SAMOA TO MILLÉ
Just as we parted from our warlike friends who had so nearly put an end
to our cruises, one of the chiefs sang out that a large brig, painted
white, was out at sea beating up to Apia. Turning his information over
in my mind, the conviction grew upon me that she must be Hayston's
vessel, the _Leonora_. It proved to be correct, for as we ran past
Mulinu Point we saw her entering the passage leading to the harbour. She
was about a mile distant from us, but I could see that she was a
beautifully-built vessel, and could well believe the tales of her
extraordinary speed. The Norwegian guano-man, an immense ship, the _Otto
and Antoine_, was lying in the roadstead, and as the _Leonora_ came to
her moorings, we ran up between the two vessels and dropped anchor.
During the next few minutes I received no less than three different
offers for our sixteen tons of yams. These I declined, and after waiting
till I perceived that most of the shore visitors had left the brig, I
took our dingey and pulled aboard.
Captain Hayston was below, and the Chinese steward conducted me into his
presence. He looked at me steadily for a moment, as if trying to recall
where he had seen me before, and then after my few words of explanation,
gave me a hearty welcome to the South Seas.
Having told him how I came to visit Samoa, I offered him my yams, which
he gladly purchased, paying me a good price for them in United States
gold coin. This transaction being concluded, he asked me to meet him
next day, when we could have a good long chat, at the same time desiring
me to keep secret the fact of our previous meeting. What his reasons
were I never knew; but as he seemed anxious on this matter, I told him
that I had seldom mentioned the circumstance, and to no one in Samoa,
with the exception of my mate Tuluia. I had indeed made few other
acquaintances.
Although I should much have liked to have had a look round the brig, I
could see the Captain wished to get on shore, so after shaking hands
with him I returned to our cutter, where, in a few minutes, the brig's
longboat came alongside, and we set to work getting out the yams.
Hayston paid me without demanding to have them weighed, and George's
dark face was wreathed in smiles when I showed him the money. He
explained that two tons were very bad, and had they been seen by a
purchaser would have been rejected.
Although only a Kanaka, George possessed true commercial instincts, and
I felt sure he would grow rich.
The native war was now at its height, and the lines of the hostile party
were so close to Matautu, the eastern part of Apia, that bullets were
whistling over our heads all day long. The yam season being over, and
the copra trade at a standstill, we gave up the cutter and settled for a
while on shore. It was during this period that I was a constant visitor
at the house of Mr. Lewis, the American Consul, where I generally found
Hayston in company with Captain Edward Hamilton, the pilot, and another
American, a whisky-loving, kava-drinking old salt, brimful of fun and
good humour. He had been twenty years in Samoa, and was one of the best
linguists I ever met with; was known to every native in the group, and
had been several trips with Hayston to the north-west islands. He
followed no known occupation, but devoted his time to idling and
attending native dances.
Many a merry evening we spent together while the _Leonora_ was
recruiting, and I began to think Hayston was the most entertaining man I
had ever met. He made no secret of some of his exploits, and in
particular referred to the way in which he had beaten a certain German
firm in the way of business, even breaking up their stations in the Line
Islands. At that time these merchants had acquired a bad name for the
underhand manner in which they had treated English and American traders;
and for any man to gain an advantage over them was looked upon as a
meritorious action.
By many people who cherished animosity against Hayston I had been led at
first to look upon him as a thorough-going pirate and a bloodthirsty
ruffian. Yet here I found him, if not respected, at least deemed a fit
associate for respectable men. Moreover, his word was considered as good
security in business as another man's bond. I well remember the days
when he used to visit me at Leliepa, and we amused ourselves with pistol
practice. He was a wonderful shot, and his skill excited the loud
applause of the native chiefs. One fat old fellow, known as Pulumakau
(the bullock), begged him to spend a day now and then in the lines with
the native forces, and exercise his skill upon the enemy.
One day he took me on board with him in order to show me over the brig.
He intended to leave in a few days, and I remarked, as we were pulled on
board, that I should dearly like to have a trip with him some day.
He was silent for a minute, and then replied, "No! I shall be glad
enough of your company as my guest, as I have taken a fancy to you; but
it will be better for you to keep clear of me."
When we got on board I was struck with the beautiful order in which the
vessel was kept, aloft and below; there was not a rope yarn out of
place. Descending to the cabin I found it splendidly furnished for a
vessel of her size.
The _Leonora_ was 250 tons register, and had been built for the opium
trade. During her career in Chinese seas she acquired the reputation of
being the fastest vessel on the coast. She then carried eight guns. She
had been several times attacked by pirates, who were invariably beaten
off with loss. At the time of my visit she carried but one gun, which
stood on the main deck, Hayston having sold two others of the same
calibre to the natives. But for this, as far as I could see, she had a
most peaceful appearance.
On the main deck, just abaft the foc'sle, was a deckhouse divided into
compartments, forming the cook's galley and boats' crews' quarters,
together with those belonging to the first and second mates. On the top
of the house a whale-boat was carried, leaving room for two sentries to
keep guard, a precaution which I afterwards found was, on certain
occasions, highly necessary for the vessel's safety. The foc'sle was
large, for she carried between twenty-five and thirty men. The thing
that struck me most, however, was the bulkhead, which was loop-holed for
rifles, so that if any disturbance took place in the forehold, which was
sometimes filled with Kanaka labourers, the rebels could be shot down
with ease and accuracy.
The most noticeable things about the gear were the topsails she carried,
Cunningham's patent, in which there were no reef points. The topsail
yards revolved, so that you could reef as much as you liked, and all the
work could be done from the main deck by the down haul. Many captains
dislike this patent, but it behaved splendidly on the _Leonora_ for all
that.
The crew, or most of them, were ashore, and only the second mate, the
Chinese carpenter, the steward, and ship's boys were on board. The mate
was a muscular Fijian half-caste named Bill Hicks, known as a fighting
man all over Polynesia. A native girl, called Liva, was sitting on the
main hatch making a bowl of kava.
"Halloa! Liva," said the Captain, as we passed along the deck, "I
thought you were married to one of the Dutch clerks at Goddeffroy's?"
"Avoe, lava, alii." "Quite true, Captain, but I've come to stay with
Bill for a week."
The Captain and second mate laughed, and next day I learned that Bill
had gone to the clerk's house at Matafele, the German quarter of the
town, and though there were other Germans present, told Liva to pack up
her clothes and come with him. She, nothing loth, did as he told her,
and the Germans, seeing mischief in the half-caste's eye, offered no
opposition.
The departure of the _Leonora_ took place a few days afterwards, and I
accepted the position of supercargo in a ketch which the junior partner
of one of the principal firms in Samoa wished to send to the Marshalls
to be sold. I expressed my doubts of her sea-worthiness for so long a
voyage. However, he said there was no danger, as it would be a fine
weather passage all the way through, adding that the king of Arnu, or
Arrowsmith's Island, had commissioned Captain Hayston to buy a vessel
for him in Samoa.
I thought his proposition over, and next day stated my willingness to
undertake the venture, the owners promising to put the vessel in repair
as soon as possible. She was hauled up to the beach in front of the
British consulate, where for the next few weeks carpenters were at work,
patching up and covering her rotten bottom with a thick coating of
chunam. Notwithstanding these precautions no one except old Tapoleni,
the Dutch skipper, could be induced to take charge of her.
During the time she was on the beach I made a trip to the beautiful
village of Tiavea, doing a week's trading and pigeon shooting. On my
return I found the town in a high state of excitement owing to a
succession of daring robberies of the various stores. Strong suspicions
were entertained with respect to a herculean American negro, known as
Black Tom, who kept an extremely disorderly hotel where seamen were
known to be enticed and robbed.
The old vessel was launched at last, and, to the manifest surprise of
everybody, refrained from springing a leak. Things might easily have
been worse; for what with the great age of her timber and the thickness
of her hull the carpenters were barely able to make the copper hold.
Next day we took in our stores. I was surprised at the casks of beef,
tins of biscuits, and quantities of other provisions put on board, and
thought the owners extremely liberal. This favourable state of feeling
lasted till we were well at sea, when I discovered all the beef to be
bad, and the remainder of the stores unfit for any well-brought-up pig.
When everything was aboard the owners gave me the following document:--
APIA, _3rd December, 187 _.
Dear Sir,--You will proceed to Millé, Mulgrave Island, for the
purpose of selling the ketch _E. A. Wilson_. You will find
Captain Hayston there waiting for you; so you will please
consult with him, as he is acquainted with the parties who wish
to purchase her. Try to obtain oil and copra to the amount of
£500 for the vessel. Ship whatever produce you may get on board
the _Leonora_, and get Captain Hayston to sign bills of lading.
Do not sell the chronometer unless you get a good price for it.
Sell the few things you take to the best advantage; none of the
Samoans are to remain, but must come back to Apia. Have the
ketch painted on your arrival at Millé. Wishing you a prosperous
and speedy voyage.--We are, etc.,
BASCOM & CO.
I quote this letter _in extenso_, for later on it plays an important
part in my narrative. Having carefully read it Mr. Bascom shook hands
with me, wished me a pleasant voyage, and departed. I went aboard, the
vessel being already hove short, and, as I thought, only waiting my
arrival to sail.
Things looked much otherwise as I stepped on deck. The skipper was drunk
and helpless. The decks were thronged with shore natives--men and women
nearly all crying and half drunk, bidding farewell to one or other of
the crew.
The mate, Jim Knowles, was a Tongan half-caste, who was afterwards
hanged in Fiji for shooting Larsen, one of the Messrs. Goddeffroy's
captains, dead on his own ship. He was the only sober man on board. He
told me that one of Tapoleni's friends had come on board, and that she
had been stowed away by that worthy, who swore that he would not leave
her behind. To this Maa Maa I had a particular aversion, and always
hated to see her come on board. She was ugly enough in all conscience,
and had always been said to be the cause of quarrels and fights whenever
the skipper took her on a trip. Taking Knowles with me, we lugged her on
deck screaming and biting. As she refused to get into a canoe, Knowles
threw her overboard, where some sympathising friends picked her up.
Just as this incident terminated I received a note from the owners,
telling me to delay the vessel's departure for half-an-hour. Wondering
what was in the wind, I set about restoring order. I found a lot of
liquor in the foc'sle, which I took aft and locked up. Then with
Knowles' aid I succeeded in clearing the decks of the women and shore
loafers, who were lying about in all stages of intoxication.
At eleven o'clock we saw two boats pulling off from the shore, and
noticed armed Samoans among the crews. As they came alongside I saw
seated in one of them the figures of Black Tom and his son Johnny, both
heavily ironed. In the stern sat his Samoan wife, a woman named Musia. A
number of white residents were in charge of the lot, and I was informed
that at an impromptu mass meeting, held that morning, it had been
decided to expatriate Tom and his family for the good of the country;
they had seized this favourable opportunity of carrying their resolution
into effect.
This was a pretty state of affairs. I need scarcely explain my
indignation at having two such characters as Black Tom and his son
foisted on me as passengers. I was about to get into a boat and let them
carry their own prisoners away, when I was told that I could land him
and his family at the first land we made. This would be Quiros Island,
bearing N.N.W. from Apia.
"All right, gentlemen," I replied, "and as everybody here happens to be
drunk, I'll feel obliged if you will be good enough to lift the anchor
and let us get away."
Tom and his family were accordingly put in the hold, and the new-comers
having got the anchor up bade me farewell, chuckling at having rid
themselves of Black Tom so cleverly. Whereupon they got into the boats
and pulled ashore.
It was blowing stiffly as we ran through the passage, and certainly we
presented a pretty spectacle, with our running gear all in disorder, and
the crew drunk in the lee scuppers. I had the keys of the prisoners'
irons, so giving the tiller to Knowles, I went below and liberated them.
"Tom," I said, "my instructions are to keep you in irons till we made
the first land. Now, I've got nothing against you, but I don't want your
company, and I consider I was served a shabby trick when they put you on
board. I mean to be even with them. They said the first land. Now, I'll
stand on this tack till midnight; then I'll put about and land you on
the coast."
The negro's bloodshot eyes showed blind fury when I first approached
him, but his look softened as I spoke. He laughed, evidently enjoying my
suggestion.
"Thank you, sir, for taking the bracelets off us, but I don't care about
landing in Samoa again, and I'll face the voyage with you. You're the
first man that's spoke a kind word to me since I was rushed and tied in
my own house--treated like a wild beast, and, by ----! I'll do any
mortal thing in this world for you."
He then begged me not to land him at Quiros, but to let him remain on
board until we met Captain Hayston who, he was sure, would give him a
trading station. I promised him this, and in return, being a splendid
cook, he provided me during the remainder of the voyage with all sorts
of sea delicacies.
I will not speak of the dangers of that wearisome voyage; the
drunkenness that I tried in vain to suppress; the erratic course we made
to our destination. The skipper sobered up every two or three days, took
the sun, worked out the ship's position, and let me steer any course I
liked. Then he would fly to his bottle of "square-face," until I thought
it necessary to rouse him again in order to ascertain our whereabouts.
At last, after a forty-two days' passage, we sighted the low-lying coral
islands enclosing the spacious lagoon of Millé.