AFRICAN NATIVES' EXPLOIT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 20041, 2 September 1920, Page 8

AFRICAN NATIVES' EXPLOIT.

A CAPTURE OF . GERMANS. Mr C. H. P. Lamond contributes to “Blackwood’s Magazine” a- description of an episode which occurred at " tho little coast town of Takoradi,” when news was received of the outbreak of war. Under cover of night a party of German traders, posing as Swiss missionaries, escaped from their factory by canoe, leaving on the door a scrap of paper inscribed '' Deutschland über Alios-” Their aim was to board a- German trading vessel, tho Willi Wocrmann. Early in the morning of tho follow-' ing day tho .British officals were, awakened by the siren of a steamer hooting vigorously. An approaching vessel, fly. ing the Union Jack upside down, proved to be tho Willi 'Wocrmann, A crowd of natives gathered on the shore, laughing and chipping their hands. As tho officials approached the vessel in tho Customs boat, a row of grinning black ( faces appeared over the side, and several white faces, not grinning, were seen to be looking out of tho portholes. . Reaching the deck, they were greeted with an impressive salute from a gigantic Kroo boy, clad only in a loincloth and a German topee Asked where was the captain, ho said that he was captain now. Ho explained that tho native crew of which he was head man had been shipped at Sierra Leone to work the Gorman ship down the coast. Beyond Berracoo they heard ol the war, and demanded to be put ashore at once. On being given a. fierce refusal they seized the ship, locked up the officers, and headed for Takoradi. In the morning they saw the canoe near the river. The men in it laughed and sang, and pointed to the German Bag. “Then,” said the headman, “I t’ink dey no be proper white men, hut Germans. So 1 stop de engine and ask, • What’s _ matter?’ They say, ‘ Where de captain?’ and I tell him captain he be sick.” When they ordered tjie “mammy chair” to be lowered to bring .them on board, ho lowered it mi quickly on the canoe that the party .was overturned in the water. Most of, them managed to catch hold of ropes and climb aooard,, but their leader disappeared, a. shark apparently taking him. Their revolvers had been left in the canoe._ The natives listened to their curses as If the overturning had been an accident, and conducted them to the saloon to wait for the captain. “ Then,” said the headman, “ I go for door, an 1 say, ‘ You be tomfool; dig be English ship; I be captain’; den I lock do door.” Tho Willi Wocrmann henceforth sailed the seas as the Lady Clifford, taking motor-lorries and supplies to Togoland.