trading for fresh food, course was set for Sandalwood Bay. Before rounding into the bay it was possible to see the masts of two vessels, a ship and a brig already at anchor there. As the bay opened up to view a longboat from the ship came alongside, carrying members of the crews of both the anchored vessels.
The boat's crew boarded Jenny with many expressions of good fellowship and offered assistance to pilot her to a safe anchorage. As the two vessels were soon identified as "colony" or New South Wales ships, it seemed strange for them to welcome a Yankee in this fashion. Dorr now showed that the Yankee reputation for shrewdness was a well-earned one. He had the newcomers plied with rum, whereupon it was soon evident from their loosened tongues that they intended to run the Jenny ashore. Led enthusiastically by mate Locker-by, the crew of the Jenny turned on the would-be wreckers and drove them out of the ship. Dorr found an anchorage without difficulty.
Lockerby, as mate, had the responsibility of procuring the cargo of sandalwood, a task that was obviously not going to be so easy. The men of the other two ships already knew the Fijian chiefs and had advised them not to trade with the Yankee interlopers. It looked as though the Jenny would have to lie at anchor until the colony ships had secured their cargoes and departed. But then a diversion occurred that was to relieve them all of the tedium of waiting and was to send Lockerby off on an exciting cruise.
A longboat arrived at Bua Bay manned by five nearly naked survivors of another Yankee vessel. They were the captain, two mates, and two seamen of the brig Eliza out of Providence, Rhode Island. She had been wrecked on the barrier reef of Nairai Island a few days previously. The survivors had not been harmed by the natives ashore, but had been stripped of all their possessions. They had been forced to leave behind on the island most of their shipmates and a great proportion of 40,000 silver dollars, which had been salvaged from the wreck.
Within two days Lockerby had organized a force to return to Nairai with the survivors. They were to retrieve the dollars, by force if necessary, and would bring to Bua Bay the remainder of the crew. The boats' crews were to be armed with muskets or pistols, and the two boats being taken were equipped with swivel guns. A day after leaving the Jenny, the two boats appeared off Nairai, in warlike array and ready to fight. It appeared, however, that their preparations would not be necessary.
The warriors of Nairai gave the boats' crews a friendly welcome, but there were no members of the Eliza crew to meet them. Through signs Lockerby ascertained that the men had already left the island in canoes. The Nairai people were at first more than willing to give up the shiny but useless bits of metal for more durable ship's hardware and broken knives. A brisk trade developed at the exchange rate of one hundred dollars for one small piece of iron.
However, the obvious care taken of the traded dollars showed the Nairai men that they had parted with them too easily. On the pretence of bringing green coconuts to the men in the boats the natives launched a sudden attack on Lockerby and the captain of the Eliza. Both were seized and thrown into the water. They were saved by the prompt action of the second mate, who opened fire with the bow gun of the other boat. The loud noise and smoke so startled the warriors that they fled, leaving the remaining dollars on the beach.
Altogether 9,000 of the dollars were recovered, but it would have been unwise to stay and trade any more. The natives had made signs that some of the dollars had been taken by members of the crew, and some had been taken by the captain in the first longboat trip. It is doubtful, however, if all the dollars were taken, and their whereabouts has ever remained a mystery. No attempt was made to find the other members of the crew, said to be on nearby islands, indicating that the expedition was raised only to recover the dollars. The boats returned to the Jenny, and once more Lockerby was faced with the problem of obtaining a cargo of sandalwood.
The two colony ships were still anchored at Bua, dealing with the chief ashore. Lockerby found it necessary to take his boats further along the coast in order to trade. Even there he met boats from the other ships; competition for a cargo was clearly going to be keen. Also, the Scotsman obviously enjoyed punitive expeditions more than the dull business of obtaining a cargo., Hearing that a boat from the Botany Bay brig Elizabeth had been seized, he organized a party to recapture the boat from the Fijians ashore. He had heard the story of the capture and knew the boat's crew to be in the wrong. He justified his action by noting that he meant to effect the capture by peaceful means-if possible.
Lockerby could have had no love for the crew of the colony boat. He probably either expected to claim a salvage fee for the boat's return, or, as seems likely, he just could not stay out of a fight. Taking charge of a fleet of three boats, all armed with swivel guns and musket-carrying crews, he failed to contact Captain Dorr or to ask his permission for his actions.
He led his small flotilla to the island where the captors had taken the boat and her crew, there to arrange a parley with the chief under a flag of truce. This warrior refused absolutely to give up the boat or the bodies of the two Europeans among the crew. He did, however, agree to release two Tahitians, who had been in the boat when it was taken. These men were handed over, terribly wounded, no attempt having been made to care for them or to dress their wounds. The condition of the prisoners and the arrogant manner of the Fijians angered the men with Lockerby. Those were the reasons they gave for opening fire with the swivel guns as they withdrew, still flying the flag of truce.
The power of powder and shot had been demonstrated to the people of these islands. It was probably not the first time, at least for the men on the Sandalwood coast, but it was the first recorded occasion. Of all the records left behind by Lockerby, this is the most significant, emphasized by the casual manner in which he writes about the carnage.
Turning from war to trade, Lockerby gained the friendship and confidence of the Tui (King) of Bua, the area of the coast on which most sandalwood grew. Soon satisfactory arrangements for trade were made, and boatload after boatload of wood were sent off to the ship. Whenever possible, Lockerby accompanied one of the boats back to the ship so that he could enjoy a night's rest aboard and the doubtful luxury of the ship compared with life in the boats. He was therefore well aware that the ship was filling rapidly. He was amazed, however, to receive the news that the Jenny had left. A sudden squall had parted the cables, and Captain Dorr had been unable to work the Jenny back under her awkward jury rig.
Going ashore full of foreboding as to the treatment he might receive, he was greeted by the old chief of Bua more as a son than a castaway. The chief made him most welcome and gave him all the privileges of a chief. This later proved inconvenient when, as a chief, he was no longer able to feed himself and had to have his food and drink placed in his mouth by a servant. The use of the hands by a chief for such menial tasks as conveying food was tabu. The food was easily taken but the matter of drinking required much practice. He adopted the dress of the natives as his own clothes soon became filthy and ragged. At first he and his men suffered greatly from sunburn and the bites of mosquitoes and sand flies, but with daily applications of coconut oil and turmeric their skin became darkened and toughened so that they felt little discomfort. Lockerby was well cared for, as were all his men, who were treated not as chiefs but as the commoners with whom they lived.
2. Tui Macuata, a major Fiji chief, shown with a sailor.
Lockerby had no intention of staying in Fiji and becoming a beachcomber, regardless of whether or not he enjoyed the status of chief. He and his men decided to make their boat more seaworthy and try to sail to Australia.
At this time there were three more major chiefs in the area—Tui Cakau, Tui Macuata and Tui Vuya, who was also known as Buli Dama. They were becoming increasingly envious of Tui Bua and the wealth he was obtaining from the sandalwood ships. Together they sent messages and a fleet of canoes demanding further tribute, which the Tui Bua refused to give. Instead, he started to build a fort, explaining to Lockerby that he had never needed one before,
