The Russellville Democrat., 1889-01-03
MURDER0US NATIVES
Narrowing Tales Of their Diabol-
 ical Treachery.
Only Two out of Nine Eseape-Nowing z the Blsck-skinned Devils DowE with shot from s Sfx-Poander
 Sweet Revenge.

h the year that our civil WAT broke cut I left Honolulu for trading trip among the islands to the south. but be- ing more particularly bound for the Paumotu Islands. which lie to the southeast. on the Tropic Of Capricorn There are fifteen or twenty groups of islands in the South Pacific, and while the residents of some are civilized and living like white folks, there are others inhabited by scoundrelIy gangs There are about thirty islands. large and small. in the PaumOtu group. and in 1881 there wasn't native among them who was not thief and liar when dealing with white men think there were two or three English missionaries On the larger island at the date ] men ton. bat their influence Was limited. The natives were sneaking lot. always playing for some point oi advantage and were rather held in contempt by the traders They would cheat, steal and lie. but TO one supposed them brave enough to attack vessel.
 Our craft was Q fine, new schooner, built on the model of fraiser, and one Of the fastest crafts ever propelled by wind power. She was also easy 10 han de, and carried dry deck through seas which would have wet frigate fore and aft She was commanded by Captain Walters. . very competent man, while had the berth of first mate. Our second ras Mir. Sheppard. and we had sir men before the mast We were loaded with articles of traffic, and cur armament consisted Of one six pounder on carriage and a dozen swords and rnuskets. The Captain had made two previous voyages to the is- lands, and he had very poor opinion Of the courage of the natives
 We had an uneventful voyage to within one hundred miles of the islands, when we encountered the brig Frisco, which had also been on 8 trading vOy- age. She showed signal Of distress, and l was ordered to go aboard in re- sponse- Her original crew of ten men had been reduced one-half and the Captain was in need Of the services Of a surgeon. having Q bad scalp wound and two cuts On the shoulder. Tnree days before, as the brig had completed her cargo, the native had made 8 de terrntned effort 10 capture her. Three Oi her crew had been killed. one drowned, and fifth carried of a prisoner. and only one man Of the five remaining had escaped being wounded. In rspelling the natives thirty or forty of them had been slaughtered. and the Captain ad- vice 10 us was to seek some other port We could not spare the brig any hands, but we fixed up the wounded as well ss we could. our Captain went aboard to hear the particulars Of he fight, and when the vessels separated we held to our original course
 T sm not 70 be scared out by his yarn, Mfr. Winters he said 10 me "l know those nigger natives, and know that they haven't the courage Of a sheep. l suspect that The crew of the brig and the natives went on big drunk together. and the whisky brought about quarrel, in which the sailors knifed each other
 But it won't be much trouble tC take proper precautions" L replied
 Oh, no You will have full charge when we get on trading grounds. as will have 10 look after the barter Take such precautions as you like, though think it will be trouble for nothing.
 By bump oi caution is decidedly prominent. As a sailor l always pre- ferred 10 snug down and stow away be fore the storm broke. l got up tho cutlasses and found them about a: sharp as spades The muskets were rusty and out Of repair. and the eaPs and bullets s;0wed away where had a long hunt Co find them We were ir sight Of the islands before ! had tho arms in good shape, and the Captain had indulged in more than one chuckls over my efforts There were thrcs or four rulers distributed about ths group, but the head man recognized bJ traLsrs was known by the tile Of '-Olc Lon" His left shoulder was badly down, and he was old and skinny. To stead of being called lop-shouldered the sailors gave him the eF4eser ana more expressive nickname of 'OlS Lop He lived on an island kueEn [, us In those days as the Horseshoe, ana thLs was about the center of tho group There were safe channels among thi isles, and erafi lying oa the Horse