Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1907-01-09
THE E " d
OF MATEO

than King Mateo, who reigned over three
of the New Guinea islands thirty years
ago.
Mateo's father had made the mistake
of numbering the crew of a 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 YES
sells called at his islands. He had
copra and oil and other things to sell,
but he wanted guns and ammunition
in exchange.
He hired white men to drill his war
rlors and build forts for him. He even
got hold of number of cannon and
had them mounted. He had the largest
fleet of war canoes on the big island.
II his men could have been made sail
ors of, the old chap could have gone
into the pirate business In first class
shape.
For FIVE years King Mateo encour-
aged traders and whalers and got
ready for 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
lsh whalers and five trading vessels
when he gave a grand feast 1t was
his wish that the crews of all the ves-
sells be present, and only two or three
men were left aboard when the feast
began. By drugging the liquor and
food Mateo made about q hundred men
helpless, and when they had their
senses again 1t was to find all their
vessels captured and every person
prisoner When the various craft had
been robbed and stripped they were
towed to sea and scuttled. BY this
stroke the king secured many more
firearms and barrels more Of powder,
as well as other things to increase his
wealth and arrogance.
Three months after the attack Cap
tain Williams of an Australian trader
managed to escape to sea in q canoe,
but had neither food nor water. He
was picked up by vessel hundred
miles away. 1t was four months later
before a British war vessel started
from Singapore to convince King Ma
teo that there were other monarchs on
the face of this earth. During these
seven months Mateo had grown so ar
rogant that he defied the world. Twen-
ty-one of the white slaves had sue
cumbed to the climate and the hard
work and scanty food.
No more traders had called in, and,
being angry at this, the king had deter
mined on a grand feast at which the
last of his white prisoners should be
slain for the amusement of his people.
This feast would have been held two
weeks before her majesty's man-of-war
Revenge reached the islands had not
the ruler had spell of sickness. He
had issued his royal proclamation when
the armed craft came sailing into his
harbor. She was an auxiliary, but was
not using steam. For once the British
captain resorted to a trick He made
the Revenge look as much as possible
like whaler after long voyage, and
the few men of her crew allowed OH
deck were rugged 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 to the king to report an ordi-
nary whaler, and he invited the crew
to feast His invitation was refused.
He thereupon ordered the craft out of
his harbor She refused to go.
The British captain had been in
structed to move carefully and let Ma
teo take the lead In overt acts. He did
not have to wait long. In broad day
light on the third day, and after send
ing off word of what he was going
to do, Mateo attacked the Britisher
with seventy war canoes, each one
holding ten men. They padded out
from shore singing their war songs and
indulging in many boasts. The Re
venge had furled her sails and got
steam up, and she steamed down to the
mouth of the harbor and waited When
the first musket was fired at her, her
crew leaped on deck and began to
work the big 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 were destroyed and most of
their crews killed.
This was the first licking King Mateo
ever received, and it set him frantic
He was game. however. He was lick
ed, but he wouldn't give up yet He
rallied his battalons and challenged
the Britisher to come ashore and have
1t out fair and square. This was ex-
actly what the captain of the Revenge
wanted to do. He had come after
those white prisoners, and he must go
ashore to get them. He had crew of
250 men, and he landed 200 of them,
divided them into three bodies, and
when the natives advanced, still five
10 one, they were bowled over by the
score, fianked right and left and licked
out of their boots in half an hour.
King Mateo's reign was at an end
forever. OF the white prisoners only
about thirty were left. OF the natives