{"id":"01KG8AKY4VC8KEACX3HZA89D8P","cid":"bafkreigh2xbyymzzezbt2uhtghtdqcwjchxe356jazenw3n2ufwqdk6el4","type":"chunk","properties":{"end_line":9428,"extracted_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:18.539Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"Chunk 1","source_file":"01KG89J1HYC04JWXEK48P07WPK","start_line":9349,"text":"CHAPTER LXXXVI.\r\nOf Those Scamps The Plujii\r\n\r\n\r\nThe beach gained, we embarked.\r\n\r\nIn good time our party recovered from the seriousness into which we had\r\nbeen thrown; and a rather long passage being now before us, we whiled\r\naway the hours as best we might.\r\n\r\nAmong many entertaining, narrations, old Braid-Beard, crossing his\r\ncalves, and peaking his beard, regaled us with some account of certain\r\ninvisible spirits, ycleped the Plujii, arrant little knaves as ever\r\ngulped moonshine.\r\n\r\nThey were spoken of as inhabiting the island of Quelquo, in a remote\r\ncorner of the lagoon; the innocent people of which island were sadly\r\nfretted and put out by their diabolical proceedings. Not to be wondered\r\nat; since, dwelling as they did in the air, and completely\r\ninaccessible, these spirits were peculiarly provocative of ire.\r\n\r\nDetestable Plujii! With malice aforethought, they brought about high\r\nwinds that destroyed the banana plantations, and tumbled over the heads\r\nof its occupants many a bamboo dwelling. They cracked the calabashes;\r\nsoured the “poee;” induced the colic; begat the spleen; and almost rent\r\npeople in twain with stitches in the side. In short, from whatever\r\nevil, the cause of which the Islanders could not directly impute to\r\ntheir gods, or in their own opinion was not referable to themselves,—of\r\nthat very thing must the invisible Plujii be guilty. With horrible\r\ndreams, and blood-thirsty gnats, they invaded the most innocent\r\nslumbers.\r\n\r\nAll things they bedeviled. A man with a wry neck ascribed it to the\r\nPlujii; he with a bad memory railed against the Plujii; and the boy,\r\nbruising his finger, also cursed those abominable spirits.\r\n\r\nNor, to some minds, at least, was there wanting strong presumptive\r\nevidence, that at times, with invisible fingers, the above mentioned\r\nPlujii did leave direct and tangible traces of their presence; pinching\r\nand pounding the unfortunate Islanders; pulling their hair; plucking\r\ntheir ears, and tweaking their beards and their noses. And thus\r\nperpetually vexing, incensing, tormenting, and exasperating their\r\nhelpless victims, the atrocious Plujii reveled in their malicious\r\ndominion over the souls and bodies of the people of Quelquo.\r\n\r\nWhat it was, that induced them to enact such a part, Oro only knew; and\r\nnever but once, it seems, did old Mohi endeavor to find out.\r\n\r\nOnce upon a time, visiting Quelquo, he chanced to encounter an old\r\nwoman almost doubled together, both hands upon her abdomen; in that\r\nmanner running about distracted.\r\n\r\n“My good woman,” said he, “what under the firmament is the matter?”\r\n\r\n“The Plujii! the Plujii!” affectionately caressing the field of their\r\noperations.\r\n\r\n“But why do they torment you?” he soothingly inquired. “How should I\r\nknow? and what good would it do me if I did?”\r\n\r\nAnd on she ran.\r\n\r\nAt this part of his narration, Mohi was interrupted by Media; who, much\r\nto the surprise of all present, observed, that, unbeknown to him\r\n(Braid-Beard), he happened to have been on that very island, at that\r\nvery time, and saw that identical old lady in the very midst of those\r\nabdominal tribulations.\r\n\r\n“That she was really in great distress,” he went on to say, “was\r\nplainly to be seen; but that in that particular instance, your Plujii\r\nhad any hand in tormenting her, I had some boisterous doubts. For,\r\nhearing that an hour or two previous she had been partaking of some\r\ntwenty unripe bananas, I rather fancied that that circumstance might\r\nhave had something to do with her sufferings. But however it was, all\r\nthe herb-leeches on the island would not have altered her own opinions\r\non the subject.”\r\n\r\n“No,” said Braid-Beard; “a post-mortem examination would not have\r\nsatisfied her ghost.”\r\n\r","title":"Chunk 1"},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG8AJW83ZNH2JQR58YXYCRR6","peer_type":"chapter","predicate":"in"},{"peer":"01KG89J1HYC04JWXEK48P07WPK","peer_type":"file","predicate":"extractedFrom"},{"peer":"01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KG8AKY54H2PAWAJV8EP5A7P8","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"next"}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:20.635Z","ts":"2026-01-30T20:48:32.904Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF0H3YRP9ZSM033AM0QJ47H"}}