  change  from  bird  into  human 
form  at  will.  In  process  of  time,  as  mortal  men  are  wont, 
Laponga  grew  weary  of  his  fairy  queen,  and  would  have 
taken  to  wife  a  high-born  lady  of  the  Court.  The  children 
of  the  forest  knew  of  it,  and  it  came  to  pass  that  whenever 
the  great  magician  took  his  walks  abroad  the  woods  re- 
N 


194  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

sounded  with  the  cry  "  Ipay  Ipa"  which  being  translated 
signifieth  "  Papa,  Papa?  In  great  wrath  at  this  interrup- 
tion of  his  meditations  the  great  man  turned,  like  the 
bald-headed  prophet  of  another  tale,  and  with  a  solemn 
imprecation  took  away  from  them  human  utterance  and 
shape  for  ever,  and  left  them  birds. 

Then  in  a  twinkling  a  strange  Babel  broke  out  in  the 
forest  glades.  The  injured  children  ceased  not  calling 
out  upon  their  unnatural  parent,  each  as  his  peculiar  vocal 
organs  gave  him  utterance.  The  Kaualik  or  blue  heron 
croaked  out  "  Ko"  "  Kau"  "  Kau"  the  doves,  after  their 
kind,  murmured  "  Murrorroi"  "  Kin-uet-uet"  and  "  King- 
king"  and  the  brown  parrakeet  broke  out  into  inarticulate 
chirpings  "  Cherrerretret" ;  the  small  sea-bird  with  black  and 
white  tail  feathers  could  only  scream  out  hoarsely  "  Che- 
a-a-ok."  The  other  birds  could  utter  nothing  but  doleful 
and  woeful  screeches.  Some  went  away  into  the  deep 
bush  and  let  themselves  out  in  very  spite  as  tenements 
{ta-n-waar)  to  the  wood-demons  there,  and  still  delight  at 
times  to  afflict  human  settlements  with  their  ill-omened 
voices  pouring  forth  songs  of  impending  death  and  doom 
in  the  stillness  of  the  night.  The  blue  heron  went  out  on 
the  salt  marshes  and  the  edges  of  the  reef,  where  he  stalks 
about  to-day  in  mournful  dignity  picking  up  little  fish  and 
crabs.  All  day  long  the  Murroi  or  grey  dove  wails  for  her 
lost  voice  in  the  woods,  like  Philomel  of  Grecian  legend  ; 
the  Cherret  twitters  round  the  coco-blossoms,  whilst  the 
Kulu  or  sandpiper,  with  his  elder  brother  the  Chakir,  wail 
dismally  over  the  sandy  flats,  the  shingle,  and  the  coral 
limestone.  But  one  small  bird,  more  persistent  than  its 
fellows,  pursued  Laponga  on  his  way  and  so  deafened 
him  with  its  angry  twittering  that  growing  weary  he 
turned  about  and  loosed  a  fresh  curse  upon  the  head  of 
his  hapless  offspring.    Thus  ran  Laponga's  imprecation  : — 

"  May  your  head  turn  round  and  round  when  man 
casts  a  stone  at  you,  that  you  may  fall  at  their  feet  from 
very  dizziness,  and  men  shall  bake  you  in  the  oven  for 


MAKING   OF    FISH   OIL  195 

their  meat.     This,  I   say,  whenever  the  hungry  wanderer 

does  as   I   do  now ."     With  these  words  he  chased 

away  the  wretched  fowl  with  showers  of  pebbles. 

And  so  it  happens  to  this  day  with  the  generations  of 
little  brown  birds  in  the  inland  bush,  that  whenever  one 
throws  a  stone  in  their  direction,  whether  he  hit  or  miss, 
down  they  come  fluttering  to  the  ground,  helpless  and 
paralysed.  And  the  name  of  the  bird  is  Li-ma' aliel-en- 
takai  or  Miss-giddy-at-stones. 

And  Laponga's  miracles  held  men's  minds  in  awe,  for 
he  did  many  notable  deeds.  The  record  of  his  sorceries 
and  of  the  manifold  knaveries  he  wrought,  is  it  not  set 
down  in  the  lost  book  of  the  annals  of  the  Kings  of 
Metalanim  ?  After  Laponga's  death,  from  which  his  arts 
could  not  protect  him,  his  head  was  changed  into  stone,  and 
lies  unto  this  day  right  in  the  middle  of  the  water-way  be- 
tween the  islets  of  Pan-ilel  and  Tapau.  The  tale  must  be 
true,  for  there  is  the  very  stone.  And  well  we  know  it,  for 
we  collided  sharply  with  it  one  low  tide,  and  all  but  caved 
in  the  bows  of  our  canoe  ;  keeping  the  Manilla  man  busy 
enough  for  some  minutes  alternately  bailing,  and  praying 
to  the  saints,  until  we  beached  her  and  fixed  up  the  leak. 

Nanchau  and  I  paddle,  a  day  or  two  after  the  kava 
party,  over  to  Mutok  from  Paniau  to  view  the  labours  of 
three  old  ladies  left  in  charge  of  the  house  on  the  beach, 
who  were  engaged  in  making  fish-oil.  With  this  strong- 
scented  product  of  native  industry  the  Ponapean  islander 
loves  to  smear  himself  on  state  occasions.  The  process 
begins  by  breaking  up  a  quantity  of  full-grown  coconuts 
and  scraping  down  their  kernels. 

The  instrument  used  is  a  billet  of  wood,  over  which  the 
native  throws  his  leg  to  keep  it  steady.  It  is  fitted  with 
a  wedge-shaped  piece  of  metal,  toothed  like  a  hackle  at 
the  broad  end.  A  segment  of  nut  is  pressed  against  these 
teeth,  and  a  rapid  twirling  motion  in  the  hands  brings  off 
shavings  fine  as  feathers. 

It    is   in   this  way  that   the    Ungitete  is   produced.     It 


196  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

is  then  put  into  a  Kachak  or  low  oblong  vessel  of  reddish- 
brown  wood  like  a  whale-boat  pointed  at  both  ends. 
Next  a  number  of  strings  of  dried  fish-heads  are  lowered 
from  the  ceiling,  where  they  have  been  mouldering  for 
weeks  amongst  clouds  of  flies  and  mosquitoes  in  order  to 
ripen  into  prime  condition.  The  names  of  the  kinds  of 
fishes  most  in  request  for  this  use  are  Pakach,  Toik, 
Tomarak,  Mak,  and  Wakap — names  as  sweet  in  sound  as 
in  savour.  Without  any  sign  of  disrelish,  these  ghastly  relics 
are  one  by  one  carefully  chewed  up  by  these  venerable 
dames,  and  then  ejected  into  the  vessel  of  coconut 
scrapings.  They  sit  solemnly  ruminating,  placid  as  cows 
chewing  the  cud  in  meadow,  and  the  gruesome  mass  of 
disintegrated  fish-heads  steadily  grows  and  grows. 

When  the  arduous  task  of  mastication  is  over,  the  whole 
nasty  mess  is  submitted  to  a  squeezing  and  kneading  pro- 
cess, in  order  that  the  scraped  nut  and  broken  fish  may 
unite  their  fullest  virtues,  and  the  stuff  is  taken  outside 
to  be  put  in  the  sun  for  a  few  days  before  the  resulting 
oil  is  pressed  out  into  small  calabashes  or  glass  bottles, 
where  it  is  stored  ready  for  use.  It  goes  without  saying 
that  numerous  hungry  dogs,  fowls,  and  cats  watch  all 
these  proceedings  with  the  deep  interest  of  a  starving 
man  viewing  a  Lord  Mayor's  banquet.  But  not  one 
fragment  of  savoury  stock-fish,  not  one  silvery  flake  of 
coconut  ever  reaches  those  watering  mouths.  The  workers 
keep  watch  like  witches  round  their  gruesome  brew.  For 
the  fish-oil  of  Kiti,  like  the  mats  of  Chokach  and  the 
sponges  of  Paliker,  and  the  yams  of  Metalanim,  is  far  too 
precious  a  local  product  to  be  lightly  lost. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

PANIAU     TO     COLONY 

JUST  about  this  time,  I  remember,  King  Rocha  came 
over  to  see  us,  and  formally  took  off  a  tabu  that 
had  been  laid  on  the  coconuts  on  the  island.  On  this 
occasion  we  organised  an  attack  on  the  coconut-crabs, 
digging  them  out  of  their  burrows  and  slaying  numbers. 
A  few  days  after  we  went  down  coast  to  a  great  feast 
given  by  Nanchau-Rerren  at  Annepein-Paliet. 

Towards  the  middle  of  September  the  stock  of  biscuit 
and  canned  food  began  to  run  short  in  camp.  The  marine 
creatures  preserved  in  spirits,  after  a  prolonged  spell  of  hot 
and  damp  weather,  called  earnestly  for  a  fresh  supply  of 
alcohol.  Therefore,  Chaulik,  Kaneke,  his  cousin  Nanchom 
and  I,  on  a  beautiful  starlit  evening  (September  20),  de- 
termined to  run  up  to  the  Colony  for  a  few  days'  change 
of  scene  to  obtain  the  sorely-needed  supplies,  and  pay 
our  respects  to  the  Governor.  We  launched  a  canoe,  and 
soon  found  ourselves  across  close  inshore  to  Nantamarui. 
Cautiously  poling  over  the  flats  and  through  the  narrow 
channels  in  the  salt-water  brush,  we  reached  Nantiati  just 
as  the  moon  rose  over  a  wild  and  picturesque  scene,  light- 
ing up  league  upon  league  of  hill  and  valley,  and  a  filagree 
network  of  twining  creeper,  the  forest-line  trending  down- 
wards till  lost  in  the  dark  and  eerie  zone  of  mangroves 
which  rustle  around  us,  dipping  their  long  forked  root- 
sprays  into  the  muddy  water  like  the  claws  of  famished 
spectres  groping  for  their  prey.  A  wild  half-light  is  stir- 
ring amidst  a  world  of  flickering  shadows. 

We  land  at  the  little  cluster  of  huts  by  the  waterway 
where  an  old  ex- whaler  dwells,  a  native  of  Tahiti,  whom 

197 


198  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

destiny  has  wafted  into  these  remote  northern  waters. 
We  had  an  hour  to  wait  for  the  rising  of  the  tide,  so 
telling  the  boys  to  snatch  what  brief  repose  they  might, 
I  took  a  stroll  outside  with  the  old  fellow  to  examine  a 
pile  of  enormous  basalt  slabs  like  a  heap  of  colossal 
ninepins  shadowing  the  still  canal  in  the  silvery  moon- 
light. The  most  striking  prism  of  all  measures  twelve 
feet  in  length.  It  has  six  sides  or  faces  each  measuring 
three  feet.  One  end  seems  to  have  been  rudely  chipped 
into  the  semblance  of  a  human  head.  I  thought  at  first 
I  should  actually  make  out  the  features,  but  alas,  my  fancy 
was  not  lively  enough.  Another  ponderous  mass  almost 
as  long  is  resting  by  the  water-side  on  top  of  two  rugged 
blocks,  for  all  the  world  like  a  giant  club.  It  recalls  the 
huge  fragment  topping  the  pile  of  half-submerged  blocks 
near  the  Nan-Moluchai  breakwater. 

I  could  find  no  local  tradition  to  explain  who  laid  these 
great  masses  of  stone  in  place.  Less  fortunate  than  Sarung 
Sakti  and  Lidah  Pait,  the  magic  artificers  of  the  Passumah 
monoliths  in  Sumatra,  these  early  engineers  have  passed 
away  and  their  very  names  are  lost. 

At  sea  again,  about  midnight,  we  found  ourselves  off 
Mai  Island,  the  abode  of  an  old  Metalanim  chief  called 
Nanapei,  no  relation  of  the  chief  of  Ronkiti.  The  chief  of 
Mai  has  some  years  past  vowed  a  deadly  vengeance  on 
the  head  of  a  Captain  N.,  the  trader  in  Ascension  Bay, 
of  which  that  astute  gentleman  is  perfectly  well  aware. 
Indeed  he  told  me  on  board  the  Venus  how  mortally  he 
had  offended  the  Metalanim  insurgents  by  piloting  the 
Spanish  cruisers  of  a  punitive  expedition  into  Oa  Harbour 
in  1886. 

The  reader  will  remember  that  some  months  previously 
old  King  Absolute  had  strictly  forbidden  me  to  explore 
or  even  visit  these  parts  again.  Therefore  we  were  re- 
visiting these  spots  at  some  degree  of  personal  risk. 

We  are  once  more  in  the  heart  of  Nan-Matal,  thread- 
ing the  labyrinth  of  narrow  canals  intersecting  the  rows 


PANIAU   TO   COLONY  199 

of  walled  islets  of  the  water-town.  We  pass  Peikap, 
Chaok,  Tapau,  and  Nan-Pulok,  catching  stray  glimpses 
of  massive  masonry  looming  up  dark  and  imposing 
behind  the  waving  screen  of  jungle,  a  vivid  contrast  of 
shifting  lights  and  shadows.  All  is  as  fair  as  a  dream, 
all  as  unreal.  Even  the  cicalas  are  still.  A  deep  hush, 
broken  only  by  the  bark  of  some  distant  watch-dog, 
the  sough  of  the  night-wind  amongst  the  sedges,  and 
the  lapping  of  the  bubbling  waters  under  our  keel  plough- 
ing on  through  the  gloomy  solitudes,  the  theatre  of  a 
vanished  civilisation.  We  have  passed  the  mouth  of  the 
great  harbour  ;  the  islet  of  Mutakaloch,  with  its  cellular 
basalt  formation  is  left  behind.  Under  full  sail  we 
double  the  headland  of  Aru,  and  are  slipping  merrily 
across  a  broad  bight  with  the  unsurveyed  wilderness  of 
the  U  highlands  and  the  peak  of  Kupuricha  looking 
down  upon  us.  Just  as  the  dawn  breaks  we  find  our- 
selves amongst  wide  stretching  beds  of  Olot  or  sea-grass 
in  very  shoal  water,  close  to  our  journey's  end,  off  the 
dominions  of  Lap-en-Not,  with  the  tide  running  rapidly 
out.  Whilst  wading  in  the  shallows,  pushing  our  boat 
ahead  over  the  flats,  we  caught  sight  of  several  black 
and  white  sea-snakes  coiled  up  in  the  weeds.  After 
several  unsuccessful  attempts  one  was  hooked  on  board, 
and  after  a  stout  resistance  slipped  into  the  alcohol  bottle. 
As  soon  as  we  managed  to  struggle  clear  of  the  shoals 
we  put  across  to  Langar,  a  favourite  port  of  call  on  these 
expeditions.  Our  kind  and  hospitable  friend  Captain 
Weilbacher  receives  us  with  the  usual  cordiality  of 
Germans  trading  in  these  waters.  Ahmed,  the  Malay 
cook,  is  sent  out  to  dig  "  Inchang"  a  species  of  blue 
and  white  crayfish,  of  a  flavour  yet  unknown  to  London 
epicures,  and  found  on  the  mud-flats  at  low  tide.  Poor 
Ahmed  is  in  the  wars.  He  has  taken  to  himself  a  Not 
wife  ;  she  is  not  very  beautiful  and  she  is  not  by  any 
means  an  agreeable  spouse,  but  forcibly  asserts  her  inde- 
pendence and  treats  her  meek  and  all  but  uncomplaining 


200  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

lord  and  master  as  a  nonentity.  A  true  Ponapean  virago, 
when  angry  she  would  vigorously  pull  at  his  straight  and 
bristly  crop  of  hair.  The  single  native  women  were 
hugely  tickled  to  find  so  determined  a  champion  of 
Woman's  Rights  amongst  them,  and  rare  sport  they 
promised  themselves  when  their  turn  came. 

The  mid-day  meal  ended,  we  launched  out  and  were 
soon  over  in  Santiago.  We  first  visited  the  principal 
store,  our  base  of  supplies.  Having  duly  collogued  with 
Captain  N.  and  various  priests  and  officers  there  assembled, 
we  marched  up  hill  to  pay  our  respects  to  the  Governor, 
who  seemed  glad  to  see  us  again.  The  new  medical  officer 
of  the  station  appeared,  and  proceeded  to  ask  some  ques- 
tions upon  the  botany  of  the  various  districts.  Without 
delay  I  reported  numerous  cases  of  influenza  and  low  fever 
in  the  Kiti  and  Metalanim  districts.  As  I  expected,  the 
kind-hearted  medico  promptly  offered  to  put  up  useful 
medicines  which  I  was  to  distribute  on  my  return,  which 
of  course  I  readily  agreed  to  do.  He  also  promised  me  as 
much  alcohol  as  he  could  afford,  and  agreeing  to  meet  him 
at  lunch  next  day,  I  went  across  that  evening  to  Kubary's 
house  at  Mpompo,  near  the  waterfall.  Three  days  soon 
pass  by,  the  boys  working  wonderfully  well  in  packing  up 
and  securely  stowing  away  the  curios  ready  for  my  long 
sea  voyage  back  to  civilisation  via  Yap.  For  my  stay  is 
drawing  to  a  close.  Yet  my  Ponapean  friends,  in  true 
native  fashion — careful  to  put  any  untoward  idea  or 
thought  aside — seem  hardly  to  realise  it. 

On  the  morning  of  the  26th,  Chaulik,  dreading  the 
wrath  of  his  uncle  Nanchau,  and  bethinking  him  of  the 
short  rations  in  Paniau,  strongly  urges  our  return. 
Therefore,  after  several  short  delays,  we  set  sail  from 
the  Colony.  The  canoe  was  already  fairly  well  laden, 
but  some  fateful  fancy  seized  Kaneke  that  he  would 
like  to  get  a  cross-cut  saw  out  of  the  earnings  which  he, 
like  a  prudent  lad,  had  been  carefully  saving  up  for  the 
last  two    months.      Nothing  would  serve  us  but  to  visit 


PANIAU   TO   COLONY  201 

the  German  branch  store  at  Chau-inting,  close  by  the 
headland  of  Not.  So  the  little  craft,  what  with  this  and 
that  article  declared  indispensable,  is  loaded  down  to  the 
very  gunwale.  Meanwhile  the  sun  is  westering  more  and 
more.  Loosing  thence  we  pass  Langar,  Parram,  and  the 
two  Mants.  Tapak  is  well  behind  us,  and  we  are  skim- 
ming along  under  full  sail,  the  canoe  running  very  deep 
in  the  water,  with  a  man  on  the  outrigger  to  keep  her 
steady.  Suddenly,  without  a  note  of  warning,  a  gust  of 
wind  sweeps  down  from  the  distant  mountain  gorges. 
Mast  and  sail  collapse,  the  canoe  turns  turtle,  and  we 
find  ourselves  soused  in  some  fifty  feet  of  water  in  the 
Nalam-en-Pokoloch  pool,  the  deepest  hole  along  the 
coast,  and  reputed  to  be  the  lurking-place  of  sharks  and 
sea-monsters  innumerable.  We  discover  ourselves  in  a 
tight  position,  two  miles  off  a  scantily-inhabited  fore- 
shore, with  no  fishing  canoes  anywhere  to  lend  us  aid, 
and  the  short  twilight  fast  fading  away.  When  we  right 
the  canoe  she  is  hopelessly  waterlogged,  and  all  but  sink- 
ing. Pushing  her  before  us  we  swim  on,  and  on,  and  on  in 
the  gathering  gloom,  each  man  expecting  every  moment 
to  find  the  sharks  nuzzling  at  his  toes,  or  the  icy  grip 
of  some  monster  cuttle-fish's  tentacles  closing  round  his 
ankles.  Here  and  there  the  darkling  waters  around  and 
below  us  flash  with  the  luminous  body  of  some  swiftly- 
circling  denizen  of  the  deep,  but  if  sharks  they  be,  they 
pass  us  by  unnoticed.  Kaneke  unselfishly  begs  me  to 
climb  on  to  the  outrigger  and  leave  to  him  and  his  two 
comrades  all  the  hard  work  and  hidden  dangers  from 
below,  and  is  quite  vexed  when  his  offer  is  rejected. 
And  such  is  the  patience  and  perseverance  of  my  brave 
boys  that  at  last  we  reach  one  of  those  isolated  stacks  of 
coral,  reaching  up  to  three  or  four  feet  of  the  surface  in 
certain  places  in  the  wide  lagoon.  Here,  after  a  brief 
rest,  we  make  shift  to  bail  our  craft  empty  of  water,  and 
find  that  our  losses  are  not  so  great  after  all  as  far  as 
provisions  are  concerned.     Some  of  the  tinned   meats  are 


t 
202  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

gone,  an  umbrella  has  floated  off  into  the  darkness,  and 
alas  !  saddest  loss  of  all,  Kaneke's  long-desired  cross-cut 
saw  has  gone  down  into  the  depths  beyond  reach  or  ken  of 
diver.  "  Never  mind,"  says  the  cheery  Chaulik,  who  has 
a  mangled  text  of  scripture  for  every  emergency,  "  cast 
your  lead  upon  the  waters  and  you  shall  find  it  after 
many  days."  A  little  later  on,  when  Nanchom  is  bewail- 
ing the  soaking  of  our  store  of  biscuit  by  the  salt  water, 
Chaulik  is  not  wanting  to  the  occasion,  and  again  proffers 
consolation.  "  It's  all  right.  Man  shall  not  live  by  bread 
alone."  Laying  in  the  paddles  with  a  will,  the  draggled 
party  with  undamped  spirits  ploughs  along  steadily,  mast 
and  sail  safely  stowed  for  fear  of  going  faster  and  faring 
worse.  Late  at  night  we  draw  in  towards  the  north  side  of 
Aru  Island,  which  lies  just  on  the  borders  of  U  and  Metal- 
anim.  Opetaia  {Obadiah)  lives  here  in  the  bosom  of  his 
family,  the  same  comical  old  native  teacher  who,  it  will 
be  remembered,  paid  me  a  visit  in  my  dearly-hired  house 
at  Lot,  some  four  months  before.  We  were  received 
with  all  the  attention  usually  extended  to  unfortunate 
mariners  ;  dry  clothes  were  supplied  us,  and  after  a 
good  supper  and  some  hot  grog,  which  Obadiah  and  his 
son  eagerly  shared  with  us,  we  made  ourselves  extremely 
comfortable.  After  looking  at  some  Mortlock  curios,  which 
our  host  pressed  upon  us  in  unwonted  exhilaration,  we  fell 
asleep. 

The  next  morning  is  Sunday,  no  Obadiah  visible. 
He  has  gone  ashore  early  to  attend  his  devotions.  As 
the  day  wears  on  a  boy  comes  off  shore  in  a  canoe  with 
his  face  all  one  broad  grin,  with  the  news  that  the  Machikau 
church-folk  on  the  mainland  are  scrimmaging  together  like 
demons,  and  breaking  each  other's  heads  in  the  liveliest 
fashion.  We  do  not  put  into  Machikau,  having  had  our 
fill  of  excitement  for  the  present,  and  bidding  farewell  to 
our  hosts,  pursue  our  way,  heartily  devoting  the  contend- 
ing parties  to  the  fate  of  the  Kilkenny  cats.  By  and  by, 
when  we  find  a  couple  of  bottles  of  spirits  missing — laid 


PANIAU   TO   COLONY  203 

in  strictly  for  medical  purposes — grievous  suspicions  fall 
on  Obadiah  and  his  fellow-deacons.  With  the  hopes  of 
clearing  up  this  question  we  put  in  at  Matup,  a  little 
further  down  the  coast,  the  residence  of  the  Nock,  the  next 
Metalanim  chieftain  in  rank  to  King  Paul,  or  heir-presump- 
tive to  that  monarch's  slippery  throne,  for  this  religious 
maniac  has  no  children  and  no  prospect  of  any. 

It  had  been  told  me  that  the  Noch  held  Europeans  in 
disfavour,  and  myself  in  particular  ill-will  from  the  recent 
outbreak  of  influenza  in  the  tribe,  which  many  of  the  folk 
took  for  the  outpouring  of  the  wrath  of  Icho-Kalakal  and 
the  "  Ani"  at  the  letting  in  of  the  light  of  day  on  their 
time-honoured  sanctuary.  Therefore  I  thought  it  would 
be  as  well  to  pay  a  visit  frankly,  interview  him,  and  gain 
his  confidence. 

We  go  straight  up  to  the  Council  Lodge,  and  are  kept 
waiting  some  while  for  the  chief.  His  eldest  son,  how- 
ever, a  bright  little  boy  of  about  seven  or  eight,  climbs  on 
my  knee  in  most  friendly  fashion.  By  and  by  in  comes 
the  Noch  with  a  beaming  countenance.  Some  trick  of 
Fortune  has  evidently  turned  in  our  favour. 

Cordially  shaking  hands  he  unburdens  his  mind  after 
the  following  manner  in  a  dialect  abounding  in  double 
and  treble  consonants.  For  the  benefit  of  those  unversed 
in  primitive  and  analytic  languages  I  will  give  the  naive 
literal  translation  sentence  by  sentence,  together  with  the 
conventional  English  expressions. 

Well,  white  man.  Hail  !   O  white-face. 

You've  surprised  King  Paul  Their  honourable  intellects 
and  his  folk  this  time  with  and  the  little  minds  of  their 
a  vengeance.  flock     will     now     soon     be 

tangled    up   like  a   ball    of 

string. 
They've  just  sent  me  word      Swift  the  words  have  come 
along  shore  to   me  shouted  from  mouth 

to  mouth  along  villages  on 

the  coast, 


204 


THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 


That  you  have  been  making 
Obadiah  the  deacon  and 
other  church  members  very 
vilely  drunk. 


Moreover,    there    has    been 
a  free  fight  in  church. 

All    the   teachers    and    the 
congregation  vow  that    the 
King  shall  know  it. 
The    King   will    be    pretty 
wild  about  it. 

But  the  cream  of  the  joke 
is 

Obadiah  entered  the  church 
tipsy. 

Service  was  nearly  over,  an- 
other man  was  in  the  pulpit. 


Obadiah  interrupted  him 
repeatedly  with  insulting 
questions. 

And  kept  continually  grum- 
bling that  he  could  preach 
a  better  sermon  himself. 


Says  the  preacher  in    pos- 
session :   "  Turn  him  out." 


And  to  weary  the  reader  no 


That  you  have  made  strong 
drink   to   trickle   down    the 
throat  of  the  peoples'  shep- 
herd     Obadiah,     and      the 
throats  of  the  men  of  heaven, 
and  their  minds  are  changed 
to  those  of  swine. 
And     the    Pel-charaui    {i.e. 
sacred    precinct)    has    been 
even  as  a  field  of  battle. 
The     shepherds     and     the 
heaven-destined    flock    say, 
They  shall   be  told. 
Their  wrath  will  smoke  like 
an  oven  when  it  is  opened. 
One  thing  make  laugh,  make 
laugh  very  much  : 
Obadiah  he  come  in,  he  walk 
this  way,  that  way,  see-saw. 
Obadiah  come  very  late ;  one 
man  go  upstairs — talk,  talk, 
talk — preach,  preach,  preach 
— teach,  teach,  teach. 
Obadiah  he  break  him  talk 
— all  time  ask  him  what  his 
father,   what  his    mother — 
all  same  fool. 
All     time     he    go    "  Ngar, 
Ngar,     Ngar"      all      same 
woman,    and    he    say  "  He 
no  preach  good.    Me  preach 
very  good." 

Words   floated   down    from 
the    lips    of    the     eloquent 
man    above :    "  Help     that 
rude  fellow  to  go  forth." 
more  with  pidgin  English, 


PANIAU   TO   COLONY  205 

the  congregation  was  in  an  uproar,  each  party  manfully 
upholding  their  favourite.  Knives  were  brought  into  play, 
and  blood  flowed  freely  from  some  ugly  gashes,  as  each 
man  pitched  into  his  neighbour.  It  was  the  counterpart 
of  the  famous  fray  in  the  loft  described  in  the  "  Pickwick 
Papers,"  in  which  the  Rev.  Mr  Stiggins  took  such  a 
vehement  and  unexpected  part.  Obadiah  suffered  the 
fate  of  Stiggins  after  a  most  obstinate  resistance,  and 
was  consigned  to  a  cool  and  dark  apartment  to  meditate 
in  seclusion  on  his  sins  and  his  bruises. 

The  NSch  is  much  amused  when  we  detail  our  ex- 
periences at  Aru,  but  advises  us  in  future  not  to  rely  too 
much  on  the  saintly  professions  of  church  members. 
"  I'm  one  myself,"  says  he,  "  but  I  think  the  Old  Man  at 
Tomun  goes  too  far  in  his  notions.  For  instance,"  he 
continues,  "  when  a  man  wishes  to  marry  a  wife  he  has  to 
work  three  weeks  for  the  King  before  he  gets  permission, 
and  has  to  pay  the  teacher  who  marries  him  a  good  stiff 
sum.  There  are  more  churches  than  plantations  in  the 
tribe,  and  there  are  no  end  of  worrisome  little  laws  and 
restrictions.  You  mustn't  go  out  for  a  sail  on  Sunday,  you 
mustn't  drink  wine,  even  in  moderation,  you  mustn't  smoke, 
you  mustn't  do  a  good  many  other  things  you  would  like 
to  do,  and  all  for  the  sake  of  an  old  man  who  grumbles 
all  day  long  and  never  gives  a  civil  word  to  anybody. 

"  The  King  doesn't  like  white  men  at  all,  and  he 
and  David  Lumpoi  are  trying  to  set  the  tribe  against 
you,  and,  of  course,  his  people  have  to  do  what  he 
tells  them.  The  white  men  haven't  always  used  us 
well,  and,  not  knowing  you,  we  thought  you  were  like 
the  rest  of  them.  Lately,  however,  some  of  my  men  who 
have  met  you  at  different  times  told  me  of  the  interest 
you  take  in  collecting  our  old  stories,  and  in  bottling 
lizards,  spiders,  and  such  like.  Such  work  does  us  no 
harm,  and  gives  the  boys  and  girls  a  chance  of  earning 
money  honestly.  Therefore,  my  people  and  I  in  thinking 
ill  of  you  were  in  the  wrong.    Now  you  and  I  understand 


206  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

each  other,  and  I  shall  treat  you  as  a  friend  and  guest.  I 
am  very  pleased  to  see  the  young  chiefs  who  are  with 
you,  and  have  no  doubt  they  are  helping  you  well  in  your 
work.  When  you  go  home  you  will  tell  the  Chaumaro 
Akan,  or  wise  men  of  Britain,  that  Ponape  people  are  not 
all  cannibals  and  pirates  or  wild  men  of  the  woods,  but 
have  white  hearts  though  their  skins  are  dark." 

Whilst  this  somewhat  lengthy  conversation  is  going  on 
dinner  is  being  got  ready.  In  good  time  the  ovens  are 
opened,  and  we  are  soon  deep  amongst  the  yams  and 
taro  of  Matup.  The  Noch  drinks  Spanish  wine  with 
great  zest  but  strict  moderation,  as  becomes  a  gentle- 
man and  a  chief.  With  oriental  hospitality  he  pressed 
us  to  stay  a  day  or  two,  but  bethinking  us  of  our  people 
on  Paniau  eking  out  their  scanty  commons  and  impatiently 
looking  for  our  return,  we  determined  to  push  on,  and 
dropped  down  coast  with  the  tide  that  very  afternoon.  We 
are  running  merrily  across  the  roughish  waters  of  Middle 
Harbour,  with  the  quaint  sugar-loaf  peak  of  Takai-U  shoot- 
ing up  before  us,  and  are  slipping  past  the  island  of  Tomun 
where  the  king  has  his  Tanipatch  or  regal  dwelling.  Not 
without  anxiety  we  view  the  rapid  approach  of  a  boat 
manned  by  five  of  Paul  Ichipau's  myrmidons,  pulling 
their  very  hardest  in  chase.  We  lower  sail  and  let  them 
come  alongside.  It  turns  out  that  they  have  orders  to 
carry  us  bound  into  the  presence  of  King  Paul  for  the 
appalling  crime  of  sailing  on  a  Sunday.  But  we  are  four 
to  their  five,  and  three  of  us  are  Kiti  men,  a  tribe  which 
has  given  Metalanim  some  very  hard  knocks  in  time  past. 
So  their  summons  to  surrender  being  greeted  with  derision, 
and  seeing  us  resolute  on  self-defence  paddle  in  hand, 
they  turned  peacefully  back,  receiving  meekly  some  highly 
uncomplimentary  messages  to  their  worshipful  ruler.  We 
do  not  loiter  about  here  for  fear  of  the  rascals  swarming 
out  on  us  in  superior  force,  but  holding  on  our  way,  once 
more  enter  the  labyrinth  of  Nan-Matal  with  lively  antici- 
pations of  possible   rifle-shots   singing  out  of  the  dense 


PANIAU   TO   COLONY  207 

masses  of  greenery  on  every  side.  We  pass  Uchentau 
and  leave  a  message  for  Alek,  my  cunning  carver  in 
native  woods,  and  on  past  the  walled  islets  of  Peikap, 
Pan-Katara,  and  Nikonok,  and  last  of  all  Pon-Kaim, 
which  lies  on  the  extreme  end  of  the  Kaim  or  inner 
angle  of  the  great  enclosure.  Here  the  bottom  of  the 
waterway  is  strewn  with  basalt  blocks,  some  of  great  size, 
and  some  caution  is  needful  in  picking  our  way  past  and 
over  these  rocky  barriers.  Finally  emerging  from  this 
wonderful  system  of  walled  islets  we  pass  over  the  shallow 
flats  below  the  little  hill  settlement  of  Leak,  and  work  our 
way  down  to  the  sand-spit  of  Pikanekit  where  twenty  or 
thirty  friendly  natives  are  domiciled  under  a  worthy  old 
chief  named  Echekaia  (Hezekiah).  At  this  place  we  are  to 
pick  up  Kaneke's  wife  Lilian  and  her  baby  boy  who  are 
down  here  on  a  visit.  A  very  stormy  night  comes  on, 
and  we  are  glad  to  break  our  voyage.  Next  morning 
dawns  raw  and  dismal.  The  temperature  has  fallen,  the 
sky  is  black  with  tempest,  the  palm  trees  are  bending  and 
swaying  in  the  stream  of  a  lively  gale,  and  sending  down 
their  nuts  rolling  and  rebounding  like  balls  on  the  sward. 
A  thick  grey  veil  blurs  the  distant  hill-slopes,  the  brook 
at  the  door  is  in  freshet,  and  a  streaming  downpour  of 
rain  is  pattering  on  a  drenched  and  draggled  creation. 
A  huge  iron  pot,  the  relic  of  some  calling  whaler,  is  on 
the  fire,  wherein  a  mixture  of  fowl  and  rice  and  floury 
yam  is  seething  away  merrily.  After  breakfast  the  weather 
shows  no  sign  of  clearing  up,  and  the  gale,  if  anything, 
blows  a  thought  harder.  So  we  determine  to  push  on — 
dividing  our  party  into  two  canoes  for  fear  of  a  second 
accident — for  the  sea  is  rough  and  the  cases  heavy.  The 
good  old  chief  supplies  us  with  a  second  canoe,  on  which 
Nanaua,  with  Hezekiah's  little  boy  and  myself  embark. 
The  larger  craft,  with  most  of  the  cargo,  carries  Kaneke, 
Chaulik,  Nanchom,  Lilian  and  baby.  The  result  proves 
the  wisdom  of  our  plans.  Both  canoes,  after  some  narrow 
escapes  of  upsetting,  after  much  rude  buffeting  from  wind 


208  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

and  wave,  ultimately  reach  their  destination.  A  pig  pur- 
chased from  Hezekiah  shows  a  wild  and  untamed  nature 
in  repeated  attacks  on  Nanaua's  legs  in  canoe  No.  2,  until 
quieted  with  an  axe-handle. 

Our  friends  on  the  little  green  island,  with  its  row  of 
curing-houses  and  huts,  are  anxiously  looking  for  us,  and 
help  us  to  haul  the  canoes  high  on  the  sandy  beach. 
Plenty  reigns  once  more  in  camp.  Our  small  woes  and 
discomforts  are  all  forgotten,  a  tot  of  grog  is  served  out 
to  all  hands,  dry  clothes  are  put  on,  and  we  sit  down  to 
a  much-needed  supper  of  clam  soup,  baked  fish,  Irish 
stew,  yams,  biscuits  and  preserved  fruits,  washed  down  at 
stated  intervals  from  a  goodly  demijohn  of  rough  Vino 
Tinto.  Amidst  clouds  of  tobacco,  Nature's  boon  to  weary 
voyagers,  plans  are  discussed  and  projects  put  in  order. 

Next  morning,  September  29th,  as  we  rise  up  refreshed 
from  our  mats,  the  sun  is  shining  from  a  clear  blue  sky  ; 
the  tide  is  out  and  there  is  glorious  sport  with  Up,  with 
spear  and  basket  amongst  the  reef  pools,  and  the  stock  of 
bottled  fishes  grows  larger  and  larger,  to  say  nothing  of 
untold  basketfuls  of  live  shells,  mostly  Cyprceas,  buried  in 
tins  under  the  sand  at  high-water  mark  for  the  tide  to  do 
the  work  of  washing  them  clean  and  free  from  all  traces 
of  their  former  occupants.  Besides  gathering  shells,  I  had 
plenty  to  do  on  the  mainland,  to  which  I  paid  several 
further  visits,  and  took  care  to  distribute  the  medicines 
with  which  the  good  Spanish  doctor  had  so  kindly  fur- 
nished me,  and  so  two  more  busy  weeks  soon  rolled  by. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

FROM    PANIAU    TO    MARAU 

THE  time  of  my  departure  now  drawing  near  Nanchau 
suggests  that  we  go  down  the  coast  for  a  day  or  two 
to  visit  the  settlement  of  Marau,  where  an  old  chief  lives, 
the  Au  or  headman  of  the  sub-district,  who  will  tell  us 
something  about  the  old  traditions,  and  will  besides  take 
us  into  the  interior  to  show  us  some  remarkable  ruins  of 
an  old  fort  called  Chap-en-Takai,  which  is  situated  on  a 
tableland  among  the  mountain-slopes  behind  the  settle- 
ment. So  taking  a  couple  of  natives  with  us  we  launch 
our  canoe  one  fine  forenoon,  and  with  a  lively  breeze  are 
soon  slipping  past  Roch  Island,  the  station  of  Nanchau- 
Rerren  of  Annepein,  who  had  lately  entertained  us  at  a 
solemn  feast.  Between  Roch  and  Laiap  we  pass  a  bed  of 
bright  yellow  sponges  (Fata)  showing  up  on  a  shelf  about 
four  feet  down  on  the  edge  of  a  detached  reef.  We  hold 
on  our  way,  keeping  out  of  the  shallows  as  much  as  we 
can.  The  rapid  growth  of  the  coralline  formations  bids 
fair  to  speedily  fill  up  the  whole  lagoon  between  the  outer 
reef  and  the  shore.  It  requires  considerable  local  know- 
ledge to  pick  out  the  tau  or  deepwater  passages  in  this 
labyrinth  of  shoals.  A  little  below  Laiap  we  meet  Chaulik 
and  his  wife  coming  up  from  Ronkiti  bringing  news  from 
Nanapei  that  the  mail  steamer  is  expected  on  the  19th 
instead  of  the  24th,  and  advising  us  not  to  make  our 
departure  too  late.  The  breeze  holds,  and  by  and  by  we 
are  off  the  mouth  of  the  Ronkiti  River  close  to  the  islet 
of  Tolotik  (Little  Hill).  Of  course,  as  usual,  we  find  our- 
selves stranded  amongst  the  shallows,  and  have  to  get  out 
the  four  of  us  and  shoulder  her  across,  gingerly  picking 
O  ,09 


210  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

our  way  over  numerous  beds  of  prickly  corals,  with  which 
the  detached  reefs  in  the  lagoon  are  thickly  studded.  To 
the  south-west  Ant  Atoll  stands  out  in  a  long  blue  line. 
Before  us  is  a  wide  stretch  of  lagoon,  down  which  we  glide, 
every  now  and  then  fending  her  off  the  stacks  of  coral  which 
rise  within  a  foot  or  two  of  the  surface  of  these  variable 
depths.  We  catch  stray  glimpses  of  brilliant  sponges  and 
corals,  quaint  medusae  and  zoophytes,  and  of  gorgeous 
fish  playing  in  and  out  of  these  submarine  forests.  We 
pass  three  little  islands  to  seaward,  lying  close  to  the 
barrier  reef — the  central  one,  distinguished  by  a  few  palm- 
trees  springing  out  of  it,  is  tenanted  by  one  old  fisherman. 
Close  to  Kapara  is  seen  a  rather  unusual  sight — a  spring 
of  fresh  water  bubbling  up  through  the  reef — a  boon  to 
thirsty  fishing  parties.  A  similar  phenomenon  occurs  near 
Nei-Afu  on  Vavau  in  the  Tonga  group.  In  front  of  us  the 
hazy  blue  rounded  outline  of  Tomara  is  backed  by  the 
long  wooded  promontory  into  which  the  Paliker  country 
runs.  With  the  slowly-rising  tide  we  find  ourselves  off 
the  flats  of  Marau,  amongst  beds  of  seagrass,  with  a 
curious  round  bald  mountain  showing  up  in  the  back- 
ground. Wading  along  with  our  craft  in  tow  we  pick  up 
on  our  leisurely  way  a  number  of  cockles  and  a  spider- 
crab  of  surpassing  ugliness.  We  have  to  traverse  a  con- 
siderable stretch  of  thick  black  mud,  taking  us  up  to  the 
knees  at  every  step — by  no  means  an  uncommon  thing 
in  the  approach  to  a  Ponapean  settlement.  At  last  we 
reach  firm  ground,  and  are  glad  to  take  a  bath  in  a  clear, 
shallow  pool,  into  which  the  rivulet  watering  the  settle- 
ment is  dammed  as  it  pours  into  the  salt  marshes.  About 
two  hundred  yards  climb  inland  stands  the  house  of  the 
An,  built  on  a  high  terrace  of  basalt  blocks,  some  of  con- 
siderable bulk,  resembling  greatly  the  dwellings  of  the 
Marquesan  islanders  standing  out  upon  their  solid  paepaes 
or  platforms  of  stone. 

A  little  higher,  and  the  inland  wilderness  with  its  thick 
tangle  of  forest,  scrub,  weeds  and  climbing  vines,  shuts  in 


FROM    PANIAU   TO    MARAU  211 

the  little  village.  The  clearing  below  is  occupied  by 
banana  and  breadfruit  trees  and  clumps  of  giant  taro,  a 
tiny  portion  wrested  from  the  all-prevailing  jungle  by  the 
patient  labour  of  man.  Around  the  house,  Kava  plants 
are  flourishing  with  their  speckled  stems,  broad,  dark-green 
leaves,  dangling  catkins  and  spreading  branches,  the  stalks 
bulging  out  every  four  or  five  inches  into  knotty  joints. 
Masses  of  black  rock  lie  scattered  around  carpeted  with 
the  little  veined  leaves  of  betel-pepper  vines,  climbing  and 
clinging  like  ivy  at  home.  A  profusion  of  fern  and  plants 
of  the  wild  ginger  kind  add  a  fresh  setting  of  verdure  and 
freshness  to  the  woodland  picture. 

The  good  old  man  receives  us  with  great  cordiality, 
for  he  has  always  been  interested  in  the  ancient  history 
and  folk-lore  of  his  people.  Future  voyagers  in  Pacific 
waters  should  clearly  understand  that  it  is  the  old 
generation  not  the  new  who  give  their  minds  to  these 
things.  The  new  for  the  most  part  are  in  a  transition 
state.  They  are  neither  good  heathens  nor  earnest 
Christians.  In  this  connection,  and  upon  such  a  quest, 
one  fine  old  heathen  who  really  knows  something  that 
the  white  man  hasn't  taught  him  is  worth  a  dozen 
paltering  mediocrities  who  have  forgotten  their  own 
history  and  swamped  their  identity  ;  whose  only  ideas 
are  to  ape  their  white  teachers  in  snuffling  Bible  texts 
and  grabbing  dollars  to  buy  cheap  Manchester  goods  and 
white  men's  luxuries,  which  they  really  do  not  need  at 
all. 

The  afternoon  is  far  advanced.  In  the  growing  dusk, 
under  the  influence  of  coffee  and  tobacco,  the  Au,  whom 
we  have  not  hurried,  but  left  to  take  his  own  time,  starts 
in  first  with  personal  reminiscences,  harking  back  by  and 
by  to  things  of  ancient  date.  He  tells  us  how,  many 
years  ago,  the  supreme  power  over  the  four  tribes  of  the 
island  was  held  by  Chokach,  until  a  Palang  chief,  appro- 
priately named  Chou-pei-achach  (Man-fight-know-how), 
roused  the  people  from  their  apathy.      Kiti  then  began 


212  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

to  be  an  independent  power  and  the  obstinate  rival  of  her 
neighbour  Metalanim.  Some  while  after,  on  the  north 
side,  a  portion  of  the  Chokach  folk  broke  away,  forming 
the  independent  fifth  tribe  of  Not,  which  seems  to  occupy 
in  Ponapean  politics  the  same  place  as  the  little  republic 
of  San  Marino  in  those  of  Italy. 

Passing  on  to  more  ancient  history  and  folk-lore,  he 
told  us  of  the  arrival  of  a  large  castaway  canoe  from  the 
south  on  the  Paliker  coast,  with  eight  chiefs  on  board,  who 
settled  in  the  country.  Their  sounding  titles  were  : 
Man-chai,  Chiri-n-rok,  Man-in-nok,  Chinchich,  Pairer, 
Roki,  Machan  and  Chei-aki. 

A  brief  account  of  an  ancient  voyage  of  discovery  I 
give  here,  in  which  some  may  see  evidence  of  a  real 
historical  fact. 

"  Two  brethren  went  northward  from  Ponape  to  seek 
new  lands,  sailing  many  days  in  a  big  canoe.  At  length 
they  saw  the  midnight  sky  red  with  a  great  blaze  of  fire 
as  if  of  a  million  torches.  In  terror  they  turned  and  got 
them  back  to  their  own  land  again."  Another  account 
says  that  the  elder  brother  perished,  and  that  the  Kotar 
or  kingfisher  bird  saved  the  younger,  and  carried  him  on 
his  back  home  again.  Have  we  here  a  reference  to  the 
great  volcano  of  Kilauca  of  Hawaii  in  eruption  ?  An 
ancient  Raiatean  tradition  records  a  very  similar  pheno- 
menon which  scared  away  a  party  of  Tahitian  navigators. 
The  Marquesan  islanders,  whose  ancestors  were  certainly 
mingled  with  the  Ponapeans,  have  a  legend  agreeing 
thereto  :  — 

"  Great  mountain  ranges,  mountains  of  Havaii, 
Havaii,  where  the  red  flaming  fire  springs  up." 

"  Aue  mouna,  mouna  o  Havaii, 
Havaii  tupu  ai  te  ahi  veavea." 

Or,  again,  is  the  scene  of  the  midnight  sky  on  fire  in  one  of 
the  northern  Ladrone  islands,  where  many  active  volcanoes 
are  always  in  play  ?     Some  again  may  contend  that  the 


FROM    PANIAU    TO    MARAU  213 

explorers  penetrated  into  the  zone,  where  the  fiery  lances 
of  the  Aurora  Borealis  or  Northern  lights  are  visible 
darting  across  the  heavens.  In  any  case  the  story  illus- 
trates the  energy  of  early  Caroline  island  navigators  in 
this  great  waste  of  waters. 

We  seek  our  rest  early  that  night,  for  time  presses,  and 
we  must  be  stirring  at  dawn  if  the  proposed  exploration 
of  the  ruins  on  the  hill-top  is  to  be  a  success.  The  morn- 
ing turns  out  fine,  and  after  hastily  partaking  of  coffee 
and  biscuit  we  set  forth  on  our  winding  path  up  the 
mountain  slopes,  picking  our  way  over  stocks  and  stones, 
hewing  down  all  branches  and  boughs  obstructing  the 
trail,  burrowing  through  dense  thickets  of  hibiscus,  ever 
and  anon  stooping  down  to  collect  some  of  the  curious 
flat  spiral  land-shells  with  which  the  ground  is  strewn, 
called  Chepei-en-kamotal  or  "  the  washing  bowl  of  the 
earth-worm."  On  we  splash  through  shallow  mountain 
streams,  scaring  up  half-wild  hogs  wallowing  in  the  rich 
black  mud  of  the  wayside  pools — threading  still  shady 
glens,  but  ever  going  upward  and  upward.  At  last  we 
pause  awhile  amongst  a  grove  of  sago-palms  and  moun- 
tain plantains  in  a  swampy  little  dell,  watered  by  a  briskly 
flowing  stream.  By  the  side  of  the  water  lies  a  long 
tapering  slab  of  basalt  rudely  worked  into  the  form  of  a 
shark.  It  is  some  fifteen  feet  in  length.  A  sharp  three- 
cornered  ridge  runs  along  the  centre  of  the  back  ;  the 
dorsal  fins  are  decidedly  in  evidence,  and  the  tail  dis- 
tinctly indicated.  The  head  is  left  pretty  well  to  the 
imagination.  This  is  one  of  the  rude  Tikitik-en-ani  or 
images  found  here  and  there  in  Ponape,  and  dedi- 
cated to  presiding  genii  or  guardian  spirits  of  a  com- 
munity or  family.  (Compare  Maori  and  Marquesan 
Tiki  and  Tikitiki,  an  image.)  This  and  Laponga's  head 
were  the  only  ones  I  saw,  but  I  have  no  doubt  that  there 
are  many  more  of  them;  and  that  the  unconverted  folk,  as 
well  as  many  of  the  church  members,  have  hidden  them 
away  in  odd  nooks  and  corners,  where  they  can  secretly 


214  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

have  recourse  to  them  at  will  in  time  of  need.  Such  a 
thing  is  quite  in  accordance  with  Ponapean  character,  and 
really  very  natural.  For  the  cult  of  old  gods  dies  very 
hard  indeed  all  the  world  over.  But  the  night  of  ignorance 
is  passing,  as  the  gathering  sunlight  of  science  chases  one 
by  one  lingering  superstitions  like  shadows  from  their 
lurking-places.  It  may  be  observed  that  the  sharks  Pako 
and  Tanipa  are  held  in  great  awe  by  the  Ponapeans. 
The  cult  of  the  shark  is,  or  was,  strong  on  the  Ant  Islands, 
where  there  is  a  special  holy  place  dedicated  to  that 
divinity. 

An  hour's  more  climbing  brings  us  to  the  edge  of  the 
tableland  close  under  the  old  fort,  the  scene  of  a  great 
battle  a  century  ago  between  the  King  of  Kiti  and  Chau- 
Kicha,  the  chief  of  Wana,  who  besieged  the  king  in  his 
stronghold  and  captured  it,  slaying  him  and  many  of  his 
chiefs  and  warriors.  The  enclosure  forms  a  nearly  com- 
plete square,  bulging  out  at  the  north-western  angle. 

The  northern  end  along  the  Takiririn  road  was  de- 
fended by  a  row  of  palisades,  for  which  system  of  forti- 
fication the  Ak  or  mangrove  supplies  excellent  materials. 
These  estacadas  de  mangle  gave  the  Spanish  considerable 
trouble  to  carry  during  the  eventful  two  days'  fighting 
on  the  22nd  and  23rd  of  November,  1890,  before  the 
strongly  fortified  post  of  Ketam.  At  Ketam  these  were 
eleven  feet  high,  in  length  six  hundred  and  eighty  yards, 
and  a  foot  in  thickness.  The  positions  of  Chap-en-Takai 
and  Ketam  are  laid  out  pretty  much  on  the  same 
pattern,  the  Ponapeans  in  ancient  and  modern  times 
being  no  mean  proficients  in  fortification  and  the  art 
of  war. 

Proceeding  along  the  south  -  east  line  of  wall  about 
thirty  paces,  we  came  to  a  wide  breach,  through  which, 
tradition  declares,  the  troops  of  Chau-Kicha,  repulsed  on 
other  sides,  finally  broke  their  way  in.  Doubtless  some 
excavations  made  hereabouts  would  bring  to  light  many 
interesting    relics  such   as  permachapang,  or  stone  clubs, 


FROM    PANIAU   TO    MARAU  215 

like  the  "  mere "  of  the  Maori,  war-axes  made  out  of 
the  centre  shaft  of  the  great  Kima-cockle,  and  head 
ornaments  and  necklaces  of  shell  resembling  the  North 
American  Indian  " wampum"  with  which  these  warriors 
profusely  adorned  themselves  on  going  into  battle.  The 
name  of  the  architect  who  built  these  walls  is  given  as 
Lumpoi-en-Chapal. 

Passing  along  the  Takiririn  road  we  visited  the  site 
of  the  old  village  at  the  north-western  end.  Close  by 
the  site  of  the  ill-fated  King  of  Kiti's  house  we  saw  a 
high  raised  platform  called  Mol-en-Nanamareki,  where, 
during  the  siege,  the  king  with  his  councillor  and  war- 
chief  Kaeka  used  to  sit  in  solemn  council.  Some  of  the 
blocks  of  basalt  composing  the  platform  were  near  four 
feet  thick.  The  site  of  the  king's  house  was  occupied 
by  modern  cook-houses  newly  thatched  with  sago-palm 
leaves.  Everywhere  round  were  marks  of  recent  cultiva- 
tion, showing  a  practical  and  thrifty  proprietor.  There 
were  groves  of  breadfruit-trees  and  well-weeded  rows  of 
plantains.  Kava  cuttings  had  been  planted  and  were 
thriving  vigorously.  Yam-vines  were  trained  everywhere 
along  the  tree-trunks,  many  of  their  leafy  festoons  turning 
yellow  and  brown,  a  sign  that  the  coveted  tuber  is  ready 
for  digging.  From  the  north-west  corner  at  C,  there 
is  a  fine  view  of  the  broad  pronged  outline  of  the  Ants, 
and  the  three  long  islets  of  Pakin  a  little  to  the  right. 
Here  we  took  our  frugal  noonday  meal  of  cold  cooked 
breadfruit  washed  down  with  a  few  drinking-nuts.  This 
concluded,  the  Au  and  Nanchau  suddenly  find  their 
memories,  and  blossom  out  into  a  wealth  of  fairy  tales 
as  fast  as  one  can  write  them  down. 

Just  where  we  were  sitting,  the  King  of  Kiti  and  his 
choicest  warriors  made  their  last  stand.  But  the  name 
of  this  Ponapean  Priam  has  gone  down  unchronicled  into 
the  dust  and  shadow.  On  the  north-west  and  south-east 
sides  of  the  fort  the  walls  were  either  built  much  higher 
or  have  been  left  in   much  better  preservation.      Some  of 


216  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

the  blocks  let  into  the  masonry  measure  a  yard  across 
the  face,  a  yard  in  depth  and  four  feet  in  length.  The 
height  of  the  walls  varies  from  six  feet  to  twelve  or 
fourteen.  Yet  even  here  destruction  has  been  busy,  the 
ground  in  front  being  strewn  with  fragments  which  have 
from  time  to  time  toppled  down.  To  judge  from  the 
size  of  some  of  these  fallen  masses,  the  walls  must  once 
have  stood  considerably  higher.  The  greatest  height  is 
found  on  the  south-east  side  which  faces  a  thickly 
wooded  slope  of  a  hill-spur  running  down  steeply  towards 
the  sea.  Here  we  remarked  a  high  watch-tower  (Im-ruk- 
en-chilepa),  so  this  side  appears  to  have  been  particularly 
well  guarded  against  the  approach  of  stealthy  foemen 
through  the  dense  jungle  stretching  below. 

The  interior  of  the  fort  is  thickly  occupied  by  a  be- 
wildering growth  of  tall  grasses,  ferns,  creepers,  weeds, 
and  flowering  shrubs,  amongst  which  the  handsome  red 
and  yellow  spikes  of  the  Katiu  (Ixora),  the  broad  white 
bells  of  the  morning  glory,  and  the  brilliant  blue  petals  of 
a  rough-leaved  shrub  called  Mateu,  are  most  conspicuous. 

Our  survey  done  we  strike  inland  from  the  north-east 
corner,  where  our  guide  promises  to  show  us  some  further 
remains.  Presently  we  come  upon  an  old  stone  platform 
(Lempantam)  embowered  amongst  a  mass  of  wild  ginger 
plants.  On  it  lies  a  broad  and  fiattish  piece  of  basalt, 
shaped  like  a  long  dish,  deeply  hollowed  out  in  the 
centre,  wherein  in  olden  times  the  Kava  or  Chakau  root 
was  pounded  up  to  make  the  national  beverage  for  the 
king  and  his  court.  This  one  bears  the  ceremonial  name 
of  Pel-en-Mau  (which  either  means  Sacred  to  Good  Pur- 
pose, or  The  Pleasant  House).  The  everyday  name  of 
such  implements  is  Pat-alap  or  Big  Stone.  (Cf.  Sanskrit 
Path,  Pattar,  Pattal — a  stone ;  Malay  and  Melanesian 
Batu,  and  Philippine  Bato — a  stone  ;  Polynesian  Hatu, 
Whatu,  Fatu,  Atu — a  stone. 

Close  here,  about  the  year  1882,  a  small  bronze  cannon 
was  discovered  and   taken  away  by  a  party  of  explorers 


FROM    PANIAU   TO    MARAU  217 

from  the  Lame,  which  circumstance  may  give  some  colour 
to  the  ipse  dixit  of  the  Spanish,  who  insist  that  the  ruins 
on  Ponape  were  the  work  of  buccaneers  or  early  naviga- 
tors of  their  nation.  The  people  of  this  very  district  of 
Kiti  have  a  tradition  of  a  body  of  iron  men  who  landed 
on  the  island,  and  though  assailed  in  superior  force,  long 
defended  themselves,  and  proved  invulnerable  against  the 
axes,  clubs,  darts,  and  slingstones.  At  last  the  natives 
destroyed  them  by  stabbing  them  through  eye  to  brain 
with  their  long  lances.  This  reminds  one  of  the  tale  told 
in  Herodotus  of  the  brazen  men  whom  an  oracle  pre- 
dicted should  come  out  of  the  sea  to  help  Psammitichus  to 
his  promised  kingdom  of  Egypt.  Doubtless  some  of  the 
light  armed  Egyptians  tried  the  same  experiment  with 
success  against  Psammitichus'  mail-clad  Carians.  From 
the  Kiti  tradition  we  may  safely  infer  the  destruction  of  a 
landing  party  of  men  in  mail  from  a  vessel  or  vessels  of 
some  early  navigator  in  these  seas. 

A  little  further  on  and  we  come  upon  five  round  stones 
(Pai-n-uet,  lucky  pebbles)  shaped  like  cannon  balls,  lying 
side  by  side  in  a  hollow.  "  I  see  the  eggs  and  the  nest," 
said  I  to  the  Au,  in  the  figurative  way  natives  like,  "  but 
where  are  the  birds  that  laid  them  ?  Do  you  think  they 
would  miss  one  if  I  took  it  ? "  The  old  man  cackles 
feebly,  but  assuming  a  serious  tone  :  "  The  birds,"  says 
he,  "  are  nearer  than  you  think."  He  declares  that  the 
air  is  full  of  viewless  eyes  of  spirits  viewing  us,  and  that 
serious  results  would  follow  meddling  with  the  stones, 
which,  it  appears,  are  used  now  and  then  for  some  sort  of 
divination.  This  place  is  called  Itet,  and  the  precinct 
Pan-Katara,  and  a  pile  or  stack  of  masonry  close  at  hand 
Nan-Tauach,  three  names  borrowed  from  the  holy  places 
of  Nan-Matal  over  the  Metalanim  border.  Do  we  not 
see  here  history  repeating  itself  as  usual  ?  Kiti  is  jealous 
of  the  shrines  of  her  hated  rival  Metalanim,  and  founds 
for  herself  a  hallowed  place  of  pilgrimage  and  worship 
under   the   sanctifying    denominations   of  old   traditional 


218  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

landmarks,  the  very  names  of  which  carry  with  them 
some  degree  of  indefinable  prestige.  The  rival  shrines  of 
Bethel  and  Jerusalem,  and  the  divided  papacy  of  Rome 
and  Avignon,  are  distinct  cases  in  point  in  parallel 
history. 

The  precinct  called  Pan-Katara,  unlike  its  weird  and 
desolate  prototype  of  Metalanim,  is  bordered  with  patches 
of  the  Kava  plant,  and  shadowed  by  some  fine  Kangit 
trees.  Nan-Tauac/i  is  a  pile  of  masonry  built  up  of  the 
usual  basalt  blocks.  It  measures  ten  feet  in  height,  thirty 
feet  in  length,  and  thirty  in  breadth,  densely  overgrown 
with  brushwood.  Formerly  it  was  a  very  sacred  spot. 
In  the  middle  on  top  are  two  holes  eight  feet  in  depth, 
the  graves  of  the  ill-fated  King  of  Kiti  and  his  marshal 
Kaeka,  who  were  interred  here  after  the  great  battle  in 
which  they  fell.  The  masonry  is  built  up  after  the  style 
of  its  Metalanim  namesake ;  but  as  often  happens  with 
imitations,  the  work  is  on  a  smaller  scale  and  the  work- 
manship lacks  finish.  Upon  the  island  of  Ngatik  (Ravens 
Isle),  some  thirty  miles  away  down  to  the  west,  is  another 
Pankatara— a  rude  stack  of  stones — partly  thrown  down 
of  late  by  the  vandal  hands  of  native  converts. 

Some  years  ago  the  fiat  stones  covering  these  pits  were 
removed  by  searchers  for  the  mom  uaitata  or  red  money, 
i.e.  gold.  Some  lunatic  or  other,  presumably  as  a  practical 
joke,  had  been  putting  in  circulation  all  manner  of  cock- 
and-bull  stories  about  hidden  treasure.  Nothing,  however, 
but  a  few  mouldering  bones  rewarded  their  search.  Pro- 
bably if  they  had  found  money  they  would  not  have  paid 
their  debts.  Nan-Tauach  proves  to  be  our  guide's  trump 
card,  and  we  wend  our  weary  way  homeward.  Going 
down  is  worse  than  coming  up,  but  we  fight  our  way  on 
through  trackless  mazes  of  Kalau,  over  fallen  trunks  of 
trees,  and  through  mud-puddles  and  stone-paved  torrent 
beds,  till  patience  well  nigh  wears  herself  out.  Late  in 
the  afternoon  we  limp  into  a  little  clearing,  weary, 
bedraggled  and  mud-daubed — a  sorry  spectacle  for  saints 


FROM    PANIAU   TO    MARAU  219 

and  sinners.  Not  so,  however,  to  a  mirthful  company  of 
some  forty  persons  there  collected.  An  important  cere- 
mony— the  building  of  a  council-lodge — has  just  been 
concluded  for  the  day,  and  another  equally  important — 
the  feeding  of  the  hungry  clan  who  have  toiled  fasting 
during  all  the  fiery  tropical  sunshine — is  just  going  to 
begin.  The  sewers  of  palm-leaf  thatch,  the  plaiters  of 
house-mats,  the  hewers  of  wood,  the  stone-workers,  and 
the  carpenters  and  joiners,  are  knocking  off  work.  The 
deft  fingers  of  the  shutter-weavers  are  ceasing,  gathering 
the  stalks  of  slender  cane  and  reed-grass  into  neat  bundles 
for  the  morrow's  task. 

A  vast  pile  of  native  food  lies  hard  by  ;  plenty  for  all 
and  to  spare,  for  native  hospitality  does  not  do  things  by 
halves.  To  be  styled  niggard,  or  one  who  grudges  meat 
to  his  neighbour,  is  to  suffer  nearly  the  uttermost  taunt  in 
the  Ponapean  vocabulary,  and,  indeed,  in  the  Pacific 
lands  in  general. 

Pending  the  distribution  of  the  food  we  converse  with 
the  young  chief  for  whom  the  house  is  being  built,  whose 
pleasant  open  countenance  prepossesses  one  directly  in 
his  favour. 

The  folk  here  rarely  stir  abroad,  and  view  with  the 
deepest  interest  the  advent  of  a  white  visitor  from  the 
wondrous  island,  rich  in  ships  and  sailors,  far  across  the 
seas,  dim  rumours  of  whose  teeming  cities  and  their 
wealth  have  reached  even  this  little  spot.  The  greatest 
respect  is  shown  us.  The  feelings  of  a  courteous  host 
overcome  the  inborn  curiosity  of  our  new  friend,  who  is 
really  anxious  to  be  asking  questions,  but  refrains  for  fear 
of  being  troublesome  from  pure  natural  politeness.  How- 
ever, we  are  soon  chatting  away  as  if  we  had  known  each 
other  for  years,  discussing  all  manner  of  social  and 
political  questions,  and,  as  it  were,  making  an  exchange 
of  our  experiences.  Tales  of  the  wars  in  Europe,  and 
deadly  modern  engines  of  war,  particularly  rivet  his 
attention.      In  return  he  deals  with  the  history  of  his  own 


220  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

people,  not  with  authority  as  the  Au,  but  modestly  as  an 
inquiring  student  (what  south-western  Polynesians  call 
"  a  child  of  the  Red  House  ").  He  shows  great  surprise 
at  the  close  resemblance  of  Samoan,  Tahitian  and 
Marquesan  numerals,  and  other  key  words  to  those  in  his 
native  tongue  ;  and  is  fairly  amazed  when  shown  over 
what  enormous  stretches  of  ocean  these  families  of  a 
kindred  race  lie  scattered.  When  told  of  that  great 
statesman  Sir  George  Grey's  magnificent  dream  of  the 
federation  of  all  the  Isles  of  the  Pacific  under  the 
British  flag,  he  was  greatly  moved,  and  declared  his 
opinion  in  no  doubtful  fashion.  "  It  is  indeed  well,"  says 
he,  "  one  family,  one  flag.  The  sea-girt  lands  will  hold 
together  like  one  household,  the  people  will  plant  the 
ground  and  gather  the  fruits  in  security,  and  war  will 
vanish  as  the  night  at   sunrise." 

I  have  dwelt  somewhat  at  length  on  this  conversation, 
because  it  is  an  excellent  sample  of  many  others  held 
with  friendly  chiefs  throughout  the  five  tribes.  It  re- 
dounds greatly  to  the  honour  of  our  nation,  the  confidence 
and  goodwill  so  widely  established  in  the  Carolines  and 
elsewhere  by  the  whisper  of  that  open  sesame  name  of 
"  English."  As  I  heard  an  old  Cornish  friend  say  of  the 
Samoan,  "  They  know  who's  kind  to  them." 

It  is  now  time  for  the  portioning  out  of  the  food. 
Saturday  here,  as  in  Samoa  and  other  islands,  is  the  day 
for  cooking  quantities  of  food  to  last  over  till  Monday. 
It  is  no  working-man's  half  holiday,  but  often  a  day  of 
hard,  honest  work.  A  very  active  old  man,  and  two  or 
three  young  fellows  with  him,  pounce  upon  the  heap,  and 
in  a  trice  fish  out  four  large  baskets  filled  with  baked 
yams,  fermented  breadfruit  {mar),  and  cooked  plantains. 
These,  together  with  a  baked  sucking  pig,  he  and  his 
acolytes  lay  before  the  chief  as  his  share.  The  merry 
old  gentleman  then  hastens,  or  rather  dances,  back, 
skipping  about  vigorously,  showering  around  him  plen- 
teous jokes  and  japes.      It  seems  to  be  expected  of  him, 


FROM    PANIAU    TO    MARAU  221 

and  every  jest  is  honoured  with  hearty  laughter.  Without 
delay,  up  comes  the  English  visitor's  portion.  A  haunch 
and  shoulder  of  roast  pork,  a  large  baked  breadfruit, 
a  remarkably  fine  green  drinking  coconut,  a  cooked 
sprouting  nut — a  dainty  much  relished  by  the  Ponapeans 
— and  a  package  of  Itiit  for  dessert,  a  sweetmeat  made 
of  scraped  yam  and  coconut-cream,  twisted  up  into  a 
dracaena  leaf,  and  baked  together  into  a  cake  in  the 
earth-oven.  Looking  round,  one  is  struck  with  the 
colour-note  of  red  and  yellow  running  through  the 
buzzing  assembly.  Most  of  the  young  bucks  (Pon- 
macku)  are  dressed  in  bright  orange-yellow  kilts  with 
scarlet  woollen  borders.  The  same  hues  appear  here"and 
there  amongst  the  gowns  of  the  women  folk,  who  look 
like  a  bed  of  tulips  in  full  bloom.  Altogether  the  scene 
recalls  the  brightly-coloured  Sunday-school  illustrations 
of  patriarchal  times,  to  which  illusion  the  noble  Semitic 
profiles  of  many  of  the  company  lend  some  emphasis. 
Many  of  the  workmen  have  by  their  side  long,  slightly 
curved  knives,  which  give  quite  a  warlike  touch  to  the 
picture.  By  and  by  two  young  men  come  down  the 
hill  bearing  a  large  newly  uprooted  Kava-plant  between 
them.  The  ever-ready  knives  are  brought  into  play,  and 
the  top  branches  quickly  lopped  off.  The  stems  are 
pruned  of  leaves,  cut  into  yard  -  lengths,  and  tied  in 
bundles  for  planting.  The  sharp  edge  of  a  cockle 
is  used  in  the  pruning.  Numbers  of  the  shells  lie 
strewn  about,  showing  a  large  annual  consumption 
of  this  leathery  bivalve.  The  assembly  now  breaks 
up,  streaming  downhill  to  the  Lodge  by  the  water 
side,  where  the  Kava  root  is  being  prepared  with 
pestle  and  mortar ;  and  the  modulated  ringing  of  the 
stones,  like  hammer  on  anvil,  is  pealing  up  cheerfully 
through  the  greenwood.  The  chief,  who  is  dead  lame 
from  a  fearful  abscess  in  the  ankle,  is  carried  down  on  the 
shoulders  of  the  merry  old  gentleman.  Amidst  polite 
greetings    we    enter    the    Lodge,   where    ten     or    twelve 


222  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

men,  whose  faces  are  new  to  me,  are  sitting.  Four 
are  busily  engaged  pounding  Kava  on  the  ground 
below.  We  ascend  the  platform,  and  are  warmly  wel- 
comed by  one  of  the  strangers,  who  turns  out  to  be  the 
brother  of  our  excellent  old  friend,  Chau-Wana  of  Mount 
Roi,  with  whom  we  have  spent  sundry  merry  meetings. 
Here  again  it  is  borne  in  upon  us  how  well  it  is  for  a 
traveller  in  these  parts  to  be  backed  by  a  substantial 
introduction  from  a  chief  of  recognised  status — the  older 
the  better.  The  visitors  will  be  sure  of  a  cordial  reception, 
the  cloak  of  suspicion  and  reserve  with  which  every  native 
wraps  himself  in  self-defence  will  be  thrown  off,  and  a 
little  geniality  will  do  all  the  rest.  In  due  time  the 
aromatic  national  beverage  is  ceremoniously  handed 
round,  pipes  are  lit,  and  our  hosts  wax  communicative 
on  the  subject  of  seasons,  constellations,  guiding  stars, 
and  early  navigation,  cheerfully  adding  their  quota  to 
the  notes  already  in  hand.  The  entertainment  winds 
up  with  some  fine  war-songs  roaring  out  in  a  deep, 
sonorous  chime,  resembling  in  cadence  and  intonation 
the  songs  of  my  old  friends  the  Marquesan  islanders,  who 
in  many  another  striking  way  show  a  decided  relationship 
with  the  Ponapeans.  At  length  we  take  our  departure, 
and  soon  arrive  home,  pushing  through  dripping  woods  in 
a  heavy  rainstorm,  which  has  come  down  on  us  out  of  the 
stormy  north. 

Supper  awaits  us,  and  with  sharpened  appetites  we  are 
sitting  down  to  despatch  it,  when  two  young  men  arrive 
in  a  small  canoe  from  the  island  of  Mang,  up  by  the 
Paliker  coast,  to  announce  to  the  Au  that  a  chief  lady, 
a  near  relation  of  his,  is  lying  at  the  point  of  death,  and 
earnestly  begging  him  to  come  to  her  side.  Our  poor 
old  host,  evidently  in  great  distress,  with  many  apologies 
for  having  to  leave  us,  hastily  takes  his  departure,  refusing 
all  refreshment,  and  leaving  us  in  charge  of  his  wife, 
whose  kindly  solicitude  for  our  comfort  seems  to  outweigh 
her  own  private  griefs.      Immediately  after  his    leaving, 


FROM    PANIAU    TO    MARAU  223 

a  thick,  black  squall  comes  humming  over  the  waters, 
with  a  fresh  tremendous  downpour  of  rain.  With  sym- 
pathy we  picture  the  old  man  toiling  on  in  a  little  canoe 
through  the  mirk  of  the  night  in  that  howling  welter  of 
winds  and  waters,  to  obey  the  sacred  duty  of  kinship  and 
family  affection  which  calls  him,  aged,  infirm,  and  fasting, 
to  face  the  bitter  elements.  Indeed,  some  of  our  people 
at  home  who  talk  of  virtue  and  duty  as  if  they  had  in- 
vented them,  might  well  be  instructed  by  the  example  of 
the  unselfish  Au. 

Under  the  circumstances,  unwilling  to  intrude  upon 
their  griefs,  and  to  burden  their  hospitality  further,  we 
decide  to  leave.  The  heart  of  our  kind  entertainer's  wife 
is  gladdened  with  the  present  of  a  bundle  of  strong 
tobacco,  a  black  silk  handkerchief,  and  a  fine  Sheffield 
blade,  stamped  with  the  magic  words  "  Made  in  Germany? 

The  sky  is  heavily  overcast,  threatening  rain,  and 
faithfully  it  keeps  its  promise.  We  arrive  at  Paniau 
after  an  unpleasant  morning's  voyage,  and  forthwith 
engage  in  busy  preparations  for  getting  the  shells  and 
other  curios  ready  packed  for  the  mail.  Two  trying 
days  follow.  We  pursue  our  outdoor  work  under  the 
discomfort  of  a  ceaseless  downpour  and  a  chilling  wind, 
disinterring  frail  upon  frail  of  evil-smelling  shells  from 
their  sandy  burrows,  and  carefully  cleaning  and  packing 
them  in  wisps  of  grass  to  prevent  breakage.  All  join 
cheerfully  in  the  work,  and  at  last  the  monotonous  task  is 
ended  by  the  ready  co-operation  of  deft  and  willing  hands. 

The  last  day  but  one  of  my  stay  on  Paniau,  we  made 
up  a  little  party  to  go  ashore  at  Tiati  and  say  goodbye  to 
our  friend  Chau-Wana  and  his  household,  who  had  treated 
us  so  kindly.  In  the  afternoon  Nanchau,  Eta  and  I, 
climbed  Chila-U,  the  "  Adze-head  Rock,"  from  which  we 
had  a  fine  view  of  Mutok  Harbour  and  the  richly-forested 
lowlands.  In  the  evening  the  Tiati  folk  gave  a  feast,  and 
many  people  from  the  outer  districts  came  in  with  little 
presents  and  with  kindly  expressions  of  goodwill  to  their 


224  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

honoured  guest  and  comrade  about  to  cross  the  great 
water. 

Cheerless  and  grey  broke  the  day  of  my  departure, 
the  bay  ruffled  with  gusts  and  squalls  of  wind  and  sheets 
of  driving  rain.  If  ever  I  saw  unfeigned  sorrow  and 
regret  upon  human  face  I  saw  it  in  those  of  my  panainai, 
companions  and  friends  of  many  a  pleasant  expedition. 
Our  leave  -  taking  was  affecting.  Poor  old  Nanchau 
and  his  wife  quite  broke  down,  and  some  of  the  others 
were  very  little  better.  I  had  hardly  looked  for  such 
strong  sympathy  and  feeling  in  the  stern,  rugged,  and 
seemingly  apathetic  Caroline  island  character.  But  it 
was  even  so,  and  I  shall  think  of  them  all  my  life  the 
better  for  it.  It  was  hard  to  go,  and  getting  ready  was 
sad  work,  but  it  was  over  at  last. 

As  I  clambered  on  board  the  heavily  -  laden  sailing 
boat  which  had  done  such  good  service,  and  as  I  turned 
and  looked  back,  the  western  sun  broke  through  the  clouds 
and  threw  a  feeble  watery  ray  upon  the  pensive  and  sad- 
faced  knot  of  men  and  women  clustered  on  the  little  white 
beach,  backed  by  a  waving  belt  of  wind-swept  palms. 


CHAPTER  XV 

PANIAU    TO    COLONY,    THENCE    TO    GUAM    AND    YAP 

THE  little  green  island  sinks  astern,  and  we  run  down 
the  Kiti  coast  in  the  early  afternoon,  putting  in  at 
night-fall  at  Ronkiti  to  say  goodbye  to  Nanapei,  who  just 
then  was  in  great  trouble  owing  to  the  illness  of  Nalio, 
his  mother,  who  died  a  few  days  after.  About  mid- 
night came  a  high  tide,  upon  which  we  passed  out  over 
the  sand  and  mud-banks,  and  the  morning  found  us  rock- 
ing in  a  dead  calm  in  the  lagoon  off  Tauak  Island.  Later 
on  a  breeze  sprang  up  and  brought  us  up  towards  the 
Paip-Alap  or  Great  Cliff  of  Chokach. 

We  sighted  a  large  vessel  ahead.  By  the  smoky  trail 
behind  her  on  the  sea-line  we  made  her  out  to  be  the 
Correo,  or  Mail,  steaming  out  of  the  north  down  upon 
Ascension  Bay,  whereupon  we  row  along  with  a  will,  for 
we  know  she  only  stays  a  night  in  port,  and  we  have  still 
much  work  to  do.  We  pass  the  islet  of  Tolotik  or  "  Little 
Hill,"  steering  carefully  clear  of  numerous  blocks  of  honey- 
combed limestone  that  stud  the  boat  passage.  To  the 
right  of  us  towers  the  Paip-Alap,  a  sheer  bluff  nearly  a 
thousand  feet  in  height  above  dense  hanging  woods  on  a 
little  promontory  where,  shaded  by  a  huge  Tupap  or 
Umbrella  Tree,  lives  the  Nallaim  or  High  Priest  of 
Chokach,  an  aged  patriarch  and  very  wise,  who  knows 
the  names  of  kings  and  heroes  of  old  and  the  ceremonies 
due  to  the  ancient  gods  of  the  land- — himself  one  of  the 
last  of  the  old  generation,  whom  alas  !  I  have  left  un- 
interviewed,  and  now  perhaps  shall  never  meet  at  all.  A 
little  further  on  lies  the  Tanipach  or  abode  of  the  Wachai, 
P 


226  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

and  the  modest  little  Catholic  chapel  nestling  under  wav- 
ing woods.  Yet  further,  and  we  sight  the  Nach  and  the 
dwelling  of  the  Nanekin,  scene  of  the  massacre  of  Ensign 
Martinez  and  his  party  in  1887.  Above  us  are  opening 
out  the  peaks  and  ridges  at  the  back  of  Chokach's  great 
seaward  scarp,  but  the  north-west  horn  of  the  island  which 
shuts  out  the  Colony  from  our  view  is  not  yet  passed. 

This  day  the  sides  of  the  great  precipice  show  out 
wondrously  in  the  rays  of  the  rising  sun.  The  cliff- 
face  shows  a  strongly-marked  formation  of  columnar 
basalt,  like  that  of  the  Giant's  Causeway  and  the  South 
Cape  of  Tasmania.  Right  under  the  great  pile,  one 
views  in  the  solid  rock  stripes  and  veinings  of  umber 
and  slaty-grey  with  vivid  velvety  black  splashes  of  rich 
volcanic  soil,  washed  and  filtered  down  from  the  highlands 
above.  The  effect  is  further  diversified  by  ledges  of 
shimmering  herbage  where  flying  seeds  of  grass  or  weed 
or  fern  have  lodged.  On  the  summit,  far,  far  above 
our  heads,  wave  clumps  of  pandanus  and  the  native 
gardenia,  flinging  out  their  feathery  outline  against  the 
sky,  firm-rooted  on  the  verge  of  the  dizzy  gulf  of  air. 

As  the  north-west  side  of  the  island  opens  up  to  us 
broadside  on,  we  catch  sight  of  another  rocky  and 
precipitous  mass,  similar  in  shape  but  smaller,  and 
topped  by  a  peak  like  an  obelisk  ;  and  on  the  further 
side  overlooking  the  Tau-Mokata  boat-passage  which 
divides  Chokach  from  the  mainland,  a  third  wall  of 
basalt  looks  down  on  the  swamps  and  their  shadowing 
maze  of  mangroves.  In  the  middle  of  the  island  is  a 
great  break  or  cleft,  a  regular  chine,  through  which  a 
narrow  path,  leading  across  the  island,  runs  over  the 
dividing  saddle  of  mountain  amidst  dense  groves 
chequered  with  tiny  native  dwellings  lying  back  in 
their  clearings  and  sending  up  faint  blue  wreaths  of 
smoke  in  the  early  morning  air.  This  side  of  the  island 
has  the  most  population,  and  one  views  the  rude  cabins 
of   the    settlers    perched    high    amongst    hanging   woods 


PANIAU   TO   COLONY,    GUAM   AND   YAP     227 

like  the  peasants'  chalets  fringing  the  wooded  heights 
round  Altdorf  or  some  Unterwalden  hamlet  in  Switzer- 
land's forest  cantons.  On  this  side  of  Chokach  the 
groves  of  breadfruit  are  magnificent,  the  greater  and 
lesser  banyan,  the  towering  Chatak  or  Elceocarpus,  the 
Tree-Gardenia,  and  the  Mango,  lending  their  peculiar 
nuance  to  a  rich  panorama  of  glancing  tints  of  green. 

Before  us  stretches  the  low  mangrove-covered  islet  of 
Taka-tik  or  Little  Island,  and  the  basaltic  round  of 
Langar  is  emerging  in  the  background  with  a  couple  of 
the  German  firm's  trading  vessels  lying  at  anchor  in 
the  bay  off  the  long  low  wharf,  and  right  ahead  shows 
up  clear  and  clearer  the  long  hill-ridge  of  Not  Point 
and  the  hulk  at  her  moorings  below  the  little  settlement 
of  Villa  Madrid,  whilst  in  the  centre  of  the  harbour  the 
Uranus  has  just  dropped  anchor  with  a  host  of  boats 
and  canoes  swarming  round  her. 

Taka-tik  once  passed,  it  did  not  take  us  long  to  reach 
the  Santiago  wharf,  and  a  busy  day  of  packing  we  had 
of  it,  the  boys  turning  to  with  a  will,  as  Ponapeans  are 
wont  to  do  for  their  friends  when  really  wanted. 

By  sunset  all  was  in  order  for  the  departure  of  the 
Uranus  on  the  morrow  at  noon.  A  farewell  visit  had 
been  paid  to  the  Spanish  Governor,  and  to  my  kindly 
hosts,  the  captain  and  officers  of  the  Quiros,  as  well 
as  the  priests  and  the  courteous  local  medico.  I  deter- 
mined to  spend  my  last  night  ashore  with  my  good 
old  friend  Dr  Kubary  at  Mpompo.  So  taking  with 
me  Kaneki,  whom,  for  his  fidelity  to  me  the  Spaniards 
dubbed  El  secretario,  I  passed  through  the  sentries  on 
watch  by  virtue  of  the  password  for  the  night  given 
us  by  the  polite  captain  of  Infantry.  Kubary,  hale  and 
hearty  as  ever,  had  just  returned  from  a  long  tramp 
over  the  hills  collecting  landshells,  his  latest  hobby.  The 
reader  can  guess  how  two  enthusiasts  sat  far  into  the 
night  in  earnest  discussion  upon  the  mystery  of  the 
strange    lands  around   them,  whilst    the  faithful   Kaneki, 


228  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

worn  out  with  his  exertions,  curled  up  in  his  cloak  on  the 
mats  and  slept  peacefully  at  his  master's  feet. 

In  my  mind's  eye  I  see  my  bluff  host  sitting  in  his  great 
cane  chair,  spectacles  on  nose,  with  his  specimen-cases, 
instruments,  books  and  pamphlets  around  him,  peering 
keenly  into  the  hieroglyphs  of  some  huge  German  tome 
of  science  to  wrest  therefrom  some  happy  illustration  of 
his  theme.  And  this  was  the  last  I  saw  of  Kubary, 
ablest  and  sturdiest  of  Germany's  pioneers  of  science  in 
Pacific  waters. 

The  22nd  of  October  dawns,  the  last  day  of  my  stay 
in  Ponape.  The  scent  of  the  pandanus  flowers  hangs 
heavy  on  the  air  as  a  wreath  of  incense,  and  the  birds 
are  singing  blithe  in  bush  as  we  walk  down  through  the 
glades  on  that  fair  and  golden  early  morning.  I  take 
my  final  plunge  in  a  cool  deep  fern-fringed  basin  where 
a  brawling  torrent  purls  down  from  its  rain-swept  home 
in  the  cloud-capped  hills. 

Many  and  cordial  are  the  leave-takings  with  native 
and  European  in  the  Colony,  but  I  get  away  at  last  with 
my  trusty  crew  bending  sturdily  to  their  oars  under  the 
stimulus  of  the  last  glass  of  the  good  padre's  Benedictine. 
It  is  now  broad  noon.  The  Uranus,  good  old  sea  grey- 
hound, is  already  straining  at  her  leash,  black  smoke 
pouring  thick  from  her  funnels  as  she  vibrates  with  the 
churning  of  her  suddenly-awakened  screw.  In  a  trice  my 
boxes  are  hoisted  and  handed  on  board,  the  word  to  start 
is  given,  and  we  are  off  and  sweeping  out  of  the  bay  with 
the  parting  cheers  of  my  crew  ringing  out  gallantly  in  our 
wake.  Little  by  little  the  great  scarp  of  Chokach  and 
the  cloud-capped  peak  of  Kupuricha  sink  into  grey 
distance  behind,  and  the  lofty  island  is  left  ere  long  a 
mere  blur  on  the  great  waters  as  we  tear  on  into  the  dark 
north-west.  We  are  making  for  Guam  (Guahan),  southern- 
most of  that  strange  chain  of  volcanic  islands  running 
down  into  the  Micronesian  area  from  out  the  maze  of 
shimas  or  islets  which  so  thickly  sprinkle  the  ocean  south 


PANIAU    TO    COLONY,    GUAM    AND   YAP      229 

of  Japan  and  the  sister  chain  of  the  Lew-Chews  (Ryu- 
Kyu). 

Our  voyage  to  Guam  was  fair  and  uneventful.  We 
sighted  no  land,  the  captain  as  usual  holding  her  course  well 
to  the  north  of  the  reefs  and  low-lying  atolls  of  the  Central 
Carolines.  The  Uranus  people  had  much  to  tell  of  the  pro- 
gress of  the  Revolution  in  the  Philippines  up  to  the  8th  of 
October,  the  day  on  which  she  left  Manilla.  There  had  been 
a  brisk  skirmish  at  Santa  Misa  at  the  north-west  suburb  of 
the  city,  close  to  the  country  house  of  the  English  Club, 
on  which  occasion  fifty  Spanish  artillerymen  and  about 
seven  hundred  loyal  natives  met  and  defeated  a  mob  of 
two  thousand  rebels.  The  new  rifles  employed  by  the 
victors  inflicted  severe  punishment.  A  hundred  and  four 
rebels  were  killed  outright,  and  many  more  wounded  and 
taken  prisoners.  A  number  of  the  latter  were  sentenced 
to  be  shot,  amongst  them  my  poor  photographer,  who, 
tired  of  honest  employment,  had  elected  to  take  part  in 
this  his  last  piece  of  mischief. 

If  all  reports  are  true,  tortures  were  freely  lavished 
upon  many  of  the  wretched  Filipino  captives  worthy  of 
the  most  palmy  days  of  the  Inquisition — as  they  lay  in 
the  dungeons  of  the  Old  town.  If  so,  it  must  not  be  for- 
gotten that  the  rebels  had  committed  horrible  atrocities 
in  the  rising.  One  padre  at  the  capture  of  Imus  was 
impaled,  dying  in  frightful  and  lingering  torments,  another 
was  crucified  under  a  blazing  sun,  and  a  third  chained  to 
a  stake,  his  robes  saturated  with  petroleum  and  set  in  a 
blaze.  Unarmed  Spaniards  were  murdered  and  their 
corpses  chopped  in  pieces,  their  wives  and  daughters 
reserved  for  a  worse  fate  at  the  hands  of  a  dastardly 
rabble,  who  at  the  sight  of  a  dozen  English  blue-jackets 
would  have  run  for  their  lives — aye,  and  be  running  still. 
At  the  time  of  the  Uranus  leaving,  thirteen  of  these 
gentle  rebels  had  been  shot  in  Cavite,  and  eight  on  the 
Luneta  esplanade  in  Manilla.  Twenty-one  were  in  safe, 
but  uncomfortable,  keeping,   waiting  to    be   shot   on   the 


230  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

day    following — a    most  laudable  clearance  of  worthless 
ruffians. 

The  days  passed  pleasantly  enough.  The  officers  were 
courteous,  and  all  arrangements  on  board  of  a  distinctly 
comfortable  order.  Our  hours  for  meal-times  were  some- 
what curious.  Breakfast  a  la  fourchette  at  ten,  and  dinner 
at  five.  Coffee  is  served  in  the  early  morning,  supple- 
mented if  required  by  an  omelette  or  rich  pancake — eggs 
being  as  plentiful  on  board  as  they  were  scarce  on 
Ponape.  Reading  the  Manilla  journals  and  diarios  was 
entertaining  work.  The  style  in  places  was  comically 
bombastic  and  full  of  startling  drops  into  pathos  and 
sentimentality.  The  chief  engineer,  coming  from  the 
Basque  country,  gave  me  a  number  of  remarkable  words 
in  that  tongue,  which  I  shall  certainly  hand  over  one 
day,  along  with  a  choice  assortment  of  Pelew  and  other 
harsh-sounding  dialect  forms,  to  some  skilled  philologist 
for  dissection.  Only  I  must  find  one  with  lips  as  elastic 
as  caoutchouc,  and  lungs  of  brass  and  leather  ;  and,  above 
all,  a  sound  dental  apparatus,  or  I  should  have  my  fears 
of  his  talking-tackle  going  to  pieces  in  the  process. 

On  the  seventh  day  out  the  limestone  cliffs  of  Guam 
were  seen  emerging  on  the  sky-line,  and  late  at  night  we 
lay  at  the  Port  Luis  anchorage.  In  the  morning  I  went 
ashore  in  the  ship's  boat,  and  without  waiting  for  one  of 
the  primitive  carriages,  marched  the  five  miles  to  Agana 
on  foot.  I  proceeded  to  the  house  of  Henry  M.,  an 
American  resident,  to  whom  I  had  an  introduction,  an 
excellent  fellow,  who  received  me  most  hospitably,  and 
took  me  round  to  see  the  parish  priest,  Padre  Jose 
Palomo,  who  gave  me  some  interesting  information 
about  the  Ladrone  group.  To  him  also  I  owe  a  long 
list  of  words  in  the  old  language  of  the  Chamorros,  which 
now  is  greatly  mixed  with  Spanish,  and  rapidly  becoming 
one  of  the  vanished  tongues.  I  also  obtained  a  complete 
list  of  the  ancient  numerals,  and  all  tallied  wonderfully 
with   the   vocabulary   collected  by    Chamisso  in   1814,   a 


PANIAU   TO    COLONY,    GUAM    AND    YAP     231 

fact  of  which  I  was  then  ignorant.      The  Chamorro  dialect 
in  grammar  is  akin  to  the  Tagala  and  Pampang  of  the 
Philippines,    and     to     the     Favorlang    of    Formosa.      In 
vocabulary   and    phonesis    it    has   something   peculiar  to 
itself.      Some  of  the  words  much  resemble  those  in  the 
Sulu    Archipelago.      There   are  a  few    Aino    traces,    and 
rather  a  large  number  of  words  akin  to  those  current  in 
the  Polynesian  dialects.      There  are  several  clearly-defined 
cognates  with  Sanskrit,  such  as  Fa/ma,  mast  ;  Skt,  Falan  ; 
Pagua,   areca   palm  ;  Skt,    Pug ;  Pupul,   pepper,  Kava  ; 
Skt.,  Pipal,  pepper  ;  Paka,  white  ;  Skt,  Pak,  bright  ;  Lada, 
an  orange-red  dye-wood  (Morinda)  ;   Skt,  Rata,  (1)  red, 
(2)  dyed,  coloured  ;  Luluk,  Lulik,  iron  ;   Skt.,  Lauh,  Lauk. 
Padre  Jose  made  much  of  the  ruins  upon  the  neighbouring 
islands   of  Saipan,  Rota,  and  Tinian,  which   I    much  re- 
gretted   being    unable  to   visit   this   time,  and   firmly  re- 
solved to  thoroughly  explore  on  my  return.      He  told  me 
also  of  a  cave  upon  Guam,  near  the  village  of  Ina-rahan, 
near  Agana,  the  walls  of  which  are  covered  with  hierogly- 
phical  characters  inscribed  by  one  of  the  ancient  queens 
of  the  island.     There  seems  no  reason  why  the  Chamorros 
should    not   have   had   an   ancient   written  character  like 
their   neighbours   the  Tagals  of  the  Philippines  and  the 
allied   Malays  of  Java,  Sumatra,  Celebes,  and  Macassar. 
It  does  not  seem  unnatural  that  owing  to  long  oceanic 
isolation    of  the   Chamorros,   and,   a  fortiori,   the    Micro- 
nesians,  who  dwell    still    further  away  from   the  civilised 
Indonesian  area,  the  art  of  writing  during  process  of  long 
generations,  should   have  more  and  more  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  an  intelligent  minority  who  alone  could  interpret 
and  explain  the  import  of  the  signs.      Finally  it  would  be 
lost,  with  the  exception  of  just  such  traces  as  the  above. 
Or,  again,  as  in  Ponape,  the  word  for  writing  would  be 
merged  in    that   for    tattooing    or  commemoration.      {Cf. 
Ponape   Intin,    Inting,    to    write,    tattoo  ;    Intant,    name, 
fame,   renown  ;  the  Lampong   of  Sumatra    has    Untang- 
untang,  written  law  ;  Sulu  Archipelago,  Indan,  to  write 


232  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

or  engrave.)  It  would  thus  be  very  interesting  to  find 
out  whether  the  old  Chamorros  did  have  an  alphabet  of 
their  own,  and  perhaps  even  to  discover  tablets  inscribed 
with  the  annals  of  the  olden  time  and  the  deeds  of  native 
kings  long  prior  to  the  Spanish  conquest. 

Until  sunset  the  good  padre  sat  and  conversed,  for  the 
most  part  in  excellent  English.  I  found  to  my  surprise 
that  upon  the  island  of  Saipan  there  is  a  colony  of  Caro- 
line islanders,  mostly  drawn  from  the  central  groups,  and 
grievously  tantalised  I  felt  at  having  to  return  with  such 
precious  ethnographical  material  almost  within  my  grasp. 
But  I  steeled  my  heart  and  took  my  leave,  more  deter- 
mined than  ever  to  revisit  the  group  in  a  year  or  two,  of 
which  notion  my  worthy  host  M.,  with  whom  I  spent  the 
evening,  approved,  and  promised  me  all  the  assistance  in 
his  power  on  my  return. 

Next  morning  we  drove  down  to  Port  Luis  together. 
The  road  passes  over  several  small  bridges  spanning 
narrow  rivulets  (saddug)  which  drain  the  rich  lowlands 
stretching  back  to  the  line  of  limestone  cliffs  through 
which  the  moisture  filters  down  from  the  moors.  Pictur- 
esque native  houses,  like  those  in  the  Manilla  suburbs, 
peep  out  on  either  side  of  the  road  amongst  taro  and 
banana  plantations.  Coconut  palms  (Nidjok)  fringe  the 
wayside  which  runs  along  the  sea,  separated  from  the 
beach  by  a  narrow  belt  of  palms,  hibiscus  and  pandamis, 
with  an  occasional  yam-patch  or  pineapple  clearing.  The 
reef  only  lies  some  two  hundred  yards  off  shore.  Here 
very  fine  specimens  of  uncommon  shells  can  be  picked  up 
at  low  tide,  but  hardly  anybody  takes  notice  of  them. 

We  arrived  at  the  village  of  Asan  around  which  are 
beds  of  a  white  lily  with  yellow  calix,  variously  called  in 
Micronesia  Kiop,  Gieb,  Kiuf,  and  Kief.  To  our  left  lies  a 
stretch  of  swampy  land,  which  the  local  peasantry  are 
getting  ready  for  the  planting  of  rice  {Fat).  This  was  a 
well-defined  branch  of  industry  of  the  natives  prior  to  the 
conquest  of  1570,  which  the   Spanish  chronicler  remarks 


PANIAU   TO   COLONY,    GUAM    AND   YAP     233 

upon  as  a  fact  of  peculiar  interest — as  indeed  it  is.  It  is 
doubtless  due  to  the  occasional  visits  in  early  times  of 
Chinese  or  Japanese  trading  vessels.  {Fun-Tan,  the 
Marianne  God  of  fishermen  and  sailors,  probably  is  the 
Japanese  Fune-Dama,  the  god  of  ships  and  navigation.) 
A  glance  at  any  good  chart  of  this  part  of  the  Pacific  will 
show  the  great  probability  of  such  occasional  visits,  even 
if  they  were  not  regularly  kept  up.  The  word  Fat,  rice, 
like  the  corresponding  word  Mai,  Komai,  in  Yap,  where 
however  the  grain  is  not  regularly  under  cultivation, 
answers  to  the  Chinese  and  Japanese  word  Mai. 

In  the  background  the  hill  of  Nagas  looks  down  upon 
marsh  and  meadow.  The  rounded  limestone  formation 
here  resembles  nothing  so  much  in  outline  as  one  of  the 
ancient  robber-castles  perched  on  a  hillside  by  the  Rhine. 

We  reach  the  village  of  Tipungan  embowered  in  groves 
of  orange-trees  (Kahit),  and  load  up  the  trap  with  a  plenti- 
ful supply  of  the  fruit  thereof,  with  the  aid  and  entire 
concurrence  of  the  polite  village  headman.  Hereabouts 
we  met  C.  on  horseback,  a  lively  young  American  trader, 
who  had  been  with  R.  L.  Stevenson  in  the  Gilberts,  and 
who  now,  to  his  vast  content,  finds  himself  located  in  this 
pleasant  little  spot,  where,  he  informs  us,  the  climate  is 
first  rate,  one's  neighbours  decent  folk,  and  the  lasses 
wonderfully  agreeable,  and  pretty  as  a  peep-show.  Soon 
after  leaving  our  Bohemian  acquaintance  we  reached  Port 
Luis,  and  just  looking  in  to  see  Joe  Wilson,  the  harbour- 
master, we  got  a  boat  and  rowed  on  board  the  Uranus, 
where  we  had  a  very  jovial  breakfast-party  together. 
We  left  about  noon,  reaching  Yap  the  next  day  but  one, 
where  I  disembarked  bag  and  baggage,  boxes,  books  and 
bottles  upon  Gerard's  islet  of  Ngingich,  pending  the  arrival 
of  Captain  O'Keefe,  my  agent  and  banker,  in  whose  hands 
I  am  to  place  myself. 


PART  IV 


CHAPTER  XVI 

DESCRIPTION    OF    YAP  ;    TOMIL    TO    LAI 

THE  following  is  based  on  that  given  by  the  Spanish 
historian  Dr  Cabeza  Pereiro,  now  supplemented  by- 
observations  of  my  own  made  on  the  spot.  The  Yap 
group  consists  of  one  main  island  situated  1440  17'  east 
longitude  and  900  28'  north  latitude,  with  the  islands  of 
Map  and  Ramung  to  the  north,  which  appear  to  have 
been  torn  away  by  volcanic  forces,  being  only  separated 
from  each  other  by  a  narrow  channel  easily  fordable  at 
low  tide.  The  other  islets  are  called  Tapelau,  Engnoch, 
Tarrang,  Obi,  and  Impakel.  Yap  is  surrounded  by  a 
coral  reef  some  thirty-five  miles  long  and  some  five  broad. 
The  main  island  seems  to  owe  its  origin  to  an  elevation 
of  the  sea  bottom.  Towards  the  north  it  is  nearly  cut  in 
two  at  the  isthmus  of  Girrigir.  In  the  north  and  central 
part  of  the  island  there  is  a  range  of  hills  of  slight  eleva- 
tion which  does  not  exceed  1000  feet,  and  whose  slopes 
distribute  the  rain-water  to  the  low-lying  districts. 
Rivulets  (Lul)  are  very  scarce,  and  when  any  considerable 
time  passes  without  rain  the  water  runs  short.  The 
population  amounts  to  some  8000.  The  folk  apparently 
belong  to  the  Malay  race,  with  a  Dra vidian  substratum, 
and  a  slight  mixture  of  Polynesian.  Our  Spaniard  refers 
them  to  the  Battak  type,  and  declares  that  they  are  in- 
clined to  be  hospitable,  but  revengeful  in  character  when 
they  conceive  that  their  honour  is  insulted.  Which 
may     very    well     be     so.      They    are    not     particularly 

234 


DESCRIPTION    OF   YAP  235 

cordial  to  strangers,  and  they  often  fail  to  keep  their 
word.  Their  character  is  peaceable  and  apathetic.  They 
are  fond  of  fishing,  and  their  robustness  of  body  and 
docile  nature  make  them  well  adapted  for  all  sorts  of 
labour,  though  in  general  they  are  lazy  Socially  they 
are  divided  into  four  classes — magicians,  nobles,  rich  men, 
and  slaves.  Their  houses  are  solidly  built  of  breadfruit 
and  callophyllum  wood,  artistic  in  form,  thatched  with 
nipa  palm  and  pandanus  leaf.  The  walls  are  of  light 
canes  bound  in  rows  with  a  cording  of  cinet  or  coconut 
fibre. 

Yap  does  not  produce  many  timber-trees.  The  island 
is  surrounded  by  a  belt  of  coconut  palms  about  half  a 
mile  in  thickness.  No  cereal  is  under  cultivation,  and 
rice  cannot  be  acclimatized.  Maize  would  apparently  yield 
well,  but  the  Spanish  have  not  tried  it.  The  country 
produces  in  great  abundance  sweet  potatoes,  various  kinds 
of  yam,  giant  taro,  mammee  apples,  pineapples,  plantains, 
sugar-cane,  breadfruit  ("  Thau  ")  and  the  tropical  almond 
(Terminalia  Catappa). 

Captain  Butron  of  the  Velasco,  sunk  in  the  late  action 
in  Manilla  Bay,  gives  the  following  information  on  the 
prevailing  winds: — 

The  north-east  monsoon  comes  on  from  September  to 
October,  veering  occasionally  to  the  east,  from  which 
quarter  its  force  is  increased.  The  south-west  begins  in 
June  and  July. 

We  are  indebted  to  poor  Captain  Holcombe  for  a  more 
detailed  account  of  the  winds  and  their  seasons. 


January 
and 


Calms    and    variable    winds.       Towards 
February      I  enc*  °^  montn  co°l  breezes. 
March  Occasional  hard  squalls.    Monsoon  loses 

somewhat  of  its  force. 
April  Calm   and  variable  winds.     Latter  half 

of  month  fresh  breezes. 
May  Calm.     Breezes  less  frequent. 


236  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

These  3  [June  and  "}      Calm,  occasionally  showers  of  rain.    Light 
months  j-and  pleasant  breezes. 

form  the-\      July       J      Calm.     Variable  towards  end.    Showery. 

rainy  Season   of  typhoon   ( Yeko)  begins.      Yap 

season.     I  August       lies  in  the  very  centre  of  these  disturbances 

which  pile  up  terrible  seas,  much  dreaded 

by  native  voyagers. 

September"!  are  like  the  three  preceding  months.    With 

and       \ October  ends  the  probable  season  of  the 

October     J  typhoons,    though   they  have  been  known 

to  occur  as  late  as  December. 
November        Light  and  variable  winds  and  calms,  and 
towards  end  of  month  north-east,  veering 
to  east.      The  winds  hold  strong  and  full, 
with  but  little  rainfall. 


During  the  south-west  monsoon,  which  begins  in  June, 
the  days  are  calm  and  there  are  heavy  dews  and  much 
moisture,  and  from  the  middle  of  July  to  the  beginning 
of  August  there  are  heavy  rains.  During  the  north-east 
monsoon  the  weather  is  dry  and  there  is  little  dew. 
Typhoons  are  not  uncommon  between  August  and 
December. 

The  temperature  varies  from  about  740  to  8o° 
Fahrenheit. 

Before  describing  the  architecture  of  the  club  houses 
and  the  ancient  tombs,  I  must  call  attention  to  the 
peculiar  coinage  or  medium  of  exchange  in  Yap.  First 
and  foremost  comes  the  stone  money,  which  consists  of 
limestone  or  arragonite  wheels,  varying  from  six  or  eight 
inches  to  twelve  feet  in  diameter.  These  from  their  bulk 
form  a  most  unwieldy  medium  of  exchange.  A  man  who 
had  extensive  business  debts  to  meet  would  need  a 
whole  fleet  of  canoes  or  some  ten  yoke  of  buffaloes  or 
bullocks  and  a  waggon  to  transport  his  specie.  Gener- 
ally speaking,  however,  these  stones  are  more  for  show 
and  ornament  than  for  use.  The  village  club  houses  are 
called  Fe-bai  or  stone  money-houses,  from  the  wheels  of 


-k) 


DESCRIPTION   OF   YAP  237 

stone  which  rest  against  their  walls.  In  any  of  the 
settlements  these  great  discs  or  wheels  may  be  seen 
outside  the  houses  of  the  Madangadang  or  plutocrat  class, 
which  here  as  well  as  elsewhere  enjoy  considerable  dis- 
tinction in  national  councils. 

A  perfect  pair  of  large  shells,  the  valves  of  the  pearl 
oyster,  are  also  highly  valued,  and  used  as  money.  The 
natives  call  them  Yar-ni-Balao,  i.e.  Pelew  island  shells,  for 
the  early  Yap  navigators,  with  the  usual  recklessness  of 
folk  of  Malayan  extraction,  used  to  make  extensive  forays 
on  the  pearl-shell  beds  of  their  long-suffering  neighbours 
of  the  Pelew  group,  and  were  forced  at  last  to  make  their 
title  good  by  many  obstinate  battles  by  land  and  sea. 
The  smaller  specimens  of  pearl-shell  they  used  to  thread 
upon  strings  of  hibiscus  fibre  or  cinnet,  about  twenty  on  a 
line,  to  be  employed  as  small  change.  In  these  days, 
however,  bags  of  copra  or  dried  coconut  kernel  {Tutu-ni- 
fatuis-a-marau)  are  employed  as  a  medium  of  exchange. 
This  is  produced  in  great  abundance  despite  occasional 
typhoons  from  the  north,  which  make  great  havoc  in  the 
palm-groves,  and  occasions  no  small  rivalry  amongst  the 
trading  fraternity.  It  may  be  observed  that  in  the 
northern  islands  of  Yap  and  Ramung  and  the  wilder 
parts  of  the  main  island  the  money  of  the  white  man, 
whether  English,  Spanish,  or  American,  is  hardly  ever 
accepted  as  legal  tender,  and  it  is  only  in  the  settlements 
around  the  Spanish  colony  in  Tomil  Bay  that  the  natives 
have  learned  to  recognise  its  value. 

There  is  yet  another  treasure  highly  prized  in  Yap, 
but  which  from  its  comparative  rarity  is  seldom  bartered. 
It  is  a  coarse  shaggy  white  mat,  resembling  nothing  so 
much  as  goat  or  dogskin  ;  it  is  made  from  the  beaten- 
out  bark  of  the  Kal  or  lemon  hibiscus  tree.  It  is  not  for 
use,  but  merely  for  show,  and  is  always  kept  religiously 
rolled  up  in  a  safe  corner.  It  is  exactly  the  counterpart 
of  the  Ie-sina  of  Samoa,  a  white  shaggy  mat  made  out  of 
the  fibres  of  the  bark  of  a  forest-tree,  a  species  of  Ramie. 


238  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

After  setting  things  in  order  on  Ngingich  I  visited  F. 
at  Rul  over  the  bay  and  met  there  his  local  trader 
Evan  Lewis  from  Lai  on  the  south  coast,  a  worthy 
old  Welshman  who  has  married  a  Marianne  wife  and 
is  blessed  with  a  numerous  family.  Lewis  had  been 
in  Lamotrek  and  Uleai,  and  readily  agreed  to  put  me 
up  for  a  few  days  and  assist  me  to  gain  information 
both  from  the  Lai  natives  and  from  his  own  stock  of 
knowledge.  Next  day  Lewis  brought  up  his  vessel, 
and  after  taking  in  all  needful  supplies  we  dropped 
down  the  coast  with  a  fine  south-west  breeze.  Our  vessel 
was  China-rigged,  i.e.  her  mainsail  has  six  or  seven 
supplementary  bamboo  yards  running  all  the  way  across 
it  ;  this  makes  the  boat  sail  closer  up  into  the  wind, 
and  answer  the  helm  more  speedily.  This  method  was 
introduced  into  Yap  about  eighteen  years  ago  by  a 
trading-skipper  named  Captain  Holcombe  —  murdered 
a  little  while  ago  in  a  mutiny  which  arose  among  his 
crew  off  the  Gilolo  passage.  It  was  not  long  before 
Lewis  started  with  reminiscences  of  the  ways  of  the 
Lamotrek  islanders.  "  These  people,"  said  he,  "  have 
a  regular  grace  before  meat  like  Christians.  When  the 
fish  is  taken  cooked  out  of  the  oven,  before  they  taste 
a  solitary  fragment,  one  of  them  takes  a  bit  from  the 
head  and  solemnly  mutters,  '  Ka  Toulop  ami ' — '  Do  thou 
bless  me,  oh  Toutop.'  This  Toutop  is  a  Deity  greatly 
honoured  in  the  Lamotrek  Pantheon.  Then  he  throws 
away  the  bit,  and  the  people  immediately  begin  their 
meal.  But  if  anyone  were  to  partake  of  the  food  before 
the  blessing  was  asked,  the  fishermen  would  have  no 
luck  any  more,  but  storms  and  heavy  gales.  For  Toutop, 
like  the  rest  of  the  Caroline  gods,  is  very  jealous  of 
any  slight  put  upon  him." 

We  sweep  along,  tacking  every  now  and  then  to 
avoid  the  numerous  weirs  of  stone  and  canework  (Thagal 
and  Aech)  with  which  Yap  fishermen  have  industriously 
filled  the  shallow  lagoon  that  girdles  their  coasts.      Look- 


TOMIL  TO    LAI  239 

ing  to  landward  every  now  and  then,  one  after  another 
of  the  great  Bachelor  Halls  or  Club-houses  with  its 
peculiar  high-pointed  gables  and  projecting  eaves  shows 
up  inshore  and  is  swallowed  up  in  the  succeeding  scenes 
of  ever-shifting  woods  and  waters.  On  either  hand 
light  native  craft  every  now  and  then  pass,  hail  us, 
and  shoot  away  with  a  flirt  of  the  dripping  paddle. 
And  Lewis,  having  got  fairly  upon  his  hobby,  continues 
his  parable  thusly  : — 

"  For  four  days  before  a  fishing  expedition  the  Lamo- 
trek  natives  sleep  apart  from  their  wives.  They  go 
out  fasting  in  order  to  ensure  success.  When  they 
make  their  first  haul  they  drink  one  green  coco-nut 
apiece,  and  put  in  shore  for  the  ceremony  of  Yaf-ilok 
—  The  Coming  in  of  the  Fire.  A  fire  is  made,  each 
takes  a  fish,  broils  it,  and  eats  it.  Each  fisherman  then 
goes  down  to  the  sea,  washes  mouth  and  hands  in  the 
salt  water,  and  invokes  the  blessing  of  Aliu-set  and 
Sau-lal,  gods  of  the  sea.  This  ceremony  over,  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  heap  of  fish  commences.  If  any  women 
or  children  come  near  and  break  the  taboo  by  helping 
themselves,  the  same  will  receive  swelled  ankles  or 
elephantiasis  as  a  punishment  and  visible  token  of  the 
anger  of  the  spirits."  x 

Just  as  we  are  approaching  Lai,  we  run  in  close  to 
the  seven  waterworn  islets  of  Gerem — an  aggregation 
of  odd  little  pinnacles  of  limestone  rock  running  up 
some  twenty  feet  in  height,  the  resting  place  of  several 
species  of  sea-birds.  We  notice  two  kinds  of  curlew, 
one  with  curved  bill  (Kaku,  Ponape  Chakor),  the  other 
with  straight  bill  {Ruling,  Ponape  Kulu).  There  is 
also  a  sort  of  plover  (Gabachai).      The  islets  are  covered 

1  The  same  evening  he  told  me  of  a  belief  prevalent  on  Lamotrek  in  the 
existence  of  a  squid  that  leaves  the  sea  by  night,  ascends  the  coconut  palms, 
and  drinks  the  Kaji  or  toddy  from  the  calabashes  hung  to  collect  it.  The 
natives  of  the  Hervey  Group  have  a  similar  story. — Was  Aristotle  right  after 
all  in  telling  us  2000  years  ago  of  an  amphibious  poulp  or  squid  ? 


240  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

with  rushes  {Pipi),  patches  of  parsley  fern  and  clumps 
of  the  silvery-leafed   Heritiera  or  saltwater  chestnut. 

After  a  brief  survey  of  Gerem  we  push  off  inshore 
towards  the  vielil  or  mangrove  clumps  which  embosom 
Lai  and  her  palm-groves.  The  sun  goes  down,  and 
an  intermittent  gleam  of  torches  shows  up  the  depths 
of  the  dark  woods  mingled  with  the  coruscations  of 
the  fire-flies  floating  in  and  out  like  fairy  lamps  in 
some  Aladdin's  cave.  A  view-holloa  greets  us  from 
the  beach  as  we  slide  into  shallow  water,  and  a  Fofod 
or  bamboo  raft  manned  by  scantily-attired  and  wild- 
looking  figures  puts  off  to  us,  finally  landing  us  on 
terra  firma  under  a  clump  of  Ruai  or  white  mangroves 
close  by  the  copra  houses  where  the  cut-up  coconut 
kernels  are  stored  previously  to  being  put  up  in  sacks 
and  taken  up  to  the  main  station  at  Riil. 

We  soon  found  our  way  to  Lewis'  house,  which  only 
lies  back  some  150  yards,  in  its  neat  little  compound 
surrounded  by  a  fence  of  fine  bamboo,  and  overshaded 
by  a  magnificent  grove  of  areca  and  coco-palms.  After 
dinner  some  of  the  principal  folk  of  the  district  called 
in.  Each  carried  under  his  arm  a  leaf-woven  bag  con- 
taining all  the  accessories  for  smoking  and  betel-nut 
chewing,  without  which  a  native  rarely  stirs  on  a  visit. 

It  would  have  been  an  interesting  study  for  a  painter, 
the  group  of  silent  attentive  Semitic  faces,  ebon  in  their 
blackness,  alternately  rivetted  upon  my  worthy  old 
interpreter  and  their  new  white  visitor  whom  they  scan 
as  if  to  read  his  innermost  thoughts.  Solemn  counten- 
ances light  up  bit  by  bit,  and  the  ice  of  reserve  is 
broken  up.  By  and  by  the  House  went  into  a  Com- 
mittee of  ways  and  means  and  a  rather  interesting 
session  was  held.  Guides  were  assigned  to  the  stranger, 
likewise  tellers  of  old  tales  and  teachers  of  that  strange 
hodge-podge  of  vowels  and  consonants  which  the  Yap 
folk  fondly  conceive  to  represent  articulate  speech.  The 
village    patriach    Gili-megak    was    told    off  for   duty    on 


TOMIL   TO    LAI  241 

the  reef,  and  undertook  to  provide  at  need  a  trustworthy- 
native  to  help  in  specimen-collecting.  He  received  the 
designation  of  Minister  of  the  Sea  and  Reef,  and 
chuckling,  hugged  the  title  to  himself.  His  nephew 
Fatu-mak-ini-chik  was  appointed  Minister  of  the  Woods 
and  Forests,  his  duty  being  to  teach  botany  and 
point  out  ancient  tombs  and  places  of  interest  in  the 
interior.  By  this  division  of  labour  we  gained  the 
goodwill  of  two  powerful  district  chiefs.  It  may  be 
remarked  here  that  these  very  logical  arrangements  were 
carried  out  to  the  smallest  detail  at  a  very  reasonable 
cost  without  any  grumbling  or  shirking  whatsoever,  which 
speaks  volumes  in  favour  of  certain  phases  of  Caroline 
Island  character  when  these  people  are  properly  directed 
and  treated  with  ordinary  courtesy. 

Our  plans  thus  being  set  in  train,  we  fell  to  lighter 
business,  and  I  was  soon  busily  engaged  in  writing  down 
all  manner  of  miscellaneous  and  rapidly-volunteered 
information.  Amongst  other  things,  I  learn  that  in  a 
population  of  some  12,000  there  are  at  least  eleven 
dialects,  and  the  number  of  different  ways  of  saying  No 
would  delight  a  European  diplomatist.  In  order  to  lose 
no  opportunity  for  instruction,  frequent  reference  was  made 
to  curious  native  customs,  recalling  certain  restrictions  or- 
dained in  Leviticus,  and  shadowed  forth  in  the  confessions 
of  Lady  Asenath  of  Fiji,  to  the  natives  of  which  place  the 
Yap  folk  bear  a  strong  resemblance  in  many  ways.  In 
touching  on  ancient  history,  it  turns  out  that  the  people 
of  Yap  were  both  astronomers  and  intrepid  navigators, 
extending  their  voyages  far  and  wide  over  the  great 
Caroline  Archipelago,  as  far  east  as  Fanupei  (Ponape), 
and  Kuthiu  (Kusaie),  a  distance  of  some  1300  miles. 
They  appear  to  have  put  wholesome  fear  into  the  wild 
folk  of  Anangai  (Uleai),  and  Pulawat  (Enderby  I.),  which 
latter  lies  about  160  miles  west  of  Ruk,  and  is  ap- 
parently a  regular  nest  of  Malay  pirates.  There  seems 
really  no  reason  to  doubt  the  truth  of  this  tradition  of 
Q 


242  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

former  maritime  activity  in  these  seas  in  which  the  old 
men  of  Yap  are  unanimous.  The  Ponapeans  for  their 
part  have  a  legend  about  a  being  named  Chau-  Yap, 
i.e.  King  of  Yap,  who  brought  them  the  Kava  plant. 
There  is  a  place  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ronkiti  River 
on  the  south  coast  named  Chakar-en-  Yap,  or  the  place 
where  Yap  men  landed.  Also  the  Ponapeans  have  a 
small  plantain  with  pink  flesh  and  delicate  flavour  which 
they  call  Ut-en-Yap,  or  the  Banana  that  came  from  Yap. 
A  species  of  Eugenia  they  call  Kamp-en-  Yap.  The 
word  Yap  seems  to  be  used  to  mean  anything  foreign, 
just  as  the  Pelew  folk  use  Barath  and  Malays  Barat. 
{Cf.  Sanskrit  Barata  =  India.)  These  facts  appear  to 
greatly  strengthen  the  probability  of  the  early  com- 
mercial enterprise  of  the  people  of  Yap. 

Next  morning  we  rose  about  eight.  An  hour  later 
Lewis  departed  overland  with  a  retinue  of  basket-bearing 
natives,  to  meet  his  employer  on  the  other  side,  and 
discuss  the  best  means  of  securing  the  greatest  quantity 
of  coconuts  in  the  shortest  time.  Now  this  is  the  great 
local  industry  of  Yap,  though  the  natives  are  apt  to  work 
it  rather  spasmodically.  Like  the  Northampton  cobbler 
who  declared  there  was  nothing  like  leather,  even  so 
island  traders  pin  their  faith  on  copra,  and  appear  never 
tired  of  discussing  this  apparently  inexhaustible  subject. 
The  other  day  there  was  quite  a  row  up  the  coast,  so 
keen  is  the  competition  of  the  rival  firms,  because  one 
trader  boldly  and  adroitly  secured  for  his  employer  five  or 
six  sacks  of  particularly  fine  tabu  nuts  which  had  been 
expressly  set  aside  for  his  rival.  This,  allowing  for 
shrinking  of  the  copra,  would  represent  no  very  great 
gain  to  the  supplanter,  but  the  incident  caused  a  deal 
of  talk  notwithstanding.  "  There's  no  sound  so  sweet 
to  me,"  said  one  of  these  keen  drivers  of  bargains,  "  as 
the  falling  of  a  big  ripe  coconut,  and  there's  nothing 
on  earth  like  dollars."  And  I  believe  the  practical  man 
meant  what  he  said,  every  word. 


TOMIL   TO    LAI  243 

Punctually  to  his  appointment  the  Minister  of  the  Reef 
bade  one  of  the  Pilung  or  district  chiefs  to  have  a  fofod 
or  raft  of  bamboos  ready  that  very  morning.  So  about 
mid-day  we  started  at  the  ebbing  of  the  tide,  my  attendant 
propelling  us  with  vigorous  thrusts  from  a  bamboo  pole. 
We  floated  over  beds  of  sea-grass,  stopping  every  now  and 
then  to  take  note  of  some  curious  form  of  marine  life,  or 
to  pop  some  curious  crab  or  fish  into  the  ever  ready 
alcohol-bottle.  Our  craft  was  exactly  adapted  for  expedi- 
tions in  very  shallow  water,  as  she  only  drew  some  four 
inches.  She  was  composed  of  twelve  or  thirteen  stout 
bamboos,  each  about  fifteen  feet  in  length,  lashed  rudely 
together  with  cinet  fibre,  forming  a  framework  some  five 
feet  in  breadth,  crossed  by  four  or  five  transverse  pieces  of 
hibiscus  wood.  A  packing-case  in  the  centre  served  for 
a  seat,  and  it  goes  without  saying  that  shoes  and  stockings 
were  dispensed  with,  and  the  oldest  and  rudest  garments 
donned,  for  salt  water  is  a  grievous  enemy  to  white  ducks 
and  broadcloth. 

Between  Lai  and  Gerem  is  a  large  patch  of  intensely 
yellow  sand.  We  punted  along  in  a  diagonal  direction, 
keeping  always  under  the  tail  of  the  bank.  By  and  by 
we  came  to  a  bed  of  corals,  some  foliaform,  and  some  like 
a  forest  of  minute  antlers,  with  small  blue  and  orange 
fishes  playing  in  and  out  of  the  branches.  It  was  ex- 
hilarating in  such  glorious  weather  gliding  over  strange 
waters,  splashed  by  the  sea-spray,  played  on  by  the  cool 
breezes  that  start  the  ripples  glittering  under  the  glow  of 
a  tropical  sun.  The  guide  points  out  an  old  Ponapean 
friend,  which  he  calls  a  Rimich,  a  curious  form  of  marine 
life  occupying  one  of  the  cracks  in  the  coral — a  gelatinous 
reddish  brown  creature,  stretching  out  a  forest  of  greedy 
suckers  looking  just  like  a  clump  of  water-weeds.  There 
is  also  a  yellow  variety  called  ThilthiL  One  touch  and  it 
shrinks  down  into  its  hole  like  a  jack-in-the-box,  and 
there  abides  safely  bottled  up  until  the  danger  is  past. 

We  are  now  approaching  one  of  the  stone  fish-dams  or 


244  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

weirs  used  for  entrapping  the  unwary  finny  tribes.  Neatly 
and  solidly  built  of  coral  blocks,  they  are  generally  covered 
about  a  foot  deep  at  high  tide,  and  prove  the  bane  of 
those  in  charge  of  trading  craft,  who  are  for  ever  running 
on  them  unexpectedly.  Some  are  of  considerable  an- 
tiquity. Tradition  assigns  their  origin  to  a  pupil  of  the 
fairy  goddess,  Le-gerem.  They  resemble  the  Sai  of 
Murray  Island  and  the  elaborate  structures  built  by 
early  Australian   Blackfellows  at  Brewarrina. 

The  first  one  we  came  to  was  rather  more  roughly  put 
together  than  those  we  saw  later  on.  Its  height  was 
about  3^  feet,  breadth  of  wall  about  same,  length  some 
i  5  yards. 

My  attendant  has  thoughtfully  brought  with  him  some 
pieces  of  Yub  root  in  order  to  stupefy  the  small  brilliant- 
coloured  fishes  that  lurk  amongst  the  branching  coral. 
Catching  them  with  a  fine  net  is  hopeless,  and  with  the 
fingers  all  but  impossible.  But  the  effect  of  the  Malayan 
root  is  magical  ;  the  little  victims  one  by  one  float  up  on 
their  backs  and  soon  find  their  way  into  the  alcohol 
bottle  that  gapes  for  them,  and  is  carefully  wrapped  in 
damp  rags  to  prevent  evaporation  of  the  precious  fluid 
within.  But  alas,  alcohol  will  not  preserve  their  wondrous 
hues.  In  but  too  many  cases  the  cobalt  turns  to  dull 
brown,  the  rose-pink  to  a  brick-dust,  and  the  bright 
yellow  to  a  dismal  gamboge  or  muddy  amber.  Special- 
ists now  tell  me  that  formyle  would  have  preserved  the 
colours  better — a  hint  that  may  be  useful  to  future  ex- 
plorers. But  the  specimen  hunter  must  be  guided  by 
successive  defeats  to  ultimate  victory,  and  must  often  be 
content  to  do  his  best  with  the  materials  which  lie  ready 
to  his  hand.  We  gathered  in  plenty  of  shells,  for  the 
most  part  resembling  those  of  the  Indian  Ocean,  and  one 
violet  and  brown  sea-urchin,  a  hideous  sea-spider,  a  sea- 
centipede,  and  various  quaint-looking  crabs,  amongst  them 
a  fine  specimen  of  the  Cancrejo  pintado  or  painted  crab  of 
the  Mariannes,  colours  light  blue,  red,  yellowish-brown,  and 


TOMIL   TO    LAI  245 

white.  We  caught  sight  of  a  yellow  and  black-ringed 
sea-snake  (Lilibots),  but  he  was  too  quick  for  us  Our 
last  find  was  a  large  sea-urchin,  called  O/a'a,  with  spines 
spotted  brown  and  white,  for  all  the  world  like  the  quills 
of  a  porcupine.  We  then  pushed  for  shore,  and  after  strol- 
ling along  the  beach  a  while  returned  to  the  house  where 
Juan,  Lewis'  brother-in-law,  a  bright  sensible  lad,  had  got 
dinner  ready  and  waiting.  The  afternoon  was  spent 
amongst  the  books  and  the  animals  of  Lewis'  household, 
which  included  a  curious  specimen  of  the  vampire  per- 
suasion, known  to  the  English  as  fruit-bcU,  and  to  the 
Yap  people  as  Magelao,  a  very  tame  monkey  (Chiek),  a 
nice  little  beast,  and  a  great  playmate  of  the  native  chil- 
dren, a  saffron  Thomas  cat  of  a  saturnine  and  morose 
disposition,  and  a  faithful  house-dog — hero  of  a  hundred 
fights,  and  possessed  with  the  doggy  instinct  of  continu- 
ally jumping  up  with  muddy  paws  and  soiling  spotless 
white  duck  suits.  Tommy  is  a  famous  mouser,  and  holds 
his  own  in  the  household.  Jealous  in  the  extreme  of  my 
caresses  bestowed  on  the  monkey  and  the  house-dog,  he 
falls  tooth  and  nail  upon  the  old  warrior-hound,  and 
spitefully  boxes  his  ears.  But  the  grinning,  gibbering 
and  chattering  Jacko  beats  him  out  of  the  field  in  no  time  ; 
and,  minus  some  tufts  of  fur,  Tommy  disappears  to  the 
copra  shed  to  hunt  mice,  where  you  can  hear  the  old 
fellow  growling  and  grumbling  to  himself  for  hours 
amongst  the  nuts. 

Towards  evening  Lewis  returned,  and  after  dipping 
deeply  into  Lamotrek  and  Satawal  words,  he  warned  me 
of  the  unreliable  character  of  the  natives  of  central  Caro- 
lines in  general.  "  There's  something  queer  about  those 
Pulawat  (Enderby  I.)  folk.  'Tisn't  safe  to  go  in  their 
lagoon.  They've  cut  off  several  vessels,  and  about  six 
years  ago  they  did  for  a  trader  called  Shortman,  as  well 
as  a  Portuguese  and  a  Japanese.  The  Hall  Islanders 
aren't  what  you  might  call  safe  either,  and  the  people  of 
Losap  aren't  easy  to  get  on  with.      In    1882,  at  a  place 


246  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

called  Onon,  some  way  north  of  Ruk,  the  natives  killed  a 
native  of  Dublin  called  Edward  Vowell,  with  the  object 
of  getting  his  native  wife  and  going  through  his  store. 
The  Spanish  always  promised  reparation,  but  it  never 
came.  The  fact  is,  they  won't  punish  the  beggars,  and 
the  natives  think  they  can  do  as  they  like.  Why,  it  was 
only  the  other  day  that  a  Spanish  cruiser  went  down  to 
Tol  to  punish  a  chief  who  had  murdered  a  Japanese 
trader,  with  never  a  reason  but  robbery.  Do  you  think 
they  punished  him  ?  Not  much.  He  climbs  on  board 
and  looks  round  him  as  bold  as  brass,  and  the  commander 
gives  him  a  glass  of  wine  and  a  good  dinner,  and  plenty 
to  smoke,  and  some  dollars  as  well.  If  they'd  just  hang 
a  few  of  the  chiefs  it  would  all  come  right  soon  enough. 
Now  the  Japs  wanted  the  other  day  to  buy  the  group,  and 
offered  the  Spanish  six  millions  of  dollars  for  it,  but  the 
Dons  wouldn't  deal  at  any  price.  You  may  be  sure  that 
if  the  Japs  had  the  group  there  would  be  trouble  coming 
pretty  quick  for  some  of  those  chiefs.  One  day  the 
Spanish  will  be  sorry  they  didn't  fix  the  bargain  when 
they  had  the  chance.  The  way  they  spoil  the  natives  is 
clean  against  all  reason.  A  white  man's  life  is  worth  as 
much  as  a  native's,  or  I  should  say  it  ought  to  be.  But 
if  he  isn't  a  Spaniard  they  don't  seem  to  think  so."  And 
my  host  subsides  grumbling  under  his  mosquito-bar,  and 
slumbers  undismayed  by  the  fierce  roarings  of  the  insect 
host  trumpeting  without  the  veil. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

VISIT    TO    ONOTH    AND    GOROR 

THE  day  after  the  trip  on  the  bamboo  raft  Lewis  went 
across  the  island  again  to  hunt  up  more  coconuts  for 
the  copra-shed,  and  Fatumak  the  Minister  of  the  Woods  and 
Interior  turned  up  to  take  me  down  towards  Goror  in  the 
southern  promontory,  where  he  said  I  should  find  some 
interesting  relics  of  the  olden  time.      We  started  out  on  a 
well-paved    road   bordered    by  areca    palms   and   crotons 
(Gotruk)  and   by  neat   bamboo  fences,  behind   which  lie 
picturesque  native   houses.      Passing   through   the    settle- 
ment we  plunged  into    a  maze  of  narrow  lanes  running 
between  high  embankments  crowned  thickly  with  mor  or 
dwarf  bamboo,  which  gives  quite  a  Japanese  aspect  to  the 
landscape.      The  whole  of  the   south  side   of   the    main 
island  is    seamed  with    a  network   of  these    little    roads 
frequently  paved  with  blocks  of  stone.      The  path  was  so 
narrow  that  the  feathery  stalks  of  the  bamboos  interlaced 
overhead  in  places,  but  the  way  was  quite  clear  underfoot. 
Looking  at  the  abundant  ferns  and  mosses  mantling  the 
banks  on  either  side  of  the  path  one  fancies  one's  self 
wandering  in  one  of  the  deep  green  lanes  of  Devon  or 
Somerset.     The  climbing  fern  winds  her  graceful  spirals 
round  the  stems  of  healthy  young  saplings  of  the  forest 
sprung  from  the  seeds  of  towering  parents  which  at  short 
intervals  droop  their  shadows  athwart  our  way.     We  pass 
bright  green  clusters  of  dracaena,  with  their  delicate  spikes 
of  lilac  bloom,  which  the  Yap  folk  call  Rit  or  Rich.     (Cf. 
Maori  Rito,  a  bud :  anything  green  and  fresh.)     The  path- 
way leads  uphill  behind  a  wide  valley  decidedly  marshy 
in  character,  abounding  in  jungle  and  dotted  with  clumps  of 


248  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

Butral  or  wild  ginger,  with  its  purplish-mauve  spikes  of 
bloom,  and  of  Tifif,  a  species  of  Canna  or  Indian-shot, 
which  bears  brilliant  orange  -  yellow  seeds.  The  path 
trends  downwards  over  a  little  bridge  until  we  reach  a 
paved  causeway  with  a  thriving  plantation  of  Lak  or 
water-taro  (Colocasia)  with  its  broad  arrow-headed  leaves, 
reddish  stems  and  pale  yellow  blossoms  on  our  left,  which 
recalls  upon  a  small  scale  the  magnificent  lotus-pond  in 
Tokio,  the  marvel  of  tourists,  and  the  pride  of  Japanese 
landscape  gardeners.  Here  and  there  a  lofty  banyan, 
with  its  shimmer  of  small-pointed  leaves,  looks  down  upon 
the  rich  tropical  undergrowth  of  twining  creeper  and  dense 
masses  of  fern,  amongst  which  I  discern  my  old  acquaint- 
ance the  Nase  or  Nahe  of  Southern  Polynesia.  {Cf.  Pelews 
Ngas — a  tree  fern).  We  pass  another  Lak  plantation  made 
by  the  women  of  a  slave  village  in  the  neighbourhood. 
Deep  down  it  lies  in  a  green  hollow  extending  up  the 
side  of  the  hill  in  trim  and  regular  beds  planted  out  upon 
neat  little  terraces,  banked  up  along  the  slope  in  true 
Japanese  fashion.  Those  who  question  this  may  visit  the 
Inland  Sea,  view  the  hill-slopes  there,  and  set  their  doubts 
at  rest.  Scattered  in  the  pathway  underfoot  lie  the  starry 
blossoms  of  the  Tenga-uai  or  Cerbera  lactaria,  exhaling 
a  sweet  but  heavy  and  sickly  scent.  Leaf,  bark,  and  fruit 
alike  contain  a  deadly  poison,  with  the  qualities  of  which 
both  Micronesian  and  Polynesian  are  perfectly  well 
acquainted.  In  fact,  disappointed  lovers  on  suicide  intent 
frequently  use  the  seeds,  which,  when  swallowed,  cause 
deadly  spasms,  speedily  followed,  however,  by  a  merciful 
stupor. 

A  densely-wooded  belt  runs  along  the  road  some  way. 
I  made  out  the  native  chestnut  ( Voi),  and  the  Maluek,  a 
species  of  Morinda,  closely  akin  to  the  plant  from  which 
the  Malays  and  Polynesians  alike  obtain  a  rich  yellow  dye 
— under  the  shade  of  which  the  Amaral,  a  species  of 
heavily-seeded  nettle  with  a  fiery  sting,  springs  up 
amongst    the   stones.     We    came    into   a    broad    avenue 


VISIT  TO   ONOTH    AND   GOROR  249 

flanked  by  tall  forest  trees,  conspicuous  amongst  which  is 
the  Bioutch  or  Callophyllum,  and  the  Abit,  a  curious  tree 
bearing  large  dull-green  fruit  covered  with  yellowish 
patches,  and  shaped  like  a  mango.  The  pulp  of  it  is 
very  sweet,  but  turns  bitter  on  the  palate.  Natives  relish 
it,  but  it  has  an  offensive  sickly  odour  that  nauseates  the 
European. 

Strolling  down  the  broad  way  in  the  welcome  shade,  we 
enter  the  long  straggling  village  of  Onoth,  and  come  upon 
an  ancient  burying-place.  By  the  side  of  the  road 
stretches  a  low  square  pavement  faced  on  each  side  with 
erect  stone  blocks  or  slabs  of  various  shapes  and  sizes, 
generally  about  two  feet  in  height,  most  of  them  slanting 
forward  a  little  and  tapering  at  the  end.  According  to 
Fatumak  there  are  two  words  used  in  Yap  to  denote  a 
pavement.  The  platforms  or  paved  floorings  of  houses  or 
courtyards  are  Paepae — the  very  word  used  in  a  slightly 
extended  sense  by  Southern  Polynesians.  Those  over 
graves  or  marking  the  limits  of  burial  grounds  are  called 
"  Una-pae." 

We  rested  awhile,  and  Fatumak  brought  out  betel-nut, 
leaf  and  lime  from  his  ever-ready  pouch,  without  which  no 
native  would  think  of  travelling,  any  more  than  a  Scandi- 
navian peasant  on  his  errands  to  fjord  or  sceter  would  for- 
get his  flask  of  corn-brandy.  By  and  by  Fatumak  waxes 
unexpectedly  eloquent  in  broken  English,  and  turns  out 
to  have  been  a  proteg6  of  ill-fated  Captain  Holcombe. 
Pursuing  our  way  we  passed  one  of  the  Big  Houses, 
named  Fe-Bai  or  Money- Houses,  from  the  massive  stone 
or  quartz  wheels,  the  Fe  or  native  currency,  piled  up 
against  their  sides.  The  sun  was  very  hot,  so  we  turned 
aside  from  the  road,  and  sat  down  on  the  foundation  of 
an  old  house  over-shadowed  by  a  great  Raual  tree  (the 
Kangit  of  Ponape).  Around  us  thrives  a  grove  of  areca 
palms  in  all  stages  of  growth,  and  hard  by  are  some 
thorny  brakes  of  wild  orange  (Gurgur-nu-Uap)  and  limes 
(Gurgur-morrech  or  morrets),  with  globes  of  golden   fruit 


250  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

lying  scattered  at  their  roots  thick  as  apples  in  a  Devon- 
shire orchard  at  cider  time.  A  boy,  who  met  us  on  the 
way,  and  came  along  for  curiosity,  climbed  a  coconut 
tree,  and  fetched  down  some  fine  green  nuts,  the  cool 
sweet  water  of  which,  with  the  addition  of  a  few  drops 
from  a  squeezed  lime,  made  a  most  refreshing  beverage 
after  our  hot  walk.  I  complimented  Fatumak  on  the 
neat  roads  leading  through  his  parish  and  the  surrounding 
districts,  remarking  that  we  were  fortunate  not  to  have 
made  our  journey  on  a  rainy  day.  After  heavy  showers 
one  would  think  each  of  these  narrow  lanes  running 
between  steep  embankments  must  become  a  flooded 
ravine.  It  seems  that  every  now  and  then  in  the  rainy 
season  a  regular  washaway  occurs,  upon  which  account 
the  sides  of  the  road  are  sometimes  built  or  shored  up 
with  stone  blocks.  The  neatness  of  the  numerous  roads 
intersecting  this  part  of  the  island  is  a  welcome  contrast 
to  the  miserable  forest  trails  of  Ponape,  where  axe  and 
knife  are  called  for  almost  every  minute  to  pass  any  way 
into  the  interior.  The  thick  clumps  of  bamboo  planted 
along  the  tops  of  the  Yap  embankments  doubtless  serve 
the  double  purpose  of  binding  together  the  soil  with  their 
clinging  root-fibres,  and  at  the  same  time  by  their  steady 
and  vigorous  growth  of  holding  in  check  the  everspread- 
ing  multitudes  of  weed  and  creeper.  The  Hebrew  pro- 
phet's figure  of  desolation,  "  a  lodge  in  a  garden  of  cucum- 
bers," is  expressive  indeed  to  one  who  has  viewed  and 
fought  with  the  hosts  of  the  tropical  forest.  Rudyard 
Kipling  knows  and  tells  us  what  the  Rukh  of  India  can 
do.  No  vain  words  were  those  of  Mowgli,  Child  of  the 
Jungle,  to  Hathi,  the  Wild  Elephant,  when  he  bids  him 
"  let  in  the  biish "  upon  the  settlement  of  the  unjust 
villagers,  and  blot  out  gardens,  rice-fields,  houses  and  all. 
The  Hindu,  fight  as  he  may,  but  too  often  fights  in  vain, 
but  the  sturdy  man  of  Yap  says  to  Nature,  "  Thus 
far,"  and  rolls  back  the  invading  forest  from  his  little 
domain. 


VISIT   TO   ONOTH    AND   GOROR  251 

It  is  really  pretty  to  see  some  of  the  paved  causeways 
which  are  exactly  similar  to  those  which  so  struck  Captain 
Wilson  of  the  Antelope  in  the  neighbouring  group  of  the 
Pelews.  When  the  path  takes  a  steep  gradient  uphill, 
little  flights  of  steps  ascend  it  in  true  Japanese  style,  and 
one  looks  around  instinctively  to  see  a  stone  lantern,  a 
Buddhist  image,  or  the  double  cruciform  outline  of  a 
graceful  Torii  confronting  one,  arching  the  wayside  gate- 
way of  some  woodland  shrine.  But  here  our  fancy  cheats 
us,  and  one  wanders  on  with  a  sense  of  something  lacking 
to  make  up  a  perfect  scene. 

Quitting  our  grove  of  palms  we  wend  our  way  through 
Onoth  until  we  reach  the  settlement  of  Goror,  where  we 
encounter  a  curious  old  mound  on  the  left  side  of  the 
roadway — the  site  of  the  ancient  house  of  a  chief  of  fame 
called  Tol-Riak.  Below  this  is  a  terrace,  studded  with 
upright  and  pointed  slabs  of  basalt  standing  upon  a  low 
platform  some  three  feet  above  the  path  with  pieces  of  Fe 
or  stone  wheels  leaning  against  the  side.  The  largest  of 
these  is  seven  feet  high  and  over  six  feet  across,  the 
smallest  from  a  foot  to  two  feet  in  diameter.  Facing 
this  is  a  low  flat  Paepae  or  platform,  length  some  fifty 
feet  and  some  forty  in  breadth,  faced  by  eight  erect  slabs 
of  black  stone,  each  between  five  and  six  feet  apart. 

Whilst  we  are  examining  these  odd-looking  structures 
a  tall,  well  set-up  young  man  passed  by  and  paused  to 
wish  us  good-day.  He  wore  on  his  neck  a  strikingly 
beautiful  necklace  of  oblong  scarlet  shell-beads,  fine  at 
the  ends  and  thick  in  the  centre — a  family  heirloom 
which  he  refused  to  sell  on  any  terms,  probably  looking 
upon  it  as  a  talisman.  The  natives  call  these  TJiauai, 
and  they  are  brought  up  from  the  Pelew  Islands  along 
with  the  precious  stone  and  shell  money.  After  making 
a  rough  sketch  of  Tol-Riak's  house  and  the  platforms,  we 
departed,  scrambling  over  a  stone  wall  of  aged  and  moss- 
grown  appearance,  which  forms  the  boundary  of  the 
village,  and  return  to  Lai  in  time  for  the  mid-day  meal. 


252  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

That  evening  about  eight  o'clock  Fatumak  appeared 
to  take  me  to  see  a  native  dance,  so  leaving  Lewis 
busy  at  his  accounts,  we  started  off.  About  a  quarter 
of  an  hour's  walking  brought  us  to  a  big  house  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  settlement  of  Ngiri,  where  little 
groups  of  folk  were  sitting  on  a  raised  stone  platform 
chatting  in  the  beautiful  moonlight.  Stopping  a  few 
moments  to  gossip,  we  leisurely  strolled  on  through 
the  waving  shadows  to  the  dance-house  at  the  further  end 
of  the  village,  crossing  several  gitrikitral  or  little  bridges 
of  stone  and  Thith,  or  single  felled  palm-trunks  spanning 
ravines  or  muddy  pools  which  lie  in  our  path.  These 
latter  required  some  effort  of  balance  to  negotiate  safely. 
We  found  some  forty  persons  assembled,  and  more  kept 
dropping  in  by  twos  and  threes  until  behold,  a  goodly 
company  seated  on  their  mats  spread  out  on  the  sandy 
soil.  Numbers  of  dried  coconut  shells  with  abundance 
of  dry  husk  were  being  piled  up  into  three  heaps  ready 
to  be  set  on  fire  to  illuminate  the  proceedings  at  the 
proper  moment.  A  band  of  intending  performers  are 
busy  stripping  the  leaflets  from  palm-fronds  and  twisting 
them  up  into  odd  shapes  like  horns  for  head  ornaments 
to  stick  into  their  bushy  periwigs,  producing  a  wild  and 
weird  effect  in  the  firelight  which  now  began  to  flicker. 
They  also  bind  them  like  ribands  or  fillets  round  their 
legs,  ankles  and  wrists.  At  last  a  row  of  some  twenty 
figures,  all  men,  forms  up  with  their  backs  to  the  stone 
platform,  and  a  cluster  of  small  boys  at  the  end  to  the 
left.  After  one  or  two  false  starts  the  orchestra  gets 
under  weigh.  The  line  of  dancers  is  swaying  in  rhythm 
to  a  wild  chant  pitched  in  the  dolefullest  of  minor  keys, 
clapping  their  hands  in  time,  and  slapping  their  chests 
and  thighs  at  regular  intervals  with  a  report  like  pistol- 
shots.  Some  are  garlanded  green  with  fern,  others  wear 
bead-necklaces.  Some  wear  bunches  of  flowers  stuck 
behind  their  ears  ;  all  of  them  unclothed  save  for  the 
usual  cincture  of  grass  or  leaf-filaments.    Some  wear  Roai 


VISIT   TO    ONOTH    AND    GOROR  253 

or  carven  wooden  combs — the  emblem  of  the  Pilung 
or  upper  classes,  stuck  in  front  of  their  fuzzy  chevelure 
— a  motely  assemblage.  Many  of  the  contortionists 
wear  a  slight  beard — a  thing  rarely  seen  in  Ponape, 
as  it  is  generally  eradicated  by  shell  tweezers.  The 
chants,  doubtless  full  of  poetic  fancy  and  topical,  not 
to  say  tropical,  allusion,  sound  like  a  dismal  long-drawn 
caterwaul  to  a  stranger's  ear.  Oh  for  a  phonograph 
or  graphophone  to  bottle  up  these  quaint  cacophonies, 
and  photograph  the  sound  of  each  and  every  syllable 
on  its  unerring  cylinders.  It  would  surely  create  a 
lively  impression  and  would  turn  out  the  most  sensa- 
tional miracle  yet  performed  by  a  white  visitor  to  these 
out-of-the-way  regions.  Imagine  the  horror  of  some 
good  old  heathen  at  the  uncanny  machine  all  ears  and 
voice,  giving  back  the  very  words  and  tone  of  some 
wild,  rollicking  chorus.  I'm  afraid  at  first  it  would 
prove  too  much  for  his  nerves,  though  after  a  while 
perhaps  the  mysterious  engine  might  lose  some  of  its 
terrors. 

The  bonfire  is  now  blazing  away  merrily.  Three 
large  piles  of  the  oily  shells  are  crackling,  sputtering 
and  pouring  out  on  every  side,  pungent  whiffs  and 
spurts  of  eddying  smoke  and  trains  of  hissing  sparks, 
for  the  wind  sweeps  freshly  through  the  groves  to-night. 
A  simultaneous  war-whoop  echoes  down  the  line  of 
straining  bodies,  and  the  first  part  of  the  performance 
is  over. 

The  antic  contingent  of  small  boys  who  have  been 
chiming  in  shrilly  throughout,  disperses,  melting  off 
into  the  dark  groves  beyond  like  a  troop  of  chattering 
little  monkeys. 

There  is  a  brief  interval  devoted  to  betel-nut  chewing 
and  smoking  Ligich  or  native  cigarettes,  and  shells  of 
Atchif,  sweet  coco-toddy  (the  Ati  of  the  Mortlock 
islanders),  are  handed  round. 

The    second    performance    starts    with     a    prodigious 


254  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

rhythmic  clapping  of  hands.  The  chant  rises  higher  and 
shriller,  running  up  the  scales,  and  missing  or  jumping 
several  notes  of  the  natural  sequence  in  a  manner  which 
to  a  European  ear  leaves  the  strangest  sense  of  something 
incomplete.      Are  these  folk  tone-deaf? 

The  central  figure  in  the  row  is  a  tall  burly  native 
dressed  in  the  scantiest  of  girdles,  bristling  with  dozens  of 
split  and  twisted  coconut  leaflets  disposed  like  streamers 
shimmering  and  waving  about  his  person.  The  chant 
ends  as  before  in   another  deep-throated  war-cry. 

Here  a  brisk  shower  of  rain  drives  us  indoors  for 
awhile,  but  the  unconquered  bonfire  burns  bravely  on. 

The  third  and  last  scene  resembles  a  Maori  Haka  or 
war-dance.  All  stand  up  in  line  striking  up  a  livelier 
chant  with  a  trampling  accompaniment  which  goes  faster 
and  faster  as  the  dancers  warm  to  their  work.  The 
artists  alternately  face  front  and  flank,  swaying  bodies  in 
unison,  marking  off  the  cadence  with  a  measured  stamp- 
ing. This  dance  is  named  after  that  rascally  hen-roost 
robber,  the  Galuf  or  Iguana,  a  personage  much  in  evidence 
in  local  legend — the  sinuous  turns  and  twists  and  violent 
convulsions  of  limb  interpreting  the  stealthy  and  serpentine 
movements  of  the  creature  prowling  on  its  marauding 
errands.  When  the  chanting  and  trampling  are  at  their 
highest,  a  long-drawn  triple  yell  marks  the  climax,  and 
the  figure  abruptly  ends. 

Fatumak,  sitting  close  by  on  his  mat,  puts  in  his  word. 
"  Galuf  he  one  big  thief — all  same  dog  he  eat  egg  ('  hen- 
fruit,'  sic),  he  steal  meat."  To  the  question,  "  Are  the 
Galuf  and  the  dogs  the  only  thieves  in  Yap  ?  "  my  truth- 
ful mentor  replies,  "  Plenty  Yap  man  go  steal.  First  he 
make  pray  one  god,  Luk  ;  he  help  him — other  man  no  can 
catch.  All  same  me  think  that  god  plenty  busy  all  the 
time.  Sometimes  man  he  pray — what  for  Luk  no  hear  ? 
Thief  get  punish." 

Can  the  wise  and  benevolent-looking  Fatumak  be 
thinking  of  some  youthful  escapade  that  brought  him  a 


VISIT    TO    ONOTH    AND    GOROR  255 

smarting  skin,  or  maybe  a  broken  head  ?  He  looks 
away,  and  promptly  turns  the  subject,  and  falls  to  praising 
the  skill  of  Yap  natives  in  dancing.  The  performance 
which  we  had  just  witnessed  was  very  much  the  same  as 
those  in  vogue  in  Ponape  and  the  Marquesas.  All  over 
the  Pacific  the  pastime  has  been  strongly  discountenanced 
by  zealous  missionaries  as  savouring  too  much  of  heathenish 
superstition  and  laxity.  It  is  true  that  some  of  them  have 
objectionable  features,  yet  many  of  them  are  graceful  and 
refined,  and  would  prove  a  decided  novelty  and  attraction 
in  a  London  drawing-room. 

The  night's  entertainment  is  over,  and  the  party  is 
breaking  up  and  parting  salutations  are  passing.  "  Quefel 
a  nep — mol."  "  Good  is  the  night — sleep  !  "  Followed 
by  a  shower  of  farewell  greetings  we  made  for  home, 
gliding  over  the  slippery  wooden  bridges,  striding  low 
walls  and  trunks  of  fallen  trees,  and  "padding"  through 
mud  and  over  stones — the  cicalas  shrilling  in  the  moon- 
light, and  the  palmfronds  fluttering  in  the  trade  overhead, 
and  flinging  a  thousand  waving  shadows  athwart  our 
path. 

A  few  days  later  Fatumak  and  I  determined  to  go 
across  the  island  to  Milai,  examine  the  shrubs,  trees  and 
plants,  and  collect  some  of  the  seeds  of  the  more  interesting 
of  them.  Ngiri  lay  first  on  our  way  with  its  trim  court- 
yards enclosed  by  fences  of  bamboo  and  thorny  acacia, 
and  the  inevitable  limestone,  calcite  or  arragonite  money- 
wheels  propped  up  against  the  foundations  of  the  more 
pretentious  dwellings.  Our  party  consisted  of  five  boys 
carrying  baskets,  besides  Fatumak  and  myself.  We 
crossed  numerous  little  stone  bridges,  each  composed  of  a 
single  large  flat  slab  like  those  of  China  and  Japan,  and 
before  long  arrived  at  the  structure  known  as  Fana-Mouk, 
the  great  house  of  Tanis,  a  chief  of  old,  whose  burial- 
place  lies  below.  The  lower  platform  is  about  three  feet 
above  the  ground,  with  five  Fe  or  limestone  wheels  leaning 
against  its  front,  two  of  them  supported  behind  between 


256  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

a  couple  of  upright  slabs  to  keep  them  in  place.  The 
upper  tier — four  feet  in  height — is  ornamented  by  a 
line  of  twelve  upright  pointed  slabs  of  basalt.  Above 
are  still  standing  the  rudely  carved  pillars — about  twenty 
feet  in  height — that  once  supported  the  edifice,  of  which 
a  portion  of  the  skeleton  only  is  left.  Across  the  road  to 
the  left  is  a  low  flat  evenly  paved  platform  facing  the 
larger  one.  Behind  this  is  a  flat  table  of  coral  called 
Rorou,  supported  evenly  upon  four  pieces  of  rock,  doubt- 
less for  some  superstitious  observance  of  olden  time.  (A 
similar  contrivance  is  seen  upon  the  site  of  the  Devil- 
Temple  upon  Bau  in  Fiji,  and  at  Gaua  upon  St  Maria  in 
the  Banks  group.) 

Our  survey  over  we  climbed  the  little  hill  at  the  back 
of  the  settlement,  following  a  narrow  pathway  neatly 
paved  with  level  blocks  of  stone,  then  after  going  down 
a  line  of  cane-fences  bordered  by  palms,  crotons  and  tall 
dracaenas,  we  passed  a  little  cluster  of  houses,  one  of  the 
numerous  bush  settlements  rarely  trodden  by  the  foot  of 
a  white  man.  By  the  roadside  growing  out  by  a  fence  is 
a  species  of  wild  fig,  Ote  or  Wote,  bearing  small  reddish 
rough  fruits  on  its  trunk  after  the  manner  of  the  Malay 
apple  or  Eugenia.  Yet  another  of  these  Unapei  or  queer 
stone  platforms  lies  on  our  left.  This  the  folk  call  Koyam. 
Our  way  winds  in  and  out  some  lovely  fresh  green  lanes, 
and  again  I  am  struck  with  the  luxuriance  and  beauty  of 
the  ferns,  the  Lobat,  a  delicate  species  of  Adiantum  or 
maiden-hair,  being  specially  prominent.  Then  our  road 
turns  into  a  high  causeway  running  through  a  series  of 
swamps  with  clumps  of  taro  planted  thick  amongst  the 
plashy  hollows.  The  fertility  of  the  soil  must  be  very 
great,  almost  equalling  in  richness  the  valleys  of  Tahiti. 
Abundant  signs  of  cultivation  are  seen  on  every  hand  in 
the  numerous  yam-vines  carefully  trained  and  festooned 
around  the  protecting  trunks  and  boughs  of  the  trees  that 
overshadow  their  hidden  tubers.  We  saw  on  our  way 
three  sorts   of  butterflies,  the   marsh  fritillary,  the  small 


rtrM 


VISIT   TO   ONOTH    AND   GOROR  257 

sulphur,  and  small  blue ;  of  other  winged  life,  two  or 
three  little  dark  coloured  bush-birds,  possibly  a  species 
of  Myagra  or  Fly-catcher.  Tahiti  fully  parallels  Yap 
in  the  scarcity  of  land-birds,  which  is  rather  strange, 
considering  the  far  superior  area  of  the  first-mentioned 
island.  We  passed  on  through  Petalan,  where  there  is 
a  small  Fe-Bai  or  Club  House,  and  after  climbing  another 
short  hill  stairway  we  came  to  an  ancient  cemetery  where 
we  saw  four  or  five  low  burial  platforms  occupying  the 
centre  of  an  open  square.  Around  them  were  growing 
various  shrubs  and  saplings,  amongst  them  a  sturdy 
custard-apple  tree,  which  the  Yap  natives  call  Sausau, 
and  the  Ponapeans  Chai  or  prickly  (to  which  latter  root 
the  Yap  word  "  Choi"  for  the  pandanus  or  screw  pine  is 
also  referable).  Along  our  route  we  noticed  a  variety 
of  wild  ginger  with  a  dark  red  spike  of  flowers,  the 
Ramilu  with  its  huge  long  clubbed  leaves  (the  Tong  of 
Ponape),  a  sort  of  thornless  acacia  (Gumar),  a  species  of 
paper  mulberry  (  Wapof),  a  Callophyllum,  with  pear-shaped 
fruits,  plenty  of  wild  pandanus  and  arrowroot,  and  several 
other  shrubs  and  forest  trees  well  known  to  me  in  Ponape, 
amongst  which  I  recognised  the  tree  bearing  the  valuable 
varnish-nut,  the  Adidh  or  Adid  of  Yap,  the  Ais  of  Ponape, 
the  A  set  of  the  Mortlock  Group  {P armarium  laurinuni). 

We  pass  through  numerous  plantations  of  swamp-taro, 
the  causeway  on  either  side  bordered  by  a  deep  cutting. 
We  are  drawing  near  to  Milai — Anglice,  "  The  Plantation 
or  Garden"  (Cf.  Samoan  Malae,  a  clearing,  village  green). 
It  is  well-named.  To  our  right  and  left  is  a  perfect  nursery 
of  yam-vines,  holding  fast  with  clinging  tendril,  and  spiral 
winding  stem  to  the  breadfruit  trees  that  shade  them.  As 
we  marched  down  the  central  avenue  of  the  village  amidst 
the  yapping  of  half  an  hundred  Pillis  or  yellow  dogs,  and 
the  audible  comments  of  a  dozen  or  two  idlers,  we  fancied 
at  first  there  are  two  or  three  sailing  vessels  in  harbour. 
From  a  nearer  view,  however,  we  sighted  a  big  pile  of 
stones,  bristling  with  tottering  poles,  the  "  disjecta 
R 


258  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

membra "  of  an  ancient  lodge  or  club  house,  built  on 
foundations  solid  as  Brighton  pier,  looking  down  upon 
the  tides  that  for  many  a  year  have  been  lapping  idly  at 
its  base.  The  natives  give  the  pile  the  name  of  Masisin. 
As  we  halted  on  the  beach  a  bevy  of  the  local  "  Bad  Boys  " 
pushed  forward  and  displayed  a  vast  interest  in  the  Obachai 
or  foreigner.  Patiently  I  sat  taking  notes,  with  a  crowd  of 
little  ebon  rogues  chattering  and  gibbering  around  me. 
Presently  Fatumak  dashed  in  and  administered  several 
sounding  slaps,  which  induced  the  juvenile  Hooligans  to 
withdraw  to  a  distance,  where  they  stood  hushed  in  re- 
spectful silence,  turning  up  the  whites  of  their  eyes  in 
deprecation,  like  a  fox-terrier  at  the  harsh  and  severe  voice 
of  her  chiding  master.  Fragments  of  subdued  chatter  pre- 
sently reach  us,  Felagany  felagan,  babier,  "  Scratch  away, 
scratch  away  at  paper"  ;  Machamach  tarreb-arragon,  "Magic 
all  same  "  ;  Dakori  i  tamadag,  "  I'm  not  scared  a  bit "  ; 
Kan,  kan,  tarreb-arragon  a  kan,  "  Devil,  devil,  all  same 
devil." 

In  Milai  the  Capuchin  Padres  have  a  station  whence 
no  doubt  they  exercise  much  influence  for  good  amongst 
this  simple  and  primitive  folk,  whose  nature  is  the 
strangest  medley  of  conflicting  qualities.  A  truly 
wonderful  indolence  alternates  with  equally  wonderful 
spells  of  industry.  A  very  remarkable  and  unique  scheme 
of  national  morality  balances  the  licensed  debauchery  of 
the  Big  House.  Yap  men  are  middling  honest,  yet  they 
count  in  their  Pantheon  a  patron  saint  of  Thieves.  Once 
they  were  great  navigators,  warriors,  and  astronomers. 
Now,  instead  of  taking  the  trouble  of  going  up  to  Uleai 
and  Mokomok  and  Pulawat,  they  let  their  tributaries  or 
vassals  have  the  trouble  of  the  journey  down.  Now  and 
then  they  indulge  in  a  mild  skirmish  amongst  themselves, 
generally  over  the  abduction  of  some  local  Lady  Asenath, 
or,  as  the  Japanese  would  term  it,  Geisha  girl.  The  young 
men  only  remember  astronomy  enough  to  plant  yams  by 
and  look  out  for  wet  weather,  but  the  old  men  know  the 


VISIT  TO   ONOTH    AND   GOROR  259 

ancient  names  of  the  stars  from  north  to  south  and  east 
to  west  {Cf.  list  of  Yap  star  names  and  days  of  the 
moon's  age  in  Appendix).  Altogether  the  people  of 
Yap  are  a  new  type,  full  of  interest  for  the  anthropologist. 
Their  very  virtues  are  as  illogical  as  their  vices. 

Whilst  we  were  sitting  thus  moralising  on  the  strand  of 
Milai  in  the  blazing  noontide,  one  of  the  village  chiefs 
appeared  on  the  scene.  I  gave  him  a  strong  cigar,  which, 
after  puffing  some  little  while,  he  passed  over  to  one  of 
the  small  boys,  who  fitted  the  stump  into  a  long  bamboo 
tube,  and  thus  equipped  strutted  up  and  down  the  beach, 
thrusting  out  his  little  stomach  before  him  like  a  pouter- 
pigeon. 

Fatumak  handed  some  betel-nut  to  one  curious 
youngster,  who  attempted  to  chew  his  first  quid  with 
doleful  results  to  himself  and  to  the  huge  delight  of  the 
mirthful  imps,  his  comrades. 

After  taking  a  few  more  notes  on  Yap  methods  of 
canoe-building  we  started  to  return,  passing  along  a 
smooth  stone  causeway  which  runs  about  two  miles 
parallel  with  the  sea,  under  an  avenue  of  palms  which 
leads  us  up  to  the  settlement  of  Gal  or  Kdl.  Soon  after 
leaving  Gal  we  come  to  a  road  cut  between  two  steep 
embankments  of  rich  red  soil.  This  path,  solidly  and 
evenly  paved  with  fiat  blocks  of  basalt,  leads  over  the 
little  hill-rise  down  to  the  fertile  lowlands  of  Nimiguil. 
A  little  further  on  we  came  to  a  steep  bluff  where  a  Pal 
or  house,  tabu  to  the  women,  overhangs  the  road,  built 
out  upon  a  substantial  pile  of  stones.  As  we  struck 
inland  two  of  the  Big  Houses  came  in  view  with  plenty 
of  stone  money  as  usual  piled  against  their  foundations. 
Some  of  these  must  be  very  old,  as  they  are  all  over 
cracks,  with  ferns  and  weeds  actually  growing  out  of 
them.  Propped  up  against  a  platform  on  our  left  we 
passed  a  huge  specimen  twelve  feet  in  diameter,  a  foot 
and  a  half  in  thickness,  and  the  hole  in  the  centre  two 
and   a  half  feet  across.      A   little  further  on    we  saw   a 


260  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

second  platform  on  the  right  side  of  the  road.  Leaning 
against  it  was  another  piece  of  these  cumbrous  tokens  of 
wealth  with  an  inner  circle  cut  lightly  round  the  hole 
in  the  centre.  These  mark  the  settlement  of  Ginifai.  A 
brisk  shower  of  rain  drove  us  into  the  shelter  of  the 
nearest  house.  When  the  sun  shone  out  again  we  re- 
sumed our  journey,  crossing  a  creek  by  a  bridge  of  felled 
coconut  palm  trunks.  Another  of  the  Big  Houses  was 
passed,  the  platform  below  it  faced  with  erect  basalt 
slabs,  some  inclining  to  a  conical  form,  with  the  inevitable 
wheels  of  limestone  propped  up  below  against  its  base. 
Our  path  lies  over  another  rising  bit  of  ground,  bordered 
with  Crotons  and  Dracaenas  and  bamboo  fences.  The 
morning  glory  runs  riot  in  the  brushwood,  and  here  and 
there  in  the  jungle  wave  the  feathery  tassels  of  the  Rei,  a 
sort  of  reedgrass.  There  we  noticed  an  orange-fruited 
Canna  or  Indian  shot,  and  a  great  quantity  of  wild 
pandanus  (N'er). 

We  reached  the  bush  town  of  Tabinif  on  the  top  of 
the  ridge.  Thence  the  path  trends  downhill  past  a 
large  pond  of  Lak  or  Aquatic-taro  which  is  blossoming 
out  into  large  yellowish  spathes,  the  very  image  of  one 
of  our  hothouse  arum  lilies.  We  caught  sight  of  more 
ancient  stone  platforms  considerably  overgrown  with 
weeds,  and  found  our  way  down  to  a  primitive  sort  of 
village  called  Balakong  after  a  long  tramp  along  a 
causeway  running  through  the  salt-marshes  parallel  with 
the  sea.  The  mudflats  on  either  hand  were  pitted  thickly 
with  the  holes  of  a  little  black  and  white  speckled 
crab,  each  armed  with  one  scarlet  claw  of  a  ridiculously 
disproportionate  size.  By  the  wayside  we  found  growing 
a  burr-bearing  plant  called  Kurrukur  and  a  curious 
marsh-weed,  bearing  on  its  stem  instead  of  flowers  soft 
red  spongy  caps  like  little  fungi. 

After  crossing  a  shallow  creek  bridged  with  coconut 
trunks  we  reached  the  outskirts  of  Ngiri  and  so  on  to 
Lai,    where    we     found     Lewis    still    busy    amongst    the 


VISIT   TO   ONOTH   AND   GOROR  261 

coconuts  and  trading  accounts.  A  venerable  old  man 
was  with  him,  whose  long  black  beard  streaked  with 
grey  gave  him  a  most  patriarchal  appearance.  He  was 
one  of  the  hundred  Yap  men  to  whom  the  King  of 
Korror  in  the  Pelews  gave  permission  in  1882  to 
quarry  out  the  wheel-money  from  the  limestone  rocks 
of  Kokial  in  the  neighbourhood.  His  name  was  Takabau, 
somewhat  recalling  the  name  of  Thakombau,  a  former 
monarch  of  Fiji.  From  him  I  took  some  lessons  in 
Pelew  that  very  afternoon,  and  learned  some  very  strange 
and  harsh  sounds  which  would  be  a  wonderful  addition 
to  the  stock-in-trade  of  a  travelling  conjurer-man  at  a 
country  fair.  I  subjoin  a  few  of  the  dulcet  sounds 
taken  at  random  to  give  an  idea  of  Pelew  phonesis. 
Parakarakuih  means  to  adhere  ;  Thillakuthuk  is  cement  ; 
Umbebakokle  to  go  afloat  ;  Friendship  is  Klubbakul ; 
Ancient  is  Arakwothal\  To  sleep,  Mokoivivi ;  To  bake, 
Gnulsekkle ;  Bright,  Mongulthoyok ;  Cold,  Kullakult ; 
Dark,  Milkulk ;  Dish,  Koknal ;  Ebb-tide,  Krakus ; 
Story,  Kulthakathuk ;  Foolish,  Dengarengal\  Hard, 
Tharakarak  ;  Hot,  Klald,  Kald,  Keald ;  Lobster,  Karab- 
rukkle  ;   Frog,  Thagathuk. 

Between  Pelew  lessons  and  Lewis'  Lamotrek  yarns 
and  Juan's  tales  of  the  Mariannes  time  passes  quickly, 
and   the  pencil  scampers  merrily  over  paper. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

TO    TOMIL,    LAI,    ELIK,    BY    BOAT    TO    NORTH    YAP 

IN  the  morning  Gilemegak  brought  two  bits  of  orange- 
red  rock  ,from  Elik,  and  a  peculiar  black  and  white 
banded  species  of  cray-fish  called  Tumal  (Palinurus). 
About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  embarked  on 
Lewis'  China-rigged  sailing-boat — two  men,  two  boys, 
one  Marianne  man,  Lewis  and  self.  Fatumak  we  picked 
up  at  Ngiri.  The  occasion  of  our  visit  to  the  colony 
was  the  marriage  of  Lewis'  employer  F.,  of  the  German 
firm  at  Rul.  to  a  Marianne  girl.  Now  this  calls  for 
some  little  explanation.  Traders  in  Yap  seem  to  find 
a  life  of  single  blessedness  tedious,  and  as  white  women 
in  these  parts  are  about  as  rare  as  snowflakes  in  summer, 
it  follows  that  an  alliance  more  or  less  permanent  must 
follow  with  the  daughters  of  the  soil.  But  Yap  ladies 
are  very,  very  dark,  and  by  no  means  remarkable  as 
a  rule  for  personal  charms,  so  it  is  only  rarely  that 
one  of  these  is  chosen.  Moreover,  the  Yap  papas,  with 
more  wisdom  than  one  would  have  expected  from  them, 
entertain  a  decided  objection  to  a  white  son-in-law. 
They  use  a  proverb  —  Roro  fan  roro,  wetsewets  fan 
wetsewets,  rongadu  fan  rongadu.  "  Black  to  black,  white 
to  white,  red  to  red."  All  the  rest  is  balebalean  or  folly. 
Now  note  a  beautiful  provision  of  Nature.  In  the 
Marianne  or  Ladrone  Group  some  450  miles  up  north, 
the  female  native  population  considerably  exceeds  the 
male.  There  are  in  consequence  many  marriageable 
young  girls  of  the  Chamorro  or  aboriginal  race  of  the 
groUp — a  handsome  debonnair  Malayan  people  of  light- 
brown  complexion   who  do  not  share  the  prejudices  of 

262 


TO    TOMIL,    LAI,    ELIK,    AND    NORTH    YAP     263 

the  Yap  folk  against  the  white  man.  These  Marianne 
ladies  are  supposed  to  make  excellent  housewives,  and 
in  consequence  are  much  sought  after  by  the  traders 
of  Yap.  But  remark  here  the  absence  of  those  irregular 
alliances  so  frequent  in  the  Pelew  Islands  and  the 
Eastern  Carolines.  The  Catholic  priests  set  themselves 
most  strongly  against  such  practices,  insisting  on  an 
ecclesiastical  marriage  of  the  contracting  parties.  This 
marriage,  moreover,  they  will  not  solemnise  without 
first  making  strict  inquiry  into  the  antecedents  of  the 
parties,  and  before  the  husband,  whether  Jew  or  Pro- 
testant, becomes  formally  reconciled  to  the  Catholic 
Church.  I  fear,  however,  that  many  hollow  conversions 
follow  in  consequence.  I  certainly  don't  think  the 
worthy   F.   had   any  very  deep   convictions. 

But  to  continue.  The  apparel  of  our  crew  was  of 
the  very  scantiest  description  and  would  put  a  London 
County  Council  to  headlong  rout.  The  man  at  the 
helm,  the  best  dressed  of  the  crew,  wore  a  shabby  old 
brown  hat,  an  equally  disreputable  jacket  of  blue 
dungaree  almost  dropping  to  pieces  with  age,  and  the 
narrowest  of  native  girdles  of  cloth.  The  crew  were 
dressed  in  meagre  cinctures  of  coconut  leaf  filaments 
or  beaten-out  fibres  of  hibiscus  bark.  Shirts  from  their 
rarity  are  much  prized  in  Yap,  and  trousers,  when  worn 
at  all,  are  used  as  a  sort  of  shawl,  the  legs  tightly 
knotted  in  front  and  falling  over  the  chest.  Every 
native  on  board  carries  with  him  a  basket  filled  with 
the  threefold  apparatus  for  chewing  betel.  (1)  A  stock 
of  betel-nuts  which  look  something  like  big  acorns,  the 
fruit  of  the  Areca  palm  (called  Pilg  in  India,  Pagua 
in  the  Mariannes,  Buok  in  the  Pelews,  Bu  in  Yap,  and 
Bonga  in  the  Philippines,  the  Malay  Archipelago  and 
even  in  the  Micronesian  area).  (2)  A  bundle  of  leaves 
from  a  species  of  Piper  Methysticum  (variously  called 
in  Yap  Langgil,  Thlanggil,  or  Gabui).  These  are  used 
as  an  envelope   for   the    quid,   to  which   their    pungency 


264  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

lends  an  agreeable  zest.  (3)  The  third  constituent  is 
the  lime,  the  chunam  of  the  Malays,  carried  in  a  bamboo 
tube  sometimes  covered  with  quaint  tracery  of  carved 
ornamentation. 

(The  parallel  and  connection  between  betel-nut  chewing 
and  kava-drinking  has  been  noticed  at  some  length  in 
the  description  of  kava-making  in  Ponape,  and  may  be 
of  interest  to  those  who  study  the  foodstuffs  of  native 
races.) 

The  betel-nut  chewing  grievously  blackens  the  teeth, 
reddens  the  saliva,  and  imparts  an  extra  tinge  of  carmine 
to  the  lips,  which  does  not  enhance  the  attraction  of  these 
homely  ebon  countenances. 

We  reached  Gerard's  island  of  Ngingich  about  midday, 
and  in  the  afternoon  went  ashore  to  attend  F.'s  marriage, 
and  the  feast  that  followed  it.  The  wedding  went  off  as 
such  matters  usually  do,  the  bride  painfully  shy,  the  bride- 
groom nervous  and  fidgety,  the  priest  stern  and  austere. 
No  slippers,  no  showers  of  rice,  and  no  wedding  cake. 
The  folk  who  seemed  the  merriest  were  the  Marianne 
relatives  and  the  native  servants  and  workmen,  who 
scented  goodly  pickings  to  come  from  bakehouse,  oven, 
and  store-room.  Our  host  indeed  gave  us  a  very  good 
dinner,  and  towards  evening  things  went  merrily.  Next 
morning  I  found  the  indefatigable  F.  had  risen  early,  and 
was  counting  over  a  large  number  of  empty  bottles  with 
a  thoughtful  countenance.  This  done  he  proceeded  to 
stock-taking,  entering  copious  notes  in  a  great  ledger — 
the  beau-ideal  of  a  business  man — patient,  thorough,  and 
minutely  exact  in  all  his  dealings  ;  a  bit  of  a  slow-coach, 
perhaps,  and  lacking  his  neighbour  Gerard's  brilliant 
capacity  for  native  languages,  but  for  all  that  a  fair  type 
of  the  material  from  which  Germany,  if  her  methods  were 
a  little  more  up-to-date,  could  build  up  many  a  successful 
colony  in  the  Pacific.  This  the  Godeffroys  of  Hamburg 
in  the  past  sixty  years  have  proved  beyond  question  by 
the  well-educated  and  industrious  type  of  traders  whom 


TO   TOMIL,    LAI,    ELIK,    AND    NORTH    YAP    265 

they  selected  to  represent  their  interests  in  these  out-of- 
the-way  regions.  And  this  gives  Germany  a  considerable 
advantage  over  her  trading  rivals  in  Pacific  waters.  A 
glance  at  any  of  R.  L.  Stevenson's  or  L.  Becke's  South 
Sea  sketches  and  short  tales  will  give  the  reverse  of  the 
picture,  showing  the  ungenerous  animus  felt  and  shown  by 
but  too  many  English-speaking  rivals  of  these  Germans  in 
the  wide  trading  competition  in  Pacific  lands. 

Nov.  16th. — Meeting  Mr  E.,  O'Keefe's  manager  on 
Tarrang  Island,  I  made  an  agreement  to  finish  my  work 
at  Lai  with  Lewis,  and  to  return  in  a  few  days  to  spend 
the  rest  of  my  time  in  Yap,  under  O'Keefe's  hospitable 
roof.  Then  if  I  wished  to  see  the  northern  part  of  Yap, 
where  many  interesting  ancient  remains  were  to  be  found,  a 
boat  and  crew  would  be  placed  at  my  disposal  to  take  me 
up  to  Pilau,  where  O'Keefe  had  a  station  looked  after  by  an 
intelligent  Sonsorol  boy  who  would  help  me  in  all  matters 
needful.  So  on  this  understanding  Lewis  and  I  returned 
by  sea  to  Lai,  putting  in  for  an  hour  at  the  wharf  at 
Iloech  in  order  to  set  down  Lewis'  son  and  daughter,  who 
had  to  walk  over  to  the  Catholic  school  of  Santa  Cruz, 
lying  about  two  miles  up  country  from  the  landing-place. 
The  wharf  lay  amongst  a  belt  of  white  mangroves.  It 
was  about  two  hundred  yards  long,  compactly  and  neatly 
built  of  coral  blocks.  In  Yap,  as  in  the  Pelews,  these 
structures  are  called  Kades  or  Kachers.  A  Big  House 
was  looking  down  upon  the  creek,  faced  as  usual  with  some 
limestone  wheels.  The  height  of  the  upper  and  lower 
platforms  on  which  it  stands  was  ten  feet.  The  high 
pointed  gable,  bisected  in  the  middle  by  a  ridge  projecting 
outwards  at  an  angle  at  the  end,  gave  it  a  curious  and 
striking  appearance. 

We  arrived  at  Lai  in  the  evening,  and  next  day  I  got 
Fatumak  to  fix  up  another  fofod  or  bamboo  raft  in  order 
to  go  down  to  the  islet  of  Elik,  near  Goror  Point,  Yap's 
Land's  End,  and  get  some  more  pieces  of  the  orange- 
coloured  rock.     On   our    way   down  we  examined  some 


266  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

stone  fish-weirs  near  the  Catholic  mission  station,  as  well 
as  a  mighty  terrace  built  of  basalt  and  coral  blocks 
running  a  little  way  out  into  the  shallow  water,  the 
remains  of  one  of  the  club  houses,  which,  to  judge 
from  the  loftiness  of  the  ridge-poles  with  which  it 
bristles,  must  have  been  a  very  conspicuous  object  out 
at  sea.  When  the  tide  ebbed  we  picked  up  a  good  many 
pink  and  white  spiral  shells  on  the  reef,  and  added  some 
sea-spiders  and  crabs  to  the  collection  of  marine  creatures, 
turning  over  the  blocks  of  coral  and  disturbing  a  good 
many  Goloth  or  sea-eels  (muraena)  from  their  hiding 
places.  Fatumak,  trying  to  catch  a  small  crab,  in- 
cautiously put  his  hand  into  a  deep  crack  and  was 
instantly  seized  by  the  finger  with  a  set  of  needle-like 
fangs.  With  frenzied  cries  of  "  Wei-  Wei-  Wei,"  he  danced 
wildly  around  in  the  shallow  water  with  an  enraged 
Goloth  hanging  on  tight  as  a  bull-dog,  and  his  rage  was 
not  assuaged  until  he  had  chopped  his  foe  into  little  bits 
with  a  long  knife.  The  pantomime  of  his  sufferings  was 
noticed  by  a  party  of  native  workmen  who  were  busy 
near  the  fishpen  loading  up  a  canoe  with  sea-weed  to  use 
as  a  fertiliser  for  the  local  Padre's  kitchen  garden.  In 
place  of  sympathy,  they  greeted  my  companion's  mis- 
hap with  an  unfeeling  cackle  of  laughter,  upon  which  he 
angrily  rebuked  the  gatherers  of  vegetable  refuse  for  the 
menial  nature  of  their  employment  and  their  beggarly 
appearance.  They  certainly  looked  a  remarkable  crew 
with  their  Ruatch  or  wide  hats  of  pandanus  leaf,  shaped 
exactly  like  those  of  Chinese  coolies,  whilst  their  ragged 
attire,  lean  bodies,  and  hollow,  staring  eyes,  gave  them  a 
distinctly  doleful  and  starveling  air. 

After  this  little  adventure  we  made  our  way  down  to 
Elik  and  chipped  off  the  required  geological  specimens. 
I  wanted  to  double  Goror  Point,  but  Fatumak  advised 
me  not  to  make  the  attempt  unless  in  a  stout  canoe,  for 
the  water  was  deep  under  the  tail  of  the  island,  and  there 
were  strong  currents  which  might  sweep  us  out  to  sea. 


TO   TOMIL,    LAI,    ELIK   AND    NORTH    YAP      267 

Moreover,  the  deeper  pools  in  the  lagoon  at  South  Point 
swarmed  with  sharks  (Aiong),hy  no  means  an  encouraging 
reflection  to  two  navigators  in  so  frail  a  craft  as  our 
bamboo  raft. 

On  my  return  to  Lai,  Juan,  Lewis'  Marianne  brother-in- 
law,  told  me  a  tragic  tale  from  Guam  of  the  suicide  of  two 
lovers  who  threw  themselves  from  a  cliff  overlooking  the 
Diamond  Bridge  near  Agafia.  He  also  gave  us  an  eerie  story 
of  the  apparition  of  a  spectral  white  deer  to  his  grandfather 
hunting  in  the  dusk  in  the  woods  above  Port  Luis.  The 
dog  refused  to  follow,  but  the  hunter  went  on,  and,  in  his 
eagerness  on  the  trail,  fell  over  a  precipice  and  got 
severely  shaken  and  bruised.  For  my  part,  I  tell  Juan 
that  the  best  method  of  raising  spirits  is  to  pour  them 
down  pretty  often.  According  to  Juan's  account,  this  is 
no  uncommon  trick  of  the  woodland  spirits  to  play  on 
mortal  men  who  rashly  invade  the  mountain  wilderness. 
This  superstition  answers  to  the  Bake-mono  of  Japan,  and 
to  that  of  the  Puka  of  Irish  legend,  the  keynote  of  many 
of  the  fables  of  the  land  of  Nippon.  It  seems  very 
deeply  fixed  in  human  nature,  for  we  find  the  idea 
universal.  What  first  gave  rise  to  so  singular  a  notion 
is  a  problem  that  few  would  care  to  solve  offhand. 

The  next  two  days  Lewis,  who  for  a  wonder  was  not 
chasing  after  copra,  as  if  the  trees  would  the  next  minute 
stop  bearing  for  ever,  told  me  a  great  deal  about 
Lamotrek  star  names,  which  agree  very  well  (1)  with 
some  of  their  equivalents  I  got  in  Ponape  ;  (2)  with  the 
list  collected  by  Kubary  in  the  Mortlock  Islands  ;  (3) 
with  those  I  afterwards  obtained  in  Yap  from  Lirou,  the 
chief  of  Tomil  ;  (4)  with  the  Uleai  star  names  obtained 
by  Chamisso  as  early  as  18 15.  They  illustrate  the 
intelligence,  enterprise,  and  great  astronomical  knowledge 
of  the  early  Caroline  Island  navigators,  and  agree  in  a 
marvellous  manner  from  west  to  east  of  the  group,  which, 
as  aforesaid,  embraces  over  six  hundred  islands  and  a 
total    sea    and   land   surface    of   some    1,800,000   square 


268  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

miles,  all  along  which  area  the  star  names  are  practically 
the  same.  The  curious  reader  will  see  the  Ponape,  Mort- 
lock,  Lamotrek,  Yap,  and  Uleai  star-names  and  days  of 
the  moon's  age  classified  together  in  the  Appendix. 

On  making  inquiries  about  the  interesting  subject  of 
tattooing,  which  natives  call  Eloi  or  Iloi,  it  was  found  that 
the  ceremony  was  universally  practised  and  free  to  all. 
Compare  the  Samoan  verb  Elei,  to  mark  or  stamp  the 
native  cloth  with  designs  from  the  Upeti  or  printing- 
frame,  or  again  the  root  may  be  the  Maori  Iro  (Whaka- 
iro,  to  write  or  carve).  The  Japanese  word  Iro,  colour, 
may  be  a  remote  derivative.  Taking  Taman,  a  stalwart 
native  from  Goror  district  for  an  example,  I  noticed  that 
on  his  chest  were  marked  two  large  representations  of  the 
Roai  or  Ruai,  the  native  comb  of  the  wood  of  the  white 
mangrove,  the  shape  of  which  greatly  resembles  those 
from  North  New  Guinea  and  the  Solomon  Islands  seen 
in  the  British  Museum.  Around  the  thighs  ran  a  dense 
fish-tail  ornamentation,  which,  with  the  chevron,  is  a  fre- 
quent feature  of  Yap  designs.  On  asking  whether  there 
are  any  very  aged  men  upon  Yap,  my  informant  re- 
plied that  there  was  one  in  Goror  over  a  hundred  years 
old,  by  name  Giltuk.  On  arriving  at  the  marriageable  age 
the  young  Yap  native  wears  a  cord  dyed  a  dull  red,  of  the 
baste  of  the  Kal  or  Hibiscus  tiliaceus  bark,  twisted  round 
his  loins  or  worn  around  his  neck.  Like  the  Ponapeans, 
they  use  the  bark  of  the  mangrove  as  a  colouring  agent, 
and  from  it  extract  a  yellow  or  reddish  brown  dye. 

On  the  1 9th  of  November  I  returned  laden  with  curios, 
and  took  up  my  quarters  on  Tarrang  with  Mr  E.  Cap- 
tain O'Keefe  was  still  an  absentee.  Mrs  O'Keefe,  a  Nauru 
lady  who  speaks  excellent  English,  received  me  most 
graciously,  and  set  apart  a  Sonsorol  boy  named  Matsis  to 
wait  on  me.  Naturally  his  name  soon  became  corrupted 
into  "  Matches,"  a  designation  which  sorted  well  with  his 
occasional  flashes  of  ill-humour  whenever  Mr  E.,  who  is  a 
somewhat  choleric  individual,  threatened  to  lay  him  out 


TO   TOMIL,    LAI,    ELIK   AND    NORTH   YAP      269 

with  a  "  stuffed  club  "  for  carelessness  or  slurring  over  his 
duties,  which  in  the  busiest  times  were  not  very  onerous. 

On  Sunday  I  was  staying  over  at  Gerard's  island  of 
Ningich,  so  on  Monday,  November  22nd,  the  sailing  boat 
Eugenie  turned  up  at  the  wharf  in  charge  of  Xavier,  a  half- 
caste  Portuguese,  to  take  me  and  my  belongings  up  to 
Pilau.  We  started  about  eight  o'clock  on  a  lovely  morn- 
ing with  a  pleasant  breeze,  and  leaving  Tarrang's  picturesque 
island  astern  we  ran  along  inshore  of  Tomil  and  its  border- 
ing of  mangrove  clumps.  After  many  tacks  we  got  past 
Tomil  Point,  and  cracked  on  all  sail,  calling  to  mind  E.'s 
missive,  "  Get  away  quick  from  Ningich  and  up  coast  with 
the  half-tide,  for  there  is  a  place  up  north  which  the 
vessel  can  only  get  through  at  high  tide.  Whatever 
other  stores  you  want,  you  can  get  from  Gerard's  trader, 
C.  Brugmann,  over  at  Map.  If  O'Keefe  returns  whilst 
you  are  away  we  will  send  up  a  boy  overland,  or  the 
Eugenie  shall  come  to  fetch  you  back." 

Sweeping  along  towards  Gatchepa,  one  notices  the  tall 
terra-cotta  hued  gables  of  the  club  houses  shooting  up 
between  the  clustering  masses  of  coconut  palm  clothing 
the  lowlands  in  a  waving  robe  of  tenderest  green.  Behind 
them  the  slopes,  clear  of  bush,  lead  up  to  the  crowning 
plateau  some  five  hundred  feet  above  sea  level.  The  wind 
presently  fell,  leaving  us  drifting  slowly  on  in  the  fierce 
rays  of  the  noonday  sun.  On  looking  over  the  cargo 
I  was  amazed  at  the  quantity  of  canned  goods,  beer, 
kerosene  and  tobacco  piled  up  in  the  trim  little  craft.  I 
felt  quite  like  one  of  the  novelist's  traders  starting  a  new 
station,  and  indeed  that  mode  of  life  was  really  to  be 
mine  for  a  week  or  so,  except  that  curios  and  not  copra 
were  the  objects  of  my  search.  Naturally  I  asked  some 
questions  of  the  Macao  man  to  guide  me  in  my  barter- 
ing operations.  I  found  that  the  natives  did  not  at  all 
understand  the  value  of  foreign  money.  They  seem  to 
have  no  sense  of  proportion  whatever.  When  visiting  the 
European  settlement  at  Tomil,  they  have  been   known  to 


270  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

pay  down  three  or  four  dollars  for  a  few  sticks  of  tobacco 
at  twenty-seven  to  the  pound.  On  the  other  hand,  in 
their  simplicity  they  will  tender  a  meagre  half-dollar  for  a 
musket  or  cross-cut  saw.  Nearly  all  business  there  goes 
by  barter.  Shells  of  the  pearl-oyster,  of  which  there  is  a 
large  yearly  output  from  the  Pamotus  or  Low  Archipelago, 
are  imported  from  Tahiti  at  a  moderate  rate,  and  ex- 
changed for  copra  with  the  Yap  people  at  a  very  profit- 
able rate,  the  natives  preferring  them  to  the  Yar-ni-Balao 
or  Pelew  Island  shell,  which  next  to  the  stone  money  is 
their  most  favoured  currency.  Waist-cloths  or  Lablab 
(Samoan  Lavalavd)  of  Turkey  red  for  the  young  men, 
and  blue  or  deep  yellow  for  the  old  men,  are  held  in  high 
estimation  ;  medium  sized  fish  hooks  are  also  in  demand. 
Tobacco  appears  to  be  eagerly  sought  for,  to  judge  from 
the  following  equations  : — 2  sticks  of  tobacco  =  I  large 
fowl  ;  i  stick  of  tobacco  =  I  small  fowl  ;  I  box  matches 
+  i  stick  of  tobacco  =  8  fish  of  moderate  size  ;  I  pair  of 
coarse  blue  trousers  and  I  Turkey  red  shirt  =  3  weeks' 
wages  ;  but  this  last  is  looked  on  as  rather  extravagant 
pay,  the  recipient  being  greatly  envied  for  his  stately 
trappings,  of  which  one  of  the  district  chiefs  speedily 
relieves  him. 

All  this  discussion  served  to  kill  time,  the  Eugenie 
continually  tacking  and  tacking,  losing  two  feet  to 
advance  three.  E.  had  thoughtfully  put  in  the  boat  a 
copy  of  Thackeray's  "  Virginians "  from  O'Keefe's  well- 
stocked  library.  It  seemed  very  incongruous  with  the 
surroundings,  and  vividly  recalled  to  mind  a  certain 
Christmas-tide  spent  on  Washington  Island  in  the 
North  Marquesas,  when  in  my  cottage  at  Vaipae  Bay, 
in  the  intervals  of  dictionary  -  making  and  fishing,  I 
used  to  read  "  David  Copperfield  "  and  "  Great  Expecta- 
tions," ancient  volumes  left  there  by  certain  dead  and 
gone  American  settlers.  It  is  wonderful  how  literature 
penetrates  into  this  distant  corner  of  the  world.  In  a 
boatshed  on   the  sands  of  Hana-mate  or  Deadman's  Bay 


TO    TOMIL,    LAI,    ELIK   AND    NORTH    YAP      271 

on    Hiva-Oa    I    actually    found    a    tattered    copy   of   the 
Sporting   Times. 

"  Whence  fluttered  down  this  tale  of  Town,  by  land  or 
sea  or  air  ?  How  it  came — well,  I  cannot  tell,  but  it 
was  surely  there."  Thinking  of  that  little  bit  of  pink 
paper  brought  back  in  a  moment  Ole  Brer  Rabbit,  the 
Shifter,  the  Talepitcher,  and  "  pore  old  Romano  in  the 
garb  of  old  gall  innercently  exhibited "  ;  thence  by  a 
natural  transition  the  mind  turns  to  thoughts  of  restaur- 
ants and  lunch.  It  is  high  time,  for  the  sun  overhead  is 
looking  straight  down  into  the  wells  or  pits  in  the  reef 
where  the  octopus  lurketh,  to  borrow  a  picturesque 
Samoan  metaphor  for  high  noon.  "  Ua  nofo  le  Fee  i  le 
malua,  ua  nofo-i-fee  foi  le  la."  "  The  squid  he  sitteth  in 
his  cell,  the  sun  he  sits  on  top."  All  this  while  we  have 
been  slowly  getting  up  to  the  south  end  of  Map  Island 
(so  called,  says  E.,  because  it  wants  mapping  out  again  so 
badly  after  the  incomplete  Spanish  survey).  Close  here 
is  a  village  variously  known  as  Amon,  Umin  or  Amin, 
where  there  is  a  big  stockade  which  the  local  natives  have 
erected.  They  have  a  standing  dispute  with  the  people 
of  Rekin,  one  of  the  neighbouring  settlements,  over  the 
carrying  off  of  some  Mespil  or  slave-woman.  Every  now 
and  then  an  angry  band  of  neighbours  come  up  and  try  to 
beat  the  children  of  Amon  out  of  their  lines.  First,  so  my 
informant  tells  me,  there  is  a  vast  deal  of  jabbering  between 
the  besiegers  and  besieged,  like  the  noise  of  a  monkey- 
house  in  full  chatter,  as  a  sort  of  prelude  to  serious  busi- 
ness, each  man  vying  with  his  opponent  in  the  choicest 
native  Billingsgate.  Bit  by  bit  their  feelings  are  wrought 
up,  and  finally  a  more  than  usually  brilliant  flower  of 
speech  is  the  signal  for  a  howling  fracas.  Spears  and 
stones  are  thrown,  and  rusty  muskets  of  ancient  model 
are  heard  exploding  in  the  din,  the  latter  far  more 
dangerous  to  friend  than  to  foe.  At  last  a  man  or  two 
on  either  side  is  laid  out  with  a  spear  through  his  body, 
or  felled  with  a  rap  on  the  temple  from  a  piece  of  rock 


272  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

meant  for  somebody  else,  and  carried  home  for  the 
Machamach  men  to  doctor.  The  victorious  defenders 
stand  up  mopping  and  mowing,  and  with  all  manner  of 
ridiculous  gestures  mocking  at  their  baffled  foes.  On  the 
last  occasion  the  insulting  antics  of  one  of  the  Amon 
chiefs,  thinking  himself  well  out  of  range,  so  irritated  a 
white  trader  who  had  joined  in  the  assault  out  of  pure 
deviltry,  that  he  took  careful  aim  with  his  Winchester 
and  made  the  chiefs  comb  leap  in  pieces  out  of  his  fuzzy 
periwig.  The  savage  still  capered  away,  a  glorious  mark 
against  the  sky,  and  a  second  shot  stung  him  painfully  on 
the  fleshy  part  of  the  thigh,  and  the  poor  fellow,  roaring 
like  a  bull,  straightway  leaped  down  on  the  heads  of  his 
fellows  below,  who  like  the  monks  when  the  Devil  lets  the 
squealing  lay-brother  fall  from  his  red-hot  talons  amongst 
them 

"As  they  up-gazed  in  sore  confusion 
Were  all  knocked  down  by  the  concussion." 

This  same  trader,  who  was  a  splendid  marksman,  of 
course  had  not  fired  to  kill.  I  had  met  him  already 
myself.  He  had  a  touch  of  grim  humour,  if  the  follow- 
ing tale  he  told  me  of  himself  be  true.  It  ran  thus,  and 
thus  in  turn  I  told  it  to  my  comrade  in  the  boat.  Whilst 
this  practical  joker  was  on  a  trading  expedition  up  north, 
one  of  the  district  chiefs,  an  overbearing  sort  of  man,  tried 
to  obtain  a  large  credit  with  him,  and  at  the  same  time 
beat  down  his  prices  to  nearly  zero.  Failing  in  this,  he 
threatened  him  in  a  very  insolent  manner. 

"  Thing  belong  you  all  same  belong  me.  S'pose  I  kill 
you  I  takum  quick."  "  So  that's  your  little  game,  is  it  ?  " 
coolly  observed  the  trader,  drawing  his  revolver,  "  I'll  teach 
a  darned  black  nigger  like  you  to  know  what's  what." 
Now  overhead  there  was  a  bunch  of  coconuts  dangling 
from  the  mother  tree.  Bang  went  the  first  barrel,  and 
out  squirted  a  jet  of  milk  from  the  nut  ;  a  second  and 
a  third  shot  tapping  two  others  of  the  cluster,  which  shed 


TO   TOMIL,    LAI,    ELIK   AND    NORTH   YAP      273 

their  milky  blessings  on  the  head  of  the  chief  below. 
" '  How  d'ye  like  that,'  said  the  marksman,  turning  his 
weapon  full  on  the  terrified  chief.  '  Your  head's  bigger 
and  uglier  than  a  coconut,  eh  ?  and  not  so  far  off 
neither.'  I  thought  that  nigger  would  have  dropped  for 
sheer  funk,"  ended  this  most  unpeaceful  man  of  com- 
merce, "  and  that  was  the  last  of  any  tall  talk  I  got  from 
him  or  his  people,  and  a  good  job  for  them  too." 

All  this  while  we  were  making  our  way  through  a  maze 
of  wooden  and  stone  fish-weirs  which  lie  in  the  straits 
abreast  of  the  isthmus  of  Girrigir.  Between  Walai  and 
Maki  the  canal  passage  runs  through  clumps  of  man- 
groves and  other  salt  water  brush  nearly  dry  at  low  tide 
— which  E.  had  specially  warned  us  to  reach  at  high 
water.  We  passed  a  fine  yam  plantation  on  a  hillside  on 
our  left,  grown  by  a  Walai  chief  who  is  said  to  be  a 
friendly  old  fellow,  and  a  perfect  storehouse  of  ancient 
traditions.  It  soon  became  certain  that  we  must  wait  off 
Walai  until  late  in  the  afternoon,  as  the  tide  was  falling 
fast  and  the  channel  rapidly  shallowing  down.  The  crew 
were  continually  jumping  down  and  shouldering  the 
Eugenie  over  the  shoals — but  all  in  vain,  for  at  last  we 
were  stranded  hopelessly  amongst  the  mud-banks.  As 
the  monkish  chroniclers  of  Danish  invasions  say,  "  It  is 
tedious  to  tell  how  these  matters  went."  At  last  the 
tide  rose,  and  cautiously  poling  up  some  mysterious  back- 
water or  other  we  got  into  open  water  and  sailed  down, 
reaching  the  landing  place  at  Pilau  in  the  early  dusk. 
We  found  "  Konias "  the  Sonsorol  boy  at  his  post,  who, 
directly  he  saw  us  coming,  seized  an  unhappy  fowl  by  the 
legs  and  slashed  off  its  head.  "  S'pose  no  kill  and  eat 
Yap  man  he  steal,"  serenely  remarks  the  executioner. 
"  One  moon  ago  Missa  Capen  he  send  ten  fowl.  Him 
make  plenty  sakaigligyaia  (Sonsorol  for  eggs).  Rat  he 
eatem.  Three  fowl  he  stop  now — me  no  eat.  Yap  man 
he  come  dark — stelem.  You  speak  Missa  Capen  he  no 
angry  too  much."  And  I  believe  that  the  boy,  who  had 
S 


274  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

a  great  awe  of  the  redoubtable  captain,  in  his  odd  fashion 
was  telling  the  simple  truth. 

The  Eugenie  sailed  away  and  left  me  alone  with  my  man 
Friday,  who  turned  out  an  amiable,  honest  and  intelligent 
lad,  with  a  smattering  of  English.  His  peculiar  Sonsorol 
accentuation  transforming  N's  to  R's,  and  L  to  Gl,  and 
Gy  was  a  new  philological  study  in  itself.  (It  is  seen  in 
Italian,  cf.  Egli  for  Latin  lilt.) 

Early  next  morning  I  was  awakened  by  a  prodigious  chat- 
tering. Six  or  seven  natives  were  seated  on  the  floor  of  the 
house  with  their  backs  to  the  wall,  as  if  the  place  belonged 
to  them ;  others  were  squatted  on  the  verandah,  and  others 
peeping  in  through  the  windows.  Betel-nut  chewing  was 
going  on,  and  the  air  was  thick  with  the  fumes  of  trade- 
tobacco.  My  visitors  were  evidently  making  themselves  at 
home.  Their  cool  assurance  rather  amused  me,  and  I 
determined  to  take  them  in  the  same  vein.  "  Boys,"  said 
I,  in  my  newly  acquired  Yap — which  I  have  no  doubt 
sounded  as  queer  to  them  as  their  pigeon-English  to 
us — "  the  morning  is  good  and  so  is  our  meeting.  The 
verandah  outside  is  also  good,  and  this  room  is  not  an 
oven  for  baking  meat,  or  a  smoke-house  where  fish  are 
cured.  Dead  matches  and  rubbish  are  not  meant  to  be 
thrown  on  the  floor,  and   I   pray  you   mark   my  words." 

In  reply  to  my  exhortation — not  a  word.  The  smokers 
smoked  on  placidly,  and  the  chewers  chewed  and  ex- 
pectorated by  turns  in  perfect  silence — not  a  word,  not  a 
smile  or  change  of  countenance.  "  Friends,"  said  I,  "  I 
will  make  my  meaning  clearer."  Across  the  room  I 
marched,  laid  hands  on  the  bag  that  held  the  stock  of  a 
busy  ruminator  of  betel-nut,  walked  to  the  door  and 
tossed  it  far  out  into  the  yard.  Returning  to  the  man  in 
the  corner  with  an  agreeable  smile,  "  Mr  Man — outside" 
said  I,  extending  a  hand  to  assist  him  to  his  feet,  and 
pointing  to  the  verandah.  Somewhat  sheepishly  he 
shambled  to  the  door  to  pick  up  his  property,  and 
presently  the  people  indoors,  all  on  the  broad  grin,  picked 
up  their  belongings  and  went  forth  one  by  one  cuddling 


TO    TOMIL,    LAI,    ELIK   AND    NORTH    YAP      275 

their  beloved  bags  under  arm.  "  And  now  let  us  talk," 
said  I,  as  I  followed  them  out.  "  Does  anyone  here  speak 
English  ?  "  A  handsome,  well-built  fellow  called  Gameu 
was  pushed  forward,  and  the  wellspring  of  his  knowledge 
once  tapped,  he  launched  out  into  very  passable  English. 
Now  in  the  Pacific  the  fluent  speaking  of  English  by 
natives  is  regarded  generally  as  a  danger-signal,  a  some- 
what ominous  reflection  on  the  character  of  the  white  men 
who  have  taught  them.  But  in  this  case,  at  all  events,  the 
rule  did  not  hold.  Gameu,  though  incorrigibly  lazy  at 
manual  work,  proved  neither  a  thief  nor  an  assassin,  and 
made  a  model  interpreter  to  help  out  the  meagre  English 
vocabulary  of  Konias.  After  we  had  sent  away  the  rest 
in  peace  I  set  the  two  of  them  down  to  some  solid  work, 
painfully  digging  out  the  Sonsorol  and  Yap  equivalents  of 
English  words. 

On  his  departure,  Gameu,  the  teacher  of  dreadful 
jargon,  assured  me  solemnly  several  times  he  and  two  or 
three  others  would  be  round  early  next  morning  with  a 
canoe  to  take  me  to  visit  Captain  Brugmann  at  Ramung 
over  the  water.  The  more  stress  he  laid  on  his  certainty 
to  turn  up  in  good  time,  the  more  certain  I  felt  that  he 
would  turn  up  late.  "  Now,  be  off  with  you,  make  a 
move,"  cried  I  at  last,  "  or  I  shall  know  that  you  don't 
mean  to  come  at  all." 

Away  went  Gameu,  and  I  lay  down,  but  not,  alas,  to 
sleep,  haunted  by  legions  of  words  of  the  direst  cacophony 
which  have  been  assaulting  my  ears  for  the  last  two 
hours.  I  lay  down,  only  to  rise  by  and  by  and  wrestle 
anew  with  several  Spanish  vocabularies  of  the  various 
Philippine  Island  dialects,  in  which  important  native  key- 
words are  conspicuous  by  their  absence,  and  in  their 
stead  any  number  of  Spanish  words  masquerading  in 
very  odd  native  guise — and,  shade  of  Sancho  Panza  ! — 
what  a  motley  assemblage  of  proverbs  dragged  in  head 
and  shoulders  !  Part  of  these  precious  philological 
documents  consist  of  dialogues  in  Spanish  and  native, 
written    in    a    vein    of    owl-like    solemnity,    occasionally 


276  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

relieved  by  touches  of  unconscious  humour.  "  Why 
haven't  you  taken  part  in  preparation  for  the  Church 
festival  ?  "  sternly  demands  the  village  priest  of  some  poor 
ignorant  Filipino  peasant.  "  Because,  your  reverence,  I 
had  my  own  work  and  lots  of  household  affairs  to  look 
after,"  says  the  villager.  "  Don't  dare  to  tell  me  such  a 
thing,"  replies  the  austere  pastor.  "If  you  had  been  a 
good  Christian  you  could  have  found  time  for  it  all.  You 
are  an  idle  rogue,  hardly  better  than  a  thief." 

Under  the  heading  "Justice  "  may  also  be  seen  some- 
thing startling  to  those  unused  to  the  summary  fashion  of 
Spanish  provincial  rule.  "  What  did  you  hit  the  man 
for  ?  "  says  judge  to  prisoner  in  an  assault  case.  "  I 
never  hit  him  at  all,  your  worship,"  says  the  prisoner, 
"  and  I  protest  before  all  the  saints  in  heaven  that  I  am 
telling  the  truth."  "  Captain,"  says  the  judge  to  his 
subordinate,  without  troubling  to  inquire  any  further, 
"  give  the  prisoner  twenty  lashes,  and  to  jail  with  him." 
And  the  Spaniards  feel  deeply  hurt  at  the  ingratitude  of 
these  rebellious  Filipinos,  who  presume  to  be  discon- 
tented under  such  a  just  and  liberal  rule.  However,  the 
Filipinos  nowadays  don't  even  seem  contented  with 
American  rule.      I   wonder  why. 

A    stanza   from  a  late   Manilla  Diario  flits  across  my 
memory  as  I  struggle  through  these  curious  monuments 
of  priestly  industry,  which  may  be  freely  translated 
El  salvaje  del  bosque  inculto,     The  savage  of  the  uncultured 

wood 
Odio  el  progreso,  la  Luz,  Our  just  rule  hath  not  un- 

derstood, 
V6  indifferente  la  Cruz  He  looks  indifferent  on  the 

Cross, 
Deja-lo    en    la   bosque    Es-      And    darkling    counts     the 
pafia.  Light  no  loss  ; 

The      uncultured,      culture 

deems  no  gain, 
To   his    wild    woods    leave 
him  then,  O  Spain. 


TO   TOMIL,    LAI,    ELIK   AND    NORTH    YAP      277 

Another  gem  in  Spanish  and  Bicol. 

A  tete-a-tete  Dinner. 
Scene  :   A  VILLAGE  INN.      Enter  Padre  and  boy. 

Boy. — I  am  hungry. 

Padre. — We  shall  presently  dine,  but  there  must  be  no 
extravagance.      What  here  !  ho  !  [Enter  servant. 

Servant. — Will  it  please  you  to  eat,  sirs  ?  Will  you 
have  meat  or  fish  ? 

Padre. — Whichever  you  have  handy.  {Fish  is  brought 
in.) 

{At  dinner.)  The  Padre  speaks  a  la  Mr  Barlow.  "  I 
knew  a  boy  called  Juan.  He  thought  he  could  swim  ; 
he  went  to  bathe  in  the  big  river,  but  the  current  carried 
him  away,  and  the  fishes  ate  his  body.  Boy  starts  up, 
flings  his  portion  out  of  the  window,  then  with  intense 
pathos,  "  Henceforth  I  taste  no  fish." 

[Exit  boy  tragically,  Padre  left  feeding  alone. ,] 

And  then,  thank  goodness,  my  dinner  comes.  Unlike 
the  trusting  pupil,  I  do  not  allow  his  master's  shocking 
tale  to  come  between  me  and  my  dish  of  baked  leather- 
jacket  fish,  flanked  with  a  regiment  of  eggs,  which  Konias 
has  ranged  on  the  table  like  shot  in  a  pile,  and  nearly  as 
hard  too,  for  he  has  industriously  boiled  them  for  the 
last  three  quarters  of  an  hour  in  his  anxiety  to  please. 

After  dinner,  more  proverbs,  more  tedious  dialogue, 
more  ineffectual  search  for  plain,  honest,  sensible  keywords 
in  these  odd  little  pamphlets,  for  which  the  lay  author 
in  Spain  receives  a  medal  or  decoration.  In  practical 
England,  dreadful  to  reflect  on,  the  poor  fellow  might 
be  taken  seriously  by  some  fierce  critic,  who  would  fall 
upon  him  tooth  and  nail,  and  in  return  for  his  precious 
pearls  of  knowledge  rend  him  piecemeal. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

STAY    IN    PILAU,    FOLK-LORE,    LEGEND    OF    FLOOD, 
AND    THE    TABU    SYSTEM 

NEXT  morning  no  Gameu,  no  canoe,  as  I  expected. 
The  rogue  turned  up  at  last  about  one  o'clock,  in 
the  full  blaze  of  one  of  the  hottest  suns  I  ever  faced,  with 
the  excuse  that  there  was  a  great  feast  overnight  at  the 
club  house,  and  that  being  much  sought  after  for  his 
elegance  and  skill  in  dancing  he  had  been  kept  up  late. 
Coconut  toddy,  he  said,  had  flowed  freely,  also  a  Manilla 
man  had  sold  them  many  bottles  of  red  wine,  of  which 
not  one  was  left.  So  invoking  anything  but  a  blessing 
on  native  shiftlessness  and  unpunctuality  I  gave  the  word 
to  start,  and  under  the  propulsion  of  five  stout  bamboo 
poles  the  canoe  was  soon  urged  up  to  the  wharf  of  Maneu, 
with  a  banana  patch  in  the  background  shading  off  into 
dense  forest,  whilst  here  and  there  the  little  clearing  is 
dotted  with  clumps  of  the  Mor,  a  small  species  of  bamboo, 
and  the  Utel,  a  tall  graceful  species  of  reed-grass  bearing 
feathery  tufts  of  blossom  like  the  flowers  of  the  sugar 
cane.  Here  we  take  on  board  a  sack  or  two  of  coconuts, 
fully  ripe  for  copra  making.  For  as  Gameu  says  very 
truly,  "  It  is  not  good  to  call  on  a  white  man  empty- 
handed." 

We  passed  a  double  fish-weir,  the  inner  one  of  stone, 
the  other  one  of  cane.  Such  structures,  as  before  men- 
tioned, are  very  common  around  the  shores  of  Yap. 
Many  a  boat  has  come  to  grief  over  these  on  dark  nights, 
when  the  man  at  the  helm  has  been  indulging  in  forty 
winks  or  forty  drinks,  as  the  case  may  be.  Many  of  the 
weirs  are  in  a  very  dilapidated  condition,  and  long  past 
378 


STAY    IN    PILAU  279 

use,  but  still  they  lie  round  blocking  up  the  water-ways — 
a  standing  menace  to  traffic.  Whilst  we  were  painfully 
feeling  our  way  along  through  the  labyrinth,  I  remembered 
a  tale  Lewis  told  me  down  at  Lai  of  an  accident  he  had 
over  one  of  these  structures.  He  was  in  charge  of  a  boat 
heavily  laden  with  copra  and  a  trifle  late  for  his  rendez- 
vous, and,  weary  of  perpetual  tacking  and  tacking,  had 
vowed  to  charge  the  very  next  cane  weir  that  came  in  his 
path,  cracking  on  all  canvas  and  flying  straight  before  the 
wind  to  Rul  with  half  a  gale  behind  him.  Somewhere  off 
Iloech  a  stoutly-built  cane  weir  showed  up  clearly  in  the 
moonlight  right  ahead.  A  fine  breeze  was  blowing,  and 
the  boat  was  slipping  through  the  water  as  fast  as  two 
broad  China-rigged  sails  could  take  her.  "  Straight 
ahead  !  Let  her  go  for  all  she's  worth,"  yelled  the  excit- 
able skipper.  "  I'll  learn  the  niggers  here  to  be  filling  up 
all  the  bay  with  their  blamed  fish-traps."  And  the  boys 
on  board,  who  were  not  Iloech  men,  grinned  with  delight 
at  the  coming  smash.  They  hadn't  long  to  wait.  The 
boat  held  on  at  full  speed,  and  with  a  mighty  impetus 
crashed  clean  through  the  light  cane-work  of  the  hated 
enclosure,  but,  alas,  the  stout  coconut  strengthening-piece 
or  cross-bar  on  the  top  proved  of  sterner  stuff.  A  smash- 
ing sound,  a  snapping  of  guy  ropes,  a  rustle  of  falling 
canvas,  and  bang  came  a  stunning  crack  over  the  head  of 
the  captain,  causing  dozens  of  bright  fitful  stars  to  dance 
before  his  vision.  The  rude  shock  had  snapped  off  the 
mast  like  a  carrot,  and  brought  yard,  sail  and  all  thunder- 
ing down  in  one  disastrous  topplement.  The  poor  old 
skipper  fairly  surpassed  himself  on  this  occasion,  and  there 
ensued  one  of  the  most  brilliant  displays  of  verbal  pyro- 
technics ever  shown  on  salt  water.  The  native  crew 
grinned  from  ear  to  ear,  as  black  fellows  generally  do 
when  there  is  damage  done  or  somebody  badly  hurt,  and 
chortled  away  merrily  at  the  excellent  joke,  until  the 
injured  man  felt  sufficiently  recovered  to  stumble  forward 
and  take  a  hand  in  the  game  with  a  belaying  pin. 


280  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

In  future  the  valiant  Cambrian  will  doubtless  leave 
his  neighbour's  landmark  severely  alone,  and  will  think 
twice  before  he  will  test  the  resisting  power  of  mast 
and  tackle  against  stout  logs  on  the  top  of  light  cane 
fences. 

Proceeding  leisurely  onward  we  came  to  the  landing 
place  of  Talangeth,  at  the  back  of  which  there  is  a 
piscina  or  fish-pond  (Maot,  cf.  Samoan  Maota  —  a 
building)  where  young  fish  are  put  in  to  await  develop- 
ment— a  sensible  piece  of  native  foresight.  Here  we 
picked  up  a  few  more  nuts,  and  we  started  off  once 
more.  A  little  further  on  lay  Tabok,  where  we  laid 
in  a  supply  of  green  drinking  nuts.  Yet  another  stone 
weir  passed  and  we  reached  Malaf,  which  lies  on  the  end 
of  Map  Island  over  against  Captain  B.'s  place  across  the 
straits  at  Tan-ne-Erouach  —  the  land  of  Departed  Heroes. 
Here  was  a  great  heap  of  stones  surmounted  by  tall  poles, 
the  relics  of  an  ancient  Big  House.  In  the  middle  of 
the  channel,  between  the  two  islands,  stretches  a  zigzag 
series  of  stone  weirs,1  and  very  solidly  constructed,  built 
so  that  the  tops  emerge  two  or  three  feet  at  low  tides  ; 
at  high  tides  the  water  covers  them  about  three  feet 
deep.  Under  the  lee  of  these  we  cautiously  waded 
over,  getting  pretty  well  drenched  on  our  way  from 
slipping  into  holes,  but  under  a  tropical  sun  nobody 
minds  these  little  mishaps.  The  straits  here  would  be 
some  300  yards  across,  and  the  fish-pens  are  said 
to  be  of  great  antiquity.  Reaching  the  wharf  we  as- 
cended a  steep  flight  of  steps  cut  out  of  the  hillside, 
on  top  of  which  stands  the  little  trading  station.  The 
slope  was  planted  with  young  coconut  trees,  and  the 
plateau  above  dotted  with  wild  pandanus  trees  {Choi), 
some  of  them  in  flower  to  judge  from  the  sweet  scent 
floating  down  on  the  light  breezes  like  the  smell  of  a 
field  of  beans  in  blossom. 

Two    or   three   native    huts    and    a    boatshed   adjoined 

1  Vide  illustration  in  The  Geographical  Journal,  February  number,  1899. 


FOLK-LORE  281 

the  wharf,  the  only  living  being  around  being  a  melan- 
choly old  greybeard,  superintending  with  languid  in- 
terest the  boiling  of  some  sweet  potatoes  in  an  iron 
pot  over  a  fire  of  driftwood.  We  found  B.  at  home, 
one  of  the  sober,  thrifty  and  industrious  traders  of  the 
new  school,  and  a  hospitable  welcome  he  gave  us, 
readily  undertaking  to  point  out  all  places  of  note. 
That  afternoon  and  evening  it  was  interesting  to  hear 
his  pithy  descriptions  of  native  customs  and  modes  of 
life,  for  ascertaining  which  his  knowledge  of  the  language 
qualified  him  so  well.  I  ■  obtained  from  him  some 
account  of  the  inner  life  of  the  Yap  people,  and  from 
an  old  chief,  Toluk  of  Omin,  the  Yap  version  of  the  flood. 
"  Long,  long  ago,  the  island  of  Ramung,  now  separated 
by  the  channel  we  see  before  us,  was  one  with  the 
mainland.  The  land  was  filled  with  inhabitants,  plenti- 
ful as  ants.  Alok,  near  Akau  on  the  west  side,  and 
Tomil  district  overlooking  the  eastern  harbour  on  the 
other  side,  were  the  principal  settlements.  Now  the 
great  God  Yalafath  abode  in  the  sky  looking  peacefully 
down  on  the  labours  and  pleasures  of  his  people.  One 
of  his  wives  bore  him  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter. 
(The  name  of  the  wife  is  given  variously  as  Mui-Bab 
or  Mui-Wap.)  The  heavenly  children  used  to  come 
down  to  see  the  village  festivals  holden  at  Alok,  and 
other  fairy  folk  from  the  skies  would  come  down  too 
to  view  the  scene  of  dancing  and  revelry.  For  Yap 
men — complacently  murmurs  the  old  man — were  and 
are  the  best  fighters  and  dancers  in  the  Sea  of  Islands, 
and  the  people  of  Alok  were  the  best  in  Yap.  More- 
over, the  young  men  were  of  gallant  and  stalwart 
bearing,  graceful  of  form  and  goodly  to  look  upon 
when  garlanded  green,  dressed  out  in  yellow  leaf-girdles, 
wearing  shell  earrings,  necklaces  strung  with  red  stones, 
or  with  the  scarlet  seeds  of  the  pandan  tree,  their  smooth 
skins  shining  with  turmeric  and  scented  oil.  Now  it 
came  to  pass   that  one  of  these   fairies   took   a   fancy  to 


282  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

a  handsome  young  man  called  Maralok,  and  after  the 
briefest  of  courtships,  agreed  to  cast  in  her  lot  with 
his  for  a  while,  as  long  as  the  two  parties  were  agreeable. 
Accordingly  the  fond  pair  eloped.  The  other  visiting 
bevy  of  fays  went  back  to  the  skies  and  said  all  manner 
of  unkind  things.  When  Loth,  the  fairy  mother,  heard 
that  her  daughter  had  condescended  to  the  love  of  a 
mortal  man,  she  was  very  wroth,  and  appeared  to  the 
newly-wedded  wife  in  a  vision.  The  offended  mamma 
said  she  would  descend  to  Bulual  in  Ramung  in  seven 
days,  and  bade  her  erring  daughter  meet  her  there  and 
give  some  account  of  her  doings  and  pay  penance. 
After  this  she  would  receive  miraculous  powers  and 
her  mother's  forgiveness.  But  the  old  fairy  mother 
dealt  subtly,   for  well   she   knew   what   she  would   do. 

The  son  of  earth  and  daughter  of  the  skies  were  going 
along  on  the  appointed  day,  when  behold  !  the  sea  rose 
suddenly  and  swamped  the  lowlands.  In  fear,  mortal 
husband  and  fairy  wife  turned  back  to  flee  to  the  hills  of 
Tomil.  Ere  they  could  reach  this  refuge  the  angry  waters 
swept  away  Maralok  to  death.  The  woman  reached  Tomil 
in  safety,  and  satisfied  with  their  prey,  the  waves  were 
stayed.  In  the  form  of  an  old  woman,  Loth  the  Fairy 
Mother  appeared  to  her  daughter,  and  the  two  dwelt 
awhile  together  in  a  cavern  underground,  shunning  the 
sights  and  sounds  of  mortal  man.  They  made  them- 
selves wings  to  escape  to  the  shining  regions  above,  but 
even  as  they  sat  in  the  sunlight  pluming  themselves  for 
flight,  people  from  Damachui  saw  them  and  snared  them 
in  a  great  net  (Chau),  like  butterflies.  They  were  assigned 
to  Igereng,  one  of  the  Pilung  or  aristocracy  of  Tomil,  who 
determined  to  marry  the  two,  mother  and  daughter.  A 
feast  was  held,  and  the  people  brought  plenty  of  coco- 
nuts and  all  manner  of  food,  which  the  land  produced 
abundantly.  The  two  fairies  fell  to  and  polished  off  the 
heap  of  food  in  quick  time,  devouring  coconut  after  coco- 
nut, husk,  shell,  and  all,  continually  calling  for  more  and 


FOLK-LORE  283 

more.  All  stood  aghast  at  the  marvellous  sight.  At 
length  Igereng,  fearing  a  famine  in  the  land  from  such 
voracious  appetites,  was  fain  to  cry  hold  !  enough  !  After 
a  while,  the  fairies,  finding  the  pangs  of  hunger  insup- 
portable, turned  themselves  into  rats,  and  went  up 
stealthily  night  after  night  to  the  hill-terraces,  and  helped 
themselves  liberally  to  sweet  potatoes,  sugar-cane  and 
yams,  causing  sad  devastation  in  each  plantation.  One 
night  a  man  on  watch  surprised  the  trespassers,  hurled  a 
heavy  stone  with  deadly  aim,  and  there  lay  quivering  the 
body  of  an  enormous  rat — far,  far  bigger  than  any  dog 
or  cat — says  the  veracious  narrator.  The  gluttony  of 
Loth  the  Fairy  Mother  had  brought  her  thither  once  too 
often.  The  daughter  returned  in  anger  and  told  her 
husband  that  in  seven  days  the  vengeance  of  Loth  would 
bring  a  high  flood-tide  to  overwhelm  the  land.  Meanwhile 
she  counselled  him  to  build  a  house  on  top  of  the  highest 
hill  to  which  they  could  withdraw,  and  bring  with  him 
some  magic  herbs  with  which  certain  rites  or  incantations 
were  to  be  performed,  which  might  avail  against  the 
inundation.  He  obeyed,  and  the  two  fell  to  practising 
spells  and  exorcisms.  The  wife  looking  out  to  sea  at 
dawn  of  the  fatal  day  exclaimed,  "  Behold  the  wrath  of 
Loth."  A  typhoon  was  coming,  sweeping  down  out  of 
the  north,  bringing  with  it  a  terrible  tidal-wave.  It  burst 
over  the  land.  Nearly  all  Yap  was  covered  under  the 
raging  flood,  and  all  the  people  perished  save  one,  a  slave 
man  in  Unean,  and  the  prudent  couple.  When  the  waters 
fell  the  Unean  man  looking  southward  saw  the  lowlands 
of  Nimiguil  emerging  from  the  waste  of  waters.  He  went 
down  upon  the  newly-risen  flats,  stuck  a  bamboo-pole  fast 
into  a  crevice  of  the  reef  in  token  of  possession,  and  went 
his  way  to  see  if  any  others  were  alive.  Presently  he  met 
Igereng  and  his  wife,  and  though  a  slave  himself,  claimed 
from  them  the  lands  of  Nimiguil,  showing  the  bamboo 
landmark  in  token  of  his  right.  And  this  is  the  reason 
why  Nimiguil   folk  hold  their  lands  by  tenure  of  labour 


284  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

and  military  service  to  the  chiefs  of  Tomil.  As  the 
narrator  puts  it  crisply,  "  Tomil  chief  want  work  he  speak. 
Nimiguil  man  he  go  quick.  Tomil  man  make  feast. 
Nimiguil   man  he  fetch  food." 

After  this  two  children  were  born  to  Igereng.  The 
mother  one  day  fell  ill  and  desired  to  be  buried — whether 
alive  or  dead,  the  narrative  did  not  say.  She  strictly 
charged  the  children  to  dig  her  up  again  after  three  days, 
promising  great  and  wonderful  advantages  if  they  were 
obedient.  But  the  boy  and  girl  behaved  just  like  all  other 
thoughtless  children  left  to  themselves  with  nobody  to  look 
after  them.  They  ran  wild  all  over  the  country-side, 
getting  into  all  manner  of  mischief,  tweaking  the  tails  of 
the  Iguanas,  and  teasing  the  animals  and  birds.  At  last 
when  they  did  remember  to  dig  up  the  old  lady  she  was 
stiff  and  dead,  and  the  house  of  Igereng  had  lost  its 
promised  blessings.  The  story  doesn't  say  what  Papa 
Igereng  did  to  the  truants  or  why  he  didn't  dig  her  up 
himself  instead.  Probably,  as  savage  as  well  as  some 
civilised  papas  do,  he  took  the  matter  coolly,  and  con- 
soled himself  in  due  time  with  a  less  exacting  mortal  wife, 
and  here  Igereng  passes  out  of  the  story. 

Now  the  great  spirit  Yalafath,  who  sits  musing  in  the 
sky,  and  takes  a  fatherly  interest  in  the  land  of  Yap, 
spake  one  day  to  his  wife  Mui-Bab,  and  said,  "  I  would 
know  if  the  flood  has  destroyed  the  land  as  they  tell  me, 
and  if  any  of  the  people  has  escaped  death.  Go  down  and 
see.  Return  and  tell  me."  And  the  goddess  shot  from  the 
skies  in  the  form  of  an  albatross  or,  as  some  say,  a  frigate- 
bird,  lighting  on  Tomil.  And  she  saw  how  few  were  left 
to  till  the  land  now  barren  of  food-bearing  plants.  Swiftly 
returning,  she  told  Yalafath,  the  Giver  of  Good,  of  the 
hapless  state  of  the  people.  And  he  sent  down  to  nourish 
them  the  areca  palm  (Bti),  the  betel  pepper  (Gabui  or 
Kavui),  the  banana  {Pau),  the  plantains  (Irinim  and 
Tengera),  the  yams  (Do/,  Dok,  Dal),  and  the  water-taro 
(Lak). 


FOLK-LORE  285 

Therefore  to  this  day,  when  they  see  the  frigate-bird  in 
the  land  of  Tomil,  they  say,  "  Lo,  the  sacred  messenger 
of  the  mercy  of  Yalafath,  Lord  of  the  skies." 

Now  the  compassionate  goddess,  seeing  the  land 
again  fruitful  and  fit  for  habitation,  called  eight  Kan  or 
Genii  into  existence — one  female  and  seven  male.  The 
female  {Ngut)  went  to  Maki  in  the  north,  one  of  the 
males  ( Yangalap)  to  Gochepa  on  the  north-east,  another 
(Toma)  to  Omin,  another  to  Gilifith,  another  (Ath)  to 
Goror  in  Nimiguil,  the  extreme  south  point  of  the  island. 
The  fifth  went  to  Akau  and  the  sixth  to  Obogol.  The 
seventh  abode  with  Mui-Bab  in  Tomil,  who  created  wives 
for  them  by  the  exercise  of  her  magic  will.  And  these 
are  the  generations  of  the  children  of  Yap. 

There  appear  several  familiar  threads  woven  into  the 
fabric  of  this  crude,  savage  legend.  The  rather  childish 
version  of  the  origin  of  the  flood  is  nevertheless  a  new 
and  naive  contribution  to  the  huge  masses  of  tradition  on 
this  point,  rescued  from  oblivion  in  different  parts  of  the 
world. 

1.  The  coming  down  of  the  fairy  beings  to  earth  is  the 
reflex  version  of  the  account  in  Genesis  (c.  vi.  v.  2). 

2.  The  period  of  seven  days  is  a  common  Semitic  cycle. 

3.  The  device  of  the  fairies  changing  themselves  into 
rats  reads  like  a  Japanese  Bake-mono  tale,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  use  of  the  word  Machamach  to  signify  magic,  which 
answers  exactly  to  Japanese  Maji  or  Machi,  enchantment, 
witchcraft,  and  more  strangely  still  to  the  Araucanian 
Machi,  a  medicine  man  or  diviner. 

4.  Not  less  striking  is  the  part  taken  by  the  celestial 
messenger,  the  albatross.  Similar,  but  not  quite  the  same, 
is  the  duty  assigned  to  the  humming-bird  in  the  Mexican 
legend,  and  to  the  raven  and  the  dove  in  the  ancient 
Chaldean  and  Hebrew  traditions. 

5.  The  burying  and  digging  up  of  the  mother  to  obtain 
certain  prospective  blessings  by  her  children  calls  to  mind 
a  legend  of  Rarotonga  concerning  the  origin  of  Pigs  told 


286  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

by  the  Rev.  Wyatt-Gill,  and  the  Ponapean  story  of  the 
burying  of  Kaneki  the  Leper,  from  whose  poor  corpse 
grew  up  the  Coconut  Palm. 

Lirou  of  Tomil  subsequently  gave  me  a  Southern  Yap 
version,  slightly  different,  but  in  most  particulars  harmon- 
ising very  well.  He  gives  the  name  of  the  fairy  who 
came  down  to  see  the  dances  at  Alok  as  Legerem,  and 
that  of  her  husband  as  Mar-alau.  The  name  of  the  Fairy 
Mother  is  variously  given  as  Mithigom  or  Michigam.  His 
account  of  the  flight  and  pursuit  is  interesting  in  its 
minuteness  of  detail.  "  The  goddess,  chasing  them  on 
the  wings  of  the  storm,  tried  to  seize  them  in  her  talons, 
but  only  tore  away  the  island  of  Ramung.  At  the  second 
attempt  she  grasped  the  tract  of  land  occupied  by  Map 
Island.  This  too  she  rent  away.  The  third  time  she 
succeeded,  but  in  her  eagerness  nearly  tore  away  another 
island,  the  western  and  eastern  portions  of  the  main  island 
being  only  left  hanging  together  by  the  narrow  isthmus 
or  neck  of  land  at  Girigir.  Mar-alau  is  drowned  in  the 
welter  of  winds  and  waters  ;  Fairy  Mother  and  daughter 
hide  in  a  cave  ;  Legerem  is  captured  by  Igereng  of  Tomil 
(whom  Lirou,  with  the  varying  southern  tribal  phonesis, 
styles  Eriguk  or  Egeruk) ;  but  the  Fairy  Mother  is  too 
wily  for  her  pursuers  and  escapes,  promising,  however,  to 
visit  her  daughter  in  seven  days  and  bring  blessings  and 
not  curses  upon  her  new  marriage.  True  to  her  word  she 
appears,  levels  and  builds  the  stone  wharf  called  Ochongol 
running  from  Dagut  to  Tomil,  and  plants  all  the  roads 
around  with  avenues  of  the  Kel  or  native  almond.  The 
voracity  of  Michigam,  her  raids  on  the  plantations  in  the 
form  of  a  rat,  her  ignominious  death  in  a  trap,  and  the 
flood  that  follows  in  seven  days,  agree  closely  with  the 
northern  version  given  by  Toluk.  The  name  of  the  sur- 
vivor from  Unean,  who  had  escaped  by  climbing  a  tall 
palm,  is  given  as  Angafau.  This  ancient  worthy's  name 
appears  oddly  enough  in  early  Samoan  legend  as  Ongafau, 
coupled  with  another  mysterious  personage  Tafitofau,  with- 


FOLK-LORE  287 

out  whose  names  no  orthodox  fairy  tale  can  start — a  sort 
of  traditional  introduction. 

Legerem  creates  by  magic  art  five  boys  and  a  girl. 
To  Yangalab,  who  settled  Gochepa,  she  assigns  the 
conquest  of  the  eastern  islands  up  to  Ruk,  and  Kuthiu 
(Kusaie),  and  Fanupei  (Ponape).  Therefore,  ever  since, 
the  islanders  from  the  eastward  have  come  down  at  stated 
intervals  from  Mokomok  (Uluthi),  and  Anangai  (Uleai), 
and  other  places  even  further,  to  pay  tribute  to  the  Pilung 
or  chiefs  of  Gochepa.  (The  name  Yangalab  is  probably 
eponymous.  It  means  Trade-wind  or  Great-gale.) 
Yangalab  may  be  taken  to  represent  the  restless, 
piratical  Malay  element  in  Western  and  Central  Caroline 
history,  his  stay-at-home  brethren  as  types  of  the  peaceful, 
agricultural  instinct  of  the  Dravidian  forefathers  left 
behind  them   in   Southern   India. 

Now,  of  course  it  was  necessary  somehow  for  Legerem 
to  provide  wives  for  these  early  patriarchs,  and  Lirou 
tells  an  extraordinary  tale  of  the  Machamach  or  magic 
arts  of  Legerem,  reminding  one  very  much  of  the  Mayan 
story  in  the  Popol  Vuh  of  the  gradual  evolution  of  the 
first  man  and  woman. 

Seven  days  wrought  Legerem  over  a  tangle  of  coconut 
husk,  and  the  result  was  (1)  the  Ataligak  or  black  shore- 
lizard  (Scincus).  Yet  another  seven  days'  incantation, 
and  (2)  the  Athalau  or  blue-tailed  lizard.  Seven  days' 
more,  and,  lo  !  (3)  the  Galuf  or  Iguana,  a  large  yellow  and 
green  tree-lizard.  The  next  wonder-working  period  pro- 
duced a  (4)  Thagith  (in  Pelew  Galith,  in  Irish  Thivisk), 
the  spectral  or  phantom  frame  of  a  woman,  lacking  sub- 
stance. One  last  stage  of  evolution,  and  there  stood  (5) 
Le-pulei,  a  perfect  woman  nobly  planned. 

By  Legerem's  unfailing  magic  Le-pulei  bears  the 
following  daughters — Tilik,  Le-ngeru,  Matenai,  Tininga- 
mat,  Miting,  and  Rutineg.  From  these  and  certain 
fairy  visitors  from  the  sky,  whom  Legerem's  sons  took  to 
wife,  are  the  people  of  Yap  descended. 


288  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

Another  tale  of  Legerem  was  told  me  by  Lirou. 

The  same  powerful  fairy,  to  feed  her  fast-increasing 
people,  went  down  to  the  reef,  caught  a  Goloth  or  sea-eel, 
and  cut  it  in  two,  carefully  planting  the  pieces.  From 
one  half  there  grew  a  coconut  palm,  from  the  other  half  a 
banana  tree.  By  similar  means  the  Mai  and  the  Lak,  two 
species  of  Taro,  were  produced  in  the  land  of  Yap.  Not 
contented  with  this,  Legerem  sent  an  old  man  called 
Galuai,  who  ascended  in  a  column  of  smoke  to  the  sky, 
and  there  besought  the  Great  Spirit  Yalafath  to  give  the 
Yap  people  a  further  supply  of  food.  To  him  were  given 
yams  packed  in  an  enormous  hollow  bamboo-cane,  upon 
which  astride  he  mounted,  with  fowls  harnessed  alongside 
to  bring  him  in  his  chariot  safe  to  earth.  This  is  a  crude 
barbarian  counterpart  indeed  to  the  classical  tales  of  Lady 
Venus,  with  her  trains  of  doves  and  teams  of  sparrows. 
And  this  is  how  those  three  useful  things,  the  yam,  the 
bamboo,  and  the  domestic  fowl  came  into  the  land  of  Yap. 

According  to  B.,  after  the  priestly  caste  "  Ulu-  Uleg " 
or  "  Machamach"  the  two  principal  classes  on  the  island 
are  Pilung  or  chieftains,  and  Pimlingai  or  slaves.  The 
latter  for  the  most  part  dwell  in  bush  villages,  such  as 
Damachui  and  Gatlangal.  They  are  darker  in  colour  than 
the  Pilung,  their  hair  is  more  curly,  and  in  speaking  they 
have  a  slightly  different  pronunciation.  It  looks  as  if  they 
belonged  to  an  earlier  race,  subsequently  enslaved  by  an 
invasion  of  fresh  settlers.  One  tradition  makes  them 
descended  from  the  crews  of  certain  visiting  canoes  from 
one  of  the  neighbouring  groups.  After  Yap  had  been 
ravaged  with  a  great  and  fatal  epidemic,  the  local  people 
determined  to  seize  upon  the  persons  of  their  visitors  in 
order  to  restock  their  land.  So  they  set  upon  them  and 
killed  most  of  the  men,  keeping  the  remainder  and  the 
women  and  children  as  slaves,  and  settling  them  in 
various  inland  villages,  for  fear  they  should  steal  canoes  and 
make  their  escape.  These  serfs  belong  to  certain  district 
chiefs,  and  in  some  cases  to  chief  women.      They  have  to 


THE   TABU    SYSTEM  289 

do  all  the  menial  work  for  their  masters.  They  live  on 
poor  food,  such  as  the  Kai  and  the  Luat,  the  greater  and 
lesser  squid,  which  the  chiefs  do  not  care  to  eat.  The 
great  distinction  between  the  Pilung  and  Pimlingai  is  that 
the  former  wear  a  Roai  or  ornamental  comb  of  white 
mangrove  wood  in  their  hair,  the  latter  none.  The  slave 
class  are  very  shy  and  diffident  before  their  native  masters, 
but  in  the  presence  of  white  men  are  apt  to  give  them- 
selves airs.  "  It's  because  they  feel  sure  of  being  treated 
well,"  says  B.  "  It's  just  the  way  niggers  have  got." 
Between  all  the  Pilungs  there  is  political  equality,  there 
being  little  or  no  individual  supremacy.  The  voice  of  the 
majority  settles  the  question.  The  old  men  act  as  um- 
pires and  spokesmen,  their  position  answering  to  that  of 
the  Gerousia  of  ancient  Hellas.  With  them  lies  the  option 
of  declaring  war  or  peace.  These  old  men  form  a  perpetual 
court  of  session,  and  from  their  decision  or  sentence  there 
is  no  appeal.  Murder  is  generally  punished  by  a  heavy  fine, 
by  which  death  by  private  vengeance  is  averted.  Breaches 
of  the  far-spreading  Machamach  or  Tabu  were  punished  by 
the  death  of  the  offender  by  poisoning  or  assassination. 
"  In  Yap,"  says  B.,  "  bad  men  never  die,  but  disappear 
somehow." 

In  Yap  are  two  great  wizards,  the  head  of  all  the 
magicians  ("  Ulu-uleg"  or  "Machamach  ")  in  the  island,  both 
well  on  in  years,  who  support  their  dignity  under  very 
strict  conditions  indeed.  With  them  truly  it  is  a  case  of 
"  Sagesse,"  if  not  "  noblesse  oblige."  They  are  only  allowed 
to  eat  fruits  from  plants  or  trees  specially  grown  for 
them.  They  may  not  smoke  tobacco,  but,  subject  to  the 
condition  above  mentioned,  may  enjoy  a  quid  of  betel- 
nut,  the  chewed-up  remains  being  reverently  collected 
after  them,  borne  away,  and  burnt  in  a  special  manner,  for 
fear  of  any  ill-disposed  person  getting  possession  of  the 
rubbish  and  doing  mischief  by  uttering  a  curse  over  it, 
a  superstition  like  that  of  the  Nahak  in  the  Melanesian 
area.  When  one  of  them  goes  abroad  the  other  stops  at 
T 


290  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

home,  for  were  the  two  to  meet  one  another  on  the  road, 
the  natives  hold  that  some  direful  calamity  would  surely 
follow.  There  are  plenty  of  lesser  degree  Machamach 
men,  who  go  about  always  with  divers  errands  in  hand, 
such  as  recovering  missing  property,  divination,  and  the 
like,  but  all  grave  and  important  questions  come  up  before 
the  Mighty  Two.  To  them  belongs  the  power  of  the 
Tabu,  which  applies  to  places  and  objects  as  well  as 
persons.  If  a  village  is  tabued,  no  trader  or  anyone  else 
can  take  or  give  anything  away  from  there.  It  is  a  very 
strict  rule  indeed,  and  has  been  known  to  extend  up  to 
six  months.  It  is  a  very  neat  savage  rendering  of  the 
papal  interdicts  and  excommunications  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  to  say  nothing  of  the  boycott  of  the  Emerald  Isle 
and  the  -picketing  of  labour  unions.  When  a  canoe  is 
going  on  a  long  sea  voyage,  such  as  to  Ngoli,  Uluthi,  or 
the  Pelews,  they  put  on  a  tabu  to  propitiate  the  Yap 
Neptune  and  the  Shark-God.  The  same  before  a  fishing 
excursion,  during  time  of  drought,  famine,  or  sickness,  or 
at  the  death  of  a  chief  or  famous  man.  In  short,  any 
great  public  event  is  thus  celebrated,  and,  in  fact,  there  is 
always  a  tabu  in  full  swing  somewhere  or  other,  to  the 
great  disgust  of  the  traders,  who  only  see  in  those  enforced 
holidays  an  excuse  for  idling,  drunkenness  and  debauchery, 
and  I  verily  believe  that  they  are  little  better.  It  is  then 
that  the  copra-sheds  lie  empty,  and  the  trader  goes  about 
with  a  surly  frown,  and  the  native  with  a  smile  you  could 
measure  with  a  foot-rule. 

My  informant  then  went  on  to  describe  a  singular 
custom  similar  to  that  in  the  worship  of  Mylitta  at 
Babylon,  described  by  Herodotus.  In  each  of  the  great 
club  houses,  previously  mentioned  for  their  remarkable 
architecture,  are  kept  three  or  four  unmarried  girls  or 
Mespil,  whose  business  it  is  to  minister  to  the  pleasures 
of  the  men  of  the  particular  clan  or  brotherhood  to  which 
the  building  belongs.  As  with  the  Kroomen  on  the  Gold 
Coast,  each  man,  married  or  unmarried,  takes  his  turn  by 


THE   TABU    SYSTEM  291 

rotation  in  the  rites  through  which  each  girl  must  pass 
before  she  is  deemed  ripe  for  marriage.  The  natives  say 
it  is  an  ordeal  or  preliminary  trial  to  fit  them  for  the 
cares  and  burden  of  maternity.  She  is  rarely  a  girl  of  the 
same  village,  and,  of  course,  must  be  sprung  from  a 
different  sept.  Whenever  she  wishes  to  become  a  Langin 
or  respectable  married  woman,  she  may,  and  is  thought 
none  the  less  of  for  her  frailties  as  a  Mespil.  The  sign  of 
a  Langin  is  a  string  or  cord  worn  round  the  neck,  hanging 
down  fore  and  aft,  dyed  black  and  knotted.  •  This  is 
called  Mara-fau  (a  Mara  or  necklace  of  Fau,  the  archaic 
Yap  name  for  the  Kal  or  Lemon  Hibiscus).  But  I 
believe  this  self-immolation  before  marriage  is  confined  to 
the  daughters  of  the  inferior  chiefs  and  commons.  The 
supply  of  Mespil  is  generally  kept  up  by  the  purchase 
of  slave  girls  from  the  neighbouring  districts,  on  which 
occasion  the  Fe  or  stone  money-wheels  are  used.  The 
reason  that  the  stone  wheels  are  piled  at  the  foot  of 
these  structures  is  that  the  Mespil  may  in  looking  upon 
them  remember  that  they  themselves  were  bought  with 
great  price,  and  must  prove  themselves  worthy  of  the 
honour  conferred  on  them.  Therefore  these  houses  are 
called  Fe-Bai  or  Money-Houses.  Very  often  a  band 
of  Ufuf  or  village  mohawks  elect  to  carry  off  for  a 
freak  a  Mespil  from  some  other  village  to  grace  their 
own.  Though  an  adventure  much  relished  by  the  local 
braves,  it  is  considered  a  most  blamable,  unclubbable 
act  by  their  elders,  and  probably  is  the  most  fruitful 
source  of  discord  on  the  island.  The  institution  of 
the  Mespil  is  certainly  a  surprising  coincidence  with 
the  Yoshiwara  of  Japan. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  state  that  the  good  Catholic 
priests  most  sternly  set  their  faces  against  the  Mespil 
system,  but  all  in  vain.  "  It  is  the  custom  of  the  land," 
says  the  obstinate  heathen,  and  goes  his  own  way — to 
wake  up  only  too  surely  to  the  fact  that  the  young  men 
turn  out  worthless  idle  loafers  and  die  early,  and  many  of 


292  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

the  young  women  after  marriage  will  not  bear  children. 
Padres  and  traders  alike  say,  and  they  are  probably  right, 
that  this,  together  with  other  co-operating  influences,  has 
been  the  cause  of  the  steady  decadence  and  dwindling 
of  so  many  of  the  Ocean  races.  When  a  Mespil 
is  stolen  the  aggrieved  village  declares  war,  which  has 
to  be  staved  off  by  the  offending  parties  sending  stone 
and  shell  money  in  propitiation  and  by  way  of  a  fine. 
Sometimes  the  woman  is  taken  back  to  her  home — 
oftener,  without  doubt,  she  elects  to  stay  in  her  new 
quarters. 

"  In  Yap,"  continues  B.,  "  men  and  women  cannot 
eat  out  of  the  same  pot.  The  women  and  children 
eat  together."  Now  the  women  of  Yap  have  rather 
a  hard  time  of  it.  They  have  to  keep  the  yam  and 
taro  patches  and  coconut  plantations  in  order,  and  do 
all  the  housework  into  the  bargain  ;  whilst  the  men's 
work  consists  in  building  houses  and  canoes,  fishing 
and  trading.  "  Conjugal  fidelity,"  says  B.,  "  is  not  re- 
garded as  a  virtue " — a  rather  astonishing  statement 
which  at  first  sight  appears  to  conflict  with  the  class- 
divisions  of  Langin  and  Mespil.  Needless  to  say,  with 
excesses  in  youth  and  early  toil  of  field-work,  the  women- 
kind  age  very  quickly.  To  the  Western  mind  the  custom 
of  young  girls  about  the  age  of  sixteen  passing  through 
such  an  ordeal  as  described,  is  well-nigh  incredible. 
But  the  thing  is  certainly  so,  and  no  resident  or 
missionary  will  venture  to  contradict  its  existence.  It 
is  one  of  those  startling  facts  flashing  in  our  face  out 
of  the  weird  mysterious  East,  where  all  things  to  us 
seem  turned  topsy-turvy,  and  the  fancy  reels  with  the 
oppression  of  a  monstrous  nightmare.  A  similar  deep  and 
chilling  sense  of  the  gulf  which  separates  Eastern  from 
Western  thought  characterises  the  solemn  imagery  in 
which  De  Quincy  limns  his  strange  and  fitful  fancies — 
crossed  by  the  still-haunting  shadow  of  China,  Rome, 
or  Egypt. 


THE   TABU    SYSTEM  293 

Have  none  of  my  readers  felt  some  vague  thrill  of 
horror  lurking  behind  the  jewelled  and  glorious  luxury 
of  the  East — some  jarring  chord  amongst  her  golden 
melodies — a  sense  of  something  incomplete  where  all 
seems  solid  and  magnificent,  such  a  union  of  beauty 
and  cruelty  as  seen  in  the  fabled  shrub  of  Java,  deep 
down  in  whose  gorgeous  and  fragrant  blossoms  a  little 
coral  snake  lurks  coiled  whose  touch  is  death.  It  is 
at  such  times  as  these  that  the  Western  mind  turns 
thankfully  back  to  those  strong,  simple,  earnest  men 
— the  Germans  of  Tacitus  and  the  Scandinavians  of 
the  Eddas.  These  men  were  our  forefathers  and  theirs 
was  the  better  part.  It  is  very  well.  They  are  our 
fixed  stars  and  shine  mildly  in  heaven.  But  the  others 
are  ominous  lights,  these  blazing  meteors,  these  comets 
that  come  roaring  and  raging  across  our  way  out  of 
the  chilly  gulfs  of  Time  and  the  black  darkness  of  the 
ages.  We  know  our  own — these  we  know  not.  We 
view  the  Eastern  mind  as  yet  in  a  glass  darkly.  Our 
methods,  our  planes  of  thought  lie  far  apart,  our  notions 
of  justice,  and  honour,  and  all  that  makes  a  man,  differ 
from  the  very  root.  Who,  after  Kipling  and  Sir  Edwin 
Arnold,  will  throw  himself  into  the  gulf  and  bridge  it 
over  ? 


CHAPTER  XX 

NORTH  YAP RETURN  TO  TARRANG 

THAT  evening  we  visited  the  shed  where  B.  is  setting 
up  the  framework  of  a  trading  boat  of  tamanu 
timber  (Yap  Bioutdi).  The  wood  has  a  handsome 
reddish  longitudinal  grain,  is  very  durable,  and  is  said 
to  harden   in   salt   water. 

We  examined  some  clumps  of  a  peculiar  shrub 
called  Avetch.  The  foliage  is  like  that  of  the  jamboo 
or  Malay  apple-tree,  each  spray  terminating  in  a  white 
petal-like  leaf.  The  seeds  are  minute  like  those  of 
the  tobacco  plant.  The  flowers  are  of  small  size,  star- 
shaped  and  of  a  bright  golden-yellow  hue.  From  the 
top  of  the  hill  we  viewed  one  of  the  magnificent  sunset 
effects  that  are  so  common  here  that  nobody  specially 
notes  them.  But  in  England,  I  believe,  cloud-pictures  of 
green,  scarlet  and  amber  are  not  so  common.  B.  told  me 
of  a  magnificent  club  house  at  Umin  on  Map  Island,  also 
of  one  at  a  place  called  Atelu,  which  artists,  if  any  should 
ever  come  here,  would  do  well  to  bear  in  mind. 

Next  morning  B.  and  I  went  out  early  to  survey  the 
Tan-ne-Erouatch,  the  land  of  the  Dead  Heroes,  the 
district  facing  down  on  the  straits  of  Malaf  where 
are   the   burial   places   of  the   mighty   men   of  old. 

Tan  is  the  Malay  Tana  soil,  or  else  is  cognate  with 
the  Polynesian  root  Tanu,  to  bury ;  with  Erouatch  cf. 
the  Marshall  Island  dialect-words  for  chief  or  king — 
Iroith,  Uroit,  Iroich,  and  the  Marianne  Uritoi.  The  whole 
face  of  the  land  is  covered  with  tufts  and  clumps  of  coarse 
grasses,  wild  sorrel,  and  the  South  Sea  arrowroot  (Tacca), 
diversified    by    patches    of    a    peculiar   pitcher-plant,  At. 


NORTH   YAP  295 

The  parcel  of  land  presents  the  appearance  like  an 
old  fashioned  English  orchard,  save  that  instead  of  apple 
and  pear  trees  are  found  growing  whole  battalions  of 
that  quaint  and  antediluvian  looking  tree  —  the  wild 
pandanus.  Here  and  there  a  graceful  climbing  fern 
(Lygodium),  somewhat  resembling  the  Venus'  Hair  or 
Adiantum,  curls  its  delicate  green  tresses  over  old 
and   unsightly  tree-stumps. 

For  a  long  while  our  search  after  ancient  graves  was 
unavailing,  so  well  had  the  wild  woods  kept  their  secret, 
and  we  wandered  uphill,  through  copse,  and  down  dell, 
until  we  reached  the  dense  belt  of  hibiscus  running  down 
to  the  beach,  and  knew  that  we  had  overshot  our  mark. 
We  found  a  small  rivulet  which,  in  its  course  to  the  sea, 
forms  two  or  three  shallow  pools  ;  here  we  gathered  some 
freshwater  shells,  exactly  like  the  ones  found  in  the  basin 
of  the  waterfall  at  Puia  on  the  Kusaie  coast.  Retracing 
our  steps,  suddenly  we  came  upon  a  gentle  slope  covered 
with  little  flat  platforms  built  of  small  blocks  of  basalt,  in 
many  cases  thickly  overgrown  by  a  dense  tangle  of  climb- 
ing fern.  These  graves  are  two  or  three  feet  in  height,  in 
length  six  feet  by  four.  They  belong  to  the  common 
folk.  Those  of  the  chiefs  and  wealthy  men  are  much 
higher,  and  are  faced  with  upright  slabs  of  stone — one  in 
each  corner  and  one  in  the  middle  of  each  side  being  de 
rigueur.  On  our  way  back  we  fell  in  with  a  similar  grave 
near  the  slave  village  of  Fal.  In  the  afternoon  we  went 
out  again  with  a  small  boy  and  a  whale-spade  in  search 
of  ferns  and  orchis  plants. 

Our  little  guide  told  us  that  it  was  the  Yap  custom  to 
throw  quantities  of  chewed  pandanus  fruit  upon  the  top 
of  these  graves,  apparently  as  a  propitiation  to  the  spirits 
of  the  dead.  In  his  quaint  and  barbarous  dialect  he  tells 
us  of  a  former  island  existing  to  the  north  of  Ramung 
called  Sepin,  whose  people  were  savage  warriors  and  came 
across  in  canoes  to  fight  with  the  men  of  Yap.  B.  says 
he   means   a    submerged   stack  of  coral,  called   Hunter's 


296  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

reef,  which  lies  up  some  thirty  miles  northwards,  about 
fifteen  fathoms  deep.  But  the  name  to  me  appears  to 
recall  the  island  of  Saipan  in  the  Marianne  or  Ladrone 
Group.  It  would  only  be  one  more  addition  to  the 
number  of  native  geographical  names  repeating  them- 
selves with  very  slight  variations  over  the  Micronesian 
and  Melanesian  areas.  Possibly  Favorlana,  (Formosa 
South  coast)  Tsipan,  "  the  Western  quarter"  is  cognate. 

In  former  times  the  barren  grounds  must  have  been 
inhabited  pretty  thickly.  Traces  of  ancient  cultivation 
and  the  foundations  of  old  houses  are  numerous  on 
the  promontory  facing  Map.  Probably  the  population 
perished  off  in  some  epidemic,  or  in  some  great  battle  on 
which  history  is  silent.  Now  the  place  is  waste  and 
desolate,  and  the  natives  fear  to  come  around  at  night. 
Only  in  daytime  will  they  come  hither,  and  then  only  in 
company  by  twos  and  threes. 

That  afternoon  we  stumbled  upon  another  grave,  said 
to  be  that  of  Rek,  the  chief  of  Umin,  the  capital  of  Map 
across  the  water.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  narrow  trench, 
and  consists  of  four  tiers.  Three  are  of  stone  and  the  fourth 
is  of  earth.  The  lowest  tier  is  twenty-five  feet  in  length, 
breadth  twenty-two  feet ;  second  tier  twenty  feet  in  length, 
breadth  twelve  feet ;  upper  tier  sixteen  feet  in  length, 
breadth  eight  feet.  Each  of  these  three  tiers  is  about  a 
foot  and  a  half  in  height,  and  the  lowest,  that  of  earth,  is 
one  foot  high.  The  topmost  tier  is  paved  with  a  layer  of 
fiattish  blocks  of  stone.  Here  are  no  upright  stone  slabs 
as  seen  in  the  tomb  of  Fal,  which,  though  a  smaller  struc- 
ture, has  eight  of  these  curious  erect  stones  bordering  each 
tier. 

On  exploring  further  we  found  the  hillside  beyond  Fal 
cut  up  into  a  series  of  terraces  and  ditches  three  or  four 
feet  deep,  very  much  overgrown  with  long  grass,  into 
which  one  would  occasionally  disappear  with  startling 
abruptness  and  a  considerable  shock.  These  are  the 
relics  of  gardens  of  the  olden  time,  where  they  used  to 


NORTH    YAP  297 

grow  beds  of  yams  and  turmeric  or  wild  ginger.  Of  the 
roots  of  the  latter  they  used  to  make  the  cones  of  Rang, 
Reng,  or  Taik,  a  widely-used  cosmetic  from  one  end  of 
the  Carolines  to  the  other.  (Cf.  Polynesian  Renga,  Lenga, 
the  turmeric  ;  Javanese  Rong,  gamboge ;  Hindustani 
Rang,  paint,  cosmetic  ;  and  with  Taik  compare  Mar- 
quesan  Taiki,  red,  orange-coloured.) 

We  made  our  way  down  the  hillside  through  the  long 
lush  grasses,  which  took  us  up  to  our  waists,  until  we 
found  ourselves  deep  down  in  a  green  valley,  a  rich  strip 
of  rare  old  bottom-lands  which  would  have  delighted  a 
Whitcombe  Riley,  with  a  wee  silvery  brook  singing  down 
with  a  mellow  tinkle  seawards  amongst  the  shadowed 
silence  of  deep  groves.  We  struggle  along  through  a 
marshy  hollow,  and  one's  thoughts  go  back  to  the  vales 
of  Thessaly  and  Lerna  fen  and  the  Centaurs  or  horse- 
breeders  thereof,  and  thence  to  Dirk  Hammerhand  and 
the  rich  pastures  of  Walcheren,  whence  Hereward  the 
Wake  by  subtlety  stole  his  mare  Swallow.  But  we  meet 
neither  Centaurs  nor  Lapithse,  and  no  gainsaying  Dirk  to 
challenge  rash  intruders  to  a  game  of  buffets.  Not  a 
sound  save  the  murmur  of  the  troutless  brook,  and  the 
gentle  sough  of  the  south  wind  sighing  through  the  ever- 
glades. "It  was  all  of  it  fair  as  life  ;  it  was  all  of  it 
quiet  as  death  "  ;  but  what  a  grassy  meadow  for  cattle  is 
lost  here,  and  what  a  grand  retreat  for  a  hermit. 

The  small  boy,  bending  under  a  big  bag  full  of  plants 
and  seeds,  follows  gallantly  on  our  track  as  we  go  trip- 
ping and  stumbling  along  through  the  silent  hollow  vale, 
carpeted  with  matted  roots,  weeds  and  creepers.  Little 
by  little  we  win  our  way  out  of  the  valley  by  a  winding 
trail  that  strikes  upward  and  along  the  mountain  slopes 
above.  The  bright  green  tints  of  the  grass  give  way 
gradually  to  a  light  yellowish-brown,  where  the  scorching 
rays  have  set  their  mark  all  the  sultry  noontide  past. 
The  purple  shadows  come  stealing  down  from  the  hollows 
in    the    hills,    a   wonder    of   amber-flecked    cloud-canopy 


298  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

glorifies  all  the  face  of  the  west,  and  as  the  sun  dips  in  a 
sapphire  sea,  cool,  damp,  and  fragrant  closes  in  the  dusk 
of  eventide. 

On  the  slopes  above  us  are  crackling  little  fires  lit  by 
the  natives  to  clear  the  mountain  wilderness  for  the  yam- 
planting,  even  as  their  far-off  kindred  of  the  South  burn 
off  the  wild  fern  which  year  by  year  clothes  the  long  hill- 
sides of  New  Zealand. 

After  a  longish  walk  over  the  hills  we  returned  to  B.'s 
station,  and  left  that  night  to  return  to  Pilau,  where  we 
arrived  about  midnight,  agreeing  to  pay  B.  a  second  visit. 
We  find  some  natives  sitting  on  the  verandah  with  eggs, 
yams,  and  fish  for  barter,  and  everything  safe  as  I  left  it. 
Visitors  and  crew  were  soon  paid  off,  and  went  ashore  well 
pleased,  Gameu  agreeing  to  act  as  guide  for  a  long  walk 
on  the  mainland,  and  the  rest  promising  to  bring  in  any- 
thing remarkable  in  the  way  of  sea-shells,  lizards,  spiders, 
etc.,  for  the  alcohol  bottle.  One  old  man  and  his  son 
undertook  to  bring  in  some  fine  specimens  of  iguanas 
(  Varanus),  of  which  there  are  plenty  in  this  curious  part 
of  the  Carolines.  This,  together  with  the  appearance  of 
fire-flies,  the  rarity  of  land  birds,  and  the  absence  of  the 
horned  frog  found  in  the  neighbouring  area  of  the 
Pelews,  may  afford  food  for  speculation  to  the  naturalist. 
To  the  lay  mind  it  seems  odd.  But  then  pretty  well 
everything  in  the  Carolines  is  rather  odd,  and  there  is 
plenty  to  find  out  still  for  any  energetic  scientist  who 
comes  along  prepared  to  rough  it. 

For  a  wonder  Gameu  turned  up  next  day  in  good  time 
and  took  me  over  to  Gilifith,  from  which  we  started  about 
midday.  The  heat  was  tremendous,  and  the  stone  paved 
roads  with  the  rain  that  had  fallen  overnight,  slippery  to  a 
degree.  Along  the  road  the  scenery  reminded  me  of  an 
English  country  lane.  Ferns  and  mosses  were  growing 
everywhere,  and  the  path  was  frequently  intersected  by  the 
gnarled  roots  of  the  native  chestnut.  After  a  long  climb 
we  found  ourselves  on  the  plateau,  from  which  we  had  a 


NORTH    YAP  299 

fine  view.  The  pitcher  -  plant  with  its  quaint  lidded 
flower-cups  grows  in  abundance  on  the  rich  red  soil,  also 
another  pretty  plant,  with  spotted  leaves  and  violet  and 
mauve  flowers.  Next  we  passed  through  banked-up  beds 
of  sweet-potato  separated  by  a  series  of  deep  ditches 
running  between  them,  which  gave  the  place  quite  the 
appearance  of  a  market  garden.  There  were  also  some 
yam  patches,  the  creepers  carefully  trained  over  sticks, 
like  peas  or  scarlet  -  runners.  Water-melons  also  were 
seen  growing  in  great  abundance,  probably  introduced 
from  the  Pelews,  where  the  regular  Malay  name  is  in 
vogue  (Pelew  Samongka,  cf.  Javanese  Samanka).  There 
were  also  two  small  patches  of  pine-apples  (Ngongor). 
We  came  upon  a  bush-town  called  Matreu,  and  found  a 
party  of  old  men  scraping  up  the  Reng  or  turmeric  root 
to  make  the  favourite  native  cosmetic.  From  here  we 
followed  a  causeway  on  our  right  running  along  the  side 
of  a  pretty  little  brook  flashing  at  intervals  amongst  the 
weeds  and  grasses  that  border  its  course.  On  our  left  a 
stretch  of  marsh  filled  with  the  broad  arrow-headed  leaves 
and  yellow  blossoms  of  Water-Taro.  We  arrived  at  a 
village,  apparently  of  the  same  name  as  my  temporary 
island  abode,  with  its  imposing  club  house  and  platform 
studded  with  upright  basalt  slabs,  overshadowed  by  a 
marvel  of  crotons,  papyrus,  and  areca  palms.  We  saw  a 
fine  specimen  of  the  tree  called  Kangit  in  Ponape,  here 
called  Raual,  with  its  broad  leaves  and  spherical  fruit, 
containing  numerous  seeds  like  those  of  a  mango 
(Pangium  edule). 

We  sat  down  under  the  welcome  shade  of  a  gigantic 
native  chestnut,  and  once  more  Gameu  climbed  to  bring 
down  Tob  or  green  drinking  coconuts  (Hindustani  Dab, 
Sonsorol  Sob,  Ponape  'Up).  Ere  long  a  number  of  people 
came  around  us  to  feast  their  eyes  a  while  upon  the  rare 
spectacle  of  a  visitor  from  over  sea.  They  were  not  in 
the  least  importunate,  curiosity  brought  them  ;  and  that 
once  satisfied  they  soon  melted  away. 


300  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

Beyond  the  village  the  path  winds  away  down  seaward, 
bordered  by  luxurious  clumps  of  beautiful  ferns,  amongst 
which  I  recognised  an  old  South  Pacific  friend,  the  giant 
fern  of  Samoa.  Here  they  call  it  Mong  or  Mang.  But 
for  the  coconut  palms  around,  I  could  have  fancied 
myself  at  the  Land's  End,  when  I  spied  a  species  of 
Osmunda  ( Weleni). 

After  a  slippery  descent  on  the  irregularly-paved  road 
we  found  ourselves  at  Gilifith,  and  after  resting  a  while  in 
the  house  of  Yetaman,  the  chief,  we  crossed  over  to  the 
little  station  on  Pilau  on  a  raft  of  bamboos.  Yetaman 
was  a  withered  old  specimen  of  humanity,  who  told  us 
tales  of  Gaintch  (Pelews  Gains,  Aius)  or  stray  crocodiles, 
which  had  been  known  to  arrive  on  Yap  and  the  Pelews, 
drifted  on  floating  logs.  Surely  some  at  least  of  these 
crocodile  stories  are  founded  on  fact.  On  the  east  coast 
of  Ponape  they  tell  a  tale  to  the  same  effect,  and  I  have 
heard  a  legend  of  similar  type  from  Lamotrek,  where  they 
call  the  caiman  or  alligator  Li-karrach-apom.  The  name 
has  a  grimly  sonorous  ring  ;  my  white  informant,  formerly 
a  resident  in  Lamotrek,  says  it  means  the  Saw-toothed 
Woman.  The  Polynesian  horror  of  lizards  and  eels  may 
be  perfectly  well  explained  as  a  traditional  recollection  of 
the  alligators  and  venomous  snakes  left  behind  them  in 
their  primitive  homes  upon  the  Asiatic  sea-board  and  the 
large  islands  of  Indonesia.  Their  forefathers  would  have 
certainly  remarked  the  alligator  in  the  rivers  along  the 
New  Guinea  coast,  as  their  successive  streams  of  migra- 
tion flowed  past.  Their  intercourse  with  the  islanders  of 
Melanesia,  where  such  saurians  abound,  would  be  always 
reinforcing  and  keeping  alive  the  old  tradition. 

That  evening  the  Eugenie  turned  up  with  Xavier  on 
board  to  say  that  O'Keefe  was  expected  very  shortly,  and 
asking  me  to  come  back  on  the  next  day  but  one  at 
latest.  Therefore  I  determined  to  pay  a  last  visit  to 
Ramung  over  the  water,  and  get  a  few  more  facts  out  of 
the  old  people.      The  talk  that  evening  turned   upon   rats 


NORTH   YAP  301 

and  lizards  and  the  like  small  deer,  and  Konias  told  a 
heart-rending  tale  how  the  Sonsorol  people  dealt  with  the 
rats  which  were  such  a  plague  in  the  island,  and  woefully 
reduced  their  stores  of  food,  scanty  already  as  they  were. 
"  Man  catch  rat — cut  off  ear,  cut  off  tail — let  'urn  go. 
Him  go  down  hole — fight  other  rat  till  him  kill." 

An  old  man  in  the  corner  began  to  tell  machamach 
stories  about  the  Galuf  or  Iguana  of  Yap,  which,  he  de- 
clared, was  a  sacred  beast  in  olden  times.  A  number  of 
these  somewhere  in  Rul  district  were  kept  at  the  present 
time  in  a  fenced  enclosure,  and  served  regularly  with 
baskets  of  food.  One,  he  said,  was  very  large  and  fat  and 
exceedingly  tame,  which  it  was  only  lawful  for  the  priests 
to  see.  He  said  that  he  had  seen  that  day  a  lizard  with 
wo  tails,  which  he  spoke  of  as  an  ominous  thing.  Xavier 
said  that  there  were  plenty  of  lizards  similarly  endowed 
in  China,  and  that  the  superstition  in  Macao  was  that  any 
gambler  who  carried  one  of  these  singular  double  tails 
about  his  person  was  sure  to  have  a  wonderful  run  of 
luck.  To  which  the  old  man  in  the  corner  replied  that 
he  never  gambled  ;  drinking  gin  was  the  only  excitement 
he  permitted  himself  in  his  declining  years.  Would  the 
kind  Englishman  oblige  him  with  a  glass  of  the  magical 
water  which  made  the  old  feel  young  and  strong  again  ? 
On  being  told  the  new  ordinance  of  the  Spanish  Governor 
prohibiting  the  supply  of  gin  to  the  natives,  he  looked 
deeply  disappointed,  but  on  receiving  a  tumbler  of  red 
wine,  which  is  not  prohibited,  he  brightened  up  wonder- 
fully and  promised  me  a  fine  large  iguana  for  my  collec- 
tion. I  did  not  put  implicit  faith  in  his  promises,  but 
sure  enough  early  next  morning  I  beheld  the  old  man 
and  his  son  seated  on  the  verandah  smoking,  and  two 
very  fine  iguanas  lying  on  the  ground  below  tied  up  and 
strapped  down  tightly,  paws  and  tail,  to  pieces  of  stick, 
and  their  mouths  secured  with  strips  of  hibiscus  bark  to 
prevent  their  biting.  The  old  man's  yellow  dog,  taking  a 
mean  advantage  of  one  of  the  defenceless  saurians,  took 


302  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

him  gently  up  by  the  tail  to  worry.  The  iguana's  muzzle 
of  bark  somehow  slipped  off,  and  the  assailant  found  himself 
seized  by  the  cheek,  the  lizard  in  spite  of  frenzied  yelps 
and  struggles  nipping  him  in  a  vicious  hold,  until  his  jaws 
were  forced  asunder  with  a  bit  of  stick.  Great  was  the 
amusement  of  the  onlookers,  and  deeply  gratified  were 
they  a  little  later  at  the  iguana's  plunges  and  struggles  in 
the  uncongenial  bath  of  alcohol.  "  S'pose  Queen  Wiktoria 
him  see  Galuf,  by-im-by  him  laugh  too  much,"  observed 
the  old  man.  "  You  stop  here  more  long  time.  I  bring 
plenty  Galuf  more.  One  Galuf,  two  pieces  black  tobacco, 
very  good." 

And  that  day,  after  rewarding  the  old  man,  we  pushed 
off  for  Ramung  on  our  last  day's  exploration  in  the  north. 
Soon  after  our  arrival  at  our  friend's  hospitable  house  a 
chief  called  Toluk  of  Omin  or  Amon  turned  up  again  and 
told  us  some  tales  of  days  gone  by. 

In  the  afternoon  we  walked  over  the  hills  to  the  settle- 
ment of  Bulual  on  the  north  side  of  the  island,  passing 
on  our  way  two  interesting  graves  at  a  place  called 
Imangangich.  The  larger  of  the  two  had  four  terraces  or 
platforms;  the  lowest  of  these  measured  32  feet  long  by 
26  feet  broad;  the  second  26  feet  long  by  18  feet  broad; 
the  third  22  feet  long  by  14  feet  broad  ;  the  fourth  18 
feet  long  by  10  feet  broad.  From  top  to  bottom  the 
height  was  8  feet.  In  the  centre  stood  a  long  thin  upright 
slab  of  basalt  4  feet  high. 

Approaching  Bulual  on  the  down  slope  was  very 
slippery  work  over  the  paved  roads,  which  on  reaching 
the  low  level  emerge  into  a  substantial  causeway  with  a 
deep  ditch  on  either  side,  overshadowed  by  fine  forest 
trees,  amongst  which  the  native  chestnut,  the  banyan  and 
the  callophyllum  were  the  most  conspicuous.  At  Bulual 
we  found  B.'s  sailing  boat  waiting  at  the  wharf,  which  he 
sent  round  to  meet  us,  and  to  take  in  a  number  of  sacks 
of  copra,  thus  combining  business  and  pleasure  in  our 
overland   march.      After  getting  back  to  B.'s  station,  he 


RETURN    TO    TARRANG  303 

presented    me   with   some   pretty   good    sketches    of   the 
graves  which  he  found  time  to  make. 

That  evening  we  got  back  rather  late,  and  found 
things  as  serene  as  usual  in  Pilau.  Konias  put  the 
finishing  touch  on  my  Sonsorol  work,  the  last  of  the  450 
key- words  were  carefully  gone  over,  and  after  supper 
notebook  and  pencil  were  once  more  called  upon. 
Suddenly  it  was  remarked  that  the  east  was  yellowing 
with  the  coming  dawn.  So  to  rest  for  an  hour  or  two 
and  away  on  the  incoming  tide  and  down  to  Tarrang 
before  the  trades.  Going  down  we  found  a  much  quicker 
business  than  coming  up.  Towards  sunset  E.  and  I  went 
over  to  the  Spanish  settlement  and  fraternised  with  the 
doctor  of  the  station  and  two  or  three  of  the  officers. 
They  seemed  pleased  to  see  us,  and  invited  us  with  true 
Spanish  hospitality  to  stay  and  dine  that  evening,  but  we 
had  too  much  work  on  hand. 

Next  day  I  spent  in  observing  the  ways  of  O'Keefe's 
colony  of  Sonsorol  boys  on  Tarrang,  whom  he  had  brought 
up  from  their  poor  little  famine-stricken  island,  which  lies 
about  half-way  between  the  Pelews  and  the  coast  of  Dutch 
New  Guinea.  In  cast  of  features  they  resemble  Poly- 
nesians much  more  than  the  people  of  Yap  or  even 
Ponape,  their  quaint  dialect  in  a  great  measure  recalling 
that  of  Uluthi  and  the  Western  Mortlocks.  They  appeared 
cheerful  and  good-humoured,  somewhat  lazy,  but  willing 
enough  to  work  when  called  upon.  Some  while  ago, 
crazy  with  pilfered  rum,  they  certainly  had  pitched  into 
the  man  from  Macao,  chased  him  into  the  water,  and 
beaten  him  grievously  with  bamboos.  But  this  was  a 
very  rare  exception.  The  Chinese  cook  on  Tarrang, 
according  to  E.,  was  a  strange  character,  a  surly  old 
devotee  of  some  queer  Chinese  sect  or  other,  who  hated 
natives  and  despised  white  men.  He  would  gamble  all 
night  with  other  Chinese  from  over  the  water,  and  would 
fleece  them  of  their  hard-earned  wages.  To  E.'s  sarcastic 
rebukes  on  these  goings-on  he  would  give  most  insolent 


304  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

replies,  careless  of  the  certain  punishment  in  store  when 
O'Keefe  should  return.  A  little  accident  happened  that 
day  which  intensified  the  ill-feeling  on  both  sides.  E. 
had  just  washed  his  hands  before  lunch,  and  threw  out  a 
large  basin  of  dirty  water  from  the  second-floor  verandah. 
The  Chinese  cook  below,  returning  axe  on  shoulder  from 
splitting  firewood,  was  surprised  to  receive  a  sudden 
shower-bath,  and  made  a  great  to-do.  When  E.  looked 
down  to  see  what  had  caused  the  whirlwind  of  curses 
below,  he  saw  his  enemy,  and  the  Chinaman  seeing  him 
raved  worse  than  ever  in  his  shrill  pigeon  English.  E. 
smiled  placidly  on  his  victim,  and  the  Sonsorol  boys 
shrieked  in  chorus,  whilst  Milton,  the  yellow  house-dog, 
and  the  two  foxy-looking  "  wonks "  from  Hong-Kong 
swelled  the  racket  with  their  petulant  yap-yap-yapping. 
Next  day  I  made  a  visit  to  Tomil  across  the  bay,  the 
abode  of  the  powerful  chief  Lirou.  I  went  in  a  dingy 
with  two  Sonsorol  boys,  carrying  with  me  a  two-foot 
rule,  a  measuring  tape,  and  a  small  box  of  biscuits  and 
provender.  Landing  on  the  Kades  or  stone  jetty  just 
below  the  big  club  house  I  saw  a  number  of  the  lime- 
stone or  calcite  money-stones  leaning  against  the  platform 
of  the  club  house,  whilst  others  lay  in  front  of  the  wharf, 
some  wholly,  others  partially  submerged,  with  here  and 
there  a  rim  or  a  little  bit  showing  above  water.  Some 
fish-nets  were  hanging  up  to  dry  in  front  of  a  rude  but 
lofty  boat-house  carefully  thatched  above,  but  below  open 
on  all  sides  to  the  winds  and  weather.  We  inquired  the 
chiefs  whereabouts,  and  were  directed  inland.  About  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  up  through  a  narrow  stone-paved  avenue 
shaded  on  either  side  by  bamboos  and  crotons,  we  fell  in 
with  a  spacious  cane-fenced  courtyard  paved  with  stone, 
wherein  were  two  or  three  native  houses.  There  we  were 
told  that  the  chief  was  in  the  house  at  the  end  of  the 
square  taking  a  siesta  in  the  heat  of  the  day.  Crossing  a 
narrow  brook  spanned  by  a  fallen  palm-trunk  we  went  up 
to  the  house  which  lay  embowered  in  a  dense  mass  of 


RETURN    TO   TARRANG  305 

dracaena,  crotons,  ferns,  and  giant  arum,  a  pretty  little 
nook.  We  found  Lirou  sitting  up,  and  he  received  us 
graciously,  warmly  commending  my  desire  to  look  into 
the  antiquities,  and  take  notes  on  the  architecture  of  his 
countrymen.  He  begged,  however,  for  half  an  hour's  nap 
to  compose  himself  after  yesternight's  festivities,  and  turned 
over  to  sleep,  again  recommending  us  to  commence  with 
his  house,  go  on  with  our  measurements,  and  never  mind 
him.  As  in  Ponape,  the  house  is  closed  in  at  the  sides 
with  shutters  of  reed-grass  cunningly  bound  up  in  regular 
rows  with  cinnet  fibre,  the  ends  of  which  are  brought  down 
over  the  top  into  a  fancy  fringe  work.  Five  stout  pillars 
of  Biutch  wood  (callophyllurri),  the  favourite  native  tree  in 
house-building,  each  at  intervals  of  five  feet,  hold  up  the 
house,  which  in  breadth  is  about  sixteen  feet.  Down  the 
middle  it  is  divided  by  a  cane  or  reed  partition.  The 
floor  is  strewn  with  Kini  or  rough  mats  plaited  of  coco- 
nut leaflets.  There  was  the  usual  angular  verandah  in  front 
supported  by  five  pillars,  the  central  one  tall  and  slender, 
bisecting  the  angle  of  projection.  Each  side  of  the  house 
had  two  doorways  closed  by  shutters  of  cane,  which  can 
be  raised  or  let  down  at  will.  There  were  two  more  at 
each  end,  front  and  rear.  Some  bags  and  baskets  were 
hanging  up  inside,  and  a  sea-chest  and  one  or  two  small 
boxes  completed  the  visible  furniture. 

Lirou  was  not  by  any  means  the  only  man  in  the 
village  suffering  the  effects  of  the  orgies  of  the  night 
before.  All  the  island  just  then  was  given  up  to  a 
carnival  of  dancing  and  drinking,  and  business  in  con- 
sequence was  nearly  at  a  standstill.  A  man  from  Rul 
came  in  with  a  cushion  of  banana  skin,  and  a  betel- 
bag  under  arm,  and  offered  to  show  us  around  the 
settlement  until  the  chief  had  finished  his  nap.  So  we 
followed  him  a  good  way  along  the  side  of  a  creek  bordered 
with  masses  of  asplenium  (Lek)  and  parasol-fern  (Kana), 
which  I  had  seen  before  growing  in  great  quantities  on 
the  plateaus  of  Hiva  Oa  in  the  South  Marquesas.  (There 
U 


306  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

the  natives  used  to  call  it  Manamana-Ohina  or  White-fork.) 
Presently  we  came  to  a  Big  House,  outside  of  which  lay 
a  highly  ornamental  column  of  breadfruit  wood  {Thau) 
under  preparation,  before  being  erected  for  a  central  pillar 
of  the  building.  The  length  of  it  as  it  lay  on  the  ground 
was  35  feet,  and  its  circumference  near  the  base  was  j\ 
feet.  The  base  was  ornamented  by  two  carved  figures  of 
fishes  (Maltath)  on  top,  and  one  on  each  side.  At  an 
equal  distance  from  either  end  were  two  raised  representa- 
tions of  the  Kai  or  cuttle-fish,  separated  by  a  blank  space 
in  the  middle.  Each  had  eight  legs,  four  sprawling  each 
way.  The  breadth  of  the  ornamental  fishes  at  the  base 
was  9  inches,  their  length  4^  feet.  A  pattern  of  black 
and  white  crescents  was  also  worked  in.  The  figures  of 
the  Kai  were  rude,  consisting  of  raised  white  discs,  with 
two  black  spots  in  the  centre  to  represent  the  creature's 
eyes.  The  larger  one  was  j\  feet  in  length,  the  smaller 
6*. 

The  blank  space  in  the  middle  was  7  feet  long,  just  one- 
fifth  of  the  total  length  of  the  pillar.  The  smaller  Kai 
had  its  tentacles  painted  white,  the  larger  one  black. 

The  fishes  were  black,  with  the  fins  and  backbone 
indicated  by  lines  and  dots  of  white. 

Inside  the  house  were  several  raised  platforms  of 
Bioutch  wood,  borne  up  on  pillars  of  the  same.  The 
edges  and  ends  of  these  platforms  were  elegantly  carved 
in  chevrons  {wathat)  and  crescents.  One  was  graven  with 
life-like  representations  of  Mui-Bab,  the  Albatross,  the 
messenger  of  the  great  god  Yalafath  after  the  Flood  to 
his  creatures  below.  The  carved  figures,  of  the  uniform 
size  of  a  foot  in  height,  run  alternately  up  and  down,  and 
are  ranged  wing  overlapping  wing,  with  an  upper  one  in 
between  two  lower  ones. 

There  was  another  odd  design  called  Meleol,  of  two 
segments,  which,  base  to  base,  actually  form  a  cross  of  a 
rather  unusual  type. 

It    goes    without    saying    that    a    goodly    number    of 


RETURN    TO    TARRANG  307 

village  urchins,  and  a  few  curious  idlers  of  maturer  age, 
gathered  around  with  their  comments,  and  more  than 
once  our  old  guide  in  indignation  drove  the  former 
back  with  prods  of  his  staff  as  they  pressed  too 
closely.  "  Have  you  anything  like  that  over  sea  ?  "  asks 
some  village  Caliban.  "  We  do  carve  a  bit,  but  nothing 
like  that,"  was  the  answer  given  with  a  certain  intonation. 
"  Good  carvers  are  scarce  over  sea  ?  "  says  the  village  critic. 
"  Aye,  and  in  Yap  too,"  said  I,  and  my  facetious  friend 
boxed  the  ears  of  a  boy  for  laughing.  The  old  man,  our 
guide,  who  had  been  on  a  trading  vessel  or  two  in  his 
time,  here  improved  the  occasion  by  a  homily  on  the 
wondrous  foreign  engines  and  manufactures  he  had  met 
in  his  travels.  It  was  the  monkey  who  had  seen  the 
world,  and  found  his  way  back  to  the  forest  again. 

Next  day  news  came  that  two  canoes  from  Mokomok, 
in  the  Uluthi  Group  to  northward,  who,  according  to 
ancient  custom,  had  come  down  to  pay  their  tribute,  had 
arrived  in  Gachepa.  A  boy  was  sent  overland  to  invite 
down  one  of  the  Gachepa  chiefs  and  one  of  the  new 
arrivals.  Pending  his  return,  I  resolved  to  visit  the  islet 
of  Obi,  across  the  water,  in  the  dingy,  and  to  increase  my 
collection  of  shells  and  fishes.  Two  Yap  men  were  allotted 
to  me,  but  only  one  turned  up  in  the  morning,  his  mate 
having  cleared  out  on  the  spree.  The  little  craft,  though 
neat  and  gay  to  outward  view  as  green  and  white  paint 
could  make  her,  turned  out  very  crank  and  lop-sided. 
Dipping  our  long,  tapering,  Sonsorol  blades  cautiously 
into  the  calm  water,  we  paddled  up  to  the  mangrove  belt 
which  encircled  Obi.  Unhappily  the  tide  was  going  out 
fast  and  the  boat  kept  grounding  amongst  the  shallows, 
whilst  the  boy  "  poddled  "  around  in  the  mud  seeking 
some  passage,  whilst  I  unwillingly  had  to  keep  my  seat, 
owing  to  an  injury  received  in  my  foot  the  month  before 
from  a  splinter  of  bamboo  whilst  climbing  up  Chila-U 
above  Mutok  Harbour.  Continual  wading  in  salt  water 
cruelly   irritates   all    such    wounds    but    when  interesting 


308  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

work  has  to  be  done,  and  done  without  delay,  one  has  no 
time  to  worry  over  these  little  inconveniences. 

At  last  we  thrust  our  craft  ashore  through  an  opening 
in  the  bushes  and  landed.  We  found  some  swamp-shells 
(Botangol)  of  dingy  hue,  and  picked  up  some  curious 
hairy  crabs  and  several  sorts  of  starfish  (Rur).  One  of 
the  specimens  was  brownish-green,  studded  thickly  with 
bluntish  dark-blue  points  or  spikes  about  f  inch  in  length. 
Another  had  red  spikes,  and  a  third  was  brownish-green 
all  over,  spikes  and  body  alike. 

On  Obi  we  collected  seeds  of  various  littoral  shrubs, 
and  a  bunch  of  round  black  berries  from  an  unknown 
creeper.  These,  and  a  large  quantity  of  other  seeds, 
collected  from  time  to  time  from  the  Caroline  area,  I 
handed  over  on  my  return  to  Mr  Holtze,  curator  of  the 
Botanical  Gardens  at  Port  Darwin,  who  undertook  to 
properly  classify  them.  Unfortunately  I  have  not  yet 
heard  from  him. 

The  islet  was  carpeted  with  wild  ginger  and  coarse 
grass,  and  dotted  with  clumps  of  dwarf  bamboo  (Mor) 
and  the  peculiar  "  Vech  "  or  Avetck,  with  its  clusters  of 
small  starry,  golden  yellow  blossoms,  with  a  white  leaf 
petal  at  the  end  of  the  cluster.  We  also  saw  a  Wote  or 
wild  fig-tree  (Sanskrit,  Void).  A  number  of  dracaenas 
were  putting  out  their  clusters  of  delicate  lilac  bloom, 
overshadowed  by  a  tall  Iriu  tree,  the  bark  and  leaves  of 
which  recall  the  Bischoffia  javanica  (the  O'a  and  Koka  of 
Samoa  and  Tonga),  but  instead  of  little  bunches  of  seeds, 
it  bears  long  seed-pods.  There  were  plenty  of  native 
chestnut  and  callophyllum  trees,  and  a  large  bed  of  yams 
and  sweet-potatoes,  and  a  plantation  of  Lak  or  water-taro 
down  in  a  cool,  dark  hollow,  the  work  of  the  slave  women 
of  Lirou  of  Tomil,  to  whom  the  islet  belongs.  We  caught 
a  large  brown  and  yellow  locust  or  winged  grasshopper, 
which  the  Spanish  call  langosta,  and  saw  two  kinds  of 
dragon-fly — one  was  small  and  of  brown  and  yellow 
tinting  (Osongol),  the  other  (called  Galaoleit)  larger,  had  a 


RETURN    TO    TARRANG  309 

red  body,  and  the  wings  prettily  variegated  dark  blue  and 
white.  Returning  to  our  boat  we  found  one  of  the  paddles 
gone,  picked  up  doubtless  in  a  moment  of  abstraction  by 
some  passing  fisherman.  We  made  shift  with  a  bottom 
board  instead  of  the  missing  paddle  and  got  leisurely  over 
to  Tarrang,  where  I  spent  the  rest  of  the  day  putting  my 
notes  in  order,  and,  in  the  absence  of  that  useful  little 
book  Anthropological  Notes  and  Queries,  thinking  over 
innumerable  posers  to  propound  next  day  to  the  Gochepa 
chief  and  the  Mokomok  man,  who  had  sent  word  that 
they  would  surely  come.  That  evening  the  man  from 
Macao  presented  me  with  some  remarkable  shells  and  the 
tail  of  a  sting-ray  (Paibok),  with  which  the  Spanish 
non-coms,  are  reported  to  quicken  up  the  intellects  of 
their  raw  Manilla  recruits.  Attached  to  it  is  the  deadly 
spine  (Ruch),  some  six  inches  in  length,  used  formerly 
all  over  the  Carolines  for  tipping  arrows,  spears,  and 
javelins.  But  the  Age  of  Bone  and  Stone  has  passed 
away,  and  the  Age  of  Iron  and  Steel  has  come  in,  and 
come  to  stay. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

STAY  AT  TARRANG  AND  DEPARTURE  FOR  HONG  KONG 

NEXT  morning,  sure  enough,  Matuk  of  Gochepa  and 
a  man  from  Mokomok  came  down,  and  a  busy 
time  they  had  of  it  for  the  next  few  days  (Dec.  3rd  to 
8th) — the  worthy  old  Lirou  of  Tomil  coming  across  two 
or  three  times  to  put  in  his  word  about  the  old  traditions. 
Most  learnedly  did  they  discourse  about  the  stars  of 
heaven  and  days  of  the  moon's  age,  and  the  names  and 
attributes  of  bygone  gods  and  heroes  ;  how  came  the  gift 
of  fire  and  the  invention  of  stone  and  shell  adzes,  and  of 
the  introduction  of  stone  and  shell  money  ;  who  taught  the 
folk  to  build  fish-pens  of  cane  and  stone,  of  Yalafath  the 
kindly  but  indolent  Creator,  and  Luk  the  spirit  of  Evil, 
ever  nimble  and  active.  They  waxed  eloquent  upon  the 
ancient  wars  with  Anangai  and  Balao  (Uleai  and  the 
Pelews),  and  told  strange  tales  of  the  vanished  land  of 
Sepin  or  Saiping  to  the  north ;  the  Yap  Atlantis,  whence 
came  forth  fierce  warriors,  who  fought  with  the  men  of 
Ramung  and  Map  and  put  certain  of  them  to  tribute,  in 
the  olden  days  before  the  great  canoes  of  the  white  folk 
from  over  sea  broke  through  the  sky-line  from  the  worlds 
beyond.  Many  such  tales  did  they  utter,  and  stubbornly 
pencil  and  note-book  toiled  behind.  The  man  from 
Mokomok  overcame  his  bashfulness  at  the  bidding  of 
Matuk,  who  conjured  him  to  answer  all  my  questions  as 
if  I  was  his  very  father.  Over  four  hundred  Uluthi  key- 
words were  added  to  the  table  of  Caroline  Island  langu- 
ages.    They  much  resembled  the  Lamotrek,  Sonsorol,  and 


STAY   AT  TARRANG  311 

Uleai  equivalents,  but  had  a  distinct  and  peculiar  phonesis 
of  their  own,  forming  a  curious  and  beautiful  link  in  the 
long  chain. 

This  Micronesian  Viking  was  earnest  with  me  to  remain 
in  Yap,  for  from  December  to  May  canoes  do  not  go  up 
from  Yap  to  Mokomok  as  the  wind  is  contrary.  I  was  then 
to  return  with  them  to  Mokomok  and  enjoy  the  hospitality 
of  their  island.  It  was  a  sore  temptation,  but  with  a 
mighty  effort  I  repelled  it,  for  Uluthi  is  all  but  a  terra 
incognita  to  the  white  man.  And  we  went  on  with  the 
work  pleasantly,  a  trifle  slowly,  maybe,  but  surely.  For  a 
good  interpreter  was  by,  and  no  pains  were  spared  to 
make  sure  of  every  doubtful  or  obscure  point  in  each  tale. 
The  Mokomok  man  said  that  it  was  like  being  tried 
before  the  council  of  old  men  at  home,  so  minutely  was 
his  evidence  sifted  and  weighed  ;  but  the  man,  and  indeed 
all  my  teachers,  had  excellent  patience,  and  native  curi- 
osity effectually  put  native  indolence  to  the  rout.  More- 
over, there  was  plenty  of  strong  tobacco  to  smoke  ;  they 
were  not  kept  at  one  subject  too  long,  and  to  relieve  the 
tension,  I  told  them  many  tales  for  my  part  from  Ponape 
and  Kusaie,  fourteen  hundred  miles  to  the  east,  of  which 
they  have  perfectly  clear  record  in  their  traditions  as  Fanu- 
pei  or  Falu-pei  and  Kuthiu.  In  a  word,  my  advice  to  all 
who  want  to  collect  folk-lore  from  primitive  races  is  this  : 
(1)  First  put  your  native  friends  at  their  ease  completely 
and  get  them  to  laugh  and  joke.  (2)  Tell  stories  yourself, 
leading  up  to  the  point  or  illustration  of  the  question  to 
be  opened  up.  (3)  Never  interrupt  to  break  the  thread  of 
a  tale.  You  can  always  hark  back  after  the  tale  is  done 
and  clear  up  any  obscurity  or  apparent  irrelevancy.  I 
say  apparent,  because  the  Caroline  Islander  seems  to 
consider  side  issues  more  than  central  facts.  This  makes 
his  stories  a  trifle  rambling.  If  taken  up  and  inter- 
rupted, he  is  likely  to  ask  plaintively,  like  the  fuddled 
man  in  the  story,  "  Where  was  I?"  A  little  patience, 
and    the    native   story-teller    will    make    everything    fairly 


312  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

clear.  You  can't  expect  him  all  at  once  to  have  every- 
thing cut  and  dried,  bottled  up  and  corked  down  and 
labelled,  and  laid  out  neatly  into  prologue,  scene,  chapter, 
and  epilogue  like  the  work  of  a  practised  modern  essay- 
writer.  Our  inquiry,  whilst  it  lasted,  was  indeed  a  stiff 
business,  and  how  my  method  succeeded  may  be  seen  in 
the  Appendix. 

On  the  8th  of  December  a  Fiesta  was  celebrated  in 
the  Spanish  settlement  with  all  solemnity.  It  was  the 
date  of  the  Feast  of  the  Conception  of  the  Virgin  Mary, 
the  Patroness  of  the  Colony.  We  made  up  a  party  to  go 
ashore  and  view  the  proceedings,  and  landed  at  Tapalau 
near  the  house  of  the  Government  interpreter,  Dona 
Barthola,  a  worthy  old  Marianne  lady.  As  we  walked 
along  we  beheld  at  the  head  of  the  causeway  by  the 
powder  magazine,  guarded  by  a  Manilla  sentry,  cigar  in 
mouth,  an  arch  erected  of  branches  of  croton  and  palm 
leaves  adorned  with  streamers  of  split  coconut-leaflets. 
E.  and  I  entered  the  principal  hostelry,  "  La  Aurora"  and 
there  played  an  interminable  game  of  "  caroms "  with 
crooked  cues  and  "  elliptical  billiard  balls."  There  were  no 
pockets  at  all,  and  the  cloth  was  cut  and  seamed  in  twenty 
different  places,  showing  where  someone  had  blundered. 
Likewise  the  table  was  on  a  slant,  as  if  a  baby  earth- 
quake had  shaken  it  up.  When  we  had  got  heartily 
weary  of  the  performance,  mine  host  gave  us  our 
luncheon.  To  show  that  Yap  is  not  quite  a  bar- 
barous place  I  will  even  quote  the  menu.  First  came 
Vermicelli  soup,  then  a  dish  of  beans  and  turtle,  with 
the  heart  and  liver  taken  out,  chopped  up  and  made  into 
little  sausages  for  a  side-dish.  Then  we  were  served 
with  a  plateful  of  white  radishes  each.  After  that  came 
fried  beefsteak  from  an  animal  which  had  been  browsing 
on  the  plateau  that  very  morning.  Then  an  omelette  of 
eggs  (Fak-en-mi'men  or  Hen-fruit),  which  somehow  have 
been  preserved  from  rats,  pigs,  dogs,  and  iguanas — a  very 
rare  dish  in  the  Caroline  Islands,  and  from  its  rarity  much 


STAY   AT   TARRANG  313 

prized.  A  custard  and  some  Spanish  sweetmeats,  coffee 
and  curacoa,  ended  our  meal,  which  was  moistened  by  a 
bottle  of  Vino  Tinto  or  rough  red  wine,  and  some  cider, 
yclept  champagne,  from  some  Spanish  village  of  the 
ominous  name  of  Villa  Viciosa. 

Arrived  at  the  blessed  stage  of  coffee  and  cigars,  E. 
told  me  of  two  tragedies  of  the  Pacific — the  slaying  of  a 
Micronesian  trading-skipper  by  his  mutinous  crew  outside 
the  Gilolo  passage,  and  the  murder  of  a  like  adventurous 
spirit,  at  Tench  Island  in  the  Exchequer  Group.  There 
is  plenty  of  this  kind  of  raw  material  going,  which  I 
suppose  some  romancist  will  one  of  these  days  work 
up  into  a  fascinating  boys'  book  of  traders,  savages  and 
pirates. 

Numbers  of  natives  are  passing  and  repassing  on  the 
road,  all  in  holiday  best,  many  of  them  dressed  up  in 
trousers  and  Turkey-red  shirts,  looking  very  self-conscious, 
and  desperately  uncomfortable  under  all  their  unwonted 
finery.  Some  appear  to  have  tasted  fire-water,  and  those 
who  haven't  look  very  much  as  if  they  would  like  to,  and 
are  not  at  all  shy  of  naming  their  wants  either.  Every 
house  in  the  settlement  has  a  Cycas  palm  {Fauteir) 
planted  before  it,  specially  ordered  the  week  before,  and 
brought  down  by  the  natives  from  the  hill  slopes  around 
the  Magal  or  Lighthouse  on  top  of  Mount  Buliel  over- 
looking the  harbour.  Four  o'clock  Mass  is  over,  and  at 
five  o'clock  the  procession  is  to  take  place.  The  whole 
colony  is  gay  with  bunting,  and  the  red  and  yellow  flag 
of  Castile  is  much  in  evidence.  I  observe  that  the  Union 
Jack  is  unaccountably  absent,  and  so  are  the  Stars  and 
Stripes.  "  One  of  them  may  be  here  sooner  than  the 
Dons  think  for,"  grumbles  my  prophetic  vis-a-vis.  By 
and  by  the  cry  arises,  "  They  are  coming."  Downhill  from 
the  chapel  marches  the  procession  headed  by  priests  in 
red  robes,  and  choristers  in  white  coats,  bearing  crucifixes 
and  pictures  and  the  image  of  the  Virgin.  Next  marches 
a  body  of  native  converts.      Then  a  band  of  small  boys 


314  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

fitted  with  tinsel  wings  to  represent  cherubs  or  angels. 
"  I  should  take  them  for  black-beetles,"  murmurs  my  un- 
poetic  comrade  in  the  deck  chair.  Then  he  livens  up  for 
a  moment,  for  a  bevy  of  Yap  and  Marianne  schoolgirls 
follows,  some  of  the  latter  with  undeniable  good  looks, 
prettily  dressed  in  the  old  Spanish  fashion,  white  lace 
veils  and  dainty  mantillas.  Next  come  a  medley  of 
half-castes.  A  group  of  the  officers  of  the  garrison  fol- 
lows, and  last  of  all  streams  along  in  loose  order  a  wild 
looking  crew  of  natives,  comb  in  hair,  marching  to  the 
accompaniment  of  bugle,  flute  and  drum.  Observing 
narrowly  the  gentlemen  bringing  up  the  rear  of  the 
motley  throng,  I  observe  that  many  of  them  can  hardly 
keep  their  legs.  Evidently  the  red  wine  has  been  going 
down  sweetly.  "  I'm  sorry  for  anyone  who  has  a 
labour  contract  in  hand  to-morrow,"  said  I.  "  That's  so," 
says  the  cynic.  "  None  of  the  folk  ashore  will  be  able  to 
get  a  native  to  work  for  the  next  week  or  more.  I  wish 
I  could  be  out  at  some  of  them  with  a  stuffed  club. 
They're  like  a  lot  of  spoiled  children,  and  the  Manilla  men 
make  them  worse  every  day.  But  we're  all  right  on 
Tarrang.  If  any  of  our  Sonsorol  boys  go  ashore  on  the 
spree,  they  know  what  they'll  catch  when  O'Keefe  comes 
back." 

More  natives  than  ever  were  now  crowding  around  with 
nimble  fingers,  seeking  to  pick  up  any  trifles  lying  about. 
Some  who  had  spent  their  ready  money  were  staggering 
about  the  roads  offering  combs  and  ornaments,  and  some 
their  wretched  wives  and  female  relatives  in  exchange  for 
dollars  to  purchase  draughts  of  red  wine  to  slake  their 
burning  thirst.  It  is  a  regular  Pandemonium.  "  Such  a 
racket  that  nobody  can  hear  themselves  think,"  is  my 
comrade's  terse  remark.  A  mean-looking  Manilla  recruit 
limps  along  hand  to  cheek,  blubbering  like  a  great  baby. 
A  fellow-gambler  has  smitten  him  forcibly  on  the  mouth 
for  cheating,  and  half  strangled  him  into  the  bargain. 
Vomiting    strange    maledictions,    his     adversary    follows 


STAY   AT  TARRANG  315 

with  a  bitten  hand.  Things  are  getting  lively,  now  that 
fighting  has  started,  so  after  doing  a  little  barter  we  start 
for  Tarrang,  carrying  with  us  three  carven  combs,  a 
bamboo  betel-box,  and  a  marafau  or  necklace  of  black 
hibiscus  fibre,  the  insignia  of  some  adult  youth,  who 
doubtless  will  catch  it  hot  when  his  grandpapa  sees  him 
without  it  to-morrow. 

The  day  after  the  Fiesta  the  white  wings  of  the  long- 
looked  for  Santa  Cruz  are  seen  fluttering  far  out  to  sea. 
About  noon  she  sweeps  through  the  narrow  harbour  mouth, 
E.  and  I  boarding  her  whilst  she  is  still  under  way.  I 
receive  a  most  cordial  greeting  from  the  burly  and  jovial 
O'Keefe,  whom  I  now  meet  face  to  face  for  the  first  time. 
A  number  of  Sonsorol  and  St  David's  lads  are  on  board, 
reinforcements  for  the  band  of  workmen  at  Tarrang. 
Storms  have  swept  their  island  homes  almost  bare  of  coco- 
nuts, and  the  poor  people  are  only  too  glad  to  take  service 
with  the  friend  and  benefactor  who  had  done  much  for  them 
in  past  years. 

On  board  the  vessel  is  a  prisoner,  a  Pelew  chieftain 
named  Tarragon,  a  noted  homicide.  He  was  one  of  the 
prime  movers  in  the  cutting-off  of  the  trading  schooner 
Maria  Secunda  and  the  massacre  of  the  crew  in  1894,  and 
had  long  defied  arrest.  O'Keefe  held  him  up  singly  with  a 
revolver  in  the  middle  of  a  menacing  crowd,  and  invested 
him  with  the  order  of  the  bracelet  on  the  spot.  We  took 
him  ashore  under  guard,  and  what  the  Spanish  did  to  him 
I  cannot  tell,  nor  do  I  greatly  care  to  know.  He  was  a 
sullen  looking  ruffian  enough.  I  daresay  he  left  some  others 
just  as  bad  behind  him.  Doubtless  the  jaws  of  Justice 
opened  and  devoured  him  even  as  Alice's  walrus  swallowed 
the  oysters.  That  very  forenoon  O'Keefe  and  E.  had  a  long 
interview  with  the  Spanish  Governor,  who  was  consider- 
ably irritated  when  he  heard  that  the  Dutch  flag  had  been 
hoisted  on  the  little  barren  isle  of  St  David's,  and  vowed 
that  they  should  hear  of  it  at  Madrid.  O'Keefe  was 
thanked  and  complimented  by  the  Governor  in  the  grace- 


316  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

ful  and  cordial  manner  in  which  the  Spanish  acknowledge 
a  service  rendered.  There  followed  a  considerable  inter- 
change of  hospitalities  between  our  island  and  the  shore, 
in  which  I  unfortunately  was  debarred  from  taking  a 
prominent  part,  my  foot  giving  me  much  pain,  which  I 
endeavoured  with  some  success  to  charm  away  by 
unremitting  application  to  work,  the  good  old  Lirou 
coming  over  almost  every  day  with  some  new  tale  or 
fresh  string  of  curious  facts.  "  Matches,"  the  Sonsorol 
boy,  was  generally  at  hand  to  get  what  I  wanted,  for  I 
could  hardly  set  foot  to  the  ground  for  days.  However, 
the  Spanish  medico  gave  me  relief  at  last — taking  out  a 
deeply-embedded  splinter  that  had  escaped  notice  all  this 
while.  The  days  were  tremendously  hot,  the  evenings 
pleasant  and  cool,  and,  thank  goodness  ! — no  mosquitoes. 
There  were  plenty  of  books  to  read,  and  I  was  continually 
busy  revising  old  notes  and  writing  new  ones.  Mrs 
O'Keefe  also  gave  me  some  valuable  assistance  in  getting 
proper  equivalents  of  my  table  of  key-words  in  the  dialects 
of  Sonsorol,  St  David's,  and  Nauru.  It  was  then  that  I 
appreciated  what  hard  honest  work  Konias  on  Pilau  had 
done  for  me.  "  That  is  a  good  boy — that  Konias,"  said 
she.  "  When  you  come  back  again,  mind  you  ask  my 
husband  to  let  you  have  a  Sonsorol  boy.  They  are  good 
boys  and  always  do  what  I  tell  them,  and  I  know  they 
would  work  well  for  you,  because  you  are  not  always 
grumbling  at  them  and  finding  fault." 

And  if  I  ever  do  get  back  again  to  the  Carolines  I 
think   I  will  take  her  advice. 

On  the  14th  December  the  bi-monthly  mail  steamer 
Satumus  from  Manilla  came  in  with  a  batch  of  deported 
rebels.  She  was  soon  coaling  at  the  Tarrang  wharf.  It 
seemed  odd  and  incongruous  to  see  numbers  of  Sonsorol 
and  Yap  men  scrambling  along  with  great  baskets  of  coal 
on  their  heads,  like  the  Egyptians  at  Port  Said,  or  the 
Japanese  coolies  at  Moji  at  the  entrance  of  the  Inland 
Sea.      It  was  ludicrous  to  see  a  stalwart  native  stalking 


STAY    AT   TARRANG  317 

along  the  quivering  plank,  basket  on  head,  mother-naked 
under  the  scorching  sun,  save  for  a  scanty  girdle  of  red 
hibiscus  fibre  twisted  loosely  round  his  loins — his  long 
hair  bound  up  in  a  bunch  behind,  with  generally  a  comb 
stuck  in  it,  ornamented  by  bits  of  fluttering  newspaper 
or  cock's  feathers.  Some  of  the  workers  were  thickly 
begrimed  with  sweat  and  coal-dust,  and  presented  a  very 
comical  appearance.  They  did  not  take  any  particular 
notice  of  the  Manilla  men  on  board.  Those  of  the 
garrison  ashore  they  have  weighed  in  their  own  mental 
balance  and  found  wanting,  and  view  the  newcomers  with 
good-humoured  indifference  and  a  shade  of  contempt,  as 
feeble  and  unwarlike  beings. 

The  Saturnus  had  left  Manilla  on  the  7th,  and  con- 
sequently brought  some  interesting  news  of  the  progress 
of  the  rebellion.  There  has  been  a  battle  near  Cavite, 
and  a  whole  villageful  of  rebels — some  eight  hundred  in 
number — have  been  cooped  up  by  the  Spanish  rein- 
forcements lately  arrived  via  Singapore,  and  shot  down 
to  the  last  man.  Considering  how  the  rebels  behaved 
after  capturing  Imus  and  Bacor  one  cannot  well  blame 
the  Spaniards  for  their  retaliation.  In  Manilla  just  now 
there  is  considerable  feeling  against  Germans  and  Ameri- 
cans, and  by  implication  of  course  Englishmen.  There 
are  two  German  and  three  English  men-of-war  lying  in 
the  river,  which  is  just  as  well  in  case  of  accidents. 
The  morning  the  Saturnus  left,  six  rebels  were  brought 
out  and  shot  on  the  Luneta  esplanade,  whilst  upwards  of 
fifty  were  reported  to  be  lying  in  jail  ready  for  platoon 
practice.  Their  deaths  will  leave  humanity  none  the 
poorer.  Such,  at  all  events,  is  the  opinion  of  the  new 
commander  lately  arrived  from  Spain — a  man  of  the 
Parma  or  Alva  type,  who,  like  one  of  Carlyle's  heroes, 
"  does  not  believe  in  the  rosewater  plan  of  surgery." 

So  the  local  governor  across  the  water  has  plenty  to 
think  of,  and  forty  more  idle,  worthless,  mutinous  rogues 
to  house,  victual,  and  discipline. 


318  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

Just  after  the  Saturnus  left  things  went  a  bit  askew  in 
this  island  of  Barataria,  and  the  good  governor's  noddle 
was  sorely  perplexed.  A  Chinese  trader  of  O'Keefe's  came 
down  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Girigir  in  the  north  in 
great  distress  of  mind  to  complain  that  a  party  of  natives 
had  come  upon  him  and  forcibly  taken  his  boat  for  a  fish- 
ing excursion.  He  was  thumped  and  beaten  with  sticks, 
and  spears  were  thrown  at  him,  but  none  of  them  wounded 
him.  When  the  report  of  these  doings  was  laid  before 
the  governor  he  sent  up  a  sergeant  and  two  privates  that 
very  day  to  summon  two  of  the  principal  natives  accused 
to  come  down  and  give  an  account  of  themselves.  This 
they  very  obediently  did,  for  the  Spaniards  could  never 
have  forced  them  to  come  down  against  their  will.  On 
examination  both  accuser  and  accused  managed  in  the 
space  of  about  half  an  hour  to  involve  themselves  in  such 
a  hopeless  fog  of  lying  and  perjury,  that  the  governor, 
losing  all  patience,  settled  matters  with  a  vengeance  by 
jailing  them  all  for  two  days  on  short  commons  as  an 
inducement  for  the  future  to  tell  a  plain  tale  plainly.  If 
he  had  sent  the  interpreter  to  join  them  as  well,  no  great 
harm  would  have  been  done  either. 

On  December  16th  I  received  another  visit  from 
Matuk  of  Gochepa,  who  told  some  more  odd  facts  about 
the  Pilungs  or  aristocracy  and  the  Pimlingai  or  slave 
class.  (Pilung,  probably  =  Sanskrit  Puling,  a  male,  and 
means  "  The  Men.")  The  Pilungs  were  the  old  settlers 
— autochthones — and  the  Pimlingai  were  castaways  from 
other  islands.  The  latter  used  to  call  themselves  Mal- 
ailai,  which  possibly  answers  to  the  term  Malaiu  or 
Malay,  in  Japanese  Marai.  He  gave  me  to  understand, 
moreover,  that  an  ancient  judge  called  Magaragoi  intro- 
duced the  distinction  between  freemen  and  slaves  by  the 
wearing  of  the  Roai  or  comb  of  mangrove  wood.  Lirou 
came  in  the  afternoon,  and  as  a  final  bonne  bouche,  served 
me  up  further  food  for  thought  in  the  form  of  the  follow- 
ing Yap  traditions. 


STAY    AT   TARRANG  319 

THE    INVENTION    OF    STONE    MONEY 

There  was  a  wise  old  man  in  Tomil  named  Anagumdng, 
to  whom  Le-gerem  showed  all  the  stars  of  heaven,  and 
the  seasons  of  their  rising  and  setting.  After  three 
months'  study  this  apt  pupil  took  seven  men  with  him 
(the  usual  " perfect  number"  in  Yap  tradition),  manned 
a  large  Gothamite  canoe,  and  sailed  into  the  unknown 
southern  waters,  in  quest  of  the  land  of  Balao  (the  Pelew 
Group),  under  the  guiding  of  the  constellation  Mageriger 
or  Pleiades.  Entering  the  northern  reef  passage  and 
passing  Bab-el-Thaob,  he  came  down  to  the  island  of 
Peleleu.  A  little  to  the  northward  of  the  last-mentioned 
island  there  lie  certain  conical  islets  named  Kokial  scattered 
about  the  wide  lagoon.  Here  he  found  a  new  sort  of 
shining  stone  (which  the  men  of  London  call  arragonite 
or  calcite),  and  conceived  the  idea  of  hewing  it  into 
various  portable  forms  to  serve  as  a  rude  medium  of 
exchange.  There  was  an  abundance  of  pearl-shell  here 
as  well,  to  which  he  helped  himself  liberally  for  the  same 
purpose.  The  shining  rock  he  found,  and  with  infinite 
trouble  cut  it  with  his  shell-axes  into  the  form  of  fishes 
about  a  yard  long.  Some  fragments,  for  the  sake  of 
variety,  his  men  worked  into  the  shape  of  a  crescent 
moon.  Others  again  they  chipped  into  wheels  of  different 
sizes,  rounded  like  the  orb  of  the  full  moon.  With  these 
last,  when  they  had  bored  a  big  hole  through  the  middle 
of  each,  Anagumang  was  satisfied.  So  they  loaded  up 
their  canoe  and  returned  ;  the  voyage  back  only  taking 
five  days.  When  they  took  the  stones  ashore  Le-gerem 
kept  the  wheels  with  the  hole  in  the  middle,  and  threw 
away  the  rest  as  worthless,  and  put  into  operation  a  power- 
ful charm  to  centre  all  the  desire  of  the  people  on  the 
recognised  standard  coinage. 

Before  this  time,  ruefully  remarks  the  narrator,  there 
was  no  fighting  in  Yap.  Ever  since  that,  however,  there 
have  been  constant  civil  wars  in  the  land,  arising  from  the 


320  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

eagerness  of  each  tribe  to  acquire  a  large  portion  of  the 
coveted  treasure. 

After  this  there  were  frequent  expeditions  going  to  the 
Pelews  from  Tomil,  Rul,  and  Gochepa,  and  many  were 
the  people  who  lost  their  lives  from  imprudently  putting 
to  sea  in  the  stormy  season.  Others,  moreover,  after 
reaching  the  Pelews,  perished  on  their  return  journey, 
their  vessels  swamping  or  upsetting  from  carrying  heavy  or 
carelessly  stowed  freight  of  these  precious  and  fatal  stones. 
Others  again  were  slain  in  battle  by  the  people  of  the 
country,  who  were  valiant  men,  and  resented  these  uncalled- 
for  visits,  and  the  plundering  of  their  beds  of  pearl-shell. 

A    NEW    VERSION    OF    THE    PROMETHEUS    MYTH 

The  yam  and  the  taro  were  in  Yap,  but  as  yet  there 
was  no  fire  to  cook  them.  The  natives  used  to  dry  them 
in  the  sand,  and,  as  it  were,  sunbake  them.  And  the  folk 
suffered  grievously  from  internal  pains,  and  besought 
Yalafath  to  help  them  once  more.  Immediately  there 
fell  a  great  red-hot  thunderbolt  from  the  sky,  and  smote  a 
Choi  tree  (Pandanus).  At  the  contact  of  the  fiery  element 
the  Choi  broke  out  into  a  regular  eruption  of  prickles 
down  the  middle  and  sides  of  every  leaf.  Dessra,  the 
Thunder  god,  thus  found  himself  fixed  fast  in  the  tree- 
trunk,  and  called  out  in  a  lamentable  voice  for  somebody 
to  deliver  him  from  his  irksome  prison.  A  woman  named 
Guaretin,  sunbaking  taro  hard  by,  heard  the  voice,  and 
helped  the  distressed  god.  He  inquired  on  what  work 
she  was  engaged,  and  when  she  told  him,  bade  her  fetch 
plenty  of  moist  clay.  This  he  kneaded  into  a  goodly 
cooking-pot  (Thib),  to  the  great  delight  of  the  worthy 
housewife.  He  then  sent  her  in  search  of  some  sticks 
from  the  Arr  tree  (called  Tupuk  by  the  Ponapeans), 
which  he  put  under  his  armpits  and  infused  into  them 
the  latent  sparks  of  fire,  and  went  his  way.  This  is  how 
the  art  of  making  fire  from  the  friction  of  wood,  and  the 
moulding  of  pots  out  of  clay  came  to  the  primitive  folk  of 


STAY    AT   TARRANG  321 

Yap.      Hence  two  proverbs  suggested  to  the  cautious  and 
practical  Yap  mind. 

Moral — "  Never  refuse  to  do  a  good  turn  to  those  in 
need,  it  may  pay  you  better  than  you  think  "  ;  and 
"  Beware  of  hidden   fire  even  when  you  see  no  smoke." 

THE    BUILDING    OF    THE    FIRST    CANOE 

The  indefatigable  fairy  mother  Le-gerem  prepared  to 
astonish  her  people  with  a  further  display  of  first-class 
magical  powers.  One  day  a  very  big  canoe  was  seen 
slowly  floating  down  from  the  clouds,  let  down  by 
innumerable  ropes  or  pulleys,  just  over  the  village  of 
Gocham  or  Gotham  in  Tomil.  The  people  flocked  in 
crowds  to  see  the  wonderful  sight.  Some  inauspicious 
words  of  the  impatient  multitude  broke  the  charm. 
Before  the  canoe  could  be  lowered  in  safety  to  the 
earth,  the  ropes  broke,  and  the  wondrous  structure  was 
smashed  up  beyond  all  hopes  of  repair.  Then  Le-gerem 
hewed  a  Vol  tree,  measured  it  out  with  care,  and  with 
infinite  pains  made  another  of  similar  model.  The 
long  and  somewhat  clumsy  Yap  canoes,  running  high 
in  bow  and  stern  fore  and  aft  like  Scandinavian  vessels, 
with  their  heavy  solid  outriggers  and  the  curious  fish- 
tail ornamentation  in  bow  and  stern,  show  how  the 
industry  of  the  Gothamite  ship-builders  followed  the 
directions   of  their  long-suffering  patroness. 

After  the  departure  of  the  Saturnus  for  Guam  and 
Ponape  I  made  busy  preparations  for  embarking  myself 
and  my  belongings  in  the  Santa  Cruz,  O'Keefe  having 
kindly  offered  me  a  passage  in  her  up  to  Hong-Kong. 
On  the  22nd  December,  having  taken  a  cordial  leave  of 
the  Spanish  governor,  priests,  officials,  and  my  native 
friends,  I  went  on  board  the  little  schooner,  heavily  laden 
with  a  cargo  of  beche-de-mer,  much  in  request  amongst 
the  Chinese  for  their  New  Year  festivities.  I  took  with 
me  about  fifteen  boxes  of  curios  in  all,  which  wanted  a  lot 
of  storing.  We  left  about  noon,  running  Goror  Point  out 
x 


322  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

of  sight   before   sunset.     We  passed  the  Pelews  on  our 
right,  giving  them  a  wide  berth,  with  a  steady  north-east 
monsoon  helping  us  on  our  way  until  we  were  within  150 
miles  of  the  Ballintang  Straits,  which  separate  Formosa 
from  the  north  coast  of  Luzon.      We  spent  a  very  quiet 
Christmas  at  sea,  and  the  day  after  it  a  dead  calm  fell, 
lasting  forty-eight  hours  just  off  Duguay  Trouin  reef.    We 
had  a  motley  crew,  two  Yap  men,  one  boy  from  Sonsorol, 
one  from   St   David's,  one  half-caste  Pelew  islander,  and 
two  half- wild  natives  of  Ilocan.      The  first  mate  was  an 
old  Tasmanian,  and  not  a  soul  on  board  except  O'Keefe 
had  the  remotest  notion  of  navigation.      So  it  is  hard  to 
conjecture   what   would   have   become   of  us   if  anything 
had    happened    to    the   captain.      But   in    Micronesia    no 
one  bothers    his    head    in    discussing    what    might    have 
been.      The  last  day  of  the  year  1897  we  passed  through 
the  Ballintang  Straits  between  the  Batuyan  and  Batang 
Islands.      Entering  the  China  Sea  we  encountered  furious 
tide-rips   and  very  rough   water,  also    occasional    squalls 
with  heavy  rain,  and  a  considerable  fall  in  the  thermometer. 
Early  on  the  morning  of  January  3rd  the  rude  rounded 
and    massive    outlines    of   the    dreary    China  coast   were 
sighted.      Slowly   the    distant    Peak    showed    up    clearer 
and    clearer   out    of   the    banks    of   cloud-wrack.      There 
fell   a  spell    of  light  and   variable  breezes,  when    to   our 
relief  a   tug-boat   came   out   and    towed    us    in    through 
the  narrow   Lyeemoon   Pass,  past  the   Quarries   and   the 
Sugar    Works  ;    finally,   after   we   had    received    pratique, 
casting    us    off   to    our    moorings    opposite    the   weather- 
beaten    waterfront    of  Wanchai    about    three    o'clock    on 
a  bright  and  sunny  Sunday  afternoon.      Thence  into  the 
bustling    streets    filled    with    rickshaws    and    pedestrians, 
where   one   realises    that   if   Europe    is    still   far   off   the 
islands  are  very   far  off  too. 

And  thus  I  made  my  first  step  back  to  the  civil- 
isation of  the  West,  carrying  with  me  into  the  busy 
streets  of  great  cities  and  the  stirring  hum  of  their  marts, 


DEPARTURE    FOR    HONG-KONG  323 

thoughts  of  a  strange  folk  whom  my  people  have  not 
known  ;  carrying  with  me,  I  say,  into  our  island  of  cloud 
and  mist  and  fog,  memories  ineffaceable  of  tropic  woods 
unscorched  by  frost,  unstripped  by  rigorous  winter,  visions 
of  bluest  sky  and  sea,  and  of  a  serene,  fragrant  and 
lustrous  air  dreamed  of  by  poets,  but  as  yet  unchronicled 
by  artists.  And  now,  weary  of  our  smoky  cities,  I  soon 
shall  be  returning  to  mountain  and  coral-strand,  to  a 
land  of  hanging  woods  and  singing  waters.  As  carols 
the  settler  of  Yeat's  Lake  Isle  of  Innisfree  : — 

"  And  I  shall  have  some  peace  there,  for  peace  comes  dropping  slow, 

Dropping  from  the  veils  of  the  morning  to  where  the  cricket  sings 
There  midnight's  all  a  glimmer  and  noon  a  purple  glow, 

And  evening  full  of  the  linnet's  wings. 
I  will  arise  and  go  now,  for  always  night  and  day 

I  hear  lake  water  lapping  with  low  sounds  by  the  shore  ; 
While  I  stand  on  the  roadway,  or  on  the  pavements  grey 

I  hear  it  in  the  deep  heart's  core." 


APPENDIX 

(a)  clan  names  of  ponape 

Called  Tupu  or  Tipu,  also  Chou-tapa 

Note. — The  names  within  brackets  are  those  of  the 
principal   chiefs  belonging  to  the  several  tribes. 

i.  Tupu-en-Panamai  (Noch,  in  Metalanim). 

2.  Tupu-en-man  tontol  (King  Rocha  of  Kiti),  patron- 
saint  Ilako,  a  name  that  appears  in  the  Yap  Pantheon  as 
Ilagoth.  The  Man  tontol,  or  Dark  bird,  is  the  Kau-alik 
or  Blue  Heron. 

3.  Choun-Kaua  (The  Wachai  of  Chokach,  Lap-en-Not, 
the  headman  of  Not,  and  Chaulik  of  Tomara). 

4.  Tupu-lap,  a  Mount  Wana  clan,  allied  to  Nos.  2  and  1  3. 

5.  Lipitan  (Nanekin  of  Kiti). 

6.  Lachi-alap  (King  of  U). 

7.  Tupu-en-Papa. 

8.  Tupu-en-Luk  =  the  children  of  Luk,  the  spirit  of 
guile  and  mischief. 

9.  Tip-en-uai,  the  descendants  of  Icho-Kalakal's  great 
invading  force  from  the  South.  (Nanekin  in  Metalanim, 
also  Lap-en-Paliker,  Lap-en-Langar,  and  the  influential 
chieftain  Nan-matau  of  the  Palang  valley.  The  totem  of 
this  tribe  is  the  Likantenkap  or  Sting-ray. 

1  o.   Latak. 

1 1.  Chau-n-P6k. 

1  2.  Tup-en-man-en-Chatau.  The  children  of  the  Devil- 
Bird  or  Native  Owl.  (Chatau  =  Pueliko,  the  Ponapean 
Inferno.)  In  Malay  the  name  of  the  Owl  Burong  Hantu 
has  the  same  meaning. 

13.  Tip-en-man-potopot.  The  Man-potopot  or  White 
Bird  is  the  Chik  or  Boatswain  bird.      Another  Kiti  tribe. 


CLAN    NAMES   OF    PONAPE  325 

14.   Choun-pali-en-pil.      The  people  of  the  waterside. 
1  5.   Naniak  (Nanchau-Rerren  of  Roch  and  Annepein). 

16.  Chou-n-Chamaki.  Chamaki  is  the  name  of  a  hill 
near  Chap-en-Takai  on  the  south-west  coast. 

1 7.  Li-ara-Katau.      This  tribe  is  now  extinct. 

18.  Chou-n-mach.  Probably  representing  the  ancient 
Malay  element.    Literally.    The  People  of  the  olden  Times. 

19.  Choun-Kiti. 

The  old  name  for  a  king  was  Chau  or  Akata,  and 
Icho  meant  a  prince.  The  kings  of  Metalanim  and  U 
are  entitled  Ickipau,  their  queens  Likant.  The  king  of 
Kiti  is  variously  called  Nanamareki  or  Rocha,  his  wife 
being  called  Nan-alik.  The  wife  of  the  Wachai  or  prince 
of  Chokach  is  styled  Nanep.  The  children  of  a  king 
were  called  Cherrichou.  Other  chiefly  titles  were  Taok, 
Nock,  Chau-ivana,  Nanaua,  Nanapei,  Nankerou-n-pontake, 
Nanit-lapalap,  Nalik-lapalap,  Nanchau,  Chautel,  Lumpoi, 
A  untol-rerren,  Mar}  A  u,  A  u-en-pon-pei,  Ckoumatau,  Chaalik? 
the  smallest  title  of  all.  Then  came  the  Maio  or  Freed- 
men,  then  the  Aramach-mal  or  Common  folk  ;  and,  last  of 
all,  Litu  or  serfs,  mostly  descended  from  prisoners  of  war. 

Counted  equal  to  the  nobles  were  the  two  religious 
bodies,  the  Chaumaro  or  high  priests,  and  the  Laiap  or 
priests  of  the  second  order.  These  were  of  great  weight 
and  importance  in  the  land,  and  united  the  functions  of 
doctor,  magician,  rain-maker,  and  diviner  of  the  future. 
Theirs  was  the  knowledge  of  medicinal  herbs  and  poisons, 
the  gift  of  Kapakap  or  prophecy,  of  the  Macha-kilang  or 
second  sight,  the  interpretation  of  dreams  and  omens,  and 
the  dreaded  power  of  the  Ria  or  imprecation  of  curses. 
Upon  them  devolved  the  ordering  of  Court  ceremonies 
and  public  festivals,  and  the  seasonable  invocation  of  the 
gods  of  rain  and  harvest,  the  staving  off  of  famine  and  all 
calamities,  public  and  private,  and  the  maintenance  of  the 

1  Cf.  Maori,  Mara!  Sir,  a  salutation  of  a  young  man  to  an  older. 

2  Perhaps  akin  to  S.  -W.  and  S.  Polynesian,  Tauhkaleka,  Taurekareka,  and 
Taule'ale'a,  a  youth,  beau.     (In  Maori,  a  rascal.) 


326  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

Charaui  or  Tabu.  Theirs  were  the  principal  seats  upon  the 
Lempantam  or  high  stone  platform  in  the  Nach  or  Council 
Lodge — theirs,  next  to  the  king's,  the  best  portion  of 
cooked  food  and  kava  upon  the  days  of  solemn  festival. 

Throughout  all  the  tribes  great  respect  was  paid  to  the 
chiefs,  who  were  never  addressed  as  "  thou,"  but  always  in 
the  second  person  plural  uye."  As  in  Malaysia  there 
were  many  special  words  used  in  addressing  a  chief,  and 
again  there  was  another  set  form  of  words  for  addressing 
the  king,  who  was  looked  up  to  with  great  awe,  and  only 
addressed  in  the  plural  of  majesty  as  "  They."  The 
chiefs  mingle  amongst  their  tribesmen  with  great  famili- 
arity and  affability,  which,  no  doubt,  forms  a  fresh  bond 
of  sympathy  and  union.  They  all  hold  together  loyally  ; 
offend  one,  and  all  are  eager  to  take  up  his  quarrel.  If 
the  chief  be  a  kindly  hospitable  man,  his  people  will  follow 
his  example.  If  he  be  a  rogue  and  a  churl,  his  people 
will  act  as  rogues  and  churls  too.  And  this  I  have 
observed  is  a  characteristic  of  Caroline  islanders  in 
general.  They  seem  to  have  little  independence  of 
judgment,  and  love  to  follow  the  lead  of  their  chiefs  in  all 
things  crooked  or  straight,  right  or  wrong. 

(b)  names  of  native  diseases 

The  miasmas  arising  from  the  swampy  belt  of  alluvium 
surrounding  Ponape  give  rise  to  various  catarrhal  and 
febrile  maladies,  very  fatal  to  the  old  people  during  the 
rainy  season,  with  its  light  and  variable  winds.  An 
important  factor  in  the  health  of  the  people  is  the  trade- 
wind  that  blows  clear  and  fresh  out  of  the  north-east  from 
October  to  May.  Their  names  for  fever  are  :  Cho-mau- 
pou  and  Chomau-karrakar,  the  first  denoting  the  cold,  the 
second  the  hot  fit  of  the  malady. 

They  call  the  smallpox,  introduced  by  a  whaling  vessel 
some  forty  years  ago,  and  which  carried  off  half  the 
population  of  the  island,  Kilitap  or  Peeling  Skin. 

Consumption,  for  which  the  natives  also  have  to  thank 


NATIVE    DISEASES  327 

the  whalers,  is  called  by  the  grim  name  Ll-MONGOMONG 
or  "  The  Lady  who  shrivels  men  up." 

The  venereal  disease,  now  happily  quite  of  rare  occur- 
rence, is  called  KENCH  (Jap.  Kanso),  upon  Yap  Rabungek. 

Scrofula  {Pir)  is  fairly  common,  the  result  of  a  poor  diet. 

Leprosy  (Tukotuk),  somewhat  rare,  and  of  a  compara- 
tively mild  type  ;  probably  introduced  from  the  East  by 
the  early  Asiatic  settlers  {cf  Maori  Tukutuku  :  a  curse,  to 
bewitch). 

Rip  is  the  generic  term  for  sores  and  ulcers  (Kusaian 
Ruf)  {cf.  Tahitian  ;  Ripa,  wasting  sickness). 

Cough  is  Kopokop  (Kusaie  Kofkof),  a  cold  or  catarrh, 
Tot  or  Punan. 

Asthma  is  Lukoluk.      Hiccough,  Marrer. 

Rheumatism,  Matak.  Vomiting,  Mumuch.  Headache, 
vertigo,  Maaliel. 

Home-sickness  or  nostalgia,  Lit-en-chap.  Paralysis, 
Li-chongapo. 

Delirium,  Li-aurdra.      Insomnia,  Ika-n-pong. 

Itching,  Kili-pitipit  or  Quick-skin. 

Constipation,  Tang,  Teng.  Dysentery,  said  to  have 
been  introduced  from  Manilla,  Pek-en-inta. 

Squint  is  called  Macha-pali,  or  eye  on  one  side. 

Blindness  is  Mach-kun.      Fainting  is  Machapong. 

Lameness  is  Chikel  {cf.  Javanese  Chongkul). 

A  swelling  of  the  hands  into  hard  lumps  is  called 
Komut-en-Kiti ;  query,  chalk-stones. 

The  disease  known  as  Tanetane  in  Polynesia,  appearing 
as  an  eruption  of  light-coloured  maculae  on  the  brown 
native  skin,  is  Chenchen  (Kusaie  Tantan,  spotted). 

The  curious  furfuraceous  disease,  mentioned  by  Guppy 
as  so  prevalent  in  the  Solomon  and  Gilbert  Islands 
called  Tokelau  Leprosy  or  Tokelau  ringworm,  is  very 
common  in  Ponape,  where  it  is  called  Kili-en-  Wai  or  The 
Foreign  Skin. 

Elephantiasis  is  also  common  in  this  group  which  the 
ethnic  mutilation  (Lekelek)  is  supposed  to  guard  against. 


328  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

(C)    PONAPEAN    TREES,    PLANTS    AND    SHRUBS 

I  here  give  the  native  names  arranged  in  alphabetical 
order,  and  where  possible  with  the  botanical  name  side  by 
side.  To  each  is  affixed  a  description  of  its  economical  or 
medicinal  qualities,  use,  or  special  virtues.  I  have  some- 
times subjoined  the  neighbouring  Micronesian,  the  Poly- 
nesian, or  the  Philippine  Island  name,  agreeably  to  the 
recommendation  of  Guppy  in  his  book  upon  the  Solomon 
Islands,  pp.  186-190.  A  more  complete  dissertation 
upon  the  widespread  distribution  of  similar  plant  and 
tree-names  throughout  the  great  Pacific  area  will  be  found 
in  a  paper  of  mine  which  appeared  in  the  Transactions 
of  the  Polynesian  Society  of  New  Zealand  in  1897. 

A 

Adit,  Abitk,  Abiut.  The  Yap  name  for  a  bush-tree 
bearing  round  edible  fruit  of  a  dull  green,  marked  all  over 
with  light  yellow  raised  patches.  Flavour  sweet  and 
mawkish.      The  pulp  has  an  offensive,  sour  odour. 

Aio.  The  Banyan-tree  of  Ponape  (Ficus  Indica).  The 
Ao  of  the  Mortlocks  and  the  Aoa  of  Polynesia.  (Also 
called  on  the  east  coast  Oio.) 

Ais.  (Parinarium  laurinum.)  The  Atita  of  the  Solo- 
mon Islands,  the  Adhidh  of  Yap,  the  A  set  of  the  Mortlocks. 
In  the  Pelews  known  as  LAUG.  It  grows  to  a  considerable 
height  and  produces  large  circular  rough  reddish-brown 
fruits  about  the  size  of  a  cricket-ball.  A  decoction  of 
the  pericarp  is  used  for  painting  canoes  red,  and  the 
kernel  produces  a  good  varnish-oil  used  in  conjunction 
with  clay  for  caulking  seams  of  leaky  boats. 

Ak.  The  generic  word  for  mangroves.  (Tagal  BakaJi). 
The  upper  branches  run  into  long  straight  wands  or  poles 
which  are  used  for  spear-shafts,  rafters,  punting-poles 
and  husking-sticks.  N.B. — In  Polynesia  Oka  denotes  a 
husking-stick   or  rafter. 

Alek.      An    elegant    species   of  reed-grass,   the   slender 


TREES,    PLANTS    AND    SHRUBS  329 

stems  of  which  are  extensively  used  for  making  shutters 
and  floorings. 

Aput,  Apuit.  A  white-wood  riverside  tree  used  for  the 
Kerek  or  figure-heads  of  canoes. 

Aulong.  A  species  of  wild  ginger  bearing  a  reddish  or 
crimson  spike  of  flowers  called  Likaitit. 

C  H 

Chat.  The  Custard-apple  (Anona  squamosa).  In  Yap, 
Sausau. 

Chaiping,  Chaping.  (Heritiera  littoralis.)  The  Metalanim 
name  for  the  Marrap-en-chet,  i.e.  the  Marrap  or  chestnut 
of  the  salt  water,  the  sea-side  species,  to  distinguish  it  from 
the  Marrap  of  the  woods  (Inocarpus  edulis).  The 
Chaiping  has  singular  keeled  seeds.  The  under  part  of  the 
leaf  is  of  a  silvery  whiteness.  Wood  hard  and  white,  used 
by  boat-builders.  The  Pipilusu  of  the  Solomon  Islands 
(Guppy).      In  Tagal  Sapang  denotes  a  hard-wood  tree. 

Chair-en-uai  {i.e.  The  Foreign  Flower).  The  U  and 
Metalanim  name  applied  indifferently  to  a  species  of 
Gardenia,  and  to  the  Cananga  odorata.  (The  latter  is  the 
Ylang-ylang  of  the  Philippines  and  the  Moso'oi,  Mohoki 
and  Motoki  of  Polynesia.)  With  Chair,  Sair,  "  a  flower," 
compare  Javanese  Sari,  "  a  flower,"  and  Polynesian  Tiare, 
Siale  id. 

Chakan.  The  Candle-nut  tree  (Aleurites  triloba). 
Known  in  the  Polynesian  area  as  Rama,  Lama  and  Ama, 
also  as  Tutui.  The  charred  nuts  used  by  the  Ponapeans 
for  making  a  black  paint. 

Chakau,  Choko.  The  kava  of  Polynesia  (Piper  Methy- 
sticum).  From  its  pounded  roots  the  national  beverage  is 
made.  It  is  extensively  grown  all  over  the  island,  except  in 
the  Metalanim  tribe,  where  its  raising  is  vetoed.  The  word 
is  connected  with  the  Japanese  Sake,  Saka,  which  denotes 
(a)  rice-spirit,  (b)  strong  drink  in  general.  Compare  Kusaie 
Seka,  (a)  the  kava-plant,  (b)  the  drink  prepared  from  it. 

Chalanga-en-ani.  A  fungus  or  toadstool.  Literally 
"Devil's  ear." 


330  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

Chapachap,  Chap-el-lang.  A  sort  of  rush  growing  on 
the  plateaus  and  hillsides. 

Chapokin.      A  species  of  wild  arum. 

Chatak.  The  Elaeocarpus,  and  the  Nil-Kanth  of  India. 
A  tall  forest  tree,  its  trunk  supported  by  wide  flanges  or 
buttresses.  The  wood  is  white  and  firm,  much  used  by 
the  Ponapeans  for  canoe-building.  The  berries  are  exactly 
the  size  and  shape  of  an  olive,  but  of  an  intense  cobalt 
blue.  They  are  eaten  by  the  fruit-pigeons.  I  have  seen 
the  tree  also  upon  Strong's  Island  {Kusaie).  Habitat  the 
upper  hill-slopes.     (Perhaps  akin  to  Malay  Jati,  teak.) 

Chaua.  The  generic  name  for  the  Arum  esculentum  or 
Taro,  of  which  several  varieties  are  cultivated  on  Ponape. 
(Compare  Motu,  Nuku-Oro,  and  Marquesan  Tao  the  Taro,  of 
which  word  the  Ponapean  is  a  harsher  Micronesian  variant.) 

Chenchul  (Ipomea  sp.).  A  creeping  plant  with  purple 
flowers,  like  a  convolvulus,  found  on  all  the  island  beaches. 
Decoction  of  leaves  drunk  by  child-bearing  women. 

Cheu.  The  sugar-cane.  (Compare  Polynesian  To,  Fijian 
Ndovu,  Malayan  Tubu,  German  New  Guinea  Tab,  Tup, 
Tep.)  Called  upon  Ngatik  Chou.  In  Paliker  district  the 
name  Cheu  is  tabued,  as  it  occurs  in  the  name  of  a  local 
chief,  and  the  name  Nan-  Tap  or  Madame  Tap  is  substituted, 
the  older  form  of  the  word  coming  back  into  life  and  use 
in  this  curious  way.  (Varieties  :  Cheu-ntd,  with  dark-red 
stems.  Cheu-puot,  with  light-coloured  stems.  Cheu-en-uai, 
with  brownish  stems.  Cheu-en-air,  with  speckled  stems. 
Cheu-rei,  with  banded  stems  and  dark-coloured  juice.) 

Choio.  A  waterside  tree.  Hard  white  wood.  Droop- 
ing habit  of  boughs.  Longish  leaves.  Habitat,  the 
swampy  banks  near  the  mouths  of  the  rivers. 

Chong,  Chom.  A  variety  of  the  mangrove  {Bruguierd). 
(Cf.  Polynesian  Tongo,  the  mangrove.)  The  bark  of  the 
root-stems  is  used  for  dyeing  a  brown  or  reddish-brown 
colour.  In  some  Pacific  Islands  bits  of  the  bark  are 
thrown  into  the  calabashes  of  fresh  coconut-toddy  so  as 
to  set  up  a  speedier  fermentation. 


TREES,    PLANTS    AND    SHRUBS  331 

Choun-mal,  i.e.,  "  Worthless  fellow."  The  Stinging  Nettle. 
(The  Salato  of  Samoa.      Malay  Jalatan  id.) 

Chongut.  A  bush-tree  in  Yap  with  a  burning  milky 
sap,  which,  falling  on  the  skin,  produces  obstinate  and 
terrible   ulceration. 

/ 

Ichak.  A  wild  vine  of  the  gourd  family  {Cucurbitacece). 
The  natives  use  its  fruit  for  calabashes.  The  name  is  also 
used  to  denote  a  coconut  bottle. 

Ichao,  Ichau,  the  Callophyllum  Inophyllum.  The  Fetao, 
Hetau  and  Tamanu  of  the  Polynesian  area,  and  the  Bitao 
of  the  Philippines.  It  is  the  Iter  of  Kusaie,  the  Icher  of 
the  Marshall  group.  Its  wood  is  firm  and  durable  and  of 
a  rich  reddish-brown  colour,  equally  good  for  boat-build- 
ing or  for  ornamental  work.  It  produces  round  fruits 
with  a  bitter-sweet  kernel,  rich  in  a  resinous  greenish  oil 
most  valuable  for  rheumatism.  It  is  the  Ndilo  oil  of 
Fiji,  which  in  1870  commanded  such  a  ready  sale  in  the 
European  market.  In  1890  I  sent  two  bottles  of  the  oil 
from  Samoa  to  Dr  Tarrant  of  Sydney  for  experimental 
purposes,  but,  as  frequently  happens  in  these  cases,  no 
reply  was  ever  received. 

Ikoik.  The  Kanava  of  Nuku-Oro,  the  Tou  of  the 
Marquesas.  A  littoral  tree  producing  scarlet  trumpet- 
shaped  flowers.  It  has  a  dark  brownish-red  wood 
valuable   for  boat-building. 

Ikol.  A  small  weed  with  round  leaves  used  for  dressing 
burns. 

Ingking  {Compotacea  sp.).  A  littoral  shrub  found  on 
the  low  coral  islets  in  the  lagoon  bearing  crimson  fruit, 
oblong  like  that  of  a  sweet-briar.  Flowers  small  ; 
greenish  yellow.  A  decoction  of  the  bark  and  leaf  are 
used  to  cure  colic  and  internal  pains. 

Inot(Sc<zvolaKcenigii).  A  tall  littoral  tree  with  large  juicy 
obovate  leaves  of  a  bitter  flavour  and  small  white  cruciform 
flowers  with  a  violet  centre.     A  decoction  of  the  leaves 


332  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

forms  a  fine  tonic,  and  the  natives  say  an  aphrodisiac.  A 
curious  appearance  is  given  to  the  leaves  by  the  presence 
of  white,  raised  markings  running  into  a  network  recalling 
the  maculae  of  the  Tokelau  ringworm  on  the  human  skin. 
I  have  seen  the  shrub  growing  on  the  roadside  near  the 
Quarries  and  the  Sugar-Works  in  Hong-Kong  harbour. 
Upon  Nuku-Oro  it  is  called  Manuka-pasanga.  In  the 
Mariannes  it  is  called  NANASO;  in  Japanese,  KUSA-TOBERA. 

Ioio.  A  bush-plant  running  up  to  some  ten  or  twelve 
feet  in  height,  with  leaves  like  a  Canna  and  juicy  stalks 
like  a  ginger  plant.  It  bears  white  flowers.  The  fruits  are 
red  in  colour  and  oblong  in  form,  growing  together  in  a  long 
bunch  or  raceme.  The  juice  is  aromatic  and  astringent. 
A  decoction  of  the  pith  is  used  by  the  natives  as  an 
unfailing  specific  for  diseases  of  the  mucous  membrane. 

lol,  Yol.  A  species  of  giant  convolvulus  growing  on 
the  hill-slopes  :  flowers  large,  white,  with  sulphur-yellow 
centre.  A  decoction  of  the  leaves  and  seeds  possesses 
properties  akin  to  those  of  ergot  of  rye.  Much  used 
by  the  native  women  for  procuring  abortion. 

Ita,  Ita-n-wal.      The  wild  Ratan-cane  (Samoan  Lafo). 

K 

Ka,  Ke.  A  shrub  cultivated  for  the  sweet  cinnamon- 
scented  essential  oil  extracted  from  its  bruised  and 
crushed  bark.  The  Ka-en-Mant  is  a  particularly  choice 
species  (Cinnamum  Terglanicum  ?). 

Kalak.      A  tall  bush-tree. 

Kalau.  The  Hibiscus  Tiliaceus.  (The  Gili-fau  of 
the  Mortlocks,  the  Kal  of  Yap,  the  Lo  of  Kusaie  and 
the  Marshall  Islands.)  (The  Ponapean  name  Kala-hau 
contains  two  elements,  the  latter  the  Polynesian  Fau, 
Hau,  Malay  Baru,1  Tagal  Bali-bago.)  Strips  of  the  bark 
form  the  native  cord  or  string,  and  was  often  beaten 
out  into  baste  to  make  women's  dresses  ("  Li-kau ")  in 
olden    times.      From  the  flowers  and  leaves  a  decoction 

1  The  Varu  of  Aurora  and  New  Hebrides. 


TREES,    PLANTS    AND    SHRUBS  333 

is  made  possessing  astringent  qualities,  a  great  native 
remedy  for  urethritis. 

Kamp-en-ial,  Kamp-en-  Yap.  A  bush-shrub  with  long 
narrow  leaves,  bearing  tiny  inodorous  white  flowers, 
four  or  five  together  on  a  stem.  The  Seasea  of  Samoa. 
(Eugenia  sp.). 

Kamuche.  A  shrub  growing  some  ten  feet  high, 
bearing  small  bluish-mauve  flowers.  Habitat,  the  low 
coral  islets  in  the  lagoon. 

Kanau,  Kaman.  A  tall  bush-tree  with  pinnate  leaves 
and  curious  heavy  wrinkled  seeds  like  the  kernel  of  a 
walnut.  Firm  white  wood.  Habitat,  the  banks  of  the 
Pillap-en-Chakola  Creek,  Ascension  Bay,  north  coast 
(Cynometra  sp.). 

Kanepap.  A  tall  forest  tree  bearing  minute  flowers 
in  panicles.      Wood  used  in  house-building. 

Kanepul.  Bush  -  tree.  (According  to  Dr  Pereiro,  a 
Dracontomelum,  order  Anacardiae.) 

Kangit.  The  name  applied  indifferently  to  the  true 
Mango  (Mangifera  Indica) ;  and  to  a  large  tree  (Pangium 
edule),  bearing  huge  round  fruits  like  those  of  an  alligator 
pear,  containing  ten  or  twelve  seeds  exactly  like  the  single 
one  of  a  mango,  and  filled  with  a  custard-like  yellowish  pulp 
of  delicious  flavour.  Upon  Yap  the  tree  is  called  RAUAL. 
Decoction  of  the  boiled  bark  valuable  cure  for  urethral 
troubles.  The  kernel  of  the  seeds  contains  a  narcotico- 
irritant  poison. 

Kap.  The  generic  word  for  the  yam,  extensively 
cultivated  in  all  the  districts.1  {Cf.  Japanese  Kabu,  a 
turnip ;  Philippines,  Gabe ;  Polynesian,  Rape ;  Ape  id, 
the  Arum  costatum. 

Some  of  the  varieties  : — 

Kap-e-lai,  Kape-e-palai.      Sweet  variety.      (Samoan  Ufi- 

1  At  the  planting  of  the  yams  at  the  beginning  of  the  rainy  season  there  was 
held  a  singular  ceremony.  The  chief  priest  came  forward  with  a  digging-stick 
in  his  hand,  with  which  he  raked  about  in  the  ground,  with  the  solemn 
incantation,  "  Champa  kota,  airi  koti"  i.e.,  "  Good  soil  rise  up,  poor  soil  sink 
down." 


334  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

lei,  and  Palai  yam.  sp.,  compare  Mangaian  Ui-parai.) 
Kap-en-mali :  Round,  light-coloured  skin.  Kap-namu ; 
Long.  Kap-en-Ant :  Light-coloured  skin.  Kap-mpulam- 
pul:  Dark  purple  skin  and  flesh.  Choice  variety.  The 
potato  is  called  Kap-en-uai  or  the  Foreign  Yam  ;  and  the 
Sweet  Potato  Kap-en-Tomara,  or  the  Yam  of  Tomara, 
from  a  village  near  the  Palang  River  on  the  west  coast 
where  it  was  first  introduced.  Similarly  the  Fijians  call 
the  sweet  potato  Kawai-ni-vavalangi,  or  the  Foreign 
Yam  ;  the  Malays  Ubi-Jawa,  the  Yam  of  Java.  In  the 
Pelews  the  potato  and  the  sweet  potato  are  styled  Tulngut- 
al-Barath,  i.e.  the  Yam  from  the  Westward. 

Kara,  Kora.  A  tall  forest  tree.  Hard  heavy  wood, 
white  when  first  cut,  but  turning  red  after  a  few  days. 
Good  for  cabinet-making.  Habitat,  hill-slopes  above 
Metalanim  harbour  and  around  the  Kipar  and  Paliker 
district  on  the  west  and  south-west  coast. 

Karara.  A  species  of  wild  nutmeg  (Myristica).  Fruits 
chewed  in  olden  time  to  make  the  teeth  red.  (Query,  as  a 
substitute  for  betel-nut  ?) 

Karamat.  Species  of  dead-nettle.  Crushed  leaves  used 
for  poulticing  indolent  ulcers. 

Karrat.  A  large  plantain  with  bright  orange  flesh 
(Malay  Kalat,  Kusaie  Kalas,  Hindustani  Kadli,  Keld). 

Karrer.  The  Kiti  and  Chokach  word  for  trees  of  the 
citrus  family,  such  as  the  orange,  lemon  or  lime.  (The 
Kahit  of  the  Mariannes.  In  Kusaie,  Osas.  In  Yap, 
Gurgur  and  Guerguer^) 

Katai,  Kotop.  Varieties  of  areca-palm  found  on  the 
plateaus  and  the  upland  slopes.  Children  sometimes 
chew  the  nuts,  the  adults  very  rarely.  The  habit  of 
Betel-nut  chewing  practised  so  universally  in  the  Philip- 
pines, the  Mariannes,  the  Pelews  and  in  Yap,  somehow 
has  not  taken  root  firmly  amongst  the  Ponapeans,  who 
appear  to  find  the  stimulus  of  Kava-drinking  sufficient 
for  their  needs. 

Katar.      The  tree-fern  found    in    great  abundance    in 


TREES,    PLANTS   AND    SHRUBS  335 

ravines  and  clefts  of  the  hills.      The  trunks  are  often  used 
for  posts  in  house-building. 

Katereng.  The  sweet  basil.  Used  in  soups  and  for 
making  tea,  an  excellent  fever  draught.  A  decoction  of 
the  leaves  in  boiling  water  is  a  capital  application  to 
fevered,  aching  and  wearied  limbs. 

Katiu,  Katia.  The  Ixora.  A  forest  tree  of  upright  and 
sturdy  growth,  with  long  narrow  leaves  and  umbels  of 
brilliant  scarlet  blossoms  with  a  yellow  centre.  Spear- 
shafts  are  made  of  the  stems,  also  punting-poles  and 
rafters.  This  tree  also  grows  in  great  magnificence  upon 
Kusaie  to  the  south-east  and  upon  the  King's  Isle  of  Lele 
where  it  is  called  Kasiu.  In  Yap  it  is  called  Katchuy  and 
in  the  Uluthi  group  Kathiu. 

Katol.  The  Paper-Mulberry  (Broussonettia  papyrifera). 
The  Puuehu  of  the  Marquesas  and  the  Lau-Ua  of  Samoa. 
It  is  not  common  in  Ponape,  which  may  account  for  the 
absence  of  the  native  cloth  called  Sz'apo,  Ngatu  or  Tapa 
by  the  Samoan,  Tongan  and  Marquesan  islanders.  How- 
ever, rarity  or  absence  of  this  fabric  in  Ponape  was 
compensated  by  the  bast  obtained  from  the  bark  of  the 
Hibiscus  and  the  Nin,  a  ficoid  tree.  A  curious  and 
instructive  word  in  this  connection  is  the  Gilbert  Island 
word  for  clothes,  Kun-ne-kai,  literally  Skin  of  Trees. 

Kawa.  A  tree  growing  on  the  mud-flats  and  salt-water 
marshes  just  inside  the  outer  girdle  of  mangroves  that 
hem  in  the  lowlands.  It  has  narrow,  pointed,  fleshy 
leaves  growing  two  and  two  on  a  stalk,  and  bears  tufted 
crimson  flowers  (Kandelia  Rhcedii). 

Keiwalu.  A  wild  vetchling.  There  are  two  sorts,  one 
resembling  an  everlasting  pea,  with  pinkish-purplish  flowers 
and  broad  leaves  ;  the  other,  with  smaller  leaves  and 
yellow  flowers  of  like  shape,  found  creeping  everywhere 
around  the  beaches  just  above  high  water  mark. 

Ken.  A  tree  found  growing  on  the  swampy  banks  near 
the  mouths  of  the  rivers.  It  has  dark  brown  wood,  used 
for  boat-building  and    for  making  posts  for  the  houses. 


33^  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

In  the  Solomon  Islands,  KENKEN  is  the  Coix  lacryma  or 
Job's  tears. 

Kerari.  In  Kiti,  a  shrub  with  rough  leaves  like  those  of 
a  sage-bush  and  bearing  bright  blue  flowers.  On  the 
North  Coast,  Maikon.      Upon  Yap,  Tenk. 

Kiap,  Kiep,  Kiop.  The  native  lily,  with  white  petals  and 
yellow  stamens  and  pistils.  The  Kinf 'of  Kusaie,  the  Gieb 
of  the  Marshall  and  Gilbert  Islands.  In  the  Mariannes 
Kafo  is  the  flower  of  the  Pandanus.  Cf.  Maori,  Kopakopa, 
the  New  Zealand  Lily.  In  Japan  Gibo  denotes  one  of  the 
Liliaceae. 

Kipar.  The  Kiti  name  of  the  Pandanus  or  Screw-pine 
(P.  utilis  and  odoratisswius).  The  Fas,  Far,  and  Fat,  of 
the  Mortlocks,  the  Fala  and  Fasa  of  Samoa,  the  Hala  and 
Fara  of  Hawaii  and  Tahiti,  the  Hara-hagh  and  Harassas 
of  Indonesia.  In  Japanese  Tako-no-Ki,  i.e.,  The  Tree  of 
the  Octopus.1 

Kirikei.  The  old  name  of  the  Wompul,  Weipul  or 
Morinda  Citrifolia. 

Kiri-n-chom.      The  rhizome  of  the  mangrove  tree. 

Kirrak-en-  Wal.  Lit.  The  Kirrak  of  the  Bush.  The 
jamboo  or  Malay  apple,  the  Nonu-fiafia  of  Samoa,  known 
in  other  portions  of  the  Pacific  area  as  Kehia,  Ehia,  Ohia, 
Kahika,  Kafka  and  Geviga.  In  the  central  Carolines  the 
name  Kirak  or  Girek  denotes  the  native  chestnut  (Inocar- 
pus  edulis)  (cf.  Maori  Karaka,  a  tree  with  edible  seeds). 

Kitau.  The  Polypody  fern — much  used  for  garlands. 
The  crushed  leaves  and  stalks  are  mingled  with  scraped 
coconut  and  a  scented  oil  is  expressed  therefrom. 

Kiti.  The  Cerbera  lactaria  and  C.  Odollam,  found  on 
the  island  beaches.  The  Leva,  Reva  and  Eva  of  Poly- 
nesia. Every  part  of  the  tree  is  highly  poisonous,  and  the 
crushed  nuts  are  all  too  frequently  employed  by  the  women 
of  the  Marquesas  group  for  suicide. 

1  The  natives  of  the  Harvey  Group  (S.-E.  Polynesia)  have  a  strange  idea 
current  of  a  species  of  octopus  that  comes  ashore  at  dark,  climbs  the  Ara  or 
Pandan  tree  and  devours  its  fragrant  blossoms. 


TREES,    PLANTS    AND    SHRUBS  337 

Kom.  Cf.  Japanese  Kombu,  seaweed.  A  seaweed  with 
remarkable  narcotic  properties  found  growing  in  little  tufts 
on  the  edge  of  the  Mat  or  detached  reefs  in  the  lagoon. 
Used  by  fishermen  in  capturing  the  jellyfish  Raraiak  and 
Tentumoi. 

Konok.  The  betel-pepper,  a  small  species  of  the  kava 
plant  which  climbs  like  ivy  around  the  trunks  of  trees. 
The  Kolu  of  the  Solomon  Islands.  (In  Peru  Kunuka  is  a 
climbing  plant.) 

Korront.  A  burr-bearing  weed,  found  on  rubbish-heaps 
and  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  clearings  in  rear  of  each 
native  settlement  (Sida  retusd). 

Koto.  A  species  of  mangrove  with  white  flowers  and 
circular  leaves  and  rounded  seeds.  Wood  white  and  firm, 
good  for  cabinet-making.  It  is  the  Hali-a-paka  or  White 
Mangrove  of  the  Marianne  Group. 

Kupu-n-Tanapai,  i.e.  the  plant  of  the  Tiger  Shark. 
The  fanciful  name  of  the  Osmunda  regalis  or  Royal  Fern. 

L 

Lampa,  mould,  mildew. 

Likaitit.  The  rose-coloured  flower-spike  of  the  wild  ginger. 

Likam.  A  climbing  plant  bearing  flowers  like  a  con- 
volvulus in  shape — of  a  light  mauve-colour — with  a  deep 
purple-mauve  eye. 

Lim.  General  term  for  sponges  (Polynesian  Limu, 
Rimu  —  seaweed). 

Lim-en-kaualik  is  a  scarlet  sponge — Paia,  a  yellow  one. 

Lim-en-tutu.  The  sponge  of  commerce,  and  Lim-en- 
auar  a  brown  and  dark-blue  species. 

Lim-en-Tuka.  Lichen  or  moss  growing  on  trees,  which 
sometimes  is  wonderfully  like  a  sponge.  (Specimen  in 
South  Kensington  Museum.) 

Lim-Par.  A  long-fronded  fern  growing  on  trees  over- 
hanging the  riverside. 

Luach.  A  tree  exactly  resembling  Callophyllum  ino- 
phyllum,  save  that  instead  of  round  fruits  it  bears  pear- 
Y 


338  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

shaped  ones.  (Upon  Kusaie — Ltms.)  The  aromatic 
rhind  used  by  natives  for  stringing  garlands,  and  as  an 
ingredient  in  preparing  their  Uchor  or  scented  oil. 

M 

Mai.   The  breadfruit,  of  which  I  counted  forty-five  species. 

Maikon.  A  shrub  growing  five  or  six  feet  high  ;  rough 
leaves,  blue  flowers.      Decoction  of  leaves  a  blood  purifier. 

Makiach.      A  bush-shrub. 

Mang.  The  swamp-taro  (Colocasia)  with  forked  roots, 
whence  its  name.  It  bears  yellowish  fiower-spathes.  {Cf. 
Samoan  Manga-na'a,  Manga-siva,)   species  of  water-taro. 

Mangat.      A  large  species  of  plantain. 

Marachau  {i.e.  the  king's  garland  or  necklace). 
(Dysoxylum  or  Averrhea,  sp.  ?)  A  tall  and  handsome 
forest  tree.  The  leaves  grow  by  fives  together  on  a  stalk, 
and  somewhat  resemble  those  of  an  English  ash. 

Marek.      The  common  fern. 

Marrap.  The  Inocarpus  edulis,  the  Ihi,  Ifi  and  /*  of 
Tonga,  Samoa  and  Mangaia.  In  Efatese — Mabe.  The 
Tahitian  name  is  Mape.  In  Mortlocks,  Marefa.  It  is  a 
sacred  tree  in  which  Naluk  the  God  of  Thunder  is  sup- 
posed to  dwell.  Its  boiled  bark  yields  a  valuable 
astringent  drug.  Its  firm  white  wood  is  much  used  in 
boat-building,  the  root  buttresses  supplying  good  material 
for  the  bends  and  strengthening  pieces.  The  large 
flattish  fruits  are  very  much  like  an  English  chestnut 
in  flavour,  and  form  a  very  welcome  addition  to  the  native 
fare.  A  sucking-pig  or  fowl  stuffed  with  Marrap  fruit 
and  baked  in  the  earth-oven  is  a  dish  not  to  be  despised. 

Marrap-en-Chet.  (In  the  white  man's  pidgin  Ponapean 
"  Marry-bunchy  "  )  is  the  Kiti  name  for  Heritiera  littoralis, 
properly  not  a  Marrap  at  all. 

MatakeL  The  fragrant  leaf-like  flower  of  the  Pandanus 
odoratissimus. 

Matai.  A  medicinal  bush-weed,  decoction  of  leaves 
drunk  by  child-bearing  women. 


TREES,    PLANTS    AND    SHRUBS  339 

Matal.  Applied  both  to  the  bush  pandanus  and  to  the 
Freycinetia,  the  Salasala  and  hie  of  Samoa,  the  Kiekie  of 
eastern  Polynesia,  the  Give  of  the  Banks  Group,  and  the 
N'er  of  Yap. 

Matal-in-Iak.  A  bush-weed.  Decoction  of  leaves 
good  for  headache. 

Mateu,  Matu.      The  Sassafras  or  wild  Sarsaparilla. 

Matil.      A  long-fronded  fern. 

Mekei.      The  old  name  for  the  Kitau  or  Polypody  fern. 

Mokomok.  The  generic  name  of  the  Tacca  or  South 
Sea  arrowroot  all  over  the  Caroline  area.  (In  Polynesian 
called  Pia.)  The  Mamago  of  Mamako  or  the  Solomon 
Islands  (Guppy).  One  of  the  Uluthi  or  Mackenzie  Group 
gets  its  name  from  the  quantity  of  Tacca  grown  there. 

Momiap.  The  pawpaw,  mammee  or  mummy  apple 
(Carica  papaya).  The  Ketela  of  Malaysia,  the  Es  of  Kusaie 
and  the  Est  of  Samoa.  Introduced  into  Ponape  about  1  840 
by  an  old  French  settler — the  recluse  of  Nan-Moluchai  re- 
ferred to  in  the  account  of  our  visit  to  the  Metalanim  ruins. 

Mpai.      A  species  of  tree-fern. 

Muerk  (Psychotria).  A  bush-tree.  Decoction  of 
bark  used  for  curing  aphtha  or  thrush  in  children. 

AT 

Nan-Karu.  Name  given  to  plants  of  the  orchid 
species,  which  also  is  designated  by  the  name  Kiki-en- 
kaualik  or  "  Blue   Heron's  claw." 

Nan-Tap.  The  Paliker  local  name  for  the  Cheu  or 
sugar-cane. 

Ni.  The  coconut  palm,  of  which  there  are  several 
varieties.1  One  has  an  edible  husk  (Ni-atol,  the  Niu- 
mangalo  of  Polynesia).  N.B. — A  curious  freak  of  nature 
is  sometimes  seen  in  a  single  nut  out  of  a  cluster,  the 
kernel  of  which  is  divided  up  into  two,  three,  or  four 
compartments,  from  each  of  which  a  shoot  springs. 

1  In  Polynesian,  Niu,  Nu ;  Malayan,  Niyor,  Nur  ;   Philippines,    Niyog ; 
Skt.,  Nariyar. 


340  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

This  is  called  in  Ponape  Pat-en-parang.  Upon  Mokil, 
Pat-en-maram. 

The  nut  has  several  names  according  to  its  stages  of 
development.  Small  nut  just  forming,  Kurup  {Cf.  Maly., 
Karapa,  Kalapd).  Green  drinking-nut,  soft  kernel  com- 
mencing to  line  the  shell,  Up  in  Kiti,  Pen  in  Chokach  and 
Metalanim.  Next  stage,  kernel  -  thickening,  Mangach. 
Stage  when  the  nut  is  fully  ripe  and  falls  down  ready  for 
copra-making,  Arring,  Arrin.  [Upon  Pingelap,  Takatak.~\ 
In  the  final  stage  the  solid  kernel  occupying  the  whole  of 
the  interior  takes  on  change,  and  becomes  a  soft  spongy 
mass,  and  the  shoot  of  the  young  palm  sprouts  out  through 
one  of  the  eyes.  It  is  then  called  Par.  The  contents  of 
the  sprouting  nut,  when  roasted,  are  a  favourite  diet  for 
invalids.  The  husk  is  called  Tipanit.  From  this  the  cinnet 
or  cord  is  twisted.  Inipal  is  the  name  of  the  natural 
cloth  clinging  around  the  base  of  the  leaf-stalks  or  fronds. 
The  flower-stalk  is  Tangkal ;  the  leaf  or  frond  Paini  ;  the 
sheath  of  the  flower-stalk  Koual ;  the  central  spine  of 
leaflets  Nok,  and  the  oil  Le  or  Ler  (when  scented,  Uchor.) 
Nin.  A  ficoid  tree  allied  to  the  Banyan.  It  grows 
abundantly  in  the  valleys  and  hill-slopes.  From  the  bark 
the  woman's  dress  ("  Li-kau  ")  was  made.  {Cf.  Malay  Nunu, 
the  lesser  Banyan.)  N.B. — Nin  in  the  Mortlock's  denotes 
the  Morinda  citrifolia  (Samoan  Nonu,  Gilberts  Non,  Malay 
Nona,  Uluthi  Lol.) 

NG 

Ngi  (Metrosideros).  A  littoral  shrub,  eight  to  ten 
feet  in  height,  with  very  hard  but  brittle  wood,  minute 
leaves,  and  small  delicate  flowers  like  those  of  a  myrtle. 
It  grows  in  great  abundance  on  the  small  islands  out  in 
the  lagoon,  rooting  itself  firmly  in  between  the  blocks  of 
coral,  its  roots  washed  by  the  salt  water.  It  bears  tiny 
capsules  containing  minute  dark  seeds  resembling  those  of 
the  tobacco-plant.  When  empty  they  resemble  the  bell  of 
a  lily-of-the-valley.      Decoction  of  bark  a  native  cure  for 


TREES,    PLANTS    AND    SHRUBS  341 

dysentery.  {Cf  Pelew  Islands,  Ngis  ;  Lamotrek,  Gaingi ; 
Pulavvat  and  Satawal,  Aingi.) 

Ngiungiu.  The  Yap  name  for  a  climbing  fern  {Lygodium 
scandens). 

Ngkau.  A  common  bush-weed  both  on  mainland  and 
coral  islets  in  the  lagoon.  It  bears  small  yellow  flowers, 
like  a  marguerite  or  Michaelmas  daisy.  Leaves  heart- 
shaped,  serrated  at  edges,  yielding  when  crushed  a  rank 
and  powerful  odour.  The  pounded  leaves  or  a  decoction 
of  them  are  a  valuable  application  to  sores  and  ulcerated 
wounds. 

0 

Och.  A  species  of  sago-palm  {Metroxylon  amicarmri). 
Habitat,  the  swampy  lowlands  and  the  neighbourhood  of 
rivers  ;  the  Ota  of  the  Banks  Group  ;  the  Os  or  Rapun  of 
Ruk  and  the  Mortlocks.  It  produces  large  black,  round 
fruits,  with  a  scaly  pericarp,  which  gives  them  considerable 
powers  of  flotation.  The  kernels  are  very  hard,  and  ex- 
ported to  Germany  for  button-making.  They  are  an 
effective  substitute  for  the  ivory-nut  or  vegetable  ivory  of 
South  America.  Hence  the  Spanish  call  the  tree  Palma 
de  Marfil  or  Ivory-palm.  The  Ponapeans  do  not  make 
sago  from  it,  like  their  Melanesian  neighbours  to  the 
south  and  south-east. 

Oio.  The  Chokach  and  Metalanim  name  for  the 
Banyan  tree. 

Oliol.  A  bush-plant.  Decoction  of  leaves  good  lotion 
for  wounds  and  cuts. 

Olot.  Species  of  sea-grass,  with  patches  of  which  the 
mud-flats  appear  studded  at  low  tide. 

Ong.  The  wild  ginger,  of  which  there  are  several  sorts. 
{Cf  Pampanga,  Ango,  Curcuma  ;  Samoan,  Ango,  Turmeric  ; 
Javanese,  Wong,  gamboge.  (Perhaps  connected  are  the 
Chinese  words  Hoang,  Wong,  denoting  a  red,  yellow,  or 
orange  colour.) 

Ong-en-Pele.      A  choice  kind. 


342  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

Ong-en-P ele-en-  Uai,  i.e.  Peles  ginger  from  abroad.  The 
ginger  plant  of  commerce  (introduced). 

Or.  Bush-weed.  Decoction  drunk  to  cure  sore  throat 
and  low  fever. 

Oramai.  Species  of  Ramie  or  Kleinhovia.  Fibres  of 
bark  anciently  used  in  making  fish-nets.  The  Lafai  of 
the  Solomon  Islands  (Guppy). 

Ot,  Wot.  The  Giant  Taro  (Arum  costatum).  In 
Kusaie,  Wos.  Called  in  Central  Carolines  Pulak  or  Purak. 
(In  Solomon  Island  an  Arum  is  called  Kuraka.)  (With 
Wot,  Wos,  cf.  Samoan  Vase,  a  species  of  taro.)  N.B. — In 
the  Polynesian  area  Puraka,  Pulaka  and  Pulda  denote 
various  species  of  taro. 

P 

Pat,  Pai-Uet.      Species  of  tree-fern. 

Par.  Two  sorts,  Para-pein,  the  female  ;  and  Para- 
man,  the  male.  Bark  of  latter  in  decoction  used  by 
natives  as  a  tonic.  The  Erythrina  Indica — the  Ngatae  of 
Samoa,  the  Atae  of  Tahiti,  the  Netae  of  the  Marquesas. 
In  India  it  is  called  P ari-bhadra,  the  Par,  or  season 
coming  round  of  the  bhadra  or  fifth  solar  month,  August, 
at  which  time  the  tree  is  covered  with  scarlet  flowers.  The 
Ponapeans  divide  their  wet  and  dry  seasons,  which  they 
also  call  Par,  from  the  appearance  of  these  brilliant  blossoms. 
It  is  interesting  to  see  the  Asiatic  name  retained  in  this 
remote  corner.      (In  Kusaie  Pal  also  denotes  a  season.) 

Parram.  The  swamp-palm  (Nipa  fruticans),  the 
Ballang  of  the  Sulu  Archipelago  ;  the  Betram  or  Batram  of 
Java.  {Cf.  Fijian  Balabala,  the  Cycas  Revoluta.  Maori, 
Para,  a  fern.  Marianne  (P.  to  F.,R.  to  D.)  FADAN,the  Cycas 
Revoluta.  Marquesan  Pda-hei  (i.q.  Para-hei),  a  tree-fern. 
An  island  on  the  north  coast  of  Ponape  is  named  Parram, 
from  the  abundant  growth  of  this  palm  on  it.  The 
strange-looking  fluted  seeds  float  for  a  long  time  in  the 
water  without  injury.  Hence  one  need  not  be  surprised 
at  the  very  wide  distribution  of  this  palm  throughout  the 


TREES,    PLANTS    AND    SHRUBS  343 

Micronesian  and  Melanesian  area,  carried  by  the  ocean  cur- 
rents. I  did  not  notice  the  Parram  either  in  Tahiti  or  the 
Marquesas.  In  the  latter  group  however  the  fan-palm  grew 
abundantly,  especially  upon  HivaOa  and  Tahuata,  a  species 
that  though  found  in  the  Solomon  Group,  unaccountably 
fails  to  present  itself  in  ths  Caroline  Archipelago. 

Parri,  Pearri.  The  generic  name  of  the  Bamboo 
(Bambusa).  (N.B. — In  Efatese,  New  Hebrides,  Borai  is 
the  sugar-cane.)  In  the  Favorlang  dialect  of  Formosa, 
Borro  is  small  cane  or  reed-grass.  In  Yap,  Mor  is  the 
dwarf  bamboo.  In  Kusaie  the  bamboo  is  called  Alkasem, 
a  word  of  doubtful  derivation.  In  Hindustani,  Baro  is 
reed-grass  ;  and  in  Malagasy,  Fari  is  the  sugar-cane.  In 
Nuku-Or,  the  bamboo  is  called  Matira,  which  word  in 
Maori  denotes  a.  fishing-rod.  The  Ponapeans  make  flutes 
out  of  the  smaller  canes,  using  the  larger  ones  to  store 
up  water  in  as  the  Marquesan  islanders  do.  They  also 
employ  them  as  water-conduits  (Kerriker).  Hence  the 
Ponapean  verb  Kerrikereti-pil,  to  bring  down  water  from 
the  hills  for  irrigation  purposes  by  a  line  of  bamboo  pipes, 
end  on  end. 

Peapa,  Peapea,  Peepee.  Varying  dialect  words  for  a  forest 
tree  with  fine  small  leaves  like  those  of  a  privet  shrub. 
The  wood  is  white,  firm  in  grain.      Used  for  boat-building. 

Peipei,  Paipai-Ani,  i.e.  the  Peipei  of  the  Gods. 

Peipei,  Paipai-Aramach,  i.e.  the  Peipei  of  Mortals. 

Two  beautiful  ferns,  closely  resembling  the  umbrella- 
fern  of  New  South  Wales.  The  name  is  also  applied  to 
a  species  of  Adiantum.  Peipei  is  a  poetical  word,  meaning 
long  tresses  of  hair. 

Pelak.  One  of  the  gourd  family,  the  fruits  of  which 
furnish  the  natives  with  their  calabashes. 

Pena,  Pona,  Pana.  The  Thespesia  populnea,  a  common 
littoral  tree  with  a  reddish-brown  wood.  The  so-called 
rosewood  of  Polynesia.  (Samoan,  Milo  ;  Tahitian,  Miro 
and  Amae ;  Marquesan,  Mio.)  In  Kusaie,  Pangapanga 
or  Penga  ;  in  Yap,  Bonabeng  ;  in  the  Gilberts,  Bengibeng. 


344  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

Perran,  Paran.  The  Metalanim  name  for  the  orange, 
lime,  or  lemon-tree. 

Pinipin.  One  of  the  gourd  family  allied  to  the  Pelak  {q.v.). 

Poke  (Pandanus  inermis).  Upon  Lamotrek,  Pogo.  Bush 
variety — no  aerial  roots. 

Puek.  The  Puka  or  Pukatea  of  Polynesia.  A  species 
of  tulip-tree.  Wood  soft  and  valueless.  (Tongan,  Buka, 
Hernandia  peltata.) 

Pulok  {Carapa  Moluccensis).  A  tall,  hard- wood  tree,  with 
curious  curving  flanges  or  buttresses.  Habitat :  the  salt- 
marshes,  where  it  occurs  mingled  with  the  Ak,  Koto,  Kawa, 
and  Waingal.  It  bears  a  number  of  curious  polygonal 
seeds,  closely  packed  together  in  the  pericarp  like  pieces 
in  a  puzzle.  The  seeds  float,  and,  to  judge  from  the  wide 
distribution  of  the  tree,  drift  long  distances  upon  the 
ocean  currents.  A  similar  species  is  found  in  Africa,  the 
kernel  of  which  yields  a  useful  oil.  The  wood  of  the  Pulok 
is  much  used  by  native  carpenters  and  boat-builders,  especi- 
ally the  curious  ridges  of  its  root-buttresses,  which  come  in 
handy  for  the  bends  in  fashioning  the  bows  of  a  craft. 

Putoput.  A  shrub  common  on  the  low  coral  islands, 
recalling  the  Tou  of  Samoa  (Sponia  timoriensis). 

Pur.  Flowers  in  general.  In  the  U  and  Metalanim  dis- 
tricts, Chair  or  Sair.  (Javanese,  Sari,  a  flower.)  The  Tree- 
gardenia  is  also  called  Pur  or  Chair ;   in  Yap,  ANGAK. 

R 

Ramak.    The  Mokil  name  of  the  Inot  (Sctzvola  Kcenigii). 

Rapun.  The  Mortlock  name  for  the  Och  or  sago-palm 
{MetroxyUm). 

Rara.  A  species  of  Freycinetia.  Leaves  about  a  cubit 
long,  fluted  in  the  middle  by  a  slightly  serrated  ridge. 

Rati/.  A  long  fronded  fern,  also  the  giant  fern.  The 
Nase  or  Nahe  of  Polynesia  {Angioptera  erecta  and  Marattia 
fraxinea)} 

Re,  Rei.  The  varying  tribal  and  local  names  for  grass. 
Reirei  (adj.)  denotes  a  green  colour. 

1  Cf.  Pelew  Islands,  Ngas,  a  tree-fern. 


TREES,    PLANTS   AND    SHRUBS  345 

Re-chap,  i.e.,  grass-rush  or  rush-grass  ;  a  coarse  grass. 
In  decoction  a  vermifuge. 

Ro,  Rirro,  Rot.  A  small  species  of  reed-grass,  the  stems 
of  which  are  sometimes  used  for  making  the  native  flute. 

T 

Taip.  The  Metalanim  name  for  trees  of  the  genus 
Pandanus  in  general.  (Cf.  Gilbert  Islands,  Taba,  the 
flower  of  the  Pandanus  tree.)  The  bush  variety  is  called 
Taip-en-wal,  and  the  seaside  species  bearing  large  edible 
fruits — introduced  from  the  Marshall  Group — is  called 
Taip-en-wai,  i.e.  the  Pandanus  from  abroad. 

Talik.  The  Bird's-nest  fern,  resembling  an  English 
hart's-tongue,  found  on  the  sides  of  the  stone-work  of 
Nan-Tauach,  and  at  the  base  of  the  branches  of  forest 
trees.  The  Talik-en-wal  or  Talik  of  the  bush  is  a  climbing 
species,  forming  most  ornamental  festoons  amongst  the 
nurseries  of  young  trees  upspringing  in  the  undergrowth. 

Tikap.  A  species  of  mountain  plantain.  (In  Samoa, 
Soa'a  ;  in  Marquesan,  Huetu  ;  in  Tahitian,  Fei.)  Botanical 
name,  Musa  uranospatha,  literally,  the  Musa  (Arabic, 
Mawz\  with  the  spathe  pointing  heavenward.  So  called 
because  the  leaves  of  the  plantain  and  its  bunches  of  fruit 
point  upwards,  whilst  the  true  banana,  leaves  and  bunch, 
droops  earthward  ;  vide  Mr  Grant  Allen's  excellent  essay 
"  De  Banana." 

Ting.  The  Draccena  terminalis.  The  TV,  Ji  or  Ki  of 
Polynesia  ;  the  Ndili  of  the  Banks  Group  ;  the  Ndong  or 
Andong  of  Java.  N.B. — In  Samoa  Tongotongo  also  de- 
notes a  species  of  Draccena. 

Tip.  The  generic  name  for  weeds,  grasses,  creepers,  and 
undergrowth.      {Cf.  Polynesian  Tupu,  to  grow  ;  spring  up.) 

Tip-en-chalang.  A  minute  and  pretty  species  of  sea- 
fan  found  amongst  the  patches  of  Olot  upon  the  mud- 
flats at  low  tide. 

Tipop,  Tupap,  Tipap.  The  native  almond  (Terminalia 
catappa).     Upon  Kusaie,  Sufaf.      The  Talie  of  Polynesia, 


346  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

the  Salite  of  the  Banks  Group,  the  Talisai  of  the  Philip- 
pines.     Called  in  Solomon  Group  Saori  (Guppy). 

Titin.  Littoral  shrub  with  soft  downy  leaves  like  those 
of  a  fox-glove.  It  bears  small  white  flowers  upon  six  or 
seven  stalks,  which  grow  into  a  cruciform  branch,  It  is  the 
Sisin  of  Mokil.      (Tournefortia  sarmentosa.) 

Tong.  A  tall  buttressed  forest  tree.  It  has  long  lobed 
leaves  and  small  seeds.  The  wood  is  of  a  dark  reddish 
brown,  hard  and  excellent  for  boat-building.  The  natives 
also  use  it  for  making  their  Kachak  or  food-troughs,  which 
answers  to  the  Polynesian  Umete  or  Kumete.  Dr  Pereiro 
declares  it  to  be  either  Dipterocarpus  mayapis  or  Diptero- 
carpus  polispermus.  It  is  found  in  the  interior  of  Yap, 
where  it  is  called  Ramilu. 

Tupuk,  Tupok.  A  tree  found  on  the  mainland  and  also 
upon  the  coral  islets  in  the  lagoon.  It  grows  from  ten  to 
twenty  feet  in  height  and  bears  umbels  of  greenish-white 
flowers,  and  clusters  of  dark  berries,  very  much  like  those 
of  our  elder  tree,  which  in  scent  they  strongly  resemble. 
The  pounded  bark  is  good  as  an  external  application  to 
obstinate  sores  and  slowly  healing  wounds.  The  wood 
was  anciently  used  for  making  fire  by  friction,  and  also 
was  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  the  Aip  or  native 
drum.  In  the  Pelews  it  is  called  KOSOM,  and  is  a  sacred 
tree.  Upon  Yap  Ar.  In  the  Mariannes  ARGAU.  In 
Bisayan  a  species  of  Premna  is  ARGAO,  in  Tagal  AGDAU 
and  Alagao. 

U  &    W 

Waingal,  Uaingal.  (Lumnitsera  sp.).  A  tall  tree  with 
small  oblong  leaves,  notched  at  tip,  bearing  small  crimson 
flowers  and  roundish  flattened  seeds.  Wood  reddish-brown, 
very  hard  and  durable,  used  in  house-building,  and  for 
making  keels,  masts,  and  gunwales  of  boats.  Habitat,  the 
salt  marshes  at  the  back  of  the  mangrove-belt  where  it  is 
found  side  by  side  with  the  Koto,  Kawa,  and  Pulok. 

Want a/,     Uantal   (Ipomea    pes-caprae).       A    sea  -  side 


TREES,    PLANTS   AND    SHRUBS  347 

creeper,  bearing  round  black  flattish  seeds  like  broad 
beans,  and  pinkish  purple  flowers. 

Uch,  C/ich,  Uch-en-ant.    Species  of  rush  (Samoan  Utu,  id). 

Weipul,  Wompul,  Uvipul.  The  morinda  citrifolia  (Lit. 
Flame  tree,  so  called  from  the  bright  yellow  dye  ex- 
tracted from  its  roots  and  wood).  The  Nonu  of  Polynesia, 
the  Wong-kudu  of  Java,  and  the  Tumbung-aso  of  the 
Philippines. 

Wet,  Wot,  Ot.  The  Giant  Taro.  In  Kusaie  Wos. 
Cf  Samoan  Vase,  a  species  of  taro. 

Ui,  Wi.  The  Barringtonia  specioso  and  racemosa. 
Habitat,  coastline  of  mainland  and  small  islands.  A 
species  growing  in  the  bush  is  called  Wi-en-mar,  or  the 
Wi  of  the  bush  clearings.  N.B. — In  Samoan  Vi  is  the 
Spondias  dulcis. 

Ulunga-en-Kieil.  "  The  pillow  of  the  Kieil  lizard" 
(Scincus).  The  parsley-fern  found  growing  in  tufts  upon 
the  flower-pot-shaped,  limestone  islets  in  the  lagoon,  also 
upon  the  trunks  of  coconut  palms. 

Up.  A  creeper  resembling  our  Wistaria,  the  pounded 
roots  of  which  are  used  for  stupefying  fish.  Yap  Yub. 
In  Malaysia  Tuba.      Compare  Kusaie  Op. 

Ut.  The  name  for  bananas  in  general.  {Cf.  Fijian 
Vundi,  Samoan  Futi,  Ellice  Group  Futi,  Nuku-Oro 
Huti,  etc.  etc.) 

Varieties  : — 

Ut-en-wai.  The  Foreign  or  China  banana  with 
speckled   skin. 

Ut-iak.      Small,  deep  yellow  flesh. 

Ut-en-  Yap,  or  Yap  banana,  a  choice  species  of  plantain, 
pink  flesh,  very  delicate  in  flavour,  and  the  portion  of  the 
priests  and  high  chiefs  at  a  festival. 

Other  varieties  : — Karrat,  Mangat,  Tikop,  q.  v. 

(d)  supplementary  yap  plant  and  tree-names 

Ari-fath.,    Uatol.      Sp.  Barringtonia. 
Ir-nim,  Aral.      Species  of  plantain. 


348  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

Raual.  The  Kangit  of  Ponape.  Huge  spherical  fruit 
filled  with  delicious  creamy  pulp,  enclosing  large  roundish 
seeds  which  when  grated  up  and  mixed  with  coconut 
shavings  have  a  remarkable  narcotic  effect  on  foods. 

Gurgur.      The  native  name  for  Citrus  fruits  in  general. 

Gurgur-nu-ap  is  the  orange. 

Gurgur-morrets,  the  lime. 

Lur.  A  weed  growing  on  side  of  causeways  in  swampy 
districts. 

Olomar.      The  sweet  basil  (Ponape  Katereng). 

Langil,  Thlangil.  A  variety  of  wild  kava,  the  Avaava- 
aitu,  or  Kavakava-atua  of  south-west  Polynesia. 

Wote,  Ote.  Sp.  wild  fig,  bearing  small  reddish  rough 
fruits  on  its  trunk  like  Eugenia. 

Rtep.  A  sort  of  orchid  climbing  on  trunks  of  coco- 
palms. 

Rumig.  A  Callophyllum  with  pear-shaped  fruits. 
The  variety  with  round  seeds  is  known  as  Bioutch. 
In  Tagal  Bitao.  Fetao  is  the  Yap  name  for  the  yellowish 
waxy  flower  of  the  tree. 

Adid.  Bush-tree.  Long-ribbed  leaves,  smooth  reddish 
bark,  spherical  rough-rinded  reddish-brown  fruit.  The 
Ais  of  Ponape  called  Aset  in  the  Mortlocks. 

Topolop,  Talaboi.  Sp.  Tacca.  The  Mokomok  of 
Central  and  East  Carolines.  The  Mamago  of  Solomon 
Islands. 

Tenk,  a  shrub  with  rough  leaves  and  intense  blue 
flowers.      The  Mateu  of  Ponape. 

Ruai,  Tugu.      Species  of  mangrove. 

Rung,  Voi.  Sp.  Native  chestnut  (Inocarpus  Edulis). 
In  the  Mariannes,  Ufa.  In  Polynesian,  Ifi.  In  the 
Philippines,  Dungun. 

Limuet.  Creeping  plant,  small  round  leaves,  good 
for  burns. 

Yenuk,  Pipi.      The  common  rush. 

Uelem.      The  King  Fern. 

Re :  Lem.      Two  species  of  Sea-grass. 


TREES,    PLANTS    AND    SHRUBS  349 

Kana.      Parasol  fern. 

Thengibur.      Sp.  fern. 

Trath.      Hart's-tongue  fern. 

Likelike  niu.  Var.  parsley  fern  growing  on  trunks 
of  coco-palms. 

Kopokop.      Polypody  fern. 

Para-lol.      Long-fronded  fern. 

Lek,   Gulugulni.     Asplenium. 

Likilik-a-voi.      Parsley  fern,  sp. 

Tulubuk,    Tilibuk.     Common  male  fern. 

Gumar.      Acacia  inermis. 

Golat.      Sp.  thorny  Acacia. 

Maikitibum :  Mangamang :  Mong.  The  Giant  Fern 
of  the  swampy  districts. 

Talafat.      Sp.  grass. 

Rangaranga.  Parsley  fern  growing  in  cracks  of  old 
walls. 

Lobat,  Talilra.      A  delicate  species  of  Adiantum. 

Tamagateu.  Large  fern  resembling  Osmunda  Re- 
galis. 

Orotrol.     Thespesia  populnea.     A  littoral  tree. 

Komai.      Rice  (introduced). 

Yams.  Dok,  wild  yam  ;  Dok-nu-obachai,  variety  intro- 
duced from  Eastern  Carolines  ;  Bia,  species  brought  from 
Ladrone  Islands ;  Dal,  short,  oval,  like  sweet  potato ; 
Dol,  wild  yam,  small  round  seeds  growing  at  base  of 
leaves,  like  Ponape  Likam  ;  Fapy  sp.  sub-varieties,  Gote-lap 
and  Nanebo. 

Thau}      The  breadfruit.      (Artocarpus  Incisa.) 

Varieties:  (1)  Yao-lei ;  (2)  Yae-reb ;  (3)  Tagafei ; 
(4)  Fanum  ;  (5)  Pemathau  ;  (6)  Yao-uat ;  (7)  Dapanapan, 
(Jackfruit — A.  integrifolia)  ;  (8)  Yeo-tui ;  (9)  Mai-nior  ; 
(10)  Luathar;  ( 1 1 )  Pe-au;  (12)  Yoa-tathen;  (13)  Yu-goi ; 
(14)  Yu-ngalu. 

Gotruk.      The  Croton  shrub  of  which  there  are   many 

1  Cf.  Ural-Altaic,  Tkav,  Thavi,  a  head.     N.B. — In  Polynesian  Ulu  means 
both  head  and  breadfruit. 


350  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

very  ornamental  varieties  with  which  the  village  squares 
and  roadsides  are  thickly  planted. 

Irich,  Rich,  Rit.  The  Draccena  terminalis,  the  Ki  of 
Hawaii,  the  Ti  of  south-west  Polynesia. 

Notes  on  the  Coconut.  Flower,  Achabai.  Small  nut 
forming,  Machal  (Samoan  Aili).  Green  drinking  -  nut, 
Tod,  Tub  {cf.  Hindustani  Dob).  Kernel  thickening, 
Manao.  Kernel  further  developed,  Agel.  Fully  deve- 
loped, ready  for  copra,  Marau  (Samoan  Popd),  Sprouting 
nut,  Bui  (Tahitian  Uto).  Old  mouldy  nut,  Ap.  Husk 
surrounding  nut,  Kapat,  Ling.  Coconut-toddy,  Achif. 
Stalk  of  nuts,  Uongoi.  Copra,  Fatuis-a- Marau.  Trunk 
of  a  tree,  Binal. 

Mor.  The  dwarf  bamboo,  probably  introduced  anciently 
from  Japan.  Planted  thickly  on  top  of  the  ancient  em- 
bankments which  overlook  the  paved  roads  running 
throughout  the  southern  portion  of  the  island. 

Tifif.  A  variety  of  Canna  Indica,  with  bright  orange 
berries.  Found  in  the  bush  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
taro  swamps  inland. 

Waraburub.      An  ornamental  fern  (Japanese,  Warabi). 

Parafai.  A  large  tree  fungus,  dried  and  used  in 
commerce. 

Gathemat.      Sp.  Cordia,  sweet-scented  white  flower. 

Tingiting.      Species  of  Taro,  yellowish  flowers. 

Butral.  A  scitamineous  plant,  with  purplish  mauve 
spikes  of  bloom,  a  sort  of  wild  ginger. 

Ao.      The  banyan  tree  (Polynesian,  Aoa). 

Tengauai.  Cerbera  Lactaria.  The  deadly  Leva,  Reva, 
or  Eva  of  south-west  Polynesia. 

Amaral.  A  heavily-seeded  nettle  found  outside  villages 
near  rubbish  heaps. 

Maluek.      A  variety  of  morinda  citrifolia. 

Ugina-maluak.  Species  bearing  long  white  umbels 
of  flower. 

At.  A  pitcher-plant,  found  in  vicinity  of  Tan-ne- 
Erouach  on  South  Ramung. 


TREES,    PLANTS    AND    SHRUBS  351 

Giligil-wath.  Littoral  shrub.  Leaves  used  as  medi- 
cinal plaster  in  Samoa. 

Tarau.      Meadow-grass. 

Pui-wol.  The  Pulok  of  Ponape  ;  a  large  hardwood 
tree,  with  curiously  keeled  roots  and  polygonal  seeds 
(Carapa  Moluccensis). 

Gogoth.  Sp.  Betel  Pepper.  {Cf.  Pelew  Islands,  Kokuth, 
aromatic). 

Gonek.  Prickly  shrub,  edible,  oval  fruit,  turning  red 
when  ripe. 

The  Banana  grows  in  great  profusion.  Fruit,  Pan  ; 
Tree,  Denai.  Varieties  :  (1)  Yereim,  long-fruited  plantain  ; 
(2)  Tengere,  yellow-fleshed  plantain,  roundish  (Ponape, 
Karraf) ;  (3)  Boul,  Voul,  small  banana;  (4)  Tafagef, 
China  banana;  (5)  Fak-e-uel,  small,  round;  (6)  Yugo  ; 
(7)  Ganaeko ;  (8)  Daver ;  (9)  Malukier ;  (10)  Arai  ; 
(11)  Gutnoi ;  (12)  To-nu-Uap  ;  (13)  Sakas,  large  yellow 
plantain. 

Mai.  The  Taro  plant.  Tingiting,  Lak,  big,  yellow 
flower,  grows  in  swamps  ;   Gtiiagui,  sp. 

Faa.      The  wild  Pandanus. 

Olowalogu.      Bush-shrub. 

Uapof.  The  Paper  Mulberry  (Broussonettia  Papy- 
rifera). 

Ramilu.      Tree  with  huge  long  leaves  (Ponape,  Tong). 

Arr.      Coarse  seagrass. 

Tha,  Thea.  A  common  weed,  with  yellowish  flowers 
and  strong-scented,  heart-shaped  leaves,  the  juice  of  which 
is  very  healing  to  wounds  and  ulcers.  Common  on  coral 
islets  off  Ponape  coast,  where  it  is  called  Ngkau. 

Otrafangal.      Large  convolvulus. 

Utel,  Roi.      Reed-grass  (Samoan,  Fiso). 

Laingen-en-lip-otol.  Curious  marsh  weed  ;  soft,  red, 
spongy  caps  or  buttons  on  stem  for  flowers. 

Kurmkiir.      Burr-bearing  weed  (Ponape,  Koroni). 

Thagumut.      Bush-shrub,  leaf  like  coffee. 

Fauteir.      A  species   of  cycas  ;  same  name  sometimes 


352  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

applied  to  the  Nipa  palm  occasionally  found  in  the 
swamps. 

BA.  The  Areca  Palm.  In  Pelew,  Buok  ;  in  Sanskrit, 
Piig ;  in  Ladrones,  Pagua. 

Chongot.  Tall,  poison  tree  ;  light  bark,  long  leaves,  like 
Ramilu.  White  acrid  juice,  producing  terrible  swellings 
and  sores. 

Avetch.  Curious  shrub,  leaf  like  that  of  Eugenia  or 
Malay  apple  in  shape.  White  leaf  on  end  of  each  bunch 
of  seed  capsules,  which  resemble  these  of  tobacco.  Small 
golden  yellow,  star-shaped  flower. 

Choi,  Trot.     The  Pandanus. 

Fal.  The  Pandanus  flower.  (Ponape,  Matakel ; 
Mariannes,  Kafo ;  Samoan,  Singano ;    Tahitian,  Hinano. 

(e)  ponapean  fishes,  insects,  birds,  and 

ANIMALS 

Fishes.  Many  of  these  appear  in  the  splendid  illustra- 
tions of  Godeffroy's  album  of  the  South  Seas. 

Ukair.  A  bright  golden-yellow  fish  about  a  foot  long. 
(The  Tapereper  of  Mokil.) 

Kamaik.  A  species  of  Parrot-Wrass.  The  Butter- 
Fish  of  New  Zealand. 

Kapai,  Kipai.  Small  reddish-brown  fish  with  dark 
spots.  Head  and  tail  project  out  of  a  most  comical  suit 
of  defensive  armour  shaped  exactly  like  the  square  gin- 
bottle  of  commerce  (Ostraceon  cubicus). 

Palat.  Length  about  one  foot.  Longish  nose.  Body, 
light  red.      Head,  salmon-pink.      Tail  and  fins,  dark  red. 

Pako.  The  generic  name  for  sharks  (Polynesian  Mako, 
Mango)  called  Charaui  on  the  Ant  Atoll,  where  the 
name  Pako  is  tabooed.  Panayan  (south  Philippines). 
Baguis.  Solomon  Islands  Pagoa ;  Marshall  Islands 
Bako  ;  Polynesian  Mako,  id. ;  Gilbert  Island  Bakoa.  It 
is  an  Asiatic  word,  the  Sea-Tiger.  Indian  Bag,  Bagha, 
a  tiger. 


FISHES,    INSECTS,    BIRDS    AND   ANIMALS      353 

Another  shark-name  is  Tanapai.  The  Tiger-shark, 
popularly  supposed  to  be  deaf.  The  dreaded  Tanifa  of 
the  Samoans,  the  Ndaniva  of  Fiji.  Compare  with  this 
the  Maori  Taniwha,  a  water  monster,  or  sea-devil.  Malay 
Danawa  a  goblin,  evil  spirit.  Sanskrit  Danawa  id. 
N.B. — One  of  the  words  borrowed  by  the  Malays  from 
the  Sanskrit,  and  which  has  filtered  through  into  Micro- 
nesia and  Polynesia.  Cognate  are  S.  N.  Guinea  Dirawa, 
an  evil  spirit.     Pelews  Deleb,  Thalib,  a  devil. 

A.     The  mullet. 

Karangat.  The  bonito.  From  Ranga — to  rise  up,  so 
called  from  its  rising  to  the  surface  in  great  shoals  like  the 
English  herring. 

Ki.      A  Dolphin  or  porpoise. 

Rock.  A  whale.  (Sometimes  pronounced  Rack).  It 
means  the  King-Fish.  The  word  also  denotes  a  high 
chief  {cf  Malay  and  Hindustani  Rajah),  and  perhaps 
Fijian  Ratu  a  high  chief.      {Cf  Kusaian  Lat,  a  whale). 

Pup.  The  Leather  Jacket.  Silvery-white  below  ;  fore- 
head bright  blue  ;  tip  of  nose  bright  blue  ;  sides  and  back 
yellowish  brown  ;  body  striped  blue  and  yellow.  One 
long  erect  spine  just  behind  shoulders.  Habitat,  holes 
in  the  reef  and  in  floating  logs  of  wood. 

Lioli.  Large  dark-blue  species  of  Leather  Jacket.  A 
deep-water  fish. 

Paikop.  A  fish  with  a  remarkably  flat  face  and  thick 
body  picked  out  in  chevrons  of  white  and  dark  olive- 
green.  The  people  of  Palang  on  the  Chokach  coast 
are  jocularly  styled  by  their  neighbours  of  Kiti  Macha-en- 
Paikop,  Paikop-faces,  from  the  prevailing  type  of  features 
there. 

Mengar,  Mdngar.  The  Flying-fish,  also  known  as 
Mam-pir. 

Mdngar.  Large  brown  and  white  speckled  fish  with 
spiny  dorsal  fin.      The  Spaniards  call  it  Garrofa. 

Ikan.      Greenish  body,  brown  dorsal  fins.     Front  fins  a 
fine  golden-yellow.      {Cf.  Malay  Ikan,  fish  in  general.) 
z 


354  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

Tak.  The  Gar-fish,  which  often  leaps  on  board  fishing 
canoes,  and  inflicts  mortal  wounds  with  its  sharp  lance. 

Uat.  The  Bladder-fish,  so  called  from  its  frequently 
puffing  itself  up  like  a  balloon.  The  Sue  of  Samoa, 
the  Huehue-kava  of  the  Marquesan  Islands.  Deadly 
poisonous. 

Pulak.  Large,  roundish,  dark  green  body.  Flesh 
firm   like  a  halibut's. 

Pulak-tol.  A  remarkably  handsome  brown  fish  with 
black  and  white  spiny  dorsal  fins,  two  yellow  spiny 
pectoral  fins  and  a  continuous  row  of  orange,  black  and 
white  ventral  fins. 

Chara.  A  pinkish-red  fish,  small  body,  large  flat 
head.  Row  of  spines  along  back.  Minute  teeth  sharp 
as  needles. 

Litak.  The  Climbing-fish,  to  be  seen  hopping  and 
crawling  in  numbers  upon  the  rocks  and  stones  on  the 
sea-shore.      Colour — light  green,  speckled  dark  brown. 

Toik.      Small  red  fish. 

Potarar.      Small  black  and  white  handed  fish. 

Mamo-tik.  The  beautiful  little  cobalt  and  orange  fish 
seen  playing  in  and  out  of  the  forests  of  coral  in  the 
pools  and  on  the  edge  of  the  deep  water.  Called  in 
Nuku-Oro  Mamo-riki,  and  in  Tahiti  Mamo.  Also  known 
in  Ponape  as  Ta-kap-en-taok.  All  these  three  are  fond  of 
the  pools  left  in  the  reef  at  low  tide. 

Uakap.  Lower  part  of  body  steel  blue,  upper  part 
dark  blue  ;  black  and  yellow  stripes. 

Kir.  Bright  crimson  fish  about  I  \  feet  long.  Spiny 
row  of  back  fins. 

Korikor.  A  beautiful  fish  about  \\  feet  long,  marked 
throughout  with  white  and  brown  lozenges  (<£>),  a  band 
of  similar  pattern  but  minute  design  running  round  the 
body.      Fins  and  tail  dark  brown. 

Chaok,  Chauk.  Small  fish,  brown  body,  speckled 
white. 

Marrer,  Merra.     Large,   dull,  blue    fish ;    flesh   rather 


FISHES,    INSECTS,    BIRDS   AND   ANIMALS     355 

soft  and  woolly.  Excellent  pickled  raw  with  salt  water, 
Chili  pepper,  and  lime-juice. 

Li-er - puater  (Chcetodon  sp.).  Length  five  to  six 
inches,  circular  body.  Large  dark  brown  anal  fin,  white 
band  round  back,  surmounted  by  a  ridge  of  seven  small 
yellowish  spines.  The  far  dorsal  fin  is  edged  with  rich 
orange.  Tail  light,  greenish-blue,  sparsely  tipped  with 
orange ;  thorax  deep  orange.  Slight  tinge  of  orange 
along  belly.  Lower  part  of  face  up  to  the  eyes  deep 
orange.  Thin  nose,  projecting  some  f  inch,  orange. 
Slightly  projecting  lower  jaw.  Rest  of  body  light  pale 
green,  streaked  with  wavy  lines  of  alternating  light  blue 
and  darker  green  from  back  of  gills  to  tail.  Mean  thick- 
ness of  body  four  inches.  N.B. — Another  closely  related 
fish  of  the  same  name  has  tail,  anal,  and  dorsal  fins 
banded  black  and  orange.  Perpendicular  black  stripe 
down  face.      Nose  and  thorax  white. 

Lipar.  A  flat  fish,  reddish-brown  above.  Meaning  of 
name,  Red  Woman.  Flesh  full  of  small,  crooked  bones. 
Of  little  esteem  for  food. 

SEA-BIRDS 

Two  species  of  Sand-piper  are  found  on  the  coasts,  the 
smaller  called  Kulu,  the  larger  Chakir.  The  former  is  the 
Tuli  of  Nuku-Oro  and  Samoa,  the  Dulili  or  Tulili  of  the 
Mariannes  ;  cf.  the  Indian  Dulika,  a  wag-tail.  The  Kulu 
is  known  in  the  Pelews  as  Goto,  in  Yap  as  Ruling,  in 
the  Marshalls  and  Mokil  as  Rolech,  and  elsewhere  in  the 
Carolines  as  Ruling,  Rulung,  or  Rilung.  The  Malay  Chor- 
ling  may  be  cognate.  In  South  America  we  find  very 
strange  coincidences  —  Ouichuan,  Chulla  ;  Araucanian, 
Chili,  Thili,  id.;   whilst  in  Aymara  Rullu  means  a  partridge. 

The  Ponapean  name  of  the  larger  variety  (Chakir)  is 
paralleled  by  the  Hindustani  Chakor  (Tetrad)  ;  by  the 
Japanese  Shako,  a  partridge  ;  and  by  the  Quichuan 
Tsakua,  a  partridge. 


356  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

The  most  exacting  philological  critic  cannot  deny  that 
these  far-reaching  coincidences  are  very  curious.  Many 
will  probably  argue  that  most  bird-names  are  onomatopoeic, 
i.e.,  imitation  sounds,  and  that  the  human  machinery  of 
speech  being  cast  in  a  somewhat  limited  mould,  would 
everywhere  produce  independently  the  same  or  similar 
results,  even  amongst  remote  tribes  which  have  had 
absolutely  no  connection  with  one  another.  However, 
when  we  reach  the  animal,  or,  at  all  events,  the  tree-names, 
we  shall  find  ourselves  upon  somewhat  less  debatable 
ground,  and  these  will  afford  clearer  evidence  as  to  the 
separate  waves  of  population  rolling  outwards  from 
Indonesia  to  the  farthest  isles  of  the  Pacific,  up  to  the 
very  shores  of  the  great  continent  on  the  further  side. 

Akiak,  Kake.  Varieties  of  white  gull.  The  latter 
builds  no  nest,  but  lays  its  eggs  in  the  small  brush  growing 
on  top  of  the  flower-pot-shaped  masses  of  Takai-Mai  or 
coral  limestone  which  stud  the  shallow  water  off  the  low 
island  beaches.  From  this  habit  the  observant  Ponapeans 
have  deduced  a  slang  word — Pon-Kake,  i.e.  like  the  Kake, 
to  denote  any  useless,  idle,  lazy  fellow. 

There  is  a  large  grey  gull  which  they  call  Karakar. 

A  brown  tern  with  a  white  head  (Parrat)  is  found  on 
the  coral  islets  of  the  coast.  It  makes  its  nests  in  the 
tops  of  the  Barringtonia  trees.  Its  young  make  very 
good  food,  albeit  a  trifle  fishy  in  taste. 

Another  sea-bird,  black  and  white  with  two  long  tail- 
feathers,  is  called  Chik  (Phaethon). 

There  are  three  sorts  of  heron,  called  by  the  generic 
name  of  Kau-alik.  The  first  is  the  Matuku  or  Matuu,  the 
common  blue  heron  of  Polynesia  ;  the  second  is  the  Otuu 
or  Kotuku,  the  white  heron,  a  much  less  common  species  ; 
the  third  is  the  speckled  heron,  doubtless  a  cross  of  the 
above  two.  The  Kau-alik  is  jocularly  styled  in  Tahiti 
and  the  Marquesas  as  Frenchman's  turkey  from  the  skill 
with  which  some  of  their  colonial  cooks  will  disguise  his 
fishy  flavour. 


FISHES,    INSECTS,    BIRDS   AND   ANIMALS     357 

LAND-BIRDS 

Cherret.  A  reddish-brown  parrakeet  peculiar  to  the 
island  (Eos  rubiginosa).  Cf.  Maori,  Toreta.  The  New 
Zealand  parrakeet.  The  old  name  of  the  Cherret  was 
Terrep-e-icho  or  King  Terrep.  Cf  Maori  Tarepa,  a 
species  of  bush  parrakeet. 

Li-maaliel-en-takai.  A  little  brown  bird  inhabiting  the 
bush.  Its  name  means  Woman-giddy-at-stone.  The 
natives  say  that  when  a  stone  is  thrown  near  it,  it  falls 
down  dizzy. 

Murroi.  Large  grey  dove.  The  Lupe  or  Rupe  of 
South  Polynesia. 

Kingking.  Small  green  dove,  maroon  crest  on  head, 
breast  maroon  (Ptilnopus  Ponapensis).  Cf.  Mariannes 
Kunao,  a  green  dove. 

Kinuet.  Variety  of  above,  but  with  cream  and  maroon 
markings  (Samoan  Manumd). 

Paluch.  Small  dark  violet  brown  pigeon,  white  breast 
— a  ground  pigeon.  Peculiar  to  Ponape.  Scientific  name 
Phlegcenas  Kubaryi  from  J.  S.  Kubary  of  the  Godeffroy 
Firm  in  Germany  who  first  made  it  known  to  science. 
Habitat,  high  up  on  the  densely  wooded  mountain  slopes ; 
shy  and  wild.  The  Ponapeans  have  used  an  ancient 
generic  Malay  name  to  denote  a  single  species. 

Compare  the  following  curious  and  interesting  cog- 
nates which  certainly  cannot  be  mere  coincidences  ;  i.e. 
German  New  Guinea  coast,  an  area  thickly  scattered  with 
Malay  words  :  Palussia,  Balus,  Balusi,  Barussi,  Beli,  all 
meaning  dove  or  pigeon. 

Bismarck  Archipelago — Palus,   IValus,  Balus. 

Pelew  Islands — Bulohol,  Pelokol. 

Tagala  (Philippines) — Balos,  Balod. 

Sulu  Archipelago — Baud.      (Sulu  drops  medial  L.) 

Solomon  Islatids — Baolo. 

Malay — Balam. 

Hindustani — Palka,  Parewa,  Parawat. 


358  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

Latin  —  Palumbes  (whence  Spanish  Palomd)  and 
Columba  (P.  to  K.). 

The  above  show  as  well  the  exceedingly  wide  distribu- 
tion of  the  bird.  This  is  only  one  of  many  instances  out 
of  the  Micronesian  and  Polynesian  to  show  how  tenaciously 
the  early  Asiatic  and  Indonesian  names  of  birds  and 
plants  have  been  preserved  in  the  wanderings  of  this  race 
over  the  great  waste  of  waters. 

Cheok.      A  sort  of  blackbird  ;  a  sacred  bird  in  Ponape. 

Puliet  (Myzomela  rubrata).  A  red-breasted  honey- 
eater,  to  be  seen  hovering  round  the  coco-palm  spathes, 
from  which  he  draws  his  food. 

Kutar,  Tirou.  Varieties  of  the  king-fisher  (Alcedo). 
With  Kutar  compare  Maori  Kotare,  the  New  Zealand 
king-fisher  ;  Tahitian  Otare,  a  king-fisher.  In  Futuna  the 
bird  is  called  Tikotala  ;  in  Samoan,  Ti'otala ;  in  Tongan, 
Sikota'a. 

Possibly  in  the  last  three  the  T  or  S  represents  the 
unconscious  article,  so  frequent  in  the  Gilbert  group. 

Koekoe,  Kuikui.  Small,  blackish-brown  bird  ;  fly- 
catcher (Myagra  pluto). 

Li-kapichir,  Li-kaperai.  Small  cuckoo.  Small  bird, 
long  tail  ;  dark  colour  (Endynamis  Taitiensis). 

Li-mati.  Small  green  bird,  found  in  coconut  groves. 
Resembles  the  Samoan  lao,  but  smaller. 

Li-porok.  Night  bird  ;  black  and  white.  Habitat, 
mangrove  swamps. 

Li-kat-e-pupu.  The  name  of  several  kinds  of  little  bush 
birds.  Breast  red,  plumage  green,  wings  and  tail  dark 
green.  Speckled  black,  white  and  blue,  or  white,  yellow 
and  blue,  or  black,  red  and  blue. 

Lukot,  Likot.  The  native  owl.  (The  Pueo  of  Hawaii, 
the  Utak  of  the  Mariannes.)  Dr  Gulick  in  his  Ponapean 
dictionary  gives  TEIAP,  possibly  an  older  word  preserved 
in  some  of  the  districts  as  late  as  1870,  the  date  of  his 
visit.  For  those  who  love  imitative  sounds  I  subjoin  the 
following  equivalents  : — 


FISHES,    INSECTS,    BIRDS   AND   ANIMALS     359 

An  owl  is  called  Lulu  in  Samoa  ;  it  is  the  Kasuk  of 
the  Pelews  ;  the  Zuku  or  Kizu  of  Japan  ;  Timor,  Kaku, 
Lakuko  ;   Indian,  Ulu,  Uluk,  Ghughi'i,  Kuchkuchua. 

The  South  American  names  have  also  a  pleasing  sound  : 
Quichuan,  Chusek,  Chaksa,  Pakpaka  and  Tuku  ;  Aymara, 
Choseka  and  Huku ;  and  the  Araucanian  on  the  south 
border  of  Chili  has  Nuku. 

INSECTS 

Lang,  Long.  The  Rango  or  Lango  of  the  south  Pacific. 
The  common  fly  which  simply  swarms  around  the  huts 
and  cook-houses. 

Em-en-ual  is  the  sand-fly,  not  half  so  troublesome  as 
his  relation  in  the  North  Marquesas. 

Amu-che\  Emu-che,  Omu-che.  The  dialect  words  for  the 
ever-present  mosquito,  the  Namukik  of  the  Mortlocks,  the 
Namu  of  Polynesia,  the  Nyamok  of  Malaysia,  the  Yamuk 
of  Pampanga  (Luzon). 

Kat-el-lang,  Kiti-el-lang.  Lady  of  the  sky  or  Dog  of 
heaven  are  the  quaint  native  titles  of  the  Looper  cater- 
pillar. 

The  general  term  for  grubs,  small  caterpillars,  or 
maggots  is  Mach,  Maach,  Muach  or  Much,  without  doubt 
akin  to  the  Japanese  word  Mushz,  generic  term  for 
worms  and  insects. 

Some  caterpillars  are  called  Mueti,  likewise  a  small 
reddish-brown  horse-leech,  found  in  great  numbers  in  the 
bush  after  rain,  and  actually  applied  to  the  eyes  by  the 
natives  in  cases  of  ophthalmia. 

The  common  earthworm  is  called  Kamotal,  sometimes 
Much. 

A  flat  spiral  landshell  is  called  Chepei-en-Kamotal,  the 
dish  or  wash-bowl  of  the  earthworm.  Drs  Finsch  and 
Kubary  discovered  several  curious  endemic  species.  The 
dense  hanging  woods  of  Ponape,  with  their  very  consider- 
able height  above  sea-level,  will  no  doubt  yield  a  fresh 
curious  harvest  to  the  energetic  explorer  devoted  to  this 
branch  of  natural  history. 


360  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

Ants 

The  large  black  ant,  the  bull-dog  ant  of  Australia,  is 
called  Kakalich,  a  large  dark  brown  one  Loi-poro,  and  the 
small  red  ant  Kat. 

Fleas 

Li-karrak,  Li-n-karrak.  Woman  of  Corruption  is  the 
word  applied  to  troublesome  insects  of  the  bug  and  flea 
order. 

Til  (Ngatik  Thil).  Applied  to  creatures  of  similar  type 
affecting  the  head.  Caucasian  dialects,  Til,  Till,  and  Thil. 
(Indian,  Dhil ;  Araucanian,  Thin?) 

Solomon  Islands  Tel,  Sonsorol  Tir  id. 

Beetles 

The  old  word  was  Kari. 

Kul  is  the  term  applied  to  the  black-beetle  of  commerce. 
They  have  a  water-beetle,  fancifully  called  in  the  Central 
Carolines  "  the  turtle  of  the  fresh  water"  and  several  dull- 
hued  bush-beetles.  The  sand-hopper  is  called  Men-en-pik, 
i.e.,  the  creature  of  the  sand. 

Spiders 

I  noticed  three  sorts,  one  large  and  black  {Likan),  the 
other  two  small  and  speckled,  called  Chilapani-im  and 
Naluk,  the  latter  also  a  chiefs  title.  The  web  is  called 
dialing- likan  or  Sal-ing-likan  (Hindu,  fhdl). 

A  small  red  and  black  dragon-fly  is  common,  which 
they  call  Man-en-kalip,  the  creature  of  the  pools. 

There  are  at  least  three  sorts  of  butterflies  :  one  red, 
white  and  black,  one  sulphur-yellow,  and  one  small  blue. 
There  are  numerous  moths,  amongst  them  the  Sphinx. 
The  generic  name  for  all  these  is  Li-parruru  or  the 
Fluttering  Lady. 

The  cicala  or  cicada  {Tenter)  is  very  much  in  evidence 
in  the  groves  on  moonlight  nights.  Grasshoppers  are 
found,  to  which  they  give  the  name  Man-cheok. 


FISHES,    INSECTS,    BIRDS    AND    ANIMALS      361 

The  name  Tenter  is  applied  also  to  any  noisy,  blustering 
person,  to  chattering  busy-bodies,  and  carriers  of  tales  and 
idle  gossips. 

In  a  chant  on  Paniau  we  find  allusion  to  the  habits  of 
this  insect  in  approved  Kalevala  metre  : — 

"  Tititik  melakaka-n-tenter 

Nin  chounopong  chenchereti." 

"  Shrills  the  chirp  of  the  cicala 

Thrilling  through  the  silvery  moonlight." 

Scorpions 

A  small  sandy-hued  scorpion  is  found,  but  its  sting, 
unlike  those  of  Java,  Sumatra,  and  Timor,  is  not  very 
venomous.  The  natives  term  it  Iki-mang  or  Ikimuang, 
i.e.,  Fork-tail  or  Branch-tail,  with  their  minute  insight  into 
small  things.  In  Samoa  upon  Manu'a  the  centipede  or 
scorpion  is  called  I'UMANGA,  word  for  word  the  same 
name  as  the  Ponapean.  The  Upolu  word  is  Mongamonga- 
iu-manga — the  prefix  denoting  Beetle  or  Insect. 

Centipedes 

Two  or  three  kinds  of  centipedes  (Scolopendra)  are 
not  uncommon  in  the  thatch  and  under  the  tet  or  floorings 
of  reed-grass  in  the  huts,  especially  those  of  old  standing. 
The  old  Malay  name  Alipan  (Formosan  Arripas)  has  been 
dropped — doubtless  by  some  priestly  or  chiefly  taboo,  like 
the  Te-pi  custom  of  Tahiti.  There  are  two  ceremonious 
names  for  the  creature  which  go  to  strengthen  the  impres- 
sion. Throughout  the  central  Carolines  the  custom  holds 
also.  By  day  they  call  it  Man-en-ran — the  Creature  of  the 
Day.  By  night  they  call  it  Man-en-pong — the  Creature  of 
the  Night.  If  this  rule  were  neglected  the  careless  person 
would  be  in  danger  of  a  nip  from  one  of  these  crawling 
horrors.  Similarly  the  earwig  is  called  in  Samoan  Monga- 
monga-iao  or  The  Beetle  of  the  Day.  The  centipede's  bite 
is  often  distressingly  painful,  though  it  is  not  so  common 
here  as  in  Indonesia,  and  the  natives  give  it  a  wide  berth. 

The  people  of    Ruk  call    it   Kutu-mal  or   mischievous 


362  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

insect,  and  the  Samoans  to  the  south  Atua-loa  or  the  long 
devil,  for  which  relic  of  heathenry  the  missionaries  have 
substituted  Manu-loa  or  long  insect.  (It  is  the  Saligo  of  the 
Mariannes,  the  Lalian  of  Timor,the  Nina-kuru  ox  fiery  worm 
of  Peru.) 

LIZARDS    AND    SNAKES 

Kieil  The  skink  (Scincus)  called  Kiuen  in  Ruk  and  Gual 
or  Kue I  in  central  Carolines.  Cf.  Indian  Ghariyal,  Gavial, 
the  crocodile  of  the  Ganges  ;  cf.  Motu,  Uala,  a  crocodile. 
The  Kieil  is  a  large  black  lizard  with  red  spots,  slightly- 
yellowish  below,  and  resembles  a  miniature  alligator.  The 
alligator  itself  they  call  Kieil-alap  or  Kiel-en-pil,  of  the 
arrival  of  which  the  natives  have  some  tradition.  Kubary 
brought  a  couple  of  young  alligators  with  him  to  Mpompo, 
near  the  European  colony,  and  for  some  reason  or  other 
let  them  loose  in  the  Pillapenchakola  River.  One  of  my 
specimens  of  these  "  Kieil"  as  if  foreseeing  the  alcohol 
bottle,  furiously  resisted  capture,  and  when  hit  with  a  stick 
fastened  to  it  like  a  bull-dog.  The  Kieil  lives  in  holes  in 
the  ground,  much  preferring  the  sites  of  old  burying 
places.  The  natives  say  he  feeds  on  the  bodies  of  the 
dead,  which  is  very  possible.  They  call  him  Chaot  or 
"  unclean,"  and  view  him  with  dislike  and  dread  as 
Likamichik  or  "  uncanny."  A  strange  fact  about  this 
lizard  is  that  he  has  established  a  regular  colony  on  the 
low  coral  island  of  Paniau  in  Mutok  harbour,  right  off 
the  mouth  of  the  Kiti  river,  a  good  two  miles  from  shore, 
whereas  on  land  he  is  not  so  easily  seen,  generally 
preferring  the  thick  bush.  On  Paniau  at  first  they  were 
very  bold,  and  would  crawl  close  up  to  us  at  our  meals 
and  eat  bits  of  meat  thrown  to  them,  to  the  great  horror 
of  the  natives.  But  the  speedy  disappearance  of  some 
of  the  largest  and  boldest  of  these  intruders  soon  made 
them  keep  their  distance. 

There  is  a  brownish-black  house-lizard  with  a  flattish  nose 
which  the  natives  call  Lamuar*    All  night  long  one  might 

*  [Lipidodactylus  lugubris.] 


FISHES,    INSECTS,    BIRDS    AND   ANIMALS      363 

hear  them  hissing  and  tchik-tchiking  away  in  the  thatch 
overhead,  but  they  are  perfectly  harmless,  nobody  minds 
them.  The  same  name  is  also  incorrectly  given  to  two  small 
species  ornamented  with  a  double  row  of  black  and  white 
circular  spots  down  the  sides  like  the  eyes  on  the  wings  of  a 
peacock-butterfly.  Both  are  only  three  inches  in  length  ; 
one  dark  green,  the  other  light  green  with  faint  yellow  mark- 
ings. (The  accurate  names  are  Li-pa-irer  or  the  Speckled 
Lady  and  Li-menimen-en-cherri  or  the  Lady  who  loves  little 
children,  a  pretty  and  poetical  idea.)  N.B. — The  former  is  a 
curious  endemic  species  (Perocheirus  articulatus)  and  has 
only  four  fingers,  and  the  thumb  shrunk  down  to  a  tiny  knob. 

There  are  two  slightly  differing  green  and  yellow  lizards 
found  around  the  trunks  of  the  coco-palms  which  they 
nimbly  dart  up  at  the  least  alarm,  called  the  Li-teitei-paini 
or  Woman  rout  about  or  stir  up  coconut  lea/and  Nan-chelang; 
the  latter  much  larger  and  of  more  brilliant  colouring. 

The  commonest  of  all  however  is  the  little  green  lizard 
with  a  tail  of  bright  electric  blue,  so  widely  distributed 
over  the  Pacific  area,  occurring  in  the  Philippines,  Moluccas, 
New  Guinea,  Solomon  Islands  and  the  Pelews,  and  even 
as  far  south  as  Samoa  and  Rarotonga. 

Dr  Cabeza  speaks  of  a  lizard  of  considerable  length 
which  he  declares  to  be  the  Varanus,  known  in  Yap  and 
the  Philippines. 

The  large  green  and  yellow  iguana  of  Yap  I  did  not 
meet  with  here,  but  the  Ponapeans  tell  of  a  longish 
prickly  green  lizard  which  may  be  akin,  found  on  the  Och 
or  ivory-palm.  They  call  it  Man-tau-och  or  Animal  go  up 
ivory-palm  tree,  also  Man-kalanga  or  the  climbing  animal. 
Connected  with  this  creature  they  have  an  old  super- 
stition that  anyone  who  meddles  with  it  will  presently  be 
seized  with  dizziness  and  fall  out  of  the  top — no  very 
pleasant  prospect,  as  the  ivory  or  Sago-palm  runs  up  from 
forty  to  fifty  feet. 

Dr  Cabeza  gives  three  species  of  the  Lygosoma  in  scientific 
form,  L.  mivartioc ;  L.  atrocostatum ;  and  L.  abofasciolatum. 


364  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

Dr  Cabeza  goes  on  to  say  that  during  his  stay  he  saw 
no  frogs  or  toads,  but  mentions  the  interesting  fact  that  a 
species  of  horned  toad  (Cornufer  corrugatus)  is  found  in 
the  Pelews,  1300  miles  distant.  He  deals  in  a  single 
sentence  with  snakes,  almost  as  badly  as  the  historian 
with  the  snakes  of  Iceland.  "  There  are  no  land-snakes, 
but  some  are  seen  in  the  sea." 

I  saw  no  snakes  in  Ponape,  but  I  did  meet  with  a 
specimen  of  a  large  pugnacious  green  eel.  The  natives 
called  it  Macho  to  distinguish  it  from  the  common  river- 
eel.  The  macho  is  amphibious  and  has  its  habitation  in 
the  salt-water  marshes  behind  the  mangrove  belts,  where 
it  lives  on  the  purple  and  brown  crabs  (machat)  crawling 
on  the  tree-trunks,  up  which  it  writhes  itself  and  coils  in 
the  branches  waiting  for  its  prey.  When  I  was  in  Paniau  a 
woman  in  the  Matup  district  was  bitten  by  one  of  them  and 
died  in  less  than  two  days,  probably  from  the  shock  ;  the 
natives  said  from  its  venom.  The  natives  fear  it  greatly, 
saying  that  the  fierce  creature  is  the  incarnation  of  the  spirit 
of  a  wicked  and  cruel  chief  who  murdered  his  wife  and 
children,  and  was  chased  into  the  swamp  by  the  avengers 
and  put  to  death.  A  specimen  was  obtained  with  great  diffi- 
culty by  Kaneke  and  Nanchom.  It  was  a  yard  in  length, 
body  about  the  thickness  of  one's  thumb,  dark  green  in 
colour,  the  two  long  projecting  fangs  much  in  evidence. 

With  the  Ponapean  name  Macho,  compare  Japanese 
Mushi,  a  worm  ;  Marshall  Island  Moch,  a  sea-eel  ; 
Central  Carolines  Mas,  Mat,  a  worm  ;  Gilbert  Island 
Mata,  a  worm  ;  Formosa  Matkad,  a  sea-eel. 

All  the  following  mean  snake  or  serpent :  German  New 
Guinea  Mot,  Mat,  Matsch ;  Bismarck  Archipelago  Mote ; 
Louisade  Archipelago  Mata  ;  British  New  Guinea  Mota, 
Mata,  Ma;  New  Hebrides  Mata,  Mwata  ;  Malo  Moata ; 
Santo  Mata.  In  Kusaian,  Mwat  is  a  worm  and  Moet, 
beche-de-mer. 

There  are  two  sorts  of  sea-snakes  (Pelamis  bicoler),  both 
called  Na-llupu-loi-loi  or  Nan-li-puloiloi,  i.e.,  Lady  madam 


FISHES,    INSECTS,    BIRDS    AND    ANIMALS      365 

with  parti-coloured  bands}  One  is  banded  black  and  white, 
and  one  black  and  yellow.  Habitat,  the  beds  of  olot  or 
sea-grass  when  the  tide  is  out. 

Fresh-water  Eels 

These  abound  in  the  creeks  and  rivers,  especially  in  the 
deeper  pools,  and  sometimes  attain  great  length  and  thick- 
ness. The  natives  hold  them  in  mortal  dread,  and  call 
them  Kamichik,  that  is  Terrible.  Nothing  will  induce  the 
Ponapeans  to  eat  their  flesh.  The  old  name,  now  dropped 
out  of  use  by  the  taboo,  is  said  to  have  been  It  (Pan- 
gasinan  Igat).  They  will  sometimes  unexpectedly  attack 
people  fording  the  rivers,  inflicting  very  severe  bites.  Mr 
C.  F.  Wood  who  visited  the  Kiti  and  Metalanim  coast  in 
his  yacht  about  1870  speaks  feelingly  of  the  horror  he 
felt  of  these  creatures  whilst  bathing  in  the  creeks.  Far 
up  in  the  Kiti  highlands  on  a  tableland  some  3000  feet 
above  the  sea  is  reported  to  be  an  extensive  lake  filled 
with  these  creatures,  like  the  Tahitian  lake  Vaihiria  and 
the  Samoan  Lanu-toa.  Tuna  is  the  name  given  to  the 
eels  in  the  high  basaltic  islands  of  Polynesia  (Kusaian 
Ton),  either  from  their  dark  colour  (Micr.  Ton,  dark  ; 
Mangarevan  Tunatuna,  black,  brown  ;  Skt.  Tarn,  Tan), 
or  derived  from  an  old  Aryan  and  Semitic  root  Tan,  to 
stretch.  (Cf.  Hebrew  Tannin,  a  water-snake,  sea-monster.) 
The  Mortlock  islanders  call  the  eel  Tiki-tol,  and  use  it  for 
the  equivalent  of  the  Serpent  in  the  Garden  of  Eden.  To 
express  the  same  zoomorphic  notion  of  the  Devil  the 
Tahitians  have  the  inimitable  phrase,  "  Moo-rahi-avae-ore, 
i.e.,  "  The  long  lizard  without  paws,"  or  as  the  French 
have  it,  "  Longue  le'zard  sans  pattes." 

It  is  very  remarkable  the  horror  in  which  Micronesians 
and  Polynesians  alike  hold  lizards  and  eels,  and  it  certainly 
seems  to  point  to  a  traditional  recollection  of  the  croco- 
diles and  venomous  serpents  they  left  behind  them  in  the 
great  rivers  and  jungles  of  Asia  and  the  larger  islands  of 
1  In  Samoan  Pideilei  denotes  a  necklace  of  beads  strung  in  alternate  colours. 


366  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

Indonesia.  What  proves  this  so  strongly  is  the  fact  that 
crocodile  and  snake  names  in  New  Guinea  in  many  in- 
stances coincide  with  lizard  and  eel  designations  current 
in  the  dialects  embracing  all  the  isles  of  the  Pacific. 

DOMESTIC    ANIMALS 

First  and  foremost  is  that  noble  animal  the  pig  {Puik), 
the  Puaka  or  Puaa  of  south  Polynesia.  There  are  two 
varieties,  one  long  and  thin  flanked  with  a  long  snout 
like  a  greyhound,  known  to  the  Australian  farmers  as 
Pangoflin ;  the  other  with  a  short  snout  and  serenely- 
swelling  barrel,  descended  either  from  the  sort  introduced 
by  traders  and  settlers  in  the  last  century,  or  from  stray 
parents  deposited  in  more  remote  times  by  Chinese  or 
Japanese  trading-junks.  The  names  Puik  and  Puaka  are 
certainly  the  Thibetan  Phuag  or  Phak  with  which  the 
Latin  Porcus  is  a  cognate.  Even  with  the  Melanesians 
who  represent  the  early  Dravidian  element  in  these  seas, 
the  syllable  Bu,  Bo,  or  Ba  underlies  their  names  for  pig  ; 
the  Malay  word  Babi  is  one  of  these  primitive  forms. 
In  a  few  of  the  central  Carolines  we  find  the  word  Seilo 
or  Silo  (Javanese  Chileng,  a  pig),  which  certainly  points 
to  the  advent  of  a  Javanese  prau.  In  the  Paliker  district 
the  pig  is  called  Man-teitei,  or  the  animal  that  grubs  in 
the  soil ;  the  name  Puik  being  tabooed  in  the  district  on 
the  death  of  Lap-en-Paliker's  father  who  bore  that  name. 
This  is  a  living  instance  showing  how  under  our  very 
eyes  old  words  are  dropping  out  of  use  in  these  isolated 
dialects  and  new  ones  taking  their  place,  and  yet  folk 
thoughtlessly  ask,  "  Why  are  not  all  the  words  in 
Pacific  tongues  clearly  traceable  to  India  ?  "  To  this  the 
above  is  partly  a  reply.  In  the  next  place  we  have  not 
got  all  or  anything  like  all  the  Asiatic  dialects  properly 
set  down  so  as  to  form  reliable  tables  of  comparison. 
Moreover  there  are  a  good  many  dialects  in  Indonesia 
and  in  New  Guinea,  and  certainly  a  few  in  the  central 
Carolines    yet    unchronicled,   which    if   set    down    would 


FISHES,    INSECTS,    BIRDS   AND   ANIMALS     367 

add  their  quota  to  the  continually  increasing  number 
already  established  and  brought  together.  Anyone 
who  has  seriously  studied  the  gradual  building  up  of 
the  English  tongue  from  Early  Saxon,  Norse,  Danish, 
and  Latin  elements  will  readily  see  that  tracing  the 
influence  of  the  rapidly  succeeding  waves  of  varying 
stocks  is  an  intricate  rather  than  an  impossible  task,  as 
some  philologists  have  somewhat  supinely  been  content 
to  call  it.  In  the  last  place,  most  Micronesian  and  Poly- 
nesian words  are  very  clearly  traceable  from  Asia,  though 
from  long  isolation  they  have  been  greatly  planed,  chipped, 
attenuated,  and  whittled  down.  A  great  deal  of  the  rough 
material  out  of  which  the  Aryan  languages  were  developed 
doubtless  entered  into  the  composition  of  the  Oceanic 
tongues  which  are  classified  as  Melanesian,  Micronesian, 
and  Polynesian.  Many  such  common  words  occur  in  the 
languages  of  the  hill-tribes  of  India,  and  in  the  elaborate 
and  probably  much  later  Sanskrit.  A  more  exhaustive 
study  of  Micronesian  tongues  will  yield  facts  enough  to 
prove  occasional  intrusions  of  Mongol  and  later  Malay, 
which  latter  tongue  in  vocabulary  may  well  lay  claim  to 
possess  many  Sanskritic  affinities. 

The  next  domestic  animal  is  man's  faithful  friend  the 
dog,  Kiti  {Cf.  Indian  hill-tribes'  dialect — Kiranti  Kochu, 
Karwa  Kuttu,  Mundari  Kota,  Savara  Kinchoi  id.).  Cf.  Hin- 
dustani Kutta,  Sulu  Archipelago  Kitu,  Araucanian  Kiltho. 

The  dog  is  not  only  valued  as  a  custodian,  but  for 
supplying  a  delicate  dish  in  time  of  need,  especially  in  the 
tribe  of  Metalanim.  King  Paul,  unless  report  belies  him, 
is  particularly  fond  of  the  tongue,  liver,  and  entrails,  which 
are  always  set  apart  for  His  Majesty  at  high  feasts. 

The  native  dogs  are  ordinarily  of  a  dull  brownish 
yellow,  the  tint  of  an  old  copper  coin.  Their  nature  is 
stealthy,  sneaking  and  thievish.  They  are  kept  on  very 
short  commons,  which  is  thought  to  increase  their  vigilance. 
Many  of  them — by  nature,  not  art — are  entirely  lacking 
in  a  caudal  appendage,  which  gives  the  poor  wretches  a 


368  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

very  comical  appearance.  The  unfortunate  animal  marked 
out  for  the  feast  is  either  beaten  to  death  with  sticks,  or 
seized  by  the  hind  legs  and  its  brains  dashed  out  against 
the  nearest  stone.  Unlike  the  Japanese  the  Ponapeans 
seem  to  have  no  consideration  for  animals.  So  that  the 
Society  for  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals  is  likely  to 
have  its  hands  full  for  awhile  if  these  islands  should  ever 
fall  into  the  hands  of  John  Bull  or  Brother  Jonathan. 

Outside  the  Colony  the  sheep  has  not  been  introduced, 
though  Narhun  and  the  German  trader  at  Chauenting 
keep  a  few,  and  the  Ponapeans,  like  their  Polynesian 
cousins,  as  a  rule  hate  the  taste  of  mutton  whether  fresh 
or  preserved.  Goats  are  found  on  Mutok  (Tenedos)  and 
on  several  places  along  the  coast — introduced  by  early 
traders.  The  natives  rather  like  their  flesh,  but  view  the 
animal  with  great  disfavour  for  the  havoc  he  makes  with 
their  breadfruit  trees,  ring-barking  them  as  accurately  as 
an  Australian  woodman  clearing  a  eucalyptus  forest. 

There  is  a  singular  word  running  throughout  the  Caro- 
line archipelago  which  shows  that  once  upon  a  time  their 
ancestors  had  a  closer  acquaintance  with  the  above 
animals  either  in  Malaysia  or  India.  For  the  word  for 
feathers  or  animals'  hair  all  over  the  group  is  Un  or  Ul. 
(Compare  Sanskrit  Un,  wool,  fur,  and  Turkish  Yun  id). 

The  domestic  fowl  Malek  (cf  central  Caroline  Maluk, 
Pelews  Malk,  Mariannes  Manok,  Malay  Manuk,  Peruvian 
Mallko,  a  chicken)  is  well  represented  in  every  settlement. 
Their  plumage  has  a  peculiar  ruffled  and  bristly  appear- 
ance. They  are  rather  shy  of  approach  and  remarkably 
strong  on  the  wing.  The  cock  is  called  King  (Peruvian 
Kanka),  the  hen  Lu-tok  or  Li-tok,  i.e.  the  Clucking  female  ; 
chickens  are  called  Purrok,  plural  Purrongko,  cf.  Malay 
Burong,  a  bird.  (Cf  Peruvian  Tokto,  Maori  Tikao-kao, 
Ruk  Tukao.)  Their  eggs  (Kutor)  are  small  and  not  very 
easy  to  gather.  Directly  the  cackle  of  a  hen  disturbs 
the  air,  the  pigs  and  dogs  are  on  the  move  through  the 
brushwood  to  secure  the  precious  egg.      What  they  pass 


FISHES,    INSECTS,    BIRDS   AND    ANIMALS      369 

over  the  rats  generally  secure.  Any  chickens  raised 
run  so  many  risks  in  their  infancy  that  it  really  is  a 
wonder  how  so  many  come  through  with  their  lives.  It 
is  no  uncommon  thing  in  some  quiet  corner  of  a  native 
hut  to  come  across  a  mother  hen  sitting  upon  her  eggs 
venting  her  displeasure  by  a  crooning  sort  of  twitter  at 
the  approach  of  a  stranger.  Fresh  eggs  are  less  esteemed 
than  those  which  have  been  some  time  under  wing.  These 
the  natives  consider  more  savoury.  Addled  eggs  from 
their  delicious  odour  are  called  Puaich-en-uair,  the  inherit- 
ance of  the  bat ;  and  by  the  natives  of  Yap,  Batai. 

Jungle  fowl  {Malik-en-ual)  are  to  be  met  with  on  the 
mountain  slopes.  Adventurous  young  cockerels  some- 
times descend  into  the  valleys  and  engage  in  furious 
conflict  with  the  chanticleers  of  the  settlement,  and  find 
their  way  into  the  all-embracing  ever-ready  iron  pot,  for 
the  watchful  native,  unlike  the  effeminate  Manilla  man, 
seldom  throws  away  a  shot,  lead,  powder  and  caps,  being 
so  scarce  and  dear. 

Kau  (Ang.  Cow)  is  the  generic  word  for  cattle.  Henry 
Nanapei  keeps  a  small  herd  in  the  Ronkiti  valley.  Like 
the  Japanese,  the  natives  do  not  particularly  relish  cow's 
milk.  They  fall  eagerly  however  upon  the  condensed 
milk,  whether  the  much  advertised  Nestle's  or  some  less 
distinguished  brand.  It  is  all  the  same  to  them.  It  is 
sweet,  and  they  like  it.  Beef,  whether  fresh  or  salt,  lean 
or  fat,  tough  or  tender,  I  had  nearly  said  cooked  or  un- 
cooked, is  devoured  with  delight,  forming  a  most  welcome 
addition  to  their  frugal  fare  of  shell-fish,  fish,  and  yams. 
There  was  a  carabao  or  water-buffalo,  imported  from 
Manilla,  employed  in  carting  earth  and  stones  in  the 
colony  at  Santiago.  He  was  of  a  vicious  and  surly  dis- 
position, greatly  admired  by  the  natives  for  his  enormous 
horns,  with  which  he  would  upset  any  stranger  who  came 
near  enough. 

The  domestic  cat  is  quite  a  household  pet,  and  often 
enjoys  a  hearty  meal  of  scraped  coconut  when  the  house- 
2  A 


370  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

dog  goes  hungry.  Should  he  presume  to  actively  remon- 
strate at  this  one-sided  arrangement,  he  is  either  seized  by 
the  scruff  of  the  neck  and  dropped  out  of  doors,  or  kicked 
into  a  corner,  where,  lying  supperless,  head  between  paws, 
he  views  his  hated  rival  feasting  to  repletion,  growling  to 
himself  in  a  muffled  undertone,  never  once  taking  his 
hungry,  wistful  eyes  off  the  fast-vanishing  provender — so 
near  and  yet  so  far. 

A  kitten  is  called  Kat-pul  or  Pusa-pul,  "  a  green  puss." 
The  Malays  for  the  same  kitten  would  say  Kuching-muda, 
or  for  a  gosling  Angsom-muda,  exactly  as  in  the  English 
phrase,  "  a  green  gosling? 

CRABS,   CRAYFISH,  AND  MARINE  CREATURES 

Rokum,  Rakum.      Generic  word  for  small  crabs. 

Alimang.  Large  brown  swimming  crab,  found  amongst 
the  roots  on  the  edge  of  the  mangrove  swamps  (Tagal, 
Alemang  ;   Samoan,  Alimangd). 

Paru,  Poru.  A  digging-crab  that  throws  up  little 
hillocks  of  sand  on  the  shore. 

Karrach.      A  green  rock-crab  (Brachyurd). 

Omp.  The  coconut  crab  {Birgics  latro  or  the  Robber 
Crab).  It  is  of  large  size,  blue  with  red  markings,  and  is 
furnished  with  enormous  claws,  with  which  it  tears  off 
the  husks  of  coconuts  and  the  tough  pericarps  of  other 
oily  and  juicy  fruits,  and  feasts  on  the  kernels. 

Li-matal-en-iak.  Small  marsh-crab,  speckled  black 
and  white  or  purple  and  white,  with  a  disproportionately 
large  red  claw. 

Umpa.  The  Maka-ura  of  the  Gilbert  Islands.  The 
hermit-crab,  of  which  there  are  several  varieties. 

Land,  (i)  Light  green,  found  inside  shells  of  sea- 
snails. 

Sea.  (2)  Red  and  white,  sometimes  with  golden 
splashes  on  claws,  found  in  purplish  or  red 
and  white  shells. 


FISHES,    INSECTS,    BIRDS    AND    ANIMALS      371 

Sea.      (3)  Black  and  purple,  claws  tipped  with  red  or 

yellow,  found  inside  old  broken  shells. 
Land.    (4)  A  dark  blue  sort,  with  red  body  and  claws, 
resembling  robber  crab,  wedges  his  body 
into  old  coconut  shells  or  large  sea-shells. 
Machat,  Machaut.      A  purple  and  brown  swamp-crab 
seen  crawling  over  the  dead  timber  and  on  the  trunks  of 
trees  in  the  swamp  and  up  the  river. 

Chiwan,  Kopuk.      Marsh-crabs  related  to  Machat. 

Cray-Fish 

Urana.  The  lobster.  {Cf.  Malay  Udang,  a  prawn  ; 
Mortlock  Ur,  lobster.) 

Inchang  (Hindu  Inchna).  Blue  and  white  banded 
cray-fish  found  in  holes  on  the  mud-flats  at  low  tide 
especially  off  Langar  Island. 

Li-katap-en-chet  (Squilla).  A  small  sea  -  crayfish 
marked  yellow,  purple  and  white,  no  larger  than  a  good 
sized  prawn. 

Li-katap-en-pil  (The  Ulavai  of  Samoa).  The  fresh- 
water shrimp.  The  name  means  Useful  Woman  of  the 
fresh  water,  which  it  indeed  deserves  as  it  is  a  capital 
addition  to  the  Ponapean  bill-of-fare,  sometimes  growing 
to  a  length  of  four  or  five  inches.  The  women  dip  them 
out,  the  boys  catch  them  with  minute  nooses  on  the 
end  of  sticks. 

Tapcp.  Curious  black  and  white  or  brown  and  white 
banded  crayfish.  The  Tapapa  of  Futuna,  the  Tumal  of 
Yap,  the  Thabethabe  of  Fiji. 

Tarrich.  The  timber-worm.  Frequently  mentioned 
by  whaling  captains  in  these  seas,  but  never  once  with 
approbation. 

Lit.      The  generic  name  for  sea-anemones. 

Ip.  A  curious  slug-like  creature  of  a  light  blue  colour 
found  adhering  to  the  underside  of  limestone  blocks  on 
the  reefs  at  low  tide.  Cf.  Samoan  Ipo,  an  edible  mud- 
worm.      On  Yap,  I  nap. 


372  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

Li-ulul,  Lidiil.  Lady  Pillow.  A  large  blue  starfish 
found  on  the  sandy  or  coralline  bottom  of  the  shallow 
pools  in  the  lagoon.  Compare  the  Japanese  term  for  the 
creature  Tako-no-niakura,  the  Octopus'  pillow.  The 
Lamotrek  folk  call  it  Laul-a-garao  or  the  Laul  of  the 
skies.  The  Ponapeans  have  a  curious  superstition  about 
the  Li-uhil  that  if  taken  out  of  water  a  heavy  shower  of 
rain  will  soon  follow.  Called  on  Ngatik  Kich-el-lang, 
i.e.,  a  little  bit  of  the  sky.  There  seems  to  be  a  hazy  sort 
of  connection  in  the  native  mind  between  the  colour  of  the 
creature  and  that  of  the  sky,  upon  which  convenient  peg 
some  designing  medicine-man  or  rain-maker  hung  his  moral. 

There  is  another  species  of  starfish  brownish-red  and 
spiny  which  they  call  Rar. 

Likant-en-Kap.  Queen  of  the  sea-bottom.  The  modern 
name  for  the  sting-ray  or  skate-fish,  of  which  there  are 
several  species  in  Pacific  waters.  The  old  tabooed 
name  is  given  as  Pae  or  Pai  (Pingelap  and  Mokil  ab- 
breviated form  Pa,  Pae),  the  Fai  of  the  Mortlock  Islands, 
the  Hai-manu  of  Nuko-Oro  (compare  Polynesian  Hai, 
Fai  and  What).  In  Yap  Pai  appears  only  in  the  com- 
pound word  Pai-bok,  the  Bok  or  tail  of  the  Pai.  These 
are  all  abraded  forms  of  an  ancient  Sanskrit  word.  The 
Tagala  of  the  Philippines  gives  us  Pagui,  Pagi,  with 
its  usual  change  of  G  for  Malayan  R.  {Cf.  Layag  for 
Layar,  a  sail;  Niyog  for  Niyor,  a  coconut;  Itlog,  Telog  for 
Telor,  an  egg.)  The  original  form  appears  in  Malay  Ikon- 
Part,  the  Fairy  Fish,  from  the  Indian  Pari,  Peri,  our 
Fairy.  (In  Sulu  the  skate  is  called  Isda-palit).  By  some 
curious  chance  with  us  on  the  Atlantic  side,  the  word  has 
gone  through  exactly  the  same  process  as  with  our  poor 
relations  on  the  Pacific.  Our  collateral  form  for  Fairy, 
Fay,  has  also  lost  the  medial  R. 

The  names  of  three  varieties  were  given  me  by 
Nanchau  of  Mutok.  (i)  Pae-pai-lik  or  skate-skale-little,  a 
small  sort,  (2)  Pata-lik  or  little-tail,  and  (3)  Pai-wawa,  the 
spotted  variety  known  in  Kusaie  as  Asasa.    The  Ray  is  fond 


FISHES,    INSECTS,    BIRDS    AND   ANIMALS      373 

of  basking  in  the  muddy  shallows,  and  when  trodden  on  by 
an  incautious  foot,  it  inflicts  terrible  wounds  with  the  barb 
of  its  flexible  tail.  This  the  Ponapeans  call  Och  (Poly- 
nesian Hoto,  Foto,  Oto).  In  the  absence  of  iron  the  Caro- 
line islanders  used  these  barbs  as  spear  or  arrow-heads, 
for  which  purpose  they  are  eminently  adapted.  From  the 
rest  of  the  tail  riding-whips  are  made  of  terrific  cutting 
power.  In  Samoa  the  Foto  or  barb  was  frequently  used 
for  secret  assassination.  The  old  king  Tamasese  is  re- 
ported to  have  met  his  death  from  unexpectedly  rolling 
upon  one  of  these  wrapped  up  in  his  sleeping  mats.  A 
terse  Samoan  proverb  thus  runs  :  "  Ua  solo  le  fai,  ua  tuu 
ai  le  foto."  "  The  ray  runs  off,  but  leaves  her  barb 
behind." 

Til-en-Paran,  i.e.,  the  orange-coloured  louse.  A  sort 
of  limpet-like  slug  found  sticking  to  the  under  part  of 
limestone  rocks  in  the  shallow  pools  on  the  reef  at  low 
tide.  Colour,  white  veined  with  dark  red,  with  blotches 
or  splashes  of  vivid  yellow  and  scarlet.  It  is  a  Chiton, 
and  I  have  seen  a  dull-coloured  variety  sticking  to  the 
sea-washed  rocks  on  the  coast  of  the  north  and  south 
Marquesan    Islands. 

Kick  is  the  term  for  the  octopus  or  squid,  Li-puleio  for 
the  larger  kind.  With  Kick  compare  Kusaian  Koet,  Mort- 
lock  Kis,  Mokil  Kueit,  Pulawat  Kush,  Lamotrek  Kuich 
and  Ngit,  Nuku-oro  Kueti,  Marshall  Islands  Kweit,  Fijian 
Kuita,  Tagal  Kugita,  Malay  Gorita,  Ilocan  Kurita,  Mota 
Ugita,  and  Motu  (Pt.  Moresby)  Urita.  A  line  of  very 
curious  cognates,  showing  how  rapidly  the  early  Malay 
word  gets  attenuated  as  we  get  further  and  further  east- 
ward away  from  Indonesia  into  the  Pacific  area  and  find 
the  word  at  last  down  in  New  Zealand  worn  away  down 
to  Ngu  or  Ku. 

Beche-de-mer  is  abundant  in  these  waters,  variously 
styled  the  Holothuria,  sea-slug  or  sea-cucumber,  which 
when  dried  forms  one  of  the  staple  exports  of  the  great 
Archipelago. 


374  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

The  generic  term  for  these  creatures  is  Men-ika  or 
Man-ika,  i.e.,  "  Animal-fish  "  or  Man-fish  {Man  =  animal  or 
Man,  Ika  =  fish).  Penipen,  Pelipel,  and  Periper  is  another 
Caroline  name  for  them,  sometimes  denoting  a  species, 
sometimes  the  genus.  (Cf.  Polynesian  Penupenu — tough, 
glutinous,  flaccid).  There  are  a  great  many  species,  and 
the  ones  most  highly  esteemed  for  trade  I  mention  first. 

Class  No.  i.  The  most  highly  esteemed  of  all, 
"  Li-machamach-ueipul"  "  The  favourite  wife  of  the 
Flame-tree,"  called  by  trading-skippers  the  Tiger-fish, 
sometimes  measuring  a  foot  and  a  half  in  length.  It  is 
olive-green,  covered  with  deep  yellow  spots  each  surrounded 
by  a  circle  of  deep  olive.  The  touch  of  its  tentacles  or 
entrails  produces  a  most  violent  itching  and  burning  on 
the  skin  like  the  sting  of  a  nettle,  and  the  water  it  squirts 
out  when  taken  out  of  the  water  if  a  drop  gets  in  the 
eyes  causes  violent  inflammation  and  sometimes  loss  of 
sight. 

Habitat,  the  "  mat"  or  detached  reefs  in  the  lagoon. 
It  mostly  lies  in  the  deep  water,  six  to  ten  feet,  on  the 
rocky  shelves  or  amongst  the  coral  lumps. 

In  cutting  up  slugs  for  the  try-pot  we  found  inside 
some  of  the  larger  ones  minute  sea-eels,  and  small  fry, 
upon  which  it  appears  these  creatures  feed. 

Main,  the  Shoe-fish,  so  called  from  its  thick-rounded 
body,  of  a  dark  grey  colour. 

Limach.  Teat-fish.  Large,  black,  covered  all  over  with 
whelks  and  knobs  and  projections  like  a  horned  frog. 

Li-kapichino,  Li-kapichinana,  also  called  Penipen.  Large, 
thick  red,  found  on  the  Paina  or  outer  reef. 

Torono.  Large,  reddish  above,  orange  below  ;  found 
on  the  outer  reefs  at  low  tide. 

There  are  other  edible  varieties,  some  of  which  are  put 
in  with  the  rest  as  make-weights,  or  sorted  into  separate 
sacks.  One  dark  yellow  {Li-keniken),  one  light-coloured, 
found  by  moonlight  {Penipen),  one  yellowish  with  black 
spots  called  in  Kiti  by  the  same  name  as  the  foregoing. 


FISHES,    INSECTS,    BIRDS   AND   ANIMALS     375 

There  are  four  varieties  sometimes  eaten  in  times  of 
scarcity,  the  common  small  thin  black  sort  {Katup,  in  the 
Pelevvs  Kasupl) ;  one  thick,  black,  nocturnal  in  its  habits 
(Matup),  after  which  a  district  in  Metalanim  is  called  ;  one 
white,  spotted-brown,  found  at  the  edge  of  mangrove 
swamps  {Longun) ;  and  another  light-brown  above,  white 
beneath  (Kamet,  Kamaf). 

There  are  other  varieties  which  the  natives  do  not  eat. 
One  large  greenish-brown  {Manet),  one  light-brown,  spotted 
black,  with  a  black  line  down  the  middle  of  the  back 
(Uarer),  one  long  black  found  under  rocks  and  stones  in 
the  shallow  pools  {Chaparang),  another  long  black  one 
of  similar  habits  known  as  Keeka  or  Kdka,  and  one  dull 
green  mottled  dark-brown  called  Ul-alap-onge. 

Method  of  preparing  Beche-de-mer.  The  slugs  are  taken 
straight  ashore,  split  open  with  a  knife,  and  the  viscera 
(  Ward)  taken  out — a  most  unenviable  piece  of  work — and 
they  are  boiled  in  a  deep  iron  try-pot.  A  substantial  dry- 
ing shed  has  already  been  erected,  the  framework  of  stakes 
of  mangrove-wood,  thatched  and  walled  in  from  the  winds 
on  every  side  with  solid  layers  of  young  palm-fronds  cut 
when  the  leaflets  grow  thickest  together.  Only  the 
narrowest  of  entrances  is  left.  Within  is  constructed  a 
platform  of  shutters  of  reed-grass  raised  some  four  or  five 
feet  above  the  floor.  On  these  the  slugs,  after  the  boiling 
process,  are  laid  out  to  dry  in  a  dense  column  of  smoke 
which  a  carefully  tended  fire  of  driftwood  below  sends  up 
night  and  day.  When  thoroughly  cured,  in  course  of 
which  process  they  undergo  considerable  shrinkage,  the  fish 
according  to  their  class  are  put  up  into  sacks  ready  to  be 
hoisted  on  board.  They  are  kept  carefully  dry,  as  they 
spoil  very  rapidly  with  the  least  damp.  The  Chinese  and 
Japanese  value  beche-de-mer  very  highly  as  a  food,  and 
pay  very  good  prices,  as  much  as  £%o  per  ton  having  been 
realised  with  fish  of  the  best  quality. 

By  a  somewhat  tedious  preparation  of  stripping  and 
soaking,  the    beche-de-mer     is     made    into     a     delicious 


376  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

gelatinous  soup,  which  has  most  invigorating  properties, 
and  when  better  known  should  take  its  place  alongside  of 
beef-tea  and  chicken-broth  in  the  dietary  of  invalids,  and 
as  an  easy  rival  of  the  much-vaunted  turtle-soup  of  civic 
banquets.  For  the  turtle,  as  every  native  knows,  owes 
his  flavour  to  the  sea-slugs  he  feeds  upon  during  the 
breeding-season.  In  combination  with  a  peculiar  vege- 
table styled  Chinese  parsley,  beche-de-mer  forms  a  most 
delicate  stew,  which  I  tested  one  evening  at  Macao  and 
rendered  it  ample  justice,  to  the  delight  of  my  Chinese 
entertainer. 

(f)  marine  creatures  of  yap 
Crabs  and  Crustacea 

Small  brown — Tafagif.  The  Rakumor  Rokum  of  Ponape 
and  the  New  Hebrides.      Brownish  purple,  Teiteiguluf. 

Large — light  blue  and  red  markings  (Sp.  Cancrejo 
pintado).      Maloob. 

Small,  light  brown,  long  arms.      Or. 

Small,  olive-coloured,  hairy.      Tamalang,  Nomit. 

Small,  spotted  black,  red  and  white,  large  red  claw, 
found  burrowed  in  sand  and  mud  near  in  mangrove 
swamp.      Gaburrogok. 

Hermit-crab.       Yekayek. 

Burrowing  crab.     Kathiu. 

Robber  or  Coconut  crab  (Birgus  latro)  Aiyui.  (Lamo- 
trek,  Yeffi).      Dark  brown,  Kafira. 

Swimming  crab.      Artim-a-dai. 

Cray-fish.  Arangoi,  ]\Iathithin.  Black  and  white 
barred.     Turned. 

LIZARDS 

Gaiutch,  Aius,  Gains.  An  alligator.  A  word  derived 
from  the  Pelews,  where  they  are  occasionally  found. 
(Malay  and  Philippine  Buaiya,  B  to  G.) 

Atelapok.      The  skink.      A  black  lizard  with  red  spots, 


FISHES.    INSECTS,    BIRDS    AND    ANIMALS      377 

about  a  foot  in  length,  called  Kieil  in  Ponape,  Kiuen  in 
Ruk,  and  Gual  in  the  Central  Carolines. 

Galuf,  Guluf.      The  Iguana  (Varanus  sp.). 

Ataligak,  Adaburru,  Atarau.      Sp.  small  lizards. 

BIRDS 

Curlew  (a)  with  curved  bill.  Kaku  (b)  with  straight 
bill.      Ruling. 

Plover.  Sp.  Gabachai.  Albatross  Mui-bab.  Sacred 
to  the  god  of  war. 

Fruit-bat.     Magelao,  Maguilao 

DOMESTIC    ANIMALS 

Iritnen,  N'min,  the  domestic  fowl.  Pilis,  the  dog.  \Cf. 
Hindustani  Pilla,  a  puppy.] 

MARINE    ANIMALS 

Tai-on.  Curious  circular  medusa,  with  six  tentacles, 
found  amongst  the  Lem  or  clumps  of  sea-grass  which 
cover  the  sandy  flats  in  the  shallow  lagoon,  which  the 
ebbing  of  the  tide  leaves  with  only  five  or  six  inches  of 
water  to  cover  them. 

Riir.  A  brownish-red  starfish,  studded  thickly  with 
bluntish  dark  blue  points  or  spikes,  about  three  quarters 
of  an  inch  in  length. 

Inap  (Ponape,  Ip).  A  curious  bluish  annelid  adhering 
to  the  under  parts  of  masses  of  limestone  rock  on  the 
reef. 

Rimich.  The  Tentumuoi  of  Ponape  ;  a  gelatinous  red- 
dish-brown creature,  living  in  cracks  and  fissures  of  coral 
reef,  stretching  out  a  forest  of  suckers  resembling  a  clump 
of  water-weeds. 

Thilthil.  Yellow  or  orange  variety  of  Rimich,  called  in 
Mariannes  Dodak-man-yagu,  i.e.  the  animal  that  ducks 
down. 

Lon.      Sp.,  jellyfish. 

Goloth.      A  sea-eel  (murcena). 


378  THE   CAROLINE   ISLANDS 

Mokelikil,  Ar,  Marabilag.      Species  of  sea-spider. 
Lilibots.      A    species    of   sea-snake,    ringed   black    and 
white  or  yellow  and  black. 

HOLOTHURIA,    OR    SEA-CUCUMBERS 

Daotan.  Grey  body,  whitish  below,  found  on  edge  of 
mangrove  belt ;  edible,  but  scarcely  palatable  even  in 
famine  time. 

Buro.     Large,  inedible,  greenish-brown. 

INSECTS 

Somening.  A  large  brown  and  yellow-winged  grass- 
hopper. 

Osongol.  The  dragon-fly  :  one  sort  large,  reddish-brown  ; 
the  other  small,  brown  and  yellow  body. 

Galaoleu.  Another  species  of  dragon-fly ;  body  red, 
wings  dark  blue  and  white. 

Girrigir.  The  fire-fly,  seen  in  great  numbers  in  the 
evening  darting  in  and  out  of  the  groves  of  areca  and 
coco-palms  like  winged  sparks  of  fire. 

Ngal.  The  white  ant ;  very  destructive  to  pillars  and 
flooring  and  furniture  in  houses. 

Ganau.      The  house-spider  (Aranea). 

Riu.      The  cicala  (Malay,  Riang-riang). 

Elolal,  Alolai.      Worm. 

Gorro-mangamang.      Caterpillar. 

SEA-URCHINS 

Buol.      The  Cheuak  of  Ponape. 

Olaa.  Large-pointed  spines,  spotted  brown  and  white 
like  those  of  porcupine. 

FISHES 

Along,  Olong.      The  shark,  i.e.  the  Hungry  One. 
Litak.    Small  cobalt-blue  fish,  hovering  round  the  clumps 
of  branching  coral,  familiar  to  visitors  in  Pacific  waters. 


PONAPE   ONOMATOPCEAS  379 

Ngong.  Small  fish,  banded  black  and  white.  Same 
habitat  as  Litak. 

U.      The  Leather  Jacket. 

Rul.      Sting-Ray. 

Kai.      Octopus,  or  squid.      Smaller  sort,  Luat. 

Tsinua.      Black  and  white  spiny  fish. 

SHELLS 

Boiangol.  A  dingy  brown  swamp-shell,  resembling  an 
elongated  whelk. 

Dabau.  A  species  of  cockle  found  in  mud  near  man- 
grove belt. 

Sana/.      Black  and  white  speckled  shell. 

Atam-a-lang.      Sp.  whelk. 

Tinatef.      Sp.  cockle,  speckled  red,  white  and  yellow. 

Eon.     The  Tiger  cowry. 

Furufur.     A  curiously-shaped  shell  of  the  cockle  order. 

(G)    PONAPE    ONOMATOPCEAS,    OR    IMITATIVE    SOUNDS 

Chakachak.  Smashing  of  glass,  rattling,  clinking, 
chinking  sound  ;  ticking  of  clock  or  watch  ;  tolling  of 
a  bell.      Cf.  Persian,  chakachak,  clashing  of  swords. 

Teteng.      A  slamming  or  banging  sound. 

Rarrar :  Patapatar.  The  falling  or  pattering  of  rain- 
drops. 

Ngirringirrichak.      The  roar  of  a  waterfall. 

Ueichip.      To  splash  about  whilst  bathing. 

Tautau.     A  splashing  noise  as  of  oars  or  paddles. 

Monomonoi.      Sound  of  liquid  shaken  in  a  cask. 

Rarrar.  A  rattling,  scratching,  ripping,  grating  or 
tearing  sound. 

Mpimpering.     To  flare  ;   rumble,  as  a  blaze  of  flame. 

Ngorrangorrachak.     To  jingle  ;  tinkle  ;  clink. 

Kuku  :  Kingking.      The  cooing  of  doves. 

Ketiketikak.      To  cackle,  of  fowls. 


380  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

Tontorrok.     To  cluck  ;  twitter,  as  a  hen  over  eggs. 

Kokorrot :  Kokkoroti.   To  crow  as  a  cock. 

Chinchich.  To  skim  stones  along  water ;  to  play  at 
"  ducks  and  drakes." 

Kumukumu-chak.  The  croak  or  grunting  of  the 
leather-jacket  when  taken  out  of  water.  Cf.  Maori, 
kumukumu,  the  gurnard. 

U errenerre-chak  :    Uerreuer.  To  shout ;  scream. 

Ngirchak.  ■  The  noise  of  rushing  water ;  fall  of 
cascade. 

Terterak.      A  scraping  or  grinding  noise. 

Tontot.      Cry  of  cicala. 

Titik.     Squeaking  of  rats. 

Ichi.      To  hiss,  as  snake  or  lizard. 

Uat.     To  hoot,  as  an  owl. 

Momant.      To  rustle,  as  a  dress. 

Kumuchak :  Poch.  The  detonation  of  a  musket  or 
cannon. 

Pungpungak.      The  noise  of  the  surf  on  the  reef. 

Tui.  The  cry  of  a  small  black  bird  of  the  woods. 

Uetle.  The  note  of  the  kinuet,  a  small  green  dove 
with  maroon  markings. 

Kamakamait ;  Lokalokaia.     The  song  of  birds. 

Tukutukamak.      Squeaking  of  rats. 

Li-aurara.  Indistinct  mutterings  during  sleep  ;  de- 
lirium. 

Nannamanam.      To  jabber  ;  speak  confusedly. 

Kemmemar.      To  snore. 

Ngiringir.      To  growl  ;   snarl. 

Ngarangar.      To  quarrel  ;  scold. 

Ngai.      To  snap  (as  a  savage  dog). 

Molipe.      To  call  out  ;  summon. 

Tantanir.      To  lament ;  weep. 

Melakaka.  The  song  of  a  chief.  Cf.  Hawaiian,  mele  ; 
Tahitian,  umere. 

Kotuk.      To  break  ;  smash. 

Tenterong.      To  chatter.      {Tenter,  the  cicala.) 


PONAPE   GODS  381 

Uerreuer  .•  U erreuerre-chak.  To  shout ;  scream  ; 
screech. 

Morromor.  A  noise  ;  tumult. 

Ngichingich.  To  shout  (of  a  crowd). 

(H)    PONAPE    GODS 

Kimai.  A  Metalanim  wise  woman  of  old  from  the 
Matup  district,  where  the  luou  or  ornamental  bracelets  of 
shell  were  first  made. 

Chau-te-Leur.  The  name  of  an  ancient  king  or  dynasty 
of  kings  in  Metalanim,  when  Ponape  was  under  one  rule, 
and  the  great  walls  of  Nan-Tauach,  the  breakwater  of 
Nan-Moluchai,  and  the  sanctuary  of  Pan-Katara  and  the 
walled  islets  near  Tomun  were  built  by  the  divine  twin 
brethren — the  architects  Olo-sipa  and  Olo-sopa.  The 
last  of  them,  defeated  in  battle  by  barbarian  hordes  from 
the  south,  under  Icho-Kalakal,  perished  in  the  waters  of 
the  Chapalap  river,  near  the  great  harbour,  and  was  turned 
into  a  blue  fish,  the  kital,  which  to  this  day  is  a  tabu 
fish. 

Chenia  and  Monia.  Two  adventurous  heroes  of  old 
who  explored  the  northern  seas,  until  they  saw  the  mid- 
night sky  filled  with  fire,  and  returned  home  with  speed. 

Kutun.  God  of  the  reef  and  all  therein,  and  the  little 
islands  in  the  lagoon.  His  totem  is  the  Li-er-puater  or 
black  and  yellow  choetodon  fish. 

Rakim.  God  of  house-building  and  carpentry.  Accord- 
ing to  Dr  Gulick  the  god  of  evil,  disease,  death,  and 
famine.  In  Ruk,  Rakim  =  the  rainbow  ;  and  Sonsorol, 
Glagim ;  and  on  Kusaie,  Nelakem  or  Nlakem  has  the 
same  meaning.  So  Rakim  is  probably  a  sky-god,  answer- 
ing to  the  classic  Iris. 

Chou-mach-en-cheu.     The  god  of  the  sugar-cane. 

Li-kant-en-kap.  The  sting-ray  (anciently  Pae  or  Pat) 
the  totem  of  the  Tip-en-uai  tribe,  the  descendants  of  Icho- 
Kalakal's  great  invasion. 

Changoro.     The  god  of  famine  (worshipped  in  Chokach). 


382  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

Lumpoi-en-chapal.  The  name  of  an  ancient  hero  who 
built  the  ancient  fortifications  at  Chap-en-Takai,  above 
Ronkiti,  on  the  south-west  coast. 

Nan-chapue.  The  god  of  kava  and  feasting.  The 
Marrap  or  Native  chestnut,  sacred  to  him. 

Le  pepe-en-wal.  God  of  the  inland  wilderness  and 
jungle. 

Nan-kieil-ilil-mau.  God  of  the  Kieil — a  large  black 
lizard  with  red  spots,  looked  upon  by  the  Natives  as 
"  li-kamichik"  or  "  uncanny,"  from  its  savage  disposition. 

Chokalai.  The  "  Kichin-Aramack"  or  "  little  people  " — 
the  Trolls,  or  dwarf  goblins,  dwelling  in  the  interior  of 
the  island.  Doubtless  here  we  have  the  tradition  of 
dwarf  Negrito  hill-tribes,  little  by  little  exterminated  by 
the  early  Malay  settlers. 

Kona.  The  giant  race  of  old.  The  grave  of  one  of 
them  is  shown  —  an  extensive  barrow  or  tumulus  at 
Kipar,  near  Annepein,  on  the  Kiti  coast. 

Cherri-chou-lang.  i.e.  The  little  angel  from  heaven. 
One  of  the  lesser  divinities  who  stole  the  kava  plant 
{chakau)  from  the  isle  of  Koto  (Kusaie,  or  Strong's 
Island).  A  piece  of  the  root  dropped  down  from  the 
feast  of  the  gods  in  the  clouds,  and  thus  the  kava  plant 
came  to  Ponape. 

Chau-yap.  An  early  navigator  from  Yap,  in  the  west- 
ward, who  was  directed  to  Ponape  by  following  the  flight 
of  the  kutar,  or  king-fisher  bird.  Cf.  Maori,  kotare,  id. 
According  to  one  account,  with  his  irar,  or  magic  staff, 
he  dug  up  the  kava  plant,  and  gave  it  to  the  men  of 
Ponape,  amongst  whom  he  settled. 

Li-oumere.  A  fairy  with  long  iron  teeth,  who  visited 
Ponape  and  abode  some  time  ;  who  was  prevailed  upon 
to  show  them  in  a  ghastly  grin,  at  the  sight  of  the  antics 
of  a  very  ugly  and  comical  buffoon.  A  man  close  by 
in  hiding  dashed  out  the  coveted  iron  fangs  with  a  stone, 
and  great  was  the  scrambling  of  the  clan  for  their  new- 
found treasures. 


PONAPE   GODS  383 

Ina  maram.  The  moon-goddess.  Cf.  Pol.,  Sina, 
Hina,  Ina.      Cf.  Assyrian,  Sin,  the  moon. 

Tau-koto.  One  of  the  gods  of  Kiti  revered  in  the 
kava-drinking. 

Chei-aki.  An  early  navigator  who  landed  on  the 
Paliker  coast,  from  the  East  Mortlocks,  with  seven  com- 
panions, Manchai,  Chiri-n-rok,  Man-in-nok,  Chinchich,  Pai- 
rer,  Roki,  and  Machan. 

Nan-imu-lap.  (lit.)  "  The  lord  of  the  great  house  or 
lodge." — The  god  of  dances. 

Nan-ul-lap.  The  Ponapean  Priapus,  and  god  of 
festivals.  Sacred  to  Nan-ul-lap,  who  ruled  all  the  con- 
tingencies of  death,  birth,  sickness,  and  good  and  bad 
luck,  were  the  turtle,  the  kamaik  or  parrot  wrass,  the 
marrer,  and  the  tep  fishes.  They  were  ckapu,  and  only 
to  be  eaten  by  the  chiefs  of  the  tribe. 

Likant-Inacho.  i.e.  Queen  Inacho.  The  presiding 
goddess  of  Chokach  Island. 

Icho  Kalakal.  The  war-god  of  Metalanim,  i.e.  Prince 
Wonderful. 

Icho  Chau ;  Icho  Lumpoi.      Tribal  gods  of  Metalanim. 

Luka  lapalap ;  Luk.  The  prince  of  evil.  Also,  the 
spirit  that  flew  over  the  face  of  the  seas,  bidding  the 
lands  rise  up,  and  giving  the  names  to  trees  and  plants. 
Cf  Scandinavian,  Lok ;  Lokiy  the  prince  of  evil  and 
cheatery. 

1  Li-cher.      Lady  of  the  torch. 

1  Li-char.      Lady  of  the  knife  or  sword. 

Olopat.      A  demigod.      The  patron  saint  of  Ngatik. 

Olo-sipa  ;  Olo-sopa.  Demigods  of  the  olden  time  who 
constructed  the  great  walls,  the  stone-water  frontages 
and  wharves  upon  the  islets  between  Tomun  and  Leak, 
on  the  Metalanim  coast.  Cf.  the  two  great  demigods  of 
Tahiti,  Oro-tetefa  and  Uru-tetefa. 

Nan-chelang.  The  god  of  canoe-building  and  carpentry 
incarnate  in  a  green  and  yellow  tree-lizard  of  the  same  name. 
1  The  female  guardians  of  Pueliko,  the  Ponapean  inferno. 


384  THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

Kaneki.      God  of  the  coconut  palm. 

Inacho ;  Likant-en-Aram ;  Li-ara-katau ;  Likant-e- 
rairai  ;  Li-mot-a-lang.  Fairies — woodland  goddesses  or 
nymphs.  The  emblem  of  Li-ara-Katau  was  the  lukot  or 
Native  owl. 

Nan-Ilakinia.  God  of  Nan-Tamarui  district,  on  south- 
east coast. 

Maile.  A  spirit  who  smites  men  with  dizziness  and 
vertigo. 

Li  -  arongorong  - pei.  A  sea  -  goddess  worshipped  on 
Ngatik,  i.e.,  the  Lady  who  loves  the  Holy  places. 

Tau-Katau.      The  rain-god  ;  god  of  the  breadfruit-tree. 

Li-Au-en-pon-tau.  i.e.,  Lady-chief  of  the  waterway. 
Goddess  of  the  Palikalao  river,  on  the  south-west  coast. 

Ilako.  The  family-god  of  King  Rocha,  of  Kiti,  on  the 
south-west  coast ;  greatly  revered  in  kava-drinking  cere- 
monies. Cf.  Yap,  ilagoth,  name  of  a  god  ;  and  Tagala, 
ilagai,  to  command,  order,  direct. 

Nanchau-en-chet.  The  lord  of  the  morasses  and  salt 
marshes,  dwelling  in  the  body  of  the  kaualik  or  blue 
heron. 

Kili-unan.  A  hairy  and  shaggy  goblin  of  the  woods 
who  brings  disease  and  death.  (Possibly  a  faint  recollec- 
tion of  the  orang-utan,  left  behind  them  in  Java,  Sumatra, 
and  other  large  islands  of  Indonesia.) 

(i)   YAP    GODS 

Yalafath.  The  Creator  ;  regarded  as  a  benevolent  but 
indolent  being  ;  incarnate  in  the  bird  mui-bab  (albatross 
or  Frigate  Bird). 

Neviegai  or  Nemegui.      His  wife. 

Luk.  The  god  of  death  and  disease  ;  a  mischievous 
and  ever-active  deity  ;  incarnate  in  the  orra,  a  black  bird 
of  nocturnal  habits. 

Luk-e-ling.     The  god  of  sea-faring  men  and  navigation. 

Kuku-balal.      The  god  of  cultivation  and  planting. 


YAP   GODS  385 

Kanepai.      The  god  of  the  tsuru  or  Native  dances. 

Ilagoth.  The  god  who  blesses  and  defends  folk  of 
good  and  peaceable  life.     (Ponape,  Ilako.) 

Marapou.      The  sun-god. 

Urur.   The  moon-god. 

Mukolkol.  The  god  of  thieves  and  robbers,  who 
generally  leaves  his  votaries  in  the  lurch  in  the  long 
run.  The  Evil  Spirit  Luk  also  is  a  patron  saint  of  the 
light-fingered  fraternity. 

Mam.     The  goddess  of  childbirth. 

Uaga  damang.      The  god  of  war. 

Dotra.  The  god  of  canoe-building,  house-building,  and 
carpenter's  work. 

Magaragoi.      The  god  who  brings   typhoons,  gales  of 
wind,  and  heavy  rains. 
Madai;  Wareleng.  The  gods  of  fishes,  fishermen,  and  sailors. 

Pof.     The  god  of  women  and  love-making  in  general. 

Koko-galal.      God  of  the  niu  or  coconut  palm. 

Lugeleng.      The  god  of  rain.1 

Tereteth.      Goddess  of  the  atchif  or  coconut-toddy. 

Mui-bab.      The  god  of  war. 

Ilu-mokan.      God  of  dances. 

Wol  Trabab.      God  of  strangers. 

Dessra  ;  Derra.      God  of  fire  and  earthquake. 

Gora  dai  leng.  The  avenging  deity  who  punishes  bad 
men  after  death.  A  river  flows  by  his  abode,  running 
underground.  Tortured  by  fire,  the  bad  spirit  falls  into 
the  water,  and  the  current  takes  him  along  and  plunges 
him  down  into  a  deep  hole  or  abyss  of  flames  (lu-ni-gd)% 
where  he  disappears  for  ever. 

Karaneman.      The  god  of  whales  and  sharks. 

Ligich.      The  god  of  the  turtle. 

Giligei.    Ademi-god — theinventorof  the^z  or  shell  adzes. 

Lusarer.  A  hero  of  olden  time,  who  taught  the 
men  of  Yap  to  build   fish-weirs  of  stone  and   wood. 

Bota-Sunumi.      A  title  of  Yalafath,  the  creator. 

1   Cf.  Lamotrek.     Luk-el-lang.     The  god  of  carpenters. 
2   B 


386  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

TRIBAL    OR    DISTRICT    GODS 

Yangalav.      In  Gochepa  (central). 

Gutherei.      In  Rul  (central). 

Ath.      In  Nimiguil  and  Goror  (south). 

Gatamir.      In  Map  and  Ramung  Islands  (north). 

Magaragoi.      In  Tomil  (central). 

(j)    VARIETIES    OF    BREADFRUIT    IN    PONAPE 

Mai — Generic  name.      Cf.   Tongan,  Mei  ;   Marquesan, 
Mei.      Cf.  Chinese  and  Japanese  Mai,  rice. 

i    En  pakot.      Long  ;  rough  rind. 

Pon-panui.      Long  ;   rough. 

Chaniak.     Small  variety. 

Paimach.      Small  variety. 
5    Yong.      Small  variety. 

En-uaoutak.      Small  variety. 

Takai.      Round  ;  very  hard. 

Impak.      Round  ;   large  size. 

En-  uchar.      Long, 
io  Katiu.      Long. 

Kumar.      Long. 

En-machal.      Long. 

Nine.      Long. 

Letain.      Small  ;   round, 
i  5   Nakont.      Small  ;  round. 

En-pol-le.      Longish. 

Apil.      Round  ;  small. 

Chai.      Smooth. 

En  Kaualik.      Long  ;  rough  rind. 
20  En-chak.      Longish. 

Nue.       Large  ;    smooth  ;     round  ;     the    most    highly 
esteemed  of  all. 

En-charak.      The  mountain  variety  ;  prickly  rind. 

Koli.   Seeded  ;  eaten  ripe  and  raw  (the  jack-fruit). 

Pa  or  Mat.    Seeded ;  eaten  ripe  and  raw  (the  jack-fruit). 
25    Kalak.      Smooth;   small. 


PONAPE  387 

Taik.      Smooth  ;  large  fruit. 
Pulang.      Smooth  ;  large  fruit. 

All  the  following  have  a  Rough  and  Prickly  Rind 

Lipet.      Large  ;  prickly  rind. 

Uaka.      Longish  ;  large. 
30  Potopot ;  Puetepuet.      Light-coloured  ;  long. 

En-pon-chakar.      Reddish  rind. 

Nan-umal.      Longish. 

En-paipai.      Long. 

Lukual ;  Lokual.      Wild  bush  variety  ;  very  prickly. 
3  5    Tol.      Small  ;  round  ;  dark  rind. 

En-patak.      Reddish  ;  longish. 

En-put.      Very  small  ;  round. 

En-cherrichang.      Reddish  rind  ;  small. 

En-patak,      Long  ;  thin. 
40  En-par.      Long  ;  darkish. 

En-kotokot.      Round  ;  small. 

En-monei.      Long  ;  thin. 
43    Ti.      Long. 

PONAPE 

(k)  days  of  the  moon's  age  x 

First  period  is  called  Rot  or  darkness,  i.e.,  nights  when 
there  is  no  moon.  Rot  has  13  days.  {Cf.  Persian,  Rat, 
the  night.) 


1    Ir. 

8    Chau-pot-mur. 

2   Lel-eti. 

9    Chau-pot-moa. 

3    Chanok. 

10  Arichau. 

4   Chenok-en-komoni. 

1  1    Chutak-ran. 

5    Chanok-en-komdna. 

1  2  Eii. 

6  Epenok-omur. 

1  3   A  ralok. 

7   Epenok-omoa. 

1  Most  of  these  correspond  closely  to  the  ancient  Tahitian  sequence.  In  this 
connection  cf.  Appendix  A  to  Tregear's  Maori  Comparative  Dictionary. 

The  Ponapean  Ir  is  certainly  the  Tahitian  Biro ;  and  the  Tahitian  Ari  is 
clearly  the  Ponapean  Arichau  with  its  affixed  princely  titles. 


388 


THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 


Second  period — new  moon— called  Mack  ;  contains  9 
days,  following  the  sequence  of  the  numerals  : — 

1    At.  6  Aon. 

A  rre.  7 

Echil.  8 

Apang.  9 
Alim. 

Last  period,  Pul,  contains  5  days 

1  Takai-en-pai.  4 

2  A  ro-puki.  5 

3  Olo-pua} 


Etch. 
Aual. 
Malatuatu. 


Olo-mal} 

Mat. 


PONAPE    STAR    NAMES 


Choroptiel. 

Mai-lap. 

Mai-tik. 

Tumur. 

Pongenai. 

Li-katat. 

Kien-ua. 

Langemur. 

Li-kamar-en-ich. 

Nach-e-lap. 

Pal-an-tumur. 

Larele. 

Makeriker  (Pleiades). 


Southern 


1 4  U chu-nenek. 

15  Mel       (The 
Cross). 

1 6  Langkoroto. 

1 7  Le-poniong  (seen  about 
time  of  variable  winds). 

1  8  Katipar  (the  blank  space 
in  heaven  known  as 
the  Magellan  Cloud). 

19  Aron-mechei-rak  =  a 
comet ;  also  known  as 
Uchu  -  pata-iki  -  mia  — 
the  star  with  a  tail. 


1 

2 
3 
4 
5 
6 

7 
8 

9 
10 
1 1 
12 
13 

1 
2 

3 
4 
5 
6 

1  The  Ponapean  Olo  is  the  Tahitian  Oro  or  its  equivalent  Roo  [cf.  Hawaiian 
Lono,  Maori  Rongo)  Marquesan  Ono  ;  all  varying  titles  of  one  of  the  Polynesian 
ideals  of  the  Supreme  Being,  i.e.,  Sound. 


Cross  ;  also     called 


(L)  lamotrek  star-names 

Uiliuil-al-evang.      The  Pole-star. 
Uiliuil-al-eaur.      The     Southern 
Pup,  or  the  Leather- Jacket  Fish. 
Tumur,  Antares. 
Meal.      Vega  and  a  Lyrae. 

Ualego.      Ursa  Major.      Literally,  "  The  Broom." 
Ul.      Aldebaran.      Literally,  "  The  Virile  Momber." 


LAMOTREK    STAR-NAMES  389 

7  Evang-el-ul.      Capella  ;   its  appearance  denotes  heavy 

gales  and  bad  weather. 

8  Magarigar.      Pleiades. 

9  Oliel.      Orion  and  Rigel. 

10   Kolong-al-mal.      Sirius  ;    i.e.,  literally,   "The   Body  of 

the  Animal." 
1  1    Ping-en-lakh.      Arietes  ;  i.e.,  literally,  "  The  Centre  of 

the  House." 
1  2   Met-a-ryo.      Scorpio  ;  i.e.,  "  The  Two  Eyes." 
1  3    Sor-a-bol.      Corvi  ;  literally,  "  The  Viewer  of  the  Taro- 

patches."      Shines    during     Taro    season.      (Sor,    to 

look  ;  bol,  a  Taro-patch.) 
1 4    Tchrou.      Corona  ;   i.e.,  "  The  Fowling-net."  1 
1  5   Mai-lap.      Althcea  and  (a)  Aquiloe. 
16  Aramoi.     Arcturus.     (A ra,  to  conclude  ;  wo/,  to  come.) 

So  called  because  the  rising  of  Arcturus  marks  the 

end    of   the    north-east  winds  which    bring   visiting 

parties  to  the  island. 

1  7    Yuk-ol-ik.    Cassiopcea ;  literally,  "  The  Tail  of  the  Fish." 

18  Mongoi-sap.      Gemini. 

19  Ik.      Pisces. 

20  Mai ;  man.      Canis  Major. 

21  Ililigak.      Regulus. 

2  2    Gapi-sarabol.      Speaker. 

23  Ngi-tau.      Piscis  Australis. 

24  Gapi-lah.      Pegasi. 

MONTHS    OF    LAMOTREK    YEAR 

1  Sarabol.  5    Mai-lap.  9    Ul. 

2  Aramaus.  6    Seuta.  10  Alltel. 

3  Tumur.  7   Lakh.  1  1    Man. 

4  Mai-rik.  8   KA.  12   Ich. 

(m)  mortlock  star-names 

1    Fusa-makit.      A   Ursce  Minoris.      "  The  Seven  Mice," 
Makit.       Cf.    Ponape,    Make;  and    Murray    Island, 

1  Cf.    Yap    Chau,   a   fowling-net.     Ellice   group,    Shau,    Sheau,   id.  ;  and 
Mortlock,  Sen,  id. 


390  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

Mokis,  a  mouse.      Or  it  may  mean  "  The  Fus  or  Star 
that  moves  or  changes  its  position." 
2.    Ola.      Ursa  Major. 

3  Sen.      Corona  Borealis. 

4  Moel.     Lyra. 

5  Manga-n-kiti.      Gemini. 

6  Pou-n-man.      Procyon. 

7  Vis.     Leo.     (Lit.,  The  Rat.) 

8  Ap-in-Soro-puel.     Virginis. 

9  Soro-puel.      Corvi. 

i  o   Eon-mas.      Crateris. 

i  i    Tanup.      The  Southern  Cross.     (Perhaps  "  The  Shark" 

cf.  Polynesian  Tanifa  :    Taniwha,  id.) 
1 2    Uk-en-ik.     (Unidentified.)      Literally,  "  The  Fish-net." 
i  3    Sepei-ping-en-Sota.     Delphini  and  Cygni.     "  The  Bowl 

in  the  midst  of  Sota. 

1 4  Soto.      Equuleus. 

15  Man.     Sirius.     The  Dog-Star ;  literally,  "  The  Animal? 

16  Un-allual ;      ellnel.       Orion      and     Aldibaran  ;      i.e., 

"  The  Bunch  of  Three."      Cf.  Maori,  Tau-toru. 

1 7  Ku.      Aries. 

1 8  La.      Pegasus. 

1 9  Marikir.      Pleiades. 

20  Tumur.      Scorpio. 

2 1  Mei-sik.     v^o.      Herculis. 
2  2  Mei-lap.      Aquila. 

23   Aramoi.      Arcturus. 

(n)  yap  star-names 

Told  by  Matuk,  of  Gochepa,  on  Tarrang  Island 

Beginning  from  East  to  North. 

1  Mai-lap1.  3    Magirigir3. 

2  Un2.  4  Moul\ 

1  Mai- lap.     cf.  Mortlock,  Mei-lap. 

2  Un.     cf.  Lamotrek,  Ul  (Aldebaran)  ;  Mortlocks,  Ola  (Ursa  Major). 

3  Magirigir.     cf.  Mortlocks,  Mariker  (Pleiades)  ;  Ponape,  Makeriker ;  and 
Lamotrek,  Magarigar,  id. 

*  Moid.     cf.  Mortlocks,  Moel  (Lyra) ;  Lamotrek,  Meal  (a  Lyrce). 


LAMOTREK    MEASURES  391 

5  Yigelik  or  Yik-el-ik.  7   Mai-le-palafal. 

6  Ulagok. 

From  East  to  West 

8  Yiliyel1.  1 2   Matarei. 

9  Sarabul'1.  1 3    Wonowon-le-y6r,  the 

1  o    Thamur*.  southernmost. 

1  1    Thagalu. 

From  South  to  West. 

1 4  Tholon-a-  Wonoworfi.  1  8    Tholon-a-wun. 

1 5  „  matarei.  19         „  yiliyel. 

16  „  sarabul.  20         „  mailap,  the 

1 7  „  thamur.  westernmost. 

From  West  to  North 

21  Tholon-a-magiregir.  24    Tholon-a-ulagok. 

22  „  ;;»«/.  25         „  mai-le-palafal, 

23  „  vigelik.  the  northernmost. 

LAMOTREK    MEASURES 

GW  ;   Si-gat.     A  finger's  length,  i.e.,  3  inches. 

Rua-gat.      Two  „  6  inches. 

Sili-gat.      Three  „  9  inches. 

Fa-gat.       Four  „  1 2  inches,  and  so  on. 

Si-ang ;  Aug.      One  span. 

Ru-ang.      Two  spans. 

Sili-ang.      Three  spans,  and  so  on. 

Rolibos.      A  half-cubit. 

Gopa.      A  cubit. 

Si-pap.      Distance  from  tip  of  finger  to  centre  of  chest. 

Si-ngaf.      One  fathom. 

Si-gip.      One  foot ;  literally,  footprint. 

1  Cf.  also  Mortlock.     Elluel:  Allual,  id. 

2  Sarabul.     cf.  Mortlocks,  Soropuel  (Corvi)  ;  Lamotrek,  Sor-a-bol ;  Ponape, 
Choro-pucl. 

3  Thamur.    cf.  Mortlocks,  Tumur  (Scorpio)  ;  Lamotrek,  Tumur  (Antares). 

4  Tholon  ~  facing  ;  opposite. 


392 


THE    CAROLINE    ISLANDS 


(O)    LAMOTREK    GODS 

Aliu-Lap.      The  Creator  or  Supreme  Being. 

Luk-e-lang ;  Olevat.  His  sons — presiding  over  the 
work  of  carpenters  and  boat-builders. 

Semili-goror.      The  wife  of  Aliu-Lap. 

Selang.      Her  brother. 

Saulal.      The  Prince  of  Evil. 

Alis-i-let,  also  called  Toutop.  The  Lamotrek  Neptune 
and  God  of  Fishes,  called  in  Satawal  Aliu-sat  or  Pon- 
norol. 


LAMOTREK 

(P)    DAYS    OF    THE    MOON'S    AGE 
Crescent   Moon 


I 

Sigauru. 

8 

Emital. 

2 

Elling.      (Root, 
to  shine.) 

Ling, 

9 

Epei.   (Whenatsundown 
the    moon     is    canted 

3 

Mes-elling. 

over  a  little  to    west- 

4 

Mis-al. 

ward.) 

5 

Mesa-fois. 

IO 

Rua-bong.    (The  joining 

6 

Meso-ual. 

together  (Rua)  of  the 

7 

Messe-tiu. 

nights.) 

Full  Moon 

1 1 

Yarabuki. 

20 

Evelak. 

12 

Olo-boa. 

21 

Kochalak. 

13 

Olo-mai. 

22 

Karotali-evelak. 

14 

Mares  ( =  Ripe 

;  de- 

23 

Saopas-  maimor 

veloped.) 

24 

Kili. 

15 

Ur.     (Sun  and 

moon 

25 

Omolo. 

together  on    sea   in 

26 

Ro  j  milt-fan. 

the  evening.) 

27 

A  rafoi. 

16 

Lotiu. 

28 

Eoi. 

17 

Kili. 

29 

Effeng. 

18 

Kalawalo. 

30 

Erdf 

19 

Saopas. 

DAYS  OF  MOON'S  AGE  IN  MORTLOCK  ISLANDS   393 

MORTLOCK   ISLANDS 

[From  "  Die  Bewohner  der  Mortlock  Inseln,"  by  J.  S. 
Kubary  ;  published  in  Hamburg  by  the  Geographical 
Society  in    1878-79.] 

(q)  days  of  the  moon's  age 


I 

Sikauru. 

16 

Natiu  ;  Netiu. 

2 

A  Hang,  Elleng 

17 

Kinnei. 

3 

Mes-allang. 

18 

Ummala. 

4 

Mes-oan. 

19 

Sdpas. 

5 

Mes-e-fiu 

20 

Aanak ;  Effanak. 

6 

Mes-e-ual. 

21 

Osselang. 

7 

Mes-e-tou 

22 

Aanak. 

8 

Ruapong. 

23 

Sapas. 

9 

Apei. 

24 

Ummala. 

10 

Emdtal. 

25 

Ara. 

1 1 

A  ro-puki. 

26 

Roman-fel. 

12 

Olo-pue. 

27 

A  ro-fiu. 

13 

Olo-mau. 

28 

Eu. 

14 

Ammas,  Emmas. 

29 

Affen. 

15 

Aur,  Eur. 

30 

Ese. 

(R)    MORTLOCK 

MONTHS 

Named  after 

certain   Stars 

1 

Vis  (Leo). 

8 

La  (Pegasus). 

2 

Soropuel  (Corvi). 

9 

Ku  (Aries). 

3 

Aramoi  (Arcturus). 

10 

Mariker  (Pleiades). 

4 

Tumur  (Scorpion). 

1  1  : 

*  Un-allual ;  elluel  (Alde- 

5 

Mei-sik  (vgo  Herculis). 

baran  and  Orion). 

6 

Mei-lap  (Aquila). 

12 

Man  (Sirius,  or  the  Dog- 

7 

Sota  (Equuleus). 

star). 

* Unelluel  (Orion)  =  the   bunch    of  three.      Cf.    Maori, 
Tautoru  ;  Mangarevan,  Toutoru.      id. 

(S)    MORTLOCK    GODS 

Rasau,  God  of  war. 

Sapinfa;  Sau-piong ;  Ulu-puau;  Terie-lap;  Piol.     Tribal 
gods. 


394  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

YAP 
(t)  days  of  the  moon's  age 

The  Yap  month  has  30  days  counted  in  three  divisions 
(1)  Pul=  New  Moon 


I 

Bungol. 

5 

Nga-lal-e-puL 

2 

Nga-ru-e-pul. 

6 

Nel-e-pul. 

3 

Nga-thalib  deleb-e-pul. 

7 

Medelib-e-pul. 

4 

Nga-aningek-e-pul. 

8 

Meruk-e-pul. 

1 1 

Kaiper-e-pul-na-tha-kan-  9 

Mereb-e-pul. 

adai. 

10 

A  regak-e-pul. 

1  2 

N ga-logoru-e-pul. 

13 

O-thalib-e-pul. 

(2)  Bo trau 

=  Full  Moon 

14 

Erebeb-a-botrau. 

19 

Medilib-a-botrau, 

15 

Thalib-a-botrau. 

20 

Meruk-a-botrau. 

16 

A  ningek-a-botrau. 

21 

Mereb-a-botrau 

17 

Lal-a-botran. 

22 

A  regak-a-botrau. 

18 

Nel-a-botrau. 

(3)  Lumor  =  darkness.      Cf.  Pampanga,  lumlum, 
hundum,  id.      Ponape,  lumor,  the  sickness  of  a  chief. 


23 

Kaipir-e-lumor-ko-pul.     2  7      Nga-lal. 

24 

Nga-ru-e-lumor-ko-pul.      2  8      Nga-nel. 

25 

Nga-dalib.                         29      Nga-medelib. 

26 

Nga-aningek.                     3  0      Ka-mai-e-pul. 

(U)    NAMES    OF    MONTHS    IN    YAP    YEAR 

I 

Maragil.              5       Tobil.                  9      Ambin, 

2 

Paga-ath            6      Dunom.             10       Yitch. 

3 

Lagu.                  7      MatJiaek.           1  1      Puloi. 

4 

Olo.                      8       Ya-olang.          1 2      Tchef. 

KUSAIAN   BELTS 


DAYS    OF   THE    MOON  S    AGE    IN    ULEAI       395 
ULEAI 

(V)    DAYS  OF  THE  MOON'S  AGE 

An   independent  list  compiled  by  Chamisso  during 
Kotzebue's  Voyage  in  these  seas  in  1815-1818 


I 

Lingiling. 

2 

Sigaur. 

3 

Mesul. 

4 

Meseren. 

5 

Meselim. 

6 

Mesaul. 

7 

Mesavel. 

8 

Mesavol. 

9 

Mesadu. 

10 

Chabong. 

1 1 

Alabugi. 

12 

Olobao. 

13 

OlomoaL 

14 

Alat. 

15 

Ir. 

16 

Ladi. 

17 

Gilei. 

18 

Kaira. 

19 

Gopatemir. 

20 

A  rotevalan. 

21 

Olabugi. 

22 

Olohue. 

23 

Olamahe. 

24 

Tamalaval. 

25 

Ereve. 

26 

Eii. 

27 

Erevi. 

28 

Euu. 

29 

Evan. 

30 

Etav. 

Observe  the  wonderful  coincidence  with  the  Mortlock 
and  Lamotrek  equivalents  with  a  mere  change  from  N.  to 
L.  and  T.  to  R.      G.  to  K.  and  T.  to  S. 

This  shows  very  clearly  the  minute  and  accurate  astro- 
nomical knowledge  possessed  by  the  early  Caroline  Island 
navigators,  and  the  very  considerable  range  of  their  mari- 
time activity  in  generations  past. 

(\V)    SOUTH    KENSINGTON    MUSEUM    NOTES 

(a)  The  following  is  the  result  of  a  preliminary  inspection 
of  some  dredgings  taken  by  the  Spanish  Cruiser  Quiros 
in  the  Ant  Lagoon  to  the  west  of  Ponape  Island,  East 
Carolines. 

The  washings  consist  chiefly  of  Foraminifera,  in  addition 
to  which   may    be  noted  Alcqonarian  spicules,  spines   of 


396  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

several  genera  of  echinoderms,  numerous  pteropods,  hetero- 
pods,  and  ostracoda  (including  Bairdia  and  Loxoconchd). 
The  most  conspicuous  foraminifera  are : — 

Spiroloculina  impressa,  Terquem. 

grata, 
Miliolina  agglutinans  (d'Orb). 
Pelosina  variabilis,  Brady. 
Textularia  concava  (Karrer). 
Globigerina  bulloides,  d'Orb,  var.  triloba,  Reuss. 
Truncatulina  rostrata,  Brady. 
Calcarina  spengleri  (Linn.). 
Amphistegina  lessonii,  d'Orb. 

radiata  (Fich.  &  Moll.). 
Operculina  complanata  (Defrance). 

,,  „  „  var.    granulosa, 

Leymerie. 
Heterostegina  Depressa,  d'Orb. 

(/3)  The  stone  money  of  Yap  is  merely  crystallised  carbon- 
ate of  lime  (calcite),  and  is  probably  from  a  vein  of  that 
substance  filling  cracks  in  limestone  or  other  rock. 

(y)  A  microscopical  examination  of  a  thin  slice  of  the 
limestone  from  Gerem  Islet,  Lai,  South  Yap  district,  West 
Carolines,  shows  the  rock  to  have  been  a  calcareous  sand 
composed  of  molluscan  shell  fragments,  echinoderm  spines 
and  plates,  foraminifera  such  as  Orbitolites  complanata  Lam. 
Textularia  barrettii  I.  and  P.,  and  Amphistegina  lessonii 
d'Orb.,  also  numerous  pieces  of  Lithothamnion  and  joints  of 
Halimeda.  These  organic  fragments  are  firmly  compacted 
by  a  dolomitised  matrix  with  some  cavities  in  the  rock. 
The  matrix  is  probably  the  result  of  crystallisation  and 
subsequent  dolomitisation  x  of  a  calcareous  mud. 

(S)  The  reddish  rock  from  Elik  seems  to  be  an  impure 
limestone  stained  in  bands  by  iron  oxide. 

Kindly  supplied  by  F.  Chapman,  A.L.S.,  F.R.M.S. 

1  Dolomitisation  is  the  partial  replacement  of  the  carbonate  of  lime  in  a 
limestone  by  carbonate  of  magnesia. 


KUSAIAN    BELTS 


KUSAIAN    TEXTILES  397 

(X)   KUSAIAN   TEXTILES 

Four  photographs — (a)  Two  "  Tols"  or  woven  belts  of 
banana  fibre  crossed,  one  dark,  one  light  coloured  ;  (/3) 
eight  Kusaian  "  To/s "  in  line  on  screen  ;  (y)  two  finely- 
finished  specimens  of  same  ;  (S)  four  ditto  from  the  King's 
House. 

Notes  on  Photo  (a). 

Black  "  To/,"  Length,  4ft.  9^  ins. 
Width,  7\  ins. 

Ends  terminating  with  fringes  knotted — stained  salmon- 
pink.  One  end  has  five  particoloured  bands  in  various 
designs,  each  about  f  in.  wide. 

In  line  with  the  length  of  the  "  To/"  the  space  is  occupied 
at  regular  intervals  by  three  particoloured  stripes  and 
borders  of  various  widths  extending  into  the  body  of  the 
"  To/"  for  a  distance  of  ten  inches.  Colours  in  stripes  red, 
dark-blue,  purple,  yellow,  pink  and  brown. 

The  central  portion  is  stained  a  glossy  black,  the  texture 
having  the  appearance  of  horse-hair  cloth. 

The  upper  right-hand  end  is  woven  in  eighteen  bands 
similar  to  those  previously  described,  and  of  the  same 
colours,  save  that  the  red  and  the  blue  are  not  found.  The 
design  is  uniform  but  not  continuous,  the  colours  of  each 
band  running  in  broken  lines. 

Light-coloured  "  To/." 

Length,  3  ft.  4$  ins. 
Breadth,  5§  ins. 

Made  from  natural  coloured  banana-fibre — fringed  at 
each  end.  At  varying  intervals  across  the  width,  and 
almost  uniformly  disposed,  are  bands  of  interwoven  orna- 
ment in  dark  red  and  black,  forming  diapers,  ornamental 
chequers  and  diamonds  variously  disposed.  The  outer 
edges  are  bordered  by  two  narrow  lines  in  dark  red. 

Notes  on  Photo  (/3). 

These  "  To/s  "  sustain  the  character  of  the  two  described 


398  THE   CAROLINE    ISLANDS 

above,  but  are  less  elaborate  in  pattern,  and  woven  in  plain 
lines  or  checks.  The  natives  use  them  for  sashes  and 
sometimes  as  a  hat-ribbon.  In  Honolulu  the  curio-shops 
used  to  receive  regular  small  consignments  of  these  from  the 
Boston  mission  at  Mout  on  Ualan,  and  they  were  quite  the 
fashion  amongst  the  society  belles  of  that  city. 

Notes  on  Photo  (y). 

Two  exquisitely  finished  belts  given  me  by  Likiak-Sa. 
The  upper  one  has  a  lozenge  ornamentation  in  a  lovely 
electric  blue.  The  delicate  designs  of  the  one  below  are 
traced  in  brown,  dark-red  and  dark-blue  upon  a  sheeny 
white  background. 

Notes  on  Photo  (S). 

Four  delicately  finished  Tols  of  the  finest  sort.  The 
top  one  picked  out  in  graceful  patterns  in  blue,  black, 
crimson  and  brown.  The  second  striped  light  blue  and 
white.  The  third  striped  reddish-brown,  yellow  and  white. 
The  lowest  red-brown,  with  white  perpendicular  orna- 
mentation with  the  names  of  the  weavers,  Kenie  and 
Malem,  in  broken  lettering. 

Similar  woven  belts  of  the  same  fibre,  frequently  of  very 
fine  design,  are  found  throughout  the  Melanesian  area. 

In  Aneityam  (N.H.)  they  are  called  "N'etu."  They  are 
found  in  Santa  Cruz,  where  they  call  them  "  Neveia- 
nikapu"  specimens  of  which,  brought  by  Mr  Jennings,  may 
be  seen  at  the  Liverpool  and  British  Museum,  and  the 
Rev.  Codrington  showed  me  some  very  fine  specimens 
which  he  said  came  from  the  Banks  Group. 

One  is  reminded  somewhat  of  the  Basho-fu  or  banana- 
fibre  fabric  of  Japan,  said  to  be  derived  mainly  from  the 
Ryu-Kyu  or  Lew-Chew  Islands. 

The  same  industry  is  seen  in  Sumatra,  and  I  believe  in 
many  other  islands  of  the  Malay  Archipelago. 

The  loom  is  a  simple  hand-loom.  In  Ponape  they 
call  it  Tantar,  in  Kusaie  Puas,  in  Bencoolen  (Sumatra) 
Pisa. 


SPECIMENS  OF  SHELL-ADZES    FOUND   IN  THE   GREAT  CENTRAL  VAULT 
OF   NAN-TAUACH    IN  THE   NAN-MATAL   RUINS 


PONAPEAN  ADZES 


399 


In  the  Malayan  area  the  Rainbow  is  called  Bahag-Ari 
or  Pinang-Rajah,  both  of  which  names  denote  the  belt  of 
a  great  lord.  Possibly  some  such  elaborate  and  beautiful 
fabric  as  this  was  worn  by  the  great  chiefs  of  Malaysia  in 
early  days,  before  the  Arab  merchants  plied,  and  before 
cheap  tawdry  cotton  goods  came  in  from  Manchester. 

(Y)  PONAPEAN   ADZES 

Notes  on  Ponapean  Shell  A  dzes. 

Seven  adzes  and  gouge  ground  down  into  present  shape 
from  central  shaft  or  hinge  of  the  Tridacna  Gigas  or  Giant 
Clam.  Found  in  the  central  vault  called  the  Tomb  of 
Chau-Te-Leur  upon  Nan-Tauach  Island  in  the  Island  City 
of  Nan-Matal,  Metalanim  district,  Ponape,  east  coast.  The 
five  first  named  are  now  in  the  British  Museum. 


Weight. 

No. 

I.,  . 

i  lb. 

6\oz. 

No. 

II., 

i  lb. 

2      OZ. 

No. 

III., 

— 

II       OZ. 

No. 

IV., 

7  lb. 



No. 

v., 

— 

7\  oz. 

No. 

VI., 

— 

13!  OZ. 

No. 

VII., 

— 

6£  oz. 

Scale 

of  measurement  in 

illustration 

calculated  in  centi- 

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W.  Christian. 

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CHASKOL  HAHBOCrlt 
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KUTHIU  okUALAN 


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CAROLINE  ISLANDS 


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CS.Itma 


INDEX 


AgaSa,  Metropolis  of  Mariannes,  53, 

55,  250. 
Albany  Pass,  28. 

Alek,  carver  in  native  woods,  207. 
Aleniang  Station,  no,  176. 
Alligators,  18. 
Amaral  Nettle,  248. 
Amon,  Umin  or  Amin  Village,  271. 
Amoy,  coolie  traffic,  42. 
Ancestral  worship,  75. 
Ani,  gods,  74,  84,  117. 

Present  at  kava  making,  191,  193. 
Ant  Islands,  22,  1 18,  210. 

Account  of,  70. 
"  Arbungelap  "  feast  described,  95. 
Areca  Palms  {Katai  and  Kotop),  61, 

114,  189,  249. 
Arnold,  Sir  Edwin,  293. 
Aru  Island,  76,  202. 
Arum  {A.Costatum),  64. 
Asan  village,  rice  planting  in,  232. 
Atua  on  Eastern  Upolu,  kava  drinking 

at,  191. 
Au  of  Marau — 

Gives  author  imormation,  211. 

On  Palang  people,  in. 

On  tradition  of  Nan-Matal,  81,83. 
Augustino,  Padre,  57. 
Aulong  {see  ginger,  wild). 
Author  (F.  W.  Christian) — 

Arrives  at  Yap,  233. 

Ast  Nalap,  63,  seqq. 

Collection  of  seeds,  33,  46,   120, 
175.  308. 

Curios,  322. 

Extract  from  diary,  155. 

Interview  with  Don  Jose   Pidal, 

57- 
Ichipau,  105. 

the  Noch,  203. 

Learns  Kusaian  dialect,  155. 

Leaves  Manilla,  48. 

Leaves  Ponape  by  Uranus,  228. 

On    Washington    Island,    North 

Marquesas,  270. 

Returns  to  Colony,  175,  197. 

Starts  for  Manilla,  42. 

2  D 


Author  (contimted) — 

Sonsorol  work,  303. 

Starts  from  Sydney,  27. 

Studies  Ponapean  language,  67. 

Visits  Barrow  of  Kipar,  69. 

Visits  native  markets,  47. 

Visits   ruins   of    Nan-Matal,    76, 
85,  89. 

Visits  Shanghai  and  Japan,  41. 
Avetch  shrub  described,  294,  308. 
Avira,  Tahitian  sage's  prediction,  169. 


B. 

Babelthaob  Island,  17,  18. 

Balakong  village,  260. 

Ballintang  Straits,  322. 

Bamboos,  343. 

Bananas,  334,  351. 

Banka,  native  craft,  39,  42. 

Banyan  trees  {Nin  and  Aio),  III,  177, 
227. 

Barringtonia  or  Wi,  159,  181. 
Described,  182. 

Barter,  Yap  system  of,  237,  270. 

Bats  [Kalekaf),  161. 

Beche-de-mer,   374  ;   method  of  pre- 
paring, 375. 

Beck,    Louis,    opinion   of  Likiak-Sa, 
154. 

Belolach  Island,  51. 

Betel-Nut   chewing  and   kava   drink- 
ing, 189,  263. 

Bird's  nest  fern  (Talik),  114,  182. 

Blanco,  General,  gives  credentials  to 
author,  47. 

Boating  accident  near  Tapak,  201. 

Bolinao,  45. 

Bows  and  arrows,  136,  137. 

Bracelets,  shell,  90. 

Bread-fruit  groves,  149,  227. 

Bread-fruit  wood,  306. 

Brugmann,  Captain,  at  Ramung,  275, 
280. 

Bulual,  graves  at,  302. 

Butron,  Captain,  of  the  Velasco — 

On  prevailing  winds  in  Yap,  235. 
Opinion  of  Pelews,  17. 

403 


404 


INDEX 


Callophyllum      {Bioutch)  —  Tree, 

152. 

Fruit,  249. 

Wood,  55  ;  used  in  building,  305. 
Cananga  (Ilangilang),  45. 
Canna  or  Indian  shot,  260;  seeds,  248. 
Canoe,    Building    of    the    first,    Yap 

Legend,  321. 
Carabao,  native  buffalo,  45. 
Carolina  Island,  gives  name  to  group, 

23- 
Caroline  Islands — 

Abstract    of    histoiy   of    Spanish 
occupation,  24. 

Character   of  natives   of  central, 
245. 

Early  navigators,  267. 

Languages,  310. 

Local  names,  meaning  of,  93. 

Sketch  of,  17  seqq. 
Carved  Pillars  of  Yap,  306. 
Centipedes,  361. 
Ceremony,  language  of,  326. 
Chabrol  harbour,  150,  151. 
Chamisso — 

Obtains  Uleai  star  names,  267. 

Narrative    of    '  Kotzubue's    Voy- 
ages,' 56. 

Visits  Carolines,  23. 
Chamorro  dialect,  231. 
Chamorros,  natives  of  Mariannes,  20, 

53- 

Characteristics,  55. 

Emigration  into  Central  Carolines, 
56. 
Channon,  Dr,  at  Mout,  163,  166. 
Chapalap  River,  116. 

Skirmish  on,  25. 
Chap-en-Takai,  ruins  of   ancient  fort 

at,  209. 

Position  of,  214. 
Chap-on-Nach,  meaning  01,  93. 
Chau-Icho,  meaning  of,  94. 
Chaulik,  197,  200,  202. 

Invites  author  to  Mutok,  176. 
Chau-Tapa,  characteristics,  87. 
Chau-Te-Leur,  King,  80. 
Chestnut,  native,  338. 
Chikuru  Island,  147. 
Chila-U,  "Adze-head  Rock,"  223. 
Chokach  Island  — 

Basalt  on,  82. 

Described,  226. 

Mats,  196. 

Precipice,  60,  63,  226. 


Chokach — 

Nallaim  or  High  Priest  of,  225. 

Wachai  of,  59,  63. 
Chokalai  cemetery  and   people,    III, 

"3- 

Christiano,  story  of,  98. 
Cicalas,  177, 
Cinnet  Cord,  124. 
Class-names  of  Ponape,  324. 
Coconut,  stages  of  ripening,  339,  340, 

35°- 
Coconut- toddy  {Karuoruo),  165. 
Codrington,     Rev.    R.    H.,    describes 

stone  buildings  at  Gaua,  84. 
Coloured  fish,  244. 
Cooktown,  27. 
Copra,  annual  export  of,  21. 
Crab  [Birgus  latro),  160,  179. 
Crabs,  species  of  Ponapean,  370,  371. 
Craig,  Hugh,  Captain  of  s.s.  Menmuir, 

27.  37- 
Cray-fish  {Pahnurus)  262,  371. 
Crocodile  stories,  300. 
Cycas  circinalis  {Fadan),  55. 
Cycas  palm  {Fauteir),  313. 


D. 

D'Urville,  Dumont,  visits  Carolines, 

23- 
Dana,  opinion  of  Nan-Matal  ruins,  85. 
Dance-paddles,  86. 
Dances,  native,  252,  253,  254. 
Darwin,  85. 
De  Quincy,  292. 

Deer,  tale  of  a  spectral  white,  267. 
Dewar,  J.  C. — 

Description  of  Kusaie,  156. 

Nyanza  wrecked,  76,  98. 

Visits    Lele,    opinion    of    King, 
154- 

Dim,  34. 

Doves   {Murroi,   Kinnet,   Kingking), 

in. 
Draccena,  247,  260. 
Drums,  native,  138,  139. 
Duperry  visits  Carolines,  23. 
Dziamarous  (Chaumaro),  95,  96. 
Dziautoloa,  108. 


E. 


Eastern  and  Western  thought,  gult 

between,  292. 
Eels  in  Ponape,  62,  73,  364,  365. 
Elik,  orange-red  rock  from,  262,  265. 


INDEX 


405 


Elceocarpus  or  Chatak  tree,  117,  227. 

Berries,  HI,  112. 
Enderby  Islands  (Los  Martires),  20. 
Attempts   to    introduce   Catholic 
faith  on,  23. 
Etal  Islands,  21. 
Eugenia,  Malay  apple,  256. 
Evolution  of  Man,  Yap  tradition  of, 
287. 


Fal,  relics  of  old  gardens,  296. 
Fatumak,  Minister  of  the  Woods,  240, 

247,  255. 
Favorlang,  dialect  of  Formosa,  231. 
Fireflies,  19,  240. 

Fire,  Yap  legend  of  invention  of,  320. 
Fish  dams  or  weirs  (stone),  243,  266, 

278,  280. 
Fish-oil,  process  of  making,  195. 
Fishes,   list   of  names   of  Ponapean, 

.352,  355- 

Fish-hooks,  ancient,  90,  126. 

Foelsche,  Police-Magistrate  at  Port- 
Darwin,  32. 

Forbes,  H.  O.,  in  sacred  grove  of 
Timor,  104. 

Formosa,  hill  tribes  of,  42. 

Fowls,  native,  368,  369. 

Freycinet  visits  Carolines,  23. 

Freycinetia  leaves,  114. 

Fruit-bat,  245. 

Fulaet,  altitude  of,  151. 

Fun-Tan,  Marianne  God  of  ships  and 
sailors,  233. 


Gal  (Kal)  settlement,  259. 

Gameu,  275,  278,  298. 

Gatchepa,  269. 

Gaua,    Santa  Maria,   stone  buildings 

at,  84. 
Genii,  story  of  the  Eight,  285. 
Gerem  islets,  239. 

Gilbert  Islanders'  characteristics,  164. 
Gilifith  Island,  vegetaiion,  298. 
Gilolo  Straits,  119,  144,  238. 
Ginger,  wild,  114,  177. 

Bloom,  248. 

Cones  of  Rang  from,  297. 
Ginifai  settlement,  260. 
Goat  Island  {see  Kambing). 
Goats,  18. 
Goror,  247,  251. 

2   D* 


Grey,  Sir  George,  dream  of  South  Sea 

Islands  federation,  220. 
Guam  (Guahan),  volcanic  island,  20, 

52,  54,  228,  230. 
Ancient  cones  or  pyramids  upon, 

53- 

Gulf  of  Carpentaria,  inhabitants  round, 

28. 
Gulick,  Dr — 

Meteorological  observations,  62. 
On  Nan-Matal  ruins,  85. 
Guppy,    Book   on   Solomon    Islands, 
180. 


H. 


Hale,  opinion  of  Nan-Matal  ruins,  85. 

Hall  Islands,  20. 

Harbours,  Ponapean,  60,  61. 

Hats,  native,  124. 

Hawaii,  daemon  temples  of,  170. 

Hayes,  "Bully,"  at  Lele,  152. 

Head  of  Laponga,  94. 

Hermit  crabs  (Umpa),  180. 

Herodotus,  describes  worship  of  Mylitta 

at  Babylon,  290. 
Heron,  blue  {Kaualik),  125,  177. 
Hibiscus  t  Mace  us,  112. 

Fishing  nets  of,  126. 

Traps  and  snares  of,  125. 
Higgins,  John,  trader  on  Kalap,  144. 
Hogolu  Lagoon,  basaltic  islands   in, 

189. 
Hogolu,  or  Ruk  Islands,  20. 
Holcombe,  Captain — 

Murdered  at  Tench  Island,  238, 

313- 
On  winds  of  Yap,  235. 
Holtze,  Curator  of  Botanical  Gardens, 
Port  Darwin,  32. 

Promises  to  classify  seeds,  308. 
Horned  frog  (Cerastes)  in  Pelews,  298. 
Hong-Kong  to  Manilla,  40  seqq. 
Horace  quoted,  18,  164. 
Houses  of  the  Ancients,  53. 


Ichipau  (Paul)  of  Metalanim,  75. 
Conduct  towards  author,  76,  104, 

119,  175,  198,  206. 
Proposes    to    send    women    and 

children  to  Lang  Takai,  118. 
Spies,  101. 
Ichipau,  King  of  U.,  63  ;  account  of, 
59- 


4o6 


INDEX 


Icho-Kalakal,  tradition  01,  157. 
Idzikolkol,  lands  at  Nan-Matal,  108. 
Idzipaus  of  Metalanim,  108. 
Ie-sina  of  Samoa  (mat),  237. 
Iguanas  (  Varanus),  298,  301. 
Ikoik  trees,  182. 

Uoech,  boating  accident  at,  279. 
Indonesia,  112,  119. 

Early  Malayan  Migrations  from, 
42. 
Inot,  medicinal  tree,  183. 
Ipomeas  Yol  and  Chenchel,  1 10. 
Iriu  tree,  308. 

Iron,  native  names  for,  133-135- 
Itet  Island,  the  Monster  of,  96. 
Ivory- Palm,  341. 
Ixora  (Katiu)  tree,  216. 

Blossoms,  91,  114. 


J- 
Jack-fruit  {Mai-mat),  145,  14S. 
Judas,  native  teacher  in  Nalap  Islet, 
65- 


K. 

Ka-n-Mant,  yellow  wood  shrub,  114. 
Kake    (white-gull),    184 ;    Habits   of, 

180. 
Kalap  Island,  142  ;   Productions,  145. 
Kalau  or  hibiscus,   archways  of,   no 

(see  also  Hibiscus). 
Kamau  seeds,  180. 
Kambing  (Goat)  Island,  39. 

Scenery,  55. 
Kaneke,  197,  201,  207,  227. 
Kangit  tree,  299. 

Kap-en-Mailang     Islands     and     lan- 
guage, 21. 
Kapara  Islet,  118. 
Kapara,  spring  of  fresh  water  in  coral, 

22,  60,  210. 
Kava — 

Cargo  of,  100. 

Drinking  and  betel-nut  chewing, 
189. 

Festivals,  76,  87,  95. 

Making  ceremony,  190. 

Plant  and  beverage,  1S8. 

Plant  described,  211. 

Plea  for  use  of,  193. 
Kehoe,  J.,  87,  no,  119. 

Offers  help  in  exploring  ruins,  85. 

Reminiscences  of,  98. 
Kehoe,  Louis,  no,  113,  119. 


Keppel  Bay,  pilot  station  in,  27. 
Keroun,  extortionate  demands  of,  107. 

Superstition  of,  85,  86,  89. 
Ketam,  fortified  post  of,  214. 

Captured  by  Spaniards,  28,  99. 
Kevas,    teaches   author   Kusaian   lan- 
guage, 155,  168. 
Kilauea  of  Hawaii,  212. 
Kingfishers,  358. 

Kingsley,  Charles,  Westward  Ho,  1S5. 
Kipar,  Barrow  of,  69. 
Kipling,  Rudyard,  293  ;  remarks  upon 

the  Rukh  of  India,  250. 
Kiti — 

Fight  of  men  01,  23. 

Tradition  of  iron  men,  217. 

Tribes  and   Metalanim,   war   be- 
tween, 117. 
Kiti,  King  of — 

Battle  with  Chau-Kicha,  chief  of 
Wana,  214,  215,  218. 

House  of,  215. 
Kiti  River,  61. 
Kobe,  author  visits,  41. 
Kol,  native  kilt,  122. 
Konias,  assists  author,  303,  316. 
Konuk,  or  Betel-pepper,  182. 
Korror,  King  of,  261. 
Kosso  Kisrik  (rats)  of  Kusaie,  159. 
Kotzebue  visits  Carolines,  23. 
Kubary,  J.  S. — 

At  Mpompo,  175,  200,  227. 

His  List  of  star  names  collected  in 
Mortlock  Islands,  267. 

On  Dr   Pereiro's  views  on  Nan- 
Matal  ruins,  81. 

Opinion  of  ruins,  82,  85,  108. 

Plan  of  Pankatara  and  Itet,  95. 

Sketch  plan  of  names,  93. 

Tale  of  Conger-eel  of  Itet,  96. 
Kupuricha  peak,  60,  199,  228. 
Kusaie  (or  Ualan)  Islands,  22. 

Discovered,  23. 

Inhabitants,  153. 

Language,  155,  168;  Appendix. 

Name,  derivation  of,  156. 
Kyoto,  temples  of,  41. 

L. 

Ladrone      Islands      (see     Marianne 

Islands). 
Lai,  243,  260,  265. 

Local  Superstitions,  267. 
Lak    or   Water-taro    (Colocasia),    18, 

248,  256,  260,  299,  308. 
Lamenkau,  meaning  of,  94. 


INDEX 


407 


Lamotrek — 

Islanders'  customs,  238. 

Legends  of  alligator,  300. 

Star  names,  267. 

Uleai  folk  assemble  at,  20. 
Lampongs,  tribe  of  Sumatra,  94. 
Land-birds  of  Ponape,  357,  358. 
Land-shells,  213,  359. 
Lang-Takai,  native  fortress  of,  116. 
Langar  Islet,  60,  199,  227. 
Lap  or  Headman  of,  175. 
Laponga,     the    Wizard,     legend    of, 

193- 
Lame  at  Kiti,  23. 

Bronze    cannon    discovered    by, 
216. 
Le  Hunt,  description  of  Ixora  trees  in 

flower,  91. 
Leak,  hill  settlement,  207. 
Legaspi  and  Villalobos  discover  Yap, 

23. 
Lele  Island,  150,  156. 
Axes  and  adzes,  157. 
King   of,    173 ;    receives   author, 

154- 
Loom,  158. 
Manufactures,  158. 
Cyclopean  Walls  on,  158. 
Products,  158. 

Ruins,   157,  169;   Measurements, 
171. 
Lew-Chew  Islands,  229. 
Lewis,      Evan,        reminiscences       of 

Lamotrek  Islanders,  238. 
Li-kiak-sa,    native   teacher    in    Lele, 

.!54,  155.  159,  168. 
Lidah    Pait,    artificer    of     Passumah 

monoliths,  198. 
Limbi,  39. 
Lime  Fruit,  250. 
Limestone  rocks  on  Paniau,  180. 
Lirou,  Chief  of  Tomil,  267. 
Author  visits,  304. 
House,  305. 

An  old  tradition,  310,  318. 
Southern  Yap   version  of  Flood, 
286. 
Lizards  (Lamuar),  180,  362,  363. 
Lockhart,    Hon.   Stewart,    at    Hong- 
Kong,  41. 
Lot,  106. 

Loth,  the  Fairy  Mother,  282. 
Lukunor  Islands,  21. 
Lumpoi,      David,      English-speaking 
Chief,  76,  78. 

At  Nan-Matal,  104. 
Extortionate  demands,  107. 


Luneta  Esplanade — 

Fashionable  promenade,  45. 

Military  executions  on,  317. 
Liitke,  Admiral — 

Rediscovers  Seniavin  Islands,  109. 

Visits  Carolines,  23. 
Luzon  Railway,  45. 
Luzon    Sugar-Refining    Company    at 

Malabon,  44. 
Lygodium,  climbing  fern,  295. 


M. 


Macao,  37. 

Machamach-men  or  Wizards  of  Yap, 

288,  289. 
Macleod,  Willie,  48. 
Mactan    Island,    Magellan    murdered 

on,  22. 
Magellan     discovers    Marianne     and 

Philippine  Islands,  22,  53. 
Mai  Island,  198. 
Malabon,  tobacco  industry,  44. 
Malate  (Manilla)  Botanical    Gardens, 

Fiesta  at,  46. 
Malayan  alphabets,  early,  231. 
Malayan  sea-rovings,  9,  119,  144. 
Maluek  (Morinda)  tree,  248  {see  also 

Morinda  Citrifolia). 
Mango  groves,  227. 
Mangrove  bark  as  dye,  268. 
Mangroves,  61,  328. 
Manilla,  account  of,  43. 

Botanical  Gardens,  46. 

Diario,  stanza  from,  276. 

Population,  42. 

Products,  45. 

Rebels  shot  in,  317. 

Tondo,  native  quarter,  44. 
Mantapeitak  Island,  76. 
Mantapeiti  Island,  76. 
Manton  Island,  142. 
Map  Island,  234,  271,  280. 

Club  houses,  294. 
Marachau  tree,  177. 
Marau  settlement,  209. 

Au  gives  author  information,  211, 
217. 

Basalt  slab,  213,  216. 

Flats,  210. 

Fort,  214. 

Native  Hospitality  at,  219,  220. 
Marche,  Alfred,  visits  ruins  on  Tinian 

and  Saipan,  54. 
Maria    Secunda,    cutting-off    of    the 
trading  schooner,  315. 


408 


INDEX 


Marina,    Senor,    Governor    of    Mari- 
annes, 50. 

On  history  of  Mariannes,  53. 
Marianne  Islands — 

Discovered  by  Magellan,  22. 

History  of,  53. 

Spaniards  conquer,  20. 
Marianne  ladies,  262. 
Marquesan  holy  places,  170. 
Marrap-en-chet  seeds,  180. 
Marshall  Islands,  22. 
Martinez,  Ensign,  massacred  with  his 

party,  226. 
Massacre  of  Lieut.  Porras  and  party, 

163. 
Mats,  Ponapean,  127. 
Mateu  shrub,  216. 
Matreu,  bush  town,  299. 
Matuk  of  Gochepa — 

On  old  traditions,  310. 

On  Pimlingai,  318. 
Maypayo  village,  cock  pit  at,  45. 
Menmuir  s.s.,  voyage  from  Sydney  to 

Hong-Kong,  27  seqq. 
Metalanim — 

And  Kiti  Tribes,  war  between,  117. 

Bombarded  by  Spanish,  118. 

Descent  of,  117 

Dialect,  118  and  note. 
Metalanim      ruins     {see     Nan-Matal 

ruins). 
Metalanim,    Ichipau    of  {set    Ichipau 

Paul  of  Metalanim). 
Michor  settlement,  149. 
Migrations  eastward,  early  Malay,  9, 

119,  144. 
Milai  Island,  255,  257. 

Capuchin  station,  258. 
Mindoro  Island,  39. 
Mitchell,  Joe,  51. 
Mok-Lal,  160,  161. 
Mokil  (or  Duperrey)  Islands,  22,  144. 

Canoes,  145. 

Inhabitants,  143. 

King,  or  Icho  of,  144. 
Mokomok    man   on   native   language 

and  folk-lore,  311. 
Mokomok,  or  Arrowroot  Island,  19. 
Mollusca  on  Paniau,  181. 
Morinda  Citrifolia  (Flame  Tree),  122, 

182. 
Mortlock  Islands,  21. 

Dialect,  124. 

Star  names,  267. 
Motu  dialect,  144. 

Mount  Takaiu,  Sugar-loaf  Peak,  61. 
Mount  Tolokom,  61. 


Mount   Wana,    near    Aleniang,    117, 
119,  176,  183. 

Mout  settlement,  150;  account  of,  163. 

Mpompo,  175. 

Murcenas,  sea-eels,  181. 

Mutakaloch  Islet,  cellular  basalt  for- 
mation, 22,  60,  199. 

Mutok  Island,  118,  176. 
Feast  on,  186  seqq. 

N. 

N.,  Captain,  50,  56,  57. 

On  Ponape  natives,  58. 

Pilots  Spanish   cruisers   into   Oa 
harbour,  198. 
Nagasaki,  early  Japanese  emporium  of 

trade  with  Malays,  156. 
Nakap  Island,  92. 
Nalap  Island,  118. 

Described,  64. 

Placed  at  author's  disposal,  63,  65. 
Nalio,  Nanapei's  mother,  65. 

Death  of,  225. 
Naming  the  birds,  Ponapean  legend  of, 

194. 
Nan-Matal  ruins — 

Builders,  109. 

Conclusions  on,  108. 

Description  of,  79  seqq. 

Excavations,  85,  89,  102. 

Labyrinth  of,  78. 

Measurements,  80,  86,  91,  100. 

Similar  ruins,  82. 

Skulls  found  in,  measurements  of, 
109. 

Treasure  trove,  89. 
Nan-Moluchai,  meaning  of  name,  93. 

Breakwater,  198. 

Walled  sanctuary,  92. 
Nau-Tauach,  79,  85,  86. 

Meaning  of  name,  93. 
Nan-Yo,  Islands  known  as,  157. 
Nanapei,  Henry,  chief  of  Roukiti,  76. 

Author  meets,  63,  175. 

Author  takes  leave  of,  225. 

Imprisoned  by  Spanish,  26. 
Nanchau  of  Mutok,  83. 

Entertains  author,  1 76. 
Nanchau- Rerren  of  Annepein-Paliet, 

entertains  author,  197,  209. 
Nangutra  Island,  95. 
Nantamarui,  1 10,  1 12,  197. 

Stone  work  at,  108. 
Nantiati,  197. 

Enormous  basalt  slabs  at,  198. 
Native  dance,  252. 


INDEX 


409 


Native  diseases,  326,  327. 
Negritos  of  Ponape,  III,  112. 
Nei-Afu,  spring  of  fresh  water  on  reef, 

210. 
Nets,  Ponapean,  126. 
New  Year's  Island,  32. 
Ngatik,    or    Raven's    Island   natives, 
22,  23,  I75. 

Curious  dialect  on,  175. 

Ruins  of  a  third   Pankatara  on, 
218. 
Ngi  or  ironvvood  foliage,  183. 
Ngingich  Island,  51,  233,  238. 
Ngiri  courtyards,  255. 
Nkau,  medicinal  weed,  179. 
Nin  tree,  177. 

Bark,    native    cloth    made   from, 
122,  124. 

Fruit,  112. 
Nipa  palms,  63,  78,  180. 
Noch,  Metalanim  chieftains,  203. 
Not-tribe,  212. 
Nukuhiva  sand- flies,  113. 
Nukuoro  Island  and  language,  21. 
Nutmeg  (Karara),  177. 

O. 

Oa,  rebel  stronghold,  98. 
O'Keefe,  Captain — 

Author's  agent  and  banker,  233. 

Cruise  in  Pelews,  51. 

Meets  author,  315. 

Offers   author   passage  on  Santa 
Cruz,  322. 

Opinion  of  Pelew  Islanders,  17. 
O'Keefe,  Mrs,  268,  316. 
Obadiah,  Deacon,  202,  203,  204. 
Obi  Islet,  307. 

Olot  or  sea-grass,  beds  of,  199. 
Onoth  village,  249. 
Oppenheim-Gerard,  E.,  51. 
Orange-tree  groves,  233. 
Owl,  native,  358. 

P. 

Pacific   Atoll-Island   characteristics, 

178. 
Pakin  Islands,  22. 
Pal-akap,  meaning  of,  93. 
Palang  people,  peculiar  speech  of,  1 12. 
Palang  River,  Valley  of,  63. 
Paliker  hills,  63. 
Paliker  natives,  58. 
Palmer,  Miss,  at  Mont,  163,  164. 
Palomo,    Padre    Jose,    gives     author 

information,  230. 


Pampang,  dialect  of  the   Philippines, 

231. 
Pampanga  Cock-fight,  46. 
Pampangs  of  Luzon,  55. 
Pandanus  or  Screw  Pine,  336. 
Pandanus  (Matal  or   Taip),   55,   1 12, 

"5»  159.  177- 

Fruit,  179. 
Pan-ilel,  meaning  of,  94. 
Pan-Katara — 

Meaning  of,  95. 

Sacred  Precinct  of,  217,  218. 
Paniau  Islet,  Fishing-Station  on,  178. 

Coral  limestone  on,  182. 

Tour  of,  179. 
Panuelos,  46. 
Panui,  meaning  of,  94. 
Paper  Mulberry  Bark  {Brottssonettia), 

native  cloth  made  from,  124. 
Parasol-fern  (A'ana),  305. 
Parat,  sea  bird,  180,  181,  184. 
Parrakeet,  native,  357. 
Parsley  Fern  (Ulunga-n-Kieil),  182. 
Pasig  River,  42. 

Passumah  Monoliths,  Sumatra,  198. 
Pat  Kul,  shell-axes,  85,  90,  193. 
Peak,  the  Railway,  40. 
Pei-Kap,  meaning  of,  94. 
Pein-Aring  Island,  92. 
Peitak,  meaning  of,  94. 
Pelew  Islands — 

Dialect,  specimen-words  of,  261. 

Expeditions  from  Tomil,  Rul  and 
Gochepa  to,  319. 

Population,    language    and    pro- 
ducts, 17,  18. 
Pereiro,  Dr  Cabeza — 

Account  of  Yap  Islands,  234. 

Historiette,  80,  98. 

On  Barrow  of  Kipar,  69. 

On  Nan-Matal  ruins,  81. 
Philippine  Islands — 

Dialects,  275. 

Discovered  by  Magellan,  22. 

Revolution  in,  229. 
Philology,  abstract  of,  68,  69. 
Pidal,  Don  Jose — 

Assists  Author,  57. 

Policy  in  Carolines,  25. 
Pigeon  English,  specimen  of,  203. 
Pigeons  (Pahtck),  III. 
Pigs,  native,  366. 
Pilau,  author  at,  273,  298,  303. 

O'Keefe's  station  at,  265,  269. 
Pilung    and    Pimlingai,    Yap     class- 
divisions,  318. 
Pine-apples,  299. 


4io 


INDEX 


Pingelap  (or  M'Caskill)  Islands,  22. 

Characteristics  of  inhabitants,  150. 

King  of,  149. 

Notes  on,  147. 
Pitcher-plant,  299. 
Plant  and  Tree-names,  Caroline,  328, 

352. 
Poison-root,  91,  126. 
Pon-Kaim,  97,  207. 
Pona-Ul,    ruins    upon,    measurements 

of,  115. 
Ponape,  or  Seniavin  Islands,  21. 
Climate,  62. 
Description  of,  59,  61. 
District,  61. 
Early  history,  83. 
Flora,  62,  64  (Appendix). 
Harbours,  60. 
Islets  in  Lagoon,  60. 
Lame,  coasts  round,  23. 
Population,  61,  65. 
Salt  marshes,  63. 
Star  names,  267. 
Stone  enclosures,  115,  i7c- 
Wars,  early,  117,  211. 
Waterways,  63. 
Ponapean — 

Axes  and  knives,  132. 
Baskets,  128. 
Bottles,  129. 
Burial,  74. 
Carving,  130. 
Character,  71,  117. 
Combs,  129. 
Cooking  utensils,  129. 

Dances,  139. 

Dress  of  men,  122. 

Dress  of  women,  123. 

Faith,  74. 

Food,  72,  73- 

Fan,  128. 

Fish  hooks  and  fishing,  126. 

Fortifications,  214. 

Gods,  381,  384. 

Hats,  124. 

Hospitality,  219. 

Household  implements,  127. 

Houses,  140. 

Husking-stick,  131. 

Legend  of  Kava  plant,  241. 

Loom,  131. 

Marriage,  73. 

Materials  for  textiles,  124. 

Mats,  127. 

Mosquito  screen,  127. 

Musical  instruments  and  dances, 
138. 


Ponapean  (conti?iued) — 

Nets,  126. 

Pillow,  128. 

Traps  and  cages,  125. 

Warlike  character  of,  117. 

Weapons,  136. 
Ponapean  language, 84;  twodialects,68. 

Meaning  of  local  names,  93. 
Porras,  Lieut.,  murder  of,  163. 
Port  Aru  or  Oa,  action  in  1890  at,  60. 
Port  Darwin — 

Botanical  gardens,  33. 

Description  of,  32. 
Port  Luis,  230,  232. 
Port  Luis  de  Apra,  54. 
Posadillo,  Spanish  Governor,  murdered , 

24. 
Pot  Falat  (see  Lele  ruins). 
Priestly  caste,  Ponapean,  325. 
Puia,  cave  at,  161. 

Fresh  water  shells,  295. 

Gilbert  Islanders' settlement,  151, 
160. 
Pulak  Island,  meaning  of  name,  94. 
Pulok  seeds,  180. 
Pulo-Suk,  pirate  stronghold,  20. 
Pulo-Wat,  pirate  stronghold,  20. 


Quiros  discovers  Ngatik,  23. 

R. 
Rafts,  bamboo,  242. 
Ralik  Islands,  143. 
Ramak  shrub,  146. 

Ramung  Island,  234,  237,  275,  281, 
300,  302. 

Rats,  native,  125,  159. 
Banal  tree,  249. 
Raur,  trading  depot,  20. 
Rife,  Dr,  at  Mout,  163,  168. 
Robinson,   Sir  William,   Governor  of 

Hong-Kong,  41. 
Rocha,  King  of  Kiti,  121,  176,  179. 

Plants  trees,  181. 

Settlement  at  Aleniang,  1 10. 
[  Rocky  Island,  27. 
Ronkiti,  64,  208,  225. 

Population,  65. 
Ronkiti  River,  61,  62,  209. 
Ruk,  or  Hogolu  Islands,  20. 

S. 

Saavedra,  Alvaro  de,  discovers 
Uluthi  and  Kusaie  Islands,  22. 

St  David's  Isle,  Dutch  flag  hoisted  on, 
315. 


INDEX 


411 


Saipan    Island,    colony    of     Caroline 
Islanders  upon,  232. 

Cones  or  pyramids  upon,  53. 

Salazar,  Alonzo   de,  discovered   Mar- 
shall Islands,  22. 

San  Bernardino,  Straits  of,  119. 

Sand-flies  (Em-en-wal),  113. 

Santa  Cruz,  Catholic  school  at,  265. 

Santa  Misa,    Filipino   rebels  defeated 
at,  229. 

Santiago,  Spanish  colony,  56,  60. 

Sarung   Sakti,    artificer   of  Passumah 
monoliths,  198. 

Satoan  Islands,  21. 

Saturnino,  Padre,  57. 

Scorpions,  361. 

Screw-pine  (P.  edulis),  146. 

Sea-birds  of  Ponape,  355,  356. 

Sea-cucumbers  {Holothurid),  184. 

Sea-snakes  (Kafoldla),  159. 

Sea-weed,  curious  narcotic,  336. 

Seeds,  deadwood,  etc.,  drifting  of,  180. 

Sempalok    theatre,   drama   in    Tagala 
dialect,  47. 

Shanghai,  sights  of,  41. 

Shark,  capture  of  shovel-headed,  31. 

Shark,  names  of,  352. 
Worship  of,  214. 

Shell-axes,  excavation  of,  85. 

Shenandoah  visits  Carolines,  24. 

Shimonoseki,  41. 

Sisin  shrub,  146. 

Skink  lizards  (Kieil),  113. 

Slings,  136. 

Snakes,  18. 

Somerset,  beche-de-mer  and  pearling 
trade  at,  29. 

Sonsorol    Island,   attempts    to    intro- 
duce Catholic  faith  on,  23. 

Soto,  Colonel,  killed,  25. 

Spaniards  conquer  Marianne  Islands, 
20. 

Spanish  occupation  ot  Ponape,  24,  25. 

Spanish  Micronesia,  account  of,  17. 

Spears,  137. 

Sponges,  184,  196,  209. 
Squid,  various  names  for,  373. 
Steatite  (soap-stone)  carvings,  42. 
Stevenson,    R.    L.,    177  ;    South  Sea 

Ballads  quoted,  77. 
Sting-ray  (Paibok)  tail  of,  309. 
Stone  money-wheels  of  Yap,  236,  259. 
Stone  images  or  Tikitik  on  Ponape, 

213- 
Sula  Besi,  39. 

Sulu  Archipelago  dialect,  231. 
Sydney  to  Hong-Kong,  27  segq. 


Tagala,   dialect  of  the  Philippines, 

231. 
Tagals,  55,  234. 

Tahiti,  scarcity  of  land-birds  on,  257. 
Tahitian  sepulchral  monuments,  170. 
Taka  Island,  147. 
Taka-tik,  or  Little  Island,  227. 
Takabau  instructs  Author  in    Pelew, 

261. 
Takai-nin-Talang,  stone  on  Chapalap 

River,  99. 
Talik-en-  IVal,   climbing  hartstongue, 

112. 
Talisai,  native  almond,  45. 
Tamanu  timber,  294. 
Tan  -  ne  •  Erouatch,    land    of    Dead 

Heroes,  280,  294. 
Tapak  Island,  sacred  enclosures,  76, 

82,  115. 
Tapalau  Island,  51. 

Fiesta,  312. 
Tarragon,    Pelew   chieftain,    prisoner 

on  Santa  Cruz,  315. 
Tarrang  Island,  51. 

Sonsorol  boys  on,  303. 
Tattooing,  268. 
Tauak  Island,  225. 
Tau-Mokata  Channel,  226. 
Taylor,  captain  of  Esmeralda,  42. 
Te  Bako,  "The  Shark"  account  of,  66. 
Telemir  Peak,  60. 

Tenga-uai  or   Cerbera   lactaria   blos- 
soms, 248. 
Termites'  mounds,  28. 
Teton  dialect,  38. 
Textiles,  Kusaian,  158,  394,  396. 
The  House  of  Taga,  description  of,  54. 
Theodoro,  48,  49,  51,  58,  85. 

Collects  seeds  and  fruits,  120. 

Photos,  52. 

Runs  away,  104. 

Sent  to  Aleniang,  no. 

Taken  prisoner  and  shot,  121. 

Te  Bako  and,  67. 
Thespesia  trees,  55,  182. 
Thursday  Island,  account  of,  29. 

Beche-de-mer  and  pearling  trade, 
29. 
Tiati,  feast  at,  223. 
Timor,  34. 

Description  of,  38. 

Early    home    of    Malayo — Poly- 
nesians, 39. 

Portuguese    Governor  and   Aus- 
tralian merchant,  35. 


412 


INDEX 


Tinian  Island,  ruins,  54. 
Tipungan  village,  233. 
Titin,  medicinal  tree,  183. 
To-Kogunsama,  Emperor,  interdicted 

trading  expeditions,  156. 
Tobi,  stone  images  of  Yari  upon,  170. 
Tol-en-Takai,  177. 
Tol-o-Puel,  177. 

Tolotik  Islet,  "  Little  Hill,"  209,  225. 
Toluk  of  Omin  or  Amon,  302. 
Tomil  Bay,  Spanish  Colony  in,  237. 
Tomil  harbour,  19,  51. 

Author  visits,  304. 

"Big  House,"  306. 

European  settlement  at,  269. 
Tomun,  or  Tamuan  Island,  76. 

King's  dwelling  on,  206. 
Tondo,  ward  of,  44. 
Torres  Straits,  28. 
Tree-Gardenia,  227. 
Tree-lizards  (Galuf),  19. 
Tribal  jealousies,  217,  218. 
Tulengkitn,  142,  161,  175. 
Tupap,  Umbrella  Tree,  225. 

U. 

Ualan  Islands  (see  Kusaie  Islands). 
Uchentau,  79,  85,  102,  105,  207. 
Uleai  Island,  20. 
Uleai  star  names,  267. 
Uluthi  key-words,  310. 
Uluthi  or  Mackenzie  Islands — 

Account  of,  19. 

Discovered,  22. 
Umin,  grave  of  chief  of,  296. 
Urak  Island,  142,  143. 
Uranus,    author    leaves    Ponape   on, 
228. 

V. 
Valley  of  Dwarfs  (see  Chokalai). 
Velasco,  Don  Miguel,  Commander  o' 
Quiros,  70. 

At  Nan-Matal,  100. 

His  popularity  with  natives,  25. 
Venus,  Mail  steamer,  48,  50. 

Enters  Ascension  harbour,  56. 
Victoria,  Capital  of  Hong-Kong,  39. 

Description  of,  40. 
Villalobos  and  Legaspi  discover  Yap, 

23- 
Voi  tree,  19. 

W. 

Wachai  of  Chokach,  63. 
Account  of,  59. 


Waingal  seeds,  180. 

Walai  Island,  273. 

Wampum,  shell- bead  money,  89. 

Water-melons,  299. 

Weilbacher,  Captain,  at  Langar,  175, 

199. 
Whales,  353. 

Wichmann,    Dr,    on   basalt   of    Nan- 
Matal,  82. 
Wilson,  Captain  of  Antelope. 

On  "  Flower-pot  islets,"  180. 
On  paved  causeways  of  Pelews, 
251. 
Winds,  season  of,  prevailing  in  Yap, 

235.  236- 

Wizard,  193. 

Wood,  C.  F.,  on  Ponapean  super- 
stition, 104. 

Wote,  wild  fig  tree,  308. 

Wyatt-Gill,  Rev.,  legend  of  origin  of 
pigs,  285. 

Y. 

Yalafath,  head  of  the  Yap  Pantheon, 

281,  284. 
Yam-vines,  257. 

Yam,  varieties  of,  333,  334,  349. 
Yap  Islanders — 

Characteristics,  258,  262. 

Two  Classes,  288. 
Yap  (Guap  or  Wap)  Islands — 

Account  of,  18,  234  Seqq. 

Barter,  269. 

Canoes,  52,  145. 

Description  of,  51. 

Discovered,  23. 

Gods,  384,  385. 

Graves,  295,  296. 

Inhabitants,  52. 

Language,  52. 

Mat,  237. 

Mespil  system,  290. 

Pearl  shells,  237. 

Population  of,  241. 

Productions,  19. 

Scarcity  of  land  birds,  257. 

Star  names,  267. 

Stone  money,  236,  259. 

Tabu  system,  290. 

Trees,  257. 

Version  of  flood,  281,  286. 

Wharf  of  coral  blocks,  265. 

Wizards,  289. 
Yetaman,  chief  of  Gilifith,  300. 


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TURNBULL   AND   SPEARS, 

EDINBURGH 


DATE   DUE 

UPI  261-2505 

PRINTED  IN  U.S.A. 

996  .6 
C462c 


Christian , 
Frederick 
William  , 

The  Caroline 
Islands  :  travel 
m  the  sea  of  the 


996  .6 
C462c 


Christian , 
Frederick 

William  , 
r  The  Caroline 
Islands  :  travel 
m  the  sea  of  the 


DATE  DUE 


BORROWER'S  NAME