The Disaster Of The "Sarah-Ann"

Last Instance of Cannibalism In the Tuamotus

By “Ua-Huka”

story of the last case of canni * balism in the Tuamotu Islands was told to the writer many years ago by Mr. Thomas Adams, a pioneer in French Oceania, who went to Tahiti in 1841 and died there in 1915 at the venerable age of 90.

The writer has been fortunate, how ever, in discovering a written account of the happening in a volume on Tahiti written in 1860 by Monsieur G. Cuzent, Pharmacien de la Marine, who was stationed at Papeete from November, 1854, until May, 1858. The story by M.

Cuzent (which confirms exactly that re lated by Mr. Adams) is as follows: The schooner Sarah-Ann left Valpar aiso (Chile) in March, 1856, for the Gambier Islands, where she was due to take on a cargo of pearl shell. This schooner was commanded by Captain

Krayser, who had with him his wife, a young child of 22 months, and, as a servant, a young girl of Tahiti. There were on board, also, Monsieur Ehlers (supercargo) and Monsieur Botcher, (merchant, whom I had occasion to know some months before at Tahiti, whither he was returning after a voyage to Valparaiso). The crew was composed of nine men, in addition to two boys, sons of Captain Stevens of Tahiti. That is to say 17 persons in all.

The Sarah-Ann anchored at the Gam bier Islands in April, and found in the roadstead of Mangareva the sloop-of-war Sarcelle, commanded by Lieutenant Ferre. Monsieur Botcher remarked to his friends, the officers of the warship, that they would see each other very soon at Papeete: for he thought the Sarah-Ann would not be more than eight days be hind the Sarcelle in arriving at that port.

From that time (April, 1856) until June, 1857, nothing was heard of the Sarah- Ann: Everyone thought that she had foundered at sea during a storm.

On June 1, 1857, the schooner Julia, belonging to the house of Hort Freres. of Papeete, dropped anchor at Tahiti. Her captain, M. Danhum, related that when passing the island of Bligh (Tematangi) he had seen what he believed to be the remains of a wrecked vessel. As he ap proached nearer he saw natives armed with spears following along the beach the course of his schooner. He recognised floating from their shoulders, or attached to some trees, cloth of various colours, and remarked certain wreckage which led him to believe that this could well be the place where the Sarah-Ann had been wrecked.

Seeing no traces of Europeans and as the natives exhibited a hostile disposi tion, he sailed away fully persuaded that the ship’s company had been put to death and devoured by the Islanders.

The French Government hastened to despatch from Tahiti the steamship Milan, in order to rescue the Sarah-Ann’s crew, if there was still time. At the is land of Bligh, landing parties of marines searched diligently without making any discoveries. The report of M. Caillot. en sign, stated that the huts were empty.

There were found in them only some fish, freshly caught, hanging on the posts and on the ground, mats spread out which, still warm, bore witness that the inhabi tants had taken flight but a moment before.

This island, very low, circumscribes an interior lake. Composed of coral, it is covered with a great number of pandanus palms which form impenetrable thickets.

Into these the marines discharged some shells and many gun shots. A number of trees, huts and canoes were burned. AH this did not lead to any result, and the Milan put to sea and returned to Tahiti.

Mrs. Stevens, the mother of the two

boys on board the Sarah - Ann, and a woman of great energy, immediately chartered the schooner Julia and sailed in July, 1857, for Bligh Island to search for her children.

She stopped, in passing, at the He de la Chaine (Anaa) and took with her 25 resolute natives acquainted somewhat with the language of the Bligh Islands and the Chief, Teina, to direct the expedi tion.

Arriving at Bligh, the Anaa natives penetrated the thickets of pandanus and, having made a tour of the island, they returned without having discovered any thing of importance.

During this time, the chief, Teina, re mained alone, having waited for the scouts to go ahead. He was preparing to rejoin his companions when the sound of a rolling stone attracted his attention.

Ho perceived, then, between some blocks of piled up coral a hand which was work ing to clear them away from the entrance of a subterranean cavity. The natives of Bligh, hearing no further sounds, be lieved the strangers had departed and were preparing to come out from their h'ding place.

At the rallying cry of Teina, his com panions came on the run and assisted him in opening the passage to the cavern.

There they found 16 persons—including four children —whom they placed on board the Julia.

The remains of human bones, a head of blonde hair (supposed to have belonged to the wife of the captain), a part of the body of a! child, dried by the sun and attached to the summit of a pole to serve as a fetish, and teeth and finger bones were found on the island.

The skulls had been cut triangularly in order to extract the brains. These grisly remains, together with the head of blonde hair, were carried to Tahiti.

The Julia, arriving with only 13 prison ers (three having died during the voy age), dropped anchor in the roadstead of Papeete on August 5, 1857, having brought the sad certitude of the disaster of the Sarah-Ann.