A FEARSOME ADVENTURE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 204, 17 May 1918, Page 5

A FEARSOME ADVENTURE

WITH "BIG NUMBER" CANNIBALS,

An American kineina, operator, Martin Johnston, and bis wife, who recently arrived in Sydney after spending twelve months "filming" 6ceucs and people in the South Sea Islands, give an account of an extraordinary adventure which they, had in the Island of Malikolo, in the New Hebrides.

Hearing that, in a remote portion of the island, there was a tribe of untamed canuibals known among the traders as tho : 'Big Numbers," the Irincma man and his wife set off in a wkaloboat, with a crow of five friendly and tho cameras. They were'/urgently warned against this course by'traders and othors, but thoy did not beliove what they hoard. They had wandered through parts of the Solomons of evil repute and had met violence nowhere. They added to their party three natives of ferocious aspect, who said that they woro friendly with the Big Numbers tribe, and they duly landed in Big Numbers Bay. 'Die prty was suddenly and silently surrounded by a crowd of huge natives, who came out of tho scrub armed with bows and arrows and rifles. The kinema man and his young wito did not liko tho look of things, and would have re-embarked. But the natives insisted (hat the whito people .should visit their chief, somo distance ,wland, and so they left a couplo of men in charge of tho boat and set off with their photographic apparatus for tho contral plateau. ■ After a considerable climb they met four bushmen, heavily armed, who jabbered excitedly for a while, ami then set up a weird chant, high and shrill. From somewhere away back m the wooded hills camo a taint answer. It was getting late,, and Mr. Johnston decided to return to the boat, but his first move in that direction was barred by tho savages. Thoir chief was coming, they, said. Presently this individual, huge, handsome and hau-y, emerged from tho forest. His appearance was not rcassuring. He glared nt the kineina man, and then ho saw Mrs. Johnston, pretty, small, and very scared. »ud his gazo never left her. The camera man produced various presents, and the chief took them without a word, still staring at the whito woman. Tho camera man brought his machines into action, and filmed the savages and tho surrounding scenery, and then ho ordered his porters to pick up the cameras and they turned again towards tho shore. v

Suddenly, at a word from tho chief, both whites were seized and pinioned by natives who had crept up through the undergrowth, and they wove- marched off. Then a miracle happened. A natiro gave, a Bhout, and there, looking down, they saw a British war vessel, a patrol ship, entering the bay. The. natives watched for a while,, and thou let their prisoners go. As they hurried down tho hill they saw tho stiip slowly stcani round iho. small bay and go out again; nrm *"* sound of a conch shell up abovo told that tho natives were in pursuit. They reached their boat with tho greatest dilhcully, and not a moment 100 soon.