A Narrative of the Shipwreck, Captivity and Sufferings of Horace Holden and Benj. H. Nute Part 7

Three, yah Four, vahn Five, neem Six, yah-woar'

Seven, yah-veesh'

Eight, yah-wah'

Nine, yah-too'

Ten, yah-saik' (sake) Eleven, sa-k.u.m ah soo'

Twelve, sa-k.u.m ah goo-o'

Thirteen, sa-k.u.m ah sa-roo'

Fourteen, sa-k.u.m ah vah'oo Fifteen, sa-k.u.m ah leemo'

Sixteen, sa-k.u.m ah wahroo'

Seventeen, sa-k.u.m ah weeshoo'

Eighteen, sa-k.u.m ah wahrew'

Nineteen, sa-k.u.m ah tee-o'

Twenty, sa-k.u.m ah gloo-o'

Ten, saik Twenty, goowaik'

Thirty, sa-reek'

Forty, vah-eek'

Fifty, leemaik (leemake) Sixty, woar-eek'

Seventy, vesheek'

Eighty, wahreck'

Ninety, tew-week'

Hundred, surbung; &c.[8]

The inhabitants of Lord North's island seldom count above a hundred; but when they wish to express a larger number they do it by a repet.i.tion of the syllable _saik_, (ten,) in this manner:--sak.u.m ah saik, ah saik, ah saik, &c.

In counting cocoa-nuts, they use the following numerals:--

One, soo Two, goo-o'

Three, sa-roo'

Four, vah'o Five, leemo'

Six, woarroo Seven, veeshoo'

Eight, tee-oo Nine, wahrew'

Ten, saik

In counting fish they have still a different set of numbers:--

Seemul eekah, one fish Gwimmul eekah, two fishes Sreemul eekah, three fishes Vahmul eekah, four fishes Neemul eekah, five fishes Waw'remul eekah, six fishes Vish-ee ahmul eekah, seven fishes War'remul eekah, eight fishes Too-ee'mul eekah, nine fishes Saik eekah, ten fishes

DIALOGUES IN THE LANGUAGE OF LORD NORTH'S ISLAND.

Tee'mit, tay too attee'dee, nang ver'ree-ver'ree gur; mah'ree To'bee tay ver'ree-ver'ree man Inglish mo'ree pooruk; zahbee'to Yarris yettah'men man Inglish.

Horace, come here, for I am going to tattoo you; if To'bee man does not tattoo Englishman he will die; Yarris (G.o.d) will come and Englishman will go immediately out of sight; i. e. be destroyed.

They perform the process of tattooing by means of a little instrument, made either of a thin, flat fish-bone, or of the wing bone of a large sea-bird. The blade of the instrument (as it may be called) is about an inch long; it is fixed upon a little handle, about four inches in length, and the whole instrument may be compared to a carpenter's adz, in miniature; except that the edge, instead of being straight, and smooth for cutting, is made into teeth for puncturing the skin. This little instrument is held in the left hand, with the edge or teeth directly over the place to be punctured, and successive blows are then struck upon it, with a small stick of iron-wood, resembling a drumstick, and of about two pounds' weight, until the coloring matter is sufficiently p.r.i.c.ked into the skin.[9]

Before commencing the operation they mix the coloring liquid (before described, page 102) in a cocoa-nut sh.e.l.l. They then compel you to lie down upon the ground in such a position that the part of the body which is to be tattooed shall lie uppermost. After this, with a slender, flexible stick dipped in the liquid, they mark out upon the body the figures that are to be imprinted in the skin; then they dip the teeth of the tattooing instrument in the liquid, and by successive strokes, as above mentioned, p.r.i.c.k it into the skin, till it is completed to their taste. During the operation you are surrounded by men, women, and children, all singing a kind of chorus or song adapted to the occasion; and if any complaint escapes you, from the severe treatment of the operators, (of whom there are generally two,) the whole company strikes up a louder strain, apparently as if rejoicing. The spirited wood cut accompanying this volume gives a very correct representation of this important ceremony.

After captain Barnard and Rollins escaped from the island, the natives would often ask of Holden and Nute where they thought _Peeter Inglish_ (their name for the captain) was;[10] they were answered, that he was on his pa.s.sage to England. They would then say,--

Ah! Peeter Inglish taw borobeeto Inglish; Peeter Inglish yepee'lif tang ah nee mah'ree ah To'bee ah pahng-ul; Peeter Inglish mo'ree poo'ruk woar ah taht; Peeter Inglish tee'tree tee'tree mah'ree To'bee pee'pee pee'pee ah pahng-ul, pee'pee ah lego', pee'pee ah mullebah'dee; shaik, man Inglish yepee'lif tuhmah'; mah'ree ah To'bee zah so zah tee'tree Yarris, waurwa ah Inglish cher prow tay beeto woar Inglish.

Ah! the captain will never get to England; the captain was a thief; he had not given To'bee man any iron, and he would die at sea; the captain talked, and talked with To'bee men, (that they should have) much iron, great many clothes, and much bra.s.s; for shame! Englishmen (are) all thieves and bad men; To'bee men (are) very angry; (we) will speak to G.o.d, and he will make the s.h.i.+p founder at sea, and the captain never will arrive in England.

Whenever Holden or Nute expressed a wish to go to England, the natives would say to them,--

Gur zah beeto Inglish bah? Taw ah muk'kah woar Inglish; gur zah beeto Inglish, gur mo'ree poo'ruk; mah'ree Inglish muk'kah ketch'ee etch'ee, omah ah yahpuk gur mum'mee tee'dee ah To'bee, yevvers mah'ree To'bee yissung ah mukkah.

What do you (wish to) go to England for? There is nothing to eat in England; if you go to England you will die; Englishmen eat rats and snails and filth; if you stay in To'bee you will live; To'bee men have very good (food) to eat.

_Dialogue between Horace Holden and his master Pahrahbooah._

_H._ Pahrahbooah, gur zah wosheeto ah nang woar ah prow, nang zah beeto Inglish; nang zah mum'mah tee'dee ah To'bee zah pooruk, taw ah muk'kah woar To'bee; woar Inglish pee'pee ah muk'kah, pee'pee, pee'pee; gur zah wosheeto ah nang woar ah prow nang zah lee ah gur pee'pee ah pahng-ul, pee'pee ah lego', pee'pee ah mullebah'dee; gur tay wosheeto ah nang zah poo'ruk woar ah To'bee, gur taw ah pishoo.

_H._ Pahrahbooah, if you will put me on board of a s.h.i.+p I will go to England; if I remain at To'bee (Lord North's) I shall die, for there is nothing to eat on To'bee; in England, much food, much, much; and if you will put me on board of a s.h.i.+p, I will give you much iron, many clothes, and much bra.s.s; if you do not put me (on board) I shall die on To'bee, and you (will get) no iron.

_P._ Hah, nang tay wosheeto ah gur; gur tee'tree tuhmah; gur tang ah nee nang ah pahng-ul; Peeter Inglish yepee'lif, gur yepee'lif, mah'ree ah Inglish yepee'lif, senah-messen'; tuhmah man Inglish; gur mummah tee'dee woar To'bee, zah pooruk ah To'bee.

_P._ Ah! I will not let you go; you talk bad; you will not give me any iron; Peeter Inglish is a thief, you are a thief, all Englishmen (are) thieves and liars; Englishmen (are) bad men; you (are) to stay on To'bee, to die on To'bee.

_Another Dialogue between the same persons._

_P._ Tee'mit, gur zah beeto Inglish gur zahnee mah'ree To'bee ah pahng-ul, yennup way'sa teberee'kah yennup ah tepo'ee ah waus'sa, ah lego', kah-oo eekah, zis ah pishoo' ah teet ah tuv'vatif, ah mullebah'dee, zah beeto To'bee zah lee wur'teemum ah gur?

_P._ Horace, if you go to England will you give the men of To'bee iron of a large size, as big as a stick of wood, and big axes, and knives, and cloth, and fish-hooks, an anvil and hammer, and needles, a trunk, and bra.s.s, and then come back to To'bee and give them to your father?

_H._ Ee'lah, nang zah beeto Inglish nang zahnee mahree To'bee ah pahng-ul yennup, ah tepo'-ee, ah waus'sa, ah lego', kah-oo eekah, zis ah pishoo', ah teet, ah tuv'vatif, ah mullebah'dee, zah beeto To'bee, zah lee wur'teemum ah nang.

_H._ Yes, I will go to England, and I will give to the men of To'bee iron of a large size, and big axes, and knives, and cloth, and fish-hooks, an anvil, and needles, and trunks, and bra.s.s, and then come back to To'bee and give them to my father.

_P._ Gur zah beeto Inglish gur dee mum'mah tee'dee woar Inglish, taw borobee'to To'bee, gur zah yuh-woon; tuhmah taw muhpeer klo dung-ah-rang-us.

_P._ If you go to England you will stop (sleep) there, and not return to To'bee; this (will be) bad and not friendly, and you will be a bad man.

_H._ Nang zah beeto Inglish, nang dak mum'mah teedee woar Inglish, nang zah beeto To'bee.

_H._ If I go to England I will not stop (sleep) there, but return to To'bee immediately.

_P._ Gur too-ay-go'rah beeto Inglish, gur mo'ree pooruk woar ah taht, gur tay beeto To'bee.

_P._ You do not know the way to England; you will die (or be lost) at sea, and not come to To'bee.

_H._ Hah! nang yego'rah beeto Inglish, taw mo'ree pooruk woar ah taht.

_H._ Aye, I do know the way to England; I shall not die (or be lost) at sea.