The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-01-09
RUNAWAY BLACK BOYS.
Escaped Samoan Slaves Who Live In the
Thick Woods.

Escaped Samoan Slaves Who Live In the
Thick Woods.
Boys sometimes run away from the
plantations and live alone in the forest.
building little sheds to protect them
from the rain, and sometimes planting
little gardens for food; but the most
part live the best they can upon the
nuts of the trees and the yams that
they dig with their hands out of the
earth. | do not think there could be any
where in the world people more wretch
ed than these runaways. They can
not return, for they would only re-
turn to be punished; they can never
hope to see again their own people
indeed, do not know that they car
hope but just to find enough yam
every day to keep them from starvation.
And i'll the wet season of the year,
which is our summer and your winter,
when the rain falls day after day far
louder than the loudest thunder-pump
that ever fell in England, and the room
is SO dark that the Lean man is some
times glad to light his lamp to write
by, can think of nothing so dreary as
the state of these poor runaways in the
houseless bush. You are to remember,
besides, that the people of the island
hate and fear them because they are
cannibals; sit and tell tales of them
about their lamps at night in their own
comfortable houses, and are some
times afraid to lie down to sleep if there
is a lurking black boy in the neighbour
hood. Well, now, A1ick is of their own
race and language, only he is little
more lucky, because he has not run
away; and how do you think that he
proposed to hel p them? He asked if he
might have gun. ''What do you want
with gun, Alick?" was asked. He an
swered quite simply, and with his nice,
good-natured smile, that if he had a
gun he would go up into the High
bush and shoot black boys as men shoot
them, nor do l think he really meant to.
l think all he wanted was to clear the
plantation of the verInin, as game
keepers at home kill wcasels or rats.
The other day he was sent on an err
rand to the German company where
many of the black boys live. 1t was
very late when he came home. He had
IA white bandage round his head. His
eyes shone, and he could scarcely speak
for excitement. 1t seemed some of ths,
black boys who were his enemies at home
had attacked him, one with a knife.
by his own account he had fought very
well; but the odds were heavy. The
man with the knife had cut him both in
the head and back; he had been struck
down; and if some black boys of his
own side had not come to the rescue,
he must certainly have been killed. |
am sure no Christmas box could make
any of you children so happy as THIS
fight made Alick. A great part of the
next day he neglected his work to play
upon the one-stringed harp and sing
songs about his great victory. To-day,
when he is gone upon his holiday, he
has announced that he is going back
to the German firm to have another
battle and another triumph. l do not
think he will go, all the same, or |
should be uneasy; for l do not want
TO have my Alick killed; and there is
no doubt that if he begin this fight
again, he will be likely to go on with il
cry far.-Robert Louis Stevenson, in
Nicholas.