The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-02-06
AT THE NEW HEBRIDES.
Off Mai Island.

Along in the afternoon the Julia
ran in close to the land and the
boats were seen near the low beach.
Charley was standing in the stern of
one, earbine in hand, trading for CO.
coanuts, yams; ETC., and holding forth
on the advantages of life in Oahu
L" 'Wahoo' exclaims one stout
ruffian in the crowd of natives, "what
name that placer"
''My word" Charley answers, chat
bloody fine place. All same Mai,
Obrah, all this ellah-island. You see
plenty yam, bulIimacow, banana,
fish-aII them for eat-pLenty! No
all same Queensland, Fiji, Tahiti.
Timeyou go Oahu you find one moon
one pound One year twelve
poundsP (that is S. per month, or
$50 year,. "Pose you stop two,
three year, you catch forty-three
pounds, five shillings My word!
Plenty money!
Generally, when the natives were
told that they would be paid five dol
lars a month for the first year, six
dollars per month for the second, and
seven per month for the third they
were incredulous. They had been ac-
customed to receive about g6 per
an,auns for the same length of time
in the Colonies, Fiji, and Tahiti, and
the idea of being paid at the Ito
them) extravaganza rates offered by
Charley struck them as being mere
dible. -s~4s
"What name?" they would reply.
srYou think me all the same as one
damn fool? That fellah-ship belong
to Fiji: He too smahl 'blong Wah-
hooI Me sabe yo4--you Fiji MAIN"
(Which was true.) "You no fool nlep'
It was in vain that Charley would
point to the. Hawaiian flag as proof
| that the Julia did not belong to the
Colonies. 1t so happens that our flag
carries 'jack" almost precisely like
the English, and, at distance, to
the hneducated eye of the New Heb
ridean the two look much alike; and
SO, the remark was often mads-''you
lie: that fellah-ship Fiji: bloody
bald place Fiji. Boy no want go that
place."
The second mate told US that at one
landing place on the beach, fine
looking native, upon hearing what
Charley had to say, answered him
by stating that he had been to New
Caledonia and worked for three
years, at the end of which time he
had been paid off with one musket,
one tin of powder, three tomahawks,
and three knives !. He had never
used the muskets as he had 40 bullets
or caps, and the tomahawks and
knives he had given away! He nat
urally considered himself underpaid
for his services, and was of the
| opinion that the whole business was
first-class humbug. He would
never go again, "and''-added Smith
Che jest stood around there with 8
club about four feet long, and every
time he caught young fellow look.
ing sideways at the boat he dropped
thatstick onto his head and drove
him back into. the crowd. One young
chap that wanted to go pretty bad he
stopped with that club, and as the
women hauled the still breathing
body away, that fellow remarked
my word! you no want that fella.
boy-he no goodw Such discourage.
ments as these, as well as the small
size of the Julia prevented many
from going with US so that we die
not find recruiting very brisk.
Anchoring in the night in one o.
the many bays that indent the coast
line of Mai we are visited by two OF
three natives who announce them
selves as ichiefs," and are certainly
ugly and black enough to be distin
guished from the common herd-in
one sense at least.
Our visitors are clothed in a waist
| belt about three inches wide made
| from bark much resembling that OF
the birch, and possessing-when new
very much the same spicy Odor
This bslt-which is quite stiff and
| thick-is worn over one made of grass
fibre or cocoanut leaves stripped fine
and, like the waist-cord worn on
Muna is drawn very tight SO that the
waist of the wearer is quite waspish
and to be envied by those who be,
| lieve Nature to have made mistake
in regard to the space required for
the diaphragm.
Their earrings were made of a
slender piece of tortoise shell about
six inches long and quarter of an