The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1912-01-04

TWO whaleboats as well filed with the
loot OF the store. Then there was Can
tain Mackenzie OF the ketch Minota
He believed in kindness and paraded
around the deck without even re-
volver on him. He was tomahawked
His head remains in Malaita. II 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 II
came to be so proves your point. The
previous owners of Berande were not
discreetly kind They were n pair of
unadulterated brutes One was a down
east Yankee. as | believe they are call.
ed, and the other was a guzzling Ger
man.
They were slave drivers. To begin
with, they bought their labor from
Johnny Be-blowed. the most notorious
recruiter 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
mad 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 hurrying
10 the spot whenever a murder or
series Of murders occurred. The muir
derers were usually only too willing to
sign on and get away to escape ven
geance. Down here they call such
escapes pier head jumps There is
suddenly a roar from the beach, and
niger runs down TO the water pur.
sued by clouds of spears and arrows.
or course, Johnny Be-blowed's whale
boat Is lying ready to pick him IN
In his last days Johnny got nothing
but pier head jumps.
And the first owners of Berande
bought his recruits-a hard bitten gang
or murderers. They were all FIVE wear
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 TuIagi 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 cane knife The other
was speared on two different occasions.
They were chased away-literally
chased away-by their own niggers.
And along came poor Hugtie and me,
fTVn 70 foIy h1I -
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 were 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 number
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 were so made that we Just had
10 go on with it. Do you know, we
have been unable to get white men in.
We've offered the managership to half
dozen. | won't say they were afraid,
for they were not. But they did not
consider it healthy-at least that liz
the way 1t was put by the last one
who declined our offer. So Hughie and
did the managing ourselves"
"And when he died you were pre-
pared to so on all aloner Joan cried,
with shining eyes.
II thought I'd muddle 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 a bad crowd.
and we're making them work"
Joan nodded but remained silent. Shs
was too occupied in gIimpsing the vi
sion of the one lone white man as she
had first seen him. helpless from fever,
collapsed wrath in a steamer chair.
who. up to the last heart beat. by
some strange alchemy of race. was
pledged to mastery.
1T is pity" she said "But the
white man has to rule, | suppose"
II don't like It," Sheldon assured
her. ITO save my life can't imagine
how ever came here. But here am,
and cant run away"
Blind destiny of race" she said.
family smiling. I'VE 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."
II never thought about 1t so alb
stractly." he confessed. 1--WE been too
busy puzzling over why l came here"