The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1915-01-01

ulc..ii ~ strike me--did yOu?"
ma, sir; certainly did not sir" said
the forptopman. 1--WE been feeling pref.
IS blue all day about that fellow we
hung-he WAS friend Of mine years
ago-and Johnson was too much for
NE. sir Yes. sir. knew the fellow.
ana he was all right when l was here
last 1t was bad job to swing him"
But he killed the missionary, the
poor old fellow ut the mission" said
Wright
Yes, sir. he did But he was 'mu.
choloed;' you know what II means-sct
agin' white men all round. not agin' the
missionary in particular. 1t was law
to hang him, | know, but you can't
blame these niggers going bad when
you know what white men do out here.
They've pretty well ruined these is
lands. | mean no disrespect. sir; but
there are two kinds Of white men ont
here-them what boot and them what
act These out here mostly boot. The
old chap was hooter, but he was all
right Malate was good man. 700
when ! knew him. He was convert
too, sir; regular one at the mission
And his killing the old man was 'mu
,cholo'-clean bug, as they say. Malate
had only one wife. married after the
regular church custom-not like pa
tive. He loved her, yes, sir.
"Loata they called her Mt the mis-
sion, as pretty a girl as the sun ever
shone Cd She used to swim out to
the ships coming in here in the old
days. and she was as good as she was
pretty. sir. Malate cared for her-she
was his only wife. She was treated
like decent girl, like chiefs wife
should be. and they thought lot OF
her at the mission.
THE real trouble came about when
a trader came in here year ago. He
came in fer water.
This fellow sighted Loata. the pref
ty young wife. She swan out with
the rest from the mission. That was
enough for the fellow. He makes up
his game. He goes for the mission;
makes out he's crack hooter-a real
pious one. He gets the old missionary
right. The old man falls for the re
ligious game They are chums, sing
ing and praying. The old man shows
Malate that the skipper is the real
thing in pious men. The chief don't
take 1t too quick. But the old man is
good. and he has to stand for the
friend, the friend being a white man
aud his brother. The master trader
gifts Il picnic up aboard and fills the
natives with rum. All hands are tum
bled into the boats and taken ashore
Loata was abducted, matches slammed
down; the trader goes to sea, and
that's the last of it.
When the next trader came in ana
the old missionary went ont aboard
the chief went bad. Out he goes and
starts things moving by setting heI
afire and jumping overheard with hei
skipper. drowning him clean Then he
takes the fellow-the missionary
takes him out to the surf. You are
white man like the rest They are
your own people, your friends. and so
you must 60 the way they CO. he says
pray says he, pray for your own
soul l give you plenty of time No
one tried to stop him. not man.
That's the way the old man died.
native murder"
Biggs stopped. Wright stood listen
ing. The weird chanting came float
ing over the sea.
"A CHASTITY, cold blooded murder
the worst ever in the islands," said the
officer musingly, interrupting the sea.
man.
II don't say so: don't know" said
Biggs sadly. That's the way things
was when we came in here this year
| knew Malate. He was good man
He would be free now but for the way
| got him. I'm ashamed Of it-clean
ashamed of 1t all-and | won't have
Johnson or no one joke about it.
when we went to loard there
wasn't no chance to get him. The M
tives was all against it. They knew
Malate-knew him as knew him. Ii
was mostly by luck and meanness
got up with him. and ! had to do the
dirty work done my duty. | don't
refuse none, but I'm ashamed OF it all
| got him In the end and by n trick
by still making him think | was a
friend. Poor devil: he never had no
friends ut all.
My boat was closest all the time,
but we We're about to give ii up-let
him go.
THE night before we came back
aboard. sir. the boat was pulled late
q slue behind the barrier reef where
it was smooth. and all hands turned IN
on the sand. You know we had been
gone three days and were tired Oul
and the water was about used up
About eight bells l was so thirsty
woke up, and because the little stun
left In the breaker was hot and dirty
| took cutass and went down the
beach, intending to get II cocoanut and
drink the milk. | found tree and
climbed up and slashed n few down,
and then. as they fell some distance
from the trunk. went nosing about
in the sand to find them. for ii was
dark. When | started to pick one up
| noticed footprint that was not
mine The track led up the beach
irto tho fupUIa Al bout 200 fothOms far