The Virginia enterprise., 1908-05-22
The Stin&aree i'm
SunflOwer Bav
By LLOYD OSBOURNE
Copyright. by Joseph b. Bowles.)

Seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeoeoo
Copyright. by J
1t was the Sandfly, Capt. Toombs,
that brought the news to Sydney and
intercepted her majesty's third-class
cruiser Stingaree, as she lay. in
Man-of-War Cove, with her boats
hoisted in and deck-load of coal as
high as her bulwarks, on the eve Of a
long trip into the western Pacific. 1t
was the same old story-another
white man sent to his last account in
the inhospitable Solomons, where II
the climate does not kill you the
black man soon will: Thomas
Hysslop Biggar, commonly known as
Capt. Tom aged 46; British subject;
occupation, trader in coprah; place
of residence, Sunflower bay, island of
Guadalcanar; murdered by the natives
in September, 1888, between the
seventh and the twenty.fourth, and
his station looted and burned" There
was trouble in store for Sunflower
bay; they had killed Collins in 1884,
and Casseroles, the Frenchman, in
1887, and had drawn upon themselves
an ominous attention by firing into
the Meg Merrilies in the course of
the same year. Murder was becoming
too frequent in Sunflower bay, and
Capt. Easement, while policing those
sweltering seas, was asked to "con-
duct an inquiry into the alleged MUIR
der of T. H. Biggar, and take what
punitive measures he judged to be
necessary"
After a roundabout cruise through
the pleasant groups of Fiji, TOngata.
boo and Samoa, with little to occupy
him save official dinners, tennis par
ties. and an occasional dance ashore,
Capt. Easement headed his ship for
the wild western islands and pricked
out course for Sunflower bay.
There was no visible beach, for the
mangroves ran to the waters edge,
save where it had been partially
cleared away by the man whose mur-
der they. had come to avenge; nor
did the closest scrutiny with the glass
betray any telltale smoke or the least
sign of habitation Capt. Easement
surveyed the place with his keen, prac-
ticed eyes, and the longer he looked
the less he liked it. The desolation
Jared upon his nerves, and his heart
fell little as the blow-hole burst
hoarsely under the ships quarter, and
the everlasting breakers on the outer
reef droned their note of menace and
alarm.
Goodness gracious!" he said, in his
abrupt, impatient fashion, as he stood
beside Facey on the bridge and super.
intended the laying of the kedge. u
don't half like the look of it, Mr..
Facey; it's a damned nasty-looking
place."
Am to go, r?"asked the lieutenant
"Yes." said Easement. "You must
take Pickthorn and 25 men in the first
cutter. Send Burder in the second,
with 20 more. to cover your landing.
And for Gods sake, Facey, keep cool,
and neither get fustered nor over
friendly! Don't shoot unless you have
to; and always remember they are the
most treacherous savages in the
world Be gentle and firm, and do
everything with as little fuss and as
great show of confidence as you
can"
"All right. sir" said Facey.
Half an hour later. Facey. with Is
well-armed men, had vanished into
the mangroves.
Hour after hour passed and brought
never a sound from the melancholy
woods.
Just as things were looking des.
perate and all began to fear the
very worst, a sudden shout reused the
ship, and the shore party, noisy and
triumphant, We're seen streaming
down to the beach. A few moments
later the two boats pulled slowly off
to the ship. Facey's company the
richer by black man. whose costume
consisted of little more than the ropes
he was bound with. laundering
cheer hailed them as they swept un-
der the stern and drew up at the star
board gangway. and Facey was soon
reporting himself on the bridge.
"Well. how did you make out ?'
asked the captain
I'VE landed at the traders house."
began Facey, followed a path that
led inland. and reached some Kanaka
huts. Not a soul in EN-; clean gone,
every man jack. Followed along a
we'll beaten path which led us into the
next bay. bearing north-northeast half
east, keeping the liveliest lookout all
the time. Three miles along we ran
into another village, chock-a- block
with niggers. 1t looked a nasty go;
lots Of guns and spears, and everybody
pretty skfttish, kind of they would and
they wouldn't! l recollected your or
durs and went slow; you know what
l mean, sir-worked off the presents.
and smoked my pipe leisurely. By
and by they came round, tricky as the
devil. on to make friends or to eat us
alive: whichever seemed the more
promising, I let out what wanted,
and Tit by bit found out that all the
Sunfiower bay crowd were there, even
to old Jibberik, the chief-him Toombs
said was the biggest scoundrel of the
lot. He looked pretty sick and knew
mighty we'll what We were after. I
talked broadsides to that old man, and
put 1t to him that he had better give
up the chaps who had killed the trader
than waltz back to the ship and be
shot instanter himself-for somebody
had to 60, said; and just as soon as