The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-18
CHAPTER XXI.

that since the barque anchored, Varo-
81 and the white man have been send
ing messengers to each other and
week ago Timi told his people to get
their arms and canoes in readiness, as
he had great work in hand. He would
not tell them what ii was, but yester-
day he picked out 200 of his best men
and told them that they were to come
with him overland to VarogIs town,
and that on the way there, he would
explain to- them what was the work
in store for them The reason he would
not do so before was that there are
some slave women i'm the village, who
belong to NOrok's town, and he was
afraid that any one of them, If she
heard what was afOOt, would make
her escape into the bush and give
Norok warning-hullo, what is that2'
and he broke off abruptly, Il hear
someone coming. Down fiat sir!
All three threw themselves down
upon the bed of leaves and listened.
and then to their great joy, they heard
a low whistle. 1t was Pohiri, who was
searching for them He had, he told
them, seen the war party approach
ing and hidden himself until they had
passed. Carefully following, he had
watched Timi and his followers as
cend the path to the abandoned village,
seen them eating, and then depart.
L
tles-take a pull at this" and Tom
handed the Niuean a bottle of mixed
rum and water, you look as if you
wanted a drink. Now go on, Castles"
We'll. sir, before Timi and his crowd
which were here just now; left their
town. he gave orders for another 200
men to start tonight in canoes for
Varogis town, and join him there
The reason for this is, that although
there are plenty of canoes to carry 400
men. Timi was afraid that, as there are
signs of bad weather, he had better
take half of his Internal cannibals
overland, in case the whole crowd had
to turn back, and Varogi be disap-
pointed. If there is bad weather, the
canoes are not to start until it is fine.
as they will have to go outside the reef
on account of the tides
Tell me, Castles. how does Timi
know anything about Mrs. Ross being
on board? Ask Pat"
Pat replied that he had no doubt,
but that Timi knew exactly the num-
Der of people on board the barque, how
they were armed. and much else; all
this he would learn through some of
NOrOk's slave wOmen-CapuyeS. 1t was
easy, he said. for these women to meet
one of VarOgi's spies outside the town
at night few days after Ross had
begun his pearling operations one of
these women had escaped, and she
would certainly have given Timi and
Varogi much information, especially as
to how the barque was mOOred.
We must get back at once, sir
said Castles, even if we have to fight
our way. If any of Tinnfs or VarigO's
canoes try to intercept up they will
have their work cut out, for our boat
can certainly OutsaiI them in any kind
of a breeze, and if il did fall a calm,
t74aA to fich 70r7r moo
rifles would pull us through. as they
have nothing but smOOth-bore mus
kets, and only a few at that NOTOk
told me that when the sandal-wOOd-
ing brig was cut off. VarOgi and Timi
divided all the arms on board between
them-fOTty muskets and about twenty
cutlasses. But we must remember that
these Admiralty islanders are about
the pluckiest natives in the Pacific.
Ten years ago, a fleet of 100 canoes
attacked a little. but weli-aTmed,
barque. named the 'Fawn.' off the west
end of the island. and although her big
guns smashed half a dozen of them
the rest came on, laid alongside, and
their crews tried TO board again and
again. Thirty or so of them did get
over the bulwarks, and fought like tig-
ers, and although they were only
armed with clubs and daggeTs. they
killed seven of the baTque's hands be
fore they were wiped out l heard that
the skipper killed nearly a dozen at
one shot from a whaleT's bomb gun
loaded with slugs, and only then did
they draw off. after having lost near
ly fifty men,
well, they will have a tough job
if they tackle the Meg" said Tom
and although we carry no big guns.
there are at least four whaleTs bomb
guns on board. Captain Grace brought
them from Liverpool to sell, but we did
not meet with any whaleships, and no
one in LevUka wanted them. Now,
let US start"
Pat, highly elated at the prospect
of a fight, again led the way, and an
hour before sunset they had reached
the boat, taken her over the bar. and
were spinning along before a strong
breeze, heading for the passage
through the barrier reef. They saw
several canoes inside the reef, engaged
i'm fishing, but no attempt was made
10 intercept them But that they were
seen from the shore was soon made
evident by several signal fires, the
smoke of which could be seen arising
from the many small villages along the
coast
Once outside the roaring line of the
barrier reef the boat was kept away
on a direct course from Noan-the
lOMil WEtIt MUM IN Gu mere was
such a stiff breeze that Tom felt Ger
tain that Ross would not be out with
his divers. for there was too much of a
swell on the pearling beds for any div
.-2E 30 be done.
AS night fell the breeze lost its
strength, but the boat still made great
progress. and Tom felt thrill of pride
when Pohiri asked him to let him steer
the 'Sabbie-'
'''Such a boat as this was never be
fore built" said the Niuean, speaking
in Samoan, she riseth to the seas and
skimmeth over them as does a katafa
(frigate bird) when he catches a flying
fish in flight"
Then. as they sped on their course,
under the staTlit heavens. Pat told
them tales of the deeds-Or rather mis-
deeds-of his people. their head-hunt-
ings. their former cannibalism. their
cutting off and massacreing of the
crews of sandal-wOOd and whaling
ships. and then Pohiri spoke of his own
island, which was known as Savage
Island because Tut Captain Cook