New Caledonia. The people are all blacks, a strong, hardy race,and, as Captain Squid remarked to me, more likely to be caught, and whencaught better able to work than the brown-skinned natives to theeastward, such as we used to take away to labour in the mines in SouthAmerica.
"The first place we came to was the Island of Tanna, one of thesouthernmost of the New Hebrides. We knew that missionaries were theretrying to turn the people into Christians--an odd sort of work to mymind for white people to attempt. It would not do, however, to go nearwhere they were. We stood in, therefore, to a part of the island wherethey were not. Having hove-to, we sent a boat on shore to invite thepeople to come off with palm oil, telling them that we would pay a highprice for it. The second mate, who went in command of the boat with theinterpreter, was ordered to be very cautious lest the natives shouldattempt to cut him off.
"Having delivered his message, he returned to the schooner. To oursurprise, in a short time three canoes were seen coming off with a dozennatives in them. They came alongside without fear, and told theinterpreter that they were Christians, and friends of the white men.The captain invited them on board, and said that he would not only paythem well for their oil, but would, if they chose, take them to acountry where they might soon become rich, and return home again in ashort time. They replied that they had no desire to leave their nativeisland, and wanted to receive payment for their oil. The captain saidthey should have it if they would come down below, where he had got afeast ready for them. An old man of the party advised them to remain ondeck till they had received the goods they had bargained for. Someliquor on this was brought up, and they were asked to take a drop. Theold man again advised them not to touch it, and took hold of his oil-jaras if he was about to lower it into his canoe. Notwithstanding what theold man said, two or three of them tasted the grog, and then, first oneand then another, went down below. The old man cried out to them, andwas about to lower his jar into the canoe, when, at a word from thecaptain, one of our people seized it, while another caught hold of him.The interpreter at the moment appearing, declared that the oil had beenbought, and that he had no business to carry it away. By this time halfthe natives were below. The old man struggled, he was knocked down, andwhen his companions came to his assistance they were knocked down also.Before they could get up again their arms were pinioned, while those whowere below were treated in the same way. The captain declared that thesavages intended to take the vessel, that he did not believe they wereChristians, and that in his own defence he was obliged to carry themoff.
"`You will understand, my lads,' he said to us, `if any questions areasked when we get to Brisbane that's the answer we must give.'
"The canoes of the savages alongside were sunk, and letting draw theforesail, we stood away along the coast, while the natives were stowedsnugly below. The captain seemed highly pleased with this successfulcommencement of our voyage.
"A short way further on, as we saw some natives on the shore, the boatwas sent in to speak to them. I went in her. As we approached thebeach, two young men were seen swimming off towing a quantity ofcocoa-nuts, which they told the interpreter they wished to barter forany goods we had brought. They were invited to come into the boat, butwere timid, and replied that we might have the cocoa-nuts, but must handout in return what we had to give. A few articles were accordingly heldup, and they were invited to come and receive them. Fearing they mightescape us, the moment they came alongside they were seized by the hairof their heads, and hauled into the boat. They cried out, saying thatthey were sons of a chief, and that, if we would set them free, we mighthave the cocoa-nuts. The mate laughed at them, and told them if theywould quietly come with us we would pay them handsomely. As they beganto struggle and tried to leap overboard, we had to hold them down. Thisbeing seen from the shore, the people became alarmed, and put on sothreatening a manner, that we were afraid of going nearer. Having nochance of getting more natives, we returned on board with the two youngmen, leaving their friends raging and threatening us in vain.
"The next place we touched at we were more successful, and got nearly adozen on board, who seemed well pleased at the thought of seeing theworld, and willingly agreed to sign the paper placed before them, thoughI suspect they knew very little about the meaning of it. They weredeadly enemies of those we had first taken. The two tribes had beenaccustomed to fight and eat each other, but, notwithstanding this, weturned the last comers down below to make friends with the others.
"We were standing away from the shore when two or three of the lastparty happened to hear how the first had been taken, and, becomingalarmed, attempted to leap overboard. Our men who had handspikes intheir hands hit at them to stop them doing this. The blows, however,being somewhat heavy, two fell dead on the deck, while a third made hisescape to the shore.
"It was a bad job, for we had hoped to obtain more labourers from thesame place.
"We got several, however, both men and women, from the Island of Vate.Here the captain had an agent, a clever fellow, who, for a musket andtobacco, was ready to do anything. He persuaded the natives that ifthey would go on board the schooner, they would be carried to amagnificent country, where, after working for a few moons, they wouldmake their fortunes, and be brought back in safety to their own island.
"The natives are almost as black as ebony, but tall and well-formed,wearing a broad wrapper of matting round their waists, and their hairgathered up into a bunch at the top of the head, and ornamented withfeathers; while the women wear a curious tail, which hangs down behindthem to the calves of their legs. The men also wear bands of shellsround their necks and arms, and rings in their ears.
"They seemed pretty contented when they came on board. The captain, bythe agent's desire, gave each of them a present to send to their friendson shore.
"`Mind you take good care of them, captain,' said old Sneezer, the namewe gave the black agent. `Be very kind, and bring them back all right.'
"`Ay, ay, never fear,' answered Captain Squid, and he winked at the oldfellow. `We know how to treat people properly aboard here if theybehave themselves.'
"You would have supposed by their looks that they were going on a partyof pleasure, but they soon changed their note, poor wretches! beforelong.
"We got a good many people from the Island of Erromanga, where oldSneezer was very useful. The natives, I had heard say, had murderedsome missionary fellows--Williams, and Harris, and others--and of courseit was but right, the captain observed, that we should punish them, sowe need not be in any way particular as to how we got hold of thesavages. Old Sneezer used to go on shore in the boat, and talk to them,and persuade them to come off to us, and in this way we got about thirtyor so without much difficulty. He tried to persuade one fellow he foundfishing in his canoe off the leeside of the island, and as he said hedid not want to leave home, Sneezer lugged him into the boat, and thensunk his canoe. He shrieked out, thinking he was going to be killed;but we told him he need not be alarmed, as we were only going to stealhim. Another black fellow we found on the shore alone, but he would notcome either, because he had got a wife and family at home, so Sneezer,without more ado, clapped his arms round him, and we hauled him into theboat, telling him that we were only just going to another island near athand, for a short time, and that he would then have his liberty.
"While pulling along the coast of another island in the boat, three mencame off to us in a canoe. Sneezer told them, as usual, the good luckin store for them. Two of them believed him, and agreed to come withus; the third jumped overboard. The mate struck out at him with theboat-hook, hooking him in the cheek, and hauled him on board. `Now, mylad, come with us,' says he, `whether you like it or no.' We soon hadthem on board, and stowed away below.
"We had now a full cargo; indeed, we could not well take in any more.The black with a hole in his cheek, and some others, didn't quite likethe treatment they received, and the first, making his way on deck,insisted on being put on shore again. He was at once knocked ba
ck intothe hold again; he tried to get up, followed by others, some of whom hadtheir bows and arrows, which they had been allowed to keep, it beingsupposed that they could do no harm with them. They began to shootaway, and a general fight took place in the hold, when the captain,thinking the blacks would gain possession of the vessel, ordered us tofire down upon them. The supercargo, who was, I'll allow, a preciousvillain, afraid that some of them might be killed, and that he shouldlose part of his cargo, though otherwise not caring for their lives,told us to shoot them in their legs, but not to kill them. It was alldark below, so that we could not see in what direction to fire. Somecotton was therefore fastened to the end of a long stick, and lighted;and when this was held down into the hold, we could take aim. Threesavages were shot, and, being hauled upon deck, were thrown overboard:two who were dead floated quietly away, but the third
Kidnapping in the Pacific; Or, The Adventures of Boas Ringdon Page 14
