The National tribune., 1902-07-10

of it. as it was not intended to destroy
them for day or two, or at least until
we had secured such stores from them as
we required
The names of the vessels captured off
Ascension Island were as follows: The
Edward Gary of San Francisco, the Hec-
tor of New Bedford, the Pearl of New
London, and the Harvest that tried to
hail from the port of Honolulu, bat hav-
ing no bill of transfer she was condemned
with the rest.
After securing what we desired from
the prizes, and giving the officers and
men an opportunity of procuring such per
sonal effects as they desired to save, the
natives were allowed to go on board and
ransaek the doomed vessels to their
hearts content. Such 4 rare occasion for
wholesale plundering had never occurred
before, and was not likely to again, and
they made the most Of it. All day long
they swarmed over the vessels, like driver
ants upon a dead carcass. and their ca
| noes We're constantly passing to and fro,
laden with ships bread. tobacco, bits of
iron, harpoons and whaling lines, and all
sorts of odds and ends, until they were
| fairly surfeited with plunderiDg.
DESTRUCTION OF AMERICAN wHALERs.
| On the Sd of April the work of de-
structiOn commenced. The Pearl WAS the
| first one fired, but ere the flames had
| gained much hea,Iway the Hector and the
| Edward Cary We're also biaZing, and the
three sent forth a lurid glare which light
ed up, like the eruption of n volcano, the
| quiet bay whose waters We're disturbed
| by scare ripple, and the tropical shore
| far inland, with its strange vegetation
and grotesque humanity; while on the
strand We're scattered amazed groups Of
| natives wildly gestIculatIng, and evidently
unable to comprehend why all this wealth
should be thus ruthiessiy destroyed.
The Harvest still remained intact, as
she had not contributed her quota to our
stores, but ON the 10th she was hauled
alongside, and we commenced transferring
from her such articles as We're suited to
cur need.
The next day was specially detailed
to go on shore for the purpose of formally
inviting His Cannibal Majesty TO visit us.
As it was a state occasion, L proceeded in
| the Captains gig with six good men well
armed. and the old pilot to act as inter
prefer.
The voyage was quickly accomplished.
but as we neared the beach crowd of
natives rushed down to meet Us, armed
with stones, which they huri almost with
the precision of rife-baIl, and swords
manufactured from sharks teeth, the
edges of which are dipped in subtle
poison that leaves certain death in any
wounds they infiict- The appearance of
this heathenish multitude was anything
but conciliatory, and gathered from their
manner and gesticIlations that they were
apprehensive we had come to reclaim all
or portion Of the plunder they had taken
from the whalers, and were disposed to
stand upon the welEknown maxim that
| possession is nine points of the law"
and defend their booty to the last.
few words from the interpreter ex-
planned the real object of our visit, and
when they learned it was to do honor to
their king that we had come, their un-
friendly demonstrations subsided. though
there were still two or three ferocious
looking villains who eyed us askance and
l have no doubt considered what sort of
roasts or barbecues We would probably
make.
VISIT TO ROYALTY.
His Majesty was not in his customary
abiding place, little bamboo hut near the
beach, barely large enough to contain four
persons, but at a sort OF Government
House farther inland, where some sort of
festiyity was in progress. Two or three
Of his chiefs volunteered to escort iue
thither, and leaving my men in the boat
and accompanied by the interpreter, set
forth for the first time in my life to pay
a visit to royalty. 1t was more of a
walk than had anticipated, and the way
led over some steep, rugged ascents, hard
enough to climb under that broiling sun
but there was much to amuse me in OBJ.
serving the manners and habits of this
strange people, and in ginning a better
. insight than had before been able to de-
, into their domestic economy.
} Once, in passing native hut, OBJ.
! served a dog with his brains beaten out
but still retaining his skin and entrails
J lying by the side Of rude oven, all ready
. returned. few hours later, a woman SAT
before the still smouldering embers gnaw.