140 WHALING 



intended to keep as wives, thus to lend their marooned state 

 as many attributes as possible of the ideal existence. 



The young women appeared to be well pleased with their new 

 estate; but it would seem that, during the night, one of them 

 thought better of her hasty and informal venture into matri- 

 mony, for in the morning she had disappeared. 



Now Payne and Oliver were enraged and chagrined at this 

 defection, and, promptly joined by Lilliston, they armed them- 

 selves in haste and, setting out in fury to recover her, attacked a 

 village. With magnificent courage — and blank cartridges — the 

 three howling white men put the villagers to flight, chased and 

 caught the fugitive bride, and, fetching her back to the camp, 

 clapped her into irons, and soundly flogged her. 



The natives, who had until then been as friendly as could 

 be desired, turned against the white men. Their ill-will first 

 manifested itself in petty thefts and annoyances; and when 

 Payne sent four men, armed with muskets loaded with fine 

 shot, to recover stolen goods, the islanders turned, tooth and 

 nail, upon the little band. 



Up over the sand they swarmed, with sticks and stones and 

 spears. Hurling missiles before them as they ran, they struck 

 down and killed one man, Rowland Jones; then gathering in 

 large numbers, they held a council and proceeded to destroy 

 one of the boats, which sorely disturbed Payne, since the boats 

 represented his only chance of escape from the island where, if 

 at all, the authorities would seek to apprehend him. 



Regarding his predicament as utterly desperate, he took his 

 life in his hands and went himself to the natives, to see if he 

 could not find some escape from the net that was so swiftly 

 closing; but, according to the best bargain that he could drive, 

 the white men got peace only by giving up everything they had 

 and by submitting to the government of the natives, whose 

 manner of living they promised to adopt. 



To this both sides agreed. But as the natives began to seize 

 upon their plunder, an old woman whom William Lay had be- 

 friended came up to him with her husband, and led him away 

 from the others. Sitting down, the old pair held him by the 



