Sunday May 29th 1898 HMS Mohawk

At daybreak we came upon the Island
Utupua at 7 am our Steam Pinnace and Cutter fully arm-
ed 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 arrange
ments 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, but
they 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
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 goon 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