Rescued By “Bully” Hayes

A Long-forgotten Story of Suwarrow Island

THERE have been many tales of Suwarrow.

One of these was given wide publicity by Richards and Gurr in their book, “White Man, Brown Woman.” This is the story of the diary of George Randolph, concerning a search for hidden treasure.

The diary, they stated, was in the pos session of Mr. Charles Ward, of Raro tonga. But reference to Mr. Ward proved that not only did he not possess such a diary, but he had never even heard of it.

And further researches in likely quarters have failed to reveal any knowledge of it.

Here, however, is a tale that is at least attested by the sworn declaration of one of its chief protagonists, Captain H. B.

Sterndale. In the Monthly Review (N.Z.) of the year 1890, there is a series of ar ticles by Sterndale, reprinted from the Auckland Weekly News. In these articles, entitled “A Lone Land,” he tells some stories of Suwarrow, but not the one related below.

His story, written at Papeete in 1868, is entitled “Declaration of Captn. H. B.

Sterndale, Superintendent of Suwarrows Islands, with respect to the settlement and abandonment of said place.” It is a story, if it is true, that is as strange as any fiction, and it has a special interest in

that it represents “Bully” Hayes, for once, at least, in the guise of benefactor and friend. One cannot do better than tell it in the words of Sterndale and Hayes themselves.

The former’s declaration is as follows; On the 18th August, 1867, I sailed from Melbourne on board the schooner Tra veller (John Tyack, master) of that port, the property of the Pacific Island Trad ing Company Limited.

The duties for which I was engaged in this adventure were the surveying and re porting upon certain Islands of which the said company had obtained leases from the British Crown, and also to form upon one of them a settlement and depot of trade and to procure pearl shell, beche de-mer, or whatsoever merchandise these Islands produced.

The gentleman by whom I had been re tained for this service, Mr. John Laving ton Evans, the original lessee of the said Islands, accompanied us as Superinten dent of the company’s operations in the Pacific.

We departed from Melbourne with two vessels sailing in company. They had been specially purchased and fitted out for this expedition; they were filled to the deck with valuable cargo consisting of every description of goods suitable for the Island trade, a great quantity of pro vision, and building materials. We had also submarine armour and apparatus for the manufacture of fresh water. We car ried a surgeon. Exclusive of the officers of the ships our party consisted of four, the Chief Superintendent, his assistant, the surgeon, and myself. We were all shareholders in the venture, but my own interest being small in comparison to those of the others. I took no share in their councils, being satisfied to execute the orders of the company’s superinten dent, having perfect confidence in his ex perience and ability to conduct the expe dition to a successful issue.

Immediately on arriving at the Harvey Group (Cook Islands) the smaller of our two vessels was wrecked upon the reef of Rarotonga. This was a great misfortune, and seriously jeopardised the success of our operations in the South Sea.

In the Harvey Group we shipped a number of natives to be employed in the collection of beche-de-mer, and proceeded to Suwarrows Islands, where we arrived on the 16th of October, and took posses sion. On this place we found three per sons, a half-breed boy (native of Man gaia), a native of Manihiki, and an Indian Lascar. They were doing nothing, having no boats and little water or food —had we not arrived they must have starved to death.

On the 4th of November, 1867 the “Tra veller” departed, leaving me on the Island with eighteen men, two women, and three children. They were all natives of the neighboring groups (with the exception of the Lascar and a New Guinea man); none were British subjects save myself.

Upon my landing were delivered to me a stock of provisions sufficient for four months, according to the dietary scale of Maldon Island, with a copy of which I was furnished, and instructed in accord ance with it to regulate the rations of my men.

The Islands are without water, but I had a condensing apparatus. I was in

structed to survey and make a chart of these Islands, to build upon one of them a settlement of substantial houses, and to collect beche-de-mer until the rearrival of the “Traveller” or other vessel belonging to the Pacific Island Trading Co., which was to visit us in four months, or five at the latest (consequently I was, after the departure of the vessel, very careful and saving of my provisions).

I remained in perfectly good faith, having every confidence in the honour of my employers, never for a moment doubting their intention to return for us at the promised time.

These Islands produce nothing on which man can live except fish only (which cannot be taken in all weathers). Coconuts there were none, as there are upon the whole group, but about fifty bearing trees, of which the produce was insufficient for three days subsistence for my company.

It was impossible for us to leave the Islands with the remotest chance of reaching any land where we might obtain food or help. As Suwarrows Islands are far away from all others, Manihiki being the nearest, 400 miles distant and moreover dead to windward. ... I had no boat that could live in a sea; those which I had being old, rotten, and leaky, unprovided with sails or gear. Neither, if their timbers could have held together, had I any canvas, twine, pitch, tar, putty, copper nails, or other material to rig up and repair them. I had no chart or even a compass, quadrant, or Epitome. • These could have been supplied to me as on board the “Traveller” were, in addition to her own, the timekeepers and all other instruments belonging to the vessel which we had lost at Rarotonga. She had also large and good boats. These things were not supplied to me on the grounds that I should “never require them ” and they would sell them for a high price at the Navigators Islands. For the same reason I was left with so scanty a provision, as it was anticipated that the flour, biscuit, beef, etc., would sell well at that place, and I was desired to “set my mind at rest as I would be relieved without fail long before my stock would be exhausted.”

I had no misgivings of this nature. I desired to see the company’s goods dis-

posed of to the best advantage. I had come down to these waters to do the company’s work, not to question the sagacity or interfere with the plans of the company’s manager. I was on the best terms with him and his companions, and I believe had won their good opinion and respect. I parted from them on that savage shore with regret—but no sus picion crossed my mind that it was not intended that I should ever see them again!

I fulfilled my instructions to the letter.

I surveyed and mapped the group, and thoroughly prospected it. I built a settle ment and procured a larger quantity of pearl shell and beche-de-mer than it was anticipated I could have done within the time.

By the middle of the month of March (1868) the provisions were exhausted. I had, by judiciously curtailing the men’s allowance, caused them to last a month longer than they would otherwise have done. I endeavoured to keep up the spirits of the men by assuring them that we would soon be well supplied again, and I divided amongst them my own stock of food on the principle that when starved we would all starve alike.

All our chances of life were very pre carious, but my own was the worst of all.

I had scurvy very severely, which became rapidly aggravated by insufficient and unwholesome food. . . .

I became a sort of living skeleton. Any attempt to stand upon my feet was fol lowed by immediate and total insensi bility. I was obliged to lie still in a hori zontal position. . . . This was my condition from early March until my arrival on June 1 on the Island of Tahiti.

As weeks passed without any sign of the vessel’s appearance, the prospect of death began to stare us daily more visibly in the face. No vessels ever go to Suwar rows Islands unless specially sent there.

White men have lived on it before me for as long as two years without seeing a vessel.

On April 17, 1868, arrived at Suwarrows Captain W. H. Hayes, of the brig Rona, having on board 109 natives of Savage

(Continued on page 49)

Island, and Captain Geoffery Strickland, the father of the young half-breed whom I had found on Suwarrows Islands on my arrival in October of the previous year.

Captain Hayes was on his way to Mani hiki, en route for Tahiti. To the care and kindness of this gentleman I am indebted for the preservation of my life and that of the people under my charge.

At the time of his arrival I was in a state of great exhaustion, not expecting to survive more than a few days longer, having discontinued the writing of my journal, being no longer able to write legibly.

I was unwilling, nevertheless, to aban don the settlement, desiring to send away the most helpless of my people and to re main with such as were willing to remain with me.

Nevertheless, Captain Hayes, in spite •of the crowded state of his vessel and his scarcity of provisions (he having been blown away from Savage Island in a hurricane before having time to complete his sea stock) insisted on taking us all on board, declaring “that he did not consider himself justified in leaving us there,” especially myself, who appeared to be at the point of death. As far as my men were concerned they could not have existed long, as it is well known that even the savages of the Islands of the Pacific ■cannot live upon fish alone for any length of time without coconut or other vege tables. Such a regimen invariably pro duces diarrhoea, and exhaustion, and •death is the result.

Consequently, on April 23, 1868, I aban doned the settlement, Captain Hayes and his crew being of opinion that I could not live to reach any civilised place.

On May 4, I landed at Alliconga, or Reirsons Island, where I proposed to re main until the re-arrival of Captn. Hayes from Savage Island, to which place he was obliged to return before proceeding to Tahiti.

On Reirsons Island are no white in habitants, but I was treated with the greatest kindness by the natives, and by Captn. Geoffery Strickland, who also re mained there.

A few days after the departure of the Rona there arrived at Reirsons Island the Moorea schooner, Captn. Waterman, of Tahiti (belonging to the firm of A. W.

Hort). This gentleman offered me a passage to Tahiti where I arrived on June 1. By the owners of the vessel In which I was brought to this place and by the other merchants of Papeete I was received with much sympathy. three weeks treatment In the Military Hospital I am now able to walk about. Whether I shall eventually recover my strength or whether I may not yet lose one of my limbs is a question as yet uncertain.

From facts which have since come to my knowledge I am now made aware that on his departure from Suwarrows Islands in November last it was not intended by Mr. Evans to return to take us off those islands or to bring us supplies.

In the first place, on arriving at Samoa he put up the vessel and cargo for sale, and having disposed of them departed for Sydney without taking any steps to have us visited or our condition enquired into on Suwarrows Islands.

He endeavoured while there to conceal the fact that he had left a British subject on those Islands. When questioned he written declaration before the British Consul of Samoa that he had sup plied to us more than twelve months’ pro lta^ in f minutel y the items, also h ® had furnished me with a large boat of tonnage sufficient for the convey ance of myself and my whole company to

Samoa or elsewhere, with navigation in struments and every necessary for such a voyage.

Thus were my chances of help from Samoa (which was the nearest civilised place to me) entirely cut off, had it not been for the fact that the consul’s faith in Mr, Evans’ declaration was consider ably shaken by the assurances of such of the officers and crew of Mr. Evans’ vessel as remained in Samoa, the chief officer showing his delivery book in proof that the stores landed to me on Suwarrows Islands were insufficient for five months.

In consequence of this, the Consul and missionary of Samoa wrote to Captn.

Hayes, of the Rona, requesting him to endeavour to help us. Had it not been for their kind forethought in this respect, and for the promptitude in acceding to their wishes of Captn. Hayes, who at great risk and loss of time to himself removed us from Suwarrows Islands, we must in evitably have miserably perished.

I have now sufficient proof that Mr.

Evans and his companions, before they left the South Sea, were of opinion that I would not be able to obtain from Suwar rows Islands sufficient cargo to pay for sending a vessel to take us away from it.

By his letters to residents of Tahiti and Rarotonga during the time that he re mained in the Islands, and by another to Mr. Brander, of Tahiti, written from Sydney, bearing date May 18, 1868, it is

evident that he never did intend to return or to send anyone else in his place to those Islands upon which he had aban doned us. Up to the period upon which our provisions became exhausted I had procured upon the Islands seven tons of beche-de-mer and four tons of pearl shell. ... , , Captain Hayes’ vessel being already full almost to the deck with material from the wreck of the John Williams at Savage Island, on his arrival at Suwarrows, he was unwilling to take on board any such cargo as that which I had collected; but, upon representing to him my determina tion to remain upon those Islands unless he would consent to buy what I had, he made me an offer for the lot (comprising beche-de-mer, pearl shell, three old boats, some iron pots, water tanks, broken lum ber, galvanised iron, and a still) of 855 dollars, which, considering the unsaleable character of such articles in this port (Tahiti) (the only place to which he was going where he would have any chance to dispose of them), was extremely liberal.

Had he chosen to take them for nothing and put us all on shore at the next land which he made, where we would be able to procure food, it would have been obvi ously my duty in consideration of the lives of my men to let him have them, but he declined to accept of them on such terms, proposing on the contrary to take them at a fair valuation or to leave them behind

and take us away for nothing.

There follows Sterndale’s story a brief statement by Hayes endorsing it so far as his own connection with it was con cerned; “I have read through the above declara tion, and subscribe to that portion of it which commences with my arrival at Suwarrows Islands on the 17th of March last. The statement of Captn. Sterndale of the condition of himself and his com pany in that place, the manner in which he abandoned the Islands, and the dis posal of his effects is in every particular correct. —W. H. Hayes.”

Whether Sterndale’s declaration had any result in bringing Evans to account for his inhuman behaviour, inquiry has not revealed. Sterndale himself is de scribed by W. E. Gudgeon, who was re sponsible for the printing of the articles in the Monthly Review, as “one of the most gifted writers who has ever set foot in this colony. Probably his best-known work is that on the Trade and Resources of the South Seas, published in the Ap pendix to the journals of the N.Z. House of Representatives in 1874.” It is evident from “A Lone Land,” says Gudgeon, that Sterndale must have “passed most of his life among the wildest scenes and charac ters of the Pacific, and the least-known parts of the American continent, consort ing with all the lawless or eccentric characters who found safe asylum in these little-known resorts of criminal humanity.”

J.L.