The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-09-25
THE STORY or MATAIO, :.
A GILBERT ISLANDER

I islands; and Mr. Walkup, whose little
vessel propelled by a gasolene engine)
bears the name of Hiram Bingham, has
found much to cause him anxiety. But
there are some converts in these ISL
ands whose history shows clearly the
men out of very unpromising material.
/ We have recently found in a report of
| the London Missioner y Society an ac-
! count of a Gilbert Islander named Ma
I taio. the story of whose conversion is
SO remarkable that we propose to give
! the substance of it mere. 1t was ORR
/ ginally told by Mr.. Sibree, of Samoa,
/ in a publication of the London Mission
airy Society.
1t should be remembered that some
years ago there was a great effort to
get laborers TO work on Hawaii, in
South America, and elsewhere, and that
it was quite common to send down YES
sells among the islands of the Pacific
TO entice the supplemented islanders,
under the promise of great wages for
two or three years of service, and a
subsequent return to their own island,
to go on board and be shipped to these
inherent DO]1lS. AL THESE ldDOf
ships" as they were called, We're COM
manded oy men OF no principle, and
they would often seize the Islanders
when they could get them on board
their vessels, and carry them off with
out any contract. never to return
Now this Mataio. of Beru, one of the
southern Gilbert Islands. was connect
ed with these slave ships. When he
first ard an hi 9
Sanela, and he had very bad name
among the people OF Beru as a thief
and very quarreIsome. So bad was he
that his people were afraid of him, and
We're very glad when one day he went
aboard one of these labor ships and
agreed to leave his home. The rest of
the story we viii take from Mr.. Sibree's
account
The ship went to one of the South
American Republics with it's cargo. |
Sanele became very useful to these kid
nappers and they kept him in their
service, and he got a smattering of /
English, began to pick up foreign ways, |
learned the use of gun and general /
~ became worse than he had ever been |
in his earlier days. The next we hear
of him is that he is back again on his
ship among the Gilbert Islands, and
they are on the same misunderstanding
men. But they have to be more care
full this time, for the natives once bitten
are twice shy. So they paint their ship,
which was black before, fine white
color. And once again the unsuspect-
ng ma tives, thinking it is another trad
ing vessel, go off in crowds in their
canoes. They are tempted on board by
tobacco. food, and cloth, and before
hey are aware of it, the ship is sailing
away, and they are caught and taken
o slavery.
This trick was tried on two or three
yoyages, the ship being painted a diff
erent color each time. And of course
Sanele was used as decoy to talk and
empt them on board. But at last he
md the ship became we'll known and
dreaded in air the islands The next
ime Sanele appeared in Beru, the cap
ain had fitted up one of the ships
,oats with a small gun in the bows,
nd Sanele was sent on shore with some
nen in her to capture as many people
IS they could by force. AS they near
"a the beach the people collected in
rowds to meet the boat. but were
quickly scattered by shots from the
annon, and then Sanele and his men
umped ashore, muSket in hand, and
oon caught and forced many into the
,oat. not without killing and wounding
ome.
"Such were the incidents that made
Up his life for many day. The next
hing that we hear of him is that the
captain of this ship of evil had again
tried on his old trick of enticing the
poor people on board knowing well
hat, though they had their fears, their
desire for food and tobacco (Which
helps them keep off the cravings of
munger in these islands where there is
so little to eatJ would be too great to
Keep them long away. Without drop
ping anchor, he got a large number on
board, and soon mace thena happy with
pipes of tobacco and tins of food and
biscuits. But after a bit they got sus-
picious, and looking over the side they
saw that they were sailing away from
land Their cries and entreaties were
in vain. and so at last they resigned
themselves to their fate. There were
one or two who We're cleverer than their