FIJI-NEW ZEALAND EXPEDITION 125 
erepit and leaky gasoline launch ‘‘Tomy,’’ which was to be our 
means of conveyance up the muddy Rewa for the following five 
hours. 
The place of honor, the small cabin in the ‘prow of the boat, 
was turned over to our party while the other passengers, mostly 
Hindus, occupied the remaining available space in the larger cabin 
toward the stern. Mail and baggage were stored on the upper 
deck and in various out-of-the-way places. 
Apparently considerable speculation was rife among the Hindus 
and Fijians on board as to our nationality, destination and busi- 
ness. After much talking, laughing and gesticulating among them- 
selves they finally struck up conversation with Lui who, upon be- 
ing pressed for an answer as to our identity said in Fijian, ‘‘O, 
Americans! all big chiefs.’’ The matter having been thus amicably 
and satisfactorily settled, the passengers occupied themselves by 
reading, writing, talking and smoking. Some were very adept at 
rolling long, black and exceedingly formidable looking cigars; how- 
ever, cigarettes were the favorite smoke and the Hindus had a 
peculiar method of holding them between the thumb and base of 
the forefinger with the lighted end enclosed within the palm of the 
hand. Some ‘‘smokes’’ were made to serve two or three persons. 
As the ‘‘Tomy’’ coughed and chugged slowly up stream frequent 
bailing was necessary and stops were made here and there to take 
on or discharge passengers who sometimes found it necessary to 
wade ashore from the boat; considerable areas along the banks 
were thickly covered with coarse para grass; at frequent intervals 
along both sides of the stream were large cane fields; in some 
places the uncut bush extended to the river banks. A few native 
houses and small villages were passed; and, at one of these, Nadu- 
ruloulou by name, where the boat stopped to discharge mail, the 
Magistrate’s Court was in session. 
As the journey progressed the river became shallower and nar- 
rower and the captain was obliged to zig-zag back and forth in 
order not to go aground. In spite of his care we scraped bottom 
several times. Once the engine stopped; the gasoline tank was 
empty; the precious fluid must be conserved as much as possible 
in Fiji for there it costs three shillings sixpence (about 75 cents) 
a gallon; from one of the tins on deck the tank was filled and we 
were again under way. 
Darkness began to come on—it comes very quickly in the trop- 
ies; a single smoky lantern served to light the way only dimly 
