THE GREAT BARRIER

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 27, 1 August 1923, Page 3

THE GREAT BARRIER

CRADLE OF AUSTRALA-

SIAN ROMANCE

NICOLAS THE GREEK AND BULLY HAVES

Tho waters within the Great Barrier Reef may be termed the cradle of Australasian romance, states Frank Eeid, in the Sydney "Sun." Years before Captain Cook sailed his frail craft along our eastern shores it was the rendezvous of freebooters and adventurers. Sufficient evidence has been discovered of late to prove that Malays and Chinese for a long period, probably centuries, sailed their crude vessels in these waters.

There are little stories which seep through the blood and tell of reckless dare-devils who were always ■ scoffing in the face of death.

Possibly the last of these adventurers was Nicolas Minister, better known as Nicolas the Greek, or the King of Trobriand Islands. Volumes could be written about this man ands his many adventures, but I have only jotted down a few from memory's log-book. His life was one of ups and downs. He bandied several fortunes, and probably more valuable pearls passed through his hands than through those of any other pearler in these waters, yet when he died at Thursday Island, a few years back, he only left. behind him an estate valued at £197. To this day there are natives on the Trobriand Isles who tell you that Nicolas the Greek was the greatest man who ever lived.

Nicolas was first .heard of in these waters 38 years back, and for a time he was engaged in trading amongst the islands in Torres Straits. Then he became a prominent pearler. He happened to be in Samarai, and there met a German named Charlie Tichlaffe, who had just returned from Kiriwana, one of the Trobria-nd Islands, with a collection of pearls, and not knowing their value distributed them amongst friends. Tichlaffe stated that while seeking beche-de-mer he ran short of food, and visiting Kiriwana he purchased some lapi shell. On opening the shells before cooking them, he discovered several pearls. Some of these fell into the hands of Nicolas the Greek, and, visiting Kiriwana, he commenced working the shell on business lines. Later on he was joined by his brothers Peter, Mick, and George, and a Greek colony sprung up on the Trobriands. The Greeks quickly secured ajiold of the lapi-lapi pearl trade in these waters, and '"they sold the rare gems which they found to buyers from Paris who visited Samarai every year. A NARROW ESCAPE. Nicholas Minister bore a charmed life. There were many criss-crossed and ridged scars on his head, back and shoulders, which were silent evidence of many a grim battle fought with the natives on his boat or on tho shores of some little-known island., Perhaps his narrowest escapo from • death happened when he visited Milne Bay to put his sick mate ashore. When lie anchored several natives came out to_ his lugger, and, leaving their weapons in their canoes, as was their. custom, tney climbed on board. After talking to the natives for several minutes N icolas walked. to the side of his boat, and when leaning over to .see something in the water, below ono of the natives ran forward and hurled him overboard. Nicolas manageu to get hold of the bumpkin stay, and slowly climbed on board again. Once on deck he made a dash for his cabin, but hefore reaching it ho received several blows from weapons which the .treacherous natives had secured. With blood streaming down his face and shoulders, he at last managed to open ilie door of his cabin and secured his revo'vir. After that, to use his own words, " It was just like shooting chickens." Not one of "the natives who came aboard his lugger ever returned alive to the shore. Nicolas threw their bodies overboard "to the sharks swimming in the water below. j

When I first heard tHe story of the female beachcomber of Vakuta Island it illumined that wind-swept coral speck with a gleam of romance and pathos. I have listened to several versions of how the woman came to live .there for five years. The one most commonly told by the natives is that a schooner anchored off the island one day and the crew landed on the beach. Amongst them was a woman with a child, and when the vessel was about to sail, the woman began £o cry that she'had left her bauy ashore. The natives say that she was rowed ashore, and when she went to look for the child the dinghy pulled back to the schooner. The skipper then deliberately sailed away without her. At first the woman became nearly crazed at being deserted. For a time the natives avoided her; but eho found food in fish traps and' consumed the shellfish eaton by the natives. Slio built herself a home by standing palm branches in the sand, covering the top with grass. Later on sift' beeamo skilful m catching birds, and also became Hardened to the life. Knowing the value of pearls, she began to collect them, and when she became friendly with the natives she assisted in diving for the lapi shells. When sho had been living on the island for two years her clitld died, and then tho 'hitherto peaceful nature of the woman changed. ' She began to domineer the natives, and' on one occasion, when she was ' insulted by a burly male, she picked up a spear and buried tho point of it in his heart. After this the natives treated her with greater reverence, and sho became practically the ruler of the island. One morning a French whaler anchored off Vakuta, and. she was taken aboard. When she left, she carried with her such a magnificent collection of pearls that, when sold, they must have ieturned her a handsome fortune. FRIEND OF BULLY HAVES. A remarkable and weird native was Bob Samoa, whoso fame was spread far and wide by Signor d'Alboitis, tho Italian naturalist. He was born in Samoa, and when a boy ho ran away from home and found his way to Apia, where he boarded a ship which took him to Tahiti. Later on ho ■ visited Fiji, where he met the renowned "Billy" Hayes, of whom he told me many stories. He seems to have been much trusted and liked by Hayes. He spent two , years with the South Sea buccaneer oil the New Zealand coast, and saw the drowning of the first Mrs. Hayes. Returning from New Zealand to Tonga, Bob Samoa was told by a countryman that a warship was searching for Hayes and himself, and that if both were caught they would be hanged for deeds of violence done at Fiji before leaving. That night he climbed over the stern of Hayes's schooner when the crew were asleep, and steered in a whaleboat for a distant island, where 'he hoped never to see Hayes again. Hayes got to know of his whereabouts, and at once ran down to find the boat pulled up on the beach and Bob in a hut fast asleep. He was taken on board tho schooner again and restored to favour. Some weeks later Hayes visited the Hervey Group, and here Bob Samoa successfully left him. He drifted to the Queensland coast, and for a time lived tit Cooktown. Horc most of the money ha mado by pearl diving went to pur-

chase grog. Once, when at Somerset, having met some friends, and having partaken too freely of drink, he Ballied forth into the settlement and challenged right and' left. Many who tried to pacify.him were glad to get away with whole skins. Having got hold of an old saw, he became supreme, and took charge of the settlement.