The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-01-17
AT THE NEW HEBRIDEs.
labor Vessels aud the Trade.


For yams, etc. the natives gener-
ally want ''baka." and the kind
known as Trigger head" in long
sticks, weighing q or % ~ the pound
black. rank and damp--is preferred.
zone yam, one piece is the rule,
and ii does not seem to make much
difference whether the ''piece" is
whole stick or quarter of one. The
quantity is fixed by the size of the
first bit offered; they will take MOTH
ing smaller than that given for the
first yam.
While their barteriDg is going on
the officer in charge of the boat
who does all the trading-is also
busted in INDUCING some to go with
him.
"Now, them he will eXciaim,
''You felIah-b boy want go bloody fine
ship, you catch in this chance, my
word you have bloody fine time"
"What name that felIah-ship?"
somebody who has been away before
will inquire.
What name? That ship MARY
Ann-all same you woman name.
You savvy Captain-my word; he
| bloody fine man. and so he goes on
| enlarging on the goodness of the YES
sci, the abundance OF food given, the
angelic nature Of the Captain. the
heavenly character of the country
the vessel belongs to, the dolce far
ni7ate of the la borer's life there, and
the mass of wealth to be accumulated
in four or five years by the laborer
who takes advantage of this chance
to realize the truth of these state
ments.
Should anybody in the crowd of
natives express wish to go he is
| brought forward by the friend, father,
brother, uncle, or whoever else is to
receive the present given him, and
there is noisy wrangle over the ar
ticles to be given, and when that
matter is settled the recruit steps into
the boat, and takes his seat forward
in it. The covering boat moves in
| closer, and then a musket, tin OF
powder, handful of percussion caps,
package of tobacco, a few fathoms OF
Turkey-red and brilliantly stamped
calico, some boxes of matches, a gill
or so of small, bright coIored beads
aud maybe "tomahawk" is passed
out to the one designated, and the
boat pulls out to No. 2, the man is
put into it, and then No. l returns to
go through the same performance
again. Sometimes a boy Will be
seen to be lurking around the boats
watching for a chance to get away
He wants to go out i'll the world, buI
his friends wont consent. He is
closely followed about by some solo
man." or one or two younger ones
have been directed to look out fol
him. They hang around, keeping
near him as he crowds up to the boa
aud looks with longing eyes upon the
treasures so freely given to those WhG
have already gone. He watches
every chance, and suddenly, as the
boat pushes off with another man
and ali hands are trying to steal some
: part of the gifts just received, ht
makes rush into the water. .",St err
ALL" says the. mate who has been
, watching him, at the same tim,
J picking up his rifle. The boat halts
J the boy lodges blow aimed at hin
by a pursuer-the mate yells out
"You hit that feIlah-boy, 1 shoot
The crowd recoIl, the runaway
plunges alongside, and is carried tt
boat No. and left there. Then No
returns to the beach, and the mate
pours oil upon the troubled waters b5
ordering the bowling friends of The
boy to come and get his present. Ii
moment the shrieking, yelling
parents, brothers or other relatives
are crowding about the stem of the
boat fighting for the possession of the
coveted articles. Not a thought, ap
parently, is bestowed on the run
away-except, perchance, one viii
notice, seated upon the sand. a soil
tary old woman, who, with her knees
drawn up and clasped in her arms
her head bowed down, and he
shriveled folm swaying from side t.
: side has abandoned herself to he
: grief at the loss of her son. He ha
been to her in infancy petty tyrant
in boyhood selfish and greedy, and il
early manhood brutal, starving ant
beating her, and finally, abandoning
her to the tender mercies of his I'm
feeling associates, not giving he
even the smallest portion of the good
he has sold himself for, or what sh'
might value mOre-a parting cares
or backward farewell glance. Alone
God knows her sorrow is unselfish
as she sinks upon the sandy. beach
and mourns. She is a mother, anC
to her that sullen, stolid wretch-wh'
: is now greedily clutching the hand
full of tobacco, that he prizes beyond
all the many little duties her work
worn hands have performed for him =
is the tender, helpless child she bor
so many years ago.
Meanwhile the noisy bartering goe
on. More men, and now and then ;
| woman with them are taken to tht