Chapter 23

What Manner Of Men The Tapparians Were

The canoes sailed on. But we leave them awhile. For our visit to Jiji,
the last visit we made, suggests some further revelations concerning
the dental money of Mardi.

Ere this, it should have been mentioned, that throughout the
Archipelago, there was a restriction concerning incisors and molars,
as ornaments for the person; none but great chiefs, brave warriors,
and men distinguished by rare intellectual endowments, orators,
romancers, philosophers, and poets, being permitted to sport them as
jewels. Though, as it happened, among the poets there were many who
had never a tooth, save those employed at their repasts; which, coming
but seldom, their teeth almost corroded in their mouths. Hence, in
commerce, poets' teeth were at a discount.

For these reasons, then, many mortals blent with the promiscuous mob
of Mardians, who, by any means, accumulated teeth, were fain to assert
their dental claims to distinction, by clumsily carrying their
treasures in pelican pouches slung over their shoulders; which pouches
were a huge burden to carry about, and defend. Though, in good truth,
from any of these porters, it was harder to wrench his pouches, than
his limbs. It was also a curious circumstance that at the slightest
casual touch, these bags seemed to convey a simultaneous thrill to the
owners.

Besides these porters, there were others, who exchanged their teeth
for richly stained calabashes, elaborately carved canoes, and more
especially, for costly robes, and turbans; in which last, many
outshone the noblest-born nobles. Nevertheless, this answered not the
end they had in view; some of the crowd only admiring what they wore,
and not them; breaking out into laudation of the inimitable handiwork
of the artisans of Mardi.

And strange to relate, these artisans themselves often came to be men
of teeth and turbans, sporting their bravery with the best. A
circumstance, which accounted for the fact, that many of the class
above alluded to, were considered capital judges of tappa and tailoring.

Hence, as a general designation, the whole tribe went by the name of
Tapparians; otherwise, Men of Tappa.

Now, many moons ago, according to Braid-Beard, the Tapparians of a
certain cluster of islands, seeing themselves hopelessly confounded
with the plebeian race of mortals; such as artificers, honest men,
bread-fruit bakers, and the like; seeing, in short, that nature had
denied them every inborn mark of distinction; and furthermore, that
their external assumptions were derided by so many in Mardi, these
selfsame Tapparians, poor devils, resolved to secede from the rabble;
form themselves into a community of their own; and conventionally pay