The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-09
Trading in the South Seas
htNW"'tN ,N
Lucky Adventure Of Some White Men on woodark Island.

that they said they would supply tho ship
with all tbs fresh provisiOns-pies, foWis,
turtle and vegetables - that / asked for.
AZ White and /. after our palaycr with
the head men, were about to return on
board We noticed two children who were
wearing a number Of silver coins, strung
on cinnet fibre around their necks. % We
called them TO us, looked at the coins and
found that they were rupees and English
five shilling pieoes.
asked n Of our Fiian seamen. who
acted as interpreter. TO ask the children
where they got the coins. |
On the reef, they replied. There are
thousands OF them cast up with the wreck
age OF the ship that sunk a long time ago.
Most OF them are like these" showing a
i've shilling piece, but there are much
more smaller ones like these showing
the rupees.
Are there any yellow ones?" I asked.
No, they said, they had not found any
yellow Ones, but they could bring me
basketfuls Of those like they hoo shown
me.
Whites eyes were cleaning with ex-
element. ! drew him and the Fiji man
aside. and said to the latter quietly:
Sam, don't let these people think that
these coins are OF any more value than the
copper bolts. Tell them hat for every
hundred pieces they bring on ~board-no
matter what size they may bel will give
them a cupful of fine red beads, full meas
ure. Or II they do not care for beads ! will
give two sticks OF tobacco, or a six inch
butcher knife of good, hard steel"
The last three words made White smile
and whisper to me, A good hard steal
some people would say-but not me-"
And Sam | went on. you shall have an
ALOHA lpresentl of two hundred dollars il
you manage this carefully, and don't let
these People think that we particularly
care about these pieces OF soft white metal.
We came to Mayu for oil understand"
Sam did understand, and in a few minutes
every boy and girl in Guasap was out on the
reef, searching for money. That day they
brought us more than GOO in English and
indian silver, together with about Ri2 in
Dutch coins. From this latter clrcum-
stance White and ! concluded that the
wrecked vessel was the missing Dutch bark.
On the following morning the reef, at low
tide, presented an extraordinary spectacle.
Every woman. boy and girl from Guasap
and the adjacent villages was seeking for
the coins, and their clsmor was terrific.
While all this was going on, White and tho
mate and crew were receiving the oil from
the shore. putting il into our casks, driving
the hoops up, and slowing them in the hold,
working in such a state of suppressed ex-
element that We were unable to exchange
a word with each other, for as each cask
was filed i, on the after deck, paid for it.
shunted of the seller, and took another one
in hand.
At 4 O'Clock in the afternoon We ceased
work on board, and Went on shore to buy
money. The village square was crowded
with women and children, every one OF
whom had money, mostly in English Ave
shilling pieces.
Some of these coins we're bent and twisted
into the most curious shapes, some were
imbedded into Jumps Of coral. and nearly
all gave evidence Of the terrific fury Of the
seas which had cast them up upon the reef
from a depth Of seven fathoms OF water.
Many were merely round attritioned humps,
having been rolled over and over among
the sand and coral. These l demurred
to accepting on the terms agreed upon for
unchanged coins, and the natives cheer
fully agreed to my decision.
That day / bought silver coin, damaged.
ahN uiNat-dhCu' W tuS Ndluc vi &0OO, IOE
trade goods worth about Ell or els.
For tho two following weeks. while
White and our crew were hammering and
coopering away at the oil casks. and stow
ing them under matches, ! was paying out
the trade goods for the Gil and buying
money.
We remained at Mayu for nearly a month,
until there was no more money to be found,
EXCEPT a few Coins. or rather what had
once been coins, and then With a ship full
Of oil, and with 81, 100 worth OF money, We
left and sailed for Sydney.
White sold the money "a bloc to the AUS
tralian mint for 81, $50, the Ill realized e., 900,
and the copper, &c, G25O. MY share came
TO C3o0. together with four months wages,
ESQ, making GAO in all. This was the best
bit Of trading luck that | ever met With.
must add that ever mp 10 1905 silver
coins from the Dutch bark were still occa-
sionally being found on Woodlark Island.