672 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



" Ko Degei sa tagi lagalaga, 

 Bogi Dua, bog'i rua ka'u yadra, 

 Bogi tolu, bogi va ka'u yadra, 

 Sa tubu dugn diria ko Turukawa." 



In a distant land to the far westward were three chiefs, Lutu- 

 nasobasoba, Degei, and Waicalanavanua. For some cause, long 

 since forgotten, they resolved to leave this land with their wives 

 and children, and they sent a messenger to the head craftsman 

 Rokola, bidding him build them a great canoe, which they called 

 the kaunitoni. In her they set sail, and with them went a num- 

 ber of other canoes, all seeking a new land. They found many 

 lands, and at each some of the people stayed to make it their 

 adopted home ; but none of them pleased Lutunasobasoba. At 

 last the kaunitoni was left alone, and for many days she sailed 

 and found no land. And then a great storm came up from the 

 westward and struck her, and the waves swept her deck, carrying 

 overboard all their goods, and among them a basket of inscrip- 

 tions. So for many days she drove before the western gale, and 

 all hope of gaining land left them. But at last they saw high 

 land, and knew that they were saved; and they beached their 

 canoe on a sandy shore, and built themselves huts and called the 

 place Vuda (Our Origin). This is the Vuda on the northwest 

 corner of Yiti-Levu. The saga goes on to relate the distress of 

 Lutunasobasoba at losing his basket of inscribed stones. I have 

 not succeeded in finding any contemporary tradition that throws 

 light on this very important passage. The Fijians, when we Euro- 

 peans first came into contact with them, had no knowledge of any 

 kind of writing, nor even of making rude representations of natu- 

 ral objects in their carving. But the poem says : 



" Lutunasobasoba wept bitterly : 

 ' My descendants will be in pitiable plight. 

 My basket of stones is overset, 

 My writings (vola) have fallen out.'" 



It goes on to relate how he sent out the canoe to look for the lost 

 inscriptions (which, if they really were of stone, was a somewhat 

 futile proceeding), and how the crew of the canoe discovered the 

 Yasawa Islands, but came back without the lost records. 



They stayed at Vuda until Lutunasobasoba became very old 

 and infirm, and then they decided to move him to higher ground. 

 Degei, who had now taken the lead of the party, ordered Rokola 

 to build some new canoes to carry them to the eastward. The 

 tribe had become too large for the kaunitoni. When these were 

 ready the fleet crept along the coast to the eastward, and landed 

 in what is now the bay of Rakiraki. Thence the dying Lutuna- 

 sobasoba was carried up the mountain, and a hut was built of 

 which the posts and walls and thatch were all made of the vadra 



