The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-12-22

shone, and there was sufficient stretch
Oh river TO take a good observation, [
would not lose such a splendid oppor-
tunlty to fix the position of this impor-
tant locality. | ascertained it to be lat
itude deg, 16 min., so sec. north: bv
count, longitude q deg. east. 1 closed
my, seXtant and put it away carefully,
ana then prepared to receive the natives
III they came for war, with war; if
they came for peace, with gifts. We
cast loose from Obi Island and started
downstream. Sixty-three canoes of
light, even elegant, make approached.
some OF the natives We're gorgeous in
brass decorations, and they wore head
dresses of the skins of white goats.
while skins of the same color hung
down their shoulders, like short man
ties; the principal men wore robes of
crimson blanket cloth. We ceased row.
ing. When they were about 800 yards
Off held crimson cloth up to view in
one hand and coil of brass wire in an
other, and by signs offered it to them.
My answer was from three muskets, a
shower OF iron-stone slugs, and four of
my boats crew and one in my canoe
were wounded. We formed our usual
close line, and allowed the canoes and
boat to float down, every rifle and re-
volver being required here The battle
consisted of bullets against slugs We
were touched frequently, boat and ca
noes pitted, but not perforated through.
Dead shots told in the end. Breech-
leaders, double-barreled elephant rifles
and Snyders prevailed against Brown
Bosses, though for two hours our fate
was dubious. The battle lasted from
twelve o'clock to near sunset. We had
tioated down ten miles during that time,
but we had captured ten canoes, swift
as they were; we had dropped anchor
for one hour, protecting a storming
party, which took village and burned
it. AT sunset our people sang the song
of triumph. This was the thirty-frst
fight, and the last but one.
Yet we had some brief intervals of
pleasure even during that stormy period.
One pacific tribe, warned by the huge
drums that sounded the approach of
strangers, turned out in crowds along
the river banks, while the boldest of
their warriors manned their enormous
Nt'iipNo etiIt DOlC NlONll vi us, ldhlllD
care, however, to cry out the magic
word, Sennenen' which caused us to
drop our guns and echo the happy
word with such fervor of lungs that the
thousands on the banks, who might
have been little distrustful, instantly
distinguished its hearty sincerity, and
repeated it with equal fervor until for
time, even after they had ended, the
forests across the river seemed to thun-
der mysteriously, "Sennene! Sennener'
We dropped our stone anchors abreast
and near enough to the vast crowds on
the banks, and invited the warriors in
the canoes to approach.
From childish shyness they would not
come nearer than fifty yards or so, and
two old women-ladies, | ought to call
them manned small canoe, and,
coming straight to my boat, they
brought their tiny vessel alongside, and,
after an Introductory laugh, offered us
palm wine and couple of chickens!
Presently the warriors, shamed out of
their Shyness-it was not fear-drew
their canoes alongside-great,e enormous
things, twice the length of our boat, and
completely hid, almost crushed, the
tiny canoe of the women; but the most
pleasing sight to me, to which my eyes
were constantly attracted, was the faces
OF the two women, and the tiny mes
senger Of peace and comfort to us in the
midst of our days of trial On looking
into the great war canoes of this tribe
| observed with pleasure that there was
not one spear or bow and arrow in any
of them, which caused me to confirm
my opinion of their tact and delicacy,to
look more attentively ut the crowds on
the bank, and there was not one weapon
of war visible anywhere. Presently
observed one huge canoe make off for
the shore, load gourds of palm wine and
baskets of potatoes, and return, each
man singing enthusiastically. The po-
tatoes were for me, the palm wine for
my people.
When | asked how it happened they
We're so kind to strangers when we had
fought three times the day before, they
said that though the drums above river
summoned them to fight us, some of
their people had been up river fishing
among the islands the day before, and
the drums had caused them to hide
themselves and see what took place.
They had seen us talk to the natives,
offer cloths and beads, and had seen
them refuse all proffers and fight us.
"They are always fighting us and steal
ing our people; we are not strong
enough to kill them. This morning
when you left that island where you
slept last night we sent very early a
canoe with two slaves-a boy and a
woman in it-with potatoes and palm
wine; if you were bad people you would
have caught that canoe and made those
two slaves your own, but when you al
lowed it to pass you, saying 'Sennene,'
we knew that you were good people,
and we did not beat our drum for war,
but for peace If you had taken that
little canoe this morning, you would
have had to fight us now. You killed
our enemies yesterday, and you did not
injure our two slaves this morning
You are our friends"
/ now come to a tragic period, before
which our running the gauntlet through
the cannibal lands a thousand miles
seems child's play. Our days of battle
and our days of hunger may be for
gotten as years of peace and rest may
,.oI1 ,.t,,. n,,,. bnoIe hat D,,,, &c