One day I was strolling through a secluded portion of the valley; and
hearing the musical sound of the cloth-mallet at a little distance, I
turned down a path that conducted me in a few moments to a house where
there were some half-dozen girls employed in making tappa. [Footnote:
Tappa: a kind of cloth made from the inner bark of the paper mulberry.]
This was an operation I had frequently witnessed, and had handled the
bark in all the various stages of its preparation. On the present
occasion the females were intent upon their occupation; and after
looking up and talking gayly to me for a few moments, they resumed their
employment. I regarded them for awhile in silence, and then carelessly
picking up a handful of the material that lay around, proceeded
unconsciously to pick it apart. While thus engaged, I was suddenly
startled by a scream, like that of a whole boarding-school of young
ladies just on the point of going into hysterics. Leaping up with the
idea of seeing a score of Happar warriors about to perform anew the
Sabine atrocity, [Footnote: Sabine atrocity: referring to the carrying
off of the Sabine women by the Romans in the legendary history of early
Rome.] I found myself confronted by the company of girls, who, having
dropped their work, stood before me with staring eyes, swelling bosoms,
and fingers pointed in horror towards me.

Thinking that some venomous reptile must be concealed in the bark which
I held in my hand, I began cautiously to separate and examine it. Whilst
I did so the horrified girls redoubled their shrieks. Their wild cries
and frightened motions actually alarmed me; and throwing down the tappa,
I was about to rush from the house, when in the same instant their
clamors ceased, and one of them, seizing me by the arm, pointed to the
broken fibres that had just fallen from my grasp, and screamed in my ear
the fatal word "Taboo!"