Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-11-24

two whalebOats as well filled with the
loot of the store. Then there was Cap
tain Mackenzie Of the ketch Minota.
He believed in kindness and paraded
around the deck without even a re-
volver on him. He was tomahawked.
His head remains in Malaita. 1t was
suicide. So was Packard's finish sui
eide. You must understand one thing.
Berande. bar none. is by far the worst
plantation in the Solomons so far as
the labor is concerned. And how 1t
came to be so proves your point. The
previous owners of Berande were not
discreetly kiud. They were pair Of
unadulterated brlltes. One was down
east Yankee. as ] believe they are call.
ed. and the other was gllzzling Ger.
man.
''They were slave drivers TO begin
with. they bought their labor from
Johnny Be- bIowed. the most notorious
recrniter in the Solomons He is work
ing out ten years sentence In Fiji
now. for the wanton killing Of black
boy. During his last days here he
bad made himself so obnoxious that
the natives on Malaita would have
nothing to do with him. The only way
he could get recruits was by hnrrying
to the spot whenever murder or
series Of murders occurred. The mnr-
derers were usually only too willing to
geance. Down here they call snch
escapes pier head jumps There il
suddenly roar from the beach. and
q niger runs down to the water pur-
sued by clouds Of spears and arrows.
OF course. Johnny Be-blowed's whale
boat Is lying ready to pick him up:
In his last days Johnny got nothing
but pier head jumps
"And the first owners Of Berande
bought his recruits-a hard bitten gang
OF murderers. They were all Eve year
boys. Well. that's the gang Of murder
ers we've got on our hands now. or
course. some are dead. some have been
killed. and there are others serving
sentences at Tulasi. Very little clear.
ing did those first owners do. and less
planting. 1t was war all the time.
They had one manager killed. One Of
the partners had his shoulder slashed
nearly off by a cane knife. The other
They We're chased away-literally
chased away-by their own niggera-
And along came poor Hughie and me.
two new chums. to take bold Of that
hard bitten gang We did not know
the situation. and we had bought
Berande. and there was nothing to do
but hang on and muddle through some
how.
AT first we made the mistake Of in
discreet kindness. We tried to rule
by persuasion and fair treatment. The
niggers concluded that we we're afraid.
Then came the day when Hughie rep
rimanded one of the boys. and was
nearly killed by the gang. The only
thing that saved him was the humber
on top of him. which enabled me to
reach the spot in time.
Then began the rule of the strong
hand. 1t was either that or quit. and
we had sunk about all our money into
the venture. and we could not quit.
And besides. our pride was involved.
We had started out to do something.
and we We're so made that we just had
to 20 on with it. Do you know. we
have been unable to get white men in. 4
We've offered the managership to half
q dozen. won't say they were afraid.
for they We're not. But they did not
consider it heathy-at least that Is 4
the way it was put by the last one
who declined our offer. So Hughie and
l did the managing ourselves"
land when he died you were pre-
pared to go on all alone!" Joan cried.
with shining eyes.
II thought Id middle through. And
now. Miss Lakeland. please be charit-
able when seem harsh. and remem.
Der that the situation is unparalleled
down here. We've got bad crowd.
and we're making them work.
Joan nodded but remained silent. She
was too occupied in glmpsing the VI
sion of the one lone white man as she
had first seen him. helpless from fever.
a collapsed wrath in steamer chair,
who. up to the last heart beat. BY
some strange alchemy Of race. was
pledged to mastery.
1T is pity she said. "Rut the
white man has to rule. suppose
IL don't like It," Sheldon assured
her. ITO save my life can't imagine
how l ever came here. But here | AN.
and can't run away"
Blind destiny of race" she said.
family smiling. We whites have
been land robbers and sea robbers from
remotest time. 1t is in our blood.
guess. and we can't get away from It,"
Il never thought about 1t so alb
be confessed. i've been too |
busy puzzling over why came here"
(To be continued.
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