wn use. The vessel was quite a small one,
and the water was kept in the hold. But the two or three whites who
formed the crew forcibly prevented the black-fellows from carrying out
their plan. This gave rise to much discontent, and eventually the
blacks, in desperation, openly rose and mutinied. Arming themselves with
heavy pieces of firewood they proceeded to attack their masters, and some
of them succeeded in getting at the water, in spite of the whites, by
simply knocking the bungs out of the casks. The captain thereupon went
down to parley with them, but was met by a shower of blows from the heavy
sticks I have just mentioned. Half-stunned, he dashed out of the hold,
got his musket, and fired down among the mutineers, hitting one black-
fellow in the throat, and killing him instantly. Far from infuriating
the rest, as would most certainly have been the case with any other race,
this course of action terrified the blacks, and they barricaded
themselves down below. Eventually the whites again sought them and made
peace, the blacks promising to conduct themselves more obediently in the
future. It may here be said that the ship had called specially at Jacky
Jacky's home on the coast to kidnap the natives.

On arriving at the pearling settlement, the blacks found themselves among
a number of other unfortunate creatures like themselves, and all were
compelled to go out in pearling vessels just as the exigencies of the
industry required. Jacky Jacky himself was kept at this work for upwards
of three years; and he told me many terrible stories of the white man's
indescribable cruelty and villainy. He and his companions were
invariably chained up during the night and driven about like cattle in
the daytime. Many of his mates at the pearling settlement had been
kidnapped from their homes in a cruel and contemptible manner, and herded
off like sheep by men on horseback armed with formidable weapons.

Their sufferings were very great because, of course, they were totally
unused to work of any kind. The enforced exile from home and the dreary
compulsory labour made the life far worse than death for these primitive
children of Nature. Then, again, they were exiled from their wives, who
would, of course, be appropriated in their absence--another tormenting
thought. They were frequently beaten with sticks, and when they
attempted to run away they were speared as enemies by other tribes;
whilst, in the event of their