Last week Discovering Fiji brought you the story of Samuel Patterson, a sailor who experienced first hand the famous wreck of the Eliza at Nairai in 1808. He spent over six months in ‘dreadful sufferings’, following the wreck, a tragedy that not only defined his time in Fiji but perhaps, also changing the course of Fiji’s history.
We continue this week with his voyage, detailed in the book titled: “Narrative of the Adventures and Sufferings of Samuel Patterson, experienced in the Pacific Ocean, and many other Parts of the World, with an Account of the Feegee, and Sandwich Islands.”
Note that the wreck of the Eliza is also linked to a famous name Charles Savage who influenced Fijian chiefs and had a hand in the rise of Bau as a powerful chiefdom. Wikipedia notes that Savage easily insinuated himself in the company of the Bau Island chieftain Naulivou.
The wreck of the Eliza is believed to have marked the introduction of arms to Fiji. “From the wreckage of the Eliza, Savage was able to salvage a number of muskets which he then demonstrated to the Bauan leaders,” Wikipedia reports.
“This combination of circumstance, personality, and technology allowed Savage to participate in the Fijian wars, allegedly the first time firearms were ever used in Fiji.” Samuel Patterson visited the island of Batiki on the invitation of the chief. There he learnt of the religion and customs of the people of Fiji which he found “greatly alarming”.
Apart from learning that yams, plantains, coconuts, bananas, taro, and breadfruit were consumed, what irked him was that they “ate the bodies of their own malefactors” and that a breach of their own laws was “punishable with death”.
Patterson said “they generally had a supply of human flesh” and bluntly wrote what he observed this way: “These wretches also eat vermin of almost every description; and by pulling up a bush or weed, or by any other means, they meet with worms, they are as sure and quick to devour them as dunghill fowls would be.”
“One day the wife of a chief, having collected a lot of lice in her hand from the head of her little son, she beckoned to the chief, who was at a little distance, to come, and in his haste to possess himself of his game he hurried them too carelessly into his mouth.”
In a state of weakened health, Patterson would often eat the produce of the country and sometimes not like it. He starved himself often.
“I would go into the huts and look up to the baskets which hung on the ridge pole of the houses with provisions in them to keep from the vermin, look at the chief’s wife and put my hand on my breast and say, sarheur canur cooue which is, I am hungry, and she would give me a piece of yam or potato.
“But one day when we were very hungry, we took a walk out to get some plantains, but came to a tree on which they were not ripe; and in order that we might have some to eat another day, we pulled a few and buried them in the hot sand to ripen.”
This is when they saw a ‘savage’ who made a run towards him and his shipmate Steere with a war club. While Steere managed to run away, Patterson being weak in health, took a beating. He was kicked by the ‘savage’ and left for dead.
“He then dug up the plantains and carried and shewed them to the chief, but I, recovering, got up and went and entered my complain likewise to him but he also was angry with me, and I could get no redress.”
As days passed, Patterson grew weaker till one day he fell and could not get up. He was carried into the chief’s hut where he stayed for a few days before being moved to another hut built to keep yams.
“For about five weeks I was unable…to go out of this hut, or even to turn myself, but endured more than can possibly be expressed. “I was nearly blind with soreness of eyes, the use of one leg entirely gone, and distressingly afflicted with the gravel, which were my principal complaints, together with a general weakness through the whole system.
“While lying in this situation these cannibals would often come and feel of my legs and tell mpeppa langa sar percolar en deeni (papalangi sa mbokola ndina) that is, white man you are good to eat.
“While confined in my hut the women would come and examine me, to see if I was circumcised, and when they found that I was not, they would point their fingers at me and say that I was unclean.
“They used to bring calabashes of water and roll me over, and wash the mud from my body, and, by my request, stream breast milk into my eyes, to cure them.” When the chief was to travel to Nairai, Patterson and Steere persuaded him to go with him and when they arrived they were kindly received by the natives.
“After being here some weeks and seeing no prospect of getting off, the chief of Nirie arrived, and he persuaded us to go back with him to his island again. “I was now on the spot where I first landed from the wreck and fell in company with two of my shipmates. Brown, who had drifted from the wreck on the canoes, and a black fellow.”
They persuaded the chief to have a condemned canoe that they could patch up and consulted each other about going to the island of Booyer (Bua) in search of a ship.
“John, the black man, agreed to go, but Brown said the expedition was too dangerous, and should decline going; and he went and joined the chief to whom he had belonged, to assist him fight his battles, he being then at war.
“Some of our men were so unwise, as to go with the natives into their battles with muskets, and kill many of the opposite party who had never injured them, and pleased their employers much.” When the canoe was obtained, they were guided out by the natives and came across a canoe where they were asked if they wanted to partake of meat they had cooked.
“Being out of hopes of coming up with the sail we had seen, we looked away to the lee ward and saw the land, which proved to be the island of Booyer (Bua). We steered on after the unknown sail, thinking it would be a good guide for us.”
After finally gaining sight of the vessel, it proved to be the brig Favorite of Port Jackson commanded by captain Camel. “My companions jumped up out of the canoe on board of the vessel; and being so overjoyed to find themselves once more out of the hands of savages, they neglected to tell the ship’s crew that I was lame, and wanted assistance.
“After being along side in the canoe a few minutes, one of the sailors looked over the side of the vessel, and said, ‘Shipmate, why don’t you come on board, haven’t you been there long enough without a shirt ?’
“I replied that I had lost the use of a limb, and if I got on board, I must have assistance. They immediately rove the manropes, and jumped down, and helped me up on board of the vessel.
“On board I fell in with William Shaddock, who was cast away with us, and had got on board of the “Favorite” before us. Patterson stayed on board this ship three days. He eventually went on board the General Wellesley later.
“Steere succeeded in collecting a considerable sum of the money, and returned on board of the General Wellesley, and joined Shaddock and myself.
“We lay here about seven weeks, when we sailed round to the other side of the island, where we fell in with the ship Tonquin of New York, captain Brumley, and were sent onboard of her, with all our money.
“The captain having a plenty of provisions, was willing to receive us, and agreed to carry us where there was a consul, to be further provided for.
“We continued on board of the Tonquin about three months before we sailed, when, being ready for sea, we weighed anchor and proceeded for Canton.”
