The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-12-04

/ who killed him. told him we could not
/ allow any cannibalism, as it was not our
1 custom to eat men, and that 1t was very
wrong to do so. He looked at me in way
which seemed at once to express surprise at
| our conduct aud pity for our folly, but de-
clared himself quite ready to help us.
PURSUIT AND VENGEANCE.
After eight days of preparation at the
| Duke of York Islands the party, consisting
| of Mr.. Brown, three white men who were at
| the station, the teachers and a boat from
Fort Wesley, with a native crew, started for
| New Britain. Their numbers were increased
/ the next day and additions were received on
/ the way, and corps OF considerable strength
was ready to march. The main party took
| one side of the island, while Mr.. Brown,
| with two other whites aud Samoan teacher,
went round to the north coast to take charge
| of the natives there. On their way the
| smaller party learned that Bulilalal and the
| other chiefs who had been engaged to Co
operate with them had been tempered with,
and had not done what they had agreed to.
1t was necessary to be cautious. On the
beach were five hundred natives, pro-
fessedly friendly, but unwilling to COM
nit themselves by any positive act.
| After some little parleyiDg these natives
| were induced to join the whites, and they
/ started away at once in pursuit OF Talili,
and killed three of his men that evening.
|
crews burnt 1t and destroyed his canoe, after
! which we laid at our anchors close in shore
| all day waiting for the Blanche Bay party to
| come down; but as we heard nothing from
| them We left at night, slept at Nodup, came
back again next day friday and stayed
until Saturday, when received note from
| Mr. Powell telling me that they had returned
| To Matupit and were awaiting us there. We
started at once, and at night reached the
| island, and were glad indeed to find them
all safe aud well after an arduous but sue
| cessful expedition. They started from
Matupit Henderson Island) soon after mid
night on Wednesday night, landed on the
mainland, travelled by the moonlight and
before dawn were well up the first
range. Here they rested ana waited for
the dawn. All the natives had very strict or
ders about cannI6alism, or any mutllating OF
| the dead, and also against killing any wo-
men or children. There are no large towns
here, but every family lives IN its own little
| Enclosure. The houses are not large, and in
| most instances are merely small huts which
can be put up In day or two. All that
were seen were burnt and about twenty Of
| the murderers were killed. Among the
number killed we're two or three women,
who we're either killed by the natives or
| shot because they could not be distinguish
| ed at such distance. This 1 am sorry for,
but it could not be helped, and tell you be-
cause 1 wish TO tell you all. The natives
| themselves, however, have very little COM
passion on women, and state that they are
worse cannibals than the men, and are al
ways the worst in urging on the fight and In
mutilating the dead afterward. This
also fully believe, from all /
have seen and heard. The natives
had felt themselves safe in their IN
land position, had made no preparations for
an attack and were taken by surprise and
could make no united resistance. Some OF
! the stones from their sings came with very
great force about the heads of some of our
party, but no one was hit, and the return
bullets soon convinced them that they stood
no chance against a musket, and they soon
cleared out All slept in the bush that night
another proof to the bushmen that they were
now dealing with a different people to their
own coast people, who weuld never dream
of sleeping inland all night. Next morning
friday they were early astir, and after
burning some other hamlets further inland
and more to the eastward, they returned TO
| the beach aud burned the town of Keravia
as they were clearly proven to be implicated
in the affair"
The next day the bones of two OF the muir
dersd teachers were recovered, and some of
the party thought that enough had been
done; but the town where the men were &C
tuslly killed had as yet escaped, and it was
not thought well to let them go free, and 1t
was decided to visit it. In the meantime
two towns sent in peace Offering of pay
ment for their participation In the cannibal-
ism. After reaching Diwawon, tue next
place to be attacked. Mr.. Brown received q
message from Keravia asking him to go up,
IS they wished to make friends with him
again. He went, and after receiving pres
ents and damages payment, he talked to
/ them about the unprovoked wrong they mad
committed, telling them that he was now
/ fighting, not for vengeance but for self pres
ervation. He accepted their offering, gave
/ a few little presents In return, and told them
| that he would make a formal peace accord
| ing to their own customs in a few days This
/ pleased them, and that same evening they
actually Joined our party when we burnt
| the next town OF Diwawon, where they had
! eaten the native minister" AT Diwawon a
woman confessed that they had eaten the
| body of Sailasa. Diner bones and effects
were recovered in the neighborhood. After
| this the expedition returned home with not
a single one of the party wounded.
REPARATIoN AND RECONCILIATION.
/ Mr.. Brown returned TO the north side the
next week, visiting the towns that had sent
| in shell money in payment for their cannibal-
ism, and on the 18th of May reached Diva
| won, where he found the natives afraid to
meet him, but they came at last, two OF the
chiefs bringing shell money as payment and
as an expression of friendship. Mr.. Brown
spoke to them very kindly, explained our
position fully, and made them we'll pleased
and satisfied Of our good will toward them
by accepting the dIwara (sheil money!, and
giving them good present in return. We
then went on to Keravia, where we found a
great many people waiting for us, as had
sent several times, telling them that we were
coming TO make friends with them again.
Among the crowd was one OF the chiefs
I from the town where Sailasa and the
teachers were killed. He had sent down
diwara and asked to be forgiven so
they sent up to him TO come down and meet
me. Poor fellow, | am sure he never spent
such an anxious hour in his life as he did
that day. He was surrounded by Keravia
natives, ostensibly bis friends, bat he evil
IDENTIFY felt that they were no protection to
MIN. 1 sat down just in front of him, as
ed to gain his confidence and to make
him feel that we really forgave the past. AT
first he evidently wished that L would choose
II seat a little further away from HIM, but
Il affprUard ha mora al ease though he