Master Hackett was near by when the Typee boy arrived, and heard Mr. Maury translate the message. This is the old sailor's story:—
"The captain kept his face straight when the lad begun, and then Mr. Maury tried to back down from repeatin' all that was said; but our commander wouldn't have any such sneakin' as that. 'Repeat every word, sir!' he cried, an' the little midshipman went at it lookin' as if he counted on bein' kicked after it was finished. When all was said, the captain sent his message back, which was this: 'Tell him who sent you that I will be on the mountain before the sun has risen three times, an' then it will be seen which of us is the coward.' The boy went off, though some of the Happars claimed he ought 'er be killed jest for the sake of keepin' their hand in at such work; an' I reckon we'll know mighty soon what it's like to be standin' up against a lot of niggers with nothin' but a musket an' a cutlass to help out."
The island war was to be begun, and I felt very uncomfortable in the region of my spine, for there was good reason to believe I would soon succeed in proving myself an arrant coward.
FOOTNOTE:
[1] Herman Melville.
CHAPTER IX. AN OLD ENEMY.
Phil and I were not the only ones who felt disturbed in mind by the knowledge that within a few hours we should be waging war against the natives.
Many an old shellback shook his head ominously on hearing of the message sent by Captain Porter, and more than one predicted that the "luck of the Essex" would desert her immediately we began to "fool 'round on shore, sticking our noses into other people's business."