The natives were told to let us go where we pleased, without molesting us in any way, to give us whatever we asked for, and, at all times, to show themselves friendly to us. They had strictly pursued the course of conduct pointed out to them by the young white men, in whose superior knowledge of us and our prowess, they placed every reliance; but still they doubted the probability of conciliating our friendship in the sequel, and adhered tenaciously to the idea of accomplishing our destruction in some way, to make their own security the more certain. With this object, a variety of plans were submitted at different times, to Lay and Huzzy, by those amongst the chiefs esteemed the wisest and bravest, all of which were discouraged, and the success of such an undertaking in any way, as frequently declared to be utterly hopeless.
One of their plans was, to get alongside of us at night, unobserved, and with some of the sharp instruments they had obtained from the Globe, make a hole in the bottom of the vessel, and sink her; when, they very truly believed, that those who were not drowned, would be an easy prey to them, and that the party on shore, unaided by the schooner, might soon be overcome and destroyed by their superior numbers.
Another of their plans, and the most plausible one, was, to assemble secretly all the canoes of the islands, at some point not distant from us, and approaching under cover of the night, surprise and board us.
If this last plan had been put into execution, in a dark night, it is possible that it might have succeeded, as we could hardly have seen them in time to use our cannon, and the fire of musketry which they had heard before, would probably not have driven them back when they had advanced near to us, particularly if, as might be apprehended, at night, the fire were not directed effectively. They would not have found us entirely unprepared; for, under the impression that the mutineers were still living, and on terms of friendship with the natives, we were on the lookout for such an attempt being made, as it seemed to be the only means by which they could possibly escape, and the plan which would most naturally occur to desperate men in their situation.
In advancing towards the island where we expected to find Huzzy, Lay told us that the island where we found him was a favourite place for fishing at a particular season, when numerous shoals of fish swam upon its shore. Our schooner was anchored at the place of residence of the high chief, who, with those we found assembled upon the small island, had fled there to avoid us. The boat's crew being oppressed with fatigue and hunger, I landed upon a dry reef, after proceeding a few miles to give them rest and refreshment. It was painful to witness Lay's anxiety to depart, who, fearing a messenger might be despatched to the chief who had Huzzy in custody, kept his eyes fixed upon us with an anxious, hurrying look, and several times expressed his fears that the chiefs might have the boldness to attempt his rescue. On finishing our frugal repast, we pulled up under an uninhabited point of Lugoma's Island, (this was the name of Huzzy's chief,) which, having passed without observation, an ample bay, upon the shore of which was situated the village of the chief, opened to our view; and, to our great joy, the only sail canoe in his possession, was seen hauled up on the beach. For a few moments, no one was seen; but when we were in the act of landing, Lugoma and several old women came walking down to the beach, attracted by the strange and unexpected appearance of our boat. They were struck with the utmost consternation at beholding Lay, who was still in his native dress; and the old women began calling out, in a loud tone, demanding of him what he was doing there, and what we wanted. Before he had time to reply to them, I got out of the boat, and taking, hold of Lugoma, and pointing a pistol at him, bade Lay say to him, that unless Huzzy was brought to me immediately, I would kill him. He begged that I would not hurt him, and said Huzzy was near and should come to me. The old women, alarmed for the safely of the chief, instantly ran off, calling aloud for Huzzy. It was but a few minutes before he appeared, walking towards us, with his fine yellow hair hanging in ringlets about his shoulders, and his person quite naked, with the exception of a piece of blanket, tied round his loins. When he had approached sufficiently near, and I said to him, "Well, young man, do you wish to return to your country?" his eyes filled with tears as he replied, "Yes, sir; I know of nothing that I have done for which I should be afraid to go home."
As soon as Lugoma felt relieved from his apparently dangerous situation, he began to express his solicitude for Huzzy, begging that I would not hurt him; and when he was assured that no injury was intended towards his son, as has called Huzzy, entreated me not to take him away. The old women united with the chief in the expression of their wishes, and seemed, by their loud talk and significant gestures, to insist upon the white man's remaining with them. The scene was an interesting one, and we found a picturesque group assembled on a beautiful lawn, in front of a number of huts, surrounded by cocoa-nut and bread-fruit trees. Huzzy owed his life to the native chief; he had been in the condition of a slave to him for two years. To him he was indebted for many acts of kindness, some of which he had requited by his industry in his service, and some had been cancelled by harsh treatment; yet, still he stood in a delicate situation towards the chief. The saving of his life alone, conferred an obligation upon him, which could scarcely be repaid by long and faithful services. The chief evidently appeared to regard him as his son, and when the moment of our departure arrived, and he saw we were determined to take our countryman with us, he joined tears to entreaties, saying he should weep long and bitterly for him. He told Huzzy that he must come back again, and asked me if I would bring him. As the only way in which I could get clear of so strange a petition, urged with so much feeling, I promised to bring him back if his mother consented to his return. With this, he appeared to be tolerably well satisfied, and we were about returning to the boat, when Lugoma took Huzzy aside to talk to him privately. When their interview was ended, I asked Huzzy what the chief had been saying to him; to which he replied, that he had been reminding him how difficult it would be for him to get along with his work without him, and that he must return as soon as he could, and bring with him some axes, guns, and cloths, such as his countrymen wore. "I have promised to bring them," said he, "when I return, and he is quite satisfied." When we were ready to depart, to conciliate the good will of the female part of Lugoma's family, I presented them with a variety of trifles, such as finger-rings, glass beads, &c., for which, in return, they loaded me with a profusion of small mats, and rude shell ornaments, accompanied with many expressions of thankfulness and regard. When I came to take leave of Lugoma, I presented him with a jack-knife. With the exception of an axe, I could have given him nothing more valuable, and it gained for me his unreserved confidence. He immediately proposed going with me to the schooner, and got into the boat with his son, a lad eight years old. Huzzy took with him a musket and a Bible, the only things he had saved at the massacre. The first had been preserved for him by the chief, who thought that with this in Huzzy's hands, although he had no powder, he was a match for all his enemies; and the Bible he had clung to himself, and had kept as the companion of his lonely hours. The Bible was more an object of curiosity to the natives than any thing else they found in the possession of the white men: they often inquired of Huzzy what it was, its use, &c., and his explanations seemed only to increase their superstition and aversion to it. They were never pleased to see him retire to the garret of his little hut, to read it, as was his custom; and invariably remonstrated with him against it. They urged him frequently to destroy it, and when he refused, they threatened to do it themselves. As the reason of their dislike, they said it would bring spirits round the house that would kill or hurt some of the family. Huzzy told them, that if they destroyed it, the Great Spirit would come and kill them all; to which he was probably indebted for its preservation.
I was walking, back of the huts, over a level green spot, enclosed by cocoa-nut trees, when Lugoma came to me in great haste, and with a disturbed look beckoned me to come away, at the same time saying to Huzzy, that I must not go there: it was a place for the dead; my presence would disturb them, and bring spirits round his huts; I indulged his superstition, and walked off. Lugoma was about thirty years of age, of moderate stature, square built, with low forehead, and flat nose; having an expression of countenance that indicated intelligence and enterprize. Huzzy gave him the character of being very passionate, inveterate in his enmities, fierce and determined in his hostility, but firmly attached to his friends, and possessing a benevolent heart. He often became offended with Huzzy, in their ordinary occupation, and upon such occasions would use violent language, and sometimes threaten to kill him; but, when his passion subsided, would be very sorry for what he had said, and soothe Huzzy by telling him not to be afraid; he would not hurt him. Once, however, in working their canoe, when something went wrong, he raised a paddle and struck Huzzy with it, upon which, the poor fellow, slave as he was, gave way to his indignant feelings, and was in the act of repaying the chief's violence with interest, who, seeing that he had gone too far with the high-spirited white man, and that his life was menaced, begged him not to strike, declaring that he would never again raise his hand against him; and the quarrel was amicably settled by Huzzy's telling him, that if ever he did, he would kill him. From this story, I thought there might be some truth in the one which Huzzy told me was one day related to him by Lugoma's son, the boy that was in the boat with us. We had a mulatto lad on board of the schooner, and at the time our contemplated capture was spoken of amongst the natives, this little boy told Huzzy that his father was going to save the life of the mulatto boy, and then kill him as he was getting too large. The mulatto boy was a great favourite amongst the natives, and upon several occasions, quarrels had arisen amongst the chiefs who should have him, when in the presence of Lay or Huzzy they were debating the question of our capture.
The day was far advanced when we left Lugoma's Island, and stood along the shores of the islets to intercept the land party whom we met at no very great distance, making rapid marches. We landed to inform them of our success, and that their labour was at an end, in which they could not but rejoice with us, although they were extremely disappointed that they should not themselves have been the fortunate persons, after all the toil they had experienced in the search. We put off and made sail in both our boats, and as the canoes were all still upon the beach of the island from whence we had taken Lay, I intended to land and get his musket, which, in the hurry of our departure, he had forgotten. No sooner, however, did the natives see both our boats standing towards them, than they put off with all their canoes, and bore away directly before the wind. We made all sail in chase, but soon perceived that they were leaving us very fast; and, as night was coming on, we made the experiment of a few musket shots, fired over their heads, with the hope of bringing them to. Instead of answering the desired purpose, it served only to increase their alarm, and the weather becoming squally, we suffered them to depart without further pursuit. I had cause to regret that I had fired; for from the first discharge, poor Lugoma was in the greatest agony, for fear we were going to kill him, as well as the rest of the chiefs. All the explanations that Lay and Huzzy could make, and all their assurances of my friendship, could not quiet him. Several times he would have taken his son and jumped overboard, had we allowed him to do so. Whenever I went to the stern of the boat where he was sitting, he repeated to me again and again that he was my good friend, and that I must not kill him; my replying that I would not hurt him, that I was his friend, &c., had not the least effect; it only caused him again to repeat what he had before told me of, his being my friend, and that I must not kill him.
The numerous shoals of coral, with the violence of the wind, rendering it somewhat dangerous to run in the dark, I determined to come to for the night, as we were yet a long distance from the schooner. For this purpose, we stood in towards the place where, on the preceding night, we had met the exploring party. Lugoma no sooner found himself so near the shore, than he became more earnest than ever in his petition to be permitted to land with his son, although he was more than twenty miles from his home. I would have allowed him to leave us, had I not been apprehensive of the hostility of his countrymen; I knew not but by his aid in piloting them to our night's encampment, we might be surprised before morning, and my resolution to keep him was confirmed, when it was reported to me, by some omen who had landed from the other boat, that one or more natives had been seen near us, skulking through the bushes. We also determined, not to trust ourselves on shore, but to lay in the boat, and make an awning of our sails, to screen us from the heavy showers that were frequently coming over, in the best manner we could.—When we had finished our repast, we hauled off and anchored, but not to sleep. Our awning was but poorly calculated for shelter, and the showers that constantly succeeded each other, kept us too wet and cold for rest; besides this, I was frequently reminded of Lugoma's presence, who made me pay dearly for his detention. He would lay no where else than alongside of me, and during the whole night, not more than ten minutes elapsed at any one time, that he did not move his hand over my face, and when he thought my attention was sufficiently awakened, call out to me, "Hitera;" a word that signified he was my good friend, nor would he suffer me to rest a moment afterwards until I had replied to him "Hitera."
We were anchored but a short distance from the place where the chief mutineer of the Globe and his murderous companions had landed—where he had fallen by their hands, and where they, in their turn, had been killed by savages. It was a spot, calculated to revive, in the minds of Lay and Huzzy, the liveliest recollection of sorrows and sufferings, that no language could describe; and as we all wished to hear an account of the mutiny, and of the events that subsequently transpired, I desired Lay to favour us with the relation. Lay's narrative was as follows: "The first that I heard of discontent on board of the ship, was a few days previous to the mutiny. I went to the maintop-mast-head, where I found Comstock; after a few moment's conversation, he said to me, 'What shall we do, William? we have bad usage: shall we take the ship, or run away?' To this I did not make much of any answer. I do not now remember what I said; I was quite inexperienced, it being my first voyage. In the afternoon, or the next morning, I heard him talking to some of the men on the forecastle about running away with him when we arrived at Funning's Island, for which, I believe, we were then steering. This, I suppose, was for the purpose of sounding them, to find out their disposition, and who would join him in the mutiny.—From what we heard, we began to think that all was not right, and tried to get the news aft, but unfortunately did not succeed. In the afternoon, before the night on which the mutiny took place, we were on the main yard furling the mainsail, and I tried then to tell the second mate, but Paine or Comstock was between us, and I was afraid to say any thing. Comstock had, some days previous, taken his cutlass from the cabin into the forecastle; he was a boat-steerer, and used to eat in the cabin with the officers. I knew nothing more about it until twelve or one o'clock on the night that the mutiny took place; I was sleeping in the forecastle, when Rowland Coffin came and awoke me, saying I must come upon deck, they had taken the ship. I got up and went aft, where all the crew were mustered on the quarter-deck. When Comstock had told us what he had done, and what his regulations were, he said, that such as would not swear to stick by him, must go on the other side of the deck. I did not know how many were engaged in the mutiny, and believing that we should be killed if we did not swear, we all swore to stick by Comstock and obey his orders. He then told us to haul the third mate up out of the cabin; I was one that had to take hold of the rope made fast to him. We laid him in the gangway, and I thought he was dead; but when Comstock was throwing him overboard, he clung to the ship with his hands. Comstock told some one to bring an axe and cut his hands off, when he let go and went overboard. I saw him in the water astern, swimming after the ship for some time. We then made sail; Comstock was the only navigator on board. We first went to the Kingsmill Group, but did not like to stop there, as the natives were very numerous and thievish; besides, Comstock had shot one of them for stealing something; after which, he was afraid to stay amongst them. From Drummond's Island, of the Kingsmill Group, we came directly to the Mulgraves, and made this part of them, where we anchored and commenced landing the stores.