Kidnapping in the Pacific Part 3

"By this means we collected about forty men, whom we carried at once on board.

"`We may as well have some of our friends,' observed the supercargo, and he accordingly returned on sh.o.r.e to invite the old chief, and as many people as he chose to bring off to visit the ship, and receive some presents which he was told we had prepared for him. The chief looked highly pleased, and much to the satisfaction of the supercargo, accepted his polite invitation.

"Next morning the chief and several people came alongside. The chief said he desired to thank us for the service we had rendered him, and to present us with some cocoa-nut oil and rolls of cloth which would be prepared in a day or two if we would wait for them.

"The captain a.s.sured him of his friendship, and begged him to accept some presents in return for those he intended to make, and invited him and several of his princ.i.p.al attendants into the cabin to receive them, while his people were asked by the crew to go down forward. No sooner were our guests below than they were seized and lashed hand and foot before they could give the alarm to those who remained on deck. All hands then rushed on deck, and quickly knocked down the greater number of those who were collected there; a few uttering loud cries of terror leapt overboard, while those in the canoes, suspecting that something was wrong, shoved off, and began to paddle away towards the sh.o.r.e. Our shot sent after them caused such alarm that several of the canoes returned, others escaped, two or three were knocked to pieces, and some of the people in them drowned.

"We considered this a good haul, but we had some difficulty in keeping order between the new comers and their enemies whom we had before captured; by going among them, however, with our clubs, and showing them that we would stand no nonsense, we brought them into order. Again making sail, we continued our course along the coast, here and there capturing canoes, and occasionally landing and carrying off a few people, though we were not again so successful as in the case I have described.

"In one small canoe we found a Portuguese with two Samoaians; the latter we put below hatches, but the captain was afraid of detaining the white man, who declined joining us, and allowed him to make the best of his way to sh.o.r.e.

"We found two of our consorts cruising off this coast, but in a short time the suspicions of the people on sh.o.r.e were aroused, and we therefore left it and proceeded on to visit certain groups of islands lying 8 or 10 degrees south of the equator. From one of these islands we got nearly a hundred people, and another vessel which followed us captured several more, though most of the natives as soon as a sail hove in sight ran off from the coast.

"By various means, from one island or another, we captured fifty or sixty more, till at length with a full cargo we steered eastward to put them on sh.o.r.e, as before, on Easter Island.

"Some disagreeable news met us here. We heard that the French authorities at Tahiti were very indignant at our having carried off the natives of islands under their protection, and that they had sent out several cruisers to intercept us. One of our vessels, the `Mercedes,'

had been seized with a hundred and fifty natives on board. The vessel had been condemned and sold, the captain sentenced to five years' penal servitude, and the supercargo to ten. Besides her four or five other vessels had been captured and carried into Tahiti, where they were detained. One, having been taken without any natives, was allowed to return to Callao after she had been compelled to dispose of all her rice and other provisions, so as to make it impossible for her to proceed on her voyage. Besides this, the French Governor of Tahiti had sent to the Peruvian Government demanding that every native who had been taken from islands under French protection should be delivered up, and heavy damages paid for any who might be missing. However, as these formed but a very small number of the natives captured, the matter in itself was not of much consequence. The fear was that not only the French but the English might send out cruisers and interfere in all directions with our proceedings. The profit, however, and the demand for labour was so great, that in spite of the difficulties to be encountered, the merchant I spoke of resolved to persevere in the undertaking, although it would be necessary to use even greater precautions than before.

"This first voyage will give you an idea of two or three others which I made shortly afterwards, when we collected our pa.s.sengers much in the same way as before, though we took care only to visit islands the least frequented by European vessels, so that our proceedings might be kept as secret as possible.

"Ill luck, however, at length set against us. Some of our vessels were wrecked, the natives rose and murdered the crew of one, the French captured several more, and the Peruvian government, compelled to listen to the complaints which were made, interfered, and considerable difficulties were thrown in the way of landing the islanders. The `Andorinha,' after her long career of success, was driven on a coral reef, when the captain and supercargo and most of the crew perished. I was washed on sh.o.r.e, more dead than alive. Fortunately for me, it was near a village of Christian natives, one of whom found me on the beach, and carried me to his hut, and fed and clothed me, and took care of me till I recovered. He knew the character of the vessel, for we had some time before carried off several natives from that very island, but I told him that I was an Englishman, and compelled by the Spaniards to remain on board. He replied that it mattered not who I was or what I had been about, that I was suffering and in distress, and that his religion taught him to feed and clothe the hungry and naked, and to do good to his enemies--that as long as I chose I might remain, and that if I wished to go I might depart in peace. I was sure he did not believe the account I gave of myself, and I own I did not feel as comfortable as I should have liked. He and his family had prayers and sang hymns morning and evening; and on Sunday, as well as on other days in the week, they attended a large chapel, where a native missionary preached.

The other people in the village did the same. All this did not suit me, and I determined to get away as soon as I had the chance. No vessel appearing, however, I told my host that I should like to see other parts of his island, and that I would make a trip through it. He replied that I might do as I wished, but that as some of the natives were heathens or `devil's men,' as he called them, they might not treat me well. I answered that I would run the risk of that, and as to their being heathens, that was all the same to me. It only, indeed, made me the more eager to be among them, as I thought I should have greater liberty than with my psalm-singing friends. I accordingly walked away with a stick in my hand, for I had no clothes except those on my back.

Wherever I went the natives received me kindly, and gave me such food as I wanted.

"After travelling some days, I found myself in a village where there was no church and no school, and the people did not trouble themselves much about clothing. I guessed by this that they were heathens. The chief, a young man, invited me to stop with him, and a.s.sist him in his battles.

I soon showed him that I was a good hand with a musket, and he remarked that before long the time might come when I could use it. He was just then, however, with some of his friends, going to catch pigeons in the woods. We had first a grand kava feast, the drink they make from certain roots, which they first chew in their mouths. Each of the young men had several trained pigeons, which are taught to fly round and round in the air at the end of a long string, and to come back to their masters when called. Each man had, besides, a small net fixed to the end of a bamboo forty feet in length. On arriving at the wood a large circle was cleared of bush, and a wall of stones built round it. Each sportsman had also a small arbour of boughs erected, in which he could sit hidden just outside the wall. In front of him sat his pigeon on a perch stuck in the ground, while by his side rested his net, ready to be raised in a moment.

"When all was prepared, the decoy birds were let fly as far as the string, forty or fifty feet in length, would allow them, when they circled round and round, and to and fro, over the open ground. The wild birds, on seeing them, collected from all quarters to learn what they were about. The sportsmen then drew down their birds, when, as soon as the wild birds came near enough, they raised their nets, and seldom failed to capture one of the wild pigeons. In an instant the bird was brought down. Bird after bird was caught in the same manner. Before commencing the game, stakes were put in, and he who caught the greatest number of pigeons won them.

"We remained nearly a month engaged in this sport, spending the morning in bird-catching, and the evening in feasting. I tried my hand at it, but though, after a few days' practice, I managed to catch several birds, I did not succeed as well as the young chiefs. This was more to my interest, for had I beat them, perhaps they might have become jealous of me.

"Altogether, this sort of life suited me much better than that which I led with the Christian natives. They were a hospitable sort of people, and I had as much liberty as I could wish for.

"Among other curious things I observed while I was among them, was the way they manufactured the cloth with which they make their dresses.

They used the bark of the paper mulberry tree. The young tree is first cut down, and the bark stripped off; it is then steeped in water for a couple of days, when the inner bark is separated from the coa.r.s.e outer bark. This is then beaten until it becomes as thin as silver-paper, and much increased in size. Even then it is scarcely a foot wide; but the edges are overlapped, and stuck together with arrow-root melted in water. It is then again beaten till all the parts are completely joined. Pieces are thus made of many yards in length, such as I saw during my first visit to these islands. They are afterwards dyed of various colours, red, brown, and yellow, and patterns are put on with a sort of stamp.

"Though the heathen natives wore very few clothes generally, they at times dressed up in robes formed of the cloth I have described, which has a very handsome appearance.

"I might tell you a good deal more about these people. I had made up my mind to remain among them; but people, as you know, don't do always what they intend. Such was my case in the present instance, as you shall hear. But pa.s.s the grog-bottle. I must wet my whistle before I move along."

I was almost sick with listening to the account of the atrocities witnessed if not perpetrated by the old ruffian, our host, and was inclined to stop him, but his tongue once set going that was more than I could do, and so on he went again.

CHAPTER THREE.

"One day a brig brought up in the harbour near which I happened to be staying, and the crew came on sh.o.r.e. She belonged to Sydney, New South Wales, and as they talked to me about that place I was seized with a fancy to go there. Fearing that the chief would not let me get away, I told him that I was just going on board to pay my countrymen a visit. I kept below during the remainder of the day, and next morning the brig got under weigh, and stood out of the harbour. She was the `Tickler,'

engaged in the sandal-wood trade, and had still several places to visit to complete her cargo, which she was obliged to pick up here and there, and often had a hard job to get it. The captain was in no way particular how he managed. I was on board for some months and saw some curious things done.

"The wood mostly grows on the Western Islands, north and south of the line. On one occasion we came off a place where the captain understood it was to be procured from the mountains, some way in the interior. We managed to entice the chief of the district on board by promising him some presents, if he would come and fetch them. As soon as we had got him, the captain told his people that unless they would bring twelve boats' loads of sandal-wood off he would carry him away as a prisoner.

The savages exclaimed that the white men were very cruel and unjust, but the captain did not mind that, as they were only savages, do you see; and as they did not wish to lose their chief, they were obliged to comply. The captain told him that it he didn't behave himself and hold his tongue, he would double the quant.i.ty. The chief, seeing that the captain was in earnest, ordered his people to go and fetch the wood, when the whole neighbourhood had to turn out and cut it. In the course of two or three days it was brought on board.

"Having got the wood we sailed away to another place. These savages are content with curious articles in exchange for their wood. Instead of money the brig had on board a quant.i.ty of small white sh.e.l.ls, the teeth of sharks and other animals, as also pigs, cats, and goats. So eager are they to possess these animals that they would sometimes give a ton of sandal-wood for a goat or cat. One day a native came on board with a small quant.i.ty of sandal-wood when our sh.e.l.ls had run short. The mate offered him some tobacco, which he did not want. He got angry and said he must have a sh.e.l.l, when the mate without more ado pulled out his revolver: it went off, and the native was shot dead. The body was thrown overboard, and the sandal-wood remained with us, though the man's friends wanted payment for it. The captain told the mate he should not have been so careless as to shoot the man, and then thought no more about the matter.

"Our object, however, being to get sandal-wood, the captain cared little as to the means. The lazy islanders in some places, where it grew abundantly, would not take the trouble of cutting it, so the captain devised a plan for obtaining what he wanted. We visited for this purpose an island where the natives were friendly with the white men, and enticed a number on board. When we had got them the captain told them that he would give them their liberty if they would go on sh.o.r.e at a place to which he would take them, and cut as much sandal-wood as he wanted. Back we sailed to the island where the sandal-wood grew. We then took them on sh.o.r.e, and landing with a strong party of armed men, guarded them while they cut the wood, which the inhabitants seemed to object to their doing. They worked well, for they were anxious to go back to their own island. We had to shoot a few of the inhabitants who came too close to us with their spears and clubs, but they were savage black fellows, and terrible cannibals, and so to my mind there was no great harm in shooting them.

"The wood was cut and carried down by our natives to the boats. We had now got pretty well as much as the brig would carry, but the captain told them to go back and cut more. They said they were afraid, lest the black fellows should kill them. The captain answered that that was their look out, and that if they wanted their liberty the wood must be cut. When we had got it into the boats we returned to the brig; the captain then ordered the anchor to be hove up, saying that he could not spare time to go back to the island from which the natives had come, and that he had fulfilled his contract by giving them their liberty and leaving them on sh.o.r.e.

"As we sailed out of the harbour, we saw some of them running down to the beach, and waving their hands to us, with the black fellows at their heels. They were soon overtaken, and one after the other were knocked over by the clubs of the savages, who, to my belief, ate the whole of them; for the inhabitants of that island were well known, as I have said, to be fearful cannibals.

"Now, perhaps some people may think that the captain of the `Tickler'

didn't behave quite straightforward in the matter; but that's no business of mine. What he had to do was to get a shipload of sandal-wood as cheaply as he could, and he did his best to save expense.

To be sure, others who came after us might have suffered, because the savages were not very likely to trust them. We ourselves were nearly cut off on one occasion, when visiting a large island called New Caledonia. Though we had seen a number of natives gathering on the coast, we pulled in without fear, supposing that their clubs and spears could not reach us, and a volley of small arms would soon put them to flight. As we pulled on we heard them shouting to us, and shrieking loudly. They were a jet-black, fine race of fellows. We could see that some of them had long spears in their hands, but others seemed to be unarmed. Suddenly, however, down there came upon us a thick shower of stones, wounding two or three of our number, which was immediately followed by a whole flight of spears, when more of us were wounded, while several stuck in the boat. The order was given to pull round; and glad enough we were to get out of their reach.

"I afterwards heard that the natives of these islands use a sling, not only for throwing stones, which they can send to a great distance, but for casting their spears, which, as we found, far as they were off, came rattling down upon us in a very unpleasant manner.

"One of our men was killed. When at a safe distance we fired two or three volleys in return, and probably killed some of them; but they quickly got under cover. We then once more pulled in, thinking that they had taken to flight; but they were up again in an instant, and the whole sh.o.r.e appeared lined with warriors. We therefore came to the conclusion, that instead of carrying them off as labourers, they were more likely to kill and eat us, should we land on their island. We pulled away and steered for another place, where we expected to find the natives more peaceably disposed or more easily captured.

"I afterwards heard that several vessels went there, some of which had the crews of their boats murdered on going on sh.o.r.e, while in two or three cases the vessels themselves were attacked, and every one on board put to death. All I can say is, that whatever people may think of our doings, we were not worse than others. I heard of several things which will prove this. Among others, a sandal-wood trader had called at the island of Mare, when three young men swam off to her, wishing to trade on their own account. They were bargaining with the captain, who offered to give them less than they wanted for their sandal-wood, which they had piled up on sh.o.r.e, ready to embark. They grew angry, and declared that they would keep their sandal-wood. On this, without more ado, he drew out his revolver and shot two of them dead on the deck; the other leaped overboard, and the captain ordered the crew to fire at him.

He had got some distance, when a shot struck him, and he sank. The captain then sent a boat on sh.o.r.e, and brought away the sandal-wood.

Another captain was on a sandal-wood cruise, when he put in not far from Erromanga, where he found the people at war with another tribe some distance round the coast. As abundance of sandal-wood grew on the hills in the distance, he tried to persuade them to bring him a supply down to the beach. They replied that they could not do so then, as they were engaged in war, when he told them that if they would supply him with the wood, he would go and conquer their enemies for them. The people thought this a fine thing, and agreed to the proposal. So the vessel went round the coast, to where the opposing tribe resided. If he had began to fire away at once on them, they would have escaped into the woods, and he probably would not have caught a man. He therefore pretended to be very friendly, and managed to entice a number on board.

When he had got them, his crew set upon them, and killed some on deck, and shot others who had leaped overboard and were trying to make their escape. One was taken alive, and another desperately wounded. Having thrown the dead bodies overboard, he sailed back with the living prisoner and the other man, who soon died, to his friends. By this time they had the sandal-wood ready, so he made over the living and dead prisoners into their hands, and received the sandal-wood in return. As the people were cannibals, it was easy to guess what they did with their prisoners.

"It cannot be said that we did anything worse than this; but, bless you, I might tell you a hundred other things which either we did or I heard of done by sandal-wood traders in those parts. I was not over particular, so didn't mind, but I wanted the voyage to be over, that I might get to Sydney, and have a spree on sh.o.r.e.

"We got there at last, and our cargo realised a large profit, as the price was known to be up at the time in the China market, for which it was destined.

"I hadn't been there long, before I found my pockets pretty well cleaned out of cash, and had to think of what I should do next.

"I was sitting one day in a grog shop near the harbour, where I was allowed to run up a score though my last shilling was spent, and I didn't exactly know how I was to pay for it, when somehow or other I lost my senses. I might have been asleep, or I might have been drunk.

When I came to myself, I was in the fore peak of a small vessel, and when I went on deck I found that we were out of sight of land. It was not the first time that such a thing had happened to me, and so I was not going to make a fuss about it. I looked round on my new shipmates, who were about as rough a lot as I ever set eyes on; may be I was not very different from them, but we hadn't a looking-gla.s.s on board that craft, so, do you see, I was not able to judge. I asked the name of the craft, where we were bound for, and the object of the voyage.

"My shipmates laughed.

"`Where were you raised: you don't look as green as you would wish to make us fancy,' said one without answering my question.

"`I was raised in a country where they grow bull-dogs, which are more apt to bite than to bark,' I growled out. `When I ask a question I expect a civil answer. I was at sea, and crossed the line a dozen times while most of you were still sucking pap, and so you will understand that though I don't exactly know how I came to be aboard this craft, you had better not try to pa.s.s off your tricks on me.'

"I thought this would have made them bowse on the slack of their jaw-tackles, but they were banded together, and fancied they could say what they liked to me. One young fellow only, Bill Harding was his name, I found stood aloof from them, and cried out that it was a shame to attack an old fellow like me, though I might have got hocussed and shipped on board without knowing it. On that one of them, Jos Noakes they called him, goes up to Bill, and begins blackguarding him. He stood as cool as a cuc.u.mber, with a smile on his good-looking face. He was the only one among the lot who was not as ugly as sin.

"Says Bill to Jos, `You had better not. I have floored many a man who could beat you with his little finger, and so, Jos, to my mind, you will get the worst of it.'

"I pulled out my pipe and lighted it, for, d'ye see, there's nothing like a bit of baccy for keeping a man cool, and cool I wanted to be just then. This showed them more than anything else what I was made of.

"There Bill stood waiting to see what Jos would do, while the rest gathered round edging Jos on. Jos doubled his fists, getting nearer and nearer to Bill, and at last made a hit at him. In a moment Bill's arms were unfolded, and he struck out and caught Jos's ugly face a blow which sent him reeling backwards, till he lay kicking like a turtle on his back.

"`Sarve you right, Jos,' cried out several voices, and now most of the crew seemed to side with Bill.

"Jos had had enough of it, and sneaked below to bathe his jaws in water.