MALACHITE AND ANTIMONY. 161 



ten miles from Namosi, and at a place called TJmbi, 

 where it is said to occur in large veins in the side of a 

 hill. Macdonald and S. Waterhouse also heard of and 

 saw quantities brought down by the natives in bamboos, 

 and concluded that it must be plentiful. The black 

 sand so frequently found on the banks of the Eewa 

 river, and attracted by a magnet, has also been washed 

 down from these mountains. Danford at one time fancied 

 he had discovered gold in the neighbourhood, and in 

 1856 he took the c Herald's ' officers to the Wai ni Ura. 

 The rocks were spangled with iron pyrites, which made 

 their appearance wherever the surface was broken : gold 

 was nowhere to be seen. 



Directly on our arrival we made preparations for as- 

 cending Voma, the highest peak in Viti Levu, perhaps 

 in the whole Fijis, and never trodden by the foot of 

 white man. The natives represented to us the impos- 

 sibility of getting to the summit, but we told them that 

 we must at least make the attempt. To this proposal 

 they agreed, and on the morning of the 24th of August 

 we commenced our task, guided by Natove, a famous 

 warrior and petty chief, who proved an excellent hand 

 in cutting openings through the forest when we got 

 higher up. 



On leaving Namosi our path led through numerous 

 taro, banana, and yam plantations, and close to an altar 

 made of sticks and native cloth, on which food for the 

 spirits of the dead was placed : some of the yams were 

 actually sprouting again. The mass of Fijians will have 

 it that these offerings are consumed by the spirits of 

 their departed friends and relations, supposed to have 



M 



