A Memory Of The Southern Seas / 1904

iled for Sydney under the command of Captain Blake of the Harvest Queen, and the Harvest Queen under jury masts, and wi

land, or along the many white beaches, filling a large basket with sea-birds' eggs, or collecting the many beautiful species of cowries and other sea-shells with which the beaches were strewn. Years before, another wrecking party had left some goats on the island, and these had thriven and increased amazingly. Her husband's men had shot a great number for food, and captured three or four, which supplied them with milk, and these latter, with their playful kids, and a number of fowls which had been brought from Sydney in the Dolphin, together with a pair of pet baby seals, made up what she called her "farmyard." On one

ace, remembering that on her last visit she had left a basket of cowries there. Bidding her beware of bl

d with Lindley in the ship's cabin, a ma

g back, sir. She's running

jumped into a boat, and was ashore in a few minutes. Lucy, too exhausted to come

"I have just seen three skeletons in the thicket scrub, and all about them are strewn all sorts of things, and there are two

alled out to the two men who had

's luck agai

arvest Queen, and in an instant the cry was taken up, and then came a loud cheer, as, disregarding

Lucy gave a more detailed accou

saw in your life came suddenly out from behind a rock. The kids were not more than a day or two old, and I determined to catch at least one of them to take home. The mom

nel in the thick scrub. It is really a road made by the goats and is only about three feet high, the branches and creepers making a regular archway overhead. I stooped down and followed, and in a few minu

nd dirty nickel pennies. I went to it and took some up, and saw they were crown pieces! Of course, I was at once wildly excited, and thought no more of the dear little kiddies, when I heard one of them cry out-quite near-and saw it, lying down exhausted, about ten yards away. I was running over to it when I saw those thr

t Indiaman-the Mountjoy-was lost somewhere on the Kent Group about sixty years ago; and I have read

to "Wreck House" he brought out a chair, seated Lucy on it, and amidst applause and laught

but the contents of two others, which were found lying partly buried in the sandy soil, were brought to the house. And then began th

s, boys; all with the blessed picture of good old George t

e she complied with his request, and with

I will, dea

my wife's health. She has brought us good luck. And she and I are dividing a thousand pounds between you, w

." They were all being paid high wages, and were worth them, for they had toiled m

ing morning the anchors of the Harvest Qu

r on the bridge and Lucy beside him at the telegraph, went ahead, and tau

ter's Luck," had been with them the whole voyage, for from the time they had left Kent's Group, till

h waters of the harbour to an anchorage off Garden Island, big Bailey, who w

at's holy! There is the Braybrook Ca

and when Lester went on shore a few hours later, he found that he was a riche

rn Sea, and when a year later, in England, she stood on a stage under the bows of a gallant ship of two thousand tons, b

OGS OF

er is one of the minor-toothed whales) is known all over the world, though nowhere is it more plentiful than along the eastern and southern coasts of the Australian continent. In the co

htest movements may be observed; particularly when they are "cruising," i.e., watching for the approach of a "pod" of either humpback or fin-back whales. During the prevalence of westerly winds the sea water becomes very clear, so clear that every rock and st

o not attempt to attack on account of his enormous strength and formidable teeth-and they "breach," "spout" and "sound" like other whales. The jaws are set with teeth of from one or two inches in length, deeply imbedded in the jawbone, and when two of these creatures succeed in fastening

on the Australian coast there are permanent pods of ten, fifteen or twenty, but those at Twofold Bay are quite famous, and every individual member of them is well-known, not only to the local whalemen, but to many of the other residents of Twofold Bay as well, and it would go hard with the man who attempted to ei

jet black with the exception of some poorly defined white markings on the dorsal fin and belly; another which he saw accidentally killed by a bomb fired at a huge whale off the Bampton Shoals, was of a reddish-brown, with here and there almost true circular blotches of pure white. This poor fellow was twelve feet in length, and his death was caused by his frantic greediness to get at the whale and take his toll of blubber. The whale was struck late in the day, and the sea was so rough that

s invaluable allies. Especially is this so in the case of the Twofold Bay shore whalers, for out of every ten whales killed during the season, whether humpbacks, "right" w

ty miles south of Twofold Bay. Most of them are finbacks, though these are always accompanied by numbers of humpbacks and a few "right" whales-the most valuable of all the southern cetacea except the spermaceti or cachalot. The latter, however, though they will travel in company with the flying finback and the timid humpback and "right" whale, has no fear of the killers. He is too enormously strong, and could crush even a full-grown killer to a pulp between his mighty j

e when compared to either the humpback or "right" whale, for the coating of blubber is thin, and the plates of baleen (or whalebone) he possesses are very short; and in the second place he is, although so timid a creature, too dangerous to be struck with a harpoon, for he would take the entire whale-line out of three or four boats and then get away with it after all, for it is the swiftest of all the cetacean family, and all whalemen say that no one but a st

the Gladiators, do most of the work, and find that "fin-backing" under these circumstances is fairly

ers, it can be approached, as I have said, by shore boats

ers "work in" with their human friends. In this particular instance, however, it was a humpback whale, but as Orca Gladiat

grassy sward, stopping now and then to scan the wide expanse of ocean with his glass, for the spout of a whale is hard to discern at more than two miles if the weather is misty or rainy. But if the creature is

s, a mile or so up the harbour; so too are the killers, and t

ing their wet, gleaming backs and gaff-topsail-like dorsal fins as they rise, roll, and

pback!' Quickly two flags flutter from the flagpole, and a fire is lit; and as the flags and smoke are seen, the waiting boats' crews at the trying-

d high in air, with their boat crushed into matchwood, or meets with some other disaster. And as the leading boat rises to the long ocean swell of the offing, the killers c

er; 'they are coming right down on us. Bill

ard the whales, and, as is their custom, have gone ahead of the boat, rushing swiftly on below fully fifty fathoms deep. Fifteen minutes later they rise to the surface in the midst of the humpbacks, and half a square acre of ocean is turned into a white, swirling cauldron of foam and leaping spray. The bull-dogs of

ittle girl of six watched, from a grassy headland on the coast of New South Wales, the slaughter of a monst

strokes from side to side-the bull-dogs of the sea come not within their range; in vain he tries to 'sound'-there is a devil on each side of his jaws, their cruel teeth fixed firmly into his huge lips; perhaps two or three are underneath him tearing and riving at the great rough corrugations of his grey-white belly; whilst others

, lads. Pull up

inute later it flies from his hand, and is buried deep into the body of the quivering a

spent, and though by a mighty effort he 'ups flukes' and sounds, he soon rises, for the killers thrust him upwards to the surface again. Then the flashing lance-two, three swift thru

thirty-six to forty hours the carcase will again rise to the surface, and as, before he was taken down, the whalemen haye attached a line and buoy to the body, its whereabouts are easily discerned from the look-out on the headland; the boats again put off and tow it ashore to the trying-out works. The killers, though they haye had their fill of blubber, accompany the b

g in the water or clinging to the oars and pieces of wreckage; and the killers have swum up to, looked at, and smelt them, but never have they touched a man with intent to do him harm. And wherever the killers are, the sharks are n

to the amusement of the crew, and presently several of what are called "right whale" porpoises made their appearance, racing along ahead of the boat, whereupon Captain Allen went for'ard and picked up a harpoon, for the flesh of this rare variety of porpoise is highly prized. The moment he struck the fish it set off at a great rate, but not quick enough to es

d very glad of it I was afterwards, for a week later I had two boats stove in by a whale, and of course, h

VEN

ff dotted here and there with isolated coco-palms leaning northward to the sea beneath, their broad branches restlessly whipping and bending to the boisterous trade wind. On the western side of the bluff there

nd re-growth of three score years. The ground which it encloses is soft and swampy, for the serried lines of betel-trees, with their thick, broad crowns, prevent either sun or wind from penetrating to the spot, and the heavy tropical rains never permit it to dry. It is a dark, dismal-looking

ned wall were the houses of three white men, who from their doorways could see the blue Pacific, and the long curve of

n and mossgrown block or two, only the hardwood sheaves of which have resisted the destroying influences of the climate; a boat anchor, and farther towards the creek, the mouldering remains of a capstan, from t

dense, evergrowing jungle has long since

d miles from Cape Stephens to within sight of the lofty mountains of New Guinea. In pursuit of their avocation, death from disease, or from the spears or clubs of the treacherous, betel-chewing, stark-naked cannibals among whom they dwelt was ever near, but to the men of their iron

landing, a small schooner had called to replenish their supplies, and ship the cured trepang, which by the most assiduous labour and daring enterprise they had accumulated; and whe

ole survivor of a shipwrecked crew of sixteen men, and had nursed him back to life and reason. Later on, Adams had married one of Stenhouse's half-caste daughters. Ford, too, who was an American, was connected by marriage with Stenhouse, and nearly every on

an, but his once handsome features were marred by such a terrible disfigurement, that those who came to know the man and his sterling character always thought or spoke of him with genuine and respectful pity. What had caused this cruel distortion was known to but three other persons besides himself-the mothe

r last pipes before tarning in, their comrade entered the house hurriedly, accom

p just anchored under Cape Stephens. Masik

Stenhouse, turning his one

t ship with many men on board-some whi

said Stenhouse to his comrades. Then turn

e ship came here because there be many sick, and

k of us whi

ee all to come to the ship; but to hasten, for when the two men are bu

undle of newspapers which Masik carried

ome of the papers to Stenhouse and Ford, "only about six months old. H

on, Esq., Shi

ha

, as with an oath he tore the paper from his comrade's hand, read the name, and then sat do

ter, Ted?" asked

face towards his co

he others and get ready. I am going down to the cap

o understood, spoke a few whispered words

om

s,

women and chi

ntly motioned to him and Ford to

hand down the distorted side of his face-"and tell me

his life if I

t be hanged for it, but if I am killed, I look to you

All that I have I owe to you, Ted. I

ms, my wife, and the man who did it-know what made me the blarsted scarec

r still pressed firmly on the nam

dead and cut another down. I had nothing to do with them-as God is my witness-for I was only a lad of nineteen, and would have stood to the captain and officers like a man, but I was made prisoner by the mutineers early in the fight. After the row was over, Mr. Fullerton missed his watch and a hundred sovereigns which were in a writing case in his cabin. He accused me of stealing them, and when I hotly denied the charge, knocked me

is the man?" as

d married there. I have heard of hi

tion of Gape Stephens. The night was dark and rainy, but the route was familiar to both Adams and Stenhouse. All night they marched steadily onward, and on

he is,"

nging the dead men ashore for burial, and take them prisoners. In all probability the captain would be in charge, and it was Stenhouse's intention to hold him and his boat's crew as ransom for the

line here was uninhabited, and except for the banks of the creek, which were heavily timbered, presented a succession of rolling, grassy downs, and here and there clumps of vi (wild man

fig-tree. In a few minutes, the leading boat, in which were six men and an officer, entered the creek, but the water being shallow, grounded on the bar, and the crew got out. The second boat

e white whiskers, sitting between the others." He held a hurried consu

nd, but the task was too much for them, and presently the captain, who was in the second boat, order

r shipmates' arms and some spades, began wading through the water to the shore, directly to where the unseen watc

, and said something to Ford, who, with h

s reached the shore, and placed their burd

l man, who with bared head and slow step walked by his side, when suddenly there came a rush of a score of

are all dead men,"

tack and the savage appearance of their captors, but their captain, the surgeon, and the big man had their pistols taken from their b

d out and address

ur prisoners for awhile. Then your arms will be returned to you,

es this mean?" cried t

" cried the same stern voice that

but the muzzle of a pistol was placed menacingly aga

re carried off to the boats by two natives, and the wondering

king to the whole party generally; "if yo

y joined the rest of the captors. Follerton, the c

rers of the coffins, who were now, guided by Adams, pushing their way t

been passed through, and captors and

al

somewhere near, and the seamen shuddered as

and have no fear," sai

d the seamen who carried shovels to advance. The ground was soft and moist, an

prayer-book in hand, and read the burial service, and Adams and Ford wo

howed on the sward. Then came the clank of arms, and the

said Ada

ndred yards, then halted, and the prison

on, who was terrified at the very appearance of the wild-

is head, but

nd Stenhouse, carrying two cutlasses under his arm,

, and then Stenhouse raised his ha

me, Mr.

You have come

ts leather sheath and held its hilt out to the man

lowly, "or, by Heavens! I'l

, "but fight you I will not. My life is in

s slowly, his one eye shi

ay be, do not shed the blood of an old man on his son's grave!"

point of the glea

rcy on him, as you hop

ercy for me. I did this man a grievous wr

h an oath, turned his back on his en

, and once more he looked i

" he

rode away, followed by his com

N AND THE

ought a harmonium on board, and played dismal tunes on it every night and all day on Sundays. But, as Saunderson was one of the partners in the firm who owned the Palestine, Denison, and Packenham the skipper, had to suffer him in silence, and trust that something might happen to him

get the fever if we give him a fair show in the Solomons. Then we can dump him ashore at

on-house, and in the evening Mrs. O--- (the missionary's wife), wrote Denison a note and asked if he could spare a chees

the reef opposite his house, and Denison was telling him how to use it. Of course Saunderson must interfere, and said he would show Rigby what to do. He had never fired a charge of dynamite in his life, nor even

ercargo deferentially, "just cheese slightly impregnated wit

e would walk over to his station before dinner, and show him

up a stone, tied it with some string round a cartridge, cut the fuse very short, lit it, and threw it in. There was a short fizz, then a dull, heavy thud, and up came hundreds of the beautiful fish stunned or dead. Saunderson came out of the mission-house and w

of those," s

he had no time to waste in making dynamite cartridges look pretty. Then, as Saunderson walked off, he called out and told him that if he was going to shoot fish he would want to put a good heavy

jesty's gunboat Badger, a small schooner-rigged wooden vessel commanded by Lieutenant-Commander Muddle, one o

st the very wrong kind of stone. He tied it on the cartridge at last, after it had fallen off four or five times; then, as he did not smoke, and carried no matches, he lit it from a native woman's cigarette, and let it drop into the water. The stone promptly fell of

Lieutenant-Commander Muddle rush up from his cabin in his shirt-sleeves with a razor in his hand, thought that he had gone queer again in his head, and had tried to blow up the ship, and was going to out his throat, and so he rushed at him, and knocked him down and took his razor away, and begged him to be quiet; and Muddle, thinking it was a mutiny, nearly went into a fit, and straggled so desperately, and made such awful choki

gged and then hanged at the Badger's yard-arm, and otherwise treated severely, for an attempt to blow up one of Her Majesty's ships; and then Saunderson shivered all over, and staggered out of the mission-house in a suit of Mr. O---'s pyjamas, much too large for him, and met Commander Muddle on the jetty and tried to explain how it occurred

iously damage him, that he kept inside the mission-house, and said he felt he was dying, and that Mr. O--- would prepare him for the end. So Denis

ALING O

for sperm whales between the islands of Tucopia and Vanikoro, the look-out hailed the deck and r

ok her some time to get within hailing distance, and then it was discovered that the boat contained three natives-a man and two young girls-who a

ir own boat, which was a small, native-built craft much like a whale-boat, but with a

barely able to raise his voice above a whisper, was over six feet in height, and appeared to be about five-and-twenty years of age; his companions had evidently not undergone as much suffering and did not present th

e Samoans at the island of Nufilole, one of the Swallow Group, where they were well received by the natives and a white trader. They were accompanied by one of my crew named Falaoa, who begged me to let him go with them, having become much attached to one of th

oke the language well, and the four people remained in his house for many months as welcome guests. A strong and lasting friendship was formed, and resulted in the trader, his wife and family, and the four S

nua, but has great lands in the Atua district on the north side of Upolu-lands which came to him through my mothe

crossed his path, and though he was a brave man in battle, his heart was shrunken up by reason of his avarice and his desire to grow richer, and all Samoa, from Manna i

sitors from Tutuila with such scanty presents that all the people of Mulifanua were ashamed. "What does it matter to me what people say of me? This malaga (party of

father, who was of higher rank than he, and speaking softly. "They are thy dead wife's relatives, an

em not. When I took the daughter of Mauga to wife, Mauga was a great man. Now he and his people are broken a

my uncle, bending his forehe

"if thy heart pains thee of this, why do

'tis thy place and thy honour as head of our family to help these peo

ather scornfully. "I will not begrudge thee either.

ard, hard heart, which knew neither pity

th anger that my mother had not borne him a male child, for a male child would have meant richer presents-not only from his own people, but from towns and villages far away. So when he saw that instead of such gifts as a new canoe or some very old, rare

and then she held me up to my father. "See, Pule, though a

y contempt; and without anoth

she took me to a place called Falema'a, where the cliffs rise up straight from the sea. Her hair was then oiled and dressed, and then she made gif

brave boy, and being of a very poor family, had clambered up the steep side of the wall of rock, so that he might find the kanapu eggs in the clefts and holes, and sell them to people in exchange for food for his mother and sisters. As

ried, "but t

nd my mother threw up he

ad made the people murmur, and he was afraid that they might rise in rebellion, and kill or banish him. But yet he tried to get another rich wife, and sent a deputation of his chiefs t

fe. If she displease him, he can sink

or the people all round about were mu

proud of the honour done me, I did not wish to leave him and go back to my father. But I had no choice but to obey, and so I was taken back to Mulifanua by a fleet of canoes and taumualua (native boats), with great ceremony, and then followed many meetings and much feasting and dancing. I was put

maid. This distinc

good family, and

ay of presents atta

not marry till she

ally will re

en to the fale taupule (council house) to be received by the people as their taupo, a girl named Selema who attended me whispered his name, and pointed him out to me. He was sitting with the other young men, and like them, dressed in his best,

s casting about in his mind for a rich husband for me, and that the man he most favoured was old Tamavili, chief of Tufa, in Savai'i, who would soon be sending messenge

not do, as if he tried to protect me it would mean war. So I said nothing more, though much was in my mind,

on the smooth stones near the water, and had just begun to beat the oranges with pieces of wood

and admired his strength and skill and the clever way in which he dived and took the fish from his net. In a little while he had caught seven-beautiful fish, such as are in all the mountain streams of Samoa. Then

thee, lady," he sa

the basket, and then, when I looked at his face and saw th

aia. Dost tho

I felt glad, for they were like unto those of my uncle Patiole-kind and soft when

hee my life," and as he took my hand and pressed it t

a, I wept, and said that I would I were back at Manono, and that I was but a child, and

e from wedding this old dotard. Aye, I shall save thee from him as I saved thee from the boi

ain, though tears were in her eyes when she took my feet and pressed them to her cheeks, for she feared that wh

will my father kill

ll him that in a month's time I would be ready and that he could come for me. This pleased my father, and although at night time I always slept between the two women, as i

er, and in my mother's house is hidden all the food we can carry. In eight days more the westerly winds will cease, and we shall start, for then we shall have the Matagi Toe'lau (trade wind) and at Uea we shall be s

o hundred miles fro

e after a reverse in

us

to the town to see my father, who in a little time appeared at his door wi

mayili have quarrelled-why, it matters not to me, or thee-and Manka, who is a very rich man, hath sent me word that he will compe

Mo

s setting at naught the old customs and the honour of the town. So, as he looked at them, he scowled;

Luia as a present, with these words: 'If she cares not for my suit, we

people applauded, and my father smiled, as his long thin fingers closed

y Sa Luia. Therefore, O Pule

ers, 'tis hers,"

, put the money on the ground at my feet, and I, his daughter, heard his teeth grinding with rage, and as I felt his hot breath on my ha

esents; for he was known to us as a man of great strength and daring, and was tattooed like a Samoan, which is a great thing to the mind of a Samoan woman, who loath

d it back to the white man. He took it and placed it in a great box, which contained such thin

to fish for malau, launched his boat and sailed along the shore for a league to the mouth of a small stream. Here he was met by his mother and sisters, who were awaiting him with baskets of cooked food, young coconuts and calabashes of water for the voyage.

ema, who lay near me, touched my head wi

so as to awaken the two women between whom I lay. "How can I sleep?

se and went out of the house. Then, once we were at a safe distance, we

its which divide Savai'i from Upolu, and only two leagues away we saw the clustering houses of Tufa on the iron-bound coast. We did not dare to hoist the sail for fear of being seen, so continued to paddle, keeping well into the middle of the straits

r the seas, though every now and then the outrigger would lift itself out of the water, and we feared that we might capsize. But we knew that Death was behind us, and so sat still, and no one spoke but in a whisper as we looked astern, and saw the sail of th

that if they saw we were pursued by Pule-o-Vaitafe, they would, out of respect for him, stop us from escaping. Still there was naught for us to

native-b

It is Manka's boat, for now I can see the flag from the peak-the flag of America." "And the taumualua is that of

a headed our canoe for the shore, and tried to escape, but suddenly, it seemed to me,

and I race together for a bride, and the bride is for neither of us, but for the man who saved her from the sea. H

back to thee with all good will, for Sa Luia loves no man but this her lover Manaia, who held her up from the angry sea when her mother died. And so when Pule-o-Vaitafe

but the woman is mine. So let us depart, for Tamavili and his men-whom no one in Malifanua thought to see for thre

ill help thee to outwit that old dodderer who tried to steal away three days before

side comes Pule-o-Vaitafe, and on the other Tamavili. Yet if thou wilt be th

ried Manka quickl

Ue

er dowry. I am no man to go back on my word, even though I lose so fair a bride. As for Pule-o-Vaitafe, I care not a blade of grass, and for

he pressed our hands and wished us God-speed, and we parted, he sailing towards the taumualua, which was crowded with men, and

oth sought, and there following comes her father. But she is neither for me nor thee. Is not her

ch like that which he had given Manaia, and Manka was too great a man for even Tamavili to hurt. But suddenly, as we in the

the girl Selema go," and as he spoke, the crew turned the taum

nged seats with me, and giving me the steerin

shouted Manka, "'ti

d, and shouted to his men to go on, and then Ma

e again mocked, "did I not

en to go on; he would have ordered some of them to cease paddling and try and shoot Manaia, b

hing his death-knife at Manaia. "I shall give thy head to the chi

e, paddl

t a young sub-chief of Tufa named Lau Aula (the Golden-haired) took command and shouted to the crew to press on, and leaping to the bow, he began firing at us with a short gun (revolver) and one of the bullets struck the girl Selema on the leg and tore a h

or the blood which flowed from Selema's wound was creeping around his naked feet. Yet once more he cried out to Lau

ifle and fired, and Lan Anla spun round and fell over into the sea

fell, the rest of Tamavili's men threw down their

ed strips of tappa around Selema'

, for the pain was very great. "See, lady, the wind is

heavy splash not fifty fathoms away. But cannon-balls cost much money, and so, when a third shot was fired, and it fell astern of our boat, my father wasted no more, and we saw the sail again hoisted and th

mountain peaks of Savai'i had sunk beneath the sea rim, and we were st

Uea. But we hoped vainly; and then, on the third day, there came such a furious storm that we could do naught but drive before it, and go on and on into the great unknown western ocean, whither so many have gone, and have been no more known of men. For many, many days we sailed on, and then, although we had much rain and so suffered no thirst, our food began to fail, and had not Manaia one day caught a sleeping turtle, we should have perished. Some time about the fourteenth day, we saw the jagged peaks of an island against the sky, and steered for

thy beauty, and hath sent word here that the man Manaia must be killed to-night, and thou and Selema

ere very kind, and had put baskets of cooked food and other things into the boat; and so we pushed off, and stood out to sea once more.

o Loli, claiming us as mea tafea i moana-gifts sent to him by the sea-and asking him to hold us for him. A

tance from the beach, "but ye must not land. Steer to the west, and a little to the s

w Hebrid

asked Manai

a boat," replied Loli shamefacedly

only now and then did a seabird come near us. And then came the time when all our food was gone, and we waited for death to come. Manaia had eaten no food for five days when it came to this, for he said he was feeling quite strong, and divided h

as long as a man's arm nor as thick as a woman's, but it kept us alive. Manaia gave us all the flesh, and kept only

did not wish to part from us on account of Selema, whom he wished to marry, he gave his consent, a

always. For even now, after many months have passed, do Selema and I cry out in our slumbers, and when we