The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-11-23

had grown to bs. almost like a native.
He used to wear . lAva-lsva instead Of
trousers, just like Samoan, and he
could 90 about barefoot anywhere. even
on coral reef, and that's thing few
white men can manage without cutting
their feet to pieces.
"They did say" and be lowered bis
voice unoonsoiously, "that he was one
Of party Of conviots who had escaped
from Australia when 1t was penal set
Element. They stole boat and somehow
found their way here and made them.
selves ut homo among the natives, but
the story was only Whispered between
white men, and it would have been as
much as ones life was worth to even
hint at the thing to old Jack. He was q
handy man with his knife, and there
were no police about to call him to &C.
count for his actions.
II got along well enough with Jack,
though I must say he had ways Of deal.
ing with the natives which I hardly ap-
proved Of. They were afraid Of him,
though, and fed him on the best the
land could furnish. Jack never did any
thing for them In return. He spent his
days lying on mat in the shade Of one
Of their big cool houses, open all round,
90 that the breeze could pass through
and Jack could see all that was going
on without even moving. Sometimes,
when he was particularly energetic, he
would 60 fishing on the reef at low tide,
when coral showed up high above the
water, and it was easy enough to spear
malauli with long three pronged native
spears.
"Still, soon found it was to my in
forest to keep in with old Jack. He got
twice as much oil as could for the
same amount Of trade, and, though he
was always abusing and i'll treating the
Samoans. strangely enough they would
take their oil to him rather than TO me,
and was as smooth as butter to the
natives, talking kindly to them and al
ways giving them little presents. own
that could never quite make it out to
this day, and no man knows the crooks
and Twists Of the Samoan character bet
ter than lido. cannot understand what
gave Jack his extraordinary influence
over the people, though, to be sure, in
the end they killed him on Manono. But
I'll tell you about that some other time.
$50 it happened that Jack became
sort of subtrader or assistant and would
buy the natives oil, giving them in
return orders on me for 80 much trade.
] paid him q good commission, and I
could afford to do it, for SO long as Jack
was sober he was the best hand at bar.
gaining with the Samoans I ever saw,
but when he got drunk there was no
holding him. I had to get case Of gin
down from Apia now and again Or else
Jack would never have staid with me.
Then he would go tearing wild for
week or two until it was all finished and
perhaps wind up by setting fire to ma
tive house, or carrying off woman, or
something like that. had to pay for
the damage, and then Jack sobered
down and went along right enough for
another month or two.
1T was this failing that had got the
beach comber into trouble at Tanuna, a
village about 30 miles along the coast,
where he had lived before coming to my
place. The natives there had put up
with him for long time, but at last
they got sick of the business, and the
chiefs of the town turned dead against
him and gave him week in which to
clear out. l never knew rightly what
brought this about, for Jack was very
reticent Oh the point, but it must have
been something very bad or else the ma
tives would never have summoned up
courage to behave as they did. There
was a taupo, village virgin, mixed
up in the business, know, fine look.
ing girl. She stuck to him all through
and came away with him to Salua,
where was.
For long time Jack had been play
ing off an old beach comber's bounce on
the natives at Tanuna. Whenever they
would turn bit nasty he would threat
en- to bring British man ofwar down
on them and have them well punished.
This used to scare the people, for men
of-war were scarce in those days, and
the Samoans had an almost superstitious
awe of their guns. It's different now,
for the natives have seen so much of
modern war vessels that they've grown
to despise them. They aren't afraid Of
being shelled either. Why, I've seen
them over on Upolu, when man Of
war did actually fire Oh the rebels, sit
ting round smoking quite comfortable
In the bush behind, while the shots
were dropping into their village and do. !
ing no harm at all, except perhaps set
ting fire to house Or two, and when,
by pure accident a shell did fall into a
cookhouse and kill five men they said
that the victims had been stealing the |
missionary's ducks or else they would
not have been killed. Shows the benefit
Of religious teaching, doesn't it?
"WeIl, to come back to Jack. The
man.of.war game at last got played out,
because no man-of-war came, and the
natives would not believe him any Ion.
ger. Then be had to clear, but at the
very last, when he was leaving, he told
them that he would soon come back
with big war canoe and make them
pay heavy fine in pigs.
"The Tanuna people only laughed at
him, but as it turned out, strangely
enough, Jack kept his word. He had
been at Salua about six months when
a man-of-war actually did come, not
after the natives, but after Jack him
self. The consul had at last--for news
travelled slowly then-heard of Jacks
FRANKS at Tanuna, and had sent the
Sea Gull, which happened to be in Apia
at the time, down to arrest him. It was
q bad lookout for Jack, for there were
enough crimes charged against him to
hang dozen men.
~ was away in the bush hunting wild
cattle when the Sea Gull arrived. and
that saved Jack-that and his own
smartness. The vessel dropped into the
lagoon at Salua early one morning and
anchored about mile from the shore,
for it was good, safe harbor, though
rather small. Jack from his own hut
saw her come in and guessed what she
was after. Presently she lowered boat,
and a lieutenant, all gold lace, came
ashore in stvle. OF course he went to