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 § 

 
 FIJI
 
 LONDON* : PRINTED BY 
 
 SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE 
 AND PARLIAMENT STREET
 
 TWO YEARS IN FIJI 
 
 BY 
 
 LITTON FORBES, M.D., L.R.C.P., F.R.G.S. " 
 A 
 
 LATE MBDICAL OFFICER TO THE GERMAN CONSULATE, 
 APIA, NAVIGATOR ISLANDS 
 
 LONDON 
 LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 
 
 1875 
 
 All rights reserved
 
 Stack 
 Annex 
 
 M 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 The greater portion of this little work was written 
 during- a voyage from London to New Zealand. 
 The Author's object has been to give the reader an 
 idea — faint and imperfect, perhaps, but as far as it 
 goes truthful — of the kind of life an Englishman may 
 expect to lead who makes Fiji his home. The work 
 professes to be written mainly from the point of view 
 of a planter, and lays no claim either to original re- 
 search or scientific accuracy. 
 
 As regards the orthography of Fijian names the 
 spelling used is that which was introduced by the 
 missionaries and subsequently adopted, without modi- 
 fication, by the Government of Cacobau, and also by 
 Commodore Goodenough and Mr. Layard in their 
 report, presented to both Houses of Parliament. 
 Though awkward at first to English readers, this 
 spelling will probably establish itself in all official 
 circles, as it offers the advantage of being uniform 
 
 >«J?,<v/0
 
 VI PREFACE. 
 
 and of reproducing fairly enough the native pronun- 
 ciation of proper names. Attention to the following 
 simple rules will enable the English reader to pro- 
 nounce correctly, ' Vaka viti,' every Fijian word he is 
 likely to meet with : — 
 
 1. All vowels are pronounced as in French or 
 Italian. 
 
 2. The letter B is never sounded without an m 
 before it, e.g. Bua is pronounced Mbua; Bau = il/bau; 
 Cacobau = Thakowbau ; bokola — ;/zbokola. 
 
 3. C is always pronounced as tJi in thin : thus, 
 6acobau = 77zakombau ; Cakadrovi = TYzakandrovi ; 
 £blo= 77zolo. 
 
 4. D, G, Q are always pronounced as if n pre- 
 ceded them, e.g. Cakadrovi = Thaka«drovi ; Bega= 
 Be//ga ; oqa=o//go. 
 
 The account of the formation and ultimate col- 
 lapse of the Government established by Cacobau and 
 a few whites in 1871, is written chiefly from personal 
 recollections, supplemented by private letters from 
 residents in Fiji, and by the ' Fiji Gazette' and ' Fiji 
 Times,' two newspapers published at Levuka. The 
 former of these was the private property of the 
 Government, and consequently its organ ; the latter 
 represented the views of the oppositionists, and there- 
 fore of the great body of planters. The ' Fiji Times ' 
 used frequently to publish letters from individuals
 
 PREFACE. vii 
 
 which were interesting as throwing light on the con- 
 dition of society in the outlying portions of the 
 group, and on the real motives which induced many 
 to favour an autonomy in Fiji. 
 
 It is impossible to write about the South Sea 
 Islands and make no reference to missionary enter- 
 prise. The missionaries themselves, in their pub- 
 lished writings, claim to have effected so much, and 
 have returned such profuse thanks for the success 
 which they consider has been vouchsafed to them, 
 that a plain man is apt to be surprised and disap- 
 pointed when he learns from actual observation the 
 real state of the case. Christianity was first intro- 
 duced, and subsequently propagated, in Fiji by 
 Tongan influence. It has always been, and is even 
 now, more or less of a political matter with Fijian 
 chieftains ; for until quite lately to lotu, or turn 
 Christian, meant nothing more than to acknowledge 
 the supremacy of Bau. As a body the missionaries 
 at present in Fiji are a deserving set of men ; but a 
 very short acquaintance with native character will be 
 sufficient to show that much of the good they claim 
 to have effected is, to say the least, somewhat hypo- 
 thetical. 
 
 The Author acknowledges his obligations to Mr. 
 Calvert's ' Fiji and Fijians,' a work which, for inti- 
 mate knowledge of the country and people of which
 
 Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 it treats may be placed side by side with Lane's 
 ' Modern Egyptians ; ' also to Doctor Peachey's 
 ' Cotton-growing in Fiji ; ' and to an article in 
 ' Fraser's Magazine,' on the ' Labour Traffic,' by 
 the Earl of Pembroke. 
 
 It may be thought that this sketch of Fijian life 
 and politics ends somewhat abruptly. As a matter 
 of fact, however, the political events recorded in the 
 last chapter close a distinct period in the histoiy of 
 Fiji, beyond which it seemed unnecessary to go. 
 With the arrival of the Imperial Commissioners, and 
 subsequent annexation of the group to the British 
 Crown, a new era commences, not for the Fiji Islands 
 alone, but probably for all the island groups of the 
 South Pacific, too long unknown and neglected. 
 
 Litton Forbes. 
 
 Auckland: January 1875.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Causes of the ' rush ' to Fiji — I take Shipping to the Islands — 
 Ratu Joey — Fijian Women — Canoes — First View of Ovalau — 
 Passage through a Coral Reef — Arrival at Levuka i 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Manton's Hotel— Nicknames — ' Old Hands ' — Reindeer — Town of 
 Levuka — Totoga — Bathing in Levuka River — Dinner at Manton's 
 — An uncomfortable Night 15 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Levuka in the Daytime — Visit to King Cacobau— Queen Lydia — 
 Leave Levuka — Voyage to Tavinni — Imported Labourers — Solo- 
 man Islanders — A Pioneer of Civilisation — Hotel at Vuna — A 
 Tropical Forest ......... 3° 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Cotton-growing in Fiji — A Plantation Breakfast — The Cotton-house 
 — Labourers' Quarters — Sickness — Difficulties attending the In- 
 struction of certain Islanders — Labourers at Work — Overseers— 
 Tanna Men — Soloman Islanders — Erromango Men — Tokalaus — 
 Ra Men — Fijian Labourers Returning to their Homes
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Another Plantation — Salt Beef — Bachelor Planters — Starting a 
 Cotton Plantation — Purchasing Land — Sources of Trouble with 
 the Natives — Advantages of Possessing an entire Island — How- 
 to Procure Labourers — House-building — Native Servants— Sow- 
 ing Cotton-seed — Feeding Labourers on a Plantation — Cotton- 
 picking — Cotton-ginning — Uses of Sea Island Cotton — Cotton- 
 growing as a Commercial Speculation — Elements of Uncertainty 
 in it — Living on Credit — Commercial Morality — Death of a 
 Planter — Omens — A Fijian Meke — Night Air . . .86 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 A Fiji Canoe Voyage — Scenery along the Coast — Shipwreck — Old 
 Hands — A Deserted Plantation — Dangers of Canoe Travelling — 
 Arrive at Wairiki — A Native Teacher ..... 125 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Wairiki — Tiu Cakou's House — Monotony of Savage Life — Tappa- 
 making — Tiu Koominooa — Ethics of Trading with Savages — 
 British and American Subjects — Hotel at Wairiki — Two Resi- 
 dents 141 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Tropical Rain — The P'ijian Language — Professional Poisoners — 
 Medical Science in Fiji — Fijian Idiosyncrasies — The Mat Fever 
 — French Missionaries ........ 163 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Voyage to Ngalena — Fijian Girls — House-building for a Chief — 
 — A Fijian Dinner — Kava Making and Drinking — How a Chief 
 transacts Business — An American Planter — Fijian Half-castes 
 — The Land Question — Position of Englishmen in Fiji . .180
 
 CONTENTS. xi 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 A Hurricane — Its Effects at Wairiki — On the Group generally — 
 Increased Demand for Native Labourers — A Labour-vessel — 
 Ocean Islands — Tanna Boatmen — A Perilous Voyage — Straits 
 of Somo-Somo — Leave Fiji for Rotumah .... 204 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Voyage to Rotumah — Natives — Rotumah Mats — An Extinct Vol- 
 cano — Ancient Inhabitants — A Feast — Cocoa-nuts — I Practise 
 Medicine with Success — Missionaries — Civil War — Blown away 
 — I return to Fiji ......... 222 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Method of Procuring Labourers in Rotumah — Labour-producing 
 Islands — Trading with Savages — Pigeon English — Soloman 
 Islanders — Banks Islanders — Tokalaus — Dangers of Labour- 
 getting — Head-money — Tricks of the Trade — Mr. Consul March 
 and the ' Carl ' — The Labour-trade not Slavery — Exaggerated 
 Statements current in England — Causes of these — Treatment of 
 Labourers on Plantations in Fiji — Traffic in Natives within the 
 Limits of Fiji— Suggestions for the Conduct of the Trade gene- 
 rally 246 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Political Changes — Social Condition of Fiji in 1871 — Old and New 
 Settlers- — Business Relations between Fiji and the Australian 
 Colonies — Anomalous Position of the British Consul — Causes 
 which led to the Formation of a Government — A coup d'etat — 
 Previous Attempts to Form a Government — The Tovata League 
 — Methods by which the Ministers consolidated their Power — The 
 Constitution Act — The House of Delegates — Position of Native 
 Chiefs — Personnel of the Ministry — Maafu and Tiu Cakou Join 
 the Government — Attitude of England towards the New State — 
 Orders in Council — Ministerial Doctrines — The Government 
 loses Popularity ......... 275
 
 Xll CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Government Consolidates its Power — The Supreme Court — 
 The Police Court — The Case of Rees — Parliamentary Opposi- 
 tion Disarmed — Issue of Paper-money — More Grievances — The 
 'Ku Klux' — Fall of the Ministry — Accession of Mr. Thurston — 
 Mr. Woods Premier — The Ba River District — Native Outrages 
 —Conduct of the Ministers who Visited the District — Political 
 Action of the Planters — A Civil War imminent — Interference of 
 H.M.S. 'Dido' — Last Session of the Triennial Parliament — 
 Unsettled State of the Country generally — Threatened Secession 
 of Maafu — Attempt to Enfranchise Natives — Collapse of the At- 
 tempt at Self-government — Arrival of Commodore Goodenough 
 and Mr. Consul Layard . . . . . . 311
 
 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Causes ot the 'Rush' to Fiji — I take shipping to the ' Islands '— Ratu 
 Joey — Fijian Women — Canoes — First View of Ovalau — Passage 
 through a Coral Reef — Arrival at Levuka. 
 
 For some six years previous to 1870, the Australian 
 Colonies had been in a very depressed condition. A 
 sudden fall in the price of wool, a succession of bad 
 seasons, and over-speculation in Sydney and Mel- 
 bourne, had been perhaps chiefly to blame for this 
 result. So bad, indeed, was the state of things to- 
 wards the close of 1870, that not a few persons emi- 
 grated from the Colonies instead of to them. In 
 many districts of Queensland and New South Wales 
 men found it almost impossible to get remune- 
 rative employment ; and but for the favourable 
 physical conditions of Australia, coupled with the 
 elasticity peculiar to young communities, there must 
 have resulted great and widespread distress. Even 
 as it was, many homes were broken up, and their 
 
 B
 
 2 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 inmates compelled to seek a living in distant and 
 unsettled parts of the country. 
 
 It was about this time and under these circum-. 
 stances that the Fijis first began seriously to attract 
 the attention of Australian Colonists. These islands 
 are situated some 2,000 miles to the north and 
 east of Sydney. For nine months of the year the 
 voyage is almost certain to be a fine-weather one. 
 There are no south-west gales or dreary Newfound- 
 land fogs to be encountered, but, instead, the mariner 
 may reckon on tolerably smooth seas and a genial 
 trade-wind, and need trouble himself only about a 
 few stray reefs and islands that lie in his course. As 
 soon as it became known that Fiji was likely to offer 
 a field for adventurous spirits, a ' rush ' at once com- 
 menced from Australia. Shiploads of passengers, and 
 cargoes of odd-looking wares, fit for savage buyers, 
 were despatched in quick succession from Melbourne, 
 and Sydney, and Auckland. Still the demand in- 
 creased, and, as new ground was being broken, be- 
 came more than equal to the supply. Colonial 
 merchants were opening up a new and lucrative trade 
 with the long-neglected Islands. Their returns were 
 quick and their profits large, and Fiji at length be- 
 came a word in everyone's mouth. What Virginia 
 was in the days of Queen Anne, or Melbourne some 
 twenty years ago, to the adventurous men of that 
 day, the South Sea Islands were now becoming to 
 the people of New South Wales and Victoria. Men 
 told each other that population alone was needed to
 
 FIJI MANIA OF 1 87 1. 3 
 
 develope all the capabilities and latent wealth of the 
 new land ; and though few had any real knowledge 
 on the subject, all seemed to take for granted that 
 the Islands must be exceptionally fertile and rich. 
 Finally, in 1871, there was a grand stampede of all 
 restless whites from Australia and New Zealand to 
 Fiji. 
 
 The small island trading-vessels could with diffi- 
 culty find room for the crowds of eager men that 
 rushed on board, jostling each other, and filling to 
 suffocation the tiny cabins. Many who could not 
 pay their passages deemed it a favour if they were 
 allowed to ' work ' them. As always happens in cir- 
 cumstances of this kind, not a few infatuated persons 
 gave up settled employment and secure situations, 
 tempted by the alluring prospects that the ' Islands ' 
 seemed to offer. To all appearance, history was 
 once more about to repeat itself; and much of the 
 old South Sea Bubble infatuation was to take pos- 
 session of sober-minded clerks and merchants. A 
 company was started in Melbourne which, it was 
 hoped, might some day rival Hudson's Bay in ex- 
 tent, or the East Indian Corporation in wealth 
 and political importance. The shares of this new 
 Company — the Polynesian — were bought up readily 
 enough ; and sufficient money was soon forthcoming 
 to pay off the American debt which Thakombau 
 (Cakobau), King of Bau, had been unfortunate enough 
 to incur. 
 
 On Christmas Day, 1870, 1 found myself on board
 
 4 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 the 'Young Australia,' bound for Fiji. For many 
 months past I had been urged to ' go down to the 
 Islands,' as the phrase was in Sydney, and had at last 
 accepted what was thought to be a good appointment. 
 My fellow-passengers numbered in all some twenty 
 men. Everyone carried his revolver, and, although 
 this was quite unnecessary, still it looked like busi- 
 ness, and seemed the proper thing to be done by men 
 bound to the Cannibal Islands. The vessel we were 
 to sail in was small, and swarmed with cockroaches, 
 rats, earwigs, and other vermin ; though I learned 
 by-and-by that, compared with Fijian craft, she 
 might be considered almost free from such pests. 
 During the first part of the voyage the weather was 
 unpropitious, and we were obliged to ' heave-to ' for 
 three days, near Lord Howe's Island, one of the most 
 stormy and ill-omened spots in the South Pacific. 
 By-and-by the bad weather spent itself, and before 
 long we succeeded in picking up the trade-winds, and 
 then the rest of the voyage was made over smooth 
 seas, and under skies brighter than those of Italy or 
 Egypt. On the twenty-fifth day out, the high land 
 of Kadavu, the most southerly island of the Fijian 
 group, was sighted. The breeze continuing fair, the 
 island itself was soon passed. All night long the 
 ship held on her way with undiminished speed, and 
 next morning at sunrise lay in the very centre of the 
 Fiji group, not ten miles from Levuka, its capital. 
 Every man expected to breakfast on shore at the 
 very least. Boxes and portmanteaux were dragged
 
 BECALMED OFF LEVUKA. 
 
 out of dark recesses in cabins or under tables, 
 where they had been securely wedged throughout the 
 voyage ; tail-coats and tall hats were once more the 
 order of the day, and, in a word, there was that 
 general attempt at dressing to go on shore which is 
 so familiar to those who have ever made a voyage in 
 a sailing ship. 
 
 But alas for the vanity of human wishes ! The 
 wind which had hitherto befriended the ship now fell 
 ' dead calm.' The vessel lay like a log on the water, 
 slowly rising and falling to the long rollers as they 
 came up from the south. Hour after hour we were 
 mocked by delusive appearances of a breeze, but 
 none came ; and finally the gloom of evening settled 
 down on us, still in the same spot as at sunrise. One 
 by one the stars came out, and those of us who were 
 accustomed to Australian skies missed some familiar 
 friends. On this night the constellations looked pale 
 and sickly, and their light seemed scarcely able to 
 struggle through the dull heavy atmosphere that 
 hung round us. Every now and then a lurid flash of 
 lightning would dart along the horizon, illuminating 
 for a moment some distant and low-lying island ; and 
 then all would be darker than before. The swell 
 was becoming heavier hour after hour, and we could 
 hear with unpleasant distinctness its sullen roar on 
 the coral reefs far to leeward. The barometer had 
 been falling steadily, and now stood unusually low. 
 It was now the middle of January — a treacherous and 
 anxious month to all who sail the Southern Ocean :
 
 6 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 for January is one of the three ' hurricane months,' 
 and during its continuance sudden and violent storms 
 may be looked for. The captain of our vessel had 
 been wrecked only the year before near the spot 
 where we now were, and had escaped by what 
 seemed to himself little short of a miracle. He began 
 now to feel somewhat uneasy ; and no wonder, for 
 if the wind should blow strongly from a certain 
 quarter, our destruction would be inevitable, and, all 
 things considered, it looked exactly as if it would 
 blow. 
 
 Next morning the sun rose in a haze of cloud, 
 and the calm continued as before. We were still 
 pretty nearly in the centre of the group, and sur- 
 rounded on all sides by islands. To the east lay 
 Ovalau, with its sharply-defined mountains and val- 
 leys, and somewhat nearer Wakaya. This latter is 
 one of those little gems that stud the broad bosom of 
 the Pacific, and cause sober-minded writers to rave 
 about the beauty of coral islands generally, as though 
 they were all equally lovely. A few years before the 
 time of which I write, Wakaya had been purchased 
 from the natives for a few cases of gin and some 
 20/. of English money ; to-day it is valued at 10,000/. 
 sterling. Away to the west, far as the eye could 
 reach, might be seen the hazy and uncertain outlines 
 of ' Vauna Leon,' the ' Big-land,' while between it 
 and our ship lay the Island of Koro, which has 
 sometimes been called the ' Garden of Fiji,' so great 
 is its natural fertility. Koro has ever been a favourite
 
 ISLANDS OF KORO AND RITOVA. 7 
 
 residence of King Thakombau, who visits it when- 
 ever he wishes to escape from the attentions of white 
 men or the worry of Fijian politics. Hence his an- 
 noyance was great when he found that, under the 
 self-appointed government of 1871, his dear island 
 was to be taken out of his hands, and to become a 
 security for money raised in Melbourne and Sydney. 
 To the south could be seen, though far away, the 
 blue outline of Batique, famed throughout Fiji for its 
 beautiful and costly mats. More distant than any 
 other land, the giant peak of Ritova loomed against 
 the morning sky. Behind it, we knew, lay Viti Leon, 
 or ' Big Fiji,' the home of heathens and cannibals, and 
 the grave, in years past, of many a hardy pioneer of 
 civilisation and progress. 
 
 As the day wore on, the heat increased, and the 
 sky became as it were of brass. The rays of the sun 
 reflected from the mirror-like surface of the sea smote 
 us with tenfold force. It seemed as if the wind would 
 never come. ' How long is this to last ? ' men asked 
 each other gloomily. The captain looked melancholy, 
 and began to tell a dismal story about having been 
 on one occasion nine days within sight of his port, 
 and finally after all blown out to sea ; nor would he 
 be sure that such might not be our fate on this oc- 
 casion. At length, after many hours, towards sunset 
 a light air was seen to be creeping up from the south. 
 This soon freshened into a good sailing breeze, and 
 before long the ' Young Australia ' was careering 
 through the water in gallant style. By-and-by the
 
 8 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 pilot boat came alongside, and the Levuka pilot, an 
 American ex-captain, jumped on board. He was 
 followed by a crowd of natives, all more or less nude. 
 Most of these natives, though quite regardless of their 
 general toilet, had apparently lavished no little care 
 on their head-dresses. Some had plastered their hair 
 with a coat of lime, others had saturated it with cocoa- 
 nut oil, and then dusted it over with sandal-wood, 
 while others, again, wore a quantity of flowers twined 
 either singly or in small bunches among their wiry 
 locks. This last was without doubt the most be- 
 coming way of adorning the head, as it was also the 
 simplest. Foremost among those who climbed the 
 ship's deck was Ratu (master) Joey, Thakombau's 
 youngest son. At this time he was a handsome boy 
 of some twelve years of age. His skin, though 
 brown, was lighter in colour than that of the majority 
 of Fijians, and was, moreover, soft and delicate as 
 that of an infant. His hair fell in great yellow masses 
 over his shoulders, and was adorned with a few red 
 hybiscus flowers, which contrasted well with his 
 swarthy features. As he stood on the deck sur- 
 rounded by his followers he looked every inch a chief. 
 His high lineage from the kings of Bau showed itselt 
 in every gesture — the more so, perhaps, because he 
 was surrounded by a crowd of hereditary bondsmen, 
 as the Fijian natives are almost to a man. I met 
 Joey many times after this, but as he grew older he 
 lost much of his early beauty. When last we met he 
 was dressed, I grieve to say, in a tall hat and frock
 
 FIJIAN VISITORS. 9 
 
 coat, and looked so unlike his former self that it was 
 with difficulty I recognised my friend. The mission- 
 ary love for broadcloth afid respectability had des- 
 troyed all that was interesting about him, at any rate 
 from an artistic point of view, and transformed him 
 into something not unlike a civilised snob. Latterly 
 Joey has frequently appeared in Sydney at missionary 
 tea-meetings, where his presence has served to demon- 
 strate the success of missionary enterprise in general, 
 and of Fijian missions in particular. 
 
 But to return to the ship. There was by this 
 time a great number of natives on deck, and a few 
 years ago there would have been no small danger 
 of their attempting some mischief. But times had 
 changed in Fiji since the days of Tanoa ; and the 
 natives of Levuka at any rate were as unlikely to 
 attack a vessel as the inhabitants of Greenwich or 
 Gravesend. Many indeed who came on board set to 
 work with hearty good-will, handling the sails, and 
 going aloft to point out the openings in the reef. 
 The majority of them stared at every object that met 
 their gaze, with a dull unintelligent curiosity. They 
 seemed, in fact, principally interested in trying to get 
 something to eat. Among the number were a few 
 women. They wore their hair closely cropped, and 
 their ears were slit in such a manner as to enable 
 them to carry a pipe and some tobacco where an 
 Englishwoman would carry her ear-rings. Let me 
 say at once that these women had nothing attractive 
 about them, in which respect they differ vastly from
 
 IO TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 their sisters in Samoa and Tahiti. They were timid 
 and unintelligent, to say nothing of being hideously 
 ugly, which of course they could not help. They 
 turned a deaf ear to the many flattering compliments 
 which some of the passengers paid them, and shrank 
 away cowering along the bulwarks and among the 
 water-casks. All this time canoes had been con- 
 stantly arriving alongside from the town of Levuka. 
 Their occupants kept up a ceaseless din, trying in 
 vain to sell their freights of bananas, cocoa-nuts, pine- 
 apples, fowls, pigs, and other wares. These canoes, 
 though varying in size, were all made on the same 
 principle. They consisted of trees hollowed out, 
 sharpened at both ends, and prevented from rolling 
 over in the water by an outrigger. In size canoes 
 vary a good deal, some carrying only one man, while 
 a first-rate war canoe will carry as many as two 
 hundred. Such a canoe is built of planks sewn 
 together with cocoa-nut fibre. It is propelled by 
 sails, has houses for the chiefs on deck, and indeed 
 possesses every appliance for an ocean voyage, ex- 
 cept the all-important one of seaworthiness. These 
 large canoes are bad ' sea-boats,' and become water- 
 logged in anything like ' heavy ' weather. They 
 are, however, very fast, particularly in ' beating to 
 windward,' in which respect they would be probably 
 more than a match for our fastest yachts, especially 
 in light winds. Canoes of the outrigger type are 
 common throughout the South Pacific groups, with the 
 exception of the Solomon Islands. They are driven
 
 FIJIAN CANOES. H 
 
 either by sails or paddles, or sometimes by one 
 paddle, like a Venetian gondola, though according to 
 the size of the canoe any number may be used. 
 Some of the canoes that came alongside were manned 
 by tiny children, all perfectly naked, and looking the 
 picture of health and good-humour. These little 
 creatures plied their paddles with great skill, and 
 seemed as much at home in their small crafts as the 
 Arab boys at Aden do in the water. In many of the 
 canoes I noticed an earthen pot containing embers 
 (mbuka). These were carried in order to light pipes 
 and cigars, for matches are too costly a luxury for the 
 ordinary native. The Fijian cigar, or more properly 
 cigarette, is made from native-grown tobacco, wrapped 
 up in a piece of banana leaf. And now a chance pre- 
 sented itself of learning a little Fijian. My first 
 sentence was ' Kautamai buka,' ' bring me a light,' 
 and very useful even this instalment of the language 
 proved subsequently. 
 
 Meantime the ship had been steadily advancing, 
 and was now close up with the land. And here I will 
 venture to remark that all descriptions of scenery, 
 save by a master hand, are of necessity tame and un- 
 interesting to the general reader. So well is this fact 
 known to readers of light literature, that there are 
 many who skip such passages altogether, and with 
 such persons I have an undisguised sympathy. Conse- 
 quently, I shall not inflict any elaborate description of 
 Ovalau or its capital Levuka on my readers. Looking 
 at the island a little distance from the shore the traveller
 
 12 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 is reminded of the first view he obtains of Ceylon 
 from the Indian Ocean. There is the same tropical 
 vegetation, though perhaps not quite so abundant, 
 the same straggling cocoa-nut trees, the same dark 
 sombre rocks, with here and there patches of red- 
 looking earth. But on a nearer approach the view is 
 more pleasing. The hills of Ovalau, though bleak 
 enough near the summits, are seen to be covered with 
 a thick growth of underwood, and divided from one 
 another by deep valleys. Here the vegetation is of 
 the most varied and delicate hues, while the lights 
 and shadows, as they fall on the valleys and hill-sides, 
 from every passing cloud, are all that a lover of the 
 picturesque could desire. About the hills themselves, 
 too, there was a rugged grandeur, together with a 
 wealth of fertility and beauty, that went far to com- 
 pose a noble landscape. At their base nestled the 
 small town of Levuka, the outpost of white civilisa- 
 tion in the farthest East. At the period of my first 
 visit it was but a tiny village, and consisted chiefly of 
 a line of houses along the beach, with a few cocoa- 
 nut trees scattered at intervals among them. The 
 greater part of these houses was roofed with galva- 
 nised iron, and the rays of the setting sun playing 
 upon them recalled the domes and minarets of an 
 Eastern city. One or two large houses stood out from 
 among the smaller ones, and caught a stranger's eye. 
 The largest of these was the French missionary 
 chapel, while the other was the cotton house and 
 ginning establishment of Messrs. Smith. At the back
 
 CROSSING THE CORAL REEF. 1 3 
 
 of the single row of houses which formed the town, 
 the hills in many places rose abruptly, forming as it 
 were a wall of solid rock. From this at midday the 
 rays of the sun were thrown back upon the unfortu- 
 nate inhabitants with a force that at certain seasons 
 of the year was almost insupportable. In front of 
 the houses ran the sea beach, which was thus the 
 main street of the town. Beyond this the eye rested 
 on a sheet of calm clear water, which formed Levuka 
 Harbour. Further out to sea lay the coral reef, form- 
 ing a natural breakwater, upon which the Pacific 
 rollers summer and winter spent their forces in vain. 
 
 And now the vessel was about to enter the har- 
 bour, but to do this it had first to pass through an 
 opening in the coral reef. This was indeed a veritable 
 Scylla and Charybdis, where rash pilotage or uncertain 
 steering must have ended in disaster. As the critical 
 moment arrived, some additional natives stationed 
 themselves aloft on the fore -yard, whence they could 
 see the rocks that lay ahead of the ship. In the 
 neighbourhood of coral islands this look-out from 
 aloft is always necessary. Fortunately for the 
 navigator the water is so clear in these latitudes that 
 rocks and shoals may be seen a long way off even 
 though many feet below the surface, and unmarked by 
 the curl of the smallest wave. Tau ' keep up,' ule 
 ' keep away,' were now the commands constantly 
 heard from the native pilot. The schooner answered 
 her helm well ; but every now and then, looking over 
 the side, one could see the jagged masses of coral
 
 14 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 rock that she had grazed past, or sailed over with but 
 a few inches of water to spare. The breakers formed 
 an unbroken line of foam north and south as far as 
 the eye could reach, and seemed to bar all further 
 progress. But gradually approaching this formidable 
 barrier, we could see a narrow opening, on each side 
 of which the waves were breaking with terrific violence. 
 The chief danger to be apprehended in passing 
 through a coral reef is that the wind should suddenly 
 fall light. When this happens, a vessel loses steerage- 
 way, and, drifting helplesslyon one wall of the entrance, 
 soon becomes a wreck. There is neither time nor 
 room to cast anchor even if the great depth of water 
 allowed any such manoeuvre. Fortunately on this 
 occasion no untoward accident happened. We passed 
 in safety through the narrow passage, and a few 
 moments afterwards lay securely in Levuka Harbour. 
 The rattle of the anchor as it went over the bows 
 proclaimed that the voyage was ended, and that for 
 some of us a new phase of life was about to com- 
 mence.
 
 15 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Manton's Hotel — Nicknames — ' Old Hands ' — Reindeer — Town of 
 Levuka— Totoga — Bathing in Levuka River — Dinner at Manton's — 
 An Uncomfortable Night. 
 
 Immediately on landing in Fiji, newcomers usually 
 repaired to a house that was familiarly known as 
 ' Manton's.' Like the ' Tabard ' in Chaucer's day, 
 the ' Mitre ' at Oxford, or ' Shepherd's ' at Cairo, so 
 Manton's at Levuka was the hotel of the place. It 
 possessed a character, an individuality, that placed it 
 above all other hostelries. It was at once an hotel, 
 a club, and a general rendezvous for all the idle, and 
 some of the busiest, men in Levuka. If you wanted 
 a man, the first place you would naturally look for 
 him would be at ' Manton's bar ; ' and if you did not 
 find him there, you had only to go into the billiard- 
 room, where your search would in all probability be 
 successful. And talking of ' Manton's bar,' let me 
 say, as it were in parenthesis, that the amount of 
 drinking that there went on, and indeed in Levuka 
 generally, was something portentous. Although it 
 had fallen to my lot to see some heavy drinking 
 in America, in up-country villages, and in gold 
 diggings in Australia, Fiji outdid all former ex-
 
 1 6 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 periences. Here every man seemed harassed by a 
 perpetual thirst, and drank freely and often. Not to 
 invite a stranger to drink with you was considered 
 mean — to refuse to pledge him was a positive insult. 
 This constant ' nipping,' as it used to be called, was 
 one of the least satisfactory features of Fijian society 
 in the early days. Much of the craving for drink so 
 noticeable in Fiji might perhaps justly be laid to the 
 score of climate. After a few years' residence in 
 tropical countries, especially in those where the 
 climate is as moist as in Fiji, some stimulant would 
 seem to be a physiological necessity. Holland gin 
 was the favourite drink of the citizen of Levuka ; and 
 if a man will drink in hot countries, this perhaps is 
 the least unwholesome of all spirits. In Fiji it was 
 drunk by everyone, and seemed at any rate less per- 
 nicious than the brandies and sodas of India. 
 
 Entering Manton's with the other voyagers, and 
 standing at the bar, it was not long before one of the 
 bystanders invited me to ' have something.' This 
 gentleman's name I found subsequently was Jones ; 
 but there were so many other Jones's throughout the 
 group, and as this particular one came from Sydney, 
 what more natural than to call him ' Sydney Jones,' 
 and by this name he was always known. It was the 
 same with Smith. In a community so essentially 
 Anglo-Saxon as Fiji, there would be many Smiths — 
 so many indeed that it might be a difficult task to 
 distinguish one member of the family from another. 
 The community, therefore, as it were in self-defence,
 
 NICKNAMES OF SETTLERS. I 7 
 
 conferred on each individual Smith a suitable nickname 
 which men could easily learn and remember. Most of 
 these names were taken either from some personal 
 peculiarity or some previous passage in the individual's 
 life, and some of them were odd enough. There was, 
 for example, ' Cornopean Smith,' so called from his 
 musical attainments ; ' Pegged-leg Smith,' from his 
 wooden leg ; ' Peg-leg's brother,' ' Dr. Smith,' ' Smith 
 of Nandy,' 'J. C. Smith,' 'J. C. Smith's brother,' and, 
 best known perhaps of all, ' Daphne Smith,' so called 
 after the schooner ' Daphne ' — a vessel whose che- 
 quered career fills many volumes in the Foreign Office, 
 and for a long time occupied the attention of the 
 lawyers and law courts of New South Wales. All these 
 nicknames were conferred and accepted in good part, 
 and their evident utility was the best apology that 
 could be offered for them. 
 
 Leaving the reeking atmosphere of the bar-room, 
 and stepping on to the verandah, I found it thronged 
 with planters, storekeepers, sailors, natives, and idlers 
 of all kinds. There was no necessity for much cere- 
 mony in Fiji in 187 1. It chanced to be an idle time, 
 too, of the year, and men, clad for the most part in 
 shirts and trousers, lounged about the doors and pas- 
 sages of the hotel, glad to dissipate their ennui by 
 talking to a new arrival. Many of these men thus 
 loitering about in rough garments, and so unkempt in 
 appearance, had seen much ' better days,' as the 
 phrase is, and were ' gentlemen ' by birth and educa- 
 tion. There was Captain A., from a line regiment, who 
 
 c
 
 1 8 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 had exchanged his London club, maugre himself, for a 
 reed hut in the midst of a cotton-field ; there was 
 Lieut. B., an old navy man, who, possessing only merit 
 without interest, and thereby finding his promotion 
 somewhat retarded, had quitted the service in disgust ; 
 there was Captain C, another navy man, who had 
 commanded a gunboat in the Crimea, and been badly 
 wounded, and was now on half-pay ; there was the 
 Honourable L., who had sense enough to drop this vain 
 title and work like a man. Then came a few Uni- 
 versity men ; next some wealthy traders from Australia ; 
 then a host of men who had been unfortunate in all 
 parts of the known world, and who would be equally 
 unfortunate in Fiji ; and finally there was a somewhat 
 mysterious man, who was pointed out as a ' Special 
 Correspondent' Here and there one met a few of 
 the very old settlers, the patriarchs of the community 
 as they might fairly have been called. These men 
 had settled in Fiji in the days when cannibalism and 
 lawlessness of every kind were rife. They had seen 
 much that was savage and strange, and had lived, as. 
 a rule, hard lives. Many of these had degenerated 
 not a little, and in habits and appearance resembled 
 natives more than civilised men. They belonged to 
 a genus sometimes known by the name of ' beach 
 comber,' sometimes ' loafer,' sometimes of ' old hands,' 
 or, in New Zealand, where representatives of the 
 same class are found, of ' Pakehah maorie.' These 
 men are veritable waifs and strays of humanity, and 
 represent a class which is to be found, though in de-
 
 THE HURRICANE SEASON. 1 9 
 
 creasing numbers, all over the South Pacific. The 
 history of many of these men is extremely curious, 
 and the lives of some of them, if written in a novel, 
 would seem too strange even for fiction. Some of 
 these ' old hands ' were originally convicts who escaped 
 years ago from the prisons of Van Diemen's Land or 
 New South Wales. They had preferred a doubtful 
 chance of life and liberty among the cannibals to the 
 certain misery of years of servitude. Others of them 
 had deserted from the ferocious discipline of the king's 
 ships or the weary monotony of whaling voyages; 
 while others, again, were shipwrecked mariners who 
 had been saved alive while their comrades had been 
 drowned or eaten. Such men it was who formed the 
 old race of white residents in the South Sea Islands. 
 The race to which they belonged is well-nigh extinct, 
 but a few members of it may nevertheless still be met 
 with, preserved like fossils in a later formation. 
 
 Leaving the bar and the verandah, I passed into 
 an inner room, intending to write a letter for a vessel 
 that was about to sail. It was the ' hurricane season,' 
 and the weather was intensely hot and disagreeable. 
 The thermometer showed about 84° F., but the mere 
 number of degrees was no measure of the oppressive- 
 ness of the atmosphere. The horizon on all sides was 
 dark and lowering, while great masses of cloud hung 
 about as if only waiting a favourable opportunity to 
 pour their contents on the town beneath. Everything 
 was damp and sticky, the ground saturated with 
 moisture, and the air laden with warm unwholesome 
 
 c 2
 
 20 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 vapours. No one cared to wear his coat ; and, indeed, 
 such a garment would have been as much out of 
 place in that room as in a Turkish bath. Close to 
 me sat an American professional gambler, keeping 
 a ' Faro bank ' against all comers. He was a middle- 
 aged man, square -jawed, and powerfully built; he 
 had served in Mexico, and had been with the re- 
 doubtable Walker in Nicaragua. He considered the 
 world generally as his home ; and it used to be said 
 of him, and probably with truth, that ' what he did 
 not know was not worth knowing.' In looking at him 
 I was often reminded of the description of some of 
 the grim old sergeants or sous officicrs of the time of 
 Napoleon I. The adventures of this man's life would 
 probably have made an interesting romance ; but he 
 was an essentially silent being, and never cared to 
 speak of the past. Close to him sat a young fellow 
 of quite an opposite turn of mind. He had once been 
 well known in London circles, but had eventually seen 
 fit to emigrate to New Zealand, where he had been 
 successful as a steeple-chase rider, and finally had 
 followed the ' rush ' to Fiji. He was now in Levuka, 
 waiting for remittances. Apparently this was his 
 chronic condition, as, during all the time I knew him, 
 he was always waiting for ' supplies.' As I sat vainly 
 trying to write, he kept up a desultory conversation 
 on men and things in general. But he ceased some- 
 what suddenly, and his gaze became more earnest, as 
 ' Reindeer,' a well-known Fijian woman, entered the 
 room. She, too, had had adventures, and hair-breadth
 
 HOTEL LIFE IN FIJI. 2 1 
 
 escapes. On one occasion she was pursued by her 
 justly incensed husband, and only saved her life by a 
 leap of some twenty feet off a cliff into the sea. Then 
 she took refuge among the white settlers, and, being 
 fairly honest and clever, had gained a footing in the 
 hotel. She was now past middle age, but still retained 
 traces of former good looks. She was accompanied 
 by Susan, a young girl of some eighteen summers, 
 tall and handsome, and full of fun and impudence. 
 C. told me she was his ' weakness,' and such was 
 apparently the case. At any rate, he pretended, for 
 some time, to talk to Reindeer, as if to lull suspicion, 
 but suddenly made a feint at Susan. Susan started 
 off, without a thought as to where she was going, 
 and came full tilt against the table at which I sat. 
 As she weighed over twelve stone, the result was 
 not for a moment doubtful. Over went table and 
 writer and ink-bottle in one indiscriminate ruin, and 
 poor Susan on the top of all. My friend did not 
 hesitate to pursue his advantage ; but when the con- 
 fusion was at its height, one of the barmaids came in, 
 and the two Fijians fled away as quickly as they could. 
 The white ladies of Fiji do not bear their coloured 
 sisters much good-will ; nor do the Fiji women forget 
 to requite their contempt with a cordial hatred. 
 
 A disturbance such as the above was far too 
 common to excite much attention. No one took any 
 notice of it, not even the gamblers, though at one time 
 their ' bank ' seemed in some danger of being demo- 
 lished. But though no one cared for the noise or
 
 2 2 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 inconvenience caused by Susan, everyone felt that it 
 was a suitable occasion for a general drink. The 
 opportunity was too good to be allowed to go to waste, 
 and soon the well-known formula ' What'll you take ? ' 
 was heard in all parts of the room. Some took gin 
 and bitters, the majority gin and water, while one un- 
 fortunate suffering from liver complaint, was fain to 
 content himself with soda-water. I could not help 
 noticing that no one paid, and on enquiry found that 
 everything was to be had on credit. This was a plea- 
 sant change from the stern suspicion of London trades- 
 men ; but even this easy-going system was found to 
 have its drawbacks. It was, of course, useless to 
 think of writing letters in the din of conversation that 
 followed the general drinking-match ; and as there was 
 yet an hour to dinner, a stroll round the town seemed 
 the best thing that one could do. 
 
 Levuka at this time was a small place, but for 
 its size busy and prosperous. It possessed, indeed, 
 only one street, and that contained but one row of 
 houses. They were built close to the water's edge ; 
 not so close, however, as not to leave a narrow strip 
 of shingly beach, which formed the main street. This 
 street extended about a mile in length, north and south, 
 and was of very unequal breadth — in some places so 
 narrow that two persons could scarcely walk abreast, 
 in others so broad that an Australian coach-and-five 
 might easily have been turned in it. There were no 
 vehicles, or, indeed, beasts of burden of any kind, in 
 Fiji in 1871, except a few horses which had been
 
 STORES IN LEV UK A. 23 
 
 imported as an experiment, and which were not found 
 to answer. All carrying was done by the natives, 
 who, like the Coolies in India or Egypt, preferred to 
 carry their loads on their heads. The first vehicle 
 ever seen in Levuka happened, curiously enough, to 
 be a bath-chair, imported from Sydney by a plantcr 
 who had been unfortunate enough to break his leg. 
 This machine was left one day standing opposite a 
 shop, and King Thakombau happening at the moment 
 to be passing by, jumped in, and insisted on his 
 courtiers wheeling him up and down ' the Beach ' till 
 he got tired of the amusement. 
 
 Nearly every house in Levuka was a store of 
 some kind, and public-houses were the most frequent 
 of all. Between many of these houses there were 
 large gaps of unoccupied land, the ownership of which 
 was very frequently in dispute. Some of the stores 
 were built of galvanized iron, but by far the greater 
 number were of wood, and were very roughly put to- 
 gether. After walking about half a mile in one 
 direction, I found the town ended abruptly in a 
 building larger and more pretentious than any that 
 had as yet been met with. This turned out to be the 
 store and cotton-house of Messrs. Hennings, the 
 boldest and most successful merchants of Fiji, and 
 the firm who had made cotton-growing, so far as 
 one firm could, a recognised and profitable industry. 
 Had it not been for the liberality of this firm to the 
 earlier settlers, Fiji would probably not be as well 
 known as it is to-day. Indeed, nearly all the capital
 
 24 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 on which the older plantations were worked was 
 advanced by Mr. Hennings — advanced, too, without 
 any legal security whatever. 
 
 Though Levuka proper might be said to end at 
 Hennings' store, there was a kind of suburb tacked 
 on to it, which extended perhaps a quarter of a mile 
 further on. This was called Totonga (F. Totoga), 
 and consisted almost entirely of native huts. In this 
 suburb the French missionaries had established them- 
 selves. The mission was presided over by two Marist 
 Fathers, under the spiritual guidance of the Bishop of 
 Typasa in partibus. Totonga had been once a large 
 native town, and in days gone by been surrounded by a 
 strong war-fence. This had subsequently been allowed 
 to go to ruin, and the warriors who had manned it had 
 departed, if not from the world, at any rate from their 
 old camping-ground. Some distance beyond Totonga 
 was the American consulate, built on a lofty rock, 
 whence a huge wooden eagle could survey at leisure 
 the town that lay beneath. Beyond this there were 
 no houses, and the eye could roam at will over an un- 
 broken expanse of ocean, or rest on a small strip of 
 rich land, covered, down to the water's edge, with 
 cocoa-nut trees and various tropical plants. 
 
 Owing to the formation of the hills behind the 
 town, the area available for building purposes was 
 very limited. In some places the bare rock rose up 
 to a considerable height, and afforded no spot on 
 which to build even a native house. Above this rock- 
 wall the hills stretched backwards in undulating
 
 PUBLIC-HOUSES IN LEVUKA. 25 
 
 valleys, covered with verdure, and affording excellent 
 pasturage for cattle. In one spot the ascent was not 
 quite steep, and here, at a height of about 300 
 feet above the town, a few houses had been built. 
 They were not, however, very fashionable, the diffi- 
 culty of reaching them being perhaps the cause. But 
 as the lower town grows, their prospects must im- 
 prove, and eventually the whole face of the hill will 
 probably be laid out in terraces and villas for a future 
 generation of wealthy planters. 
 
 Retracing my steps, I once more repassed ' Man- 
 ton's,' and soon found myself at the other end of the 
 Liliputian capital. On my way I could not fail to 
 be struck once again by the great proportion of 
 the public-houses to all other shops of every kind. 
 It would not be an exaggeration to say that every 
 second house along that beach dealt in spirits, 
 either wholesale or retail, and the difficulty was to 
 know how they could all be supported by such a 
 small community. The population, however, was a 
 thirsty one, and as there were no import duties the 
 profits must have been as large as the consumption. 
 
 The north-end of Levuka was bounded by a stream 
 which separated it from a native village of the same 
 name, the residence of the Chief. In the bed of this 
 stream were several large pools of water, which formed 
 excellent bathing-places. The sun was now low in 
 the west, and it was the time when in the South Sea 
 Islands groups the natives are wont to take their swim. 
 The Levuka river was soon swarming with tiny black
 
 26 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 children far more merry and joyous than European 
 children of the same age would be. Nor did their 
 seniors despise the luxury they were enjoying. With 
 not much more preparation than would be necessary 
 in the case of a Newfoundland dog, the grown-up 
 native could plunge into the water, and swim about 
 to his heart's content. The natives were not indeed 
 overburdened with clothes, but of what little they 
 were possessed they took the greatest care. Their 
 miserable bit of tappa (native cloth) was laid on the 
 bank and folded up with as much care as if it had 
 been one of Poole's masterpieces. The place of soap 
 they supplied by the rind of a species of shaddock, 
 or sometimes by an alkaline earth, which was indeed 
 no bad substitute. During the day the weather had 
 been unusually hot and oppressive even for Fiji, 
 and the mosquitoes and flies more than ordinarily 
 troublesome. Under such circumstances, a cold bath 
 was not only a real luxury but an absolute necessity. 
 Accordingly C, who had joined me, and whom I had 
 not seen since his adventure with Susan, pointed out 
 a good spot above where the natives were. We 
 were both soon enjoying a good swim. But scarcely 
 had we finished when it was as though the whole 
 white population had turned out to a man, moved by 
 some common impulse. Everyone had come to have 
 his bath before dinner, as was the universal custom 
 in Levuka society. On they came, young and old, 
 planters, merchants, and sailors ; in a word, all the 
 white men in the place — sometimes singly, sometimes
 
 RIVER-BATHING. 2 J 
 
 in twos or threes, carrying soap and towels, till there 
 could not have been fewer than forty or fifty round 
 the largest pool. The water, however, ran clear and 
 strong, and there was no inconvenience or over- 
 crowding. This last half-hour of daylight was perhaps 
 the pleasantest time of the whole twenty-four hours. 
 All was mirth and jollity. Business and cares were laid 
 aside, and every man unbent his brow and shared in the 
 good-fellowship around him. It would be hard to say 
 how many new acquaintances I made that evening in 
 the water, but the number was not small. In the Fijian 
 society of that day there was no stiffness or pretension — 
 no setting up of one man over another ; all that came 
 afterwards with the establishment of ' law and order,' 
 and the assumption of the kingship by Cacobau. As 
 it was, men felt rather drawn towards each other than 
 antagonistic. Everyone was more or less dependent 
 on his neighbour, and was more or less a pioneer of 
 civilisation, intent on opening up a new country, and 
 if possible -making his own fortune, but not meanly 
 jealous of others who might succeed better than himself. 
 In the midst of all our fun, the sun set abruptly, and 
 in a very few minutes afterwards the shades of night 
 had gathered around the spot. The river was once 
 more left in solitude or to the natives, while the whites 
 hastened to that great table d'hote which Manton 
 daily provided for his guests. 
 
 Dinner at Manton's was a pleasant enough affair. 
 We were waited on by boys from Rotumah or other 
 South Sea Islands, clad in flannel liveries. These
 
 28 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 little fellows were excellent waiters, and in their 
 cheerful service and beaming countenances it would 
 have been difficult to recognise the marks of that 
 ' slavery ' which has given such offence to some 
 writers. The cook was a Chinese, or ' Chinaman,' 
 as Celestials are generally called in Australia, and, 
 like all his nation, was very good so long as he was 
 well watched. The dinner consisted of pork, fowls, 
 salt beef, sardines, yam and taro ; and this menu seldom 
 underwent any change. I did not at the time think 
 it a very excellent repast ; but a neighbour said to me, 
 ' When you have been six months on a plantation 
 you will change your mind,' a prophecy verified in 
 even less time. After being for many months half 
 starved on tough salt beef and unpalatable yams, I 
 came to regard a dinner at the Levuka Hotel as an 
 almost regal repast. Compared to plantation fare, it 
 was indeed a banquet of Lucullus. So great was the 
 difference between the meagre fare of a planter in the 
 outlying districts and the generous diet of Manton's, 
 that the sudden change from the one to the other has 
 not unfrequently produced serious and even fatal illness. 
 Many a poor fellow has dated the commencement of 
 his death-sickness from a casual indulgence in the 
 pleasures of that hospitable board, when debilitated 
 by hard work and an insufficiency of wholesome food. 
 Dinner ended, everyone hastened to the verandah, 
 where, fanned by the cool land breeze which sets in 
 shortly after sunset, he could enjoy coffee and cigars, 
 unmolested by natives or mosquitoes. Everything, 
 as usual, was obtained on credit, and indeed it was well
 
 A SULTRY NIGHT. 29 
 
 understood, though no one exactly said so, that pay- 
 ment was contingent on the success of the next cotton 
 crop. About ten o'clock the quiet men retired to 
 their beds, to be up next morning at the earliest streak 
 of dawn. Those more merrily inclined wandered 
 about the town, like the Caliph Haroun, in search of 
 adventures. Others preferred the billiard-room, and 
 others the bar ; while others, again, sang catches under 
 the verandah, making night hideous with their noisy 
 mirth. But had the night been as still and hushed as 
 is the Sabbath night in a Scotch village, I should 
 have found it equally impossible to sleep. The hotel 
 rooms were hot and close, and the air both within 
 and without so oppressive that one could hardly 
 breathe. The mosquitoes passed through the curtain 
 at will, and tormented me beyond all endurance. A 
 man in the next bed, who had been drunk for some 
 days, or at any rate on the spree, had dropped asleep 
 in his clothes, and now snored abominably. I tossed 
 about fitfully on the bed, and put into practice every 
 device I had ever heard of for wooing sleep, but in 
 vain. As the night wore on, the noises of the hotel 
 one by one died away, and at length I fell into a dis- 
 tempered sleep, broken at frequent intervals by some 
 mosquito more venomous than his fellows. When I 
 awoke, the sun was high, and I felt wearied and unre- 
 freshed. The air seemed just as hot and moist and 
 sickly as the night before. My companion also 
 awoke about this time, and seeing daylight declared 
 it ' was time to have a drink,' in which he was good 
 enough to ask me to join him.
 
 'O TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Levuka in the Daytime — Visit to King Cacobau — Queen Lydia — 
 Leave Levuka — Voyage to Tavinni — Imported Labourers — Soloman 
 Islanders — A Pioneer of Civilisation — Hotel at Vuna — A Tropical 
 Forest. 
 
 The early morning, as everyone knows, is the 
 pleasantest time of day in the tropics. Though 
 ' Manton's ' was close and ill-ventilated, the land 
 breeze that came down from the mountains behind 
 the town, and swept through the verandahs, was 
 deliciously cool and fresh. It was, and probably 
 always will be, the fashion in Levuka to bathe early 
 in the morning, and, consequently, at the hour of 
 seven A.M. the little river presented almost as busy a 
 scene as at five P.M. of the evening before. Break- 
 fast was nominally at eight o'clock, but so many 
 persons were constantly dropping in, late risers, new 
 arrivals from other islands, et hoc genus omne, that it 
 was insensibly prolonged into luncheon, and could 
 scarcely be said to be over before two o'clock in the 
 day. The great recommendation of Fijian society at 
 this time was the absolute freedom of action enjoyed 
 by each individual. Everything was sacrificed to 
 comfort. Fashion and public opinion exercised no
 
 BUSINESS HOURS IN LEVUKA. 3 1 
 
 sway in Levuka, and were quite powerless to make 
 anyone do what he did not like. You might come to 
 breakfast at almost any hour, with the certainty of 
 finding something to eat ; you might come to table in 
 any guise you liked, and be sure of finding some one 
 dressed as strangely as yourself. The morning up to 
 twelve o'clock was the time when all business was 
 transacted. After that hour, most men seemed to 
 think they had worked sufficiently for the day ; and, 
 indeed, many persons had so little business to do, that 
 they must have found these short hours more than 
 sufficient. I found plenty of time to stroll about the 
 town, to peer into native huts, to visit the various 
 hotels, and to be introduced to so many pleasant 
 fellows, that it became at last quite impossible to re- 
 collect their names or their faces. I had brought some 
 letters of introduction from the Colonies ; but, as is 
 generally the case in new countries, they went for 
 nothing. If friends at home could only know of how 
 little use the letters are, which they have been at the 
 trouble of procuring for some son, or brother, or cousin, 
 who goes out to make his fortune at the other side of 
 the world, they might save themselves much unneces- 
 sary trouble. As a rule, letters of introduction are 
 said to be worth only a dinner, but in Fiji they were 
 not worth even a luncheon. In two days you might 
 easily become acquainted with everyone who was 
 worth knowing in Levuka ; and, as to the other islands 
 or plantations, you had only to present yourself at a 
 planter's house to ensure a hospitable welcome. On
 
 32 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 this, my second day in Fiji, I had no lack of acquaint- 
 ances. I explored the town in company with a 
 number of idle agreeable men, who had left their 
 plantations for a few weeks, and were anxious to make 
 the most of their holiday. This they did in the only way 
 open to them, viz., by visiting one house of refreshment 
 after another, paying for each other's ' drinks,' and 
 discussing all the scandal and business of the group. 
 As wool is the staple of conversation in Australia, so 
 is cotton in Fiji, although, indeed, sugar has lately 
 become a somewhat formidable rival. The men whom 
 I have mentioned formed a class quite distinct from 
 the ordinary citizens of Levuka. Their occupation 
 was cotton-growing, and they worked on their lands 
 and among their labourers for some ten or eleven 
 months every year, the rest of the time being spent in 
 Levuka, for purposes either of business or of pleasure. 
 Their company was ever on the move, changing and 
 renewing itself. The boat-loads of passengers that 
 went away one afternoon were replaced by fresh 
 arrivals next morning. This would continue for 
 several weeks during the ' dull ' season, the arrivals 
 exceeding in number the departures, until at length 
 the town would be said to be full of 'strangers.' 
 Sometimes a larger craft than usual would bring down 
 almost all the settlers from a certain district. Then 
 * Manton's' would be filled to overflowing. Beds 
 would be extemporised on billiard-tables, on verandahs, 
 on chairs, on the bar — anywhere, in fact, where a very 
 tired man might be supposed to be able to sleep. Men
 
 CORDIALITY OF THE SETTLERS. 33 
 
 were sometimes obliged to sleep in their boats in the 
 harbour for lack of room on shore, but the season 
 of year generally rendered this a very disagreeable 
 matter. Meanwhile, all this overcrowding and dis- 
 comfort used to be borne with the greatest good- 
 humour. Everyone seemed to be on friendly terms 
 with his neighbour, and anxious to make the best of 
 untoward circumstances. The reason of this was in 
 no small degree owing to the fact that, at this time, 
 everyone in Fiji felt more or less drawn towards his 
 fellow-men by a common bond of similar interests, 
 hopes, and dangers. I remained long enough in Fiji 
 to see this kindly feeling among the settlers sadly 
 changed ; to see it give place to mutual contempt 
 and distrust, which threatened even to end in anarchy 
 and bloodshed. But at the time of which I write, no 
 political troubles had as yet come upon the country. 
 In 1 87 1 Levuka was a pleasant enough place to live 
 in, at any rate, for a short time. One heard the latest 
 news, received home letters that may have been lying 
 at the post-office for weeks or months — my first batch 
 of letters were seven months old — met friends whom 
 perhaps you had not heard of for years, and all this 
 amid the popping of champagne and soda-water, the 
 rattling of billiard-balls, and cheery songs carolled 
 forth by men whose hearts were even lighter than 
 their purses. It was a kind of Homeric banquet, 
 that lasted not nine days, but as many weeks ; and, 
 if truth be told, soon became somewhat wearisome. 
 There were no amusements of any sort to be had, 
 
 D
 
 34 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 except drinking, and gossiping, and billiards ; and to 
 men who were not devoted to such pursuits, life in 
 Levuka became, after a while, extremely dull and 
 monotonous. 
 
 As I had been now some time in King Cacobau's 
 dominions, I should have failed in proper respect had I 
 postponed any longer visiting his majesty. I had heard 
 so much about him from the works of missionaries and 
 others, so many stories were current about his anthro- 
 pophagous propensities, his great stature, his nume- 
 rous wives, his conversion to Christianity, and other 
 interesting traits of character, that I looked forward 
 to making his acquaintance with a good deal of eager- 
 ness. Accordingly, taking a friend with me who spoke 
 Fiji well, I presented myself before the King. The en- 
 trance to his palace was somewhat small and low — so 
 low, indeed, that the visitor had to go down on hands 
 and knees before he could pass through the doorway. 
 The palace itself was built in native fashion, and might 
 be considered a good specimen of Fijian architecture. 
 The interior consisted of one large room, subdivided 
 at the further end into two smaller compartments by 
 a screen of handsomely dyed native cloth. Cacobau 
 was seated on a heap of mats, and close by him was 
 the queen, a woman of very large proportions. The 
 king was dressed in strictly native costume. The 
 upper part of his body was uncovered, while his legs 
 were swathed in ample folds of coloured tappa. This 
 ' tappa,' or Fijian linen, was as stiff as repeated appli- 
 cations of white of egg could make it, and must have
 
 KING CACOBAU. 35 
 
 been far from comfortable wearing. It is manufactured 
 by the women from the inner bark of the paper mul- 
 berry (Broussonctia ; Fiji, malo), and when thoroughly 
 dry is painted over with grotesque designs, somewhat 
 resembling those of an Egyptian mummy-cloth. I and 
 my companion seated ourselves on a mat before his 
 majesty, such being the approved posture of respect 
 among Fijian courtiers, and commenced an animated 
 conversation. After the usual salutation, ' siadra na 
 Turang' ('good morning, chief ') we were mutually intro- 
 duced to each other, the King by the title of ' vuni-valu,' 
 or 'root of war.' A pleased smile stole over the old 
 man's face at the delicate compliment contained in this 
 appellation ; for, though now a converted man, and con- 
 sequently a changed being, he had been, in his fight- 
 ing days, a warrior of no mean order. Then I was 
 presented to his notice somewhat as follows :— ' This 
 chief is from Sydney ; he is a man-of-death (matai ni 
 mati= doctor) ; he is come to stay with you in Fiji.' 
 Cacobau seemed to take an interest in me at once. 
 He requested me to feel a strange lump, or, to speak 
 accurately, ' callous,' about the size of a walnut behind 
 his right ear, the result of having lain for seventy 
 years on a wooden pillow. This wooden pillow is a 
 universal institution throughout the Fijian group, and 
 in its simplest form is shaped exactly thus j i . 
 
 It is made of bamboo, or sometimes of hardwood, 
 and is of course extremely uncomfortable to persons 
 not accustomed to it. I learned to use it after a time, 
 but could never get rid of a fearful stiffness in the neck
 
 36 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 which it always brought on. This pillow is perhaps 
 one of the strangest freaks of fashion to be found in 
 any country. Its origin is said to be due to native 
 vanity, which could not suffer the elaborate coiffure 
 of heathen times to be crushed and destroyed by a 
 pillow of the ordinary kind. 
 
 During my visit our conversation never flagged, 
 and Cacobau, if wearied by the audience, had too 
 much natural politeness to show it. We described to 
 him some of the great battles of the Franco-German 
 war. He knew both nations well by name, having at 
 various times been on board some of their ships that 
 had visited Fiji. He seemed much interested in the 
 accounts of the number of men killed and wounded 
 on both sides, and in the rapidity with which breech- 
 loaders could be fired. He asked especially how it 
 was possible to find so many men, especially during 
 the winter months. The significance of this question I 
 understood afterwards, when I had learned something 
 of Fijian warfare. But now it was time to say good- 
 bye. The King had satisfied his curiosity. I had 
 shown him the works of my watch, and had counted 
 the beats of his pulse. While this was being done he 
 had shown a little nervousness and anxiety regarding 
 the result, for Cacobau, like all his countrymen, was 
 superstitious, and lived in constant dread of an evil 
 eye, or a charm, or a philtre. He concluded by asking 
 me if I wanted to buy land, as every white man did, 
 and whether I had plenty of money, to all which ques- 
 tions my companion gave the answers he thought most
 
 QUEEN LYDIA. 37 
 
 suitable for royal ears. He himself all the time had 
 an eye to business, and told me he intended with this 
 object to have a separate interview with Queen Lydia. 
 This royal lady had, I believe, been at one time a 
 great beauty, but in her case age had spared savage 
 charms no more than it spares civilised ones. At the 
 time of my visit she was about fifty years of age. 
 To say she was fat would give but a faint idea of the 
 truth. Her size was simply enormous, and her weight, 
 if calculated in pounds, as the American custom is, 
 must have amounted to some hundreds. She was 
 dressed in a style very different from what European 
 notions of a queen would suggest. She was dressed, 
 indeed, much in the same way as the King was, the 
 upper portion of her body being quite uncovered. 
 But scanty as her robes were, they were, after all, 
 infinitely more becoming than the gaudy and vulgar 
 imitations of Sydney fashions which are now gradually 
 becoming popular in Fiji. Queen Lydia was not 
 perhaps quite so intelligent as Cacobau. She had, 
 however, a ready wit, and a great deal of native 
 dignity ; and among her own women in her own house 
 one could imagine that she could be a very stern 
 Penelope. Her complexion was lighter than that of 
 most Fijians. This lightness of complexion is said 
 to be owing to the fact that ladies of rank do not 
 work or expose themselves to the sun's rays as 
 meaner women must do ; hence, like long nails among 
 the Chinese, or small feet in Europe, this fairness of
 
 3& TWO YfcARS IN FIJI. 
 
 skin has come to be regarded as a mark both of 
 beauty and high birth. 
 
 My stay in Levuka had now extended over a 
 fortnight, and I was beginning to grow heartily tired 
 of the place. An intending settler soon perceives 
 that he can learn really nothing of Fiji by a mere 
 residence in the chief town ; and if he be in earnest 
 about his work, will lose no time in going further 
 afield. The large and beautiful island of Tavinni, 
 in my mind the gem of the whole group, lies some 
 ninety miles to windward of Ovalau, and affords a 
 good starting-point from whence to explore Vanna 
 Leon and other islands. Its climate is good, its in- 
 habitants peaceably disposed, its fertility undeniable, 
 while, further, it is more thickly settled with whites 
 than any island of its size in the Fijis. To these ad- 
 vantages it adds that of possessing several good har- 
 bours, with deep water, and a plentiful supply of 
 native food ; and if land is here dearer than in most 
 other parts of the group, it is because it is at once 
 more productive, and the title you obtain to it more 
 secure. All these advantages decided my choice of 
 Tavinni as a place to settle on ; and learning that a 
 vessel was bound from Levuka to Vuna, a town on 
 the island, I lost no time in securing my passage. 
 
 Leave-taking did not occupy long ; and with a 
 hurried adieu to one friend, a wave of the hand to 
 another, and a stirrup-cup or more properly anchor- 
 cup with a third, I rushed up-stairs to pack for the 
 voyage. When I reached my room I found it empty,
 
 FIJIAN THIEVES. 39 
 
 swept, and garnished, and many things that I had left 
 lying about that morning apparently cleared away. 
 ' Holloa, waiter,' I cried to a smart little Rotumah 
 boy, who filled that office at Manton's, ' Where are my 
 clothes ' ? ' Ou sa nikila — don't know,' was the only 
 reply I could elicit. All doubts were, however, soon 
 cleared up, for in a very short time I learned that my 
 wardrobe had been stolen, and was probably safely 
 hidden away in some native hut. I was told somewhat 
 later that such occurrences were by no means rare in 
 Levuka, and that each man must guard his own pro- 
 perty if he hoped to keep it. I betook myself after 
 this to ' Reindeer,' hoping to discover the thief, but 
 in vain ; and indeed everyone professed such pro- 
 found ignorance on the subject that I was convinced 
 that all further enquiry was useless. Nothing re- 
 mained, therefore, but to submit to the loss philo- 
 sophically. Later on, when I became more acquainted 
 with native character, I found I had only myself to 
 blame, for having exposed such tempting articles as 
 shirts and coats to the cupidity of Fijians, many of 
 whom made it their regular business to prowl about 
 the hotels, and carry off every loose article they could 
 lay their hands upon. Honest natives no doubt 
 exist, but they are to be found so rarely that no 
 prudent man will count on their existence in his own 
 immediate neighbourhood. 
 
 And now the hour for the ship to sail had come 
 and gone, and as yet there were no signs of her being 
 ready. By-and-by it was announced that she would
 
 40 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 not start that tide, but would wait until the next 
 morning. By that time, however, some new cause of 
 delay had been found, and so on for five successive 
 days. It was the old story, the malua 1 of Fijian life, 
 and a tropical climate infecting the white men who 
 had come to settle in the country. This word is 
 one of the first a new comer learns, and perhaps it 
 is the one he will hear most used during his stay in 
 the islands. It is an ill-omened word in a new country, 
 and both in the past and present of Fijian history 
 has blighted many an enterprise of great pith and 
 moment. It were well for Fiji if this word could be 
 wholly blotted out from her vocabulary, but of this 
 there is apparently little chance. At length malaa 
 had brought us to the sixth day, and then we were 
 allowed to go on board and prepare in real earnest 
 for the long-deferred departure. The sails had been 
 set, the windlass manned, and the word ' up anchor ' 
 was about to be given, when without warning the 
 wind fell flat calm. With the angry surf that was 
 roaring outside the reef, and the huge rollers that 
 were chasing each other in through the opening, it 
 would have been madness to attempt to sail out of the 
 harbour without a good breeze on. All through the 
 long hours of a hot summer's day we waited in vain 
 for a wind, but it was not till daylight next morning 
 that a land breeze came to our aid. This breeze 
 proved a true one, and as it gradually freshened the 
 
 1 Literally, by-and-bye ; a word of very frequent use in the Fijian 
 language.
 
 VOYAGE TO TAVINNI. 4 1 
 
 little brig ' drew away ' clear of the coral reef and 
 great rollers, and by midday Ovalau and Levuka 
 lay well astern. 
 
 Next morning we found ourselves near the island 
 of Koro. Owing to light winds we had made scarcely 
 thirty miles in twenty-four hours. But it was now 
 the ' rainy season ' — those four months of the tropical 
 year so dear to every reader of ' Robinson Crusoe.' 
 During that time the ' trade-winds ' blow feebly, and 
 sometimes cease altogether. Our vessel, too, was 
 in bad ' trim,' and instead of ' beating to windward ' 
 as a respectable craft should do, drifted ignominiously 
 sideways like a crab. Hence from Koro to Tavinni 
 our progress was of the slowest, nor was it till the 
 fourth day out that we dropped anchor at Vuna 
 Point. Yet the whole distance was under ninety 
 miles. 
 
 As this was my first trip in a labour-vessel, and 
 my first experience of imported labourers, I may per- 
 haps be permitted to describe the craft and her crew 
 somewhat in detail. She was a small brig of some 
 hundred tons, and belonged to that class of slow safe 
 vessels that used to come out from England to the 
 Colonies some thirty years ago. Her interior con- 
 sisted mainly of a large hold without divisions or 
 partitions of any sort. The floor of this was formed 
 by the ship's ballast, and on this the imported 
 labourers had spread their mats, and ate and slept. 
 Their ' quarters ' were roomy enough and well-venti- 
 lated, and were all the better for not being lumbered
 
 42 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 up with berths, as is the case in many emigrant ships. 
 She was commanded by a captain (by courtesy) well 
 known to all gentlemen engaged in the labour trade 
 for his uniform success in procuring workmen. His 
 mate was a Norfolk Islander, a direct descendant in 
 the third generation of one of the mutineers of the 
 ' Bounty.' He was a good seaman, brave as a lion, 
 and liked the excitement and high pay that were to 
 be had on board labour-vessels. Under these officers 
 were an average crew of some six white sailors who 
 had been shipped in Sydney, and who little cared, 
 and possibly little knew, what people in Exeter Hall 
 were thinking and saying about their doings. The 
 brig had now just returned from a four months' 
 cruise in that terra incognita, the Soloman Archi- 
 pelago. She had procured in all forty-four labourers, 
 and these had agreed to work in Fiji for the space of 
 four years. 
 
 The Soloman Islanders are perhaps the most 
 ferocious and intractable cannibals to be found 
 throughout the whole expanse of the South Pacific. 
 Those whom we had on board the brig were certainly 
 an unpleasant lot of people to contemplate. They 
 were perfectly naked, or, in some cases, wore the 
 merest apology for a garment. Their skins were 
 ebony black, their bodies ill-formed and dwarfish, their 
 faces hideous with an ugliness peculiarly their own, 
 and stamped, moreover, with an expression of trucu- 
 lence and cunning cruelty that allowed of no mis- 
 understanding. Some of their number were apparently
 
 SOLOMAN ISLANDERS. 43 
 
 aged men ; and nearly all of these suffered more or 
 less from a chronic disease of the skin. This I 
 recognised as a form of pityriasis, and it was 
 commonly said by white men who had seen much 
 of the natives to be caused by eating human flesh. 
 Whether this was the opinion of the Islanders them- 
 selves, or whether it was a mere sailor's ' yarn,' does 
 not much matter, as it is probably false. One thing, 
 however, is certain, and that is, that persons thus 
 afflicted in Fiji always go by the name of ' old man- 
 eaters,' and are regarded with more than the usual 
 amount of aversion by the whites. The forty-four 
 islanders on board the brig numbered amongst them 
 a few tolerably well-formed and intelligent individuals. 
 Two of them, who could speak a little broken English, 
 acted as interpreters for the rest. Their food on board 
 ship consisted wholly of yams and cocoa-nuts, supple- 
 mented by a little rice. Flesh, except of men, they 
 were supposed not to care about. In fine weather 
 they would congregate on deck, gesticulating and 
 chattering in a strange jargon that no one could 
 understand. During the voyage they had learned to 
 pull together, and with a little teaching would pro- 
 bably have made average sailors. They were treated 
 with very scant courtesy by the white crew, but, all 
 things considered, were far from badly off. None of 
 those horrors of the ' middle passage,' about which 
 some fine writing has been inflicted on the public, ever 
 came under my notice during my stay in Fiji. In 
 rainy weather the labourers used to keep below, and
 
 44 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 amuse themselves eating yams, and making spears 
 and arrows for imaginary campaigns, or, viewing their 
 actions by the light of later catastrophes, shall it not 
 be said rather that they were nursing schemes of 
 savage vengeance against their white employers ? If 
 such was really the case, they lost, on this occasion, a 
 rare opportunity of giving effect to their designs ; for 
 so unsuspicious were all the whites on board that, if 
 attacked, they would have been taken unawares, and 
 massacred to a man. Of course, as is generally the 
 case in such catastrophes, there were plenty of arms 
 on board — to wit, revolvers, Sniders, Enfields, muskets, 
 cutlasses, and other weapons, but in the hurry of a 
 general attack no one probably would have found 
 them ready for use. In all likelihood the white 
 passengers on board would have met the same miser- 
 able fate that befell their countrymen on board the 
 ' Neva ' a few months later. 
 
 Besides natives there were other passengers, and 
 among the number some white women and their 
 children. The tiny cabin of the brig was not more 
 than about ten feet square, stifling in its closeness, 
 and swarming, moreover, with cockroaches, earwigs, 
 fleas, and other vermin. In spite of the heavy rain 
 that fell so ceaselessly, most of us men preferred the 
 deck, more especially as the unfortunate children below 
 howled dismally all through the long night watches. 
 And, indeed, this was not to be wondered at, for the 
 ship was but a sorry place for any woman or delicate 
 infant. The second night out was one of intense
 
 A PIONEER. 45 
 
 misery. I sat on the wet deck, sheltered indifferently 
 by a waterproof coat, the gift of some good Alcestis 
 
 before leaving England. Next to me was F y, a 
 
 man who, had his lot been cast in other times or 
 circumstances, could hardly have failed to have left a 
 name for himself. He was essentially a pioneer of 
 civilisation in the widest acceptation of the term. He 
 was a worthy member of that band of adventurous 
 spirits of which England, since the days of Drake and 
 Frobisher, has been so prolific. Without the savage 
 coarseness and rough cruelty that too often disfigure 
 the American of the far West, he had all the hardy 
 courage, the native wit, the love of adventure, and the 
 iron nerves that distinguish the American backwoods- 
 man. His fertile brain soon devised a means of 
 bettering our forlorn condition ; and, by the help of a 
 sail lashed to windward, we passed the night in com- 
 parative comfort. F y possessed a true Tapleian 
 
 humour. His spirits rose in exact proportion as 
 difficulties increased. His whole life had been spent 
 in wanderings to and fro in New Zealand, Australia, 
 India, China, and the great Southern Ocean. Hitherto 
 it had not been a success ; for, though he had made 
 other men's fortunes, he had not made his own. Alas, 
 how many brave fellows scattered broadcast over many 
 new countries resemble him in this particular ! The 
 battle assuredly is not always to the strong. People 
 at home cannot realise what founding a 'new country' 
 means. We read so glibly, the narratives of adventure, 
 of rare ability, of superhuman courage ; success seems
 
 46 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 so natural and so easy a result, that we are apt to 
 undervalue the kind of men who can do such things. 
 Their number is small, as those who have been present 
 on occasions when men are really tried can tell. 
 There were some such in Fiji, and still are — broad- 
 browed men of great physical as well as mental power, 
 sometimes well educated, but more frequently destitute 
 of bookish lore, and trusting rather to quick powers 
 of perception and steady nerves. Unfortunately for 
 themselves, men of this type generally lack one quality 
 very needful in an age of excessive competition, viz., 
 steady perseverance. Hence it comes to pass that 
 other and meaner men outdistance them in the race 
 for wealth or power. But for all that, their memories 
 are very dear to some who have tasted the pleasure of 
 their intimate acquaintance, and who are not careful 
 to judge all things by the touchstone of mere success. 
 Then we had other passengers on board of quite 
 a different turn of mind. There was a phlegmatic 
 Dutchman, who drank brandy and treated his friends 
 all round in a manner so unusual for him that he 
 excited their astonishment quite as much as he won 
 their approbation. After the voyage was over, indeed, 
 a case of brandy belonging to the cargo was found 
 out of its place, and open. No one could explain the 
 mystery, and, as there was no law, no one, except the 
 unfortunate owner, paid for the damage. ' Let it 
 sweat,' was the usual coarse verdict in those days. 
 There was another passenger on board who was sick 
 unto death. Poor fellow! his last days on earth were
 
 CORAL REEF OF VUNA. 47 
 
 sad enough. By a strange coincidence I found that 
 his brother had ' proctorised ' me just before I left 
 Oxford, and in such an out-of-the-way place as Fiji 
 this little circumstance served to cement our acquaint- 
 ance. Before the voyage was over we became friends, 
 and I believe I was enabled somewhat to soothe the 
 weariness of his last moments. He had always been 
 delicately nurtured, and was but ill-fitted for the rough 
 life, the hard fare, and the trying climate of the tropics. 
 He died when success seemed to be almost within his 
 grasp, as did many another white man before that 
 sickly summer was ended. 
 
 But at length the tedious voyage was drawing to 
 its close. On the fourth morning from Levuka we 
 found ourselves rounding the end of a dangerous reef 
 that runs out to sea from Vuna Point, and scares away 
 all cautious mariners. Seen at a safe distance this 
 reef presented a grand sight. It differed from the reef 
 at Levuka in that it did not encircle a placid lagoon, 
 but, like a gigantic breakwater, stretched boldly 
 out to sea, and defied the elements. As they en- 
 countered this adamantine barrier, the long Pacific 
 rollers would pause for one moment in their stately 
 march, and the next, rearing themselves sharply 
 against the clear sky, would fall with a mighty crash, 
 wrapping the coral rocks in foam. As the reef ex- 
 tended so far, an opportunity was presented of studying 
 the waves in every stage of their formation. In one 
 place, nothing would be visible but spray and broken 
 water; in another, a perpendicular wall of water might
 
 48 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 be seen to rush on in eager haste, only the next 
 moment to bury itself in its own ruins ; while high over 
 all hung the perennial canopy of mist which, when the 
 sun shone, gave birth to innumerable rainbows. Vuna 
 Reef needed no ' Inchcape Bell ' to tell its position, for 
 it uttered a sullen and ceaseless roar, ever loudest in 
 calm weather or before a shift of wind. Heard in the 
 stillness of a calm tropical night, though many miles 
 away, this reef gave forth an ominous sound — a seem- 
 ing knell, appalling enough to the seaman who felt his 
 bark drawn within the influence of a strong current 
 that in all weathers sets towards this spot. We, how- 
 ever, had nothing to fear, for the breeze was fresh and 
 steady, and we soon anchored in a snug little harbour 
 under the shelter of the high lands of Tavinni. Here, 
 on the property of a planter, a rough hotel had been 
 extemporised for the benefit of stray travellers, and 
 here, accordingly, all took up their quarters for the 
 time being. 
 
 This hotel unfortunately proved to be a place very 
 different from Manton's genial house. Here were 
 no cheerful companions, no afternoon bathe, no hos- 
 pitable board, no influx of new faces. The refresh- 
 ment bar at Mugby Junction was not more dismal 
 than the bar of the Vuna Hotel. The landlord was a 
 solemn taciturn man. He had a nervous way of 
 constantly adding up his accounts, and repeating the 
 result sot to voce to himself. He had been unfortunate 
 in New Zealand, and would declare roundly that he 
 believed he would be eventually more unfortunate in
 
 HOTEL AT VUNA. 49 
 
 Fiji. He was one of those men who are to be met 
 with every now and then in new places, who have 
 always apparently worked hard and yet have never 
 succeeded in bettering themselves. This ever-present 
 want of success may perhaps connote some mental 
 deficiency, but in not a few of these cases there would 
 seem to be no sufficient reason why the individuals 
 should not succeed as well as other men around them. 
 Sometimes one feels inclined to adopt the hypothesis 
 that the stars have shed a baleful light on their 
 nativity, and that the poor fellows are only the 
 victims of untoward circumstances. In the case of 
 our host, I learned that he left Fiji shortly after this 
 time, and returned to New Zealand, not much the 
 better pecuniarily for his two years in the islands. 
 However, during my stay at Vuna, I received much 
 civility from him, and I should be glad to hear that 
 he has eventually succeeded in making an indepen- 
 dence. As regards the Vuna Hotel of old days the 
 less said the better. And yet, as it affords a fair 
 example of the kind of accommodation that travellers 
 still expect to find in many parts of Fiji after leaving 
 Levuka, it may be well to give a short description of 
 it. The whole house then consisted of four rooms, 
 one of which formed the ' bar,' another the dining- 
 room, while the other two were the bedrooms. These 
 rooms were all equally hot, damp, and ill-ventilated. 
 The beds were of the roughest kind, and very far from 
 clean. The mosquito curtains, composed of heavy 
 ' navy blue ' calico, shut out not only the mosquitoes, 
 
 E
 
 50 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 but also every breath of air. The first night that I 
 tried to sleep within their folds I was glad to throw 
 them open, and endure for hours the torments of 
 mosquitoes in exchange for a few mouthfuls of fresh 
 air. It was now about seven o'clock in the morning, 
 and after three days and nights in the little brig a 
 good wash was an absolute necessity, and accordingly 
 my first enquiry was, ' Landlord, when can I have a 
 bath ? ' 
 
 ' You can't get no bath here,' was the laconic 
 reply. 
 
 ' Well, let me have a basin and some water, at any 
 rate.' 
 
 ' Well, you can get a basin if you like, and I 
 suppose you know where the water is — we don't do 
 much washing here ; ' and with this he turned away 
 and left me to my own devices. At length, after a 
 great deal of delay, a basin was actually brought. 
 It was an ancient one, seamed and scarred in all 
 directions, with the dirt of years engrained into its 
 substance. By a gesture the water-butt was pointed 
 out to me, and thither I repaired full of confidence. 
 It must be said that on Vuna Point there was no 
 river and only one spring, which unfortunately existed 
 on the property of a rival and hostile planter, who 
 would by no means permit anyone to use the water. 
 Consequently, all the water used for drinking and 
 other purposes came from the clouds, and was kept 
 either in barrels or iron tanks. In this case it was in 
 an old barrel, and as I dipped the basin in I started
 
 TROPICAL SCENERY. 5 I 
 
 back in horror. The sea that mocked the Ancient 
 Mariner in that eternal calm was not more alive with 
 loathsome forms than was that decaying water-cask. 
 It seemed literally swarming with animalcule. If 
 you have ever seen a drop of impure water under the 
 microscope of some philosopher you can form an im- 
 perfect idea of what I beheld in the water we were all 
 about to drink. A cloud of mosquitoes hovered low 
 over its surface, and stung me as I looked at them. 
 I called the host's attention to the sanitary condition 
 of his water supply, but he did not vouchsafe an 
 answer. He was busy at his old work, adding up 
 phantom accounts ; and I could hear the words 
 barely uttered — ' six gins, three sodas, one brandy is 
 one dollar fifty, and I hope as I may ever see it.' 
 With such a man remonstrance was useless ; so, 
 straining out the diatomaceae, the retiferae, and what 
 not, as best I could, I plunged my head into the cool 
 water. After this I felt sufficiently revived to look 
 about me with some feeling of interest, and as it 
 wanted half an hour to breakfast I started on a voyage 
 of discovery. It was now that I obtained my first 
 view of tropical scenery. Although Ovalau is a 
 fertile island, it cannot for a moment compare with 
 Tavinni in either beauty or richness of vegetation. 
 When first seen, however, from seaward, Tavinni, 
 especially the western portion of it, is not at all 
 striking. The coast is low and flat, and the hills 
 that rise behind it, though covered with verdure, are 
 not such as to give the traveller any very exalted 
 
 E 2
 
 52 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 notion of their beauty. But on landing he will 
 probably confess that the accounts of the fertility of 
 Fiji which have reached him, and especially of the 
 north-eastern portions of it, have not been exagge- 
 rated. 
 
 Leaving the hotel and walking inland I found 
 myself in the centre of a grove of tall cocoa-nut 
 palms. These trees, at once the glory and the wealth 
 of the South Sea Islands, were in full bearing. The 
 luscious nuts hung in large clusters from their summits, 
 almost lost in the crown of giant leaves that sur- 
 rounded them. The grass beneath them was of a 
 delicate green, marvellously soft and fragrant, and 
 still wet with the morning dew. Passing further on, 
 the cocoa-nut trees became fewer and fewer, while 
 their places were supplied by trees of other kinds. 
 In spots where the sun's rays had penetrated through 
 the mass of dense foliage that overhung the ground, 
 the soil had quickly responded to the light and 
 warmth with a crop of flowers or fruits. Here rose 
 the banana, weighed down with its clusters of golden 
 fruit, while the pineapples that grew in profusion at 
 its base tempted the traveller with their treacherous 
 offerings. The hibiscus and cactus, clothed with red 
 flowers, grew broadcast, and struggled for an existence 
 with a host of other flowering annuals. The air was 
 laden with the scent of lemon blossoms and jasmine, 
 of limes and oranges, while high above all the bread- 
 fruit tree, one of God's choicest gifts to these islands, 
 reared its massive stem and sombre foliage. The
 
 A TROPICAL FOREST. 53 
 
 fruit, indeed, was not yet ripe, but even now could be 
 seen the promise of an ample harvest. All seemed 
 so strange and gorgeous, every beauty of tree and 
 grace of flower was scattered with so lavish a hand, 
 that I scarce knew what most to admire. I wandered 
 on further, and soon found myself in the thick of the 
 tropical forest. The air was no longer balmy, but 
 hot, moist, and sickly. The grass here never dried, 
 but grew long and rank, and was matted together 
 with creeping plants that hung down in festoons 
 from the branches above them. Here the breadfruit 
 contended with the orange and the wild nutmeg ; 
 here grew the ivi tree, with whose flowers Fiji maidens 
 are wont to deck their hair, and whose bitter nuts 
 serve as food in years of scarcity ; here was the ban- 
 yan tree, with its giant roots stretching down like 
 long arms from its branches ; and here was the rest, 
 so highly prized by native craftsmen, for it alone will 
 resist the corroding action of seawater, and of it all 
 war-canoes must be built. Besides all these there 
 were trees, and ferns, and flowers whose mere names 
 would convey but a poor idea of their noble forms 
 and rare beauty. The denseness of their foliage shut 
 out the sun's light, or only admitted here and there 
 some straggling ray. From this mass of green sus- 
 pended high above the earth, innumerable creepers 
 and trailing plants hung down. Parasites, orchids, 
 ferns depend from trunk and bough, interlacing with 
 each other in fantastic forms, and turning in endless 
 coils round the roots of the giant trees. Through
 
 54 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 such a tangled mass the traveller urges his way 
 slowly and painfully. At every step he is tripped 
 up, and must clear a path for himself with knife or 
 tomahawk. He tramples under foot choice exotics, 
 and ruthlessly thrusts aside or hews down creepers 
 and ferns that would be the glory of an English hot- 
 house. The air all the while strangely oppresses 
 him, his temples throb, he perspires at every pore, 
 he becomes impatient, and would fain push on more 
 quickly. But he has not proceeded many steps be- 
 fore his foot catches in some ' supple-jack,' and he 
 falls with violence to the ground. Thence, wearied 
 and bruised, he rises, and proceeds with more cautious 
 steps, until at length, with infinite labour and fatigue 
 and loss of temper, he gains an open space. Such 
 was my experience of a tropical forest. If I was 
 enchanted on entering it I was somewhat less en- 
 chanted on leaving it. I had lost my way, was 
 utterly exhausted by the heat and fatigue, and was, 
 moreover, some hours late for breakfast. This latter 
 misfortune, however, turned out in the sequel a posi- 
 tive gain. I received a hospitable invitation from the 
 planter on whose estate the hotel was situated to 
 breakfast with him, an invitation which my first 
 experiences of a tropical forest rendered very accept- 
 able.
 
 55 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Cotton- Growing in Fiji — A Plantation Breakfast — The Cotton-House — 
 Labourers' Quarters— Sickness — Difficulties attending the Instruc- 
 tion of certain Islanders — Labourers at Work — Overseers — Tanna 
 Men — Soloman Islanders — Erromango-men — Tokalaus — Ra-men — 
 Fijian Labourers returning to their Homes. 
 
 With few exceptions, all who went to Fiji during the 
 years 1870-1-2, went either to grow cotton or to be 
 connected in someway with it. Fiji was emphatically 
 a cotton-growing country until the commencement of 
 ] 873, when the cultivation of sugar began to attract 
 the attention of capitalists. 
 
 To grow cotton successfully requires a great deal 
 of attention and skill, together with a considerable 
 extent of ground. Plantations, however, in Fiji, vary 
 considerably in size, according to the amount of capital 
 at the planter's command. Even the very best of them, 
 in size and completeness, fall far short of those great 
 estates which were once the glory of Virginia or 
 South Carolina. Things in Fiji have always been on 
 a much smaller scale. The largest plantation, at the 
 time I speak of, was perhaps some 200 acres in extent, 
 while the smallest contained but some ten or twelve 
 acres, cultivated by a few Fijian labourers, aided by the
 
 56 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 proprietor himself. The estate on which I now found 
 myself happened to be one of the most extensive and 
 best conducted in the islands, and in describing it I 
 shall introduce the reader to the pleasantest phase of 
 plantation life. This plantation, then, extended over 
 more than 1 50 acres of ground, all thickly covered 
 with cotton-trees of the very best sea island variety. 
 The mere number of acres fails to convey any idea of 
 the money and time required to form such a planta- 
 tion. Every acre has to be cleared of a dense forest 
 such as has been described in the last chapter. Then 
 the trees, when felled, have to be cut up and burned, 
 the underwood to be removed, the ground hoed, and 
 finally the cotton seed planted, and carefully tended 
 for many months. All these processes involve much 
 labour and expense, to say nothing of scientific know- 
 ledge ; and, unfortunately, many planters have gone 
 to work without possessing either knowledge or money. 
 Thus it has happened more than once in Fiji, that 
 a plantation has been commenced, but only to be 
 abandoned, and this after the planter had paid for his 
 land, erected his house, and made good progress in 
 clearing his ground. 
 
 Having premised thus much, I must now describe 
 the routine of plantation life ; and, first of all, I will 
 ask the reader to accompany me to the planter's house, 
 or what, in Australia, would be called the ' head 
 station.' Here we will enter ; and, after sharing the 
 owner's hospitality, will go with him over his grounds, 
 see his labourers at work, and find out what he thinks
 
 A COTTON PLANTATION. 57 
 
 of cotton-growing as a means of making a fortune. 
 His house is built of wood, like an American 'frame- 
 house,' is one storey high, has an ample verandah all 
 round it, and is roofed with galvanised iron. Now, 
 everyone knows that iron is a conductor of heat, and 
 therefore, it might be thought, the very worst material 
 with which to roof houses in a tropical country. But 
 it has been employed in Fiji solely because it affords 
 a protection against fire. If the house were thatched 
 in native fashion with reeds and cocoa-nut leaves, any 
 malicious Fijian with an imaginary grievance might 
 thrust an ' mbuka,' or fire-stick, into the roof, and 
 destroy the house and its inmates. This has actually 
 been done before on more than one occasion, and, 
 consequently, most white men feel more secure under 
 a roof of iron than under the more pleasant but 
 treacherous thatch. The ground-floor, or rather the 
 only floor, of the house is divided off into rooms, 
 having doors opening towards the back and the front. 
 They are constructed in this manner to facilitate 
 thorough ventilation and coolness — for the two words 
 are synonymous in the tropics. Entering the dining- 
 room, I was introduced to the lady of the house, who 
 gave me a cordial welcome, hospitality being a com- 
 mon virtue in new countries. There is no need to 
 describe all the luxuries that were piled on that ample 
 board — preserved meats from London, jams from 
 Tasmania, curries made by the cunning hand of a 
 Mauritius cook, native fish dressed in native fashion, 
 roasted yams, baked taro, and many other Fijian
 
 58 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 delicacies. Every thing was served up with an elegance 
 that was the more charming from the savagery by 
 which it was surrounded. During breakfast two black 
 boys, dressed in red flannel, attended at table, while 
 relays of savage men from far-off islands carried 
 baskets of food to and fro between the kitchen and 
 the house. During meal-time the doors were thrown 
 open, and through them could be seen glimpses of 
 forest trees and of fields of waving cotton, and beyond 
 these again the line of breakers that marked the coral 
 reef of Vuna. It seemed to me one of the prettiest 
 and pleasantest spots in the world. If this is Fijian 
 life and scenery, thought I, the more of it the better. 
 My reflexions were cut short by the host proposing to 
 take a ride over the plantation. A couple of horses 
 were soon brought round, and we mounted. Close to 
 the dwelling-house were several small buildings, all 
 very much alike, made of reeds and roofed with thatch. 
 These were the houses occupied by the white men 
 employed on the plantation, such as the engineer, 
 carpenter, overseer, and so forth. At some distance 
 from these stood the cotton-house and ginning estab- 
 lishment. An eight horse-power engine brought from 
 England supplied the motive power, while the ' ginns,' 
 or machinery for separating the seed from the cotton, 
 were tended by a number of little 'Tokalau' children, 
 from eight to ten years old, who had come to Fiji with 
 their parents. The cotton-house was built entirely of 
 galvanised jron. The floor was smooth and polished, 
 and scrupulously clean, and in many places covered to
 
 THE COTTON-HOUSE. 59 
 
 a depth of several inches with freshly-picked cotton. 
 In each corner of the room were large heaps of the 
 same material waiting to be passed through the 'ginns,' 
 while seated on the floor were several little black and 
 brown children, all hard at work. Their tiny fingers 
 picked the cotton deftly and speedily, and though it 
 was yet early in the day, each youngster had before 
 him a rapidly-growing heap of clean white ' wool.' A 
 few men and women were there, too, but the children 
 did nearly all the work. The men wore scarcely any 
 clothes, but by this time I had become quite accus- 
 tomed to native costumes, and rather envied them than 
 otherwise. Passing from the cotton-house, the next step 
 was the houses of the 'imported labour.' So numerous 
 were the labourers on this plantation, that their houses 
 formed quite a village. It reminded one not a little 
 of those quaint sun-dried Arab villages which are 
 met with in the desert between Suez and Alexandria. 
 Here the houses were placed close together, without 
 any attempt at order or sanitary arrangement. They 
 were in most instances separated from each other only 
 by the narrowest possible pathway, while the interiors 
 were dark and squalid. No hovel in Arabian desert 
 or Connemara wild could be more miserably deficient 
 in provisions either for comfort or decency. It must 
 be remembered, however, that, in such a climate as 
 Fiji, but little shelter is required, except from an 
 occasional thunderstorm or during the rainy season ; 
 that the inmates are all men, and that they themselves 
 built these houses exactly on the models of their
 
 60 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 homes in Sandwich, Malacoba, Tanna, and other 
 islands. One of these houses can be built in a few 
 hours by a couple of men. Dry reeds laid on a frame 
 of wood, and tied down with cocoa-nut fibre, are used 
 for the walls and roof. The door, in most cases, is a 
 hole in the wall, about three feet high and two wide, 
 and this serves also for a window. In the twilight 
 that reigned within the house, spears, and arrows, and 
 other weapons, might be seen hanging up on the 
 walls. Here and there scattered about the apartment 
 were a number of wooden pillows, similar to those I 
 had already seen in the king's palace at Levuka. 
 While we were at these native quarters, I took the 
 opportunity of visiting some of the labourers who 
 were sick and unable to work. The first patient 
 brought to me was quickly dismissed for shamming. 
 This, by the way, is a very favourite device with all 
 Polynesian labourers who are lazily inclined, and is 
 often a source of much annoyance to the planter. 
 Among the invalids there were, however, some serious 
 cases, such as ophthalmia and dysentery. This latter is 
 indeed the foe most to be dreaded in Fiji, and imported 
 labourers seem particularly liable to be attacked by 
 it. This may be accounted for partly by the change 
 of diet, but chiefly, I think, by the unwholesome custom 
 they adopt of sleeping on the ground, especially after 
 a severe day's work. The disease, when once 
 developed, is very fatal, and does not yield readily to 
 the usual remedies. Most islanders imported into 
 Fiji have a firm belief in certain mysterious drugs of
 
 DISEASES IN FIJI. 6 1 
 
 their own, in charms and in witchcraft. They quickly 
 lose courage and hope, and lie down to die without 
 an effort or apparently even a wish to live. I have 
 never been fortunate enough to witness any of that 
 wonderful power of repair with which savage consti- 
 tutions are generally credited ; nor, indeed, am I much 
 inclined to believe in its existence. One thing, how- 
 ever, struck me as curious in several cases of death 
 from disease that came under my notice, namely, that 
 the appetite for food remained with the patient to the 
 last moment of his existence. I have seen a man eat 
 heartily of yams half an hour before his death, and 
 other observers have told me they have frequently 
 witnessed the same phenomenon. On almost every 
 station that I visited I found a good medicine-chest, 
 and from this the sick were always supplied by the 
 owner of the plantation, if the services of a medical 
 man could not be obtained. A large number of im- 
 ported labourers die annually of consumption, which 
 runs its course in many cases with extreme rapidity. 
 Scrofula in one form or another is of frequent occur- 
 rence, especially among the children, while skin 
 diseases are not uncommon among the adults. Each 
 tribe of imported labourers on every plantation has 
 its separate hut, or collection of huts. A Tasmanian 
 will not fraternise with a Malacoba man, nor an Erro- 
 mango man with an Ambhoym man. All, however, 
 of whatever nationality, seem to regard the Soloman 
 islanders with especial aversion and even fear. Owing 
 to this tendency to isolate themselves exhibited by
 
 62 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 the various island tribes, it comes to pass that their 
 huts are generally a good deal scattered on a large 
 plantation, and their owners are more or less hostile 
 to each other. This fact is taken advantage of by the 
 planter in governing" the large bodies of savages which 
 he employs to cultivate his cotton. Were it not for 
 this safeguard a planter's life would not be worth a 
 day's purchase, placed, as he often is, among so many 
 ravening cannibals. A stranger is astonished, at first 
 sight, to see how a couple of white men will coerce 
 a hundred blacks ; but probably the blacks would 
 scarcely stand in such fear of their white employers 
 if they felt they could depend on one another. Among 
 the motley crowd of men brought together on this 
 plantation from so many islands, I came across a 
 few who had been under the teaching of that excel- 
 lent man, Bishop Patteson. Whether the good seed 
 he had sown would ever fructify, it is not now, per- 
 haps, the time to say. At the period of my visit, 
 however, the men seemed to have profited but little 
 from the teachings of their gifted master, for assuredly 
 they were sunk in the grossest heathenism and super- 
 stition. It may be remarked in passing, that it is 
 almost impossible to instruct such benighted beings 
 by the ordinary methods. The number and variety 
 of languages and dialects spoken by them form 
 well-nigh insuperable obstacles to the diffusion of 
 knowledge among them by the efforts of single indi- 
 viduals. Not only has every little island its own 
 dialect, but in some islands every village has a patois
 
 MISSIONARY WORK. 63 
 
 peculiar to itself. Nothing less than a long residence 
 of years among the people would suffice to train the 
 missionary for his work. But this continuous residence 
 is a matter of the utmost difficulty. So innately 
 ferocious and bloodthirsty are the natives, especially 
 of the Soloman and New Hebrides groups, that any 
 white man who would live among them must go armed, 
 unless, indeed, his object be martyrdom. Otherwise, 
 before he could possibly learn the languages and 
 dialects of his congregation, he would, in mere self- 
 defence, have to send so many souls of natives to Hades 
 that the subsequent success of years might not suffice 
 to compensate for their loss. 
 
 After visiting all the labour quarters we spurred 
 our horses and soon reached the plantation proper. 
 This was some half-mile from the dwelling-house. 
 The road lay through what had once been the pri- 
 meval forest. On every side were the dismembered 
 trunks of great trees lying cracking and scorching in 
 the midday sun, and ready to be set on fire the first 
 windy day ; among these, again, were stumps that had 
 been uprooted, rocks that had been rolled away, and 
 tangled masses of brushwood that had been cut down 
 and now lay withering on the surface, or heaped up 
 preparatory to being burned. On approaching the 
 upper part of the plantation large groups of men 
 might be seen busily employed at various kinds of 
 work ; some were on the outskirts of the cleared 
 ground ; others within the forest, where already their 
 axes were laid at the root of many a tall tree. The
 
 64 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 islanders were all working cheerfully, but not with 
 great skill or success. Indeed, it is not every man 
 who can use an axe. Of all imported labourers, how- 
 ever, the Tanna men are the best for this particular 
 work. They take to it kindly, and possess, moreover, 
 great muscular development and powers of endurance. 
 The axes which they use are of American manu- 
 facture, with handles of hickory, and especially 
 designed for the roughest work. They will bear, 
 as may be supposed, almost anything in reason, 
 and sometimes indeed they are submitted to very 
 trying tests. For instance, a lazy native tired of 
 work will often deliberately strike his axe into a tree, 
 and, pulling the handle sideways, break it off, in order 
 that he may be obliged to remain idle while the 
 axe is being mended. Under such circumstances, 
 oftentimes repeated, it is perhaps scarcely to be 
 wondered at if a white overseer occasionally loses his 
 temper. 
 
 The majority of labourers at the time of my visit 
 were employed in weeding the ground and preparing 
 it for receiving cotton-seed. For this purpose they 
 used knives about eighteen inches long, not unlike 
 those which are to be seen in butchers' shops. Seated 
 on the ground they cut the grass or small bushes which 
 they then collected into heaps. Their work was very 
 light, and, but for the intense heat of the sun, might 
 have been performed quicker and better by a tenth 
 part of the number of Europeans. But white labour 
 in Fiji is too expensive to be used for such drudgery.
 
 TANNA WORKMEN. 65 
 
 In Fiji white men are wont to work more with head 
 than hands, and are valuable chiefly for their higher 
 intelligence and administrative ability. Any white 
 man who has had some experience in a plantation and 
 can talk .a smattering of the Fijian language is worth 
 at least 50/. a year, with rations and a house. An 
 overseer will get from 50/. to 1 50/. a year, according to 
 his previous experience or the size of the plantation 
 and the wealth of its owners. For the better class 
 of appointments a person should have a thorough 
 knowledge of cotton-growing, be a good accountant, 
 and accustomed to manage natives. To such a man 
 a share of the profits would generally be con- 
 ceded, so that the position is one a good deal sought 
 after. 
 
 Riding along the edge of the forest I watched the 
 process of clearing with much interest. Here were a 
 half-dozen of Tanna men with axes hard at work. 
 They were felling an ivi-tree, the roots of which were 
 of great size, and radiated in all directions from a 
 central stem. Their work was very hard in that steam- 
 ing atmosphere, but the men did not seem at all dis- 
 tressed. They were without exception the wildest- 
 looking men, though not really the most ferocious, to 
 be seen anywhere. They wore their hair long and 
 twisted into minute plaits like those which may be 
 seen in ancient Egyptian pictures. Of these plaits 
 there could not have been less than two hundred on 
 each head. Their ears were pierced, not with a 
 minute hole for an earring, but with a large slit about 
 
 F
 
 66 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 an inch each way. The lobe of the ear was further 
 dragged down by the weight of rings of tortoiseshell, 
 or in some individuals by a plug of tobacco and a 
 clay pipe. This, indeed, among many islanders is 
 the favourite mode of carrying their pipes and tobacco 
 or other very valuable articles. To all these Tanna men 
 fancy names had been given by the overseer. There 
 were Shakespeare, Bismarck, Napoleon, Jeff. Davis, 
 and many others from the domain of literature or 
 politics. One morning I happened to be present at 
 roll-call on a plantation where the manager was a 
 well-educated German, and the amount of brilliant 
 names that passed before him on that occasion was 
 truly surprising. First came Brasidas, quickly followed 
 by Thucydides ; then Schiller and General Jackson, 
 Virgil and Caesar, King William, and of course his 
 alter ipse Bismarck. Nor were English worthies 
 omitted, for there were Dr. Johnson, Byron, and Glad- 
 stone. More than one hundred names were required 
 in all, so that the selection must have been a task of 
 some little difficulty. 
 
 As we were watching the men at work the white 
 overseer came up, and I was introduced to him. He 
 was an Irishman, of about twenty-five years of age, 
 whose home had been in strange lands ever since his 
 earliest years. He was a short, dapper little man, 
 with a merry twinkle in his eye and a determined look 
 lurking about his mouth. He understood native cha- 
 racter thoroughly, and took a great pride in his Tanna 
 men, who formed, indeed, a sort of bodyguard for him.
 
 DRESS OF THE TANNA MEN. 67 
 
 It has often been remarked that these men attach them- 
 selves very readily to white men, for whose courage 
 and superior knowledge they seem to have a profound 
 admiration. In case of any cmcutc they are gene- 
 rally entrusted with firearms, and if properly led will 
 face any foe. Occasionally, indeed, but very rarely, 
 they have turned on their own employers ; but when 
 this has been the case there has been always some 
 good reason for it. In one instance that came under 
 my notice a Tanna man named ' Capitan ' shot his 
 master. But then the white man had been distinctly 
 to blame, first of all in keeping the natives beyond 
 the time specified in their agreements, and then in 
 showing his revolver too freely when he did not in- 
 tend to use it. Public opinion in Fiji in this instance 
 took the part of the native, and his crime was 
 punished as manslaughter instead of murder. The 
 dress of these Tanna men cannot even be described 
 to civilised ears. According to our notions it is more 
 indecent than the absence of all clothing — but then 
 fashion is as supreme in Tanna as it is on the Boule- 
 vards or in Regent Street. The services of Tanna 
 men are invaluable in the procuring of labourers from 
 other islands. They go in many cases as 'boats' 
 crews,' and if well commanded neither bullets, 
 poisoned arrows, nor hostile savages will deter them. 
 If the days of gladiatorial combats should ever be 
 renewed on earth they might fitly take the place of 
 the Dacians and Gauls of Roman times. They are, 
 it need scarcely be said, thoroughgoing savages — 
 
 f 2
 
 68 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 cannibals to a man, and treacherous even to each 
 other, which all savages are not. But they are essen- 
 tially and above all physically brave, and their in- 
 nate valour serves as a basis for that cordiality which 
 generally exists between them and the white settlers. 
 The Tanna men are curious feeders, if, indeed, a 
 stronger word should not be used. Not only will 
 they eat flesh of men and pigs, but also that of dogs, 
 cats, rats, lizards, and flies. On one plantation I 
 remember seeing a litter of puppies basking in the 
 sun, which the Tanna men had been fattening for 
 some weeks, and on which they proposed to have a 
 feast on the ensuing Sabbath. They will sometimes 
 catch a lizard as it wriggles away among the stones 
 and while yet alive place it in their mouths. I never 
 remember actually to have seen them do this, but have 
 it on such good authority, both white and native, that 
 the fact does not admit of doubt. In Samoa the more 
 delicate and civilised natives, especially the women, 
 look at these men with the greatest aversion and 
 dread ; and indeed no wonder, for they are ' unco ' 
 people enough when seen for the first time. Their 
 women, I think, may claim the proud pre-eminence of 
 being the ugliest in the world. 
 
 After this digression it is time to return to the 
 labourers who were at work clearing away the forest. 
 The presence of so many white men and their over- 
 seer is a sufficient reason why they should be more 
 than usually diligent. As we watch them they ply 
 their axes with increasing zeal, giving vent all the
 
 FELLING TREES. 69 
 
 while to queer sounds, which sometimes rise to the 
 dignity of yells. The chips fly in all directions, and 
 at every stroke the tall tree visibly quivers. And 
 now the brawny Napoleon deals an Homeric blow 
 and the axe buries itself deep in the wood. But 
 Napoleon in his haste forgets how to withdraw the 
 treacherous tool, and, pulling the handle ever so little 
 to one side, breaks it short off, while the head of the 
 axe remains imbedded in the tree. His occupation 
 is now gone, and the overseer bids him stand aside. 
 The poor fellow obeys, quite crestfallen, and I wished 
 from the bottom of my heart that I could then and 
 there have repaired his error. But there was no time 
 for this ; Bismarck, Shakespeare, and Jeff. Davis have 
 it now all their own way. They work with terrible 
 energy till the perspiration pours down their dusky 
 skins and the foam gathers on their lips ; and now, 
 after many well-dealt blows, the tree begins to totter. 
 First a few ominous cracks are heard, then a shiver, 
 as it were, runs through each giant limb, and the 
 whole mass leans towards the sea. Now, Tanna 
 men, is the moment for a few vigorous strokes ! 
 With loud cries they cut into the hard wood, and as 
 the chips fly in all directions poor Napoleon receives 
 rather a severe blow on the nose from one of these 
 missiles. The old tree is all the while cracking and 
 bending more and more, and at length with a loud 
 crash comes to the ground. The dry branches leap 
 high into the air, while many a trailing creeper and 
 delicate orchid is crushed and buried in the ruin.
 
 JO TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 High above all the din rises a wild shout of exulta- 
 tion, and then the men sit down to rest after their 
 labours. The overseer says a few words of praise to 
 each, and introduces me all round as the ' Man of 
 Death ' — the Tannese peri phrase for a doctor — and I 
 shake hands with each doughty warrior, for war is in 
 truth the real business of eveiy man there. ' Big 
 fellow tree that,' says Napoleon, who by this time 
 has recovered his good humour, and is all the better 
 for his enforced inactivity. There is no laziness 
 about him, and after dinner he will ply a new axe 
 with as much vigour, but it is to be hoped more 
 discretion, than he did the old one. He is far too 
 good a man to be allowed to remain idle, especially 
 when there is so much clearing and other heavy work 
 to be done on the plantation. 
 
 Having thus seen the Tanna men at work we shall 
 do well to take a look at some of their fellow-labourers. 
 First of all come the Soloman Islanders. They 
 dwell apart in huts of their own, far away from the 
 head station and the other labourers. They are a 
 treacherous lot of men, both feared and disliked by 
 their employers. Subsequently to the time of which 
 I am writing, and when they were imported in greater 
 numbers into Fiji, they committed some terrible out- 
 rages. Sometimes on dark and stormy nights they 
 have been known to leave their huts, crawl stealthily 
 down to the beach, and seizing any boat they could 
 find, put her before the gale and make for the nearest 
 land. Occasionally they have made a descent on
 
 THE SOLOMAN ISLANDS. 7 1 
 
 some spot and carried off any luckless Fijians who 
 might be there, and finally have killed and eaten 
 them. About the time of which I am writing they 
 sailed away in a large whale-boat, having captured 
 three unfortunate Fijians who were tranquilly fishing 
 on a coral reef and suspecting no evil. One of them 
 they ate incontinently, the other two they killed and 
 cut up into small pieces, which they pickled in a rough 
 way Math salt water, and carried with them for further 
 use. Many of the Soloman Island labourers I had 
 already met on board the ship during the voyage from 
 Levuka, and they recognised me again, but the re- 
 cognition they accorded me was forced and sullen, 
 and did not, like that of the Tanna men, come with 
 a good grace. Their country is a great archipelago of 
 islands lying far away to the west and north of Fiji. 
 It is a land of which little is known by whites, and 
 what little is known of it is not to its advantage. It 
 is unhealthy, and has not hitherto been productive of 
 any articles of much commercial value. There is no 
 difficulty, however, in getting there from Fiji. The 
 trade-winds blowing strong and true will carry a ship 
 more than fifty leagues a day to the westward. On 
 the twelfth day out from Fiji, if the passage has been 
 a quick one, the voyager will see dark masses of green 
 foliage and tall cocoa-nut trees rising from out the 
 waste of waters, and that evening may drop anchor 
 off New Britain or New Ireland, or Bougainville 
 Island. Scd revocare gradum becomes by-and-by 
 the question. The wind is fresh and true as ever,
 
 72 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 and the long rollers tumbling in on the reef tell of 
 strong breezes out at sea. But now wind and current 
 and waves are all going the wrong way for the 
 mariner bound eastward. There is no help for it, 
 however, and a long beat to windward is inevitable. 
 All that can be done is to ship a little extra ballast, 
 to brace the yards sharp up, and to take advantage of 
 every shift of wind during the tedious voyage back to 
 Fiji. There are plenty of hands on board, or should 
 be at any rate, in a labour-vessel. So the ship's 
 head is put to it and she is allowed to ' thrash ' her 
 way back to Fiji. Some thirty days have come and 
 gone and the voyage is not yet half over. The wind 
 and sea are so heavy that little real progress is made. 
 Meanwhile an eye must be kept on the natives who 
 are on board. They have nothing to do now but hatch 
 mischief, and already in their dull minds are vaguely 
 wondering at the length of the voyage. At last the 
 wind comes round a little. It is blowing very fresh, 
 and the little brig leaps over and sometimes into the 
 great waves. Every now and then as they strike 
 her a mass of spray rushes over the cowering pas- 
 sengers. They have never in their lives kept the sea in 
 such weather as this, and their best canoes would have 
 sunk long ago. One by one they creep under the 
 hatches and chatter by the hour, or sleep, or eat yams, 
 or make spears and arrows for use on future occa- 
 sions. Meanwhile, as the breeze freshens, the little 
 vessel makes a terrible fuss, creaking and straining 
 in every timber, and wetting everyone through and
 
 RETURN VOYAGE TO FIJI. 73 
 
 through. But the captain, however, knows what he 
 is about ; he served his time in a China tea-clipper, 
 and his boast is that he will carry on with any man 
 alive. He has, indeed, no certificate from the Board 
 of Trade or any other Board, and is not on the whole 
 a man ever likely to pass successfully a competitive 
 examination. But for this sort of rough and dan- 
 gerous work men are required rather than certificates ; 
 and this man has been tried before and never found 
 wanting. Again, as evening approaches, the breeze 
 gradually dies away. The sun sets in a fine weather 
 sky, and the Southern Cross is seen a few degrees 
 above the horizon. Next morning the breeze is back 
 in its old quarter, that is, right ahead. Forty, fifty, 
 sixty days have come and gone, and Fiji is once 
 more in sight. The voyage in all has lasted four 
 months, but has not been unsuccessful. There are 
 seventy natives on board, for whose passage 10/. 
 must be paid per head. Of this the captain will get 
 1/. and each seaman 2s. The second mate was 
 wounded by a poisoned arrow as he was filling the 
 ship's casks with water, and died within a few hours ; 
 so that the voyage has not been altogether unevent- 
 ful. It was through some such voyage that these 
 Soloman Islanders had just passed when I first saw 
 them. They had, at any rate, been well fed, for they 
 were fat and sleek, and their dark bodies smooth and 
 shining. They did not, however, like work, and 
 no wonder, for no one perhaps does at first — or at 
 last for that matter. Quitting the Soloman Islanders,
 
 74 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 we come on a group of Erromango men. They are 
 well-formed, but very black. They murdered their 
 missionaiy a few years before — the Rev. W. Gordon. 
 The sister of the man who dealt him the fatal blow 
 with a tomahawk is below in the cotton-house, and 
 will tell all about it by-and-by. She says that 
 Mr. Gordon told the islanders that if they did not 
 repent and become converted a pestilence would be- 
 fore long sweep them off from the face of the earth. 
 That year, strangely enough, measles actually did 
 come, and killed more than half the inhabitants. The 
 old chiefs met ; and remembering what the white man 
 had told them, believed that he was punishing them 
 for their hardness of heart, and resolved that he 
 should die in his turn. They first killed his wife and 
 child and then himself. This is the account given 
 by those who were on the spot on the fatal day and 
 witnessed the murder ; but another version of the 
 affair has been given in some quarters. 
 
 Close to the Erromango men are some Tokalans. 
 They came from low-lying islands of sand near the 
 Equator called the ' Radick Chain,' or ' Marshall's 
 Group,' or sometimes the ' King's Mill Islands.' Cocoa- 
 nuts are their principal food. They are passionately 
 fond of alcohol in any form, and know how to make 
 an intoxicating drink not unlike champagne from the 
 young shoots of the cocoa-nut tree. They are a 
 wild-looking set of men ; their hair is long, and hangs 
 like elf-rocks over their shoulders ; their eyes are pe- 
 culiarly large and handsome, and their teeth pearly
 
 TOKALANS. 75 
 
 white. Their skin is copper-coloured, and they 
 belong to the lighter or Eastern race of the Pacific. 
 They are very brave, and fight with knives in pre- 
 ference to any other weapons, and hence, being 
 naturally pugnacious, their bodies are frequently 
 strangely scarred and mutilated. Sometimes it is 
 an ear that has been lopped off. Sometimes it is 
 an eye that is missing, sometimes a finger or hand. 
 The women fight side by side with the men, and 
 adopt the same code of warfare. As a rule the 
 Tokalans are friendly to the whites, and are 
 found to be very good men for light work, such as 
 cotton-picking. They have, however, neither the 
 robust physique nor the uncouth manners of the 
 Tanna men. They are not cannibals, and, indeed, 
 their diet is limited to two articles of food, viz. fish 
 (sometimes eaten raw) and cocoa-nuts. They are the 
 only imported labourers who bring their women with 
 them, and these, though sometimes very pretty, are, 
 as a rule sadly deficient in moral virtue. They are, 
 in fact, dreadfully naughty — far more so than any 
 natives imported into Fiji. They are always well 
 treated on plantations, and in return are good and 
 trustworthy servants. On a plantation with which I 
 am acquainted in Fiji a chief from the ' King's Mill 
 Group ' had settled with his family, but within a few 
 months had sickened and died. On his deathbed he 
 called the planter and solemnly made him a present 
 of his children, who, he said, would work for him as 
 long as he required. If the mother ever went away
 
 76 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 the children were to remain with their white pro- 
 tector. Then the father died, but I can answer for 
 it that the adoptive father was faithful to the trust 
 imposed upon him. I saw these little fellows running 
 about the plantation happy and contented. They 
 did not do any work, and were treated in all respects 
 as white children might have been. The planter, who 
 was a plain man, told me this himself, and added 
 that he hoped never to lose sight of the orphans. 
 As illustrating the haughty spirit and vindictive 
 nature of these Tokalans, I may relate a tragedy 
 which happened many hundreds of miles away from 
 Fiji. A Tokalan chief had come to work on a plan- 
 tation, bringing with him several wives. One of these 
 he had presented to the overseer, and all her people 
 had felt honoured by the white man's preference : 
 just as the Jews had felt honoured by the promotion 
 of Esther. But in time the white man grew tired of 
 his dusky bride and bade her return to her former 
 husband. This she refused to do, in spite of the en- 
 treaties of the chief, who warned her at length that 
 if she continued to disobey him he would put her 
 to death. She was deaf, however, to all warning ; 
 but one evening when returning from the cotton-field 
 she chanced to meet her husband, who then and there 
 cut off her head. He fled away into the bush, and 
 was soon pursued by some of the inhabitants of the 
 island. But pursuit came too late, for suicide had 
 quickly followed murder. His body was afterwards 
 found deep in the forest, unburied and uncared for.
 
 IMPORTED LABOURERS. yj 
 
 Suicide is by no means uncommon among these people. 
 Rather than face the sea of troubles that threatens 
 them they prefer to die at once. One case of this 
 came under my notice in the person of a patient of 
 my own. He was slowly though surely recovering 
 from an attack of dysentery. But one morning, when 
 I went as usual to visit him, I found him hanging 
 lifeless to one of the beams of his house. His fellows 
 buried him without any solemnity, only requesting 
 the ' white fellow carpenter to make one box.' 
 
 Besides those already mentioned there are other 
 nationalities to be found among the labourers im- 
 ported into Fiji, but they require no particular notice. 
 There are, for instance, Banks' Islanders, some of 
 whom had never seen a white man until the labour- 
 ships visited them. They are willing workers, some- 
 what timid and shy at first, but capable of great 
 improvement. There are Sandwich men, whose 
 heritage of fragrant sandalwood has exposed them 
 for years to the attacks of Tanna men, and occasion- 
 ally even of the far-off Tongese. There are Ni'ue 
 men, the ' savage islanders ' of Captain Cook, tattood 
 on the backs of their necks, and excellent men on 
 board ship. Finally, there are two strange and soli- 
 tary beings who have come from an unknown country 
 and speak an unknown language. They were picked 
 up by a passing vessel many hundreds of miles from 
 any known land, floating in the same tiny canoe in 
 which they had been blown out to sea. They had 
 lived on shellfish and a few cocoa-nuts as best they
 
 7S TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 could, and when found were but skin-and-bone. No 
 one could understand what they said, and they have 
 never named their country ; or if they have, the name 
 does not correspond with that of any island on any 
 chart. They are now fat and sleek, and as happy as 
 the day is long. There is an entry in the ship's log 
 of the latitude and longitude in which they were 
 found, and this is probably all the clue they will ever 
 have to their lost homes. 
 
 A totally different but equally important class of 
 labour to the cotton-planter must now be mentioned. 
 That spoken of hitherto has been imported from a 
 distance. But there is besides* this the native, or 
 Fijian, as opposed to the foreign or imported labourer. 
 On the east side of the great island of Viti Leon is a 
 tract of coast-land some hundred miles or more in 
 extent. The soil there is niggard and the landscape 
 dreary and uninviting. There is no tropical vegeta- 
 tion, no sands fringed with cocoa-nut palms, no calm 
 lagoon ; nothing, in short, to cheer or stay the tra- 
 veller. The coast is rugged and ironbound, affording 
 no harbour even to the small craft that visit it occa- 
 sionally from Levuka. So studded is the sea with 
 reefs and rocks and shoals that the mariner can never 
 sail except by daylight. Then, indeed, from the 
 masthead he can generally discern the outlines of the 
 coral rocks and the ' horses' heads ' in sufficient time 
 to avoid them. This coast is known in Fiji as ' the 
 Ra,' or, where it trends away to the north, ' the Ba.' 
 The land here is a mere narrow strip, running back-
 
 THE RA COAST. 79 
 
 wards at most a few miles, after which it is lost in a 
 chain of lofty mountains. These mountain fastnesses 
 have been from time immemorial the homes of a race 
 of cannibals, who have never as yet embraced Chris- 
 tianity nor submitted themselves to the authority of 
 Cacobau. They make frequent raids on the people 
 of the coast, who are thus exposed to all the miseries 
 of a predatory and never-ending warfare. It has 
 been already shown that the country of the lowlanders 
 is dreary and unproductive. The inhabitants are 
 hemmed in on one side by the ocean, on the other by 
 the mountains and the warlike tribes they contain. 
 This state of things, continued through centuries, has 
 left its mark on the race. Compared with Fijians 
 from other parts of the group these lowlanders are a 
 degraded and miserable set of men. With them the 
 struggle for existence degenerates into a mere struggle 
 for food. I have often seen them stalking along the 
 seashore like gaunt spectres, searching with wolfish 
 eyes among the rocks and stones for something to 
 eat. But besides food these people stand in need of 
 weapons to defend themselves against their cannibal 
 neighbours. How to get these weapons was a pro- 
 blem which long exercised their minds, and which the 
 white man at length solved satisfactorily. When 
 cotton-growing began there was, of course, a great 
 demand for labourers. The earlier settlers found on 
 the Ra coast an ample supply of this. On the one 
 hand was a half-starved race of men, lean with hunger 
 and harassed by hereditary foes ; on the other, fields
 
 80 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 white with goodly blossoms of cotton, but perishing 
 for want of hands to gather them ; hence an arrange- 
 ment was soon effected. The planter agreed with the 
 native chief to supply him with say ten muskets, with 
 powder and bullets in proportion. 
 
 For such a gift the chief would lend the planter 
 perhaps thirty young men for the space of a year. 
 Each of these was to receive in goods the value of 
 3/. sterling, and be brought back at the planter's 
 expense to his home. These goods were of course 
 given and received at a value previously fixed by 
 each party. The three pounds generally represented 
 a musket, a flask of powder, twenty bullets, some 
 tobacco, and a sulu (waist-cloth) or two. If these 
 articles did not actually cost the white trader the sum 
 for which they passed current, they at any rate 
 represented a far greater value to the native, whose 
 very existence depended on his being better armed 
 than his opponents. After the bargain had been 
 struck the chief used generally to send down to the 
 village a message that so many men were required to 
 go to work. A sort of conscription then took place, 
 and in a very short space of time the thirty men 
 marched down in Indian file to the beach, and amid 
 a great deal of noise embarked on board the planter's 
 vessel. 
 
 Here they were packed as closely as herrings, but 
 this was a matter of small moment when the voyage 
 was so short. Sometimes the planter would not be 
 able to complete his complement of men at one place,
 
 RA WORKMEN. 8l 
 
 and would have to visit several villages. I have 
 known men thus occupied for more than a month, 
 and finally obliged to return with perhaps not more 
 than half a dozen men. As soon as the planter has 
 obtained enough to satisfy his immediate wants he 
 turns his face homewards. If he lives, as most pro- 
 bably he does, up to ' windward,' he will have a head- 
 wind the whole way back ; but by keeping in-shore, 
 and going along quietly at night, when the land- 
 breeze is blowing, and taking his chance of reefs and 
 shoals, he may get back to his plantation in two or 
 three days. During all this time the natives are 
 generally fed by the planter, though theoretically, I 
 believe, they are supposed to feed themselves. There 
 is, of course, nothing worthy of note on such a voyage 
 as this. The natives sleep all day and night, eat 
 enormously, and smoke cigarettes of native tobacco. 
 They use one another as pillows with the greatest 
 good humour, and sometimes sing a monotonous chant 
 that possesses little either of poetry or music. At last 
 they arrive at their destination, where they meet other 
 of their countrymen who have arrived before them. 
 They soon build themselves a house of reeds, and 
 within twenty-four hours after their arrival may be 
 seen at work in the cotton-field. They are provided 
 with long butchers' knives, and chop the grass and 
 weeds in a lazy and unworkmanlike manner. 
 
 Most planters consider them an unsatisfactory lot 
 of people, and would willingly pay 10/. more for the 
 passage of Tanna men than be troubled with these 
 
 G
 
 82 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 lazy Fijians. However, all planters have not the requi- 
 site money, and hence are compelled to employ these 
 inferior workmen. A planter dares not coerce these 
 Fijians in any way, for then they would at once tell 
 their chief that they were ill-treated, and would refuse 
 to remain on the plantation. They would very likely 
 steal their employer's boat, and with a fair wind re- 
 turn home on the first opportunity. Sometimes they 
 will plunder and even occasionally threaten the planter 
 with violence. If the latter be an American or French- 
 man, he will defend himself with his revolver or as 
 he may best think fit. If he be an Englishman his 
 better plan will be to submit quietly ; for should he 
 =shoot or wound a native even in self-defence, he will 
 most probably be ' deported ' to Sydney by the next 
 ship-of-war and tried for his life. Even if acquitted 
 he will be a broken man, ruined in purse and in credit, 
 his plantation overgrown with weeds, his cotton crop 
 lost, and his soul embittered by what he feels to have 
 been a cruel injustice. There is, fortunately, however, 
 one method by which these Fijians may be kept 
 somewhat in order. Their country is nominally 
 subject to Cacobau, and they are therefore to a 
 certain extent vassals of Bau. Hence the word of a 
 Bau chief according to his rank generally carries more 
 or less authority with it. Such a chief used to be 
 found ever present in the person of Ratu Johnny, 
 who used regularly to visit those plantations in Ta- 
 vinni where Ra men were at work. A word from a 
 planter would always procure the presence of this
 
 LABOUR CONTRACTS. 83 
 
 formidable personage. Before him the most loud- 
 talking and rebellious Ra man would collapse as 
 quickly and completely as did Thersites before Odys- 
 seus. Nor, if guilty, was his punishment very dif- 
 ferent from that of Homer's demagogue. Ratu 
 Johnny or one of his henchmen would administer a 
 sound flogging, or as many as were necessary, until 
 the refractory workmen were thoroughly convinced of 
 the injustice of their cause. After this they would 
 work smoothly for a few months, till the re-appear- 
 ance of the redoubtable Johnny would again proclaim 
 that a hitch had occurred somewhere. After the year 
 of their contract had expired the natives were, of course, 
 returned to their own homes. The day on which they 
 left the plantation was one of no little importance to 
 them. On that day they received their wages for the 
 past year. In most cases they were allowed to choose 
 in what form they would take the money coming to 
 them. As a rule all would gladly take the musket 
 and bullets ; but as several shillings then remained to 
 be expended, there was room for varieties of taste. 
 Some preferred the balance of their money in tobacco, 
 others in percussion-caps, others in gaudy prints or 
 ribbons, and by no means a few preferred a bottle of 
 gin to everything else. When all the wages had been 
 paid over there followed a season of infinite mirth 
 and confusion. Guns would be fired in all directions, 
 not loaded with ordinary charges, but half-filled with 
 powder, on the top of which wet sand had been 
 placed, to increase the noise of the explosion. The 
 
 g 2
 
 84 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 reports that some of the tough old Tower muskets 
 made under this treatment more resembled the noise 
 of cannons than of guns. Why they did not burst 
 more frequently is difficult to understand. They 
 were, however, of good metal, and many of them had 
 been tried in their country's behalf. With many of 
 these muskets the quaint brass fittings and flint locks 
 bespoke a respectable antiquity. From the dates on 
 the barrels many of them might have done good 
 service in the Peninsular campaigns, or have been 
 levelled against French Cuirassiers at Waterloo. 
 When a sufficiency of powder had been expended 
 the time had come to say good-bye to the friends left 
 behind. Here the gin came into play, and caused 
 such copious tears and such noisy and agonising 
 adieus that a stranger might have thought the time- 
 expired men were about to embark for a journey 
 across the river Styx, and that the planter's vessel 
 was nothing less than Charon's awful ferry-boat. In 
 the midst of salvoes of musketry and hoarse shouts 
 of ' Good-bye ' to their comrades on shores the eman- 
 cipated labourers are finally induced to go on board. 
 The trade-wind is blowing fresh and fair ; in a 
 moment the excited natives have by main force 
 lifted the anchor and set the sails, under the direction 
 of a solitary white man. Their tears are dried now, 
 their theatrical grief has quite subsided ; they begin to 
 eat voraciously of yams and cocoa-nuts, and one by 
 one to drop off to sleep. Meanwhile the little craft 
 has gained the open sea, where she glides along under
 
 RETURN OF LABOURERS. 85 
 
 a genial sky and over the blue waters, broken only 
 by the curl of some breaker on hidden rock or sand- 
 bank. The Englishman who steers the boat and one 
 native of Rohinal, or Savage Island, who keeps a 
 look-out for dangers ahead, are the only persons 
 awake on board. Meanwhile the little craft goes 
 steadily on, and next day reaches the village which 
 some of the passengers call their home. Here the 
 same noisy scenes are repeated as at starting, but 
 with these the captain or employer has nothing now 
 to do. He goes down the coast ever further, dropping 
 portions of his sable human freight at different places 
 until at last he has landed it all. He is now prepared 
 to take on board another set of labourers, but perhaps 
 these are not so easily to be obtained as he would 
 wish. It may require several weeks before he can 
 get the number he requires, and at this work we 
 will leave him ; wishing him all the success that per- 
 severance, energy, and diplomacy have a right to 
 expect.
 
 86 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Another Plantation — Salt Beef — Bachelor Planters — Starting a Cotton 
 Plantation— Purchasing Land — Sources of Trouble with Natives — 
 Advantages of Possessing an Entire Island — How to Procure 
 Labourers — House-building — Native Servants — Sowing Cotton Seed 
 — Feeding Labourers on a Plantation — Cotton Picking — Cotton 
 Ginning — Uses of Sea Island Cotton —Cotton Growing as a Com- 
 mercial Speculation — Elements of Uncertainty in it — Living on 
 Credit — Commercial Morality — Death of a Planter— Omens — A 
 Fijian meki — Night Air. 
 
 In the commencement of the last chapter a planta- 
 tion was described such, perhaps, as every plantation 
 might be if the owners were capitalists. Were this 
 the case no doubt planters would surround themselves 
 in Fiji with the same luxury and comfort as in 
 Ceylon or Virginia. But, unfortunately, very few 
 planters in Fiji are capitalists, or have even enough 
 money to keep up the most modest establishment. 
 The plantation described in the last chapter had been 
 formed by Sydney merchants. It had cost some 
 7,000/., and in the end had turned out a losing con- 
 cern to tJe proprietors. And now it will be well to 
 visit one of the poorer class of planters, and see how 
 he has fared since he came to settle in Fiji. He is a 
 man of middle age, and wears that peculiar tropical 
 look which makes people appear much older than
 
 POOR COTTON-PLANTERS. 87 
 
 they really are. His house is small, and built of 
 reeds and cocoa-nut leaves, like those of the natives 
 about him. The floor is formed of gravel, while a 
 screen of native manufacture roughly divides the 
 whole house into two portions, which by courtesy may 
 be called rooms. The roof or ceiling is as it was left 
 by the native workmen, and has become a refuge for 
 centipedes, spiders, cockroaches, and other vermin. 
 To a wretched habitation like this the unfortunate 
 planter, who has been for the most part delicately 
 nurtured, has brought a wife and family. Few Euro- 
 pean ladies can stand the climate of Fiji, and this lady 
 is no exception to the general rule. His children are 
 probably all sick and irritable to the last degree ; and 
 no wonder, for, likely enough, they have never been 
 exposed to a temperature night and day of 85 Fah., 
 and consequently are suffering from ' prickly heat ' 
 and the so-called ' Fiji sores.' These sores are com- 
 mon to all new arrivals, and are most annoying while 
 they last. In the moist hot climate of the islands 
 any wound or abrasion, however slight, may refuse to 
 heal, and, assuming an unhealthy character, may re- 
 main uncured for weeks or even months. There is, 
 fortunately, little or no pain attending such sores. 
 They are indolent if left alone, but if irritated by 
 work or bad food are very liable to become un- 
 manageable, and then a trip to a more temperate 
 climate is the best remedy for them. 
 
 The planter and his family have no servants, ex- 
 cept one Fiji woman, who is more trouble than she is
 
 88 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 worth, besides being a consummate thief. In addition 
 to all this the food they are obliged to eat is of the 
 coarsest and most unpalatable kind. Salt beef, as 
 salt and tough as beef can be, that has been several 
 years in cask, and has circumnavigated the globe ; 
 ship-biscuits swarming with weevils, a boiled taro or 
 yam, and a few bananas are their usual fare. This 
 coarse fare may not, perhaps, affect the planter him- 
 self, but it tells cruelly on his children. What with 
 the sickly heat, the insufficient food, the mental 
 anxiety, and the rough life generally, every member 
 of the family is more or less an invalid. 
 
 At sunrise the planter leaves his house and com- 
 mences work. For him there is no such luxury as an 
 overseer, and indeed he has so few labourers that 
 such an official would be a mere mockery. His 
 labourers are reduced, from one cause or another, to 
 about a dozen Tanna men ; and having no immediate 
 prospect of being able to pay even these men himself, 
 he will have to hand them over to some more suc- 
 cessful neighbour. His plantation, however, in spite 
 of everything, looks well. There are some forty acres 
 of cotton in full bearing, but the planter is at his wits' 
 end to know how he can pick it. He has no men of 
 his own, while his neighbours have not sufficient for 
 themselves, and are, therefore, in no mood to lend. 
 In this melancholy state of affairs he will, perhaps, 
 endeavour to retrieve matters by his own exertions. 
 He may work along with his Tanna men from early 
 morning till towards evening under a burning sun,
 
 NEED OF CAPITAL. 89 
 
 and returns home at length, weary in mind and 
 body, only to find, perhaps, his wife attacked by 
 fever, in addition to her other miseries, his children 
 more sickly than ever, and a letter from the 
 Levuka merchant informing him that one of his bills 
 will fall due in a few days. Such is a truthful sketch 
 of a phase of plantation life which I have seen more 
 than once in Fiji. These hardships and disappoint- 
 ments are, of course, in some degree of the planter's 
 own causing, for no man ought to undertake such a 
 thing as cotton-growing without sufficient capital. 
 Still, for all that, men are sometimes unduly sanguine, 
 especially in new countries. Should they succeed 
 they deserve the more credit ; should they fail they 
 deserve sympathy rather than ridicule or abuse. 
 
 Between the two extremes of the two kinds of 
 plantations described above there are, of course, dif- 
 ferent degrees of comfort or discomfort. Generally a 
 clever manager will make things fairly comfortable, 
 and this is especially the case if the planter has had a 
 little capital to commence with. One thousand pounds 
 should be enough to start a fair plantation ; that is, 
 of course, with average luck as regards the seasons 
 and the procuring of labour. Occasionally a man 
 may have bad fortune, either through sickness, hurri- 
 canes, difficulty of procuring workmen, or other causes, 
 such as to falsify the most careful calculations ; but if 
 a man has been ordinarily lucky, and has had suffi- 
 cient money in his pocket to start with, plantation life 
 should, as a rule, be pleasant enough. Such a man
 
 90 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 will be able to build himself a wooden house, and fur- 
 nish it with some little regard to decency and comfort. 
 The food, indeed, when I was at Fiji was always 
 coarse and bad. Salt beef was the staple article of 
 diet. This beef, it must be borne in mind, was not 
 like the ordinary salt beef that might be used in an 
 English household or served out to well-fed soldiers 
 or sailors. The beef used in Fiji, in early days, had 
 been in brine for many years. Some said it had once 
 been in the Navy, and had been condemned. How- 
 ever this may be, I know in many cases it was in a 
 very unwholesome and even disgusting state. ' Can 
 you eat salt beef? ' used to be a question often asked 
 in Fiji. For myself, though I tried during two years, 
 I could never learn the art. 
 
 As might be expected, food in such a condition, 
 and in a climate like that of Fiji, proved to be very 
 unwholesome. In a case which came under my 
 notice a planter, who lived in a distant island, had 
 come to Levuka expressly to purchase beef and other 
 provisions for his plantation. On arrival home the 
 cask was opened, and found too late to be in a 
 bad condition ; but there was, however, no help then. 
 It had to be eaten somehow, and the result was an 
 attack of dysentery, which nearly proved fatal. In 
 addition to salt beef Australian meat could generally 
 be obtained in Levuka at the time I write of. This 
 was good as an occasional change, but many seemed 
 to dislike it almost as much as they disliked the salt 
 beef. No fresh meat was to be had save fowls and
 
 PLANTATION LIFE. qi 
 
 pork anywhere in Fiji out of the capital. Fowls, 
 when they could be bought, were generally sold at 
 from one to two shillings each. The vegetables prin- 
 cipally in use were yams, taro, and pumpkins ; and 
 of fruits, the banana, orange, and cocoa-nut. Most of 
 these latter grow plentifully in Fiji, but are rarely 
 eaten by whites. They are considered a food more 
 suitable for native stomachs, and to most whites be- 
 come very distasteful after a short trial. 
 
 As regards the inner life of a planter little need 
 be said. Few of the planters have either time or 
 inclination for reading, even supposing they could 
 procure books. There may be exceptions to this, but 
 what I have stated above is the rule ; indeed, a 
 large plantation will occupy a man's whole time and 
 thoughts, and he is fortunate if he can snatch a few 
 weeks' holiday in the course of the year. 
 
 Let us look in on a bachelor planter and see how 
 he enjoys life. We are sure of a hearty welcome, at 
 any rate, for he is of a most hospitable turn, and 
 ready to share the last morsel of beef or ' nobbier ' of 
 gin with friend or stranger. The planter whose home 
 we are about to visit is a young man of some thirty 
 years. He left England at the age of fifteen, and went 
 to Queensland. After a few years of public school 
 training, and with his education far from complete, 
 he had been sent across the seas to farm sheep. Of 
 course neither his parents nor friends generally had 
 the slightest notion of what sheep-farming really 
 meant. His mother, indeed, considered that his
 
 92 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 name, and the fact that he was a gentleman by birth, 
 would somehow induce the Colonial authorities to 
 present her son with a valuable run, ready fenced in 
 and stocked with sheep of the best breeds. He re- 
 ceived letters of introduction to the Governor of the 
 country and other men in official positions, with an 
 outfit of warm and heavy woollen clothes, and was 
 packed off without any great regret on either side. 
 On his arrival in Queensland he soon got into the 
 ways of the place, learned to ride a buckjumper, 
 found his letters of introduction were as useless as his 
 warm clothes ; discovered also that, as he had not a 
 capital of some eight or ten thousand pounds, it was 
 folly to attempt sheep-farming. Then for several 
 years he wandered about the country on horseback, 
 leading a thoroughly Bohemian life, doing odd jobs 
 on stations ; sometimes snubbed, but on the whole 
 well received and fairly treated by the wealthy and 
 self-made men whose houses he visited in search of 
 employment. After some ten years of this work the 
 rush to Fiji commenced, and soon the rumours of it 
 reached the distant sheep station he was on. He 
 followed the multitude, invested a very small capital 
 in the purchase of a piece of land, and now behold 
 him a tolerably happy and prosperous man. He has 
 long ceased to look on England as his home, and has 
 no wish to return to it. His Fiji house is his castle, 
 and he is quite contented with it. As we enter his 
 welcome is cordial and hearty. He bids us be seated, 
 for though there is only one solitary chair in the house
 
 A BACHELOR S DINNER. 93 
 
 there are plenty of empty gin-cases, which are quite 
 as good for all practical purposes. A bottle of square 
 gin is soon produced ; and as there are not enough of 
 glasses the company drink out of teacups or pieces 
 of cocoa-nut shell. Every man helps himself with 
 tolerable liberality, for the weather is sultry and pro- 
 vocative of thirst. By-and-by dinner is brought up ; 
 it consists of a piece of salt beef, flanked by a plateful 
 of yams, to which a fowl has been added. The fowls, 
 by the way, on most plantations are as wild as par- 
 tridges, and scattered all round the house in the cane- 
 brakes, or further away in the forest. But this diffi- 
 culty is soon overcome. A Fiji man grates a piece 
 of cocoa-nut, and, placing it on the ground, utters a 
 peculiar sound. In a few minutes the fowls come 
 hastening in from all points, and begin to peck with 
 might and main. Meanwhile a Fiji man has loaded 
 a fowling-piece with a tremendous charge, and, for 
 fear of missing his mark, has crept up stealthily to 
 within a few yards of the doomed bird, which he 
 straightway blows into space. The remains are 
 picked up, and within'half an hour are on the table. 
 Meanwhile, it is worthy of notice that the dinner, in 
 spite of the primitive cookery, turns out to be a suc- 
 cess. The guests are all in good spirits, and have 
 plenty to say for themselves. The planter has not 
 heard any news from Levuka for a month, nor any 
 from England for six. He does not care very much 
 for English news, but is always interested in anything 
 from Queensland, which he has gradually come to
 
 94 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 regard as his native land. All his friends are there, 
 and some of the happiest days of his life have been 
 spent on pleasant ' head stations.' And now dinner 
 is over, and the guests sit in the verandah, and smoke 
 pipes and drink gin-and-water, and philosophise on 
 things in general. The host points to a retriever dog 
 that crouches at his feet. This dog is old and cross, 
 and might be considered useless, but its owner values 
 it more than fine gold or precious stones. He tells 
 us that that dog and one other possession are the 
 only things he prizes much in this world. We ask 
 him what that other is. He hesitates, and at last 
 calls out ' Sulu mai ! ' when, presto ! a pretty young 
 creature suddenly appears from the interior of the 
 mosquito-curtain and places herself by his side. This 
 is Sulu, the light of his rough home and the com- 
 panion that makes a hard lot at least endurable. 
 Sulu is a Samoan native of some seventeen years old. 
 Her complexion is but little darker than that of a 
 Spanish or Italian woman. Her hair, long and wavy, 
 and unfettered by any artificial headgear, streams 
 wantonly over her graceful shoulders — 
 
 Fa nove crespe l'aura al crin disciolto 
 Che natura per se rincrespa in onde, 
 Stassi l'avaro sguardo in se raccolto 
 E i tesori d'amore e i suoi nasconde. 
 
 Her eyes, like those of all her countrywomen, are 
 large and full, realising to one's mind the Boopis of 
 Homer, while, like Aminda, her dress, though con- 
 cealing yet reveals the graces of her form. To this
 
 sulu. 95 
 
 young girl the white man seems almost a godlike 
 being. The light air and blue eyes that tell of his 
 Northern descent are more beautiful to her than the 
 swarthy features of her own people. His strength, 
 his courage, his power generally, are greater than 
 she has ever seen in the greatest chiefs of her own 
 country. On his side her love does not go unreturned. 
 Before he knew her his house was a dreary-enough 
 place, rough, untidy, and uncomfortable. But since 
 Sulu has been there much has been altered for the 
 better, and home-life, in a word, rendered somewhat 
 tolerable. She did not appear at table with his 
 guests, because a coloured person is no more allowed 
 in Fiji than in India or the Southern States of 
 America to eat with a white man. Though the host 
 himself might not particularly object to it his guests 
 probably would, and, at any rate, it is not the custom 
 of Fiji. It would be superfluous to enquire into or 
 defend from a moral point of view the relations that 
 exist between the planter and this Samoan woman, 
 unless it were to glorify ourselves by a contemplation 
 of our superior righteousness. After all the case 
 stands somewhat as follows : — With infinite toil and 
 pains, and after the lapse of some centuries, we in 
 England have succeeded in developing a certain code 
 of civilised morality in latitude 53 N. and amid the 
 fogs and rain-clouds of an English climate. This 
 done, we proceed to make one code a standard by 
 which to judge people all over the world. We weigh 
 them in a balance of our own construction, and then,
 
 C,6 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 without any misgivings, declare them to be found 
 wanting. Some may think that a man situated in 
 the peculiar circumstances we have described should 
 be judged somewhat differently from one surrounded 
 by the comforts and luxuries of civilisation and 
 wealth. However, this is not the place to find argu- 
 ments for or against a man in such a matter. I 
 relate only what has come under my own personal 
 observation, and can merely state that it would have 
 been quite impossible in any account of Fijian life to 
 have avoided a reference to the peculiar relations 
 which, more or less, have always existed, and still 
 exist, between whites and natives. It is, however, 
 only fair to add that these relationships are not 
 nearly so frequent as might be supposed, and, with 
 the growth of a healthy public opinion, will become 
 less frequent every year. 
 
 Having now given, or tried to give, some idea of 
 what plantation life really is, I shall proceed to de- 
 scribe the process of starting a plantation. The first 
 step is, of course, to procure the land. This is gene- 
 rally done by purchasing from the chief of the district 
 a certain block or section which the planter has 
 probably already determined would suit his purpose. 
 To effect this purchase might seem a simple-enough 
 matter, but not unfrequently it has been found to be 
 both troublesome and difficult, and sometimes even 
 impossible. 
 
 The planter must first of all make, as far as 
 possible, certain that his estimate of the cotton-
 
 CHOICE OF A COTTON-FIELD. 97 
 
 growing capabilities of any given portion of land are 
 correct. 
 
 It frequently happens that land apparently fertile 
 enough in itself is yet not suitable for cotton-growing. 
 The best soil for cotton is said to be a light, friable 
 one, and the best situation to be one with plenty of 
 sunlight and well open to the sea-breeze. Without 
 sunshine and fresh breezes Sea Island cotton will not 
 grow to perfection, that is, the pods will be neither 
 numerous nor large. The tree itself may all the 
 while seem to flourish most luxuriantly, but it is 
 only wood and not cotton. The land being chosen, 
 the next step is to effect a purchase of it from the 
 chief. But previously to this the planter must most 
 carefully search for all persons who have a claim or 
 think they have a claim to the ground in question. 
 Land has very frequently been sold more than once 
 by the same native to different individuals without 
 their knowledge or consent. And hence, unless every 
 precaution be taken as regards the title, infinite con- 
 fusion will afterwards result. Nor is it always pos- 
 sible to find the important chief when he is wanted 
 to conclude the bargain. He may be gone on some 
 warlike expedition to a distant part of the group, he 
 may be busy drinking kava or gin, or finally he 
 may choose to keep a white man waiting weeks or 
 months, just to show his own importance. The most 
 vexatious delays to the planter occur from all these 
 and similar causes, and may result in the loss of 
 
 H
 
 98 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 many valuable weeks or months at a most important 
 season of the year. 
 
 As to the price of land it varies a good deal in 
 different parts of the group. In the best districts of 
 Tavinni it has been known to go as high as thirty 
 shillings an acre, though perhaps an average of one 
 pound an acre would more nearly represent its gene- 
 ral value. Land close to the seashore is more ex- 
 pensive than that in the interior of the country. In 
 many cases thickly-timbered land is highly prized, 
 because, although the labour of clearing is greater, 
 the soil is almost certain to be highly productive. 
 Some land is also covered with valuable groves of 
 cocoa-nut trees, which form a source of income im- 
 mediately available to the purchaser ; or perhaps 
 land may contain wild yams in abundance or produce 
 bread-fruit, or other things, all of which can be utilised 
 as food for the labourers on the future plantation, 
 whereby an important saving may be effected. 
 Occasionally, in old times, land instead of money 
 used to be given by a chief in return for work per- 
 formed. Thus a land surveyor once received as 
 much as 600 acres of first-rate land in payment for 
 professional services, and this land he afterwards sold 
 for more than one pound an acre. Grants of land, 
 too, were sometimes made by a powerful chief to. 
 his favourites ; and in this way, many of the earlier 
 plantations in Fiji were started. Occasionally a 
 whole island can be purchased, and when such is 
 the case it is best for all parties. There are innu-
 
 PURCHASE OF GROUND. • 99 
 
 merable small islands scattered among larger ones 
 in the Fiji group, especially towards the north- 
 eastern portion of it. These generally contain 
 several square miles of arable land, and are well sup- 
 plied with cocoa-huts, bread-fruit, bananas, oranges, 
 and other tropical productions. The value of such 
 islands is now well known, and probably no island 
 of any size could be purchased now for less than 
 from 3,000/. to 5,000/. The advantages of possessing 
 an island are, that there are no natives to rob or 
 otherwise annoy the planter, as they are always 
 removed at the time of sale ; that no fencing is 
 required ; that there are ample supplies of food, and 
 other facilities for keeping stock, such as sheep, 
 horses, fowls ; and, finally, that the soil and climate 
 of such islands have been found by experience best 
 suited to the growth of the finest varieties of Sea 
 Island cotton. Occasionally a subordinate chief will 
 oppose the sale of a certain piece of land, and then 
 the white man must pay him a further amount, 
 unless, indeed, the leading chief is sufficiently power- 
 ful to overrule the claim. 
 
 Supposing, however, that a planter has obtained 
 the land of his choice, his next step will be to procure 
 labourers to work it. This he may do in two ways, 
 namely, either by ' purchasing,' that is, paying the 
 passage-money of certain Tanna or other emigrants 
 to Levuka, or by sending a vessel down the coast, 
 and procuring Ra labour. If he has money at his 
 command the former of these two plans is much the
 
 IOO TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 more preferable ; if he has not, he must of necessity 
 adopt the latter. Frequently a Levuka merchant 
 will provide him with a certain number of men at 
 a fixed charge per head. This money need not 
 always be paid in cash, but can be written down 
 as a debt secured on a future cotton-crop. In this 
 way a planter may find himself in debt before even 
 beginning work. At the same time that he is effect- 
 ing arrangements for a supply of labour with this 
 agent in Levuka, the planter will have also entered 
 into a contract with the Fijians in his immediate 
 neighbourhood to construct him a dwelling-house. 
 A contract of this sort the natives will generally 
 undertake with great readiness, and perform with 
 sufficient punctuality. The white man addresses 
 himself in the matter exclusively to the chief of the 
 village, who then provides the necessary men and 
 materials and receives all the payments. The natives 
 begin their task by first clearing the ground ; they 
 next raise a square heap of stones on the site of the 
 future dwelling, and make the surface even with sand 
 or shingle. 
 
 In many cases this preliminary work is dispensed 
 with, but a house is always drier and more healthy 
 for being elevated some height above the surface of 
 the ground. The next step is to drive in several 
 posts, generally three on each side, and two at each 
 end. These form the frame on which the future walls 
 are to be built. This done, some natives more skilful 
 than their fellows place in position the beams for the
 
 HOUSE-BUILDING. lOl 
 
 roof. ' The ridge-pole,' as it is generally called, is the 
 most important of these, for on it will fall the task of 
 resisting hurricanes or other violence. The ridge-pole 
 is not unfrequently the entire trunk of a cocoa-nut 
 tree, which is generally quite long enough to extend 
 between the gables of an ordinary house. Having 
 thus got the framework together the rest of the work 
 is comparatively easy. It consists in placing smaller 
 posts between the large ones, and then twisting reeds 
 between the smaller ones, somewhat in the manner of 
 a basket. These reeds are all tied with cocoa-nut 
 fibre to the main posts, and thus not a nail need be 
 used in the construction of an ordinary native house. 
 As soon as the walls and roof are finished the con- 
 tract is considered to have been performed. The 
 planter must provide himself with doors, windows, and 
 furniture generally, for such luxuries are never seen in 
 Fijian houses. The doors and windows can be pur- 
 chased ready-made in Levuka, into which place they 
 have been imported from San Francisco or New York. 
 Where natives are prowling about, a good door and a 
 good lock are not among the least important requisites 
 for a planter's house. As to other furniture he may 
 practically please himself. Many men are content 
 with boxes or empty gin-cases for chairs, with a few 
 planks of wood for a table, and with a supply of mats 
 laid on some bamboos for a bed. One essential, 
 however, for sound sleep is a curtain large enough to 
 surround the bed on all sides, and to rest on the floor ; 
 otherwise the mosquitoes will render sleep impossible.
 
 102 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 A kitchen is always built at some little distance 
 from the house, and consists of a few posts driven into 
 the ground and roughly covered in with cocoa-nut 
 leaves. In most cases the furniture of the kitchen is 
 as simple as that of the house. A large pot to boil 
 salt beef and yams, and a few stones to form a native 
 oven, are all that some planters allow themselves. 
 Occasionally, however, the cooking apparatus is more 
 elaborate, and in a very few cases a ' range,' perfect 
 according to English ideas, may be met with. As to 
 cups, saucers, and glasses, if they could be pro- 
 cured of iron or triple brass so much the better. 
 Nothing short of this would ensure their preservation 
 from native stupidity and carelessness. Many of the 
 native servants, arguing from a knowledge of their 
 own wares, consider cups and plates to be merely 
 shells which the white men find in the seas that sur- 
 round ' Sydney ' or ' London.' They are mightily 
 astonished at the brittleness of these ' shells ' in hot 
 water, and at the planter's wrath when they are 
 broken. However, it must be allowed that, consi- 
 dering all things, native servants learn their duties 
 with tolerable quickness, and become eventually good 
 cooks and butlers. 
 
 But long before such can be said to be the case 
 the planter will have fairly commenced work. His 
 men will have arrived from Levuka, or his own ship 
 will have come in from the New Hebrides or Soloman 
 Islands, or, finally, his Ra men will have been sent 
 up from Yiti Leon by their chief. His house will
 
 CLEARING GROUND. IO3 
 
 have been finished, and will have cost him from one to 
 two pounds sterling per fathom of six feet, for such is 
 the native mode of reckoning, learned, no doubt, from 
 the first white sailors who visited the group. Fortu- 
 nately for the planter, it matters not what the height 
 or breadth of his house be, as it is only the length he 
 pays for. Thus a building 56 feet long would cost 
 some six pounds sterling ; or, if any extra timber or 
 workmanship had been used at the owner's request, 
 the price might be somewhat higher. The windows, 
 doors, and other necessaries might safely be put down 
 at the same price as the house, and thus it might be 
 said that a house such as has been described might 
 be taken possession of for about twelve pounds ster- 
 ling. The chief would probably accept goods in part 
 payment, and hence, as regards the planter, the actual 
 cost might by this means be somewhat further re- 
 duced. 
 
 Having got his land, house, and a few labourers 
 together — twenty imported foreigners, we will suppose, 
 and the same number of Ra men — the planter may 
 commence work in earnest. Thus far, supposing he 
 has purchased 100 acres of land, his disbursements 
 will have amounted to at least 400/. He has now to 
 provide his natives with tools, which, however, consist 
 only of American axes and long knives. The axes 
 he gives to the Tanna men, and sets them to cut 
 down the heavier timber. The knives he puts into 
 the hands of the Fiji men, and orders them to clear 
 away the long grasses or brushwood with which the
 
 104 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 ground is encumbered. This kind of work requires a 
 good deal of time and labour, and there must of ne- 
 cessity be so many interruptions to it that even with 
 forty good labourers the second year will have passed 
 before the whole plantation is in full bearing. But no 
 planter waits until the whole extent of the ground 
 has been cleared before he begins planting his cotton. 
 So soon as a few acres, say ten, are ready he employs 
 a portion of his men in planting them with seed. In 
 many districts, on the removal of the forest and brush- 
 wood the surface of the soil is found to be as clear 
 of weeds as if it had been newly turned over. This 
 is due to the fact that the tropical vegetation which it 
 used to support was so dense as to shut out the sun- 
 light, and so render all vegetable life impossible. 
 As soon, however, as the rank growth has been re- 
 moved from the surface the soil below is found to be 
 wonderfully productive. The planter, if wise, will 
 plant his seed with his own hands, or otherwise it 
 will not be sown with regularity or neatness. The 
 mode of planting is simple enough. A hole is made 
 with a stick in the ground, half a dozen seeds placed 
 in it, and the hole filled up. A mark is then placed 
 over the spot, in case the seed should not germinate. 
 Four feet further on another similar hole is made, 
 another mark placed over it, and so on until all the 
 cleared ground has been gone over. When the sow- 
 ing has been finished the labourers return to the 
 work of clearing another portion of the plantation,
 
 SUPPLY OF FOOD. IO5 
 
 coming back, however, to the cotton-trees as soon as 
 they have grown a few inches in height. 
 
 Meanwhile the forty labourers have to be fed, and 
 how this is to be done is frequently a knotty problem 
 for the planter to solve. Sometimes there may be 
 sufficient food in the shape of cocoa-nuts, wild yams 
 (tivolis), bread-fruit, or bananas in the forest to keep 
 the wolf from the door. In that case one man in 
 every ten will be told off to find this food and cook 
 it for his fellows. There is no need to see that this 
 individual works well, for if he does not his hungry 
 comrades will themselves take his case into consider- 
 ation. More frequently, however, the planter is ob- 
 liged, especially during the so-called winter months, 
 to purchase yams or other food. This is a heavy item 
 of expense, especially where many labourers are 
 employed, and sadly reduces the calculated profits. 
 Sometimes, however, it is impossible even to buy food. 
 In such cases half or perhaps the whole of the labourers 
 on a plantation will be taken from the cotton and sent 
 out to get food as best they can. Many Polynesians 
 seem to have an instinctive knowledge of the places 
 where the wild yam is to be found , though it may be 
 hidden many inches below the surface, they will root 
 after it as cleverly as the pigs in Perigord are said to 
 root after truffles. There need be no anxiety felt lest 
 the labourers should not find enough to eat, for they 
 are thoroughly accustomed to this work in their own 
 country, and Fiji is more fertile than most oceanic 
 islands. After many months of continuous labour,
 
 [06 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 many disappointments, and much anxiety, the planter 
 at length may have the satisfaction of seeing his lands 
 day by day becoming white with the pods and blos- 
 soms that are to win him wealth and independence. 
 
 His cotton is now ready for picking, and this to 
 him is the busiest time of all the year. If the weather 
 is unpropitious at this critical moment, if his men are 
 too few in number, or lazy or insubordinate, all his 
 money, time, and anxiety will count for nothing. 
 We will suppose, however, that his cotton-crop is a 
 good one, that his trees have arrived at maturity, and 
 have escaped the treacherous worm, the hurricanes, 
 and the many other dangers to which they have been 
 exposed during the period of their growth. 
 
 This is indeed supposing a great deal, and there 
 are few practical men in Fiji who would not tell you 
 it is supposing far too much. There are yet, however, 
 many other dangers to be confronted. At the moment 
 when the cotton is being picked from the trees 
 rain may fall in torrents, saturating the opening pods, 
 discolouring them, and thereby reducing their value 
 one-half. Again, the cotton may ripen so quickly 
 over a large extent of ground that the labourers may 
 not be able to keep pace with the prolific yield of the 
 plants, and thus again a very large percentage of the 
 crop may be lost. The next step is to dry the 
 cotton, and this the heat of the sun will generally do 
 in about twelve hours. It is then carried into the 
 cotton-house, the weight carefully noted down, and 
 the name of each individual picker and the amount
 
 VALUE OF FIJI COTTON. IO7 
 
 he has picked registered. At the end of the week 
 these amounts will be added up, and the man who 
 has worked hardest, or at any rate most successfully, 
 will receive a clay pipe and tobacco, or perhaps a 
 boar's tusk, the prize most coveted of all others. 
 
 The cotton may now be said to be ready for 
 ginning, and for this purpose will probably be sent to 
 a neighbouring plantation where a steam-engine is at 
 work. The ginning consists of separating the seeds 
 from the cotton-wool, and this is done very completely 
 and quickly by some machinery made specially for 
 Sea Island cotton. After ginning the cotton, if really 
 good, comes from the machine in long, silky masses, 
 very different from its dingy appearance in the pods. 
 It is then collected and pressed into bales, which are 
 generally purchased by some n erchant in Levuka, 
 deep in whose books the planter is tolerably certain 
 to be by this time. From Levuka the bales are 
 shipped to Sydney, where they are subjected to such 
 enormous pressure that the cotton already pressed 
 loses further three-fourths of its bulk. In this state 
 it is put on board one of the Australian clippers and 
 conveyed to London, whence it is forwarded to various 
 parts of England and Europe. 
 
 Such cotton as Fiji produces is far too valuable to 
 be used for ordinary purposes. It is to the common 
 cotton what a chronometer is to an eight-day clock. 
 While American or Bombay cotton may be worth 
 from sixpence to ninepence a pound, as much as five 
 shillings has been obtained for an unusually good
 
 IOS TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 sample of Sea Island grown in Fiji. The special use 
 of the Fijian cotton is to mix with silk. For this 
 purpose it is bought largely by French and Italians, 
 and is then transformed by the looms of Lyons and 
 Milan into those gorgeous textures that excite the 
 cupidity of all civilised women. 
 
 And now a word as to the pecuniary position in 
 which the planter will find himself after all the labour 
 and expense he has occurred. Will he probably gain 
 or lose by his attempt to grow crops ? This is the 
 important question. The answer cannot be given 
 categorically, for many elements of uncertainty will 
 always enter into it, some of which may now be 
 discussed. 
 
 At the commencement of cotton-growing in Fiji the 
 most exaggerated notions were current as to its profits. 
 Nothing in truth could look on paper a more capti- 
 vating or secure speculation. To begin with, the land 
 could be bought at a cheap rate, and if the country 
 improved, as everyone said it must, would become in 
 time exceedingly valuable. Then labourers were so 
 cheap — only three pounds a year per man, and three 
 men were said to be sufficient to look after two acres. 
 More important, however, than all else was the well- 
 known fact that the cotton-tree was one of the most 
 prolific of plants, both in the quantity and the fre- 
 quency of its yield. Three crops a year were what 
 the sanguine planter confidently anticipated, and in- 
 deed would often count upon, as though they were 
 already picked and stored in his house. No very
 
 RESULTS OF COTTON-GROWING. IO9 
 
 accurate statistics as to the amount of cotton pro- 
 duced per acre or the expense of its production have 
 ever been obtainable in Fiji, few planters caring to 
 trouble their heads with such calculations. It used to 
 be said that twenty pounds sterling per acre might 
 be considered about a fair net profit, and nothing was 
 more easy than to show on paper that such a result 
 was not only probable but well-nigh certain. The ex- 
 penses of 100 acres planted were roughly estimated 
 at some 200/. a year, thus leaving a margin of profit 
 on which the earlier planter hoped to be able to retire 
 after five years of work. 
 
 How miserably all such expectations were falsi- 
 fied it is almost unnecessary to remark. Some of 
 the causes, however, may be pointed out which 
 tended to dash such bright hopes and make so many 
 men bitterly rue the day when they embarked their 
 fortunes in Fiji. At the very commencement there 
 were land troubles to be encountered. After the 
 planter had paid his money and was about to begin 
 clearing, some wretched ' claimant ' would turn up, 
 with some alleged priority of title or some indefinite 
 grievance about payment or what not. Sometimes it 
 would be a white man, in which case arbitration or 
 an armed defence or a tame surrender of rights were 
 the only possible courses open. More generally, 
 however, all the trouble would be caused by some 
 petty chief, who considered himself hardly used in 
 the matter of the sale of the land, and would try to 
 extort more money from the planter by threats of
 
 I IO TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 violence. In such a conjuncture the planter, especi- 
 ally if French or American, would generally know 
 how to defend himself. But if, unfortunately for him- 
 self, he happened to be a British subject, he could 
 only fall back on the superior chief from whom the 
 land had been purchased and request him to be good 
 enough to keep his rebellious vassal in order ; or, 
 with still less chance of redress, refer his case to the 
 British Consulate. The Consul would hear his state- 
 ments and promise to lay them before the captain of 
 the first ship-of-war that should come into Levuka. 
 He could, of course, do no more, and with this the 
 planter would have to rest satisfied. When the 
 promised vessel did at length arrive of course the 
 captain had received no instructions in the matter ; 
 and if he entered into it at all was pretty certain to 
 side with the native chief, who not only was a chief, 
 and hence ex ipso facto much better than a mere 
 planter, but was also perhaps an ally of the mission- 
 aries, and even backed by their influence. 
 
 Supposing that these troubles have been safely 
 tided over, and the land eventually acquired, the 
 next source of loss arises from the difficulty of pro- 
 curing labourers. The whole theory of cotton-grow- 
 ing proceeds on the assumption of a plentiful supply 
 of cheap labour. Hence the rationale of the employ- 
 ment of slaves in America and other countries in its 
 cultivation. As regards the labour traffic generally 
 the subject will be considered hereafter more in detail ; 
 but for the present it will be enough to say that the
 
 SUPPLY OF LABOUR. I I I 
 
 planters' requirements in the matter of labour were 
 very frequently not fulfilled, and this from a variety of 
 causes. At one time there would be no natives in 
 Levuka disengaged, at another time the labour-ships 
 bound from the New Hebrides or Soloman Islands 
 would be kept back by head-winds or bad weather; at 
 another the workmen actually on the plantation would 
 desert or refuse to work without the slightest warning. 
 Again, there would always be a considerable percent- 
 age of labourers sick, to say nothing of those who 
 were shamming, or of the women and children and 
 old people, who could not be expected, even under 
 favourable circumstances, to do a proper day's work. 
 Many of the new hands, who now for the first time in 
 their existence saw a white man, and learned what work 
 really meant, were so stupid and obstinate as to be of 
 scarcely any use for some months, during which valu- 
 able time was being lost, at perhaps the most critical 
 season of the year. By-and-by the planter would see 
 with dismay that the first twelve months of his planta- 
 tion life were actually gone, and that instead of being 
 out of the storekeeper's books he was deeper in them 
 than ever. Perhaps, however, he had had capital of 
 his own, in which case he would now begin to per- 
 ceive clearly enough that cotton-growing was a 
 matter of considerable expense and doubtful. profit. 
 After nine months, supposing he had commenced 
 planting at a suitable time of year, say March, he 
 ought to have a little cotton ready for picking. And 
 now it is time to speak of some of those peculiar
 
 I I 2 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 difficulties and dangers which surround a Sea Island 
 cotton-crop, and to which the dangers and difficulties 
 that surround other crops are by comparison insig- 
 nificant. 
 
 First of all, as to Sea Island cotton and what it 
 really is. All cotton used in common has probably 
 been derived from some one wild species, just as all the 
 varieties of pigeons have descended from one common 
 parent, supposed by some to be the blue or the rock 
 pigeon. In the same manner Sea Island cotton is a 
 variety of the cotton-plant produced from other plants 
 by careful selection through a number of years. This 
 selection was first practised in some of the small 
 islands that lie off the coast of Georgia and Florida, 
 and the cotton from the place where it was first pro- 
 duced was called ' Sea Island.' If examined carefully 
 this cotton will be seen to differ from the ordinary or 
 Egyptian in some important respects. For instance, 
 the tree on which it grows is smaller than the Egyp- 
 tian cotton-tree, the leaves are of a different shape 
 and size, and the seeds are separate within the pod, 
 instead of being agglomerated together. 
 
 As regards the cotton itself, the most unskilful 
 eye can at once detect a difference in the length and 
 appearance of the ' staple,' as it is called. The Egyp- 
 tian is short and of a dull white ; Sea Island is long 
 and silky, and in fact from its appearance might be 
 called ' vegetable silk.' It is the length and glossy 
 whiteness of fibre that give to Sea Island cotton its 
 high commercial value. Nearly all these qualities,
 
 SELECTION OF COTTON-PLANTS. I I 3 
 
 however, have been artificially produced, and de- 
 pend for their continued existence on a careful and 
 systematic cultivation. 
 
 It is well known that artificially-produced varieties, 
 whether in animals or plants, have a strong tendency 
 to revert to the type of their ancestry. Hence there 
 is a continual struggle on the planter's part to pre- 
 vent his dearly-prized Sea Island variety from re- 
 producing in successive generations the gross leaves, 
 the thick wood, and the short staple of its low- 
 born parent. To guard effectually against this un- 
 toward result he must pick by hand and examine 
 every seed before committing it to the ground. Any 
 seeds that are found agglomerated together or too 
 large in size or not black enough in colour must be 
 promptly cast away. But after all, from even the 
 most carefully picked seed there will spring up a 
 certain number of trees that will recur to the Egyp- 
 tian type and lose many of the characteristics of 
 the pure Sea Island. These trees must be des- 
 troyed as soon as noticed, otherwise insects will 
 convey the pollen from their blossoms over the 
 whole plantation, inoculating the best trees, and 
 thereby injuring not only the growing crop of cotton 
 but also the next year's harvest of seed. By care 
 this tendency can generally be checked, but there 
 are no lack of other difficulties in the background. 
 No sooner has the cotton appeared above-ground 
 and put forth tender shoots and leaves than they are 
 attacked by a worm. This animal is to the cotton- 
 
 I
 
 114 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 planter what oidium is to the vine-grower. It soon, 
 if allowed to go unchecked, eats its way into the 
 central stalk of the leaf, destroys the circulation of 
 sap, and so quickly kills it. To resist these subtle 
 attacks the young plants must be watched and the 
 insects brushed off daily, and all the dead and de- 
 cayed leaves removed. As the plant approaches 
 maturity the dangers that gather round it are even 
 more difficult to guard against. For example, too 
 much sun will ripen the pods before they have at- 
 tained their full size ; too much rain will ruin their 
 colour and destroy their value. With the greatest 
 care and skill a large percentage of pods will always 
 be lost at picking-time, chiefly from this latter cause. 
 It happens, too, that the weather in Fiji is generally 
 wet from December until March, and during these 
 months the heaviest crop of cotton will frequently be 
 produced. Even in settled weather a sudden shower 
 will often break over a district, and before anything 
 can be done in the way of protection will severely 
 damage the cotton that is spread out to dry. Then 
 there are other dangers to be encountered in the various 
 processes of ginning, of packing, and of transit from 
 the island where it was grown to Levuka. It has 
 happened sometimes that a large crop, when safely 
 housed and ready for exportation, has been set on 
 fire by a revengeful native ; but this has not been a 
 very frequent occurrence. Besides all these sources 
 of loss there must be mentioned the hurricanes that 
 devastate Fiji at intervals of a few years. When one
 
 RISKS OF COTTON-GROWING. I 1 5 
 
 of these tempests comes upon the luckless planter his 
 position is indeed pitiable. Not only is his cotton 
 damaged, but his trees are actually uprooted from 
 the ground, and carried perhaps into the sea or some 
 neighbouring river. His dwelling-house, kitchen, 
 labourers' quarters, and cotton-house may all be 
 levelled to the ground in the space of a few hours, 
 and his boat broken in pieces, while he perhaps con- 
 gratulates himself that he has escaped with his life. 
 It must not be supposed that these dangers and 
 difficulties are merely potential, and may or may not 
 happen. On the contrary, the records of cotton- 
 planting in Fiji will afford numerous proofs, if proofs 
 be needed, that the above account of the risks of 
 cotton-growing is by no means fanciful or exag- 
 gerated. 
 
 When, however, to all the above is added the ex- 
 pense of living on credit and working with borrowed 
 capital, as many planters are compelled to do, it is 
 easy to understand how cotton-growing in Fiji has 
 not paid as was expected. The earlier planters com- 
 mitted numerous errors owing to their want of tech- 
 nical knowledge and experience in this peculiar 
 industry. Some of these errors were such as might 
 have been amended, while others were irretrievable. 
 Many whites started with insufficient capital in the 
 first instance, and consequently from the commence- 
 ment of their work were obliged to borrow at high 
 rates. They expected, of course, to clear themselves 
 in a year or two ; but instead of this it was found that
 
 I 1 6 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 the cotton in many cases scarcely paid for the work- 
 ing expenses. Every bale of cotton, as it was produced, 
 had to be shipped to the merchant at Levuka, with 
 whom the planter kept an open account. The value 
 of the cotton was placed to his credit, and seldom 
 sufficed to clear off old scores. Then he had to 
 borrow afresh to pay his labourers, borrow more to 
 procure fresh ones, and borrow still more to pay 
 interest on the existing debt. On the top of all these 
 money difficulties would come some disastrous hurri- 
 cane that would level to the ground his cotton-trees, 
 his houses, and his hopes in indiscriminate ruin. 
 Nevertheless, in spite of all these drawbacks it is 
 difficult to understand how, with a sufficiency of 
 capital to start with and tolerable prudence and skill 
 on the planter's part, cotton-growing in Fiji should 
 not be a paying speculation. As soon as the labour 
 traffic shall have been organised on a proper basis, as 
 soon as a bank and insurance office shall have been 
 established in Levuka, and thorough business con- 
 nexions formed with other countries, there will be no 
 reason why cotton or sugar growing should not yield 
 ample returns. Till then, however, the greatest 
 caution must be exercised in the investment of money, 
 or disappointment and loss to the speculator will 
 certainly be the result. 
 
 I have spoken about the expenses of living on 
 credit, and have now a word to say in regard to those 
 storekeepers who at one time used to advance money 
 and goods on credit to the planters. These men were
 
 THE CREDIT SYSTEM. 117 
 
 no common usurers or mere greedy money-lenders. 
 They were enterprising men, and in most cases them- 
 selves large planters. There being no recognised 
 Government in Fiji, there was no such thing as legal 
 security for money lent, or possibility of recovering 
 the same by any legal process. Thus the strange 
 sight was continually afforded of money advanced 
 without security, and of a man's word being taken 
 instead of his bond. Very seldom indeed, at least in 
 early years, was the confidence thus reposed wilfully 
 abused. But at length, about the year 1871, the 
 number of planters had so increased throughout Fiji 
 that some other system was found to be necessary 
 for the protection of all parties, and hence one reason 
 for the formation of a Government. Up to the end of 
 1 87 1, however, the storekeepers of Levuka had been 
 obliged, in order to carry on their business, to advance 
 both money and goods to planters, and accept a bare 
 acknowledgment of the debt as security. As might 
 be supposed, in several cases they incurred heavy 
 losses. But after all this system, though apparently 
 so insecure, was not really so. Most of the store- 
 keepers knew exactly the class of men they had to 
 deal with, and knew that if they could possibly pay 
 their debts they would undoubtedly do so. Such 
 vulgar methods as repudiation or intentional compro- 
 mise were seldom or ever thought of on either side. 
 Nor, indeed, would such methods in any way have 
 bettered an unprincipled debtor. In a small place 
 like Fiji every man's business was pretty well known.
 
 Il8 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 If it could be shown that a planter would not pay his 
 ' storekeeper ' in Levuka when able to do so, another 
 merchant would, most assuredly, refuse to give him 
 credit. As a consequence of this he might find him- 
 self unable to pay his labourers, or to provide himself 
 with food, anywhere short of Sydney. But to trade 
 with the sharp business communities of Sydney or 
 Melbourne required either ready money or substantial 
 security ; and hence dishonesty in Fiji came in most 
 cases to be a suicidal policy. Still a knowledge of 
 this fact need not change our estimate of those early 
 traders who boldly ventured on such perilous enter- 
 prises in a country about which so little was known. 
 Had it not been for the energy and capacity of men 
 like F. and W. Hennings, Fiji would never have so 
 quickly and so thoroughly become an English com- 
 munity. They and men like them were the channels 
 through which capital flowed into a new field from 
 the old and wealthy communities of Australia and 
 New Zealand. If their ventures succeed in their life- 
 time the profits should justly be large, as their con- 
 ceptions and labours have already been. Should 
 they not, however, ultimately be successful, such 
 pioneers of progress, at any rate, deserve a meed of 
 praise for the good work they began. 
 
 It was now some weeks since my arrival at Ta- 
 vinni, but I still continued the guest of the planter 
 whose acquaintance I had made on the voyage from 
 Levuka. Over him, poor fellow, a change only too 
 common among Europeans in Fiji was rapidly pass-
 
 RAVAGES OF DYSENTERY. I 1 9 
 
 ing. Dysentery, that foe dreaded by all white men 
 in tropical countries, had laid a heavy hand upon him, 
 and day by day was slowly but surely compassing 
 his death. Anxiety of mind during a harassing and 
 exciting fortnight in Levuka, followed by the trying 
 voyage from Levuka to Tavinni, had changed a slight 
 sickness into a mortal one. Some Fiji natives who 
 visited him on the last day of his life prophesied that 
 he would die about the turn of the tide, which at the 
 time of their visit was coming in. In this case, as 
 in many others which subsequently came under my 
 notice, their words proved true. Some hours after 
 this it was ' high water,' and scarcely had the tide 
 
 begun to ebb from the reef when poor W died. 
 
 That persons apparently do die in Fiji more often at 
 the time of ' high ' or ' low water ' is a phenomenon 
 which has been frequently remarked and commented 
 on. There is probably some truth in it, and it may 
 possibly be due to certain atmospheric changes occur- 
 ring about those times. In England, in the same 
 way, every hospital nurse will tell you that more 
 deaths occur in her wards between midnight and four 
 o'clock in the morning than at any other time in the 
 twenty-four hours. Natives and whites in Fiji further 
 allege that when a certain fly of the ' blue-bottle ' 
 species hovers round the couch of a sick man his end 
 is not far off. To the sick man who knows this the 
 buzz of this loathsome fly becomes at once a sound 
 of terrible import. Some mysterious and unerring 
 instinct has seemingly prompted it to settle on the
 
 120 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 bodies of dying men, and thus to their fading intel- 
 lects it comes as a messenger from beyond the grave, 
 as a herald of approaching doom. Such notions are 
 no doubt absurd and unscientific ; but nevertheless 
 they are firmly held by the Fijians, and by not a 
 few whites who have lived for any length of time in 
 the islands. 
 
 The same day on which W died his body was 
 
 laid reverently at the foot of an old ivi-tree. In this 
 spot a grave had been made by his Tanna men, and 
 round it assembled the few settlers which the district 
 contained. The scene was an impressive one. At 
 one end of the open grave stood the fellow-planters 
 and personal friends of the deceased, and facing 
 these a motley crowd of swarthy, wild-looking men, 
 brought together from many a far-off island of ocean. 
 On one side was a tropical forest, with its heavy 
 masses of foliage hanging listlessly in the sultry 
 air; on the other the Pacific Ocean, ever chafing 
 and fretting against those coral reefs which severed 
 the island from the outside world which lay beyond 
 them. 
 
 According to the usual custom in Fiji all planta- 
 tion work was suspended on the day of the funeral. 
 The labourers, freed from their daily tasks, soon 
 spread themselves in all directions, each in search of 
 his own particular form of amusement. The Tanna 
 men strayed into the bush to look for wild yams or 
 insects, or, in short, whatever they could by any 
 possibility eat. The Tokalans, more intent on social
 
 NATIVE DANCES. 121 
 
 joys, wandered up and down the coast, visiting their 
 countrymen and regaling themselves with the milk of 
 young cocoa-nuts. The islanders from Banks' Group 
 speared fish or fired arrows at them as they darted in 
 and out among the tufts of coral. The Fiji men 
 made small fires, on which they roasted yams and 
 land- crabs and discussed all the gossip of the group. 
 As the shades of evening crept on, the coral reef 
 became dotted here and there with lights ; canoes 
 with torches in their bows flitted noiselessly over the 
 glassy surface of the lagoon, while the merry laugh 
 of the crews that manned them was borne landwards 
 by the evening breeze, and, as a few of us sat under 
 the verandah of the planter's house, fell somewhat 
 discordantly on our ears. 
 
 About half a mile from where we sat some Fijians 
 had lit a fire on a point of land, and were now about 
 to perform a meke, or native dance. Forming a circle, 
 each man grasped his neighbour's hand, and then 
 altogether uttered a loud shout. At first their move- 
 ments were tame enough, but they quickly became 
 fast and furious. Each man strove to outdo his fel- 
 lows in the strangeness of the contortions or the gro- 
 tesqueness <of the attitudes into which he would twist 
 his body ; and although each seemed to work legs, 
 arms, and body solely on his own account, it soon 
 became evident that even the wildest movements 
 were more or less concerted and bore a relation to 
 the rest of the dance. There was a Coryphseus whose 
 gestures and motions every dancer strove to follow
 
 122 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 and imitate. The ruddy glare of the fire burning 
 brightly rested on each moving figure in turn and 
 made it stand out clearly and well-defined amid the 
 surrounding gloom. At intervals a sudden blaze 
 leaping up would reveal to view the swarthy, wild- 
 looking men as they circled in the mazes of their 
 giddy dance, and the fitful light would quiver and 
 play on the muscles and sinews and brawny arms of 
 the dancers while they brandished their spears in 
 the air or wielded ponderous war-clubs. With faces 
 bedaubed with soot and naked bodies smeared with 
 oil and ochre, the uncertain glare of the fire the while 
 illuminating now their features, now their bodies, they 
 appeared strange and unearthly beings, such as might 
 fitly bear their part in some wild Walpurgis Night or 
 fill a niche in the ' Inferno ' of Dante. By-and-by the 
 fire sank down, and in the gloom that succeeded you 
 could scarcely distinguish the half-human forms as 
 they moved restlessly to and fro amid the sombre 
 stems of the forest. The burden, too, of the women's 
 voices was borne on the breeze as in dreary cadence 
 they sang for the dancers, and with these notes too 
 came mingled the harsher sounds of bamboo drums. 
 The ruddy flames leap up once more, and this time 
 the women can be seen as they bend forward over 
 the fire and sway their wrinkled bodies to and fro, 
 pausing in their dreary movements only to heap on 
 fresh fuel. After a brief pause the wild revelry 
 is once again at its height. The men, in a frenzy of 
 fierce excitement, career round the fire, bending at
 
 EVENING LAND-BREEZES. I 23 
 
 one moment to the earth as if in flight, at the next 
 brandishing club and spear in all the insolence of 
 victory, chanting all the while a wild war-song, which 
 swells ever louder and louder, and masters at length 
 even the Corybantian din of the rude drums. The 
 orgie ended, the light dies out as quickly as it flashed 
 forth, and once more the weird old hags and the 
 painted warriors and their wild measure are suddenly 
 lost to view, wrapt in the profound night of the forest 
 around. The revels are ended, but only for a short 
 space. They will be renewed again, not finally to 
 cease until the moon sinks behind those distant hills. 
 Then the furious Bacchanals will gladly snatch some 
 hour or two of feverish rest, for they know that the 
 stern reality of the cotton-field awaits them at the 
 earliest dawn of to-morrow. 
 
 While the savages were enjoying their hours of 
 mirth, a few of us whites still lingered on the verandah 
 in a more sober and thoughtful frame of mind. Our 
 conversation was of him who had so lately sat there 
 with us ; and as we thought of his early death we 
 conned over all the chances and risks to which the 
 settler in Fiji is peculiarly exposed — risks to fortune 
 from capricious winds or untimely rains, to health 
 from hard fare and a treacherous climate, to life from 
 the hostile and ever-present savage. Thus musing 
 we sat far into the evening, till the cold land-breeze 
 began to blow down from the central ranges and a 
 heavy dew to settle on everything around. This of 
 all others is the moment of the day most dangerous
 
 I 24 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 to health in Fiji. The freshness of the evening air is 
 not health-giving, as in England, but treacherous, and 
 sometimes even deadly, and cannot be too carefully 
 guarded against by all who desire to avoid attacks of 
 rheumatism or fever. As a rule, indeed, the climate 
 of Fiji is healthy enough ; but for all that it is never 
 safe to expose oneself carelessly to the breeze that 
 blows off the land after sunset.
 
 125 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 A Fiji Canoe Voyage — Scenery along the Coast — Shipwreck — Old 
 Hands — A Deserted Plantation — Dangers of Canoe-travelling — - 
 Arrive at Wairiki — A Native Teacher. 
 
 Next morning I awoke with a slight touch of fever ; 
 and this not passing off immediately, I determined to 
 remove some thirteen miles higher up the coast to a 
 large native town, once the capital of the island. 
 After some little delay, owing to not being able to 
 obtain any means of conveyance, I fortunately made 
 the acquaintance of a planter who was about to pro- 
 ceed to the same place, and accordingly we agreed to 
 travel together. On such journeys in Fiji it is usual 
 to procure a white man's boat if possible, but occa- 
 sionally the traveller must be contented with a native 
 canoe. These canoes, except in the case of the large 
 war-canoes, are simply trees hollowed out and shar- 
 pened at both ends. They are kept on their keels 
 by means of outriggers connected to the sides by a 
 framework of wood. As may be imagined, such 
 crafts are very liable to upset, especially when the 
 caina, or outrigger, becomes submerged ; it then 
 loses its buoyancy and leverage, and becomes a source 
 of weakness instead of strength.
 
 126 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 The canoe on which our fortunes were embarked 
 on this occasion was about twenty-five feet long by 
 one broad. The outrigger was some four feet distant 
 from the body of the canoe, and the connecting 
 framework was covered over with a few rough boards. 
 On these my companion had piled his freight, con- 
 sisting of some tea, a large package of sugar, several 
 knives for his labourers, some tobacco, and other 
 plantation stores. The crew consisted of two Fijians, 
 who were provided with paddles, and were supposed 
 to do all the hard work. These paddles were in 
 shape not unlike teaspoons, and in length about three 
 feet. When we were all on board and the cargo had 
 been safely shipped, it was impossible not to see that 
 the canoe was very unseaworthy. Her enormous 
 length and narrow beam did not promise much safety 
 in rough weather ; while the sides were not more 
 than a few inches above water. Add to this that 
 there was a very sensible leak in the bottom, which 
 necessitated the use of a large baler every few mi- 
 nutes. However, I comforted myself with the thought 
 that my fellow-voyager knew the customs of the 
 country much better than I did, and had besides a 
 valuable cargo at stake. If an accident should happen, 
 I had at most to dread a wet jacket or perhaps a 
 shark. 
 
 The canoe lay at a little distance from the shore, 
 and the Fiji men offered their backs to carry us on 
 board. This custom is always adopted towards those 
 to whom special respect is intended ; it is, in fact, a
 
 CHARACTER OF FIJIAN SCENERY. 1 27 
 
 delicate compliment conveyed by deeds rather than 
 words. It cannot, however, be recommended as a 
 mode of locomotion to anyone wearing a decent coat, 
 for native backs are always smeared with cocoa-nut 
 oil, some of which is certain to adhere to the travel- 
 ler's garments. As soon as we were safely on board, 
 the canoe was pushed into deep water, and the 
 natives, jumping in after us, began to ply their 
 paddles with a zeal which evidently could not last 
 long. Indeed, in a very short time they grew tired 
 of the short, quick stroke, and exchanged it for 
 a slower one. Every now and then they would make 
 a spurt, and send the canoe through the water for a 
 few minutes at great speed ; but after this they would 
 cease altogether and light a cigarette or eat a yam 
 or commence a conversation. Such is the mode in 
 which work of every kind is done among the Fijians, 
 and to every remonstrance that was made our men 
 returned the usual answer, ' Malua vaka leilai ' (' Wait 
 a little '). 
 
 The scenery as we worked our way slowly up the 
 coast was thoroughly Fijian. At one moment we 
 were skirting a belt of low flat land, dotted here and 
 there with the homesteads of planters, and already 
 in many places white with early cotton-blossoms. 
 Behind the belt of low-lying ground rose a central 
 mountain, which formed, as it were, the backbone of 
 the island. Its slopes were clothed with vegetation 
 of varied form and hue, while its summits were 
 scorched and brown and barren, and in many places
 
 128 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 lost in a zone of clouds. Advancing further the coast 
 became more bold in character. Our canoe was now 
 gliding past a wall of solid rock, against which the 
 waves rose and fell gently — for the trade-wind in its 
 daily journey had not yet come thus far. And now, 
 peering cautiously over the side of the canoe, we 
 could see through the clear water the bottom, some 
 forty feet below. There the tufts of coral, with 
 branching stems and embryo leaves, formed as it 
 were a miniature forest, while round their bases were 
 clustered in rich profusion delicate algse and odd- 
 looking shellfish ; while fish many-coloured as the 
 rainbow darted to and fro within that fairy abode. 
 Some of these fish were bright blue, others, like those 
 in the 'Arabian Nights,' orange or black; others, 
 again, striped alternately with black and white. 
 Here, indeed, was an aquarium on a truly gigantic 
 scale. But beautiful as are all these forms of marine 
 life, their beauty is borrowed in part from the element 
 by which they are surrounded. Seen when the tide 
 is out a coral reef is shorn not of half but of all its 
 charms. The shapely trunk and spreading branches 
 of the coral-tree become mere sharp and vulgar 
 points of rock which pierce the feet of the unwary 
 naturalist ; the seaweeds lie flat and dull, the shellfish 
 are dingy and commonplace, while the gay-coloured 
 fish arc no longer to be seen, for they have followed 
 the retreating waters seawards. 
 
 As our progress up the coast continued the 
 scenery again became changed in character. We
 
 FLORA OF FIJI. 1 29 
 
 crossed a deep and narrow bay, fringed by dark 
 masses of trap-rock, and overshadowed by dense and 
 somewhat gloomy foliage. How a vegetation so pro- 
 fuse could thrive on soil so uncongenial seemed at 
 first sight difficult to understand, until a nearer ap- 
 proach revealed little patches of rich loam, hidden 
 away in crevices of the rock, which in many places 
 was so smooth and bare that the hardiest creeper 
 could scarcely cling to it. Behind this rocky barrier 
 the mountain rose sheer and abrupt, while its steep 
 slopes were covered with underwood and trees of 
 many varieties. There, for example, was the ever- 
 present cocoa-nut palm, the bread-fruit, the dilo, that 
 yields a costly gum ; the nokonoko, or iron-wood, well 
 suited for war-clubs ; the daku, or Kauri pine of New 
 Zealand ; and the vaivai, which will neither crack 
 nor warp in the hottest weather. Were you to stand, 
 indeed, on shore, under the shadow of these lofty trees 
 you would see but little, for the stifling air and 
 sombre twilight of the tropical forest would be all 
 round you. At a little distance from the shore such, 
 however, is not the case. Here you can distinguish 
 the various forms of leaf and bough, from the deep 
 ripe tints of the older growths to the more delicate 
 green of the young leaves, which seem struggling 
 upwards towards the light and heat of the sun. At 
 intervals, through some chance opening, you catch a 
 glimpse of white stems innumerable, which like great 
 pillars bear up the leafy dome ; while orchids and 
 ferns and delicate mosses cling to every branch, and 
 
 K
 
 I30 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 tangled creepers hang in festoons from tree to tree, 
 or trail in rope-like masses on the ground. So sheer 
 is that mountain-side and so deep that bay, that the 
 sun's rays seldom disperse the solemn gloom that 
 rests on its shore. Save for a few hours after sunrise 
 trees and ferns and creepers alike all live in a dim 
 twilight. Beneath their dark shadow all is rank and 
 decaying. On all sides the ground is thickly strewn 
 with a chaos of dead forms, with leaves and fruits and 
 fallen timber. When a tree falls it quickly becomes 
 enveloped with moss or fungus or other parasite 
 plants. Then worms and ants in countless swarms 
 infest its bark and win their way into its solid tex- 
 ture, so that soon it lies hollowed and worm-eaten, 
 and fast crumbling to dust. Fruits or dead bodies 
 that chance to fall on that rank soil quickly become 
 seething and festering masses, instinct with loathsome 
 shapes. So swiftly, indeed, do the swarms of insects 
 seize on their prey that they might almost seem to 
 have sprung fully formed from the earth, but all the 
 time they owe their being to the hot breath of 
 the tropics, which quickly brings life out of death, 
 and metamorphoses all matter with a rapidity un- 
 known in other climates. 
 
 But soon we had crossed this deep bay, and were 
 now coasting along a rock-bound shore. Far above 
 us on the mountain-sides could be seen great masses 
 <>f foliage, but for all that the trees were small and 
 stood apart, and the forest generally seemed younger. 
 Asking for an explanation of these changed appear-
 
 DECAY OF POPULATION. 1 3 I 
 
 ances, I was told that all the hillside had once been 
 occupied by a busy population, and that it was no 
 long time ago since it was occupied by villages and 
 homesteads and plantations. Whence, then, the pre- 
 sent desolation ? It was the result, and indeed a 
 measure, of the decay of the Fijian race — a decay 
 brought about by many different agencies, all tend- 
 ing in the same direction, and all likely to end in the 
 total extinction of the race. 1 
 
 Hitherto the sea we had been skimming over in 
 the canoe had been glassy calm, and save for the long, 
 heavy roll that rose and fell as regularly as a pen- 
 dulum we might have been on some inland lake. 
 Though only ten o'clock, the morning was intensely 
 hot. The land-breeze had died away some hours 
 ago, and the trade-wind had not yet come down from 
 the Straits of Somo-Somo. But now it might be 
 seen gradually approaching from the eastward in the 
 form of a dark line on the water, feeble and ill-defined 
 at first, but soon at every moment increasing in power. 
 With it came numerous little waves which washed 
 playfully against the low sides of the canoe. This 
 no one at first minded, and the men, refreshed at 
 intervals by a glass of gin-and-water, paddled bravely 
 on. Soon, however, the full strength of the breeze 
 came down upon us, while, the ' sea ' grew short and 
 high, and the waves began to break into the canoe 
 with a somewhat angry sound. We baled as fast as 
 
 1 See further on this subject a series of papers by the Author in 
 the ' New South Wales Medical Gazette,' May-July 1873. 
 
 K 2
 
 132 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 we could, while the natives paddled with might and 
 main. But all efforts were useless, for our vessel was 
 destined to be filled, and indeed anyone might easily 
 have foreseen that such would be the case. We were 
 a good mile from the shore, between two headlands, 
 and it seemed probable that we should have to swim 
 most of the distance, running the gauntlet of in- 
 numerable sharks. In these desperate circumstances 
 the canoe was put before wind and sea ; and so judi- 
 ciously did the natives manage her, that we suc- 
 ceeded at length in gaining the shore, without any 
 worse damage than wet clothes and the loss of a 
 portion of the cargo. Once on land there was no 
 help but to remain there till the wind died away, 
 which it did not do until sunset. 
 
 The spot where the canoe had been beached was 
 called in Fijian ' Matana,' which being interpreted 
 means ' The Eyes.' It had formerly belonged to a 
 white man, by name Beddoes, who had died shortly 
 before my arrival in the group. He had lived many 
 years in the islands, and belonged to that class of 
 men known as 'old hands.' It is a class the members 
 of which are every day becoming fewer, for the con- 
 ditions under which such men could exist are every 
 day passing away. Beddoes had come originally to 
 Fiji at a time when to settle there was emphatically 
 to take one's life in one's hand. He must have been 
 a man of uncommon personal strength and daring, 
 for long after his death the most extravagant stories 
 were current about his exploits. He had managed
 
 'beach-combers.' 133 
 
 to overawe the common natives by brute force, and 
 had gained over the chiefs by his skill as a worker of 
 metals. He had won upon the heart of the great 
 lord of Tavinni by the skill with which he had fur- 
 bished up his wretched old muskets and cast for him 
 a fresh supply of leaden bullets. He had in his time 
 given innumerable gifts of gin or of rum, and had 
 not been above helping to drink them with the 
 chiefs. On occasion, too, he had been ever ready to 
 stand by his native protector when some 'cute trader 
 was trying to drive a bargain harder than usual. For 
 these and similar services Beddoes and his contempo- 
 raries had received payment in houses and slaves and 
 broad lands, few of which they had succeeded in 
 keeping for long. Most of these men spent their 
 lives in riot and dissipation, unchecked by any social 
 restraints, and harassed by no misgivings about the 
 future. In most islands of the South Pacific pro- 
 bably since the buccaneering days of Drake and 
 Tasman white men have at intervals settled, and 
 lived and died savages in all but colour. Repre- 
 sentatives of the ' old beach-comber ' are to be found 
 not only in Fiji but in Tonga, Samoa, Rotumah, 
 and many other out-of-the-way islands. 
 
 Most of these men came, in the first instance, 
 either as deserters from ships-of-war or from whale- 
 ships. Sometimes, however, they came as shipwrecked 
 sailors or runaway convicts, while one individual 
 whom I met in Rotumah told me he had been left 
 there forty years before by a rascally captain, just as
 
 134 TW YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 the prototype of Robinson Crusoe is said to have 
 been left on Juan Fernandez. At any rate, in what- 
 ever way these men first became domiciled in these 
 places, they bear in character and subsequent conduct 
 a startling resemblance to each other. In all cases 
 they have passed a stormy youth and middle age, 
 while the declining years of their lives have generally 
 been devoted to gin or ' kava.' Many of these men 
 had fortunes within their grasp more than once. 
 One well-known character of this sort in Fiji is or 
 was ' Brown Boots.' At one time he owned some of 
 the richest and fairest portions of Tavinni — lands that 
 to-day might have been worth to him many thousands 
 of pounds, had they not been parted with long ago 
 for a few bottles of gin or staked on the turn of a 
 card. ' Brown Boots ' himself is in far from affluent 
 circumstances now. The struggle for life in Fiji is 
 greater than it was in the good old times, and poor 
 Boots's strength and spirits are not what they were 
 some thirty years ago. About this man the most 
 extravagant stories are current — as to how he got his 
 name from a pair of untanned sea-boots that a Yan- 
 kee captain entrusted to his care, and which were 
 never returned ; how when no other pilot could be 
 obtained he has taken a ship through an intricate 
 channel, though all the time so helplessly drunk that 
 two men had to steady him as he stood aloft on the 
 fore-yard ; how he was laid out for dead and about to 
 be buried ; how he was saved from being eaten by 
 a word casually spoken. Poor Brown Boots ! thy life
 
 1 OLD HANDS.' 1 35 
 
 hath been a stormy one, and yet thou art not a bad 
 fellow, but truly thine own worst enemy ! 
 
 With the changed times that have of late come 
 over Fiji, and indeed the South Pacific generally, 
 such men of course find their positions sadly changed. 
 Their occupations are gone as completely as that of 
 Othello ever was. They are no longer the only men 
 who can build a boat or cooper a cask or mend a 
 musket, and accordingly have fallen much in native 
 estimation. The evening of their lives is a gloomy 
 one. Hustled aside by younger comrades, looked on 
 as useless, and, indeed, not particularly respectable, 
 they are forced in many cases to fall back on the 
 hospitality of Fijians, who now show them but scant 
 courtesy ; nay, it is well if they do not openly sneer 
 at their poverty and forlorn condition. Yet, though 
 the ' old hands ' have sadly fallen away in these latter 
 days, it is only fair to remember that many of them in 
 their youth must have been men of a daring character, 
 and possessed of a certain amount of ability. Had 
 this not been the case they must have perished long 
 ago, as so many others did at the very commence- 
 ment of their careers. Some of the tales they can 
 tell now about old times, past for ever, are very grim 
 indeed, and show that men who could live through 
 such scenes must have borne themselves bravely 
 and well. Drink and unbridled savage licence of 
 manners and morals dragged them down ; but we 
 can scarcely wonder at their yielding to some tempta-
 
 3 
 
 6 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 tions which even now prove too strong for many of 
 the whites settled in Fiji. 
 
 During my compulsory visit to Matana I took 
 the opportunity of walking over the deserted planta- 
 tion, and could not but be struck with the amazing 
 fertility of the soil. The cotton-trees, though un- 
 tended, were nevertheless covered with white pods, 
 and labourers only were required to gather in a rich 
 harvest. All over the plantation sugar-cane and 
 tobacco were growing wild side by side with the 
 cotton ; while there was no lack of bananas, paw- 
 paws, pine-apples, cocoa-nuts, and other tropical pro- 
 ductions. But the place was utterly neglected, and, 
 indeed, at this very time was actually in search of an 
 owner. 
 
 Towards evening the breeze began to fall light, 
 and the sea to become calm once more. .The moon 
 rose about 9 o'clock, and, with the first glimpse of its 
 friendly orb we started on our way. From here to 
 Wairiki was some eight miles, and we expected to 
 accomplish the distance in two hours. When about 
 half-way we met a large double canoe, with a fire 
 brightly burning on each side. The crew were lustily 
 blowing conches, which in the still air sounded as 
 loud as fog-horns on the Banks of Newfoundland. 
 These natives were canying turtle to the chief, and 
 they and their vessel were to a certain extent privi- 
 leged. In passing such a canoe as this the rule is to 
 allow her to keep to seaward of you — you passing 
 between her and the shore. Our natives either forgot
 
 RISKS OF CANOE-TRAVELLING. 1 37 
 
 this or did not act on it till the last moment. Then, 
 indeed, they ran right across the bows of the King's 
 vessel, which very nearly passed over us. We es- 
 caped once more, but only by a very narrow margin ; 
 and, on the whole, the excitement of having first 
 sank and then been run down was too great to be 
 pleasant. 
 
 The more a man sees of canoe-travelling the more 
 is he convinced that it is extremely dangerous and 
 unsatisfactory. Canoes are treacherous things, even 
 in native hands. They are poor vessels in a seaway, 
 are difficult to manage under sail, are not particu- 
 larly fast, and, moreover, are extremely liable to 
 upset. It is, or was, no uncommon thing to hear 
 almost every week of some white man having been 
 capsized out of his canoe and losing either his life 
 or all the property he had on board. It sometimes 
 happens that a canoe is blown out to sea, either from 
 the mast breaking or from the crew being too weak 
 to propel her with their paddles against an offshore 
 wind. In such a desperate case the best plan is to 
 steer right before the wind, and pick up the first 
 land met with. I have seen a canoe thus blown 
 away from the Friendly Islands, with a large number 
 of passengers on board, reach Fiji after a voyage of 
 three weeks, when all hopes of her safety had been 
 abandoned. In old times a canoe thus blown out 
 to sea was considered a present from the gods to 
 the people to whom she came, and all her luckless 
 passengers were, as a matter of duty, killed and
 
 I38 * TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 eaten. They were said ' to have salt water in their 
 eyes,' and as such were doomed irrevocably to be 
 clubbed first and then cast into the oven. 
 
 Wairiki was reached without further adventure, 
 and obedient natives soon carried us ashore. It was 
 past midnight when we arrived, and it seemed at 
 first probable that we should have to ' camp out,' for 
 every house in the village was either full of people or 
 else locked up. In this conjuncture my companion 
 fortunately bethought him of a ' native teacher ' who 
 lived close to where our canoe had been hauled up. 
 This man belonged to a class of men unknown before 
 the advent of missionaries. He occupied a leading 
 position in the community, and yet was a native of 
 low birth. He had been chosen by the Wesleyans 
 as a ' lay reader ' on account of a natural gift for 
 preaching, and on account, too, of his zeal and piety. 
 Many of the native teachers are from Tonga, and 
 perform no small share of the real hard work of the 
 missionary's so-called ' labours.' As a class they are 
 no doubt useful to the Wesleyans, but to most 
 whites appear conceited and puffed up, and possessed 
 of but little humility of spirit. However, this worthy 
 man was far superior to many others whom I have 
 met. His house, like all in Fiji, was built of reeds, 
 but inside was better furnished than such places 
 usually are. He soon supplied us with clean cool 
 mats and a mosquito-curtain of native cloth large 
 enough to cover a family. A leather valise, which 
 had kept me company in many a long ride through
 
 BATHING AT WAIRIKI. 1 39 
 
 the Queensland bush, served for a pillow, and thus 
 equipped I soon fell asleep, not to awake until the 
 morning sun came pouring in through the narrow 
 doorway. 
 
 Next morning our host provided us with towels, 
 and we went to bathe before breakfast. But, alas ! 
 what a change from the sparkling waters of the 
 Levuka river to that wretched brook at Wairiki ! 
 In one spot, indeed, some philanthropic man had 
 essayed to make a dam with earth and small stones. 
 This he had partially succeeded in doing, and had 
 created a shallow pool, more, perhaps, to the advan- 
 tage of sundry pigs than of his fellow-men. But 
 such as it was we were obliged to be contented with 
 it. For the benefit, however, of future travellers it 
 may be mentioned that there is a much better 
 bathing-place some distance from the village, where 
 the luxury of a bath can be thoroughly enjoyed, and 
 where the scenery fully compensates for the length of 
 the necessary walk. 
 
 Returning to the house of the ' teacher ' we found 
 him busy preparing breakfast. His wife was a pretty, 
 graceful woman, of Fijian extraction, but fairer and 
 better-looking than the average of her countrywomen. 
 Neither he nor his wife could tell their own ages or 
 that of any of their children. To Fijians the lapse 
 of time is only made known by the approach of age 
 or infirmity. Until these unwelcome reminders come 
 upon them they are content to let the years roll on 
 unheeded, or at most marked by the advent of a yam
 
 140 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 crop or a new moon. But as the number of moons 
 increase somewhat quickly, the count is soon lost, 
 and thus it comes to pass that scarcely any native 
 can tell his own age. Such a fact speaks volumes 
 for the easy, uneventful, and therefore (if we set aside 
 the Aristotelian definition) possibly happy tenor of 
 life in the far-off sunny islands of the Pacific. 
 
 After breakfast my friend started once more in 
 his canoe to go further up the coast, while I pro- 
 ceeded to take a look at the village which was to be 
 my head-quarters for the next few months.
 
 Hi 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Wairiki — Tiu Cakou's House — Monotony of Savage Life — Tappa- 
 making — Tiu Kooaiinooa — Ethics of Trading with Savages — 
 British and American Subjects — Hotel at Wairiki — Two Residents. 
 
 Wairiki in 1872 was the largest native town in the 
 island of Tavinni. It had long been really, though 
 was now only nominally, the capital, for 'Tiu Cakou' 
 (pronounced Thakou), ' Lord of the Reefs/ seldom 
 honoured it with his presence. It was a vague, 
 straggling kind of place, divided into two unequal 
 parts by a sluggish stream. On the banks of this 
 were always to be seen women either washing clothes 
 or making tappa ; while in its turbid waters pigs, 
 ducks, and children disported themselves at leisure. 
 Its normal condition was anything but pleasant or 
 wholesome, though such considerations were of little 
 moment to the inhabitants. Crossing this stream the 
 traveller found himself fairly in the native town. 
 That large house on the left is the residence of Yadi 
 (pronounced Yandi — lady) Mela, Tiu Cakou's queen ; 
 that one on the right, of Ratu (Fr., master) Quito 
 (flag), his brother. That imposing-looking edifice 
 between the two, rising up like the mosque of an 
 Eastern village, is the palace of the great king him-
 
 142 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 self. It is a fine effort of Fijian architecture, and is 
 worth looking at closely. Although more than one 
 hundred feet in length and forty in breadth it is 
 divided into only three large rooms. These are 
 separated from each other by partitions some twelve 
 feet in height, formed of split canes. As you enter 
 the house by a low door placed at the end of the 
 largest room your eye can travel through each suc- 
 ceeding room till, through the open windows of the 
 last, you see the village stretching away to the east- 
 ward, and finally lose it in the trees and brushwood 
 of the forest around it. 
 
 The sides of this house are formed, as usual in 
 Fiji, of reeds fastened securely together by cords of 
 sinnet, or cocoa-nut fibre. The reeds are then at- 
 tached to large posts placed at intervals of a few 
 yards. These posts are made of a peculiarly hard 
 and oily wood, somewhat like teak, able to resist the 
 attacks of white ants and other vermin. The tradi- 
 tion runs, whether truly or not, that the posts in this 
 house were driven into the ground through the bodies 
 of slain men ; and seeing that the house was built in 
 old cannibal times, there is nothing improbable in 
 the story. The roof was an elaborate structure. It 
 depended for strength and solidity on the ' ridge- 
 pole,' which, indeed, is to a Fijian house what the 
 keel is to a ship. It is, in fact, its most important 
 part, and the backbone of the whole structure. In 
 this instance it was formed of stems of cocoa-nut 
 trees, jointed together with great neatness, and
 
 TIU CAKOU S PALACE. I43 
 
 covered with ' sinnet' ' On this central beam were 
 laid bamboos, and the whole framework was then 
 covered over for a thickness of several inches with 
 reeds and leaves until perfectly watertight. A roof 
 so constructed is, perhaps, the very best that could 
 be devised for a Fijian climate. The only objections 
 that can be raised against it are, first, the danger of 
 fire ; and, second, its liability to harbour tarantulas, 
 scorpions, rats, lizards, and other vermin. The first 
 of these, except in the case of a cotton-house sur- 
 rounded by malicious natives, is more imaginary than 
 real ; the second can easily be guarded against by the 
 use of an inside lining of calico placed over the beams 
 from one end of the house to the other. There were, 
 properly speaking, no ceilings in Tiu Cakou's palace. 
 From the ground-floor to the roof it was quite empty, 
 and thereby it gained enormously in comfort. During 
 the hottest months its interior was always cool, and 
 through its open doors and unglazed windows the 
 land-breeze or the sea-breeze, according to the time 
 of day, could wander at leisure. In addition to other 
 ornaments each end of the ridge-pole and some por- 
 tions of the sides of the house were adorned with white 
 shells {ovum ovulum), to show that they belonged to 
 a great chief. Similar shells are also used, and for a 
 like purpose, on canoes and other property. To the 
 Fijian mind these convey the same notion as the 
 letters V.R. or a ' broad arrow ' does to an English- 
 man. 
 
 1 Fine cord made of the fibre that surrounds the cocoa-nut.
 
 144 TW0 YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 On entering the first and largest room the con- 
 trast between the lofty proportions of the exterior of 
 the house and its mean and even squalid furniture 
 was very striking. The floor was covered with a 
 large native mat. In many places this was ragged 
 and torn, and allowed the dry leaves and reeds on 
 which it rested to be seen through. Two or three 
 half-naked children, in charge of an old one-eyed 
 woman, rolled about the floor ; while some Fijians sat 
 in one corner endeavouring with more or less success 
 to talk and eat yams at the same moment. There 
 was a fireplace at one end of the room — a large open 
 one, like those that may yet be seen in English 
 country houses of the date of Queen Anne or the 
 first George. A fire of logs of the bread-fruit tree 
 was burning brightly, and over it was suspended an 
 enormous iron pot full of yams. At this moment a 
 loud knock was heard at the low wooden door, and 
 immediately afterwards a pig entered. He seemed 
 to know the place well, and at once, without let or 
 hindrance, directed his steps towards the saucepans 
 and other utensils piled up in the corner. The fur- 
 ther end of this same room was occupied by several 
 beds, composed of mats, and having large mosquito- 
 curtains suspended over them. These beds were not 
 only for the regular dwellers in the house, but also 
 for any chance-comer who might stand in need of its 
 hospitality. Beyond this first room was another, 
 floored with boards, and furnished in a much more 
 civilised manner. This was occupied by Mr. H ,
 
 TIU CAKOUS SECRETARY. 1 45 
 
 secretary to Tiu Cakou. He was an American by- 
 birth, and, like so many other white settlers, had first 
 visited Fiji on a whaling cruise. It was his first 
 voyage to sea, and had been a fairly successful one. 
 The vessel was homeward-bound from the summer 
 whaling-station, that vast waste of waters that lie to 
 the south of Cape Horn. In passing through the 
 Fiji group, then but little known, the ship struck on a 
 
 coral reef, and quickly went to pieces. H was one 
 
 of the very few who escaped, and it was, as he used 
 to be fond of saying, by the ' skin of his teeth.' After 
 being wrecked he lived ashore among the natives, 
 learned their language, and finally married a half- 
 caste girl, whose father, a white man, had been killed 
 in some native feud. After a while he acquired lands 
 and other property, and eventually became secretary 
 to the chief of the district. He was one of those men 
 who could put his hand to almost anything, from 
 coopering a cask or mending a musket to writing an 
 official letter to the captain of a ship-of-war, which is 
 considered the severest test of a man's diplomatic 
 powers in Fiji. His duties were those of a secretary, 
 interpreter, and collector of customs combined. In 
 exchange for the work thus performed he was pro- 
 vided by the chief with a large house, with the work 
 of so many men annually, and with a certain sum of 
 money, which was, I believe, often in arrear. So much 
 for a brief sketch of a man the course of whose whole 
 life and fortunes were changed by one accident. Besides 
 
 Mr.H many otherwhite men held official positions 
 
 L
 
 I46 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 under chiefs. In the old times such appointments 
 were much more valuable than they are now, and 
 much more important. They now confer few of the 
 privileges they used to do formerly, while the chances 
 of receiving large tracts of land or other enormous 
 payments for services rendered are very remote in- 
 deed. In fact, many whites do not now care to accept 
 such appointments, for they entail a great deal of un- 
 pleasant duty without any corresponding gains. 
 
 The labour of constructing a large house such as 
 has been described in Fiji is indeed immense. The 
 native carpenter has no planks ready-sawn and to his 
 hand that he can lay on as if he were building a 
 wooden house. Each individual reed has to be care- 
 fully adjusted and placed side by side with its fellow. 
 It has then to be secured in its place, and this so 
 thoroughly that neither wind, rain, nor sunlight can 
 penetrate between the two. Most of the larger pieces 
 of timber are encircled with coil after coil of cocoa- 
 nut fibre, all twisted by hand, while many of the 
 smaller beams and posts are ornamented with elabo- 
 rate devices of the same material. This house of Tiu 
 Cakou's had been built entirely by compulsory la- 
 bour, so that its cost cannot be accurately estimated. 
 But if the workmen were paid wages at all approach- 
 ing what they would expect to receive from a white 
 man, many hundreds of pounds sterling would not 
 suffice, and this without including the price of the 
 materials. 
 
 After living a short time at Wairiki I began to
 
 MONOTONY OF SAVAGE LIFE. I47 
 
 make the acquaintance of many of the villagers, and 
 to gain some insight into Fijian inner life. Were I 
 asked what was the most salient characteristic of 
 savage life I should reply, its monotony. The Fiji 
 man rises at the same hour every day, eats the same 
 food, cooks it in the same manner, occupies his time 
 with the same employments, and goes to rest at the 
 same hour. The climate is much the same all the 
 year round, except during the rainy season, when it 
 is a little warmer, while there is not perhaps twenty 
 minutes' difference between the length of the longest 
 and shortest day. Add to all this that there is little 
 communication between the various villages, that the 
 native mind is slow of apprehension, and cares little 
 for novelty ; that there are no public events of any 
 importance transpiring, and if there were, that there 
 are no means of discussing them, and you have the 
 essential groundwork of a very uninteresting state of 
 society. The women find 'fit occupation for all their 
 time in tending their offspring. In addition, how- 
 ever, to this they are expected to make tappa, or 
 native cloth, the universal and only covering of Fijian 
 men and women before English calicoes became 
 cheap and plentiful. Even now the use of this tappa 
 is very extensive, especially among the poorer people. 
 Its mode of preparation is simple enough, although 
 requiring a good deal of time. It is somewhat as 
 follows : — The bark of the malo, or paper mulberry, is 
 stripped off, care being taken that the several strips 
 shall be as long as possible. It is then rolled up and 
 
 L 2
 
 I48 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 allowed to soak some time in water. By this means 
 the outer bark or epidermis can be easily scraped off, 
 and this is generally done with a bivalve shell some- 
 what like a cockle. The massi, as it is now called, is 
 laid upon a large flat block of hard wood, and 
 pounded unmercifully with grooved mallets. One 
 strip of massi is generally placed on the top of 
 another, and by repeated blows the two are welded 
 together until they become one piece. By this ham- 
 mering process they become also wider than before, a 
 two-inch strip being beaten out into one of eighteen 
 inches, while at the same time the length is consider- 
 ably shortened. The whole strip is then dried, and is 
 ready for use, but generally several of these pieces are 
 joined together with a paste made of arrowroot. 
 This done, they are spread out to dry and bleach, and 
 at this stage a good idea of the size of these pieces of 
 native cloth can be obtained. I have seen many such 
 exceeding thirty yards in length, and Mr. Calvert in his 
 work mentions having seen one of 180 yards. At 
 Wairiki, indeed, there is or was an enormous bale of 
 this tappa, originally intended as a present to Caco- 
 bau. Judging from appearances this might easily 
 have extended half a mile in length had it been 
 spread out. As it was it formed a solid mass of some 
 thirty feet long by ten broad, and about eight deep. 
 After the gift had been presented it was found im- 
 possible to convey it to Levuka entire. No ordinary 
 vessel could have taken it on deck, nor would it have 
 passed through the hatchway of any vessel. Accord-
 
 TAPPA. I49 
 
 ingly it was allowed to remain where it was, and a 
 shed was built over it to protect it from the weather. 
 Tappa is generally worn white, and is preferred thus 
 for head-dresses. A chief will often wrap many yards 
 of it round his head somewhat in the manner in 
 which a surgeon would put on the old-fashioned 
 ' capitulum ' bandage. No one but chiefs are allowed 
 to wear a head-dress of tappa, which, according to the 
 caprice or conceit of the wearer, may be raised to an 
 almost unlimited height. When well-made such a 
 head-dress bears some resemblance in shape to a 
 Parsee's hat. 
 
 Tappa is often dyed brown, and occasionally even 
 ornamented with elaborate patterns. The dye used 
 is obtained from a plant called lanci^ the botanical 
 name for which is, I believe, aleiirites triloba. The 
 process of printing the patterns recalls the old days 
 of the wooden types of Guttenburg, or the early 
 efforts of our own Caxton. Without entering into 
 too minute a description of these blocks it may be 
 stated that the surface of the wood is covered, accord- 
 ing to the intended pattern, with small pieces of 
 bamboo and cocoa-nut leaf. These raised portions 
 are then smeared over with the dye and the cloth 
 pressed down upon them. When this process has 
 been completed there still remains a large margin of 
 untouched cloth. This is now dyed black instead of 
 brown, while the block hitherto used gives place to 
 patterns cut out of banana-leaves. The larger pieces 
 of dyed tappa are mostly used for mosquito curtains.
 
 I50 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 But though they afford a sufficient protection against 
 insects, they are too warm, and shut out not only the 
 mosquitoes but also the fresh air. Fiji women make use 
 of strips of slit bamboo in cutting the wet cloth, and 
 these wooden knives answer this purpose better than 
 the best steel. The noise of tappa-making, especially 
 when a large number of women are at work together, 
 is very great. The sound, however, is a cheery one, 
 and reminds the traveller of a ship-building yard in 
 England. Tappa-making is tabu, or ' forbidden,' in 
 the town where a chief lives, for fear of disturbing the 
 great man's slumbers. This simple fact may serve 
 as an illustration of the despotic kind of rule under 
 which Fijians in common with most Western Poly- 
 nesians live. I have heard of an unfortunate man 
 who was killed on the spot because his merry but in- 
 discreet laughter had disturbed the noontide repose 
 of his chief. It is no uncommon thing for white men 
 calling on a chief for business purposes to have to 
 wait hours for an audience, until the chief chooses to 
 say that he is awake. In such a case no native would 
 be bold enough to disturb him, as his head might pay 
 the forfeit of such presumption. 
 
 About this time there was on a visit at Wairiki a 
 well-known and once celebrated chieftain. He was 
 called Koominoa, was father of Yadi Mela, Queen of 
 Cakadrovi, and was hereditary ruler of the island of 
 Koro. At the time I first made his acquaintance he 
 was an old man of some seventy years, tall and thin, 
 and feeble. His skin hung in great wrinkles on his
 
 KOOMINOA. 151 
 
 attenuated frame, his hair was white and closely- 
 cropped, and his face had a weird, hungry look about 
 it that was not pleasant to contemplate. In his youth 
 he had been a great warrior, and, it must be added, a 
 great cannibal. It is said that on one occasion he 
 killed six hundred persons on the island of Rabi 
 (Rambi), because, having caught two turtles, they had 
 sent him only one. The turtle is a royal fish through- 
 out Fiji, and for a kaiscc or common man to eat one 
 was to incur the punishment of death, and such until 
 lately was the recognised penalty in the Fijian code. 
 It was probably, however, a rare occurrence at any 
 period of Fijian history to devastate a whole island 
 on such trivial grounds, while, of course, at the present 
 day such a proceeding would be wholly impossible. 
 It so happened that I had brought a ' chimney-pot ' 
 hat from Sydney, the only one, probably, to be found 
 in the whole Fiji group. To this piece of headgear 
 old Koominoa took a huge fancy. In his eyes it far 
 surpassed the most skilful efforts of native hatters. 
 He begged for it piteously, pleading his poverty, his 
 advanced age, and the affection he had always shown 
 to white men. But finding entreaty useless, he at 
 length offered to purchase it, and, as he had no money, 
 I consented to be paid in kind, and agreed to accept 
 two large pigs, equal in value to about five pounds 
 sterling. He at once, as soon as the bargain was 
 concluded, placed the hat upon his head, and called 
 out to one of his attendants to bring him a looking- 
 glass. Then, standing up to his full height, he sur-
 
 152 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 veyed himself complacently for several minutes, mut- 
 tering all the while expressions of approval. His 
 appearance was irresistibly comic. His tall, gaunt 
 figure was almost destitute of clothing, his face was 
 lit up by a half-smile, half-leer ; his lustreless eyes 
 were fixed with delight on the glass, while high above 
 all the hat, sadly crumpled, and brushed the wrong 
 way, completed the strange figure. When this scene 
 had lasted long enough the hat was removed, to be 
 kept safely until paid for, and for greater security was 
 deposited in the house of the King's brother. But the 
 old man begged so earnestly that he might be allowed 
 to wear it at the missionary services the next Sunday 
 that I granted his request No sooner, however, had 
 he got possession of the hat than, taking advantage 
 of a fair wind, he sailed away in his canoe to Koro, 
 and I never saw him again. This little incident 
 affords an instance of the duplicity and short-sighted 
 cunning that characterises most Fijians in their inter- 
 course with Europeans. Anything given on credit to 
 a native generally means a free gift, and a few pence 
 gained at the moment by some silly act of dishonesty 
 is more valued by most Fijians than a good name or 
 large legitimate profits. Experience has unfortunately 
 shown that it is quite impossible to repose any confi- 
 dence in the average Fijiman in money matters, except 
 in a few very rare cases. The white settler has or 
 had until lately no legal means of redress, for a native 
 was seldom worth the trouble of suing, except in the 
 case of some powerful chief. Sometimes a Fijian
 
 NATIVE TRADING. I 53 
 
 may be induced to work off a debt, that is, pledge 
 himself to labour for so many days until the money 
 he owes is represented by an equivalent sum due to 
 him for his work. At first sight this plan might seem 
 equally advantageous to the planter and the native, 
 but it is not found to be so in practice, simply because 
 the native will not keep his word. In the case of a 
 chief who owes money the plan is more promising, 
 as the chief will readily enough send some of his 
 unfortunate vassals to work for him ; nor does he care 
 how much they may suffer in his service, or how much 
 he may pay in this form to gratify any particular 
 whim. 
 
 And here a few words may be permitted on the 
 ethics of native trading. In dealings with savages, 
 Fijian or otherwise, the intrinsic value of any article 
 to the manufacturer is no measure of the value that 
 the native may place upon it. The value of anything 
 to a native is in direct proportion to its actual utility 
 to himself or to the difficulty he would experience in 
 procuring it. These principles are, indeed, much the 
 same as those which regulate prices in all com- 
 munities, but somehow their logical application to 
 savages would seem to have been overlooked in some 
 quarters. Many excellent and well-meaning persons 
 might think it a shameful abuse of knowledge and 
 power, if not indeed an actual moral wrong, to sell to 
 an islander a musket which cost eight shillings for as 
 many pounds. But it is evident that this musket 
 may prove of such vast service to the islander who
 
 154 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 buys it as to be to him almost priceless. On its 
 possession may depend his life, his property, his 
 liberty, in a word, all that makes existence worth 
 having. Again, to manufacture such an article would 
 be quite beyond the power of any number of natives 
 working for an unlimited time. Hence, so far as the 
 native is concerned, no amount of labour or the 
 products of labour would be sufficient to procure him 
 a musket. Again, many objects, such as beads, rings, 
 pipes, or coloured ribbons, are to the savage exactly 
 what precious stones are to us. His eye sees in them 
 objects of peculiar beauty and rare occurrence, and 
 they accordingly possess for him a fictitious value. 
 That a plain man with a cunning machine working in 
 some back street of Birmingham or Coventry can 
 produce such things at will does not lessen their value 
 in the eyes of the South Sea Islander. No skill or 
 power that he could bring to bear would be equal to 
 producing such results. Accordingly, whether a man 
 sell all that he has in order to buy a pearl of great 
 price, or whether a savage gives away tons of cocoa- 
 nut oil or blocks of sandal-wood, or even his wife, for 
 a few beads or an old musket, the principles involved 
 are identical. Civilised persons do not feel surprised 
 when they hear of a connoisseur paying a fabulous 
 price for a group by Canova or a painting by 
 Vandyke. To some men, however, all sculpture and 
 all pictures are much the same, and would be repre- 
 sented by a very trifling sum of money indeed. It is 
 the same with savages. At one island you may get
 
 OVERSTOCKED MARKETS. I 55 
 
 quantities of cocoa-nut oil representing many pounds 
 sterling for your beads or old iron, at another group 
 a few degrees east or west the same articles may be 
 valueless. But here, on the other hand, the natives 
 will insist on purchasing your muskets or hatchets or 
 printed calicoes at apparently absurd rates. At the 
 present day, however, in most of the Pacific groups 
 all trading is more or less overdone. The wealth of 
 the natives is small and strictly limited in kind, and 
 the profits to be realised are after all not large, when 
 the danger to life and property from the treachery of 
 natives, bad charts, hurricanes, and other dangers is 
 taken into account. Besides, most groups and islands, 
 however remote and savage, can number one or more 
 white traders among their permanent inhabitants, and 
 they are always ready to buy native produce. Such 
 men must live literally, rifle in hand, in the midst of 
 constant danger and excitement. Their profits are 
 large, but unfortunately, on the principle vos nou 
 vobis. The Sydney or Melbourne house which has 
 sent these fearless traders down to their island with 
 a small stock in trade generally manages to absorb 
 all the returns, save a mere nominal percentage. 
 
 It will thus be seen that what many well-meaning 
 but misinformed persons have stated about island 
 trading can hardly be borne out by facts. It is still 
 said that natives are ' cheated ' and ' imposed upon ' 
 by white-men. Missionaries, as a rule, have not been 
 slow in taking up the same cry. In their case this is 
 scarcely to be wondered at, as the advent of the
 
 156 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 trader destroys much of their influence, and nearly all 
 that portion of their income represented by the vague 
 term ' offering.' But so far as my experience goes I 
 believe the average South Sea Islander is habitually 
 cautious and canny to a degree, and will never pay a 
 fraction more than he thinks the wares are worth to 
 himself. But, on the other hand, the case of the trader 
 has perhaps scarcely received the consideration and 
 sympathy due to it. It is a strange fact, but never- 
 theless it is a fact, that while England as a nation 
 glories in the wide range of her commerce, she not 
 unfrequently spurns the men who are daily extending 
 it in new countries. She enjoys the fruits of such 
 men's labours and yet calls the men themselves 
 ' adventurers,' and treats them in many cases as if 
 they were pirates, slavers, or rank malefactors. That 
 such is the feeling of England, at any rate in official 
 circles, is well known in many a far-off land. It is 
 a melancholy fact that Englishmen throughout the 
 South Pacific generally can be ill-treated and all 
 but slain with impunity. The captains of the vessels- 
 of-war who visit these islands are either unable or 
 unwilling to do much in the way of protection or 
 redress. A Frenchman or American living ashore 
 among natives is universally respected and feared, 
 and the advent of a gunboat or frigate belonging to 
 either of those nations strikes terror into the hearts 
 of native wrong-doers. But such is not the case when 
 an English ship is descried in the offing. The natives 
 have been taught by experience the dislike which the
 
 PROTECTION OF ENGLISH SETTLERS. 1 57 
 
 English have to help their own countrymen or to 
 punish an adversary apparently weak, and have not 
 been slow to better the teaching. 
 
 In Fiji the prestige of the British flag was sadly 
 impaired by the unfortunate Rewa expedition, where, 
 from motives of mistaken leniency, shells were fired 
 over the natives instead of at them. In the end the 
 boats of the expedition were obliged to retire with the 
 loss of several men killed and wounded, while free 
 passages were generously offered by the Commodore 
 to the unlucky settlers whose lives were no longer 
 safe. It is well known that numbers of English in 
 Levuka call themselves American subjects, merely in 
 order to obtain the better protection which that 
 country, rightly or not, is supposed to extend to her 
 citizens. A remarkable instance of this fact came 
 under my notice in Fiji. A large landowner actually 
 left the group for some time and resided in the 
 United States, in order to qualify for American 
 citizenship, and thus to vindicate certain rights of 
 ownership which had been grossly violated by the 
 chief of the district in which his property lay. He 
 had in vain appealed to a succession of ships-of-war, 
 and as a last resource had changed his nationality. 
 This decisive step promised to be successful, for on 
 the last occasion on which I met him he informed me 
 that a vessel-of-war would be despatched from San 
 Francisco to Levuka with the express object of 
 enquiring into his claims. It is humiliating to have
 
 I58 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 to write thus ; but it is well to tell the truth, even 
 when there is no likelihood of its being believed. 
 
 Wairiki can, or could, boast of one hotel, and to 
 this I betook myself. It will be sufficient to say that 
 it possessed a strong family likeness to the hotel at 
 Vuna ; and indeed, out of Levuka, all hotels were 
 much the same in Fiji. The proprietors of this par- 
 ticular hostelry did not dread competition, for there 
 is no other house within miles where any food can 
 be procured. At the moment of my arrival dinner 
 was announced. I remember we had as fish a piece 
 of porpoise. Gentle reader, have you ever eaten 
 porpoise ? If not, I hope you may never be called 
 on to do so. The flesh is in texture like a very fine 
 sponge, and in taste like cod-liver oil. Ugh ! it 
 haunted the palate for long afterwards, and rendered 
 one suspicious of even such choice dainties as parrot- 
 fish or turtle. The porpoise was flanked by the in- 
 evitable salt beef, unpalatable and unwholesome, as 
 usual, while yams and bananas completed the menu. 
 I mention this partly because, with the exception of 
 the porpoise, it was the dinner of three hundred and 
 sixty days out of the year, but chiefly to disabuse 
 persons of a very prevalent notion that the Fiji 
 Islands are abodes of comfort and luxury. The 
 former of these two words should certainly not be 
 mentioned within the confines of the group, while, as 
 regards the latter, scenery and vegetation are indeed 
 luxurious enough, but the food — i.e. such food as a 
 white man can live on continuously — is insufficient and
 
 RATU QUILO. 159 
 
 bad. This is one of the chief drawbacks to Fiji as a 
 place of residence for women and children or delicate 
 persons. No doubt this state of things will be reme- 
 died in time ; but as it is, anyone who wants to live 
 comfortably in Fiji must import the bulk of his food 
 from New Zealand or Australia, a distance of two 
 thousand miles. 
 
 But if the dinner was bad the excellence of the 
 company compensated for it to a great extent. There 
 were two men at table both of whom were characters 
 in their own ways, though differing widely from each 
 other. One of them was named Ratu Quilo, and was 
 the brother of Tiu Cakou, chief of Cakadrovi. He 
 was, perhaps, one of the most polite, polished, and 
 subtle Fijians to be met with in the whole extent of 
 the islands, and, let me add, politically one of the 
 most dangerous of men. He was generally credited 
 with passing his time in hatching plots and abortive 
 conspiracies against his brother, who, in turn, par- 
 doned him as often as he sinned. Ouilo was a very 
 large and powerfully-built man, his forehead ample, 
 and his head fairly symmetrical, though there was 
 a decided deficiency where phrenologists are accus- 
 tomed to place the moral qualities. His eyes were 
 bright and intelligent, and, on the whole, he would 
 have passed in any country as a good-looking man. 
 Strangely enough in the Egyptian Museum at Boulak, 
 Cairo, there is a wooden figure which, in outline of 
 face and figure, exactly resembles him, and is said to 
 be some four thousand years old. At the time I first
 
 l6o TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 made Ouilo's acquaintance he was past middle age ; 
 and in spite of his fine head and manly form he was 
 reported to be a coward. It was said that he had run 
 away during more than one battle, and was much better 
 as an intriguant than a warrior. He had long ago 
 abandoned such evil practices as polygamy and can- 
 nibalism, and now with all the docility of a cate- 
 chumen listened to the teachings of the missionaries. 
 Some there were, indeed, who used to insinuate that 
 this docility was part of a deep-laid political plan. 
 His brother, the ruling chief, was notoriously im- 
 moral and stiff-necked, and there were not wanting 
 men to suggest that Ouilo was anxious to enlist mis- 
 sionary influence in the development of certain am- 
 bitious schemes of his own. However, very little if 
 anything of all this was known positively, for he was 
 far too clever a politician to take many persons into 
 his confidence. All such surmises time will prove or 
 disprove ; meanwhile it will be strange if Ouilo's 
 name does not by-and-by become better known to 
 Englishmen in connexion with Fijian politics. 
 
 Opposite to Ratu Ouilo sat a man whose name is 
 
 familiar to every resident in Taviuni. Dr. B had 
 
 at one time been a surgeon in the British Navy, but 
 had quitted the service to develope a pet scheme of his 
 own. This was nothing less than to grow coffee in 
 the Island of Madagascar. After many rebuffs and 
 some five years of incessant labour he had succeeded 
 in getting his project favourably considered by the 
 late Emperor Napoleon III. He could show letters
 
 A STUDIOUS SETTLER. l6l 
 
 from the Emperor and other influential persons, and 
 from his own account success seemed to have been 
 all but within his grasp. But the scheme ultimately 
 broke down, and in the bitterness of disappointment 
 
 Dr. B sailed for the Australian colonies. From 
 
 thence he drifted to Fiji, indifferent as to what fate 
 might have in store for him. His urbanity and good- 
 nature were proof against every annoyance, nor did 
 it seem possible to put him out of temper. His store 
 of learning was ample and varied, and his tastes those 
 of a studious recluse. He was, in fact, the very last 
 man that should have gone to a new and rough place 
 like Fiji. But, after all, he was only one of a large 
 number of curious characters who, like waifs and 
 strays on the ocean of life, had drifted somehow or 
 another to those distant shores. Poor fellow ! from 
 a worldly point of view his life had not been a suc- 
 cess ; but this probably was no fault of his. All who 
 would rightly understand what are those ' shallows ' 
 that men drift into when they do not take the tide 
 in their affairs that leads to fortune should visit some 
 of the queer, out-of-the-way places of the earth. Un- 
 lucky men who have thus drifted into shallows are 
 to be met with on Australian gold-diggings, on dis- 
 tant sheep-stations far away in the ' back-country,' 
 on Pacific islands, in quiet Continental villages ; but, 
 meet them where you will, their histories have been 
 all more or less the same. The demon of failure has 
 set its seal upon all they have attempted through 
 life. Such men may at times have been mocked by 
 
 M
 
 1 62 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 a little delusive success, but the final result was never 
 for a moment doubtful. Yet many such men are 
 free from all degrading vices, and possessed appa- 
 rently of considerable ability and energy of character. 
 
 g was of the number of these. The stars really 
 
 seemed to have cast a baleful light on his life, and to 
 have entered into some hostile conjunction at his 
 
 nativity. On one occasion B received a gift of 
 
 a thousand acres of land from a grateful patient. 
 His friends thought at length that luck had turned 
 in his favour. Not so, however. Scarcely had the 
 ground passed into his possession when the hitherto 
 quiet natives became unruly, committed numerous 
 outrages, and soon succeeded in giving that part of 
 the country so bad a name that it became a matter 
 of difficulty to sell an acre in the district. But B — — 
 had become so thoroughly resigned to his bad luck 
 that this extra slice did not in the least disturb his 
 equanimity. Provided he had plenty of books to 
 read, he cared apparently but little what adversity or 
 prosperity befell him. It is, perhaps, rare to meet a 
 man so thoroughly schooled into being a philosopher 
 by mere force of circumstances. He told me that 
 the process had been a very gradual one, that he had 
 been conscious of its existence, and that he now con- 
 sidered it complete, in which latter statement all who 
 had the pleasure of his acquaintance would probably 
 agree.
 
 163 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Tropical Rain — The Fijian Language — Professional Poisoners — Medi- 
 cal Science in Fiji — Fijian Idiosyncrasies — The ' Mat Fever ' — 
 French Missionaries. 
 
 Among other objects which I had proposed to my- 
 self in visiting Wairiki was to find a vessel direct to 
 Vauna Levu, ' the big land/ which lay only a few 
 miles away across the Straits of Somo-Somo. But 
 week after week slipped by and there seemed little 
 hope of accomplishing my purpose ; for although the 
 Straits might have been crossed easily enough, a hun- 
 dred miles of rough, broken country would still have 
 intervened between me and Mbua, my destination. 
 Vessels, indeed, were somewhat scarce at this par- 
 ticular season of the year. It was now the middle of 
 the ' hurricane months,' or rainy season, and wise men 
 went to sea as little as possible. The winds, too, were 
 very variable. The regular ' trades ' had ceased to 
 blow, and instead of them fierce squalls alternating 
 with wearisome calms swept all smaller craft from 
 the sea. The weather was hot, oppressive, and un- 
 wholesome, and the frequent showers that hung 
 about the horizon or broke over the island were 
 heavier than any rain ever seen out of the tropics. 
 In some of these down-pours it was as though the 
 
 M 2
 
 164 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 windows of heaven had been opened. The rain 
 descended in torrents rather than in streams. But 
 fortunately a shower like this would give timely 
 notice of its approach. First of all came a cold blast 
 of wind, then the loud patter of heavy drops on the 
 broad-leaved banana-trees would be heard, and in a 
 moment or two, if a friendly shelter had not been 
 already gained, you might imagine that an unusually 
 powerful shower-bath was playing on your head. 
 The natives, in spite of their well-oiled backs and 
 scanty clothing, carefully avoid such rain as this, 
 which experience has taught them is fraught with 
 danger to their health. 
 
 Seeing there was no immediate chance of getting 
 away from Wairiki I accepted a mosquito-curtain and 
 a mat in Tiu Cakou's large house. Most of my time 
 was now passed among the natives, whose appearance, 
 customs, and habits of life possessed as yet all the 
 charm of novelty. While this novelty lasts on either 
 side the Fijians are rather an engaging people ; but 
 they soon tire of a white man, and he in turn soon 
 tires of their filthy habits and deceitful ways. Sa- 
 vages, in fact, are not interesting people, and those 
 who are obliged to live among them quickly find this 
 out. However, as my lot had been cast among them 
 for a time, at any rate it seemed wise to study their 
 modes of thought and action, and learn as much of 
 their inner life as possible. To do this it was neces- 
 sary to gain some knowledge of their language. I 
 could obtain no books, although I afterwards found
 
 FIJIAN LANGUAGE. 1 65 
 
 that there was a grammar and good dictionary pub- 
 lished by the missionaries. The plan of learning the 
 language I adopted was simple enough, and I am 
 inclined to think it is better than a library full of 
 grammars and dictionaries, if you want to gain a 
 colloquial knowledge of any language in a short time. 
 I asked a friend to translate me the phrase ' What is 
 that?' in Fiji. 'A cava ogo,' pronounced ' Athava 
 ongo.' Then, using this as a key, I plied all natives 
 with incessant questions, regardless of time or 
 place. Pointing to the nearest house, I would say ' A 
 cava ogo ? ' Answer, ' Vali,' a house ; to a fowl, answer 
 ' Toa ; ' to a pig, answer ' Vuaka] and so on, till in a 
 very few days I had learned the names of most of 
 the common objects around me. The verbs and pro- 
 nouns had to be picked up by ear, but even so the 
 process was not a very tedious one. Everyone who 
 has studied a few languages knows how small a 
 vocabulary will suffice for our ordinary conversation 
 or a day's work. Such is more especially the case in 
 a language like Fijian, which possesses no written 
 literature. But here the paucity and even insuffi- 
 ciency of the vocabulary is an unexpected but real 
 source of difficulty, on account of the vast number of 
 meanings which the same word must necessarily 
 have. Take for instance, the word ' matana,' meaning 
 primarily, perhaps, ' a point ; ' then the eyes, and then 
 by an easy transition the face, and then the front of 
 anything. In addition to this, however, it means a 
 particular spot whence anything issues, as mata in
 
 1 66 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 wai, a spring of water, also ' a spear-point,' also one of 
 a number of small things, as a ' drop.' It is also used 
 as a preposition, meaning in front of, and finally 
 forms more than sixty compound words. 1 All this is 
 puzzling to a learner, who generally loses the thread 
 of the discourse he is listening to, and, owing to the 
 numerous and various meanings of the words em- 
 ployed, has little chance of recovering it. 
 
 The Fijian language belongs to the family known 
 to philologists as the Turanian. It possesses many 
 words in common with the Samoan, Tongan, Ro- 
 tuman, Savage Island, and other Pacific dialects. 
 But, on the other hand, many of its words in com- 
 monest use have little or no apparent connexion with 
 those used in other groups. Fijian is probably a 
 composite language, and has borrowed both words 
 and roots from widely-different sources. On the 
 whole, however, it assimilates more closely to the 
 tongue of Eastern than of Western Polynesia. Even 
 within the small compass of single islands more than 
 one form of the language is often found. In some 
 places these differences may be sufficient to constitute 
 a dialect, in others a mere patois. Thus, between the 
 polished and courtly language of Bau and the lan- 
 guage of the mountaineers of Viti Levu there is as 
 much difference as between the Piatt DaitscJi of 
 Hamburg and the classical German of the school 
 of Weimar, or between the dialects of Lombardy 
 and the Italian of Manzoni. In many cases the 
 1 See Hazlewood's 'Fijian Dictionary,' sub voce.
 
 FIJIAN DIALECTS. I 67 
 
 differences are not so striking. Thus, the language 
 of the Cakadrovi province, including Vauna Levu, 
 Tavinni, Rabi, and other islands, differs from that 
 of Bau chiefly in the omission of all K sounds. For 
 instance, a Levuka man would call a pig vuaka, 
 whereas a Wairiki man would say vuaa, or perhaps 
 alter it still farther into /> u aa ; viuaka, ' good,' becomes 
 vinaa, and so on. I becomes J, as Viti becomes Fiji, 
 in the eastern islands of the group, where Tongan 
 influence has been felt ; and so on through various 
 dialectic changes. Bau is the Athens of Fiji, and the 
 dialect there spoken has now became the classical 
 dialect of the whole group. In it all translations and 
 official documents are written, and it will probably 
 soon supersede all other forms of the language, except 
 among the lowest orders of the people. 
 
 Fijian is neither a rich nor a flexible language. 
 Its vocabulary, as we have seen, is strictly limited, 
 while its grammar contains neither genders, case- 
 endings, nor conjugations properly so called. Its 
 pronouns are unwieldy and complicated, consisting of 
 no fewer than four numbers. The language itself is 
 as yet in an undeveloped state. Like the Greek of 
 Homer, it abounds in numerous particles and redun- 
 dancies, which would soon disappear were it more 
 cultivated. It possesses, of course, nothing approach- 
 ing a national literature. Its prose compositions are 
 all translations of religious works, executed by mis- 
 sionaries, with the aid of native Pundits. As the 
 works of foreigners these can have but little hold on
 
 1 68 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 the people at large, nor is it to be supposed they will 
 ever to any great extent affect their modes of thought. 
 The folklore of Fiji is neither particularly copious 
 nor interesting, and what there was of it forty years 
 of missionary teaching has pretty well abolished. 
 There is no reason to suppose that the Fijian lan- 
 guage, any more than the race which speaks it, is 
 destined to a long life. It will soon be a language as 
 thoroughly dead and forgotten as that of the Incas 
 or the Tasmanians, with the exception, perhaps, of a 
 few fragments rescued by the exertions of foreign 
 philologists. 
 
 Having acquired some power of expressing my- 
 self in their language, I lived a good deal among the 
 natives. I thus had ample opportunity of learning 
 Fiji politics, and of finding out what the average 
 native thought of the great movement which was 
 bringing so many white settlers to the islands. The 
 prevailing notion in the native mind undoubtedly 
 was that most of these whites had been obliged to 
 leave their own country on account of a famine, and 
 that they had come to Fiji in search of food. As 
 matai-nimate, or ' man of death,' I was everywhere 
 welcome. A case of surgical instruments was ex- 
 amined with curiosity not unmixed with awe. Many 
 natives probably considered me in the same light as 
 one of their own matai, who with the practice of 
 medicine generally unite that of professional poison- 
 ing. The flora of Fiji is rich in many poisonous 
 plants ; but the knowledge of them is kept a profound
 
 PROFESSIONAL POISONERS. 1 69 
 
 secret, and confined to a few families. The men who 
 possess such tremendous knowledge are, as might be 
 supposed, universally feared and respected. They 
 form at once faithful body-guards to a chief and 
 swift and terrible messengers of his vengeance. They 
 may be seen, perhaps, lounging in the neighbourhood 
 of some village one day and disappear the next. 
 Soon afterwards the chief or other high head droops 
 and dies with unusual symptoms and strange sudden- 
 ness. No enquiries are made, no questions asked, 
 but perhaps within a week or so the dead man's wife 
 joins the harem of the superior chief. Then men's 
 tongues may be loosed for awhile ; but prudent persons 
 generally say little on such occasions, for fear of a like 
 mishap coming upon themselves. 
 
 Intercourse with the natives afforded many oppor- 
 tunities of gaining some knowledge of the system of 
 medicine practised amongst them. Surgery, as a 
 science, cannot be said to exist in Fiji ; most Fijians 
 prefer death any day to undergoing a severe operation. 
 The natives as a rule are healthy, but of a decidedly 
 weaker constitution than the average European. The 
 popular notion that savages have a greater power of 
 repair in their system and greater constitutional 
 strength than civilised men does not seem to be borne 
 out by facts. The Fijians are liable to almost the 
 same diseases as the white residents in the group, and 
 of the two races the native suffers the more severely. 
 Dysentery is quite as fatal to Fijians as to whites, 
 though perhaps, owing to differences of food and other
 
 I70 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 causes, somewhat more common among the latter. 
 Many natives died a few years ago from an epidemic 
 of influenza, which travelled from east to west, follow- 
 ing the course of the trade-winds. During the preva- 
 lence of this epidemic a good opportunity was afforded 
 of witnessing that peculiar form of despondency which 
 frequently seizes on natives without any apparent or 
 adequate cause. It is a common saying that a Fijian 
 will frighten himself to death ; and there is more or 
 less of truth in it. Natives, in some extreme instances, 
 have been known to lie down on their mats and reso- 
 lutely refuse to get up or take any nourishment until 
 they actually did die. Every physician knows that 
 occasionally patients will declare that they will not 
 recover ; and in some diseases, as typhus-fever, this 
 depression of spirits augurs ill for the result. But 
 among Fijians mental despondency seems to arise 
 more from superstition than from bodily weakness. 
 It is said that apparently healthy natives have literally 
 been frightened to death by hearing prophecies that 
 they would not live longer than a certain specified 
 time ; but such extreme cases are perhaps somewhat 
 doubtful. Most Fijians, when old, suffer a good deal 
 from rheumatic pains, and to cure these they cut them- 
 selves with knives or fragments of glass, or by means 
 of small pieces of smouldering tappa burn the skin 
 over the affected part. This last method of cure is 
 identical with the use of the moxa, at one time a 
 fashionable mode of treatment with English physicians. 
 Among the appliances which I had brought down
 
 LOVE OF LANCETS. T 7 I 
 
 to Fiji from Sydney were a scarifier and stethoscope. 
 The former of these gave unbounded satisfaction. 
 Nothing was considered more witty by those in the 
 secret than to place this apparently harmless instru- 
 ment on the back of some unsuspecting native and 
 touch the spring. In an instant twelve lancets would 
 plunge into the swarthy flesh. Then would follow a 
 long-drawn cry, scarcely audible amidst peals of 
 laughter from the bystanders. As soon as the native 
 had recovered from the alarm c6nsequent on the 
 suddenness of this attack he would ask to have the 
 application repeated perhaps some five or six times. 
 The reason of this request was not very evident at 
 first, but I found by-and-by that the operation was 
 considered a wholesome one, and also that the regu- 
 larity of the marks left on the skin was much admired. 
 I have known a native come several times to have 
 these marks cut on his arm, and on one occasion, on 
 the Ra coast, I succeeded in procuring an opportune 
 supply of food by means of this instrument. It was 
 at a time of great scarcity, and the natives, who had 
 not enough for themselves, refused to sell any food. 
 In this difficulty I bethought me of the scarifier, and 
 by the simple expedient of exacting a taro-root from 
 each person who wished to be operated on succeeded 
 in collecting enough supplies to complete the journey. 
 Second in importance to the scarifier sed longo 
 intervallo came the stethoscope. At first this instru- 
 ment was a complete mystery to the natives. They 
 could not make out whence the sounds came that they
 
 172 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 heard through it, nor did they like to allow anyone 
 to listen to their breathing. One chief would on no 
 account allow his chest to be examined. On my 
 asking for a reason he informed me that he feared lest 
 some one would tell him he was ill and would die, 
 which he thought would be a most serious if not fatal 
 assertion. If a native consents to undergo any opera- 
 tion he will generally bear it with exemplary firmness, 
 evincing no sign of suffering or weakness. But his 
 consent is rarely gained to any such proceedings, and 
 as a rule natives prefer death to the pain of an opera- 
 tion. Fiji produces many valuable drugs, some of 
 which deserve to be better known. The inhabitants 
 are perhaps the most skilful herbalists in the South 
 Pacific, and the cures they sometimes succeed in 
 making are well worthy of attention. They are also 
 accomplished poisoners and abortion-mongers. The 
 latter they practise in various ways, and by means of 
 a variety of medicines, none of which are, however, 
 absolutely new to science. 
 
 For the first few months of residence a native 
 village is a tiresome place. But after a time a man 
 becomes accustomed to doing nothing. The enforced 
 idleness that was so irksome at first becomes by-and- 
 by rather the reverse. The climate at one period 
 of the year makes all work a nuisance, and absolute 
 quietude almost a necessity. The monotony, too, of 
 savage life is so complete and profound that as it were 
 it neutralises itself. There is so little to mark the 
 lapse of time, that it passes away noiselessly and
 
 DAILY LIFE IN FIJI. 1 73 
 
 swiftly, and in the end the sum of all impressions left 
 on the mind is decidedly pleasant. For most whites 
 in Fiji the day begins at sunrise, when, quitting mat 
 and mosquito-curtain, they make for the nearest river. 
 Then comes breakfast, a meal of little importance, and 
 generally consisting of native fruits, yams, and tea. 
 About this time of day most new arrivals, especially 
 during the hurricane-months, feel weary and exhausted. 
 They contract the disease known as ' mat fever,' and 
 are never so comfortable or so much at ease as when 
 lying down, book in hand, within the shadow of an 
 ample mosquito-net. Towards the close of the day 
 the air becomes less oppressive, the appetite returns, 
 and after another bath comes dinner or tea, according 
 to individual tastes. The evening is generally the 
 pleasantest portion of the whole twenty-four hours. 
 This is the time for native games and dances, for cool 
 breezes and pleasant reunions, at many a hospitable 
 planter's house. But the evening is soon over, and 
 long before ten o'clock most of the white population 
 scattered through Fiji, with the exception of a few 
 restless spirits in Levuka, have gone to bed. During 
 the cool months of the year, which correspond to our 
 summer months, a healthy man feels as vigorous as 
 ever. The ' mat fever,' if resisted, is soon cured, and 
 in a new country like Fiji such an anomaly as an idle 
 man ought not to exist. 
 
 At Wairiki the native population was nominally 
 Christian. They had all lotded, that is, professed a 
 desire to become Christian, and some had even been
 
 I 74 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 baptised. There were, however, a large number that 
 always hovered between Roman Catholicism and 
 Wesleyanism, and probably a still larger number who 
 were at heart heathens. Two French priests, under 
 the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Typasa in partibus, 
 tended this mission zealously and skilfully. Their 
 establishment was on a much smaller scale than that 
 of the Wesleyans, and showed what men really in 
 earnest could sometimes effect with the most inade- 
 quate means and under most unpromising circum- 
 stances. These missionaries belonged to the society 
 of ' Marists,' which resembles, in some of its most 
 praiseworthy features, the Society of Jesus, but is with- 
 out the political bias of the latter. They had com- 
 menced their labours by building their own house, and 
 had shown the natives that they were not merely 
 theologians, but also skilful matai, or carpenters, a 
 trade which all Fijians hold in high respect. The 
 house was built of wood, one story high, and encircled 
 by a large verandah. The inside was as plain as the 
 outside. In the sitting-room was a tolerable library, 
 composed of the most Ultramontane theological works, 
 interspersed with a few of a more readable nature. 
 On each side of this were the apartments of the priests, 
 scantily furnished, and hung round with the same 
 agonising prints of saints and martyrs that are so 
 common in France and Italy. The house was built 
 in the centre of a plot of ground, some few acres in 
 extent, which had been cleared and planted with cotton 
 by the priests themselves, aided by the voluntary
 
 FRENCH MISSIONARIES. I 75 
 
 service of a few converts. By dint of much labour 
 and some engineering skill a stream of water had been 
 conducted through bamboo pipes from a spring that 
 lay far up the mountain. This water was always cool 
 and pure, and not only irrigated their moderate plan- 
 tation, but afforded an unfailing shower-bath in hot 
 weather. And thus, in this quiet retreat, these pious 
 men passed their days, supporting themselves by their 
 own labours, and devoting their lives to the instruction 
 of the natives around them. 
 
 Setting aside all considerations of the value of 
 missionary enterprise in general, it is impossible not 
 to respect such single-mindedness and self-denying 
 devotion as these priests exhibited in their lives. 
 French religious societies are not so wealthy as 
 English, nor has the French missionary in Fiji as 
 easy and comfortable an existence as his English 
 colleague. For a considerable time after the Franco- 
 German war all the usual sources of missionary in- 
 come were cut off. The priests were during this 
 period obliged to support themselves by the labour 
 of their own hands almost entirely. This they did 
 bravely and well, devoting at the same time all 
 their spare hours to visiting the sick, teaching native 
 children, instructing former converts, and gaining 
 fresh ones. In this, perhaps, they were not quite 
 as successful as the Wesleyans. Strange as it may 
 seem, capital is as necessary in missionary enterprise 
 as in more purely commercial undertakings. This 
 the French priests could not command, and no
 
 176 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 amount of zeal, energy, or ability could make up 
 for the lack of it. Without money you cannot have 
 missionaries, native teachers, schools, or churches ; 
 but further, without these you cannot have converts ; 
 and, to complete the syllogism, without money you 
 cannot make converts. This is the plain truth, and 
 there is no use disguising it. As regards the natives 
 themselves the Roman Catholic ritual seems better 
 suited to their peculiar mental constitution than does 
 the Wesleyan. Its doctrines are presented in a less 
 abstract form, its ceremonies are more numerous 
 and interesting, its vestments are more gorgeous, 
 its canons exact an equal amount of self-denial, 
 and afford a greater opportunity for display. After 
 all, however, grave doubts as to its utility exist in 
 the minds of many who have witnessed missionary 
 work in the South Sea Islands. There is a fatal 
 slipperiness about the Fijian character which 
 renders all impressions evanescent. Any novelty 
 is quickly taken up, to be as quickly cast aside 
 when it has ceased to be novel. To make such 
 converts as will stand the test of persecution, of 
 neglect, and of poverty for religion's sake you must 
 have stronger stuff than the average Fiji man. To 
 convert such people is like ploughing the sea — your 
 labour is quickly done, but it leaves no record behind 
 it. As Mr. Buckle remarks in his ' History of Civili- 
 sation,' the higher and more abstract doctrines of 
 Christianity are beyond the comprehension of an 
 uneducated and almost irrational savage. Of the
 
 NATIVE CONVERTS. I 77 
 
 truth of this fact I have myself seen many illustra- 
 tions. A Fijiman will listen coldly while the mission- 
 ary expounds the Athanasian Creed, or the doctrine 
 of faith and works, but will be all eagerness and 
 attention, when he is shown a picture of doubting- 
 Thomas, or of the Last Supper, or when he hears 
 the bell tinkling in the sacrifice of the Mass. The 
 advent of missionaries marked an epoch in the 
 history of the South Sea Islands, as much as the 
 advent of Christianity did in the history of the West, 
 or the advent of Mahomet in the history of the East. 
 In all three, to compare great things with small, 
 there exists a certain parallelism. The early mis- 
 sionaries to Tonga and Fiji found opposed to them 
 a worn-out religion, a mere set of forms, from which 
 all vitality had departed, and which had lost all 
 hold on the people. Such was the case in the 
 Roman world in the time of Augustus ; and such 
 too was the case in Arabia. So is now the case 
 in Fiji. A number of natives are ever ready 
 to change one form of Christianity for another, 
 and that without any sufficient reason. Did the 
 priest offend them last Sunday, next Sunday they 
 will attend the Wesleyan service ; did the Wesleyan 
 minister fail to please them, they will without a 
 moment's hesitation go to Confession and attend 
 mass. With such people the work of an earnest 
 missionary is indeed disheartening. After some 
 twenty years of strenuous exertions the priests 
 are forced to confess that the results have not 
 
 N
 
 I 78 TWO YEARS IX FIJI. 
 
 been satisfactory. With the Wesleyans the state 
 of matters is much the same. This statement will 
 probably be received with derision in some quarters. 
 I can, however, only speak from what I have seen 
 myself; and in spite of numerous congregations, 
 large schools, and long lists of 'offerings,' I do not 
 hesitate to say that Christianity has no sensible 
 hold on the people of Fiji. The improvement 
 that has taken place in their social condition of 
 late years is to be attributed in great measure 
 to the increase of trade and commerce, in a word 
 to the influence of white civilisation in the group. 
 In one respect it would seem that the Roman 
 Catholic missionaries act more judiciously than 
 the Protestant. While the Wesleyans aim at 
 making their converts theologians, the priests aim 
 at doing this and at civilising them besides. Of the 
 conduct of the various sects of professing Christians 
 towards one another, of their jealousies, their strifes 
 and their mutual invectives, nothing need now be 
 said. The whole subject of Christian missions in 
 the South Seas and their influence on the in- 
 habitants of the various, groups is a very large 
 one, and desires careful attention. To say on the 
 one hand that Christianity arfd missionary zeal have 
 done nothing for the natives of Fiji, is to state 
 what cannot be borne out by facts. On the other 
 hand to attribute to missions and to them alone 
 the improved state of the Islands of late years is 
 manifestly absurd. But to repeat what has been
 
 FRENCH MISSIONARIES. I 79 
 
 already said, no man, however little he may esteem 
 missionary work in the abstract, can deny a meed of 
 praise and respect to these honest Frenchmen who 
 have devoted themselves with so much zeal to the 
 conversion of the heathen. They approach somewhat 
 the type of the ideal missionary apostle, working 
 among the heathen, and yet supporting themselves 
 by honest labour. They apparently, of modern 
 missionaries, have inherited most of the spirit of 
 St. Francis Xavier or Vincent de Paul. If their 
 success is not now as great as in the days of 
 the pioneer missionaries, it is because the times 
 rather than the men themselves are changed.
 
 l8o TWO YEARS IN FITI. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Voyage to Ngalena — Fijian Girls — House Building for a Chief— Titi 
 Cakou — A Fijian Dinner — Kava Making and Drinking — How a 
 Chief transacts Business — An American Planter — Fijian Half-castes 
 — The Land Question — Position of Englishmen in Fiji. 
 
 TlU Cakou, Lord of the Reefs, and Chief of Cakan- 
 drovi, was, after Cakobau, perhaps the greatest man 
 in Fiji. So much land did he possess, and so power- 
 ful was he, that it behoved every white man to make 
 his acquaintance and strive to gain his good-will. 
 He was generally supposed to reside at Wairiki, but 
 had of late quite deserted this locality, on account, as 
 was said, of the importunities of the white settlers. 
 Be this as it may, he had certainly left his former 
 capital and had betaken himself to a place called 
 Ngalena, some thirty miles higher up the coast. He 
 had lately married his hundred and eighty-third wife, 
 and this, coupled with the fact that Ngalena was, 
 from some cause or other, free from mosquitos, had 
 induced him to make it a temporary residence. Here, 
 therefore, I and several other whites, who were 
 anxious to settle some important matters, waited 
 upon him. 
 
 Borrowing a whale-boat, we started a little after
 
 VEGETATION OF TAVINNI. 151 
 
 sunrise. The company consisted of some four white 
 men and half a dozen Fijians, a few of whom were 
 furnished with oars. The majority, however, pre- 
 ferred to work their paddles, which they did later on 
 when the breeze died away. Taking advantage of a 
 light air off shore, we coasted along close to the land. 
 Although pretty well accustomed to Fijian scenery 
 by this time, and not in a particularly transcendental 
 mood, I could not but notice the variety and beauty 
 of the landscape. We were now on the ' wind- 
 ward ' side of Tavinni, where for countless ages the 
 trade-winds have carried all manner of seeds, and 
 deposited all their moisture on a virgin soil. The 
 struggle for existence is here intense. With the ex- 
 ception, perhaps, of Ceylon, it might be difficult to 
 find any ground so thickly covered with vegetation 
 as is the eastern portion of Tavinni. The country 
 for miles inland is a vast garden of rare fertility and 
 beauty. In some parts it is thickly covered with 
 groves of cocoa-nut trees that yield the largest nuts 
 and the best of oil ; in others it is more open, and the 
 sun can penetrate to the soil beneath. In such spots 
 a dense undergrowth has sprung up, composed of 
 the croton-oil plant, the castor-oil, arrowroot, ginger, 
 turmeric, capsicum, and now and then a root of the 
 kava (piper methysticum), from which the native 
 drink agona is made. In some spots the vegetation 
 is so thick that the cocoa-nut trees overhang the 
 water ; but generally a strip of bright sand intervenes 
 between the land and the sea. Our voyage was like
 
 1 82 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 the pleasantest of picnics, with the further addition 
 of an element of excitement. We were really sailing 
 over a comparatively unknown sea, and about to visit a 
 barbarian chief. As the day wore on, the land-breeze 
 was exchanged for the trade- wind. The natives 
 plied their paddles bravely, singing songs which in 
 heathen times had done duty for hymns, and might 
 even now be supposed to exercise some influence on 
 the breeze. The priest, who was on board, discusssed 
 the state of Europe generally and the position of 
 parties in England. He shared the belief, in common 
 with so many of his order, that England was at heart 
 Catholic, and that the Ritualistic movement was but 
 the beginning of a widespread revival in favour of 
 Romanism. The Fiji men, with the exception of one, 
 who kept a look-out for rocks, when not paddling, 
 were busy eating yams, smoking cigarettes, or lying 
 asleep on the bottom of the boat. Just as the sun 
 touched the horizon we were abreast of Ngalena, 
 and a few minutes afterwards lay at anchor in a 
 still and secluded bay, on the shores of which Tiu 
 Cakou had fixed his residence. 
 
 The anchor once down, everyone prepared to go 
 ashore, the native crew lending their broad shoulders 
 for the purpose. As we were carried up towards the 
 beach, we found an admiring crowd drawn up to 
 receive us. Among this crowd was nearly the whole 
 female population of the village. Now Fiji women 
 are not as a rule pretty, or even passably good-look- 
 ing. The young girls are, however, graceful and
 
 TIU CAKOU. 183 
 
 timid, their figures almost perfect, and their dress, 
 when they do not wear European clothes, becoming, 
 if somewhat fantastic. On this occasion they mus- 
 tered in great force. Trusting to the friendly shades 
 of evening which had already settled down on sea 
 and land, they cared little what they wore. Indeed, 
 their dress was of the scantiest, and eked out now 
 and then by a red flower in the hair, or a necklace of 
 berries, or a bit of some green creeper twined round 
 their waists. As usual I was described as the ' man 
 of death,' and straightway became a person of some 
 importance. On approaching the village, which lay 
 at a little distance from the shore, a tremendous noise 
 was heard, composed of the shouts of men, the shrill 
 voices of women, and what sounded like blows of 
 cyclopean hammers. All this proceeded from some 
 two hundred natives, who, late as it was, were still at 
 work building a house for their chief. They had 
 already cleared away the bush, and while some were 
 laying the stone foundations, others were driving in 
 the posts, and others, again, carrying materials from 
 the neighbouring forest. All was bustle and ex- 
 citement, every man making as much noise and pro- 
 bably doing as little work as he conveniently could. 
 On a small scale the whole scene recalled Virgil's 
 description of what /Eneas saw at the building of 
 Queen Dido's city, and possibly the two conditions 
 of society were not very dissimilar. 
 
 Our arrival had at once been made known to 
 Tiu Cakou ; but, as though he scented business afar
 
 184 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 off, he had returned an answer which in Fiji is equi- 
 valent to ' Not at home.' YVc were informed that 
 the chief was asleep, while an official of the Court 
 added that there was little chance of his awak- 
 ing that day. Meanwhile we were shown into a 
 large native house, hung round with muskets, rifles, 
 cutlasses, Fiji mats, mosquito-curtains, and other 
 valuables. After waiting here some two hours, we 
 saw unmistakeable signs of a feast being prepared. 
 A large pig had been killed, fowls were being shot 
 all round us or chased by Fijians armed with sticks ; 
 while fish, cocoa-nuts, taro, yams, and sugar-canes 
 were brought in in large quantities from the ' bush ' 
 and laid on the ground. 
 
 While speculating as to what all these prepara- 
 tions might mean, Tiu Cakou was suddenly an- 
 nounced. His slumbers were concluded, and he was 
 curious to see who the whites were that had pene- 
 trated his seclusion at Ngalena. The chief's appear- 
 ance was decidedly prepossessing.. He was over six 
 feet in height, and well proportioned ; his figure was 
 graceful and all his movements were instinct with 
 ease and dignity. His features were open and regu- 
 lar, and his complexion swarthy, but not so dark as 
 that of most Fijians. He had an Oriental look that 
 was far from unpleasing, and this appearance was 
 further heightened by the ample folds of white tappa 
 which encircled his body and trailed on the ground. 
 He carried himself proudly among his Fijian sub- 
 jects, who, crouching low, did not dare to stand up-
 
 FIJIAN CHIEFS. 185 
 
 right in his presence. In a word Tiu Cakou looked 
 every inch a chief, and, as one of those ' nature's 
 nobles,' might have despised hereditary distinctions. 
 The superior physical development and intelligence 
 of the chiefs in Fiji as compared with the common 
 people is very remarkable, so remarkable, indeed, as 
 at once to attract the attention of a stranger. It is 
 generally possible to single out the chiefs from any 
 crowd of inferior natives by their stalwart figures 
 and lighter complexions. All this is probably to be 
 explained by good feeding and the absence of harass- 
 ing work for many successive generations, rather 
 than to any virtues or qualities inherent in their 
 blood. 
 
 Tiu Cakou is in many respects a man far superior 
 to the ordinary run of Fijians, and if his life should 
 be prolonged will probably yet fill a page in Fijian 
 history. He is very brave and fond of danger and 
 excitement. His capacity is perhaps scarcely equal 
 to his valour, and if one may judge by appearances, 
 he seems somewhat devoid of ambition. He has 
 never been tainted with the vice of cannibalism, and 
 boasts, what is no empty boast in the mouth of a 
 Fiji chieftain, that he does not know the taste of 
 human flesh. On the other hand, however, some 
 very ugly stories are current about him, and pro- 
 bably from a civilised standpoint of morality many 
 of the actions of his life would not bear a rigid 
 scrutiny. Tiu Cakou was alternately a Wesleyan 
 and a Roman Catholic as the mood came upon him,
 
 1 86 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 and at this particular time when I first saw him was 
 inclined towards Catholicism. The French priests 
 exercised a good deal of influence o er him, and in 
 their presence he was docile and courteous. Although 
 he had nominally abandoned heathenism, he had not 
 been able to bring himself to abandon polygamy. 
 He had been married 183 times, and was still not too 
 old to marry again. His first and chief wife was a 
 daughter of old Tiu Koominooa, and still lived in a 
 large house at Wairiki, surrounded by her maidens 
 and enjoying all the honours of royalty. His latest 
 bride was a half-caste Tongese, a woman of great 
 personal charms and considerable mental ability. 
 She was not long in acquiring an influence over the 
 chief which she did not scruple to use for the advan- 
 tage of her countrymen, to the great disgust of many 
 Fijians. In virtue of his lineage Tiu Cakou could 
 marry whomsoever he pleased. If on a journey he 
 stayed at any village he would straightway marry 
 some maiden of the place, and from that moment the 
 poor girl's life might be said to be blighted. She 
 could never marry anyone else, unless, indeed, the 
 chief chose to give her away as a gift. If she was 
 unfaithful to the memory of her lord, and that was all 
 she could claim of him, death was her punishment. 
 Her mouth was tatooed at the corners, she received a 
 daily allowance of food, was called the 'chief's wife,' 
 and with this empty title her cup of earthly bliss was 
 supposed to be full. 
 
 Tiu Cakou was a thorough libertine, nor was he
 
 TIU CAKOU. 187 
 
 always scrupulous as to how he chose his victims. 
 Some of the stories told about him recall King David 
 in his worst moments. In spite of the social and 
 legal status which the chief's wives possess, their fate 
 is very much to be pitied. They are condemned to 
 lead a life of practical celibacy under a penalty of 
 death, and have little to look forward to in the 
 future. Occasionally one of these women may be 
 given as a present to some favourite ; but this is a 
 piece of good fortune which falls to the lot of few. 
 As a rule they hang about their native towns leading 
 a weary, listless life, until some fortunate accident or 
 death itself removes them from the scene. 
 
 Had Tiu Cakou been educated under more favour- 
 able influences, he might have become a man of more 
 note. As it is, his opportunities have been few, and 
 he has never had any but the smallest field for the 
 display of genius or ambition. He is, or was until 
 lately, the slave of two fatal vices — libertinism and 
 drunkenness. Of the former, enough has been already 
 said ; of the latter there is not much to say. In his 
 youth he learned intemperate habits from sailors and 
 dissolute whites who then lived on the islands, and at 
 an early age had become an habitual drinker. He 
 used to take enormous quantities of raw gin, and 
 when under the influence of this cared little what he 
 did or said. At the time I first made his acquaint- 
 ance he had temporarily abandoned gin and had 
 taken to kava. Subsequently I met him at Levuka, 
 where, flushed and excited with drink, he had come,
 
 1 88 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 under the guidance of the wily Maafu, to barter his 
 kingdom away to Cacobau and the knot of whites 
 who formed the so-called ' government ' 
 
 But on the occasion of this my first visit Tiu Cakou 
 was affability and sobriety itself. He shook hands 
 with us all, instead of rubbing his nose against ours 
 after Fiji fashion, and bade us welcome to Ngalena. 
 By this time dinner was ready, and he ordered it to 
 be spread on the ground. All then sat down in a 
 circle, each guest being provided with a plate, a fork, 
 and a banana leaf. Knives were dispensed with, 
 except by some of us who fell back on our pen- 
 knives. The meal, which was a good sample of a 
 Fijian dinner of ceremony, commenced with soup. 
 This was made of fish, cocoa-nut milk, and a variety 
 of herbs all boiled together. Its flavour was very 
 good, and if naturalised in England it might become 
 popular, that is, if merit had anything to do with 
 such a result. After soup came, naturally enough, 
 fish. It was a parrot fish, not unlike a turbot in 
 shape and flavour, save that its scales were blue and 
 that it had the bill of a parrot instead of the teeth of 
 a fish. It is well known in the Mediterranean, and 
 therefore need not be further described. After the 
 fish came the piece dc resistance, which was nothing 
 more nor less than an entire pig of large size roasted 
 whole. It was carried in from the oven by two men 
 who bent under their burden, not because of its 
 weight, but out of compliment to the chief who had 
 provided such a splendid animal. These men laid it
 
 A FIJIAN FEAST. 1 89 
 
 down in the centre of the circle as we sat, and at 
 once began to dismember it with their great knives. 
 They fell to work with a zeal and empressemmt that 
 showed how much the work was to their taste. First 
 of all the legs were severed from the body, and then 
 the head, and then huge slices were taken from the 
 ribs and back and handed to us wrapped up in a 
 banana leaf. The flesh of the animal was almost 
 untouched by the fire, and the uncongealed blood 
 still ran from the open veins. This I learned after- 
 wards was done with a purpose. In such a climate 
 as Fiji meat cannot be preserved without salt for any 
 length of time, and salt the natives will not use. 
 Consequently they fall back on repeated cooking, 
 and by this means are enabled to keep meat fresh for 
 some two or three days. The portion cut off at the 
 commencement of the feast would next day be placed 
 in the oven to be more thoroughly baked. Along 
 with the fish and pork came yams and taro. It is 
 difficult to describe the taste of these vegetables, 
 suffice it to say that the former is not unlike a very 
 dry potato, whilst the latter is also like a potato, but 
 more moist and starchy. Neither is in flavour equal 
 to a potato, although on this point there may possibly 
 be differences of opinion. As soon as all was finished, 
 the banana leaves which had served for plates were 
 taken away, the mats rolled up, the floor swept, while 
 the announcement was made by a loud clapping of 
 hands that the chief had ended his repast. This was 
 the important and anxiously expected moment for
 
 I90 TWO YEARS IN FIJI, 
 
 all the women and hangers-on about the place. This 
 was a signal ,that their turn had now come, and 
 certainly they did not require a second bidding. On 
 our side we were somewhat wearied with sitting cross- 
 legged so long, but were now able to lie at full length 
 on the floor and smoke scleucas of native tobacco. 
 About eight o'clock the chief wished us good-night, 
 and left the house, but not until a bowl of kava had 
 been prepared. How this was done will now be 
 shown. 
 
 Long before dinner was ended some young men 
 and girls might have been noticed cutting into small 
 pieces a root not unlike that of a dahlia. This was 
 nothing more nor less than the celebrated kava or 
 yagona (pronounced angona) of all voyagers from the 
 time of Captain Cook onwards. This plant is known 
 to botanists under the name of piper mctJiysticam, 
 while kava is an extract prepared from its roots by a 
 somewhat peculiar process. The root having been 
 cut into pieces of a convenient size was ready for 
 chewing. This necessary evil was ushered in with 
 certain preliminaries which were somewhat reassuring. 
 In the first place the persons chosen to discharge this 
 office were young lads and girls ; they carefully 
 rinsed their hands and mouths with water, though 
 their pearly teeth seemed scarcely to require such a 
 formality. Then having individually selected a piece 
 of the root they commenced to munch it slowly and 
 solemnly. The word ' chewing ' gives but a poor idea 
 of the process ; it more resembles ruminating had
 
 KA V A-D R I N K I XC . 1 9 I 
 
 such a thing been possible with human animals. 
 Then when the root had been reduced to a pulp it 
 was placed in a wooden bowl and water poured 
 upon it. Next, one of the young maidens, having 
 once again rinsed her hands, plunged them into the 
 bowl, and deftly spreading over the contents a wisp 
 of roj'i, sank it to the bottom of the bowl, and brought 
 up in its meshes innumerable small portions of the 
 kava wood. This process she repeated several times, 
 until at length the liquid was thoroughly strained, 
 when it was fit for drinking. It was next, with more 
 or less formalities and ceremonies, ladled out into 
 cocoa-nut shells and handed round to the company. 
 The chief drank first, and then the guests in order of 
 merit, or in our case, as we happened to be sitting. 
 No sooner had Tiu Cakou finished his draught than 
 there was a great clapping of hands and loud cries of 
 maca, maca (' it is empty, it is empty '). The same 
 cry was repeated after each white man had drunk, 
 though they were very far from being so loud or so 
 hearty as in the case of the chief. 
 
 Some persons even in Fiji profess to be very 
 much horrified at the mode in which kava is prepared, 
 and will scarcely condescend to taste it. Individuals 
 so squeamish that they cannot conform to the harm- 
 less and historical custom of drinking a bowl of kava 
 with a chief had better keep away from the South 
 Sea Islands. The mode of its preparation is certainly 
 a little disconcerting at first ; but this cannot be 
 avoided. Some persons imagine that kava can be
 
 I92 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 prepared by grating the dry root into cold water ; 
 but such stuff compared to real kava is like goose- 
 berry wine to champagne, or Rosolio to Lafitte. It 
 is not in fact to be mentioned in the same breath, as 
 any old kava drinker will tell you. The taste of kava 
 is at first very disagreeable. It has been likened to 
 magnesia, or to weak soap suds, and perhaps no 
 white man ever relished his first draught of it. But 
 when the liquid has been once swallowed, the dis- 
 agreeable taste gives place to a pungent and pleasant 
 sensation that lingers for a long time on the palate, 
 while a sense of comfort and contentment gradually 
 steals over the whole frame. In this soothing power, 
 just as in the case of tobacco or opium, lies the secret 
 of kava. It possesses, too, like gin, whisky, and most 
 other spirits, some volatile oil, that imparts to it its 
 peculiar flavour and much of its influence over its 
 votaries. If a man has once succeeded in drinking a 
 bowl of kava with real pleasure, his fate is sealed. 
 Every year of his residence in Fiji will probably make 
 him a more confirmed kava-drinker, and unless he is 
 endowed with a certain amount of strength of mind 
 he will become a slave to the habit. Kava-drinking 
 is probably more difficult to break off than either 
 drinking of alcohol or excessive smoking ; but per- 
 haps it is not so destructive to health as either of 
 these habits. How I learned to drink kava is pro- 
 bably how most men have learned to drink it. I had 
 often taken a bowl with chiefs, and on other occasions, 
 and each time seemed to dislike the nauseous mixture
 
 EFFECTS OF KAVA. 1 93 
 
 more and more. At length, one unusually hot day, 
 after a long and tiresome walk through the ' bush,' I 
 approached a native village, and knew by the aroma- 
 tic odour which the wind carried towards me that 
 kava was being ' brewed.' I was so thirsty that I 
 could have drunk almost anything, and gladly ac- 
 cepted the bowl that was offered. No sooner was it 
 swallowed than I felt at once refreshed : fatigue and 
 lassitude gave place to comfort and repose. FYom 
 that moment I was in danger of becoming a kava- 
 drinker. As it was, I preferred it to beer, champagne, 
 or any other liquid with which the white palate is 
 wont to stimulate itself. Kava can probably be drunk 
 with pleasure only in a hot climate. I have fre- 
 quently heard the remark made in Fiji, ' The weather 
 is too cold for kava to-day ; ' and anyone who ana- 
 lyses his own sensations will find that he looks for 
 this drink more in hot than in cold weather. 
 
 Kava is essentially the national drink of Western 
 Polynesia. It is to the Fijiman what opium is to the 
 Chinese, bang to the Indian, fermented milk to the 
 inhabitant of Central Asia, or whisky to the Scotch- 
 man. It supplies that mysterious craving common to 
 all nations, and founded apparently on some physio- 
 logical necessity — that craving for intoxicating or 
 stupefying drink in one form or another. Kava re- 
 sembles opium in many points, as in its soothing 
 power, and in the hold it gains over those who have 
 once become addicted to it. By the Fijian, and by 
 many whites, it is endowed with almost every virtue, 
 
 O '
 
 194 TW0 YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 ' curative, preventive, and comforting under misfor- 
 tune.' There can be no doubt that its effects on the 
 human body are very peculiar, and would probably 
 well repay a thorough scientific investigation. Its 
 therapeutic qualities have, perhaps, never been pro- 
 perly tested. Persons in Fiji credit it with being a 
 better blood-purifier than sarsaparilla, and with having 
 the power to ward off diarrhoea, dysentery, and fever. 
 If taken in moderation, it seems to be a kind of mere 
 tonic ; if taken in excess, it causes nausea, headache, 
 and partial paralysis of the muscular system. It 
 produces a lethargic state of the sensibility, but with- 
 out the excitement or consequent coma of alcohol. 
 In Rotumah the natives make a more powerful kind 
 of agona, whether from some difference in the root 
 itself or from a difference in the mode of its prepara- 
 tion. Here the bad effects of an excessive dose of 
 kava can be studied with facility, for the natives con- 
 sider it the height of wit to intoxicate sailors who 
 land on their island. I have seen men thus drugged 
 who could neither stand nor walk, and had to be 
 carried on board the vessel ; and, indeed, was myself 
 on one occasion nearly the victim of a practical joke 
 of this kind. The evil results of excessive kava- 
 drinking are abundantly manifest in the persons of 
 old topers. Their eyes become bleared, their bodies 
 scaly, their hands tremble ; while they themselves are 
 haunted by a perpetual craving for their favourite 
 drink, which, by a kind of Nemesis, they are unable 
 to prepare for themselves*. It is a humiliating sight
 
 FIJIAN HOSPITALITY. 1 95 
 
 to see some old white man, degraded by years of in- 
 dulgence in this habit, going from one native house 
 to another, and begging from the churlish inmates a 
 bowl of the kava they are making. As likely as not 
 they will refuse his request, and tell him to go to his 
 own countrymen, who, however, know him as an ' old 
 hand,' and are generally more pleased at his absence 
 than his company. 
 
 By the time our party broke up the natives had 
 long been in bed. The chief had provided large 
 mosquito-curtains for us, and indeed had done every- 
 thing he could to make us comfortable, for Tiu Cakou 
 was not deficient in the virtue of hospitality. The 
 night passed away quietly, and next morning we all 
 were up before sunrise, in hope of being able to make 
 an early start. But such was not possible. Tiu 
 Cakou would not see anyone or transact any business 
 till mid-day. At length he sent word to say he was 
 ready, and would hear what the white men had to 
 say. Each man had some favour to ask or some 
 business to settle relative to land or cotton, or native 
 depredations, or Fijian labourers. I was one of the 
 first to enter, and was introduced in due form. Tiu 
 Cakou was seated upon the ground cross-legged, 
 having before him a large box, on the lid of which he 
 was counting out a number of gold coins. His secre- 
 tary, a white man, sat by him, also on the ground, 
 and translated our conversation. The chief was good 
 enough to appoint me his physician, to give me a 
 certain portion of land, with a house already built
 
 \g6 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 upon it, and to promise to build me another as soon 
 as possible After a few more words we parted with 
 mutual expressions of esteem on both sides. Scarcely, 
 however, was my audience ended than the chief grew 
 quite tired of business. He, therefore, abruptly re- 
 fused every other petitioner, scarcely taking the trouble 
 even to hear what he had to say, and, accompanied 
 by a few followers, marched off into the bush, leaving 
 the white men to settle matters as best they could. 
 For my part I could not be ill-pleased at the success 
 of my venture, and already in expectation saw myself 
 a successful planter. The others, however, were not 
 a little disappointed and annoyed at the capricious 
 behaviour of the chief, particularly as he had acted in 
 the same way on more than one previous occasion. 
 Their propositions had been fair and business-like 
 ones, and for the interest of both the parties concerned. 
 But everything had been rendered impossible because 
 Tiu Cakou had chosen to get out of temper. His 
 conduct on this occasion affords a fair instance of one 
 source of difficulty in buying land in Fiji, namely, to 
 get your proposals even listened to by the chief. The 
 whole history of the purchase of land by whites in 
 Fiji teaches that the white man has been imposed 
 upon by the native as thoroughly, and probably as 
 often, as the native has been by the white man. In- 
 deed, considering the difficulty of buying land, the 
 uncertainty of tenure, the unsettled state of the 
 country, and, finally, the price as compared with 
 that of first-rate agricultural land in New Zealand
 
 RA LABOURERS. 197 
 
 or Australia, it has always seemed marvellous that 
 planters in Fiji cared to pay as much for their planta- 
 tions as they did. 
 
 As soon as Tiu Cakou's temper was known fur- 
 ther stay at Ngalena was of course useless, and con- 
 sequently the whale-boat was got under weigh as 
 quickly as possible. In spite of every effort, however, 
 we did not make more than some fifteen miles before 
 nightfall, and justly considered ourselves fortunate in 
 being able to reach the house of an American, who 
 gave us a hearty welcome. This gentleman was the 
 largest planter — that is, had more acres under cotton 
 than anyone else in Fiji. He had arrived in the 
 islands some twenty years ago, with few worldly 
 possessions, but by a fortunate accident (nothing less 
 than saving a chief's life) had obtained a grant of a 
 small island. Here he cultivated cocoa-nuts, from 
 which he made oil, and gradually saved a sufficient 
 sum of money to purchase land in larger quantities. 
 At the time of the ' rush ' to Fiji, from 1865 to 1870, 
 he was enabled to dispose of this at a good profit, and 
 to commence cotton-growing on his own account. He 
 had now over two hundred imported labourers at 
 work, among whom might have been found repre- 
 sentatives of every labour-producing group in the 
 South Pacific. In fact, his men formed an ethno- 
 logical collection ; but this was perhaps their smallest 
 virtue in the eyes of their employer. In addition to 
 these two hundred there were some fifty Fijians from 
 the Ra coast, fat, lazy, insubordinate fellows, whose
 
 jqS TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 work scarcely paid for the • food they ate. All these 
 men were housed and fed on the plantation. The 
 principal article of their diet was yams ; but occa- 
 sionally taro, sweet potatoes, and rice were served 
 
 out. 
 
 As our boat approached the shore, all these two 
 hundred and fifty men could be seen pulling together 
 on a chain, with which they were hauling a small 
 vessel up on to the beach. At a critical moment their 
 efforts broke the stout chain, and the dusky mass of 
 humanity fell backwards in wild confusion. Strange 
 oaths, cries of pain, of surprise, of encouragement, 
 were at once uttered in some score or more lan- 
 guages, and in the midst of this babel we landed, and 
 were at once invited up to the house. No second 
 bidding was required, and we were soon seated round 
 the planter's hospitable table. His wife was a half- 
 caste Fijian ; hence all his children were quadroons. 
 It is very rare to see a Fijian quadroon, and in this 
 instance the admixture of native blood seemed to 
 have been anything but a disadvantage. If quad- 
 roons, however, are rare, half-castes are common 
 enough. There are colonies of them in various parts 
 of the group ; for instance, at Levuka, the Rewa 
 river, and on Vauna Levu. As a rule they follow the 
 occupation of sailors in small craft, and in fine 
 weather do well enough. As a class they bear an 
 indifferent character ; and while the men are neither 
 particularly brave nor intelligent, the women are not 
 over-virtuous or good-looking. It is a fact worth
 
 ARRIVAL AT WAIRIKI. 1 99 
 
 noticing that there is a strong tendency among half- 
 castes and others with a less amount of Fijian blood 
 in their veins to recur to the type of the less civilised 
 parent. This may, perhaps, be to some extent the 
 effect of early training, for, as, an almost invariable 
 rule, the mother and not the father belongs to the 
 darker race. It is not probable that the half-castes 
 will increase much in the future. On the contrary, with 
 advancing civilisation and the increase in the num- 
 ber of white women resident in the group, mixed 
 marriages will gradually become fewer as the state 
 of society which encouraged them passes away. 
 
 Making an early start next morning, Wairiki 
 was reached without further adventure. There I took 
 possession of the house given to me by Tiu Cakou, 
 but found it was in such a dilapidated condition as to 
 require more repairs than it was worth. As usual, 
 too, in Fiji a dispute arose as to the ownership. The 
 house and ground were both claimed on behalf of a 
 merchant in Sydney, who, it was said, purchased them 
 some ten years before ; and although his claim might 
 fairly be considered to have lapsed, it was none the 
 less annoying to be involved in a dispute of such a 
 nature. Until this question could be settled, it was 
 manifestly useless to make improvements. After a 
 good deal of trouble and delay I succeeded in obtain- 
 ing a second interview with Tiu Cakou, who had 
 himself given me the ground. But, unfortunately, on 
 this occasion he was in a worse temper than ever, and 
 was so far from helping me, that he repented of his
 
 200 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 former liberality, and decided that the land was not 
 given at all, but only lent, and could neither be sold 
 nor leased. Under these altered conditions I refused 
 to accept the gift, which, indeed, would have been 
 quite useless. 
 
 Until Fiji is united under one central authority it 
 is vain to expect that the buying or selling of land 
 will ever be conducted without disputes and misunder- 
 standings on both sides. The land question has been 
 the most fruitful cause of bloodshed between whites 
 and natives from America to New Zealand, and from 
 the days of Penn to our own times. It would seem as 
 though no treaties, however clear and just, could 
 command respect for any length of time. A sort of 
 fatality apparently attends all land-dealings between 
 the different races ; the result in almost all cases has 
 been that both parties consider themselves wronged, 
 and prefer to fight rather than to yield tamely what 
 they consider as their rights. In Fiji, at any rate, it 
 cannot be said that the natives have been imposed 
 upon or defrauded. In most cases the whites have paid 
 more for their lands than could fairly be considered 
 the market value ; yet the natives are far from satis- 
 fied. The truth is, that no uncivilised men can or 
 will reason out in their minds the consequences of 
 alienating large tracts of country. Collectively they 
 do not understand what they have done until they 
 begin to feel pinched by hunger or cramped for room ; 
 but as soon as the land has been fenced in, the cocoa- 
 nut trees cut down, and the bananas and yams cleared
 
 THE LAND QUESTION IN FIJT. 201 
 
 away to make room for cotton or sugar, then they 
 begin to perceive the effects of their rashness, and of 
 course to regret it. In many instances in Fiji planters 
 would have been only too glad to restore the land to 
 the original owners, if they in turn would only restore 
 the actual money that had been paid over to them. 
 This, of course, they could not do ; and hence the 
 beginning of sorrows. 
 
 The natives trespass on the white man's ground, 
 steal his fowls or cocoa-nuts or yams ; the planter 
 defends himself as best he can, and ultimately in 
 some angry moment blood is shed. The result is 
 that many settlers become ruined men, while some 
 lose their lives, and the natives are driven off for a 
 time. Meanwhile these natives will probably have 
 found earnest and eloquent friends in England who 
 will plead their cause from many platforms, and will 
 refuse to allow that a ' poor native ' can do any wrong. 
 The unhappy Englishman who has ventured to defend 
 his rights will come in for no small share of contumely 
 and abuse. Nay, it will be well, indeed, if a ship-of- 
 war flying his country's flag does not try him by 
 court-martial or carry him many miles away before 
 a jury of prejudiced men. If he should escape this 
 ordeal, is it very much to be wondered at if he forth- 
 with changes his nationality and seeks under the 
 Stars and Stripes that protection which he has failed 
 to find under the Unionjack ? Disguise it how we 
 will, the fact remains that the position of Englishmen 
 in Fiji is very far from satisfactory. Peace Society
 
 202 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 doctrines may be well enough in Birmingham or 
 Manchester, but are held in little esteem by those 
 savage and warlike races with whom Englishmen in 
 various parts of the world must come in contact. It 
 is a poor policy that compels a man to return a spear- 
 wound with a moral platitude, or the ruin of his 
 homestead and the blighting of his career with offers 
 of arbitration. Of course England could not under- 
 take an Abyssinian war or Ashantee expedition to 
 right every distressed British subject ; but surely she 
 might hope to do in this respect as the Americans or 
 French, or even the Germans with their embryo navy. 
 As a matter of fact England does not protect her 
 subjects in many parts of the world anything like so 
 successfully as the nations above-mentioned. One 
 reason for this is, perhaps, to be found in the instruc- 
 tions issued to captains .of vessels-of-war ; another is 
 the knowledge which those officers possess that any 
 severe measures adopted towards natives would be 
 certain to be followed by an agitation in England, 
 confined, perhaps, to one or two small circles, but not 
 the less annoying for all that. The whole matter is 
 a sore subject with many Englishmen who reside 
 abroad, in Fiji and elsewhere, and perhaps this is not 
 the place to discuss it. Those, however, of my 
 readers who have witnessed the surprise and dismay of 
 Englishmen on learning for the first time that, though 
 their countrymen were ready to punish they would 
 not protect them, and who further learned that their 
 statement of foul wrongs and prayers for redress was
 
 ENGLISH POLICY IN FIJI. 203 
 
 only to be noticed as a ' literary curiosity,' will excuse 
 this digression. 1 Our forefathers, indeed, did not look 
 on 'Jenkins' ear' as a mere curiosity, pathological or 
 otherwise, and yet its exact condition after being 
 wrenched off by the Spaniard might have been of 
 some scientific interest, especially to a certain large 
 class of dilettante philosophers who treat of matters 
 about which they have had nc opportunities of gain- 
 ing any real knowledge. 
 
 1 See on this subject the ' Fiji Gazette' of October 25, 1871, where 
 the captain of a ship-of-war is stated to have said that he would regard 
 a certain petition as a 'literary curiosity.'
 
 204 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 A Hurricane — Its Effects at Wairiki ; on the Group generally— In- 
 creased Demand for Native Labourers — A Labour-vessel — Ocean 
 Islands — Tanna Boatmen — A Perilous Voyage — Straits of Somo- 
 Somo — Leave Fiji for Rotumah. 
 
 WHILE I was busying myself about land, and as yet 
 doubtful whether to become a cotton-planter or not, 
 an event occurred which quickly decided me in the 
 negative. This was nothing less than a hurricane ; 
 and as every settler in Fiji will probably have to ex- 
 perience one of these tempests during his residence in 
 the group, I shall make no apology for describing the 
 one I witnessed. 
 
 During the whole of the month of March 187 — 
 the weather had been unusually calm and sultry even 
 for Fiji. At length, one day towards the end of the 
 month, the wind set in from the unusual quarter of 
 north-west. It began with fitful squalls accompanied 
 by showers, but gradually settled down into a steady 
 gale. The sky meanwhile became overcast. A 
 dense pall of black clouds spread gradually over it 
 from the north, while frequent thunder growled omi- 
 nously in the distance. All night long the wind blew 
 violently, and next morning the weather looked more
 
 STAGES IN HURRICANE STORMS. 235 
 
 threatening than ever. The barometer meanwhile 
 fell very low ; but all this was only the prelude before 
 the curtain rose. As yet nothing more than a severe 
 gale was blowing, before which any Australian or 
 China clipper would have made a capital day's run. 
 Everj- hour, however, the weather became worse. 
 The sky was covered with clouds that drove along 
 fiercely, and came so near the surface of the earth as 
 apparently to touch the tops of the trees. Every 
 object was enveloped in a moving mass of rain and 
 mist. The rain poured down in torrents, flooding 
 the lowlands, and transforming the little mountain- 
 streams into rivers. All communication was scon 
 cut off between the two portions of Wairiki. Having 
 been away from the hotel at the commencement of 
 the storm, I was not able to get back to it for several 
 days. During this time I was dependent on the 
 hospitality of Mr. Hoyle, Tiu Cakou's secretary. 
 His house, as has been stated, was a very large and 
 strong one, and had already borne the brunt of more 
 than one hurricane. After sunset on the second day 
 from the commencement of the gale the weather 
 became suddenly much worse. The night was in- 
 tensely dark, but its darkness was broken every mo- 
 ment by flashes of lightning of appalling vividness. 
 Though every chink and loophole had been carefully 
 closed, yet as we sat round the table the uncanny 
 glare of the forked lightning was painfully distinct. 
 Stepping for a moment outside the shelter of the 
 house, I witnessed the strife of the elements in its full
 
 206 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 intensity. The sight was one which perhaps is rarely 
 if ever witnessed beyond the limits of the tropics. 
 The horizon seemed literally on fire, so quickly and 
 vividly did the flashes of lightning succeed each other. 
 At one moment, darting from the sky, they would 
 plunge swiftly into the sea, now white with driving 
 foam ; at another, quivering in the air, they would 
 linger for a moment before the eye and then be lost 
 in the surrounding gloom. The colour of each suc- 
 cessive flash was never the same. Some of the flashes 
 would emit a pale pure light, others a lurid red ; 
 others, again, would be so blue and ghastly that you 
 might deem they had come directly from the nether- 
 most region. The glare never for a moment died 
 out of the sky. Peal upon peal of thunder followed 
 fast and loud, while the flashes of lightning as they 
 darted across the welkin showed broad-leaved ba- 
 nanas all drooping and torn, the ground covered with 
 water, and trees and houses bare and ruined. The 
 scene, indeed, was unearthly in its intensity. It rather 
 resembled some passage in the history of a con- 
 demned spirit or the portentous season that ushered 
 in the birth of Glendower. 
 
 On regaining the friendly shelter of the house I 
 found the company seated at the table ; and as the 
 bottle passed merrily round tales were told of perils 
 and hairbreadth escapes on just such a night among 
 the coral reefs and cannibal islands of the Pacific Ocean. 
 Nearly every man in the company could tell some 
 story of dangers escaped or adventures encountered
 
 WRECKERS AND CANNIBALS. 20J 
 
 which if met with in a novel would be condemned 
 as improbable. One story told by an old Greybeard 
 was somewhat as follows : — Many years ago, when a 
 white man was yet an object of wonder and curiosity 
 in Fiji, this old man, then young, had settled in the 
 group and married a native wife. He, with his wife 
 and family, was one day fishing, when a sudden squall 
 came upon them. Their utmost exertions could not 
 propel the canoe against the wind that had suddenly 
 sprung up, and they were compelled to let it drift 
 before the gale, which was fast blowing them out to 
 sea. One after another each familiar object and 
 island was passed in headlong career. At length, 
 when at the extreme point of the group, and ap- 
 parently doomed, the wind shifted a little, and they 
 succeeded in reaching one of the Yassowa islands, 
 that lie to the south of Fiji. No sooner, however, had 
 they gained the land than the inhospitable natives 
 straightway seized upon them, and declaring that 
 ' salt water was in their eyes,' prepared to slay and 
 eat them. The first victim was the youngest child. 
 A ruthless Fijiman seized it by the feet and dashed 
 its head against a tree. The mother in a frenzy of 
 grief called to her husband, l Matai (F., carpenter), look 
 what they have done to the child ! ' That one word 
 acted as a talisman to save the lives of all. The fire 
 had been kindled, the oven was already hot, and 
 husband and wife lay bound, waiting for the fatal blow 
 from a club. But the chief's quick ear had caught 
 the word unintentionally spoken, and turning to the
 
 208 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 Englishman, he enquired if he was indeed a mated. 
 ! Yes ' was the answer. ' Then,' said the chief, ' if you 
 will mend my musket I will spare your life.' The 
 man was soon released, mended without much diffi- 
 culty the stock of the old weapon, became the chief's 
 prime favourite, accumulated property, and was still 
 alive, though very old, to tell the story. 
 
 Another of our company told how he had been 
 homeward-bound, some twenty years before, from a 
 long whaling voyage in the Southern Ocean. Day- 
 after day, as with the Ancient ^lariner, a fierce fair 
 wind had followed the ship for many a league, and 
 the icy blasts that career round Cape Horn had been 
 changed for the bright skies and perennial summer of 
 the Coral Islands. But the mariners sailed the sea at 
 a treacherous time of the year. A hurricane caught 
 them off the Fijis and blew sail after sail away from 
 the ill-fated vessel. Then the captain ran his ship be- 
 fore it under bare poles, and night settled down upon 
 them still running their fearful race with death. The 
 lightning-flashes showed all things clearly enough, 
 and among other gruesome sights the mariners be- 
 held a reef on which the breakers thundered and broke 
 with a force no human work could resist. In a mo- 
 ment a huge wave had lifted the ship high in air, and 
 the next dashed her to pieces on the rocks beneath. 
 But the same wave that hurled the ship upon the reef 
 carried one man over it. He immediately found him- 
 self in smooth water ; and striking out boldly, reached 
 the shore. Upon this island the natives were of a
 
 THE PAUSE IN THE HURRICANE. 209 
 
 friendly disposition, and moreover the stranger was 
 protected by an old Frenchman who lived on it. This 
 old man had once served in the armies of the great 
 Napoleon, but after the battle of Waterloo had quitted 
 France for ever. He had wandered far and wide, 
 until fate and declining strength had caused him to 
 settle finally in Fiji. There he had 'married, and had 
 one daughter, who, as might be expected, fell in love 
 with the shipwrecked sailor. The restless old man 
 was slain shortly afterwards in a contest with some 
 natives from another island, and after his death his 
 child married the man whom the ocean on that stormy 
 night had sent her. 
 
 With us the thunder had by this time rolled 
 away in the distance, and the wind almost com- 
 pletely died away. Indeed, after the commotion 
 of the elements that had just been witnessed it 
 seemed as though some breathing space was but 
 natural. Yet those who knew what hurricanes were 
 held this to be a bad omen. The calm was ominous 
 of something to come worse than anything yet ex- 
 perienced. However, the company present was com- 
 posed of men pretty well inured to dangers, and whose 
 nerves were not easily discomposed ; besides which, 
 sufficient unto the hour was the evil thereof. Accord- 
 ingly, after a few more stories, one by one each man 
 retired to his mosquito screen and soon dropped 
 asleep. After what seemed a short interval, however, 
 I was aroused by an unusual noise. The house pre- 
 sented a strange spectacle. All the men were up and 
 
 P
 
 2IO TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 walking about, while the women and children were 
 collected in the centre of the room crying bitterly 
 with fear. Among the group were several Fijians 
 who had abandoned their own houses, whose strength 
 they doubted. To say that the wind was now blow- 
 ing strongly would give not the faintest idea of the 
 terrific tempest which had suddenly burst upon us. 
 The noise of the wind was not like that of an ordinary 
 gale, but more resembled what might be produced 
 by a great body of water in rapid motion. The air 
 seemed, in fact, to be a concrete moving mass, that 
 overbore and levelled everything it met in its course. 
 The house groaned and shook in every post and beam. 
 The strong ridge-pole bent and cracked as though it 
 must quickly break. The massive uprights swayed 
 to and fro in the ground ; while from the roof overhead 
 quantities of dust, broken reeds, dead spiders, scor- 
 pions, and such like rubbish, fell down and increased 
 our misgivings. The wind was now at its height, and 
 the only question was whether it or the house would 
 last the longest. The noise of the tempest was so 
 great that you could scarcely hear your own voice ; 
 and indeed no one ^seemed particularly anxious to 
 speak. All hope was now centred in that stout 
 ridge-pole which ran from one end of the house to the 
 other, and held gables and roof and sides firmly to- 
 gether. Whether it would stand the tremendous strain 
 much longer, no one cared to enquire particularly ; 
 but at any rate a few hours or minutes would show. 
 Packing up some valuables in as small a compass as
 
 EFFECTS OF THE STORM. 2 1 I 
 
 possible, I seated myself near the door, which was 
 now barricaded with mats and pieces of timber, to 
 prevent its being blown in, and waited patiently for 
 the end. I had not very long to wait, for towards 
 morning the wind fell rapidly, and in a few hours was 
 blowing only a moderate gale. 
 
 No pen could describe the scene of havoc and ruin 
 that the village of Wairiki presented on the morrow. 
 The ground was strewn with bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, 
 broken boughs of trees, and fragments of houses. The 
 grass, the banana trees, and all smaller vegetation, 
 were beaten down, and covered with water, mud, and 
 debris of every kind. Many bread-fruit trees were 
 blown down, others were stripped of leaves and 
 blossom, and would not recover the effects of that 
 night for years to come. The cocoa-nut trees were in 
 as bad a plight. In some cases their tops had been 
 twisted off bodily, in others every leaf and nut had 
 been torn away, and the stems of the trees alone re- 
 mained, planted like tall pillars in the ground. A few 
 houses were standing, but most of these were so strained 
 and damaged, and inclined so much to one side, as 
 to be quite useless. The unfortunate owners were 
 wandering about disconsolate among the ruins, picking 
 up unripe cocoa-nuts, or begging a meal from their 
 more fortunate neighbours. As the day wore on, how- 
 ever, the sun came out brightly, and men's spirits rose 
 with the improved prospect. In Fiji, living is not 
 the same weary struggle for existence as in England. 
 There was no need to open a subscription list for the
 
 212 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 sufferers in Wairiki. No matter how forlorn and 
 destitute a man might seem in the morning, there was 
 no reason why he might not have a comfortable meal 
 and a substantial roof over his head before evening. 
 In a few days the village was as blythe and merry as 
 ever ; and, save for the shattered walls and broken 
 trees, there were no vestiges to be seen of the fierce 
 tempest that had so lately swept over the country. 
 
 After some time, when it had become possible to 
 compare reports from distant parts of the group, it 
 became abundantly evident that Wairiki had not come 
 in for its full share. The centre of the hurricane 
 had actually been at some considerable distance, and 
 Wairiki had been only on the outskirts. From Levuka 
 doleful accounts were received. Many of the houses 
 had been blown down ; many more unroofed ; vessels 
 had been wrecked in the harbour ; and all kinds of 
 property had been more or less damaged by rain and 
 wind. Even more sad was the long list of vessels and 
 lives lost in Fijian waters. At first it was hoped that 
 many missing vessels would be heard of ; but as day 
 after day passed by without bringing any tidings, hope 
 at length died out. Near the island of Koro, bales 
 and boxes and loose spars were drifting about for 
 many days ; and although men knew a wreck had 
 taken place, no one could name the vessel. At length, 
 some six months afterwards, it was proved to have 
 been an American brig, bound from Samoa to San 
 Francisco. All hands had undoubtedly perished on 
 that wild night. At Macuata, on the north-west of
 
 DESTRUCTION OF THE COTTON CROP. 2 1 3 
 
 Vauna Levu, the hurricane had been felt in its full 
 intensity. Among other strange feats, it had lifted a 
 small vessel from off the beach, and had blown it into 
 a native village. In many outlying districts the 
 planters had lost well-nigh all they possessed. Their 
 houses had been blown down, their provisions damaged, 
 their domestic animals killed or carried out to sea, 
 their cotton crop irretrievably ruined. In some parts 
 of the group the country presented an appearance as 
 though a fire had passed over it. The grass and brush- 
 wood appeared scorched, and eventually withered 
 away ; while the leafless trees were scarcely able for 
 weeks to put forth a green shoot, so severely had they 
 been dealt with. These appearances were probably 
 to be accounted for in part by the enormous quantities 
 of salt water that must have been carried inland, in the 
 shape of spray, by the force of the wind. As to the 
 cotton crop, it was destroyed more or less completely 
 throughout the whole of Fiji. Not merely were the 
 blossoms and pods torn away, but the plants them- 
 selves in many cases were blown completely out of the 
 ground, and piled in remote corners of the plantations. 
 For all this there could be no remedy. The unlucky 
 planter could only sow fresh seed, and wait a year for 
 the returns which he had expected to receive in a month. 
 The whole white community in Fiji continued to feel 
 the disastrous consequences of this hurricane long after 
 its immediate effects had passed away. During the 
 next twelve months the islands were to all intents and 
 purposes bankrupt, and men lived as best they could,
 
 214 TW0 YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 buoyed up by hopes of better times. The calamity 
 which they had sustained had been an universal one, 
 and admitted of no alleviation. Many a planter who 
 had heretofore struggled manfully with his load of debt 
 was by this latest disaster hopelessly overweighted. 
 Many a bold and speculative man, who had embarked 
 large sums in cotton, now saw his money lost, and 
 himself compelled, like others, to live on credit. The 
 country, however, was young and vigorous, and next 
 season things looked as promising as ever. But by that 
 time fresh disasters had occurred, which proved to the 
 full as potent as any hurricane in arresting the develop- 
 ment of Fiji. As these, however, were political rather 
 than natural, and depended on the caprice of men 
 rather than that of the elements, they will more fitly 
 be considered hereafter. 
 
 As not only the hurricane itself, but the so-called 
 ' hurricane months,' during which such a catastrophe 
 was alone possible had now passed, shipping resumed 
 once more its wonted activity. Scarcely a week passed 
 without the arrival of some large vessel from Australia 
 or New Zealand, freighted with passengers and wares ; 
 while every little bay and creek sent forth some 
 smaller craft to carry on the trade between one island 
 and another. About this time, too, the demand for 
 imported labourers increased largely. The develop- 
 ment of the cotton industry had been more rapid than 
 could have been expected, and thus the supply of 
 labourers that had been hitherto sufficient was so no 
 longer. This demand was created partly by the for-
 
 LABOUR-VESSELS. 21 5 
 
 mation of new plantations, and partly by the fact that 
 most planters began to see that it was cheaper to im- 
 port natives from western Polynesia rather than employ 
 Fijians, though the latter did not cost one-third as 
 much as the former. 
 
 It so happened about this time that a planter near 
 Wairiki was fitting out a small vessel to get labour 
 for his plantation. This vessel might be taken as a 
 specimen, though a somewhat small one, of Fiji labour- 
 vessels in general. Though small, she was thoroughly 
 seaworthy, and in her general appearance not unlike 
 those hardy little pilot-boats that 'lie off and on,' 
 in foul weather and in fair, at the mouths of the 
 Thames or Mersey. Her size was twenty-two tons 
 ' register,' and, according to the regulations then in 
 force at the British consulate, would allow of her carry- 
 ing some thirty labourers from any part of the South 
 Pacific. She was not fitted up in any very elaborate 
 manner. A loose sail spread over the ballast and an 
 empty hold was sufficient accommodation for the 
 passengers, who, thus housed, were better off than in 
 many of their own villages. The whites on board 
 consisted of five hands, and in addition to these two 
 savage island boys were carried to cook and make 
 themselves generally useful. The vessel was soon 
 ready for sea, but at the very moment of her depar- 
 ture a hitch characteristic of Fiji occurred. The late 
 captain had left the vessel somewhat suddenly, and 
 no one had been found to fill his place. There were, 
 indeed, plenty of men ready to ' sail ' the vessel, but
 
 2l6 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 not one to navigate her. As showing the curious state 
 of affairs in Levuka at this time, it maybe stated that 
 scarcely a captain who commanded a vessel in the 
 1 island trade ' held a certificate of competency. A 
 man's own statements as to his abilities were accepted, 
 and few questions asked. Unable to find a profes- 
 sional navigator, the owner of the vessel offered me 
 the appointment. My knowledge of navigation was 
 not, indeed, very profound ; but seeing that I could 
 'take the sun' and use a chart, it was better than none 
 at all. At the last moment, however, a man appeared, 
 in whose favour I gladly yielded my claim. Further- 
 more, as certain abuses had already occurred in the 
 * labour trade,' I took the precaution of getting a 
 written document from the owner, stating that I was 
 merely a passenger on board, and had nothing what- 
 ever to do, either directly or indirectly, with the ship 
 or cargo. 
 
 My object in undertaking the voyage was to gain 
 some knowledge of the labour traffic by personal 
 experience, and also to visit some of those remote 
 islands of ocean which, lying far out of the track of 
 all ordinary commerce, are only visited at rare inter- 
 vals by a ship of war or some erratic whaler. Many 
 of these small islands are hundreds of miles from any 
 land, and some of them are not larger than Middle- 
 sex or Rutlandshire. Such microcosms nevertheless 
 often contain inhabitants peculiar to themselves, and 
 differing from other islanders in appearance, language, 
 manners, and customs. How such isolated commu-
 
 TANNA BOATMEN. 217 
 
 nities have managed to hold together so long ; how 
 intermarriage within such a small area have not 
 caused the race to degenerate or die out ; how, if the 
 population has been increasing, the surplus has been 
 got rid of from time to time ; how the fauna and 
 flora resemble or differ from other groups and islands, 
 were all questions which I hoped this voyage would 
 throw some light upon. It was intended that Rotu- 
 mah should first be visited, then Tanna and other 
 islands of the New Hebrides group, then Banks' 
 Island and the Admiralty group generally, and that 
 we should return to Fiji by way of the Loyalty 
 Islands, supposing sufficient labourers had not been 
 already obtained. The vessel was provisioned for a 
 long voyage, and carried a cargo composed of knives, 
 hatchets, printed calicoes, beads, muskets, gunpowder, 
 scrap iron, tobacco, Jew's harps, and other things 
 known to be highly esteemed by the inhabitants of 
 certain islands. In such a voyage it was, of course, 
 necessary to be well protected against violence or 
 treachery. Each man, therefore, had a revolver and 
 breech-loading rifle, while a number of muskets were 
 put aside for some natives who were expected to join 
 at Tanna. The inhabitants of this island are excel- 
 lent boatmen, and are frequently employed by white 
 men in this capacity. Their office is generally to 
 row the boat towards the shore, while the captain or 
 mate trades with the islanders and explains to them 
 his terms. In case of an attack being made by the 
 natives almost everything depends on the steadi-
 
 2l8 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 ness and courage of the boatmen. Should they lose 
 their presence of mind, the death of the whole party 
 will probably be the result, as has been shown by 
 more than one catastrophe. 
 
 When all preparations had been completed, we 
 crossed over from Wairiki to the neighbouring island 
 of Vauna Levu, or ' the Big Land/ to take in pro- 
 visions and water. The distance was only some 
 twelve miles across, and yet it nearly proved fatal. 
 A strong tide was setting down the narrow Strait of 
 Somo Somo, and just as we were in the full strength 
 of it the wind fell light, and soon died away alto- 
 gether. The calm became every moment more pro- 
 found, and we soon found that we were drifting bodily 
 on to a reef, upon which, even at the distance of six 
 miles, we could hear the roar of the breakers. The 
 tide was running at least four miles an hour, and 
 thus we had but an hour and a-half until our fate 
 would be sealed one way or the other. We had no 
 small boat on board, nor any materials wherewith to 
 construct a raft. Our only hope lay in being able to 
 anchor ; but that seemed almost impossible, as the 
 water, except on the reef itself, was too deep for any 
 ordinary chain to reach the bottom. Accordingly, 
 nothing could be done save to let the vessel drift 
 nearer and nearer, until in the immediate vicinity of 
 the reef the water became shallow enough to allow 
 the anchor to bite. Meanwhile we were approaching 
 the reef apace, and could already see with unpleasant 
 distinctness the great waves as they rose and fell,
 
 A CORAL REEF. 219 
 
 and broke with a sullen roar on the rocks beneath. 
 Amid the calm of that still evening their roaring 
 seemed like a death-knell. From where we lay be- 
 calmed we could hear the sounds of human voices 
 and the lowing of kine, and yet we were hopelessly 
 cut off, perhaps for ever, from the land that lay so. 
 near. But already the supreme moment had arrived. 
 So close had the vessel drifted to the reef that the 
 coral might be seen many fathoms down through the 
 clear water. This was the time to let go the anchor. 
 As the whole weight of the vessel came upon it, we 
 could see it tearing down trees of coral, breaking off 
 portions of brittle rock, and starting innumerable 
 fishes from their hiding-places. With the tremendous 
 strain the chain groaned in every link, and for a 
 moment seemed likely to break. But on this occa- 
 sion the iron proved true, though shortly afterwards 
 it played us an ugly trick. It was with feelings 
 of no small relief, as may be imagined, that we 
 saw the vessel safely anchored. Some thirty yards 
 at most intervened between our bark and those 
 great rollers that could have crushed her as easily as 
 a steam-hammer could crush a nut. Many a good 
 ship has come to grief in a similar way ; and every 
 man who navigates Fijian waters should look well to 
 his ground-tackle. A few hours after sunset a breeze 
 sprang up, and rescued us from a perilous position. 
 Making the best of our way back to Wairiki, we 
 remained there that night, and, starting early next 
 morning, arrived at Vauna Levu about midday.
 
 2 20 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 Twenty-four hours sufficed to put the little craft in 
 order for the voyage. We took in some extra ballast, 
 replenished the water-casks, laid in a store of cocoa- 
 nuts for the Savage Island cook, and filling with a 
 fair wind, shaped a course for Thicombia, the Land's 
 End of Fiji to men bound northwards. 
 
 The navigation of the Straits of Somo Somo, 
 through which it was necessary to pass, proved most 
 intricate. The charts of this portion of the group 
 are quite untrustworthy, not one-half of the dangers 
 being accurately laid down. In such a narrow sea, 
 however, no captain would think of trusting solely to 
 his chart, but rather would keep a good look-out, and 
 sail only by daylight, as Captain Cook and other 
 sturdy old sailors were compelled to do. A watch 
 was generally kept on board the cutter from the 
 mast-head for reefs or shoal patches. These can, as 
 a rule, be seen plainly enough from aloft, but not 
 from the deck ; hence the necessity for navigating 
 your ship from the mast-head. In many parts of 
 Fiji it is never safe to sail without this extra look- 
 out, for no one can tell at what moment the vessel 
 may come upon some isolated coral patch, technically 
 known as a ' horse's head.' Such patches may be 
 within a few inches of the surface or may be many 
 feet below it ; but, at any rate, if they are near 
 enough to the surface to be dangerous they can 
 always be seen from aloft, except, indeed, when the 
 sun is shining directly upon them. As the mariner 
 approaches the Island of Rabi these sunken dangers
 
 STRAIT OF SOMO SOMO. 22 1 
 
 cluster round him more thickly than ever. He is 
 entangled, as it were, in a network of reefs, and 
 shoals, and ' horse's heads.' In fine, no man who 
 does not know the coast well, and possesses withal 
 a vessel easily handled, should attempt to leave Fiji 
 by the Somo Somo passage. 
 
 At sunset we had worked clear of all danger, and 
 could shape a straight course for Thicombia, whence, 
 in nautical phrase, we were to take our ' departure ' 
 for Rotumah. The wind held fair, and by midnight 
 we had passed the little island that stands like a 
 sentinel before the Fiji group. Next morning no 
 land was to be seen, for we were fairly launched on 
 the broad Southern Ocean, which rolls unbroken, 
 save by a few scattered islands, from Australia to 
 Cape Horn, a vast expanse of restless heaving water, 
 that realises to the voyager the ' ocean river ' of 
 Homeric song.
 
 222 TWO YEARS IN FITI. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Voyage to Rotumah — Natives — Rotuman Mats — An extinct Volcano — 
 Ancient Inhabitants — A Feast — Cocoa-nuts — I Practise Medicine 
 with success — Missionaries — Civil War — Blown Away — Return to 
 Fiji. 
 
 Rotumah is a small island, lying in mid-ocean, about 
 four hundred miles north of Fiji. Having no chrono- 
 meter on board, we had to trust for our longitude to 
 what sailors call the ' dead reckoning ; ' but this mode 
 of reckoning is of little use amid constant changes of 
 winds and currents. On the third day the captain 
 thought we must be near the island, and just as the 
 sun was touching the horizon the mate was confident 
 that he saw land. Others held the appearance to be 
 only a cloud, and as no one could agree, the ship was 
 ' laid to ' for the night under easy sail, and all hands 
 went to sleep. Next morning we looked in vain for 
 the phantom of the night before, and, loth to abandon 
 hope, even sailed resolutely in the direction where we 
 had seen it for three hours. At last we were obliged 
 to return to our former course, to which we held all 
 that day and the next. Still Rotumah was nowhere 
 to be seen. It was now to be feared that we had 
 overshot the mark, for the sun not having been visible
 
 ROTUMAH. 223 
 
 for two days, we did not exactly know where we were. 
 The weather, too, looked threatening enough. Heavy- 
 rollers came toppling in from the east, while the wind 
 at one moment would fall calm, and at the next blow 
 in such furious gusts that we were obliged to lower 
 all sail, and to watch the little craft very narrowly. 
 But just as everyone on board had made up his mind 
 for an uncomfortable night, the mist lifted, and 
 Rotumah was seen broad on the lee, not five miles 
 distant. We shook a reef out of the mainsail, and 
 before evening were at anchor opposite a native town, 
 and within a hundred yards of a sandy beach covered 
 almost to the water's edge with most luxuriant vege- 
 tation. 
 
 By sunrise next morning I was ashore, enjoying 
 the novelty of the scenery. Rotumah is a small 
 island, some nine miles by seven, but is a perfect gem 
 of beauty and fertility. It is covered by groves of 
 cocoa-nut trees, in addition to which every tropical 
 plant known in Fiji flourishes in abundance. My 
 first care on landing was to become acquainted with 
 any white men who might be residing on the island. 
 The first I met was an old man of the name of Bill 
 
 R . He had called in at Rotumah originally on 
 
 a whaling voyage, and had remained on the island 
 more than forty years. He was a member of that 
 large family of stray whites already noticed, who are 
 to be found more or less scattered over all the Pacific 
 archipelagoes. These men belong to a bygone age, 
 and are themselves passing rapidly away ; the means
 
 2 24 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 of communication are increasing every year through- 
 out the Southern Ocean, and very soon there will be 
 few places in the world that answer to the peculiar 
 requirements of such persons. In fact, work in some 
 shape or other is becoming a universal necessity, and 
 soon the genus ' loafer ' will scarcely find a suitable 
 habitation on the globe. ! Like pirates, buccaneers, 
 Spanish galleons, and sailors' pigtails, he will become 
 a thing of history, to be spoken of, indeed, and won- 
 dered at, but never to be met with. Old Bill had 
 settled on Rotumah when he was about twenty years 
 of age. At that time there were over seventy whites 
 on the island, all, with scarcely an exception, runaway 
 convicts from Van Diemen's Land and Botany Bay, 
 establishments then in full activity. One of these 
 men had managed to extemporise a rough still, and 
 the daily occupation of himself and fellows was dis- 
 tilling ' grog ' from the shoots of the cocoa-nut trees. 
 As might be imagined, these lawless men, freed from 
 every restraint and inflamed by drink, abandoned 
 themselves to every excess, scaring even the savage 
 natives by the wildness of their orgies. Desperate 
 conflicts with each other, and with the natives, gra- 
 dually thinned their numbers, and old Bill assured me 
 that of all the seventy men who were on the island 
 when he first landed, there was not one who escaped 
 a violent death. What a strange life this old fellow 
 must have led, severed for so many years from the 
 outer world, and mewed up in a small island with 
 such desperate company ! The blandishments of
 
 STRAY WHITES. 225 
 
 native beauties prevailed in his case over all weightier 
 considerations, and though offered from time to time a 
 passage in some passing whaler or ship-of-war, he could 
 never bring himself to quit the island. At length he 
 found himself the sole survivor of a bygone generation, 
 and, moreover, surrounded by new men with whom, 
 from his previous course of life, he could have but 
 little sympathy. Against missionaries in general, and 
 ' native teachers ' in particular, he was possessed with 
 the most hostile feelings, which he never took the 
 slightest trouble to conceal ; he was a ' thorn in the 
 flesh ' to more than one reverend gentleman, and 
 an object of terror to many a Fijian and Tongan 
 preacher. As might be supposed, Bill had a good 
 deal of influence with the natives, and generally acted 
 as the go-between in all dealings between ship-captains 
 and the islanders. He could procure either seamen, 
 or labourers, or provisions, or firewood, as the case 
 might be, better than any other man in Rotumah. 
 If allowed to have his own price he would see that 
 no one else cheated you, and most shipmasters were 
 glad enough to agree to his terms, and thus prevent 
 further misfortunes. In his old age Bill had taken to 
 purchasing cocoa-nut oil, and had amassed a good 
 deal of money in this way, though what use his 
 wealth could be in such a place no one, probably not 
 even himself, could tell. 
 
 The natives of Rotumah are a genial and kindly set 
 of people, the men handsome and courteous the women 
 pretty, graceful, and retiring. As a rule, although they 
 
 Q
 
 2 26 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 are not so handsome as the Samoans, nor so dignified 
 as the Tongans, yet some of the prettiest women 
 south of the Equator may perhaps be found in 
 Rotumah. Like many other South Sea Islanders, 
 they plaster their heads with quicklime ; and, strange 
 as it may seem, this fashion is, in some cases at any 
 rate, far from unbecoming. One pretty girl I saw 
 thus coiffhd, looked for all the world like a court 
 beauty of the days of Madame de Maintenon. Many 
 of them stain their hands and skin with turmeric, a 
 monstrous and unbecoming fashion, which yet in 
 Rotumah finds favour with the other sex. The men 
 of Rotumah make good sailors, and after a few years' 
 service in sea-going vessels are worth the same wages 
 as white men. Scarcely a man on the island but has 
 been more or less of a traveller. It is no rare thing 
 to find men who have visited Havre, or New York, or 
 Calcutta, men who can discuss the relative merits of 
 a sailors' home in London or Liverpool, and dilate on 
 the advantages of steam over sailing vessels. Thus 
 the average native of Rotumah is more than usually 
 capable and intelligent. Of late years the wealth of 
 the little community has largely increased, and the 
 price of every kind of provisions has become so high 
 that whalers have almost ceased to visit the island. 
 We had no difficulty, however, in procuring plenty of 
 fowls, pigs, yams, and cocoa-nuts at a moderate price, 
 though not so cheaply as among the savages of the 
 New Hebrides or Admiralty Islands. As regards the 
 domestic life of the natives, it .resembles very much
 
 ROTUMAH MATS. 227 
 
 that of the Fijians and other South Sea Islanders. 
 The climate requires few clothes, and calls for little 
 work from those who are lazily inclined. The houses 
 are small, dark, and dirty, built of leaves, and thatched 
 with reeds ; the sides are of cocoa-nut leaves, tied 
 loosely on to posts, so that the whole side of a house 
 can be removed at a moment's notice without damage 
 to the general structure. As a rule, during the day, 
 one or more sides of the house are thus taken down, 
 to admit light and air, and are replaced in the evening. 
 Among the industries of Rotumah, there is only 
 ene of any particular interest, namely, mat-making. 
 A Rotumah mat is valued in other islands much as 
 an Indian shawl is valued in Europe. Compared to 
 Rotumah mats, the finest Batique mats from Fiji are 
 coarse and ugly ; while the mats of Samoa and Tonga 
 do not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath. 
 A good Rotumah mat will take many years to make, 
 and will cost at least five pounds of our money. To 
 an Englishman's eye,, there is nothing in them of such 
 surpassing excellence. I, however, brought two of 
 them back with me to Fiji ; and, on showing them to 
 the Queen of Cakadrovi, she expressed such admira- 
 tion, and begged so earnestly to have them, that I 
 could not refuse her, particularly as friends at home 
 would probably only have recognised in them a strong 
 likeness to bass-matting, somewhat finer than that 
 which gardeners use. The staple product of Rotumah, 
 from a commercial point of view, is cocoa-nut oil. Like 
 wool in Australia, or cotton in Fiji, it constitutes the 
 
 Q 2
 
 228 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 wealth of the country. The mode of its preparation 
 is simple enough. The natives gather the cocoa-nuts 
 at that stage of their growth when all the so-called 
 milk has been absorbed, and when the fleshy portion 
 of the nut is thickest. They then break off the shell, 
 and leave the kernel to putrefy in the sun. After a 
 certain time the oil drains from the nut, and is collected 
 in suitable vessels. Meanwhile, the process is ex- 
 tremely disagreeable to all not pecuniarily interested 
 in the matter. The air round each primitive oil-press 
 becomes laden with a pestilential smell, while the 
 ground becomes covered with broken shells and decay- 
 ing husks to an extent that makes walking almost 
 impossible. 
 
 As the vessel was to stay but a short time at 
 Rotumah, I took up my quarters on shore. Among 
 other excursions, I made one to an extinct volcano 
 which exists in the centre of the island, and to which 
 Rotumah probably owes its existence. The path to 
 this ancient crater lies through a dense forest, rich 
 with all the wealth of the tropics. This portion of 
 the island is not less fertile than the most fertile parts 
 of Tavinni, while it surpasses most portions of Fiji as 
 much as Fiji surpasses New Caledonia or Queensland. 
 The predominant tree is the cocoa-nut ; but trees and 
 plants of many other species grow so luxuriantly that 
 the traveller walks in twilight beneath their shade. 
 Two chiefs accompanied me, and acted the part of 
 guides. One had formerly been king of the island, 
 until Christianity having created a political as well as
 
 VOLCANO IN ROTUMAH. 2 29 
 
 a religious revolution, had displaced many of the old 
 ruling families. The other chief was a man not less 
 remarkable for mental power than physical strength. 
 He had played a great part in a war which had lately 
 resulted in the triumph of his party, and had through- 
 out shown himself to be a brave and able general. 
 He was a very Falconbridge in the ' huge compo- 
 sition ' of his chest and brawny limbs. As he toiled 
 up the steep, carrying a basket of provisions that 
 would have been a load for two ordinary men, he 
 might have served for a model of Samson bearing 
 away the gates of Gaza. An old white man was also 
 of the company, who, though weighted by a burden 
 of threescore years, yet carried them bravely. He 
 had become a settler in Rotumah by what might 
 fairly have been called a series of accidents. He had 
 been wrecked, in the first instance, on the island when 
 a youth, and been taken off by a passing vessel only 
 to be wrecked some years afterwards in almost the 
 same spot. He had escaped once more, but was left 
 a third time on shore by a rascally captain ; and before 
 escape was again possible, so long a time had elapsed 
 that he did not care to leave the island. 
 
 After gazing down the ancient crater, whose fires 
 had long been extinct, we descended a cave that 
 penetrated for an unknown distance underground ; 
 some said even under the sea. This cave evidently 
 owed its existence to some convulsion at a time when 
 the island was an active volcano, and also bore traces 
 of having once formed the bed of a stream. After
 
 23O TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 descending along it for about a quarter of a mile, the 
 air became as hot and oppressive as in the Great 
 Pyramid, and we were forced to return. After all, 
 there was not much to see, though it would have been 
 difficult to have imagined a better hiding-place for a 
 body of men, or a more typical robbers' cave. From 
 this cave to the highest peak in the island was not a 
 great distance. Apart from the view to be obtained 
 from the summit, this hill was interesting for another 
 reason. It was holy ground, having been for ages 
 past the burying-place of the great hereditary chiefs 
 of the island. Its top was covered with stones, each 
 stone marking the resting-place of some departed 
 sage or warrior. The air was here so cool and fresh 
 that we would gladly have lingered longer, but the 
 sun was already low, and many miles of forest still 
 lay between us and the sea coast. Looking, there- 
 fore, for the last time at the old moss-grown tomb- 
 stones, we prepared to descend the mountain. We 
 had not proceeded far, however, before the two chiefs 
 called a halt, and invited us to share a feast which 
 had been prepared in their honour. Deep in the 
 recesses of that forest there still lived two families, 
 the sole survivors of an inland tribe that once formed 
 the chief population of the island. The present in- 
 habitants of Rotumah live entirely on a small strip of 
 alluvial land lying between the central volcano and 
 the sea. But there was a time when such was not 
 the case. The interior of the country was at some 
 period inhabited by tribes between whom and the
 
 HISTORY OF ROTUMAH. 23 1 
 
 coast natives there had existed one long feud. This 
 had at length resulted in a permanent separation 
 between the two sections of the population, namely, 
 between the dwellers inland and the dwellers on the 
 coast. This separation produced in time divergences 
 in language and modes of thought, so that the dialect 
 of one tribe became unintelligible to the other. The 
 sole representatives of the inland inhabitants of former 
 days were the two families whom we were now visit- 
 ing. Their numbers were too few to justify any 
 general conclusions regarding the race they belonged 
 to. They seemed, however, decidedly inferior to the 
 coast natives of the present day in physique and 
 intelligence. It occurred to me that these people 
 might be a remnant of an earlier migration to the 
 island, and that on the arrival of the present inhabi- 
 tants they had been driven to seek shelter in the 
 mountains and forests, much as the Britons sought 
 shelter in the fastnesses of Wales on the approach of 
 the English. A study of their language would have 
 tended to throw some light on this point, but in their 
 present moribund condition it is not likely that any 
 enquiry could be made conclusive. There can, how- 
 ever, be no doubt that at one time Rotumah supported 
 a much larger population than at present. Tradition 
 leads us to believe as much, while an examination of 
 the island proves it. In all directions through the 
 forest there are traces of large clearings. Flat stones 
 arranged in a peculiar manner mark the sites of 
 ancient houses and temples. Stone fences and walls,
 
 232 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 now meaningless, served at one time to divide the 
 lands of one family from those of another. These 
 remains point to some great changes having taken 
 place in the population of the island. The popula- 
 tion has decreased ; but this decrease is not peculiar 
 to Rotumah, for it is noticeable more or less through- 
 out Eastern Polynesia. It is an ethnological fact of 
 some importance, and seems to point to the conclu- 
 sion that this particular subdivision of the human 
 race is doomed to extinction. The distinction be- 
 tween coast tribes and inland tribes was probably at 
 one time universal throughout the larger groups of the 
 Pacific. Now, except in a few instances, it does not 
 exist. A good example of it may still, however, be 
 observed in Fiji, in the island of Viti Levu, where the 
 mountaineers (Kai Colos) differ from the coast tribes 
 of the present day in language, religion, and polity. 
 Between these two tribal divisions an irregular war- 
 fare has been maintained from time immemorial, but 
 there can be no doubt that both are descended from 
 the same stock. 
 
 Having spoken about the people of Rotumah it 
 would be ungrateful to suffer their hospitality to pass 
 unnoticed. It was for the chiefs, indeed, that most of 
 the good things had been prepared, but we white men 
 came in for our share. The feast resembled in many 
 points the one which Tiu Cakou had given at Wairiki. 
 A large pig, heavy enough to try the strength of a 
 strong native, had been baked in the oven, and was 
 brought in whole Taro, yams, and bananas were
 
 A DINNER IN ROTUMAH. 233 
 
 eaten with it. All the food was served on broad 
 leaves instead of plates, and in the absence of knives 
 or forks we fell back on fingers. A lump of rock salt 
 was placed on the floor. This the natives would not 
 touch, but anyone who liked was at liberty to chip a 
 piece off for his own use. Besides all these, there was 
 given us a peculiar sauce or condiment not met with 
 out of Rotumah, though there its use is very exten- 
 sive. It is prepared from young cocoa-nuts, by 
 filling them with salt water, carefully sealing them up 
 and then burying them in the ground for several 
 weeks. Here they undergo a kind of fermentation, 
 and when first opened emit an intolerable smell. 
 Their taste, however, is by no means bad, resembling 
 somewhat that of anchovies, and forming an excellent 
 relish to the generally insipid fish or other food of 
 the South Sea Islands. With a draught of the juice 
 of young cocoa-nuts, the repast came to an end. 
 Many persons in England derive their notions of a 
 cocoa-nut from those which are sold in London or 
 elsewhere. But in countries where cocoa-nuts grow, 
 such old ones would be considered worthless, except 
 for making oil or feeding animals. A young nut 
 contains very little of the white 'flesh,' the shell is 
 thin and comparatively soft, while the interior is filled 
 with a subacid juice more resembling water than 
 milk. A nut of average size contains about half a 
 pint of liquid, which, mixed with some gin or other 
 spirit, makes a very refreshing drink in hot weather. 
 After the cocoa-nuts came the unfailing kava bowl,
 
 234 TW0 YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 with the usual operations of chewing, straining, and 
 handing round. By the time this was ended the sun 
 had set, and we made our way back through the forest 
 by moonlight as best we could. 
 
 During my time in Rotumah I lost no oppor- 
 tunity of visiting any sick persons whom I could find. 
 One day Alberti, the principal chief of the island, 
 sent for me, and invited me to come and live in his 
 palace. It was not, indeed, a very palatial residence, 
 although it was one of the best houses in the island. 
 Alberti, it so happened, suffered from a surgical . 
 disease which had long baffled the skill of native 
 doctors, but which required for its cure nothing be- 
 yond a very simple operation. He was, however, 
 very nervous, and had promised the most liberal 
 rewards to anyone who could cure him. To such a 
 man, if he could meet with him, he would make over 
 a corner of the island, many hundreds of acres in ex- 
 tent, a house or two, the labour of a certain number 
 of men annually to gather cocoa-nuts and make oil, 
 and finally a town to provide him with food — offers 
 as liberal as those of the Persian monarch to Themis- 
 tocles. But better than everything else, he promised 
 to give the successful man the hand of his sister in 
 marriage, and so make him equal in rank to the high- 
 est chiefs in the island. Such offers were not to be 
 lightly rejected. After a good deal of hesitation, 
 Alberti submitted to the necessary treatment, and in 
 a few days was cured. He proved as good as his 
 word, for his first act was to fulfil his previous pro-
 
 AMUSEMENTS IN ROTUMAH. 235 
 
 mises. He granted me the land and houses, and I 
 could not but be pleased at the extent and beauty of 
 the gift so far. As to the lady, I had not yet seen 
 her, for she was in a distant part of the island. 
 
 By the successful treatment of the chief my name 
 soon got bruited about Rotumah, and I was well-nigh 
 overwhelmed by the numbers of those who flocked to 
 consult me. In order to put a stop to this I exacted 
 some payment from each individual, and consented 
 to receive yams, taro, fowls, mats, bread-fruit, cocoa- 
 nuts, or indeed anything they chose to offer. Alberti 
 himself took me under his special protection, made 
 me live with him, and was never tired of hearing 
 about England, Australia, and other distant countries. 
 In a word, he presented that rarest of phenomena — a 
 grateful patient. The moon was just at this time at 
 its full, and the pleasantest part of the whole day in 
 Rotumah was from sunset until the moon went down. 
 There happened fortunately to be a concertina on 
 board the ship, and this was brought ashore every 
 evening by one of the sailors. First of all, the white 
 men would dance a hornpipe or ' break-down,' then 
 the natives would dance their own dances to their own 
 wild music. Sometimes both parties would take 
 hands and dance together, and then assuredly the 
 measure would be one of the strangest ever stepped 
 by sane people. When all had wearied of dancing, 
 the girls would prepare kava, with which to refresh 
 their partners. This they made so strong that some 
 one or more imprudent sailors were generally over-
 
 236 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 powered and unable to get up from the ground. This 
 was considered very amusing by all except the 
 victims, whose brains were quite clear although their 
 muscles were paralysed. These evening parties on 
 the bright coral sand, beneath the pale light of a 
 glorious moon, were indeed delightful. Everyone was 
 in the highest spirits, and due restraints were present 
 to check the general mirth. It was under these con- 
 ditions that I first had the supreme pleasure of meet- 
 ing my promised bride. A bevy of laughing girls 
 presented her to me, all coyness and modesty, and 
 the frequent blushes mantled her cheeks as she 
 greeted me after the manner of her country. She 
 was some sixteen years of age, brunette of course, 
 and decidedly pretty. Her hair was braided with 
 hybiscus flowers, while round her waist she had 
 twined a girdle of some graceful plant like ivy. Her 
 cheeks were unhappily dyed in one or two places 
 with turmeric, but even this hideous fashion could 
 not destroy her native beauty. Her dress was a mat 
 of island workmanship, and hung as gracefully round 
 her as the drapery on a Greek statue. Altogether, 
 Alberti's sister was a very charming and piquante 
 little creature, and from all accounts quite as well 
 behaved as she was good-looking. It was difficult to 
 resist the conclusion that it would be much nicer to 
 remain among these kind folks than to go to sea in the 
 uncomfortable little craft that was pitching and rolling 
 in full view of the spot where we sat. And what, after 
 all, was to be gained by tempting the hardships and
 
 THE FRENCH MISSIONARIES. 237 
 
 dangers of the deep once more ? By a freak of 
 fortune, I had come into possession of all that might 
 be looked on as a necessary basis of material happi- 
 ness — a homestead and a position of independence, 
 coupled with youth, health, and a fine climate ; and, 
 moreover, as if this was not enough, I had the offer 
 of that which Bernardin de St. Pierre says is in- 
 dispensable to happiness — a good wife. 
 
 I had brought a few letters of introduction from 
 Fiji, and among others one to the Roman Catholic 
 priests who were conducting a mission at Rotumah. 
 Their success on this island had to all appearance 
 been considerable, and they seemed to have accom- 
 plished a good deal in the way of civilising and in- 
 structing the natives. Both of them were men who 
 had had experience in mission-work in other parts of 
 the Pacific, and hence had brought some special 
 qualifications to bear on their task. As usual with 
 French missionaries, they had built their own house, 
 made their own furniture, and were diligent workers 
 with their hands as well as with their heads. From 
 them the native converts received instruction in the 
 useful arts of civilisation, and as an ignorant layman 
 I could not but think that such was a far better way 
 of educating the native mind than by merely cram- 
 ming it with dogmatic theology. I spent many 
 hours with these priests, and was struck by their 
 earnestness and single-heartedness. Among such 
 men the chivalry of the great missionaries of old is 
 not yet dead. A lefty purpose carried out without
 
 238 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 flinching, a life-sacrifice offered without misgivings or 
 regrets, a courage undaunted by difficulties or dangers, 
 an enthusiasm that never waxes cold, are qualities 
 that command respect wherever met with. For my 
 own part, though opposed to their tenets, and doubt- 
 ful of the ultimate value of their work, I cannot but 
 admire the consistent and manly bearing of these 
 soldiers of the cross, who confront heathenism and 
 savagery, well knowing that their campaign can cease 
 only with their lives. For them there are no domestic 
 ties to soothe care or alleviate toil, no ' retiring allow- 
 ance ' to gladden their declining years, no ' fat offer- 
 ings ' to make their lives as luxurious as those of the 
 natives who surround them. In their camp the stern 
 discipline of active warfare is ever present, and they 
 themselves are but the rank and file of that highly 
 organised army whose skill and disciplined valour has 
 so often proved a match for the best statesmanship of 
 Europe. Before leaving the French mission, I was 
 introduced to the chief of the ' Catholic party ; ' for 
 society in Rotumah is split up into as many ' sets ' as 
 in Guernsey or the Isle of Man. He was a hand- 
 some gentleman-like young fellow, and spoke French 
 remarkably well. He had gained his courteous bear- 
 ing and polished manner in the school of the Vatican, 
 and his French during a five years' residence at St. 
 Omer and Paris. I conversed with him for some 
 time, and was astonished at his general intelligence 
 and knowledge of the world, though, as might be 
 supposed, he saw everything through the glasses of
 
 WESLEYAN MISSION. 239 
 
 his spiritual advisers. The Rev. J. Nettleton 1 speaks 
 of him as ' a young native who has been to Rome 
 and seen the Pope. To the conduct of a Rotumah 
 heathen he adds the politeness of a Frenchman.' 
 Which is the gravest crime in the eyes of the reverend 
 gentleman, whether to have seen the Pope or to have 
 the politeness of a Frenchman, it might be difficult to 
 say. It is satisfactory, however, to know that most 
 of the Wesleyan converts in Fiji and Rotumah are 
 free alike from both these crimes or errors, more 
 especially from the latter of the two. 
 
 It would not be fair to dismiss the subject without 
 some reference to the Wesleyan mission, established 
 in Rotumah, which has apparently been attended 
 with a large share of success. The gentlemen who 
 conduct it deserve credit for energy and perseve- 
 rance, and for that skilful organisation which is 
 found wherever Wesleyan enterprise has penetrated. 
 Churches have been built, schools established, teachers 
 imported from Tonga and Fiji, subscription lists 
 opened amongst the natives, and in fact the whole 
 missionary machinery fairly put in motion. Whether 
 all this will ultimately increase the well-being of the 
 people of Rotumah may reasonably be doubted. So 
 far it certainly has not. As already stated, a Roman 
 Catholic mission had been established on the island 
 for some time. It was scarcely to be supposed, how- 
 ever much it might have been desired, that these two 
 
 1 • Fiji and Fijians,' p. 588. Hodder and Stoughton. 1870.
 
 24O TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 sections of Christians should work together amicably. 
 The old contests of the League were after a time 
 renewed on a smaller scale and a narrower field ; and 
 the two bodies of professing Christians, in their hatred 
 to one another soon forgot their common hatred to 
 heathenism and savagery. The newly-made converts 
 on both sides were inflamed with an excess of religious 
 zeal, and desired nothing better than an opportunity 
 of showing how sincere their repentance and subse- 
 quent conversion had been. The enthusiasm of the 
 teachers spread itself among the disciples, and unfor- 
 tunately was held in check by no previous mental or 
 moral training. • Society in Rotumah soon became 
 thoroughly unsettled. Two great factions came into 
 being in the island, the Catholic and the Protestant. 
 There was yet a third faction which was still powerful, 
 and counted among its supporters many of the leading 
 families of the island, namely, the heathen faction. 
 A pretext was now only required for a religious war, 
 and this pretext was soon found. 
 
 The first open rupture which occurred related to 
 the payment of taxes. The king of the island was still 
 a heathen, and, as is the rule in primitive states of 
 society, was both king and priest. He united in his 
 person the highest civil and religious offices, and re- 
 ceived equally the revenues of the kingdom and the 
 offerings of the faithful. But now a knotty question 
 arose as to whether a Christian convert should pay 
 tribute to a heathen ruler. There was indeed a pre- 
 cedent for paying to Caesar the things which were
 
 A RELIGIOUS WAR. 24 1 
 
 Caesar's ; but in this case apparently it was not held 
 to be applicable. So far as I could learn on the spot, 
 though I only give the information as I received it, 
 and do not express any opinion as to its correctness 
 or otherwise, the Wesleyans were the first to resist 
 payment. The priests on their side recommended 
 payment of the secular taxes, but in the same breath 
 urged their converts to abstain from those heathen 
 dances, feasts, sacrifices, and other abominations 
 which concluded the annual ceremony. The Protes- 
 tant minister advised the non-payment of any taxes 
 whatever, for Christians, he argued, should have no- 
 thing, not even taxes, in common with heathens. 
 When the king learned that his secular authority was 
 about to be disputed he at once prepared to enforce 
 it. This was the signal for a civil war, which was 
 in reality a religious war, as everyone felt. It was 
 prosecuted on both sides with a bitterness and cruelty 
 beyond what was customary even in savage warfare. 
 A great battle was at length imminent. Each party 
 prepared to do its utmost, and religious fanaticism 
 inflamed men already sufficiently brave to the highest 
 pitch of frenzy. In the camp of the Protestant Dis- 
 senters, as in that of Cromwell before Naseby, nothing 
 was heard save the solemn chanting of hymns and 
 penitential psalms mingled with the fervid oratory of 
 local preachers from Fiji and Tonga. In the Catholic 
 camp the sacrament was administered to every war- 
 rior, while the banner that was to be borne aloft that 
 day was honoured with the special blessing of the 
 
 R
 
 242 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 Church. The battle was fought with determination 
 on both sides ; but the event was not long doubtful. 
 The Wesleyans inflicted a crushing defeat on the 
 combined forces of the heathens and Catholics. Then 
 followed the usual period of wild excess. Chapels 
 were demolished, lands laid waste, houses burned 
 down, and the population of a whole district forcibly 
 removed away. The priests' vestments were found 
 and torn to pieces, and the fragments scattered over 
 the island. The strong-box that contained the sacred 
 oil, the vessels, the relics, and other valuables was 
 broken open, and its contents set up as targets for the 
 rifles by these fierce iconoclasts. At the time of my 
 visit to the island the Catholic and heathen natives 
 were reduced to great straits. They had been com- 
 pelled to quit one portion of the island altogether, 
 and had been deprived of their houses and stores 
 of food. The position of the victors is, naturally, 
 much better than before the war. Every native who 
 had heretofore wavered in his religious belief at once 
 declared for Protestantism. Arguments and proofs 
 that had heretofore failed to convince became at 
 once irresistible. Converts crowded round the Fijian 
 preachers, blocked up the doors of the churches, and 
 called loudly to be instructed. It seemed as though 
 the days of the Primitive Church had returned. A 
 great revival of religion had apparently taken place, 
 compared to which the remarkable revival witnessed 
 in the French Court towards the close of the reign of 
 Louis XIV. was as nothing. The missionary reports
 
 RIVAL MISSIONS. 243 
 
 are naturally full of these glad tidings, which at length 
 reach the sacred precincts of Exeter Hall. To many, 
 however, who were on the spot, the day of this great 
 victory seemed a gloomy and disastrous one in the 
 annals of Protestant missions. 
 
 With Alberti I fought the battle over again. His 
 generalship had contributed much to the victory, and 
 he showed me the various strategical points he had 
 gained or defended on the eventful day. Along what 
 had been the line of combat we passed several newly- 
 made graves. Here had been laid many of the brave 
 men who had died in defence of what they had held 
 to be a righteous cause. One of these lowly graves 
 was better tended than the others, and was decked 
 with fresh flowers every day by the widow of the 
 slain warrior. Gazing on these sad monuments of 
 civil strife, one could not but regret that the introduc- 
 tion of Christianity should have brought about such 
 untoward results. It seemed a hollow mockery that 
 in this island, so small, so secluded, hitherto so peace- 
 ful, the tidings of good will to men should have been 
 heralded by the crack of the rifle and the wail of 
 widows and orphans. It would surely have been 
 better that one party of Christians should have re- 
 tired before the other rather than that the cause of 
 Christ should have fallen into disrepute. Intelligent 
 natives themselves told me that the island was in a 
 far happier and better state before the rival mission- 
 aries settled in it. Looking round on the bare and 
 blackened walls of many a homestead and on those
 
 244 TW0 YEAR S IN FIJ 1 - 
 
 newly-made graves, I could not but come to the same 
 conclusion. 
 
 This religious war was one of the few topics on 
 which Alberti and I could not agree, so we mutually 
 allowed it to drop. The good fellowship still con- 
 tinued between the sailors and natives, though the 
 moon now rose so late that the time for dancing was 
 scarcely long enough. I had made up my mind to 
 accept Alberti's offers, and remain for a time at any 
 rate on the island and try the life. Such, however, 
 was not to be. One morning, while the captain and 
 most of the crew were on shore enjoying a bowl of 
 kava, a native rushed into the house in great excite- 
 ment to say that the vessel ' had gone away.' The 
 news made everyone start to his feet, and in a few 
 moments we were all on the beach. The vessel had 
 indeed broken adrift from her anchor, and was going 
 sideways out to sea. The two men on board were 
 trying to make sail, but meanwhile seemed in immi- 
 nent danger of drifting down upon a reef to leeward. 
 A tropical squall had sprung up and had brought 
 with it a ' chopping sea,' which had snapped the cable, 
 already half rusted through. Had the Avind not been 
 off shore nothing could have saved the vessel. As it 
 was a boat was soon launched, and, after many tears 
 and adieus from Alberti, I jumped in, intending to 
 return as soon as the vessel was safe. But scarcely 
 were we outside of the shelter of the little bay when 
 we found that a gale was blowing, against which our 
 united efforts would not have moved the boat. All
 
 THE EFFECTS OF A SQUALL. 245 
 
 were glad enough to get on board the cutter, and, 
 with three reefs in the mainsail and a storm-jib, we 
 found it blowing quite hard enough. The most un- 
 pleasant part of the whole adventure was that both 
 anchors had been lost, and consequently it became 
 necessary to bear up for Fiji instead of completing 
 the voyage. This was to me a most unexpected 
 conclusion, and I begged to be put on shore again at 
 Rotumah. But the captain was inexorable ; and, 
 indeed, with the wind and sea both rapidly rising, 
 the further the vessel was kept off the island for 
 safety the better. Soon, one by one, the familiar 
 features of the landscape faded from the view. By 
 sunset we were a good ten miles away from the land, 
 and next morning the island was out of sight ; nor 
 have I ever again had an opportunity of seeing it or 
 any of its kind-hearted and hospitable inhabitants.
 
 246 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Method of Procuring Labourers in Rotumah — Labour-producing Islands 
 Trading with Savages — Pigeon English — Soloman Islanders — 
 Banks' Islanders — Tokalaus — Dangers of Labour-getting — Head- 
 money — Tricks of the Trade— Mr. Consul March and the 'Carl' 
 — The Labour Trade not Slavery — Exaggerated Statements current 
 in England — Causes of these — Treatment of Labourers on Planta- 
 tions in Fiji — Traffic in Natives within the Limits of Fiji — Sugges- 
 tions for the Conduct of the Trade generally. 
 
 As the vessel in which I had visited Rotumah had 
 made the voyage with the object of procuring' 
 labourers, it became an important question for the 
 owners how many she had brought ' back. The 
 answer was four ; and for this the voyage had lasted 
 some six weeks. These four men had been pro- 
 cured just in the same manner in which nine-tenths 
 of all labourers imported into Fiji have been procured, 
 namely, fairly and honestly. As some misapprehen- 
 sion prevails in England as regards the labour-trade 
 of Fiji generally, I shall make no apology for nar- 
 rating exactly what I was myself witness to. 
 
 Immediately on arrival at the island the master 
 of the vessel lost no time in communicating with the 
 chiefs. He wanted, he said, so many young fellows 
 to work in Fiji for a term of four years ; their work
 
 WAGES OF LABOUR. 247 
 
 was to be in boats and on a cotton plantation ; they 
 were to be fed and housed ; and at the end of their 
 term might either remain in Fiji or have a free pas- 
 sage back to Rotumah. 
 
 To facilitate matters the chief of the district and 
 Old Bill were sent for on board. Various articles of 
 trade were shown to the islanders, such as hatchets, 
 knives, cloth, rifles, jew's-harps, and such like. In re- 
 turn for a certain quantity of these the chief promised 
 to use his influence with the young men of the place 
 to induce them to emigrate, or at any rate not to 
 hinder them from doing so if they chose. The cap- 
 tain himself went on shore and invited the natives to 
 visit the vessel and judge for themselves. This they 
 did, but out of seven who promised to go with him 
 to Fiji three subsequently refused, stating that the 
 vessel was too small. Eventually four signed an 
 agreement for four years, much in the same way that 
 sailors sign ' articles ' before proceeding on a voyage. 
 There was neither deception nor coercion in the mat- 
 ter. Any attempt at such would have been most 
 impolitic, besides being quite useless. An interpreter 
 had been employed, and the conditions of the con- 
 tract were thoroughly explained to the natives. As 
 well as I remember they were to receive at the rate 
 of about six pounds sterling a year for their work, 
 besides board and lodging. Such will not appear bad 
 pay to those who know the wages that an English 
 agricultural lad can earn, and these natives were mere 
 boys. On asking the father of one of them why he
 
 248 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 sent his son away he answered me much as an English 
 parent might have done — it was for the boy's own 
 good. He was desirous that he should see the world, 
 and have better opportunities for improvement and 
 education than a small isolated place like Rotumah 
 could afford. And therefore he sent him to Fiji, 
 justly arguing that there the boy could not help 
 coming in contact with white civilisation, and could 
 not but derive benefit from the comparative enlighten- 
 ment by which he would be surrounded. As to the 
 boys themselves they were delighted to get away. A 
 new world was about to be opened to them and a 
 career in life. Although they shed a few natural 
 tears at first, no sooner was their sea-sickness over 
 than they worked on board with a will. On landing 
 at Wairiki they were at once taken possession of by 
 their own countrymen who were already there before 
 them, and comfortably housed, clothed, and fed. If 
 such be slavery, I could point to many a poor white 
 man who would not object to being a slave. This is, 
 I believe, a fair sample of what the Fijian labour-trade 
 is at its best. 
 
 But then this trade is not always at its best. 
 There are many blots upon it, some of them foul 
 enough. But before discussing the trade and its 
 abuses it will be well to state from what islands 
 the labourers are imported, and some of the methods 
 which have been resorted to to obtain them. 
 
 The cruising-ground of the labour-vessel is very 
 extensive. It stretches northward of Fiji some six
 
 SOURCES OF LABOUR SUPPLY. 249 
 
 hundred miles, and east and west about two thousand. 
 It embraces the low-lying groups of sandy islands 
 known as the Ellice and Gilbert and Radack chains ; 
 the New Hebrides, the Soloman Islands, New Ireland, 
 New Britain, the Admiralty Group, the Loyalty Islands, 
 and many more, whose names would convey but little 
 information to the ordinary reader. Many of these 
 islands are mere barren sandhills, producing nothing 
 but cocoa-nuts ; others are larger in extent than 
 England, and more fertile than the most favoured 
 parts of Australia. The New Hebrides and the 
 Soloman Islands are pre-eminently the places which 
 supply the Fijian labour-market. Their inhabitants 
 are to the cotton-planter of Fiji what the coolies of 
 the Malabar coast are to the sugar-planters of 
 Mauritius or Demerara. Of all the islands of the 
 New Hebrides group Tanna produces the best work- 
 men. They are, if well treated, docile, intelligent, 
 and active men, and further are excellent agents to 
 employ in procuring labourers from their own or other 
 islands. 
 
 As may be imagined, in such a vast extent of 
 ocean there are many differences between the in- 
 habitants of the various groups and islands. With 
 these distinctive differences and with the most impor- 
 tant characteristics of each tribe of natives the labour- 
 captain must make himself acquainted. We have 
 already seen how labourers were procured at Rotumah ; 
 but Rotumah is comparatively civilised. The man 
 who would venture ashore at Malicolo or Santa Cruz
 
 25O TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 as he would at Rotumah would have but a poor 
 chance of ever returning. The mode in which the 
 more savage groups of islands are generally traded 
 with is as follows : — The labour-vessel makes first of 
 all for Tanna. Here she takes on board as many men 
 as are willing to come, say some twelve or so. From 
 Tanna she makes for Malicolo, Espiritu Santo, Sand- 
 wich, Bougainville, or perhaps Banks Island. Here 
 the Tanna men are told off into the long-boat, armed 
 with muskets. The captain or mate sits in the stern- 
 sheets, also well armed, with a large box placed in 
 front of him. This box contains the articles of trade 
 which are to induce the natives to visit Fiji. The 
 Tanna men row steadily towards the shore, keep- 
 ing the while an eye on the muskets which lie 
 beside them. As the boat approaches, the shore is 
 seen to be lined with naked men, armed with spears, 
 bows and arrows, stones or clubs, as the case may 
 be. If there be women among them, the trader 
 may go on shore, as no immediate treachery is in- 
 tended. If there be not, he had better keep his boat 
 afloat in at least five or six feet of water. If none 
 but a few solitary men are on the beach to meet him, 
 he has still greater need of circumspection, for pro- 
 bably every bush and rock hides an armed savage 
 ready to jump forth at a moment's notice. As soon 
 as the trader has assured himself as far as he can 
 that all is right, he opens his strong-box and pro- 
 ceeds to trade with the natives. Sometimes the sight 
 of a musket or hatchet or gaudy handkerchief will at
 
 PIGEON ENGLISH. 25 I 
 
 once induce a man to come on board. Generally one 
 or two are to be found who can understand English, 
 and are ready to act as interpreters. Sometimes the 
 vocabulary of these interpreters is very limited, and 
 signs have to be used freely to eke it out. A yam 
 stands conventionally for a year ; and thus an en- 
 gagement for four years would be signified by the 
 native presenting four yams ; a moon stands for a 
 month ; a fathom of ' cloth ' is the unit of length, and 
 the fingers the readiest mode of numeration. Some- 
 times curious dialogues, unintelligible as the pigeon 
 English of Shangai to the uninitiated, takes place 
 between the trader and the natives, thus : — - 
 
 Loquitur Trader : ' You likee come work Fiji ? ' 
 
 Native (laughing) : ' Me no savy ' (Don't know). 
 
 T. : ' Fiji very good. Plenty kai-kai bull-y-macow 
 (beef to eat) ; big fellow yam, big fellow cocoa-nut ; 
 very good Fiji.' 
 
 N. : 'How many yam (years) ? Too muchy 
 work Fiji ; no good.' 
 
 T. (holding up four fingers) : ' S'pose you come 
 by-and-by ? Tanna man plenty trade, muskets, 
 powder, plenty sulu (waist-cloth).' 
 
 N. : ' Me go ; very good. Small fellow ship-a-ship 
 no likee ; rne go next time.' And with this that 
 particular native sheers off to make room for another. 
 
 If possible, the white man endeavours to get the 
 ear of the chief of the village. Not unfrequently the 
 chief will come on board the vessel. There he is 
 shown the trade, and then a bargain is made for as
 
 252 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 many men as he will give, the chief receiving a 
 douceur for his trouble. The chief simply returns to 
 the village, orders the men onboard — an order which 
 they dare not refuse — and on their return pockets a 
 great part of their earnings. Such is the paternal 
 government of Western Polynesia. 
 
 In the Soloman Islands the modus operandi is 
 somewhat different. Here the natives come off from 
 the shore in large canoes, carrying some twenty or 
 thirty men. The trade is shown to them, and they 
 either remain on board or go ashore as they please. ' 
 Sometimes, but rarely, the trader may venture to 
 land here, especially if the natives make a fire, which 
 is a signal that they want him. The Soloman 
 Islanders are ferocious cannibals, and treacherous to 
 the last degree, and no white man can with safety 
 trust himself among them. They are very fond of 
 coming off to a ship in large numbers, and, if they 
 see any chance of success, attempting to capture her. 
 If they are successful, the crew are at once butchered, 
 while the ship is driven ashore, and then plundered. 
 At present labourers are more easily procured at the 
 Soloman Islands than elsewhere. But they are not 
 popular in Fiji, where they are both feared and dis- 
 liked. Some planters, however, will tell you that, if 
 properly managed, they make good workmen. 
 
 At Banks Island the natives are exceedingly 
 timid. They will not approach a vessel if they see a 
 particle of sail set. They will put off from the shore 
 one by one, not in canoes, but swimming on surf-
 
 THE TOKALAUS. 253 
 
 boards. After a considerable time one man more 
 plucky than the rest may, perhaps, venture on board, 
 and, if he is well treated, may induce others to follow. 
 Then a bargain is made, and for so much tobacco 
 and so many jew's-harps the shipmaster will seldom 
 fail to secure the services of a certain number of these 
 natives. 
 
 From the groups and islands hitherto mentioned 
 few women, as a rule, consent to come. But in the 
 low sandy islands near the equator called the ' To- 
 kalaus,' and sometimes the Kingsmill Group, women 
 are more easily procured than men. The natives of 
 these islands are not cannibals, but, nevertheless, 
 they are very fierce and implacable. If not wronged 
 or irritated they are probably quiet enough, but of 
 late years they have committed some cruel murders. 
 In procuring labour amongst such people the ship- 
 master must ever be on his guard against treachery. 
 The Tokalaus are not timid or bashful, like the Banks 
 Islanders, and will crowd on board and perhaps seize 
 his ship when he least expects it. On the other hand, 
 he may go on shore with safety, and without fear of 
 being eaten. The Tokalaus are a weird, wild-looking 
 race of men ; their eyes are large and full, their hair 
 long and straight, their complexions yellow, and their 
 bodies, as a rule, seared all over with knife or spear 
 wounds. The women are utterly destitute not only 
 of virtue but even of modesty. They will come on 
 board in great numbers, begging a passage to Fiji or 
 anywhere else. Sometimes these women are married,
 
 054 Tw0 YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 sometimes single. A husband, however, is generally 
 ready to sell his wife for a clay pipe and a little 
 tobacco or a bottle of gin, or to send his daughters 
 away with the white men for any trifling present. 
 The islands they live in are not, indeed, very inviting 
 places, being little more than sandhills, and pro- 
 ducing scarcely anything except cocoa-nuts and fish. 
 Hence, no doubt, the inhabitants are glad enough to 
 leave them, arguing, perhaps, that they cannot be 
 worse off anywhere than they are already. The 
 Tokalaus are passionately fond of alcohol in every 
 form, and one great article of trade with these islands 
 is rum or gin. Within the last two years, I believe, 
 the supply of natives from the Line Islands to Fiji, 
 at any rate, has somewhat fallen off. They are 
 not, after all, the 'best workers on a plantation, 
 although the women and children make good cotton- 
 pickers. 
 
 From the slight sketch given above of the locali- 
 ties from which labour is procured, it will be seen 
 that a labour-cruise is not free from risks. These 
 vary in kind at the different islands. In the New 
 Hebrides the chief risk is incurred in going ashore 
 with the trade-box. Here the natives will sometimes 
 seize hold of the boat and carry her and her crew in 
 a moment into the ' bush,' out of sight of the vessel 
 and out of reach of all assistance. The fate of the 
 white men is then soon decided. Sometimes when 
 the boat is shoving off they will send a flight of 
 poisoned arrows after her. These arrows are very
 
 RISKS OF THE LABOUR TRADE. 255 
 
 deadly weapons indeed, the slightest scratch, as a 
 rule, proving fatal. Their shafts are made of common 
 cane, tipped with a splinter of human bone, which 
 has previously been soaked in some vegetable poison. 
 Sometimes, again, the natives will salute the trader, 
 as he approaches them, with a volley of musket-balls, 
 or, if they get him on shore, with a blow from a club. 
 On the whole, although the New Hebrides are good 
 islands to procure labour from, they are not by any 
 means particularly safe to visit. 
 
 In the Soloman Islands a further source of danger 
 is found in the propensity displayed by the natives to 
 rush on board the ship in large numbers. They 
 come off, not in outrigger canoes, but in large boats, 
 containing from twenty to fifty men. If these boats 
 are allowed alongside the ship, treachery may at once 
 be apprehended. Without a moment's warning the 
 savages will board a vessel, and, rushing from one 
 end to the other, will club and spear every white man 
 they meet. Great numbers of vessels have thus been 
 captured in this archipelago. If the shipmaster at- 
 tempts to go ashore his peril is, of course, extreme, 
 and on some islands death would be the almost cer- 
 tain result. Nor are the Soloman Islanders to be 
 feared only in their native wilds. On board ship they 
 may mutiny at any moment. The mutiny of some 
 Bougainville Islanders, as our readers are probably 
 aware, was the immediate cause of one of the most 
 hideous tragedies of modern times — the ' Carl Mas- 
 sacre.' But among the Tokalaus, already mentioned,
 
 256 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 the only danger, perhaps, to be apprehended is a 
 sudden attack made when the decks are crowded 
 with natives. These people are inveterate thieves, 
 and will carry off anything from the ship that they 
 can lay their hands upon. If detected in the act, 
 they will frequently ' show fight,' and then a general 
 milee may ensue, from which the white men do not 
 always come off successfully. In addition to these per- 
 sonal dangers there are other risks for the ship which 
 must not be overlooked. The navigation of most of 
 the island-groups in the Western Pacific is most in- 
 tricate. They have never been thoroughly surveyed, 
 and not even the Admiralty charts of this portion of 
 the globe can be depended on. Thus, what with the 
 open hostility or secret treachery of natives, what 
 with unknown reefs, shoals, and currents, a labour- 
 voyage is a somewhat perilous undertaking. In the 
 face of such unusual dangers it is not unreasonable 
 that owners, masters, and crews should look for 
 unusual profits. Hence the cause of many of the 
 abuses that have crept into this trade. Those who 
 are most anxious to see it placed on a proper footing 
 will be the first to allow that such abuses have 
 actually, on various occasions, taken place. When 
 the uncertainty and risk that attend the getting of 
 labour in the usual way is considered, it will not 
 appear strange that many men should have en- 
 deavoured to find a more convenient and more cer- 
 tain method. The ingenuity of both masters and 
 men was further stimulated by the mode in which
 
 METHODS OF SECURING LABOUR. 257 
 
 they were paid. A large proportion of their wages 
 has always been derived from what is called ' head- 
 money,' that is, a small sum paid to each sailor for 
 each labourer from his vessel landed in Fiji. This 
 sum varies generally from 1/. sterling paid to the 
 captain to 2s. paid to the sailors, who, in consideration 
 of this extra source of gain, consent to take a lower 
 rate of wages. It is not to be supposed that such a 
 system could long continue without abuses. Masters 
 and crews would not always be proof against the 
 temptation of securing a large number of men at one 
 ' haul.' What, for instance, easier than to put the 
 hatches on when a number of natives were eating beef 
 and biscuit in the hold ? Or, if some natives were too 
 wary to come off, might there not be found ways to 
 induce them to do so ? If there was a concertina on 
 board, it might be played as the vessel coasted along 
 certain islands, and its Siren notes would be sure to 
 attract a crowd of delighted and astonished natives. 
 Sometimes a timid islander would come on board, 
 and be sent ashore with his face smeared with red 
 and black paint, and a looking-glass wherewith to 
 admire himself. Others would be envious of his good 
 fortune, and would hasten to visit the white men 
 before it was too late. Perhaps a dozen islanders 
 would now come off — some swimming, some on surf- 
 boards, some in canoes. Meanwhile the white men 
 would be busy in their own way. Each man would, 
 it is said, be provided with a saucer full of paint and 
 a fragment of looking-glass, and might be seen care- 
 
 s
 
 258 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 fully drawing humorous conceits on the swarthy face 
 upturned before him. A philanthropist of Mr. Pick- 
 wick's school might have now remarked what a plea- 
 sant sight it was to see the storm-tossed mariners 
 forgetting awhile their labours and their perils, and 
 anxious only to please their less civilised brothers. 
 Meanwhile, if the tale be true, the captain stands at 
 the wheel, with a twinkle in his eye, and anon asks 
 aloud, ' Are you ready, men ? ' ' Aye, aye, sir,' is the 
 universal response. Then, in a voice that rings through 
 the ship, comes the laconic order, ' Grab /' In a 
 moment every saucer is dashed down and each painter 
 seizes his subject by the hair, rolls him over, and 
 hurries him towards the open hold, where he is soon 
 secured. In this way perhaps some half-dozen have 
 been captured. This account was given to me by a 
 man who said he had borne a part in the transaction ; 
 but I am at liberty to say that I do not believe one 
 word of it. 
 
 Sometimes canoes are run down. This has un- 
 doubtedly been done many times, and the mode in 
 which it is effected is somewhat as follows : — The 
 vessel endeavours to get between her victim and the 
 land. Then she gets ' to windward ' of it, that is to 
 say, gets between the canoe and the wind. The 
 natives in the canoe meanwhile paddle away as fast 
 as they can. But the vessel gradually approaches 
 nearer and nearer, and steers as if she intended to 
 pass close to leeward. Rut suddenly the main-sheet 
 is hauled in, the head-sail let go, the helm put hard 
 down, and in a moment, and almost within her own
 
 THE CARL MASSACRE. 259 
 
 length, the ship comes to the wind. Meanwhile, in 
 executing this manoeuvre she has crashed through 
 the slender outrigger, upset the canoe, passed over it, 
 and scattered the occupants in all directions. In a 
 moment the Tanna men have jumped off the deck 
 like so many Newfoundland dogs and have singled 
 out each one his man. A struggle now ensues, some- 
 times fierce enough, but eventually the ship's boat 
 arrives and carries the captives on board. Other 
 plans have also been adopted. One of the best 
 known is perhaps that of counterfeiting a missionary 
 ship. A white macintosh coat has done duty for a 
 surplice, the ship's log-book for a Prayer Book ; and as 
 no one could sing a hymn, the sailors joined in chant- 
 ing that impressive ditty, ' Give me some time to blow 
 the man down.' The natives were then invited below 
 to prayers, and a barrel of biscuit left open as if by 
 accident. Many went down to the hold, but on at- 
 tempting to return found the hatches had closed over 
 them. An outrage of this kind led indirectly to the 
 ' Carl massacre,' the details of which must be fresh in 
 the minds of most readers. It may not, however, 
 be generally known that what mainly led to the 
 wounded being thrown overboard on that occasion 
 was the fear that they might meet with a ship-of- 
 war. Curiously enough, the ghastly work had scarcely 
 been ended when the ' Rosario,' as I believe, hove 
 in sight, examined the ' Carl,' and not seeing any- 
 thing suspicious about her, let her pass on her way. 
 A good deal of unjust blame was attached to the
 
 26o TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 British Consul in Fiji for allowing Murray, the insti- 
 gator of the whole affair, to turn Queen's evidence. 1 
 I have it on the best authority that Mr. March simply 
 gave him a safe conduct to Sydney, there to give 
 evidence on the trial of certain of the crew. The 
 Colonial authorities, however, soon perceived that 
 Murray's evidence was absolutely necessary ; indeed, 
 no other witness was forthcoming. The trial had, 
 therefore, either to be dropped or the Consul's safe 
 conduct amplified into a permission to turn Queen's 
 evidence. The latter alternative was wisely chosen. 
 
 The above details have been given in order that 
 the reader may know the worst that can be said 
 against this labour-trade. It is not slavery in any 
 sense of the word, and to call it so is at once to state 
 what is unjust and untrue. If the large number of 
 vessels employed in it and the number of labourers 
 annually imported into Fiji be taken into account, it 
 can easily be shown that the abuses committed bear 
 a very small proportion to the total work. When 
 the extent of the ocean over which the labour-vessel 
 sails, the class of men that from a variety of circum- 
 stances have of late years flocked to Fiji, and the 
 fact that the whole traffic was for a long time 
 entirely unrestrained by any law, are all taken into 
 consideration, it would be little short of miraculous 
 if no abuses had taken place. On the other hand, 
 when the small size of the vessels, the weakness of 
 
 1 'Fiji Gazette,' February 12, 1873; 'Pall Mall Gazette,' October 
 30, 1872.
 
 ABUSES OF THE LABOUR-TRADE. 26 1 
 
 the crews, the danger of any systematic attempts at 
 kidnapping, and above all the willingness of natives 
 to go and labour without compulsion, are considered, 
 any unprejudiced person will allow that there arc- 
 good grounds for believing that the actual abuses of 
 the labour-trade have been grossly exaggerated. To 
 quote the words of an eloquent writer: ' After being 
 four years about the South Seas I came to the con- 
 clusion that outrages in the labour-trade were (con- 
 sidering the wildness of the vast tract and the 
 absence of all restraint) extremely rare.' 1 It maybe 
 asked, then, why this trade has obtained so bad a 
 name in England? The question is- one not difficult 
 to answer. 
 
 In the first place, a great deal of ignorance pre- 
 vails on the whole subject of Fijian labour both in 
 England and the Australian colonies. To most 
 people Polynesia is a terra incognita. Every outrage, 
 therefore, that takes place in it, every white man that 
 is murdered, every ship that is lost, is put down to 
 ' that labour-trade.' This is of course simply absurd. 
 Long before the labour-trade was ever thought of, 
 long before cotton was planted in Fiji, the inhabitants 
 of Western Polynesia were cruel, treacherous, and 
 bloodthirsty, while the inhabitants of Eastern Poly- 
 nesia were kind, hospitable, and semi-civilised. This 
 has been the case from the days of Captain Cook to 
 
 1 Lord Pembroke, in 'Temple Bar,' quoted, without number, in 
 'Fiji Times,' February 5, 1873. An able and truthful article on the 
 state of Fiji before the attempt at self-government, and also on the 
 labour-traffic generally.
 
 262 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 the days of Bishop Patteson, whose death, I believe, 
 is to be attributed to a cause very different from 
 the labour-traffic. It will, moreover, continue to be 
 the case until the savages of the New Hebrides and 
 Soloman groups either become civilised by contact 
 with white men or die out entirely. 
 
 In the second place, the missionaries are opposed 
 to the emigration of islanders from their homes. 
 They dislike it heartily, and do all in their power to 
 put a stop to it. One cause for their dislike is to be 
 found in the fact that it lessens the numbers of their 
 flock by taking away a large proportion of the 
 younger men. These men, if already converts, are 
 exposed to new and strange temptations, and are in 
 danger of ultimately falling away. To many persons 
 it might seem useless to teach a body of men a 
 system of ethics that will benefit them only in their 
 native place, and under certain conditions, but which 
 will be useless elsewhere. How this may be it is 
 not, perhaps, for a mere layman to say. Again, a 
 large proportion of missionary, especially Wesleyan, 
 revenues are derived from natives. I was on one 
 occasion very properly rebuked by a reverend gentle- 
 man for speaking of missionary ' taxes,' and learned 
 then that the proper word to use was ' offerings.' 
 These offerings are voluntary, and, though small in 
 themselves, amount in the aggregate to many thou- 
 sands of pounds annually. 1 They depend, of course, 
 
 1 'Fiji and Fijians,' p. 566. The total amount contributed in 
 1S69 by the Friendly Islanders amounted to 5,689/. 6s. 2d. ; or, in
 
 REPORTS OF MISSIONARIES. 263 
 
 for their continuance on the labours of the native 
 community, and anything that would tend to lessen 
 this labour would of course tend to lessen their 
 1 offerings.' Hence if the labour-trade lessens the 
 ' offerings,' it is a sound reason why the missionaries 
 should dislike it. But there is yet a third reason. 
 The more enlightened and civilised a tribe becomes, 
 the more the individual missionary loses his prestige. 
 He ceases after a while to be the oracle of a nation 
 or district. He loses gradually his heroic proportions, 
 and eventually dwindles down to the stature of com- 
 mon men. He becomes one of a crowd of white 
 men, with whom the natives will eat and drink and 
 make merry, but for whom they have no particular 
 veneration. We cannot do better, in order to show 
 the feelings with which the missionaries regard this 
 trade, than quote the words of the Rev. L. Fison, 
 himself a missionary. He writes :'.... We have 
 one more proof that the traffic is of a nature that 
 makes regulation impossible, and that I spoke no 
 more than the truth when I said, " What is wanted in 
 the South Seas is not a law court, but a shotted gun 
 and a rope at the yardarm." ' l 
 
 There are yet other reasons why the labour-trade 
 has attained an evil notoriety in England. Only 
 one side of the question has been heard ; the other 
 
 excess of the expenses of the mission, upwards of 3,000/. See also 
 Annual Reports of Wesleyan Missions passim. 
 
 1 ' Melbourne Daily Telegraph,' quoted in 'Fiji Gazette' of Jan. 3, 
 1874.
 
 264 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 side has been condemned unheard. The planters 
 and others interested in the continuance of the labour- 
 trade outnumber their opponents in the islands by a 
 hundred to one. But then they are more occupied 
 in making a living by hard work than in writing 
 articles or addressing meetings. The missionaries 
 are numerically a small body of men, but have made 
 themselves loudly heard, especially among the Eng- 
 lish middle classes. They have spread over the 
 country their reviews, reports, letters, and deputations. 
 They have worked hard with pen and tongue to en- 
 force their peculiar views, and have not worked un- 
 successfully. Add to this that in England generally 
 every rumour relative to ' Polynesian slavery ' is 
 eagerly caught up and multiplied by fame, till sober- 
 minded people, who can have no personal knowledge 
 of the original facts, are forced to believe what they 
 hear asserted by one side and uncontradicted by the 
 other. The very name of ' slavery ' attached to any 
 cause is quite sufficient to condemn it unheard in the 
 present temper of England. Nor must it be forgot- 
 ten that many of the reported outrages in the labour- 
 trade have come from Australian sources. The com- 
 ments of the press there have been reproduced in 
 England by writers who have been satisfied to take 
 all statements for granted. Such writers forget that 
 in many of the colonies, especially in the southern 
 parts of Queensland, the labour question is a political 
 one. I have myself heard it proposed as a test 
 question to a member on the hustings. It is only
 
 INFLUENCE OF THE PRESS. 265 
 
 another of the Protean forms which the contest be- 
 tween labour and capital is constantly assuming. 
 The labouring classes, who have a large representa- 
 tion in the democratic parliaments of Queensland 
 and New South Wales, are strongly opposed to the 
 importation of South Sea Islanders into the cotton 
 and sugar plantations of Northern Queensland, and 
 consequently are anxious to bring the trade as much 
 into discredit as possible. This they do not from 
 any philanthropic motives, but from motives of self- 
 interest. The Polynesian immigrants lower the price 
 of labour and compete with the poorer whites. In 
 New York, in the same way, the Irishman considers 
 himself aggrieved by the presence of the black man, 
 and the German of the Western States by the presence 
 of the Chinese. In Sydney there is only one local 
 paper of any importance, the ' Sydney Morning 
 Herald.' This has ' gone in ' against the Fijian 
 labour-trade, partly because it is Fijian (and every- 
 thing Fijian has a bad name in Sydney), and 
 partly because this particular journal is the organ of 
 the Dissenters in the colony, and chronicles with 
 minutest accuracy every tea meeting, missionary 
 address, or religious gathering that can in any way 
 be connected with the party it serves. And, finally, 
 there is one more body of men who have unintention- 
 ally and unwittingly done this traffic a good deal of 
 harm. I refer to some of the sailors and loafers who 
 hang about the bars of public-houses and hotels in 
 Levuka. These men, in their cups or out of them,
 
 266 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 are proud of narrating their adventures 'in the 
 islands.' Their tales are as a rule quite unworthy of 
 belief. By their own showing, indeed, they have 
 borne a leading part in every venture and hairbreadth 
 escape. In their own way they are all Captain 
 Bobadils, and not unfrequently their foolish vapour- 
 ing has been reproduced in the local or colonial 
 papers, whence it has been copied into English 
 journals. 
 
 Thus it may be shown that a variety of causes 
 have tended to bring the labour-trade into discredit. 
 These are: — I. The ignorance that prevails in Eng- 
 land as regards Western Polynesia generally, and the 
 fact that every reported outrage has been taken for 
 granted before being proved. 2. Missionaries and 
 the colonial press have done their best to stop the 
 trade from a variety of motives. 3. Its advocates, 
 either from supineness or inability, seldom take the 
 trouble to make themselves heard or to correct mis- 
 statements or misrepresentations. In conclusion, it 
 may be said that those who live at home at ease 
 should be disposed to criticise with leniency the un- 
 happy skipper who sails in charge of a set of savages. 
 All the white men employed in the labour-trade are 
 not scoundrels or desperadoes. The majority of them 
 are quiet, peaceable men, who by fortune rather than 
 from choice have been compelled to adopt this mode 
 of gaining a living. In our censure of some parts of 
 their conduct we should strive to realise, if ever so 
 vaguely, a few of the strange conditions and hard
 
 POSITION OF THE PLANTER. 267 
 
 necessities that beset intercourse with savage tribes. 
 Nor must it be forgotten that some of the undoubted 
 outrages, about which thrilling accounts have been 
 written, have not been perpetrated by Englishmen at 
 all. In Tahiti and New Caledonia there are large 
 French plantations, and the labour for these is all 
 procured from the same field as that for Fiji. They, 
 as well as Fiji, should bear their share of the blame 
 of supporting this ' odious traffic.' 
 
 Whatever abuses may have been perpetrated by 
 labour-vessels, none of these abuses can justly be 
 charged to the account of the cotton-planters of Fiji. 
 The planter, as a rule, hires his men in Levuka. He 
 is ignorant how they have been obtained, whether 
 fairly or otherwise ; and yet the knowledge would be 
 of no small importance to him, for it is on him that 
 all the wrongdoings of the shipmaster, perpetrated 
 hundreds of miles away, will eventually be visited. 
 On a lonely plantation, far away from any chance of 
 assistance, surrounded by savages and cannibals, the 
 planter passes most of the year. His life is many 
 times every day in the power of his labourers. He 
 rules them by moral not by physical force. His 
 interest and theirs is in most cases identical. Every 
 outrage, therefore, inflicted on natives is a direct 
 injury to the individual planter. To speak of the 
 planters of Fiji as slave-owners is a cruel injustice. 
 As a body they are strongly opposed to slavery in 
 any shape or form. On the opening day of the first 
 Parliament held in Levuka the Constitution Act was
 
 268 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 read aloud. One paragraph in it enacted that ' no 
 man could be a slave on Fijian soil.' Anyone who 
 heard the ringing cheer with which the House, com- 
 posed mostly of planters, greeted this statement will 
 not readily believe that such men are either slave- 
 dealers or slave-owners. As to the treatment received 
 by imported natives on plantations, it is with scarcely 
 an exception all that the most humane man could 
 desire. The natives are, indeed, better off in Fiji than 
 in their own country. They are well-fed, not over- 
 worked, fairly paid, are protected in the enjoyment of 
 their gains, and are relieved from a daily and hourly 
 fear of being killed and eaten. It is no uncommon 
 thing for natives to refuse to leave the vessel that has 
 brought them back to their own home. It is no 
 uncommon thing for them on their own islands to 
 engage with the shipmaster to be taken to the plan- 
 tation which they had left. I myself witnessed in 
 Savage Island, in 1872, the arrival and departure of a 
 labour-vessel. Out of seven return-labourers two re- 
 fused to go on shore at all or quit the vessel ; the 
 other five went on shore, but though most anxious to 
 return were prevented from doing so by their friends. 
 On this occasion I saw several old men stationed 
 round the boat with sticks in their hands, to prevent 
 the younger men leaving the island and going off to 
 the vessel. 
 
 Plenty of evidence is forthcoming as to the uniform 
 good treatment experienced by labourers on planta- 
 tions in Fiji. In the Island of Rabi fifty New He-
 
 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 269 
 
 bridean labourers had worked their time, and been 
 paid off. ' They expressed themselves so satisfied 
 with their treatment and remuneration that, upon 
 being paid off, they re-engaged for another term.' ' 
 Sometimes vessels will go down to the labour- 
 producing islands to hire men entirely for one planta- 
 tion, thereby showing that the treatment adopted in 
 the past has been such as to make it probable that 
 some of the old hands may wish to return. 2 To all 
 who know Fiji and her planters such evidence will 
 appear unnecessary. To those who do not, possibly 
 the following extracts from the official report of Com- 
 modore Goodenough and Consul Layard may prove 
 reassuring : ' We here feel it due to the great body of 
 planters to say that with regard to food, clothing, and 
 houses the Polynesian labourers are far better off than 
 when on their native islands.' And again, at page 10 : 
 ' The abuses in the labour-traffic have taken place 
 through the rapacity of the shipowner or master, 
 and should not be laid entirely or chiefly to the account 
 of the planters, who, as we have before remarked, treat 
 their labourers for the most part kindly.' 3 
 
 The conduct of the British Government towards 
 this labour-traffic has not been marked either by 
 discrimination or by firmness. At first the trade was 
 practically left to regulate itself; then, when certain 
 
 1 'Fiji Times,' May 24, 1873. 
 
 2 'Fiji Times,' April 26, 1873. 
 
 3 ' Report of Commodore Goodenough and Mr. Consul Layard on 
 the Offer of the Cession of the Fiji Islands to the British Crown, July 
 1874,' p. 6.
 
 27O TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 abuses had been discovered, vessels were seized on 
 charges which, in the absence of special acts of 
 Parliament, could not be shown to be illegal. At 
 last, however, an Act was passed to regulate the 
 whole traffic and place it on a proper basis. Had this 
 Act been passed in the first instance, and the Consul 
 at Levuka invested with magisterial powers, in order 
 to enforce the law, much subsequent expense, injustice, 
 and official bungling might have been avoided. At 
 one time in Fiji no one really knew who either owned 
 or sailed in a labour-vessel. He might be seized at 
 any moment on a charge of slavery and carried off to 
 Sydney, where, as a rule, he would be acquitted, but 
 without being awarded compensation for loss of time 
 or money. I have often heard shipmasters in Fiji 
 complain bitterly of the oppressive nature of the 
 control exercised over them by vessels-of-war. Some 
 cases of great injustice and hardship did undoubtedly 
 occur. One of them, known as the ' Daphne ' case, 
 has become a cause cclcbrc. The ' Daphne ' had 
 returned from the Soloman Islands with some hundred 
 and twenty natives on board. As she was entering 
 Levuka harbour she was seized by the ' Rosario ' and 
 charged with being a ' slaver.' She was then sent to 
 the Admiralty Court at Sydney, while the natives 
 on board were handed over to the Acting British 
 Consul, who found means to utilise them. After much 
 litigation the ' Daphne ' was released, and the British 
 Government paid the legal expenses of the trial. But 
 the unfortunate owner not only got no compensation
 
 CASE OF THE 'DAPHNE.' 27 I 
 
 but was actually deprived of the labourers whom he 
 had brought to Fiji at his own expense. Under one 
 pretence and another they were kept on various 
 plantations, and ultimately he lost sight of them 
 altogether. By this transaction he was ruined in 
 pocket and broken in spirit, and learned perhaps, for 
 the first time, that his countrymen could punish him, 
 indeed, but could not restore to him what was legally 
 his own. This case of the ' Daphne ' is better known 
 than some others which have taken place recently 
 in Fiji, and which, though not so flagrant, have yet 
 inflicted much loss and annoyance on innocent men. 
 Thus the owner of the ' Beauty ' schooner was, 
 after a fortnight's detention, informed by H.M.S. 
 ' Dido ' that he might take his vessel back. No 
 investigation had been held and no reparation offered. 1 
 And so on through many more. A small fleet of 
 schooners is now employed in regulating this traffic ; 
 but as the law becomes better understood and more 
 clearly defined it may be hoped that, as regards Fiji 
 at any rate, there will be little need of their services. 
 
 Whatever objections can be urged against the 
 general labour-trade, none can be urged against the 
 insular trade, that is, the trade between one portion 
 of Fiji and another. In this case Fijians are simply 
 conveyed from one island of their own group to 
 another place a few miles distant ; just as Irishmen 
 are conveyed from Ireland to England during harvest- 
 
 1 The authority for this statement is the ' Fiji Times,' July 30, 1873. 
 See ' Fiji Times,' April 26, 1873, for the seizure of the ' Woodbine.'
 
 2 72 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 time. This fact is so well known to everyone who 
 has even a slight acquaintance with Fijian matters 
 that it does not admit of contradiction. It was, there- 
 fore, with some surprise that I read in the ' Fiji 
 Times' (August 9, 1873) a notice from Commodore 
 Stirling, stating ' that no fresh licenses would be 
 issued to British subjects for the conveyance of 
 natives from one island to another.' The evident 
 intention of this notice is to stop the passenger traffic 
 heretofore existing, and so cut off the supply of Fijian 
 labour to the plantations. It is difficult to see what 
 good can come of such interference. There can be no 
 pretext of ' slavery ' as regards the Fijians. 1 To 
 attempt to kidnap men on the Ra coast for Tavinni 
 would be about as successful an experiment as kid- 
 napping Irishmen in Dublin to work the hop-gardens 
 of Kent. The idea is so absurd to anyone acquainted 
 with Fiji that it need only be mentioned to be 
 dismissed. 
 
 In conclusion, it may be asked, What is to be done 
 with the labour-trade ? To put it down completely 
 is almost an impossibility, as French, American, and 
 German vessels are employed in it as well as English. 
 To put it down partially would be to inflict a cruel 
 injustice on our countrymen in Fiji and Queensland, 
 and to postpone for generations the civilisation of Wes- 
 tern Polynesia. Under such circumstances a middle 
 
 1 See report of the deputation which waited on Earl Kimberley, May 
 12, 1874, where the following words occur: 'Apart altogether from 
 kidnapping. . . British subjects are engaged in a local slave-trade'
 
 NECESSARY CHECKS. 2JT) 
 
 course ought to be adopted. Let the trade exist, but 
 place it under proper supervision. In the first place, 
 the importation of Pacific Islanders into Fiji should 
 be made a distinctly Government matter. Until the 
 coolie trade was subject to Government inspection it 
 was, as everyone knows, in a far from satisfactory 
 state ; so will it be in Fiji. Let every vessel that 
 clears out for any of the labour groups obtain a per- 
 mission from the authorities. Let her be sailed by 
 officers and men who have no direct or personal interest 
 in procuring men. Above all, abolish head-money. 
 If thought necessary, a Government official might 
 accompany every vessel that started on a labour-' 
 voyage. Such a man should receive a liberal salary, 
 be independent of owners or charterers, and not have 
 too many local interests. No natives should be 
 shipped from any islands without their consent having 
 been previously procured to the terms of the voyage, 
 through a qualified interpreter. As to procuring 
 interpreters no difficulty would be experienced, for 
 there are in nearly every island and group old whites 
 who know the native languages thoroughly. Fur- 
 thermore, a -careful register should be kept at all the 
 Consulates in Levuka of the number of immigrants that 
 arrive each year, and where they arrive from, of the 
 plantations to which they are distributed, of the 
 deaths that take place amongst them, and of the date 
 at which their term of service expires. At the con- 
 clusion of this period Government should undertake 
 to return the natives to their own homes ; or, if they 
 
 T
 
 274 TW0 YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 preferred it, allow them to enter on a fresh period 
 of work. The arrangements at present existing on 
 board labour-vessels are quite sufficient for the com- 
 fort and health of the native during his passage to 
 Fiji. Each vessel is permitted to carry only a certain 
 number of men in proportion to her registered ton- 
 nage, and so overcrowding is avoided. Every cap- 
 tain may be trusted to lay in a sufficient supply of 
 provisions for his own sake, in order to avoid the 
 necessity of sailing with hungry cannibals. If these 
 simple suggestions were followed out, the Fiji labour- 
 trade would, in a short time, be on quite as legal and 
 satisfactory a footing as the coolie trade. It must, 
 however, be confessed that until the question of an- 
 nexation is finally settled the labour question cannot 
 be dealt with in a comprehensive manner. Were 
 Fiji to be annexed to England to-morrow all practi- 
 cal difficulty in the matter would cease. The traffic 
 might even be abolished altogether, and coolie 
 emigration substituted for South Sea Island. The 
 difference in value between the two classes of la- 
 bourers would more than compensate for the extra 
 expense.
 
 275 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Political Changes — Social Condition of Fiji in 187 1 — Old and New 
 Settlers — Business Relations between Fiji and the Australian Colo- 
 nies — Anomalous Position of the British Consul — Causes which led 
 to the Formation of a Government — A coup d'etat — Previous 
 Attempts to Form a Government — The Tovata League — Methods by 
 which the Ministers Consolidated their Power— The Constitution 
 Act — The House of Delegates — Position of Native Chiefs— Personnel 
 of the Ministry — Maafu and Tiu Cakou Join the Government — 
 Attitude of England towards the New State— Orders in Council — 
 Ministerial Doctrines — The Government loses Popularity. 
 
 On my return to Levuka, after an absence of several 
 months, I found that important changes had taken 
 place in the political world of Fiji. Cacobau, no 
 longer merely chief of Bau, was now king of the 
 whole group ; Tiu Cakou and Maafu were no inde- 
 pendent chiefs, but only his viceroys ; his ministers 
 bore the title of ' Honourable ; ' while many of his sub- 
 jects, erstwhile subjects of Queen Victoria, thronged 
 the beach and the bar-rooms of the hotels, and 
 wasted their time in wondering what it could all 
 mean. A daring and successful coup d'etat had, 
 just about the time of my return to Levuka, been ef- 
 fected by a few white men till now almost unknown in 
 the general community. In a word, ' a Government ' 
 had been established in Fiji. Hitherto there had
 
 276 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 been no law in the land, no protection for life or 
 property theoretically, no means of redressing a 
 wrong or enforcing a right. Yet, strange as it may 
 seem, until the close of 1870 the country had been 
 both peaceful and prosperous. After three years' 
 experience of constitutional government men even 
 now in Fiji look back with regret to the good old 
 times that preceded the inauguration of the so-called 
 reign of law and order.' 
 
 In order to understand how the necessity for a 
 government arose, and how the means used to 
 establish it proved so far successful, it will be neces- 
 sary to have a clear notion of the state of Fiji at the 
 commencement of 1871. As already stated, the 
 Australian colonies had for some years been in a 
 very depressed condition. The price of wool had 
 fallen preposterously low, the gold diggings had 
 ceased to yield so prolifically as heretofore ; the Maori 
 war had ruined many settlers ; in a word, things were 
 as bad as they well could be in a new country. 
 Hence in Australia and New Zealand there were 
 many ready to accept anything that presented a chance 
 of retrieving their fortunes. To such men a new 
 field was offered in Fiji, and not a few availed them- 
 selves of it. Hitherto the chief representatives of the 
 white man had been the so-called patriarch planters. 
 These were with scarcely an exception men of respect- 
 ability ; many of them men of birth and education, 
 and withal possessed of more or less capital. Naval 
 and military officers, colonial 'squatters,' younger
 
 NEW AND OLD SETTLERS. 277 
 
 sons fresh from home, were the stuff of which the 
 earlier settlers had been made. Many of them had 
 come down to Fiji shortly after General Smythe's 
 visit, induced in a great measure to do so by Dr. See- 
 man's favourable report on the cotton-producing 
 power of the island. Here they had lived quietly 
 enough, working hard, and, if not amassing wealth, at 
 any rate doing fairly well. The new settlers were a 
 totally different class of men. Their advent was far 
 from being a benefit to Fiji. They were in many 
 cases needy adventurers ; and although some came 
 with the intention of planting cotton or doing other 
 good work, the majority came with intentions the 
 very reverse. Not a few of the new settlers had left 
 the colonies to avoid criminal proceedings for fraud 
 or even worse offences. So long as there was no 
 extradition treaty such men were of course free from 
 arrest in Fiji. To go to Fiji was quicker, easier, and 
 less expensive than to go to San Francisco, and San 
 Francisco had hitherto been the city of refuge for 
 such individuals. In 1871 the numbers of this semi- 
 criminal class in the islands had increased to such an 
 extent that the very name of Fiji was looked on in 
 Sydney and Melbourne with loathing and contempt. 
 ' Gone to Fiji ' bore the same significance in Australia 
 as ' Gone to Texas ' did in America a few years ago. 
 The colonial newspapers were accustomed to speak 
 of Fiji as the ' modern Alsatia ' and not without some 
 reason. 
 
 The new-comers, as might be supposed, were, as
 
 278 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 a rule, men of totally different tastes and habits from 
 the older settlers. Levuka was, naturally and of 
 necessity, the head-quarters of the former class. The 
 verandahs of hotels and the taprooms of public- 
 houses were their favourite haunts. Their business 
 was to make business of any kind that did not in- 
 volve the need of either money or hard work. Com- 
 mission agents, arbitrators, advocates, auctioneers, 
 notary-publics, brokers of every kind, thronged the 
 narrow streets of Levuka. Some of the men who 
 engaged in such pursuits may possibly have been 
 qualified by previous experience or special training 
 to perform what they undertook, but with the majority 
 such was not the case. With most of them there was 
 no pretence of business ; they were neither more nor 
 less than loafers in disguise, and their high-sounding 
 titles were but assumed to deceive the public. There 
 was not legitimate business in the whole of Fiji, much 
 less in Levuka, to give employment to one-half of 
 those who flocked down to the islands in the spring 
 of 1871. 
 
 But besides these rogues, whose occupation was at 
 any rate of a peaceful nature, came a number of 
 turbulent fellows, to whom the lawlessness of Fiji 
 was its chief recommendation. These were generally 
 of the lowest class, and comprised runaway sailors, 
 absconding tradesmen, and not a few convicted felons. 
 It was not to be supposed that such men would 
 scruple to take whatever advantages the unprotected 
 state of their neighbours might afford them. Thus,
 
 PUBLIC ORDER IN FIJI. 279 
 
 although serious offences had hitherto been com- 
 paratively rare, everyone felt that this immunity was 
 at best precarious, and might be rudely disturbed at 
 any moment. There was at this period no way short 
 of a trial of personal strength by which disputes could 
 be settled. Arbitration, indeed, was sometimes re- 
 sorted to, but it failed more often than it succeeded. 
 ' Club law,' in fact, was the only law by which any 
 redress or satisfaction could be obtained. It was a 
 final court of appeal open to every man who chose 
 to employ it. Had an American element predomi- 
 nated in Fiji at this time there is little doubt that 
 Lynch-law or vigilance committees would have hewn 
 out a rough-and-ready code that might have sufficed 
 until superseded by a better. Had a Spanish element 
 predominated there would have been assassinations, 
 pronunciamientos, revolutionary juntas, and other 
 political remedies. But, as the community was essen- 
 tially English, and intent on making money, men 
 worked quietly and steadily at this, the chief object 
 of their lives, and paid little attention to anything 
 save their cotton and their ledgers. An aggrieved 
 person, as a rule, contented himself by calling a public 
 meeting and thus making known his tale of wrong. 
 His opponent did exactly the same, perhaps at the 
 same time, in another part of the town. Then each 
 man would write a long letter to the ' Fiji Times,' 
 which, e7i revanche, would charge for them as adver- 
 tisements, most of its available space being occupied 
 by attacks on the British Consul. Here the matter
 
 280 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 generally ended. Although a good many hard names 
 may have been exchanged on both sides the peace 
 of the community had not been disturbed ; but it was 
 felt every day more strongly that such a result might 
 happen at any moment. One or two instances had 
 actually occurred in which two litigants had resorted 
 to open violence. A dispute had taken place between 
 two partners as to the ownership of a certain cotton 
 plantation. The planter in possession refused, as 
 was alleged, to pay over the proper share of the crop, 
 and even refused to allow the other partner on the 
 ground. To make his position more secure he 
 fortified his house with a stockade, and armed his 
 Tanna labourers. He himself kept watch and ward, 
 and had filled his house with friends, all of whom 
 were pledged to resist to the utmost any attempt to 
 seize the place by violence. When the note of these 
 warlike preparations reached the sleeping partner in 
 Levuka he, in turn, hired a number of ' filibusters,' 
 as they liked to be called, at an honorarium of thirteen 
 pounds each, to go and recover his demesnes. A 
 large boatful of these amateur officials landed on the 
 shore and advanced towards the plantation with fixed 
 bayonets. Their determined attitude or his own 
 conscience overawed the planter, who forthwith sur- 
 rendered at discretion. But had he been more de- 
 termined it is difficult to understand how bloodshed 
 could have been avoided. On another occasion a 
 planter's boat was boarded on the high seas by a 
 number of hired pirates, all armed, and the owner
 
 SCARCITY OF COIN. 28 1 
 
 compelled by force to submit to their demands. The 
 occurrence of a very few of such acts would be enough 
 to render Fiji unbearable as a place of abode. 
 Enough had already occurred to dispose men's minds 
 to accept any scheme which would substitute a reign 
 of law for one of capricious violence. 
 
 With the influx of population the commerce of 
 Levuka had increased sensibly. Shiploads of pro- 
 visions and what was known as ' trade for natives ' 
 arrived weekly from Australia and New Zealand. In 
 return for these cocoa-nut oil and cotton were ex- 
 ported. From the commencement of its commercial 
 history Fiji had always suffered from a scarcity of 
 coined money. The reason of this was, that the 
 precious metals did not exist in the country, could not 
 be coined there, and had been only imported at rare 
 intervals and in small quantities by private persons. 
 But as every departing ship took away a certain 
 amount of coin in return for the merchandise she had 
 left behind, the stock in the country often ran very 
 low. The scarcity thus produced had hitherto been 
 met in a rough way by the use of debased Bolivian 
 half-dollars, which had percolated into Fiji from 
 Samoa. These coins were worth nominally two 
 shillings in Levuka, but in Sydney only about one 
 shilling and threepence. No shipmaster, therefore, 
 would take them out of the islands, where they thus 
 remained for years in circulation. There being no 
 coined money available in Fiji, men naturally in their 
 transactions dealt largely in paper. Bills of exchange,
 
 282 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 cheques on colonial banks, notes of hand, drafts, 
 I O U's, were freely offered and accepted. In not a 
 few cases much of this paper was worthless ; this fact, 
 however, could not be known until the paper came to 
 be presented for payment in Melbourne or Sydney, a 
 distance of two thousand miles, where redress was 
 practically impossible. As there was a good deal of 
 trade at this time carried on between the Australian 
 colonies and Fiji, it will be worth while to examine 
 the mode in which it was conducted. Let it be 
 supposed, then, that a vessel has arrived in Levuka 
 laden with provisions from Sydney. Part of her cargo 
 will be sold on board by auction, the rest handed over 
 to some agent on shore to dispose of to the best 
 advantage. A little gold will be tendered to the 
 captain, but most of the money he receives will be 
 in the form either of Bolivian silver or paper. The 
 silver is comparatively useless in Sydney, and there- 
 fore he must either take the paper or take his goods 
 back to Sydney. The bills he finally accepts may be 
 drawn by a planter on some Levuka merchant, at 
 whose ' store ' the planter has an account. The 
 planter's security is his future cotton crop, which of 
 course may or may not be a failure. It was a common 
 practice for, let us suppose, A to draw a bill on B, 
 who then drew in turn on C. Now, C had no money 
 in hand ; but though he could not pay just then he 
 had no objection to write his name on a 'bit of paper.' 
 In due time the bill was presented in Sydney and 
 dishonoured. Under these circumstances the despised
 
 PAPER MONEY TRANSACTIONS. 28 
 
 6 
 
 paper returned to Fiji, accompanied by a severe letter 
 from the Sydney firm. A comes on B, who passes 
 on the compliment to C, who of course was very 
 sorry, but could not do anything further in the matter, 
 and knows moreover that nothing could be done 
 either to himself or to A or to B, seeing that there 
 was no law in Fiji. The goods meanwhile have been 
 disposed of; and after all it is only the Sydney firm 
 that has lost anything by the transaction. Business 
 matters between the colonies and Fiji used to be 
 carried on on a most uncertain footing — so much so, 
 indeed, that the smuggler's rule of one cargo in three 
 must have been applicable to many colonial merchants. 
 A good deal of raw material was, of course, from time 
 to time exported from Fiji, and this it was probably 
 that rendered any trade possible. ' Bad paper ' at 
 last became such a nuisance, and was so frequently 
 met with, that to negotiate any paper money in 
 Levuka became almost impossible. Such a state of 
 affairs was simply intolerable in a mercantile com- 
 munity. Hence those who most loudly called for a 
 government and who first initiated the movement 
 were the merchants of Levuka. They perceived that 
 there was plenty of latent wealth in Fiji ; to develope 
 this capital was absolutely necessary. But to have 
 capital a bank must be established, and, as a further 
 step towards commercial security, an insurance office. 
 Under the existing system of actual or potential 
 anarchy it was vain to hope for either. Some recog- 
 nised form of government was imperatively necessary
 
 284 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 before colonial speculators would advance the required 
 funds. Once, however, establish a government, and 
 it was rightly believed that plenty of money would 
 be forthcoming for all legitimate purposes. 
 
 But, bad as things were, probably no attempt 
 would have been made to form a government for 
 many years to come, if only the powers vested in the 
 British Consul at Levuka had been increased by the 
 English Government. It is impossible to speak of 
 the rise and development of the Government of Fiji 
 without mentioning the name of Mr. March. From 
 the moment of his entering office in Fiji until he left 
 the group his position was at once difficult and ano- 
 malous. His official instructions, as published (some 
 think unnecessarily), showed the limited extent of his 
 powers. He was directed to look after the interests 
 of British subjects if compromised by foreigners, and 
 especially to look after British shipping and sailors ; 
 but, under the peculiar or perhaps unparalleled cir- 
 cumstances that preceded the formation of the Govern- 
 ment in Fiji, many things of necessity came before 
 the Consul on which his official instructions were silent. 
 In the state in which society at this time was in 
 Levuka a Consul was a man of unusual importance. 
 He was the only man who, by his position, was 
 elevated above local interests. He was the only man 
 of whose impartiality all men might be certain. 
 British subjects, therefore, almost daily resorted to him 
 to settle disputes between man and man, to obtain 
 redress for grievances, and to seek advice or infor-
 
 THE BRITISH CONSUL. 285 
 
 mation on matters of importance. In all such cases 
 Mr. March acted with firmness and integrity. He 
 could not, of course, please everyone ; many with 
 whom he came in contact resisted even the mild 
 authority claimed by the Consulate over shipping 
 affairs. Some persons in Fiji had apparently been so 
 long accustomed to the absence of all law that they 
 resisted even such simple requirements as having the 
 name of their vessel legibly painted, their flag of a 
 certain colour and shape, or the payment of certain 
 Consular fees. With such men Mr. March was, of 
 course, unpopular. Moreover, he had no power to 
 give effect to any of his judicial decisions except 
 through the medium of a ship-of-war ; but, after all, 
 any interference between contending parties was com- 
 pletely beyond the powers of his office, and by at- 
 tempting it, though for the benefit of the community 
 at large, he only rendered himself liable to official 
 censure. Many in Levuka understood this, and were 
 shrewd enough to perceive the remedy. This was, 
 that the English Government should grant the British 
 Consul magisterial powers, and the means of making 
 such powers practically felt. Had this been done 
 before June 1871, in all probability the 'Government 
 scheme ' would never have been brought forward. 
 But, as it was not done, the position in which Mr. 
 March found himself was one of great difficulty. It 
 was one, too, that an unscrupulous man might have 
 turned largely to his own advantage ; but to have 
 done so he must of necessity have become a partisan,
 
 286 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 and have compromised more or less his official posi- 
 tion. Not a few men would have yielded to the 
 temptation, especially as thereby they might have 
 enjoyed a ' quiet life,' a state of existence not to be 
 despised within the tropics. 
 
 It will now be understood that several causes had 
 been at work for some time in Fiji to produce a very 
 general desire for government of some kind. These 
 were : I. The increase of population, and with it an 
 actual or possible increase of lawlessness and crime. 
 2. The difficulty of carrying on trade or procuring 
 money from the colonies in the then condition of the 
 islands. 3. The inability of the British Consul to dis- 
 pense law or justice while deprived of magisterial 
 powers. 4. A widespread conviction that some form 
 of government was necessary to develope the latent 
 wealth of the group, and determine once for all the 
 relations that were to exist between the native and 
 foreign inhabitants. 
 
 On the morning of June 5, 1871, the town of 
 Levuka was thrown into a state of unusual excitement. 
 Loud noises were heard proceeding from the direction 
 of the native village at Totoga. Some persons thought 
 this disturbance might be a native mek s e, or dance, but 
 then natives did not dance in the daytime ; others held 
 that it might be a fight between Fijians and half-castes ; 
 others that it might be a feast ; but no one supposed 
 itwas the inauguration of a responsible and constituted 
 Government. But such in truth it was. On approach- 
 ing the spot all doubts on the subject were speedily set
 
 THE KING OF FIJI. 287 
 
 at rest. The venerable and familiar form of Cacobau 
 was seen swathed in ample folds of native cloth. On 
 his right stood a few Fijian chiefs ; on his left some half- 
 dozen Europeans. A guard of Tongese and Fijian 
 soldiers surrounded the group, and made all the noise 
 by beating their native drums. Cacobau, or Cacobau 
 Rex, may be supposed to have had but a faint notion 
 of the part he was playing. He spoke a few words 
 in Fijian, which were neither heard nor understood by 
 the whites around him. Then one of the European 
 gentlemen came forward and gave notice to all whom 
 it might concern that a Government was now in ex- 
 istence ; that Cacobau was King of Fiji, and that he 
 (the speaker) was one of the King's ministers. Then 
 followed more drumming and shouting ; the King and 
 his ministers retired incontinently, and Levuka re- 
 sumed its usually quiet and, at that hour, even sleepy 
 appearance. Such was the 5th of June in Levuka, 
 a day which it was hoped would be as important in 
 the annals of Fiji as the 4th of July has been in the 
 annals of America. 
 
 The great majority of white settlers in Fiji con- 
 sidered the whole affair as an elaborate joke. It was 
 not the first time that similar attempts had ended in 
 failure. As long ago as 1865 Cacobau had granted 
 a charter to the whites settled in Ovalan. In 1867 
 and even in 1870 similar charters had been granted, 
 and power given to the inhabitants of Levuka to 
 make their own laws. Arrangements somewhat 
 similar had been made between other ruling chiefs
 
 288 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 and whites settled within their territories, as at Bua 
 and Cakandrove. But by far the most successful of 
 all these attempts was the so-called ' Lau Confede- 
 ration.' This was a confederation of the chiefs in the 
 extreme north and east of Fiji, a district sometimes 
 called Loma-Loma, and embracing a subsidiary group 
 of islands known as the ' Exploring Islands.' For 
 this confederation Mr. Swanston, as the representative 
 of the white planters, had drawn up a series of ex- 
 cellent rules, or more properly laws. Under the 
 discriminating and comparatively enlightened rule of 
 Maafu, a Tongan chief, these had worked admirably. 
 The whites paid a yearly impost to Maafu, and re- 
 ceived in return protection for life and property. The 
 arrangement worked in a satisfactory manner for both 
 parties, and in no long time after it had come into 
 force Lau was known as one of the most populous 
 and thriving districts of Fiji. 
 
 The attempt now made in Levuka was, however, 
 far more ambitious than any previous attempts had 
 been. It aimed at making Cacobau King of the 
 whole group instead of a portion of it. 1 It aimed at 
 making him an independent ruler, where previously 
 he had been indeed a ruler, but surrounded by other 
 rulers as wealthy, as independent, and as powerful as 
 himself. It aimed at governing the whole native 
 population through him, and not merely the native 
 but the white population. The men who had that 
 
 1 See ' Report of Commodore Goodenough and Mr. Consul Layard,' 
 p. I, s. 5.
 
 PENALTIES OF ROYALTY. 289 
 
 morning proclaimed a constitution had undertaken 
 this onerous task. They were to be the ministers, 
 or real governors of the country, while Cacobau was 
 merely to lend them the prestige of his name. No 
 wonder the public thought the whole matter a joke. 
 
 When, however, their scheme is carefully examined 
 into it is seen to have been arranged with no little 
 skill. Some years before this Cacobau had been 
 held responsible for certain injuries inflicted by Fijians 
 on American subjects. He had been compelled by 
 the United States to pay a large sum of money as 
 compensation. He pleaded, but in vain, that those 
 who had committed the outrages were not his subjects. 
 The Americans recognised him as King of Fiji, saluted 
 him with a royal salute, and mulcted him in the sum 
 of nine thousand pounds. He had thus been recog- 
 nised as King of Fiji by at least one great Power, 
 and of this fact his white advisers hoped to be able 
 to make political capital. If they could only induce 
 Fiji to recognise him, as America had done, their task 
 would be accomplished. They would then govern 
 the country in his name, and if he ruled it de jure 
 they would rule it de facto. The old man lent a 
 ready ear to their overtures, all the more so as by the 
 action of the powerful Tovata league his position as 
 premier chief of Fiji was now almost untenable. The 
 Tovata league l was a union of all the most powerful 
 chiefs on the eastern islands of Fiji. Its object seems 
 
 1 ' Fiji Times,' March II, 1874. 
 U
 
 29O TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 to have been to lessen and ultimately destroy the 
 power of Bau. Tiu Cakou lent it all the aid of his 
 powerful name, while the wily and ambitious Maafu 
 presided over its counsels and directed its movements. 
 In presence of this league Cacobau felt that his po- 
 sition was desperate, and gladly embraced the means 
 of escape now unexpectedly offered to him. 
 
 A tangible head to the Government being thus 
 secured, the next step was to induce a sufficient 
 number of whites to join in the scheme. Here, in- 
 deed, was a difficulty, but not an insuperable one. 
 Some money, however, was necessary before it could 
 be overcome, and this the King and his ministers un- 
 expectedly found themselves possessed of. A tribe 
 of mountaineers called the Levonis had just submit- 
 ted to Cacobau. As a punishment for their misdeeds 
 they were made subject to Bau, were compelled to 
 adopt Christianity (a political affair in Fiji), and finally 
 their labour was sold to white planters for the space 
 of five years. By this means eleven hundred pounds 
 were realised, 1 a sum quite sufficient to launch the 
 ministers fairly on their new career. By the aid of 
 this money Government offices were hired ; lucra- 
 tive appointments given to some, and similar ap- 
 pointments promised to many more. It was, indeed, 
 noticed that the men who were thus appointed 
 were, with scarcely an exception, new arrivals from 
 the colonies or personal friends of the ministers. A 
 band of fifty men was thus brought together bound to 
 
 1 This information I have derived from a private source. I have 
 no doubt whatever of its truthfulness.
 
 PREPARATIONS FOR A CHANGE. 29 J 
 
 its employers by self-interest and by common aims. 
 This body of men, though nominally ' civil servants,' 
 represented really a force in disguise — a fact which 
 at the time only a few persons in Levuka had suffi- 
 cient acumen to perceive. By skilfully holding out 
 vague hopes of future employment and renumeration 
 ministers succeeded in disarming a good deal of oppo- 
 sition. Every man who had anything to hope for 
 became at once a more or less staunch supporter of 
 the new order of things. Every man, in fact, whom it 
 was worth while conciliating was carefully led to ex- 
 pect that he himself would be a direct gainer by the 
 changes that were taking place. Levuka was first 
 gained over ; the outlying districts and islands followed 
 with more or less rapidity. The white community 
 was so small, and communication between different 
 islands so difficult, that there was really no such thing 
 in Fiji as public opinion, using the word in its broad- 
 est sense. There was also no press to fear. The 
 only newspaper at this time published in the group 
 was the 'Fiji Times.' This was more of an advertising 
 sheet than a journal, and was badly edited, badly 
 printed, and destitute of any literary merit or political 
 influence whatever. There was but little concerted 
 opposition to be feared from the whites scattered 
 throughout Fiji. Moreover, public meetings on every 
 topic from the conduct of the British Consul down to 
 the price of yams or the unpunctuality of Fijian 
 washerwomen, had been of late matters of daily occur- 
 rence in Levuka. A ' public meeting ' became at last 
 
 u 2
 
 292 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 a by- word, and sensible men did not find much 
 fault with the ministers for not taking this method of 
 declaring to their fellow-citizens the advent of a con- 
 stitutional government. 
 
 And yet, when allowance has been made for all 
 these special influences, the unanimity with which the 
 so-called coup d'etat of June 5 was received by an 
 English community is indeed remarkable. It can 
 only be explained by supposing that its importance 
 was very much underrated by many persons at first, 
 and also that everyone was already anxious to see 
 accomplished what a few men in an irregular manner 
 had now undertaken to perform. In after-times, when 
 the ministerial popularity had completely vanished, 
 the most rabid oppositionist did not venture to declaim 
 against government in the abstract. ' I was always a 
 Government man, sir, and am so still,' was a common 
 mode of prefacing a violent attack on an obnoxious 
 minister. In fact, the benefits to be derived from any 
 form of government honestly administered were so 
 great and so obvious that a man must have been blind to 
 his own interests who failed to see them. The Govern- 
 ment from the first moment of its existence met with 
 the greatest encouragement and consideration from 
 the community generally. But within a few months 
 a series of acts of gross folly, combined with a high- 
 handed mode of procedure, alienated this majority of 
 friends, and raised up a powerful and determined 
 opposition. 
 
 A king being now secured with a sufficient num-
 
 THE NEW GOVERNMENT. 293 
 
 ber of white supporters, it was time to commence the 
 real work of governing the country. To facilitate this 
 the Fiji Islands were roughly divided into electoral 
 districts. Each district was to send a delegate to ex- 
 amine on its behalf the constitution which Cacobau 
 proposed to grant to all his subjects, both black and 
 white. The House of Delegates, as these representa- 
 tives were collectively called, might either amend or 
 accept or reject this constitution. If accepted, it was 
 to form the basis of all future legislation, and to be a 
 standing declaration of the rights of every Fijian 
 subject, naturalised or otherwise. As regards the 
 Constitution Act itself much need not be said. It 
 was a document which, from a literary point of view, 
 reflected little credit on its framers. The first few 
 paragraphs might have been extracted from some 
 French Revolutionary documents of last century. 
 The existence of a God was affirmed, together with 
 the inalienable right of every man to happiness and 
 liberty of action. After this came paragraphs relat- 
 ing to the Royal Family, the imposition of taxes, 
 the machinery of government, and so forth. After 
 some weeks of deliberation this document, slightly 
 altered, was accepted, and from this moment the 
 ministers, and many other persons besides, held that 
 the Government had a constitutional existence. The 
 Assembly of Delegates was now dissolved by the King 
 in person, with many formalities and festivities, and 
 writs issued for the election of the first Parliament. 
 Before dismissing the Constitution Act it will be
 
 294 TWO YEARS IN FI J L 
 
 well to state that it was based on the Hawaiin or 
 Sandwich Islands constitution. These islands in 
 many respects, and in none more than their political 
 condition, bore a considerable resemblance to the 
 Fijis. They were, indeed, under the rule of one power- 
 ful chief, while Fiji was divided among several. Their 
 white population had come gradually, while in Fiji 
 it had been thrust on the unprepared natives within 
 the space of a few years. On the other hand, how- 
 ever, in spite of all difficulties, the Sandwich Islanders 
 had developed a government of their own, and had 
 succeeded in gaining the good will of America, 
 England, and France. Although representative 
 government existed therein it was in a modified form. 
 The King was ruler of the country, and could do no 
 wrong. Under him came the Privy Council, com- 
 posed of his ministers, who could be dismissed from 
 office only by the King's permission. Any minister, 
 therefore, who could gain a personal ascendency over 
 the sovereign could practically hold office for an in- 
 definite period. If defeated in Parliament he might 
 go through the farce of resigning office, but the King 
 would not accept his resignation, and there was an 
 end of the matter. The obnoxious minister became 
 more powerful than ever; and if he were a Richelieu or 
 a Strafford nothing short of a civil war could unseat 
 him. Read by the light of subsequent events there 
 is little doubt that the Fijian constitution was covertly 
 framed on the same model. 
 
 The self-appointed ministers were proteges of Caco-
 
 KING CACOBAU. 295 
 
 bau, and some of them, at any rate, possessed great 
 personal influence over him. To many of them the 
 King was heavily in debt for gunpowder, beer, salt 
 beef, and other humble but necessary items. He 
 had constantly before his eyes the threat of some 
 German or American ship-of-war enforcing prompt 
 payment of these claims. In studying Fijian 
 politics it must never be forgotten that Cacobau is 
 not really a civilised man. He is utterly uneducated, 
 and can with difficulty write his own name. Through- 
 out the history of this movement he is seen to be a 
 mere puppet in the powerful grasp of his white 
 advisers. He is the roi faineant, while Mr. Woods 
 or Burt or Thurston is for the time being his Mayor 
 of the Palace. Until past the middle period of life 
 Cacobau was a savage and a cannibal. He subse- 
 quently adopted Christianity, but that did not 
 necessarily make him the fit head of a constitutional 
 government. It may safely be asserted that in most 
 matters which affect the prosperity of a civilised 
 community King Coffee Kalcalli would be quite as 
 able a ruler as King Cacobau. 
 
 In the original draft of the constitution no refer- 
 ence had been made to separate Houses of Parliament. 
 An equal number of white members and native 
 chiefs were to sit together and frame laws for the 
 general community. But, apart from the difficulty 
 attending the use of a language not understood by 
 one section of the Legislature, there was a yet more 
 serious difficulty in the background. The native
 
 296 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 vote on any question was not an independent one. 
 It was not merely influenced but entirely controlled 
 by the known wishes of the King on the subject 
 before the House. It would, in fact, always be found 
 on the side of the minister, for, as we have seen, the 
 King's policy would be that of his favourite minister, 
 not that of the Parliament. Such an attempt to gain 
 absolute power was too much for even the friendly 
 and pliant Delegates. Yet it might have passed un- 
 noticed for some time but for the want of tact dis- 
 played on a certain occasion by the Chief Secretary. 
 It so happened that he had lost a measure by two 
 white votes. In this division the native chiefs pre- 
 sent had taken no part. They had looked stolidly 
 on ; and although somewhat surprised at the ringing of 
 the bell for the division, had prudently refrained from 
 meddling with what they did not understand. At a 
 signal, however, from the Chief Secretary they came 
 over as one man to the Government side, and changed 
 the previous minority of two into a majority of 
 twenty-eight. Such an episode in parliamentary 
 government could not pass unnoticed. The Dele- 
 gates broke up earlier than usual that day, and 
 ministers felt that henceforth a separate native 
 Assembly was inevitable. The chamber to which 
 the Fijian Chiefs were relegated might be compared 
 to the House of Lords, while the chamber where the 
 whites sat might be compared to the House of Com- 
 mons. The chiefs held their seats by virtue of 
 hereditary rank. They could not propose a measure,
 
 FIJIAN PARLIAMENT. 297 
 
 but could veto it or send it back for further discussion 
 to the Lower House. Every minister must be the 
 representative in Parliament of some constituency ; 
 but a member by accepting office under Government 
 did not vacate his seat. Finally, it was arranged that 
 all legislative power was to be vested in the King 
 and Legislative 'Assembly, and that ministers were 
 to hold office only during the will of Parliament. 
 Such were a few of the more important clauses of 
 the Constitution Act, as amended by the Delegates. ' 
 The suitability of the form of government chosen to 
 the requirements of Fiji will be considered hereafter. 
 Its leading idea was that of a constitutional monarchy. 
 Representative government and free institutions were, 
 indeed, conceded, but only in so far as was compa- 
 tible with the simultaneous existence of a Venetian 
 Council of Ten. 
 
 After the dismissal of the Delegates the ministers 
 began in all seriousness to govern their fellow-whites. 
 Mr. Sydney Burt, formerly an auctioneer in Sydney, 
 and since his arrival in Fiji commercial agent to 
 Cacobau, assumed the post of Chief Secretary, with 
 the prefix of Honourable. To Mr. Woods, who had 
 recently come to Fiji in order to survey a passage for 
 the Mail steamers, was entrusted the portfolio of 
 Foreign Affairs. Mr. J. C. Smith became Minister of 
 Trade, Mr. Sagarof Native Affairs, and Mr. Hennings 
 of Finance. To the two first of these gentlemen the 
 concoction of the whole Government scheme was 
 probably owing. They were undoubtedly the most
 
 298 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 able and most ambitious of the King's advisers. But 
 they were also beyond all question the most un- 
 popular. To their obstinate and indecent continuance 
 in office against the wish of the community must be 
 attributed much of the unpopularity which before 
 long overtook the Government. Mr. W. Hennings 
 was the pioneer merchant of Fiji. Few men were 
 so popular and so universally respected as he was. 
 While he remained in office his name was a source of 
 as much strength to the Government as the names of 
 Mr. Burt and Mr. Woods were a source of weakness. 
 Much had thus far been done by the ministers, 
 but more still remained. The native population had 
 yet to be conciliated and won over, and this could 
 only be through their own chiefs. Cacobau, indeed, 
 had been told by his advisers that he was King of 
 Fiji, and had always been so. Yet he had not him- 
 self been aware of the fact. Like M. Jourdain, who 
 had been talking prose all his life and never knew 
 it, so Cacobau had been King of Fiji for a number of 
 years and had not discovered the fact. Nor, indeed, 
 had some other chiefs been any better informed on 
 this important subject than Cacobau himself. Some 
 received the news of the discovery with astonishment, 
 others with incredulity, and some went even so far as 
 to show signs of loss of temper. Tiu Bau did not 
 know what to make of it, and drank more kava and 
 gin than ever. Tiu Cakou, the haughty lord of Caca- 
 drovi, held aloof from the whole business ; while 
 Ratu Kini, a self-made Napoleonic sort of man, swore
 
 MAAFU. 299 
 
 roundly that he never intended to be subject to 
 Cacobau or any other chief. But Fortune is said to 
 favour the brave, and she certainly favoured these 
 bold white men who intrigued so cleverly for place 
 and power. 
 
 Nearly a generation before the time of which we 
 write Maafu, a Tongan chief, had settled in Eastern 
 Fiji. There he had established a powerful rule, and 
 had exercised an ever-increasing influence on Fijian 
 politics. He was a man of ability and ambition. He 
 had shown himself to be both a general and a politi- 
 cian, and moreover to have a more thorough knowledge 
 of the doctrines and requirements of civilisation than 
 any other chief in the group. There is little doubt 
 that he could have made himself King of Fiji long 
 before this but for white influence, particularly 
 American. Eventually he had been beaten back 
 to his own district, whence, as from a centre, he 
 still contrived to make his influence felt over the 
 whole circle of the islands. He had already wrested 
 some of Cacobau's fairest lands from him. He had 
 formed a close alliance with Tiu Cakou, one of the 
 greatest of Fijian chieftains. He was head of the 
 Tovata league, perhaps the most powerful combina- 
 tion ever formed in Fiji against one man. Maafu's 
 independent position and ambitious designs were so 
 well known that it was with no small surprise that 
 men learned that he had joined the nascent Govern- 
 ment. Whether Maafu really thought the movement 
 would be a success, and therefore feared it, or a
 
 300 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 failure, and therefore hoped to use it, is doubtful. At 
 any rate, he accepted the title of Lieutenant-Governor 
 of a district which he had formerly ruled as an abso- 
 lute chief, and commuted all his revenues for the 
 modest sum of eight hundred pounds a year. In 
 addition to this, however, he received the rank of 
 Viceroy, one thousand pounds in money, and a clear 
 title to three islands, Moala, Motuku, and Totoya. 1 
 The adhesion of Maafu to the new Government was a 
 great accession of strength. When he had been 
 gained over there could be no doubt but that other 
 chiefs would soon follow. 
 
 Hitherto things had gone on more smoothly than 
 could have been expected ; but now a hitch seemed 
 likely to occur. Tiu Cakou, who did not as yet 
 know of Maafu's defection from the Tovata, flatly re- 
 fused to join the Government. His district, Cakadrovi, 
 was one of the most important in Fiji, both from the 
 wealth and the number of its white inhabitants. The 
 relations hitherto subsisting between the chief and the 
 whites had been excellent. He had afforded them a 
 fair share of encouragement and protection, and of 
 these benefits the white settlers were now not unmind- 
 ful. As soon as the news of the Government move- 
 ment reached Cakadrovi, meetings of the planters 
 were at once convened. It was then determined 
 among the whites to pursue whatever course their 
 legitimate chief, Tiu Cakou, should pursue. Tiu 
 Cakou declared against the Government, and conse- 
 
 1 'Fiji Times,' March II, 1874.
 
 THE AMERICAN CONSUL. 3OI 
 
 quently no white or native Delegates from his king- 
 dom attended the Assembly in Levuka. Cakadrovi 
 was thus unrepresented in that House which had 
 accepted Cacobau's constitution. Thus matters con- 
 tinued until the Delegates had quitted Levuka and 
 returned to their respective constituencies. Mean- 
 while Tiu Cakou had learned that Maafu had joined 
 the Government and seceded from the Tovata league. 
 When Tiu Cakou first heard this news he was on 
 board the ' Wainui ' on a pleasure-trip, and his rage 
 and disappointment was something terrible. His 
 position indeed was by Maafu's conduct considerably 
 altered. He had now not only Cacobau, but the 
 whites of Levuka and Maafu and his Tongans against 
 him. Such a position was clearly untenable, and he 
 had no other choice but to join the Government. 
 An American armed expedition, accompanied by 
 two of Cacobau's ministers, also went at this time to 
 Cakadrovi, to obtain redress for certain losses inflicted 
 on American subjects. Whether any influence was 
 thus exerted on the recalcitrant chief is not known 
 certainly, although a statement to that effect was 
 made plainly enough in Levuka, and was never con- 
 tradicted. It is certain that the American Consul 
 was warmly in favour of the new scheme, and pos- 
 sibly may have backed up the ministerial arguments 
 by measures calculated to alarm a barbarous chief. 
 Whether any coercion was used is not known ; but it 
 may be supposed that no direct or official influence 
 on behalf of the American Government was brought
 
 302 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 to bear. A few weeks after this incident Tiu Cakou 
 came to Levuka, and pitched his tent outside the 
 town. His arrival caused but little stir, and, indeed, 
 for some time was not generally known. To all who 
 attempted to communicate with him his manner was 
 distracted ; his eyes were red and swollen, and he 
 bore the appearance of a man who had attempted to 
 escape from some great trouble by the aid of the gin- 
 bottle. By the side of Maafu, with his clean-shaven 
 face, bright eyes, and neat uniform, he cut but a poor 
 figure. A few days after this it was publicly an- 
 nounced that Tiu Cakou had joined the Government 
 of Bau. He had accepted the same annual stipend 
 as Maafu. With him, of course, the whole of Caca- 
 drovi also joined, and thus a most important ac- 
 cession was gained. Tiu Bau, who was at best a 
 drunken sot, also about this time gave in his adhesion, 
 so that before the meeting of the first Parliament all 
 the really important subdivisions of Fiji had been 
 brought under the nominal sway of Cacobau. Ratu 
 Kini and the cannibals of Viti Levu still held out ; 
 but even they, or some of them, soon after yielded. 
 
 The success that had thus far attended the forma- 
 tion of the Government had been most striking. But 
 now unforeseen difficulties were about to retard its 
 further progress. 
 
 Before, however, mentioning these it will be well 
 to place before the reader the exact position which 
 the Government now occupied in the eyes of the 
 general body of white settlers. It consisted of Caco-
 
 NEED OF SETTLED GOVERNMENT. 303 
 
 bau and his nominee ministers and a few native 
 chiefs. They had seized power, indeed, in a most 
 irregular manner. But then the irregularity of their 
 proceedings had been allowed by most persons to 
 have been unavoidable in the state in which society 
 then was in Fiji. The Delegates had consented to 
 accept the constitution from the hands of the minis- 
 ters, and by so doing had condoned their previous 
 conduct. So strong was the desire felt by every 
 class of the community for a government of any kind, 
 that men were disposed rather to assist than to thwart 
 those who had promised to provide them with this 
 boon. The difficulties which, in spite of this friendly 
 feeling, the ministers had had to meet had been by 
 no means inconsiderable. The manner, however, in 
 which they had thus far consolidated their power, 
 and gradually won over one section of the white 
 population or one province of the native after another, 
 had been admirable. Their measures had been con- 
 certed with forethought and skill, and carried out 
 with energy. In these preliminaries they had dis- 
 played an amount of administrative ability which had 
 augured well for the future, and had won the respect 
 and confidence of their fellow-citizens. They had 
 seized office certainly, but were showing themselves 
 worthy to hold it. Such were the feelings of the 
 more intelligent portion of the white settlers towards 
 the Government at the close of the year 1871. As 
 regarded the native population the greater portion of 
 it was profoundly indifferent and profoundly ignorant
 
 304 ' TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 concerning the political events that were taking place. 
 The natives followed their chiefs implicitly, and all 
 the most important of these chiefs had already sworn 
 allegiance to Cacobau. For the first time in the 
 history of Fiji the whole group had been united under 
 one ruler. The Kai-se, or Fijian serf, had been 
 nominally emancipated. A barbarous feudalism had 
 been converted in a moment into a representative and 
 constitutional government. The English constitu- 
 tion, which had taken eight hundred years to develop, 
 had been transplanted bodily to a country whose in- 
 habitants had not yet learned to wear clothes. The 
 experiment had been, indeed, a most ambitious one, 
 and one in which failure was prima facie more pro- 
 bable than success. 
 
 Perhaps what now occupied the most anxious 
 thoughts of everyone in Fiji was the attitude which 
 England would adopt towards the new state. The 
 prevailing opinion among the politicians of Levuka 
 was that she would be only too glad to be relieved 
 from the necessity of meddling in Fijian matters, and 
 would therefore readily recognise the new Govern- 
 ment. There can be no doubt but that the previous 
 action of England fully justified this opinion. She 
 had already refused to accept the offer made to her 
 of the islands, had refused to grant the Consul magis- 
 terial powers, and rather than take the islands under 
 her protection had gone so far as to suggest that 
 Australia should undertake to govern them. In a 
 word, the English Cabinet had exhibited throughout
 
 ALLEGIANCE OF BRITISH SUBJECTS. 305 
 
 a pitiable spectacle of weakness and indecision in the 
 whole matter. Now, however, an unexpected chance 
 of at once escaping all further perplexities, and yet 
 of adopting a manly and intelligible policy, was pre- 
 sented. The best plan, under the circumstances, would 
 have been to have recognised the new state de jure 
 and de facto, and to have allowed English subjects to 
 transfer their allegiance to King Cacobau. English 
 influence ought to have been withdrawn from Fiji, 
 and England should no more have thought of inter- 
 fering for the future with the affairs of Fiji than with 
 those of Hawaii or Tahiti. There would no doubt 
 have been a short and sharp struggle among local 
 factions for supreme power ; but in the end peace and 
 security would have been the result. England, how- 
 ever, would not recognise the Government of Cacobau, 
 and consequently Englishmen domiciled in Fiji be- 
 gan to ask themselves even thus early whether they 
 could at will become subjects of another state, and 
 throw off their allegiance to Queen Victoria. Opin- 
 ions from eminent counsel were procured from 
 Sydney and elsewhere. Men could not answer the 
 important question for themselves, and in their per- 
 plexity naturally betook themselves to the British 
 Consul. Hitherto he had scrupulously avoided taking 
 any public part in the Government movement. While 
 other consuls countenanced the new Government, par- 
 took of the ministerial hospitalities, and deferentially 
 waited, or pretended to wait, on King Cacobau, 
 Mr. March preserved an immovable attitude. To 
 
 X
 
 306 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 him officially the King was still only Cacobau, chief 
 of Bau, the honourable the Chief Secretary was still 
 only an unsuccessful Sydney auctioneer, and the 
 assembly of the Delegates nothing but a public 
 meeting, like scores of others that had taken place in 
 Levuka. Mr. March, however, in common with 
 everyone else, saw the advisability and even necessity 
 of some Government. But, manifestly, he could 
 not give an official sanction »to the movement, par- 
 ticularly when so important a matter as the alle- 
 giance of British subjects was in question, without 
 definite instructions from home. Before the'se instruc- 
 tions could arrive, circumstances had ^occurred which 
 of necessity compelled him to adopt a hostile attitude 
 towards the King's ministers. 
 
 Immediately after the dissolution of the House of 
 Delegates, writs were issued for the election of mem- 
 bers of Parliament, or as it was called, in imitation of 
 the colonial phraseology, the ' Legislative Assembly.' 
 In the interval while the members were being elected 
 the whole executive power remained in the hands of 
 the self-appointed ministers. Their position was not 
 strictly a constitutional one ; but yet might have 
 passed without much questioning. Now, however, 
 incredible as it may seem, that discretion which had 
 hitherto marked the ministerial policy seemed sud- 
 denly to have deserted it. Day after day fresh enact- 
 ments were promulgated ' by order of the King in 
 Council.' By the Constitution Act, indeed, it had 
 clearly been affirmed that all power was vested in
 
 POLITICAL AGITATION. 307 
 
 the King and Legislative Assembly ; yet here was 
 the King in Council making laws without even the 
 pretence of consulting the representatives of the 
 people. Nor were these Orders in Council on mere 
 trivial matters, or on such as were so manifestly for 
 the benefit of the community at large that they 
 might have passed unchallenged. On the contrary, 
 they affected the liberty of the subject and the reve- 
 nues of the kingdom. By a stroke of the pen the 
 Criminal Code of Hawaii was appointed to be the 
 code by which British subjects were to be tried ; by 
 another it was superseded within a week by the code 
 of Victoria ; by another a police-court was esta- 
 blished in Levuka ; by another an enormous issue of 
 paper-money was authorised. Scarcely a Fiji Gazette 
 was published that did not contain some new ' Order 
 in Council: Men were at first astonished, and then 
 thoroughly alarmed, at the unexpected course things 
 were taking. It was said, and justly so, that minis- 
 ters should have waited for the meeting of Parlia- 
 ment. Under the peculiar circumstances in which 
 the country found itself, any trifling exercise of power 
 on their part would have been condoned ; but such 
 wholesale and even wanton legislation could not be 
 tolerated. And now a constitutional cry was raised. 
 It was said that the Delegates had only met to con- 
 sider the Constitution, not finally to accept it. Their 
 function had simply been to lay before their con- 
 stituents the work they had done, and if their con-
 
 308 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 stituents approved of it, then indeed it would become 
 law ; but not till then. 
 
 The King's ministers, however, held a different 
 view. They proceeded on the assumption that Caco- 
 bau was de jure and de facto King of Fiji. E very- 
 white man domiciled in the group was, theoretically 
 at any rate, a subject of the King. In strict political 
 logic those constituencies who returned members to 
 the first Parliament accept ex ipso facto this position. 
 Those constituencies or individuals who did not in- 
 tend to recognise the Government of Cacobau should 
 have abstained from all action whatsoever. Every 
 man who did not thus abstain had compromised his 
 position, and had tacitly pledged himself to abide by 
 the opinion of the majority. The power of the King 
 was absolute and indefeasible. It was merely as a 
 gracious condescension on his part, and as a proof of 
 his regard to the whites settled in his dominions, that 
 he had granted to them a Constitution at all. He 
 might have been an absolute ruler ; he preferred to 
 be a constitutional one. Meanwhile his gracious gift 
 did not invalidate his power. Through his ministers 
 he still could and would make decrees that had all 
 the force of law. Those who did not like these plain 
 truths, or who did not believe them, might, as the 
 Attorney-General said, leave the country. 
 
 Everyone of course knows that the ministers really 
 spoke of and for themselves, although they went 
 through the formality of using Cacobau's name. It 
 was even said that the King had, in many instances,
 
 GROWTH OF OPPOSITION. 309 
 
 been kept in ignorance of, and had not signed, the ob- 
 noxious Orders in Council at all. It was the ministers 
 who were endeavouring to impose a yoke on their fellow 
 citizens. The position they assumed might, from 
 their own point of view, have been logical enough ; but 
 it was one which they could successfully maintain only 
 by force of arms. It was one which a community, 
 accustomed to the free institutions of Australia and 
 America, or the still freer life of Fiji, would not 
 readily accept. A little consideration might have 
 shown the ministers that such men would never 
 willingly consent to be the subjects of a despotic 
 monarch. This monarch was moreover, be it remem- 
 bered, a man whose title was not yet a month old, 
 and whom men could remember as a naked savage ; 
 a man with whom they traded and jested times out of 
 mind ; a man who had before now consented to be 
 solemnly crowned with an oil-can, as a mark of real 
 dignity ; a man whom every new comer to Fiji was 
 accustomed to visit as one of the sights of Levuka, 
 and to whom he would offer brandy or champagne in 
 the same way as he might offer a biscuit to a bear 
 in the Zoological Gardens. Need it be said that 
 the ministerial doctrines, as soon as understood, were 
 received with derision and defiance by all independent 
 men from Loma Loma to the far-off Yassawas, and 
 from Vanna Levu in the north to Kadavu in the 
 south ? 
 
 As might be supposed, the ministers now began to 
 lose popularity in many quarters. A regular oppo- 
 sition was set on foot, composed mainly of British
 
 310 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 subjects. These persons declared that they preferred 
 to remain Englishmen rather than become natives of 
 Fiji. And now the evil of the hasty and arbitrary 
 manner in which the Government had come into 
 existence became abundantly evident. Every discon- 
 tented man held that he had a right to refuse to 
 submit to it, and might cease or otherwise to take any 
 part in it, exactly when he pleased. To such opposi- 
 tion the Government applied the name of sedition, 
 and declared that all who took part in it were rebels 
 and traitors. The British Consul had up to this time 
 remained perfectly neutral. But now, insomuch as 
 he could not recognise the claims of Cacobau and his 
 ministers to coerce British subjects, he became invo- 
 luntarily, and, as it were ex officio, identified with the 
 Opposition. In the absence of definite instructions 
 from England, it is difficult to know what other 
 course he could have pursued. In the midst of the 
 excitement attending the opposition movement, the 
 elections for Members of Parliament came off. Levuka 
 had the right of returning three. Two of the King's 
 ministers, one of them a most popular man person- 
 ally, and the pioneer merchant of Fiji, were indeed 
 successful ; but only partially so. They were not at 
 the head of the poll, where they expected to be. 
 Dr. Ryley, one of the few Delegates who had opposed 
 the passing of the Constitution Act, and who was 
 known to be bitterly hostile to the new Government, 
 was returned by a large majority. This was a signi- 
 ficant sign of the altered temper of the people, a 
 sign which the ministry failed to interpret rightly.
 
 ,11 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 The Government consolidates its Power — The Supreme Court — The 
 Police Court — The case of Rees — Parliamentary Opposition dis- 
 avowed — Issue of Paper-money — More Grievances — The Ku Klux 
 — Fall of the Ministry — Accession of Mr. Thurston —Mr. Woods 
 Premier — The Ba River District — Native Outrages — Conduct of 
 the Ministers who visited the District — Political Action of the 
 Planters — A Civil War imminent — Interference of H.M. S. ' Dido ' 
 — Last Session of the Triennial Parliament — Unsettled State of the 
 Country generally — Threatened Secession of Maafu — Attempt to 
 enfranchise Natives — Collapse of the Attempt at Self-Government — 
 Arrival of Commodore Goodenough and Mr. Consul Layard. 
 
 In spite of the growing opposition, which, however, 
 was as yet confined almost entirely to Levuka, the 
 ministers continued to consolidate and increase their 
 power. Dr. Macartney, an ex-member of the Legis- 
 lative Assembly of Victoria, was appointed, with a 
 salary of 500/. a year ; many bills, principally 
 relating to the imposition of taxes and the adminis- 
 tration of justice, were drafted ; a budget was sketched 
 out, a post-office established in Levuka, in opposition 
 to the one already existing at the British Consulate ; 
 Levuka itself constituted a municipality ; the con- 
 struction of public offices, and a House of Parliament, 
 commenced ; and many other reforms either promised 
 or undertaken.
 
 3 1 2 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 As has been already stated, the Code of Hawaii 
 and subsequently that of Victoria had been adopted 
 by the King in Council as the statute law of Fiji. To 
 administer this a Supreme Court was now established 
 in Levuka, presided over by three judges. Minor 
 courts were also established in most of the outlying 
 districts. These were under the direction of the local 
 chiefs, aided by some of the white planters of the 
 district. Many of these planters were now placed on 
 the commission of the peace- — an honour which, in all 
 cases, was accepted readily enough. In Levuka there 
 was moreover a police-court, under the direction 
 of a stipendiary magistrate, assisted by a Fijian 
 colleague. 
 
 The Supreme Court was the highest court of 
 appeal in the country. Under its various jurisdictions, 
 such as admiralty, ecclesiastical, criminal, and so 
 forth, it could take cognisance of offences of every 
 nature and degree, from petty larceny to high treason. 
 It was at once a civil and a criminal tribunal, a Court 
 of Chancery, a court of Queen's Bench, and a police 
 court in one. It represented the highest available 
 legal talent in the kingdom, and not even Parliament 
 could reverse its decisions. Under such circumstances 
 it might be supposed that no pains would have been 
 spared to place it beyond the reach of suspicion, and 
 to secure for its decisions all the respect which high 
 professional standing, or unblemished personal cha- 
 racter in its judges, could confer. Such, however, was 
 not the case. The chief justice had been, up to the time
 
 THE JUDGES. 313 
 
 of his appointment, a law reporter to the ' Sydney 
 Morning Herald.' He was an estimable man in 
 private life, but scarcely the person to be appointed 
 as chancellor of a kingdom, and Controller of its most 
 important court. He had originally been consul-general 
 for Hawaii in Sydney, and had been knighted by the 
 King of the Sandwich Islands. Unfortunately this 
 is an honour recognised by no court in Europe, or 
 elsewhere, and cannot be said to have at all increased 
 the personal importance of the chief justice. It 
 tended rather to make him ridiculous in the' eyes of all 
 sensible men, and to bring himself and his court into 
 contempt. The associate judge, when the court was 
 constituted, was not a barrister at all, but a solicitor ; 
 while the third judge was Mr. Justice Marica, a Fiji 
 man of mature years. From the very nature of the 
 case he was of course ignorant of all law except club 
 law. He could speak scarcely a word of English, 
 and at every turn required the services of an inter- 
 preter. He was an excellent man, but utterly un- 
 suited for a supreme court judge. On the bench his 
 position to himself must have been exquisitely painful. 
 He was daily called on to give his opinion on points 
 of law which he could not possibly comprehend. He 
 might indeed, in most cases, with just as much pro- 
 priety, have been asked to give his opinion on the 
 integral calculus or on the functions of the pineal 
 gland. He was completely ignorant of the Hawaiian 
 or any other code, and could no more interpret a 
 knotty point of law than he could interpret the
 
 314 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 pleadings of the advocate who spoke before him in an 
 unknown tongue. His presence on the bench might 
 have been necessary in cases where Fijians were 
 interested parties ; but if so, he should have confined 
 himself to such cases, and not have presumed to tread 
 on unknown ground. It is not too much to say that 
 this supreme court never did and never could command 
 the confidence of the community. Its judges, too, 
 were all more or less interested parties, especially in 
 all trials of a political nature, a large number of which 
 came before them every session. On the success of 
 the Government movement depended the offices and 
 salaries of the judges ; and where such interests are at 
 stake it is not to be expected of any man, even with 
 the best intentions, that he can be perfectly unbiassed. 
 Although no Impey sat on the Bench in Levuka, the 
 supreme court of Fiji was probably not less useful to 
 the Government than the supreme court of Calcutta 
 had once been to Warren Hastings. 
 
 In Levuka a police-court had been established 
 almost immediately after the inauguration of the 
 government. It had been called into existence by 
 an ' Order in Council,' and had given offence to many 
 persons from the very commencement. Its constitu- 
 tion was by many declared to be illegal, inasmuch as 
 it had been created before any parliament had sat 
 that could sanction such a court. The opposition 
 which the ministers were encountering in Levuka had 
 been growing every day more intense, and now it was 
 finally determined by a number of the citizens to
 
 CASE OF REES. 3 I 5 
 
 resist forcibly the jurisdiction of this obnoxious court. 
 An opportunity soon presented itself. An old sailor 
 named Rees, in receipt of a pension from the British 
 Government, had been employed to perform some 
 work by the editor of the ' Fiji Gazette,' the Govern- 
 ment organ, who was himself, of course, a ' Govern- 
 ment man.' Mr. Murray, the editor, not satisfied 
 with the conduct of Rees, took out a summons against 
 him, and cited him to appear before the magistrate 
 sitting in the police-court. Rees, it so happened, was 
 one of those tough, sturdy men that are slow to be 
 moved, but when once moved are formidable adver- 
 saries. He was well known and popular in Levuka, 
 and altogether was an unfortunate subject for arbi- 
 trary experiments. He refused to obey the summons, 
 and consequently a warrant was issued for his arrest. 
 When arrested he appealed to the British Consul, 
 who protested against the action that had been taken. 
 Rees meanwhile was lodged in a narrow cell, in com- 
 pany with three natives, and certainly had every 
 reason to complain of the way in which he was 
 treated. The ventilation was bad, the food insuffi- 
 cient, and the jailors harsh, while his friends were not 
 allowed to visit him without a magistrate's order. 
 A committee of citizens was immediately formed to 
 investigate the whole affair, and, if necessary, effect 
 the deliverance of the prisoner by force. 
 
 Next day Rees was brought up for trial. He 
 denied the jurisdiction of the court, and was remanded 
 to prison for contempt. The magistrate publicly
 
 3 16 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 declared that it was his intention to commit the 
 prisoner every day if necessary, until he should be 
 brought to recognise the authority of the court. This, 
 of course, made matters worse. Levuka was soon in 
 a state of intense excitement. Armed men patrolled 
 the streets, the shopkeepers closed their shops, and 
 all business was for a time suspended. This trial 
 had now become a Government affair. The Attorney- 
 General prosecuted, while Mr. De Courcey Ireland, 
 well known afterwards in connexion with certain 
 matters on the Ba coast, defended the prisoner. 
 With the consent of all parties, it was arranged that 
 the matter really to be tried was the legality of the 
 police-court. The case for the Crown was that 
 Cacobau was absolute King of Fiji, and therefore had 
 a right to establish any court or make any laws he 
 chose. In support of this claim a mass of hetero- 
 geneous evidence was brought forward, consisting of 
 documents from naval commanders, from the Ameri- 
 can Consulate, and a stray letter from the British 
 Consul, where the word ' king ' occurred. Mr. Ire- 
 land, on the other hand, contended that Cacobau was 
 never king of the whole group in any sense of the 
 word ; and that, even supposing he had been, he had 
 subsequently of his own accord abdicated his power 
 in virtue of a constitutional form of government. 
 The Constitution Act stated clearly that all legisla- 
 tive power was vested in the King and Legislative 
 Assembly, and therefore the King's Order in Council 
 could not alone be sufficient to establish a criminal
 
 TRIAL OF REES. 317 
 
 code of foreign origin, or to impose pains and penal- 
 ties on free men. The magistrate was judge of his 
 own case, and decided that these arguments were 
 of no avail, a decision in which, he was glad to 
 find, his friend Justice Marika coincided. Rees was 
 again relegated to jail, to be brought up next morning. 
 The morrow dawned anxiously enough for many 
 persons in Levuka. During the night a committee 
 of the citizens had sat, and, after careful considera- 
 tion, had determined that there remained only an 
 appeal to force. The majority of whites would not 
 recognise Cacobau as absolute sovereign, would not 
 recognise the pretensions of his ministers, and would 
 not take the Attorney-General's advice and leave the 
 country. Consequently they had determined to de- 
 fend what they considered their rights with their lives 
 if necessary. The civil servants, too, had dropped 
 their sealing-wax and red tape, and had assumed the 
 batons of special constables. As the hour appointed 
 for the trial approached, public excitement ran very 
 high. Every man in such a small community was 
 obliged to be more or less of a partisan. Private 
 friendships were forgotten in political enmities. In 
 such a crisis no one could remain neutral ; or if any 
 did, they deserved the curse pronounced by the Greek 
 lawgiver on those wretched beings who, in a civil 
 commotion, took neither side. Great masses of men, 
 all more or less armed, might be seen gradually 
 moving up towards the police-court from various 
 parts of the town. At length the long-expected hour
 
 315 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 arrived, and the prisoner was led into court. But no 
 man appeared to accuse him, and he was discharged 
 forthwith. This was at once understood to be a 
 victory for the oppositionists, and rightly so. The 
 ministers felt they had already proceeded too far, and 
 were glad to seize the only chance that remained of 
 retiring gracefully from the matter. The concession, 
 however, had come too late. The release of another 
 prisoner committed to jail about the same time as 
 Rees was demanded and refused. A large body of 
 citizens thereupon marched down to the jail, broke it 
 open, took the prisoner to the other end of the town, 
 and tried him before a jury. He was found guilty, 
 and handed over to the British Consul, who, with a 
 view to meet the ends of justice and as far as possible 
 allay the ill-feeling that existed between the towns- 
 people and the Government, sent him back to prison. 
 Thus ended the first serious conflict between the new 
 Government and the people. In it the Government 
 were clearly defeated, and probably from this time 
 the ministers secretly gave up all idea of ruling con- 
 stitutionally, and determined to retain power by any 
 means and at all hazards. 
 
 The first Parliament met in October 1871. At 
 first it was supposed there would be a stormy oppo- 
 sition, and so indeed there was, but only for a few 
 weeks. Within that time it had crumbled down 
 before the dexterous method of attack employed by 
 Messrs. Burt and Woods. New offices, such as Lands 
 Commissions, were given to some unruly members,
 
 FINANCE. 3 I 9 
 
 vague promises were freely made to others, and in a 
 word everyone was made to believe that it would be 
 to his interest to be on the side of the ministers. By 
 such means all danger of a serious opposition was 
 removed. A few men indeed still remained true to 
 their principles, but they were in a hopeless minority, 
 and their votes could not affect the general result. 
 The few who could not be bought over — and they 
 were very few — were thus left alone in the House, and 
 found but little sympathy among their colleagues. 
 The ministers, meanwhile, lost no time in passing 
 various Acts, by which the whole governing power of 
 the country was centred in their hands. The budget 
 was fixed at about 25,000/., but the actual ex- 
 penditure for the nine months ending June 1872 
 amounted to nearly 30,000/.' Permission was ob- 
 tained from Parliament to issue debentures to the 
 value of 5,000/. bearing interest at 10 per cent, and 
 secured on the revenues of the kingdom. The civil 
 list was very large for such a small country as Fiji, 
 but Parliament did not care to scrutinise it. Every- 
 thing that the ministers asked for the Commons 
 granted, until it seemed as if no member had any 
 power of independent thought or action. Owing 
 to the slowness of printing in Levuka, all members 
 could not be furnished with copies of the bills before 
 the House ; consequently, many of them actually 
 voted with Government without having read the 
 
 1 See ' Report of Commodore Goodenough and Mr. Consul Layard.' 
 p. 36.
 
 320 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 measures they voted for. The first Parliament was 
 in fact a burlesque on representative Government. It 
 represented nothing but the ambitious designs of the 
 self-constituted ministers. In Levuka, at any rate, 
 men saw that if future Parliaments were to be as 
 subservient as the first, there was little hope of a 
 constitutional Government. On the other hand, it 
 must be said that settlers in the outlying districts 
 had as yet had no opportunity of understanding the 
 drift of the ministerial policy. They were still 
 dazzled by the prospects of an influx of capital into 
 the group, followed by a general rise in the value of 
 all property. Most of the representatives returned 
 had been more or less favourable to the Government 
 from the first. They were, moreover, quite unskilled 
 in the practical work of legislation, and were glad 
 to leave the conduct of matters they did not under- 
 stand to the guidance of energetic men like Mr. Woods 
 or Mr. Burt. 
 
 One of the first practical results of the setting 
 up of a government was to flood Fiji generally 
 with paper-money. A large number of debentures, 
 varying in value from one to ten dollars, were printed 
 and put in circulation. The interest on these deben- 
 tures was to be paid in coin, and certain days were 
 fixed at the Treasury for the payment in specie of 
 the debentures themselves. But any man who had 
 repaired to the Treasury on the appointed day with 
 the expectation of receiving gold or silver for his 
 paper would have been sadly disappointed. There
 
 COMMERCIAL DIFFICULTIES. 32 I 
 
 was no specie in the country, not even the hitherto 
 despised Bolivian half-dollars. In Sydney the Fijian 
 ' Government notes ' were treated as so much waste 
 paper. Merchants or masters of vessels would not 
 accept them, and the public followed their example. 
 A few storekeepers, however, took them, but at 
 a ruinous discount — some six or eight shillings in 
 the pound. Meanwhile, it was necessary to have 
 some medium of exchange by which business could 
 be carried on. This was supplied by an extended 
 system of I O U's. If a sailor went into the bar- 
 room of an hotel he at once gave his I O U for what 
 he had drunk ; planters gave storekeepers their 
 I O U's instead of cotton or cocoa-nut oil ; and 
 storekeepers gave their employes I O U's instead 
 of their weekly wages. Strange as it may seem, 
 many preferred these worthless documents to the 
 ' Government paper.' Those who still had gold or 
 silver kept it carefully concealed. It was said that 
 the natives had large sums in half-dollars buried 
 near their villages, but were afraid to use them. 
 Merchants and storekeepers treasured up every coin 
 they could find, in order to give it to the ship- 
 masters who brought their goods from Sydney, and 
 who declared they would rather take the merchandise 
 back than give it in exchange for bad paper. In 
 most outlying districts planters refused to have any- 
 thing to do with paper-money. The credit of the 
 Government was, in fact, not sufficiently good to 
 enable them to float their issues. Such a state of 
 
 Y
 
 322 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 things could not, of course, last long, and by-and-by 
 worked its own cure. People gradually were obliged 
 to take Government notes, because they could get 
 nothing else. About this time Mr. Hennings became 
 Minister of Finance, and his signature attached to 
 these Government debentures inspired the public 
 with more confidence than any Acts of Parliament 
 could have done. The Government policy in regard 
 to finance all along seemed to be to mystify everyone 
 as much as possible, and to keep every measure a 
 profound secret. In a small community like Fiji this 
 was not easily done, and in the position in which the 
 ministers were was far from judicious even to attempt 
 it. In December 1 87 1 the first Parliament was pro- 
 rogued, and its members returned to their cotton 
 plantations and their constituencies. So far the 
 ministers had had it all their own way. They had 
 educated Parliament till it had willingly passed all 
 their measures. The Government of the country was 
 completely in their hands. A despotism, in fact, was 
 all but established, and that by a few men, some of 
 whom six months previously had been unknown and 
 unnoticed in the general community of Fiji. 
 
 At the commencement of 1872 the Government, 
 as represented by the ministers, had become ex- 
 tremely unpopular. Their conduct previous to the 
 meeting of Parliament had already alienated many 
 of their supporters. The obnoxious Orders in Council, 
 by which a police court and paper-money had been 
 forced on the community had not been forgotten.
 
 UNPOPULARITY OF 'GOVERNMENT.' 323 
 
 To these were now added fresh grievances. At the 
 time of the inauguration of Government many posts 
 and offices had been promised to persons resident in 
 Levuka whose opposition was feared, or whose good- 
 will it was thought proper to conciliate. These 
 promises had not been kept. Every vessel from 
 Sydney or New Zealand had brought numerous 
 strangers to Fiji, and these, the older residents per- 
 ceived, were constantly appointed to all vacant places, 
 or places even made for them. In most instances the 
 individuals so appointed were personal friends of some 
 one minister. This, indeed, in many cases, seemed 
 their only recommendation, for their previous his- 
 tories would have acted as a bar to their obtaining 
 respectable employment in any settled country. The 
 use of such men to the ministers was plain enough. 
 Under the name of ' civil servants ' they formed a 
 compact body, depending for very food and raiment 
 on those whom they served. Such men were ever 
 ready to support their employers, and under the name 
 of ' special constables ' formed a well-organised and 
 readily available force. Meanwhile, a host of claim- 
 ants for place and power felt personally aggrieved by 
 the promotion of these comparative strangers. If a 
 few representative and popular citizens had been 
 chosen to fill the more important Government places 
 it would have done much to conciliate the people. 
 But the opposite plan having been adopted, dissatis- 
 faction, the result of disappointment or wounded 
 vanity, became general.
 
 324 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 The conduct of the late Parliament had also given 
 o-reat dissatisfaction. It was said that the budget 
 was excessive, that an expensive and useless executive 
 had been forced on the country, that the taxes were 
 inordinate, and so forth. Those who had property 
 feared they might be called on to pay for those who 
 had not, as it was evident that the money which was 
 being so freely spent must be supplied from some 
 quarter. To these must be added the hauteur and 
 arrogant bearing adopted by some of the ministers in 
 public. Their conduct in this respect, in a small 
 place like Levuka, was as absurd as it was injudicious. 
 The Prime Minister was simply a shopkeeper, like 
 scores of others in Levuka ; and though he called 
 himself the commercial agent of Cacobau, everyone 
 knew that he was only a retail trader. The Minister 
 of Finance had a shop close to the Minister of Trade. 
 The Minister for Foreign Affairs had originally come to 
 Fiji to survey a passage for Mail steamers, but had 
 remained to conduct the diplomatic business of the 
 country. When Peter, in the ' Tale of a Tub,' insisted 
 on wearing three hats and being called ' my lord,' he 
 did not display more extravagant airs or more absurd 
 pretensions than did some of these self-appointed 
 advisers of the King. Their pretensions were the 
 more intolerable because they were unfounded. 
 Everyone in Levuka knew that the antecedents of a 
 few of the ministers were such as would not only have 
 prevented their being employed in any Government 
 capacity in the Australian colonies, but would further
 
 THE 'KU-KLUX.' 325 
 
 have ensured their expulsion from every decent club 
 in Sydney or Melbourne. 
 
 Discontent at last assumed the form of open 
 rebellion. Levuka was the head-quarters of the 
 oppositionists. Among the most determined oppo- 
 nents of the Government was an old man named 
 Keyse, who had been for some time a resident in 
 Fiji. He had built a house, which, being extended 
 on piles into the harbour, admitted of being easily 
 fortified. This was now done, and ' Keyse's ' became 
 the head-quarters of the malcontents. Here they 
 formed themselves into a secret society, called the 
 ' Ku Klux,' and pledged themselves by terrible oaths 
 to obey their leaders and to keep all their delibe- 
 rations secret. The members of this society bore 
 arms, and bound themselves at a certain signal to be 
 at their posts, prepared for any emergency. The 
 defence of the house and the general direction of the 
 society's affairs were entrusted to a committee, pre- 
 sided over by a retired naval officer. This society was 
 formidable both from the number and character of 
 its adherents, and appeared all the more formidable 
 because the real extent of its power could not be 
 known. The Government met this new foe as best it 
 could. The Houses of Parliament were fortified, and 
 guns placed so as to bear on the fortifications of the 
 opposition. The Government position was at one end 
 of the town, while their opponents were at the other. 
 Levuka thus lay at the mercy of both parties, and in 
 case of a battle would have been placed between two
 
 326 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 fires. During such a time all business was necessarily 
 more or less suspended. No one could tell the 
 moment when the hostile factions would open fire on 
 one another. A collision was hourly expected ; and 
 as the Ku Klux men were well-organised and tho- 
 roughly in earnest, such a contest would probably 
 have overthrown the Government. As it was it com- 
 pelled the resignation of Mr. Burt, the most obnoxious 
 of the ministers. But here its further existence was 
 summarily put an end to by the arrival of H.M.S. 
 ' Cossack.' On this occasion the Fiji Government 
 was recognised by England de facto, but not de jure. 
 In other words, it was only partially recognised, a 
 policy of half measures which was productive of much 
 subsequent mischief. This was the first occasion on 
 which the Fiji Government was supported by an 
 English vessel-of-war, but it was by no means the last. 
 In March 1872 the body of self-constituted minis- 
 ters finally lost power. Mr. Burt was forced to resign, 
 but he was far too able a man to be allowed to remain 
 in opposition. Accordingly, he was offered and ac- 
 cepted the Attorney- Generalship, and henceforth plays 
 a minor part in the Government which he himself had 
 been mainly instrumental in establishing. Mr. Thurs- 
 ton, who had at one time been Acting British 
 Consul, and who had the confidence of all parties, 
 was now asked to join the Government. He con- 
 sented, and accepted the post of Minister of Foreign 
 Affairs. Mr. Woods, meanwhile, went to Sydney, 
 where he succeeded in raising a small loan. On his
 
 VITI LEVU, OR BIG FIJI. 
 
 O^/ 
 
 return he again became Prime Minister, much to the 
 dissatisfaction of all moderate men. Mr. Woods was 
 both an able and energetic man, and it was much to 
 be regretted that he did not see the necessity of 
 yielding to public opinion and resigning a post which 
 he could only hope to retain by force. Had he done 
 so it is possible that even at this late stage the 
 Government might have been established on a secure 
 and permanent footing. But Mr. Woods would not 
 resign the Premiership, and therefore all hopes of a 
 hearty union among politicians for the good of the 
 country were now at an end. 
 
 While matters were in this unsettled state in 
 Levuka they were in even a worse state in some of 
 the outlying districts. In the north and north-west 
 of Viti Levu, or Big Fiji, one of the wildest parts of 
 the group, some adventurous settlers had bought 
 land and formed homesteads and plantations. The 
 Ba river, coming down from the highlands in the 
 interior of the island, flows over an alluvial plain, 
 some six miles in extent, before it empties itself into 
 the sea. This plain consists of a soil well suited to 
 the growth of cotton, and possesses a further ad- 
 vantage in being free from heavy timber, the clearing 
 away of which is always an expensive and troublesome 
 operation. The mountains which skirt this plain are 
 lofty and inaccessible, and, moreover, are inhabited 
 by a race of ferocious cannibals. These cannibals, 
 or Kai Colos (mountain-men), as they were called, 
 had never been subject to Cacobau. While the rest
 
 328 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 of Fiji had lotued or become Christian these tribes 
 still remained heathen. They allowed their hair to 
 grow long, and twisted it into fantastic shapes ; they 
 painted their bodies, and wore no covering except 
 a narrow strip of native cloth. The country they 
 lived in was long a terra incognita ; several whites 
 had tried to penetrate it, but had lost their lives in 
 the attempt. The few who had succeeded gave a 
 doleful description of it. They stated that it was rocky 
 and sterile, covered in many places with dense brush- 
 wood, in others destitute of all vegetation, and 
 abounding in precipices, which could be scaled only 
 by paths known to the mountaineers. From the 
 earliest times the Kai Colos had been the enemies 
 of the lowlanders ; they had been accustomed, like 
 the Highlanders of Scotland, to make predatory ex- 
 cursions on the peaceful and fertile districts which 
 lay between them and the sea. When short of food, 
 they had never hesitated to come down through the 
 passes and plunder the coast natives of their yams, 
 or pigs or fowls. Hence the Ba district had long- 
 been one of the most unsettled in Fiji. But the very 
 fact that it was so made land cheap, and this was a 
 great recommendation in the eyes of some adventurous 
 settlers. The soil was good, possessed the advantage 
 of water-carriage, and could be purchased at a very 
 cheap rate. A few pounds of gunpowder, a few yards 
 of calico, an old musket or two, were in the Ba dis- 
 trict of more value than five times the same quantity 
 of trade or money in Ovalan or Tavinni. Hence in
 
 THE SETTLERS OF THE BA DISTRICT. 329 
 
 spite of all drawbacks the land 011 each side of the 
 Ba river was taken up by planters for a considerable 
 distance. Probably they did not know the risks to 
 which they exposed their lives in occupying such an 
 outpost of civilisation. Once settled, however, on 
 their lands, retreat was impossible, and it remained, 
 therefore, only to make the best of the situation. 
 
 Until the middle of 1871 no serious outrages 
 had been attempted ; but in July of that year two 
 white planters, Messrs. Spiers and Macintosh, were 
 murdered by the mountaineers under circumstances 
 of peculiar atrocity. After death their bodies had been 
 cut up into small fragments ; each piece had been 
 wrapped in a banana-leaf and sent as a present 
 to some chief. The cannibal drums had been beaten 
 all night long, and next day a hideous feast was 
 proclaimed, at which native warriors attended in great 
 numbers. After the murder of these two planters the 
 mountaineers became every day more bold and 
 aggressive. At length matters became so bad that 
 the settlers had to arm their imported labourers, and 
 to watch their houses day and night. Two expedi- 
 tions of whites and Fijians had already proceeded 
 against the mountaineers, and had destroyed several 
 of their villages. But as soon as Cacobau had been 
 declared King of all the Fijis the mountain tribes 
 who still refused to acknowledge his sway were of 
 course rebels, and their subjugation became a govern- 
 ment matter. The white settlers on the Ba had 
 never been warm supporters of the Government
 
 33© TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 schemes. They were too far away from Levuka to 
 benefit much by ministerial patronage, and had, more- 
 over, been so long accustomed to defend themselves 
 that they preferred to continue to do so still. This, 
 however, did not suit the plans of the ministers. A 
 large force of Fijian and Tongan troops were sent 
 down to the Ba district, as much, it was said, to over- 
 awe the whites as to check the mountaineers. These 
 troops were, indeed, useless as a means of conquering 
 the disaffected tribes, but nevertheless formed more or 
 less of a protection to the planters, and as such were 
 appreciated by them. Most planters, however, still 
 kept their imported labourers well-armed, and them- 
 selves never quitted their houses without a rifle or 
 revolver in their hands. Matters had been in this 
 state for some time, when towards the end of 1872 
 two of the King's ministers made a tour of inspection 
 round the island of Viti Levu. Among other places 
 they visited the Ba River. Here they severely rated 
 the settlers for their lukewarmness and disloyalty, and 
 declared that they had no right to defend themselves 
 against the mountaineers, or to arm their imported 
 labourers. These duties the King's troops could 
 perform ; and in such hands all planters were ex- 
 pected to leave the defence of their lives and 
 properties. Meanwhile, in order to impress their 
 counsel on the minds of the Tanna men, the two 
 ministers took one of them and, placing a halter 
 round his neck, pointed to the nearest tree, and in- 
 formed him that if he shot any mountaineer he
 
 MURDER OF MR. BURNS. 33 1 
 
 should certainly be hanged. When the planters heard 
 of this transaction they were very indignant, and 
 declared that the ministers were positively inviting 
 the mountaineers to attack and murder them. This 
 was scarcely true, though the conduct of ministers in 
 thus interfering between the men and their employers, 
 especially under the peculiar circumstances of the 
 case, was injudicious and culpable. The ministers 
 had hardly returned to Levuka when the whole of 
 Fiji was electrified by the news of a fearful outrage 
 in the Ba district. Mr. Burns, who inhabited a lonely 
 and exposed plantation, had been murdered, together 
 with his wife and children and several Apie labourers. 
 Their bodies had been treated with every indignity, 
 and at length cut into small pieces and eaten. The 
 horrified settlers could hear the cannibal drums all 
 night long, and each one of them felt that it might be 
 his turn next. 
 
 The planters seem unanimously to have attributed 
 this murder to the action of the ministers on the oc- 
 casion of their visit, and also to the fact that the 
 Government troops had been suddenly withdrawn 
 from the district. Their indignation rose to the 
 highest pitch, and they resolved to cut adrift from 
 a Government which could thus leave them unpro- 
 tected, and at the same time forbid them to protect 
 themselves. In conjunction with the settlers of Nadi 
 and Nadroga they formed a kind of provincial ' Ku 
 Klux.' They pledged themselves to act together on 
 all occasions as one man, and if necessary to take up
 
 332 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 arms against all who should attempt to coerce them. 
 They then formally disowned the Government that 
 had been established at Levuka, and refused to obey 
 its decrees or pay its taxes. As soon as the Govern- 
 ment heard of these warlike proceedings they dis- 
 patched a body of troops to the Ba ; but the settlers 
 met them, beat them off, and compelled them to 
 return discomfited to Levuka. Meanwhile they 
 called on their brother settlers to redeem their 
 promise and to assist them. This their brethren 
 did, and soon a large and determined body of men 
 were in open rebellion to the Government of Cacobau. 
 Troops were now sent down in much larger numbers 
 from Levuka, officered by white men, and well 
 drilled and disciplined. Affairs looked ominous. Both 
 parties were drawn up at a town called Sogunu, 1 and 
 only awaited the commands of their leaders to fire. 
 But at this critical moment messengers arrived from 
 Levuka stating that Captain Chapman, of H.M.S. 
 ' Dido,' had declared against the settlers. The seces- 
 sionists, though ready enough to cope with the Fijian 
 Government, could not oppose such an antagonist as a 
 ship-of-war. Accordingly they submitted their case 
 to the arbitration of Captain Chapman, and agreed 
 to abide by his decision. He decided they had been 
 wrong in the course they had taken, obliged them to 
 sign a document of obedience to the Government ; 
 placed two of the leaders, Messrs. Ireland and White, 
 under arrest, and conveyed them as prisoners to 
 
 1 'Fiji Times,' October 22, 1873.
 
 DEPORTATION OF OPPONENTS. $33 
 
 Levuka. The latter gentleman was subsequently- 
 conveyed by force on board a vessel and carried 
 off to Sydney, where he was set at liberty. Under 
 the name of ' deportation ' this method of getting rid 
 of troublesome opponents was frequently resorted to 
 by the Fijian Government. It was generally done 
 secretly, without any previous trial, and on the mere 
 order of a minister. That such things could take 
 place showed sufficiently the despotic character of 
 the Government then in existence. The conduct of 
 Captain Chapman in this instance gave deep offence 
 to the settlers. They asked by what right he had 
 transformed a British ship-of-war into a police-boat 
 for the Government. They declared that they had 
 taken up arms in defence of their liberties, as their 
 countrymen had once taken up arms against Charles I. 
 and James II. They had determined on resistance, 
 and were prepared to abide any penalty the Govern- 
 ment could have inflicted upon them. 1 Commodore 
 Goodenough and Mr. Consul Layard are of opinion 
 that had it not been for the intervention of the ' Dido ' 
 the organised resistance to Government on the part 
 of the planters of Ba, Nadi, and Nadroga might 
 possibly have been successful ; 2 and such must be the 
 opinion of anyone who knows the sturdy and inde- 
 
 1 ' Fiji Times,' October 22, 1873. Captain Chapman states in a 
 letter ('Fiji Times,' May 24, 1873) tnat ne was induced to act as a 
 mediator at the request of both parties. 
 
 2 See 'Report of Commodore Goodenough and Mr. Consul Layard,' 
 P a ge 3-
 
 334 TW0 YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 pendent class of men who formed the bulk of the 
 settlers in these wild districts. 
 
 In Levuka affairs had been for some time in quite 
 as unsatisfactory a state as in the outlying districts. 
 Parliament met in 1873, the last session of the first 
 of those triennial Parliaments that had been fixed by 
 the constitution. After this session ministers were 
 well aware that an appeal to the country would be 
 inevitable, and were aware also what the result of 
 such an appeal must be. All the most respectable 
 and most influential men throughout the islands were 
 by this time thoroughly disgusted with the Govern- 
 ment. A powerful society had been organised in 
 Levuka, under the presidency of a late Supreme Court 
 Judge. It counted on its committee-list the names 
 of the most popular and substantial settlers in every 
 district of Fiji. This society was called the 'White 
 Residents' Political Association,' and had for its 
 objects: ' (1) to protect by all legitimate means the 
 liberties and privileges of the white residents in Fiji ; 
 (2) to watch the action of the Government, and 
 to protest in the strongest legal manner against all 
 such action as may appear to the association to be 
 opposed to the interests of this country.' Such an 
 organisation was not to be despised, containing as it 
 did so many representative names. 
 
 Even this, however, could not deter the ministers 
 from acting in any manner they thought fit. They 
 still preserved their arrogant bearing, and still ignored 
 the constitutional rights of those whom they governed.
 
 GENERAL DISORDER. 335 
 
 Their rule at this time was simply terrorism. They 
 had succeeded in getting together a considerable body 
 of native troops. These troops were practically inde- 
 pendent of Parliament, and formed a standing army, 
 always available in case of need. They had originally 
 been organised to act against the mountaineers, but 
 were subsequently found to be useful auxiliaries 
 against troublesome citizens. They were officered by 
 whites, and amounted, all told, to 750 men. 1 Mean- 
 while the country generally was in a wretched state. 
 Cotton-planting had not paid as men had expected 
 it would pay. There had been a great fall in price 
 since 1868 and 1869, and the planting community in 
 Fiji was in 1873-4 to all intents' bankrupt. The 
 taxes could only be collected by force, and the expen- 
 diture was in excess of the revenue by about 500/. 
 a month. The fabric of government was gradually 
 crumbling under the feet of those who had reared it. 
 Native disturbances had already taken place in many 
 parts of the group. Tiu Cakou and Maafu were both 
 anxious to secede, and probably would have done so 
 but for the influence of the house of Hennings in one 
 direction, and that of Captain Chapman, of H.M.S. 
 ' Dido,' in another. 2 Had these two chiefs been allowed 
 to secede the Government must at once have 
 collapsed, for Cacobau could no longer have borne 
 the title of King of Fiji. He might still, indeed, have 
 
 1 'Report of Commodore Goodenough and Mr. Consul Layard,' 
 page 9. 
 - Ibid.
 
 336 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 been King of Ban, as heretofore ; but then Bau was 
 too small a kingdom to satisfy the ambition of any 
 minister. It became, therefore, of paramount import- 
 ance that these two chiefs should not be allowed to 
 secede. Maafu exercised great control over Tiu 
 Cakou ; and therefore, if the ministers could only 
 influence Maafu, they had little to fear from Tiu 
 Cakou. How they managed to retain the allegiance 
 of Maafu is not very clear. It is said, however, 
 though with what truth I do not know, that Maafu, 
 just before he was about to secede, incautiously placed 
 himself in the power of the Government, not dreaming 
 of the length to which it was prepared to go. The 
 ministers, however, informed him on his arrival at 
 Levuka that he might either land as Viceroy of the 
 kingdom or as a rebel prisoner. In the latter case he 
 would be tried by court-martial, and probably shot 
 the same day, for Cacobau would not have dared to 
 let him live as a prisoner. 1 Previous to this Mr. Bailey, 
 Maafu's secretary, had written to Captain Chapman 
 in Maafu's name expressing his desire to secede. 
 These letters were now disowned by Maafu, 2 together 
 with much that he had said at various meetings rela- 
 tive to secession. Thus, for a time, at any rate, the 
 allegiance of Maafu was secured, but none knew 
 better than the ministers that it could not be de- 
 pended on. 
 
 The Parliament which had assembled in 1873 
 
 1 ' Fiji Times,' March II, 1874. 
 
 2 ' Fiji Gazette,' July 26, 1873.
 
 THE WHITES AND THE NATIVES. 2)37 
 
 had shown itself so decidedly hostile to the Govern- 
 ment, that the ministers had had no other course 
 open to them but to dissolve it. There could, how- 
 ever, be no doubt that the newly-elected Parliament 
 would be still more_ hostile, and under such circum- 
 stances it might be thought impossible for the Ministry 
 any longer to remain in office. So undoubtedly it 
 would have been in any country where constitutional 
 government really existed. But men who had held 
 power for three years were not to be deprived of it in 
 a moment or for a mere conscientious scruple. They 
 yet held a card which it now seemed the proper time 
 to play. They proposed that at the forthcoming 
 elections the votes of Fiji natives should be taken 
 along with those of the white electors. Such a pro- 
 position, in direct violation of the Electoral Act of 
 1 87 1, called forth the most violent opposition from 
 all parts of the group. Every white man felt himself 
 personally aggrieved, and determined to resist to the 
 utmost. The ministers, however, cared little so long 
 as they had the native troops to fall back upon. 
 They submitted a case to the Judges of the Supreme 
 Court as to whether the Electoral Act was not in 
 direct opposition to the sixtieth clause of the Consti- 
 tution Act, wherein the franchise is conceded to 
 1 every male subject of the kingdom who shall have 
 paid his taxes and attained the age of twenty-one 
 years.' The Judges held that the Act of Parliament 
 was in opposition to the constitution, and there- 
 fore declared it null and void. Preparations were 
 
 z
 
 338 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 made meanwhile for natives to vote, and every pre- 
 caution taken that they should vote as ministers 
 wished. 
 
 In giving this opinion the judges may have been 
 right in law, though their ruling was disputed by 
 every lawyer in the group. But it is impossible to 
 conceive any decision more opposed to the whole 
 spirit of the constitution as accepted by the Delegates. 
 The representatives of the Fijian population were 
 not elected, and it was never intended they should 
 be. They sat in an Upper House of their own by 
 hereditary right, just as peers sit in the House of 
 Lords. The native element had always been go- 
 verned by its chiefs, and in fact no other government 
 was possible. At the time of the passing of the 
 Constitution Act this truth was recognised and acted 
 upon both by Cacobau, his ministers, and the Dele- 
 gates. The Fijian chiefs were relegated to a House of 
 their own where they could legislate as they pleased for 
 their own subjects. The whites meanwhile legislated 
 for themselves by means of their representatives, and 
 carried on the government of the country through 
 ministers who were theoretically, at any rate, respon- 
 sible to Parliament. But, apart from all this, every- 
 one at all acquainted with Fijian customs or character 
 knew that the natives were utterly ignorant not only 
 of the spirit but even of the forms of constitutional 
 government. King Cacobau himself did not under- 
 stand them ; it was not, therefore, to be supposed 
 that his subjects, in most cases unlettered barbarians,
 
 RESISTANCE TO NATIVE VOTING. 339 
 
 could understand the important issues involved in the 
 election of a Member of Parliament. How could 
 such men possibly weigh the merits of rival candi- 
 dates or distinguish between one line of policy and 
 another ? They would simply be driven like so 
 many sheep to the hustings, there to vote for the 
 candidate whom their chief had chosen for them ; 
 and the chief would choose whomsoever the minister 
 or the King had told him to choose. In such a way 
 any minister could easily be rendered practically in- 
 dependent of Parliament, for he could swamp all the 
 white votes at any general election, and could fill the 
 House with members of his own nomination. Par- 
 liamentary government was, in fact, at an end, and 
 the country was under an undisguised despotism. 
 
 As soon as the intention of the Ministers to allow 
 natives to vote at the ensuing elections was published 
 meetings were held against it in every electoral dis- 
 trict throughout Fiji. Members pledged themselves 
 not to hold their seats if any natives came to the 
 poll. The returning officer of Levuka rather than re- 
 gister their votes resigned his office. Even the wives 
 and daughters of planters for once came forth from 
 their seclusion and petitioned Commodore Stirling to 
 forbid a course of action which they feared would 
 lead to a civil war. The Commodore, however, could 
 not interfere with so purely local a matter as the 
 meaning of a clause in the Constitution Act, and 
 could only promise in case of war to protect the 
 persons and properties of British subjects.
 
 340 TWO YEARS IN FIJI. 
 
 Towards the end of 1873 a new constitution was 
 arranged by the Ministers, and the old one, which had 
 been passed by the Delegates, and on the faith of 
 which the Government was first formed, was super- 
 seded. The condition of the country was mean- 
 while becoming every day more unsatisfactory. The 
 Government could only maintain its position by force 
 of arms. It could not maintain order or collect any 
 but a small portion of the taxes. It had, in fact, 
 degenerated into a ' ring,' to use an American phrase, 
 and could count only on the assistance of unscrupu- 
 lous place-hunters or armed soldiers. Things con- 
 tinued in this state until the beginning of 1874, 
 when Commodore Goodenough and Mr. Consul Lay- 
 ard, the Commissioners appointed to enquire into 
 Fijian affairs, landed in Levuka, and practically put 
 an end to the so-called ' Constitutional Government ' 
 which had for nearly three years harassed and dis- 
 tressed Fiji. 
 
 Note. 
 
 The formal annexation of the Fiji Islands to the 
 British Empire, and the cautious language of the 
 newly-appointed Governor with regard to the labour- 
 traffic among these islands, justify the hope that the 
 new era thus begun may realise expectations of 
 permanent prosperity which have thus far been 
 disappointed. 
 
 ■-'Pottiswoodc &■■ Co., Printers, A'eiv-strect Square, London.
 
 J^FttXJL, 1878. 
 
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 Griffin's Algebra and Trigonometry, 3*. Gd. 
 
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 Jeukin's Electricity and Magnetism, 8*. 6</. 
 
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 Miller's Inorganic i hi •■ bry,3s.6d. 
 
 Preece Si Sivewright's Telegraphy, 3*. G./. 
 
 Shelley's Workshop Appliances, 3*. 6d. 
 
 Thomfi's Structural and Physiological Botany, 6.5. 
 
 Thorpe's Quantitative Chemical Analysis, its. Gd. 
 
 Thorpe Si Muir's Qualitative Analysis, 8*. Gd. 
 
 Tilden's Chemical Philosophy . 8*. Gd. 
 
 Unwin's Machine Design, 3s. Gd. 
 
 Watson's Plane and Solid Geometry, 3s. G I. 
 Tyndall on Sound. Crown 8vo. 10s. G</. 
 
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 — Lectures on Light. Crown 8vo. ~\s. sewed, Is. Gd. cloth. 
 
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 Woodward's Geology of England and Wales. Crown 8vo. 14*. 
 Wood's Bible Animals. With 112 Vignettes. Svo. 14s. 
 
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 Auerbach's Anthracen, translated by W. Crookes, F.R.S. Svo. 12s. 
 
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 Kingzett's Animal Chemistry. Svo. [In //if press. 
 
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 Bourne's Catechism of the Steam Engine. Fcp. 8vo. 6s. 
 
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 Cresy's Encyclopaedia of Civil Engineering. 8vo. 42s. 
 Culley's Handbook of Practical Telegraphy. 8vo. 16s. 
 
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 Fairbairn's Useful Information for Engineers. 3 vols, crown 8vo. 31s. 6<?. 
 
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 Hobson's Amateur Mechanics Practical Handbook. Crown Svo. 2s. C<?. 
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 POETRY 8c THE DRAMA. 
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 Conington's .lEncid of Virgil, translated into English Verse. Crown 8vo. 9*. 
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 Bull's Hints to Mothers on the Management of their Health during the Pregnancy 
 
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 Campbell-Walker's Correct Card, or How to Play at Whist. 32mo. 2*. Gd. 
 Crump's English Manual of Banking. Svo. 15*. 
 Longman's Chess Openings. Fcp. 8vo. 2*. Gd. 
 Macleod's Theory and Practice of Banking. 2 vols. 8vo. 26*. 
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 M'C'ulloch's Dictionary of Commerce and Commercial Navigation. 8vo. 63*. 
 Mattnder's Biographical Treasury. Fcp. 8vo. 6*. 
 
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 — Treasury of Geography. Fcp. 8vo. 6*. 
 
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 Pole's Theory of the Modern Scientific Game of Whist. Fcp. 8vo. 2*. Gd. 
 The Cabinet Lawyer ; a Popular Digest of the Laws of England. Fcp. 8vo. 9*. 
 Willich's Popular Tables for ascertaining the Value of Property. Post 8vo. 10*. 
 Wilson's Resources of Modern Countries 2 vols. 8vo. 24*. 
 
 MUSICAL WORKS BY JOHN HULLAH, LL.D. 
 
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 Exercises and Figures in the same. Crown 8vo. 1*. or 2 Parts, Gd each. \ 
 
 
 
 
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