SOLOMON ISLANDS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 237, 30 June 1908, Page 7

SOLOMON ISLANDS.

'HOMER OF A TRADER. HOW HE MET WITH HIS DEATH. REPORTS OF A RISING DISCOUNTED. *Y TELSOBArH —FHESS ; ASSOCIATION —COPTBIQHt Sydney, Juno 29. ' Dotails of .the raurdor of the trader - Oliver Byrnes in tho Solomon Islands show that a nativo who had been arrested for tho murder of another nativo committed suicide. His frionds thereupon sought tho lifo of a white man. Thoy boarded Byrnes's boat, and, whilo ongaged in an, apparently friendly chat, killed him with an axe. Thoy.thon drovo tho nativo crow overboard, wounding one, and scuttled the boat. , A CHECK ON REBELLION. TRIBAL FEUDS. Melbourne, Juno 29.

, The Federal Government has been advised that recent outrages in tho • Solomons, had nothing to do with returned Islanders, and that the reported threats of a rising aro discredited, such risings being impossiblo owing to continuous tribal hostilities.

LIFE-LONG AMBITION UNATTAINED. Mr. C. M. Woodford, tho British Rosident Commissioner for the Solomon- Islands, who has an intimate knowledge of the character and customs of the Natives, somo' time ago gave an interesting account of tho Nativo people at. Maravou Lagoon—the scene of tho recent murdor of Olivor Byrnes. "At the village," ho said, "there lived an old scoundrel'of a chief named Paravo. Ho had only one hand, . having blown off. the other with dynamite whilo shooting fish. He had never killed a wliito man. He had intended to do 60 once or twice, but his courage had always failed him at the last moment. So for the time ho remained on outward terms of friendship with the trader who'lived in tho. lagoon, bringing., him from time to time a /little copra or a little turtlc-sholl, leaving his tomahawk in his canoe when he went up to tho trader's house, but always on the look-out for the opportunity that he thought would como if lie waited long enough when ho might step unsuspected'behind tho wliito man, and ,with a turn- of'the wrist cleave his skull '.with the tomahawk. I always saw this old man an the three or four occasions that I passed. through the lagoon, and as he could talk -English I never failed to try to get some information out of him." Eventually,' so the story goes, Paravo with a canoe load of Natives started on an expedition to get heads..- Thoy were unsuccessful, and their craft was wrecked .on an uninhabited island half way between' New Georgia and Guadalcanal Paravo, who had never killed a white man, fell sick and 'died, apparently from failure to attain his ambition, and his faithful companions being hard' up for food cookod and divided their leader betweon thom.