Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-02-29
AMONG THE sAyaeEs
How Boys" are Obtained TO Work
ON Sugar Plantations.

50 great IS the demand for sschsan
labor" IN the sugar growing districts of
Tahaiti and the Hawaiian Islands and
IN Queensland, that, It being known
that the natives of the New Hebrides
were willing to ''ship'' on plantations
for term of years for merely nominal
wages, labor vessels' visit the group
annually to engage men and few
women Tor that work. The manner in
which tins IS done well illustrates the
dlstrust the natives and foreigners have
for each other.
Labor vessels are always provided
with regular arsenal OF rifles and pis-
tolS. The main hold il fitted with graf
lngs that separate tho females from the
men-or boys as they are called
ana IN these compartments are fixed
certain sleeping platforms called
hunks" The vessels engaged in this
trade are generally small, seldom ex-
eeedlng 25O tons measurement, and
they carry their boats as the whalemen
do, hanging from the davits, ready for
immediate service.
The captain Of an English labor YES
sci sails her TO and from certain desig-
mated ports, and cruises about where
there is the best chance of getting
NNNof bAA AAo bbthL Ndu ~
ing" unless the government agent goes
with it. No boys can, theoretically,
be brought Off TO the ship against his
Will.
There is generally on a labor vessel
an interpreter. The particular one
with whom the writer sailed on a Ha-
wallan labor vessel. was called Billy
the Devil, - which title sufficiently indi-
Gates his character
Supposing u vessel after "boys'' TO
have arrived in Havana harbor, the
finest IN the group, on the Island of
Nate; the captain generally engages at
least one boats crew of the natives
themselves, on the principle, perhaps,
that II takes a savage TO catch a savage,
there always being plenty on hand who
are experienced in the business.
Leaving Havana haTbor the vessel
cruises leisurely of through the groups,
never being more than two or three
miles from one island To another
Cruising along on the lee side of these
islands a sharp lookout Is kept for any
signs of a smoke on the stretches of
sandy beach. 30 dense is the foliage
AMI SO careful are the natives to con-
Ceal their villages that the only indica-
tiOns of there being human life on these
islands is a column of smoke that we
occasionally see on the shore, sent up
by the savages 10 let Us know that they
want 10 "trade. -
When such smoke is seen the boats
are lowered and manned. The boats
| say because two are always sent in
company TO interview the sayages. In
the one that takes the lead there Is, be-
sides the crew, the interpreter and, IN
English vessels, the agent. here Is
also a box tiled with trade that Is,
Turkey red muslin, rs gIudy and tiimsy
as the promises made TO induce the na-
tives to ship. tobacco, of the kind
known as .'uigger head' ltwenty-Six
plugs % the pound sweet, cheap and
rotten; gun caps of an obsolete make;
cheap pipes; strings Of gay beads, few
of which constitute what Is called full
dress packages of matches, guaran-
teed not 20 light ''Ou the box or any
where else by friction; soft iron hat
chefs, knives and needles, and other IN
genious frauds with which 70 purchase
such supplies As y-ms, pigs, cocOanuts,
etc, and also 10 give AS presents TO TIC
friends Of those who ship. The second
boat acts rs cover 10 the first, and
both crews are heavily armed.
Nearing the beach, the leading boat
is turned round and backed TO the sandy
shore, care being taken keep it atloat,
the interpreter warn as the crowd of
naked, brutal savages 10 keep clear of
the long steering oar. The crew keep
their oars and rifles rGIdy for Use, and
the second boat stops about 100 feet out
from the first, and, swinging broadslde
on, its crew seize their rifles and ''stand
by to defeat any attack on their
friends The natives, some of whom
-, Ia. Ia1.,r ~ ssrRI
consequently familiar with pigeon
English, crowd around near the stern
of the boat and hoOt and yell while the
interpreter rittles off something like
the following:
Hello, all you fine fellal How you
dO2 You come down to ship, hey?
Wen, 'spose you want to so one fine
ship-cap'n one fine man-you come
long. Here, you good fella boy. y
pointing u some gaping native in the
crowd, "Catch 'em this fiinging some
bits of tobacco ashore, which are
promptly fought for. Get plenty all
same ON board ship. Plenty yam" tthC
staple food; plenty tine shirts; shoes
Oh, everything. Make you big man
you come. '>pose you ship, you gel
one pound one moon for one yam,
which means the man Is promised 81
a
year, called a yam" because it take:
that length Of time for that esculent to
Tipeu.
In the midst of the profound excite.
ment produced by this unheard of offel
grizzled headed old rufiian in tn,
crowd spoke up:
"What for you lie, Billy? You thinl
all this fella boy fool? Plenty boys shiT
here befO TO 81 one YAM" (the regu
lar price paid in the colouieSl. '-Wh,
YOU talk 81 one mOOns'' And tn,
veteran takes firmer grip on his bat
tie AK and jabbers something contemp
tuous of Billy to the crowd, who there
upon began 10 handle their clubs, guns
bows, arrows and spears furtively bu
threatingly.
Billy is not discouraged. lie point
10 our flag, which the sayages are quicl
TO discover is new to them, and by hi
elOquence and liberal showers of tobac
co and investments in vans, banana
and cOcoauuts perSuades a few of th'
natives to ship
But they will not DO 50 until n goo,
sized bundle is made up from the trad
box for their friends. There are dis
played, therefore, two or three yards o
turkey red cloth To be given to tn
frightful looking, skinny old squay
bowling on the beach, who claims &
be the mother of the "boy." There
measured out handful of gay beads
which viii Sooth the anguish of tn
young female, who is the departin
mans betrothed. y musket tan alter
ell flint lock- is laid aside rs a partin,
gift TO the father, a lot of percussio
caps, which won't tit or explode;
handful of metallic cartridges-the gu
is n muZZle loader; package of pow
der, damp, and some bar lead for bul
lets 90 with the musket There ar
also matches, n sheath knife, and
quantity of tobacco. All this treasur
Is passed ashore-uuder cover of th
rifles of the boats crew-and the 'boy
is showed along into the bow of III
boat, which is pulled immediately ou
10 the coming boat, TO which the bird