{"id":"01KG8AKT6K7DSE5NFBM7EECRFS","cid":"bafkreiamkowdrfkhygaduj6yqwdcc66nn7gpbd7sjyukeafcx4bxj7biim","type":"chunk","properties":{"end_line":7483,"extracted_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:15.153Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"Chunk 2","source_file":"01KG89J1H7Y803CZ7X80F0QFHZ","start_line":7416,"text":"of the young wild steers might be caught and trained for draught.\r\n\r\nZeke replied that, for such a purpose, no cattle, to his knowledge, had\r\never been used in any part of Polynesia. As for the soil of Martair, so\r\nobstructed was it with roots, crossing and recrossing each other at all\r\npoints, that no kind of a plough could be used to advantage. The heavy\r\nSydney hoes were the only thing for such land.\r\n\r\nOur work was now before us; but, previous to commencing operations, I\r\nendeavoured to engage the Yankee in a little further friendly chat\r\nconcerning the nature of virgin soils in general, and that of the\r\nvalley of Martair in particular. So masterly a stratagem made Long\r\nGhost brighten up; and he stood by ready to join in. But what our\r\nfriend had to say about agriculture all referred to the particular part\r\nof his plantation upon which we stood; and having communicated enough\r\non this head to enable us to set to work to the best advantage, he fell\r\nto, himself; and Shorty, who had been looking on, followed suit.\r\n\r\nThe surface, here and there, presented closely amputated branches of\r\nwhat had once been a dense thicket. They seemed purposely left\r\nprojecting, as if to furnish a handle whereby to drag out the roots\r\nbeneath. After loosening the hard soil, by dint of much thumping and\r\npounding, the Yankee jerked one of the roots this way and that,\r\ntwisting it round and round, and then tugging at it horizontally.\r\n\r\n“Come! lend us a hand!” he cried, at last; and running up, we all four\r\nstrained away in concert. The tough obstacle convulsed the surface with\r\nthroes and spasms; but stuck fast, notwithstanding.\r\n\r\n“Dumn it!” cried Zeke, “we’ll have to get a rope; run to the house,\r\nShorty, and fetch one.”\r\n\r\nThe end of this being attached, we took plenty of room, and strained\r\naway once more.\r\n\r\n“Give us a song, Shorty,” said the doctor; who was rather sociable, on\r\na short acquaintance. Where the work to be accomplished is any way\r\ndifficult, this mode of enlivening toil is quite efficacious among\r\nsailors. So willing to make everything as cheerful as possible, Shorty\r\nstruck up, “Were you ever in Dumbarton?” a marvellously inspiring, but\r\nsomewhat indecorous windlass chorus.\r\n\r\nAt last, the Yankee cast a damper on his enthusiasm by exclaiming, in a\r\npet, “Oh! dumn your singing! keep quiet, and pull away!” This we now\r\ndid, in the most uninteresting silence; until, with a jerk that made\r\nevery elbow hum, the root dragged out; and most inelegantly, we all\r\nlanded upon the ground. The doctor, quite exhausted, stayed there; and,\r\ndeluded into believing that, after so doughty a performance, we would\r\nbe allowed a cessation of toil, took off his hat, and fanned himself.\r\n\r\n“Rayther a hard customer, that, Peter,” observed the Yankee, going up\r\nto him: “but it’s no use for any on ’em to hang back; for I’m dumned if\r\nthey hain’t got to come out, whether or no. Hurrah! let’s get at it\r\nagin!”\r\n\r\n“Mercy!” ejaculated the doctor, rising slowly, and turning round.\r\n“He’ll be the death of us!”\r\n\r\nFalling to with our hoes again, we worked singly, or together, as\r\noccasion required, until “Nooning Time” came.\r\n\r\nThe period, so called by the planters, embraced about three hours in\r\nthe middle of the day; during which it was so excessively hot, in this\r\nstill, brooding valley, shut out from the Trades, and only open toward\r\nthe leeward side of the island, that labour in the sun was out of the\r\nquestion. To use a hyperbolical phrase of Shorty’s, “It was ’ot enough\r\nto melt the nose h’off a brass monkey.”\r\n\r","title":"Chunk 2"},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG8AJM0K7QP7RWE0EFXH0T20","peer_type":"chapter","predicate":"in"},{"peer":"01KG89J1H7Y803CZ7X80F0QFHZ","peer_type":"file","predicate":"extractedFrom"},{"peer":"01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KG8AKT6KBKKRQS1G8EZVC0BP","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"prev"},{"peer":"01KG8AKT6KMSN5XBEB648NMQB7","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"next"}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:16.595Z","ts":"2026-01-30T20:48:30.084Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF0H3YRP9ZSM033AM0QJ47H"}}