Everything was ready at last, water, stores, arms, and ammunition, and
the boat, with mainsail and jib hoisted, was lying just abreast of the
station, in charge of Tematan and Tepi, surrounded by canoes.
In the house with me were Mrs. Krause and Niâbon; and Kaibuka and his
head men, who had come to take formal charge of the station, and to bid
us farewell. I handed old Kaibuka letters to be given to the supercargo
of the firm's next vessel, presented him and his colleagues with a
new musket each, together with powder and bullets, and a small case of
tobacco, and then we all went outside, and I locked the door formally,
and handed him the key. He took it, unlocked the door, went inside a few
steps, and then it was locked a second time, the key twisted in one of
his pendant ear-lobes, and the ceremony was over. Then we all trooped
down to the beach together, got into a canoe, and went on board.
[Illustration: Accompanied by thirty or forty canoes 116]
Shaking hands with old Kaibuka and the rest of the natives who swarmed
around us to say farewell, I told Tepi to lift the anchor, and in
another five minutes the little craft began to move through the water
towards the reef, accompanied by thirty or forty canoes and native
boats under sail, all packed with natives of both sexes, shouting their
farewells, and wishing us good fortune.
By sunset we had crossed over the wide, submerged reef, which for twenty
miles runs due north and south on the lee side of Tarawa Lagoon, and
hauling up to the wind just as darkness fell, we soon lost sight of
our island friends, though we could still hear them shouting our
names--“Simi,” “Niâbon,” “Lucia,” for some little time after.
The night was dark, but fine, and the light southeasterly breeze sent
us along at about three knots over a very smooth sea. Tepi was standing
for'ard on the lookout, for fear we might run into any fishing canoes
from Taritai, Tematau was busying himself about our miniature galley, my
two women passengers were rearranging their little cabin, and I steered.
“Well, here we are at last, Mrs. Krause ------,” I began.
“Lucia, please.”
“Here we are at last, Lucia, then. I'm going to run along like this all
night, until we get to the little island at the north end, and then put
these gruntors ashore,” and I pointed to half a dozen pigs which were
lying tied up on the deck. They had, with about fifty or sixty fowls,
been presented to us by the natives, and as we should have given great
offence by not accepting them, we had to endure their company for the
present. Then all around us, stowed in every conceivable place, were
bundles of young drinking coco-nuts, husked and unhusked, taking up a
great deal of room, and weighing heavily, and three or four rolls of
sleeping-mats, presented to Niâbon, were wedged into the cabin. All
this collection would have to be either got rid of entirely or largely
reduced, so I decided to bring up at the little islet of which I had
spoken, and overhaul and re-stow the boat by daylight.
“Look astern,” cried Lucia, as I shall now call her; “isn't it
pretty? And see, there is another fleet ahead of us, and much nearer.”
[Illustration: Began their flying-fish catching 120]
The canoes we had left behind us had begun their flying-fish catching,
and a long line of brightly burning, isolated flames was lighting up
the sea all around, revealing the dark bodies of the fishers, with four
paddles sending each canoe through the water, while in the bows stood
a fifth, sweeping the water deftly with a scoop net attached to a pole
twelve feet in length, his movements guided by a huge torch or flare of
dried coco-nut leaves, held aloft by a naked boy standing on the canoe
platform amidships. It was indeed a pretty sight, for at times the long
line of fires would make a graceful sweeping curve, and then almost
unite in a circle, then again open out with a fan-like movement, and
advance once more. We watched the fleet astern a little while, and then
found ourselves in the midst of the one we had seen ahead. There
were over fifty canoes, all manned by Taritai people. They hailed
us vociferously, wished us good luck, and as we sailed through their
blazing lines of fire they threw so many flying-fish on board that
not only the decks were covered, but hundreds, striking against the
mainsail, fell into the cabin, and lay there like moving bars of
brightest silver.
“_Tiàkako, Simi! Tiàkapo, Lucia! Tiàkapo, Niàbon!_” they shouted to us,
as we drew away from them, after throwing them some tobacco.
By daylight we were abreast of the islet, and due north of us could
just see the tops of the coco-nuts on Apaian Lagoon showing above the
sea-line, ten miles distant, and then, to our annoyance, the wind died
away, and there was every indication of there being a dead calm till the
evening. However, it could not be helped, so we pulled in right up to
the beach, and let the two women step ashore to get breakfast ready.
Tepi, picking out the youngest and fattest of the pigs, knocked it on
the head, and cutting the thongs of the others tumbled them over the
side. They soon recovered themselves, and went off. Then followed a
massacre of a dozen of the fowls, the liberation of the rest, and the
throwing away of the greater portion of the heavy coconuts. The bundles
of mats I threw ashore to Niâbon, as they would be useless to shield us
from the rain which might fall during our stay on the island, and then
we set to and washed down decks, made everything snug, and went ashore
for breakfast, well satisfied with our work, and with the fact that the
boat was six inches higher out of the Water.
The islet, though small, was unusually fertile for so low-lying a
spot--it being in no part more than fifteen feet above high-water
mark--for in addition to the inevitable coco-palms, which grew thickly
from the water's edge, there were hundreds of fine trees, among them
being some noble and imposing jack-fruits, whose broad, bright green
branches were almost level with the crowns of the palm-trees, their
roots embedded in a rich, soft, black soil, formed by the fallen leaves
of hundreds of years, mixed with decayed coral detritus.
Niâbon had spread the mats in a shady spot, and we all made a simple but
hearty breakfast of grilled fowls, biscuit, and young coco-nuts. Then
we lit our pipes and cigarettes of the good, strong black tobacco, and
watched a shoal of fish leaping and playing about the boat, which, with
loose, pendant cable, lay floating on a sea as smooth and as shining as
a polished mirror.
The island, so Niâbon told me, had not been inhabited for a great number
of years, though it was occasionally visited by natives for the purpose
of collecting the ripe coco-nuts, and turning them into oil, and
sometimes the white traders, living on Apaian, would stop there when
they were on their way to Tarawa and Maiana Lagoons. The name of the
island, she said, was Te Mata Toto (“The Bloody Eye”). “Why such a
name?” I asked. “I will tell you some other time,” she replied; “not
now, because I do not want Tepi to hear me talking about the place. With
Tematau it would not matter, for although he knows the story, he is not
a Tarawa man, and has nothing of which he need be afraid.”
We sat talking together for some little time, and as I looked at Lucia
I could not but wonder at the marvellous manner in which she was
recovering her health and strength. Her pallor, once so very manifest,
had disappeared, as well as her languid step, and at this moment she was
merrily reproving Tepi for smoking a pipe so old and dirty and so short
in the stem that it was burning his nose.
The big man grinned, and said it was a lucky pipe. For when it was
white, new, and long, and he was smoking it for the first time, he, with
two other men, was fishing from a canoe, it fell from his mouth into
the sea, and before he could dive for it was swallowed by a _kura_
(rock-cod).
“How know you?” she asked.
“Because my mother found it in the belly of one of those we caught, when
she was cooking it,” he replied promptly.
Presently Niâbon, who knew exactly to the smallest detail where
everything was stowed in the boat, told him to look in one of the stern
lockers for the fishing tackle, where he would find a small hand casting
net, with which he and Tematau could go catch some grey mullet, while
she, Lucia, and myself, walked round the island.
Bringing my gun with me--for there were great numbers of small golden
plover flying past us towards the sand patches now being revealed by the
ebbing tide, we started off, Niâbon leading, and conducting us directly
towards the centre of the islet, which was less than three-quarters of a
mile from shore to shore, and was the northernmost of a chain of five
or six, almost connected with each other at low water, and forming the
northern horn of the lagoon. À short walk brought us to a small cleared
space, enclosed by some heavy timber. The ground was devoid of any
foliage with the exception of some straggling, thorny bushes, growing up
between the layers of what seemed to be a solid bed of coral slabs cast
up by the action of the sea during heavy storms long years before.
“It was once a deep hole and was used as a well, long, long ago,” said
Niâbon, “but the bones of seven white men lie there under the stones.
Their bodies were thrown into the well, and then for two days some of
the people of Tarawa threw stones upon them till the hole, which was
five fathoms across from its sloping banks, and a fathom and a half down
to where the fresh water lay, was filled, and only a flat surface of
stones was to be seen. Come, let us get away to the other side, for
the air here is hot and foul from the smell of the damp soil underneath
these big trees. It is never dry, for the sun cannot get to it.”
We gladly followed her, and soon reached the other side of the island,
which faced the lagoon, of which we had a glorious view as far as eye
could see. Then Niâbon told us the story of the well--a story that,
horrible as it was, was but a counterpart of many such tragedies which
had taken place all over the North and South Pacific, more
especially after the settlement of New South Wales, in 1788, and when
sandal-wooding and whaling brought hundreds of ships into the South
Seas, the former being too often manned and commanded by some of the
greatest ruffians who ever dangled from the end of a rope.
The story was told to her by old Kaibuka, who himself had participated
in the massacre, which had been planned and executed under the direct
supervision of his father, his uncle, and himself. And it was not the
only such affair in which he had been concerned--not on Tarawa alone,
but on the neighbouring lagoon of Maiana. From Niâbon he had concealed
nothing of his past life, and I honestly believe could not have done so
had she wished otherwise, for the old fellow showed his respect and
fear for her and her powers of “seeing beyond” to the same degree as
did every other one of his people--man, woman, or child. Niâbon imagined
that this particular case of cutting-off occurred about forty or fifty
years previously, for Kaibuka told her that although he was young at the
time, he was yet a full-grown man; but as he could not even guess at his
present age, she had no very reliable data.
This island, he told her, was called Te Mata Toto (The Bloody Eye of the
Land) from its being the northern eye or point of the lagoon, from
which a watch was always kept in olden times to give warning to the
inhabitants of the large villages on the opposite side of the approach
of their hereditary enemies--the people of Apaian. The moment a fleet
of canoes were seen crossing the ocean strait which divides the two
islands, signal fires, always kept in readiness, were lit, and the
villages would prepare to resist the invaders, who sometimes, however,
would content themselves with an assault on the outpost stationed on
the little island. As they generally outnumbered the defenders by ten
to one, there was usually but one result--every one of the garrison was
slaughtered, and the victors, after stripping the dead bodies of their
valued armour of coco-nut fibre, and destroying their canoes and houses,
would return to Apaian satisfied. For this reason--i.e., the many
sanguinary encounters which took place on the little island--it was
given its ominous name.
One day Kaibuka was sent to command a party of ten men who formed
the garrison and who were keeping a keen watch--for a raid was again
expected--when a small, square-rigged vessel was seen heading for the
island.
[Illustration: She came boldly on 126]
She came boldly on, and dropped anchor close to the shore, lowered a
boat, and five men came on shore. They were all armed, and at first were
cautious about advancing up the beach to Kaibuka and his men, but
seeing that the latter possessed no firearms, they came on, and Kaibuka,
throwing down his club and spear, walked down and shook hands with them
in a very friendly manner, and was at once addressed by one of them in
the Gilbert Island tongue, though he could not speak it very well.
He told Kaibuka that the ship was going to China, and that he was a
passenger; that he had been living on Temana (an island far to the
south-east) but had tired of it, and so, when the ship called there to
get some food, of which she was badly in want, he came away with her,
the captain, in return for his services as interpreter, promising to
give him a passage to the island of Makin, where were living four or
five white men. He then asked Kaibuka if there was any drinking water on
the little island, and any food--of any kind whatever--to be obtained.
The white men were at once taken and shown the well, at which they were
very pleased, and two of them went back to the ship for water-casks, the
others remaining on shore bartering with Kaibuka's people for some fish,
a turtle, and coco-nuts, paying for them in tobacco and knives,
and promising them a keg of rum if twenty turtle and a boat-load of
full-grown coco-nuts were brought them within a few days. Turtle,
however, were scarce, but Kaibuka said that there were a good many
captive ones in the turtle ponds at the main village, and he would send
over for some. And then his brain began to work. He suggested that two
or three of the white men should go with his messenger; but they were
too wary, and made excuses, which Kaibuka took in seeming good part,
saying it did not matter, but that he would send a man over at once to
his father to tell him to bring as many turtle as could be obtained. The
captain and interpreter were satisfied with this, and returned on board,
declining to let any of the curious natives come with them--on the plea
that they would be too busy repairing some water-casks which they hoped
Kaibuka and his men would help fill in the morning.
Then the young chief called to his messenger.
“Tell my father and my uncle that I can see but seven men altogether on
the ship, but each one carries a gun, pistol, and cutlass, and two are
always on guard. Tell him, too, to bring some turtle and fish, and let
some young women who can dance well come with him as well. But my uncle
and some of our best men must follow in their canoes at night, and make
no noise. They must land and hide in the bush, and stay there till my
father speaks.”
Early on the following morning the captain again landed, and was pleased
to find Kaibuka's father, accompanied by some unarmed men and eight or
ten handsome young women, awaiting him on the beach. He had, he said,
brought but five turtle that day, but would fetch an equal number or
more on the morrow if they could be obtained. The captain was pleased.
Fresh food, he said, he was very anxious to obtain, as they had nothing
on board but salt beef and mouldy biscuit. He gave old Takai (Kaibuka's
father) some tobacco, and a knife, and said that the young women might
go on board and dance for the amusement of the sailors. This was exactly
what the old man desired, for he could, from them, obtain definite
information as to the condition of affairs on board the ship, for it was
very evident that the captain was determined not to be led into fancied
security by the friendly demeanour of the natives, but meant to keep
himself and crew well prepared to resist a surprise.
During this time the young Kaibuka and the interpreter--the white man
from Temana--had become quite friendly, and that evening, whilst the
young women were still on board, he came on shore alone, and calling
Kaibuka aside from the other natives, said he wanted to speak to him
privately. As soon as they were alone, he boldly avowed his intention of
capturing the ship, and murdering all the other white men if Kaibuka and
his people would assist him. The matter, he said, could be easily
done. He and some other white men--two of whom were now living at Makin
Island--had once stolen a ship when they were prisoners in Van Diemen's
Land, had killed five or six soldiers and some of the crew, and sailed
away with her to Fiji; and they had got much plunder from her.
“What is to be got from _this_ ship?” asked Kaibuka, who had heard this
particular story from some traders and knew it to be true.
“Casks and casks of rum, and kegs of powder and bullets, hundreds of
muskets, swords, knives, and axes and beads--all that man can want--for
this ship is going to a far-off cold country to barter these things for
furs.”
Kaibuka then inquired what share of the plunder he and his people should
have if they captured the ship.
Half, replied the white man. Half of everything that was in the
ship's hold and in the cabin, except some small square boxes of silver
money--ten in all--for which he (Kaibuka) would have no use. And he
could have two of the four big guns on the deck if he wished; but the
ship herself was not to be harmed, nor any of her sails or rigging taken
away. And Kaibuka would lend him two or three men to sail her to Makin,
where he (the white man) would reward them well, and where they could
remain till some ship brought them back to Tarawa.
“It shall be done,” said the young man; “come with me to my father and
his brother, so that we may talk together.”
The murderous plot was soon arranged between the three, and the
treacherous convict went off on board again to tell the unsuspecting
captain that the old chief was anxious that he (the master) would let
some of his men come on shore in the morning with axes and cut down a
very large tree growing near the well. It was too great an undertaking
for the natives with their poor tools--it would take them a week, but
the sailors could do it in half a day. Old Takai wanted the tree cut
down so as to build a large canoe.
The poor captain fell into the trap, the interpreter assuring him that
the natives would not dream of attempting any mischief. Were not some
of the young women still on board? he asked, which was a proof of the
amicable intentions of the old chief and his people. Furthermore, he
added, all the men had that night returned to the mainland to secure
more turtle, and only the young women, a few boys, and the chief himself
remained on the island.
Early in the morning the captain came on shore with three men, to fell
the tree, leaving two only on board, with orders to be on their guard if
he fired a shot, or they suspected anything was wrong. The interpreter
accompanied him, and to show his confidence in the islanders he
ostentatiously, but with seeming carelessness, threw his arms down at
the foot of a tree, remarking to the captain that the old chief and boys
and women seemed rather frightened at the sight of four armed white
men, who also carried axes. Somewhat unwillingly the captain and his men
followed suit, and then even permitted the children to carry their axes
for them.
The interpreter walked on ahead with the old chief, apparently talking
on nothing of importance, but in reality telling him with great glee of
how he had succeeded in lulling the captain's suspicions. Presently the
whole party reached the thicket in which the well was situated, and as
the path was narrow they had to walk in single file, the children who
were carrying the axes falling behind. And then suddenly, and almost
without a sound, thirty or more stalwart savages, led by the young
Kaibuka and his uncle, leapt on the unsuspecting white men, who in a few
seconds were clubbed to death before even they could utter a cry.
“Now for the two on the ship,” cried the renegade to young Raibuka; “go,
one of you women, down to the shore, near the ship, and cast a stone
into the water as if at a fish, and the women on board, who are
watching, will kill them as easily as we have killed these.”
As he turned, an axe was raised and buried in his brain, and he pitched
head foremost down the bank into the well--dead.
“Let him lie there,” said one of the leaders; “throw the others after
him, and wait for two more.”
The two poor seamen on board the ship were ruthlessly slaughtered by the
women in a similarly treacherous manner, their bodies brought on
shore, thrown down into the well with those of their shipmates and the
renegade, and the whole depression filled with sand and coral slabs,
till it was level with the surrounding soil.
Whilst this was being done by one lot of savages, another was looting
the vessel of her cargo of trade goods, which was rapidly transferred
in canoes to the mainland. Then, as her capturers feared to set fire to
her, knowing that the blaze would be seen by the natives of Apaian, ten
miles away, they managed to slip her cable, after cutting a large hole
in her side at the water-line. Long before sunset she was still in
sight, drifting on a smooth sea to the westward; then she suddenly
disappeared, and nothing was ever known of her fate, and of the awful
ending of her hapless captain and crew, except what was known by the
perpetrators of the massacre themselves.
Such was Niâbon's story of _Te Mata Toto_, and both Lucia and myself
were glad to get away from the immediate vicinity of the tragedy, and
return to our camping place near the boat, where we found both Tematau
and Tepi awaiting us with some fine mullet, which I supplemented later
on by a few plover. In the afternoon, whilst the women slept, the two
men and myself cleaned our firearms, and attended to various matters
on the boat. At sunset the breeze came away freshly from the old
quarter--the south-east--and by dark we were at sea again, heading due
north for Makin, the most northerly of the Gilbert Group, which was
eighty miles distant, and which island I wanted to sight before keeping
away north-west for the Caroline Archipelago, for there was a long
stretch between, and I was not too brilliant a navigator.