AFFRAY IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 1084, 19 December 1877, Page 3

AFFRAY IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS.

The Auckland correspondent of the Wellington " Evening Post" telegraphs the following particulars of an affray with the natives of the Solomon Islands :

By the arrival of the Belle Brandon from the Solomon Islands, the news is brought of an attack by the natives of the island of Guadalcanar on Captain Ohlson and party, and the narrow escape from death by tomahawking of Captain Robinson, the late owner of the schooner Bessie Henderson. Captain Robinson, with his brother William Robinson, and a Mr Smith, has been trading on tho island for Messrs Henderson and M'Farlane, and were jußt making arrangements for leaving in the Belle Brandon. Captain Robinson with his stock-in-trade and copra collected had already embarked, and the vessel had come to anchor at the Noako station of Captain Robinson's, 20 miles N.W. of Marau. The work of getting on board five tons copra progressed favorably, and it was decided to leave the same afternoon. At 1 p.m. the job was done, and the party commenced to buy copra from the natives. In one hour they had got together a ton. Captain Ohlson now came ashore to hurry operations, and pay some men whom ho had employed. Orders were given to stop buying while shipping the rest of the stock, which was all packed up, and stacked outside tho door of a small wooden house used for a store. It adjoined at right angles a native house, about 601't. long, tho two houses being about 50 yards from the beach where the boat was lying. When tho order was given to stop buying, the party of wh ies were all standing in the angle formed by the two houses, and Captain Robinson was leaning with his hand on a corner of a small store. None of the men were more than 6ft. from the door of the store. About 100 natives were hanging about within a stone's throw, some in front and some behind the houses. Suddenly, without any warning or any previous sign of hostility, a native standing behind Captain Robinßon made a run at him

and struck him a blow on the back with a tomahawk. Ohhon, Smith, Jand William Eobinson saw the danger, and sang out to Robinson, but too late. They immediately all rushed into the little store Having possessed themselves of their revolvers, the party sallied out to punish the natives. They found that the aggressors (there were several who showed by their demeanour that they were abettors of the attack) were natives of the distant village of Koaks, who professed to bo friendly to the whites. These were now being pursued by the really friendly natives, and when the white party got near it was impossible to fire for tear of injuring their allies. The pursuit was then discontinued. The party surrounded the goods outside the store. In about five minutes the friendlies returned and were organised as a guard by their chiefs, a party being detached to carry the goods to the beach. Captain Ohlson sent off to the vessel for fire arms and took charge of the landingplace, Smith being stationed as an outpost with a rifle and revolvers, Captain Robinson keeping guard in the store, and William Robinson superintending the shipping of the goods. All were fully armed. In about twenty minutes they got everything down and shipped, and after handsomely rewarding the friendly natives, embarked, and made sail without further molestation. Now for the first time would Captain Robinson allow his wound to be examined. He had been repeatedly asked to leave the party and go aboard, but although suffering great loss of blood he declined to leave his mates until everything was finished. The injury was discovered to be a deep and ugly flesh wound between the shoulders. The bleeding was occasioned by th e severing of a large artery, and it could not be stopped for several hours. Captain Robinson is of opinion that when the blow was struck he must have been in the act of moving, whereby he spoilt the aim of the native, and so saved his skull. These natives always aim for the head, and when they succeed their blows are almost always fatal, the tomahawk used by them being a formidable weapon with a handle 4ft. long.