The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1889-01-30
A PLOT THAT FAILED.

In the year that our civil war brok,
out left Honolulu for a trading trir
among the islands to the South, but be.
ing more particularly bound for the
Paumotu Islands, which lie to the south.
east, on the Tropic of Capricorn. There
are fifteen or twenty groups OF islands
IN the South Pacific, and while the resi-.
dents OF some are civilized and LIVING
IKE white folks, there are others in.
habited by scoundrelly gangs. There
are about thirty islands, large and small
IN the aumotu group, aud in 1864 there
wasn't native among them, who was
rot thief and liar when dealing with
white men. | think there was two or
three English missionaries on the larper
Island at the date l mention, but their
influence was limited. The natives were
sneaklng lot, always playing for some
point OF advantage, and were rather held
In contempt by the traders. They would
cheat, steal and lie, but no one supposed
them brave enough to attack a vessel
Our craft was fine, new schooner.
built on the model of frulter, and one
OF the fastest crafts ever propelled Inv
wind power She was also easy to handle
and carried Q dry deck through seas
which would have wet ffiuate fore and
AIT ehe was commanded by Captain
Walters, very compe ent man, while |
hau the berth OF first mate. Cur second
was MIR. Sheppard, and we had six men
before the mast. We were loaded with
articles of traffic, and our armament con.
sisted OF one siX-pounder on a carriage
and dozen swords and muskets. The
captain had made two previous VOYAGES
TO the islands, and he had very poor
opinion of the courage of the natives.
we had an uneventful voyage to with.
in one hundred miles of the islands, when
we encountered the brig Frisco, which
had also been on a trading VOYAGE. She
showed a signal of distress, and | was
ordered to go aboard in response. Her
original crew of ten men had been re-
duced one'half, and the Captain was in
need oil the services of a surgeon, having
a bad scalp wound and two cuts on the
shoulder. Three days before, as the brig
mad completed her cargo, the natives
had made determined eiort TO capture
her. Three of her crew had been k lied.
one drowned, and fifth carried off n
prisoner, and only one man of the five re.
naming had escaped being wounded. In
repelllng the natives thirty or forty of
them had been slaughtered, and the
Captains adv ce to us was to seek some
other port. We could not spare the brig
any hands, but we fixed up the wounded
as well as we could, our Captain went
aboard to hear the particulars of the
fight, and when the vessels separated we
held to our original course.
m 70 ha
yarn, Mr.. Winters, he sad to me. 81
know those natives, and | know that
they haven't the courage of sheep.
suspect that the crew of the brig and the
natives went on big drunk together,
and that whisky brought about quarrel
in which sailors knitted each other.n
"But 1t won't be much trouble TO take
proper precautions, " | replied.
"Uh, no. You will have full CHARGE
when we get on trading grounds, as |
will have TO look after the barter Take
such precautions as you like, though |
think it will be trouble for nothing"
My bump Of caution is decidedly
prominent. As a sailor ! ALWAYS pre
terred to snug down and store away be-
fore the storm broke. | got up the cut.
lasses and found them about as sharp as
spades. The muskets were rusty and
out of repair and the caps and bullets
slowed away where had long hunt to
find them. We were in sight of the
islands before had the arms in good
shape, and the Captain had INDUCED in
more than one chuckle over my efforts.
There were three or four rulers distrib-
uted about the groups, but the head man
recognized by the traders was known by
the title of "Old Lop." His left shoulder
was badly down and he was old and
skinny. Instead of being called lop
shouldered, the sailors gave him the
briefer and moreeXpressiye nickname of
''Old Lopp lie lived on an island /.
known to us in those days as the Horse /
shoe, and this was about the centre of |
the group There were safe channels |
among tho isles, and craft lying of /
the Horseshoe was perfectly sheltered ia /
Auy sort weather. We were a whole day
making our way through the channels,
and 1t struck me as very curious that all