by Louis Becke
Produced by David Widger
THE ADVENTURE OF ELIZABETH MOREY, OF NEW YORK
From "The Tapu Of Banderah and Other Stories"
By Louis Becke
C. Arthur Pearson Ltd.
1901
In the sea story of Australia, from the days of Captain Phillip in 1788,to the end of the "fifties" in the present century, American ships andseamen have no little part. First they came into the harbour of SydneyCove as traders carrying provisions for sale to the half-starvedsettlers, then as whalers, and before another thirty years had passed,the starry banner might be met with anywhere in the Pacific, from thesterile shores of the Aleutian Islands to the coasts of New Zealand andTasmania.
Early one morning in October, 1804, the American ship _Union_ sailed inthrough Sydney Heads, and dropped anchor in the Cove. She was last fromTongatabu, the principal island of the Friendly Group. As soon as shehad been boarded by the naval officer in charge of the port, and herpapers examined, the master stated that he had had a very excitingadventure with the Tongatabu natives, who had attempted to cut off theship, and that there was then on board a young woman named ElizabethMorey, whom he had rescued from captivity among the savages.
In a few minutes the young woman made her appearance in the main cabin,and was introduced to the officer. Her age was about six-and-twenty,and her manners "extremely engaging;" yet whilst she expressed herwillingness to tell the story of her adventures among the islanders, shedeclined to say anything of her birth or parentage beyond the fact thatshe was a native of New York, and some years previously had made her wayto the Cape of Good Hope.
Her extraordinary narrative was borne out in all details as far as herrescue was concerned by the master of the _Union_, who, she said, hadtreated her with undeviating kindness and respect.
This is her story:--
In February of the year 1802, when she was living at the Cape of GoodHope, she made the acquaintance of a Captain Melton, the master ofthe American ship _Portland_. His dashing appearance, his command ofapparently unlimited money, and his protestations of affection for theunfortunate girl soon led her to respond to his advances, and ultimatelyto consent to accompany him on a voyage to the islands of the SouthPacific.
After a prosperous voyage the _Portland_ arrived at what is now known asNukualofa Harbour, on the Island of Tongatabu. Within a few hours afteranchoring, Captain Melton received a note from a white man named Doyle,who was the only European living on the island, asking him to come onshore and visit the chief, who particularly wished to see him and securehis aid in repelling an invasion from the neighbouring group of islandsknown as Haabai. Had Melton known that this man Doyle was an escapedconvict from Van Dieman's Land, he would at least have been careful; hadhe known that the man was, in addition, a treacherous and bloodthirstyvillain, he would have hove-up anchor, and, sailing away, escaped hisfate. But Doyle, in his note, enumerated the advantages that wouldaccrue to him (Melton) by assisting the chief, and the seaman fell intothe trap. "You must try," said the writer of the letter, "to send atleast one boat's crew well armed."
Melton was a man with an elastic conscience. Without troubling his headas to the right or wrong side of this quarrel among savages, he promptlycomplied with the request of the beachcomber, and called for volunteers;the whole of the ship's company responded. The chief mate, Gibson,picked four men; Anderson, the second officer, eight men, and these wereat once despatched on shore by the captain.
The engagement came off on the following day, and the American alliesof the chief (whom Miss Morey calls Ducara) inflicted fearful slaughterupon the enemy, and returned to the ship highly satisfied withthemselves, and their native friends, who promised them every indulgencelikely to gratify their tastes.
In the evening Ducara himself came on board, and politely thanked thecaptain for his assistance. He slept all night in the cuddy, attendedby Doyle, his minister of destruction, and took his leave early in themorning, promising to send ample refreshments on board in part returnfor favours received, and requesting that boats should be sent thatevening to convey his gifts to the ship. Within a few hours after thechief had returned to the shore, many hundreds of stalwart natives wereseen carrying baskets of provisions down to the beach, and piling themin heaps in readiness for the boats. Melton, at this stage, seemed tohave some sort of suspicion in his mind about sending the boats ashoreafter dark, for he gave the mate instructions not to despatch them untilhe gave orders. The mate, however, who had been smitten by the beauty ofa Tongan girl who had expressed her unqualified approval of his fightingcapabilities in a very unconventional manner, had the utmost confidencein the good will of the natives, and took it upon himself to disobeyhis captain's commands; consequently two boats were sent off just asdaylight was breaking, and whilst the skipper lay asleep in his cabin.
Within a couple of hours the smaller of the two boats returned, loadedwith yams, "gnatu" (tappa cloth), baked pigs, and fish. She was steeredby the beachcomber, Doyle, and was rowed by two of the ship's boys,instead of the four men who had taken her ashore; these boys, it mustbe mentioned, had formed part of the crew of the larger boat, and hadremained on the beach whilst the men had gone into the village at theinvitation of Doyle and his fellow-conspirators. They, therefore, knewnothing of what had kept their shipmates from returning to the boats,when Doyle appeared and said he wished to go off to the ship, and thatthe others would follow later on.
Accompanying the boat was a flotilla of canoes, filled with hundreds ofsavages, who were allowed to come alongside, though the girl Moreywas so terrified by their savage aspect that she begged her loverto instantly recall the rest of his men and heave up anchor. Melton,however, although he was now in a state of suspense owing to thenon-appearance of his boats' crews, answered her calmly enough.
"The two boys and Doyle say that the hands went up to the chiefs houseto see a native dance," he said. "I'll punish them for it when theyreturn."
Meanwhile the boat was unloaded, and again sent on shore with thetwo boys, and Doyle's native friends clambered up on board from anyaccessible part of the ship. The beachcomber himself, a wild-looking,dark-skinned ruffian, who had clothed himself in a shirt and trousers,now came aft and again assured the captain that he need feel no alarmat the great number of naked savages who now thronged the deck, from thewindlass right aft to the wheel. Perhaps, however, the villain had somefeeling of humanity in his vile heart, for seeing the terrified face ofthe girl Morey, he suggested that she should go below until the nativeshad returned to the shore.
But so impressed was she with a sense of imminent peril that she refusedto leave the poop, and begged Melton earnestly, "for God's sake to takeheed, and not thrust himself among the savages on the main deck."
The beachcomber gave her a glance--half rage, half pity; then with hisleft hand he suddenly dashed her aside, and with a ferocious yell sprangat Melton and thrust a dagger into the throat of the unfortunate man. Inan instant his savage followers began their work of slaughter, and Mr.Gibson, the chief mate, the boatswain, and four seamen were soon lyingdead upon the bloodstained decks, their heads battered out of all humansemblance by the clubs of the islanders.
Two lads, Miss Morey, and her negro servant-woman, were spared, buthurried down below.
The bodies of the murdered men were at once thrown overboard to thesharks by Doyle's orders, and he then directed the natives to clear thedecks.
Elizabeth Morey, terrified out of her senses at the dreadful scenes shehad witnessed, attempted to spring overboard, but the beachcomber caughther as she came on deck, urged her not to be frightened, and promisedher "in the name of the Virgin" that no harm should come t
o her. Assoon as the decks had been ridden of all traces of the bloody work justcompleted, the half-unconscious girl was lifted over the side, placed ina canoe, taken on shore, and handed over to the care of a chiefs wife.
When she came to her senses she learnt from Doyle that all who were leftalive of the ship's company were herself and servant, a Malay seaman,five boys, and an old sailor, who was a dwarf; the latter had evidentlybeen spared, either on account of the natives ranking him as a boy,or from their aversion to inflict injuries upon any one physically ormentally afflicted.
The following three days were spent by the natives in unloading theship, the work being carried on in the most systematic manner under thecommand of Doyle, the survivors of the crew being compelled to assist inthe task. The cargo, which consisted mainly of bales of cotton, wasgot on shore in something less than a week; then the islanders began todismantle the ill-fated ship. By the eighth day all the
