AFFRAY WITH THE SOLOMON ISLANDS NATIVES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 298, 17 December 1877, Page 4

AFFRAY WITH THE SOLOMON ISLANDS NATIVES.

The following telegram from Auckland appeared in Friday night's Post: —

By the arrival of the Belle Brandon from (be 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 eacape from death by tomahawking of Captain Robinson, the late owner of •the schooner Bessie Henderson. Captain Robinaon, with his brother William UobiasOa, and a Mr Smith has beau

trading on the island for Messrs Henderson and Maofarlane, and were just 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 5 tons of copra progressed favorably, and it was decided to leave tbe 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. CapOhlson now came abhore to hurry operations, and to pay some men whom he had employed. Orders were given to stop buying while shipping the stock, which waa all packed up and stacked outside the door of a small wooden house used as a store. It adjoined at right rangles a native houae, about 60 feet long, thg two houses being about SO yards from the beach -where the boat was lying. When the order was given to stop buying, thg party of whites were all standing in the angle formed by the two houses, and Captain Robinson was leaning with his hand on a corner of the 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 Robinson made a run at him, and struck him a blow on the back with a tomahawk. Ohlson, Smith, and Wm. Robinson saw the danger, and sang out to Robinson, but too Ute. They immediately all rushed into the little store. Having possessed themselves of their revolvers, the party sallied out to puoish the natives ; they found that the agressors (there were several who showed by their demeanor that they ware abettors of the attack) were natives of the distant village of Koaks, who professed to be friendly to the whites. These were now being pursued by the reallyfriendly natives, and when the white party got near, it waa imposaible to fire for fear of injuring their allies. The pursuit was then discontinued. The party surrounded the goods Qmaida the store, la about fi?e minutes th&friaadiiea returned aad were organised as a guard by their chiefs, a party being detached to carry their goods to the beach. Captain Ohlson sent off to the vessel for firearms, and took charge of the landing place, Smith being statioaed as an outpost with a rifle and revolvers, Capt. Robinson keeping guard in the store, and William Robinson superintending Che shipping of the goods. All ware 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 Captiau Robinson allow his wound to be examined. He had been repeatedly asked to leave tbe party and go aboard, but although suffering great loss of blood he declued to leave his mates until everything was finished. The injury was diacavered to be a deep and ugly flesh wound between the shoulders. The bleeding was occasioned by the 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 tbe 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.