Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

bour this afternoon: her commander promised me to be ready for sea on the 9th; and I informed him that, in justice to my honourable employers, I should be under the necessity of charging him demurrage for each day he delayed beyond it.

On the brig's arrival, I pointed her out to Rathea and the other interpreters, as the vessel which was to convey them home; when poor Rathea observed that it was too late, for he had but a few days to live. I cheered him up, desiring him to eat with a good appetite and be of good heart, for he had nothing to fear; but his reply was, "Had I cocoa-nuts, bread-fruit, bannanas, &c. which I have been accustomed to, I might once more see Tucopia; but as it is, I cannot live."

7th. Shortly after daylight Rathea departed this life, much regretted by every one on board. He died chiefly of a broken heart, occasioned by protracted absence from his native country, and having no person to associate with, nor any one who sufficiently understood his language to converse with. Martin Bushart never took the least notice of him, and instead of paying the last tribute of respect to an old friend, remained on board during his interment. At 10 A.M. I sent the corpse on shore for burial, and fired three guns.

8th. I learnt this morning that king George

was highly indignant at Brian Boroo being about to proceed for the Thames on the Macquarie. His majesty considered it unjust that supplies. of arms and ammunition should be sent to his enemies, and threatened destruction to such of the Research's people as remained behind at the Bay of Islands, should he be defeated in his expedition against the Thames River tribe. As he was very insolent to Captain Duke and the surgeon of the Research on the occasion, I deemed it prudent to have the sick embarked. He endeavoured by every means in his power to dissuade Captain Kent from proceeding on the voyage, and this finesse to prevent Brian's people at the Thames from having the benefit of his presence and resources, sufficiently explained king George's intentions in begging me to confide the prince and his friend Morgan to his kind protection.

I sent on board the brig six weeks' full ration for Mr. Russell and the interpreters, and likewise furnished him with his instructions for sea, and a copy of Captain Kent's, together with a duplicate of the charter-party.

9th.-Toward noon the interpreters embarked their baggage and presents on board the Macquarie, to each of whom I assigned his bed place; but the weather being unsettled and squally, Captain Kent did not wish to sail. Not wishing the six weeks' rations shipped for sea

use, to be broken upon before the brig sailed, I took the interpreters on board the Research, to draw their maintenance till the Macquarie's anchor should be weighed.

10th.-I sent the end of a hawser on board the Macquarie, to enable her when the anchor was weighed to make sail from the Research's stern. The weather being very squally, Captain Kent deferred getting under weigh till it became settled.

11th. At 8 A.M. the Macquarie made sail, and I went on board to accompany the interpreters as far as the harbour's mouth. On taking leave of these affectionate people, they evinced genuine grief at our separation. Brian Boroo and Morgan McMurragh in particular, lamented with tears that they were about to leave me probably for ever. These two men had been with me on board the St. Patrick on shore at Calcutta, and in this ship, for two years, during which they were faithful, and gratefully attached to me for the way in which I treated them.

Poor Martin Bushart also was much affected at leaving me, though he was determined on returning to Tucopia, there to end his days in retirement from worldly affairs. M. Chaigneau, the surgeon of the ship, and myself, did all we could to dissuade him, but to no purpose. He assigned as his reason for thus secluding himself, that he was much addicted to ardent

spirits, which he had not a constitution to bear up against, yet could not refrain from, when they were to be procured. That as he was getting old, and unable to work for his liveli hood, he would only be a burden to society, and that all he wanted in this world was lodging and food for himself and wife, which he would never be deficient of in his adopted country. I desired him to lay aside his fears, for if he would remain with me, he should not feel want so long as I owned a shilling; assuring him that the melancholy associations of fortune which united us on the bloody 7th September 1813 were not yet obliterated from my memory, nor could be that I should to my latest breath remember the perilous situation in which he, Wilson, and myself, were placed at the Feejees.

As he still resolutely persisted, I no longer opposed his inclination. Before parting, however, he said that he had one favour to ask of me, which was, to cause Captain Kent to remove the four Europeans from Tucopia, whom I found there at the time I took Stewart off. I replied, that having no authority to coerce free British subjects, such as these men represented themselves, I could not delegate any to Captain Kent; but that I would request him to persuade them to leave the islands, which, if their statement was true, was the utmost either he or I dared to do. He replied, that their whole story

was a fabrication, for Stewart, whom I had left at Indenny, had communicated to him the true circumstances that led them to Tucopia, which at my request he related as follows.

"Stewart had formerly been mate of a ship, and having forged a trifling order on the owners, was transported for the offence to Van Diemen's Land. Here he, with ten others, piratically cut a small sloop out of the river Derwent belonging to a Captain Harris Walker, and escaped in her to sea. The first land they sighted after quitting Van Diemen's Land was Howe's Island, where they, about one hundred leagues from the coast of New Holland, hauled the vessel ashore, and commenced curing a quantity of fish and birds, with which the coast and island abounded, as a sea stock. They had a large pot on board, which served to prepare salt with from the sea-water, and having thus laid in a supply, they sailed from Lord Howe's Island, with intent to make the Sandwich Islands. They kept at sea till their provisions were nearly exhausted, when the nearest land to them being Erronam, one of the New Hebrides, they steered for it. Upon making Erronam one of their party landed with some old iron hoops, to barter among the natives for refreshments; but these attempting to board the sloop soon after, they were obliged to push off without their shipmate, not having any arms on

« ForrigeFortsæt »