The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-23

could distinctly see the hands on
board; but judge of our feelings when
we saw the vessel pursuing her course.
our. expectations were all blasted in
moment, and our minds, which had
been gladdened by the hope of once
more reaching the shores of our be-
loved country, sunk back into a state
of despair; we wept like children.
The natives, when they returned
from the vessel, brought with them
small quantity of iron hoops, and few
articles of some little value, but they
were highly dissatisfied with the
amount received, and greatly enraged.
The division of the properly caused
much difficulty, and they quarrelled
about it for several days. Those of us
who remained, though innocent, were
the greatest sufferers. They held US
accountable for the conduct OF those
who had left, and vented the maligni-
ty of their unfeeling hearts upon us.
We were given to understand, that
now our doom was fixed, that we
should remain with them, and die the
victims of our tormentors Alas! it
was but too true, that such was TO be
the fate of all but two of our number.
We were destined to see one after an
other of our fellow sufferers sink I'M
der the constantly increasing severity
Of the burdens imposed upon them,
and perish either from actual starva-
ton, or by the blows of the savages.
After the departure of the captain
and Rollins, we We're treated with
much greater severity than we had
been before. Generally we were arous-
d from our broken slumbers about
sunrise, and compelled to go to work;
we were usually employed in cultivat-
ing a species of vegetable somewhat
resembling the yam called by them
korei." This root is raised in beds or
Il Or
out the sand and filing the place with
mould The whole of this labor was
performed with the hands. We were
compelled day after Gay to stand in
the mud from morning till night, and
to turn up the mud with our hands
Frequently we Were required to do
this without receiving a morsel of food
till about noon, and sometimes we
were left without anything to eat till
night. At best we could get no more
than a small piece of cocoanur, hard
ly a common sized mouthful at a time
and if, either from exhaustion or any
other cause, we neglected to perform
the required amount of labor, our pit
lance of food was withheld altogether
From this plain and unexaggerated
account it viii be seen that our con-
dition at best was bad enough but a
misfortune befell us which rendered it
still worse. About four months from
the time of our landing on that dreary
spot, there was a violent storm, which
came very nearly sweeping aWa y the
whole means of support which remain
ed for the miserable Inhabitants. The
wind blew down many of the best
cocoa trees, and materially injured the
fruit on such as were left standing
Besides this, the low places in which
they raised the root, by them called
'korei," were mostly filled with sand
and famine stared us all in the face
l.
the anger of their god, and did not fail
to use such means as they thought
best calculated to appease him; and
the calamity greatly added to our SUI
ferings. Besides subjecting us 10 still
more severe drprivations, we were
aompelled Though hardly able to drag
IT limbs from place to place. to labor
repairing the damage done by the
IN. We were employed for months
! IL Sarry1ng in our arms and on our
shfC ders pieces of coral rock, in order
to f"~m sort of seawall to prevent
the "aves from washing away the
trees. and this drudgery, considering
/ that We were naked, under burning
sun, and reduced to nothing but skin
ard bones. was too severe to admit OF
| anything like an adequate description.
| Our flesh or, to speak more properly,
our skin-for flesh we had none-was
frequently so torn by the sharp corners
! as to resemble more that of the rhi-
nGce ros than of human beings.
/ CHAPTER TX
| vow trial now awaited us. The
barbarous beings among whom our lot
| haG haen cast. deemed it important
| that we should be tattooed, and we
were compelled to submit TO the dis
| tressing operation. We expostulated
against tive entreated- we begged
| to be spared this additional infection;
! but our entreaties were OF no use.
Those sayae were not to be moved,
and we were compelled tc submit; and
J that the reader may form some idea