Herman Melville: Typee
- ISBN-10
- ISBN-13
- 9798462411380
- Series
- Herman Melville
- Pages
- 318
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2021-08-22
- Author
- Herman Melville
Description
The two men make their escape while the crew is on shore leave. After spending several cold and wet nights on the island mountain, Tommo and Toby spot a beautiful valley below. They are hungry, cold, and Tommo also feels feverish due to an injury to his leg. They decide to descend into the valley even though they are not sure if it is the home of the friendly Happar tribe or that of the dreaded Typee. After a dangerous descent, which involves scaling a steep ravine and jumping onto a tree from a cliff above, the two men are in the heart of the valley. They spot a tree of tropical fruit and then a young native man and woman. Because of their desperation, they approach the natives and offer them a piece of calico cloth. Initially, Toby and Tommo happily think that the natives are Happars, not Typees. After arriving in their nearby village however, a stern chief, Mehevi, asks Tommo, "Typee" or "Happar"? Knowing that he must choose correctly, Tommo suddenly changes his mind and says "Typee." His guess is right and the surrounding natives start chattering happily. The Typees offer Tommo and Toby food and a place to sleep. Mehevi orders a man named Kory-Kory to be Tommo's servant. Tommo immediately feels deeply attracted to a beautiful maiden named Fayaway.
