THE CAROLINE ISLANDS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 141, 16 June 1893, Page 2

THE CAROLINE ISLANDS.

THE NATIVES FIGHTING,

NARROW ESCAPE OF A MIS

SIONARY.

NEARLY KILLED AND EATEN,

A San Francisco paper of a recent) date to hand to-day says:—"News has arrived hore by tbe missionary vessel Morning Star (at Honolulu) from the South Caroline Islands, in the Western Pacific. The chief officer tells a thrilling story of the lasb cruise of the missionary ship. He gajs the natives of Ponape are very hostile towards the Spanish rulers and oftea sat at complete defiance the Spanish lawe. There ara no white missionaries on Ponape now, the Spanish having driven them all off. The Gormans, Mr Duncan says, do not wanb any more missionaries, as theii teachings destroy the tobacco and whisks trade. ' The cannibal natives of the island of Euk, one of the Mortlock group' (Carolina Islands), said Officer Duncan,' are carrying on a war among themselves, and many lifts have been lost. Ruk, I should say, ia hardly an island, but ia, more properly speaking, a lagoon, with a rim of land all around it. When we were there the natives were fighting fiercely, and their excitement had reached such a pitch that no man's life was safe. The trader there had barricaded bis! house with stone, nob knowing whafr minute he might be attacked, Things looked very bad. The resident missionary there, who is a man named Scannell, oae day ventured among the fighting men to ask them to cease fighting. They rushed upon him and brandished their kniveo, and there were loud cries of ' Cut him up i Kill him 1' and for a time its looked a« though as he must surely die. He managed to get away, however, and make his escape. These natives keep fires burning all the. time during the fighting. The tires of tht fighters are only a short distance away from each other, and every once in a while they wore exchanging shots. They had Spring, field rifles as well us knirea. It waa not) bate there at all. No man knew how coon ho might) be killed and possibly eaten,"