29th May 1898

Sunday
At daybreak we came upon the Island Utupua at 7 am our Steam
Pinnace and Cutter fully armed with the Captain and Paymaster went to
annex the island, but the boats returned about 10am bringing back with
them to Black Men one a native of the Island and the

other belong to the New Hebrides, we found that out that on the boats
nearing the Island, a canoe shot out from a small inlet with these two
men in it, who was waving there paddles frantically in the air, the
native from Hebrides could understand English pretty well and he stated
that he had just escaped from being murdered by the natives of the
Island, he belonged to a schooner that

was trading from the New Hebrides in Beck-de-Mu a kind of Sea Slug
(Black) which is use for making a very good Soup,very nutritious to
invalids, there was four of them which made the crew, himself and
another native & two English Men, whilst they was on shore making
arrangements about trading, they were attacked by the native just a week
before our arrival, they murdered the two Englishmen & a native,
but Bob Wells ( the name of the native) who escaped swam off to the
schooner, butthey pursued him and he had to make good his escape by
jumping overboard and swimming to the other side of the Harbour were the
Natives were more friendly, he was taken care of by the native that
came off to our ship with him, Bob had got a very severe slash across
the back which

he had received from a knife just as he was jumping over the side of the schooner, it was just beginning to close

up, and he must have been in a great pain and agony swimming the
distance across which was a good mile & half ??? standing a chance
with Johnny Thanks We found out from Jim (the name of the chap that was
looking after Bob) that they had buried the bodies and had burnt the
schooner down to the waters edge and than sank her in deep water, so we
kept him in order that he could direct us to the spot, we made our way
through the reef by the Basslish passage with two boats away ahead
sounding sounding and after some very careful navigation we came to
anchor in 24 fathoms of water, the Island was shaped very much like a
horseshoe we sent a boat in to reconnoitre along the coast but could
find out nothing, and it being late in the afternoon and Sunday, the
Captain thought he would let things alone till the next day, so he let
Jim go on shore and he was to let his own tribe know that we had not
come there to punish them but only those people that had committed the
murder, and that he had to return on board the following mooring or we
would punish him nday.