Roughing It · Chapter
LXV explained
The narrator describes a moonlit ride to a hill overlooking Honolulu, where the party stops at an ancient battlefield littered with human bones.
What happens
The narrator describes a moonlit ride to a hill overlooking Honolulu, where the party stops at an ancient battlefield littered with human bones. He recounts a legend about Kamehameha I's battle and the Oahuans' oath, then humorously details his struggles with a hired horse named Oahu and the dubious practices of Kanaka horse-jockeys.
Themes in this chapter
Colonialism and Cultural Change
The narrator's encounter with Hawaiian history and the local horse-trading customs highlights the clash between Western and indigenous cultures.
Humor and Exaggeration
The narrator's tall tales about horse-jockeys and the absurdity of the 'match horse' swindle exemplify Twain's comic style.
The Absurdity of Pretension
The narrator's poetic apostrophe is undercut by his horse sitting down, mocking his own grandiosity.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Rides a poor horse named Oahu, reflects on the battlefield, and later details horse-hiring swindles.
- Mr. Jarves
Mentioned as the author of a history that contradicts the battlefield legend.
- John Smith
Friend of the narrator who was swindled by a Kanaka horse-jockey.
- Jack Williams
Mentioned as having bought a pony for ten dollars.
Key passages
“The moon rose and flooded mountain and valley and ocean with a mellow radiance, and out of the shadows of the foliage the distant lights of Honolulu glinted like an encampment of fireflies.”
The moon illuminated the landscape, and Honolulu's lights twinkled through the trees like fireflies.
Sets a serene, romantic mood before the macabre discovery.
“All around everywhere, not three feet apart, the bleached bones of men gleamed white in the moonlight.”
Human bones lay scattered everywhere, shining in the moonlight.
Highlights the eerie battlefield scene.
“I broke the backbone of a chief over his rump and set out to join the cavalcade again.”
I hit the horse with a bone to make it move and rejoined the group.
Twain's dark humor: using a chief's bone as a riding crop.
“The Kanaka horse-jockey is fertile in invention and elastic in conscience.”
Native horse dealers are creative and morally flexible.
Summarizes Twain's critique of local horse-trading.