Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-05-31

SANDY De2cneS or the Laugnlln lSlandS,
and the brown men and women and
children swarmed out OF their matched
huts TO look for the ship. The islands
are but low, perhaps not ten feet above
sea-level in the highest part-and so,
although the ship had been but ten
miles distant the previous evening, she
had not been seen by any one on the is
land. Just as the red sun had cleared
the eastern sky-rim they saw her top
sails showing through the groves of
cocoanuts on the southern point, and
then in few minutes she came in;o
full view. From the number of boats
she carried the islanders knew her to
be a whaler, and loud cry of delight
rang through the village when she
hauled up her courses and lay-to, to
wait for the canoes to bring off sup
plies.
Only some three or four ships haG
ever before visited the islands, and the
open, friendly manner of the natives
and the delight they showed at meet
ing white men and the desire they ex-
pressed to have one to live among
them was beginning to get known
among the whaleships that cruised
about in those ATTITUDES sixty years
ago. 1t was for this reason, and that
he wanted to buy some hogs, that Cap
tain Abraham Warren, of the Mace
DOMAIN of Nantucket, determined TO
make call at the islands before work.
ing his way northward along the east
coast OF New Guinea.
Taranoa, the leading chief Of this
group Of nine islets, was the first to
board the whaler, accompanied by half
a dozen of his young men. His simple
pleasing manners and desire to serve
the American captain in every possible
way, expressed in perfectly ineligible
English, decided Captain Warren to ac-
cept his invitation and spend part of
the day ashore.
A boat was lowered from the ship and
Taranoa, sending his canoe ashore with
a message to his people to prepare food
for his guest, got in the boat with the
captain and piloted her ashore.
For some time the master OF the
Macedonian felt daZed by the noise OF
the welcome afforded him. He noticed
that every native insisted upon shak-
ing hands with him, English fashion,
and also that many of them showed I'M
mistakable traces Of European blood in
their veins. The women, in particular,
were very light in color, and, indeed,
many were not as dark as Creoles.
After the chief had managed to &c.
his white guest through the crowd Of
natives that hung about him, he
brought him to his house and placed a
rude chair for him to sit upon, while
the women of his family placed food
before him; the captain motioned to
the chief to sit near him and talk.
Like white people?" Taranoa said,
In answer to a remark Of Captain War
ren's; ooh, yes, sir; every ship that
comes here the captain say native here
got skin like the white man."
Where did you learn to speak Eng
lish?" asked the American presently.
81 have been to sea, sir-sailor man
on board whale ship-English whale
ship belong to Sydney"
For nearly an hour the captain re-
manned with his native host and then,
expressing a wish to have look about
the island. Taronoa at once offered to
be his guide.
They set out few minutes later,
and Taranoa, leading the way, took
the white man to every point that he
thought would interest him. AS they
were returning to the village along the
path that led through the cocoanut
grove on the southern side Of the ISL
and the chief pointed out to the Amer
lean cluster of native houses, and said
that was the place where the white
men once lived.
white men! Did any white men
live here, and in those houses?"
Eyes; long time ago. But they not
live in those houses there. Houses be-
long to white men fall down long time
ago."
After they had returned to the chiefs
house Captain Warren questioned av-
ranGa about these white men. At first
the chief hesitated, but then told him
this story
"a long time ago. in his fathers time,
before he (Taranoa) was born. ship
Hdu COuc III OiOse W ilHu' nc WIN
had died away and Kilagia, his father,
and four other men had launched their
canoe to go out to her, when the breeze
sprang up, just as darkness had fallen,
and they saw the ship turn round and
sail away. So Kilagia and those with
him turned back, but scarce had they
dragged their canoe up on the beach
when they heard the sound of oars, and
running back they saw boat close in.