Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1876-01-22
AMONG THE CAYNIBALS.
The story Of n Boy who spent Eight Years
Among the Natives OF the SoHth sea
Islands.

ashore on one of the South sea islands
and remaining there since. The basis of
the story is told in the following letter
from one of the party, and the only sur
vivor Of it. He says in a letter to his
father and mother:
You must be glad to know by this
that 1 am still living, and in the best of
health after living eight years on an I'M
civilized island in the South seas, hay
ing had many narrow escapes from death
by sickness as well as from getting
killed by the natives. l sailed from San
Francisco for McKean's island, to make
q cargo of guano for Georgia. When at
McKean's island, along with four of
the ships crew, took q whaleboat be-
longing to the island, and ran away from
the ship, as she was very leaky, deep
loaded and had very bad crew to round
Cape Horn with in winter. We had an
old Baltimore sailor who had been
among the islands before. He advised
us to run away with him, saying it would
only take day or two to reach the
island-we intended going to where
there were plenty of vessels calling. We
missed this island, and our stock of pro-
visions soon got finished. After twenty
days we had nothing to eat or drink for
four or five days, and that, too, under
very bot sun. Rain came at last-when
by spreading our sails we got our two
casks filled. Killed shark with har-
poon we had brought with us, made a
fire in the boat and cooked it the best
way we could. After being thirty five
days in our open boat we were picked
up by the natives, trading in their
canoes to some other part of the island.
Taking away everything we had they
left five of the natives with us, who
brought us to their village. Two or
three hundred of them gathered togeth-
er, never having seen a white man be-
fore. Some of them wanted to kill us.
Next day they separated us to different
villages, about twenty miles apart.
lived with the strongest chief on the
island, named Cabongh. He liked me
very much and did not want to let me
go away. soon learned their language
and ways, and went about stark naked.
They do not wear the least bit of cloth
ing; never go anywhere without their
spears, tomahawks and bows and AZ
rows, every day fighting, one tribe
against another, cutting off each others
heads for ornamenting their huts. 1 had
to go with them sometimes, and saw
dreadful sights. I was very handy at
making their canoes and nets, planting
yams, cutting down trees, etc. I never
got downhearted. Ny old companions
soon died, I understood, and the natives
told me that one of them had been kill,
ed by the tribe he stopped with. never
saw any of them after our separation.
-Four years ago some slavers came along
our coast. The natives going off in
! their canoes to trade, the slavers shot
some of them, sank their canoes, and,
putting out their boats, picked up the
: natives who were in the water and car.
ried them off as slaves. This made the
natives quite savage, and l being the
} only white man on the island they offer
ed many prizes to the chief for me, thai
they might kill and eat me. They al
agreed to this except my chief, but he
liked me too much to allow it. Si1
{ months after this they captured two
vessels and killed the crews. This was
at the other end of the island, which il
about one hundred miles long anC
named Melatta, one of the Solomon
group, about eleven hundred miles from
the island we had left-rathera long dis
lance to come in an open boat, with onl,
; box of biscuits, four hams, two small
kegs of water, tobacco, matches, etc.
I was taken off the island by the GREY
7 of this vessel, who were well armed, il
q their two boats. On coming ashore tn
t natives were afraid to come too near il
case they might get shot; but Captai
Murray made them presents of pipes
/ tobacco, calico, ETC., and the next da
Q they let me 90 away. The day after tn
l vessel sailed we stood back again, whe
e I got the chief to come on board. TIL
captain, showing him the cabin, CAV
i him some more presents. This bein
= the first ship he had ever seen, he wa
r quite surprised. I got twenty of hi
l. tribe to come along with me. They ar
/, going to Queensland to WORK for tire
}. years for money, when they can bu
g anything they like, when they shall b
: sent back again to the island. spea
t the language as well as the natives. TIL
t captain of the vessel that took me off j
a very nice man; he belongs to Fife, i
: Scotland. He came out here three year
Y ago; his wife and children are living i
o Brisbane. He wishes me to 20 BAG
d with him to the island, as, by speakin
Q the language, I might be useful to him
II and I have no objection, as it is tn
n only thing I can do meantime. If 20
1 were to see me now you would not kno'
IL me. | am almost black, but since CON
o mencing to wear clothes I am gettin
white again.