- description
- # CHAPTER XXI. They Visit A Wealthy Old Pauper
## Overview
This is Chapter XXI, titled "They Visit A Wealthy Old Pauper," from Herman Melville's novel, [Mardi: And a Voyage Thither](arke:01KG8AJ8ZNB03D0FWFP362WQEN). The chapter spans lines 2742 to 2800 of its source text.
## Context
This chapter is part of the larger work [Mardi: And a Voyage Thither](arke:01KG8AJ8ZNB03D0FWFP362WQEN), which is included in the [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW) collection. It was extracted from the digital text file [mardi_vol2.txt](arke:01KG89J1954N2G0NAERBNJXEX9). Preceded by [CHAPTER XX. Babbalanja Quotes From An Antique Pagan; And Earnestly Presses It Upon The Company, That What He Recites Is Not His But Another’s](arke:01KG8AJQT19TXW6TXGPSV7NZ3Q), it is followed by [CHAPTER XXII. Yoomy Sings Some Odd Verses, And Babbalanja Quotes From The Old Authors Right And Left](arke:01KG8AJQSZDW1CKST31K7C1ZCK).
## Contents
Chapter XXI describes the protagonists' encounter with a "wealthy old pauper" named Jiji. The narrative details Jiji's miserly behavior, his collection of pelican pouches filled with teeth, and his initial denial of possessing any teeth. The chapter includes a philosophical discussion initiated by Babbalanja regarding the principles of barter, referencing "Vivo, the Sophist." The chapter concludes with Jiji begging for food from one of the attendants, Vee-Vee, who provides him with a yam.
- description_generated_at
- 2026-01-30T20:48:59.947Z
- description_model
- gemini-2.5-flash-lite
- description_title
- CHAPTER XXI. They Visit A Wealthy Old Pauper
- end_line
- 2800
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:47:38.723Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 2742
- text
- CHAPTER XXI.
They Visit A Wealthy Old Pauper
Continuing our route to Jiji’s, we presently came to a miserable hovel.
Half projecting from the low, open entrance, was a bald overgrown head,
intent upon an upright row of dark-colored bags:— pelican
pouches—prepared by dropping a stone within, and suspending them, when
moist.
Ever and anon, the great head shook with a tremulous motion, as one by
one, to a clicking sound from the old man’s mouth, the strings of teeth
were slowly drawn forth, and let fall, again and again, with a rattle.
But perceiving our approach, the old miser suddenly swooped his pouches
out of sight; and, like a turtle into its shell, retreated into his
den. But soon he decrepitly emerged upon his knees, asking what brought
us thither?—to steal the teeth, which lying rumor averred he possessed
in abundance? And opening his mouth, he averred he had none; not even a
sentry in his head.
But Babbalanja declared, that long since he must have drawn his own
dentals, and bagged them with the rest.
Now this miserable old miser must have been idiotic; for soon
forgetting what he had but just told us of his utter toothlessness, he
was so smitten with the pearly mouth of Hohora, one of our attendants
(the same for whose pearls, little King Peepi had taken such a fancy),
that he made the following overture to purchase its contents: namely:
one tooth of the buyer’s, for every three of the seller’s. A
proposition promptly rejected, as involving a mercantile absurdity.
“Why?” said Babbalanja. “Doubtless, because that proposed to be given,
is less than that proposed to be received. Yet, says a philosopher,
this is the very principle which regulates all barterings. For where
the sense of a simple exchange of quantities, alike in value?”
“Where, indeed?” said Hohora with open eyes, “though I never heard it
before, that’s a staggering question. I beseech you, who was the sage
that asked it?”
“Vivo, the Sophist,” said Babbalanja, turning aside.
In the hearing of Jiji, allusion was made to Oh-Oh, as a neighbor of
his. Whereupon he vented much slavering opprobrium upon that miserable
old hump-back; who accumulated useless monstrosities; throwing away the
precious teeth, which otherwise might have sensibly rattled in his own
pelican pouches.
When we quitted the hovel, Jiji, marking little Vee-Vee, from whose
shoulder hung a calabash of edibles, seized the hem of his garment and
besought him for one mouthful of food; for nothing had he tasted that
day.
The boy tossed him a yam.
- title
- CHAPTER XXI. They Visit A Wealthy Old Pauper