AT HOME AGAIN.
VISIT OF H.M.S. SUTLEJ
AS WAS to be expected, the first weeks that followed the arrival of the
second party were very busy weeks indeed. They were housed as well as
could be managed in the two small dwellings of the families that first
came. But the inconveniences attendant on such crowded accommodations
were cheerfully borne. In a short time a temporary abode for each
family of the newcomers had been erected, into which they removed until
their permanent homes should have been built. As all the men and boys
took hold of the work, willingly and cheerfully helping each other, the
building business progressed rapidly.
A pleasant break in the busy weeks was the visit of Admiral Sir John
Kingcome in his flagship, the _Sutlej_, on the 29th of March, 1864.
The day was perfect, with scarce a ripple on the sea, and the sky was
wearing its loveliest blue. The sight of the large boats crowded
with men going and returning between the shore and the ship, was
greatly enjoyed by the islanders. A large crowd both of officers and
men landed, and all seemed to enjoy their visit much, and they gladly
availed themselves of the privilege of taking free whatever the island
produced. The young gentlemen manifested a great deal of interest in
the preparation of a dinner gotten up for them in the island style,
especially that part of it which consisted of the dressing of a pig
and cooking it in the primitive under-ground oven, a favorite mode of
cooking meat among the people.
In the afternoon, as the people had been kindly invited to visit the
ship, nearly all went on board, and had a delightful time visiting
the different parts of the large vessel, and listening with thrilling
pleasure to the band as it discoursed sweetest music. The visit of the
_Sutlej_ was opportune as regarded one young man, at least. He had
a wound in the right knee which threatened to prove fatal, but the
surgeon of the ship, having examined it, probed the wound and applied
the proper remedies. The cure that followed was rapid and complete.
In the long interval that followed the admiral’s coming, when the
islanders seemed to have been shut completely out from the rest of the
world, the pleasure that his visit gave still remained as a bright spot
in the round of their monotonous lives.
At this time the chief concern of the people was to build a suitable
house for public worship. Services were held in one of the dwelling
houses, which, although there was room enough to accommodate
comfortably the two families that had first come, was now too small
for the increased number of worshipers. As soon, then, as these later
arrivals had been settled with some degree of comfort, the work of
building the church and schoolhouse combined began. Willing hands made
light work, and, notwithstanding the lack of workers, the plain wooden
structure, with thatched roof, was duly finished and consecrated to
divine service. It was a glad day when the small congregation met for
the first time within its humble walls to worship God, nor was the
worship less fervent because above them there was only a bare, thatched
roof. Simon Young now stood as leader of the people, and, in addition
to his services for the spiritual welfare of the people, took upon
himself the task of instructing, to the best of his ability, the youth
and children in the “three R’s”—reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic.
Having brought from Norfolk Island a small supply of schoolbooks, he
was able with their help to guide the young and ignorant minds into the
pursuit of something higher than the searching for hens’ eggs and their
own self-pleasing.
[Illustration: SIMON YOUNG AND WIFE.]
Possessing a fair knowledge of simple music, he also, with the small
means at command, taught the children to sing. After leading them
through the simplest airs, he taught them, and with great success,
to sing in four parts, and the fact that out of a class of fifteen
ten were able to read music by sight, gave him great encouragement
in that branch of his work. Beginning life anew, house building
and cultivating the ground for the support of a large family left him
scarcely any leisure for self-improvement, but what he was able to do
he did faithfully. In cultivating the land, wife and children assisted,
thus lightening the heavy duties of the husband and father. No work
was allowed to supersede that which was the dearest aim and object of
his whole life, namely, seeking to instill knowledge into the minds
of the young, and helping to train them to love what is good and pure
and true, and to inspire them to search for themselves the treasures
of knowledge that may be obtained in the works of other men, some few
volumes of which he possessed. He also organized a Sunday school, at
first taking all the labor upon himself, and, as the necessity arose,
appointing others to assist him.
In December of 1864 six of the young people—three of the older
settlers and three of the others—were united in the bonds of
matrimony, the wedding taking place on Christmas day. To the younger
portion of the community, at least, the excitement of a triple wedding
was a very pleasant thing to happen to break the monotony of their
quiet and secluded lives.
In 1866 a man-of-war, the _Mutine_, called at the island, bringing
letters from relatives and friends on Norfolk Island, the first word
that had been received from them since the parting, nearly three years
before. The day was a stormy one in November—so stormy that the ship
was delayed only long enough to deliver the mail, one canoe with two
men in it having successfully passed through the heavy breakers and
the tossing sea to reach the ship. The news brought was mostly sad,
for the deaths of several dear friends were recorded, but that which
more than any other affected the people deeply was the tidings of the
death of Edwin Nobbs and Fisher Young, who had been shot by the natives
of Santa Cruz, when, with the bishop of Melanesia, they visited that
place. Although the two young men had been dead two years before the
tidings reached them, the loss of their firstborn son came upon the
parents of Fisher Young with all the shock of a sudden and unexpected
bereavement, and the heartrending cries of the mother bespoke the grief
felt for her son. He had been consecrated to God before his birth, and
his chosen path was that of a missionary, nor was it small comfort
to his parents that his last dying message was, “Tell my father that
I died in the path of duty.” Great sorrow prevailed among the little
community when the sad news was received, and many tears were shed for
those who had gone, especially for the two young men, who were loved
and respected by all.
The Rev. G. H. Nobbs, Edwin’s father, wrote a hymn on the sad occasion,
which was frequently sung by the people of Norfolk Island, to the tune
Jerusalem the Golden (Ewing). A copy of the words and music was sent to
their friends on Pitcairn Island. Following is the hymn, which was soon
learned and frequently sung:—
“O Lord, the heathens’ madness
Has caused our tears to flow;
Yet still, amid our sadness,
This thought assuages woe,—
There’s naught on earth progressing
That’s hidden from Thy sight,
Correcting, as in blessing
‘Shall not our God do right?’
“Our loved ones’ toils are over,
Life’s transient journey sped,
Till earth her slain discover,
And ocean yields her dead;
Then at their Lord’s appearing,
Decked with the martyrs’ crown,
And spotless raiment wearing,
Shall as His seed be known.
“We kiss the hand that smote us,
And bow before the rod;
Thou hast in mercy taught us
To know that Thou art God.
With undisguised submission
We would approach Thy throne,
Presenting this petition,
‘Thy will, O Lord, be done.’”
There had been two deaths on the island since the second party arrived,
and those took place within a few weeks of each other. The first was
that of Hannah Young, John Adam’s youngest daughter, in her sixty-third
year; the other a young girl, both victims of consumption.
During the year 1867 the people had the pleasure of enjoying the
visits of the royal mail steamers _Rakaia_ and _Kaikoura_. The former
called three times, and the latter once, before the Panama line was
broken up. The account of the _Rakaia’s_ first visit, written by a
gentleman of the name of Dilke, who was a passenger on board, and
which was published in the _Leisure Hour_ for 1868 or 1869, eventually
reached the island, and was read with much interest by the people.
The illustration that accompanied the article caused a great deal of
amusement, as it represented a canoe ornamented with cocoanut leaves
and loaded with fruit, being paddled off to a vessel in the distance.
The canoe had two occupants, each one clad in a small waistcloth as
his only covering. The representation was not very true to fact. As a
further illustration of what those in the outside world knew about the
little isolated rock and the people upon it, may be told the following
little incident:—
About two years before the _Rakaia’s_ call, a merchant vessel, the
_John L. Demock_, on her passage from the Australian colonies to San
Francisco, lay becalmed for two nights and a day off the island. The
ship was not seen, as she came in on the south side of the island. On
the second day, as the people on board saw no boat from the shore nor
any other sign that the island was inhabited, they lowered a boat, and
its crew, with several gentlemen passengers, pulled for the shore. The
people on shore descried the boat only when she was within a short
distance from land, and a canoe or two put off to meet and welcome
the strangers, and show them the landing place. It was an agreeable
surprise to the visitors to find themselves addressed in the English
language, and the hearty welcome extended to them, and the warm
invitation to come and partake of the hospitalities of the island,
entirely disarmed them of their fears, and they hastily hid away the
weapons of defense with which they had come well armed in case of a
hostile attack. Their stay of a day and a night was sufficient to prove
that nothing but good will was felt toward them by all, and on leaving
they took with them their boat loaded down with all that the island
could supply. On reaching the ship they found their companions getting
ready another boat and more weapons to come in search of them, fearing
that they might have fallen in with enemies. But the long detention
was happily explained, and the good ship soon was on her way again.
Some questions that have been put to those who go on board ship, even
at this late date, are very amusing. “Do you know what _that_ is?” was
asked of one of the islanders, the article in question being a lump of
sugar. “Can you read writing?” “Can anyone on the island read?” or,
“You do not know what reading is?” and similar questions have been
earnestly asked by some who for the first time have become acquainted
with the people.
In March of 1868 John Buffett, now over seventy years of age, but still
hale and active, came to visit his only daughter, Mrs. Mary Young.
Everybody was glad to welcome the old man, whom no one had expected to
see again. In June of the same year the _Ashburton_, from the colonies,
made a call, stopping for a day and a night. Her captain, Smith, was
a former acquaintance, and now, as a large company of passengers was
with him, he kindly allowed them to come ashore and spend the day. The
ladies and gentlemen were not slow to avail themselves of the kind
permission, and the pleasure of their short visit was as much enjoyed
by the islanders as by themselves. A table long enough for the whole
party was spread, around which they all sat down to a dinner that had
been hastily gotten up for them. In the evening some of the company
belonging to an opera troupe, led by Mr. Fred Lyster and Miss Minnie
Walton, sang a few of their songs for the entertainment of the people,
and in return the schoolchildren sang some of their part songs. These
ended, the visitors took their leave, as night had come on, but the
beautiful moon, shining in its full brilliancy, lighted the way over
the rippling waters, as the boat, weighed down with its living human
freight, glided on its way, after the hearty “Godspeed” had been spoken.
In July, 1872, John Buffett returned to Norfolk Island on the whale
ship _Sea Ranger_, accompanied by one of his grandsons and another
young man. They were received by their relatives and friends on Norfolk
Island with every demonstration of joy, their unexpected arrival
causing intense excitement. Every attention was shown them, and feast
and dance were gotten up in behalf of their visitors. On receiving an
invitation to visit the pretty chapel and grounds of the Melanesian
Mission, they went, and were impressed with the order and neatness
that prevailed everywhere. The orderly behavior of the students,
and the exactness which characterized the arrangements of the whole
establishment, under the able management of Mr. R. H. Codrington, who
was during that time at the head of the mission, called forth their
highest admiration, and repeated visits only served to strengthen the
impressions at first received that a noble work was being done at the
mission.
The bishop of Auckland, New Zealand, was at the same time on a visit to
Norfolk Island, and during his stay confirmed some of the young people,
of which act he makes mention in his “Notes of a Visit to Norfolk
Island,” as follows:—
“November 16, Saturday. I had a class of young people from the
settlement (_i. e._, the home of the quondam Pitcairners) who were to
be confirmed on the following day.... My class was held in St. Barnabas
Chapel. Afterwards I received a visit from two young men, James Russell
McCoy and Benjamin Stanley Young (brother of Fisher Young, killed at
Santa Cruz in 1864), who had recently come by a whaling vessel from
Pitcairn’s Island. They wished to be admitted to confirmation, and I
was very glad that they should be, after having some conversation with
them upon the subject.”
Besides the confirmation service, Bishop Cowie ordained three deacons
from among the Melanesians. This ceremony was witnessed by the two
young men with much interest. The service was performed in the church
of the Norfolk islanders, a building which had been completed by them
a short time before, and of which they were justly proud, the whole
being designed and finished by themselves. It had been dedicated under
the name of All Saints. Bishop Cowie’s “Notes” thus make mention of the
ordination service:—
“The ordination was held at eleven o’clock, morning prayer having
been said for the Norfolk islanders at an earlier hour by Mr. Nobbs,
the chaplain of the settlement. It was at first intended to hold the
ordination at St. Barnabas, but as in that case the Norfolk islanders
could not have been present at the service, owing to the smallness of
the mission chapel, it was thought better that the Melanesians should
go down to the settlement (three miles distant), the new church there,
All Saints, being large enough to hold all the church-going population
of the island.... The venerable pastor of the quondam Pitcairn
islanders, the Rev. G. H. Nobbs, assisted me at the ministration of
the holy communion, ... the communicants numbering over a hundred.
Whilst the clergy were communicating, Heber’s beautiful hymn, ‘Bread
of the world in mercy broken,’ was softly and sweetly sung by the
congregation....
“In the afternoon at three o’clock I held a confirmation at All Saints
for the Norfolk islanders.... The preface to the confirmation service
was read by the Rev. G. H. Nobbs, whose granddaughter, Catherine Nobbs,
played the harmonium accompaniment at both the services. Twenty young
people were confirmed (including the two lately arrived from Pitcairn’s
Island), nearly all being descendants of the _Bounty_ mutineers. The
hymns were particularly well sung by nearly the whole congregation, one
of them to the tune Cambridge New, said to have been a great favorite
with Bishop Patteson. A son and a daughter of John Adams, of the
_Bounty_, viz., George Adams and Rachel Evans, both over seventy years
of age, were at the service, and I went to see Arthur Quintall, now
quite imbecile, the son of another of the mutineers.”
The three aged persons above mentioned were the only survivors on
Norfolk Island of the children of the mutineers, for death had taken
away many of the people in the space of nine years. In 1868 a malignant
fever swept like a blasting wind over the island, and many of the
people died, so that the two young visitors missed the faces of many a
dear relative and friend whom they still remembered well. Several other
changes had taken place on the island. The people had in many instances
removed to their own allotments of land, and were now living widely
separated from one another.
The visit, of nearly three months’ duration, was rendered as
delightful and pleasing as possible, and they left their kind friends
with feelings of hope as well as of sorrow, for the young men had
expectations of returning again to live on the island before many
years had passed. On leaving, letters from the people on Norfolk
Island were given them to take home. These letters contained strong
advice and earnest entreaties to their friends on Pitcairn Island to
return to them and live together in one community as before. Every
argument that could be brought to bear on the subject was used to
induce the Pitcairners to return to Norfolk Island. When the letters
were, on their arrival, read to the people, and the question thoroughly
discussed, the majority favored the proposal. That all obstacles should
be removed, their friends had generously offered to charter and fit
out a vessel at their own expense for the purpose of conveying them
back to Norfolk Island, promising also that if they should return their
former grants of land would be restored to them. The condition was that
all should return, as otherwise they could scarcely be expected to put
themselves to such an expense. Naturally, most of the younger members
of the community were eager to return, and some among the older ones
were not unwilling. But a few of the families were determined to remain
where they were, and there the matter ended.
One argument given in favor of their return was the change that
Pitcairn Island had undergone in the space of a very few years. Extreme
scarcity of water was a source of much discomfort and anxiety to the
inhabitants, and the soil, that had formerly been so productive,
seemed now to have lost its remarkable fertility. The yam crop, which
hitherto had yielded so well, and had been one of the principal food
supplies, now failed almost entirely. Nor did the sweet potato escape
the general plague, for a very troublesome blight would attack the
young plantation, completely preventing its growth, and when the tubers
became matured, they were often infested by a destructive worm, that
worked untold mischief among them.
The breadfruit, too, yielded to the general decline, and splendid trees
that once bent beneath their wealth of fruit, began to decay, and
failed gradually to produce fruit, until they ceased almost entirely.
Other fruit trees were more fortunate and did not suffer as much as the
food-producing plants. Around the entire island, along the _edge_, or
precipice, where once had flourished a thick growth of stunted, hardy
trees, could now be seen bare, barren soil, free to be washed away by
heavy rains. During this period, when the island was undergoing such
a change, it was subject to frequent seasons of drought. The water
supply daily diminished, and the springs that in former years had been
ceaselessly flowing now dried up, with but two exceptions. Such was
the condition of Pitcairn Island when the request from Norfolk Island
that the community might remove thither was sent. But the conditional
proposition was not accepted, and it was never again renewed.
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