A Narrative of the Shipwreck, Captivity and Sufferings of Horace Holden and Benj. H. Nute Part 4

CHAPTER X.

The feeble and exhausted condition of the survivors, Nute and Holden.--The natives consent to release them from labor, but refuse them food; and they obtain permission to leave the island in the first vessel, for a compensation to be made to the natives.--They crawl about from place to place, subsisting upon leaves, and occasionally begging a little food of the natives, for two months.--Their sudden joy at hearing of a vessel coming towards the island.--It proves to be the British barque Britannia, captain Short, bound to Canton.--They are taken on board the Britannia, November 27, 1834, and treated with the kindest attention.--Their joy and grat.i.tude at this happy termination of their sufferings.--They gradually recover their health so far as to take pa.s.sage for America, in the s.h.i.+p Morrison, bound for New York, where they arrive May 5, 1835.--Acknowledgments for their kind reception at New York and Boston.

Having thus briefly related the story of our captivity and sufferings, it only remains to give an account of our escape from this barbarous people. We continued to survive the horrible sufferings to which we were constantly subjected, and to serve our tyrannical masters, in despite of our agonies of body and mind, till the beginning of the autumn of 1834; at which time we had become so emaciated, feeble, and sickly, that we found it impossible any longer even to attempt to labor. By this time we had acquired a sufficient knowledge of their tongue to converse fluently with the natives, and we informed our masters, that our feeble condition rendered it impossible for us to attempt to do any thing more. We also reasoned the matter with them, telling them that death was our inevitable doom, unless we were allowed to relax our labor; that if we died we could be of no service to them, but if allowed a respite, and we lived, and could be put on board a vessel, they should be liberally rewarded.

With much difficulty we at length persuaded our masters to allow us to quit labor, and obtained from them a promise to be put on board the first vessel that should come to the island. But, at the same time, they informed us, that if we ceased to work, they should cease to furnish the miserable allowance of cocoa-nut on which we had before subsisted, and that we must either labor or starve. We deemed death as welcome in one shape as in another, and relinquished our labors and our pittance of food together.

We were thus literally turned out to die! We crawled from place to place, subsisting upon leaves, and now and then begging of the natives a morsel of cocoa-nut. In this way we contrived to live for about two months, when the joyful intelligence was brought to us that a vessel was in sight, and was coming near the island! Hope once more revisited our despairing hearts, and seemed to inspire us with renewed strength and animation.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ESCAPE TO THE BRITANNIA.]

After taxing our exhausted powers to the utmost, we persuaded the natives to prepare for visiting the vessel; and throwing our emaciated bodies into their canoes, we made for the s.h.i.+p with all possible despatch. The vessel proved to be the British barque Britannia, captain Short, bound to Canton. Our reception on board is faithfully described in the following certificate given by captain Short, the original of which is still in my possession:

"LINTIN, 29th December, 1834.

"This is to certify, that on the 27th day of November, 1834, off the small island commonly called Lord North's by the English, situated in lat.i.tude 3 3' north, and longitude 131 20' east, on board the British barque Britannia, bound to Canton river, we observed about ten or eleven canoes, containing upwards of one hundred men, approaching the vessel, in a calm, or nearly so, with the intention of coming alongside. But having the small complement of thirteen men, it was considered most prudent to keep them off, which was effected by firing a few six pound shots in a contrary direction from the boats, some of which were then within pistol-shot. At the same time hearing cries in our own language, begging to be taken on board, the boat was despatched away to know the cause. The boat returned to the s.h.i.+p, and reported an American on board one of them. She was then sent back, having strict orders to act with caution, and the man got from the canoe into the sea, and was taken up by the s.h.i.+p's boat, and brought on board. He then stated in what manner he came there, and said he had another of his countrymen in another canoe. I said if we could get some of the boats dispersed, that every a.s.sistance should be rendered for the liberty of the other man. Accordingly they did so, all but three. The s.h.i.+p's boat was then despatched in search, and soon found the other man. He was brought on board, but in a most deplorable condition with fever, from the effects of a miserable subsistence. These two poor fellows were quite naked, under a burning sun. They appeared to bear all the marks of their long servitude, and I should suppose two or three days would have been the end of the last man taken on board, but from this act of Providence. It appears that these men were wrecked in the s.h.i.+p Mentor, on the Pelew islands, and were proceeding with their commander to some Dutch settlement, in one of the Pelew island canoes, when they got to the afore-mentioned island, and were detained by the natives; and that captain Edward C. Barnard had got on board some s.h.i.+p, and reached Canton river shortly after their detention at the island; which has been confirmed by the different masters now at the port of Lintin.

"The statement given in to me by the two men runs thus:--That they were wrecked May 21st, 1832, on the Pelew islands, and detained on Lord North's island 6th December, 1832. The two men's names are Benjamin H. Nute and Horace Holden. I should thank any s.h.i.+p master now in port, acquainted with the circ.u.mstance, to confirm it by his signature, in order to make some provision for those men, should they require it. But from the disposition and liberality of those American gentlemen coming forward, that are already acquainted with the circ.u.mstance, perhaps it will be unnecessary. At the same time I shall be very willing to draw up any form, or in any other way that I may forward their views, according to the opinion of their American friends. I should hope that every vessel pa.s.sing in the direction of the afore-mentioned island, pa.s.sing any of their boats, will give them a trifle. I gave them what articles those two men thought most beneficial, and should have held a closer communication with them had I been better manned and armed.

HENRY SHORT, Barque Britannia."

Never shall we find words to express our joy at once more finding ourselves in the company of civilized men! Nor can we be too grateful to captain Short, and his officers and crew, for their kind attentions during our pa.s.sage to Lintin. Every thing in their power was done to restore our health and strength, and to render us comfortable. On arriving at Lintin we found ourselves sufficiently recovered to be able to pa.s.s up the river to Canton. We remained there, at the factories, under medical treatment, until the s.h.i.+p Morrison, of New York, was ready to sail; when we took pa.s.sage in her for our native country, and arrived in New York on the 5th day of May, 1835.

In New York we found many kind friends, who took a lively interest in our behalf. We would particularly acknowledge a debt of grat.i.tude which we owe to Mr. John Munson, who opened his hospitable dwelling for our reception, and with whom we tarried for several weeks. a.s.sisted by the humane and philanthropic citizens of New York, we have been enabled to reach Boston. Here Providence has raised us up warm friends, through whose a.s.sistance we have been rendered as comfortable as could under any circ.u.mstances have been expected.

In compliance with the solicitations of many respectable gentlemen, the foregoing narrative is submitted to the public, with the hope that it may not be entirely uninteresting, and not without use. Every statement may be relied upon as strictly true; and it is believed, that, simple and unadorned as is our story, it may serve to afford some information of a little spot hitherto supposed to be uninhabited, and to present to view of the curious and intelligent some knowledge of a portion of our race among whom no white man has ever before lived.

To captain Barnard the author of the statements in this narrative is under great obligations for his uniformly kind treatment previous to the loss of the Mentor, and during the whole time we were together. We have no reason to doubt, that he did all in his power to obtain our release from captivity at the time when he was himself so fortunate as to escape; and not the least blame is to be imputed to him on account of the disasters that befell us.

Of the twenty-two persons who composed the s.h.i.+p's company of the Mentor when she sailed from New Bedford, only _four_ have returned. It has been reported, that one of the three who was left at the Pelew islands escaped a few months since. If such be the case only two remain there; and it is hoped that some measures will soon be adopted, either by the government or by humane individuals, to rescue them from their painful and distressing situation.

I cannot close this narrative without expressing the most heart-felt grat.i.tude to that kind Providence which has sustained us under trials and sufferings the most severe, and returned us to our homes and friends. And may those who have been to us friends indeed, find an ample reward for their generosity, in the consciousness of having been influenced by those sentiments and feelings which best adorn and dignify the human character!

BOSTON, NOVEMBER, 1835.

APPENDIX.

VOCABULARY OF THE LANGUAGE OF LORD NORTH'S ISLAND.

The language of the inhabitants of Lord North's island appears to be a new and hitherto unknown dialect of the Polynesian family of languages.

According to the preceding Narrative, it was wholly unintelligible to the _Pelew_ chiefs who accompanied the crew of the Mentor when they were made captives. To judge by the _numerals_, and a few other words, which have been collected by travellers, it has a near affinity to the dialects of the neighboring _Caroline_ islands.

In the selection of words for the following vocabulary, we have princ.i.p.ally followed the list of English words in Keate's Account of the Pelew Islands, but have added several from the Empress Catherine's Vocabulary; distinguis.h.i.+ng by SMALL CAPITALS all the words which correspond to those in that Vocabulary. Some short dialogues are subjoined to the vocabulary.

The orthography adopted is that of the _English_ language; it being the most useful to such of our navigators as may chance to visit Lord North's island or those in its vicinity. It is only necessary to state particularly, that _ay_ is to be p.r.o.nounced like _aye_, or _ah-ee_; _g_, always hard, as in _go_; _ng_, in the middle of a word, as it is at the end; as, for example, in the English word _hanger_, and not as in the word anger, (ang-ger;) and _zh_ is to be p.r.o.nounced like _s_ in _pleasure_, or the French _j_.

It is proper to remark, that the words of the language here given, not having been furnished by _natives_ of the island, are to be received rather as approximations than as perfectly exact specimens of the language; but the comparisons made with kindred dialects lead us to believe, that they are as exact as are usually obtained from similar sources. Two years' residence in the island strongly impressed the language in the memory of the unfortunate captives.

And, mah.

Arm. (_See_ Hand.)

BACK, tukkalek'.

BAD, tuhmah'.

Bamboo, sheel, _or_ s.h.i.+l.[6]

BEARD, koosum. (_See_ Hair.)

BELLY, mish'ee-um.

Belt, (worn by the men,) tap'pah.

Big, yennup.

Bird, kar'rum.

BLACK, wayzer'ris, (wah-ee-zerris.)

Boat, prow, (prah-oo.)

BONE, cheel.

BOY. (_See_ Man.)

Bra.s.s, mullebah'dee.

Breast (of a female,) toot.[7]

Brother, biz'zheem, _or_ biz'zhim.

Canoe, (_the same as_ Boat.)

CHILD, (_of two or three years old_,) lah'bo.

Clouds, kotcho.

Cocoa-nut, (_when ripe_,) kahrah'pah; (_when very young_,) soob; (_when the husk is so hard as to require breaking with a stone_,) chou, _or_ chah-oo.

Cold, makkrazm'.

Come, (_verb, the same as to go_,) mo'rahbeeto.