The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1907-12-19

AK A&A "a s -
ciic.
He had q mission station there, and
his native converts were no strangers
to Christmas observance: but they
invited a large number Of their heath
en- friends to come to their Yuletide
feast. These heathsns knew moth
ing about Christmas. and wsfo quite
unaware that 1t Is supposed 70 b .
period of peace on earth and good
will toward men,"
Over 1000 natives were gathered for
the great feast. The rev OF
"blackbirding schooner" eager to get
Kanaka labor by fair means or foul
for the Queensland sugar plantations.
heard Of the gathering and dropped
anchor OF the Island on Christmas
morning. The captain. however. see
Ing the number Of natives, hesitated
to modest them
Telling the story. Mr.. Paton said:
my irst anxiety wal the labor
schooner. but soon . new peril threat
ened. Some Of the heathsns had not
met since war had ragged between
them. At FIRST they simply glared II
each other. and then old hatreds broke
out and hot words were spoken
Again and again I started some
contest that would scatter the excited
groups. but they loon came together
again. Then I went from group to
group and tried to spread . better
feeling. Our Christmas gathering wal
nearly turned into . Scene Of blood.
shed in our very garden. but forth.
nately all passed sf most happily"
Among the Head Hunters 81 Fermosa.
Through the center Of the beautiful
island of Formosa there uns like :
backbone, q great range Of forsst-clad
mountains. The original Inhabitants
OF Formosa, . Wild. savage, fsrocious
race Of men. live upon these noun
tains. Christmas was nrst carried
to these people BY = brave missionary
named George Leslie MacKay.
MacKay had spent several years on
the coast and In the interior. but he
hesitated long before he tooh his life
In his hand by seeking out the bar.
barians Of the mountains. % whom
NO white man had ever vsntured.
The favorite pastims Of these saw
ages was to cut on the heads Of their
enemies and decorate their huts with
them. They had been INDUCING IN
this sport when MacKay drftsd into
a OF their villages and spent Christ
mas day with one Of their chiefs.
The chiefs homo consisted Of o>e
large room 80 feet long" said MacKay.
"A nre blazed At either end. The
men. dressed In coarse linen sacks
with holes cut for the arms. ana q
broad belt Of braided rattan, IN which
was stuck . long. crooked. sharp-point
ed knife. stood around one nrs: While
the women, with much the same dress
ave that In addition they had many
rings OF brass around their srms ana
limbs. and innumerabls ornaments On
uneir bodies. sQuattsd around The
other IRE.
SO. on that Christmas night, I at
there with these rude people. the
room lighted by the arss and By can
dles made from the heart Of the ar
tree. The men smoked their bamboo
pipes. while the women were busy
threadmaking on curious little ma
chimes Of their own; and all, men ana
women. were laughing and talkins
merrily and making . great noise. Il
was certainly . merry Christmas. ana
. strange one to me.
After q time. with the helm ef ths
native converts. who had accompanied
me on this dangerous trip, / Z =
some Christmas hymns to these sav.
mountaineers. who had never
seer a white man before: and I sps,t
Christmas evening trying to explain -
them the old, old story that has been
told so often In 70 many lands sinoe
tho nrst Christmas morning"
The savages took great pleasure 4.
the singing Of the Christmas hyuna.
n MacKay and his friends cane -
no harm by their bold expedition.