JOHN RENTON.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4600, 17 December 1875, Page 2 (Supplement)

JOHN RENTON.

A ROMANCE OF THE SOUTH SEAS. (From the Queenslander.) VJ. It was not altogether in such peaceful avocations as were described in our last issue that Benton’s existence was spent. The placid tenor of such a life was frequently interrupted by more stirring incidents. To all intents and purposes Benton had become to the savages as one of themselves. He accompanied them on their trading voyages in their canoes, visited with them friendly villages, and even in times of peace penetrated with them to the settlements of bush tribes, where at first he was still regarded as a sort of curiosity, a feeling which luckily found expression in most cases in his being made much of aud offered the best of everything, especially in the way of eating. In like manner he took part in the feuds of his tribe and accompanied them on more sanguinary expeditions. Among these people, separated as they are into countless tribes or communities, peace was a very uncertain commodity. Every action of their lives was pervaded by their superstitions, and in no faith is the doctrine of the atonement of blood more prominently held or more practically carried out. Very trifling circumstances might involve what, according to their beliefs, were awful and serious effects. Their gods were understood to concern themselves with every action of their lives, and a forcible part of their creed seems to have been that these deities were jealous gods. If offended the gods were not to be appeased, except by the death of some one, not necessarily, however, the offender himself. The idea of vicarious sacrifice was a natural outcome of these ideas. A man might find himself the subject of divine displeasure through no fault of his own. In case of petty squabbles, men had an awkward habit of cursing one another, that is to say invokin'the hatred of the gods upon tho person cursed. Thislucklessindividual conceived himself thereupon to be in a critical situation. Unless he could avert the influences thus called down upon him he regarded himself as doomed to destruction. A life—his life—had been devoted to the gods, aud they would by no means relinquish so sweet an offering. But fortunately they were not particular, another man’s life would satisfy them and remove the curse. Under such circumstances, therefore, thebannednian would appeal to his friends, to his tribe, to assist him in finding and putting to death a saviour. The appeal was never in vain, and the warriors of the village would take to tho canoes and set out on an expedition for no other purpose than to kill somebody, aud thus relieve their comrade of the celestial displeasure. Ketaliations would, of course, follow the success of their mission, and an active war would speedily bo raging between them and some other tribe of which a member had been surprised ;md slaughtered. This, it must be admitted, was a superstition sufficiently calculated to make,

singly, life in the island passably lively and exciting, but at least it had the advantage of arising from a preventible and well understood cause. A second superstition is still more cheerful. At their meals these savages are most particular to clear up every particle of the fragments of their food. It is an understood tiling among them that should any secret enemy, any false friend, manage to obtain possession of the minutest crumb of the food of which they had partaken, of a hair of their head, or a paring of their nails, he held them in his power. Armed with this minute article he could privately present himself before the grinning gods in his hut, and casting before them on the sacred space the article, speak the name of the person he desired to injure and invoke evil fate for him. These occult practices are extremely interesting on account of the similarity to the reputed tricks of magicians and witches a few centuries ago in Europe. The inevitable result of these practices was the destruction of the person against whom they were aimed. He was certain to die. He might linger a few days in a rapid decline, but more frequently he would be smitten with unspeakable tortures, go raving mad, and be a corpse in a few hours. On the occurrence of such a catastrophe a uewactor would make his appearance on the scene. The relatives of the deceased would, with as little delay as possible, address themselves to a powerful magician, of which class a few are to be found in every part of the island. This sage, after proper satisfaction had been given him in the matter of remuneration—and he would charge extremely heavily—would come to. the spot where the tragedy had occurred, and institute some mysterious ceremonies in presence of the gods. These ceremonies involved, of course, the usual accompaniment of roast pig'. Renton’s knowledge of the details of such proceedings is limited to what he himself was told by others, and is somewhat cloudy. He found it prudent to keep in the background on such occasions, as it was intimated to him that there were some things too sacred for vulgar eyes. As he had shown some disposition to hold the religious principles and doctrines of the islanders in light esteem, his inquiries were never fully satisfied on this particular point. Some things, he was instructed were above reason, and must be understood by faith, and it is a circumstance worthy of comment that he professed a distinct belief in the reality of the effects of the necromantic processes in question, while he spoke somewhat slightingly of all the other superstitions which he had been afforded opportunities of fairly examining into. What might be the nature of the rites celebrated by the wierd necromancer must consequently be left to the imagination. While they were in progress, which was invariably at dead of night, the friends of the deceased remained in awe-struck attendance, while the wizard hovered around the corpse, doing something with occult substances which he carried about him —some South Sea substitutes, no doubt, for the “ tongue of newt and toe of frog,” and other obscene matters approved by the witches in “ Macbeth.” The exercise of the wizard’s powers resulted, at a certain stage, in a singular light issuing from the head of the corpse, rising above it, and floating and flickering in the air. After a while it made its wavering way out of the hut, and flitted away through the village and out over the water, increasing in magnitude till it assumed the brightness and semblance almost of a star. As it quitted the body and flitted through the village, the watchers silently followed it, embarking in their canoes, and grimly paddling after it into the darkness of the night. Wherever the light might go, thither they would follow, preserving all the time perfect silence. It might take them to a village miles away, or it might circle round and bring them hack to the very hut they had started from, but iu any case it would settle at last on the roof which sheltered the criminal. Arrived there, its form would again alter, and it would spread and swell till the whole hut roof would appear as if throwing off tongues of pale and livid fire. The avengers would await the conclusion, coming noiselessly as near as possible ; and before long the supernatural presence would affect the sleeper, who would be heard to moan and cry out iu his sleep, oppressed with a nameless terror,- bathed in sweat, the hair of his flesh arising, and sometimes awaking with a start to rush out and bury himself in the hush, or fling himself into the sea, as if chased by some horrible thing. Whatever might at that moment be his fate, the avengers would perhaps return to their homes as silently as they had quitted them. The man’s fate was none the less decided. He must die ! And thus another war would originate. We do not propose to enter into speculation as to the amount of facts contained in this narration, or the foundation for so extraordinary a superstition. Kenton himself did not profess to describe it from observation, but merely to repeat the accounts he received from natives. Of the existence of the superstition, pretty much in the form iu which he has given it, we have no doubt. Although Renton is an intelligent and smart young fellow, we do not credit him with capacity to invent so wierd a story.

Among communities which gave acceptance to superstitions so ticklish in their nature, it is apparent that constant feuds must unavoidably break out. A little impulsive cursing might at any time cause the individual banned to feel under a necessity to take somebody’s life, and the;slaugbter of a member of another tribe—and a stranger would for obvious reasons be sacrificed —would at ouco involve entire villages in open war. It was well for Benton that he had time to become fairly naturalised among his captors before any troubles arose, as the convenience of knocking a friendly stranger on the bead, in place of undertaking a perilous expedition in search of a native victim, and of having afterwards to sustain the reprisals of his kindred, would undoubtedly have been too tempting to be withstood. As it was he chanced to fall into the islanders during “ piping times of peace.” He early formed an idea, however, as to the ordinary condition of affairs. The village where he lived was surrounded by a ruinous and decayed breastwork of logs, the remaining tokens of a Homeric siege which his entertainers had undergone. What was the original cause, “the direful spring,” of the “woes unnumbered” which fell upon the South Sea Troy he unluckily did not gather. Some trifling matters became aggravated by reprisals, till the inhabitants of this particular village found themselves threatened with tho combined attack of an overwhelming force of other natives. They had, however, sufficient warning to enable them to preparo for resistance, and worked desperately cutting logs aud rafting them from the mainland to their village, and erecting the solid and lofty breastwork which still remains in places to testify to their labors. They had their wooden rampart completed in good time, and shortly after its completion their foes, in countless canoes, swooped down upon them. The breastwork served its purpose by preventing the assailants from taking advantage of their superiority in numbers aud storming the village. According to the story, they did try to break through the weaker parts of the defence onco or twice, but they were repulsed, some very pretty fighting taking place on those occasions. Foiled in this direction, they did just what any European army would probably have done under similar circumstances. They invested tho place, and settled down to all the formalities of a regular siege and blockade. The besieged found this rather a serious matter. They were cut off from their water supply, aud in default of fishing and trading, became rapidly impoverished, especially as they had to consume their national wealth in the form of pigs. At first, Homo desperate expeditions by night managed to slip through the circle of blockading canoes, and bring back supplies of water in the same way ; but “ forlorn-hopes ’’ of this description soon became such desperate service, and the besiegers became so watchful, that they had to be discontinued. When every cocoanut had been drained of its juice, and deatli by thirst and starvation stared these Trojans in the face; they at length deigned to treat with a view to peace. Capitulation they do no appear to have entertained the idea of, probably because the result of capitulation would be wholesale slaughter on the Old Testament plan. However, they wero successful in obtaining terms by surrendering to tho

enemy the persons of one or two individuals who had been prominent _in the troubles which originated the war. With these expiatory offerings the besieging allies were content, and forthwith raised the blockade and returned to their homes. This struggle was remarkable chiefly on account of the duration of the resistance offered, and of the extent of the forces engaged. Renton’s acquaintance with this sort of business was not to be gained from heaiaay only. He took part with bis tribe m various warlike expeditions and affrays. On one occasion the inhabitants of a sea-surrounded village at some distance had given his friends some grievous offence. Their fault was declared past forgiveness, especially as it was considered that the gods had by the same matter, whatever it was, been insulted ; from wliich it would ’appear that these savages are as ready as civilised to discover that anyone who does anything distasteful to them at the same time certainly insults Providence. A sudden raid against the offending village was consequently determined on, and just [before dawn one morning the war canoes arrived off its margin, and glided noiselessly to laud; when, before a single sleeper had stirred, the whole body, with Renton among them, burst into the village like a legion of devils. The unhappy wretches thus surprised had not a ghost of a chance cither to resist or to escape. Their canoes had been cut adrift and removed just before the assault ; as fast ns they rushed out of their huts they were clubbed, speared, or shot with arrows, and in a few minutes the adult males of the village were exterminated. One warrior, Renton remembers, by desperate courage and singular good fortune, ran tho gauntlet of a hundred blows aimed at him as he emerged from his hut and dashed towards the water. He gained the margin, and plunged iu till he stood up to his shoulders in water, faeiug his pursuers, and diverting with the bow he held in his hand the arrows which were shot and the spears which were launched at his head. So desperate was his aspect, that although twenty pursuers had dashed iu after him, ho held them at defiance, and stood at bay, none daring to attack him hand to hand and face to face. At last, however, his fate came. A cunning warrior had unobserved swum out, and now silently came behind him with spear poised ready to strike. One moment he was glaring in hold defiance of the overwhelming array he faced—the next the treacherous blow had struck him where the skull joins the neck; his head fell forward, his nostrils gurgled a moment under water, and then his corpse floated on the sea and was triumphantly seized by two score eager hands. The slain were beheaded, and the gory spoils collected to grace the victors’ triumphal return. As to the fate of the women and children Renton was not explicit, and wo did not press for particulars which he seemed reluctant to give. The reader may consequently indulge his imagination as to how a number of helpless females and infants were likely to be dealt with after the destruction of their protectors and bread-winners. Something iu the Scriptural fashiou, we presume, iu which the Israelites, under Divine instruction and sanction, disposed of similar embarrassments, so that iu that respect missionaries to teach these savages their Bibles would be unnecessary. Another expedition in which Renton took part was round to the other side of the island against a tribo who had their habitations on the main island, close to the beach. This raid was not quite so “successful” as the previous one. The time of arrival off the scene of action had not been so judiciously arranged, and the threatened tribe saw the gallant warriors approaching, and incontinently fled into the interior. Baulked of their prey, the invaders made the best of theirdisappoiutment bysettiug fire to the abandoned huts, and, as is the manner of gallant warriors of all nations, in effecting a reasonable amount of loss and suffering where they were unable to murder. As they bustled about in the enjoyment of this occupation, they were disagreeably interrupted on a sudden by a rapid succession of arrows falling among them, discharged by a single hero, who from the margin of the hush thus resented their proceedings. According to Renton, this solitary patriot was in a state of mind much akin to the Malay a-nmek ; that is to say, excited to a point approaching mania, and utterly regardless of his own life. At any rate, he continued to shower his shafts on the men who were engaged in destroying his beloved home, regardless of the fact that a strong detachment of skirmishers had been detailed and were rapidly cutting off his retreat, and approaching him from behind, closing their ranks as they neared him. He continued wildly to shoot his arrows, even when his enemies closed upon him, and was fitting another shaft to the string when a dozen weapons simultaneously crashed upon his skull, or were plunged into his body. A few moments more and his carcass was mangled in a fearful manner, every raw lad on his first war expedition being eager to flesh his maiden weapons, in order that on his return he might boast in the village how be had struck a mighty man of war. Ultimately the heedless carcass was heaved high in the air on the points of a score of spears, and flung upon the blazing roof of the 1 hut, the destruction of which its life had been thrown away to revenge. In recounting these exploits, Renton, so recently removed from native influences and savage ideas, could not help wanning up a hit, and his quickened utterance and flashing eyes showed that he had not yet dissociated the recollections from a sentiment of glory and distinction.