William S. Cary

“ Then we rushed forward, broke down their bamboo fence and entered the village. We killed all who had not made their escape, plundered the town and set it on fire, then marched back to Navarto, singing songs of victory. Here we were paid for our services with hogs, turtles, fishing nets and whales' teeth.
We remained here several days, then embarked for Labooca, where I stopped some time. I next went to Ambow, and there found some of the Raver chiefs who were bound home. Feeling that I should like to see my old chief I took passage with them. The chief at Raver was delighted to see me. ”

“ The conduct of the captain and crew of the Oldham was as censurable as Minina's. They went on shore and took their women by force and carried them off to their ship, many of them wives, and by many acts of wanton levity and even cruelty the natives became so enraged that they took a time when two boats' crew were on shore, attacked those on board and on shore at the same time, and killed all excepting the boy. ”

“ Through the night the inhabitants were employed cooking pigs and vegetables, which were presented to us with the usual ceremony. The morning brought a severe storm of wind, rain, thunder and lightning. All we could do was to make ourselves comfortable. In the course of the day our chief sent for an old Umbaty who was celebrated for his knowledge of the future, and told him he wanted to know if there was a ship at Cantab or any of the neighboring islands, also when the storm would subside so that we could continue our voyage. ”

“ They were all large sized men, many of them fully six feet tall. They wandered about the town a while, getting a good meal which the islanders had cooked for them. One of the party, apparently a young chief, sat down beside me and began talking, but finding none of us could understand him, he left us, seemingly much disappointed. The visitors showed no signs of hostility nor disposition to meddle with anything, but contented themselves with looking at us, and finally retired to their canoes for the night.
The next day they came to our house and seemed so friendly that our alarm quite wore off. ”

“ On the way to the shore they commented freely on the ship, her construction and the grandeur of her appearance, and inquired how long it took to build such a noble vessel. They were perfectly astounded when I told them that one could be built and fitted for sea in three or four months. They could hardly credit it, since it took them three or four years to build a canoe. We soon landed at Ambow, where the natives were assembled in great numbers to see the captain. The king's house was the first place we visited. ”

“ I inquired of some of the white men who Charlie was and found that he was a white man who was cast away in the brig Eliza, of Providence, on the island of Nivy, about fifty miles northeast of Ambow. The rest of the brig's crew were taken off, but Charlie preferred stopping among the natives and came to Ambow, bringing with him three or four muskets and all the ammunition he could procure. When he arrived at Ambow he was a great wonder to the natives, being the first white man they had ever seen. ”

“ Shortly after this we visited the island of Cantab. We started in a large double canoe with about a hundred souls on board, and arrived about noon. The natives here showed the greatest respect to our chief, all sitting down on his approach, and remaining seated until he had passed. It is considered by them very disrespectful to stand when a great chief or king passes, or to talk loud on indifferent subjects in his presence, and it is sometimes punished with death. ”

“ We set sail with a fine breeze, made our passage through the reef which surrounds the islands, into the open ocean, and steered for the island of Emwaller, where we arrived about sunset and anchored near the shore. The king and myself slept on the shore. The inhabitants brought down yams, tarrow, pacalcolo and pigs which were divided among the occupants of the canoes, a separate share being set aside for the king and myself. The pig being rare done we built a fire, broiled it, and made a very hearty meal. ”

“ I told him it was the ship Oeno of Nantucket, and that all of the crew but myself had been massacred by a party from Ono. He shook his head, saying they were very bad. He then asked if the islanders had any of the plunder out of the ship and if there were any muskets. I told him they had secreted their plunder on seeing the canoes, and that the chiefs of the island had what muskets the Ono people had not got away from them. He said his party would get the whole or destroy the town, and if the inhabitants offered any resistance they would kill them all. ”

“ Upon getting clear of the reef, we made the best of our way toward the land, and as we neared the shore, a man came down to the beach. We lay on our oars and held a brief consultation, but decided it was better to land and take our chances with the natives than to starve in our boats. Seeing us hesitating, the man beckoned to us in a friendly manner to row along the beach, which we did until we came opposite a landing. Seeing a number of natives sitting in the grass and apparently making hostile demonstrations, we again paused for consultation. ”

“ The inhabitants were exceedingly alarmed at the duration of the drought. Such a time was never known by the oldest people. They expected to lose their crop of tarrow, which is a vegetable that grows only in very wet ground. It is very nutritious, and the natives are exceedingly fond of it. In fact, for months it is their chief article of diet. The chiefs went to the Umbaty a number of times to get him to intercede with their Caloo (God) to send them rain, but the old fellow's power did not reach the clouds. ”

“ The inhabitants of the mountains and the sea coast are most always at war with each other. The mountaineers are very wild and savage, and often attack an unprotected town and massacre or make prisoners of all the inhabitants. The prisoners they eat. On one of these excursions to the island of Coroo, in one day we took and burned seven villages. We had to march over rocky mountains and through almost impassable woods. I was excessively fatigued. At night we had sentinels stationed round our encampment and the natives were drumming and singing most of the night, so that I slept but very little. ”

“ From there I saw a ship lying at anchor at Ovalau, about three miles distant. I immediately procured a small canoe and natives to work her, and started for the ship, but before we arrived it grew dark and rainy, so we landed on the shore at a small village, where I spent a sleepless night, having very sore eyes and surrounded by innumerable mosquitoes. In the morning, after eating a breakfast of boiled yams, I pulled off for the ship, which I found to be the Clay, Capt. Mellitt, from Salem. ”

“ The natives were friendly and endeavored, by every kindness in their power, to make our situation as pleasant and comfortable as possible, furnishing us of their provisions in abundance, with which, and our ship provisions, we lived well. The natives generally spent their evenings with us and seemed to enjoy our company very much. ”

“ The natives, hearing the report of the musket and seeing their chief fall, immediately fled in the greatest confusion, the Ambow people following and killing all who came within their reach. They plundered the town, set fire to it, and marched home in triumph without the loss of a man. The king then made him head chief, giving him command of the whole tribe, and he conquered the entire group, but he was very severe with the natives and would shoot them for the most trivial offenses. Charlie was finally killed in a battle at the town of Uylah. ”

“ The officer had made too free with the liquor and imagined that the boat was cut off and that the natives were about to attack the ship. He had the guns all loaded and was running about the deck like a madman, cursing and abusing everyone. Though nothing serious happened, the captain was careful how he left him in future.
While here, two Ambow chiefs brought off 30 hogs to sell. Capt. Vandaford bought them on condition that they should take them on shore and keep them until he wanted them, when he would pay them two muskets. To this they assented and took them ashore. ”

“ I was presented to the king and a Friendly Island chief, who could talk some English, through whom the king inquired who I was and where I came from. I gave him the full particulars of the loss of the ship and the massacre of the crew. He then offered me a cup of carver, which I dared not refuse, although my stomach loathed it, and it was with much difficulty that I kept it down. This beverage is made from a root. It is first chewed by the natives. Each person except the chief takes a piece of the root and, after chewing it sufficiently, spits it into a wooden bowl. ”

“ This island is much like the others, high and well wooded, and very fertile. The inhabitants were not so numerous as on other islands of the same size, owing no doubt to their continual wars. Our chief told me that till within a few years the natives here were very savage and if a canoe landed for shelter in a storm or in distress they would kill all hands and have a cannibal feast.
At sunset it cleared off and we proceeded on our voyage, arriving at Cantab the next morning, but could learn nothing of the ship. ”

“ Sometimes when the natives thought I was helping myself rather too freely they would call out that a certain subject was tabooed, but I would tell them it wasn't tabooed for me to take what I liked. Salt was a scarce article among them and much valued. It was made in artificial ponds by the heat of the sun, and they brought all they had for market to Raver. The king of Raver had married the big island chief's daughter. From Raver the salt was carried to Ambow, and exchanged for tappah, oil, mats, etc., and from there it would get distributed over most of the islands. ”