CHAPTER- XV. 



MADISON'S ISLAND— TYPEE WAR. 



The Taeehs, the Ilappahs, and Shouemes, now made 

 fresh complaints of tht^ insults and aggressions of the Ty- 

 pees ; one tribe they had threatened to drive off the land ; 

 they had thrown stones at, and otherwise insulted indivi- 

 duals of the other tribes. The Taeehs and Happahs be- 

 came very solicitous for war, and began to utter loud 

 complaints that (as all the other tribes in the island had 

 formed an alliance with me) they should be tolerated in 

 their insolence, and excused from supplying us as the rest 

 had done. The more distant had now discontinued bring- 

 ing in their supplies, and the other tribes had fallen ofF 

 considerably, complaining that we had nearly exhausted 

 all their stock, while the Typees were enjoying abundance. 

 Lead us to the Typees, said they, and we shall be able to 

 furnish you from their valley ; you have long threatened 

 them ; their insults have been great ; you have promised 

 to protect us against them, and yet permit them to offer 

 violence to us ; and while you have rendered every other 

 tribe tributary to you, you permit them to triumph with 

 impunity. Our canoes are in readiness, our warriors im- 

 patient, and for less provocations, had you not been here, 

 we should have been engaged in hostilities. Let us punish 

 those Typees ; bring them on the same terms to which we 

 have agreed, and the whole island will then be at peace, a 

 thing hitherto unknown, but the advantages of which we 

 can readily conceive. These were the sentiments ex- 

 pressed by the chiefs and warriors of the Taeehs and Hap- 

 pahs. Tavee seemed determined to keep aloof from all 

 quarrels ; he was separated from us by the valley of the 

 Typees, and they had it in their power to retort on him at 

 pleasure. He and his people concluded it, therefore, the 

 wisest to bear their insults, and escape their stones in the 

 best manner they could ; not however without complaining 

 occasionally to me on the subject. But they seemed de- 

 termined to take no active part with us in the war. 



