I cannot close this narrative without expressing the most heart-felt gratitude to that kind Providence which has sustained us under trials and sufferings the most severe, and returned us to our homes and friends. And may those who have been to us friends indeed, find an ample reward for their generosity, in the consciousness of having been influenced by those sentiments and feelings which best adorn and dignify the human character!
APPENDIX.
VOCABULARY
OF THE LANGUAGE OF LORD NORTH'S ISLAND.
The language of the inhabitants of Lord North's island appears to be a new and hitherto unknown dialect of the Polynesian family of languages. According to the preceding Narrative, it was wholly unintelligible to the Pelew chiefs who accompanied the crew of the Mentor when they were made captives. To judge by the numerals, and a few other words, which have been collected by travellers, it has a near affinity to the dialects of the neighboring Caroline islands.
In the selection of words for the following vocabulary, we have principally followed the list of English words in Keate's Account of the Pelew Islands, but have added several from the Empress Catherine's Vocabulary; distinguishing by small capitals all the words which correspond to those in that Vocabulary. Some short dialogues are subjoined to the vocabulary.
The orthography adopted is that of the English language; it being the most useful to such of our navigators as may chance to visit Lord North's island or those in its vicinity. It is only necessary to state particularly, that ay is to be pronounced like aye, or ah-ee; g, always hard, as in go; ng, in the middle of a word, as it is at the end; as, for example, in the English word hanger, and not as in the word anger, (ang-ger;) and zh is to be pronounced like s in pleasure, or the French j.
It is proper to remark, that the words of the language here given, not having been furnished by natives of the island, are to be received rather as approximations than as perfectly exact specimens of the language; but the comparisons made with kindred dialects lead us to believe, that they are as exact as are usually obtained from similar sources. Two years' residence in the island strongly impressed the language in the memory of the unfortunate captives.
And, mah.
Arm. (See Hand.)
Back, tukkalek´.
Bad, tuhmah´.
Bamboo, sheel, or shil.[6]
Beard, koosum. (See Hair.)
Belly, mish´ee-um.
Belt, (worn by the men,) tap´pah.
Big, yennup.
Bird, kar´rum.
Black, wayzer´ris, (wah-ee-zerris.)
Boat, prow, (prah-oo.)
Bone, cheel.
Boy. (See Man.)
Brass, mullebah´dee.
Breast (of a female,) toot.[7]
Brother, biz´zheem, or biz´zhim.
Canoe, (the same as Boat.)
Child, (of two or three years old,) lah´bo.
Clouds, kotcho.
Cocoa-nut, (when ripe,) kahrah´pah; (when very young,) soob; (when the husk is so hard as to require breaking with a stone,) chou, or chah-oo.
Cold, makkrazm´.
Come, (verb, the same as to go,) mo´rahbeeto.
Copper, (the same as Brass.)
Cord, (small line) kreel.
Darkness, klo-wayzer´ris.
Day, yahro, (the same as Sun.)
Dead, poo´ruk.
Dirt, yuhbur´.
Drink, (verb,) lim´mah.
Dust. (See Dirt.)
Eat, muk´kah.
Father, wur´teemum; (used also for Friend.)
Fingers, kay´muk, (the same as Hand.)
Fire, yah, or yahf.
Fish, ee´kah.
Fish-hook, kah-oo eekah.
Fishing net, shibbo´.
Fly, (the insect,) lahng.
Foot, petchem´; (applied to the foot, leg, and thigh.)
Friend. (See Father.)
Girl, pah´chik vay-ee´vee; (literally, a little woman.)
Go. (See Come.)
Good, yissung.
God, yarris. (They had images of twelve gods.)
Grass, waw´ree.
Hair, (of the head,) chim. (See Beard.)
Hand, kay´muk. (See Fingers.)
Head, mitch´eemum.
Here, atid´dee, or ettid´dee.
House. (See Hut.)
Hungry, surmah´.
Hut, or house, yim.
I, (myself,) nang.
Iron, pahng-ul; also pishoo.
Iron hoop, chee´pah; (i. e. pieces of iron hoops, of which they make knives, &c.)
Kill, (verb,) mah´tee.
Large. (See Big.)
Laugh, (verb,) mee´mee.
Leaf, (of a cocoa-nut tree,) trillah.
Leg. (See Foot.)
Lightning, visseeg´.
Little. (See Small.)
Lizard, peelel´.
Man, mah´ree, or mah.
Many, pee´pee.
Milk, toot. (See Breast.)
My, mine; e. g. my cocoa-nut, kahrah´pah ah nang.
Moon, muk´kum.
Mother, mish´erum.
Mouse. (See Rat.)
Musquetoe, lahm.
Near to, yah peteh´to, or petetto.
Night, neebo´; (also by night.)
No, taw, or tah-oo.
Numerals. (See the list at the end of this vocabulary.)
Oar. (See Paddle.)
Old, (i. e. from twenty years upwards,) mahzoo´-ee; very old, mahzoo-ee ah va; also, butchee butch chim, literally, the hair is white.
Paddle, vettel.
People, pee´pee ah mah´ree; literally, many men.
Rain, (it rains,) oot; it does not rain, taw oot.
Rat, tum´meeum.
Reef (of rocks,) ahrah´-oo.
Rope, tah´ree. (See Cord.)
Sand, (or shoal in the sea,) pee. This word means simply the sand.
Sea, (salt water,) taht.
Shark, po.
Ship, waw´wee.
Short, yuhmoat´, or yah moat´.
Sick, makkah´kes; I am not sick, nang tay makkah´kes.
Sister, mee´ang-um.
Sleep, mus´see, or mummah teed´ee.
Small, pah´chik; very small, (as a grain of sand,) pahchik-gitchee-gee.
Son, (or daughter,) lah´bo. (See Child.)
Stars, vish.
Stone, vahs.
Storm, pee´pee oot; i. e. much rain.
Strong, (in good health,) yuhkayl´.
Sun, yah´ro.
Tahboo´, the religious interdiction called tahboo, which is common in the islands of the Pacific ocean, and which is also used in Lord North's island.
Talk, (verb,) tee´tree; e. g. tee´tree Inglish, talk English; tee´tree To´bee, talk To´bee, or the language of the island.
Tattoo, (verb,) ver´ree-ver´-ree.
There, a-tur´nah.
Thou, or you, gur.
Thunder, pah; pah zah tee´tree, it thunders; literally, the thunder speaks. When it thunders, they say, Yarris tee´tree, God is speaking.
To-morrow, waw´rah-zoo´rah.
Tree. (See Wood.)
Turtle, wah´ree.
Water, (fresh,) tah´roo.
——, (salt,) taht.
Whale, kahs.
What; (what is that,) mahtah´men ah menno.
White, butch´ee butch.
Why, bah.
Wind, yang.
Woman, vay-ee´vee; a young woman, wer´ree-wedg vay-ee´vee.
Wood, (trees,) tummutch´ee; tabur´rah eek´ah, the stem or trunk.
Yellow, arrang´.
Yes, ee´lah.
Yesterday, rollo; yesterday night, rollo neebo´.
You, or thou, gur.