countrymen could attempt to come to the rescue. At last, ledby the old chief, the former made a dash at our men who remained, whenseveral were of necessity shot down, the rest taking to flight, and weshoved off well content with having captured twenty stout young fellows,who were likely to prove serviceable labourers at the mines.
"Having at length got a full cargo, we returned to Easter Island, wherewe landed our captives. There they were to remain under a strong guardtill carried away by smaller vessels and landed on different parts ofthe coast of Peru. We meantime sailed for the westward.
"During the trip we occasionally fell in with our former consorts,engaged in the same business, and we found that they had succeeded incapturing a number of natives from different islands much in the sameway that we had done. Some were enticed on board by stratagem, otherstaken by force. No one engaged in the business was particular as towhat means were employed, provided they could succeed in the enterprise.One vessel had taken a whole cargo off one single island, known as HighIsland, the crew having landed and surrounded the villages one afteranother, shooting down all who resisted.
"The wealthy merchant who had fitted out the vessel must have beenhighly satisfied, as must also the English shareholders who advanced himthe money. Possibly they may or may not have been fully aware of themeans employed to ensure success.
"Whether these people, accustomed to an easy and luxurious life on theirsunny islands, would ultimately prove useful labourers in the darkmines, and be able to carry loads of ore down the steep, rocky sides ofthe mountains, I am not prepared to say. Our business was to catchthem--that of the merchant to sell them; while the overseers of themines had to see to the rest. If they died from hard work that wastheir look out.
"At length we arrived off Niue, or Savage Island, to which Captain Cookgave that name because the inhabitants were then and for many yearsafterwards fierce and barbarous in the extreme. Missionaries, bothnative and English, I had heard say, had gone among them, and the peoplehad all become Christians and civilised. We could see that a well-maderoad ran round the island, and at intervals there were white-washedcottages, with gardens full of flowers, and neat churches peeping outamong the trees.
"`These people,' the captain observed, `if we could get hold of them,were likely to prove mild and submissive, and of far more value than thesavages we had taken from some of the other islands.' It was necessary,however, to be cautious, or they might have suspected our intentions.
"We hove-to off the island, and the supercargo going on shore inquiredfor the English missionary. We found that his residence was on theother side, and we therefore judged that this would be a good place tocarry on our operations. The supercargo, pretending that he was afriend of the missionary, invited as many as were inclined to come offto the vessel, saying that he had a present for the missionary and a fewtrifles for the chiefs, and that he should also be glad to trade withthem for any articles they might produce.
"Meantime the other boats were in readiness with arms stowed away out ofsight. A large number of canoes at once paddled off to us, somecontaining ten, others four or five natives each. The people came onboard without hesitation, and while the captain kept them amused,showing some cases which he said contained the presents for themissionary and chiefs, bargaining for the few articles they had broughtwith them, the boats pushed away rapidly for the shore. A large numberof people were collected on the beach, but even when they saw the boatscoming, not observing any arms in the hands of the men, they were in noway alarmed. Their suspicions did not appear to be aroused, even whenour men formed on the shore.
"Keeping our weapons as much as possible concealed, we marched a littleway inland, then suddenly wheeling, with a loud shout rushed down uponthe natives. They seemed utterly paralysed, and though some few fled,the greater number stared at us as if wondering what we were next goingto do. We did not leave them long in doubt, but pressing round them,tripped them over, bound their arms, and in a short time made sixty ormore prisoners. They offered little or no resistance, and we soon hadall we had caught safely in the boat. As we pulled towards the vesselwe saw several canoes making for the shore, but with only two or threepeople in each, while her guns were playing on a few others which wereattempting to escape. We picked up several men who had jumpedoverboard, and when we got alongside we found that fully a hundred hadbeen secured. Altogether we got a hundred and sixty people from thatisland alone; some were old men, but most of them were young and active.They were all neatly dressed in shirts and trousers, and looked veryintelligent indeed; there was not one among them who could not read inhis native tongue, and they all said that they were Christians. Oursupercargo told them that so were we, but that we were real ones, whilethey, having only learned from the missionaries, were heretics.
"As they might have proved troublesome, we clapped them all down below,and kept the hatches on them.
"Wishing to capture more people from the same island, we immediatelymade sail, and stood along the coast, hoping to entice others on boardbefore the news of what had occurred had spread. We heard our prisonerstalking together, and soon they began knocking at the hatches, and underthe deck, and on the sides, shrieking to be let out, and entreating usto put them again on shore. Two of our men were stationed at thehatchway ready to shoot any who might break out. Still the people belowcontinued to make so much noise that the captain and mate becameenraged, and, with two other men, went below armed with boats'stretchers, and began to lay about them right and left, to bring thepeople to order. At last they were quiet, and we hoped that they hadlearned a lesson they would not forget. In the evening we heard them,instead of shouting and shrieking to be let out, singing hymns andpraying. Looking down into the hold, there we saw them all kneelingtogether as if in prayer; then an old man among them got up, and whilethey sat round him he began to speak to them, and the supercargo, whounderstood their language, said he was preaching; and when he hadfinished he stretched out his hands, and prayed to God to bless them.After that they were quiet enough, and during the night gave us nofurther trouble.
"The next morning at daylight we stood in to another part of the coast.We saw several canoes quietly engaged in fishing, and so we guessed thatthe alarm had not spread thus far. We accordingly stood close in, whenseveral canoes came off to us. The captain, as usual, invited thepeople on board. Some of them spoke English, which the captain did notunderstand, and I was not inclined to answer them. As they might havebeen alarmed had they seen armed men at the hatchway, those who had beenstationed there were withdrawn. The new arrivals spoke rather loudly toeach other; their voices were heard by their countrymen below, who,making a sudden rush at the fore hatch, forced it off and sprang upondeck.
"The alarm was given immediately; those who had last come, as well asour captives, began to leap overboard. We all rushed upon them, knockedthose we could catch down, and shut close the hatchway. The captainthen ordered us to fire on the people in the water swimming for theshore, while the boats were manned and sent in pursuit of the fugitives.Two or three were hit, some sank, and only a few succeeded in gainingone of the canoes; the rest were all retaken. In the canoe whichescaped was one young man who was shot just as he got into it: hiscompanions, however, managed to paddle off. Those who had been retakenwere well beaten, and forced down below.
"As there was no use remaining longer at Savage Island, we sailed forSamoa.
"We avoided the principal harbours, and kept cruising along the coast,picking up several canoes which came off to us. Occasionally we went onshore to obtain water and vegetables, always being on our guard lest ourbusiness might be suspected, and we ourselves entrapped. At one placewhere we landed for this purpose, we found the natives under an oldwarrior chief preparing to attack a neighbouring tribe. `This is justthe opportunity for us,' observed our supercargo; `if we help the oldchief, we may bargain that we are to have all the prisoners.' Thesupercargo on this began to talk to the chief about the arms and men wepossessed, and to hint that
we might possibly be persuaded to assist himin conquering his enemies. The old chief at once took the bait, andpromised us anything we might ask if we would assist him. Thesupercargo replied that our captain would be very moderate in hisdemands, and that we should be content if we might have all theprisoners. We agreed to come on shore with ten men to help him. Thecaptain, however, had arranged to send all the boats, which were to keepin the rear of the enemy, and, as soon as the battle began, the crewswere to land, and carry off as many warriors as they could lay hands on.
"Early the next morning we landed with our muskets, and found the armydrawn up for battle. The warriors were armed with spears and shortclubs, and their hair dressed up in the strangest fashion, and stuckfull of feathers. They were almost naked, with the exception of kiltsround their waists. We kept in the rear, ready to advance when calledupon to act, and the warriors marched
Kidnapping in the Pacific; Or, The Adventures of Boas Ringdon Page 7
