This Man Immediately
Pulled From His Bosom A Small Basket Of Papers Which Were Found To
Consist Of Loose Scraps
Written by the crew of the Charles Eaton.* (* The
Charles Eaton was wrecked in Torres Strait in 1834.) Beside these
The
basket contained a letter written by Lieutenant Owen Stanley, of H.M.S.
Britomart, stating that he had called here and had examined and copied
the scraps of paper. As night was coming on the canoes were dismissed and
all the natives sent away excepting the Orang Kaire who had first
arrived. The other chief was anxious to remain on board with him, but Mr.
Watson would not allow him to do so.
After pacing the deck, the chief made a resolute attempt to follow his
companions, tearing off the few garments which he was wearing and
endeavouring to jump into the water. Early on April 1st the Essington was
brought abreast of Louron. Not a canoe hove in sight until nine o'clock,
when two belonging to the prisoner came alongside and the crews asked
that he might be allowed to go on shore. This request Captain Watson
refused, and shortly afterwards the friendly Orang, who again visited the
ship, promised to deliver up the Englishman. At 2.30 P.M. two canoes were
observed approaching the Essington, in one of which was the captive. He
was dressed as a native, and when they drew close to the ship it was seen
that he was in a most miserable condition. He was of fair complexion and
his hair, which had been allowed to grow long, was "triced up in native
custom with a comb made of bamboo," and being of a light yellow colour
"it resembled the finest silk." His only garments were a sort of
waistcoat without sleeves and a blue and white dungaree girdle round his
loins. He looked delicate, and his face wore a woebegone expression,
which apparently was habitual, while his body was covered with numberless
scars and sores. The sinews of his knee-joints were very contracted,
because, he told Captain Watson, he had to sit fishing so long in one
position in the hot sun so that he was almost unable to walk. His ears
had been perforated after the custom of the natives, and in the lobe of
each he wore a piece of bamboo at least an inch in diameter.
As was to be expected, from having been fourteen years on the island, he
had almost forgotten his native language and with difficulty could make
himself intelligible. He was, however, able to give the following account
of his life there. The Stedcombe, on leaving Melville Island, had gone to
Timor Laut for live stock and had moored off Louron. Mr. Bastell, the
mate in charge, then proceeded on shore with the crew, leaving on board
the steward, a boy named John Edwards, and himself. As Mr. Bastell and
the crew did not return he (Forbes) looked through the glass and then
beheld their bodies stretched out on the beach - the heads severed from
each. As a canoe was perceived approaching the ship, he proposed to the
steward and to John Edwards that they should arm: but the former paid no
attention to him. He then proposed that he and John Edwards should punch
one of the bolts out of the cable and liberate the ship. They were in the
act of doing this when the natives, among whom was the Orang Kaire whom
Watson had detained, boarded the Stedcombe. The unfortunate steward was
killed on the spot, and the two boys, expecting to share his fate, betook
themselves to the rigging and were only induced to descend upon repeated
promises that they would not be injured. Strange to say, the natives kept
their promises, and after plundering the ship they burnt her. The boys
were kept in the capacity of ordinary slaves until about four years
before the coming of the Essington, when Edwards died, and since that
time Forbes had been unable to move in consequence of the stiffness in
his legs. The scars were caused by the natives when he incurred their
displeasure. One of their common modes of punishment was to take hot
embers from the fire and place them on some part of his body until it was
severely burned. When asked how he was treated generally, he replied
"Trada Bergouse," meaning very badly. Some few natives, he said, were
kind to him, among them the chief who had produced the papers. Speaking
of the chief of Louron, he remarked, "Louron cuts me down to the ground"
which was thought to imply that he flogged him and knocked him down.
Whenever a vessel hove in sight the chief would have him bound hand and
foot and keep him so, as long as the vessel remained at the island. This
explains why Lieutenant Stanley did not see him when he called in H.M.S.
Britomart. Some of the crew of the Charles Eaton had come there and
wished him to leave with them, but permission was refused. Lastly a
Chinese trader had wished to purchase him and had offered several "gown
pieces" as the price, but this offer too was declined. When Kolff called
with two Dutch men-of-war, he and his men would have nothing to do with
him, nor would they assist him to escape.
Forbes gave accounts of many ships having been cut off by these pirates
but only two clear accounts - the one of a China junk which they boarded,
murdered and plundered the crew, and eventually burnt, and the other a
schooner manned with black men, which they plundered afterwards
liberating the men. He also said that a whaler had been cast away seven
moons ago, and that two whale-boats and one jolly-boat with only five
people in all arrived at Timor Laut. This story, however, was confused
and incoherent.
When Captain Bremer arrived at Sydney in H.M.S. Alligator about the same
time as the Essington, he had Forbes placed in the hospital there and
wrote to the Admiralty asking for inquiries to be made about his
relatives and to inform them of his existence.
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