Mary Liddiard | Page 7

board a Sandwich islander,
who managed to make himself understood by the natives. Through his
means our good captain let them know that he wished to cut down
some trees, and that he was ready to pay for permission to do so. The
captain then inquired for their chief, and said that if he would come off
and receive part of the payment, the remainder would be given after the
spars had been brought on board, and as a proof of his good intentions,
he sent the chief a present of an axe and a piece of cloth. This had the
desired effect; and in a short time an old warrior came alongside in his
canoe, and announced himself as the chief of the district. The Sandwich
islander then explained what the captain wished, and certain articles
which had been agreed on were given to him, he undertaking, while the
trees were being cut down and carried off, to keep his people at a
distance to prevent the possibility of any dispute arising.
As soon as the chief and his followers had returned to the shore, two
boats' crews, well armed, put off, and while one party were engaged in
felling the trees, the other remained drawn up to guard against any
attack which the natives might treacherously venture to make. The
spars having been brought on board, the old chief returned for the
promised remainder of the payment. He seemed highly pleased with the
transaction.
"I see that you are wise and just people," he observed. "If all whites
who come to our shores acted in the same way, we would be their
friends; but it has not been always so, and after they have ill-treated and
cheated us, we have been tempted to take advantage of their folly and
carelessness to revenge ourselves."
This remark induced the captain, through the interpreter, to make

inquiries as to what the chief alluded to. At length he learned that some
time before a vessel, with white people on board, had come into the
harbour to obtain sandal wood; that after the natives had supplied a
large quantity, sufficient to fill her, the captain had refused the
promised payment; but, in spite of this, that the crew were allowed to
go on shore and wander about in small parties, when some of them had
quarrelled with the natives and ill-treated them. In consequence the
sailors had been set upon, and killed every man of them. A party of
warriors then put off for the ship, and pretending they had come to
trade, clambered up her sides before the part of the crew who had
remained on board had heard of the massacre, or suspected their
intentions. The savages thus taking them at a disadvantage, put every
person to death, with the exception of a woman and child, who were
saved by the intervention of the old chief. The vessel, it appeared, by
some accident, caught fire, and had been utterly destroyed.
The captain, on hearing this, made eager inquiries about the poor
woman and the child. The former, however, had, he found soon
afterwards, died, leaving the little girl in possession of the chief.
Instead of threatening the old chief with the vengeance of his people, as
some might have done, he spoke to him gently, saying that he himself
had not come there as a judge, or to take vengeance for injuries which
other white men might have received, but that we wished to know
whether he would be ready to give up the little girl he had under his
care. The old man seemed very much struck by this style of address,
and confessed that the child was still living with him, but that he was
very fond of her, and that when she grew up he hoped that she might
become the wife of one of his sons.
This of course made the captain still more anxious to recover her, and
he used every argument he could think of to induce the old man to give
her up. He told him that, unaccustomed to the mode of life of his
people, she would probably die, as her mother had done, and that if he
really loved her, he would be anxious for her safety, and that though he
had paid him liberally for the trees, he would give him twice the
amount of goods if he would, without delay, bring the little girl on

board. This last argument seemed to weigh greatly with the chief, and
he said he would think about it, and returned on shore, leaving us in
doubt, however, what he would do.
Our anxiety about the poor girl was, as may be supposed, very great.
The men, on hearing of the matter, came aft, and each one