200 
SLAVERY, 
inhabitants of some of these islands for kidnap- 
ping Ms son. He sailed in command of one of 
his father's vessels, and in this neighbourhood 
the natives had attacked him and taken him 
captive. All attempts to find him had been 
fruitless : his father thinks that, when they saw 
a vessel approaching, they hurried him off some 
distance inland. 
They do have slaves in some parts, but there 
were none in our village. One day a large prahu 
drew near, and was moored to the beach, not far 
from our dwelling. The company came on shore, 
and stayed, making merry with our villagers for 
two days : all that time, before my eyes, a Papuan 
woman was tied to the mast, with not more than 
a yard of rope. Everything necessary to cook 
for the company, fire and all, was within this 
limited range, where she toiled all day, no one 
speaking to her or heeding her, I had a burning 
desire to go and cut her free ; but we should 
have been murdered for my pains : and where 
was the poor creature to go to ? There was no 
food and no fresh water in the interior ; and 
besides, they would have hunted her down at 
once. 
There are no mountains in the group, except- 
ing a cone, rising about 2000 feet, in the west- 
