The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1898-06-22


effect, enough of buccaneer to have
dollars to jingle on the Circular Quay
in Sydney before a grand carouse in
the Currency Lass public house. From
end TO end of the Pacific Sam Susie
nance was known by the name of Uru-
Uru, which the islanders had given
him. At Penrhyn Island on August
l, 1857, he engaged an English beach
comber, Joe Bird, to superinteud the
party of native pearl divers whom he
shipped at the same time. There were
eighteen men and several women in
the party. The Penrhyn folk are
widely different from the gentle aud
timorous Manahikians. Sour and
gloomy at all times, they are capable
of nourishing a,grievance and of bid
ing their time in a plot to wipe it out.
Two days later Uru-Uru stopped at
Manahiki long enough to take on board
1000 cocoanuts for the food of his
divers, and on August 13 he anchored
at Suvarrow.
According to beachcomber's law of
might is right, Sustenance aud Joe
Bird with fighting crew at their back,
with score of fierce Penrhyn Island
ers, were able to decree that Tamu and
his handful of mild Manabikians should
confine themselves to one islet and
leave the rest of the atoll to the pearl
divers. Still more company was COM
ing. Within a month or six weeks the
schooner Ticker, Thomas +. Martin,
master, visited Suvarrow and landed
Jules Tirel, a Frenchman, who was
known to the islanders as Jules Farani,
or French Jules. In October of the
same year Sustenance revisited his
pearling station and found little shell
as yet collected. 1t is likely that he
gave forcible expression to his disap-
pointment, but be that as it may, the
main feature is that the three beach
combers were then there with the two
native settlements of Manahikians and
Penrhyn people and that all was well.
In April, 1858, the brig Charlotte
touched at Suvarrow aud two of the
Manahiki boys, Otea and Vaimau,
went on her to Samoa. Neither on
the voyage nor at Apia did they men
tion any white men as having been
with them on Suvarrow, and the mas
ter of the Charlotte knew nothing of
the former actions of Sustenance.
That trader again visited Suvarrow
on June Is, ten months after estab-
fishing his diving station and eight
months after his last visit. As he
stood up for the passage through the
coral reef first one and then second
canoe filled with Penryhn Islanders
boarded the Dart with many express
sions OF pleasure that they once more
saw their friend Uru- Uru, for the three
beachcombers had long ago taken their
boat and sailed away westward to Sam
oa. Knowing the wild rowing fever
which drives the beachcomber hither
and yon, back and forth through the
South Seas, and their recklessness of
the chances of voyaging, Sustenance
saw nothing unusual in the thought of
three men setting out in small boat
for an ocean voyage of hundreds of
miles. His two mates suggested the
possibility of foul play, but he pooh
hoohed their suspicious. At any rate
the Penrhyn Islanders told a consis-
tent story.
On landing, Sustenance met,the Pau
motu woman, Kokorariki, wife of the
Manahikian Here. Her story was to
the effect that in February the three
beachcombers had pain ted the boat and
made new sail. They had taken the
small cask filled with drinking water
and large supply of dried eggs of the
sea fowl which swarm ON the islands,
together with variety of food in the
shape of fresh and baked cocoanuts.
The boat had been leaky, but was tight
after the new painting. They had
sailed away to the west and before
sundown were out of sight. AS they
had left their wives behind, she was
sure that they intended to take ship
in Samoa and go to their own lands
beyond the horizon. They had taken
all their trade goods except one bolt
OF printed goods which they had
divided among the Penrhyn divers.
For savage this woman seems to
have had genius for lying. The
other people agreed with her account,
and the island, when carefully
searched, yielded no indication in the
way of goods or stores that the woman
had told other than the truth. For
the following fortnight the Manahi-
kiaus and the Penrhyns were on the
Dart on the homeward voyage back to
Penrhyn, and not a word or sign
gave reason to suspect that the story
was false.
Some weeks later Sustenance
touched in the course of trade at Rak
ahanga, and there again encountered
the woman Kokorariki. She asked at
once if he had heard of Joe and Tamu.
Apparently much concerned when she
heard that they had not reached
Samoa, she asked in what direction
Pukapuka bore, and when the ship
master pointed down to the west, she
seemed much relieved, and suggested
that the beachcombers had probably
reached that island.