The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1875-05-08
THE ADVENTURES OF SOME HAWAI-
IAN RUNAWAYs.

1t may be remembered that some eight months
since we published an account of ten Hawaiian
laborers having absconded from Enderbury's ISL
and, where they were in the employ of the Guano
Company. They went of in the night, in a
lighter-boat, which with oars, several bags of
bread, and a cask of water, were missing on the
morning of August Sd. 1874. The ringleader or
moving spirit In this mad enterprise was a native
named Charley who having been somewhat
of a traveller and able to talk English, had ac-
quired an influence over the less intelligent of his
countrymen, and it seems persuaded them that a
few days sail from the island would land them in
California. AS it was, we never expected to hear
from these runaways again, the natural SUPPOSE
ton being that they persisted at sea of hunger
and thirst, as 'Enderbury's Island, from which
they set out, stands by itselfa lonely dot in a wide
expanse Of ocean. 1t seems however that quite
providentIally, after drifting for sixteen days be-
fore the Southeast winds that usually prevail in
! that part OF the Pacific, below the line, they
brought up at Byron's Island, another solitary
isiet inhabited by naked savages, about 600 miles
West by North from Enderbury's. The following
letter from Captain w. P. Weeks. who was on
board the bark Adventure on the voyage to sgd
ney, gives the story ofthese runaways. The allu-
sion to the bark Richmond, is explained by the
fact that Captain Weeks when in command of
that vessel brought TO Honolulu from the Arctic
a number of Hawaiians who had been left desti-
tute by the rebel Shenandoah, and for which act
of generous humanity he was never even thanked
by the Hawaiian Government Of that day. Cap
tain Weeks was a passenger on the CyphreHes
from Sydney.
To Tie Editor Of the Pacific Commercial Advertiser:
SIR: The following may be of interest to parties
in Honolulu concerned in the welfare of their native
friends.
The .fduenture left Honolulu on the 18th Of De-
cember last, and proceeded direct to Byron's Island.
Several Of the natives canoes came alongside as
usual, and in them we're several natives Of Hawaii.
OF course / felt interested to know what brought
them there. They were at first afraid to tell me. but
1 soon managed to find out that they were deserters
from one of the Guano Islands, probably Enderburys.
They were nearly all young boys; some Of them had
known before. They desired to go with me. At first,
did not feel inclined-I thought Of the bark Rich
mOnd. But the boys pleaded with me to get them on
board; that the natives gave them but little to eat,
&c. I went to Captain Herendeen and coaxed him to
ship three Of them; and it is not TO be wondered at
that we found three more on board the next day,
making six in all. When we got to Ascension, Cap
tain Eldridge induced one to stop on that Island with
him, FIVE went with us to Sydney. l tried hard to
keep them and get them to come home, but the board
ing and Shipping masters got them away from me,
and shipped them to 20 to Torres Straits, for two
years in the pearl fishery. saw them the night be-
fore they left. They then wanted to come with me,
but II was too late.
The account given Of their sea voyage varied con-
s~iderably. Some said they were sixteen days, and
their water and provisions had been gone two days
when one says to the other, 81 give it upi now L will
die; we are not on the road to California as you told
US (meaning the ringleader) we could 20 in four
days; you lied TO US; now we must all die" After
such language was used, and nearly all had made up
their minds to die, just then they made ByrOn's Isl