Wrecked on the Feejees

by William S. Cary

We continued our course for the Feejees, where we arrived the last of November and commenced business. We had a beche de mer house built on Cambo point, which was about twenty miles from where the ship lay and about three from Ambow village. There being a number of castaway sailors here, they were employed to assist me in curing the beche de mer.

We had not been here long before we had a very severe gale from the N. W. One night I spent in sleepless anxiety, knowing the ship lay much exposed to the wind and sea. I hardly thought it possible for her to ride out the gale. But I was relieved next day from my apprehension by David Whippey, who arrived from the ship. He told me she parted her chain and rode by the hemp cable till the gale was over, when that parted, being nearly chaffed off by the rocks. Having nothing left but a kedge and hawser she drifted in towards the island and came very near getting on the rocks but, getting a favorable flaw of wind from the land, they were enabled to clear the rocks and were then safe but without anchors. They sent to the Island of Somoson and bought the Brig Faun's anchors, for which they gave six muskets. Two boats were sent to me with articles of trade and information that the ship was going to the Island of Mathawater to carry on the beche de mer business and leave me to procure what I could in her absence. In looking over my trade I found there was not enough of some articles and, as the ship was about to leave, I went on board to get what I needed.

When I got on board I found everything in great confusion. The second mate had gone on shore in the morning to cut an anchor stock, when they were attacked by the natives and two men killed, the rest narrowly escaping to their boat. After getting to the boat the officer fired at the natives and killed one. Two boats were then fitted out from the ship well armed and landed, but the natives fled into the woods. The bodies of our two men were taken on board and afterwards decently buried on shore at the village of Labooca.

The captain informed me that the natives were getting to be very troublesome and had made two attempts to take the ship, but their design was discovered in time to prevent it. The first time they came off in canoes, about fifty of them. Some came on one side and some the other. The second mate chanced to look over the side and saw the chains full of clubs and other instruments and told the captain that they were about to attack the ship, when all hands were called to arms. As soon as the natives saw a muster on board they jumped into canoes and went on shore. A few days afterwards they came off again on pretention of selling mats, under which they had their arms concealed, but their scheme was discovered in time to be prepared for them.

Fortunately for us, I brought off a chief with me who wished to visit the ship. When I told him that we had two men killed by the natives of Ovalau he was very much frightened. I told him he need not be frightened, but he was a prisoner for the present. The captain told me to get everything we had on shore off to the ship. We went to Camber with two boats to take off our property. When we arrived we found the men that I left in care of the establishment much alarmed, fearing an attack from the natives. They had been under arms all night. The natives had been very insolent and troublesome during my absence. We immediately commenced loading our boats and five or six canoes which I hired for the purpose.

When the natives found their chief was detained they very readily assisted us to get everything to the boats and behaved very civilly, but I have no doubt if we had not had the chief on board they would have robbed and perhaps killed us all. But they well knew that their chief would have to suffer if they committed any depredations and they valued him more than all we had. We got our boats loaded and made the best of our way for the ship. We got alongside the ship towards night, and when we got everything on board we discharged the canoes and the chief, much to his satisfaction.

About the middle of January, 1831, we left the island of Ovalau for Ambooa, but finding the beche de mer very scarce at Ambooa we went to Angalore. Here we commenced curing the beche de mer. We had obtained about four hundred piculs, when our house caught fire and burned to the ground, consuming about a hundred piculs of the beche de mer. We soon got another house built, but the natives became troublesome, annoying us in every manner possible, both night and day, stealing everything they could get hold of and continually insulting some of our party in the grossest manner, which we dare not resent.

I bore it until it became past endurance and I began to fear that they had still worse intentions. I then went on board the ship and informed the captain of the conduct of the natives and my fears. He went on shore with me and was soon satisfied that it would be imprudent to stop longer and immediately made preparations for leaving. Next morning the boats were sent on shore, into which we put everything of value, set fire to our house, and went on board.

From here we went to Mathawater, where we continued our business till the 20th of March, when a hurricane commenced from E. N. E. We sent down our light spars, housed our topmasts, sent down lower yards and got everything as snug as possible, but about midnight our anchors began to drag and the foremast was cut away, which fell over the starboard side. Directly the mainmast went by the board, taking with it the head of the mizzenmast three or four feet below the top. The ship still continued to drag, but we could do nothing more but resignedly wait the result, being now wholly at the mercy of the wind and sea.

The wind soon shifted to N. W. and blew apparently with double fury. After drifting about seven miles she brought up on a sand spit near the shore. We had on board two chiefs who advised us to stop on board until it moderated and they would see us safe to Mathawater, but the natives began to swim off in considerable numbers, and the captain, fearing they would get to quarreling for plunder and endanger our lives, got his trunk and some few articles into a boat and with a crew went ashore, but were met on landing by a party of natives and plundered of everything.