SOUTH SEA TRAGEDY.

Patea Mail, 11 December 1880, Page 3

SOUTH SEA TRAGEDY.

MASSACRE BY NATIVES. N A It I! A TI V K < I !■' SI'KVIVOI!. 11.M. schooner Samlliy, from the South Seas, reports a horrible outrage on the 13th October. The schooner anchored at To Zambokali, and Commander Bower and live seamen left in a whaleboat to survey the East Coast o( Florida Island, intending to bo back on the 17th. But that day and the 18th and 19th having passed without their returning, on the 20th the schooner weighed anchor and made for the East Coast of Florida Island, and sending the gig round one side, and going herself round the other so that a thorough search might be made for the missing men. The crew of the gig pulled in one bay where they saw a very strong party of well armed natives, one of whom, King Billey, called out, “ Como in, come in, come in canoe, come in.” He then spoke in the native tongue, and the gig’s crew taking alarm pulled back to a safe distance. The natives appeared armed with bows, arrows, knives, and tomahawks, and one who called himself Sack, tried to tempt the boat’s crew to land, describing the whaleboat, but they kept off, and next day they went east of the Island, and in the evening made Niboli Harbor, which was alive with natives. On the return of the ship, they found there Savage, who formed one of the crow of the whaleboat, and who gave the following story : He says when the boat left the schooner, they went to East Island, and on Friday pulled over to the mainland, Lavinia Bay where the Livania was captured and her crew slain. They then wont to Nagu Island, hauled the boat up, and bad tea, and the men asked leave to bathe. While Carrae and O’Neill went in, Savage and Paterson went back for something, and about a quarter of a hour afterwards, Savage beard yells. He ran back and saw a crowd of about 50 natives round the boat, and more hurrying through the bush. Returning to the captain, he shouted, “ Boat’s attacked.” The captain also returning to see the truth of tin’s, was espied by the natives, and six broke off

and ran for him ; lie cried —“ My God, Savage, it’s a case,” and darted into the bush, and Savage saw no more of him, but subsequently ho learned he had eluded pursuit by climbing a tree, and the murderers sought him in vain that night. Next morning they paddled all round the island, and seeing him iu the tree landed and shot him twice through the body with rifles they had taken from the boat. Ho dropped to tlie earth, and then a series of nameless horrors ensued. When found the body was naked, headless, divested of the right arm, and great pieces of flesh stripped from the back. The men who were bathing had been clubbed at once; Paterson, who was taken from behind, shared the same fate, but Bower, who bad time, seized the boat stretcher and fought bard for life. There is only too much reason to believe that bo was then tied to a stake and tortured slowly, and then beheaded in revenge for the injury ho inflicted on his assailants.

Savage, the solo .survivor, ran into the scrub low clown on the beach, shook off his pursuers, and swam out to sea. It was now dusk, and the night beingcloudy, the fugitive hoped to reach another island unnoticed, but a strong tide running the current swept him back opposite the fires where the cannibals were dancing and yelling. The clouds just then parted, and a chorus of yells showed that the moonbeams had revealed him to his enemies. Two or three canoes wore manned, and put off to capture him. They were only fifty yards from him, when a black cloud swept across the moon; and when it next cleared the fugitive saw his pursuers far off making back to their companions, evidently thinking he had gone down. The next danger was from the sharks, which were literally swarming round these reefs. At one time no less than three back-fins were sweeping round him in that ominous curve, ever growingcloser, which precedes a rush, but he splashed faintly, and so kept them off until he had landed at a small uninhabited island. This was tabooed to the king ol the tribe adjoining the murderers, and Savage rested there safely during a heavy storm. Then despairing of being rescued if he remained there longer, ho made a little raft and paddled to the mainland. When half way across a dozen canoes swept down upon him, and the natives took him to their chief, who clothed him, gave him a hut, and which he also tabooed to preserve his life. After a long struggle and a palaver whether he should bravo British vengeance by giving him up to the murderers, this chief decided to save him, and did so. Thou when the Sand/ij passed the island on her search the look out saw Savage signalling and he was taken oft' to the vessel, which sailed into Rita Bay, right opposite whore the murders wore committed.

A boat’s crew was sent ashore to burn canoes and punish the natives, Mr Bradford in command. He had eight men under him, who burned several canoes but sarv no natives to punish until they had pushed off to return to the ship. Then droves of savages sallied out from the bush and opened fire on the boat, shooting a seaman, named Buckle, through the heart, and wounding another named Whitlock, in the left forearm. This was on Sunday, and on the Monday following the Sandfly weighed anchor and after 28 days’ passage reached Sydney.

PANAMA CANAL. The prospectus of the Panama Canal scheme projected by Baron do Lesscps, has been published. The proposal is to construct a navigable canal through the Isthmus, connecting thereby the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The syndicate formed has undertaken to provide the necessary preliminary expenses. RAID IN IRELAND. The Orange expedition despatched from the Province of Ulster to the disturbed district at Ballinrobo, in the County of Mayo, have returned. The object of the expedition was to reap the crops on the farm of Mr Boycott, who bad been threatened by the Laud Leaguers, It was feared that thei 1 ' presence would lead to a collision with tho peasantry, but owing to the precautions taken by the military, a large force of which was present, this danger was averted. NEW GUINEA OUTRAGES. Intelligence lias been received of a series of outrages committed by tlie native chief at New Caloba, a district on the Guinea coast, West Africa, near the Bight of Benin. It is reported that a large number of natives have been butchered, and that several white traders have also fallen victims.