every one on boardput to death. All I can say is, that whatever people may think of ourdoings, we were not worse than others. I heard of several things whichwill prove this. Among others, a sandal-wood trader had called at theisland of Mare, when three young men swam off to her, wishing to tradeon their own account. They were bargaining with the captain, whooffered to give them less than they wanted for their sandal-wood, whichthey had piled up on shore, ready to embark. They grew angry, anddeclared that they would keep their sandal-wood. On this, without moreado, he drew out his revolver and shot two of them dead on the deck; theother leaped overboard, and the captain ordered the crew to fire at him.He had got some distance, when a shot struck him, and he sank. Thecaptain then sent a boat on shore, and brought away the sandal-wood.Another captain was on a sandal-wood cruise, when he put in not far fromErromanga, where he found the people at war with another tribe somedistance round the coast. As abundance of sandal-wood grew on the hillsin the distance, he tried to persuade them to bring him a supply down tothe beach. They replied that they could not do so then, as they wereengaged in war, when he told them that if they would supply him with thewood, he would go and conquer their enemies for them. The peoplethought this a fine thing, and agreed to the proposal. So the vesselwent round the coast, to where the opposing tribe resided. If he hadbegan to fire away at once on them, they would have escaped into thewoods, and he probably would not have caught a man. He thereforepretended to be very friendly, and managed to entice a number on board.When he had got them, his crew set upon them, and killed some on deck,and shot others who had leaped overboard and were trying to make theirescape. One was taken alive, and another desperately wounded. Havingthrown the dead bodies overboard, he sailed back with the livingprisoner and the other man, who soon died, to his friends. By this timethey had the sandal-wood ready, so he made over the living and deadprisoners into their hands, and received the sandal-wood in return. Asthe people were cannibals, it was easy to guess what they did with theirprisoners.
"It cannot be said that we did anything worse than this; but, bless you,I might tell you a hundred other things which either we did or I heardof done by sandal-wood traders in those parts. I was not overparticular, so didn't mind, but I wanted the voyage to be over, that Imight get to Sydney, and have a spree on shore.
"We got there at last, and our cargo realised a large profit, as theprice was known to be up at the time in the China market, for which itwas destined.
"I hadn't been there long, before I found my pockets pretty well cleanedout of cash, and had to think of what I should do next.
"I was sitting one day in a grog shop near the harbour, where I wasallowed to run up a score though my last shilling was spent, and Ididn't exactly know how I was to pay for it, when somehow or other Ilost my senses. I might have been asleep, or I might have been drunk.When I came to myself, I was in the fore peak of a small vessel, andwhen I went on deck I found that we were out of sight of land. It wasnot the first time that such a thing had happened to me, and so I wasnot going to make a fuss about it. I looked round on my new shipmates,who were about as rough a lot as I ever set eyes on; may be I was notvery different from them, but we hadn't a looking-glass on board thatcraft, so, do you see, I was not able to judge. I asked the name of thecraft, where we were bound for, and the object of the voyage.
"My shipmates laughed.
"`Where were you raised: you don't look as green as you would wish tomake us fancy,' said one without answering my question.
"`I was raised in a country where they grow bull-dogs, which are moreapt to bite than to bark,' I growled out. `When I ask a question Iexpect a civil answer. I was at sea, and crossed the line a dozen timeswhile most of you were still sucking pap, and so you will understandthat though I don't exactly know how I came to be aboard this craft, youhad better not try to pass off your tricks on me.'
"I thought this would have made them bowse on the slack of theirjaw-tackles, but they were banded together, and fancied they could saywhat they liked to me. One young fellow only, Bill Harding was hisname, I found stood aloof from them, and cried out that it was a shameto attack an old fellow like me, though I might have got hocussed andshipped on board without knowing it. On that one of them, Jos Noakesthey called him, goes up to Bill, and begins blackguarding him. Hestood as cool as a cucumber, with a smile on his good-looking face. Hewas the only one among the lot who was not as ugly as sin.
"Says Bill to Jos, `You had better not. I have floored many a man whocould beat you with his little finger, and so, Jos, to my mind, you willget the worst of it.'
"I pulled out my pipe and lighted it, for, d'ye see, there's nothinglike a bit of baccy for keeping a man cool, and cool I wanted to be justthen. This showed them more than anything else what I was made of.
"There Bill stood waiting to see what Jos would do, while the restgathered round edging Jos on. Jos doubled his fists, getting nearer andnearer to Bill, and at last made a hit at him. In a moment Bill's armswere unfolded, and he struck out and caught Jos's ugly face a blow whichsent him reeling backwards, till he lay kicking like a turtle on hisback.
"`Sarve you right, Jos,' cried out several voices, and now most of thecrew seemed to side with Bill.
"Jos had had enough of it, and sneaked below to bathe his jaws in water.
"I shook Bill by the hand and thanked him, and we were friends everafterwards.
"Bill told me that the craft I had so curiously found myself aboard wasthe `Catfish,' and that she was on a voyage round the islands to pick upsandal-wood, cocoa-nut oil, or pearls, which he told me were to be foundamong some of the low-lying coral islands to the eastward.
"`I shall like well enough to go after pearls,' I observed; `for I knowtheir value and the price people on shore will give for them.'
"`That made me ship on board the "Catfish,"' said Bill. `I remember mymother used to wear such things in her hair, and that a small string ofthem was worth some hundred pounds, and I thought that if I could get afew I should be a rich man, and be able to go back to Old England, for Iam pretty well sick of this sort of life, though, mate, as you know,when a man is down in the world it's a hard job to get up again.'
"`Then I suppose, Bill, from what you say, you are a gentleman's son,and you have come out to these parts to make your fortune,' I remarked.
"`Yes, I am well born, and might have been very different from what Iam,' he answered with a sigh. `But I came away to sea because I was awild scamp, and no one could make anything of me at home. However, if Ican get hold of a few of those pearls, so as to start fair, I intend toturn over a new leaf, and go back to my friends, provided I can do sowith a good coat on my back, and not like the ragged beggar I have beenof late. I have got a few articles to trade with, and I shipped oncondition that I should do what I liked with them.'
"`I'll help you, my lad, as far as I can,' said I, for I had taken afancy to Bill, who might have been all he said of himself. To my notionhe was as brave and warm-hearted a fellow as ever stepped.
"I have already described the various ways the sandal-wood tradersmanage to obtain their cargoes. Our captain was in no degree moreparticular than most of them, and played a few odd tricks among thenatives to get what he wanted. On one occasion we got a chief on board,and the captain told him that he must make his people cut a dozenboat-loads of sandal-wood, or we would carry him away as a prisoner toSydney. The chief refused, and declared that the wood was not to begot. On this the captain called two or three of his people on board,and then had him triced up and gave him a dozen, and told him that heshould have it every morning if the wood was not forthcoming. Still thesavage held out, and he was heard to tell his people not to bring any.
"Next morning some of his people came off, when, as they brought nowood, preparations were made to give him another dozen. On seeing thishis courage gave way, and he told his people to go back and get thewood. He got his dozen though, for the captain was a man to keep hisword on those sort of matters.
/> "Two or three boat-loads came off that very evening, and in a couple ofdays all the captain asked for was supplied. The chief was then set atliberty, and told to go about his business.
"The captain observed that he was doing his duty to his owners, andgetting a cargo in the cheapest way he could; he seemed, indeed, topride himself on his cleverness.
"As sandal-wood was becoming scarce in most of the islands, we took onboard, whenever we had the opportunity, as many casks of cocoa-nut oilas we could collect; but pearls were our chief object, and we continuedour voyage till we reached the island I mentioned.
"The natives were said to be friendly to white men, and therefore we hadno fear of them. They had a few pearls already, which the captain tookin exchange for some of the beads, cutlery,