22nd June 1898

Wednesday
7.30am we stopped off the island of Wanono at this place lived a trader named Pratt who had sent news down to Sydney that he had been murderously attacked by the Natives of Vella La Vella this man is a Frenchman and whilst trading with the natives, of a village in Juno bay he and his crew was murderously attacked whilst on board this schooner, Pratt received a terrible cut across the left side of his head which very nearly cost him his life the natives who struck him was instantly killed but one of the

schooner crew named Jack a black man who very nearly severed the native in half by a blow from an axe another native was

shot in the head by Pratt before he had received the blow, the schooner crew managed to beat the natives off who when they

found that they had lost two men retreated in their canoes they wanted the Head of Pratt the trader to stick on a New War Canoe which they was about to launch this had taken place seven months back November 1897 and we had come here with the commissioner on purpose to punish the Natives and to try and stop them from head Hunting, our boats went on shore and brought off Mr Pratt and 2 natives we had them to act as guides. to show us, the place of hiding of the Chiefs, we then proceeded on to Vella la Vella arriving there at noon, we landed 70 Blue Jackets and all the marines, the Commissioner & Mr Pratt on getting ashore we found the Village was deserted the Natives having retreated in to the bush, where it would be simply madness to try and follow them, they made a signal to the ship and they fired some 6 inch shrapnel & Common shells into the surrounding hills but would find no traces of them, they had some very fine huts & war canoes these we broke up and burnt destroying everything we came across, whilst the huts were burning , I amused myself shooting at some pigs that was running about in half wild state, I was attending on the 1st Lieut , my Governor, he managed to shoot two bad enough to stop there run-ning, but a Lee Matford Bullet would pass clean through them and they would hardly take as much notice of it, that if I had only stuck a pin in them after all the huts was well a light, we started to return back to the ship, but just as we started to shove off from the shore a native showed himself in the Bush we fired a volley at him from the boats, thinking that there would be a lot more in the bush by him, he was only a little over 100 yds away and I never in all my life see a chap jump so high in the air, he must have been like a top of a pepper box riddled with bullets, Our Captain did

not think it wise enough to turn back as the sun



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 was beginning to set and it would be extremely dangerous to be on shore,  as no sooner than the sun is down it is dark, so were turned on board and left the place going at slow speed, during the time I was on shore we came across a native oven of smooth stone a human skull and a few loose bones, scattered about, I expect they had made a bake for that chap we collected the Bone, and buried them I managed to stow the skull away, but could not find the lower jaw to go with it.