The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1871-03-21


for market and then exchanging it for
products of that country, 1 determined to
make a grand tour of the world in my
own way, and in Boston, falling in with
Captain Darnsford, who had been ON q
similar voyage, and who agreed to go out in
command of vessel for me if l would
give him an eighth of the net profits, after
short deliberation l accepted his PROPOSE
tion, and we commenced our preparations
for the voyage.
"Captain Darnsford was a Sandwich
Islander, although he was half-breed, his
father being an English resident at Homo
lulu who had taken Kanaka wife, and,
being at one time quite wealthy, had given
the captain very fair education. If he
had not told me his parentage, should not
have dreamed he was anything but pure
white, for he showed no trace of his native
blood, beyond his tall shape, coal black,
coarse straight hair. AS he could converse
readily in the native dialect, and had excel
lent references from the last employ that
he sailed for, deemed myself fortunate in
securing so competent a man for the con-
templated voyage.
CATER some delay, we found beautiful
brig well adapted for our purpose, named
Sally Ann, and after some negotiation l
purchased her, and under the advice of the
captain, filled her for the voyage. We arm
ed her with four six Founders Of brass and
two long mines, as well as quantity of
muskets and pistols, and instead of heavy
shot we took two hogsheads of boiler
punchings, deeming them to be better at
short range than grape. Having arranged
these details l put what balance of money
had in Yankee notions and small wares
adapted for trading, and then, at the sug-
gestion of the captain, we filled the vessel
with freight for Melbourne, with the idea
of putting what money we could make by
doing so, into the venture.
"We finally were all ready for sea, and
left Boston one fine summer morning with
beautiful breeze and fair prospects before
us. The brig proved herself to be all she
was recommended, and we congratulated
ourselves many times on securing a vessel
that was so fast and would work so we'll
in any position as she did.
"On the passage out, the sailors were
employed in making a boarding netting
that would go from the stern where there
was an opening in the netting to the night
heads forward, and reached in height to
| Aho ar1 x.I,a
While they were thus employed, l fitted up
small blacksmith's forge which l had
bought in Boston, and amused myself by
working at trade, for which / always had
a taste, in doing various little jobs about
the ship, one of which was to convert one
of our long mines into swivel gun that
could be fired in any direction.
"Six months later, we were at the island
of Raya, one of the Asaua group, which has
about twenty thousand inhabitants gov
erned by a chief who is called king, al
though he is of inferior rank to TUT Viii,
of the island of Ambow, who is in reality,
king of the Cannibal Islands.
"We passed through the Goro sea, which
is group of coral reefs surrounding the
Fejees, and anchored off the mouth of
small river Having loaded our guns and
stood our muskets around, we rugged our
boarding netting, and were ready to con-
summate the object of our voyage by ira
ding with the natives for sandal wood and
tortoise shell.
"We were soon surrounded with canoes
of all sizes, but we declined to trade with
them until after we had seen the king, and
when he, greasy, dirty-looking fellow of
middle age, with nothing but tappa cloth
around his loins, put in an appearance, we
presented him with small looking glass, a
red smoking cap, and cup and ball and
afterwards, until the cap was worn out the
! glass broken, the toy lost, when he was not
admiring his monarchial features in his mir
ror, he was catching the ball either in the
cup or on the point of the handle, in which
feat he was soon proficient We declined
trading though, until he furnished us three
priests for hostages, which he finally did,
and then we felt comparatively safe, as the
chiefs in some things are button hole
lower in rank than their divines
Grinding that the captain could con-
verse readily with them, as he claimed to
be able to do, and could, in consequence
trade better than any one on board, | re-
linquished the business to him, and find
ing time hang heavy on my hands, returned
again at the captains suggestion, to keep
off blue to my blacksmith's forge.
"When we had been there n week we