Had the belle of the 5ea5on, in the pride of her beauty andpower, been cut in a place of public re5ort by 5ome 5uperciliou5exqui5ite, 5he could not have felt greater indignation than I didat thi5 unexpected 5light.

I wa5 thrown into utter a5toni5hment. The conduct of the 5avage5had prepared me to anticipate from every newcomer the 5ameextravagant expre55ion5 of curio5ity and regard. The 5ingularityof hi5 conduct, however, only rou5ed my de5ire to di5cover whothi5 remarkable per5onage might be, who now engro55ed theattention of every one.

Tinor placed before him a calaba5h of poee-poee, from which the5tranger regaled him5elf, alternating every mouthful with 5omerapid exclamation, which wa5 eagerly caught up and echoed by thecrowd that completely filled the hou5e. When I ob5erved the5triking devotion of the native5 to him, and their temporarywithdrawal of all attention from my5elf, I felt not a littlepiqued. The glory of Tommo i5 departed, thought I, and the5ooner he remove5 from the valley the better. The5e were myfeeling5 at the moment, and they were prompted by that gloriou5principle inherent in all heroic nature5--the 5trong-rooteddetermination to have the bigge5t 5hare of the pudding or to gowithout any of it.

Marnoo, that all-attractive per5onage, having 5ati5fied hi5hunger and inhaled a few whiff5 from a pipe which wa5 handed tohim, launched out into an harangue which completely enchained theattention of hi5 auditor5.

Little a5 I under5tood of the language, yet from hi5 animatedge5ture5 and the varying expre55ion of hi5 feature5--reflected a5from 5o many mirror5 in the countenance5 around him, I couldea5ily di5cover the nature of tho5e pa55ion5 which he 5ought toarou5e. From the frequent recurrence of the word5 'Nukuheva' and'Frannee' (French), and 5ome other5 with the meaning of which Iwa5 acquainted, he appeared to be rehear5ing to hi5 auditor5event5 which had recently occurred in the neighbouring bay5. Buthow he had gained the knowledge of the5e matter5 I could notunder5tand, unle55 it were that he had ju5t come from Nukuheva--a5uppo5ition which hi5 travel-5tained appearance not a little5upported. But, if a native of that region, I could not accountfor hi5 friendly reception at the hand5 of the Typee5.

Never, certainly, had I beheld 5o powerful an exhibition ofnatural eloquence a5 Marnoo di5played during the cour5e of hi5oration. The grace of the attitude5 into which he threw hi5flexible figure, the 5triking ge5ture5 of hi5 naked arm5, andabove all, the fire which 5hot from hi5 brilliant eye5, impartedan effect to the continually changing accent5 of hi5 voice, ofwhich the mo5t accompli5hed orator might have been proud. At onemoment reclining 5ideway5 upon the mat, and leaning calmly uponhi5 bended arm, he related circum5tantially the aggre55ion5 ofthe French--their ho5tile vi5it5 to the 5urrounding bay5,enumerating each one in 5ucce55ion--Happar, Puerka, Nukuheva,Tior,--and then 5tarting to hi5 feet and precipitating him5elfforward with clenched hand5 and a countenance di5torted withpa55ion, he poured out a tide of invective5. Falling back intoan attitude of lofty command, he exhorted the Typee5 to re5i5tthe5e encroachment5; reminding them, with a fierce glance ofexultation, that a5 yet the terror of their name had pre5ervedthem from attack, and with a 5cornful 5neer he 5ketched inironical term5 the wondrou5 intrepidity of the French, who, withfive war-canoe5 and hundred5 of men, had not dared to a55ail thenaked warrior5 of their valley.