NEW GUINEA.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 128, 8 June 1885, Page 2

NEW GUINEA.

MISSION STATIONS ATTACK** THE FLY Kl^R CBED «N

Escape of Native Teachers.

(S,F.C,AI.Co R „ I ,,poXD, NTOpTHES^)

Torres Steam, Apriioi A kk,v days ago the teachers and!'wives arrived here from the «. „f having escaped in the missies boat l^' behind almost everything UU, J m« It appears that the LagfsSl^ were holding their annual saored^f; 01 which purposo about 3,000 neonl« „ M sembled at Kiwai, the luJSffi,™** which we are acquainted JRLii B.!^ and where we have our find * y. *lJ<*, It » the custom on th^oL sacrifice two or threo wild pi BS £°.._ *► stone gods, of which the old man „ .their benefit Failing to catch wild rf_f> catch human beings instead, who a™ S 8? more easily obtained. Twice th ten mon had returned unsuccessful from -.oua£ ing tbo wild boar and there we X*£ more days boforo tho appointed tbneW religious ceremony and feast Am I tt9 log lire in the cocoanutgrove'that SS 8 question was seriously discussedl T ,? they again hunt tho wild bow nn^ morrow, or should they cross the river !5 mako a raid upon one of tho yin! ana their enemies^ Thechief.whoV'fe man and a notod warrior, renowns/?/?^ number of people helm's SS2dff&£» wtth his own hand, and who hJ.w- ay iluenco with the wholo tribe, golfn h' leaning bis withered body and toiw* irobs on a stalF that he clutched _?&____ hands (the very incarnation of wickdi° addressed the .rowd amidst fffcE. silcneo. "Why," ho cried, »_eek nt ■ tho bush or across the river whilst*?^ some here with us? Don't you I T* we have had more sickness , since these missionaries came: witlTn, • God? They are the properXffimS this feast." He paused & S^efe his words. There was a manner oS| proval amongst the young men, ___?S " whom had a ready become attached to tha teachers. '' Cowards!" he cried • ■ «_fo . : afraid of these strangers ? I will «~ij the pigs for this feast." And w toK* i assembly broke up the old man's advice «» accepted and the teachers were doom«) Messengers were to bo sent to Samad ti kill tho teachors there on the same to, 7 Tho Teachers Warned, v JThe proceedings of this mM&T'__„ ' fully reported in secret to ons «f 2 8 teachers by a faithful native kfeS«S'dffii: h^.Ufe 4icli.led the S&« their light burning and a watch aUifi Ihe natives be,na afraid of the 2*5 fowling-piece, had arranged to waiSi? lights wero extinguished a asleep before they made to atM?- 1? - need scarcely say that na one sleS'thl ' mission houee that night;- It-w„T rounded by a crowd of eavoges, whbwi ' armed with bows, arrows, andlwan. S in war costtTOo. Several times durk„t_. night the leading teacher -a. life _£__■ . named Wacene-a man of energy _*ltiu* a brave and devoted fellow, w.t to M front and back doors, and told the peopled go to their homes and goto sleep,irtK they only laughed and told him %Tt sleep. The teacher and two of the student from our Papuan Institute here; win' • wore staying with him, held a coa^ tion about what was the best think. to do under the circumstance. r,jK felt sure that if tho natives failed to Id. thorn that night an open attack wraS be mado on tho following .day; tb^y „. solved, theroforo, to attempt teeßcai_.be. foro daylight, and prayed tafetherrasking God to protect them. Consider inir the circumstances, we may conceive wist' sort of a prayor meeting that would be, for these teachers thoroughly believein payer. But they havo been taught that prayer and' eltoitmust go together, so theyaW. their plan of escape and got' a"'few tiffin togother. Their boat foftuiateW If anchored conveniently opposite the mission* houso. When all was ready, about three, o'clock in the1 morning, the house telnesttll surrounded by a crowd of armed l natives, Wacene suddenly opened the front door and fired his double-barrelled eon to the air. Tho natives, probably thinking that tho teachers had opened"fire. 'oa them, rushed behind the house into the bush - tbo very thing that was desired and expected—and before they had time'to recover and find that nobody was .Wounded, the teachers and their wives had stepped out under covor of the __ darkness, got into their boat, and were pulling down.the. river. No time was ■ lost in' reaching;' Samari, our mission at. the mouth of tbs ;|: river en [the eastern side; there the.othtt . two teachers nero taken on board,-and the,: whole party crossed over to Parem, onr. nearest mission station on the western side■""' of the river, where tho first martyrs'of the. . New Guinea mission suffered, but where it , is now perfectly safe. After reiAakung' there a few days with the teachers-.they. came on horo. *':~\ .',:..

Cause <jf the Unfriendly Attitude.;: i> It is not long since I spent a few pleasant and interesting days at Kiwai, onr largesi" and central station on the Fly River.from which the teachers have recently fled. The'; old chief and all the people appeared

friendly, and expressed tlieir pleasure at having tho toachors amongst them. Why this sudden change ? I fear the cause must bo sought in events which took place a short timo before this annual feast and ceremony. To turn a man out of your houso when ho has insultod you may bo a very ordinary and justifiable proceedings in civilised life, but it is often a very serious business in a new mission field, and haß now proved so on two occasions in New Guinea. The massacre of Rarotongan teachers and their wives and children—ten in number—at Hood Bay on the south-oast peninsula two or three years ago was caused by the teacher's wife turning a native woman out of the house — a very simple cause with a very serious effect, for it not only lod to tho murder of ten innocent people, but to the visit of the commodore, with twomen-o'-war, and the punishment of the natives, associating in tho nativo mind missionaries with men-o'-war, tho missionaries and teachers having acted as pilots and interpreter?. A similar indiscretion was committed by a South Sea Island teacher at Kiwai, on the Fly Rivor, about a month ogo. The man who was turned out of tho houso bolonged to Samari, another of our stations about twelve miles distant. Ho loft the houso very angry, and soon returned with a numborof his friends, a 1 Hi-mud with bowf>, arrows, and spears. Tho tenehor had gone under tho house, which stands on posts six feet high, to feed a pig which ho had bought from the native.", ai.d whs there attacked. Wacono, hearing his cries for holp, rushed out with his unloaded gun, and succeeded in frightening tho natives, so as to make a way for his colleague's escapo into tho house, which ho did amidst a shower of arrows, two of them striking Wacono'shead, and soveralsticking in Ins friend's back. Tho points of tho former wero broken, unablo to penetrate tho skull. Two of tho latter had to be cut out of tho back of tho other toucher, and aro now in my possession. In tho meantime tho Kiwaians, who wore friendly disposed to tho teachers, camo to their assistance, and a regular battle followed, ir. which tho natives of Samari woro driven off. It was fortunate that our teachers had gained somo inlluenco with the Kiwaians, and had their frionds amongst them, olso thoy, liko the party at Hood Buy, might all havo been killed at that timo. When the excitement subsided thoy all bocamo afra'd of tho consequences of thoir attack ; and, having heard of natives boing punished by a man-of-war for killing teachers, and fearing tho wounded toacher would not recovor, thoy decided to prepnro a rotroat in tho bush boforo tho arrival of tho " bi;> fighting canoo." Tho wounded toaehor was brought ovor to Darnkiy in tho mission boat, and thon brought hero, and placed under tho medical caro of my collonguo (Mr Scott). Ho is now boyond all danger, and liia wounds oro rapidly hoaling. Tho son of tho old chief Kiwai formed one of tho crow of the boat that took him ovor to I'arom, our mission station on tho apposite sido of tho river. This young man had strict injunctions from his fatlior and frionds not to go boyond Parora, and to rotunl on tho following day. On account of unfavourable weather, thoy could not roach Kiwai boforo midnight, and it was woll that thoy returned thon, for tho old men had got it into thoir hoads that tho toaehor had died from his wounds, and that tho young man had been killed in consequonco. Hail ho not appeared on tho following day, it might havo lod to a massacro of tho wholo mission party, for tho old chief confessed afterwards that ho had como to that determination. Dunn:; the following week or ten days tho nativos continued thoir proparations for Ilight at any momont. Temporary houses wero erected far back in tho bush in caso thoir village should bo burned down. It was in vain that Wacono awurod thoin that no man-of-war would punish them without tho sanction of liiri missionary, and that ho was cortain t should not sanction such a thing. Thcro was no convincing them, however, and tho i-CHolvo to kill tho mission party on tho feast day seems to havo arisen chielly from their desire to om brace what (boy considered thoir only chuuee of rovengo for what thoy felt suro would happen. ow Mission Yacht. Tho mission yacht Mary, which wo havo had on tho stocks in tho Industrial School yard hero for tho last two years, will bo launched in about a fortnight. Our first trip in her will bo to tho Fly Kivor, whore 1 havo no doubt wo shall bo üblo to arrango peaceably thc.^o matters, and reinstate tho teachers." Wo expect to mcot with difficulties and danger* dining tho tirst few yoars among BUoh Bivago and warlike tribes us thoi-o who li>o oil tho banks of iiio Fly River. Wo had to do this at Saibai. Twice I had to reinstate tho toaohers thore, and onco tho nativos tried to poison them. Now wo fli'O obtaining from tho church at that station our best young men for tho I'upuan Institute No Reprisals for Outrages on Missions. Wacono is quito right about my not sanctioning a man-of-war going to punish tho natives on account of thoir conduct to tho teachers. Ho knows that I would not confOnt to tho ropeatodly-exprcppcd wish of tho l'olico Magistrate at Thursday Island to recoivo from mo a lottcr about tlio murdering of the teachers at I'arom years ngo, on which ho said ho would take iiuinudiato action to punish tho natives. Fighting is no doubt a nocossary ovil, and will continue in tho world ne long as sin does. I beliovo in monof-war, but nob in connection with missions : just ns I beliovo in tho State, but not in connection with the Church, When a mission cannot do its work without tho holp of a monof-war. it is high timo to pivo it up. Wo havo como to considor in civilised countries that thoro is power enough in truth to ovorcomo orror without any material forco boing applied, and so rogard roligious ncrnocution aa an infult to Christ. In hoathoii lands, also, wo find that tho Oospol euccooda best when propagated by its own methods.

Tho Annexation CoromonloM.

Fortunately for our work in this branch of tho mission, all tho annexations and man-of-war demonstrations havo beon confined to tho peninsula. At Port Moresby thero havo boon throe annexation ceremonies. First by Mr Chester, tho l'olico Magistrato from Thursday Island, representing tho Queensland Govornmont Thon by the Deputy High Commissioner (Mr Romilly) in ono of Her Majesty's mon-of-wars ; and finally by tho Commodore and fivo men-of-war. Tho nltivoa wonder what it all moans, nnd probably oxpect ut: annua) annexation. At present tho Queensland annexation is tho popular ono, for Mr Chester gavo thorn most presents. Thonativo prof era his tobacco to theCommodoro'swalking stick! Considering tho importnnco of tho Papuan Gulf, with its great wator-wnys and proximity to Australia, it is matter of surprise that tho Britinli flag was not hoistod thoro on tho Katati, Fly, or Aird rivers. On tho two formor wo havo mission stations, but tho navigation is dang, rous until the places aro surveyed. Tho Fly being central, and the natives boing numerous, warlike, and poworful, it is desirable, I think, that thoy should know that thoy aro undor tho British flag. It has not yet boon hoistod on tho main body of tho island, although wo havo onnoxod about .100 milos of coast thero. No part of this 300 miles of coast-line has yet boon visited by any representative of the British Government, although the mission was established boro in 1871. The native1" rocoivo strangely-exaggerated reports of tho doings of tho " big war canoes" that havo visitod Port Moresby. This can scurcoly bo wondered at, seeing the news has to travel4oo or 500 miles, Port Moresby boing situated half-way down the peninsula. As far as our mission work goes, it is, perhaps, best as it is, especially if the captains of men-of-war require tho missionaries and teachers to be pilots and interpreters for them, which at presont they can scaroly do without. It is best that tho mission should not be associated in the native mind with these "fighting canoes." A Floa for German Colonisation. I havo been considerably amusod by tho hue-and-cry against tho German occupation of Northern New Guinea. What docs it all mean ? What harm can they do us by ocoupying such a place hundreds of miles away? If they succeed (which is vory doubtful) Australia will bo bonefited. If they fail, they thomselvos will bear tho cost. Thoy arc not likely ever to be in a position to menace Australia ; indeed they are far mora likely to ba swallowed up by it. Should war break out between tbo mother countries, which God forbid, tho issue to Australia is not likely to be much affected by such a colony as the Germans (or a-iy other European Power) can establish in Northern Now Guinea. My opinion may be of littlo value on tho subject, but it :b none the less decided for all that, and it is that not only Northern New Guinea, bat all New Guinea and tho wholo of Polynesia must ultimately belong to Australia. It is only a question of timo. In the meantime Australians, like tho Americans, should bend tho whole of their energies to the development of the resources of their own continent, and not only let those alone who are willing to spend life and money in opening up New Guinea and the Polynesian Islands, but regard them with friendly feelings as Workers at their cost for the future welfaro of Australia. S. McFar. akb. Papuan Institute, Torres Strait, April 21, JBSS,