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

came out for an hour or so, and Tom.
Mrs Ross and the second mate, were
/ just leaving the bardue i'm the dinghy
to shoot some fish for dinner with dy-
Mantle, when a messenger arrived
/ from Norok requesting Captain Grace
Tom and Castles to come on shore
quickly, as he had news for them
/ They at once started, and on landing
were met by Pat, who told them with
a proud smile that he and a companion
| had succeeded in taking a prisoner
] one of NarOgfs warriors who with
/ two others, they had surprised in the
/ forest that morning at daylight, near
| the boundary, whilst they were raiding
one of NorOks mountain banana plan
tations; two of them they killed and
/ decapitated, the other they wounded
and took prisoner.
On reaching Noroks house they
found him there with the prisoner.
| seated on the matted floor. The man
had been speared through the thigh,
and was sitting up against one of the
| house posts, eating baked fish and taro,
/ and hardly crediting NOrOk's aSSur-
| anceS that he would not be killed.
Through Castles, Norok told Captain
Grace that the prisoner, as he lay on
| the ground, and was about to be de-
| capitated by Pat, cried out that if he
would spare his life he would tell No
rok of something-of very great dan
/ ger that was impending over his town
and the white men on the ship under
/ his protection.
L am the son of Ca he said, and
/ the brother of my sister, who is one of
| the wives of Timi; because my father
said that the mana of Timi was grow
/ ing weak, Timi shot him dead before
me; take me to Norok, and / shall tell
/ him great news, for / fear that the
/ my a will x~iCf
| l take revenge for him upon Timi''
The prisoner was brought in to No
rOk, who asked him what he had to
say.
/ This: Tonight Varogi and Timi,
| with all their fighting men, leave Va
rOgTS town in canoes to seize the ship
and kill all on board Then he went
on 10 say that they intended to attack
at daylight on the following morning.
| After a brief consultation with No
rok- it was decided to send a canoe out
to Ross with the news, so that he could
| return earlier than usual. and Denison
and Grace went back to the ship. TAX
! ing with them the prisoner, as NOrok
limited to Castles that. although he had
promised to spare his life, he. NorOk
would not be responsible for anything
/ that might happen to the man in his
absence; so on reaching the barque
/ Castles locked him uD in the sail lock-
er, and told him that he would be freed
| in day or two, and allowed to return
to his own country.
Two hours before sunset Ross and
his party returned, and reported that
one of VarOgis canoes had put off from
the shore to see if the divers were at
work as usual. and had then returned.
| The night wore on quietly rain fall
ing steadily through the darkness. No
rOk, who remained on board till past
midnight, was in an almost uncOntrOl-
lOble state of excitement, quivering for
the coming fight. The enemy. he said
were now well on their way down the
coast, as the prisoner had told them
| that VarOgi and Timi had everything
| in readiness to start Immediately it be-
came dark. 1t was probable, he added.
that before the fleet of canoes entered
/ the passage into the bay, VarOgi, with
a hundred of his best men. would land
at a spot about two miles distant from
the point march through the bush and
! surprise and burn Moan at the same
moment that Timi attacked the barque
Timi and Varogi, he said, were discuss
ing this matter when he and his two
! companions set out on the adventure
4 which had terminated so fatally. but
he was almost certain that Varogi
would attack the village, as he (the
/ prisOner) had seen a number of wO-
/ men engaged in making small torches
from the spathes of the cOcOanut tree
/ They were to be used in firing the
/ houses by thTusting them under the
! caves, where the thatch of pandaHus
! leaves would be both thick and dry, be-
/ ing protected from the rain.
/ In view of this. NOrOk had decided to
| change his plans. He had intended to
| have remained on board with a hun
| dred or so of his best men. to assist
| Grace, whilst the rest of his forces
| would man their canoes, and cut off
n he " hn pd in
! escaping out of the bay. He therefore
/ determined to remain on shore with
most of his men. and cut off VarOgi and
| his landing party, leaving only twenty
/ men with Grace, and one hundred with
/ ten canoes near the battery these the
moment the last Of Varogi's fleet had
| passed in through the passage. were to
| launch their canoes and block the
! egress of any of the enemy who tried to
J escape by water. Forty out of these
hundred men were armed with mus
kets, which Ross had personally loaded
with heavy charges of buCkshot-
Slowly the. hours passed by. On
board the barque everything was in
/ readiness No lights were visible on
/ deck but i'm the closed galley there
were a dozen ship lanterns 1t in case
/ they were wanted, and in the silent
cabin the swinging lamp was burning
I brightly: on the table were some bot
! ties of spirits and glasses.
Tom said Grace, looking at the
clock in the companion. cit IS just three
/ bells. Take half dozen of our hands
| and half of Noroks men, and tell the
steward to give them each half tum-
/ bIerful of grOg: then I'll follow with
| Mr.. Owens and the rest"
Silently the seamen and the natives
( followed the supercargo below. eagerly
drank their grOg, and then returned
! on 4eck.
/ "Off with your oilskins. men," said
/ Grace, you can handle your guns bet
/ ter" and then he and the mates. and
1 the remainder of the crew and natives
/ descended into the cabin.
The barque was now lying with her
| stern toward the entrance of the bay.
| and so close in to shore that the end
| of her bloom touched the lower
/ branches of n teak tree, and there was