{"id":"01KG8AKVEBNAZVGKB3HY9066YM","cid":"bafkreig5gloce36ag55ej44np5f6s44ueqpk3nij77txjyuefpe7itdfze","type":"chunk","properties":{"end_line":8684,"extracted_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:15.153Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"Chunk 2","source_file":"01KG89J1H7Y803CZ7X80F0QFHZ","start_line":8607,"text":"dress, and far fresher and more beautiful than the damsels of the\r\ncoast. A thousand pities, thought I, that they should bury their charms\r\nin this nook of a valley.\r\n\r\nThat night we abode in the house of Rartoo, a hospitable old chief. It\r\nwas right on the shore of the lake; and at supper we looked out through\r\na rustling screen of foliage upon the surface of the starlit water.\r\n\r\nThe next day we rambled about, and found a happy little community,\r\ncomparatively free from many deplorable evils to which the rest of\r\ntheir countrymen are subject. Their time, too, was more occupied. To my\r\nsurprise, the manufacture of tappa was going on in several buildings.\r\nEuropean calicoes were seldom seen, and not many articles of foreign\r\norigin of any description.\r\n\r\nThe people of Tamai were nominally Christians; but being so remote from\r\necclesiastical jurisdiction, their religion sat lightly upon them. We\r\nhad been told, even, that many heathenish games and dances still\r\nsecretly lingered in their valley.\r\n\r\nNow the prospect of seeing an old-fashioned “hevar,” or Tahitian reel,\r\nwas one of the inducements which brought us here; and so, finding\r\nRartoo rather liberal in his religious ideas, we disclosed our desire.\r\nAt first he demurred; and shrugging his shoulders like a Frenchman,\r\ndeclared it could not be brought about—was a dangerous matter to\r\nattempt, and might bring all concerned into trouble. But we overcame\r\nall this, convinced him that the thing could be done, and a “hevar,” a\r\ngenuine pagan fandango, was arranged for that very night.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER LXIII.\r\nA DANCE IN THE VALLEY\r\n\r\n\r\nThere were some ill-natured people—tell-tales—it seemed, in Tamai; and\r\nhence there was a deal of mystery about getting up the dance.\r\n\r\nAn hour or two before midnight, Rartoo entered the house, and, throwing\r\nrobes of tappa over us, bade us follow at a distance behind him; and,\r\nuntil out of the village, hood our faces. Keenly alive to the\r\nadventure, we obeyed. At last, after taking a wide circuit, we came out\r\nupon the farthest shore of the lake. It was a wide, dewy, space;\r\nlighted up by a full moon, and carpeted with a minute species of fern\r\ngrowing closely together. It swept right down to the water, showing the\r\nvillage opposite, glistening among the groves.\r\n\r\nNear the trees, on one side of the clear space, was a ruinous pile of\r\nstones many rods in extent; upon which had formerly stood a temple of\r\nOro. At present, there was nothing but a rude hut, planted on the\r\nlowermost terrace. It seemed to have been used as a “tappa herree,” or\r\nhouse for making the native cloth.\r\n\r\nHere we saw lights gleaming from between the bamboos, and casting long,\r\nrod-like shadows upon the ground without. Voices also were heard. We\r\nwent up, and had a peep at the dancers who were getting ready for the\r\nballet. They were some twenty in number;-waited upon by hideous old\r\ncrones, who might have been duennas. Long Ghost proposed to send the\r\nlatter packing; but Rartoo said it would never do, and so they were\r\npermitted to remain.\r\n\r\nWe tried to effect an entrance at the door, which was fastened; but,\r\nafter a noisy discussion with one of the old witches within, our guide\r\nbecame fidgety, and, at last, told us to desist, or we would spoil all.\r\nHe then led us off to a distance to await the performance; as the\r\ngirls, he said, did not wish to be recognized. He, furthermore, made us\r\npromise to remain where we were until all was over, and the dancers had\r\nretired.\r\n\r\nWe waited impatiently; and, at last, they came forth. They were arrayed\r\nin short tunics of white tappa; with garlands of flowers on their\r\nheads. Following them were the duennas, who remained clustering about\r\nthe house, while the girls advanced a few paces; and, in an instant,\r\ntwo of them, taller than their companions, were standing, side by side,\r\nin the middle of a ring formed by the clasped hands of the rest. This\r\nmovement was made in perfect silence.\r\n\r","title":"Chunk 2"},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG8AJMW653738A199PG39GTQ","peer_type":"chapter","predicate":"in"},{"peer":"01KG89J1H7Y803CZ7X80F0QFHZ","peer_type":"file","predicate":"extractedFrom"},{"peer":"01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KG8AKVEBSM49AVNMZ816H9SS","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"prev"},{"peer":"01KG8AKVEB3XQDDG33S3T4RKF8","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"next"}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:17.867Z","ts":"2026-01-30T20:48:31.002Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF0H3YRP9ZSM033AM0QJ47H"}}