N. Francis Xavier, Part XXVI
(Continued from last week)
Mr Homfray and Mr Portman waited at Ross jetty, next to the steam barge. A light plume of smoke rose from the smoke stack of the boat. Lascars waited to cast off the ropes as soon as the Superintendent embarked. Col. Cadell will inspect Chatham Island today.
Standing next to Mr Homfray was Jacko, his Great Andamanese friend. Jacko was the one who had been taken to Calcutta by Dr F.J. Mouat in January 1858.
Col. Cadell arrived in a rickshaw, pulled and pushed by four convicts. Capt. Birch rode behind him on a pony. Homfray and Portman saluted and greeted Cadell. He jumped off the rickshaw and boarded the vessel. Straightaway he went to the wheel house and took his seat next to the master’s chair. The boat headed towards Chatham.
On the lower deck Birch told Portman and Homfray that the Superintended wished to locate some sites on Chatham for watch towers where he wanted to station marksmen to shoot at any escapees from Viper. It is likely that Hemraj’s escape might have encouraged some convicts to follow his example. Most of the people in the settlement started believing that the fugitives must have made it to the mainland safely and reunited with their families.
The barge rubbed gently against the stone jetty. The gangway was placed and Col. Cadell strode briskly on to the road. The officers and men followed. They crossed the brickwork structure built by Archibald Blair to supply water to the boats from the reservoir on the hillock. Beyond the sheds for storing timber and the barracks for convalescent convicts was the second high ground on the island.
Cadell and party made their way to the top. From there they had a clear view of the channel on either side of Chatham. Riflemen from there would be able fire upon escapees before a boat could be launched to pursue and apprehend them.
Cadell told the Executive Engineer to construct the watch towers. Birch was to man them with the best shots in the police force.
The men came down. Below the hill, in the open ground was a lonely grave. Cadell asked Portman whose it was.
“Sir, it is a double grave, with the remains of two crew members of the surveying brig Multan”. Portman answered.
They walked towards the white marble cross and read the epitaph.
Here lie the mortal remains of
John P. Streeten, 3rd Officer
And Mr. Maddock Clerk
Of the Hon’ble CO’s Surveying Brig Multan.
Died March 4th 1858
Killed by the natives while executing their duties
“How did it happen?” Cadell asked.
“Sir, Jacko here will be able to explain it better. Mr. Homfray, please call Jacko. ”
Homfray stepped forward towing Jacko along. Jacko wore a cast off sailor’s suit. His brilliant white teeth gleamed in the sunlight, in contrast to his jet black skin.
“Well, Jacko, did you see it?” Cadell asked.
“Yaassir, I was there. I remember it well. It was just six days before the first batch of convicts arrived here. SS Semiramis came here on 10 March 1858, with 200 convicts. Before that Capt. Man came here to take official possession of the islands. He left a ship of the East India Company, the Multan, to render any assistance to Maj. James Pattison Walker, the first Superintendent of the settlement.
“The men of the Multan were regularly coming to our village at North Bay to ogle at the women. Every day they would take out the ship’s boat and land at our place. They would bring tobacco and rum, and then tell the men to show them the women.
“We knew their intentions, but our men were badly addicted to tobacco, opium and alcohol by them. They would do anything for them.
“On the 4th of March the boat came as usual. One of the men, I think he was the midshipman of the Multan, made obscene advances to a woman and tried to molest her. We were shocked. We didn’t expect the fair skinned, properly clothed people to show interest in us, whom they called ‘savages’. There were shouts and a scuffle. Our men rushed to get their bows. By that time the crew of the Multan started getting into the boat. We let off a volley aimed at the culprit, but struck two others who were still on the beach.
“They died on the spot, pierced through the heart. The boat pulled away in a hurry leaving the bodies behind. The whole night the Multan kept cruising between Ross and North Bay, firing at us to keep us away from the bodies. However, we buried them the next day where they lay, according to our customs. They were not the ones that offended us. We begged forgiveness from their spirits. One of the men had a watch on his hand. I took it as a good luck charm.
“We abandoned the village and moved into the jungle after that. The crew of the Multan did not dare to come near that place but cruised around waiting for the arrival of SS Semiramis.
“On the 10th of March the SS Semramis came. It was a steam ship, with two huge paddle wheels amidships. It was like the Pluto that came earlier with Dr Mouat, but bigger. We watched in amazement as the convicts were disembarked from the ship. Their chains were removed to facilitate getting into the boats. The moment they landed the convicts started making attempts to escape. One of them, an ex-sepoy named Narain jumped into the sea and tried to swim towards Haddo. He almost made it when the Naval Brigadesmen started firing and made him change course. By that time a boat was launched and he was captured. It was just four days after the arrival of the first batch.
“Dr. Walker had a make shift gallows erected even as the boat returned. Narain was hanged immediately, in front of everyone, to send the message that punishment would be swift and severe.
“During that month more than two hundred escaped into the jungles. They thought they could walk to Burma or Calcutta, but most of them died of starvation. We killed a few who tried to attack our settlements. Some of them returned to Chatham, hoping for pardon. But they were mistaken. Walker hanged them all on a single day, and buried them right here, in an unmarked mass grave. They were buried with their irons on.
“The rest of the prisoners were terrified by the cruelty of Dr Walker. He used brutal methods to maintain discipline among the convicts. Their handcuffs and fetters were never removed. Many died from infected sores.
“The Semiramis departed immediately to get some supplies from Moulmein. Meanwhile ship after ship started coming with more and more convicts. They were shifted to Ross Island. Dr Walker stayed on the Multan with the Naval Brigade while the huts and barracks were being constructed.
“Some four months after the settlement the crew of the Multan and the Naval Brigadesmen raided our village and set it on fire. They found the watch in my hut. They dug up the remains of the two men, brought them here and reburied them after a funeral service.
“This part of the island is believed to be a haunted place by our people. There are so many lying buried herewho met a violent death.
Jacko concluded his story. The men were already getting ready to leave, scared of the spirits of the dead.
“We should perhaps transfer this grave to the Aberdeen cemetery”, Cadell said. “They should not lie among these niggers”.
“We shall do that sir”, Birch piped in. “By next All Souls Day we shall have them re-buried, for the third time, in a proper grave”. ( To be continued…)
Leave a Reply