An Account of the Natives of the Tonga Islands/Chapter IX

by William Mariner

THE TONGA ISLANDS. 255 CHAP. IX. Island of Hoonga— Curious cavern there, and how first dis- covered — Anecdote of the person who first discovered the cavern — Description of the sport of shooting rats — Po- pular tale of the origin of the Tonga islands — Finow's re- turn to Vavaoo — General Jbno, and seizure of several chiefs — Stratagem used to secure Cacahoo — Several of the pri- soners taken out to sea to be sunk; their conversation on the way — Conduct of Cacahoo whilst sinking — Conduct of the widows of the deceased, particularly of the widow of Now Fahoo — Description of the plantation of Mahe Boogoo — ^Popular tale of what happened at this plantation in former times — Tonga song — Abundance of a peculiar fish found here — This plantation given up by Mahe BoogoOj and conferred on Mr. Mariner by Finow — Mr. Mariner's providential escape from a shark — A dead sper- maceti whale found off one of the islands — Their method of making ornaments with its teeth — Anecdote exempli- fying the high estimation in which whale's teeth are held — Still greater value of them at the Fiji islands — Arrival of Cow Mooala from the Fiji islands. FiNow, having at this time no business of im. portance on which to employ his attention, re- solved to go to the island of Hoonga, lying at a small distance to the southward of Vavaoo, in order to inspect the plantations there, and to recreate himself a little with the sport of shooting birds and rats. Mr. Mariner, as usual, formed one of the party. On this island 256 TRANSACTIONS AT there is a peculiar cavern, situated on the western coast, the entrance to which is some feet beneath the surface of the sea even at low water ; and was first discovered by a young chief, whilst diving after a turtle. The nature of this cavern will be better understood if we imagine a hollow rock rising sixty feet or more above the surface of the water ; into the cavity of which there is no known entrance but one, and that is on the side of the rock, several feet under the water, which flows into it ; and con- sequently the base of the cavern may be said to be the sea itself*. Finow and his friends, be- ing on this part of the island, proposed one af- ternoon on a sudden thought, to go into this cavern, and drink cava. Mr. Mariner was not with them at the time the proposal was made ; but happening to come down a little while af- ter to the shore, and seeing some of the young chiefs diving into the water, one after another, and not rise again, he was a little surprised, and enquired of the last, who was just prepar- ing to take the same step, what they were

• The depth of the entrance below the surface differs of

course with the different heights of the tide: when Mr. Ma- riner entered, it was about six feet below the surface : Jere- miah Higgins says it was two or three feet when he went in, at nearly low water, at which period it is very difficult to enter, on account of the swell. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 257 about? " Follow me," said he, "and I will " take you where you have never been before ;

• • and where Finow, and his chiefs and mata-

" booles, are now assembled." Mr. Mariner, . supposing it to be the famous cavern of which he had heard some account, without any fur- ther hesitation, prepared* himself to follow his companion, who dived into the water, and he after him, and, guided by the light reflected from his heels, entered the opening in the rock, and having dived through the passage, which is about eight or nine feet in length, rose into the cavern. He was no sooner above the sur- face of the water than, sure enough, he heard the voices of the king and his friends: being directed by his guide, he climbed upon a jut- ting portion of rock, and sat down. All the light that came into this place was reflected from the bottom, and was sufficient, after re* maining about five minutes, to show objects with some little distinctness j at least he could

• It is proper to mention that in presence of a superior

chief, it is considered very disrespectful to be undrest : under such circumstances as the present, therefore, every one re- tires a little, and as soon as he has divested himself of his usual dress, slips on an apron made of the leaves of the chi tree, or of matting called gie : the same respect is shewn if it be necessary to undress near a chief's grave ; because some hotooa or god may be present. VOL. 1. 5 discover, being directed by the voice, Finow and the rest of the company, seated like himself. Nevertheless, as it was desirable to have a stronger illumination, Mr. Mariner dived out again, and procuring his pistol, primed it well, tied plenty of gnatoo tight round it, and wrapped the whole up in a plaintain leaf: he directed an attendant to bring a torch in the same way. Thus prepared, he re-entered the cavern as speedily as possible, unwrapped the gnatoo, a great portion of which was perfectly dry, fired it by the flash of the powder, and lighted the torch. The place was now illuminated tolerably well, for the first time, perhaps, since its existence. It appeared (by guess) to be about 40 feet wide in the main part, but which branched off, on one side, in two narrower portions. The medium height seemed also about 40 feet^[1]. The roof was hung with stalactites in a very curious way, resembling, upon a cursory view, the gothic arches and ornaments of an old church. After having examined the place, they drank cava, and passed away the time in conversation upon different subjects. Among other things, an old mataboole, after having mentioned how the cavern was discovered, viz. by a young chief in the act of diving after a turtle, related an interesting account of the use which this chief made of his accidental discovery. The circumstances are as follow.

In former times there lived a tooi (governor) of Vavaoo, who exercised a very tyrannical deportment towards his people; at length, when it was no longer to be borne, a certain chief meditated a plan of insurrection, and was resolved to free his countrymen from such odious slavery, or to be sacrificed himself in the attempt: being however treacherously deceived by one of his own party, the tyrant became acqaainted with his plan, and immediately had him arrested. He was condemned to be taken out to sea and drowned, and all his family and relations were ordered to be massacred, that none of his race might remain. One of his daughters, a beautiful girl, young and interesting, had been reserved to be the wife of a chief of considerable rank, and she also would have sunk, the victim of the merciless destroyer, had it not been for the generous exertions of another young chief, who a short time before had discovered the cavern of Hoonga. This discovery he had kept within his breast a profound secret, reserving it as a place of retreat for himself, in case he should be unsuccessful in a plan of revolt which he also had in view. He had long been enamoured of this beautiful young maiden, but had never dared to make her acquainted with the soft emotions of his heart, knowing that she was betrothed to a chief of higher rank and greater power. But now the dreadful moment arrived when she was about to be cruelly sacrificed to the rancour of a man, to whom he was a most deadly enemy. No time was to be lost; he flew to her abode, communicated in a few short words the decree of the tyrant, declared himself her deliverer if she would trust to his honour, and, with eyes speaking the most tender affections, he waited with breathless expectation for an answer. Soon her consenting hand was clasped in his: the shades of evening favoured their escape; whilst the wood, the covert, or the grove, afforded her concealment, till her lover had brought a small canoe to a lonely part of the beach. In this they speedily embarked, and as he paddled her across the smooth wave, he related his discovery of the cavern destined to be her asylum till an opportunity offered of conveying her to the Fiji islands. 5he, who had entrusted her personal safety entirely to his care, hesitated not to consent to whatever plan he might think promotive of THE TONGA ISLANDS^ 261 their ultimate escape : her heart being full of gratitude, love and confidence found an easy access. They soon arrived at the rock, he leaped into the water, and she, instructed by him, followed close after : they rose into the cavern, and rested from their fears and their fatigue, partaking of some refreshment which he had brought there for himself, little think- ing, at the time, of the happiness that was in- store for him. Early in the morning he re- turned to Vavaoo to avoid suspicion : but did not fail, in the course of the day, to repair again to the place which held all that was dear to him ; he brought her mats to lie on, the finest gnatoo for a change of dress, the best of food for her support, sandal wood oil, cocoa nuts, and every thing he could think of to ren- der her life as comfortable as possible. He- gave her as much of his company as prudence would allow, and at the most appropriate times, lest the prying eye of curiosity should find out his retreat. He pleaded his tale of love with the most impassioned eloquence, half of which; would have been sufficient to have won her warmest affections, for she owed her life to his prompt and generous exertions at the risk of his own : and how much was he delighted vyhen he heard the confession from her own lips, that she had long regarded bim with ;a favourable eye, but a sense of duty had caused her to smother the growing fondness, till the late sad misfortune of her family, and the cir- cumstances attending her escape, had revived all her latent affections, to bestow them wholly upon a man to whom they were so justly due. How happy were they in this solitary retreat ! tyrannic power now no longer reached them : shut out from the world and all its cares and perplexities; — secure from all the eventful changes attending upon greatness, cruelty, and ambition J — themselves were the only powers they served, and they were infinitely delighted with this simple form of government. But al- though this asylum was their great security in their happiest moments, they could not always enjoy each other's company ; it was equally necessary to their safety that he should be often absent from her, and frequently for a length of time together, lest his conduct should be watched. The young chief therefore panted for an opportunity to convey her to happier scenes, where his ardent imagination pictured to him the means of procuring for her every enjoyment and comfort, which her amiable qualifications so well entitled her to : nor was it a great while before, an opportunity offering, he devised the means of restoring her with safety to the cheerful liglU of day. He signiTHE TONGA ISLANDS. 263 iied to his inferior chi'efs and matabooles, that it was his intention to go to the Fiji islands, and he wished them to accompany him with their wives and female attendants, but he de- sired them on no account to mention to the latter the place of their destination, lest they should inadvertently betray their intention, and the governing chief prevent their departure. A large canoe was soon got ready, and every necessary preparation made for the voyage. As they were on the point of departure, they asked him if he would not take a Tonga wife with him. He replied, no ! but he should probably find one by the way : this they thought a joke, but in obedience to his orders they said no more, and, every body being on board, they put to sea. As they approached the shores of Hoonga, he directed them to steer to a certain point, and having come close to a rock, accord- ing to his orders, he got up, and desired them to wait there while he went into the sea to fetch his wife; and without staying to be asked any questions, he sprang into the water from that side of the canoe farthest from the rock, swam under the canoe, and proceeded forward into the sanctuary which had so well concealed his greatest and dearest treasure. Every body on board was exceedingly surprised at his strange conduct, and began to think him insane: and after a little lapse of time, not seeing him come up, they were greatly alarmed for his safety, imagining a shark must have seized him. Whilst they were all in the utmost con- cern, debating what was best to be done, whe- ther they ought to dive down after him, or wait according to his orders, for that perhaps he had only swum round and was come up in some niche of the rock, intending to surprise them, — their wonder was increased beyond all powers of expression, on seeing him rise to the surface of the water, and come into the canoe with a beautiful female. At first they mistook her for a goddess, and their astonishment was not lessened when they recognised her counte- nance, and found her to be a person, whom they had no doubt was killed in the general massacre of her family; and this they thought must be her apparition. But how agreeably was their wonder softened down into the most interesting feelings, when the young chief re- lated to them the discovery of the cavern and the whole circumstance of her escape. All the young men on board could not refrain envying him his happiness in the possession of so lovely and interesting a creature. They arrived safe at one of the Fiji islands, and resided with a certain chief during two years: at the end of which time, hearing of the death of the tyrant THE TONGA ISLANDS. 265 of Vavaoo, the young chief returned with his wife to the last mentioned island, and lived long in peace and happiness. Such, as to matter of fact, is the substance of the account given by the old mataboole. There was one thing however stated, which might appear in opposition to probability, viz. that the chief's daughter remained in the cavern two or three months, before her lover found an opportunity of taking her to the Fiji islands : if this be true, there must have been some other concealed opening in the cavern to have afforded a fresh supply of air. With a view to ascertain this, Mr. Mariner swam with the torch in his hand up both the avenues be- fore spoken of, but without discovering any opening ; he also climbed every accessible place, with as little success. At the time Jeremiah Higgins was in this cavern it was nearly low water. He felt a draught of air coming from the left, and on examining the source of it found a hole which he thinks was more than a foot diameter, from which pro- ceeded a tolerably strong and steady breeze, but not the' least glimmer of light. This opening he guesses to have been about four feet above the surface of the water at that time. When Mr. Mariner was there, it must have been nearly high water, and the hole 266 TRANSACTIONS AT probably covered : and even if it were not con- cealed it would transmit no current of air in- wardly unless the tide were going out, which he thinks was not the case. At the time Hig- gins was there the weather was perfectly calm, not a breath of wind stirring ; consequently, the influx of air must have been occasioned by the descent of the surface of water within : on the other hand, when the water rises the air must rush out. This cavern therefore may be said to respire like an animal ; the rise and fall of the tide acting as a diaphragm, and the above-mentioned narrow passage as a breathing hole. Jeremiah Higgins also heard the story of the young chief and his mistress, which perfectly accorded in all the material points with what is told above : it appears from his narration as well as from Mr. Mariner's, that the natives give this account of the two lovers as a piece of true history, not a romance. There is a sort of shelf at the farther end of the cavern and high up, which is pointed out as having been used for a bed-place. Mnow and his party having finished their cava, dived out of the cavern, and resumed their proper dress : after v/hich they proceeded across the country, and got into the public roads, to amuse themselves with the sport of shooting rats. These animals are not so large THE TONGA ISLANDS. 267 as in our parts of the world, but rather between the size of a mouse and a rat> and much of the same colour : they live chiefly upon such ve- getable substances as sugar-cane, bread-fruit, &c. : they constitute an article of food with the lower orders of people, but who are not al- lowed to make a sport of shooting them, this privilege being reserved for chiefs, matabooles, and mooas *. The plan and regulations of the game of fanna gooma (rat-shooting) are as follow. A party of chiefs and others having resolved to go rat-shooting, some of their attendants are ordered to procure and roast some cocoa-nut, which being done, and the chiefs having in- formed them what road they mean to take, they proceed along the appointed road, chewing the roasted nut very finely as they go, and spitting, or rather blowing, a little of it at a time out of their mouths with considerable force, but so as not to scatter the particles far from each other ; for if they were widely distributed, the rat would not be tempted to stop and pick them lip, and if the pieces were too large, he would run away with one piece instead of stopping to eat his fill. The bait is thus distributed, at moderate distances, on each side of the road,

• For a description of these ranks in society, see the Sub-

ject in the second volume. 268 TRANSACTIONS AT and the men proceed till they arrive at the place appointed for them to stop at. If in their way they come to any cross roads, they stick a reed in the ground in the middle of such cross roads, as a taboo or mark of prohibition for any one to come down that way, and disturb the rats while the chiefs are shooting : and this no one will do ; for even if a considerable chief be passing that way, on seeing the taboo he will stop at a distance, and sit down on the ground, out of respect or politeness to his fellow chiefs, and wait patiently till the shooting party has gone by : a petty chief, or one of the lower or- ders, would not dare to infringe upon this t&boo at the risk of his life. The distributors of the bait being arrived at the place appointed for them to stop at, sit down to prepare cava, hav- ing previously given the orders of their chiefs to the owners of the neighbouring plantations to send a supply of refreshments, such as pork, yams, fowls, and ripe plantains. The company of chiefs having divided them- selves into two parties, set out about ten mi- nutes after the boohi, (or company that distri- butes the bait) and follow one another closely in a row along the middle of the road, armed with bows and arrows. It must be noticed, however, that the two parties are mixed ; the greatest chief, in general, proceeding first, beTHE TONGA ISLANDS. 269 hind him one of the opposite party, then one of the same party with the first, and behind him again one of the other party, afid so on alter- nately. The rules of the game are these : no one may shoot a rat that is in advance of him, except he who happens to be first in the row (for their situations change, as will directly be seen); but any one may shoot a rat that is either abreast of him or behind him. As soon as a man has shot, whether he hits the rat or not, he changes his situation with the man be- hind him, so that it may happen that the last man, if he have not shot so often as the others, may come to be first, and vice versa, the first come to be last : and for the same reason, two or three, or more, of the same party, may come to be immediately behind one another. Which- ever party kills ten rats first, wins the game. If there be plenty of rats, they generally play three or four games. As soon as they arrive at any cross roads they pull up the reeds placed as a tabooy that passengers coming afterwards may not be interrupted in their progress. When they have arrived at the place where the boohi are waiting, they sit down and partake of what is prepared for them ; afterwards, if they are disposed to pursue their diversion, they send the boohi on to prepare another portion of the road : the length of road prepared at a 270 TRANSACTIONS AT time is generally about a quarter of a mile. If, during the game, any one of either party see a fair shot at a bird, he may take aim at it; if he kill it, it counts the same as a rat, but whether he hit it or not, if he venture a shot, he changes place with the one behind him. Every now and then they stop and make a pe- culiar noise with the lips, hke the squeaking of a rat, which frequently brings them out of the bushes, and they sit upright on their haunches, as if in the attitude of listening. If a rat is alarmed by their approach, and is running away, one or more cry out too ! (stop !) with a sudden percussion of the tongue, and is a term used, we may suppose, on account of the sharp and sudden tone with which it may be pro- nounced. This has generally the effect of making the rat stop, when he sits up, and ap- pears too much frightened to attempt his escape. When he is in the act of running away, the squeaking noise with the lips, instead of stopping him, would cause him to run faster. They frequently also use another sound, similar to what U'e use when we wish to answer in the affirmative without opening the lips, consisting in a sort of humming noise, sounding through the nostrils, but more loud, short, and sudden. The arrows used on these OGcasions are nearly six feet long, (the war-arrows being about three THE TONGA ISLANDS. 271 feet,) made of reed, headed with iron-wood : they are not feathered, and their great length is requisite, that they may go straight enough to hit a small object; besides which, it is ad- vantageous in taking an aim through a thick bush. Each individual in the party has only two arrows, for, as soon as he has discharged one from his bow, it is immediately brought to him by one of the attendants who follow the party. The bows also are rather longer than those used in war, being about six feet, the war- bows being about four feet and a half; nor are they so strong, lest the difficulty of bending them should occasion a slight trembling of the hand, which would render the aim less certain. Finow and his friends having finished their shooting excursion, and taken some refresh- ment, directed their walk at random across the island, and arrived near a rock, noted by the natives as being (in their estimation) the im- mediate cause of the origin of all the Tonga islands. It happened once (before these islands were in existence) that one of their gods (Tan- galoa) went out fishing with line and hook : it chanced, however, that the hook got fixed in a rock at the bottom of the sea, and, in conse- quence of the god pulling in his line, he drew up all the Tonga islands, which, they say, would have formed one great land ; but the •^'-2 TRANSACTIONS AT line accidentally breaking, the act was incohi- plete, and matters were left as they now are. They show a hole in the rock, about two feet diameter, which quite perforates it, and in which Tangaloa's hook got fixed. It is more- over said that Tooitonga (the divine chief) had, till within a few years, this very hook in his possession, which had been handed down to him by his forefathers ; but, unfortunately, his house catching fire, the basket in which the hook was kept got burnt with its contents. Mr. Mariner once asked Tooitonga what sort of a hook it was, and was told that it was made of tortoise-shell, strengthened by a piece of the bone of a whale : in size and shape it was just like a large albacore hook, measuring six or seven inches long, from the curve to the part where the line was attached, and an inch and a half between the barb and the stem. Mr. Mariner objected that such a hook must have been too weak for the purpose ; Oh no, said Tooitonga, you must recollect that it was a god's hook, and could not break ; — how came then the line to break ? was it not also the pro- perty of a god ? — 1 do not know how that was, replied Tooitonga ; but such is the account they give, and I know nothing farther about it. A few days after this excursion, Finow hav- ing portioned out several of the smaller THE TONGA ISLANDS. 273 islands to the government of certain of his chiefs and matabooles, returned with his party to Vavaoo. As soon as he arrived at Felletoa, he issued orders for a general assembly of the people, to be present on an appointed day, at a general /oTZo, or harangue, to be addressed to them in regard to the affairs of agriculture, and to remind them of their duty towards their chiefs, and how they ought to behave at all public ceremonies ; in short, upon such subjects as were more or less connected with agricul- ture, or with moral and political duty. These fonos are frequently held, and often upon sub- jects of a minor importance, such, for instance, as the expediency of repairing Finovv's canoe: on such an occasion, the o^'ner of a certain plantation would be appointed to provide the carpenters with provisions, another to provide them with canoe-timber, a tliird with a peculiar kind of wood for wedges, a fourth with plait, &c. — the same with more extensive matters, as constructing a large house, planting of yams or bananas, supplying provisions for feasts, burials, &c. so that in all these matters a tax is laid upon the people, every principal owner of land providing his share. The fono now about to be held was of a general nature, to be addressed to all the people, or at least to the petty chiefs : but the petty chiefs themselves often address VOL. I. T 274 TRANSACTIONS AT Jbnos to their own dependants, when they want any thing done. It must be observed, that in all theseybwoi-,' whether general or 'partial, the labour and care fall entirely upon the [lower order of the people ; for although in the general fono the petty chiefs take the care ostensibly to themselves, yet afterwards, by a minor fono, each confers it on his dependants. Notwith- standing all this, the lower classes have time enough on their hands, and means enough in their possession, to live comfortably ; that is to say, they have food sufficient for themselves and their children, however large their families, and enough clothing ; and withal need never be in want of a house, for that is easily built : jn short, real poverty is not known among them. A fono, although it may regard some affair of a public nature, is not always upon a subject where a tax is necessary to be levied, but frequently upon some matter connected with civil policy; as for instance, — ^when a piece of ground is laid waste by war, certain persons are appointed to cultivate it ; and the chiefs are ordered not to oppress them with taxes, or with visits on their plantations, before they can supply means. It not unfrequently happens that young chiefs molest women whom they meet on the road ; then their husbands, if they are married women, make complaints to THE TONGA ISLANDS. 275 the older chiefs and matabooles, and Finow, in consequence, orders a fono to be addressed to the people, in which the impropriety of the conduct of the young chiefs is pointed out : the offenders receive a suitable admonition, and are ordered to desist from such ill behaviour for the future. From one cause or another, there is usually a fono, either general or partial, every fourteen or twenty days. It will be easily un- derstood that addresses of this kind are abso- lutely and frequently necessary, for the pre- servation of tolerable decency and good order, among a people who have no knowledge of any means of graphic communication. The speech is generally made by some old and principal mataboole *, as it was on this occasion, when the ceremony was held at Macave, about two miles and a, half from Felletoa ; after which, as usual, a large bowl of cava was provided. The chiefs and warriors ofVavaoo took a very active part in the preparation of the cava, to demon- strate to Finow their attention and loyalty. After the first bowl was drunk, while all were in expectation that the king would give out some

• The reader will recollect that the matabooles hold a

rank in society next below chiefs j they are the" ministers, as it were, and counsellors of chiefs : it is their duty also to attend to public ceremonies, and to keep ati eye upon the morals and general conduct of the people. T 2 more cava root to be prepared, — on a sudden he pronounced aloud the word boogi (hold or arrest). Instantly all the chiefs and warriors that had been particularly active against him in. the late war were seized by men previously appointed : their hands were tied fast behind them ; and they were taken down to the beach, where, with the club, several were immediately dispatched ; and the remainder were reserved till the afternoon, for what is considered a more signal punishment, viz. to be taken out to sea, and sunk in old leaky canoes. This transaction seemed to show how little was to be trusted to the honour of Finow, and how well founded were the suspicions of those Vavaoo chiefs, who had said that no reliance was to be placed in him ; and that there was little doubt but that he would take an early opportunity of exercis- ing his revenge : they therefore acted a wise part, who, as soon as the peace was concluded, fled at the earliest opportunity, some to the island of Tonga, others to the Fiji islands. It must, however, be acknowledged that Finow had received information of a conspiracy which- these chiefs were designing against him j and if this be true, his conduct was certainly less reproachable*. Finow being apprehensive.

• It must be remarked that their innocence was never

positively asserted ; nobody supposed that Ihey had actually THE TONGA ISLANDS. 277 that this cattempt might fail, or that the Vavaoo people, in consequence, might again rise up -against him, had previously sent a canoe to the Hapai islands, with orders to Toobo Toa that he and his chiefs should hold themselves in readiness to repair to his assistance at a mo- ment's notice. There proved, however, to be no necessity for their intervention, the conspi- racy succeeding in a degree equal to his ex- pectation. Some difficulty, however, was found in securing Cacahoo, a very great and brave warrior and mataboole, amazingly courageous and strong, although he was highly diseased with scrofula ; and, like most great warriors, was always (according to the Fiji practice) upon his guard against treachery. They had therefore recourse to stratagem on this occa- sion : Mr. Mariner's services were required as the means, for he was present at the consulta- tion of Finow and his chiefs upon the subject, and he consented, being informed that the king s intentions were merely to confine him as a prisoner till some parts of his conduct were examined into ; and had it not been for the entered into any plan of conspiracy, but most persons sus- pected that they had held discourses upon the subject 3 and it was generally acknowledged that if a revolt were to take place, these would be the men likely to head it. Such is the summary way of managing matters in this state of society. part which this gentleman was appointed to act in the business, two or three no doubt would have been killed, and several wounded, in the attempt. It must be mentioned that Cacahoo, .owing to his diseased appearance, was not present at the cava party after the Jbno (indeed, he was seldom present on any public occasion, except to fight:) it wa^ resolved, therefore, that a young warrior, in company with Mr. Mariner and others, should go and present him with cava at his residence, as soon as the above chiefs were seized. Mr. Mariner was to sit next to him, and was to ask him for his spear J as if to look at it from curiosity ; for this spear "was a remarkably good one, headed with the bones of the tail of the yj/, (sting-ray,) and which he always carried about with him : Mr. Mariner could take this liberty better than any one else, as he was more or less acquainted with him ; and being a foreigner, his curiosity would appear more plausible, and less subject to suspicion : having got it into his hands, he was to throw it aw^iy, and this was to be the signal for the seizure. Before Gacahoo had time to hear of what was going forward at Ma- cave, the appointed party arrived at his house, and presented liim cava. * Mr. Mariner took

• Mr. Mariner wg,s not, in many instances, a voluntary

supporter of f inow's conduct : but as necessity has no lawi THE TONGA ISLANDS. 279 his seat next to him : and, after a while, asked him for his spear, that he might examine the head of it ; which having got into his pos- session, he watched an opportunity, and threw it suddenly away : in a moment his enemies were upon him ; but he sprang from the ground Hke an enraged lion, and burst away from them repeatedly, with such prodigious strength, that it was with the greatest difficulty they could bind and secure him. They then took their prisoner down to the sea-coast, and put him on board a canoe, to be drowned with the rest in the afternoon. These transactions happened between (about) eight and ten in the morning ; after which all in some cases he was obliged to conform, where he would willingly have been excused, upon the principle, that of two evils the least is to be chosen. To an honest mind it is always an ungrateful task to use any species of deception, Mr. Mariner was in the service of the king : the latter thought proper to secure certain persons, among whom Avas one who could not easily have been taken without Mr. Ma- riner's assistance ; that is to say, without bloodshed and a loss of lives. The king was on all occasions his friend and protector J he felt it therefore his duty to conform to his views, where there appeared nothing intrinsically bad. Had he known what would have been the fate of Cacahoo, viz. to be condemned without trial, — let the consequences be what they might, he would not have submitted ; and, in that case, by losing Finow's friendship, and incurring his displeasure, he would not, in all probability, have lived for us to have heard of him. the Hapai chiefs and warriors, that were with the king, appeared under arms, as also a cer- tain Vavaoo chief, named Paoonga, a relation and confidant of Finow ; all the rest of the Vavaoo chiefs and matabooles remaining un- ^•med, lest they might excite in Finow a sus- picion that thej meant to take hostile measures. About mid-day, or a little after, the large canoe, in which were the prisoners, lashed hand and foot, pushed out to sea, under the com- mand of Lolo Hea Malohi, an adopted son of Finow. They had on board three old small canoes, in a very leaky, rotten state, in which the prisoners were destined to be put, and thus to be allowed gradually to sink, leaving the victims to reflect on their approaching dissolu- tion, without having it in their power to help themselves. The distance they had to go was about two leagues : the weather being calm, the canoe was obliged to be paddled most of the way. In the mean while, some conversation passed be- tween the prisoners, particularly between Now- faho and Booboonoo. Nowfaho observed to 'Booboonoo, that it would have been much bet- ter if they had never made a peace with Finow, and, to a certain degree, he upbraided Booboo- noo with not having followed his advice in this particular : to this the latter replied, that he THE TONGA ISLANDS. 281 did not at all regret the late peace with Finow, for, being his relation, he felt himself attached to his interests, and as to his own life, he thought it of no value, since the king did not think his services worth having. Nowfaho stated, that he had a presentiment of his fate that very morning ; for, as he was going along the road from Felletoa to Macave, he met a na- tive woman of Hapai, and as he passed, he felt a strong incHnation, he knew not from what cause, to kill her ; and this bias of his mind was so powerful, that he could not help turning back and effecting his purpose ; at the same time he felt a secret presentiment that he was going to die, and this murder that he had com- mitted appeared now to be a piece of vengeance on the Hapai people, Weak, indeed, in itself, yet better than no revenge at all. Nowfaho, among other things, lamented that his friend Booboonoo had not repaired to the Fiji islands when peace was first made, and, by that means, have preserved his life : as to his own safety, he said it was not a matter of much conse- quence ; he only lamented that he was not about to die in an honourable way. Booboonoo expressed sentiments to the same purpose. Cacahoo now and then joined in the conversa- tion, remarking, that he only lamented his death inasmuch as no opportunity had been afforded him of revenging himself upon his enemies, by sacrificing a few of them. They were eighteen prisoners on board, of whom the greater part, before they arrived at the place where they were to be sunk, begged that the manner of their death might be changed to the more expeditious one of hav- ing their brains knocked out with a club, or their heads cleaved with an axe : this was granted them, and the work of execution was immediately begun. Having dispatched three in this way, it was proposed, for the sake of convenience, that the remainder, who begged to be thus favoured, should be taken to a neighbouring small island to be executed; which being agreed on, they disputed by the way who should kill such a one, and who an- other. Such was the conversation, not of war- riors, for knocking out brains was no new thing to them, but of others not so well versed in the art of destruction, who were heartily glad of this opportunity of exercising their skill without danger ; for, coward-like, they did not dare to attempt it in the field of battle. The victims being brought on shore, nine were dis- patched at nearly the same time, which, with the three killed in the canoe, made twelve, who desired this form of death. The remaining six being chiefs, and staunch warriors of superior THE TONGA ISLANDS. 28^ bravery, scorned to beg any favour of their enemies, and were accordingly taken out to sea, lashed in two rotten canoes, which they had on board, three in each, and left to reflect on their fate ; in the mean time their destroyers remained at a little distance to see them sink. Booboonoo, whilst in this situation, said, that he only died unhappy on account of his infant son, who would be left friendless and unpro- tected ; but, calling to a young chief in the larger canoe, of the name of Talo, begged, for the sake of their gods, that he would befriend his child, and never see him want either clothes or food suitable to the son of a chief j upon which Talo made a solemn promise to take the most attentive care of him, and Booboonoo seemed quite satisfied. Nowfaho lamented the sad disasters of that day, saying how many great and brave men were dying an ignomini- ous death, who, some time before, were able to make the whole army of Finow tremble : he lamented, moreover, that he had ever retreated from his enemies, and wished that, on such an occasion, he had faced about, however inferior in strength, and sold his life at a high price, instead of living a little longer, to die thus a shameful death : he earnestly requested them to remember him in the most affectionate man- ner to his wife. Cacahoo swore heartily at Finow, and all the chiefs of Hapai, cursing them in the most bitter manner *, and their fathers for begetting them, and heaping maledictions upon all their generation ; he went on in this .manner, cursing and swearing at his enemies, till the water came up to his mouth, and, even then, he actually threw back his head for the opportunity of uttering another curse, splutter- ing the water forth from his lips, till it bereft him for ever of the power of speech. They were about twenty minutes sinking, after which the large canoe returned immediately to Va- vaoo. Booboonoo and Nowfaho were both men that bore a most amiable character : in time of war they were brave and enterprising; in time of peace, gentle and humane. The conduct of Nowfaho, in killing the poor Hapai woman, seems to make much against his humanity;

• The curses used among the Tonga people are very nu-

merous; but, for the most part, they are rather horrible commands than curses, and are, generally, in regard to maltreating one's relations, or eating one's superior rela- tions ; for it is considered a crime to eat food which a supe- rior relation has touched ; how much more, therefore, to eat that relation himself ! For a sample ; — Bake your grand- father till his skin turns to cracknel, and gnaw his skull for your share !"— " Go, and ravish your own sister!" — " Dig up your father by moonlight, and make soup of his bones," &c. &c. Many of their sayings, in this way, are too indeli- cate to mention. THE TONGA ISLANDS. but, as it was so contrary to his general senti- ments and conduct, we ought to have the libe- rahty to suppose, that it was a sudden frenzy of the mind, which, at the moment, he could no more help, than a man in convulsions can help the violent agitation of the body. Let this, however, be as it may, it is certain that he and Booboonoo were both admired for their mild and benevolent disposition, and were gaining every day, more and more, the love of the people, which, no doubt, caused the king to be jealous of them, lest their increas- ing power should ultimately annihilate his. Nowfaho's desire of revenge was, of course, considered (in their state of society) a virtuous and manly sentiment. If we attend to their conversation at the approach of death, we shall find them both expressing sentiments of disin- terested friendship for each other : Booboonoo is quite unhappy at leaving his infant son, and recommends him strongly to the care of Talo by all that is sacred and religious ; Nowfaho desires to be affectionately remembered to his wife ; these are not sentiments that belong to gross and savage minds. As to Cacahoo, he certainly was not so much famed for his be- nevolence, as for his prodigious strength and great personal courage ; yet still he was much beloved and respected j and several of the En"'^^ TRANSACTIONS AT ishmenwere much indebted to him, as well as to the other two, for many acts of kind- ness. Mr. Mariner heard the foregoing relation- from Talo, and two or three others that were in the large canoe, and considers it strictly consonant with the truth. The widows of those who were executed on the beach in the morning, and of those who were dispatched at the small island in their way out to sea, petitioned Finow to grant them leave to perform the usual rites of burial in behalf of their deceased husbands, which the king readily acceded to : and they accom- plished the ceremony with every mark of un- feigned sorrow and regret. When the last affectionate remembrances of Nowfaho were made to his widow, she appeared greatly moved; for, though she scarcely wept, her countenance betrayed marks of violent inward agitation : she retired to her house, and, arm- ing herself with a spear and club, went about to seek for the other widows, who had lost their husbands in the same way, and urged them to take up arms, as she had done, and go forth to revenge their husbands' death, by de- stroying the wives of Finow, and his principal chiefs ; finding, at length, that none of the others were willing to follow her example, she THE TONGA ISLANDS. 287 was obliged to give up the design altogether. It was suspected that Finow would have been very angiy on hearing her intention, but, on the contrary, he praised it much, and approved of it, as being not only a meritorious act of bravery, but a convincing proof that her affec- tion for her deceased husband was great and genuine. After this transaction all the Vavaoo chiefs paid remarkable attention to Finow, not fail- ing to send him frequent presents of cava, gnatooy &c., and this they were the more anxious to do, as, being the richest men in the island, they were apprehensive that, in case their conduct displeased Finow, he might forni another conspiracy against them, with a view to deprive them of their possessions ; for they now found by woful experience, that he was not a man to be trifled with, and that his ho- nour was not safely to be trusted to, The king now spent a considerable portion of his time in country excursions, for the pur- pose of shooting calai, of which sport a de- scription has already been given. About this time a canoe was dispatched to the Hapai islands, for the purpose of procuring a quan- tity of fish, several species being there found in much greater abundance than at Vavaoo, or, at least, there is a much better opportunity of 2§8 Transactions at catching them, owing to the greater number of reefs and shelves. With this canoe, a certain chief, named Mahe Boogoo, departed for Ha- pai, where he possessed a large property, on which he was desirous to reside for the future. He had also a plantation at Vavaoo, situated on the northern coast, about a mile and a half long, and half a mile broad, one end of which ran down close to the water's edge : this pro- perty he made a present of to the king. It will be proper to give a description of this planta- tion, because it includes, near the sea, the most romantic spot in all the Tonga islands ; which- constitutes the subject of many of their songs, and is a place of resort to the young and old of both sexes, who wish to enjoy, for a few hours, the luxury of romantic scenery : it is famous, also, for having been, at a former epoch, the scene of an enterprising action on the part of some young chiefs, who took refuge there from their adversaries, and obstinately held their po- sition for six months. It happens that nature has assembled in this spot, not only the wildest profusion of the ve- getable kingdom, over which the lofty toa tree stands pre-eminent, but also objects of another description, overhanging rocks, hollow-sound- ing caverns, and steep precipices, calculated to give an aspect as bold and sublime as the imaTHE TONGA ISLANDS. 289 gination can well conceive, and constituting a- species of scenery, which, in proportion as it is more rare, is more admired by the natives. To this retired spot you proceed along a road which runs through the whole length of the plantation, till you arrive at a thick wood of tamanoo and toa trees, situated on a very steep descent, down which the road becomes a nar- row path, winding from side to side, and beset on either hand with the my tie and jidle, and other shrubs, planted by the liberal hand of na- ture, whose variegated flowers perfume the air with the most delightful aromatic fragrance,; whilst, from the lofty branches of the trees, the ear is soothed with the soft and plaintive voice of the wood-pigeon calling to his mate. Hav- ing proceeded with slow and lingering step .along this winding path, for abeut five hundred yards, a flat plantation of cocoa-nut trees pre- sents itself, through which, at a little distance, a beautiful prospect of the sea suddenly bursts upon the view. On each side a steep and lofty ridge of rocks, in the form of a crescent, ex- tends into the water, forming a sort of bay. The ridge of rocks on the left hand are, for the most part, the highest, but, at the ter- mination of th^t on the right, one, loftier than the rest, extends upwards to a great height, like the turret of some ancient battlement. VOL. I. TT 290 TRANSACTIONS AT On this rock in former times, as popular tradi- tion records, a band of young chiefs, the heads of a conspiracy, took refuge from the rage of their adversaries, and held the place during six months*; it being quite inaccessible, except by one narrow path, exceedingly steep and dangerous, not wide enough to allow two per- sons to pass up abreast. This passage was, of course, perfectly under the command of those above, who, by rolling large stones down, could, at any time, hurl destruction upon whomsoever might rashly attempt to ascend. Here they remained in security, as long as their stock of provisions lasted, and even when this was expended, they refused to yield, till famine and raging thirst had destroyed all but three, who, being tempted by a promise of par- don, gave themselves up to their adversaries. Scarcely was this done when they were taken before the king, who cruelly ordered them to be massacred in his presence. The number of those who died upon the rock were five, and they were buried on the spot : three of the graves are still very apparent ; the other two are pointed out, but they are not in so distinct a state. The natives, now and then, ascend this rock, to enjoy the sublime beauty of the

• They had supplied the place beforehand with ma, on

which they lived during the whole time. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 291 surrounding scenery, or to reflect on the fate of those rebellious men, who, so long ago, de- parted from the scene of public tumult, by dying in an unsuccessful attempt to change the order of things. Here the moral reflections of the natives are sometimes heard in the follow- ing strain ; " Where now are those men who

• • once held up their heads in defiance of theii?'

" chiefs? where now is the proud boast of su-

• ' periority ? Their bodies lie here mingled

" with the dust, and their names are almost " forgotten * ! — But their souls ! how are they " affected ? are they now the same ambitious " spirits in Bolotoo, as they were once in " Tonga, when they animated this silent dust " which is now all that remains of them ?— are " they still the partizans of sedition, tumult, " and war ? — but no ! in Bolotoo they are all " gods, and see with a clear understanding " what is right, without the folly of fighting !'* Such are the reflections of those who visit this spot and view the lonesome habitations of the dead ; but it is not often that such visits are made, owing to the difficulty of the ascent,

• The names of some of these chiefs are still known to a few

of the old matabooles, who have been at the pains of inquir- ing particulars from their fathers ; but the cause in which they suffered is very imperfectly understood, and, no doubt, mixed up with a great deal of invention and surmise. U 2 and the toil and trouble which it necessarily occasions. In the estimation of the romantic, however, this trouble is amply repaid by the rich and extensive scenery on every side, whilst the murmuring of the waves, breaking upon the rocks below, soothes the mind with a pleas- ing melancholy easier to be conceived than de- scribed. The effect which this works upon the minds of the natives will be more easily under- stood when we see a sample of their descriptive songs, which in language, like that of Ossian, are plaintive and pathetic. In the first place, hovever, it is necessary to state a few particu- lars relative to this romantic and diversified ^pot, thaf certain passages of the ensuing song may be better understood. On the right of the wood of tammioo trees there is another wood, consisting almost wholly of toil trees : here the natives frequently resort to rinse themselves with the fresh water found in the hollows, between the junctions of the large branches or limbs that come off imme- diately from the trunk, after having bathed • themselves in the sea : for the salt watei;, with- out using such rinsing afterwards, is apt to produce, in hot climates, a cutaneous eruption: besides which, the fresh water washing prevents that uneasy sensation of heat in the skin, upon a little exertion, attended with a clamminess ; THE TON(?A I3I.ANDS. 293 and sometimes, on the contrary, with a pro- fuse perspiration. Here also they plait flowers which they have gathered at Matawto, (about a mile farther along the beach,) whiph thp women put round their necks or take home to the moo a, and present tp their lovers or their friends, or to superior chiefs. The following song is very often sung by them, or, to speak perhaps more correctly, is given in a sort of recitative by either sex j and in the Tonga language has neither rhymes nor regular measure, although some of their songs h^vp both, It is perhaps a curious circum- stance that love and war seldom form the sub- jects of their poetical compositions, but mostly scenery and moral reflections. SONG. ^Vhilst we were talking of Vavdoo tooa Ljcoo, the women sd4 to us, let us repair to the back of the island to contem- plate the setting sun : there let us listen to the warbling of tjie birds and the cooing of the wood- pigeon. We will ga- . t^er flowers from the burying-place at Matawto, and partake of refreshments prepared for us at Licoo One: we will then bathe in the sea, and rinse ourselves in the Vdoo A'ca; we will anoint our skins in the sun with sweet scented oil, and will plait in wreaths the flowers gathered at Matdivto. And now as we stand motionless on the eminence over ^no MdnoOy the whistling of the wind among the branches of the lofty toa shall fill us with a pleasing melancholy ; or our minds shall be seized with astonishment as we behold the roaring surf below, endeavouring but in vain to tear away the firm rocks. Oh ! how irnich happier shall we be thus employed , than when engaged in the troublesome and insipid affairs of life. Now as night comes on, we must return to the Mooa: — but hark! — hear you not the sound of the mat-^ r - they are practising a bo-o6lu * to be performed to-night on the maldi at Tanen ; let us also go there. How will that pcene of re- joicing call to our minds the many festivals held there, befor^ Vavauo was torn to pieces by war. Alas ! how destructive is war! —Behold! how it has rendered the land productive of weeds, and opened untimely graves for departed heroes! Our chiefs can now no longer enjoy the sweet pleasure of wandering alone by moonlight in search of their mistresses : but let us banish sorrow from our hearts : sinr e we are at warj we must think and act like the natives of Fiji, who first taught us this destructive art. Let us therefore enjoy the present time, for to-morrow perhaps or the next day we may die. We wiU dress ourselves with chi coola, and put bands of white fdppa round our waists; we will plait thick wreaths of jiale for our heads, and prepare strings of hooiii for our necks, that their whiteness may shew off the colour of our skins. Mark how the uncultivated spectators are profuse of their applause ! — But now the dance is over: let us remain here to-night, and feast and be cheerful, and to-morrow we will depart for the Mooa. How troublesome are the young men, begging for our wreaths of flowers, while they say in their flattery, " See how charming these young girls look i/" coming from Licoo .' — how beautiful are their skins, dif- " fusing around a fragrance like the flowery precipice of Mataloco:" — Let us also visit Licoo; we will depart to- motrow. The beautiful plantation, of which the above song is partly descriptive, is famed for the great fertility of its fields : the liberal hand of nature has there planted the bread-fruit and

• A iind of dance performed by torch-liglit. THE TONGA ISLANDS.

cocoa-nut trees in abundance ; the soil is also liighly favourable for the cultivation of yams, which grow there larger than in most other places. The water which terminates it at one end is noted for the vast abundance of a pecu- liar fish which resort to the shores of Vavaoo about the month of July. This fish they call Ooloo Caoo, and is about the size of the com- mon sprat, and of much the same shape and hue. The common people consider it a great delicacy, but there is considerable danger of being poisoned by eating them promiscuously, for here and there is found one which, on eat- ing, produces the most alarming and sometimes the most fatal effects * ; and as there is no mark by which these poisonous ones may be known, it is always dangerous to eat of them, unless they be procured in the rocky bay of this plant- ation, where, they say, they never found any poisonous, and therefore partake of them without any reserve: the chiefs however seldom touch, them, unless perhaps there is a scarcity of other fish. The time when they are best and in the greatest plenty is in the latter end of the • The symptoms produced are headach, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea, with violent pains in the bowels, to which death generally succeeds in the course of four or five hours. The only remedy they use (which very seldom succeeds) is to cause the patient to drink abundantly of water, or, what Is considered still better, the milk of young cocoa-nuts. month of July, when the natives flock to this plantation for the purpose of catching them, where having procured a quantity, they take them home to their families in baskets made of plaited leaves of the cocoa-nut tree. Mahe Boogoo, the chief to whom this valu- able piece of ground belonged, being about to go and reside at the Hapai islands, made a pre- sent of this delightful spot to the king. Mr. Mariner, having now nothing particular in which to employ himself, the war being at an end, begged of the king to give up this planta- tion to him, that he might amuse himself by seeing it properly cultivated : to this the king, after a little hesitation, consented; when Mr. Mariner requested the farther favour that he might be exempt from all taxes, that no chief might despoil his plantation, under pretext of levying any species of contribution ; and this exemption, he observed, would be no more than what was consistent with the Tonga custom, which exacts no contribution from foreigtiers, unless indeed it be upon some sacred occasion, as the ceremony of indchi, &c. To this also the king gave his assent, upon mutual agree- ment, that the whole plantation was to be con- sidered at Finow's service, as being the father and protector of Mr. Mariner, but that he woujd not take any thing nor trespass upon it THE TONGA ISLANDS. 297 in any way without Mr. Manner's consent, who was to regulate every thing regarding it just as he pleased, and was henceforth to con- sider it as his property, together with all the persons who worked on it, consisting of thir- teen men and eight women. To these the king gave orders they should pay the same attention and respect to Mr. Mariner as to himself or their former chief ; he moreover informed the matooa, or overseer, that he had invested Mr. Mariner with full power to dispatch any of them witk the club that failed in their duty, or neglected in any respect to shew proper attention to their new master. To this, in the usual form, they all returned thanks to the king for the new chief he had been pleased to appoint over them, and expressed their hopes that they should never deserve punishment by any want of respect towards the stranger chief.'* As soon as Mr. Mariner entered upon his new pos- sessions, he gave orders to get ready a large bale of gnatoo, which he sent to Finow as a present. About this time Mr. Mariner was very near being devoured by a shark. One of his servants that worked upon the plantation had laid pots about four feet deep in the water for the pur- pose of catching cray-fish, and Mr. Mariner one afternoon dived down to examine them, in 29S TRANSAC'J'IONS AT hopes that he should be able to fulfil a promise he had made to Toobo mo Lak^pa the Prince's favourite wife (whose situation required a few indulgences) to bring her some of this sort of fish. The spot was just upon the perpendi- cular declivity of a shelf of rocks. Having come up to take breath with the intention of going down a second time, he saw with terror the dorsal fin of a shark gliding swiftly along the surface of the water directly towards him ; he instantly clambered upon the reef and sprung on one side ; in a moment after the deadly enemy, coming with impetuosity, rushed upon the shelf (in a foot and a half water) within a yard of him, and had some difficulty to get off again. As soon as he had recovered from his consternation, for at first he scarcely knew where he was, he quickly got off the reef, mak- ing very strong resolutions to avoid for the future a personal search after cray-fish in such situations. About a month after this a canoe came from one of the neighbouring small islands, bringing intelligence that a large dead spermaceti whale had drifted on a reef, off Vavaoo. Immedi- ately all the chiefs ordered their canoes to be launched, that they might witness this unusual sight ; and Mr. Mariner went along with them. They, fqund the whale in a very bad state, half THE TONGA ISLANDS. 299 decayed, and sending forth no very agreeable odour : this however was a circumstance they did not much regard, their object being the teeth, of the substance of which they make a kind of necklace, by cutting it into smaller pieces, each preserving the shape of a whale's tooth, from an inch to four inches long, having a hole in the broadest part, through which they are closely strung, and put round the neck ; the largest being in front, and the others de- creasing in size on each side, up to the back of the neck ; so that, when drawn close, their pointed extremities spread out, and form a very agreeable ornament upon their brown skins, and is much prized by them, on account of its scarcity as well as beauty. This has given rise to the accounts which voyagers have given that they wear teeth round their necks, whereas they are only forms of teeth cut out of the tooth of the whale ; and it is astonishing with what neatness they do this, making as little waste as would be possible to do with much better instruments than what they possess; which is nothing, in general, but a common shaped European chisel, or a piece of a saw, or in defect of these, a flattened nail rendered sharp : before they procured iron from Eu- ropean ships, they made use of a sharp stone. This kind of ivory they also use to inlay^ their 300 TRANSACTIONS AT clubs with, as well as their wooden pillows (see p. 127:) the high price set upon these orna- ments will be exemplified in the following ac- count, which Finow, on this occasion, gave to Mr. Mariner. A short time after the revolt at Tonga, when Finow first became sovereign of Hapai and Va- vaoo, news was brought him of a large dead whale being drifted on a reef, off a small island, inhabited only by one man and his wife j who had the cultivation of a small plantation there. Finow immedktely sailed for this place, and finding the teeth taken from the whale, ques- tioned the man about them, v/ho thereupon went to his house, and taking down a basket from the roof presented it to him,, but in it were only two teeth. The man protested that he put them all there, and knew nothing more about them ; and taxing his wife with having concealed them, she acknowledged that she had secreted one, and brought it to him, from a place in which no others were found ; but this she assured him was all she had taken. The man defended [his innpcence on the plea that the teeth would be of no use to him ; for being poor, he could not sell them for any thing else, since every chief who could afford .to give their value would question his right to them, and take them from him : and, for the THE TONGA ISLANDS. 301 same reason, he coiUd not wear them. Finow was not satisfied with this plea, and being un- able to make them confess by fair means, he threatened them both with death : the man still protesting his innocence, Finow ordered him to be immediately dispatched with a club ; which being done, he again threatened the wo- man, and she as strongly protested her inno- cence : but when the club which had just ended the life of her husband was raised over her own head, she acknowledged that she had concealed another tooth, and accordingly brought it from a different place ; and being unable or unwill- ing to produce any more, she shared the same fate. Finow's conduct here seems very cruel but however, we are to place a great deal to the account of the state of society in which he lived ; and at the same time, we must consider that robbery is punished with death in other countries, as well as in Tonga. But what is^ most worthy of reflection is the strong hold which that ridiculous passion avarice takes of the human mind, which sometimes disposes a man to suffer death rather than part with what he cannot or will not ever make use of. Both the man and woman, in all probability, were guilty ; the woman certainly was ; and yet she could bear to see her husband sacrificed befgre her face rather than confess all she knew of the 302 TRANSACTIONS AT matter, and entreat mercy for him at least, if not for herself. The remainder of these teeth were discovered a long time afterwards, by the particular intervention (as the natives will have it) of the gods. A few years had elapsed, when there being occasion to build and consecrate a house to some god, on the island of Lefooga, it was taken into consideration what valuable article should be deposited beneath its founda- tion, according to the custom on such occa- sions. They were about to get ready a large bale of gnatoo for this purpose, when the in- spired priest of the god declared it to be the wish of the divinity to have some whale's teeth ; and that there were several buried together on the small island just spoken of, in such a parti- cular spot : which place being referred to and dug up, the teeth were found in a perfect state. This discovery was most firmly and most pi- ously believed to have been made by the sacred interposition of the god himself, who inspired his favourite priest with the requisite know- ledge to make it. In the Fiji islands, whales' teeth are held, if possible, in still greater estimation, for it would be dangerous there for a man, unless he be a great chief, and even then, if he were a fo- reigner, to be known to have a whale's tootli about him J the personal possession of such a THE TONGA ISLANDS. valuable property would endanger his life : the axe, or the club, on some unlucky occasion, would deprive him of it for ever, and of his life too. The whale of which we have been speaking <is just found was, for the most part, in a very corrupted state; there were, however, some places where it was not quite so bad ; and as whale's flesh was rather a novelty, (and as novelty is often a provocative of appetite) the bwer orders managed to make a meal of it. About this time a ship arrived off the north- west coast of Vavaoo. She proved tobetheHope, Captain Chase, of New York. When Mr. Ma- riner heard the agreeable intelligence of her ar- rival, he was with Finow at the small island of Ofoo, on the eastern coast of Vavaoo. He im- mediately asked the king leave to go on board, who very readily and very kindly gave his per- mission. Several matabooles were with him, one of whom whispered something to the king, which Mr. Mariner imagining to be prejudicial to himself, endeavoured to distract Finow's at- tention by repeatedly thanking him for his li- beral conduct towards him, and expressing the grateful sense he entertained of his long con- tinued friendship and protection; assuring him that he had no other wish to leave the islands but what was prompted by the natural desire of returning to his native country, and the bosom of his friends. In the mean time he very distinctly heard the king say to the mataboole, "but why should I keep him?" and shortly after, his order to a fisherman to get ready instantly a certain canoe, and paddle Mr. Mariner on board, removed from his mind a load of anxiety. He again and again thanked his benefactor; and, taking an affectionate leave of him, got into the canoe, and pushed off from the beach. There were three men to paddle, who after four or five hours hard pulling came up alongside the vessel. He saw upon the deck, Jeremiah Higgins, John Parish, and Hugh Williams. He hailed the ship; when the captain, or the mate, looked over the quarter, and said, "We can't take you, young man: we have more hands than we know what to do with." Mr. Mariner could hardly believe the evidence of his senses;—not take him! when he saw three of his companions already on board. He began to expostulate:—"It is no use your saying any thing, we can't take you," replied the other. He then offered to procure whatever provisions the ship might want, but the unfeeling miscreant turned his back, and gave no answer. Thus, in one minute, from the elevation of hope his soul sunk into despair; what to say,—what to do,—he knew not. Besides suffering the acute pain of disappointment, he found himself in a very awkward dilemma. If the natives knew that the captain had refused to take him, it would hurt his reputation greatly in their esteem, as they would look upon him to be a low-born tooa, without friends or consideration in his own country. During this time the men in the canoe were too much occupied in viewing the appearance of the ship, to pay much attention to him. Having at length a little recovered himself by resisting the disagreeable ideas that were crowding in upon his mind, he endeavoured to assume a cheerful countenance; and informed the men that unfortunately the ship was bound to a country as far from his, as his was from Tonga; and although the captain wished him to come on board, he had determined to remain at Vavaoo until some British ship should arrive.—With feelings that almost choked his utterance he now ordered them to return to Ofoo. Every body wondered to see him return: his story however was readily believed; but it seemed strange that he had brought them no presents from on board. "What a number of axes he has got for us," said one ironically: "And what a heap of looking-glasses," said another. "Beads will now become quite common," said a third; "for Togi is going to give necklaces to all the girls in Vavaoo." These jokes were exceedingly mortifying, and nothing could be worse timed. He endeavoured to laugh at their humour; and by way of apology for his neglect, he told them that he was so disappointed at not finding the ship bound for his own country, that he had forgotten to ask for some presents: and besides, that he knew she had very few of those things on board, as she came from a country where they were scarce. Finow endeavoured to console him for his disappointment, assuring him in the kindest manner that he should go by the next ship bound to his own country. Some women informed Mr. Mariner that the matabooles had endeavoured to persuade Finow to retain him; but the king replied, that he and his companions had already suffered enough in having the ship taken from them, and being themselves kept so long from their native country, and that he did not think as the matabooles did, that it was the disposition of the Papalangis to return and take revenge!

Another month now elapsed without any important circumstance occurring, when there arrived from the Fiji islands four canoes, bringing a Tonga mataboole, named Cow Mooala and his retinue, who had been absent from Tonga many years: but a narrative of this person's adventures in foreign islands will best form a chapter of itself.

1. Jeremiah Higgins thinks it was not near so high: he had the light of the sun setting opposite to the entrance, and refracted through the water. Mr. Mariner had a superior light, from his torch.