I remained on board until noon, when our decks and indeed every part of our ship were filled with natives collecting such articles as best suited them. They took all the chests and filled them with their plunder. One chief got about 80 whales' teeth tied up in a blanket and attempted to swim on shore with them. He got a short distance from the ship when they became so heavy he had to let them go, and returned to the ship nearly exhausted in struggling to save his treasure.
All the ship's company being safely landed, save five or six of us, we took the small boat and such articles as we thought we could get off with and left the ship, landing abreast where she lay. We took our things and started for the village of Mathawater, but we had not gotten far from the boat before we were met by a party of natives who robbed us of everything we had and left us to continue our journey. After a very tedious travel of about seven miles we arrived at the village, sore-footed and heartsick enough—at least I was.
We found our beche de mer party at this village had lost their house during the gale and had given themselves up to the natives, who furnished them with another house, treated them with every kindness, and never took any of their property nor molested them in any way. We were also treated with the greatest kindness and furnished by the chief with everything to make us comfortable, but our number being so great we thought we were bearing rather hard upon his hospitality; so seven of us concluded to go to Ambow. We took our small boat and, after four days' passage, arrived at the island of Coroo. Here we learned from the natives that another vessel was cast away at Ambow, but we could not ascertain her name. In a few days we arrived at Ambow and found the wrecked vessel was the brig Niagara, from Salem. She was driven from her anchors in the gale of the 20th of March. The natives took out the cargo and left her lying on the flats.
After remaining a few weeks at Ambow we went with the natives to Raver to attend a great feast. At the feast they had one thousand hogs cooked and yams and tarrow in proportion. At the close of the grand feast they had a great dance as usual on such occasions. After about two weeks the rest of the crew returned. I preferred stopping here awhile. I lived with a young chief, brother to the king.
Here I remained until the arrival of the barque Perne, of Salem, Capt. Egleston, some time in October. I then went to Ambow, where I met the captain of the Perne at the king's house. I asked him for a passage; he said he did not think he could accommodate me as he already had several more than his complement. I said no more, but next morning I went on board the barque and asked him again for a berth. His answer was, "No, I won't." I turned short upon my heel, got into my canoe and shoved off, when Capt. Archer saw me, called me back and asked why I did not go in the vessel. I told him I had tried to get a berth but was refused and should have to wait for another opportunity. He told me to stop a moment and he would see the captain. After talking with Capt. Egleston he informed me I could go in the barque, so I stepped on board. The same day a schooner belonging to Oahu arrived here, having on board the remainder of the Glide's crew. I remained on board the Perne about three months, when the schooner Charles Dogget, Capt. Driver, of Salem, arrived. Five of us then left the Perne and went on board the schooner. After getting a full cargo of beche de mer among the islands I left her at Raver on the 3rd of April, 1832, when she sailed for Manila.
After remaining here about three months the Perne arrived. I had now made up my mind to leave the island at the first opportunity. The Perne was bound to the island of Rotumah. I thought if I went there I might get a chance on board of some whaler and be enabled to earn something before I went home. A man by the name of William Perkins, who lived with me at the young chief's at Raver, went on board the barque with me to engage passage to Rotumah.
The captain consented to take us, so we went on shore, took a time when the chief had gone on a visit to another village, picked up our things and went on board the Perne, much to the regret of the chief's mother, who wished us to stop until her son's return, but we told her we were only going a short cruise. We left in her care for her son a musket, a keg of powder and a few pounds of lead in hopes it would be some consolation for our leaving. After stopping here a few days trading for turtle shell, we got under way for the island of Somoson.
In passing Coroo we took on board a white man who left a Sydney whaling schooner. On our arrival at Somoson we found five white men who escaped from Wallis island at the time of the massacre. These men informed me that the natives at Wallis island had taken the ship Oldham, of London, and massacred all hands excepting a small boy, who was saved by an old woman who they believed had supernatural power and could inflict any punishment she thought proper if they disobeyed her. She took the boy and tabooed him and the natives dare not trouble him.
The particulars of the massacre above alluded to were as follows: A man by the name of Minina, of and from Oahu, went there in a schooner with a gang to procure beche de mer, tortoise shell, etc., which he sent to the Sandwich islands by the schooner. He took possession of a small island in the harbor, fortified it and called himself king, but for his arbitrary, oppressive and unjust conduct to the natives they rose and killed his whole crew with the exception of those men of whom I have spoken. The conduct of the captain and crew of the Oldham was as censurable as Minina's. They went on shore and took their women by force and carried them off to their ship, many of them wives, and by many acts of wanton levity and even cruelty the natives became so enraged that they took a time when two boats' crew were on shore, attacked those on board and on shore at the same time, and killed all excepting the boy.