The daily Alaskan., 1907-01-10
THE E ND
 OF MATE o

l than King NateO, who reIgued over three
 of the New Guinea islands thirty years ago
 Mateo's father had made the mistake l of murdering the crew of trading
 vessel. and when word had been pass ed around the white men would trade with him no more. The son sent word
 far and wide that all traders should be safe with him. and in time many vcS- sels called at his islands. He had | copra and oil and other things to sell, but he wanted guns and ammunition 1 in exchange.
 He hired white mcu to drill his wlr- riors and build forts for him. He even got hold of d number ot cannon and had them mounted. He had the largest fleet of war canoes on the big island. If his men could have been made sail ors of, thc old chap could have gone Into the pirate business in first class l shape.
 For five years King Matro cncour- 1 aged traders and whalerS and got ready for a grand coup, and then he struck blow that made his name in famous in every eastern sea. In his principal harbOr were lying two Eng fish whacrS and five trading vessels when he gave a grand feast It was his wish thai the crews of all the yes selS be present. and only two or three men were left aboard when the feast began. Ky druggiug the liquor and food MareO made about hundred mon helpless. and when they had their senses again it was tO find all their vessels captured and every person q prisoner. When the various craft had been robbed and stripped they were lowed to sea and Scuttlcd By this stroke the king secured many more firearms and barrels more of powder, as well as other things t0 increase his wealth and arrogance.
 Three months after the attack Cap tain Williams of all Australian trader managed tn escape tu Sea in canoe, but had neither food nor water. He was picked up hy u vessel hundred miles away. II was four months later before a British war vessel started from Singapore uo convince King Ma leo that ther,. Were other mOuurchs on the face of this earth During these seven months Muteu had grown >u ar rogau, thar he drIivd the world. Twen~ ty one uf the white slaves had sue cumhrd to the climate and the hard work and Scauty food.
 No more traders had called in. ana. being angry at this. tue king had deter mined uu al grand feast at which the last of his white prisoners should be slain for the umusrmcut of his people. This feast would have been held two weeks before her majrSty's man-Uf-waT Revenge. reached thr islands lad not the ruler had spell ur sickness. He had issued his royal proclamation when the armed craft came sailing into his harbur She waS an auxiliary. but waS lot using steam For once the British captain rcSorJed tu a trick. He made the Revenge luuk HS much aS possible like a whalcr after a long voyage. and the few men of her crew allowed on deck were rigged out any old way. She had six guns. but these were SO well covered that the spies who were sent aboard did not notice them. They re. turned 10 the king to report an Ordi- nary whuler. and he invited the crew to q feast. His invitation was refused. He thcrepOn ordered the craft out of his harbor. She refused to go.
 The British captain had been in structed 10 move carefully and let Ma teO take the lead in overt acts. He did not have 10 wait long. In broad day light on tho third day. and after send [ ing of word of what he was going to do. Matco attacked the Britisher with seventy war canoes, each one holding ten men. They paddled out from shore singing their war songs and indulging in many boasts. The Re vpngc had furled her sails and got steam up. and she steamed down to the mouth of the harbOr and waited. When the firSt musEet was fired at her, her crew leaDcd on deck and began to work the Bg guns. She was provided with round shot. shell and grape and canister. and the sea fight lasted only fifteen minutes. Fifty of the seventy canoes wc"" destroyed and most of their crews Eilled.
 This was II" first licking King MateO | ever received. and it set him frantic. He wIS game however. He was lick | ed. but he wouldn't give up yet. He rallied his hattalionS and challenged the Britisher to come ashore and have 1t out fair and square. This was ex- actly what the captain of the Revenge l wanted to do. He had come after those white prisoners. and be must go ashore to get them. He had crew of | 2jO men, and he landed 200 of them, divided them into three bodies. and when the natives advanced. still five i to one. they were hOwled over by the ] score. fanked right and left and licked out of their boots in half an hour King MateO's reign was at an end l forever Of the white prisoners only about thirty were left. Of the natives 800 had been killed and as many as 300 wounded Two trading vessels