The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-01-26


men might who were caring for a
craft at anchor. We lay headed to-
ward the channel, as the tide was
running in. and had only enough
chain out to let her swing. We over
hauled the cable, and fixed it for
slipping, got the cannon aft, where
1t could haye raking fire, and were
then as ready as we two men could
be. Ashore all was hilarity and con-
fusion, with natives marching up and
down. and beating their drums and
blowing their horns. We had made
the preparations spoken of, when the
Captain sent one of the men of to rs
to tell US TO come ashore, as every
body was having a good time. /
questioned the messenger closely,
.buf ne had seen 6thing suspicI6ns.
I sent word that we might come soon
but did not intend to move foot.
Two hours passed, and we had re.
marked that the tide had Just turned
when Old Lop sent US pressing in
yitation, backed by a second message
from the Captain. The sailor had
been aloft with the glass, and on
coming down reported that our men
were acting as If drunk, and that
every native appeared to be armed.
1 sent word back that I would not
leave the schooner. and half an hour
later the expected climax came. We
heard general bowling and shout
ing. and Parker, who was again aloft.
hurried down to report that he had
seen three of our crew dubbed to
death. He had scarcely gained the
deck when about two hundred ma
tives made rush for the canoes
drawn up opposite us. While we
were not more than 100 feet fro N the
shore, in water about three fathoms
deep, the natives had to swim or take
TO their canoes. There were lots Of
sharks in the coves, and so none of
them yentured to plunge in.
While Parker ran to slip the cable,
l ran aft to the wheel. There was a
bit of breeze, and favorable at that.
while the run of the tide alone would
take us slowly out. Time was what
we wanted, and seeing that the ca
noes were ready to shove off. l train
ed the gun a little lower. applied my
lighted cigar to the priming. and no
one discharge from a six FOUNDER
ever had a greater effect. 1t destroyed
three or foor canoes, killed or wound.
ed score of natives, and the smoke
had scarcely blown away before the
schooner began moving. The natives
were checked for the moment, civ.
ing us time to hoist the mainsail
little higher, and when they began
the pursuit we were moving down
the channel at about three miles an
hour. It was lucky that had clean
ed up the muskets and prepared
plenty of ammunition. But for the
firearms we would have been boarded
with a rush, for upwards Of hun
dred natives crowded into canoes to
pursue. The channel was narrow.
but we'll defined. and while 1 had the
wheel and kept her going, Parker
was busy with the muskets. He fred
in turn at each canoe, and whenever
he hit man he threw all into con-
fusion and checked pursuit for sever.
al minutes. Bv and by he got time
enough to reload the cannon, and
this time he rammed in a solid shot,
The natives seemed to look upon it
as gun which had only one speech
or report, and though the solid shot
hit no one, their confusion was very
great. Soon after this Parker killed
a man IN the foremost canoe, and then
all fell back.
We now got the foresail on her and
the other jibs, and the schooner crept
along 80 fast that pursuit was given
over, much to our satisfaction. We
kept to the southwark, following the
channels, between the islands. until
about 8 O'Clock in the afternoon, when
we met the trading schooner. Junta,
owned by our same firm, which had
loaded at the Tubi islands, and was
going TO add a few more packages at
the Horseshoe. We diyided the crew
and sailed around to the Tongas,
where two whalers were reAtting.
We here got enough volunteers to
increase our number to fifty, borrow.
ep muskets and cutlasses. and return
ed to Old Lop's headquarters In the
Frisco. He showed fight when we
landed, but soon became panic.strick-
en- and ceased resistance. We first
made sure that all our men had been
murdered, and then the men were
let loose for revenge. They were
wild lot, and they felt it necessary to
teach the natives a lesson, and the
hunting and killing went on for three
days. Neither age nor sex met with
mercy, and the number of victims
must have counted up fully 200.
The Horseshoe was, in fact, depOpu.