CRUISE OF THE SCHOONER WINIFRED.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5553, 15 January 1879, Page 3

CRUISE OF THE SCHOONER WINIFRED.

(PER PRESS AGENCY.) Auckland, Tuesday.

An interesting account is given of the cruise of the schooner Winifred, in search of labor. She left Levuka on October 17. She first visited Erotnanga and Apia, Not far from Le Menu Island the captain landed and visited a “Devil’s house.” There were two gods or devils inside, which were merely faces cut out of wood (not badly) and painted. After this the natives became cheeky, until the peculiar click of the revolver from under the shirt made them polite again very quickly. The Api people are bloodthirsty and deceitful, and not to be trusted. She spoke the May Queen from Brisbane, 21 days out. Sighted Na Kuba Island, where the natives are fighting with the people on the main land. At the Island Malip there are three towns,'-and the natives are fighting. It appears a wife was caught in her infidelity, and the man and woman were both killed with knives, and now his friends and hers want blood and revenge. The Winifred proceeded to Oba. The natives stated that towards the lee end of the island the people killed a Manilla man named Joai some short time ago, who was settled on the island, and trading for Mr. McLeod, of Noumea. On 22nd, off Pentecost, the vessel could not communicate with the people where the white man had been lately killed. .We heard the man-of-war had been here, burnt the town, destroyed the yam plantations, and killed one man. We also heard that one of the whites had been either badly wounded or killed. In working along towards Ambrym the second mate’s boat went ashore again first, but returned in about twenty minutes, reporting that on backing in to trade the natives fired poisoned arrows at them, one of which hit one of the Api boat’s crew a little above the knee. On getting on hoard in about fifteen minutes the wound was lanced and well washed out with carbolic acid. The arrow was extracted, and the wound healed. The natives lit a fire and waved the boat in, and before any communication took place began firing. The whites in her say positively that not the slightest provocation was given by them on the west coast of Api. The captain learned that the men oh a small island killed a bush-, man and ate him. They then came to visit the ship, and he saw the fresh arm-bone of the man in their canoe. It appears the bushman killed their chief a short time ago at Savannah Harbor. The missionary vessel Day Spring was at anchor. The captain was informed here that the Heather Bell, from Queensland, lost a white man at Oba, who foolishly went ashore and was killed.