第8章

Andsotheold，legitimatecannibalmustrideoverthemountainstodoitforhim；andtherespectableofficialinwhiteclothescouldbutlookonandenvy。Ataboutthesametime，thoughinadifferentmanner，Kooamuaestablishedaforestlaw。Itwasobservedthecocoa-palmsweresuffering，forthepluckingofgreennutsimpoverishesandatlastendangersthetree。NowKooamuacouldtaputhereef，whichwaspublicproperty，buthecouldnottapuotherpeople’spalms；andtheexpedientadoptedwasinteresting。Hetapu’dhisowntrees，andhisexamplewasimitatedoverallHatiheuandAnaho。IfearTaipimighthavetapu’dallthathepossessedandfoundnonetofollowhim。Somuchfortheesteeminwhichthedignityofanappointedchiefisheldbyothers；asinglecircumstancewillshowwhathethinksofithimself。Inevermetone，buthetookanearlyopportunitytoexplainhissituation。True，hewasonlyanappointedchiefwhenI

beheldhim；butsomewhereelse，perhapsuponsomeotherisle，hewasachieftainbydescent：uponwhichground，heaskedme(sotosayit)toexcusehismushroomhonours。

Itwillbeobservedwithsurprisethatboththesetapusareforthoroughlysensibleends。Withsurprise，Isay，becausethenatureofthatinstitutionismuchmisunderstoodinEurope。Itistakenusuallyinthesenseofameaninglessorwantonprohibition，suchasthatwhichto-daypreventswomeninsomecountriesfromsmoking，oryesterdaypreventedanyoneinScotlandfromtakingawalkonSunday。Theerrorisnolessnaturalthanitisunjust。ThePolynesianshavenotbeentrainedinthebracing，practicalthoughtofancientRome；withthemtheideaoflawhasnotbeendisengagedfromthatofmoralsorpropriety；sothattapuhastocoverthewholefield，andimpliesindifferentlythatanactiscriminal，immoral，againstsoundpublicpolicy，unbecomingor(aswesay)

’notingoodform。’Manytapuswereinconsequenceabsurdenough，suchasthosewhichdeletedwordsoutofthelanguage，andparticularlythosewhichrelatedtowomen。Tapuencircledwomenuponallhands。Manythingswereforbiddentomen；towomenwemaysaythatfewwerepermitted。Theymustnotsitonthepaepae；theymustnotgouptoitbythestair；theymustnoteatpork；theymustnotapproachaboat；theymustnotcookatafirewhichanymalehadkindled。Theotherday，aftertheroadsweremade，itwasobservedthewomenplungedalongmarginthroughthebush，andwhentheycametoabridgewadedthroughthewater：roadsandbridgesweretheworkofmen’shands，andtapuforthefootofwomen。Evenaman’ssaddle，ifthemanbenative，isathingnoself-respectingladydarestouse。ThusontheAnahosideoftheisland，onlytwowhitemen，Mr。Reglerandthegendarme，M。Aussel，possesssaddles；

andwhenawomanhasajourneytomakeshemustborrowfromoneorother。Itwillbenoticedthattheseprohibitionstend，mostofthem，toanincreasedreservebetweenthesexes。Regardforfemalechastityistheusualexcuseforthesedisabilitiesthatmendelighttolayupontheirwivesandmothers。Heretheregardisabsent；andbeholdthewomenstillboundhandandfootwithmeaninglessproprieties！Thewomenthemselves，whoaresurvivorsoftheoldregimen，admitthatinthosedayslifewasnotworthliving。Andyeteventhentherewereexceptions。Therewerefemalechiefsand(Iamassured)priestessesbesides；nicecustomscurtseyedtogreatdames，andinthemostsacredenclosureofaHighPlace，FatherSimeonDelmarwasshownastone，andtolditwasthethroneofsomewell-descendedlady。HowexactlyparallelisthiswithEuropeanpractice，whenprincessesweresufferedtopenetratethestrictestcloister，andwomencouldruleoveralandinwhichtheyweredeniedthecontroloftheirownchildren。

Butthetapuismoreoftentheinstrumentofwiseandneedfulrestrictions。Wehaveseenitastheorganofpaternalgovernment。

Itservesbesidestoenforce，intherarecaseofsomeonewishingtoenforcethem，rightsofprivateproperty。Thusaman，wearyofthecomingandgoingofMarquesanvisitors，tapushisdoor；andtothisdayyoumayseethepalm-branchsignal，evenasourgreat-

grandfatherssawthepeeledwandbeforeaHighlandinn。Ortakeanothercase。Anahoisknownas’thecountrywithoutpopoi。’Thewordpopoiservesindifferentislandstoindicatethemainfoodofthepeople：thus，inHawaii，itimpliesapreparationoftaro；intheMarquesas，ofbreadfruit。AndaMarquesandoesnotreadilyconceivelifepossiblewithouthisfavouritediet。AfewyearsagoadroughtkilledthebreadfruittreesandthebananasinthedistrictofAnaho；andfromthiscalamity，andtheopen-handedcustomsoftheisland，asingularstateofthingsarose。Well-

wateredHatiheuhadescapedthedrought；everyhouseholderofAnahoaccordinglycrossedthepass，chosesomeoneinHatiheu，’gavehimhisname’-anonerousgift，butonenottoberejected-andfromthisimprovisedrelativeproceededtodrawhissupplies，foralltheworldasthoughhehadpaidforthem。Henceacontinuedtrafficontheroad。Somestalwartfellow，inaloin-cloth，andglisteningwithsweat，maybeseenatallhoursoftheday，astickacrosshisbareshoulders，trippingnervouslyunderadoubleburthenofgreenfruits。Andonthefarsideofthegapadozenstonepostsonthewaysideintheshadowofagrovemarkthebreathing-spaceofthepopoi-carriers。Alittlebackfromthebeach，andnothalfamilefromAnaho，Iwasthemoreamazedtofindaclusterofwell-doingbreadfruitsheavywiththeirharvest。

’Whydoyounottakethese?’Iasked。’Tapu，’saidHoka；andI

thoughttomyself(afterthemannerofdulltravellers)whatchildrenandfoolsthesepeopleweretotoiloverthemountainanddespoilinnocentneighbourswhenthestaffoflifewasthusgrowingattheirdoor。Iwasthemoreinerror。Inthegeneraldestructionthesesurvivingtreeswereenoughonlyforthefamilyoftheproprietor，andbythesimpleexpedientofdeclaringatapuheenforcedhisright。

Thesanctionofthetapuissuperstitious；andthepunishmentofinfractioneitherawastingoradeadlysickness。Aslowdiseasefollowsontheeatingoftapufish，andcanonlybecuredwiththebonesofthesamefishburnedwiththeduemysteries。Thecocoa-

nutandbreadfruittapuworksmoreswiftly。Supposeyouhaveeatentapufruitattheeveningmeal，atnightyoursleepwillbeuneasy；

inthemorning，swellingandadarkdiscolorationwillhaveattackedyourneck，whencetheyspreadupwardtotheface；andintwodays，unlessthecurebeinterjected，youmustdie。Thiscureispreparedfromtherubbedleavesofthetreefromwhichthepatientstole；sothathecannotbesavedwithoutconfessingtotheTahukuthepersonwhomhewronged。Intheexperienceofmyinformant，almostnotapuhadbeenputinuse，exceptthetwodescribed：hehadthusnoopportunitytolearnthenatureandoperationoftheothers；and，astheartofmakingthemwasjealouslyguardedamongsttheoldmen，hebelievedthemysterywouldsoondieout。IshouldaddthathewasnoMarquesan，butaChinaman，aresidentinthegroupfromboyhood，andareverentbelieverinthespellswhichhedescribed。Whitemen，amongstwhomAhFuincludedhimself，wereexempt；buthehadataleofaTahitianwoman，whohadcometotheMarquesas，eatentapufish，and，althoughuninformedofheroffenceanddanger，hadbeenafflictedandcuredexactlylikeanative。

Doubtlessthebeliefisstrong；doubtless，withthisweaklyandfancifulrace，itisinmanycasesstrongenoughtokill；itshouldbestrongindeedinthosewhotaputheirtreessecretly，sothattheymaydetectadepredatorbyhissickness。Or，perhaps，weshouldunderstandtheideaofthehiddentapuotherwise，asapoliticdevicetospreaduneasinessandextortconfessions：sothat，whenamanisailing，heshallransackhisbrainforanypossibleoffence，andsendatonceforanyproprietorwhoserightshehasinvaded。’Hadyouhiddenatapu?’wemayconceivehimasking；andIcannotimaginetheproprietorgainsayingit；andthisisperhapsthestrangestfeatureofthesystem-thatitshouldberegardedfromwithoutwithsuchamentalandimplicitawe，and，whenexaminedfromwithin，shouldpresentsomanyapparentevidencesofdesign。

WereadinDr。Campbell’sPOENAMOofaNewZealandgirl，whowasfoolishlytoldthatshehadeatenatapuyam，andwhoinstantlysickened，anddiedinthetwodaysofsimpleterror。TheperiodisthesameasintheMarquesas；doubtlessthesymptomsweresotoo。

Howsingulartoconsiderthatasuperstitionofsuchswayispossiblyamanufacturedarticle；andthat，evenifitwerenotoriginallyinvented，itsdetailshaveplainlybeenarrangedbytheauthoritiesofsomePolynesianScotlandYard。Fitlyenough，thebeliefisto-day-andwasprobablyalways-farfromuniversal。

Hellathomeisastrongdeterrentwithsome；apassingthoughtwithothers；withothers，again，athemeofpublicmockery，notalwayswellassured；andsointheMarquesaswiththetapu。Mr。

Reglerhasseenthetwoextremesofscepticismandimplicitfear。

Inthetapugrovehefoundonefellowstealingbreadfruit，cheerfulandimpudentasastreetarab；anditwasonlyonamenaceofexposurethatheshowedhimselftheleastdiscountenanced。Theothercasewasopposedineverypoint。Mr。Regleraskedanativetoaccompanyhimuponavoyage；themanwentgladlyenough，butsuddenlyperceivingadeadtapufishinthebottomoftheboat，leapedbackwithascream；norcouldthepromiseofadollarprevailuponhimtoadvance。

TheMarquesan，itwillbeobserved，adherestotheoldideaofthelocalcircumscriptionofbeliefsandduties。Notonlyarethewhitesexemptfromconsequences；buttheirtransgressionsseemtobeviewedwithouthorror。ItwasMr。Reglerwhohadkilledthefish；yetthedevoutnativewasnotshockedatMr。Regler-onlyrefusedtojoinhiminhisboat。Awhiteisawhite：theservant(sotospeak)ofotherandmoreliberalgods；andnottobeblamedifheprofitbyhisliberty。TheJewswereperhapsthefirsttointerruptthisancientcomityoffaiths；andtheJewishvirusisstillstronginChristianity。Alltheworldmustrespectourtapus，orwegnashourteeth。

CHAPTERVII-HATIHEU

THEbaysofAnahoandHatiheuaredividedattheirrootsbytheknife-edgeofasinglehill-thepasssooftenmentioned；butthisisthmusexpandstotheseawardinaconsiderablepeninsula：verybareandgrassy；hauntedbysheepand，atnightandmorning，bythepiercingcriesoftheshepherds；wanderedoverbyafewwildgoats；

andonitssea-frontindentedwithlong，clamorouscaves，andfacedwithcliffsofthecolourandruinousoutlineofanoldpeat-stack。