Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1853-11-04

S oy Captain Ersklne, because the mob
g conduct of two English women in som
y degree mitigates its revolving features
u Thakombau, the chieftain Of Bau, havin
to give return banquet, has surprise
S and captured fifteen women who cam
+ down to the beach to pick she'll fish fo
y food.
t "On Sunday, the 29th Of July, ls4s
the hollow sound Of the awful lai,' or sa
!, cred drum, bore across the water to Viw
the intelligence that cargo Of huma1
victims had arrived at Bau, and nativ
Christian chief { believe Namosemalua)
who had quilted the capital to bring tn
information to the missions, related to tn
shuddering ladies, whose husbands wer,
absent at Bau, in Sandalwood bay, in Va
nua Levu, on their usual annual meeting
the whole of the circumstances of the cap
ture. In the course of the day, reports a
to the intentions of the authoities wert
brought over, but in the evening came {
definite one, that all were to be slaug htered
on the morrow.
"And then was enacted scene which
ought to be ever memorable in the history
of this mission.
"Ou the Monday morning, Mrs. Lyth
and Mrs. Calvert, accompanied only by
the Christian chief above mentioned, en-
barked in canoe for Bau, to save the
lives of the doomed victims. Each car
ried whales tooth decorated with rib.
bons, necessary offering on preferring a
petition to a chief; for even in this excl
ting and intensely anxious moment, these
admirable women did not neglect the ordi-
nary means of succeeding in their benev-
olent object. As they landed at the wharf,
not far from the house of cd Tauoa, the
father of Thakombau, and in this instance
the person to whom they were to address
themselves, the shrieks of two women then
being slaughtered for the days entertain
ment chilled their blood, but did not daunt
their resolution. They were yet in time
to save a remnant Of the sacrifice Ten
had been killed and eaten one had died
Of her wounds; the life of one girl had
been begged by Thakombau's principal
wife to whom she was delivered as slave,
and three only remained. Regardless of
the sanctity of the place, it being taubed'
1'anoas chamber, who demanded with as
tonishment at their temerity, what these
women did there? The Christian chief,
who we'll maintained his lately adopted
character, answered for them, that they
came to solicit the lives Of the lives Of the
surviving prisoners, at the same time pre-
senting the two whales teeth. Tanoa,
apparently still full Of wonder, took up
one of these, and turning to messenger,
desired him to carry it Immediately to Ma
vindi (the cxecutioner) and ask if it were
good A few minutes were passed in an1-
ious suspense. The messenger returned,
and 1T is good was Navindi's answer.
The women's cause was gained, and old
Tanoa thus pronounced his Judgment
g" Those who are dead, are dead those who
are alive, shall live" With their three
rescued fellow-creatures these heroic wo-
men retired, and already had the satisfac-
ton of experiencing that their daring ef-
forts had more than hoped for effect. A
year or two ago, no voice but that Of deri-
sion would have been raised against them,
but now, on returning to their canoe, they
were followed by numbers of their own
sex, blessing them for their exsrtions, and
urging them to persevere."
Medals of human societies, and what
pot-how trumper5 are such decorations
compared with memory like this !!
But cannibalism is only one phase Of the
general blood -thirstiress of these savage
islanders. When the King builds a
house, a man is buried alive at the foot Of
each post to insure the stability of the ed
ifiee. At the death of chief, one or more
Of his wives are invariably strangled; and
the chiefs themselves, when grown old or
infrm, are buried alive, their wives in such
cases being put to death, and thrown into
the grave to make bed for their doomed
lord. The women, indeed, often make it
D point of honor to die in this manner, and
reject the efforts of the missionaries to save
them. In order that canoes may be fortu.
nate, they are frequently launched over
the bodies of living slaves as rollers.
There are instances of all these atrocities
in the very interesting narrative Of John
Jackson, an English sailor, who lived
prisoner in these islands for two years;
and they are amply confirmed by the cap
tain's own personal observation. But in
Jackson's homely language, these horrors
are too revolving for quotation.
The object Of Captain Erskine's cruise
was the encouragement and protection of
commerce and We regret to learn that the |