MY DEVOURED FRIEND. A TRAVELLER'S TALK WITH THE CANNIBAL WHO ATE HIS CHUM. A South Sen Island Tale.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 239, 28 January 1888, Page 8

MY DEVOURED FRIEND.

A TRAVELLER'S TALK WITH THE CANNIBAL WHO ATE HIS CHUM. A South Sen Island Tale.

" Who are these people who arrived this morning ?" I asked of my companion, an English naval officer, as we stood one bright September morning on the beach before tho little settlement of Port Moresby, in New Guinea. <c Oh, they have come from Booker Island, some way north of this," was the reply. 1 Booker island ! What was there in thab name to make me start and tho warm blood mount to my temples ? Those who wished to know may learn from the following narrative : — Of all tho men I knew ab Oxford I can recall no cheerier companion or more openhearted friend than W . He did not belong to the same college as myself, but that did not prevent my seeing a great deal of him. It used to be a matter of chaff that W belonged to no college in particular, his acquaintance in the university was so varied and his popularity so universal. He differed much from the ordinary run of undergraduates in that he had travelled pretty neaily over the whole world, having served for eight years as a midshipman in the Koyal Navy. Ho had seen some sharp fighting with pirates in the China seas, and had spent some years cruising among the islanas of the South Pacific. His description of the tropic luxurianco of the South Pacific islands made many of us long to " pitch Greek to the old Harry " and staub for those abodes of bliss. At the time I apeak of he was twentysix years of age, in height barely five feet nine inches, his figure lithe and active. His features were more pleasing than handsome, his hair very fair and curly. He wore a full beard and moustache, the former cropped, short in Vandyck fashion. His great charm, I think, lay in his eyes, which were of the brightest blue. There was something so fresh and honest in their expression that you felt drawn to him at once. In addition to other accomplishments he was a skiltul musician, playing both the piano and violin very well. The rooms in which he lodged in High-street were a veritable museum. Dyak shields, Malay creases, Australian boomerangs covered the walls. One very precious relic was a piece of bark cloth about six inches square embroidered with beads. This, W used to tell us, was the ball dress of a "Fijian Erincess with whom he had danced at evuka, and on whom he had made such an impression that she took ifc off and presented it to him. Coming into these rooms one morning toward the close of the summer term I found my chum poring over Wallace'B narrative of search after birds of paradise. " I'll tell you what it is, old chap," he said, " if I don't get through my examinatian this term I shall chuck up Latin,and Greek and go off and explore New Guinea. Won't you come with me!" "I wish I could," I replied, " but it will take me another year to get my degree, and till then I can't leave England for any time." Wo had a long talk over New Guinea, then, as now, almost a terra incognita.

Off to New Guinea. The examination took place, and poor W was plucked, or in other words, failed to pass, and a month later we started for Norway, to explore the beauties of the land of the midnight sun. It was during this tour that W finally decided not to return to Oxford, but instead to carry out his project of explbring New Guinea. His idea was •to proceed on the lines adopted by Rajah Brooke in Borneo, to endeavour to obtain the confidence of the coast people by opening up trade with them, and after a time induce them to accompany him into the interior. Time was of no object to him, and I remember him saying that he should j consider himself exceptionally lucky if he succeeded in crossing the island in ; three years. On our return from Norway he set to work making preparations for his departure, and in November he started for Australia. He came up to Oxford for a couple of,days to say good-bye to his old friends. We gave him a farewell dinner, at which, in returning thanks for his health, ho promised to send each and all of us whatever tropical products we might wish for. The most of us asked for princesses, and he promised to send a ship-load as soon as lie arrived there. Well, he started, and the next I heard from him was some six months later, when I received a letter from him dated Cooktown, Northern Queensland. He said he had bought a small steamer, suited for coast and river work, and that he was going to commence trading on the New Guinea coast at once. He was going to work his little boat himself, with a crew of three Kanakas and a Chinaman cook. He wrote in the best of spirits, and was full of enthusiasm for his prospects, A few months after the receipt of this letter I started myself for Australia to take part iv an expedition which was being organised for the purpose of exploring the country lying between the Diamantine river and Port Darwin. Before leaving England I wrote to W , telling him of my proposed journey, and asking him to meet me, if possible, in Rockhampfcon. It seemed as though the hope so often indulged in during our college days was about to be realised, and I had firmly resolved to join my friend in his New Guinea venture on the termination of my work in Queensland. Alaa, for the fallacy of human hopes 1 On ray arrival at Sydney I received the sad intelligence that W had been murdered and eaten by cannibals on Booker Island. The news of the massacre had reached Australia by means of the little missionary steamer Bllangowan. Whilst visiting the mission stations on the New Guinea coast the captain of the Ellangowan was informed of the massacre of a white man and his companions on one of the small islands off the coa3t. He at once proceeded to the island indicated, but the attitude of the natives was so hostile that he did not even dare anchor, much less attempt to land. He proceeded to Cooktown and reported the story, and Admiral WiUon despatched H.M.s. Cormorant to make inquiries, and if possible punish the murderers. On arrival the Cormorant found the island completely deserted. A party of biue-jacketa were landed, and the village, which consisted of some forty huts, was carefully searched. In one of the huts they found W 's binoculars and aextant, and in another were some -of the cabin fittings. The island, which was only some seven miles in circumference, was carefully searched, and in a feitch-housewere founda quantity of human bones, which had evidently been submitted to the action of fire. These were oarefully buried. The village was then burnt, and the cocoanut and oanana trees out down, bo as to render the island uninhabitable for some tiree to come. '

Tilt Story of tf Moasftoro.. A visifc was then paid to the mainland, and from some friendly natives the following story was. learned : W— had visited them on his way to Booker Island, had

opened up friendly , communications "with' them, and had. promised to return and buy 4 a large stock of India rubber which they had on hand. He then departed for Booker Island, and a few days, later, news reached the mainland,, of this murder. , It appears that when he anchored off the island the Chief Tanue came off to the steamboat and exhibited , the greatest friendship , for him. Presents were, exchanged and W waa invited to attend a dance on shore in the evening in his honour. Accordingly at sunset he landed at the village, accompanied by one of his Kanaka cretv, and was escorted to the chief's house. Here the kava bowls had been set out and every preparation made for a big festival. In the meantime two canoe-loads of warriors had been despatched to the steamer, and the crew, consisting of two Kanakas and the Chinaman cook, seized. W hoard the commotion on board the boat and ran out of the chief '.s hut to see what it was all about. Suspecting treachery he made for the beach, but was followed by a volley of arrows and fell mortally wounded. His companions were then brought ashore and murdered, and a great cannibal foast was held, which lasted several days. When the mission steamer Ellangowan arrived off the island some days later, Tanue naturally supposed it had come to avenge the murder. As soon as she had departed he and his people, who numbered in all some forty souls, evacuated the island and, landing on the mainland, made off into the interior. The island, it appears, is only inhabited for a few months during the year ; when the beche de mer fishing is being carried On. Wence its deserted state when visited by H.M.s. Cormorant.

Meeting the Murderers. It was twelve months after the date of the, above tragedy that fcho conversation with which this narrative opens ,was held. I had in the meantime crossed Australia from Rockhampton to Port Darwin, and was now on my way back to Sydney in one of the small men-of-war schooners which the English Government keeps for doing police duty in the South Seas. We had pub into Port Moresby to communicate with the missionaries stationed there. The men who had attracted my attention were a party of fifteen tall, well-armed savages I had met marching through the village on my way down to the beach. Their curious head dresses and their lighter colours showed that they wore from a distance, and I wondered on seeing them whether I might not be able to gain from them some information about the interior of New Guinea. Imagine, then, my surprise when my friend informed me that they hailed from Booker Island. Here was a chance to gain further information of my old chum's fate. Here possibly was a chance of arresting some of the actors in that dismal tragedy ! I at once despatched one of the mission interpreters after the men and told him to promise them good , rewards if they would come and hold a palaver with the white men. He returned in about a couple of hours with word that they camped about three miles from the settlement, and would bo glad to talk to us if wo would go out to them. My friend was against my going, but I assured him that they would not attempt any treachery with the schooner lying in the harbour, and it was at last arranged that I should go by myself, with two of the mission boys to interpret. A walk of about an hour through the jungle brought me to a small stream, where I found the men camped and busy cooking their mid-day meal. A tall man, with his hair done up in a wonderful chignon, advanced to meet me and informed me that his name was Balava and that he was the leader of the party. They came from the North, he said, and were on their way to visit a powerful chief in the mountains called Njah. He then asked if I belonged to ' the war-ship be had seen in the harbour, and on my interpreter explaining that I was only a passenger on board her, he seemed relieved. I was then offered a seat in their midst and the conversation became general. Upon ray asking if any of them knew the Chief Tanue they seemed embarrassed, but at last Bala%-a volunteered I '^^ information that he was a very bad man. I told Balava that I was aware of that fact, and that he killed a white chief, and that I wished for any information he could give me on the subject.

Balava waa Tanue. Balava told me that his people, though belonging to the same tribe as Tanue, did not go to the islands to fish, but remained always on the mainland. He had heard, he said, of the white chief with the " smokeboat" who had attacked the people at Booker Island, wanting to steal them away ; also, ho had heard of the warship which had destroyed the houses and cut down the trees. I told him that I knew the whole story, and that the white chief had not gone to kidnap, but to trade peaceably with the people of Booker Island, and that they had murdered and eaten him. At this there was considerable merriment, and one of them volunteered the statement that white mon are very good food. I asked if any of them had seen any of my friend's things, and one of them described a long knife which I knew to be the midshipman's dirk I had last seen hanging in W — 's room at Oxford. I askea him if he could procure it for me and he said it was away in the mountains of Tanue's village. I noticed that at every allusion to Tanue there was a sorb of suppre?sed laughter, as though the very mention of his name was a huge joke. | At length the men began to collect their | bundles and prepare to start again on their journey. I told them that anything be[longing to the white face murdered at ; Booker Island would be readily redeemed by roe at more than its value, and 1 begged them to do their utmost to procure any relics for me and forward them to the mission station on the coast. They promised to do so, and then Balava, coming up to me, took me by the hand and ' said : " Tanue, he very bad man. Tanue, he eat your brother. When I see Tanue I shall say I have seen the brother of the white chief you have eaten." We said adieu, and started back to the shore, but we had not gone a couple of hundred yards before we heard a great shouting and the beating of spears on the shields, which betokens war in the South Seas. I instinctively drew my revolver and turned round. What ft sighb met my gaze ! The men I had left so peaceably a minute or two before seemed transformed to maniacs. They had formed a circle round Balava, and were dancing and brandishing their spears, all the time crying out at the top of their voices: "Balava, he is Tanue ; Balava, he is Tanue i" I asked my interpreters what the shouting meant. They told me. For a second I hesitated as to- whether I should rush forward and lodge the contents of my revolver in Tanuevs breast. The two interpreters, however, seized hold of me and implored me to hasten back to the shore, and I felt I had no right to risk their livei in addition to my own. Had I interfered it would have been certain death, as the savages were all well aimed, so reluctantly I turned my back on them and returned to the sea. At sundown we set sail, a nice breeze having set in, and that is how I came to have a <7 chat with a friend's grave." «& Lawbbkce Goodbich.