A Narrative of the Mutiny, on Board the Ship Globe, of Nantucket, in the Pacific Ocean Part 6

Our canoe being leaky and very much out of repair, my master and I commenced taking her to pieces, for the purpose of re-building her; and we were occasionally employed upon her nearly two months, when we launched her, and commencing fis.h.i.+ng business, had alternately good and bad success. One day we had the good fortune to enclose, in a kind of wear made for the purpose, a large quant.i.ty of fishes, and with a scoopnet we caught a plentiful supply. After cooking them, we set out with a quant.i.ty to dispose of to the chiefs of Milly, where we arrived before night, on the same day of sailing. Very soon after our arrival I saw Lay and his master approaching the canoe, and we once more had a short but pleasant interview. I inquired of Lay how he fared, as to food, &c. His reply was, better than he expected, and that the natives were kind to him, always giving him his part. I informed him I had a basket of fish reserved for him as a present, which he requested me to keep till dark, that he might be enabled to carry them home without having them all begged by the natives. He came at night for the fish, and I retired, agreeably to my master's wishes to sleep in the canoe, to prevent the natives from stealing the remainder of the fish that were on board. The next morning my master was highly pleased to find that nothing was missing; and gave me liberty to go and see Lay. I went to the hut and found him with his master. They gave me a cordial welcome, and presented me with some cocoanuts in return for the fish.

Lay's master inquired of me very particularly respecting my master, and the quant.i.ty of fish we caught. I then returned to the canoe, carrying the cocoanuts, to deposite in the hold. My master asked me where I got them; I told him Lay's master gave them to me. If this minute detail should appear unimportant to the reader, he may draw a moral from it; for it evinces that my master was like other masters, desirous to know if his servant came honestly in possession of the cocoanuts. He then ordered me and his son to launch the canoe, which we did, got under sail for the Island we left the day before, and arrived back at night. We learned that during our absence the natives had caught a considerable quant.i.ty of fish; and in a few days we caught a large quant.i.ty more; loaded our canoe, and embarked for one of the head Islands to pay a visit, where we stopped some time. On our return, we commenced catching a kind of fish called by the natives _kierick_. They are about the size of a small codfish; and the manner of taking them is very curious--they make a line of the husk of cocoanuts, about the size of a cod line; they then in the canoe pa.s.s round the fish to the windward of the flat, then lie to till a considerable quant.i.ty of them get on the flat, then square away by the wind and run down and go round the flat with this line, and thus catch them, men, women, and children being employed. I have known them catch one hundred at a draught. The fish are afraid of the line, and when enclosed, taken by a scoopnet. After taking a sufficient quant.i.ty, they go on sh.o.r.e to prepare for cooking them, which is done by digging a large hole in the earth, filling it with wood, covered with stones. The wood is then consumed, which heats the stones--the fish are wrapped in leaves to prevent them from falling to pieces, then covered with green leaves, and cooked by the heat of the stones.

About an hour is required to cook them sufficient for eating. Their manner of curing fish, is, to split them and dry them in the sun, without using salt. Thus cured, they will keep some time. While we were employed in fis.h.i.+ng, Lay came to the Island, in company with a native, to visit me; but did not stay long, for the chief sent for him, fearing, as I afterwards found out, that they should lose us.

From some hints that had been dropped, a report had got in circulation that my master and Lamawoot, (Lay's master,) intended to leave their Islands, and embark for an Island to the north west, where the king lived, and carry us with them as a great curiosity. Lay was carried back to the chiefs--the head one sent an express to my master and Lay's to come and see him--they made preparations and set sail for Milly; where they were closely questioned respecting their going to the other Island, &c. &c. They denied that they had even intimated any such design; which was false, for I had frequently heard them talking on the subject myself, but kept silent, as it appeared to be a great crime for any to desert their Islands; and I feared the consequences of making it known.--They then parted in peace and friends.h.i.+p, and I and my master returned to our habitation.

We then went to an Island to catch fish, and a disagreement taking place between two of the natives, about some trifling affair, the particulars of which I did not learn, one of them took a spear belonging to the other, and after breaking it across his knee, with one half of it killed his antagonist, and left him. The parents of the man killed, being present, laid him out on some mats, and appeared to regret their loss very much. They kept a continual drumming over the body of the deceased for two or three days; after which he received a decent burial on another Island at some distance from the Island where he was killed.

CHAPTER IX.

Having a successful fis.h.i.+ng voyage, we loaded our canoe, and carried our cargo to the chiefs of _Luguonewort_. I had the satisfaction of an interview with Lay; but our provisions being soon exhausted, we were obliged to go again in search of fish. At this time there was a severe drought, and breadfruit trees suffered extremely, many of them entirely died. The superst.i.tious natives supposed the drought was sent upon them as a judgment, because myself and Lay were allowed to live.

I informed them that we could neither make it rain nor prevent it; but some of them were so ignorant that they believed we could control the weather. But some of the chiefs thought the drought was visited upon them because they had killed our s.h.i.+pmates, and I was always ready to join with them in that opinion. The drought continued about four months with such severity that most of the breadfruit trees on the small Islands were so completely dried up that they never sprouted again. Many of the ignorant natives still insisted that their sickness and drought were occasioned by suffering us to live upon their Islands; but this gross ignorance was counterbalanced by most of the chiefs, who believed differently, and to their more liberal opinion we are indebted for our lives.

About this time the Islands were refreshed by plentiful showers of rain, and the natives a.s.sembled at Milly to sing for the breadfruit to come in abundance. They said their singing would please _Anit_, and that he would reward them with a very great crop.

A disturbance existed between the high chief and his brother _Longerene_. The disagreement lasted about nine months, during which time the two brothers did not see or speak to each other. _Luttuon_, the high chief, then sent a canoe to inform his brother _Longerene_ that he wished to see him. An interview took place, and a treaty of peace was ratified.

During our stay at Milly, I had frequent opportunities of seeing Lay, my fellow sufferer; but the only relief we could afford each other was derived from a sympathy of feelings, and in conversations relating to our homes and native country, by blending our mutual wishes for a safe return, &c. &c. The reader can hardly conceive the unpleasantness of our situation at this time--the famine was so great that the tender branches of trees were cooked, and the nutricious juice drank as food.

My strength was so reduced in consequence of being deprived of my usual quant.i.ty of provisions, that I was unable to accompany my master on a fis.h.i.+ng voyage. When my master returned, he found me lying in the hut, and asked me what was the matter. I informed him my indisposition proceeded from hunger; he cooked a fish and gave me, which, though it afforded me some relief, was not half enough to satisfy the cravings of appet.i.te.

After I had recruited my strength, one day while engaged in fis.h.i.+ng, a canoe came to the Island; and as soon as the canoe was near enough for the natives in her to be heard, they commenced hallooing and making dreadful noises, which is their practice when war is declared. They informed us that the high chief had killed several of the lower chiefs who belonged to the Island called Alloo; that _Longerene_ had fled to Alloo, his own Island; and that the high chief was determined to pursue and kill him. We were ordered to go immediately to his a.s.sistance; accordingly we set sail for the Island Milly, where we found a great number of natives collected for war. Again I had the satisfaction of being with Lay; who informed me that they were going to fight the other party at Alloo; and that the high chief had told him that he and I must prepare two muskets, and go and fight with them. Luttuon sent for me and Lay, and informed us he was about to have a battle, and that we must prepare to take a part in it. We asked him if he had any powder--he said he had a plenty, and showed us a small box, which contained a little powder and mustard seed mixed together, which, if it had been good powder, would not have made more than five or six charges. We told him it was good for nothing; but he said we must do the best we could with it. As we were afraid to offend him, we went to work with the powder, and dried it in the sun, and prepared our muskets for battle.--The next morning we launched 15 or 16 canoes, containing in all about 200 natives, and set sail for Alloo; where we arrived and landed, and proceeded to a village in order to give battle to the enemy. On learning that the chief of Alloo and his family had fled in a canoe, we returned to our canoes, made sail in pursuit of the chief, but did not overtake him. After returning and spending a day or two at the Island of Alloo, we launched our canoes and went to our respective homes, and heard no more of the war.

Some time after my master returned to the Island where we usually resided, a canoe came and brought the information that a vessel was anch.o.r.ed near one of the head Islands--that she carried guns on each side, and had a hundred men--that they (the natives that brought the news) had been on board of the vessel, and received presents of beads, which they had on their necks. The natives said the vessel was not like our s.h.i.+p which we came in, but had only two masts. I told them we had vessels of all descriptions, some with one mast only. They said the men on board did not look like us, and that they were very saucy.

I informed the natives the vessel was a war vessel, and that if molested by the natives, they would shoot them. The natives said they would take the vessel and kill all the men on board. I told them their safety consisted in friends.h.i.+p, and that any hostile attack on the crew of the schooner would lead to their own destruction.--They then set sail for Milly, to inform the chiefs of the arrival of the vessel at the head Island. The chiefs of Milly gave orders to launch the canoes, 15 in number, to go and take the schooner. These canoes were manned by 200 natives. My master's canoe not being in perfect repair, we could not join the party. On the night of the 25th, (Nov.) we saw several of the canoes returning towards the Island where I was. From one of the canoes landed the high chief, who began to question me respecting the vessel. I told him I had not seen the vessel, and of course could not tell much about her; but that I expected she had come after me and Lay, and that she would have us. He then said he had better kill us both, and then there would be no one to tell that the natives had killed the rest of our crew. I told him that the people on board the schooner knew there were two alive, and if they killed us, the crew of the vessel would kill all the natives. This appeared to perplex his mind, and he shortly left me, and retired to rest.

On the next morning, 26th, the chief again questioned me respecting the vessel, but I could give him no particular information, as I had not seen her.--The natives then commenced knotting up leaves to inquire of their G.o.d, who, they said, would inform them what was best to be done. Towards night they departed, leaving me with my master, giving him strict orders not to let me go to the vessel, fearing that I should not only remain on board, but give information that my s.h.i.+pmates had been murdered. I was glad to see them depart, for I feared they would kill me.--The reader can have but a faint idea of my feelings at that time; nor will I attempt to describe them.

Towards the close of the next day, (27th,) a canoe came to the Island which had been boarded by a boat from the schooner. The natives offered the men in the boat some cocoanuts, which they would not accept. The boat then proceeded towards the Island of Milly.--The natives informed me that the men in the boat inquired after the men who were left there by the s.h.i.+p Globe; but they would not give any information where they were. The canoe left the Island, and we went to rest. The next day pa.s.sed without hearing any thing of the schooner; but the day following, (29th of Nov.) as I was walking in the woods in the afternoon, I heard a dreadful outcry for Hussey. I ran to the hut to learn the cause, and to my unspeakable joy, I discovered that one of the schooner's boats was on the beach, waiting for me, the men all armed and equipped for battle. As I approached, the Lieutenant spoke to me and told me to come to him. I went and sat down by him. He asked me several questions, but my feelings were so overcome and agitated, that I know not whether I replied in English, or the language of the natives. While we were sitting together, the old man whom I had always called master, but who was now willing to be considered my servant, asked me if the white people were going to kill him. The Lieutenant inquired of me to know the purport of the old man's question; I told him he was afraid of being killed. The Lieutenant replied that he should not be hurt, if he behaved himself properly.

We then walked round the Island, and I collected what few things I had, a musket, &c. and made preparations for our departure. My old master being unwilling to part with me, asked permission to go with me. I spoke to the Lieutenant on the subject, and he readily consented. We then set sail, accompanied by my master and his son. We soon fell in with the 2d Lieutenant, in another boat, who informed that all the survivors of the Globe's crew were now rescued. The boats soon lost sight of each other, as night came on, and that in which I was arrived at the Island about 9 o'clock in the evening. We landed, cooked supper, and anch.o.r.ed our boat at a little distance from the sh.o.r.e for the night.

The next morning, (30th,) we got under weigh, accompanied by the other boat, beat to the windward, for the outside pa.s.sage, and then ran down to the schooner, and got along side at 9 o'clock. I will leave it for the reader, to picture my feelings on entering once more on board of an American vessel, after having been among unmerciful savages 22 months. We soon had some breakfast, after which my hair was cut, which was of two year's growth, and I was furnished with clothing, and remained on board till the next day.

From this date to the time of our arrival in the United States, all the important incidents and facts which transpired, will be found in the preceding pages, arranged from the journal kept by Lay.

After expressing my thanks to all who a.s.sisted to rescue us from savage bondage, and my grat.i.tude to Heaven for a safe return to my friends and native land, I bid the reader a respectful farewell.

A VOCABULARY

_Of Words and Phrases, used by the natives of the Mulgrave Islands, with their definitions and so spelt and divided in syllables as to give the Reader a very clear understanding of the p.r.o.nunciation._

Beard Cor y ack

Iron Maale

A sail Wood je lah

An oar Thib bet

Steering Kib bet tebet

Sailing Der rauk yruk

Sleep Mad du rah

Awake Mim mit

Dark Mar roak

Light Mar rum

Night Boong

Day Roun

Growing Aung

Drowned Mal long

Oil Bin in yep

Water Pir ren

A long time Et tow

Yourself Guay

Sleepy Mil tegee

Victuals Cuck con

Sc.r.a.pe Goo tock

Build Ae

Hold on Coppy dirry

Man Mum marn

Woman Civ rah

Boy Lod rick