_FIJI AND TONGA._
The harbour of Levuka, in which we anchored on the 18th of September,
is situated on the north-east side of the island of Ovalau, and from
its central position in the Fiji Group has for several years been the
principal seat of commercial activity and the favourite anchorage for
men-of-war. Since the annexation in 1875, Levuka has been the seat
of government for the colony, and the official residence of the High
Commissioner for the Pacific. During our stay in harbour the ship was
refitted and reprovisioned, and our boats were occupied in making some
additions to the survey of the port.
A few days after our arrival I received a visit from the youngest
son of the redoubted King Cacobau, a fine-looking man, twenty-three
years old, whose proper designation is the "Ratu Joseph Celua" ("Ratu"
meaning prince), but who is more generally known in Fiji as "Ratu Joe."
It seems that soon after we had anchored, he came on board accompanied
by some other native sight-seers, and as I had then shown him some
slight civility, he now came to express his gratitude by presenting
me with a large mat, made from the split leaves of the screw-pine. He
surprised us all by speaking exceedingly good English, and possessing
an intimate knowledge of the ways and manners of civilized life. It
appears that when Fiji was ceded to Great Britain in 1875, he was taken
to Sydney, in H.M.S. _Dido_, to be educated, and accordingly spent
three years at the university there. There was no topic of general
interest on which he did not possess a fair amount of knowledge. He
wore his hair in the fashion of the country, _i.e._, in a mop frizzled
out to an immense size, and in other respects he was got up as a native
chief of distinction. He spoke favourably of British rule, although,
as we were otherwise informed, he himself had recently acquired a
practical experience of the unpleasant consequences attending the
commission of an indictable offence, in having to undergo a sentence of
three months' hard labour.
On the 25th of September a party of us made an excursion in one of
the ship's steam-cutters to Bau, the old native capital of the Fiji
Group. We started from Levuka harbour at nine o'clock in the morning,
accompanied by our friend the Ratu Joe, who most kindly and hospitably
volunteered to pilot us over, and to entertain us in his hut at Bau.
We steamed along in smooth water inside the barrier reef which protects
the S.E. side of Ovalau for about three miles, when we passed out into
the open sea through a narrow opening in the reef. We then steamed for
about five miles through deep water, until we entered an intricate
system of channels which wind among the submerged reefs extending
across the Strait between Ovalau and Viti Levu. The distance from
Levuka to Bau is about twenty-four miles, and after a pleasant passage
of five hours we reached our destination and anchored the boat in
smooth water at about forty yards from the shore. After depositing
our baggage in Joe's hut, we went in a body to pay our respects to
King Cacobau the "Vunivalu" (kingly title meaning the "Root of War"),
to whom we were formally introduced by Joe, the latter also acting
as interpreter, for Cacobau does not speak English at all. We were
received in a small smoky hut, in which the aged monarch spends most
of his time during this, the cold, season of Fiji. He seemed to be a
feeble old man, aged about seventy, and almost entirely blind, yet
evidently possessing his mental faculties in full vigour, for he put
to us many shrewd questions concerning the work of our ship, and then,
after a pause, during which he seemed to be pondering over her name,
asked if we could give him some information regarding her previous
work of exploration in the Arctic regions. On this subject he seemed
to take much interest, and like many other people, did not fail to put
the rather puzzling question as to what could be the use of exploring
the uninhabited and inhospitable polar regions. During the conference
he sat cross-legged on a large mat, crouching over a smoky wood fire.
His hair was grey, and his upper teeth seemed to be gone. From time
to time messengers came into the hut, who after assuming a respectful
posture on the floor, asked for his orders concerning various municipal
affairs. To these functionaries his replies were short, sharp, and
decisive, and were acted upon with such alacrity that it was fully
evident to us that he still retains no small part of his former control
over his subjects.[2]
[2] The news of Cacobau's death has just reached England (April 1883).
"Cacobau" is pronounced "Thackombow."
[Illustration: KING CACOBAU OF FIJI (_on right_), WIFE, AND RATU JOE
(_on left_). _To face p. 160._]
It happened, by chance, that on the day of our arrival at Bau, a
feast was to be given by Cacobau to a tribe of natives who had just
brought to him a tribute offering, consisting of eighteen large green
turtle. As we were landing we saw the feast, which consisted of eight
good-sized pigs roasted whole, and several huge piles of yams, spread
out on a sort of common outside the enclosure of the native town; but
on the king being apprised of our visit, he gave orders that the feast
was to be transferred inside the town palisades, and it was accordingly
removed and spread out on the grass in front of the small hut wherein
he received us. Then, at a signal from him, conveyed in the form of a
fierce growl delivered from his seat by the fire, the members of the
stranger tribe assembled round the roasted pigs, which were quickly
cut up into joints, and then carried by certain representatives of the
tribe into various huts, to be there quietly consumed. During all this
time the large trough-shaped wooden drums, called "Lalis," were being
vigorously sounded to summon the people to the feast. Subsequently the
old king shook himself together, came out from the hut, and standing
in the open surrounded by a large and picturesque assemblage of his
subjects, and assisted by his three big sons, distributed large rolls
of "tapa" (native cloth made from the inner bark of the paper mulberry)
to several leading personages of the strange tribe. These presents were
valuable, for some of these pieces of "tapa" measured eighty yards in
length by about one yard in width.
About two months before the time of our visit, there had been a great
fire at Bau, which destroyed and reduced to ashes about one-third of
the town, and compelled some of the inhabitants to move over to the
main island of Viti Levu. Among the buildings destroyed by this fire
was the great Bure Kalou, or native temple, where even so recently as
thirty years ago the great cannibal feasts used to take place. Close
to one angle of the square mass of earthwork on which the temple was
raised, we saw a stone slab projecting from the ground in a nearly
upright position. This was one of the famous stones--incorrectly
styled "sacrificial" against which the unfortunate people who were
to be cooked for "bakola" (human meat) had their brains dashed out.
This interesting relic of cannibalism has not escaped the ravages of
modern vandalism, numerous fragments having been chipped off as curios.
Indeed, we were told that quite recently one of the white traders of
Levuka had been endeavouring to carry off this stone altogether, with a
view to making money by exhibiting it at Sydney and such places.
We saw another and somewhat similar stone near the water side, and
close to the remains of the Bure Kalou of the tribe of fishermen,
where the bodies of prisoners of war, brought in by the "Lasikaus," or
fishermen, were landed and mutilated. The upright slab was worn quite
smooth on one side, presumably by the friction of human heads.
Certain honeycombed slabs of coral here formed a pavement of a few
square yards in extent, and until recently it was usual to find human
teeth imbedded in the pores of the coral. They have probably all been
removed by curiosity hunters, for we looked in vain for a single
specimen.
In a few years hence the old Fijian double canoe (consisting of two
canoes placed side by side, and connected by a bridge) will be seen no
more; but we were lucky in having an opportunity of seeing one good
specimen at Bau. It was hauled up on a slip beneath a large thatched
shed, and although by no means one of the largest of its kind, yet it
greatly exceeded my expectations. The depth of hold was about five
feet, so that standing on the bottom of either canoe, my neck was just
on a level with the edge of the hatch, and the total length of each
canoe was 72 feet; but what most surprised me was the enormous size of
the mast, which lay alongside the vessel. It was about the size of the
_Alert's_ spanker boom. This canoe was intended to carry 250 men, and I
have no doubt it would hold that number.
Single outrigger canoes are still largely used. We saw several in
course of construction on the small recessed slips which indented the
sea-wall of the island.
The genuine old native implements and weapons are now getting very
scarce, the demand for these articles in Europe having created a trade
which has almost exhausted the supplies of the country. I inquired for
stone adzes, and, after some difficulty, obtained one, for which I paid
a shilling; but on subsequently groping for myself amongst the ruins of
the burnt huts, I succeeded in finding several perfect and imperfect
specimens.
In the evening we witnessed the ceremony of _angona_ drinking in the
king's state residence, where our friend the Ratu Joe presided on this
occasion instead of his father. The performance began with a long
monotonous chant, which was maintained alternately by an elderly man,
who seemed to hold the office of master of the ceremonies, and by a
body of elderly men, amounting to forty or fifty, who squatted close
together on the floor. In the meantime some boys were engaged in a
gloomy corner of the hut in chewing the angona root, and in spitting
the pulpy masticated mouthfuls of fibre into the large wooden bowl
which was destined to contain the liquor. Suddenly the chant ended with
a simultaneous and abrupt clapping of hands on the part of the singers;
and now the angona bowl was brought forward into the clear space in
the centre of the room, water was poured over the chewed pulp, and
finally the liquor was rudely strained by sponging it up with a handful
of hibiscus fibre, and filling the drinking cup with the squeezed
contents. Great respect was throughout shown to Joe, the presiding
chief; and on his emptying the bowl of angona, which was handed to
him solemnly by the cupbearer, all the natives exclaimed in a loud
voice, "_Amadtha_" (meaning, "It is emptied"). Subsequently similar
draughts were politely handed to each of us guests by the official
cupbearer, but notwithstanding the historic interest attaching to this
famous South Sea beverage, and the impression made on us by the great
concourse of native dignitaries gathered together in solemn awe, few of
us were inclined to imitate the chief's example and do justice to the
flowing bowl.
However, we tasted it, and thought it rather nasty, giving one the idea
of a mixture of pepper and soapsuds.
The Fijians spoke very favourably of British rule, and it would seem
that the Governor (Sir Arthur Gordon) had very wisely and successfully
adopted the policy of retaining, so far as was practicable, the old
native laws, only modifying them as much as was necessary for the
establishment of a reasonable degree of civilization. Thus the old
feudal power of the chiefs has been retained, and in many instances
those among them who were well-behaved, and displayed a suitable amount
of administrative ability, have been invested with magisterial power
over the districts to which they belong.
We slept for the night in Joe's hut, stretching ourselves out on the
mats which covered the floor, and excepting a little trouble from
mosquitoes, were comfortable enough. Our return journey to Levuka on
the following evening was accomplished without any incident worthy of
note.
Some days later, I took part in a walking excursion across the island
of Ovalau, accompanied by Mr. Parr, an English gentleman residing
in the colony and the owner of a large plantation in the Rewa River
district of Viti Levu, and under the guidance of two natives, who
carried our small parcels of baggage. Starting from Levuka on the
morning of the 30th of September, we proceeded up the Totoonga Valley,
which stretches inland from the back of the settlement, and after about
two hours' hard walking, discovered that our guides had lost their
way, and had brought us up to the summit of a thickly-wooded conical
hill. Here, however, we were compensated for our disappointment by
finding several graves of the Kaicolos, an old hill-inhabiting tribe of
Fijians, who for a long time held out against the aggressive policy of
Cacobau, and struggled vainly to maintain their independence.
We had now to descend from this hill to the main valley below, from
whence our guides made a fresh departure, by means of which we were
enabled, after a stiffish climb up the face of a rather steep hillside,
to attain a ridge 1,700 feet high, which separates the watersheds
of the east and west sides of the island. After a brief stay here,
we descended the other side by a steep and almost obliterated track
for about three hours more, when we reached Livoni, the site of an
old Kaicolo stronghold. Here, amid the ruins of the town, we found a
farmhouse of recent construction, the property of a Mr. McCorkill, who
had obtained a three years' lease of the land, and was about to try his
hand at stock-farming. He had two hundred head of cattle, for which
he obtained a ready sale at Levuka, but the difficulties of transit
were considerable, and he did not seem hopeful as to the success of
his enterprise. He was, moreover, apprehensive that his house, which
was built close to the bank of a mountain torrent, was on a rather
insecure site, and that the next heavy flood in the rainy season would
sweep away all his household belongings.
He pointed out close to his own house the characteristic raised
foundations of an old native temple (Bure Kalou), and told us that his
workmen, in clearing the ground for his garden and paddock, frequently
turned up human skulls and other bones. He also very kindly promised to
send me some Kaicolo crania on the first opportunity; a promise which
he amply redeemed some weeks later by presenting me with two excellent
specimens.
After a short stay in his house, and refreshed by a drink of delicious
milk, we continued our walk down this valley, following the course
of the river, which, as we advanced, rapidly increased in size, and
pursued so sinuous a course that we were obliged to cross and recross
it five or six times before we arrived at Buréta--a native village
on the west side of Ovalau--which we gained just before nightfall. A
further walk of about a mile brought us to the residence of a friend
of Mr. Parr's (Captain Morne), a retired merchant captain, and now the
owner of a large estate, by whom we were most hospitably entertained
and lodged for the night.
This gentleman was doing a large trade in pine-apples, of which he has
about twenty acres under cultivation. He sends the produce periodically
to Sydney by steamer, packed in wooden boxes, where they fetch about
20_s._ per dozen. On the following morning we spent some hours in
strolling about the estate, and in a creek near the outlet of the
Livoni River we saw the curious mud-fish _Periophthalmus_ jumping about
on the moist beach in the ludicrous manner which has been so well
described by Mr. Moseley in his "Notes of a Naturalist," its pectoral
fins being used for terrestrial progression.
We made the return journey by the south side of the island, Captain
Morne very considerately sending us on in one of his boats as far as
the south-west extreme of Ovalau, from whence a three hours' walk along
the seashore brought us back to Levuka.
[Illustration: TOTOONGA VALLEY, OVALAU, FIJI. _To face p. 156._]
On the morning of the 11th of October we got under way from Levuka, and
spent the day in steaming over to Suva, a commodious harbour, situated
on the south-east side of Viti Levu, where it was our intention to
coal ship from a stationary hulk which supplies the steamers plying
between Sydney and the Fijian ports. It is said that Suva, from the
accommodation which its harbour affords, and from its position on an
easily accessible part of the largest island of the group, is destined
to become the seat of government and the future capital of Fiji; but at
the time of our visit the settlement was very insignificant, and looked
a mere speck in the great extent of wooded land which seemed from our
anchorage to spread before us in a vast semicircle.
Leaving the ship on the morning of the following day, I started for a
walk on shore, taking my gun, insect bottle, and collecting boxes. I
at first directed my steps inland along the main road, and for about
three miles proceeded over an upland plain of undulating land, thickly
covered with tall reeds, and showing here and there patches of brush in
the wet hollows. In the last-mentioned localities a good many birds,
chiefly parrots, were to be heard screaming shrilly, but owing to the
denseness of the foliage, few were visible.
In the afternoon I returned to the settlement, and from thence
proceeded along the beach towards the low point which shelters the
harbour from the north-east winds. Here, as the tide fell and laid
bare broad flats of mud and coral, several flocks of sandpipers, whose
general plumage resembled that of the snipe, came in from seaward,
settled, and commenced to feed. A brace of duck and a large grey tern
were the only other birds seen.
We learned that the country in the immediate vicinity of Suva was
exceedingly unproductive. The soil was very thin, and the sub-soil
was a stiff pasty clay of a grey colour--in places resembling
soapstone--and so impervious to drainage as to render all attempts at
agriculture hitherto abortive.
We left Suva on October 13th, and sailed for Tongatabu, searching on
the way for certain reefs and banks of doubtful existence, which it was
desirable on proper evidence to expunge from the charts.
During the traverses which we made in sounding for these, I had a good
opportunity of plying the tow-net. Among the forms thus obtained were
a minute conferva, a brilliantly phosphorescent pyrosoma, measuring
three inches in length, and a small shell-less pteropod, the _Eurybia
gaudichaudi_. A specimen of the latter, which I examined in a glass
trough, measured one-twelfth of an inch across the body. After giving
it about half-an-hour's rest, it protruded its epipodia and tentacles,
and commenced to swim about vigorously. The caudal portion of the
body was furnished with cilia, and the digestive organs presented the
appearance of a dark-red opaque mass, surrounded by a transparent
envelope of a gelatinous consistency, whose surface exhibited a
reticulated structure.
_Tongatabu, Friendly Islands, 8th to 18th of November._--The credit
of discovering the Tonga Islands rests with Tasman, who saw them on
the 20th of January, 1643, and subsequently anchored his ship on the
north-west side of the large island, Tongatabu. Cook saw the islands
during his second voyage in October 1773, and on his third voyage in
1777 he made a stay of three months at the group, for more than a month
of which time he was anchored at Tongatabu, the principal and most
southward island of the group. The islands were subsequently visited
by D'Entrecasteaux, Maurelle (1781), Lieutenant Bligh of the _Bounty_,
Captain Edwards of the _Pandora_ (1791), and other explorers of the
eighteenth century.
In the month of November 1806, an English privateer, the
_Port-au-Prince_, arrived at Lifonga, one of the Hapai Islands, where
the ship was seized by the natives, and most of the crew massacred.
Among the few whose lives were spared was a young man named Mariner,
who acquired the friendship of the chief, Finow, and lived peacefully
with the natives for the space of four years, accumulating during that
time a vast amount of information concerning their manners and habits.
Mariner's narrative was subsequently published in a book written by Dr.
John Martin, which is still regarded as the standard work on the Tonga
Islands.
The Wesleyan missionaries established themselves here in the year 1822,
and were well received; and some years subsequently a French Roman
Catholic mission was also successfully established. At the time of our
visit the entire population of the Tonga Islands, including Tongatabu,
Hapai, and Vavau, amounted to 25,000, while that of Tongatabu alone was
12,000. Of the latter number, 8,000 belonged to the Wesleyan, and 4,000
to the Catholic, Church.
We anchored in the harbour of Tongatabu, off the town of Nukualofa, on
the 8th of November, at about midday. The anchorage looked very bare
indeed, there being only one vessel beside ours, a merchant barque
belonging to Godeffroy and Co., of Hamburg, the well-known South Sea
Island traders.
The most striking objects on shore, as viewed from our position in the
anchorage, were the Wesleyan Church--an old dilapidated wooden building
crowning the summit of a round-topped hill, about sixty feet high, and
said to be the highest point on the island--and the king's palace, a
very neat-looking villa-edifice abounding in plate-glass windows, and
surrounded by a low wall, in which remained two breaches, intended
for the reception of massive iron gates, which, through a series of
untoward circumstances, are not likely to be ever placed in position.
It appears that some time ago the king gave a _carte blanche_ order
for two pairs of gates to be sent out from England, and when, after a
long series of delays, owing to mistakes in the shipping arrangements,
they at length reached Tongatabu, he was rather unpleasantly surprised
to find that the excessive charges for freightage had run up the
entire cost to the sum of £800. They were then found to be so large
and massive as to be quite unsuited for the purpose for which they
were intended, so they were thrown down on the ground in a disjointed
condition, where they now lie, rusting and half-buried in weeds.
Somewhat in the rear of the royal palace is seen a rather imposing
private dwelling-house, the residence of Mr. Baker, formerly a Wesleyan
minister, and now the political prime minister of the kingdom.
In the afternoon some of us walked out to see the old fortified town of
Bea, which is distant from Nukualofa about four miles in a southerly
direction, and is reached by a very good cart-road. This town--or, more
properly speaking, village, for it is now but thinly populated--was
formerly the stronghold of a party of Tongans, who objected to the
introduction of Christianity, and were consequently obliged to defend
themselves against the followers of the Wesleyan missionaries. The
village is encircled by a rampart and moat, which have for many years
past been allowed to go to decay, so that the moat is now partly
obliterated with weeds and rubbish, and the strong palisades, which
in former times added considerably to the defensive strength of the
ramparts, have almost entirely disappeared.
As we entered the village by a cutting which pierced the ramparts
on the north side, we saw the spot where Captain Croker, of H.M.S.
_Favourite_, was shot down in 1848, when heading an armed party of
bluejackets, with whom he was assisting the missionary party in an
attack upon the irreconcilables. It seems to have been altogether a
most disastrous and ill-advised undertaking, and of its effects some
traces still remain in an assumption of physical superiority over their
white fellow-creatures, which may be seen among some of the Tongans.
Nowhere have I seen the cocoa-nut trees growing in such luxuriance as
at Tongatabu. Here they grow over the whole interior of the island, as
well as near the seashore; a circumstance which may be attributed to
the mean level of the island being only a few feet above high-water
mark, and to the coral sub-soil extending over the entire island. The
latter is everywhere penetrated to a greater or less degree by the
sea-water, as evidenced by the brackish water which is reached on
sinking a well to a depth of two or three yards.
We made shooting excursions for several miles to the eastward and
westward of Nukualofa, and on one of the latter we met with an
intelligent native, who excited in us hopes of obtaining some good
duck-shooting, and undertook to bring us to the right place. Under
his guidance we reached a series of extensive salt-water lagoons,
which seemed likely places enough. However, on this occasion he proved
to be a false prophet; and as he was anxious to make amends for our
disappointment, he induced us to follow him into the bush in quest of
pigeons. Of these, on reaching a thick part of the forest, we heard a
good many; but owing to the dense foliage of the shrubs, which obscured
our view aloft, we got very few glimpses of the birds, which, as a
rule, keep to the summits of the tallest trees. Nevertheless, by dint
of "cooing," to evoke responses from the birds and thus ascertain their
whereabouts, we at length succeeded in shooting a good specimen of the
great "fruit pigeon."
Our guide, "Davita," was most elaborately tattooed from the waist to
the knees. He was a well-to-do man, and the chief of a district; and
was also, as he informed us, a member of the "royal guard," whose duty
it is to act as sentries in front of the door of the king's palace.
"Davita" accompanied us back to the town, and after receiving his
honorarium and bidding us good-bye, he went off to procure his military
uniform, and subsequently, as we walked by the palace on our way to
the boat, we saw our friend in full toggery doing sentry. He was a
very fine man, but did not look half so well in a soldier's uniform as
in his native garb, which consisted simply of a waistcloth, above and
below which appeared the margins of his beautiful blue tattooing.
There are evidences of recent elevation of the land both to the
eastward and westward of Nukualofa. I noticed above high-water mark
extensive flats of almost barren land, composed of level patches of
coral, the interstices of which were gradually getting filled up with
coral detritus, and the decayed remains of stunted plants. The mangrove
bushes here seemed with difficulty to eke out an existence, their roots
being no longer bathed in sea water; but on the other hand a few Ivi
trees (_Aleurites_ sp.?) had gained a footing. An amazing quantity of
crabs of the genus _Gelasimus_ inhabit these desolate flats, where
they will have an opportunity of gradually adapting themselves to
a terrestrial existence. I noticed two species, one of which was
covered with a hairy brown integument, and was rather sluggish in its
movements, waddling awkwardly into its burrow while it held aloft one
of its hands in a most ridiculous fashion. The other was a smaller
crab, with a greenish body, and having one of its pincer-claws, which
was of a brilliant orange colour, of a huge size compared with its
fellow. Probably, after the lapse of a few years, these flats will form
part of the general forest land, when the crabs may undergo further
adaptive changes.
We saw little of King George during our stay, as being now advanced
in years he leads a retired life, passing his days in a small room
in the rear of the palace, and only coming out of doors after sunset
for a little airing. However, his grandson, "Wellington Gnu," who is
governor of Nukualofa, and heir presumptive to the throne, was most
civil and obliging. He is a remarkably fine-looking man, being six
feet two inches in height, and stout in proportion; his face beams
with amiability and intelligence; and he possesses all the manners and
bearing of a polished gentleman. Although the lineal heir to the throne
by direct descent, it is very doubtful whether he will succeed the
present king, as Maafu, his cousin, and the son of a deceased brother
of King George, is older in years, and is consequently by the Tongan
laws the legitimate heir to the throne.[3]
[3] Since the above was written I have heard of the death of Maafu.
Wellington entertained us most hospitably, and drove us in his buggies
to various places of interest in the island. On one occasion he
took three of our officers to Moa, a native town situated near the
south-east extremity of the island. From there they went on to a place
eight miles to the southward, where there is a famous megalithic
structure of unknown origin, which has been described and figured by
Brenchley in his "Voyage of the _Curaçoa_." As our experience differs
somewhat from Brenchley's, I may be excused for making a few remarks
thereon. The monument--if such it can be called--consists of three
large slabs of coral rock, two of which are planted vertically in the
ground at a distance of about fifteen feet apart, while the third forms
a horizontal span, resting on its edges in slots made in the summits of
the vertical slabs. The height of the structure, of which the picture
gives a good idea, is about fifteen feet. We were, I regret to say,
unable to obtain any information--legendary or otherwise--concerning
the origin of this remarkable structure.
He also took us on a very pleasant excursion to a village called Hifo,
which lies about eleven miles to the south-west of Nukualofa. The
party consisted of Wellington Gnu (pronounced "Mou"), David Tonga, the
principal of the native school, Captain Maclear, and myself. Our means
of locomotion consisted of two buggies, in which we started on the
outward journey by a circuitous route, so as to take in the village of
Bea and four or five others on our way. On arriving at Hifo, we halted
in the centre of the village, on an open patch of sward under the shade
of several large vi trees (_Spondias dulcis_), on whose branches were
hanging large numbers of fox bats (_Pteropus keraudrenii_), of which
we obtained specimens. We were now formally introduced to the chief of
Hifo, who at once announced that a feast would speedily be prepared in
honour of our visit, and pending the necessary culinary arrangements,
invited us to walk through his dominions. In an adjacent bay we were
pointed out the place where Cook had formerly anchored his vessel, a
matter of great interest to the Tongans, who are keenly alive to the
fact that the period of Cook's visit formed the great turning-point in
their history.
As we returned to the village we found that the natives had collected
in great numbers under the shade of the trees before mentioned; so
we squatted down on the grass, taking up our places with the chief's
party, so as to occupy the base-line of a large horseshoe-shaped
gathering of natives. The ceremony began with the preparation of the
kava, in which respect the Tongans now differ from the Fijians in
reducing the root to a pulpy condition by pounding it between stones
instead of the rather disgusting process of mastication. While the
national beverage was being prepared, a large procession of women,
gaily dressed, and bearing garlands, shells, and similar offerings,
filed solemnly into the centre of the group, and deposited their
presents at the feet of Captain Maclear and myself, who were the
distinguished guests on this occasion. Sometimes a frolicsome girl
would place a garland round one of our necks, and then trip away,
laughing merrily. When the kava was ready, a fine-looking elderly
man, the second in authority in the village, acted as master of the
ceremonies, and gave the orders for carrying out the various details of
the function. As the cupbearer advanced with each successive bowl of
liquor, this venerable functionary called out in order of precedence
the names of the different persons who were to be served, beginning
with the visitors, and continuing to indicate each one by name, until
every one of the whole vast assemblage--men and women--had partaken.
As soon as the kava drinking was over, a procession of young men
advanced into the midst of the assemblage, bearing on their shoulders
palm-leaf baskets which contained pigs roasted whole, large bunches of
bananas, and cocoa-nuts, which they deposited _seriatim_ at our feet.
The district chief then made a short speech, informing us, through
Wellington's interpretation, that these precious gifts were also at our
disposal. Captain Maclear replied, to the effect that we gratefully
accepted the present, and requested that it might be distributed for
consumption among the villagers. Accordingly the feast was spread, and
eating, drinking, and merry-making became general. Occasionally one
of the girls would rise from her place, and after lighting a cigarette,
of which the cylinder was composed of pandanus leaf instead of paper,
would give a few puffs from her own swarthy lips, and then present it
courteously to one of us. The act was looked on as a delicate way of
paying a compliment, and was on each occasion loudly applauded, the
damsel, as she returned among her friends, seeming as if overcome with
confusion at her own temerity. When the time fixed for our departure
arrived, a most affectionate shaking of hands took place, and we bade
good-bye to the happy little village of Hifo, delighted with the
kindness, hospitality, and good nature of these far-famed Friendly
Islanders.
[Illustration: ANCIENT STONE MONUMENT AT TONGATABU (_p. 173_). _To face
p. 174._]
On the last day previous to our departure from Tongatabu, we made an
excursion to the south side of the island, under the guidance of Mr.
Symonds, the British Consul, and Mr. Hanslip, the consular interpreter,
in order to examine some caves which were said to be of an unusually
wonderful nature. They had, of course, never been thoroughly explored,
and were consequently said to be of prodigious extent, forming long
tunnels through the island. One story was to the effect that an
adventurous woman had penetrated one branch of the cave, entering on
the south side of the island, and threading its dark recesses for many
days, until she finally emerged into the light of day somewhere near
Nukualofa, on the north side of the island.
A pleasant drive of about ten miles brought us to the shore of a small
bay exposed to the prevailing wind, and receiving on its beach the
full fury of the swell of the main ocean. The foreshore was strewn
with coral _débris_, and above high-water mark were quantities of
pumice-stone, probably washed up from the sides of the neighbouring
volcanic island of Uea. On either side, the bay was hemmed in by bold
projecting crags of coral rock, whose faces indicated, by parallel
tide erosions, that they had been elevated by sudden upheaval into
their present position. About one hundred yards from the beach, and
forty feet above the sea-level, was the entrance to the caves, a
narrow aperture in the upraised coral rock, leading by a rapid incline
into a spacious vaulted chamber, from whose gloomy recesses dark and
forbidding passages led in various directions. In the floor of the
chamber were deep pools of water, probably communicating with the sea,
and said to be tenanted by a species of blind eel, about two feet long,
which we were told the natives sometimes caught with hook and line, and
fed upon. I was provided with fishing-tackle for capturing a specimen
of this singular creature; but as several of our party were induced to
relieve themselves of the intolerable heat of the cave by bathing in
these pools, the fish were probably scared away, and I was unable to
obtain a single specimen.
The rock pierced by the caverns was everywhere of coral formation, and
as water freely penetrated through from the soilcap above, the roof and
floor were abundantly decorated with stalactites and stalagmites in all
their usual fantastic splendour. I noticed that many parts of the floor
of the cave were speckled with white spots resembling bird-droppings,
on which drops of water were frequently falling from the roof above,
and I formed the opinion that the white colour of these spots was due
to the drops of water which pattered on them having traversed a portion
of the ground above, from which they did not receive a charge of lime
salts, and consequently washing clean the portion of the coral floor on
which they fell, instead of depositing thereon a calcareous stalagmite.
This surmise was strengthened by observing the absence of stalactites
depending from the roof in these situations.
Numbers of small swifts, apparently the same species which is common
on the island (_Collocalia spodiopygia_), flitted about the vaulted
parts of the cave, looking in the torchlight like bats, which at first
sight I felt sure they must be, until our native guide succeeded in
catching one specimen, which resolved our doubts. We traversed the more
open parts of the cave to a distance of about one hundred yards from
the entrance; but finding further progress all but impracticable, from
the narrowness of the passages, and the quantity of water of uncertain
depth to be encountered, we soon gave up the attempt, and were glad to
return to the cool and clear atmosphere of the upper air.
During the voyage from Tonga to Fiji, we spent a good deal of time in
hunting up the reputed positions of certain doubtful "banks," viz.,
the "Culebras" and "La Rance" banks, with a view to clearing up the
question as to their having any real existence except in the too vivid
imaginations of the discoverers. On the 24th of November, when in
latitude 24° 25′ S., longitude 184° 0′ W., we steamed over the
position assigned by the chart to the "La Rance" bank, and here our
sounding line ran out to three hundred fathoms without touching bottom,
thus sufficiently establishing the non-existence of any such "bank."
Our position at this time may be roughly stated as some two hundred
miles to the southward of Tongatabu. During the greater portion of the
day, the sea-surface exhibited large patches of discoloured water,
due to the presence of a fluffy substance of a dull brown colour,
which in consistency and general arrangement resembled the vegetable
scum commonly seen floating on the stagnant water of ditches. This
matter floated on the surface in irregularly-shaped streaky patches,
and also in finely-divided particles impregnated the sea-water to
a depth of several feet. Samples were obtained by "dipping" with a
bucket as well as with the tow-net, and when submitted to microscopic
examination it proved to be composed of multitudes of minute confervoid
algæ. On slightly agitating the water in a glass jar, the fluffy
masses broke up into small particles, which, under a magnifying
power of sixty diameters, were seen to be composed of spindle-shaped
bundles of filaments. Under a power of five hundred diameters, these
filaments were further resolved into straight or slightly-curved
rods, articulated but not branching, and divided by transverse septa
into cylindrical cells, which contained irregularly-shaped masses of
granular matter. These rods, which seemed to represent the adult
plant, measured 1/2000 inch in width. On careful examination of many
specimens, some filaments were observed, portions of which seemed to
have undergone a sort of varicose enlargement, having a width two or
three times that of the normal filaments. These propagating filaments
(if I am right in so calling them) were invested by a delicate tubular
membrane, and were filled with a granular semi-transparent matter,
in which were imbedded a number of discoid bodies which were being
discharged one by one from the ruptured extremity of the tube. These
bodies measured 1/1000 of an inch in diameter: when viewed edgewise
they presented a lozenge-shaped appearance, and they were devoid of
cilia or striæ. A jar full of the sea-water was put by until the
following day, when it was found that the confervoid matter had all
risen to the surface, forming a thick scum of a dull green colour,
while the underlying water was of a pale purple colour, resembling the
tint produced by a weak solution of permanganate of potash.
From the 24th to the 29th of November, during which time the ship
traversed a distance of three hundred miles, we were surrounded by
these organisms; during the first three days the large patches were
frequently in sight, and for the rest of the time the sea presented a
dusty appearance, from the presence of finely-divided particles. On the
evening of the 25th an unusually dense patch was sighted, and mistaken
for a reef, being reported as such by the look-out man aloft.
On the 28th November I encountered among the proceeds of the tow-net
another minute alga, of quite a different appearance from that just
described. It was composed of vermiform rods 1/1000 inch in width, and
breaking up into cylindrical segments with biconcave ends.
We returned to Levuka on the 4th of December, and stayed in harbour
for ten days. At this time we had dismal wet weather, and consequently
little was done in the way of exploration. I received a visit from a
Mr. Boyd of Waidou, a colonist, who has resided for the last sixteen
years in Fiji, and who has spent a great deal of his time in collecting
natural history specimens. He very kindly presented me with some
crania, three of natives of Mallicollo, New Hebrides, and two from
Merilava in Bank's Group.
We anchored at Suva for part of a day, in order to fill up with coal,
and then proceeded on our voyage to Sydney.
I made frequent use of the tow-net during this cruise, obtaining
thereby a great quantity and variety of surface organisms. Among these
were representatives of _Thalassicolla_, _Pyrocystis_, _Phyllosoma_,
_Sagitta_, _Eurybia_, _Atlanta_, etc. I obtained one specimen of
a curious Annelid. It was two inches in width, had two prominent
ruby-coloured eyes, and was marked along its snakelike body by a double
row of conspicuous black dots.
One day, as were lying almost becalmed, a few hundred miles from the
Australian coast, we passed into the midst of a great flock of brown
petrels, who were sitting on the water grouped in the form of a chain,
and apparently feeding. I had the tow-net out, and after dragging it
for about half a mile, brought it in, and found it to contain a mass
of yellow-coloured cylindrical and oval bodies belonging to the group
_Thalassicollidæ_. The cylindrical bodies were about one inch in long
diameter, by 1/8 of an inch in width, and those of an oval shape were
about 3/16 inch in long diameter. They proved to be mere gelatinous
sacks, without any appearance of digestive or locomotory organs. The
thin membranous wall was dotted over thickly with dark cells of a
spherical or oval shape, each of which contained from three to nine
light-coloured nuclei. On examining one of the oval bodies under a
magnifying power of forty diameters, the clear transparent nature of
the interior of the organism allowed the cells on the distal side to be
seen out of focus with misty outlines, while the cells on the proximal
wall, which was in focus, came out sharp and clear, and _vice versâ_.