133 



CHAPTER VIII. 



EXCURSIONS TO KOROIVAU AND NAMAEA. DEPARTUEE FEOM BAU. PAS- 

 SAGE THROUGH THE GEEAT EIVEE OF VITI LEVU. BUEETU. APOSTATE 

 CHBISTIANS. EEWA. ARRIVAL AT TAVUKI, ZADAVU. WHALE SHIPS. 

 ATTEMPT TO ASCEND BUKE LEVU. THE ISTHMUS OF KADAVU. GA LOA 

 OR BLACK DUCK BAY. DEPARTURE FOR NAVUA. 



I TOOK advantage of our stay at Ban, which lasted till 

 the 2nd of August, to pay several visits to Namara, 

 Koroivau, and several other parts of Viti Levu. There 

 was a fine pyramidal temple at Namara, no longer used 

 for religious purposes, and near it was standing an iso- 

 lated Fan-palm (Pritchardia Pacifica, Seem, et Wendl.) y 

 both objects peculiarly Fijian. The natives here were 

 extremely friendly, and carried us through bogs and 

 mud when occasion required. At first, the children, on 

 seeing our white faces, were much frightened, and some 

 boys and girls from twelve to fourteen years old would 

 run for their lives when we attempted to get near them 

 or even looked hard at them. However, they soon got 

 reconciled to our colour, or rather want of colour, and 

 a few jew's-harps and beads, judiciously distributed, 

 would make them as happy as kings and quite attached 

 to us. The women were busy grating the seeds of the 

 Ivi (Inocarpus edulis, Forst), now ripe, and made into 

 bread. The hill-sides were planted with a great number 



