Kidnapping in the Pacific; Or, The Adventures of Boas Ringdon
Page 17
taking mine, spoke to me in English,and I found that he was the very lad I had before known. He had been toNew Zealand in the meantime, and had become a sort of missionary to hiscountrymen. I told him I would do my best to help him while on board.He said he didn't mind labouring, but thought it was his duty to remainat his island to try to make the people Christians. The owner onlylaughed at him, but remarked to me that if he had known he spokeEnglish, he would have let him alone, as he might be telling tales tothe authorities.
"We were somewhat overcrowded, as may be supposed. It was bad enoughfor the savages, but worse for a man who had seen something of civilisedlife. I took my friend food, and let him remain on deck during mywatch, as he promised me that he would not leap overboard.
"We were delayed by calms, and one day we drifted in close to the islandof Poru. How the blacks knew where we were I don't know, but somehow orother they found out that we were near the shore, and, without amoment's warning, they managed to lift off the hatches, and up they cameswarming on deck, with all sorts of things they had got hold of in theirhands. The owner and captain rushed out of the cabin, crying out to thecrew to assist them, and drive the savages down below again. I was atthe time at the bowsprit end at some work or other, and my missionaryfriend was in the bows. Just as I looked round on hearing the noise, Isaw the owner and captain knocked down, and in a moment their heads werealmost cut off, and they were hove overboard. The first mate had comeup with his revolver, fighting for his life, and shooting the natives asfast as he could right and left. By chance he had shot one of the crewwho had gone to his assistance, and the next instant he himself wasknocked down, and treated as the captain and owner had been. I had beenmaking my way into the bows to assist them, when my friend Maka seizedme by the arm, and dragged me down the fore hatchway.
"`Their blood is up now,' he whispered. `Stay quiet till they cooldown, and I will save your life.'
"I followed his advice, and he stowed me away under a heap of clothes inthe foremost bunk.
"The native part of the crew didn't join the blacks, but I can't saythat they seemed to me to be doing much to help the owner and white men.
"A strong breeze had sprung up off the land, which I guessed the vesselwas fast leaving. I had been hid away some time, when I felt as if Iwas suffocating; and unable to bear it longer, I threw off the thingsabove me, and found that the fore peak was filled with smoke. I at onceknew that the vessel was on fire. I was nearly dropping back, when Ifelt a hand seize me, though I could see nothing for the smoke, and Iheard Maka's voice, saying, `Come on deck, I will save your life.' Hedragged me up, and I sat down for a moment on the heel of the bowsprit.Smoke was coming up through the hatchways, and flames were alreadybursting out in the after part of the vessel. The blacks, seized withterror, without stopping to get hold of anything to support themselves,were leaping overboard, and striking out for the far-distant land. Inever before saw such a sight, three hundred of them in the watertogether. It seemed to me that they would have very little chance ofever reaching the shore, but their only thought was to get away from theburning ship.
"Maka had an axe in his hand, he put another into mine, and we set towork to cut away whatever would serve to form a raft. We got hold ofseveral spars and ropes; we had little time to spare, for we expectedevery moment to have the flames burst out beneath our feet. We at lastgot our raft overboard. Maka had secured some meal and a small keg ofwater. We had just time to lash ourselves to the raft, when the flamesburst out forward, and the ship was on fire fore and aft.
"By this time we could just distinguish a dark line in the water, whichmarked where the blacks were making their way towards the land.
"`Poor fellows,' said Maka. `Very few swim so far.'
"Our case was bad enough, for even with a couple of paddles, which wemanaged to make while on the raft, out of some spars we had brought forthe purpose, we could scarcely hope, with the breeze against us, toreach the shore. Our water and provisions would not hold out long, andno vessel was likely to come near us.
"It was near evening when the fire broke out. The sun went down, butthe flames of the burning vessel lighted up the ocean around us, andthen the full moon rose, and seemed to cheer us up a little.
"Maka talked to me about my soul, for he didn't seem to think that weshould have much chance of escaping with our lives; but I begged that hewould not put gloomy thoughts into my mind. He sat and talked on; thetruth is, however, I couldn't understand what he was talking about, itwas all so new to me.
"Towards morning the vessel burned to the water's edge, and then the searushing in, down she went, and we lay floating, with only the light ofthe moon to cheer us.
"When the sun rose I found that we had drifted still further from theland, which was no longer in sight.
"It is not pleasant to think of the time I spent on that raft. Severaldays went by, and we consumed all our meal and water. I thought Ishould die, and at last was more dead than alive. I lay on my back withmy eyes shut, and a piece of wood under my head which Maka had put thereto prevent the water washing over me, while he sat up by my side singinghymns, and keeping up his spirits in a way I could not have supposedpossible.
"While I thus lay I heard him give a shout, and he helped me to sit up.I saw the land which I didn't suppose we were near, and a canoe withfour natives close to us. I suppose they were Christians, for insteadof knocking us on the head, they took Maka and me on board, and welcomedhim as a friend, giving us food and treating us very kindly in theirvillage, to which they carried us. We there heard that of all thesavages which had been on board the brig, only thirty had reached theshore. It's a wonder that even they managed to do it, considering thedistance. The rest had been drowned, or picked off by the sharks.
"I had had enough of carrying labourers to work for the planters ofQueensland or Fiji--kidnapping, I fancy you call it; and so I determinedto remain where I was. However, as the customs of the Christian nativesdidn't quite suit me, I came away here, where I took a wife and settled,and intend to remain for the rest of my days. I am too old to knockabout at sea as I used to do. Maka went back in a missionary vessel tohis native island to labour on, as he told me, and try and make thepeople Christians. I hope he will succeed if he wishes it, for he is anhonest fellow, I'll say that for him."
The old fellow thus brought his yarn to a close. I am able tocorroborate most of his statements, observed my young friend, for wevisited many of the places he speaks of, and from the information wereceived I am convinced that he in no way overdraws the atrociouspractices of many of the sandal-wood traders, or fellows engaged inkidnapping the natives of the Pacific Islands. The villainous doings ofthe African slave trade is an old story and known to all, but as far asI can judge they do not surpass those of the kidnappers of the Pacificat the present day. In the one case the white men merely receivedslaves captured by their own countrymen, and conveyed them across to theAmerican coast; but in the Pacific we find white men, in some instances,depopulating whole islands, and capturing indiscriminately by fraud orviolence, the natives of others, although nominally to labour as freemen, yet in reality to be reduced to a condition little superior to realbondage.
After I had heard old Ringdon's narrative, I felt more anxious than everto get hold of some of these kidnapping gentlemen. When, three daysafterwards, the ship standing in took me and the boat's crew off, and Itold the captain what I had heard, he sent to try to induce Ringdon tocome on board, and give further information which might help us incapturing some of his former acquaintances, but the old fellow was notto be moved. Indeed, I suspect that should he have the opportunity, hewould be very willing, for a sufficient consideration, to act as agentto any kidnapping skipper who might think fit to employ him.
I might mention several naval officers as well as consuls, missionaries,and respectable merchants at Sydney, Brisbane, and elsewhere, who wouldacknowledge that the main features of the account I have given areperfectly true, however much they might be
inclined to doubt the word inordinary matters of the old seaman who gave them to me.
It should be clearly understood that old Ringdon's narrative refers totimes gone by. The Governments of Queensland and the Fiji Islands, nowannexed to England have passed enactments for the prevention of theatrocious proceedings he describes. At the same time, as there arenumerous lawless white men living on the heathen islands of the Pacificsimilar in character to Ringdon who would be ready to ill-treat thehelpless natives if they should have the opportunity, it is importantfor the cause of humanity that men-of-war should continually cruiseamong them to preserve order and to punish delinquents.
The End.