Volume I Part 37 (2/2)

After driving about for fifteen days on the ocean, they descried land which they took to be Timor; they went on shore and procured so their course along the coast, they were attacked by a nuue, and without any arms to defend themselves, they were forced to surrender The natives upset the boat, and stripped theht on shore, where the natives at first seeh the intercession of two chiefs, named Pabok and Lomba, their lives were spared

They afterwards learnt, that they were at the native village of Oliliet, in the island of Tiiven back to the compelled by the natives to perform any labour; their sustenance consisted of Indian corn, yaiven the their abode in this island, they learnt that in one of the neighbouring settlements called Laouran, at that period at ith the one in which they lived, there was another European, for, that had been wrecked seven years ago, and of whose crew he, and a boy since dead, had alone been spared by their savage captors

After re proa arrived from A to return soon in an English shi+p, with ar their enee of five days, they arrived at Amboyna, on the 7th of October, 1835

IRELAND'S ACCOUNT OF THE FATE OF THE CREW

Of the melancholy fate of those who re account, which was published at Sydney by Captain PP King, RN Ireland and the younger D'Oyly, were rescued froes by Captain CM Lewis, of the Colonial schooner, Isabella, as sent to look for theles having reported that he had seen thite persons a the natives of Murray's Island, but had been unable to induce the natives to give them up

(Footnote I afterwards ret that soaway the children His account differed veryIreland's, and it is but justice to hi to his report that the vessels were sent in search of Ireland and young D'Oyly

JLS)

The Charles Eaton left Sydney on the 29th of July, 1834, bound to Canton, by way of Torres Strait; and experienced a series of fine weather and favourable winds until she approached the Barrier Reef, when the weather became thick and rainy

The uided by which he boldly steered for the reefs Unfortunately, however, for hi the Barriers, that he could obtain no observation for the latitude, and yet it would appear that the shi+p was in a very favourable position

About ten o'clock in the ht ahead, upon which the shi+p was hove up in the wind and both anchors let go, and the cables paid out to the end; but as the depth was probably unfathomable they had no effect, for she drifted on the reef and fell over on her beam ends The chief ed, and everything destroyed by the water, which broke over the decks, and the shi+p became a perfect wreck Happily the upper part of the vessel kept together, on which the crew and passengers collected Soon after she struck, a vessel was observed three or four h and dry upon the reefs, with her , and royal yards across, and sails set, in which position she must have been left by her crew

(Footnote The Flora, Sheriff,the confusion that existed, one of the quarter-boats was lowered, but immediately swamped, by which one man, named Price, was drowned Soon afterwards, three of the crew, naott, the third mate; L

Constantine, the carpenter; and W Gumble, one of the seamen, put sails, provisions, and water, and arms, and all the carpenter's tools, into the other quarter-boat, and lowered her down; and kept near the wreck during the day and following night The next day R Quin and J Wright, two seamen, joined theh six of the crew , and wished to be taken on board The boat, however, bore away, and was seen no more

The master then, assisted by those who remained, attempted to make a raft, which was not co this interval they had ed to distil the contents of a cask and some bottles of water from the sea, by the aid of the shi+p's coppers, and a leaden pipe froallery cistern, the whole of which they placed on the raft with a basket containing beer, and a cask of pork

Whilst they were on the wreck they were upon a daily allowance of tine glasses of distilled water, and a few pieces of daot upon it, but finding that it was not buoyant enough to hold them, they threw over the water the pork and beer Still it did not support their weight, so the greater nu Mr Moore the eon, Captain and Mrs D'Oyly, and their two children, their nurse, a native of India, and Mr Arers; also two seamen, naht In the , however, it was found that the rope by which the raft had beenwas seen of their companions It is probable that the uncomfortable situation in which they found themselves, up to their waists in water, and the sea constantly breaching over them, induced the uide hiers to some place of safety

Those that remained then ether with coir rope, and o It took seven days before it was completed, when they launched off and bid adieu to the ill-fated vessel, which was probably soon broken up, for at high-water the sea breached over her

The vessel that was seen with her , was too far to ard for theainst the wind and current Upon casting off, they set their sail and steered before the wind, but the raft was so heavy and deep that very little progress was o more than a mile or one mile and a half an hour After some tiht, and the nextproceeded before the wind, but saw no hts upon the raft, up to their waists in water, and partaken of very little food, they passed an island, and then saw severaltowards the ten or twelve Indians, who as they approached stood up and extended their arms to show they had no weapons and were inclined to be friendly On reaching the raft the Indians got upon it, and conducted themselves very peaceably; and after a short tio into the canoe, which they at first hesitated to do, until Thoo, as he should then have a better chance of getting to England, upon which they all consented, and embarked in the canoe Before they left, the Indians searched the raft very narrowly for iron implements, but only found a few hoops which they collected and took with them They left the raft about four o'clock in the afternoon, and in less than an hour were landed on an island which they subsequently found was called Boydan, and which is probably that on the chart called Number 1, to the eastward of Hannibal Island

(Footnote On their way to it the canoe passed, first, three islands on the right (northward) and one on the left (southward) The uished from Boydan Island, and appeared to be about twelve or fourteen rees very ith the island it is supposed to be)

Upon dise, the natives accompanied them round the island in search of food and water, but they were so exhausted by fatigue and hunger, that they could scarcely crawl Upon their return to the place where they landed, they threw theround in despair; as it was evident froes, who stood around their party grinning and laughing in thein the anticipation of their murderous intentions In this dreadful state of suspense, Mr Clare, the first officer, addressing his coned to their fate; and read to them, in a most impressive ht with hi thehty, they laid down, and worn out by severe exhaustion, were soon asleep; but it was to them the sleep of death; for no sooner had they composed themselves than, as Ireland describes, he was roused by a shout and noise, and upon looking up saw the Indianstheir brains out with clubs The first that was killed was poor Ching, and after him his companion Perry, and then Mr Mayer, the second officer: after which the confusion becauish what passed The last however, that met his fate was Mr

Clare, who in the attempt to make his escape to the canoe, was overtaken by his pursuers, and immediately despatched by a blow on the head

Ireland and another boy na their fate: the former, the narrator of this melancholy tale, thus describes his deliverance:

An Indian ca knife to cutseized hold of ht hand and held it fast, struggling forhis knee on my breast tried to wrench the knife out of ers was cut through to the bone At last I succeeded in getting uppero and ran into the sea, and swa much exhausted, and the only chance of ain fully expecting to be knocked on the head The saesture, and shot ht breast with an arrow; and then in a most unaccountable ed me to a little distance, and offered me some fish and water, which I was unable to partake of

Whilst struggling with the Indian, I observed sexton, as held by another, bite a piece of his ar of him, until I found his life had been spared in a ating Ireland to obtain some explanation of the reason their lives were spared, he says, that he has frequently seen the Indians recover themselves in a moment from a violent paroxysm of fury; and he attributes their safety to a circumstance of this nature PPK)

At a short distance off,round a large fire, before which were placed in a row the heads of their victi in the surf on the beach, fro been probably washed away by the tide sexton and I were then placed in charge of two natives, who covered us with the sail of the canoe, a sort of mat, but paid no attention toprofusely

The next day the Indians collected all the heads; and, e, removed to another island where the wo there, Ireland sao of Captain D'Oyly's children, and the shi+p's dog, called Portland; the elder (George) D'Oyly, told him that the first raft had landed on the island, and that all the passengers, excepting himself and his brother, had been instantly murdered; that his mother was killed by a bloith a club, and that his little brother was in her arms at the time, but was saved by one of the women, who afterwards took care of him The child was seen by Ireland, when they landed, in the wo very much He also saw some pieces of the shi+p's cabin doors, attached as ornaments to the heads of their canoes, which they appeared to prize verywhich were the heads of the passengers and crew, of the first raft; those of Mrs D'Oyly and Captain Moore being plainly distinguishable; the former by the hair, the latter by the features The heads were suspended by a rope to a pole that was stuck up near the huts of the wo, accoestures with the most horrid yells