NARROW ESCAPE OF NEW GUINEA MISSIONARIES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5767, 23 September 1879, Page 3

NARROW ESCAPE OF NEW GUINEA MISSIONARIES.

(Abridged from the Cooldown Courier, Aug. 6.) By the steamer Corea, which arrived from Thursday Island on Sunday last, Mr. J._ C. Baird, of Cooktown, received a communication from Mr. T. Beswick, from which he has kindly permitted us to extract the following : —“ On the Ellangowan anchoring in Dud field harbor on June 17, the natives seemed kindly disposed, and caina off freely to sell their goods. They took away with them one of our awning stanchions, and on our going to the village to try and discover it, they told us they would try to get it for us by the morning. At dusk a rocket was sent up from the ship, and soon the stolen bar was forthcoming. ■ The night was exceptionally dark and miserable, so we turned in rather earlier than usual At half-past 9 p.m. a strange noise was heard above. I crept on deck towards the stern, and saw a canoe there and a fellow hauling away at another stanchion bar. The alarm was given, and the boat lowered and sent off in pursuit, but fruitlessly. A double watch was

1 now set. About 11 p.m. some four canoes [ wore observed, three of them lying off at a little distance, probably with the view of catoff any pursuing boat. The fourth canoe I was allowed to come alongside, when the rn \ lioM of tuc mao « a* bo was i-ouiino out another bar. Tho arm being bare and w»t. the fellow escaiwd. Great was the noise ashore all night, and at_ the nve vill.vo-s in the harbor signal lights were bmWr all night long. Some three or four oMkt ot»<-ro;os were made, but they saw themselves too closely watched. Early next morning .six of us wont ashore to try and talk them out of the bars, or rather the bars out of them. They asked us to return again shortly, and they -would try and get them for us. The second time only fire of us went. Mr. Macf.rlnne staving on board. Before banning he saw a youth on the shore waving a palm branch, and beckoning us to steer in a certain direction. The place was very shallow, and our boat grounded some distance from the beach. There was a small entrance between two mangrove swamps leading to the village. The natives were absent, nn*l the youth above named pretended to bo the medium of communication between Chalmers and the unseen natives. The former noticed some spears projecting 1 from behind one of the whilst T saw heads peering from behind the other. The alarm was given, and slowly wo began to fall back towards our far distant boat. Then a rush was made from behind both mangroves, and Chalmers called out that we would all be murdered. Spears and stones flew all around us in quick succession, and very probably their plan of cutting off our retreat to the boat would have been effected had not their furious onset received a check by one of their friends falling before one of the captain's shots. It stunned them for a little time, nor did they know what to make of it, as they had regarded the strange looking things (gnus) as a °species of tomahawk. We succeeded in getting the boat afloat, and soon were in her pulling away. Strange to say, not one of our small party was In the least injured, though^on more thau one occasion it was a case of dodging the missiles. We met H.M.S. Beagle at South Cape, and informed the captain of the affair, who has since visited the place, and soon recovered the bars, the natives having previously heard of the terrible things he could and would do if they were not restored.” The following is an extract from a letter received - by the same vessel from the Rev. Mr. Chalmers by our townsman, Mr, W. J. Hartley. As will be seen, the writer supplies additional particulars of the narrow escape of the party, as well as other information of an interesting nature. He says : : —“We landed for the second time right opposite the village in an opening in the mangrove swamp, leaving the boat some distance out, the tide being low at tho time. Fearing treachery, we scanned well the mangrove bush, but could see none hidden there. We then called upon the youth to bring us the stanchions, and we should be friends. He shouted back, ‘Yes, yes; I have got them here.’ He then ran along the village, we supposed to get them, but when near where a number of natives were, wo heard him say, “There are only tour.” He returned by the back of the village, saying something to the natives who were hidden in the bush, and when opposite to ns he called out, ‘We have the roporopo here.’ I then called out to our_ party, • Look out for an attack.’ The captain then called out, ‘ Make for the boat.’ Afterwards a Rarctongan in front of me said, * Will I fire ? I answered ‘No ; backwards to tho boat. The natives leaped over a small stream, picked up a bundle of spears, shouted and came on, followed by natives from the back of the village, all armed with spears. We were backing to the boat when natives crept out of the mangrove bush on either aide of ns. A shower of spears and stones fell around us. Spears and stones were thrown from the front and from right and left of us. Shots were fired. We made for the boat. Two of ns got her into deep water, whilst spears and stones were falling all about. A native fell from a rifle shot, which seemed to intimidate them somewhat, so that we wore enabled after some difficulty to get into the boat. We got to the vessel, up anchor, and away to South Cape. We found the teacher and his wife well, as also the widow we left to look after any one who might bo sick, sho being with us from the beginning and acclimatised. We visited the Leocadie, and found the teacher and his wife complaining with fever, but nothing serious. He told us of the intention of the natives of Tanosiue, Catamaran Bay, to take a small beche de-mer schooner. The captain had, during the day, been buying curios. Tho Tanosians saw he had a large stock of hoop iron and tomahawks. They returned to their village, got the war canoes, and came along in the dark. They called at the village opposite the teacher's house. The teacher heard loud speaking, and wondered what it meant. His boys ran out, and he followed. When on the beach he asked them what it was all about, when the boys told him, ‘ They are going to kill the foreigners and take the vessel for the hoop iron and tomahawks.’ He got word to the captain, and told him to got away at once. Although very dark, the captain up anchor, and away to sea. These Tanosians are the same who wanted to feast on us eighteen months ago. At this station one very wet night the store was broken into and three bundles of hoop iron stolen. They are a daring lot of fellows up this way, not at all afraid to go about at ijiight, and prefer a dark wet night for their nefarious designs.” _______________