The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-02
81 LOUIS BBcKz.
AAalo1 AZ sRn Rsef and Paapn.s AZ.

- ~ 20
AEfsoy Of By Reef snd Pasrs.- Ae.
On March II, 1873, the famous brig
Leonora, owned and commanded by the
notorious Capt. Bully Hayer, Of which
vessel I was supercargo and ~reoruiter, was
wrecked IN Kusais CStrong's Isiand), the
eastern CUTLER Of the widespread Caroline
group, in tho north Pacific. How ] came
to be associated with such q man a. Hayes
can be told In a few words.
Eighteen months before / had been sent
from Samoa In charge of . small vessel to
deliver to Hayes, who had q buyer for her
In the King Of Ahrnu, one Of the Marshall
Islands. I met Hayes at the appointed
rendezvous, Mill Lagoon, handed over the
vessel, and was then free TO return to Samoa.
Then Hayes offered me the berth Of
supercargo and ~recruiter on the Leonora
at q very liberal salary. I accepted, and
during the two years I was with the famous
so-called Pirate Of the Pacific l had nc
eaSon to complain Of his conduct to met
although toward the end We had . bitter
quarrel and parted company.
This occurred four months after the loss
Of tho Leonora, when Hayes and his ships
company with MYSELF were living on
Strong's Island. The aus Of u quarrel
arose from Hayes, In one Of his outburSts
Of folly and rage, seiEing four or Ave young
married women natives Of Strong's Island
and allotting them to members Of his crow.
Only two men protested against this piece
Of w~ickedness, a young American negro
and myself. and after a stormy scene with
Hayes we left him and removed 10 a village
on the other side Of the island, named
Y.a..A -haHm -om n0RaRnH 0n0f6 Nth fh0
head man, Kusis, and his people.
The story Of the wreck OF the Leonora
I cannot here relate. II was indeed q
tragedy, and was soon after followed by
q mutiny, and I shall now tell the cause Of
IL and how It was suppressed.
On our last cruise among h islands Of
the Equatorial Pacific we had called at Naura
pleasant Lsland), which In twenty-five
miles south Of the line and inhabited by a
race Of stalwart warlike Polynesians,
divided into seven clans, always at war.
Living on the island were four white traders;
all Of whom had native wives and q number
Of savage retainers.
These men were anxious to leave the
island, and Hayes and they came to An
arrangement whereby they and their native
followers were to be taken in the brig to
the great atoll known az Arrecifos or Provi-
denoe Island, and there make ~ocoanut oil
for Hayes for a term OF five years. Are
cifos was Hayes's own property; and the
American Government had given him Q
patent OF protection on his hosting the
American flag there.
Il had less than a score Of Inhabitants;
but there were hundreds Of thousands Of
ooooa-palms growing upon Il, and 1t was
therefore, q very valuable island. The
atoll and It's enclosing islets IL Of great ex-
tent and lies between the Marshall and
Caroline archipelagoes. Now to my story:
The four white men, their wives and chill
dren and their encourage numbered nearly
one hundred, and these, with the briggs
crew, made the Leonora a very crowded
ship. Only one Of the four traders was q
decent, well-conducted man, the others
were out and out r%ufians.
Two or three hours after We left Pleasant
Island, most appropriately named. one Of
them came into my trade room and began
TO quarrel with me for not having shaken
hands with him when he came on board.
He was half drunk. Hayes came in, seized
him by the collar. threw him out on deck
and took away his brace OF r~evolvers.
We called at Strong's Island TO buy fresh
pr~ovisions-pigs, poultry, turtle, jams, etc.,
Intending to remain three days; but stayed
one day too long. We were anchored in
Port Lottin and on the fourth day a heavy
gale set in from the southwest, and, unable
to leave owing to the fearful seas tumbling
in through the narrow passage of the little
harbor, the Leon0ra struck stern first on
the reef, at about midnight, and hen went
-- =, - a. HakhNvaa ~ satan
Hayes's chief mate, a huge bulking Dane
who called himself an American, completely
lost his head when the boats were being
lowered. In his normal condition he WAS
a rank bully, like the Swedish second mate OF
the Alfred, but, being unable to swim well,
was in a mortal terror Of being drowned.
Much valuable property was saved from
the wreck, and Hayes at once set to work to
build a village on the shores Of Port Lottin.
Il intend" he said, TO remain on this
island for a year and make enough oil TO
enable me TO buy q small vessel or charter
a larger one to take US TO Arrecifos. The
Strong's Islanders nave stolen a lot Of my
property and I'll make them give me
oocoanuts sufficient TO make q hundred
tons Of OIL
The poor Strong's Islanders, a weak, ef-
Terminate lot, could not resist, and 50 for
many months Hayes sent his boats all
round the coast TO strip the groves Of COCOA
palms, husk the nuts and bring them to
his newly made village. It was sheer
robbery, for the things stolen by the natives
were not worth more than Eve IONS Of oil.
His crew were aided by the Pleasant Is
landers and the four white men, and for a
time matters went on smoothly.
Then Hayes and the four White men fell
foul OF each other, the. latter claiming a
share OF the oil or payment for their labor.
The mate was at the bottom OF the affair,
and Hayes found that he was encouraging
the Pleasant Islanders TO revolt, make Hayes
q prisoner or kill him. Hs assured them