The evening times., 1899-10-03
Living AMONG 'SAVAGES
The Rescue of Narcisse Pellatire
From Night Island.
He Sailed From His Home I'm France
as a Cabin BOY oi, the Ship st.
Paul, bound for China-The Craft
Struck Reef, and Later the
Castaway Reached the Mainland.
From the Pail Mall Gazette.)

ern Queensland, her crew made friendly
acquaintance with a tribe of blacks who
were living on the mainland. Among the
black, stark-naked savages who gathered
around the boat was one whose skin SEEM
ed of a lighter color than that of his COM
panions and then, to the astonishment OF
the officer in command of the boat, some
of the natives who could speak few
words of English informed him that the
slight skinned man was white fellow.
The officer beckoned to the man to ap-
proach. He did so with the utmost timid-
ity and nervousness, but in a few minutes
appeared to gain confidence, and, although
he could not speak a word of English, he
soon satisfied his rescuers that he was in
deed white man; beyond this, nothing
more could be ascertained at the time.
He was able, however, to indicate that he
was not unwilling to go on board the
schooner; and the officer, after promising
the blacks compensation for taking the
man away, bade him step into the boat.
He obeyed, though without alacrity, and
as the boat pushed off from the beach he
seemed half inclined to spring overheard
and rejoin the natives Some strange, in
coherent words in French escaped from
his lips, and his wild, affrighted eyes, as
he glanced from one to the other of the
boats crew, showed that he was under
strong excitement, mingled with fear. AS
soon as he stood upon the schooner's deck,
however, his alarm seemed to subside, and
he tried to express his satisfaction at
again being among white men by gestures
and other signs of approval. The pearling
schooner set sail for Somerset, on Cape
York, which in those days was the head
quarters of the Torres Straits pearling
fleet. AS the little vessel made her way
northward along the coast, the strange
white man began to speak and eat his food
like Christian, and lost his terror and
amaZement at his surroundings. fort
night later he was able to tell his strange
story.
Narcisse Pierre Pellatier was the son of
a shoemaker of st. Giles. near Bordeaux
His father had numerous family TO sup
port, and so when at thirteen years of age
Narcisse shipped as a cabin boy on the
ship st. Paul, of Bordeaux. his parents
were we'll satisfied. The ST. Paul was
bound to China-to what port or ports OF
that country Narcisse could not remem-
Der. But though his memory of many
places and events before he became a
castaway was dimmed and blurred, and he
spoke haltingly, as child who is first
learning TO lisp its words speaks. he yet
remembered the salient points of the voy-
age. The st. Paul arrived at a Chinese
port, and was then chartered by Chinese
| merchants to take three hundred and fifty
| Chinese emgrants to Sydney.
One moonless night, as the vessel was
| slipping through the water before strong
| breeze she ran into a white line of roar
ing surf-the barrier reef of Rossel Island
and struck with a heavy. crash upon the
| jagged coral. The boats We're in good
| der, and, although the ship soon began to
| break up under the force of the crashing
rollers, the greater part of the crew and
many of the Chinese succeeded in reaching
/ the land in them; the remainder, as the
| tide began to fall and the reef became ex-
| posed walked ashore. They found that
! the island was populated by savages, who
| showed disposition TO attack and slaugh-
ter everyone who landed. but were pre-
vented by the display of firearms made by
/ the captain and officers. After the unfor-
tunate people had reached the shore the
| Europeans began instantly TO devise means
| of escape from the island, for ii was only
TOO evident that the Chinese would be of no
use in repeling an attack of the savages,
and indeed they (the Chinese) were equal
| ly to be dreaded, for they We're in every re-
| spect as treacherous as the cannibal ma
| tives of Rossel Island.
But said Sydney paper Of that year,
''one of the three boats was damaged CTf
! the rocks, and the remaining two being in
| adequate for the conveyance of all hands
| to any other land, it became evident that
| the crew, If they wished to save thmselves,
must leave the Chinese. Accordingly the
Europeans made for a neighboring island
| where however, they were attacked by
natives and forced to retire. leaving be-
| hind them three men-the second officer
| a sailor, and an apprentice. During this
attack young Pellatier received violent
blow on the head from stone thrown from
a sling, but managed to reach the boat.
Much as the crew dreaded the Chinese
| they dreaded the savages more, and accord
! ingy returned to the island which had at
| first afforded them refuge. Once more in
comparative safety, their fears returned,
| and they decided to embark In silence at
| dead of night. Narcisse followed them in
their new venture. That night the captain,
| seven seamen, and the boy Narcisse sue
| ceeded in getting away unobseryed by the
| Cinnamon In the best boat Three or four
| days before they sighted the Australian
coast their supply of water ran out
| The place where they landed is known
| as the First Red Rocky Point, south of
| Cape Direction, as CHASTITY, God-forsaken,
| and savage spot as can be imagined. Rag
| ing with thirst, the crew drew the boat
| upon the beach and searched for water.
At length their search was rewarded by
| finding a small water hole or native we'll,
| but the supply of water proved INSULT
| cient for all, and was consumed by the
| men, leaving none for the poor little cabin
| boy, already half dead from hunger, thirst
! and exposure, and with feet cut to pieces
| with the sharp coral of the reef. Leaving
| the exhausted lad to his fate, the captain
| and his men retraced their way to the
| boat, and ultimately reached New Gale
| donia.
1T may not be out ! of place here to
remark that it is reported that the canni-
balls of the Louisiade Islands killed and ate
| most of the Chinese, two by two, in the
| most methodical manner. some sixteen on
| ly having been at length rescued by pass
| ing vessel. ~
ITO return to Narcisse Pellatier par
| ty of blacks on the mainland happening to
cross the tracks of the boats crew, fol-
| lowed them up to the water hole, and there
| found the apparently dying boy, fed him
and finally carried him away to their camp
| With this tribe, known, in their own
tongue as the Makadamas, he remained for
| seventeen years, until he was discovered
and taken away by the crew of the John
Bull.
When discovered Narcisse was stark
naked, like the rest Of the tribe of blacks
| with whom he was living. his body was
| burned by the sun to rich red color, his
skin had quite a glazed appearance, and
his breast was adorned with raised lines
of scariied flesh of the thickness of pen
cil while the lobe of his right ear was Or
namented with piece Of wood about half
an inch in diameter and four inches long
The cuts on his breast, of which he was
| very proud, were made WI rieces of bro
ken glass bottles, the lips of the cuts being
1 raised by a system of constant pinching
| during the healing process.
hsv,a ,ef