SA VU SA VU TO TA VI 'UNI. 195 



Leaving the yam plantation, we wandered down to the 

 beach again. Many of the trees have their branches extending 

 right over the water, and the parasites from them drooping 

 down to its surface form an exquisite floral veil through which 

 the sea can be seen. 



Some of the woods near Valaga contain trees which yield 

 very valuable dye barks at least they are so considered by 

 the natives. I have not heard of any serious attempt to try 

 them in England ; but the effort would cost little, and might 

 be worth the trouble. I heard of four varieties. The bark 

 of the kura root contains a powerful crimson dye ; the bark 

 itself is yellow, but the natives develope the other colour by 

 the addition of lime or ashes. Mr. James Harding, who wrote 

 to me from Navesi in Viti Levu on the same subject, says that 

 he believes the wood as well as the bark of the kura root 

 contains dye. The natives get a purplish colour from nageti, 

 the bark of the trunk of a tree, by mixing it with the juice 

 of a species of uneatable lemon. Tin is a purple dye 

 obtained by the same means. Doga is a third purple dye ; 

 but this variety yields less colouring matter. Of these barks 

 there is a practically inexhaustible supply in the group. 



After a very pleasant and instructive day we were pulled 

 back to Wai-Wai, reaching there in time for another bountiful 

 meal. It had been arranged that we were to spend a day or 

 so at Valaga for the cricket-match, in which nolens volens I was 

 to take a part. Mr. Elphinston and two of the Messrs. Dods 

 returned with us in the boat, and joined the Wai- Wai party, 

 which now numbered eight white men an assembly un- 

 precedented in the t) /nals of Savu Savu Bay. 



After dinner we had the usual discussions in the veranda 

 whilst awaiting the expected meke-meke. The Eastern Question, 

 the Presidential election, the whereabouts of 'Bully Hayes ' (a 



132 



